Blogroll

I used Claude wrong for months, here's the setup that actually made it useful

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 16:00

When I first started using Claude, I treated it like a search bar with brains. I'd type a question into a fresh chat and get annoyed when Claude didn't understand what I wanted. It took me some time to realize that the problem wasn't Claude, it was me. A few changes in how I used Claude made it so much more useful.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your 40V Ryobi mower is dying too fast—Why ‘self-propel' is killing battery life

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 15:45

If you've noticed your Ryobi lawn mower dying before the backyard is finished, the culprit isn't necessarily a bad or aging battery; it's probably how you're using your favorite feature. And if you've had the mower for a few years, how and when you use this feature becomes even more important.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I vibe coded a Rust frontend for FFmpeg and I’m never touching the command line again

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 15:30

FFmpeg is one of my favorite tools. It is a multimedia Swiss army knife that powers more media applications than I can count. However, it doesn't include a GUI by default, which can sometimes make it a bit difficult to use.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Groks voice mode comes to Apple CarPlay

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 15:22

Apple CarPlay users just got another AI assistant option for their cars: Grok.

On Friday, SpaceXAI (the SpaceX's subdivision that focuses on artificial intelligence) announced that Grok's voice mode is now available in Apple CarPlay.

Technically, Grok was already available in CarPlay, but it merely consisted of a placeholder app that displayed a "coming soon" message. Now, you can tap on the Grok icon, launch a new voice chat, and start chatting to the assistant.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Grok follows ChatGPT, which was made available in CarPlay in April 2026. Apple originally added support for AI chatbots in CarPlay in February.

SEE ALSO: AirPods with cameras reportedly in final testing at Apple

As is the case with other AI chatbots in CarPlay, you can't just invoke Grok via a voice command; you have to start the app manually before you can start talking to it. Another caveat is that you can't issue Grok commands to do stuff on your iPhone or in your car, but you can ask it about...stuff.

Some Tesla drivers, on the other hand, do get the luxury of invoking Grok with a "Hey Grok" voice command. The functionality was added in the company's latest "spring update," though availability varies by region.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Everyone is terrified of their router's reset switch (but this other button is much more dangerous)

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 15:00

Router buttons are notoriously bad at making sense. It's not even that many people simply don't know what they're there for; it's that routers don't have one unified form factor the way laptops and desktop PCs do, so you may not even know what you're looking at.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Pixel "Rules" are a joke compared to Samsung's Modes & Routines

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 14:46

It took a while, but automation tools are now baked into most smartphones. They're actually pretty good, too—with one exception. While Samsung Modes & Routines (even iPhone Shortcuts) are excellent, Google’s Pixel “Rules” are embarrassingly lackluster.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 ESP32 Wi-Fi projects to make this weekend (May 8 - 10)

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 14:31

Almost every ESP32 device has Wi-Fi; it’s one of the things that makes the microcontroller so versatile. You can use this functionality to power a variety of wireless projects, from penetration testing to expanding the range of your home network.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Blair Underwood on honoring his mother, creating a legacy, and how he feels about AI

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 14:30

Just in time for Mother's Day, Blair Underwood has written a new book, A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood, which pulls from his mother's writings and diaries to tell the story of her life. In addition to collaborating with Ylonda Gault on the book itself, he also teamed with his sister Marlo Underwood to perform the audiobook.

To celebrate the book's release and his mom, Underwood visited with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko at the Say More studio in New York. Together they discussed Marilyn's life, her struggle with multiple sclerosis, her faith, and her deep love of fashion. Beyond that, Underwood shared how he found his mother's voice, and if he'd ever consider AI for such a job.

In their last conversation, Underwood had also spoken about how Sidney Poitier was a mentor to him as a young Black actor in Hollywood, and how Michael B. Jordan's Oscar speech for Sinners' tapped into Poitier's legacy.

For more of this interview and other Say More videos, be sure to check out Mashable's YouTube channel.

A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood is now available in bookstores and on Audible.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your router is killing your Zigbee network—here's the $0 fix

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 14:15

Do you find that devices keep dropping off your Zigbee network or are slow to respond? The problem may not be your Zigbee network at all; it may be your Wi-Fi network. Both Zigbee and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi share the same frequency band, and they can get in each other’s way.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 Paramount+ shows you can finish in a weekend (May 8-10)

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 14:00

There isn't a ton of new stuff landing on Paramount+ this week/weekend, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything great to watch—especially if you want to binge something that you can finish in about a weekend. Paramount+ has a massive library of newer and classic shows for U.S. subscribers to choose from, if you're willing to scroll through and find. Luckily, we love doing just that.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Mafia Nanny writer Violet Matter on slow-burn romance, fandom, and season 3

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 13:57

Few genres thrive online quite like slow-burn romance. The anticipation, the yearning — it's the kind of storytelling that naturally fuels fandom spaces and fan fiction archives. And on WEBTOON, The Mafia Nanny understands that dynamic better than most. The hit webcomic has spent nearly 100 chapters carefully building tension between its leads, Davina and Gabriel, while cultivating an intensely invested fandom in the process.

As The Mafia Nanny enters its third season on May 11, writer Violet Matter is thinking about a lot more than just romance. What started as a slow-burn about a fiercely competent nanny protecting the son of a handsome mafia boss has grown into something much bigger. Following the long-awaited payoff of chapter 98 (yes, that kiss), season 3 finds Davina stepping fully onto the offensive as the story digs deeper into the Angelini family and the dangerous world surrounding them. And while fans can expect a whole lot of action and espionage this season, they can also expect more skinship and stolen glances, too.

SEE ALSO: 'Critical Role' fans, here's your first look at 'The Mighty Nein Origins' on WEBTOON

We talked to Matter about balancing romance with weekly serialized storytelling, how her fan-fiction roots continue to shape how she thinks about fandom and online community, and why the emotional heart of The Mafia Nanny always comes back to Mikey. Mashable has an exclusive first look at season 3's premiere chapter, "Episode 100."

It feels like season 3 marks a major turning point for the story. What feels most different about how you're approaching it now compared to earlier seasons?

Violet Matter: My understanding of the side characters has changed a lot. At first, they were more part of the fun-and-games aspect of the story. But over the first two seasons, they each developed their own goals and backstories.

So now, in season 3, it's been really interesting to think about the stakes for everyone, not just Davina and Gabriel, and what the implications are for how the rest of the story unfolds. Because you're right: This is a turning point. Davina is going on the offensive, and she's going to… upset some marbles, I guess.

A mysterious package arrives for Mikey in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I love Davina because even though The Mafia Nanny is a romance, she's also genuinely badass. With her going on the offensive this season, how do you see her place in this world evolving?

From the very start, Davina defined her own role. They had an idea of what they were getting when they hired her, but from day one, she stepped in and said, "This is how I'm going to do this job, and I won’t compromise on that."

So we're definitely bringing that energy to its natural conclusion. There are a lot of easy ways out that could've been taken that won't be. There's this deep sense in Davina that she needs to dot every "i" and tie up every loose end before this is all said and done.

She won't be satisfied with an ending where Mikey is just sort of safe or mostly safe. It's going to be all or nothing.

Protecting the charge is still the number one rule.

Yes, but she'll also have to reconcile how some of the other rules she's broken in order to preserve this rule, and how that plays out. She's been having her cake and eating it, too, for a while. I think we'll see some of those consequences as well.

Davina's past continues to haunt her in season 3. Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON You mentioned how your understanding of the side characters has evolved as the story’s gone on. Are there any other things that feel really new or exciting to you as a storyteller this season?

We get to see a lot more of the Angelini family itself. We've spent a lot of time expanding the world, especially in season 2, but now we’re going to see a lot more of the Don, and we're going to learn more about his endgame.

We know some of the things he’s done in the past that brought us to this point in the story, but we don't know all of them yet. So there’s going to be a lot more insight into his actions, both in the past and in the present, as the season unfolds.

Are we finally going to find out the origin story behind his obsession with olives?

That started as a really minor joke in the script, just a little quirk to keep the bad guy interesting. And it's evolved into something that honestly deserves its own backstory. So yes, there has to be a dark reason for all of this.

After 98 chapters, Davina and Gabriel finally kissed at the end of season 2. Did crossing that line change the way you approach their relationship?

We've had to walk a tricky line in season three because there’s still so much plot left to unfold. It's tempting to make every episode just Davina and Gabriel finally getting all their skinship and quality time together. But I do have to give the other characters screen time.

Their dynamic is only going to get stronger, especially as Davina finally starts to let down some of the last walls between them.

The family that bakes together, stays together? A sweet moment in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I love the word "skinship."

It's important visually, especially in comics. In prose, you can have intimate moments that don’t rely on physicality, but in a visual medium, the physicality is right there on the screen. So even something really minor can feel like a huge moment.

You've said before that you didn't necessarily feel confident writing romance. How do you approach those scenes now?

It's still very difficult for me. I feel like I could write fantasy or humor all day long, but when I get to romance scenes, I stop and overthink everything. I have to outline even really simple interactions because it feels like there’s so much politics at play between two people. There are so many things you can get right and so many things you can get wrong.

Everyone’s experience of love is so specific and unique. What works in real life for my husband and me is such a narrow experience compared to the whole spectrum of love, so figuring out how to portray romance in a way that feels emotionally accessible to a broad audience can feel intimidating.

So I think all you can really do is focus on what these characters need emotionally and where those needs meet in the middle.

You also come from a fan fiction background. How did that experience shape the way you think about character and romance?

It definitely influences the way I approach romance because I sometimes hesitate to commit too hard to romantic content. There’s always a little voice in the back of my head going, "The fans will write that part."

The fan fiction writer in me is always thinking: "Create a cool world and let other people play in it."

Sometimes I worry that if I make something too canon, I’m cutting off avenues for fans to imagine other possibilities. But the reality is, if fans don’t like something, they’ll just remix it anyway, and that’s beautiful.

Exactly. They’ll just write a "fix it" fic. Do you feel like writing fan fiction made you better at writing serial storytelling?

Absolutely. It made me comfortable writing serially and just starting without being afraid. With my first project, Forever After, we really didn't have a solid plan. They basically let me run wild with the plot.

The Mafia Nanny was more structured because crime and action stories need tighter plotting. We approached it with a more deliberate system for weaving threads back together and making the pacing feel really tight. But at the end of the day, it's still serial storytelling. I almost never follow my outline.

How far ahead do you outline?

We have kind of a vague mountaintop in the distance that we think we’re heading toward, but usually, I only have the next chapter or two outlined. After that, the characters kind of do what they want.

I was so happy to see Mikey get such a beautiful emotional moment in chapter 100, especially with his mom. I think it's easy to forget sometimes that he's still just a little boy who lost his mother. So how do you approach writing grief through a child’s perspective?

It was really important to me from the beginning not to villainize Mikey’s mother. It would've been easy to make her cold or awful because that’s often the first thing stories reach for in this kind of setup. But I didn't want to make commentary about her character beyond the fact that she was Mikey's mom and he loved her.

From Mikey's point of view, she was a great mom. And losing her is devastating, regardless of who she was. When I write him processing grief, I think about my own toddler and the way children narrate situations to themselves. They often get details wrong or invent explanations that help them make emotional sense of something.

Mikey has a little bit of that happening. And for him, it really hasn't been that long. The whole story takes place in less than a year.

Mikey remembers his late mother Emmaline in "Epside 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON A tender scene between father and son in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON How does Mikey's journey this season shape the decisions Davina and Gabriel make together?

One of the major themes this season is family. Hopefully, the story centers on the family these characters are building together, even with all the action and intrigue happening around them. Mikey is absolutely the heart of that family. He's symbolic in some ways because all of these characters are working toward a better future, and children naturally represent that. But he’s also incredibly specific in what he needs to feel safe and happy.

This season is really about the family staying together and realizing their potential.

Are there any other major themes this season besides family?

Probably compromise. A lot of the characters are going to have to make decisions that are less than perfect. I don't think the ending of this story is going to go completely one way or another. It'll probably end in an imperfect compromise.

The Don's influence looms large over season 3 in this first look at "Episode 101." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON The Mafia Nanny is built for vertical scroll, which is such a unique reading experience. How does writing for that format shape the way you build tension or emotional payoff?

The artists are much better at using the medium than I am. I try to leave space in the script for them to take advantage of the format because they constantly come up with visual ideas I never could. But it has been fun to experiment with things like pacing panels vertically and thinking about how tension evolves as you scroll.

There was a really cool moment in season 2 where the producers figured out how to embed a GIF effect into the comic. As you scrolled, the words moved while the image stayed still. I still don't know how they did it.

There are so many possibilities in this format that I don't think anyone has fully unlocked them yet.

You've said before that you read the comments, and Webtoon readers are obviously very engaged online. How do you navigate that feedback loop while still protecting the story you want to tell?

It's a delicate balance. I love reading the comments, but it can be tempting to engage too directly. Because I came from fan fiction spaces, I learned early on that fan communities are sacred. Even though the fan in me wants to participate, I think there needs to be some distance. I never want fans to feel like the writer is invading their space or pulling ideas directly from them in a way that feels murky.

So I mostly just read comments, enjoy them, and occasionally like particularly clever ones.

It's really cool that you've publicly embraced your fan fiction roots instead of distancing yourself from them.

I can't really walk away from them because fan fiction is literally why I have this job. A producer read my fic and reached out asking if I'd ever considered writing comics. I genuinely thought the message was spam.

Fan fiction is such a powerful way to find community and practice storytelling. It's not the writing I'm most proud of, but I'll always proudly claim it because I loved writing it. And honestly, fan fiction just gives me so much joy.

Davina is going on the offensive in season 3. Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I was trying to explain to a friend recently why I love fan fiction, and I realized there’s almost no logical explanation besides: why wouldn't you?

If you approach it as a form of creative transformation, then anyone can understand that. Why is SNL so popular? They're taking stuff in culture that's real, and they're giving it a new spin, a new lens. That's all of humor. That's a ton of fairy tales and fantasy, the things we come back to again and again.

The Mafia Nanny really works as a slow-burn romance. Did you ever feel pressure to speed things up?

There's definitely pressure from readers who want the kiss immediately, preferably in episode 1, and then every episode after that.

But honestly, I think that pressure is a good sign because it means readers are emotionally invested. Slow burn storytelling is difficult in a serial format because the biggest danger is that readers get bored week to week. You don't want it to feel like constant teasing without payoff. So if the characters aren't together yet, there has to be a believable emotional reason why.

Personally, I love the yearning.

Me too. Sometimes, if characters get together too quickly, the tension disappears.

What are you most excited for fans to see in season 3?

There are a lot of really fun things coming up. Season 3 leans more into an espionage vibe because there are now so many characters with conflicting motivations who are all lying to each other. I'm excited to see readers theorize about which characters are secretly aligned and which ones are working against each other. There's going to be a lot of intrigue.

I love seeing different characters take center stage at different points. It creates opportunities for so many subplots and emotional dynamics.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use LAMBDA in Excel to create scalable, reusable functions

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 13:30

If you've ever found yourself rewriting the same Excel logic in different places, or building long formulas just to reuse parts of them, you're not alone. As spreadsheets grow, formulas tend to get more complex and harder to manage. Excel's LAMBDA function changes that by letting you define logic once and reuse it wherever you need it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 new Netflix shows worth binging this weekend (May 8-10)

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 13:00

Netflix has some excellent new TV series arriving in the month of May, including a few that are already lighting up Rotten Tomatoes and the Top 10, like Man on Fire and Unchosen. But there's still plenty to come on the streaming service, including what's in store for U.S. subscribers this weekend.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Gerard Butler reveals the real-life disasters hes survived with Slash or Pass

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:47

"I did not come here to poke at your trauma," is not a thing I, Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, expected to say to anyone, much less Scottish action star Gerard Butler. When we sat down to celebrate the release of Greenland 2: Migration with a game of "Slash or Pass," I'd prepped to talk about disaster movies, having no idea how many actual disaster scenarios Butler has faced off-screen.

"My life is a disaster," he laughed while playing the game. But you should watch for yourself to see Butler coolly explain all the stressful scenarios he's survived. Then you too will know that, when in danger, we should look for Gerard Butler.

In our round-up of disaster movies, we touched on Titanic, Airplane!, Geostorm, Twister, The Happening, and of course, Greenland and Greenland 2: Migration. The sequel sees Butler reprise the role of engineer/family man John Garrity, who successfully got his wife and son to safety as the world-threatening comet Clarke barreled to Earth. This time, he'll face natural disasters and man-made menace to get his loved ones to a new "green land," a place of peace, clean air, and the promise of a better tomorrow.

Greenland 2: Migration is now streaming on HBO Max.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Greenland 2: Migration review: Gerard Butler returns to be the dad we need

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:45

In case this week hasn't stressed you out enough, Greenland 2: Migration has arrived to kick your cortisol levels into overdrive.

Incredibly, this sequel to Greenland imagines an even worse-case scenario to the first film's premise. Sure, the 2020 disaster movie featured a massive comet called Clarke that was barreling toward the Earth so fast and furious it was sure to destroy most of the world's population and life as we know it. But what if, five years later, the survivors have a new series of Herculean obstacles to face before they can find any kind of peace? 

SEE ALSO: 2026 movie preview: All the films you need to know about right now

Greenland 2: Migration throws earthquakes, tsunamis, and radiation storms with vicious lightning at the Garrity family — and that's all in the first 20 minutes. From there, the story takes them on a dangerous trek to find a "promised land" where they can live happily ever after. But beneath all this action and disaster, this sly sequel is about the challenge of being a good dad as Gerard Butler's family man, John Garrity, gives everything he has to save his family at every turn. 

Brace yourself, because Greenland 2: Migration will have you gasping and crying before those credits roll. 

Greenland 2: Migration imagines a brave new world of horror and hope.  Credit: Lionsgate

Set five years after Clarke first pitched the Garrity family into a frantic flight to a high-security bunker in Greenland, this sequel shows a world transformed by the comet's impact. The globe is pockmarked with impact craters and death. In voiceover, John (Butler) explains that at least 75% of the world's population has been wiped out. Those who survived struggle against radiation that makes it dangerous to be outside without a special mask.

In their bunker, the Garritys' new community shares resources and debates what the future can look like. Rations are running low and tremors shake the bunker, threatening to shatter it. But scientists theorize that the crater where the biggest chunk of Clarke hit could become a new cradle of life. It's said the air and water there is pure, the land rich and ready to be cultivated. Plus, the furious natural disasters that plague this bunker don't get past the new mountains formed by the crater's impact. 

Featured Video For You Gerard Butler reveals the real-life disasters he's survived with 'Slash or Pass'

Determined to give his 15-year-old son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) and his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) the best life this world can offer, John asks them to pack up and trek from Greenland to this promised green land in the South of France. But getting there won't be easy. 

It's not just that nature is ruthlessly indifferent to the remnants of humanity. What resources and terrain that remains is being fought over. Marauders make the roads dangerous, while what's left of London is a scene of riots. As in Greenland, the Garrity family will see the best and worst of humanity, finding vicious foes and earnest friends. And through it all, John doggedly pushes his family forward. 

Greenland 2: Migration has a grimmer tone.  Credit: Lionsgate

The experience of watching Greenland was similar to a panic attack. One sequence after another made things harder for the Garritys, the plot playing out like the escalating worst-case scenarios that anxiety can trigger. And on top of that, the ticking clock of Clarke's impact made for chest-tightening tension. There was an incredibly prolonged sense of scramble to the first film, which separated John and Allison, forcing them to fight not only to survive but to find each other, all while keeping their young son — who has diabetes that requires insulin — safe.

In Greenland 2: Migration, there's less excitement and more sadness. The frenzy of being chased out of their spacious and pristine suburban home is swapped for a speedy fleeing of a crumbling bunker, where all they own can be shoved into a backpack or two. Inexplicably, the only mention of Nathan's diabetes is that he should grab as much insulin as he can before they leave the bunker. Shouldn't insulin be refrigerated? Wouldn't he run out eventually? Shhhh, this movie doesn't have time for your petty logic.

In the first film, the Garritys were everyday folks. Now, they are trauma-hardened refugees, alert and scared, but not as panicked as they were on day one. This shifts the feeling of the movie from fearful to a world-weariness that weighs heaviest on John, because he knows something the others don't. In the first act, it's hinted that John's scavenging trips to recover resources from the radiation-rich outside world have irrevocably hurt his health. His ragged cough becomes its own ticking clock: Can he get his family to safety before his time is up? 

Gerard Butler is riveting in Greenland 2: Migration.  Gerard Butler stars in "Greenland 2: Migration." Credit: Lionsgate

Butler's long been a solid choice as an action lead. Here, his broad shoulders stand strong against a sea of physical assaults from water, fire, stone, and man-made violence. His signature growl roars to boost the morale of his family as they face nauseating challenges, like traversing a rope bridge during an earthquake. But it also purrs low and alluringly to offer comfort to his loved ones. This is a man not only looking to make it to tomorrow, but all too aware that he's paving the path for his son's future one hard-won step at a time. There's a throbbing heartbreak to that.

The existence of the whole world was under threat in the first film. Here, the stakes are more immediate, personal, and devastating; mortality takes on a new meaning for an aging father who's increasingly aware he'll never see his boy become a man. 

Screenwriters Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling neatly knit this emotional thread into the barrage of action set pieces. Director Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland) brings disaster-rich pages to vivid life, reimagining major cities and natural landmarks as wastelands or life-or-death obstacle courses. There's plenty of nightmare fuel in what the Garrity family faces. Yet Greenland 2: Migration doesn't quite hit the way the first one did. 

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

I'm not sure if that's the movie's fault or mine. This sequel does have a more elegiac tone, and understandably so. Outside of John's declining health, what he's seen in the last five years is that even the end of the world as we know it does not guarantee that mankind will get our shit together and embrace community and kindness. Even as he's taking down a bad guy with a gun, there's a look of sorrow in his eyes, because this struggle just won't end. But am I projecting? On my way to see this film and on the way home afterwards, I couldn't help but doomscroll through horrifying news headlines about violence, war, and cold-blooded murder. I'm aware that this hopelessness might be my own. I might have brought it into my understanding of the film. Or this sequel is reflecting a fear that's in the zeitgeist right now.

To be fair, Greenland 2: Migration does offer sparks of hope, both in compassionate people met along the way and a climax that strives for heart-warming. And it is soul-lifting to see Butler as the dad who won't ever give up. Waugh's message with the movie seems to be a recognition that the evils and violence of the world can be overwhelming, even for the strongest among us. But there's still value in fighting for a better tomorrow. Still, after all the horrors seen on screen and off, this sequel is less entertaining than it is a determined reminder of how much cruelty in the world is not caused by an act of God, but acts of man. 

Greenland 2: Migration is now streaming on HBO Max.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box is way below market price at Amazon — save over $10

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:31

TL;DR: Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box available for preorder at $209.70 ahead of its Aug. 14 release. TCGplayer’s market price is $226.05, making Amazon’s listing $16.35 cheaper. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box $209.70 at Amazon
Pre-order Here

Any Magic: The Gathering collector who’s worried about climbing prices for the upcoming Hobbit expansion can quickly grab a whole display box of 30 booster packs for well under market value. 

As of May 8, you can preorder the Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box for $209.70 with free shipping — with a delivery date of Aug. 17, after the expansion’s release date of Aug. 14.

TCGplayer is currently higher for the same Play Booster Display. Its market price is $226.05, while the lowest listing is $225.80 with shipping included, and the listed median is $225.92. That makes Amazon more than $15 below market price right now.

Buyers will get 30 Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Boosters and one traditional foil Middle-earth Box Topper card. Each Play Booster includes 14 Magic cards, with one to three cards of rare or higher rarity, three to five uncommons, seven to nine commons, one land card, and one traditional foil card of any rarity. 

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

There’s also a shot at special alt-art and alt-border cards, with foil borderless rare or mythic rare cards appearing in less than 1% of boosters. 

For Lord of the Rings fans who are just getting into Magic, Play Boosters are made for drafting with friends, building decks, chasing Booster Fun, or just opening packs because the art rules. 

Featuring beloved characters of Middle-Earth, the set follows Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves from The Shire to the Lonely Mountain, with Smaug, Erebor, treasure, and plenty of second-breakfast energy along the way. 

For expansions you can buy right now, the 30-pack MTG Edge of Eternities Play Booster Box is on sale for only $129 — its lowest-ever price on Amazon. The Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box is also $17 off. 

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Chrome feature saves your AI prompts automatically, and most people don't know it exists

How-To Geek - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:30

Like a lot of people working in tech, I've found AI creeping into more and more of my day. I'm summarizing long articles, cleaning up drafts, pulling key points out of research, and sanity-checking ideas before I move forward. The problem is, I kept using the same prompts over and over. Not just similar ones, the exact same instructions with small tweaks depending on the situation.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Mothers Day 2026 deals: Score free food from Denny’s, Pizza Hut, Dunkin, and more

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:24

We all want to treat our moms to the best, but sometimes the budget doesn't quite line up with the best of intentions. That's where freebies, voucher codes, and limited-time exclusives from popular restaurants come to the rescue.

You can find some really great food offers from the likes of Denny’s, Pizza Hut, Dunkin', and more popular names on Mother's Day this year. We've checked out everything on offer to bring you the very best, so you can treat her right this weekend.

Aroma Joe’s

Moms can get a free 24-ounce iced drink (any flavor) on Mother's Day.

Baskin-Robbins

Reward members get a BOGO free scoop on May 9. You might need to think of something else to do on Mother's Day, but it's still a nice early treat.

Denny's

Score $10 off online orders of $30+ when you get breakfast for delivery or pickup with the code MOMDAY. This offer is live from May 9-11.

Dunkin'

From May 9-10, Dunkin' is offering 3x points when you order either a 6- or 12-count donut box or 20- or 50-count of Munchkins.

Friendly’s

Moms can get a free medium sundae with any adult entrée purchase.

Morton's The Steakhouse

From May 7-10, Morton's The Steakhouse is dropping an exclusive Mother's Day menu that starts from $79 per person.

Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is dropping a limited-time “Mum’s Day Menu” with filet mignon and lobster tail combinations. Looking to go all-out this Mother's Day? This could seriously impress.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is serving up its famous Heart Shaped Pizza for Mother's Day. This limited-edition pizza is available at select locations nationwide through May 10.

Raising Cane’s

Caniac Club members get a BOGO Free Box Combo on May 10-11.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Ruth's Chris Steak House is offering a Mother's Day brunch on May 9-10, starting at $49 per person.

Shake Shack

Get a free single burger with any $10 purchase using the app code for National Burger Month. OK, that's not a Mother's Day deal. But does she like burgers? If she does, it's a perfect Mother's Day deal.

TCBY

TCBY is giving moms a 6-ounce treat for free. This offer is only valid on May 10, but your mom can choose between a small cup or cone.

White Castle

White Castle is celebrating moms with a BOGO deal on combo meals. Plus, you can score 20% off any order this weekend by using the code WCMOM.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Daily Show host Desi Lydic roasts Trumps predictably weird Mothers Day tribute

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:20

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend, and Donald Trump decided to celebrate with a predictably rambling and odd speech.

"Trump marked the occasion with an event honoring military moms, or as he calls them, military MILFs," jokes Daily Show host Desi Lydic in the clip above. "And I assume he showed them the love and respect they deserve."

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creators today

Cue a clip of the U.S. president talking about Melody Wolfe, the mother of National Guard staff sergeant Andy Wolfe, who was recently shot and injured near the White House. Trump went on a complete tangent during his speech, talking about how autocorrect often changes wife Melania's name to "Melody" in Truth Social posts; he then made strange noises with his tongue to illustrate how fast he apparently types these posts.

"Well, now I know what I'm not getting for Mother's Day," says Lydic. "Horny again, ever."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Categories: IT General, Technology

NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 8, 2026

Mashable - Fri, 05/08/2026 - 11:59

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some baseball knowledge.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

  • Yellow: Following along

  • Green: Fielding components

  • Blue: Player-focused

  • Purple: It's all in the name

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: Ways to consume a sporting event

  • Green: Parts of a baseball glove

  • Blue: Associated with Victor Wembanyama

  • Purple: Teams with Wolf/Wolves nicknames

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #592 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
  • Ways to consume a sporting event: IN PERSON, RADIO, STREAMING, TELEVISION

  • Parts of a baseball glove: FINGERS, HEEL, POCKET, WEBBING

  • Associated with Victor Wembanyama: 1, FRANCE, SPURS, THE ALIEN

  • Teams with Wolf/Wolves nicknames: NC STATE, NEVADA, TIMBERWOLVES, WOLVES

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Categories: IT General, Technology
Syndicate content

eXTReMe Tracker