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TL;DR: These earbuds were made for bedtime, and now you can get the SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds for Sleeping for just $19.97 (reg. $34.99) for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: HyperGear SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds for Sleeping $19.97
$34.99 Save $15.02   Get Deal

Have you ever tried to sleep with your normal earbuds in? It may seem like a great idea, but the first time you roll over, you know you’ve made a big mistake. That’s where the SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds for Sleeping can help, offering earbuds designed for slumbertime.

Give yourself the gift of drifting off to sleep comfortably while listening to your favorite content for just $19.97 (reg. $34.99), on sale for a limited time.

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Whether you prefer to fall asleep to classical music or your favorite true crime podcast (to each their own), it can be tough to listen to your content if you’re sleeping with a loved one. The SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.4 technology, so you can listen lying down and everyone can fall asleep peacefully.

The SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds feature a flat design that remains comfortable no matter how you sleep — on your stomach, back, or side. They weigh just 3g each, so there’s no pressure on your ears, and you won’t even realize you’re wearing them. Comfy ErgoLoops also keep them in place all night long, so you don’t need to worry about losing one mid-slumber.

With -20dB of noise reduction, your partner’s snoring or that loud traffic outside your window will be muffled for better sleep. You can also set a sleep timer ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.

The SleepEEZ earbuds also offer an impressive five hours of battery life, with a case that adds 15 more hours for on-the-go charging. When you need to power them back up, they are back to 100 percent in just 60 minutes.

Sleep easier with the SleepEEZ Mini Noise-Blocking True Wireless Earbuds for Sleeping on sale for $19.97 (reg. $34.99) while stock is still available.

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SAVE $70: As of Dec. 15, Beats Solo 4 are on sale for $129.95 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Solo 4 $129.95 at Amazon
$199.95 Save $70   Get Deal

Looking for a new headphones deal before Christmas? Look no further than this latest Amazon deal on Beats Solo 4. As of Dec. 15, you can save $70 on these headphones, with a new price of $129.95.

Beats are famed for their incredible sound quality, and these headphones are no different. They use updated drivers and custom acoustic architecture to deliver clear, balanced sound, and have support for Personalized Spatial Audio and dynamic head tracking. They're even designed for long listening periods, with a lightweight shape, flexible headband, angled adjustable ear cups, and UltraPlush cushions.

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Battery life is another strong point, with up to 50 hours on a single charge. When you do need a top-up, a 10-minute Fast Fuel charge provides around five hours of playback. There’s also a built-in microphone for calls and voice assistant use, so they're not just great for music and podcasts, but phone calls, voice notes, and work calls as well.

You can find this great Beats deal on Amazon right now. But don't wait too long, this deal has a "limited-time" stamp.

SAVE $170: As of Dec. 15, the Dyson Airstrait is on sale for $379.99 at Amazon. That's a 31% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson Airstrait $379.99 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $170   Get Deal

The Christmas countdown is on, and if you're still hunting for the perfect gift, check out this latest Amazon deal on the Dyson Airstrait. The Airstrait has seen several discounts over recent months, but this is the biggest yet, bringing it down to its lowest-ever price. As of Dec. 15, take it home for just $379.99 and save $170 on the list price.

The Dyson Airstrait does what the name suggests; it dries and straightens hair at the same time. And it does so with no hot plates or extreme heat. It uses a high-pressure, precisely heated airflow projected evenly through the hair. It's created to work with multiple hair types too, helping prevent heat damage and protect strength and shine.

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The airflow is directed downwards at a 45° angle to create the tension needed to smooth your hair, while intelligent heat control measures temperature up to 30 times per second for consistent results. It features wet and dry modes, with preset temperature options ranging from 175°F to 285°F, plus an optional Boost mode for extra styling impact. It even has sensors that can detect when hair is between the arms to automatically adjust airflow for quieter, more efficient styling.

Find this Dyson deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $25: As of Dec. 15, the Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for $134.99 at Amazon. That's a saving of 16% on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $134.99 at Amazon
$159.99 Save $25   Get Deal

The big day is just around the corner, and if you're still scrambling for some last minute Christmas gift ideas, don't worry — you've got some time. And if you have a book lover in your life, you've also got a discount. As of Dec. 15, the Kindle Paperwhite just got a $25 discount, bringing the price down to $134.99.

The Kindle Paperwhite is a great yet affordable Kindle for the book lover in your life. It features a 7-inch display with higher contrast and 25% faster page turns, so reading feels natural, and there's no lag between pages. It's designed in an ultra-thin, travel-ready design with a larger glare-free screen that stays sharp wherever you read, no matter the lighting conditions. You can even adjust the screen from white to warm amber to read comfortably in bright sunlight or complete darkness.

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This model is built for reading and reading alone. It's not a tablet, so you won't have social media or other apps complicating things. That's a reason the battery lasts so long; a single USB-C charge can last up to 12 weeks, perfect for taking on vacation. And the waterproof design means it’s safe by the pool, in the bath, or on the go.

Pick up this Kindle Paperwhite deal from Amazon now.

Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the District of Delaware, capping off several difficult years of financial woes for the U.S. robot vacuum company. Announced on Sunday, iRobot will now be acquired by Chinese robotics company Picea, which has been acting as its secured lender and primary contract manufacturer.

Under the deal, Picea will enable iRobot to continue operations, as well as develop products and maintain its global presence. Picea will also cancel the substantial multimillion dollar debt iRobot owes it. In exchange, Picea will receive complete ownership of iRobot, which will become a private company no longer listed on the stock exchange.

SEE ALSO: iRobot could be facing bankruptcy. But as a vacuum tester, I saw the Roomba flop era coming from a mile away.

"Today's announcement marks a pivotal milestone in securing iRobot's long-term future," iRobot CEO Gary Cohen said in a statement. "The transaction will strengthen our financial position and will help deliver continuity for our consumers, customers, and partners."

Fortunately, this agreement with Picea means that iRobot customers who already own a Roomba shouldn't experience any disruption to app functionality, customer programs, or product support. iRobot further said that it will continue to "operate in the ordinary course, including to meet its commitments to employees and make timely payments to vendors."

Unfortunately, iRobot's stockholders won't receive such a positive outcome. As a result of Picea's acquisition, all existing equity in iRobot will be wiped out. iRobot states that its stockholders "will experience a total loss and not receive recovery on their investment."

The writing has been on the wall for iRobot for a while. Last January, iRobot's $1.4 billion acquisition deal with Amazon collapsed due to antitrust concerns from the European Union. This prompted the struggling company to announce a significant restructure, decreasing its spending on marketing and ultimately cutting over half its staff.

Even so, it wasn't enough to reverse iRobot's fortunes. This March, iRobot stated that there was "substantial doubt" it would be able to continue after its Q4 2024 financial results revealed that revenue had fallen 44 percent compared to the same time the previous year. Annual revenue also dropped from $890.6 million in 2023 to $681.8 million in 2024, a reduction of over 23 percent.

The company had hoped that its 2025 product lineup would reverse its fortunes, Cohen stating at the time that it was the "largest product launch in iRobot's history." Sadly, this last ditch effort failed to spark the turnaround that iRobot was hoping for. Talks with iRobot's another potential buyer subsequently fell through in October, sending its already low stock falling by 33 percent and leaving the robot vacuum company with few places to turn. 

Founded in 1990, iRobot's Roomba was once synonymous with robot vacuums. Those days are now long gone, and it will be a difficult battle if iRobot hopes to bring them back.

If you want to move into senior leadership, it’s not enough just to say you’re adaptable. You have to show it. The most promotable leaders consistently demonstrate adaptability, especially in high-stakes moments. Here’s how to embed it into your leadership brand.  Model change-ready behavior in real time. When disruption hits, avoid falling into defensive habits. […]

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In the smart homes of the future, we were promised that everything would be automated. Today, there are robot vacuums to clean your floors and smart locks that secure your residence without a key—so why should you still be manually operating your blinds?

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.

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 sweet breakfast topping.

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

SYRUP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To confuse.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 15, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

STUMP

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To come together.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 15 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 15, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

UNIFY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A slope.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 15 Hurdle Word 4 answer

BEVEL

Final Hurdle hint

More kind.

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

NICER

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

There's not a whole lot to spot on the surface of the moon tonight, but if you look hard enough you'll see one or two interesting features. And as we approach the New Moon, this will be one of the last chances to see anything for a few nights.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Monday, Dec. 15, the moon phase is Waning Crescent. This means 18% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

Tonight, without any visual aids, you'll only be able to see the Aristarchus Plateau. However, if you have binoculars, you'll also be able to see the Grimaldi Basin and the Gassendi Crater. With a telescope, the Reiner Gamma also comes into view.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Jan. 3. The last full moon was on Dec. 4.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes a cycle in about 29.5 days, and during that time we see it go through different phases. We always see the same side, but as it orbits Earth, the sunlight on it changes. That’s why sometimes it looks full, sometimes half-lit, and sometimes you can’t see it at all. There are eight main phases in the cycle:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Well, that was a lot, wasn't it? The near feature-length finale of IT: Welcome to Derry casts the whole of Derry in grim fog, with the military working to try and let Pennywise loose on America while the kids, Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk), and Major Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) try and recage IT.

There are flash forwards, hints of time travel, and some ties to Stephen King's novels and the IT movies that you may have missed. We've broken down all the major questions below.

SEE ALSO: Is Derry in 'IT: Welcome to Derry' a real town? What happens to Pennywise?

At the end of episode 7, Pennywise's cycle of killing came to an end with the fire at the Black Spot, and the creature was ready to return to the sewers to sleep for another 27 years — until the army got involved. General Shaw (James Remar) and the gang decided it would be a great idea to let the clown loose, and they ended up destroying one of the pillars that forms a circle around Derry and acts as a cage for the creature.

In the finale of episode 8, Pennywise makes a break for the far bank of a river surrounding Derry, which is apparently the point at which it'll be totally free of the other pillars acting as its cage. Fortunately, it doesn't get that far. Using their own fragment of the meteor that IT crashed to Earth in years before, the kids are able to reform the cage moments before the creature tears them to pieces. It's dragged away from them into the distance, presumably to return to hibernation until the 1988 cycle starts.

IT: Welcome to Derry's finale introduces the possibility of time travel.

Before the kids capture Pennywise, the clown drags Marge (Matilda Lawler) away and reveals to her that she'll one day have a son: Richie Tozier, a key character and member of the Losers' Club in the book and movies.

"The seed of your stinking loins and his filthy friends bring me my death! Or is it birth?" growls Pennywise. "I get confused. Tomorrow? Yesterday? It's all the same for little Pennywise."

Credit: Brooke Palmer / HBO

Later, back at the safety of the stand pipe, Marge talks to Lilly (Clara Stack) about what Pennywise said.

"He said, to him, the past, present, and future are all the same. And that his death was actually his birth," Marge says. "I know it sounds crazy, but what if he tries to go back and kill someone from the time before we were born, like our parents?"

Lilly's response? "I guess it'll be someone else's fight."

This conversation seems to be a set up for future seasons of IT: Welcome to Derry. We already know that co-creator Andy Muschietti wants there to be three seasons, with Season 2 and Season 3 jumping back in time to Pennywise's previous killing cycles. Marge and Lilly's exchange is the perfect lead-in to this.

What's next for Major Hanlon and Dick Hallorann?

The final scenes with Hanlon and Hallorann are nods to both Stephen King's wider work and the IT movies. Hallorann, who is best known as a key character in The Shining, tells Hanlon that he's going to work in a friend's hotel in London as a chef — the start of a career that we know will eventually take him to The Overlook Hotel.

"How much trouble can a hotel be?" he says. Of course, readers of the book will know exactly how much trouble.

Hanlon, meanwhile, decides to stay in Derry with his family and start work on a farm. As readers of the book know, his grandson will be Mike Hanlon, another key member of the Losers' Club.

What's with the flash forward in the final scene?

The final scene in the series has an unexpected flash forward to 1988, where we meet yet another Losers' Club member, Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis, reprising her role from the movies), witnessing her mother's suicide at Juniper Hill.

Ingrid Kersh (Madeleine Stowe), now an old lady who has presumably been in the asylum since the events of the 1960s cycle, appears behind her, smiling, and tells her that nobody in Derry ever really dies.

This scene essentially brings things back full circle to the movies, linking to a scene in IT: Chapter Two when an older Beverly (Jessica Chastain) is terrorised by the creature in Mrs. Kersh's form.

IT: Welcome to Derry is streaming on HBO Max.

TL;DR: Give your Mac a boost with this Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021 lifetime license, on sale now for just $49.97 (reg. $219).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $49.97
$219 Save $169.03   Get Deal

No room in the budget for a new computer? You can give your current one a boost with a Microsoft Office license, and if you think that doesn’t apply to Macs, think again. This Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021 license outfits your Apple device with six helpful apps, and right now, you can get them all for life for just $49.97 (reg. $219).

Mac users don’t have to miss out on the power of Microsoft Office. This suite of helpful apps includes the classics that have been around for decades and can bring a productivity boost to any device — even Apple computers — thanks to this Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021 license.

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Whether you primarily use your computer for work, school, or personal reasons, Microsoft Office has something for everyone. Draft your document in Word, figure out a budget in Excel, or whip up a captivating presentation in PowerPoint. You can also manage your emails in Outlook, talk to coworkers in Teams, and take digital notes in OneNote.

With this lifetime license, you never have to bother with subscription fees again. Your purchase gives you a direct download, so you’ll have these tools on your device permanently. You won’t have to worry about cloud connectivity, and you can work offline as you please — just make sure your Mac is running macOS 14 or later.

Get more done with this Microsoft Office Home and Business for Mac 2021 lifetime license, now just $49.97 (reg. $219).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get one of Apple’s most powerful laptops, the MacBook Pro, for only $399.97 (reg. $1,580) while you can.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro 2020 (Refurbished) $399.97
$1,580 Save $1,180.03   Get Deal

This is an expensive time of year. If you’re in need of a laptop, you’re likely not looking to shell out thousands of dollars on a MacBook Pro. But fortunately, these powerful devices occasionally go on a massive sale — like this 13-inch space gray model, currently on sale for just $399.97 (reg. $1,580) while supplies last.

There’s a reason the MacBook Pro is beloved by Apple users and typically comes with a hefty price tag. This powerful device offers all the bells and whistles we’ve come to know from Apple, all in a sleek casing that is easy to bring along anywhere.

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This particular MacBook Pro model weighs just 3.02 pounds, but don’t be deceived by its lightweight. Inside is a 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor ready to keep up with all your multitasking needs. It also offers Turbo Boost technology that enables processing speeds up to 3.5GHz.

This device features unique Apple features like the Touch Bar, which offers customization and shortcuts. It also has a backlit keyboard and a Force Trackpad for precise cursor control.

Four Thunderbolt 3 ports are available for easy connecting, but you won’t have to reach for your charger often. This MacBook Pro has an impressive 10-hour battery life. There’s also 512GB of storage available so you can store important files locally.

You’re securing a deep discount thanks to this model’s grade A refurbished status. That means it will arrive on your doorstep in near-mint condition, with almost no signs of prior use.

Act fast to get your own MacBook Pro for only $399.97 (reg. $1,580) while stock is still available.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on gaming headsets over the years. The answer is way too much, and all because it took me far too long to give up.

While I've tried the alternatives, I always seem to come back to good old Plex, but as the years have gone by, the pressure to pay has increased. I managed to resist, but recently, out of pure frustration, I put down for a month of premium Plex, and there's no going back.

I can't be too hard on Adobe Creative Cloud. It gave us an affordable and legal way to access tools like Premiere and Photoshop with ongoing support and updates. Before, the upfront cost for these apps was enormous, and you had to pay up all over again when a new version shipped anyway. If you use Creative Cloud to make money, it's also a legitimate business expense–and a fairly-priced one at that.

Do you find that you're getting false positives for your smart home automations? It can be frustrating when automations trigger when they shouldn't. If this is happening to you, setting up a Bayesian sensor may help.

A lot of smart devices are far superior to their dumb equivalents. Smart plugs, for example, can do so much more than traditional plugs can. Sometimes, however, there are occasions where only a dumb device will do.

The package manager is what primarily makes a Linux distribution special. You can always swap out the desktop environment, the window manager, and the shell, but you're stuck with the package manager built into the distro you're using. And unless you go out of your way to avoid the terminal, you will be interacting with the package manager fairly often. So it makes sense to give that choice some thought, especially if you're new to the Linux ecosystem. The Advanced Package Tool (or APT) and Pacman are the two most popular package managers out there, and I'll try to help you pick one.

Modern earbuds can block out the world with active noise cancellation, yet still let you hear someone when you need to, thanks to transparency mode. Still, there’s one small, often overlooked feature that makes it even easier: wear sensors.

If you're like me, you're probably properly sick of everything being a subscription. I recently started purging subscriptions from my life, Microsoft 365 being prime among them. But, if you get rid of apps that you need when you cancel your subscription, how can you keep doing what you were before? These apps are just the ticket to replace key paid services.