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There's nothing Willem Dafoe can't do. The critically revered American actor has played everything from Jesus Christ (The Last Temptation of Christ) to the Green Goblin (Spider-Man) from an iconic vampire (The Shadow of the Vampire) to a manic vampire hunter (Nosferatu), and a big-hearted motel manager (The Florida Project). And even with this list, I've probably missed a lot of people's favorite Dafoe roles (see also Finding Nemo, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, At Eternity's Gate, The Boondock Saints, Poor Things, and I could go on, and on.) 

The thrill of a Dafoe movie is that you can't predict where his performance will go, other than it will be riveting. In his latest, Late Fame, he delivers a nuanced performance, playing an everyman who was once a poet. Starring opposite Greta Lee, the pair create a portrait of a particular breed of New York artist who has flirted with fame but never gotten her number. 

The result is a film that's warmly earnest, achingly funny, and brilliantly humane. 

Late Fame is a love letter to dreamers, but not a romantically naive one.  The Enthusiasm Society gathers in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Cheers to screenwriter Samy Burch, who earned an Academy Award nod for turning the sordid story of Mary Kay Letourneau into the darkly hilarious melodrama May December. Another remarkable transformation occurs with Late Fame, which is adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1894 novella of the same name. 

She preserved the name of the unpublished novella's hero, Ed Saxberger, but transported him from turn-of-the-century Vienna to modern-day New York. His struggles are similar, but as she did with May December, Burch expertly depicts a cast of contemporary characters who range from the oblivious to the painfully self-aware. 

SEE ALSO: Does 'May December' snatch from 'All About Eve'? Todd Haynes explains

Dafoe stars as Ed, a SoHo resident, who works at the post office happily enough, until he meets a starstruck fan called Meyers (Edmund Donovan). See, fifty years ago, Ed was an aspiring poet, who even had a book of his work published. But fame eluded him, and he eventually slipped into the blue-collar life of many New Yorkers. To his friends, he's kind and beloved, but not known as a poet.

Meyers fawns over his book, and insists his friends, a collective of artists who call themselves the Enthusiasm Society, are just as in awe of Ed's writing. Coaxed into meeting them for coffee, he's stunned by both their ambition and their youth. One seems so young that you might well wonder if he's even had his first shave yet. Together, they insist they'll host a reading — or a recital or something — to present not only their writing, but also Ed's. 

While the young men who make up most of the group do entice Ed's untapped desire for praise, he's most intrigued by Gloria (Lee). Older and bolder than the rest, she's an actor who oozes a flirty sophistication that feels evocative of Holly GoLightly, a reference the boys of the Enthusiasm Society would likely miss. She enchants Ed, not only with her vibrancy, but with her assurance that through their collaboration, he'll finally achieve fame at long last. 

However, as the Breakfast at Tiffany's reference might suggest, not all is what it seems with these young artists or Gloria. Reality steadily permeates their big dreams, forcing Ed to reconsider who he is and what he wants. And by extension, the film urges us to consider what it means to be an artist? Must you be famous? Must you be prolific? Chic or Bohemian? Must you even be any good?

Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee are marvelous together.  Greta Lee as Gloria in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Burch expertly paints several New York City archetypes with care and distinction. The Enthusiasm Society boys, in their self-imposed uniforms of vintage bohemian wear, are the intellectual trust-fund kids who treat squalor as a delicious novelty. Their pseudo-intellectual blather is embarrassing but familiar, as it's the song sung by many who chased a dream of an artist's New York that hasn’t existed for the whole of their lives. 

Ed knows this all too well. But in Dafoe’s hands, there’s no bitterness in Ed. Instead, he blisters with resigned gratitude for the life he’s built. But as the boys hype him up, a crackle of what could have been urges him to crave more, or maybe feel he deserves more. This change percolates discontent. 

Gloria can relate. Her facade is one of a classic New York broad, though she’d rather be the ingénue. She's brash, sexy, funny, and defiantly chic in a showy way. Her every eyelash flutter or smile practically screams, “Discover me.” Her tragedy is that no one will. 

Willem Dafoe star in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

While the boys live in the naïveté of privilege that is being white, male, and rich, Gloria is pursuing every second chance as if it's her last. Ed thought he was past such dreaming. But in this city, dreams can feel both impossible and achievable in the very same breath. That’s where Late Fame lives. 

As director, documentarian Kent Jones creates a true New York movie. Late Fame understands the romance of this city, without losing touch of its reality. His ensemble paints a world wonderful, fragile, enduring, and familiar. Lee glimmers then snarls, capturing the highs and lows of working artists now. But Dafoe gives a quiet dignity to the unknown artist, reflecting the beauty of creation, whatever its reach. 

Late Fame is now in theaters.

SAVE $105: As of Aug. 7, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is on sale for $194.99 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin vívoactive 5 $194.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $105   Get Deal

If you’re looking for a premium fitness tracker to track everything from your daily step count to your sleep stages, you’ll want to check out this latest deal on the Garmin vivoactive 5. As of Aug. 7, this impressive smartwatch is over $100 off ($105, to be exact), bringing the price down from $299.99 to $194.99.

The vivoactive 5 was replaced as the newest in the lineup in 2025, but we’re still big fans, especially when it goes on sale. 

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And there’s lots to like about it. Firstly, it benefits from a bright AMOLED display and offers up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, with up to 5 days when using the always-on display. You’ll get a range of health-tracking features, including Body Battery energy monitoring, sleep scoring, stress tracking, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, fitness age, menstrual cycle tracking, and pregnancy tracking. 

And for sports, there are many tracking methods for anything from running, cycling, and swimming, to golf and HIIT. The watch also supports wheelchair mode, with push tracking, handcycle activities, and adapted workouts. 

It’s worth noting that this deal is only available for the Ivory colorway, but if the watch color doesn't matter to you, you can find it on Amazon right now.

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 pretend.

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 F.

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...

FEIGN

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.

If you were thinking Callum Turner is the kind of actor likely to stoically soldier his way through Hot Ones while barely showing any signs of pain, then you'd be bang on the money.

In the clip above the actor takes on the series of increasingly spicy wings opposite host Sean Evans while staying impressively cool, answering questions on everything from his new rom-com One Night Only to the time he fell off a horse while training for a role.

The most impressive bit? Not just his ability to handle spice, but his ability to handle spice while also calmly offering obscure movie recommendations.

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SAVE $70: As of Aug. 7, the Anker 3-in-1 charger is on sale for $159.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker 3-in-1 Charging Station $159.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $70   Get Deal

If you’re tired of juggling separate cables for your Apple devices, the Anker 3-in-1 charger offers a tidier setup. The charging station can power your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch from one spot, helping keep your desk or bedside table a little less chaotic. And as of Aug. 7, it’s $70 off, bringing the cost down to $159.99.

A built-in 1.65-inch HD smart display gives you a quick overview of your devices, showing real-time details such as charging wattage, temperature, and device status. Behind the screen, the charger supports ultra-fast 25W Qi2.2 charging, capable of taking an iPhone 17 Pro to 50% in just 22 minutes. It combines that speedy charging with a compact design that keeps your setup neat and convenient.

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You can also switch between three charging modes: Boost, Ice, and Sleep, depending on what you need. Boost prioritizes faster charging, Ice is designed to keep temperatures down, and Sleep offers quieter charging for overnight use.

You can find this charger deal at Amazon right now.

The MacBook Neo might be Apple's most exciting laptop in years. It has the same premium build quality and stellar everyday performance as any other MacBook, but it starts at just $699 — a great deal even after its $100 price hike this summer. The Neo has almost no competition among cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks.

We've already stacked the Neo against the latest MacBook Air, which runs on the supercharged M5 chip. But how does the Neo compare to older MacBook Airs? Previous models with M1, M2, M3, and M4 chips are still somewhat readily available, mainly on the refurbished market, and they can be viable options for budget buyers, too. Let's dive right into the nitty-gritty details.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Specs The MacBook Neo is Apple's smallest laptop in seven years. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As a refresher, here's a brief M-series MacBook Air release timeline:

• M1 MacBook Air (13-inch) — November 2020

• M2 MacBook Air (13-inch) — July 2022; 15-inch version launched in June 2023

• M3 MacBook Air (13- and 15-inch) — March 2024

• M4 MacBook Air (13- and 15-inch) — March 2025

Unlike the MacBook Airs, which run on ARM-based laptop silicon, the MacBook Neo runs on an iPhone processor — the A18 Pro chip, specifically. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as you'll see later in the "Performance" section. Smartphone chips are crazy overpowered nowadays.

The MacBook Neo's memory is fixed at 8GB. (This is probably its biggest drawback.) Most older MacBook Airs also start with 8GB of RAM, but users have the option to upgrade them. The M1 model can get bumped to 16GB of RAM, while the M2 and M3 models are configurable with up to 24GB of RAM. The M4 MacBook Air starts with 16GB of memory and maxes out with 32GB.

SEE ALSO: MacBook Neo review: Is this budget laptop still worth it after a price increase?

With the MacBook Neo, you can take your pick from two storage options. It comes with 256GB of disk space for $699 or 512GB for $799. (The latter adds a Touch ID sensor to its power button.) The older MacBook Airs have four storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB.

The MacBook Neo and the M1 MacBook Air both come in one 13-inch size, but the M1 Air is technically 13.3 inches on the diagonal, while the Neo measures 13 inches exactly. (It's Apple's smallest MacBook in seven years.) The M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Airs come in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch sizes.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Pricing and availability Apple's M1 MacBook Air sells for $500 to $700 in refurbished condition as of mid-2026. Credit: Zlata Ivleva / Mashable

Again, the MacBook Neo costs $699 or $799 depending on your storage and Touch ID preferences. College students, their parents, and school staff can save $100 on either configuration with the Apple Store's clutch education discount.

The older M-series MacBook Airs originally started at $999 to $1,299, but these days, they typically go for less on the refurbished market. (Most major retailers have stopped selling them in new condition.) Best Buy tends to carry the most configurations at the best prices out of any retailer, though its inventory changes frequently — you may not find a model with your exact processor, storage, RAM, size, and color preferences in stock. The Apple Store itself was only selling a few refurbed M4 models at the time of writing, and they were almost as expensive as they were brand-new.

For reference, here's how much Best Buy was charging for M1 to M4 base models as of August 2026:

• M1 MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $499.99 $699 (save $199.01)

• M2 MacBook Air, 13-inch (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $729.99 $749 (save $19.01)

• M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $849

• M4 MacBook Air, 13-inch (16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $854.99 $899 (save $44.01)

Evidently, the Neo is still cheaper than most of your refurbished Air options.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Performance The M2 MacBook Air is roughly 14 percent faster in multi-core scenarios compared to the MacBook Neo. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

Here at Mashable, we measure laptops' performance by having them run Primate Labs' Geekbench CPU test. This industry-standard benchmark produces two kinds of scores: a single-core score, which tells us how snappy the laptop will feel in everyday tasks (like web browsing), and a multi-core score, which tells us how well it can plow through more intensive workloads (like video rendering). The higher the scores, the better.

Apple's overachieving A-series chips have been making iPhones as powerful as some laptops for years, so it's actually not that weird to see one fueling a MacBook.

Our testing found that the MacBook Neo offers M4-tier single-core performance and M1-level multi-core performance. Since it's geared toward users with basic needs, that single-core result is more important — and very impressive. It means the Neo will feel just as zippy as a pricier last-gen MacBook Air when you're sending emails or online shopping. It definitely punches above its budget price point in this regard.

That isn't to say the Neo won't be usable for some lighter multi-core work. (Our tech editor used one to edit a simple video in Final Cut Pro.) It just won't be nearly as good for running a bunch of heavier apps at the same time. You'll want an M3 or M4 MacBook Air for that, or possibly even a MacBook Pro.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Battery life The M3 MacBook Air offers about 21.5 hours of battery life. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Apple rated the MacBook Neo for up to 16 hours of video playback and all of the older MacBook Airs for up to 18 hours. We put those claims through our own video rundown test to see how they translate to real-world use.

Indeed, all of the MacBook Airs from the past six years outlast the MacBook Neo, which has an actual battery life of around 15 hours of video playback per charge. It should still get you through a full day of school or travel with some juice to spare.

For what it's worth, the Neo's 15-hour runtime beats our current battery life medians for Windows laptops and Chromebooks (14 hours and 10 hours, respectively).

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Design The M4 MacBook Air features an incredible 12MP Center Stage webcam. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

The MacBook Neo has the same fully aluminum build as all of the older MacBook Airs. It's roughly the same size as the M1 MacBook Air, but its chassis is shaped more like the M2 to M4 MacBook Airs. Those three models have a flat "slab" design, while the M1 MacBook Air has a tapered "wedge" design. (Read more about the MacBook Air's 2022 makeover.)

The MacBook Neo weighs the same as a 13-inch M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air, but it's slightly thicker. The M1 MacBook Air is both heavier and thicker than all of them.

Apple had to make some hardware sacrifices to make the MacBook Neo cheap from the jump, but it's nicer than the M1 MacBook Air in a few small ways:

• Display: The Neo's display lacks the Airs' True Tone feature for natural-looking colors, but it has the same 60Hz refresh rate and crisp Liquid Retina technology. It's just as bright as the M2 to M4 models' screens; the M1 Air is slightly dimmer.

• Keyboard: The Neo lacks keyboard backlighting and Touch ID (unless you pay $100 extra).

• Trackpad: The Neo's mechanical touchpad lacks haptic feedback.

• Webcam: The Neo's camera has same 1080p resolution as the M2 and M3 Airs' webcam. It's better than the M1 model's 720p camera but worse than the M4 model's 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support. It's housed in the upper bezel of the Neo's display (an M1 Air relic), not a notch.

• Speakers: The Neo has two fewer speakers than the 13-inch M2, M3, and M4 Airs. (Their 15-inch counterparts have two more speakers for a total of six.) The Neo does support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos like the M2 to M4 Airs, but it lacks their dynamic head tracking support with AirPods. The M1 Air has Dolby Atmos but no Spatial Audio.

• Mic array: The Neo has one fewer mic than the M-series Airs (two instead of three).

• Ports: The Neo lacks the Airs' speedy Thunderbolt ports. The M3 and M4 models can also drive an extra external display (two instead of one).

• Connectivity. The Neo has same WiFi 6E tech as the M3 and M4 Airs (the M1 and M2 models have WiFi 6). The Neo has newer Bluetooth 6 tech than all of the older Airs.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Colors The MacBook Neo comes in four colors: citrus, indigo (both pictured), blush, and silver. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The MacBook Airs come in neutrals. (Let's not pretend that "sky blue" is anything more than a cooler gray.) The Neo, in contrast, is available in a few wilder new colors:

• M1 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, and gold

• M2 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight

• M3 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight

• M4 MacBook Air — silver, starlight, midnight, and sky blue

• MacBook Neo — silver, indigo, blush, and citrus

"Wild" is relative, by the way. My kingdom for a (PRODUCT)RED MacBook.

Final thoughts: Should you get a MacBook Neo or an older MacBook Air? Neo or nah? Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Your decision will come down to three factors: what you need your MacBook for, how much you want to spend on it, and whether you can find the model you want in stock.

The MacBook Neo is a basic starter PC with limited RAM and features, but an enticingly affordable price. It's technically not designed to compete with MacBook Airs, but I can see shoppers with ultra-strict budgets weighing it closely against a cheap base M1 MacBook Air. In this case, I'd go with the Neo for future-proofing and vastly better single-core performance. The fact that it's missing True Tone, backlighting, a haptic touchpad, and Thunderbolt support shouldn't be dealbreakers for students and casual users with light workloads.

SEE ALSO: I tested the top MacBook alternatives: See which Windows PCs actually beat Apple

If you already own an M1 MacBook Air, don't bother buying a Neo. It would be a lateral move, not an upgrade.

A MacBook Air with an M2 chip or newer is a better, more well-rounded laptop than the Neo in almost every way. I think creative professionals and multitasking-happy business users who rely on heavier apps will see plenty of merit in spending a little more on one. Try to find a configuration with at least 16GB of RAM — and be prepared to maybe hunt around for a while, since the refurbished market can be fickle.

Shop Apple MacBooks: Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $699 Shop Now Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $449.99 (save $199.01) Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $729.99 (save $19.01) Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $849 Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $854.99 (save $44.01) Shop Now

If I turned my brain off, One Night Only (dir. Will Gluck) would be a funny movie with heart.

Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro) meet on the one night a year that unmarried adults can have sex. As expected, everyone eligible goes buck wild to take advantage of those sweet 12 hours when premarital sex is allowed. Hijinks and hilarity ensue, with some genuinely funny moments (one featuring Maroon 5's "Payphone").

SEE ALSO: 'I Want Your Sex' shows Gen Z as sexually repressed. Is that really true?

But here's the problem: I can't turn my brain off. Rom-com One Night Only comes at a time of increased surveillance and policing of sexual expression on the internet. And in the movie, totalitarianism is played for laughs. 

How the titular One Night Only works

My biggest question after seeing the trailer is: How are they going to pull off, as the internet has taken to calling it, "The Purge for sex"? 

At the start of the movie, we're told through a text overlay that the law (called "the mandate") deeming premarital sex permitted for one night a year went into effect three years prior. Throughout, we learn a few details: It was a law passed by Congress, not voted on by the people. It happened after the Obama administration (revealed after a strained "thanks, Obama" joke), but there's no explicit mention of which president this happened under.

Law enforcement figures out who isn't complying through a biosensor installed on every unmarried adult's wrist; it is red 364 days a year and calls the police if there's a too-high dopamine spike. No word on whether masturbation is also banned, but if your dopamine gets too high during self-loving, god help you, I guess.

During the "one night" (which is really just 12 hours) that premarital sex is legal, the biosensors turn from red to green, and they're not monitored as they usually are. But if you haven't complied throughout the year, you won't have the "privilege" of being able to have sex during the night. 

Condoms are also compulsory, but it's not explained how the police would figure out if you haven't used one. It's rather a plot device to delay Allie and Owen's doomed sexual encounters with other people. 

What about gay sex? That's explained away fairly early on by Allie's lesbian roommate, who is more a brief sidekick than an actual character: Gay people have been skirting around "your laws" since the Bible, she said. Still, there are a few gay couples peppered as extras in some scenes.

The results of the mandate have apparently been fantastic, according to a suit who works for the lab that developed the biosensor. Sex is now saved for the "sanctity of marriage," after all. Since it went into effect, rates of unwanted pregnancies and STDs are down. (You know what else decreases these things? Comprehensive sex education.) Beyond that, it's now a "badge of honor to be an incel." (AHHHHHH.)

See One Night Only for punchlines and background Easter Eggs

For the zany/scary concept, there is something to love about One Night Only. Turner and Barbaro's performances are good, and I'm glad we hear Barbaro's voice following her turn as Joan Baez in 2024's A Complete Unknown. Her character, Allie, sings commercial song parodies for a living. In an early scene, she belts about a plaque psoriasis medication to the tune of Sara Bareilles's "Brave," and those were the first roars of laughter in my screening.

The laughs didn't stop there. Throughout the film, there's humor both crass and wholesome, and the theater crowd seemed to have a great time. (I won't spoil you for how Maroon 5 is involved.) 

And there's something quaint about the story — not the fact that sex is somehow more "sacred" under this regime, but that Allie and Owen don't exchange numbers or last names, making it genuinely difficult to find each other. (Though, through movie magic, they always do.)

The film also astutely shows how society would mold itself to fit the new status quo should premarital sex be banned. Backgrounds are peppered with ads from Red Bull, Dunkin, and Equinox about "the night." Sellers gouge prices for haircuts and condoms (Durex, always). The Empire State Building is lit up in green.

But One Night Only seems to be doing the same conforming. In a country that repealed Roe v. Wade and instated age-verification laws for First Amendment-protected content — not to mention that the Trump administration is now going after the birth control pill — One Night Only makes light of rising fascism. Like the in-universe Red Bull ad claiming to "give you wiiings" for the night, the movie is winking and nodding at our decreasing rights. 

Don't expect One Night Only to have real cultural commentary

The mandate appears to be a retrograde, puritan idea that Congress voted on — but that doesn't seem to be that much of a problem for the American people. 

There is resistance to it…barely. Protests are regulated to signs calling for "REPEAL" and graffiti declaring, "Fuck the mandate!" An anti-mandate concert is scheduled for the day after "the night," but as it turns out, the musician hosting it is a hypocrite. He secretly likes the mandate and says that maybe the fascists were right about this one(!). 

That musician character is also a bumbling misogynist, and he's certainly not the hero of the story. Maybe One Night Only is a stealth satire about such hypocrisy, or about the boiling frog metaphor, but I'm not convinced. The protagonists also don't seem interested in taking action against the mandate. Throughout the film, they decry casual sex and long for romance. They lament the societal push to sleep with people within these 12 hours; they (especially Allie) want to do it the "right" way, with the "right" person.

And the realities of how cruel such a mandate would be are skirted around or unaddressed entirely. 

Let's be real: If straight premarital sex is banned, gay sex would be, too. SCOTUS deemed state sodomy laws unconstitutional just 23 years ago. But in the movie, gay sex is a brief joke one minute, and several gay couples are shown complying the next.

Another harrowing topic that went unmentioned is sexual violence. Some male characters are misogynistic to Allie, and others give her leering glances. But it's something that I, as a woman, couldn't stop thinking about — whether women would be forced to participate in the night even if they didn't want to.

Pornography is also never mentioned in the film (or, if I missed it, only in passing), but surely it would be banned before straight premarital sex, too. As it is, Project 2025 (the blueprint for President Trump's second term) calls for porn to be banned and the imprisonment of its creators. In the world of One Night Only, that would probably get treated as another gag as opposed to the free speech nightmare that it is. 

On the topic of free speech, which pornography falls into, it's almost unbelievable that any dissent would slide here, even the tepid REPEAL signs. In our actual world, people were arrested over social media posts following Charlie Kirk's assassination. You can't tell me that this regime would be OK with civilians saying "fuck the mandate." No, the population of One Night Only would be neutered, in more ways than one.

The audience is also expected to yuck it up for surveillance. Partway through the movie, an ill-fated love interest of Allie's is arrested because he violated the mandate and wasn't allowed to participate in the night. He tries to escape from the cops, naked, and fails. Then, in a police station, Allie is also scrutinized, and other rebels are shuffled in. Restaurants and shops have signs telling employees to report violations, but other than these instances, the Big Brother-style operation that would need to exist to enforce this law isn't explored. 

I know, I know: It's "just a movie." But movies have the power to reflect our reality and to actually say something about it. Case in point: The real Purge series.

The Purge was a commentary on what privilege can protect you from and the barbarism that seems uniquely American. One Night Only may comment on a uniquely American puritanism — there are brief scenes of foreign news programs discussing the U.S. "celibacy night" — but if anything, the film falls for the same ideas of the mandate. 

When Allie and Owen finally get together in the end, they decide to not spend the last 10 minutes of legal unwedded sex to have any. They decide to wait a whole year until the next one — how beautiful! It's played as a way to once again buck the mandate, even though they…totally comply with it. So what is this movie actually saying?

One Night Only adheres to our rising purity culture; it doesn't defy it. And if it had some real commentary to say, it wouldn't be a rom-com. Like The Purge, it'd be a horror.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

NASA engineers have found still more power inside Voyager 2's aging systems, keeping the veteran spacecraft alive as it drifts through space at 34,000 mph.

Voyager 2 is now completely immersed in interstellar space, the region beyond the influence of the sun and its planets. But after 49 years in flight, its reserves have faded so much that engineers must decide, instrument by instrument, what stays on and what shuts down.

It started off with 10 instruments. Only three — the Cosmic Ray Subsystem, Magnetometer, and Plasma Wave Subsystem — are still on. Those remaining sensors measure high‑energy particles, the local magnetic field, and ripples in charged gas around the spacecraft to reveal what interstellar space is like.

To avoid having to sacrifice yet another instrument this year, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory came up with a new idea. Nicknamed the "Big Bang," the plan involved turning off certain powered devices, swapping in lower‑power alternatives, and balancing the system so the spacecraft stays warm enough to operate. 

Those savings should keep the trio of instruments working for at least one extra year, according to the agency.

SEE ALSO: Earth plays peekaboo with NASA's Perseverance rover across space

Launched in 1977 to survey the outer planets, Voyager 2 long ago outlasted its original five‑year plan and now ranks among humanity's most distant missions at about 13.3 billion miles from Earth. Between Voyager 2 and its farther twin, Voyager 1, the spacecraft have explored four planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus — 48 moons, and a host of planetary magnetic fields and rings.

In August 2012, Voyager 1 made history as it entered interstellar space, filled with material ejected by other stars that died millions of years ago. The twins are the only spacecraft ever to leave the solar system. 

Every extra year of data from the missions carries outsize value, according to NASA. 

Voyager 2 runs on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which turn heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. That heat source weakens over time. The spacecraft generate about 4 fewer watts of power annually, leaving a thin margin to keep them running.

Engineers have spent years looking for ways to reduce the probes' energy consumption. In 2023, they tapped a hidden source of power in a voltage‑protection system on Voyager 2 to buy more time before facing a key instrument shutdown. 

"All the decisions we will have to make going forward are going to require a lot more analysis and caution than they once did," said Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd in a statement that is now already two years old. 

Since 2024, the dwindling power supply has already forced the mission to turn off two science instruments on each of the spacecraft. Others had been switched off earlier because they were only needed during close planetary flybys, not in deep space. 

The team now plans to apply the same strategy to Voyager 1, which is even farther from Earth than Voyager 2, at about 15.9 billion miles away. If that effort succeeds, both spacecraft will keep flying among the stars for at least an extra year.

Bryce Gruber was scrolling through TikTok when a self-tanner promotion appeared on her For You page. The woman rubbing the product onto her body looked very familiar.

It was her. Sort of.

"This is super scary and weird," Gruber, an editor and writer behind the Substack, Extra Good, said in a TikTok posted Aug. 5 "By the way, this is not me. I mean, it’s me, but it’s robot me," she told her 193,000 TikTok followers.

The video Gruber encountered featured an AI-generated version of her enthusiastically reviewing a self-tanner: "This tanner changed my entire routine," her digital doppelgänger says in the clip.

As the AI version of Gruber rubs the product across her body, the real Gruber says that she had never seen or used the product before and had no relationship with the company selling it (though she didn't identify the brand).

"Obviously, I freaked out over this," she said. "I never saw that product in my life before, and I probably never want to."

The strange encounter led Gruber back into her TikTok settings, where she discovered just how much access other users appeared to have to her digital double.

How does TikTok AI Cast work?

The feature behind the video is called AI Cast, which lets users create an "AI Self" that can appear in AI-generated videos. TikTok's Help Center describes AI Self as one of the "digital avatars or voices" users can create from their face and voice information.

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Unlike a traditional deepfake made by scraping someone's existing posts, creating an AI Self requires a user to deliberately set one up.

TikTok requires users to verify their identity before creating an "AI Self," a source at the company told Mashable. The process involves recording themselves from multiple angles and reading a series of numbers after selecting "Add AI Self" from their profile.

When asked about Gruber's case, the source said, "This creator would have had a notification that [someone] was using AI Cast." Users can also control who has access to their "AI Self," keeping it private or sharing it with friends or the public. TikTok says anyone whose AI Self appears in another person's video can delete the video or draft directly, regardless of who created it. Once they do, the original creator can no longer access the content.

However, once that digital version exists, AI Cast can put it into scenarios that the real person never filmed. A user can generate a video starring their own AI Self, or bring another person into the video by @-mentioning a friend or user whose AI Self is available to them. In other words, two people don't have to get together to film something for their digital versions to appear together in a video.

According to Gruber, though, when she opened up her own AI Self settings, she said her permissions were set to "Everyone," which she described as the default. She urged users to switch the setting to "Only You."

"If it’s on 'Everyone,' you become a self-tanner ad," she joked.

Notably, Gruber told Mashable she reported the self-tanner video to TikTok, but was told that because the AI-generated voice differed from her own, the platform did not consider the person depicted in the video to be her. She isn't sure whether the brand faced any consequences.

And there were differences. Her voice and natural cadence weren't quite right, she said, while other details had seemingly been invented altogether.

"My voice and speech cadence are definitely different in the AI video, but also little details like the freckles on my arms and legs are very different — and the manicure?" she said. "I haven't had a French manicure since 1999, so that was a funny touch to see."

AI doubles are becoming big business

Platforms and advertisers are increasingly experimenting with synthetic influencers.

TikTok itself has been building AI advertising tools through its Symphony platform, which lets advertisers generate videos using AI avatars. In June, the company expanded those tools through Symphony Agent, which can produce ads using generative video, scripts, and avatars.

The technology has also advanced to the point where creators don't necessarily need to build an official digital twin for someone to imitate them. In Mashable's 2025 investigation into AI-generated YouTube ads, UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid explained just how little source material is required.

“With just 20 seconds of a person’s voice and a single photograph of them, it is now possible to create a video of them saying or doing anything,” Farid told Mashable's Technology editor, Timothy Back Werth.

Gruber says she has already experienced that version of the problem, too.

After finding the self-tanner video, Gruber said she discovered that a Chinese denim company had previously used her face and voice, and even recreated what looked like her backyard, to market jeans. According to Gruber, the company sold more than 1,000 pairs.

She is far from the only creator confronting that problem. In June, guitarist and creator Sophie Burrell told Guitar World that she stumbled across a TikTok that reproduced one of her videos almost exactly — down to the camera angle, room, guitar, and movements. YouTube musician Rhett Shull also discovered an AI-generated guitar channel that appeared to recreate pieces of his older videos, including his former filming set. The channel, named "Guitar Gems With Chase," had accumulated more than 5,000 subscribers and 600,000 views when Shull found it.

Plus, as Mashable reported last year, the problem was already showing up in advertising: AI-generated videos impersonated Hoda Kotb to promote weight-loss products and Elon Musk in crypto scams, while synthetic financial advisers and even fabricated small-business owners appeared in deceptive YouTube ads.

When asked whether brands can use someone’s AI Self to create promotional content, the TikTok representative said the company would "look into it."

"It should just be more of a peer-to-peer kind of creator-level product,” the source said.

There are rules against at least some of this behavior. The Federal Trade Commission's rule on fake reviews and testimonials prohibits testimonials that falsely represent someone as having experience with a product they never used.

The FTC has even addressed AI advertising specifically. In guidance that mentions TikTok's Symphony Avatars by name, the agency says AI avatars aren't inherently prohibited in advertising, but their use could violate federal rules when they create a fake or misleading testimonial.

“Just last week, we announced that we’re testing a new feature that helps folks find accounts on TikTok who are maybe using their likeness," a source at TikTok told Mashable. "You could easily upload your photo and verify your ID through the third-party platform, and it will then confirm you’re the owner of your identity.”

"We are testing strategies broadly to help protect AI likeness on the platform," he added.

Instagram already learned how sensitive this is the hard way

TikTok isn't the only platform discovering how quickly users react when control over their likeness becomes an opt-out setting.

Last month, Meta launched a feature for its new Muse Image generator that allowed people to @-mention public Instagram accounts and use their photos as references for new AI-generated images. Users could disable this feature in their settings, but it was enabled automatically for public accounts.

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The reaction was swift. SAG-AFTRA criticized the opt-out approach, while Emmy-winning actor Hannah Einbinder urged her followers to disable the setting. Three days after introducing it, Meta pulled the feature entirely.

"Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way," Meta said in an update. "We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available."

The episode gets at the same question now raised by Gruber's TikTok experience: If your AI self can say and do things you never did, where does your control over your own likeness begin...and end?

For now, Gruber has considerably more practical advice: "Careful out there with this stuff," she said. "It can happen to anyone."

MCU's Blade movie may be dead, but Mahershala Ali and filmmaker Bassam Tariq have created an original action movie from its ashes. 

Written and directed by Tariq, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars Ali as Latif, a Muslim hitman, who must protect his family from a violent cult leader (played by John Cho). 

In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Ali and Tariq shared how the Blade movie led to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. 

SEE ALSO: 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother' trailer: Mahershala Ali leaps into action

Ali said of Blade, "I’d been attached to that project — if you count to this date — like seven years. But, a couple of years ago, I knew it wasn't happening, essentially. And so, for me, it was more of, 'Alright, how do I get back to business?' Because it's just so much time and so much of my energy going toward that project. So once it was clear to me that that wasn't happening, it kind of gave me a certain freedom to begin to really take ownership of my schedule and of my life, so to speak. And so, as you are sitting back and waiting for something to come through that will resonate with you, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother came through."

Ali continued, referring to Tariq, "And I think the only reason it came through was because we didn't do Blade together."

Ali was announced as the lead of the MCU's Blade at Comic-Con in 2019. He and Tariq had known of each other, but first met because Tariq was attached to direct in July of 2021. However, in the fall of 2022, Tariq left the helm, and Lovecraft Country director Yann Demange took his place. The split with Marvel was a peaceable one, and in a statement to THR, the studio said Tariq would stay on the Blade project as an executive producer. 

Speaking to Mashable, Tariq revealed a bit about the reported creative differences he had with the Blade movie producers. He explained, "I think the frustrations for me were really about not giving me the reins to write. And I'm a writer, like that's what I do for a living. I write. So I was like, I'm gonna write, and I'm gonna write something that I've always been working on, and just bring that into the world."

Tariq also reflected on what he learned from working with Kevin Feige and his team during the development of the Blade movie. 

"I learned a lot in that process," Tariq began, "And like what's so brilliant about Kevin [Feige] and [producers] Victoria [Alonso] and Lou[is D'Esposito]  was that they really cared a lot about the audience. I came from art house, where I was all about like, 'Oh, what's the heart saying?' Which is great, which I still am all about. But I think to balance, I do like going in and seeing audiences and how they were connecting to these people and movies, characters, and all that stuff."

Tariq continued by expressing his respect for the sprawling superhero film series, saying, "I grew up on comics as well. But I think as I got older, I kind of took a step back. But to see how much audiences really cared – and how much [the MCU producers] cared about audiences — I was like, 'Oh, this is something that we need to really start thinking about more as directors, is like where's the audience? How do you really build this?' And I think ambition was something that I always saw in Kevin, like thinking, 'Well, how do we go bigger?'" 

Tariq applied that lesson to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, followed by a theatrical release across the U.S. 

For more from Mashable's interview with Mahershala Ali and Bassam Tariq, look for our full video release the week of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother's theatrical debut on Sept. 25. 

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Project Professional 2024 for Windows to help you tackle projects on your PC for just $48.99 (reg. $1,129.99) with code Aug25 now through Aug. 9.

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Tired of keeping track of deadlines? If you’ve ever felt like you could use an assistant, but don’t have the budget for one, you may want to check out Microsoft Project Professional 2024. This powerful software helps you plan, execute, and complete projects easily, and right now, a lifetime license for Windows is just $48.99 with code Aug25 through Aug. 9.

Whether you’re tackling multiple projects for work or you could use some help streamlining some personal tasks, Microsoft Project Professional 2024 is ready to help. It’s your very own project management assistant, helping you knock out projects from start to finish right on your PC.

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Microsoft Project Professional 2024 is easy to use, with a user-friendly interface. There are also pre-built templates available to help you stay on track.

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Score your own Microsoft Project Professional 2024 Lifetime License for Windows for only $48.99 with code Aug25 now through Aug. 9.

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TL;DR: Make job hunting easier forever with this lifetime subscription to FirstResume AI Job Hunting Automator, now only $29.99 (reg. $899) with code Aug25 through Aug. 9.

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Job hunting is stressful enough — don’t make creating your resume a headache, too. With FirstResume AI Job Hunting Automator, applying to positions can be painless. This AI-powered tool helps you tailor resumes, whip out cover letters, and even send outreach emails.

Right now, you can lock in a lifetime subscription to FirstResume AI Job Hunting Automator for just $29.99 with code Aug25 through Aug. 9.

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Gone are the days of spending hours tailoring your resume to each individual job you apply for — only to never hear anything back? FirstResume AI Job Hunting Automator makes the process a whole lot easier with job-hunting tools designed for Gen Z that can help everyone.

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Queer horror fans have a complicated relationship to the genre. Horror cinema is a place where we have seen ourselves reflected, but often as villains.

From the flamboyant mad scientists of James Whale's Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein to the sapphic vampires of Dracula's Daughter, to the trans-coded killers of Sleepaway Camp and The Silence of the Lambs, LGBTQ+ characters shimmer throughout the fabric of the horror canon. While such problematic portrayals might feel like antiques, they've nonetheless shaped the genre and generations of queer horror fans. And for these folks, American filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun has made Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

SEE ALSO: Shudder's 'Queer for Fear' series is here to school you on LGBTQ+ horror

Written and directed by Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma celebrates the slashers and, through that, explores the complicated feelings of loving a genre that doesn't reliably love you back. But that's not all. They also offer a radical tonal shift from their moody films We're All Going to the World's Fair and I Saw the TV Glow, delivering a comedy that is part horny psychosexual thriller and part campy parody. The result is a film that is rollicking in queer joy, blood spray, and irreverent humor.

Yes, it's meta, smart, and challenging genre norms. But calling Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma "elevated horror" is to miss its point.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a story of love, sex, and perversion. Jack Haven is Little Death in "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma." Credit: MUBI

Hacks' Hannah Einbinder stars as Kris, a 29-year-old queer filmmaker whose Sundance success has earned her a shot at relaunching the long-dead Camp Miasma slasher franchise. Like with I Saw The TV Glow, Schoenbrun creates a deep wealth of lore and fandom merch to flesh out the fictional IP within this story. Where I Saw The TV Glow's central show had shades of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Camp Miasma seems a mix of Sleepaway Camp, Friday the 13th, and Twin Peaks.

The first film was a grimy, ultra-bloody slasher flick that centered on a wide-eyed Final Girl named Billy Preston, who was stalked by a harpoon-carrying killer called Little Death (I Saw the TV Glow's Jack Haven). For Kris, Billy is the key to understanding how to revive Camp Miasma, and so she travels to meet the aging scream queen (Gillian Anderson), who lives at the "haunted summer camp" where the first film was shot.

SEE ALSO: The best horror movies of 2025, and where to watch them

Red flags like this don't deter Kris, who is eager to walk in the footsteps of Little Death and his victims. But before long, Kris starts to realize that Billy isn't interested in making another movie. She's interested in Kris. Desire blooms between the two women, but inelegantly. And that's the point.

Schoenbrun recognizes how horror can be ludicrous, with kills that turn severed human necks into fountains that shoot blood 30 feet in the sky, as if we are meat sacks full of cherry soda just waiting to explode. Sex they treat as similarly silly from the moment we meet the siren that is Billy Preston.

Anderson plays the reclusive actress as Norma Desmond by way of Dolly Parton in a David Lynch movie. She slinks around the cabins with perfectly manicured, bright red nails, her hair in big, tumbling blonde curls, and her wardrobe silky robes that beg to be stroked. But then, she'll offer Kris a preposterously abundant plate of fried chicken, treating the accompanying dipping sauces as if they were oysters, ripe for vaginal allegory and campy foreplay.

While many might write Billy off as odd and flee this camp of red flags, Kris is drawn in because Billy is fearless, even in her strangeness. Through her influence, Kris not only reconsiders her Camp Miasma movie, but also her understanding of herself. Where Billy is a carnal creature who licks her fingers and speaks candidly of sex to a near stranger, Kris is shy and cerebral, far more capable of talking about "elevated horror" and transphobia in film than she is her own desires.

However, through her relationship with Billy, Kris learns to understand horror not just as her personal obsession, but also as a path to self-acceptance. How does a harpoon-wielding slasher, an avalanche of candy wrappers, and a Southern-fried recluse factor into that? Well, Camp Miasma's killer's name being "Little Death" is a pretty big clue.

We're talking orgasms.

Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder are a perfect match in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson in "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma." Credit: MUBI

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is gloriously irreverent in its approach to its influences. Schoenbrun name-drops or alludes to Sunset Boulevard, Psycho, Mulholland Drive, Bound, Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and more. But they do so with a rebellious joy that turns a transgressive backstory into a gorgeous portrait of nonbinary beauty, and an iconic final shot into a rebellious echo of pride.

The cinematography of Eric K. Yue manages to weave together tones that go from earnestly amorous to unapologetically loony. A production design that blends a realistic camp setting with forest backdrops that are clearly painted challenges the audience to consider what is real and whether or not that matters. The music offers Psycho-reminiscent stings of strings, sultry synth keyboard, and a chaotic soundtrack that ranges from Counting Crows' "A Long December" to Sade's "No Ordinary Love," and Donna Lewis' "I Love You Always Forever."

It's a bold blend of dark inspirations and cheerful pop. Anderson and Einbinder are entrusted to make it work, and they do. Einbinder steps out of the chaotic bisexual bravado of her Hacks heroine, embracing the timid sapphic who's technically poly but low-key resents her partner's (Jasmin Savoy Brown) boyfriend Thor (Aren Buchholz). Her intellectualizing and her filmmaking are where she feels comfortable, while Anderson's Billy is bored by all that blather. Billy relishes flesh and touch, and so becomes a carnal mentor.

Together, their quirks make sense, building a world that others might see as bizarre, but which the queer (like a gas station attendant with a septum ring) will clock as wondrous. Like Lynch's leading ladies in Mulholland Drive or Todd Haynes' in Carol, these two actresses tug on each other, giving the film a sexual tension and emotional pull that is exhilarating. And then on top of that, they embrace the absurdity Schoenbrun has baked in, which reminds the audience earnestly that sex need not be taken so seriously. It can be silly, messy, sweet, and bloody, and it can shine a light on the most fucked-up desires of our queer little minds. And all of that can be celebrated instead of shame, with the help of a Little Death.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma explores where queerness, self-acceptance, and horror collide. But it's also a hell of a good time. Schoenbrun and their cast embrace the ghoulish delights of slasher slaughters, the titillating fun of their teen sex and death, and the radiant joy of finding pleasure in your own body. All this makes Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma a knockout, from its first kill to its final thrill.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is now in theaters.

UPDATE: Aug. 6, 2026, 10:37 a.m. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma was reviewed out of its North American premiere at Newfest. The review has been republished to toast the film's theatrical release.

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
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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.

TL;DR: The Motorola Razr is available for free with T-Mobile. To qualify for this offer, simply activate a new line on an Experience More plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Motorola Motorola Razr Free when you activate a new line on an Experience More plan. Shop Now

Samsung and Apple dominate the smartphone news cycle, but Motorola has quietly built one of the most practical foldables on the market. And better yet, you can pick up this popular phone for free right now.

T-Mobile is giving away the new Motorola Razr for free, with no trade-in required, when you activate a new line on its Experience More plan. The total cost is covered via 24 monthly bill credits. If you cancel or switch carriers before the two-year mark, you’ll owe the remaining balance on the phone’s full retail price.

If you’re already planning to add a line, getting a high-end foldable without trading in your current device is easily one of the best mobile carrier deals live right now.

The Motorola Razr offers a 3.6-inch external display that's big enough to reply to Slack messages, check Google Maps, and sort through emails without flipping the phone open. Under the hood, the 4,800mAh battery outlasts most compact foldables on the market, and the 50MP main camera sensor handles quick WFH video calls and casual shots with ease.

Score the new Motorola Razr for free with T-Mobile.

Stuff Your Kindle Day is a favorite among e-reader users. Hundreds of e-books are majorly discounted, with many reads going for absolutely nothing. The e-book event began in 2014 on the Romance Bookworms platform, but has since spun out into dozens of events held throughout the year. That means even if you missed the last Stuff Your Kindle Day, there's probably not long to wait until the next one goes live.

And while Kindle is in the name, it's not just for Kindle users. So here's everything you need to know about the next Stuff Your Kindle Day.

What is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Stuff Your Kindle Day was started in 2014 by author Zoe York. It was run through York's platform Romance Bookworms, which still runs an annual event in July. However, plenty of other groups have started their own Stuff Your Kindle-style events. These events are typically author-driven and feature independent, genre titles like romantasy, sci-fi, and cozy mystery.

SEE ALSO: Kindle Scribe vs. Kobo Libra Colour: Which e-reader is better for journaling?

During these events, books are majorly discounted and often, totally free.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

So when is the next Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've spotted events at least once a month through 2026:

• Aug. 5-8, 2026: Stuff Your E-reader by Indie Author Collective, an all-genre book blast.

• Aug. 14, 2026: Anthology August by Romance Book Blast, $0.99 romance event.

• Aug 15-16, 2026: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds by Book Below, a fantasy and speculative fiction event.

• Sept. 1-2, 2026: Thrill, Suspense & Dark Tales by BookBelow, a thrilling book blast on dark stories.

• Sept. 10-12, 2026: Freebie Frenzy by Indie Visible, a free book blast across genres.

• Sept. 12, 2026: Queer Your e-Reader by Divination Hollow, an LGBTQ+ focused book blast.

• Sept 15-16, 2026: Historical and Period Dramas by Book Below, a historical book blast.

• Sept. 23-26, 2026: Gotta Get 'Em All by Indie Author Collective, a series book blast.

• Oct. 1-2, 2026: Romance Spotlight by Book Below, a cozy romance book blast.

• Oct. 26-30, 2026: Get Spooked by Indie Author Collective, a thriller, horror, paranormal, and mystery book blast.

• Nov. 25-28, 2026: Short & Sweet by Indie Author Collective, a novella and short story blast.

• Dec. 20-23, 2026: New Beginnings by Indie Author Collective, a debut book blast.

Do you need a Kindle or e-reader to participate?

Like Band-Aid, Kleenex, or Roomba, the name Kindle has become synonymous with e-readers. So while Kindle is in the name of Stuff Your Kindle Day, you can shop these events regardless of which e-reader you own. And actually, you don't need to own an e-reader at all, and with the Kindle app, Apple Books, and Google Play platforms, you can read books on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

That being said, if you are looking for an e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite is our favorite Kindle and overall e-reader.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now

E-reader users have a particularly kind of freedom when it comes to buying books. Since your whole library can fit within the confines of a 7-inch Kindle or Kobo e-reader, there's no need to worry about bookshelf space. However, reading quickly turns into an expensive habit if you let it, so that's why you need to know about Stuff Your Kindle Day.

Stuff Your Kindle Day is an author-driven event, where hundreds of indie books are discounted or free. Don't let the name of the event fool you, because you don't need to own a Kindle to participate.

What was a once-a-year event has spun off into dozens of iterations and puts free books in your lap while still supporting indie authors. So if you've maxed out your Libby holds and need another way to read for free, here is everything to know about Stuff Your Kindle Day.

What is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

If you're worried that these free e-book events don't support authors, don't fear: Stuff Your Kindle Days is a promotional event run by authors where their books are temporarily free.

Stuff Your Kindle Day began in 2014, launched by author Zoe York. On the Romance Bookworms platform, authors discounted their books to just a few dollars, but most are totally free. Not only does this provide more exposure to indie authors by getting their books into readers' hands, but even free downloads give authors a boost of visibility on retailer algorithms.

While Stuff Your Kindle Day was first hosted by Zoe York, other groups have spawned off to celebrate other genres beyond romance. You can now find events organized by genre, specializing in cozy mysteries, thrillers, LGBTQ, YA books, fantasy, and historical fiction. Even Amazon has its own storefront for Stuff Your Kindle books.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mashable photo composite; Julia Connors, Roger Stelljes, Lauren Biel Amazon: Stuff Your Kindle Books   Shop Now What books are offered during Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Stuff Your Kindle Day is not necessarily the best time to find new releases or bestsellers. If that's what you've got your eye on, we recommend borrowing through Libby or hunting for Kindle deals.

What Stuff Your Kindle Day events are particularly good for are genre readers. The event started as a celebration of indie romance authors, and you'll find that most events still center on variations or tropes of the genre, like romantasy or "cinnamon roll boyfriends." Other genre writers have joined in, though, so if romance isn't up your alley, then there will be another Stuff Your Kindle event to join in on.

But regardless of genre, the main focus across all Stuff Your Kindle events is indie books and indie authors, letting you discover and support lesser-known names.

Do you need a Kindle or e-reader to participate?

While Kindle is in the name of the event, it's far more expansive than that. Most books are available across platforms, including Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, and Barnes & Noble Nook, so no matter which e-reader you have, there's a way to stuff your device full of cheap or free books. Technically, you don't need to have an e-reader at all, and with the Kindle app, Apple Books, and Google Play platforms, you can read books on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

However, if you are looking to join the e-reader club, it's totally worth it. We've rounded up our favorite e-readers and Kindles to help you find the right device. And if you're ready to join the Kindle ecosystem, we've tested nearly every model, including the basic Kindle, Paperwhite, Paperwhite Signature Edition, and Scribe. If you're not down to go with Amazon's e-readers, we like the Kobo e-readers, including the Libra Colour or Clara Colour — in fact, we like the Clara more than the Kindle Paperwhite.

Shop e-readers Amazon Kindle $109.99 at Amazon Shop Now Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon Shop Now Kindle Colorsoft $249.99 at Amazon Shop Now Kobo Clara Colour $179.99 at Amazon Shop Now Kobo Libra Colour $199.99 at Amazon Shop Now When is the next Stuff Your Kindle Day?

With so many events to keep track of, you could miss when the next Stuff Your Kindle day will take place. The best way to monitor the event is to browse through all of the events on the Stuff Your Kindle website. Each event typically has an email list that will send out a blast leading up to the next event. We're also on top of all the latest events as deal hunters here at Mashable, so check back for our coverage during the next Stuff Your Kindle event.

But in between events, Amazon's Stuff Your Kindle storefront is the hub for free and discounted books you can get anytime.

OpenAI's screenless smart speaker will reportedly be shaped "like a doughnut" and carry a price tag in the ballpark of $300. Bloomberg revealed new details about OpenAI's upcoming hardware device on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI's smart speaker sounds like a cross between a HomePod and a Furby

According to Bloomberg's report, OpenAI's AI-powered smart speaker will have a doughnut-like form factor and be comparable in size to a hockey puck, a design apparently intended to make it easily portable in one hand. This is in line with a previous report from The Wall Street Journal that users would be able to carry the device in their pocket.

The speaker will reportedly have a metal design as well, giving it a "premium look." Last May, OpenAI announced that it had acquired iPhone designer Jony Ive's startup io, signalling that the AI company was moving into hardware. Now Bloomberg reports that OpenAI's smart speaker will "use upscale materials like high-quality metal," likely hoping to emulate the success of Apple's distinct product design.

OpenAI has not officially announced its smart speaker yet, much less revealed a price tag. However, Bloomberg's sources state that the company is looking at placing it around the $300 to $400 mark.

A previous Bloomberg report last month revealed that OpenAI's smart speaker will have moving mechanical parts which respond to users, aimed at making the device seem more lifelike and personable. It will also actively monitor users and learn about them, using microphones, a camera system, and other sensors, as well as through methods such as accessing their emails. A light will indicate when the device is listening to its environment.

Data gathered by the speaker will then be fed to its AI algorithm, ostensibly so that it can give users more personalised service and offer assistance without prompting. Bloomberg reports that the smart speaker will essentially operate as a more advanced version of voice mode in OpenAI's ChatGPT app.

Last year, the Journal reported that OpenAI hopes to ship 100 million of these devices, with the aim of making them as ubiquitous as smartphones.

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.

Who, or what, is the algorithm?

It's been one of Silo's core mysteries since Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) first heard the mysterious voice in Season 2, and now we're halfway through Season 3 and we still don't have any answers. But we do have a new clue, that comes courtesy of another exchange between Head of IT Camille (Alexandria Riley) and the mysterious voice in the vault.

So what was said, and what might it mean?

SEE ALSO: 'Silo' Season 3, episode 1: That weird cloud and goo, explained What happens with the algorithm and Camille in episode 6?

Camille, feeling the pressure of her leadership role, storms into the vault and yells "I think it's a mistake!" at the algorithm, in reference to them granting Juliette's (Rebecca Ferguson's) request to go back to Silo 17. Typically the robotic voice responds to Camille almost immediately, but on this occasion she's met with silence. It lasts 10 seconds before she asks "You there?", and the algorithm finally speaks.

"What is a mistake?" it responds, and for the briefest of moments the voice actually sounds exasperated — so much so that a slightly expression of confusion passes over Camille's face.

It doesn't last long, and after a few minutes the algorithm slips back into its familiar cold logic. But was that a tiny slip we witnessed?

Featured Video For You Girlbossification of AI What does it mean for the voice behind the algorithm?

The question of whether the algorithm is AI or human has been bugging us for a while now. 90 percent of the time the voice feels like AI, from its robotic sound to the way it quickly utilises statistics.

But could there actually be a person on the other side of that screen? Maybe someone with access to technology that provides them with all the data they need in real time?

The exchange outlined above leads us to think the answer might be yes. AI wouldn't show irritation, and it wouldn't ever be slow in responding — but a human being hurrying to get to a computer might.

Silo Season 3 is streaming now on Apple TV, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

Want more film and TV news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

A treat.

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

SNACK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Over-the-top.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GRAND

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Female.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

WOMAN

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Attempted.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRIED

Final Hurdle hint

Polar.

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

IONIC

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