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For a generation of American anime fans, discovering a new series once meant staying up late to watch Toonami, Cartoon Network's seminal anime programming block, or tracking down low-quality, fan-subtitled episodes online. (Or on VHS.) Today, your introduction to anime might be a 30-second TikTok edit, an Olympic figure skater referencing her favorite character on TV, or an artist casually dropping a track inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen.

The path into anime fandom has changed dramatically, and social media has helped make what was once considered a niche, nerdy interest an increasingly visible part of mainstream pop culture.

SEE ALSO: 'Gachiakuta' might be the most original shōnen anime in years

That shift was the subject of a conversation at Crunchyroll's Anime Future Forum in New York City, where rapper Big Sean, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn, and content creator Jordan Howlett gathered for a panel titled "The Influencers Shaping Anime Fandom." The three come from different corners of entertainment, but they're united by a shared love of Japanese animation and an understanding of how the internet has helped bring that fandom into the mainstream.

Big Sean's anime fandom predates social media entirely. "I'm a Toonami kid," the Detroit rapper told the audience, recalling his early exposure to Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing, and YuYu Hakusho — the latter of which he recently rewatched. He also spoke about how anime resonated with him and his friends in Detroit, particularly its stories about overcoming adversity and pushing past seemingly impossible odds.

That enthusiasm never went away. Sean has continued to draw inspiration from anime throughout his music career, and he recalled the surreal experience of having Sean Schemmel, the English-language voice of Goku, visit his home while he was working on an album.

For longtime fans like Sean, discovering anime was often a matter of finding the right show at the right time. Today, anime has a way of finding you, whether you're looking for it or not.

From Toonami to TikTok

Anime has been finding American audiences since Astro Boy debuted on U.S. television in 1963. Its fan communities grew through VHS trading and conventions in the decades that followed, before Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Cartoon Network's Toonami helped introduce Japanese animation to a new generation in the late '90s.

Today, anime's growth in the U.S. has been fueled by several overlapping developments, including the expansion of streaming services like Crunchyroll, which recently broadened its reach with a dedicated digital manga platform featuring over 250 localized English titles. Meanwhile, anime has become a major force at the box office. Last year's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle grossed nearly $794 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing anime film of all time.

But beyond streaming subscriptions and blockbuster theatrical releases, social media has introduced another pathway into fandom, one that doesn't necessarily begin with someone deciding to watch anime at all. Sometimes, it begins with a clip.

SEE ALSO: How the internet turned 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle' into the No. 1 movie

Howlett, known for his viral storytelling videos, recalled becoming curious about Solo Leveling after seeing clips and fan edits on social media. The first caught his attention. By the second, he was hooked. "I'm like, 'This is the greatest thing I've ever seen,'" he recalled. He was so intrigued that he wrote down the name of the series on his phone so he wouldn't forget to watch it. Now, he's slowly making his way through the dungeons.

It's a familiar experience for anyone whose algorithm has ever served them a particularly compelling anime edit. These fan-made videos can condense an emotional turning point, character arc, or spectacular fight sequence into a few seconds of delicious tension and occasional yearning, often accompanied by music and dramatic transitions. Even without knowing the context, viewers can find themselves invested enough to seek out the original story.

Glenn understands the appeal. The figure skater described watching anime edits that stirred emotions she wanted to translate into her own performances. "There are edits of anime that make me feel more than like an entire movie could," she said.

For Glenn, who said she can't wait to catch up on The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 after her Dancing With the Stars run, these clips aren't simply advertisements for the shows themselves. They're creative works that inspire other forms of expression. She's an avid cosplayer who's dressed as Qifrey from Witch Hat Atelier and Yor and Loid Forger from Spy x Family. During her Olympic run, she shared her love for Maki Zenin from Jujutsu Kaisen, bringing her anime enthusiasm to an audience more accustomed to triple axels than cursed energy. She also pointed to One Piece on Ice, the Japanese ice show inspired by the long-running anime, as an example of the overlap between anime and her sport.

And that's part of what makes this moment in anime fandom so interesting: You don't have to be looking for anime to find yourself surrounded by it, at least not anymore.

Social media has fundamentally changed how people find anime. Where viewers once relied on television schedules, physical media, or recommendations from fellow fans, they can now stumble upon new characters and stories through the content those fans create and share. On TikTok alone, there are nearly 178 million videos tagged #anime, while Threads has an anime community with more than 531,000 members.

And you don't necessarily have to be an anime fan to encounter any of it. Sometimes, that's all it takes to turn a casual viewer into a fan.

Howlett described anime's mainstream growth as a combination of longstanding fan communities and the willingness of celebrities, musicians, athletes, and other public figures to openly embrace their interests. Social media, he suggested, has helped bridge the gap between those existing communities and audiences who might never have encountered anime otherwise.

And fans themselves are helping drive that discovery. According to Crunchyroll's 2026 Global State of Anime Fandom study, conducted by National Research Group and unveiled at the Anime Future Forum, 77 percent of surveyed anime viewers said they've recommended anime to someone who hadn't watched it before. The research also found that two-thirds of international anime fans reported watching more anime than they did three years ago.

Younger audiences are helping fuel that momentum. According to Hub Entertainment Research, 39 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds regularly watch anime, compared with 21 percent of the average general population.

With more than 21 million paid subscribers worldwide as of March 2026, Crunchyroll is a testament to anime's growing reach. But while streaming services have made anime easier to watch, social media has made it easier to discover. And that accidental discovery is all it takes.

Being an anime fan is part of your identity

Yet discovery is only part of the story. Social media has also changed how comfortable people feel expressing their interests publicly.

Glenn suggested that online platforms have created more opportunities for people to share their enthusiasm for anime, whether through cosplay, makeup, fan art, or simply talking about their favorite shows. As a result, fandom has become a part of people's identities, including those whose careers have little to do with anime.

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A post shared by Amber Glenn (@amberglenniceskater)

Her own relationship with anime began with Yuri!!! on Ice, the beloved 2016 figure-skating series. She recalled meeting members of its creative team during pre-production for the sequel, which was later canceled in 2024. Still, discussing her skating experience with them helped cement her enthusiasm for anime, which eventually became a recognizable part of her public persona.

For years, though, she was simply a figure skater with a nerdy side. As her athletic career progressed and more people became interested in her life beyond the ice, her anime fandom attracted greater attention. She recalled receiving an enormous amount of anime swag after the Olympics and introducing other people to series they might not otherwise have watched.

Howlett experienced something similar when an offhand mention of his favorite Dragon Ball Z video game and his affection for Vegeta on the red carpet prompted an unexpectedly enthusiastic online response. Fans flooded his inbox with their own opinions and lengthy debates about the character. What had seemed like a casual answer became an invitation into a much larger conversation.

That's part of what makes anime fandom particularly suited to social media. Fans don't just consume the slice-of-life stories and heroes' journeys. They debate characters, defend their favorites by virtue and/or attractiveness, create art and cosplay, and reinterpret scenes. Platforms built around sharing and responding to content give those conversations a potentially enormous audience.

And those online connections extend into the real world. Conventions like Anime NYC bring fans together to showcase their cosplay, meet artists, attend panels, and celebrate their favorite series with others who share their enthusiasm. The convention reported 172,000 visits across its four-day event in 2026, up from 148,000 in 2025. For many fans, the conversations that start online don't stay there. They turn into friendships, convention meetups, and entire communities built around a shared obsession.

Of course, anime fandom isn't immune to gatekeeping, and greater visibility doesn't necessarily mean every corner of the community has become more welcoming. Even Megan Thee Stallion has had to deal with sexist gatekeeping over her love of anime. But social media has created more opportunities for people to find others who share their enthusiasm, even when they don't consider themselves part of a traditional anime community.

Anime's influence goes beyond your feed

Anime has become a fixture of mainstream pop culture, and nowhere is that more apparent than in sports. Glenn pointed to the growing number of athletes incorporating anime references into their performances. Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles has celebrated victories with Dragon Ball Z's signature Kamehameha pose and flashed Yu-Gi-Oh! cards before races, while tennis star Naomi Osaka brought magical-girl anime aesthetics onto the court with her elaborate outfits at the 2024 U.S. Open. In the NBA, Cooper Flagg said that Crunchyroll is his most-used app and has professed his love for One Piece. Meanwhile, Knicks star Jalen Brunson declared in a team TikTok that "Dragon Ball Z fighters are stronger than the Omni-Man people" was a hill he was willing to die on.

That influence also extends into Hollywood. Michael B. Jordan, an outspoken anime fan, drew inspiration from Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and Hajime no Ippo for his 2023 directorial debut, Creed III, incorporating anime's heightened action and emotional storytelling into the film's boxing sequences. But the connection runs deeper than visual references. At the heart of many of these stories is a familiar story: an underdog who faces seemingly insurmountable odds, pushes past their limitations, and refuses to give up.

It's a theme that resonated with all three panelists. Big Sean described anime as a source of motivation throughout his life, particularly its stories about unearthing your potential and overcoming the limits others place on you. Howlett, meanwhile, recalled finding inspiration in Naruto as a child who struggled with bullying. “I was bullied a lot, and when I got home, I didn't really have friends," he shared. "When I was introduced to Naruto for the first time, the story inspired me... I felt so connected to these characters. It was my first introduction to really understanding a story and feeling like I was part of it."

For both, anime and its characters offered a way to imagine what they themselves might become. And that might help explain why so many fans are eager to share these stories with others. Whether it's an athlete replicating Satoru Gojo's Unlimited Void hand symbol, a filmmaker borrowing from Goku vs. Vegeta's visual language, or a creator posting about their favorite character, these expressions of fandom can get people curious about anime — even if they never thought it was for them.

Toward the end of the panel, Howlett had a simple message for anime fans: Don't be afraid to share what you love. In a way, that sums up how anime fandom has changed. The internet didn't make people passionate about anime; it just made that passion easier to share — and for someone else to discover it for themselves.

And now, it's almost impossible to miss.

The best October Prime Day Kindle deals at a glance: Best Kindle Deal Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (2024) $169.99 (save $80) Get Deal Best color Kindle deal Amazon Kindle Colorsoft (2024) $189.99 (save $100) Get Deal Best Scribe deal Amazon Kindle Scribe (32GB) $379.99 (save $120) Get Deal Best Kindle Kids Deal Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids (2024) $169.99 (Save $60) Get Deal Budget pick Amazon Kindle (2024) $103.99 (save $46) Get Deal Also Consider All-new Amazon Kindle (32GB, aluminum) $189.99 Get Deal

I test e-readers and Kindles for Mashable, and after a year of painful price hikes, I am dying for a sale on e-readers (as are the rest of my friends on BookTok). Prime Big Deal Days delivered, discounting all 2024 Kindle models. Even though Amazon's October ended on Oct. 7, Kindle deals are still live as of Oct. 8.

RAMaggedon wreaked havoc on tech prices this year, and that includes Kindles. In August, we saw huge price increases on Amazon's e-readers, with prices on Kindles going up about $50. So, what does this mean for this year's October Prime Day Kindle deals?

Let's start with the good news: The latest deals roll back the recent price hikes. The bad news: Because of those price increases, few of Amazon's e-readers are at all-time low prices.

Finally, we have to remind you that Amazon just dropped an all-new collection of Kindles, and none of the 2026 models are on sale, nor do we expect them to be. So if you don't mind buying the 2024 Kindle models (which we loved and still recommend), there are plenty of Prime Day deals on Kindles to shop. There's also plenty of Kindle book and physical book deals live too, which you can find more at our full deals breakdown.

We're not sure how long these deals will last, so if you see a Kindle you like, add it to your cart ASAP.

Best Kindle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition $169.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $80   Get Deal Why I like it

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is my top pick for October Prime Day shoppers. In August 2026, the e-reader's MSRP rose to $249.99 from its previous list price of $199.99. Now, the Paperwhite Signature Edition has dropped back down to $169.99. That's 32% off its new list price, saving you $80 on the e-reader. I'd typically advise you to buy the standard Paperwhite, but right now, it's more expensive than the Signature Edition.

The Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is my favorite e-reader, the one I use every day. With 32GB of storage, it has space for thousands of books. It also has an auto-adjusting front light and wireless charging capabilities. It's exceptionally fast, too, as it never stutters when opening books or turning pages.

If you want to save $20, you could go for the standard Paperwhite, but right now, the Signature Edition is the better savings.

Plus, when you buy a new Kindle, make sure to include three months of Kindle Unlimited in your purchase because it's totally free (a $35.97 value).

Budget pick: Kindle (2024) Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Amazon Kindle (2024) $103.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $46.00   Get Deal Why I like it

There's still a lot to love about Amazon's basic Kindle e-reader. It's a great starter e-reader if you're new to the category, and it has the same famous E Ink display that makes Kindles so popular. It may not have as much storage as the Paperwhite or Paperwhite Signature Edition (it also lacks waterproofing), but you can still hold a whole library's worth of books.

The 6-inch screen is still large enough to enjoy your favorite reads, and it's a lightweight and thin e-reader that's easy to take on the go.

More Kindle deals

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids — $169.99 $229.99 (save $60)

• Amazon Kindle Colorsoft (16GB) — $189.99 $289.99 (save $100)

• Amazon Kindle Scribe (32GB) — $379.99 $499.99 (save $120)

• Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft (32GB) — $479.99 $629.99 (save $150)

Kindle e-reader price history

During Black Friday 2025, the 2024 Kindles dropped to their lowest prices ever. That brought the Kindle to $79.99 and the Kindle Paperwhite to $124.99. But this was before Amazon raised prices on Kindles in August 2026.

The current Kindle Prime Day prices fall somewhere in between previous all-time lows and the device's current prices. However, two Kindles are notably not on sale. The 2024 Kindle Paperwhite is finally on sale for $149.99, which is just $10 lower than its pre-price hike list price.

SEE ALSO: October Prime Day 2026: We livestreamed the best Amazon deals so far

The basic Kindle is $103.99, which makes it cheaper than its previous list price ($109.99) but $24 more than its all-time low of $79.99. Kindle Scribe e-readers, however, are on sale for their lowest prices ever, with the Scribe dipping back down to $379.99 and the Scribe Colorsoft dropping to $479.99.

Amazon has completely overhauled its tablet line, and it's good news if you're an Android fan. The online retailer has introduced an Alexa Tablet family that is not only more powerful, but has access to the Google Play Store.

You don't need solar panels on your roof to get power from the sun — these days you can fold panels up into something small enough to carry like a briefcase. The bigger question is how you might incorporate these other ways of generating solar power into your life.

Pop-up ads, slowdowns, crashes — that's what most people picture when they hear "Mac virus." It hasn't been the real risk for years. 

The threats that matter now are built not to be noticed: malware that copies saved passwords and wallet files in the background, and scams that talk a user into running the command themselves. Neither leaves the kind of trace Apple's built-in tools were designed to find, so a Mac can be compromised and still feel completely normal.

Moonlock Lab's 2025 macOS Threat Report, published in December 2025, found the era of the malware-free Mac is over: new backdoor variants are up 67% in a year, and criminals are starting to treat macOS the same way they treat Windows. The same report found 66% of Mac users encountered at least one cyberthreat in the past year.

The same team builds Moonlock, MacPaw's Mac security app, made to catch threats that don't announce themselves and don't look like malware. It pairs a malware scanner with always-on protection and a scam checker for anything that looks off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Moonlock Moonlock The comprehensive security solution you need to protect your Mac Learn More The annoying stuff isn't the expensive stuff

In Moonlock's mid-2026 macOS Threat Report, released in July 2026, adware accounts for roughly 65% of the company's own detections, with unwanted apps at 25%, so most of what ends up on users' Macs is considered low-severity.

However, even though stealers, backdoors, and trojans make up the rest, users should still run an ad blocker. The mid-2026 report also cites VirusTotal submission data showing unique malicious macOS samples rose roughly 40% year over year, with infostealers becoming a more dominant presence.

While there may be a high volume of annoying adware out there, it’s the smaller cut of the pie that’s more dangerous and worth paying attention to.

Apple's protection is real, and it has a scope

Apple’s default defense apps, like Gatekeeper and XProtect, are good at flagging known patterns (malicious downloads, an unsigned app), but they’re not designed to handle threats that don’t look like malware. 

Take ClickFix, a tactic in which a Mac user sees a fake CAPTCHA or a "fix your audio glitch" prompt and is encouraged to paste a command into Terminal with no file to scan, nothing unsigned to flag. Apple responded to this type of threat by adding a warning dialog in macOS Tahoe 26.4. 

A week later, Jamf Threat Labs reported campaigns that skipped Terminal entirely, opening Script Editor via a browser link so that the warning never fired. That rerouting is why third-party protection is needed. Also worth noting: macOS has no default, on-demand malware scanner. So, if something feels off to a user, there’s no way to really check.

The dangerous stuff doesn’t announce itself

Malware today doesn’t try to break your Mac; it hides it. That’s because infostealers operate quietly in the background, copying saved passwords and crypto wallet data.

In August 2025, the Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS) peaked, with a 300% spike in Moonlock’s detection data, which then disappeared two months later. But a related variant, Odyssey, soon popped up, and by the first half of 2026, it accounted for roughly 63% of Mac stealer detections in Moonlock's telemetry, according to the mid-2026 report, with the broader lineage covering more than nine in ten.

The best disguise is a familiar one

Moonlock Lab also discovered a variety of software impersonators that include cracked Adobe installers, fake corporate meeting apps (Zoom, Teams, Webex), and a growing crop of fake ChatGPT and Claude installers.

In today’s challenging job market, an email from a potential employer asking to meet over a familiar video app is easy to trust. It’s tempting to tap that link and unknowingly expose yourself. 

What a safety net actually does

There’s so much more to it than the standard "beware suspicious links" advice, which assumes a person catches the trick every time, under pressure. What’s needed is something that can double-check for threats so you can focus on doing what matters most to you on your Mac.

That’s where a security app like Moonlock comes in, offering protection and antivirus capabilities that serve as the safety net most Mac users lack. Its AI-powered Scam Detector lets you paste a suspicious text, email, or job offer to get a read on its potential as a scam, flagging manipulation patterns and mismatches. 

Its Malware Scanner provides a thorough on-demand scan that macOS lacks natively, checking system files, old downloads, and attachments. And its real-time protection runs continuously in the background while its System Protection reviews a user’s Mac settings and flags the ones worth tightening. 

Tested and certified by independent lab AV-TEST, Moonlock is the kind of reassurance Mac users will want in a tech landscape that’s changing more rapidly than ever. A 7-day free trial is a low-stakes way to see what's already on your Mac.

Disclosures: 

Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. This article was paid for by Moonlock and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc.

SAVE $70: As of Oct. 8, the Apple AirPods Pro 3 are on sale for $179 at Amazon, down from $249. That's a 28% discount and $70 off their list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 3 $179 at Amazon
$249 Save $70   Get Deal

Prime Day is officially over, but Amazon still hasn't flipped the price back on Apple's flagship earbuds. The AirPods Pro 3 are sitting at $179, knocking a clean 28% off their usual $249 list price. If you missed out during the sale, you can still grab Apple's top-tier noise-canceling hardware for $70 off.

Inside, Apple upgraded the noise cancellation to block up to twice as much background sound as the previous generation. Mashable's Adam Doud gave them a 4.75/5 score, noting that the new setup creates a literal cone of silence that wipes out everything from loud crowded rooms to chatter. They also revamped the acoustic design and included five distinct ear tip sizes in the box, delivering punchier bass, clearer instrument detail, and a customized Next-Gen Adaptive EQ that constantly tunes sound to your exact ear shape.

SEE ALSO: What Mashable readers are buying on October Prime Day: Top 10 most popular products

Apple also added built-in health tracking directly to the earbuds. The new heart rate sensors feed workout stats straight to your iPhone's Fitness app, while built-in Live Translation uses Apple Intelligence to translate languages in real time. Battery life gets a huge bump to 8 hours of listening with full noise cancellation active — or up to 10 hours in transparency mode using the new FDA-cleared hearing assistance features.

You also get Apple ecosystem magic: open the case near your iPhone to pair them instantly across your Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch without digging through Bluetooth menus. Add in automatic device switching, and active hearing protection that shields your ears from sudden loud noises, and these easily earn their spot as Apple's best earbuds to date — especially while they're still marked down to $179.

Head to Amazon and grab the flagship AirPods before the deal disappears.

SAVE $49.01: The 11-inch Apple iPad is on sale at Amazon for $399.99. That's an 11% discount, matching what we saw during Prime Day earlier this week.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad (11th Gen) $399.99
$449 Save $49.01   Get Deal

October Prime Day officially ended last night, but in true Amazon style, some of the deals are sticking around. You can still get the Kindle Paperwhite Signature on sale, as well as several MacBook models. How long will these deals stick around? No one knows, but if you need a fresh iPad, check out these savings.

As of Oct. 8, the 11-inch Apple iPad is on sale at Amazon for $399.99, down from $449. That's an 11% discount, matching what we saw during Prime Day earlier this week.

We expect Apple to drop new iPads sometime this year, and now that it's October, that means sometime in the next three months. But if you're not interested in paying the premium for a new model, shopping this lingering Prime Day sale is a smart move.

The 11-inch iPad is equipped with the A16 chip and a liquid retina display. Unlike previous models, you're getting a hefty 128GB of storage. In Mashable's roundup of the best iPads, this model earns the top spot if you're shopping on a budget.

SEE ALSO: The October Prime Day deal on Sony XM6 headphones is still live — save over $80 with the best-ever deal

Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino wrote, "If you prefer saving money over splurging on the latest tech, the Apple iPad (11th generation) gets the job done." Apple's fancier (and pricier) models have a faster processor thanks to the M4 chip.

"Even though its tech is basic compared to the advanced iPad Air and Pro, it's great for someone who wants a portable screen for streaming, playing games, and reading," explained Mangino. She also mentions that it's a great option for kids.

Since this is a Prime Day sale price that's still holding on, it's smart to grab this soon. The price could return to normal at any time today.

SAVE OVER $400: As of Oct. 8, the 47mm Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire is on sale for $529.99 at Amazon. That's $470 off its full price of $999.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) $529.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $470   Get Deal

During Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, the 47mm Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) popped up as one of our top fitness tracker deals. If you were hoping to grab it then and are worried you missed out, we have some good news: Amazon still has it on sale with a huge 47% price cut.

Normally listed for $999.99, the Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire is down to $529.99 for a limited time. That matches the price we saw during the 48-hour sale period, and saves you a whopping $470 overall. Unfortunately, the whitestone model does not match its deal price right now, but if you prefer the black model, this is a great time to grab it before the discount expires.

SEE ALSO: October Prime Day is over: See the 100+ best deals still live, including $200 off MacBooks and $79 AirPods

When it comes to Garmin trackers, the Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire is a premium pick, boasting a 1.3-inch always-on AMOLED display with a scratch-resistant sapphire lens and titanium bezel. Of course, it's also stacked with features including tracking for HRV status and Pulse Ox, advanced sleep monitoring, strength training features, and more. There's even a morning report feature that provides a summary of your sleep, training, and more before you start the day.

If you're someone who prefers to workout or train at night, it also comes with a built-in LED flashlight that features different intensities and even a strobe mode so you can be more aware of your surroundings while you're out. And in terms of battery life, it can last you up to 16 days in smartwatch mode, or 30 hours in GPS mode.

This deal won't be available for long. Act fast to save on the black Garmin epix Pro (Gen 2) Sapphire while it's still discounted at Amazon.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by our shopping experts

• AirPods Pro 3 — $179 $249 (save $70)

• Bose QuietComfort Gen 2 — $319 $359 (save $40)

• MacBook Air M5 — $1,099 $1,299 (save $200)

Linux commands often have long lists of options they support, many of which are single-letter mnemonics. These can be tricky to learn and remember, but their redeeming feature is their reusability: common options are shared by different commands.

We're almost at the New Moon, which means visibility is very limited. The New Moon is the part of the lunar cycle where the Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark.

What is today's Moon phase?

As of Thursday, Oct. 8, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waning Crescent phase, with 6% of its surface visible.

Tonight, you'll only be able to see the Grimaldi Basin, and only with the assistance of either binoculars or a telescope.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on October 25 or 26, depending on your timezone.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon completes an orbit around Earth in roughly 29.5 days. During that time, its position changes relative to the Earth and Sun, altering how much of the Moon's illuminated surface is visible to us. This produces the familiar lunar phases, beginning with a thin crescent and progressing through the quarter phases before reaching a Full Moon. The sequence then repeats as the Moon continues its orbit. According to NASA, the phase visible from Earth is determined by the Moon's changing position in relation to both Earth and the Sun.

The eight phases are:

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.

TL;DR: Live stream Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys for free on 7Plus. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Thursday Night Football is about to kick off, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Dallas Cowboys for their Week 5 showdown.

The Cowboys are undoubtedly confident. They looking stellar in offense and, at 2-2, they're just one win away from making this is a winning season so far. The Bucs, however, have had a miserable start to the new campaign, with zero wins and four losses. They're also missing their quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Can they turn things around with an upset win on the Cowboys' home turf?

If you want to watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys in the NFL for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.

When is Buccaneers vs. Cowboys?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys starts at 8.15 p.m. ET on Oct. 8. This fixture takes place at AT&T Stadium.

How to watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys for free

Buccaneers vs. Cowboys in the NFL is available to live stream for free on 7Plus.

7Plus is geo-restricted to Australia only, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can live stream Buccaneers vs. Cowboys for free from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 7Plus

5. Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys for free from anywhere in the world

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

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus NFL action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NFL?

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

• Servers in 105 countries, including Australia

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

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

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

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TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Display Box is available to preorder for $269.99 at Amazon, just $8.81 above its current TCGplayer market price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Display Box $269.95 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

There are still plenty of great live Prime Day deals on Amazon right now, but Pokémon TCG collectors looking forward to the arrival of Delta Reign can now secure an entire Booster Display Box for a low price.

As of Oct. 8, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Display Box is available to preorder for $269.99 on Amazon from third-party seller Kings Games. At the time of writing, delivery is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10; that’s four days after the expansion’s Nov. 6 release date. There’s also Amazon’s usual 30-day refund/replacement policy if you run into any issues with your box when the time comes. 

Spread across the Display Box's 36 boosters, this is currently the best way to get the lowest price per pack, with Amazon making it so you’re paying about $7.50 per booster. 

As usual, each pack contains 10 random Pokémon cards, a Basic Energy card, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card, leaving you with 360 random cards to open altogether. 

SEE ALSO: Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Booster Bundle preorders are live on Amazon — and they're under market price

Following the popular 30th Celebration expansion, Delta Reign is causing a stir. Among its 135+ cards, you’ll find what’s likely to be very popular chase cards like the Mega Rayquaza ex SIRs — along with the same for Raikou ex, and Mega Golurk ex. 

If you’re the type of Pokemon collector who cares more about the artwork than playing, you can buy single cards from Storm Emeralda (the Japanese version of Delta Reign) right now on TCGplayer.

If you're a longtime Android user, you've probably heard some of the "must-follow" rules that every Android phone or tablet owner is supposed to stick to. While some of them hold up, like the idea that your phone's battery will degrade more slowly if you keep it charged between 30% and 80%, or that some apps can drain your battery if you let them freely access your location, there are a number of other myths that are just that: myths. They simply aren't true, and they should be banished from the collective mindset of Android users once and for all.

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Microsoft's got a new laptop to take on Apple's MacBook Pro, and it's an absolute powerhouse.

Called the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, it runs on Nvidia's RX Spark N1X chip that either has a 5,120-core GPU and an 18-core CPU, or a 6,144-core GPU and a 20-core CPU. Memory options range from 24 to 128GB, and storage is either 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft's new Surface laptops get rid of Copilot+ PC branding The Surface Laptop Ultra is available in two colors: Platinum and Nightfall (pictured). Credit: Microsoft

The specs above are important for developers and AI creators, as they offer a massive amount of AI computing in a portable form factor. With the Surface Laptop Ultra, you'll be able to run local AI agents with more than 120 billion parameters, which is roughly on par with what you can do with Apple's most powerful MacBook Pro.

If you want a lighter color, there's always Platinum. Credit: Microsoft

The Surface Laptop Ultra boasts a 15-inch PixelSense Ultra display and a 3,270x2,180 pixel resolution and a 120HZ refresh rate, and a battery that's good for 12 hours of active web usage or 15 hours of local video playback. It weighs 4.5lbs, it's only 18 millimeters thin when closed, and it's available in two colors: Platinum and Nightfall. In terms of connectivity, you get three USB-C port, one USB-A port, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack.

This is Magnetic Connect, the "world's first built-in magnetic USB-C charging on a laptop." Credit: Microsoft

If you need more proof that Microsoft is positioning this one as an alternative to the MacBook Pro, consider Magnetic Connect; it's essentially Microsoft's version of MagSafe, only with a USB-C port. Oh, and if you trade in an eligible MacBook, you get a $1,000 "break up" bonus.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is available for pre-order, starting at $2,599, but that's with the less powerful chip and just 32GB of memory; the most powerful version will set you back $5,899.99. Availability starts on Oct. 16.

Need the power without the extra bits? That's what the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is for. Credit: Microsoft

Besides the Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft also launched the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a compact box with essentially the same performance as the laptop, only without the keyboard and display. Primarily aimed at developers, it offers up to 1 petaflop of AI performance and 128GB of unified memory, and also supports AI models with more than 120 billion parameters.

In terms of specs, it runs a NVIDIA RTX Spark™ N1X chip that combines a 6144-core GPU with a 20-core CPU. 128GB LPDDR5x unified memory is the only option when it comes to RAM, and storage is a removable SSD with 2TB of space. It's fairly portable, at 12.85x6.77x1.69 inches in size and 4.4lbs of weight.

It's available for pre-order at Microsoft's website for $5,999, and it'll start shipping in November.

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TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box is available to preorder for $140 at Amazon, just $8.72 above its current TCGplayer market price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box $140 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

If the current prices for Pokemon’s 30th Celebration ETBs are a little too high for you, preorders for Delta Reign’s Elite Trainer Box have finally gone live for a little less. 

As of Oct. 8, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Elite Trainer Box is available to preorder for $140 at Amazon, sold and shipped by third-party seller MVP Marketplace. That's not too far from the market price of $131.28 on TCGplayer.

With the expansion officially arriving on Nov. 6, Amazon's earliest estimated delivery is Nov. 9-12, or Nov. 16 with free shipping. Whilst you won’t get your ETB on release day, you’ll still get Amazon’s 30-day refund/replacements policy should you run into any problems. 

SEE ALSO: Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Booster Bundle preorders are live on Amazon — and they're under market price

In said box, you’ll be getting what you can usually expect from a Pokémon ETB: nine titular booster packs from the Delta Reign expansion, a full-art foil Kyogre promo card, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, seven dice, a plastic coin, six dividers, a collector's box, a player's guide, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card.

When not counting the extras, you’ll be paying $15.56 per pack. 

In this particular expansion, you’ll have over 135 cards to collect. If you want to check out which sort of beautiful Special Illustration Rares you can get (including Mega Rayquaza ex, Raikou ex, Mega Golurk ex, etc) — you can check out the Japanese versions with single cards available to buy right now on TCGplayer. 

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