Blogroll

You didn't properly back up your files, and suddenly everything goes poof. Trust me, you don't want to be there. It happened to me once when I decided I'd had enough of Microsoft OneDrive. Here's what you can do to prevent this disaster.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are some of the best features in newer cars, but if you've ever wanted to upgrade from a wired system to a wireless one, you were stuck with a few unreliable options. After a soft launch earlier this year, the AAwireless TWO+ is here, and it supports wireless CarPlay.

This month, over a dozen creators took the stage for a fashion show unlike any other. 

At this year's VidSummit, a YouTube and video marketing conference in Dallas, Texas, attendees expected to see panels on marketing, AI, and the all-knowing algorithm. But YouTubers in attendance also encountered a fashion show, complete with the usual: a runway, fingernail knives, and a four-legged Furby robot. 

SEE ALSO: Why is TwitchCon so uniquely unsafe for streamers?

The second Creators in Fashion event took place on October 9, elevating what creator advertising events could be. Influencers from all corners of the web, like the Try Guys, HopeScope, and Safiya Nygaard, strutted their own clothing lines while also engaging in wacky challenges. 

Creating a YouTube fashion show

Started last year by Theorists, a collective of four YouTube channels dissecting games, movies, food, and fashion, Creators in Fashion began as a way for influencers to express themselves and their brands in a way that isn't childish or unprofessional. 

Matthew Patrick (also known as MatPat), who started dissecting video game theories in 2011, is one of the founders behind Creators in Fashion. In 2024, he stepped down as the face of the Theorist channel to take on bigger projects that he expected could change the face of the creator economy — including what became this fashion show. 

"I'm realizing there are all these pain points, problems, or unique opportunities that I'm seeing that other people might not see," Patrick told Mashable in an interview. "Let me figure out those solutions to help the people coming up behind me, or the rest of the industry at large."

Creators are one of the driving forces behind our modern economy, so much so that they've engendered the "creator economy." Influencers are becoming household names, with grinning teeth selling us chocolate bars, energy drinks, caffeinated gum, and energy powder. And business is only expected to grow, with the influencer marketing industry expected to hit $470 billion by 2027, according to a 2023 creator economy report from Goldman Sachs. 

Glam Girl Gabi and MatPat at Creators in Fashion. Credit: Mariya Stangl Photo

Content creators are small businesses that require a steady stream of revenue, just like your average mom-and-pop shop or big box retailer. Relying on one platform or revenue stream is an incredibly risky gamble, and Patrick discovered that the only way to thrive was to find new ways to earn. "You want to diversify your revenue streams, because at the end of the day, a lot of your business is built on someone else's land," Patrick said. 

So, along with teaching Congress about the value of influencers with the Congressional Creators Caucus, Patrick and his team dreamed up new ways to help grow and maintain the creator economy. They built the first Creators in Fashion, a two-hour show that was mostly just a traditional runway, with models and influencers walking down the catwalk in everything from hoodies to chic couture. "The goal of the show has always been to introduce people who might not think style and fashion content is for them to ease that learning curve and make it accessible to a wider variety of people," Patrick said. 

The first year was a "proof of concept" according to Amy Roberts, the host of Style Theory and main founder of Creators in Fashion. "We had a lot of other things we wanted to do that we really couldn't execute on," she told Mashable. Creating a full-blown variety show with multiple sketches just wasn't possible with the amount of time and resources they had. 

The 2025 Creators in Fashion

This year, the Theorists and their parent company Lunar X wanted to go for something grander but more akin to a YouTube video. Segments that allowed creators to show off their skills cut through the fashion, including a four-person, three-minute makeup challenge competition and a cake decorating showdown. 

Though Mary Allyson, a cake decorating YouTuber with 1.8 million subscribers, lost her baking duel for failing to make anything but a cake border in the time limit, she was still thrilled to be included. Allyson told Mashable that she was connected with the event through VidSummit, and "when they told me that it would be kind of like a fashion show mixed with a variety show, I was all in." Allyson herself has not yet launched a line of merchandise, but is working "hard behind the scenes to drop something really fun next year."

For creators promoting their apparel lines, Creators in Fashion collaborated with YouTube to develop a new way for fans to purchase items they see. When a clothing line was shown off IRL, like the Try Guys' Lasagna Island collection, a link appeared directing viewers directly to the store. "YouTube Shopping wasn't really built to do that," Roberts said. "So we worked with YouTube Shopping to figure out how to link all these stores in the background so that we can tag them as if they were our own products." 

This year's show ended with a pure encapsulation of the magic that creators can produce with their own creativity and vigor. Evan and Katelyn showed off a dress made entirely of resin, Jessica Crafternoon slayed with hand-knitted dresses, and Estefannie literally shocked with a taser bracelet and nails made out of knives (the latter took 89 hours to make). 

Estefannie was one of the smaller creators on the show, sitting at around 90,000 subscribers on YouTube, but her feminist-first-focused tech was just as mesmerizing as anything else on that stage. "I met Amy at an event and we both bonded over wearing [activewear brand] POPFLEX," she said. "She asked what I did, and later that night stalked my content. That's how I got invited." 

When putting together Creators in Fashion, it was important for Patrick and the Theorists to include creators of all shapes and sizes, diversifying their stage beyond the 50 largest creators that are already selling at Target. Growing these days becomes difficult when platform discoverability is hindered with each new iteration of AI slop, and formulaic content ruins the magic of originality.  

"I think it's important to make sure it's balanced with up-and-coming creators who are doing good work, but don't necessarily have a mega-size platform or a huge megaphone to celebrate their work," Patrick said. "A platform like this is a huge opportunity for them, a great spotlight to shine, and it allows large creators to use their platform to kind of celebrate and curate the next generation of creators who are doing awesome stuff."

Creators in Fashion is a welcome passion project in an age where creators are dominating our economy but still not given the proper respect they deserve. Here's hoping that it gets the chance to strut again next year. 

UPDATE: Oct. 21, 2025, 1:39 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to correct Estefannie's name and Amy Roberts' position in founding Creators in Fashion.

Servo started as a project under Mozilla to create a next-generation browser engine, but now it's an independent project. Today marks the release of Servo 0.0.1, and you can try it out on your computer.

Data validation in Excel lets you restrict what can be entered into a cell, whether whole numbers, decimals, dates, or a certain number of characters. However, one of the most powerful capabilities of this tool is custom data validation, which lets you create a more specific rule using a formula.

Google and “privacy” don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but for a while, it seemed the company was attempting to be better about it. After years of delays and backtracking, the company is finally pulling the plug on its big advertising privacy project.

If you're looking for a new monitor but only use your computer for work, you’ll likely be overwhelmed by the many gaming monitor options. Your first instinct might be to avoid them, but I think you should do the opposite and actively consider one. Hear me out.

SAVE $40: The DJI Mic Mini (2 transmitters + 1 receiver) is on sale for just $79 at Amazon, down from the list price of $119. That's a 34% discount and the best discount we've ever spotted at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mic Mini (2 transmitters + 1 receiver) $79 at Amazon
$119 Save $40   Get Deal

If you've always wondered what it would be like to dip a toe into the content creator pool, you probably know you'd want a few gadgets to get started. One of the essentials is a great mic so your viewers can hear you easily and you won't go nuts while editing. If you could use a creator-approved mic, check out this Amazon deal.

As of Oct. 20, the DJI Mic Mini with two transmitters and one receiver is on sale for only $79 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $119. That shaves $40 off the normal price from a solid 34% discount. It's also the lowest price we've ever spotted at Amazon.

DJI is consistently a favorite brand among the creator scene and the brand's mics have become the go-to choice. Scroll through TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram reels and you'll see the tiny mics all over. Bethany Allard, Lead Shopping Reporter at Mashable, tested out the DJI Mic Mini and said, "If you need any degree of portability with your mic setup, the DJI Mic Mini offers a lot of versatility, and for a great value," she wrote in the review. "That makes it a solid option for making vlogs and TikToks, and for anyone who feels less than confident with their tech skills — once I plugged the receiver into my phone, the mics connected easily and started working with the camera app automatically."

Allard tested the model that comes with a charging case, which could be ideal for longer content creating sessions. That model is also on sale today, coming in at $99 instead of the list price of $169 which also make it a great discount.

SEE ALSO: Beat the ban: Get the DJI Mini 4K drone for its lowest-ever price at Amazon

The $79 sale version comes with plenty of great accessories, too, like a USB-C mobile phone adapter, two transmitter charging docks, two magnetic clips for the transmitters, and windscreens.

It's worth mentioning this deal is sold from a third-party at Amazon, and not Amazon itself. Mashable typically discourages buying from third-party sellers, but DJI is having a heck of a time selling products in the U.S. these day, so buying from a third-party tends to be the best option lately.

Before this deal expires, snag the creator-approve DJI Mic Mini and be on your way to joining the pros. It's sitting at the most affordable price we've ever seen at Amazon and this sale price is set to expire today.

SAVE 29%: As of Oct. 20, you can get the Dyson Supersonic Origin hair dryer for $299.99, down from $419.99, at Amazon. That's a 29% discount and $120 in savings.

Dyson Supersonic Origin $299.99 at Amazon
$419.99 Save $120   Get Deal at Amazon

Dyson has single-handedly redefined the hair care industry with its innovative tech, but to get it, you’ll need to empty your wallet. (You get what you pay for, right?) And spending almost $450 on any hair tool just feels…excessive, even if it promises miracles. Luckily, Amazon just dropped the price on the Origin, so you can get the tech without all the extra attachments — and without the full price tag.

SEE ALSO: I found 5 Dyson Supersonic dupes that are almost as good as the real thing

As of Oct. 20, you can get the Dyson Supersonic Origin hair dryer for $299.99, down from $419.99, at Amazon. That's a 29% discount and $120 price cut.

The Origin is basically the same thing as the Supersonic hair dryer (it has the same fast-drying motor, same tech that checks the heat constantly so it doesn't scorch your hair), but it only comes with the basic Styling Concentrator attachment. If you're someone who never really uses all those diffusers and extra nozzles anyway, this is a way to get the main Dyson benefits (less heat damage, quicker drying ) without paying for the stuff you'd just leave in the box.

Had a rough day? Hey, join the club, pal! When you're going through it, it's always good to take your mind off things by watching something interesting. But let's face it: you can only watch so many funny cat videos on YouTube before you start to go a little insane.

Roku City has been my residence for several years now. Whenever my television goes into screensaver mode, I see the multi-building landscape with various billboards advertising new releases and content.

Elon Musk's SpaceX keeps launching satellites into Earth's orbit, and it just achieved a big milestone.

On Sunday, two of the company's Falcon 9 rockets lifted off from Florida and California hauling 28 Starlink satellites each, adding a total of 56 more satellites to the sky.

This brings the total number of Starlink satellites SpaceX has launched to date to more than 10,000, the company said in a tweet.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's X settles $128 million lawsuit with Twitter executives

A subsidiary of SpaceX, Starlink is a high-speed internet service served from a network of low orbit satellites. The company launched its first test satellites in 2018, following with its first 60 operational satellites the next year. Since then, the company has continued to steadily increase its Starlink fleet, despite ongoing concerns over the company's potential contribution to a growing space debris problem.

Starlink is authorized by the FCC to launch a total of 12,000 satellites. The company plans to deploy up to 30,000 additional satellites.

Featured Video For You What is Starlink? Elon Musk’s satellite internet service explained

Not all of the company's satellites are still operational, though. With a typical lifespan of five years, some have been decommissioned, which typically means they're intuitionally de-orbited to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. Roughly 8,600 Starlink satellites are reportedly currently in orbit.

Using a virtual private network (VPN) allows you to enjoy all of your favorite Netflix TV shows and movies from anywhere. However, not all VPNs can get past Netflix's geoblocks. For the best binge-watching, even across borders, consider these VPNs.

Hybrid technology has come a long way from its early days of slow, uninspiring cars built solely for efficiency. Today, even the most affordable models deliver smooth performance, advanced features, and excellent fuel economy, and one particular 2025 hybrid now holds the title as the cheapest new option in America.

IN STOCK NOW: As of Oct. 20, the Pokémon TCG Blaziken ex and Volcanion ex Premium Collection is $69.99 at Amazon, a market value price and cheaper than TCGPlayer.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Blaziken ex & Volcanion ex Premium Collection $69.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now

Mega Evolution is the latest set out for Pokémon TCG, with Phantasmal Flames preorders going in and out of stock. But I'd highly recommend checking out the newly-released Pokémon TCG Blaziken ex and Volcanion ex Premium Collection, an Amazon exclusive selling for $69.99. Sellers on TCGPlayer are seriously missing the mark on pricing in an odd twist of fate, with prices starting at $97.

The pain pull to this premium collection is the five Journey Together and five Destined Rivals booster packs, the former being a bit of an underwhelming set when it comes to card values, and the later being an absolute banger for generation two Pokémon trainers and collectors.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Pokémon cards in 2025 — avoid overpaying or missing out on new sets

That's not to say Journey Together isn't a good set. It's just its card values haven't kept up with trainer Pokémon-focused sets despite a massive buzz around the Scarlet and Violet expansion. But this collection is worth every penny in my opinion.

Most valuable Destined Rivals and Journey Together Pokémon cards Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

Destined Rivals is dominating the highest priced chase cards here with the exception of one, but it's no contest. The attraction of Team Rocket and trainer character Ethan is too much with their partner Pokémon Mewtwo and cover art legendary Ho-Oh, the artwork is frankly astounding. Here's the top five most valuable Destined Rivals and Journey Together cards with their current value info and where to buy as single cards:

1. Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex - 231/182

   Near Mint Holofoil: $495.99
   Market price: $581.93
   Most recent sale: $504.66

2. Cynthia's Garchomp ex - 232/182

   Near Mint Holofoil: $289.99
   Market price: $296
   Most recent sale: $291.01

3. Ethan's Ho-Oh ex - 230/182

   Near Mint Holofoil: $220.03
   Market price: $242.87
   Most recent sale: $221.30

4. Lillie's Clefairy ex - 184/159

   Near Mint Holofoil: $160
   Market price: $168.10
   Most recent sale: $160

5. Team Rocket's Moltres ex - 229/182

   Near Mint Holofoil: $145.93
   Market price: $153.59
   Most recent sale: $149.84

You may have heard about NumPy and wondered why it seems so essential to data analysis in Python. What makes NumPy seemingly end up everywhere in statistical calculations with Python? Here are some good reasons.

There's no new episode of Last Week Tonight this week, but John Oliver did return to YouTube for an all-important web exclusive: a second deep dive in to the formidable and ongoing Air Bud franchise.

In the 20-minute video above the host rants about the Golden Retriever-led film empire, leaving no water bowl unturned. He weaves through everything from the plot summary of the upcoming 2026 instalment Air Bud Returns and its associated canine casting call to the staggering number of movies in the franchise (14 plus two Christmas spinoffs).

It's a long and entertaining rant about the enduring might of Air Bud, but it can perhaps best be summarised by a question Oliver asks partway through: "Is this a money laundering scheme?"

SAVE OVER $10: As of Oct. 20, the Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat set is on sale for $88.50 at Amazon. This is $11.49 off its list price of $99.99 and its lowest price yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat $88.50 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $11.49   Get Deal

If you've been looking to pick up some Lego sets to work on this fall, there's already some excellent deals available, even before Black Friday sales officially kick off. This is especially true at Amazon, where some sets have even dropped to their lowest-ever prices, including the Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat.

The adorable Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat set is currently on sale for $88.50 at Amazon, an 11% price drop from its list price of $99.99. More importantly, though, it's the lowest-ever price. If you've been hoping to get it, now is a great time to do so and save some cash.

SEE ALSO: Lego is giving away free Witch models for Halloween — here’s how to get yours on Oct. 26

This set is a truly perfect pick-up for cat lovers. It's also recommended for adults aged 18 and up, but someone younger can piece it together with some help from an adult around them. The Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat set comes with 1,710 pieces that create the adorable little feline, who also features a rotatable head with adjustable ears, paws, and tail so you can pose it how you like. It even comes with different eye colors, so you can choose between yellow or blue.

Even if you're shopping ahead of the holidays, this is a great gift for animal lovers. Don't miss out on the Lego Ideas Tuxedo Cat set at its lowest-ever price at Amazon.

This isn't the only set down to its best-ever price right now at Amazon. The Lego DREAMZzz The Never Witch’s Midnight Raven set is another that's currently down to its lowest-ever price there, and is a great spooky season Lego set to work on.

Happy Thursday and welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the 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 onto 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 for 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 October 18, 2025

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 October 18, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 20 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add to 11. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add to 10. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add to 9. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 20 Pips

Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this red space must be greater than 4. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this orange space must be greater than 4. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this green space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (4): Everything in this light blue space must be greater than 4. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 20 Pips

Greater Than (6): Everything in this space must be greater than 6. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed horizontally.

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

Number (13): Everything in this space must add to 13. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically; 4-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love getting paid.

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 October 17, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 17, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: For the picking

The words are related to your mail.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things that can be found on your paycheck.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Checklist.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 20

• Number

• Address

• Amount

• Signature

• Routing

• Memo

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 the latest Strands.