Blogroll

A clean Linux install doesn’t come with many pre-configured apps, and that can leave new users wondering where to start—unsure of what they actually need for a smooth, functional system. To remove that guesswork, here are five essential Linux apps you should install on day one.

On Christmas day this week, the team behind the popular CachyOS Linux distribution published a "2025 recap" blog post looking back how the distro has changed over the year, and also previewing what's to come. One thing previewed was CachyOS for NAS and other server devices.

You have it way easier these days, but back in the day, when you wanted to play a game on your PC, you had to take a similar approach to consoles. Go to a physical store, get a disc, then pop it into your PC. Chances are, though, that nowadays your PC doesn't have a CD drive. So what do you do when you want to play your old games on your new PC?

I've used a lot of open-source software over the years, and much of it has passed through my Windows machines at one point or another. Some tools stick around because they are free, others because they avoid the bloat and unnecessary features that often come with commercial software. Open source tends to focus on doing one job well, and that alone is usually enough to earn a spot on my system.

In this week’s roundup of Raspberry Pi projects that I want to do but haven’t yet, it’s time to take a look at some sensor-based projects. From building a DIY thermal camera to help you hunt down the air leak in your house to assembling an outdoor weather or air quality station, here are three Raspberry Pi projects to try this weekend.

Your Linux distro comes pre-packaged with a wealth of powerful networking tools, including some that can diagnose common problems or help you monitor suspicious connections. But as with all things Linux, it's hard to know where to start. So, here are some essential networking commands you need to know.

For families shopping for a midsize SUV, efficiency has become just as important as space, comfort, and safety. Fuel prices remain unpredictable, and with the average new vehicle now costing over $50,000, buyers want something that keeps long-term ownership costs in check. That’s where this standout hybrid SUV separates itself from the pack, delivering class-leading fuel economy without sacrificing the room and versatility families rely on every day.

During this post-Christmas long weekend, you’re probably looking for some homelab projects to tackle. Well, I have your back! Today, I’m showing you three ways you can sever your dependence on big tech and save money while taking privacy into your own hands.

Every week I hunt down useful software that runs on Linux computers, and while I don't end up using all of them full-time, there are some that have stayed in my normal workflow. These are the apps that, looking back over the past year, were my favorite to write about and use myself.

Whether you're still basking in the holiday glow or you're just looking to take a brain break from all the excitement, a few episodes (or 10) of something easy to binge could be the distraction you need.

Gaten Matarazzo doesn't quite believe Saturday Night Live star Jane Wickline's claims that the Stranger Things kids are "the greatest threat to humanity right now."

During a Dec. 13 Weekend Update appearance, Wickline sang a song warning viewers that the Stranger Things child actors, now grown-up, would be using their influence to take over the world. But Matarazzo is happy to assure humanity that that is not the case.

SEE ALSO: Here's how to watch the 'Stranger Things' Season 5 finale in theaters

"Even if we did have the capabilities of being the greatest threat to humanity, I don't think any of us really have the gumption to go with it," Matarazzo told Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards during a Say More interview. "I don't know if I really have that in me."

However, Wickline's song was never really about the Stranger Things actors. Instead, it's a tongue-in-cheek critique of artificial intelligence, with the comedian citing everything everything from AI's impacts on job markets to its heavy water usage. And while Matarazzo may not agree with Wickline that the Stranger Things actors are willing to commit to world domination, the AI criticism is something he can fully get behind.

"It's lame," Matarazzo said of AI. "Making a show like Stranger Things, or making anything in general, especially when you look at film and TV, the whole point is that it's subjective so people can have whatever opinion they have. But I don't think that anything is art unless people make it, and I don't really think there's much to comment there unless people are pulling from their own experience or shared experience."

SEE ALSO: The 'Stranger Things' play totally unlocks 'Stranger Things' Season 5, Vol. 2

AI has undeniably been one of the most polarizing hot-button topics in the entertainment industry over the past few years. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which impacted production on Stranger Things Season 5, AI was a major topic of concern for both unions. In 2025, it continued to be a talking point, from the creation of AI "actress" Tilly Norwood to Disney's $1 billion deal with OpenAI.

For Matarazzo, the acceleration of AI is a worrying one. "The scariest thing, I think, is that people are like, 'OK, great, we draw a line here,' but then two years from now... there's a fear that it gets to a point where it is unrecognizable," he said. "I think that's kind of the goal there, that people who are enthusiasts of AI art are like, 'isn't it going to be great when you can't tell the difference?' I'm like, 'That scares the shit out of me.'"

The full interview also dives into standout moments from Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2, including Dustin's emotional fight with Steve (Joe Keery) in the Upside Down. The pair have been at odds for the entire season, as Dustin's grief over Eddie's (Joseph Quinn) death causes him to push his friends, especially Steve, away. That tension comes to a head in the Upside Down's replica of Hawkins lab, when the pair's argument about Eddie's death ends in a fistfight that's full of telling character moments about Steven and Dustin.

"What I really do love about that fight is that, if I remember properly, he never swings at me once. He never hits me once," Matarazzo said. "Everything he does is to get me away from him. He does push me against a wall and push me away from him, because I'm actively trying to hurt him."

Dustin finally punches Steve in the face, at which point the gloves come off. Steve wrestles Dustin into a headlock, and after the two wind up, spent, on the floor, he walks away.

"That's where he draws the line and ends it right there. It's very clear, like, there's no fight there. If he wanted to, absolutely, he could knock me into the next room, and that's just never his intention there," Matarazzo said. "That's why, even as much as I've hurt him throughout the year, he just always keeps his composure. And that's really cool. He says some hurtful things, for sure, but everybody tends to, and I really like that that's how it goes down."

Watch the full Say More episode on Mashable's YouTube page to hear more from Matarazzo about Dustin and Steve's eventual reconciliation, as well as his reaction to fans' worries that Dustin will die.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix. The series finale premieres Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix and in theaters.

Planning a trip for the new year? Here's one thing you probably haven't thought about—roaming charges.

As you move into your post-holiday food-binge weekend, it’s probably best to take it easy and let all that seasonal yumminess settle so you can properly refuel your energy tank. To do that, you’re going to need some high-quality, verified-bingeworthy content to watch, and I’ve got you covered with three series boasting extremely high Rotten Tomatoes scores. All you need to bring is the popcorn.

Microsoft has no shortage of productivity apps, but one of its most genuinely useful tools is also one of the easiest to miss. If you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you already have access to Microsoft Planner, a lightweight project organizer tucked inside 365 suite. It is straightforward for personal projects and structured enough for small teams, which is why it ends up being more helpful than people expect.

Picture this: you need to find or count cells containing asterisks (*) or question marks (?) in Excel, but you're getting incorrect results. This is because asterisks and question marks are wildcard characters. The solution? Excel's essential escape character, the tilde (~).

Gift cards are great, but when your physical wallet already has a ton of stuff in it, it can be easy to lose them in the chaos and completely forget about your free money. By adding your gift cards to Google Wallet, you'll be much more likely to remember them. Doing this is easy.

With Christmas out of the way and the new year on the horizon, I bet you're sitting around and struggling to find something decent to watch. That's why I've found these three shows on Netflix that deserve your attention.

VS Code is one of the most popular open-source (mostly) applications out there, and for good reason: It does everything you could ask for and then some. However, it also has always-on telemetry that you cannot disable. That is where VSCodium comes into play.

The best streaming deals to watch 'Bugonia' at a glance: BEST NON-STREAMING OPTION Buy or rent 'Bugonia' on Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Best overall Peacock Premium yearly subscription $109.99/year (save 17%) Get Deal Best for students and young adults Peacock Premium for Students and Young Adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Best for first responders/medical professionals Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Best for military personnel Peacock Premium for Active Military and Veterans $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Best for teachers Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Best for Instacart+ members Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $109.99/year) Get Deal Best for Walmart shoppers Peacock Premium free for Walmart+ subscribers Get Deal

The dynamic duo that brought us Poor Things is back with another cinematic gem. Bugonia, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, is a conspiracy caper that plunges you into a perpetual state of doubt. It also stars the fantastic Jesse Plemons (Stone and Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness collaborator) and made Mashable's list of the best movies of 2025.

Bugonia is now officially available to stream as of Dec. 26. If you missed it on the big screen, here's everything you need to know to tune in at home.

What is Bugonia about?

A remake of Jang Joon-hwan's 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet!, Bugonia follows Teddy (Plemons), a bike-riding beekeeper and conspiracy theorist. He believes the state of the world is due to aliens living among us — one being no-nonsense big pharma CEO Michelle Fuller (Stone). Teddy, along with his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis), enacts a plan to kidnap Michelle and uncover the truth. What follows is a battle of wills, uncomfortable discussions of capitalist greed, class politics, and whether or not humanity is worth saving.

Check out the official trailer below, complete with a Chappell Roan jam session.

Is Bugonia worth watching?

Bugonia premiered at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, where it received mostly positive reviews, before heading to theaters nationwide on Oct. 31. It didn't break any box office records, but most of the awards season favorites didn't.

It's earned an 87 percent critic rating and 84 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as three Golden Globe nominations and three Critics Choice Awards nominations. Oscar nods are likely to follow.

Mashable's own entertainment editor didn't think it was one of Lanthimos' best, writing, "Bugonia, despite having a sensational cast and clear vision for its world, lacks profundity in its smorgasbord of hot topics. Environmentalism, oligarchy, the manosphere, healthcare for profit — all of these make for a dizzying brew from which Teddy and Michelle arise on opposing sides."

However, Bugonia still managed to earn the number 11 slot on our list of the best movies from 2025.

Check out our full review of Bugonia.

How to watch Bugonia at home Credit: Focus Features

There are a couple of different ways you can watch Bugonia at home as of Dec. 26. You can buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers for as low as $19.99, or you can stream it on Peacock. See the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

Bugonia is available as of Nov. 25, 2025, to buy or rent at digital-on-demand retailers. If you choose to rent, you'll get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it instead, then it's yours to keep with no watch limits.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film:

• Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango at Home — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on Peacock

As a Focus Features film, Bugonia made its streaming debut on Peacock on Dec. 26, 2025. This follows the digital-to-streaming arc of other recent Focus Features films (The Phoenician Scheme, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Honey Don't!).

Don't have a Peacock subscription? You can sign up for $10.99 per month with ads or $16.99 per month without (thanks to the most recent price hike). Before you get ahead of yourself, though, be sure to check out the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.

The best Peacock streaming dealsBest Peacock deal: Save 17% on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $109.99 per year or $169.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

The best Peacock deal for most people on any given day is the annual subscription deal. You'll get 12 months of streaming for the price of 10 just by paying for a year up front. While monthly subscriptions cost $10.99 per month with ads (which adds up to $131.88), yearly subscriptions cost $109.99 (which breaks down to only $9.17 per month). That's about 17% or $21.89 in savings.

Prefer to watch ad-free? It'll cost you $169.99 per year (which breaks down to $14.16 per month instead of $16.99).

Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers: free Peacock Premium for eligible accounts Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / Xfinity Peacock Premium Free for select Xfinity customers Learn More

Xfinity customers should check the eligibility details below before signing up for Peacock, as you might be able to score a subscription without paying a cent. Here's a breakdown of who is eligible to get Peacock for free through Xfinity. You can also head to Xfinity.com for more details.

• Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.

• NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.

• New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.

Best Peacock deal for students and young adults: Save $5/month for one year Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Students $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for young adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal

Students and young adults can save $5 per month on a Peacock Premium subscription all year long — that's a total of $25 in savings. You'll need to verify your student status via SheerID and retrieve the unique promo code to knock the cost down to just $5.99 instead of $10.99. Just note that after the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price again unless you cancel.

Best for first responders, medical professionals, military, and teachers: Save $4/month Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99 per month (save $4 per month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Military $6.99 per month (save $4 per month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4 per month) Get Deal

First responders, medical professionals, military personnel, and teachers can all secure a Peacock Premium subscription at a discounted rate of $6.99 per month by verifying their professional status via SheerID. Unlike the student deal, however, it's not limited to a year. If you continue to meet verification qualifications, you can renew your subscription at the discounted rate each year — although you may have to go through the verification process each time and receive a new promo code.

Best for Instacart users: free Peacock Premium for Instacart+ subscribers Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart / Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $109.99/year) Get Deal

Instacart+ membership ($99.99 per year) unlocks a free Peacock Premium subscription ($109.99 per year value) on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. Plus, if you're new to Instacart+, you'll get a free two-week trial to kick things off. That means you can watch Bugonia and plenty more for free. Just be sure to cancel before you're charged the full amount.

Best for Walmart shoppers: free Peacock Premium for Walmart+ members Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Walmart+ $98 per year Get Deal

Walmart now gives its Walmart+ members the ability to choose Peacock Premium as a free perk. A $109.99 value, your $98 Walmart+ membership is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. Add in free shipping (with no order minimums), fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart's major shopping events, and you've got yourself a winning subscription.

It's no secret I love the Brick, a device that single-handedly cut my screen time in half. In fact, as I'm writing this, my phone is currently Bricked. Instagram, TikTok, and Substack, you will not distract me from my work today. The physical barrier that Brick adds makes it the best choice for those whose built-in screen limits just don't work.

However, there's one big barrier with the Brick — its price. At $59, it's a steep cost for the sake of cutting screen time, unless you get one sale (which, btw, it's currently 20% off.) But there's one thing that I think makes it an even better value — you can share it with your whole household.

Opens in a new window Credit: Brick Brick $47.20 at Brick
$59 Save $11.80   Get Deal Can multiple people use the same Brick?

When I first started using the Brick, a few things happened. My screen time plummeted, I rediscovered how to be bored again, but most surprisingly, my wife wanted in on the Brick life.

Our days look very different. I work from home, typing away on my laptop, and hunting the internet for the latest tech and shopping news. Meanwhile, my wife is a high school teacher, instructing and working with students in the classroom. But despite how different our days look, we both fall into the trap of scrolling when we have downtime or a free period.

Plus, at the end of the day, when we're finally home together, our nights usually culminate in turning on our current binge of the moment, but end with us looking at our phones rather than the TV. All this to say, we both needed some help with screen time.

Luckily, more than one person can use a Brick. In fact, according to Brick's support site, there's no limit to how many people can use the same Brick. All you need to connect to a Brick is access to the app and to make your own account — you can't share accounts.

Make sure to keep the Brick in a spot everyone in your house can access. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

So to go in on a Brick with one other person cuts the cost in half. Sharing it with a whole house of roommates, well, you can do the math. But before you share your Brick, remember this isn't like sharing a streaming subscription (because we definitely don't do that...). You need physical access to the Brick to use it, so you can only share it with people in your household.

And a word of caution on sharing your Brick with other people — agree to keep the Brick in one spot. You don't want to go to block (or unblock) your phone and find that it's been moved — you want to avoid using an Emergency Unbrick.

So if you've been holding out on buying a Brick, consider splitting the cost with a partner or roommate because we could all use some help getting offline.

Opens in a new window Credit: Brick Brick $47.20 at Brick
$59 Save $11.80   Get Deal