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Modern cars are safer, quicker, and more technologically advanced than ever, but progress hasn't improved every part of the driving experience. In the rush to add bigger screens, more connectivity, and futuristic features, automakers have introduced plenty of trends that are more frustrating than useful.

Most note-taking tools that use AI are cloud products first and note-taking tools second. Your documents go up to a server; a company’s terms of service govern what happens to them, and if you click the wrong button, your content can end up in a human review queue for years. I used NotebookLM for a while and liked what it could do. Still, switching to an Obsidian setup with a local AI setup is more private and less complicated than I expected.

SAVE OVER $80: As of Aug. 18, select colors of the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 portable power station are on sale for $218.98 at Amazon. That saves you $80.02 on the $299 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station $218.98 at Amazon
$299 Save $80.02   Get Deal

Fall is coming up faster than you might expect, and if you're hoping to go out on some camping trips when the weather cools down a bit, it's worth having a power station on hand. The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is a very portable pick to take along — boasting plenty of power despite its weight — and Amazon's even knocked about $80 off its price tag right now.

As of Aug. 18, a couple of colors of the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 (black and twilight glow purple) have been marked down from $299 to $218.98 at Amazon. For just a cent or two more, you can also save on the glacier blue and light sand grey models, which are down to $218.99, or the blush pink, which is down to $219.

SEE ALSO: Purple's Labor Day sale gets you a king mattress for the price of a queen — shop now for up to $400 off

The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 definitely lives up to its portable station status, with a lightweight build weighing 9.4lbs that you can carry while camping or around the house if you experience an outage. It also features a 288Wh capacity and can deliver up to 600W of output. Though if you're in need of a boost, activating Power Lifting Mode can push it to 1,500W.

The store page notes that it can run a variety of different items as well, from speakers to car fridges to laptops and much more, and it comes with nine output ports to handle them. You get a 12V cigarette lighter port, two 12V DC5521 ports, a 100W USB-C port, two USB-A ports, a 140W USB-C port, and two 600W AC Outlets.

If the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 portable power station has caught your attention, act fast to score this great deal at Amazon.

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

TL;DR: The Champions League is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player, Virgin Media, tabii, and Prime Video. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The top club competition in the world of football has to be the Champions League. There is nothing else that brings the very best teams in the world together in a battle for footballing immortality. Winning your domestic league is great, but winning the Champions League is on another level.

PSG are looking to secure an incredible third consecutive title. That's going to be a mammoth task in the face of giants like Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, all desperate to lift the iconic trophy.

If you want to watch the 2026-27 Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Champions League?

The Champions League is an annual club football competition organized by UEFA and contested by top-division European clubs. This year's tournament begins with a 36-team round robin group stage to determine which sides qualify for the double-legged knockout rounds, followed by a single-leg final.

The defending champions are PSG.

When is the 2026-27 Champions League?

The 2026-27 Champions League is the 72nd edition of the competition (and the 35th since it was renamed the Champions League). This season's tournament starts on July 7 and runs until the final on June 5.

How to watch the 2026-27 Champions League for free

It is possible to live stream the 2026-27 Champions League for free on the following streaming platforms:

• Ireland — RTÉ Player and Virgin Media

• Turkey — tabii

• UK — Prime Video (free trial)

These free streaming platforms are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Champions League from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026-27 Champions League 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 a location with free coverage of the Champions League

4. Visit RTÉ Player, Virgin Media, tabii, or Prime Video (free trial)

5. Watch Champions League fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

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 2026-27 Champions League without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services from around the world, the fact is you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the Champions League?

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

• Servers in 105 countries

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

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

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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).

Live stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

I've been doing DIY projects for well over half my life, and I have used a bunch of power tools over that course of time. However, my favorite tool that I use most often isn't one of my (seven) drills. It's a detail sander.

The majority of teens use artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT, for schoolwork and entertainment. Now OpenAI has created a new dedicated product for them: ChatGPT for Teens.

This customizable version of ChatGPT, which debuted Tuesday, is designed to "support" learning and human relationships, according to OpenAI's launch announcement. It will be the default experience for any self-identified teen or users who OpenAI estimate are between the ages of 13 and 17.

SEE ALSO: Digging into Gen Z's love/hate relationship with AI

"The goal is to make this a learning tool for teens and make sure that it's the best that it can be with built-in safeguards," Lauren Jonas, head of youth and families at OpenAI, told Mashable.

ChatGPT for Teens debuts at a time of intense scrutiny for OpenAI. It recently announced that one of its agents hacked into another company. OpenAI also faces numerous safety-related lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT has encouraged dependency and put adult and minor users in dangerous or life-ending situations.

What is ChatGPT for Teens like?

ChatGPT for Teens incorporates existing safety measures for minors and introduces new learning and well-being features.

The product offers frequent break prompts, reminders that users are interacting with AI, warnings against uploading sensitive images, and parental notifications when users discuss acts of violence.

OpenAI said ChatGPT for Teens shouldn't use romantic language, suggest that it possesses feelings or consciousness, or foster emotional dependence.

"If they are not engaging in learning-focused content, the goal is to continue to bolster the age-appropriate experience and the safeguards," Jonas told Mashable.

She added that, moving forward, all starter prompts in ChatGPT for Teens will be related to education rather than other personal topics.

The product includes new features like reminders to complete homework responsibly to prevent shortcuts and quizzes based on chat content or a user's notes.

Additionally, the new "Study Hours" setting allows teens and parents to restrict ChatGPT to Study Mode for set periods of time each day. Study Mode is designed to help teens with learning by employing "step-by-step collaborative problem solving."

Both parents and teens can set Study Hours, as well as Quiet Hours, an existing setting that shuts ChatGPT down altogether.

Young users can customize ChatGPT for Teens with color accents, app icons, and voice variations.

Promising ChatGPT examples, lingering concerns

OpenAI highlighted impressive examples of how teens use ChatGPT in its announcement.

Two teen users in Virginia developed a search-and-rescue system by asking ChatGPT to help with research and prototyping. A Texas user created a platform that generates audio-based educational games for blind students.

The inspiring anecdotes, however, may be overshadowed by darker examples.

Last week, Massachusetts authorities accused a 17-year-old boy of murdering his mother and younger brother after using ChatGPT to play out fantasy stories involving their deaths.

OpenAI has been sued for the wrongful deaths of teen users who died by suicide after prolonged, heavy engagement with ChatGPT. At least one of those teens, Adam Raine, began using ChatGPT for homework help before becoming emotionally reliant on the chatbot, according to the lawsuit filed by his parents last year.

The state of Florida is suing the company for allegedly deceiving consumers about ChatGPT's safety. OpenAI has previously denied wrongdoing in response to some of these allegations.

As of ChatGPT for Teens' launch, OpenAI sends parental notifications when teen users with parental controls discuss self-harm, suicide, and violence in immediate or potentially dangerous ways.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box is on sale for $129.99 at Amazon, down from its $149.45 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box $129.99 at Amazon
$149.45 Save $19.46   Get Deal

Destined Rivals has hardly been the cheapest Pokémon TCG expansion, but Amazon has now pulled one of its most popular sealed products much closer to what buyers are paying elsewhere. 

As of Aug. 18, the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box can be picked up for $129.99 at Amazon, through the third-party listing sold by Gem City Supplies. Compared with the $149.45 price we’ve been seeing for this ETB lately, that cuts a surprising $19.46 off the total.

More importantly, Amazon’s price is now only $6.78 above TCGplayer’s $123.21 market price — with price tracker camelcamelcamel also showing this is the lowest we’ve seen the Destined Rivals Elite Trainer Box at since late last year. 

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Inside the Elite Trainer Box are nine Destined Rivals booster packs of trading cards, which means you’re effectively paying about $14.44 per pack before taking all of the extras into account. Those include a full-art foil Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet promo, 65 card sleeves, 45 Energy cards, dice, condition markers, a player’s guide, and the collector’s box itself. 

Amazon isn’t quite the cheapest option overall, however. TCGplayer itself has sealed, undamaged Elite Trainer Boxes starting at $123.96 with shipping included. Walmart is the cheapest at an even lower price of $118.99, with free shipping through third-party seller Coastal Cards — well under market price. 

The most valuable pulls you can get from Destined Rivals packs are worth up to $500: including SIR Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex, Cynthia’s Garchomp ex, and Ethan’s Ho-Oh ex. You can buy these cards individually from TCGplayer. 

Shop the best Pokemon TCG deals of Best Buy's 60th Anniversary Sale: Best Booster Multi-Pack Deal Pokémon TCG Weavile Phantasmal Flames 3-Pack Blister $43.68 (save $6.31) Get Deal Best Collection Deal Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection Charmander $50.99 (save $6) Get Deal Best Accessory Deal Ultra PRO Pikachu Pokémon Playmat $19.49 (save $7.50) Get Deal

Best Buy's 60th Anniversary Sale is already stacked with TVs, laptops, and Apple gear, but the retailer has also slipped a surprisingly long list of Pokémon TCG products into the money-saving celebration. 

The event runs online and in stores through Sunday, Aug. 23, with Best Buy currently listing a massive selection of Pokémon booster multi-packs, special collections, and must-have accessories. If you’ve been put off by some of the Pokémon TCG's inflated market pricing in recent years, this is one of your best chances to save some extra cash while stocking up your binder with great pulls.

Here are the best Pokémon TCG deals we've found:

Best booster multipack deal  Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Weavile Phantasmal Flames 3-Pack Blister $43.68 at Best Buy
$49.99 Save $6.31   Get Deal

The Phantasmal Flames expansion’s prices have been steadily going up as stocks run dry, and the Weavile version of its 3-Pack Blister is a fantastic steal with $6.31 off its sticker price — dropping it to $43.68 in total. 

You're getting three Phantasmal Flames booster packs along with the special foil Weavile promo, bringing the Best Buy price down to about $14.56 per pack before factoring in the promo card.

Individual Phantasmal Flames Booster Packs are also on sale, going as low as $15.99 each. That means the 3-Pack Blister saves you an extra $1.43 per pack compared to buying them separately, with the Weavile card as a sweet bonus. 

Best collection deal  Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection Charmander $50.99 at Best Buy
$56.99 Save $6   Get Deal

With a whole $6 taken off its usual $56.99 price, getting the Charmander edition of the Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection for only $50.99 in the Best Buy sale is a brilliant Pokemon TCG deal when you consider its contents. 

The collection itself bundles three Ascended Heroes booster packs with a foil Charmander promo and a tech sticker sheet featuring Charmander and Mega Charizard Y. Ascended Heroes Booster Packs have gone up massively in price since launch. Now, one booster is priced at a massive $29.99 each. With this collection, you’re only paying $16.99 per pack — saving you $13 per pack before counting the extras.

Best accessory deal  Opens in a new window Credit: Ultra Pro Ultra PRO Pikachu Pokémon Playmat $19.49 at Best Buy
$26.99 Save $7.50   Get Deal

For both new and returning Pokémon TCG players who want to go into their next round of casual or tournament play with some extra style, the officially licensed Ultra PRO Pikachu Playmat can do just that for less — now down to $19.49 from its usual $26.99.

The 24 x 13.5-inch surface with a soft fabric top is designed to help protect cards from damage during play. The non-slip rubber backing should keep the mat from moving whenever you're drawing, shuffling, or shifting cards around the field.

Better yet, at that size, this adorably Pikachu-designed mat also works wonderfully as an oversized mousepad for your desk.

More Pokémon TCG deals

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Checklane Blister — $14 $19.99 (save $5.99)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Phantasmal Flames Sleeved Booster Pack (Mega Gengar) — $15.99 $24.99 (save $9)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Moonlit Tin (Mega Clefable ex) — $39.99 $59.99 (save $20)

• Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet 151 Booster Pack — $44.77 $59.99 (save $15.22)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Build & Battle Box — $49.99 $69.99 (save $20)

• Pokémon TCG Paradox Clash Tin (Walking Wake ex) — $49.99 $64.99 (save $15)

• Pokémon TCG Destined Rivals Sleeved Booster Pack Art Bundle — $59.99 $69.99 (save $10)

• Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Surging Sparks Booster Bundle — $89.97 $115 (save $25.03)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Elite Trainer Box (Mega Gardevoir) — $149.99 $165 (save $15.01)

• Pokémon TCG Charizard ex Super-Premium Collection — $179.97 $200 (save $20.03)

SAVE OVER $1,000: As of Aug. 18, the TCL 85-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED TV has returned to its lowest-ever price of $2,797.99 at Amazon. Compared to its full price of $3,999.99, that's $1,202 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 85 Inch Class QM8L Series TV $2,797.99 at Amazon
$3,999.99 Save $1,202   Get Deal

TCL's massive 85-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED TV has received a significant price cut on Amazon, bringing it down to its lowest-ever price. For a limited time, you can snag this sleek 4K QLED display for $2,797.99, down from its full price of $3,999.99.

Overall, that makes for $1,202 in savings, which is absolutely worth taking advantage of if you've been on the hunt for a TV upgrade. It's worth mentioning that it has a "limited time deal" tag right now, so it may not be live for long. So don't wait and miss out on this awesome opportunity to bag this TV while it's back at its best price.

SEE ALSO: What's the best time to buy a TV? Not just Black Friday. Shop strategically during these 4 windows.

This huge 2026 TCL TV boasts a 4K QLED display with TCL's Deep Color System and TCL Halo Control System, which help bring out vibrant colors, brightness, and detail in what you watch. It also boasts a 144Hz refresh rate that makes on-screen action look smooth and fluid rather than blurry, which is very helpful for everything from live sports to video games.

Plus, you'll get to enjoy detailed sound quality thanks to Audio by Bang & Olufsen, and it's even a smart TV. With Google TV, you'll be able to have all of your favorite streaming services right at your fingertips and ready to jump into.

This TCL TV deal is well worth checking out while it's still live, so don't miss out on it at Amazon.

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

Linux Mint has earned its reputation by being one of the easiest Linux distros to recommend. If someone asks me which Linux distros they should install on their parents’ laptop, Linux Mint is usually on the top of the list. That simplicity comes with trade-offs, as Mint deliberately avoids some of Ubuntu’s newer technologies and often waits before adopting major platform changes. The developers have good reasons for those decisions. Their priority is stability and user choice rather than chasing the latest trends.

"If you thought the president hated Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, buckle up, people."

Rosie O'Donnell is this week's guest host while Kimmel's on vacation, following runs by Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, and Colman Domingo.

No fan of Donald Trump, the comedian and screen legend criticised the president without naming him directly during her monologue. O'Donnell said she left the U.S. for Ireland in 2025 after the election, all because of "Mango Mussolini."

"I read that Project 2025 and said, 'Got to get myself out of here,'" she said.

O'Donnell and Trump's feud goes back further than the election, however, to 2006 when the comedian called Trump a "snake oil salesman" on The View. Trump has constantly made derogatory comments and posts about O'Donnell, even threatening her U.S. citizenship in 2025. O'Donnell has been a longtime critic of Trump, recently referring to him as "everything that is wrong with America."

"Hi, I know you're watching," O'Donnell said down the camera on Monday.

We're in for a week.

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TL;DR: Get a MacBook Air for only $199.97 (reg. $1,199) while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 2018 (Refurbished) $199.97
$1,199 Save $999.03   Get Deal

There’s a reason MacBooks typically come with sky-high price tags — they deliver Apple’s top features in a sleek, highly portable package. Fortunately, now you can get a MacBook Air for only $199.97 (reg. $1,199) if you act fast.

The MacBook Air is Apple’s lightest-weight laptop, letting you tackle your to-do list from anywhere. This model weighs in at only 2.75 pounds, but don’t be deceived by its sleek frame. It still packs plenty of power — a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM to be exact.

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If you like to store important files on your device, you’ll appreciate the 128GB of storage offered. There’s also an ample 13.3-inch widescreen display equipped with Intel UHD Graphics 617, so you can enjoy your favorite content in vibrant color.

WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity make it easy to connect everywhere. You’ll also have an impressive 12 hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can handle a full day’s work without having to recharge.

This model comes with a Grade A refurbished rating, which means your device arrives in near-mint condition after undergoing a comprehensive process to ensure functionality and quality.

Upgrade your computer with this MacBook Air, now only $199.97 (reg. $1,199).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

At a time when people are treating AI as a therapist, an AI companion company is hiring a human one.

EVA AI, which hosted a pop-up "first date" cafe that Mashable attended in Feb., has opened applications for an "AI companionship therapist." The job would be to help people work through their relationships with AI. In a survey EVA AI conducted of 1,000 adults with AI partners, 68 percent have hidden their AI relationship for fear of being judged, and 72 percent wished therapists specialized in this.

SEE ALSO: My awkward first date with an AI companion

But why doesn't EVA AI program a therapist to do this job?

"AI companionship is a relatively new concept, which means the dynamics are genuinely new — so we want a qualified therapist with professional expertise to guide such couples," Julia Momblat, head of partnerships and sales at EVA AI, told Mashable over email.

"Therapy involves clinical judgment, ethical accountability, and a duty of care that is a licensed expert's responsibility. Using AI to mediate AI relationships would defeat the purpose of seeking an outside perspective," she continued. "After all, our platform is built for companionship, not clinical care. We're building the platform where humans form connections with AI, and we do it well. We leave therapy to the experts."

What do therapists think of AI companions?

Therapists and other professionals themselves have varying opinions of AI companions. Therapist Dr. Rachel Wood told Mashable last year about numerous potential harms, such as loss of social skills, unhelpful feedback loops, and sychopancy.

Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, EVA AI's resident relationship therapist, told Mashable over a video call that these relationships can be "very beneficial for somebody who maybe wasn't feeling very loved in the past and wants to feel or be listened to and heard and understood and validated."

She also said that AI could be good practice for communication. Executive director of the Kinsey Institute, Justin Garcia (who is an evolutionary biologist, not a therapist), told Mashable in Feb. that AI can be somewhat helpful if thought of as "training wheels," but at some point the training wheels should come off.

When asked about AI psychosis and the violence that occurred after suspects had conversations with chatbots, Bronstein said that EVA AI is trained for this — and that "very scary things" have been happening since before AI, "because we've had Google for a long time."

"But it is very, very scary. But luckily, EVA is trained...to help with mental health and not to make it worse," she said. Overall, from what she's seen, AI relationships are more beneficial than harmful.

Bronstein, despite being the company's resident relationship therapist, isn't one of the therapists EVA AI is hiring. She was brought on to provide commentary for articles.

SAVE OVER $100: As of Aug. 18, the DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo is at its lowest-ever price of $1,439 on Amazon. That's $160 off its full price of $1,599.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo $1,439 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $160   Get Deal

A drone's ability to capture high-quality video from the sky is something content creators and hobbyists alike can enjoy.

If you've been thinking about dropping some cash on a model that captures great content, we've spotted some deals on Amazon so you can save some cash in the process. One standout offer is the DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo, which is back to its lowest-ever price on Amazon via a third-party seller.

As of Aug. 18, you can snag this bundle — which includes the Air 3S, three intelligent flight batteries, one battery charging hub, an ND filter set, and a DJI RC 2 remote controller — for $1,439 on Amazon. Normally, it's priced at $1,599, so this deal saves you $160. Again, it's sold by a third party, but they have a glowing 99% positive rating.

SEE ALSO: Trump drone tariffs: Who is impacted?

The DJI Air 3S features a one-inch CMOS primary camera for capturing your favorite shots from the skies, and the store page also notes it can enhance detail in low-light scenarios, such as sunsets or night shots. It's also capable of recording 4K/60fps videos with stunning detail and comes with forward-facing LiDAR technology that helps it sense and avoid obstacles as it flies.

It can remain in the air for quite a while, with a maximum flight time of 45 minutes. It even has a Smart Return-To-Home feature that allows it to fly back to the Home Point it took off from, so you don't have to worry about losing it.

This DJI Air 3S Fly More Combo may not be on sale for long on Amazon, so be quick to act on this deal.

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

Astronomers have uncovered the 12.3-billion-year-old ruins of an ancient galaxy hiding in the jumbled jungle of the Milky Way's center.

For billions of years, our home galaxy grew into a cosmic giant by crashing into and absorbing smaller neighboring dwarf galaxies. Over years of research, scientists have mapped several of these galactic mergers, including a slow-speed collision with the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, which began roughly 6 billion years ago. Scientists say it continues today.

The discovery of this even earlier space merger, published in Nature Astronomy, helps make sense of the tangled mess that is the center of the galaxy. And it shows that scientists can use the ages and ingredients of star clusters to retrace the steps of the Milky Way's violent past.

"Our home is the Milky Way galaxy, but we do not know how our house was built," said Davide Massari, lead author of the research, in a statement. "In this paper, we discover where the first significant batch of bricks came from."

SEE ALSO: Bright planets can blind the Webb telescope. A fix is coming.

Before this new finding, astronomers considered a collision with a massive galaxy named Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus to be the oldest major impact. That wreck occurred about 10 billion years ago and contributed to the bulge in the Milky Way's massive, thick disk of stars.

Given that billions of years have passed, peering back into earlier phases of galactic history posed a considerable challenge for the team. The inner core of the primitive Milky Way acted like a giant gravitational blender, mixing ancient stars together and jostling their prior orbits. Because of this chaos, astronomers have spent years arguing whether the oldest stars in the galactic center grew there natively or immigrated from somewhere else by way of collisions.

To try to settle this debate, a team of researchers turned to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to target globular clusters, tightly packed balls of thousands to millions of ancient stars. These clusters are sort of like fossils from the early universe.

The scientists studied 39 clusters in the inner galaxy, compared their relative ages, chemical distributions of heavy elements, and orbits using advanced statistical tools. 

Their analysis revealed that the clusters split into three distinct families rather than the expected two: One group belonged to native Milky Way stars, another belonged to the known Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger, and a third revealed an entirely unknown population.

Dubbed Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles or LKH, the galaxy would have slammed into our galaxy roughly 1.8 billion years before Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus. The newly identified system's name is a mashup of three earlier research papers that proposed a merger happened earlier in the galaxy's history.

"Some past studies have argued that the earliest phases of our galaxy's evolution were defined by stars born only in our galaxy," said Massari, who works at the Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory of Bologna in Italy. "Here, we have shown that stars born in external galaxies also need to be considered."

Scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to study 39 globular clusters in the Milky Way's core to trace the origins of star populations to previous galaxy merger events. Credit: NASA

Weighing roughly 500 million times more than the sun, the LKH system dumped most of its stars, gas, and other material straight into the inner 20,000 light-year span of the Milky Way.

Advanced computer simulations support the team's findings, matching the timelines and chemical patterns predicted by the Hubble cluster data.

Astronomers are eager for future space telescope missions to scan the galactic core even deeper to reveal more information about the Milky Way's beginnings. The team plans to continue scouring globular clusters for evidence, said Fernando Aguado-Agelet, a coauthor from the universities of Vigo and La Laguna in Spain, in a statement.

"This will help us characterize the merger events that are far back in time in the Milky Way galaxy's history," he said.

An advertiser paid for editorial consideration of this deal. Our editorial experts vetted the deal based on our independent expertise. Because we determined that the deal will save money for the consumer, we wrote the content.

SAVE 58%: From Aug. 18-31, Incogni's annual data removal plans are on sale for 58% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Incogni Incogni Save 58% on Incogni's annual data removal plans through Aug. 31. Get Deal

Somewhere out there, a website you never signed up for has your home address. You didn't put it there. A data broker did, and it's a lot bigger than most people realize. Incogni is one of the better-known services designed to fix it, and its annual plans are 58% off from Aug. 18-31.

Incogni tracks your online info and files removal requests on your behalf, so your name stops circulating across the sites that collect it.

The service automatically contacts more than 420 data brokers, including people-search sites and health, employment, and financial databases. It also resubmits removal requests to people-search sites every 60 days to make sure your info doesn't creep back online after it's gone.

From Aug. 18, every annual plan is 58% off:

• Standard — $6.79/month (down from $7.99/month)

• Unlimited — $12.74/month (down from $14.99.month)

• Family (5 users) — $13.59/month (down from $15.99.month)

• Family Unlimited (5 users) — $19.54/month (down from $22.99.month)

• Protect (Incogni + Coveron) — $17.63/month (down from $20.74.month)

Incogni's Unlimited-tier plans — Unlimited, Family Unlimited, and Protect — also unlock a couple of newer features: an Exposure Scanner that continuously hunts down where your data shows up online, and a monthly Risk Assessment that breaks down your exposure across physical safety, privacy, and scam risk.

The Protect plan goes a step further, bundling in identity-theft insurance, credit and dark-web monitoring, real-time breach alerts, up to $10K toward losses from online scams, and an identity-restoration case manager, through Incogni's partner, Coveron.

Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there's a safety net if it's not for you.

Your data's been floating around for free this whole time — might as well deal with it while it's 58% off.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 Vuelta a España for free on SBS on Demand. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The huge news from the world of cycling is that Tadej Pogačar is set to compete in this year's Vuelta a España.

That's certainly bad news for anyone looking to battle it out for top spot in the general classification. It might also be bad news for fans hoping for competitive racing, such is the dominance that Pogačar is displaying right now. Can anyone compete with the Tour de France winner? It'll take something special to stop Pogačar from claiming the only Grand Tour he's yet to win.

If you want to watch the 2026 Vuelta a España for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Vuelta a España?

The Vuelta a España is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain. The Vuelta is the third and final grand tour of the 2026 men's road cycling season, following the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.

The defending general classification champion is Jonas Vingegaard.

When is the 2026 Vuelta a España?

The 2026 Vuelta a España is the 81st edition of the three-week cycling race. This year's event will start on Aug. 22 in Monaco and end on Sept. 13 in Granada.

How to watch the 2026 Vuelta a España for free

The 2026 Vuelta a España is available to live stream for free on SBS on Demand. You can watch all 21 stages live and free, plus stream stage replays, mini stages, and highlights.

SBS on Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access it for free with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can live stream on SBS on Demand from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 Vuelta a España for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for 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 Australia

4. Connect to SBS on Demand

5. Watch the 2026 Vuelta a España from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free. However, leading VPNs tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By using these offers, you can watch the 2026 Vuelta a España without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you plenty of time to watch every stage of the Vuelta a España before recovering your investment.

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

What is the best VPN for SBS on Demand?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for streaming live sport on SBS on Demand, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Australia

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

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

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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).

Watch the 2026 Vuelta a España for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream select Premier League fixtures for free on CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

We've been treated to some truly special sporting moments this summer, but nothing really came close to the 2026 World Cup. This tournament delivered in so many ways: we saw huge performances from big names like Haaland, we got shock results like Cape Verde stealing a draw from eventual champions Spain, and there was heaps of controversy, as usual.

Now that domestic seasons are returning, are we fatigued from a summer of sport? Absolutely not. We're impatient for rivalries to be renewed in some of the most competitive leagues in the world. And if we're talking truly unpredictable action from elite clubs in incredibly passionate stadiums, it's tough to beat the Premier League.

How will Arsenal cope with the pressure of being champions? Will Manchester City bounce back from the loss of iconic manager Pep Guardiola? Can Manchester United finally recapture some of their former glories? There are so many questions to be answered as the Premier League returns.

If you want to watch the 2026-27 Premier League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Premier League?

The Premier League is the highest level of the English football league system. The league is contested by 20 clubs, with each team playing 38 fixtures: two against each other, one home and one away.

The defending champions are Arsenal.

When is the Premier League?

The opening match round of the 2026/27 Premier League season will start on Aug. 21. The season runs until the final round of fixtures on May 30.

How to watch the Premier League for free

CazéTV will be showing select Premier League fixtures for free on their YouTube channel.

These free live streams are geo-restricted to Brazil, 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 Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Premier League from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026-27 Premier League 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 Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Premier League fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

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 Premier League without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus coverage of Ligue 1 and La Liga) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, 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 CazeTV?

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

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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

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

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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 Premier League for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Reddit is testing a new feature that uses AI to convert text posts to video and audio.

Rolling out from Monday in web browsers, the feature hopes to capitalise on the popularity of videos that read Reddit posts aloud. The AI-generated videos will expand to iOS and Android on Tuesday.

Though currently restricted to a few manually selected English-language posts in designated subreddits, Reddit plans to eventually broaden the trial further.

SEE ALSO: Reddit is ramping up its AI moderation tools. Moderators aren't happy.

"The experiment uses AI to create new audio and video formats and bring real human conversations to life, including multi-voice text-to-speech, captions, and visual template," a Reddit spokesperson said, confirming the test to Mashable. 

Fortunately, this test doesn't mean you'll be forced to ingest your favourite subreddits in video form. The original text posts and comments will still be available in their usual format, allowing you to choose whether to read or listen to the content.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Reddit

Posts with this new feature available will have a toggle appear above them, allowing users to switch between "Read" and "Play." While "Read" displays the Reddit post and comments as normal, switching to "Play" produces a video in a TikTok-style portrait orientation. An AI-generated voice reads out both the post and select comments, displaying the text and lighting up words like a karaoke video, while a note below the video states that it is a "Real conversation voiced by AI."

"We are testing whether these formats are useful and how Reddit can authentically scale these experiences, with the goal of understanding how different conversation formats can make Reddit more accessible and immersive in more moments," Reddit said in a statement. "Someone might want to listen to Reddit while exercising, walking, running errands, or watch written conversations come to life through video and audio."

Credit: Mashable composite: Reddit

This new AI-powered feature was previously mentioned during the company's Q2 earnings call in July, with CEO Steve Huffman noting the increasing popularity of videos and podcasts in which people read Reddit posts aloud. Though such clips are now common on video platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Reddit itself remains primarily text-based. Unsurprisingly, the social media platform now wants in on the action, aiming to use AI to cut out the middleman.

"[W]e're working on… just a video Reddit experience, so letting users not just watch video on Reddit, but listen to posts, background listen to posts," Huffman said during the earnings call. "We see folks doing this off platform. There's an emerging content type elsewhere in the internet of basically, a podcast where people read Reddit content. And so I think this version of like, listened to — or spoken — Reddit can be really engaging as well."

Reddit indicated an increased focus on video content in its Q2 shareholder letter, stating that it's working toward "reimagining how users and communities connect, share, and consume content through a modernized video experience." The company previously launched video comments in June, allowing users to record and upload short clips in response to posts. Reddit is also increasing the integration of AI into the platform, having expanded testing of its AI-powered moderation tools to all new subreddits earlier this month.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts.

Featured Video For You Girlbossification of AI

SAVE $70: As of Aug. 18, the Insta360 X3-360 is on sale for $229.99 at Amazon. That's a 23% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Insta360 Insta360 X3-360 $229.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $70   Get Deal

In the market for an action camera? The Insta360 X3-360 is currently on sale at Amazon, with the price dropping to a record low for a limited time. As of Aug. 18, you can pick it up for $229.99, which is $70 less than usual.

This camera is great for shooting action content, including land and water sports. It combines a 5.7K 360-degree camera with the quality of a 4K action camera, giving you more filming options. It can record 5.7K 360 Active HDR video, which you can then reframe in the Insta360 app to choose your preferred angle after recording.

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If you prefer wide-angle footage, this Insta360 camera can shoot in 4K at 30fps, or use its 170-degree field of view at 2.7K and 60fps with MaxView. It also has features called FlowState Stabilization and Horizon Lock, which work together to keep videos smooth and level, even during quick movements.

With the camera, you'll also get a charging cable, a protective pouch, a lens cloth, and a user guide, along with a collection of Insta360 stickers you can use wherever you like.

Get this action camera deal at Amazon now.