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The AI industry, not content with alienating top creators, seems to be intent on alienating book lovers too.

That much is clear in the wake of a 404 Media report on ISBNdb, a company that tracks book data and briefly offered "AI training data" in the form of "the world's largest book database."

So far so normal; AI companies looking to build better AI models are hungry for fresh data from any source that isn't the internet. Books — generally better edited and more cogent than your average Reddit thread — make AI sound smart. (There's a premium on books published before 2022, ironically because we can't be sure if books were written by AI after that date.)

But on a now-deleted page, ISBNdb also advertised a "legally-binding nondisclosure agreement" that would hide an AI company client's "identity and strategy." Why? ISBNdb explained: "Destroying millions of books evokes images of burning libraries ... the optics problem is real. 'AI company destroys two million books' is not a headline that generates sympathy."

Indeed. Turns out ISBNdb was offering destructive book scanning, an industrial process that claims to turn pages into data faster than the "move a page, take a picture" alternative — by slicing the spines off books and feeding the pages into a scanning machine, photocopier style, then recycliny them. (ISBNdb's now-deleted advice: "lead with the recycling story, not the destruction story."

But if you just recoiled with horror at the destruction story, you're not alone. It wasn't a headline so much as an impassioned pro-book post from a financial newsletter that caught the internet's attention last week.

Among the post's 2,000 outraged replies was one from Elon Musk, pledging that Grok's book training would be done the "hard way" in the case of rare books.

Though as commenters quickly pointed out, Musk offered no definition of what was a "rare book" — nor any promise that his AI company would avoid destroying books in other cases.

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

As for ISBNdb, the company has belatedly walked back its destructive book offerings. "We've chosen to pivot away from that direction," the company's news site now says. The service was a "test of market interest." ISBNdb assured users it hadn't so much as scanned a single book.

But ISBNdb isn't alone. AI-feeding book destruction has happened before, and if the rare books sales spikes also noted in the 404 are to be believed, it may be happening again, right now, with other vendors under other nondisclosure agreements.

All while other less-destructive book scanning options — with less risk of messing up the scanned text — are widely available.

Which AI companies are destroying books?

It has long made sense to train Large Language Models on books. At first, that meant books legally online or in the public domain, such as the contents of Project Gutenberg. But rivalry between OpenAI, Anthropic, and other LLM builders led to a growing temptation to use online collections of pirated books.

We may never know whether OpenAI gave in to that temptation. In 2024, a class-action lawsuit from the Authors Guild found that the company had deleted the database of books it used to train its GPT models, and no one who worked on the database still worked at OpenAI.

But Anthropic was caught, and has admitted to using millions of pirated books to train Claude. That class action lawsuit, in which a record $1.5 billion copyright settlement was just approved, also revealed the scale of Anthropic's physical book-destruction operation.

Anthropic "became convinced that using books was the most cost-effective means to achieve a world-class LLM," wrote U.S. District Judge William Alsup in a lengthy legal order dated June 2025.

The company was "not so gung-ho" about using pirated material from 2024 onwards, to quote a memorable internal email in evidence, but still wanted to train Claude on "all the books in the world."

The result was called Project Panama. Alsup explains: "Anthropic spent many millions of dollars to purchase millions of print books, often in used condition. Its service providers stripped the books from their bindings, cut their pages to size, and scanned the books into digital form — discarding the paper originals."

As a matter of law, Alsup found this book mutilation was "transformative" and fell under the definition of fair use — because of the IRL book destruction, they were effectively exchanging one real-world copy for one digital copy. If Anthropic had ignored pirated databases, bought physical books from the start, then torn them apart in this manner, the authors wouldn't have a case.

But as a PR matter, Alsup's order was a disaster for Anthropic — generating exactly the sort of "AI company destroys millions of books" headlines that ISBNdb was offering to reframe. In court documents, one vendor boasted of its "hydraulic powered cutting machine" and how a recycling company would pick up the remnants.

Is there a better way to scan books? This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The scale and speed of Project Panama, by all accounts, were astonishing. Other court documents say Anthropic sought a vendor to "convert from 500,000 to two million books over a six-month period."

To put that in perspective, around 2 million new books were published each year (again, before the 2022 AI slop book cutoff point). Scanning a year's worth of books via six months of slicing and dicing is a pace at which nondestructive book-scanning methods might struggle to keep up.

Nevertheless, in a world where we're still haunted by Nazi book burnings, as well as by classic dystopian novels of book destruction (Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four), it is the more sensitive nondestructive scanners that maintain the moral high ground.

Take the Internet Archive, a nonprofit that preserves the internet (including those deleted ISBNdb pages) via the Wayback Machine. The archive has been scanning books for years, and in 2021, a tweet about its nondestructive Scribe scanner, above, went viral — in a good way.

The Archive has experimented with scanners where robots turn pages, but found it didn't work for rare books. Instead, every page is turned by hand. The operator in the viral tweet, one of 70 Scribe workers, said she had scanned roughly 18,000 books in 10 years.

As the Scribe was going viral, the Archive celebrated uploading its 2 millionth book — but it had taken 20 years to get there (and would soon face a copyright lawsuit of its own). Sadly, there's no way it can keep pace with a book-slicing automated document feeder.

Instead, it's possible the only thing that might keep AI companies from chopping up books at a rate that would make Bradbury and Orwell spin in their graves is the same thing that made IBSNdb back down: the spotlight of public attention.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 European Athletics Championships for free on BBC iPlayer. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

We're still a couple of years away from the next quest for Olympic medals, but that doesn't mean the best athletes are just sitting back and relaxing. No, there are PBs to chase, rivals to beat, and world records to set. And some elite athletes will be targeting all of that and more in the 2026 European Athletics Championships.

The Alexander Stadium is welcoming some of track and field's biggest stars this month. The likes of Keely Hodgkinson, Mondo Duplantis, and Femke Bol will be battling it out for places on the podium. And Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen will make his long-awaited return to the track in the 5,000 meters.

If you want to watch the 2026 European Athletics Championships for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What are the European Athletics Championships?

The European Athletics Championships are a biennial track and field event organized by the European Athletics Association. The championships bring together the continent’s best athletes to compete across sprint, distance, field, road, and combined events for medals.

When are the 2026 European Athletics Championships?

The 2026 European Athletics Championships take place from Aug. 10-16 at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, UK.

How to watch the 2026 European Athletics Championships for free

The 2026 European Athletics Championships is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the European Athletics Championships from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 European Athletics Championships by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch the 2026 European Athletics Championships for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the European Athletics Championships without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the entire event before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including the UK

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 European Athletics Championships for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: ChatPlayground gives you lifetime access to dozens of major AI models, and it’s only $59.25 (reg. $619) for life with code AUG25.

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AI has so much potential to work quickly, but there are tons of little time-wasters and expensive frustrations. Using multiple models is a good way to produce a lot of work, but it requires you to copy pro pts between tabs and pay separate subscriptions for each model you use. If you want a smarter way to work, ChatPlayground is a new platform that consolidates many of the most popular AI tools, so you can send one prompt to all of them. It’s also only $59.25 (reg. $619) on sale.

ChatPlayground gives you access to GPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and more, all in one clean interface. It works well for people who iterate fast, test variations, and actually care about optimizing results.

Beyond comparisons, ChatPlayground AI includes prompt engineering tools to refine outputs, image and PDF chat for context-aware responses, saved chat history for ongoing projects, and AI image generation powered by leading models. There’s even a Chrome extension to integrate it directly into your browsing workflow.

The Unlimited Plan means unlimited messages per month, making it ideal for startups, product teams, marketers, and prompt engineers who run experiments nonstop. You also get priority support and early access to new features and future models.

Stop paying a separate subscription for AI tools that waste your time.

Use code AUG25 to get lifetime access to ChatPlayground on sale for $59.25. Offer expires Aug. 9 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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Right now, you can even snag a lifetime subscription to FastestVPN PRO for just $29.99 for 15 devices — only $2 each — with code Aug25 until Aug. 9.

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At a glance:

• Release date: We're expecting the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to arrive in fall 2026, but rumor has it the iPhone 18 may not arrive until early 2027.

• Colors: Possible leaks point to four main color options this year for the Pro models: light blue, silver, dark gray, and dark cherry.

• Key upgrades: Besides iOS 27 and the Siri AI beta, we're expecting bigger batteries, camera improvements (including variable aperture for the main camera), and possibly a smaller Dynamic Island.

• Pricing: Most new phones are arriving with price increases, and we think a starting price increase is very likely for the new iPhone 18 lineup, sadly.

Apple's flagship smartphone hasn't taken a year off from its updates since 2007, and barring a massive surprise, 2026 won't be different — but there will be a twist.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to launch a new lineup of iPhones later this year, including the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone Ultra, the company's first-ever foldable. The regular iPhone 18, the 18e, and the new iPhone Air are likely to arrive early next year.

We asked you to predict what Apple will do next. See the results and find out how to get a shot at winning an Apple Watch!

As we await the iPhone 18 — and its updated operating system, iOS 27 — rumors continue to trickle out. The pace of leaks on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in particular is likely to increase after a massive hack exposed thousands of Apple's internal documents, reportedly including iPhone 18 Pro suppliers and tests.

We won't see any of the new Apple phones in the wild for a couple more months, but we can bring you all of the latest iPhone 18 rumors and the most likely updates in one place.

SEE ALSO: Apple reportedly working on anti-phone snatching security feature iPhone 18 lineup pricing

If you're in the market for a new iPhone, you should circle September in your calendar. That's when Apple typically holds its big iPhone launch event, and there's no reason to believe Apple will change that for the iPhone 18. The first week of September is most likely — probably Wednesday September 9, to give attendees enough time to travel after Labor Day (September 7).

Expect to see new Apple CEO John Ternus take the stage, as his term of office officially begins Sept. 1. What he'll be introducing, alas, may put more of a dent in your wallet.

Thanks to the ongoing RAM shortage caused by the AI industry (also known as RAMageddon), tons of smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles are seeing huge price hikes. Experts who've spoken to Mashable say that trend isn't going to stop anytime soon.

As the world's number one smartphone maker, Apple has some advantages over its rivals, but a price increase is very likely. Apple recently raised prices on a variety of its products, and outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook even took the unusual step of preparing us for a pricier iPhone.

"Price increases are unavoidable," Cook told the Wall Street Journal in a June interview. The Journal quoted an analysis showing that the memory chip components in the iPhone 18 Pro will cost Apple $150 more than those in the iPhone 17 Pro.

So should you expect the phones to cost just $150 more than their predecessors (check the iPhone 17 prices for reference)? You wish. There's the pesky fact that Apple is a for-profit company, and the iPhone is the #1 smartphone in the world for a reason, even though it's already pricier than Samsung's.

How much of an increase will Apple fans bear? We may be about to find out, but the Journal estimated $1,399 for the iPhone 18 Pro ($300 more than last year). Apple analysts are coming to similar conclusions; one research note seen by 9to5Mac predicted $250 to $300 price increases.

iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Ultra launch dates The iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones at last year's iPhone launch event. Credit: CNET

Barring a huge turn under Ternus, Apple will release the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra in early September. Apple's first foldable iPhone is the biggest headline here, but the Pro models will bring numerous improvements too.

The iPhone 18, however, alongside the cheaper iPhone 18e, and the next-gen iPhone Air, are rumored to come next year, likely in March 2027.

iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro design

Again, Apple has not released any official teasers or other imagery for the iPhone 18 lineup yet, so anything reported to date could be wrong. Still, from the sum total of all reports, it sounds like Apple isn't really reinventing the wheel, design-wise. But Ternus, a hardware guy, is reportedly bringing the company's industrial design group into the center of the Apple fold.

Looking further into the future, the iPhone 20 is said to bring big changes, including a curved waterfall display.

Per our friends at CNET (Mashable and CNET are both owned by Ziff Davis), the display sizes will be roughly the same as last year:

• iPhone 18: 6.3 inches

• iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3 inches

• iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9 inches

However, the display quality might be a little different this year. Prominent leaker Instant Digital shared on Chinese social media that Apple's brightness demands are unusually high this year, so it would be reasonable to expect much brighter displays than in previous years.

Some iPhone 18 models could also have a smaller camera bump compared to previous models. There are reports of a slightly redesigned Dynamic Island on the screen itself, with the pill-shaped notification hub potentially being made smaller in the iPhone 18 Pro models. One alleged leaked image purports to show an iPhone 18 Pro with a downsized Dynamic Island cutout.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. iPhone 18: rumored hardware features

So we know the software the iPhone 18 will run: iOS 27, introduced at WWDC 2026. Time to start talking about some of the internal hardware changes Apple is reportedly making to the iPhone 18 lineup.

For starters, it sounds like the lineup will have a standardized 12GB RAM count across the board. In previous years, the Pro models had 12GB of RAM, while the base model had only 8GB. According to Korean outlet The Bell, Apple will be upgrading the base model so that it matches the Pro models in that regard. It's also widely expected that Apple will adopt new A20 and A20 Pro chips for the base and Pro models, respectively.

It's also expected that the new iPhones will have a new C2 modem for improved cellular connectivity, and they may also have 5G satellite support. Also reported: a new N2 chip for better WiFi performance.

As for the battery, leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo reported that the batteries will finally be upgraded to 5,000mAh, which would be a big improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro. This year, 5,000mAh has become the new standard for flagship phones, including in Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Instant Digital posted in a separate Weibo leak that the back glass of the iPhone 18 Pro has been altered, resulting in a new unified look, as opposed to the two-tone look of the iPhone 17 Pro. Whether that change will affect durability (or if it's just an aesthetic difference) remains to be seen. Other possible upgrades include an improved LTPO+ display, Apple's new C2 modem, 5G via satellite connectivity, and the improved N2 chip, which should improve hotspot and AirDrop reliability.

The most colorful iPhone 18 Pro rumors

Courtesy of leakers, we may already know the iPhone 18 Pro colors. If that's the case, the must-see equivalent of the iPhone 17's unforgettable "cosmic orange" shade is said to be a wine-like "dark cherry," which we'd expect to sell like hot... cherry pies?

Based on numerous leaks, the most likely color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro will be silver, dark gray, light blue, and the aforementioned "dark cherry."

Sadly, we think fans of black iPhones are out of luck, though the rumored dark gray color looks black in supposed dummy units shared by leakers like Sonny Dickson.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. What about the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Several reports out of China say that because the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a much larger battery, it may be a bit of a chunky boy as a result.

We're not talking about a huge increase in weight and width: a quarter of a millimeter in thickness and 7 grams more, respectively. Still, every gram counts on the heftiest iPhone model you can get — so iPhone 17 Pro Max upgraders may want to check that their pocket linings can bear the bulk of a larger iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The iPhone 17 Pro has helped Apple break sales records in 2026. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable iPhone 18 camera rumors

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a source of many spot-on iPhone reports, says the iPhone 18 Pro, in particular, will have "some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup's history."

Why? First, the telephoto camera has a larger aperture. But more important is the variable aperture.

First reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, variable aperture is a huge deal. It would let the iPhone 18 Pro camera capture different amounts of light for different situations — potentially leading to a huge leap in photo quality, if you know what you're doing.

For instance, the bokeh effect famously associated with portrait mode on iPhones would be possible in-camera rather than through software processing, resulting in more natural and generally better-looking shots.

What about Siri AI?

Of course, one of the first things many users will want to know about the iPhone 18 when they get their hands on one: what is the new, revamped, AI-upgraded Siri experience like?

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try it yourself by installing the iOS 27 beta.

The new features include Siri becoming an actual chatbot with its own app. It's also able to understand what's on your screen, and it can help you write, create images, and edit photos.

For an overview, check out our guides to iOS 27 and Siri AI's top features.

TL;DR: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Aug. 5-8. Stuff Your E-Reader, hosted by Indie Author Collective, is offering free books in a variety of subgenres.

We're not in the habit of complaining about free giveaways, but if there is one thing that bothers us about Stuff Your Kindle Days, it's that they sometimes come and go in the blink of an eye. We need time to prepare. We need to properly assess our options and lovingly handpick the books that speak to us on a spiritual level. 24-hour events rob us of this opportunity.

Fortunately, the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day is a much more relaxed affair.

Stuff Your E-Reader, hosted by Indie Author Collective, is offering free books across a variety of subgenres until Aug.8. Everything that you download is yours to keep forever, so you really can stock up ahead of the colder winter months that aren't too far away.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the 2026 Motorola Razr for free — how to qualify

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Stuff Your E-Reader takes place from Aug. 5-8. This four-day giveaway provides participants with the chance to really dig into everything on offer.

Which books are free?

Stuff Your E-Reader is an all-genre book blast, so there really is something for everyone. There's a helpful hub page with everything neatly organized. You can filter by price (free or 99 cents), platform (Kindle or Kobo), representation, and genre. There are 30+ genres to pick from, including fantasy, thriller, romance, gothic, and erotica. Something for everyone, basically.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep forever, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + Kindle Unlimited (3 Months) $109.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Why we like it

These popular e-readers let you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase for a limited time.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To brag.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

BOAST

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Signaling.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

CUING

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Fine and ___.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

DANDY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Sibling's daughter.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

NIECE

Final Hurdle hint

A pastime.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

HOBBY

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

We're getting closer to the New Moon, so the Moon's visibility will drop significantly over the coming nights. Keep reading to find out what, if anything, you can spot tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Saturday, Aug. 8, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waning Crescent phase, with 26% of its surface visible.

Without visual aids, you should be able to catch a glimpse of the Aristarchus Plateau and the Kepler Crater. Plus, binoculars or a telescope will help you to see the Grimaldi Basin, the Gassendi Crater, and the Mare Humorum.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on August 28.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon's appearance changes throughout the month as it orbits Earth, completing one full lunar cycle approximately every 29.5 days, according to NASA. During that journey, the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon are constantly shifting, altering how much of the Moon's illuminated surface is visible from our perspective. That's why we see the familiar sequence of phases, from a slim crescent to a half Moon, then a Full Moon, before the pattern begins again.

The eight phases are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub for free with a VPN. The best services for unblocking porn sites from Australia is ExpressVPN.

The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free — here's how to claim

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choices for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in locations all around the world

• Easy-to-use apps available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policies so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Multiple simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantees

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

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The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a good sense of smell.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's 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?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of 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 until the game ends.

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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: NYT Pips hints, answers for August 7, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Happy sounds

• Green: Communication

• Blue: Eye rhymes

• Purple: Same first words

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Quaint expressions of excitement

• Green: Convey

• Blue: Words abbreviated with letters as homophones

• Purple: Safety ____

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 #1154 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Quaint expressions of excitement: HOT DOG, HURRAH, WHOOPEE, YAHOO

• Convey: COUCH, EXPRESS, FRAME, PHRASE

• Words abbreviated with letters as homophones: CUTIE, EASY, EFFECTS, I OWE YOU

• Safety ____: BELT, GOGGLES, PIN, RAZOR

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 7, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you easily lose your train of thought.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 7, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: It has its ups and downs

The words are related to a thrill ride.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe aspects of a popular amusement park attraction.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is diagonal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Rollercoaster.

NYT Strands word list for August 8

• Drop

• Loop

• Rollercoaster

• Cutback

• Track

• Tunnel

• Corkscrew

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a good actor.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. 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 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 7, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for August 7, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To have insight into something secret.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

PRIVY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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 Wordle.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you've ever watched baseball.

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.

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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: Game start

• Green: Youth baseball championship

• Blue: Award-winning pitchers

• Purple: Final

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Ways a Game Begins

• Green: LLWS

• Blue: AL Cy Young Award Winners

• Purple: Precedes "Final"

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 #684 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Ways a Game Begins: FACEOFF, FIRST PITCH, JUMP BALL, KICKOFF

• LLWS: LEAGUE, LITTLE, SERIES, WORLD

• AL Cy Young Award Winners: BLUE, COLE, COLON, VIOLA

• Precedes "Final": QUARTER, SEMI, STANLEY CUP, WORLD CUP

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.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 8, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 8, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 8 Pips

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be less than 5. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 8 Pips

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (6): Everything in this space must be greater than 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 8 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 4-6, placed vertically; 6-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically.

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

Even as August's newest movies and TV show titles trickle in on HBO Max, for documentary enthusiasts, one new series that's been building some excitement has finally arrived, and I can confirm after watching the first episode that it's been well worth the wait.

TL;DR: Get a Curiosity Stream lifetime subscription for $112.49 (reg. $399.99) with code Aug25, through August 9.

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$399.99 Save $287.49   Get Deal

Every streaming app has the same problem: 20 minutes of scrolling, nothing worth watching. Curiosity Stream aims to change that experience by only stocking mind-catching documentaries.

The large library covers science, history, nature, and technology, with thousands of titles and new ones added on an ongoing basis: ancient Rome, wildlife, deep space- you name it. It’s also home to a solid lineup of David Attenborough programs, which is reason enough for many people. Series like Engineering the Future, Deep Time History, and Into the Jungle each dig into a different corner of how the world actually works, rather than another true-crime rehash.

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It streams in HD across phones, tablets, and TVs, and the iPhone and iPad apps let you download episodes ahead of time, so a flight or a long drive doesn’t mean staring at a loading spinner. Search is built to handle specific topics well, so chasing a rabbit hole about deep-sea creatures or ancient Rome doesn’t take much digging, and the interface itself stays out of your way.

Bookmarking and resume playback mean you can always get back to what you want to watch.

It’s also just a good thing to fall asleep to. Swap out reality TV or a movie you have to actually pay attention to for a low-stakes documentary, and it’s a lot easier to drift off without missing anything that matters. Between that and the actual educational value, it’s a natural fit for anyone who’d rather spend an evening learning something than rewatching a show for the fourth time. And since it’s a one-time payment rather than another monthly line item, it’s also a reasonable way to trim the streaming budget without losing anything worth watching.

Get Curiosity Stream lifetime access for $112.49 (reg. $399.99) with code Aug25 before it ends August 9 at 11:59 p.m.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

A few years ago, running low on storage for a laptop meant a ten-minute fix with a screwdriver. Now it means either buying a new machine or paying a premium to have more storage configured. Neither option feels reasonable when the laptop itself works fine. I've dealt with this across multiple machines, and the workaround I've landed on costs almost nothing to start and scales as you need it. If you can't upgrade your laptop easily, use my method instead.

If you've bought a Framework PC, you'll want to keep an eye out for identity thieves. The modular computer maker informed all its customers on August 6 that a data breach compromised their sensitive information.

August has a ton in store for Netflix subscribers in the U.S., particularly if you're a fan of thrillers (The Last House, The Whisper Man), insane documentaries (Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy), and Shane Gillis (Tires, season 3). But the streaming gods do like to tease us, so unfortunately, it's not all available just yet. But what is available isn't too shabby either, and I've got some new and new-to-Netflix shows you can binge all weekend long, below.

The Xbox Kinect was Microsoft’s big push into motion and gesture-controlled gaming, debuting right around the same time as the PlayStation Move and the up-on-your-feet console that started the craze, the Nintendo Wii. The only issue is the latter hardware had a head-start over the competition by about four years. Microsoft never really knew how to market the Kinect, which is too bad because—for 2010—it was pretty cutting-edge.