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In May, at its annual Google I/O conference, Google announced a new product called the "Android XR glasses," without saying much about the specs or giving us a launch date.

Now, Google is ready to share more. In a blog post, the company clarified that it's actually working on two types of smart glasses, both developed in partnership with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker.

SEE ALSO: Google's Year in Search 2025: The most interesting part is how we searched

The first product is what Google calls "AI glasses," which do not have a display. Instead, they use a built-in speaker, microphones, and camera, to let you interact with Google's AI assistant Gemini and take photos. If you're thinking this is similar to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, you are correct. The glasses are coming "next year," Google said.

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The other product is a tad more interesting. Google calls them simply "display AI glasses," and these are the ones that the company spoke about in May. They also have an in-lens display which can privately show you stuff like turn-by-turn navigation, translation captions, and more.

The display isn't visible to anyone but the wearer. Credit: Google

The company also shared a couple of short videos, showing the display AI glasses in action. However, Google didn't share a launch date for the glasses with the built-in display.

Both pairs of glasses will run on Google's Android XR, an operating system for what Google calls "extended reality devices," which includes headsets and smart glasses. The first Android XR headset is the Samsung Galaxy XR, which launched in October 2025.

Australia's social media ban for children under 16 will come into effect this Wednesday, Dec. 10. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube have already begun disabling users' accounts to comply with the new law.

Approved by Australia's Senate earlier this year, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act requires social media platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent Australians under 16 from holding accounts. A platform will be subject to this requirement if its primary purpose is to enable online social interaction between multiple users, it allows them to interact with some or all other users, and it lets them post content.

"Delaying children’s access to social media accounts gives them valuable time to learn and grow, free of the powerful, unseen forces of harmful and deceptive design features such as opaque algorithms and endless scroll," said Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant in a statement last month. 

"But I’ve also said consistently that age restricting social media is one important tool in our holistic approach to online safety. Ultimately, all online platforms should be building less harmful, age-appropriate experiences through safety by design."  

Failure to comply with Australia's new law could see social media platforms slapped with fines of up to $AU49.5 million ($US33 million). Fortunately, the legislation is specifically targeted at tech companies, and neither children nor their caregivers will be penalised if they circumvent a platform's restrictions to access social media anyway. Parents are reportedly already helping children evade the ban by using their own credentials, while a poll found almost a third would be willing to assist their child in getting around the restrictions on YouTube.

Nevertheless, Australia's new law means social media platforms must work to prohibit account holders under 16. Here's how they're responding.

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads Credit: Meta

Last Thursday, Meta began removing access to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts belonging to Australians under 16, as well as blocking them from creating new ones. They will still be able to use Messenger, which doesn't fall under Australia's social media ban, but without a connected Facebook account. 

Meta stated that impacted users will be given the option to download their content before the ban comes into effect. They will also be prompted to update their contact information, enabling Meta to reach out and reinstate their accounts once they turn 16. If they are mistakenly caught up in the ban, users can verify their age through third-party provider Yoti, or by providing their government ID or a video selfie.

Though Meta is working to comply with the ban, aiming to remove all impacted users from its services by Dec. 10, the tech giant has made clear that it doesn't agree with it. Meta has instead argued for legislation requiring app stores obtain parents' approval before allowing children under 16 to download apps. This solution would have parents establish a child's age and relevant restrictions while setting up their phone, rather than require them to complete age verification multiple times for different apps.

"Teens are resourceful, and may attempt to circumvent age assurance measures to access restricted services," Meta wrote in a November blog post. "Realistically, we can only do so much to determine age without requiring everyone to provide a government ID — which isn’t safe, poses significant privacy risks, and could lead to identity theft."

TikTok Credit: Mashable composite: TikTok

TikTok also addressed the ban last week, stating that it will deactivate the accounts of Australian users between the age of 13 and 15. (The video sharing app already does not allow users under 13.) Further, any content they have published will no longer be visible to other users.

Impacted users will be given the option to download their information, and can either confirm that they are 16 or older, let their account be deactivated, or delete it entirely. If they choose not to delete their account, they can sign up for a reminder that it is available to them again once they turn 16. 

TikTok states that it uses multiple methods to verify users' ages, including credit card authorisation, providing government ID documents, and employing facial age estimation services from Yoti.

"Every day, we suspend thousands of accounts globally because we don't think our age requirements have been met," wrote TikTok. "We also encourage parents to have conversations with their teens to make sure they have been truthful about their age. If an Australian parent believes their teen may have provided an incorrect date of birth, they can report this in-app and online. We understand that these changes may be upsetting, but they are necessary to ensure that TikTok complies with Australian law."

Snapchat

Snapchat has argued against its classification as an age-restricted social media service, claiming that 75 percent of time Australians spend on the app is messaging and calling. Nevertheless, the Australian government maintains that Snapchat falls under the ban's purview, forcing the video sharing app to comply.

From Dec. 10, Snapchat will lock accounts belonging to Australians under 16. Notably, this is distinct from deactivating them. Locked accounts will remain locked for three years, unless the user verifies that they have turned 16 and has it reinstated. Users can verify their age via third-party provider k-ID, either by providing their government ID or by submitting to facial age estimation. Alternatively, users can complete age verification by connecting their Australian bank account.

Once the three-year lock expires, impacted users' Snapchat accounts will be deactivated. Deactivation gives users 30 days to download their data, which is then permanently deleted after 60 days. Fortunately, Snapchat users can still download their data while their account is locked, giving them three years to do so. Snapchat has also reminded users to cancel any subscriptions they may have to Snapchat+ or Memories+ via the App Store or Play Store. 

Unfortunately, Australian teens' Snapchat Streaks won't be preserved while their accounts are locked.

"[D]isconnecting teens from their friends and family doesn’t make them safer — it may push them to less safe, less private messaging apps," said Snap. "We continue to advocate for more privacy-conscious solutions, such as mandating age verification at the device, operating system, or app store level."

YouTube Credit: Google

YouTube was poised to get an exemption from the ban earlier this year, with owner Google arguing that it is "a video sharing platform, not a social media service, that offers benefit and value to younger Australians." This exemption was subsequently reversed in July, forcing YouTube to ban Australians under 16.

As a result, YouTube will automatically sign out all Australian users under 16 on Dec. 10, including supervised pre-teen and teen accounts. These users' YouTube channels will become inaccessible from this date, preventing them from uploading, commenting on, or monetising videos. Their channels will also no longer be visible to others. YouTube Kids will not be impacted by the ban.

Users can download their YouTube and Youtube Music data via Google Takeout, as well as permanently delete their channel if they so choose. If they don't delete it, Google will hold on to their data until they turn 16 and can re-enable their account, reinstating their uploads and comments.

Significantly, YouTube does allow users to view content without logging in. As such, the ban primarily impacts the ability for YouTube users to upload content, as well as access features such as likes, subscriptions, private playlists, and memberships.

"As the Social Media Minimum Age Act requires kids to use YouTube without an account, it removes the very parental controls and safety filters built to protect them — it will not make kids safer on our platform," said Google. "These are the unfortunate consequences of a rushed legislative process that failed to allow for adequate consultation and consideration of the real complexities of online safety regulation."

Twitch

Like YouTube, Twitch initially seemed as though it would get an exemption from Australia's social media ban. This changed late last month, when the Australian government added it to its banned social media list.

Twitch has not yet announced what steps it will be taking to specifically comply with Australia's new laws. However, the platform already does not allow users under the age of 13, and has minimum age requirements which vary by region. In addition to requesting users' birth dates when they create an account, Twitch enforces these age limits via on-device facial age estimation conducted by k-ID. 

As such, it seems likely that Twitch may request Australian users use such methods to verify their age when logging in, as well as when they sign up for a new account. Twitch streams are still available to watch without logging in, however viewers won't be able to access features such as chatting and subscribing.

Reddit

Though Reddit is reportedly gearing up to challenge Australia's social media ban in court, it will likely be a while before any potential action bears fruit. In the meantime, u/LastBlueJay from Reddit's Public Policy team has outlined how it is complying with Australia's ban in a post to subreddit r/RedditSafety. 

All Australians with Reddit accounts will be required to verify their age, both by supplying their birth date as well as via a third-party age verification service. Reddit states that this may involve supplying their government ID or taking a selfie. Accounts determined to belong to Australians under 16 will be suspended, though will have an opportunity to appeal and reattempt verification. (Reddit has always banned accounts for users under 13).

Interestingly, Reddit is also going one step further by implementing restrictions on users under 18 across the globe. These users will be served a version of Reddit with "more protective safety measures," including stricter chat settings, no access to mature content, and no ad personalisation.

While Reddit is complying with the ban, u/LastBlueJay stated that the platform "disagree[s] about the scope, effectiveness, and privacy implications of this law." Like both YouTube and Twitch, Reddit is still available for people to browse without being logged in, though users are not able to post, comment, or message others.

"We believe strongly in the open internet and the continued accessibility of quality knowledge, information, resources, and community building for everyone, including young people," they wrote in their post on Tuesday. "This is why Reddit has always been, and continues to be, available for anyone to read even if they don’t have an account. By limiting account eligibility and putting identity tests on internet usage, this law undermines everyone’s right to both free expression and privacy, as well as account-specific protections."

X

While the Australia-specific page of X's Help Centre doesn't explicitly mention the Dec. 10 ban, it does outline the microblogging platform's policy regarding young Australians.

Regardless of location, X requires users to be at least 13 years old to have an account. Restrictions are placed on accounts for users aged between 13 and 18 by default, including making their posts only visible to their followers, and requiring them to approve new followers. They can also only receive direct messages from accounts they follow.

To determine users' ages, X relies upon information such as their self-reported age, how long ago their account was created, and whether they have previously verified their identity via a third party. X uses both facial age estimation and government ID verification.

X doesn't appear to have issued any further guidance specifically addressing Australia's social media ban at time of writing. As such, it is currently unclear how it will respond to the ban, as its current measures do not appear to comply with its requirements.

"The X Rules enable minors to participate in the public conversation freely and safely, and minors should rely on the X Rules (and report to X) in order to protect themselves," reads X's Help Center page.

Kick

Australian livestreaming platform Kick has asked Australian users to verify their age via k-ID by the Dec. 10 deadline, stating that this is a mandatory requirement to continue using their service. Any accounts it determines are owned by those under 16 will be deactivated, though Kick states that users will have "clear review pathways" if they wish to appeal the decision.

"We believe in creating a safer online environment, and this change is driven by our duty of care to our users," said Kick, addressing the social media ban in a post on their website last month. "By implementing age assurance, we fulfill our legal obligations under the Online Safety Act 2021 to reduce the risk of harm to young Australians. This proactive step helps enhance the safety and well-being of our younger community members by limiting their exposure to specific online risks, such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and unwanted contact."

Which social media platforms are still available to Australians under 16?

Though many of the largest social media platforms will soon be off-limits to Australians under 16, not all of them are being banned. 

As previously mentioned, Meta's Messenger app will still be available, allowing kids to continue chatting to people they know. Meta's other instant messaging app WhatsApp is also exempt, as is gaming-focused voice chat app Discord.

Video game Roblox is explicitly permitted, as is the LEGO Play app and video game storefront Steam. Other platforms that won't be age-restricted are GitHub, Google Classroom, Pinterest, and YouTube Kids.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025:

AcrossApt profession for someone named Rosemary or Ginger

• The answer is Chef.

Get to go, as leftovers

• The answer is Box up.

Word that can precede Bowl or Glue

• The answer is Super.

Intense anger

• The answer is Rage.

"Cut that out!"

• The answer is Stop.

DownStephen Colbert's network

• The answer is CBS

Noted group of 24

• The answer is Hours.

One living abroad, informally

• The answer is Expat.

Spanish for "fire"

• The answer is Fuego.

Do some kitchen work

• The answer is Prep.

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

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.

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 prong.

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

SPIKE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Rested.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 9, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SLEPT

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Cinder.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 9 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 9, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

EMBER

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Graceful

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 9 Hurdle Word 4 answer

AGILE

Final Hurdle hint

A fool.

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

DUMMY

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

SAVE $20.58: Pokémon TCG's Mega Evolution Enhanced Booster Box is now down to $231.99 at TCGPlayer, which includes a Bulbasaur Stamped Illustration Rare promo card worth $17.07. The same Booster Box is going for $252.57 on Amazon, but you could get a $60 instant gift card to save more.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Mega Evolution Enhanced Booster Box. $252.57 at Amazon
Possible $60 Gift Card if you qualify on Amazon. TCGPlayer is cheapest otherwise. Get Deal

I love a good enhanced booster box just for the exclusive Illustration Rare stamped promo that's included, and Mega Evolution's is my favorite yet with Bulbasaur IR. It's also only an extra couple of dollars over the standard booster box too as far as Amazon is concerned, so this option is a no-brainer considering Bulbasaur is worth around $17.

So there's two routes to travel for trainers today. The best deal overall is seeing if you qualify for an Amazon Visa Card. If successful, trainers will catch an instant $60 gift card to use against the Mega Evolution Enhanced Booster Box. That knocks down that $252.57 price tag to $192.57.

TCGPlayer is (as usual) cheaper than Amazon right now, rocking up at $231.99 and $20.58 less over Amazon.

The best chase cards you can pull from Mega Evolution and Phantasmal Flames Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

Of course, the challenge of actually pulling the cards you want is half the fun, but if you're like me and absolutely can't stand enjoying yourself, just buy the single cards you want. The changes are you're going to save money over ripping packs for higher-end cards, and the Illustration Rares are usually the price of a couple of boosters. So here's the top chase cards from the latest Pokémon TCG sets in Mega Evolution and Phantasmal Flames, complete with current market value information per TCGPlayer and links to catch your very own:

1. Mega Charizard X ex - 125/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $599.99
   Market price: $600.94
   Most recent sale: $659.99

2. Mega Charizard X ex - 130/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $411.85
   Market price: $402.30
   Most recent sale: $429

3. Mega Lucario ex - 188/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $371.99
   Market price: $396.09
   Most recent sale: $350

4. Mega Gardevoir ex - 187/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $285
   Market price: $310.28
   Most recent sale: $305

5. Mega Gardevoir ex - 178/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $209.90
   Market price: $208.60
   Most recent sale: $204.98

Like it or not, sleep is a non-negotiable aspect of being alive. We human beings require sleep to continue functioning. The problem is, for plenty of people, sleep is an elusive beast. For a gigantic list of reasons, people struggle to get enough high-quality sleep and keep that sleep schedule consistent. 

One of the main sleep disruptors is temperature. Some of us can sweat through the sheets in January, while others cannot warm up no matter how many wool duvets they add to the bed. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 aims to remedy temperature as a reason why you cannot get restorative sleep. It does this, primarily, with the Pod’s Cover, which slips over your mattress like a fitted sheet. You get to set your ideal Cover temperature, or you can let the Eight Sleep Autopilot take the wheel, which will make adjustments throughout the night.

SEE ALSO: The DreamCloud Premier mattress has no business being so affordable given its hotel-like luxury

Plenty of us have gone to great lengths to find the secret to getting great sleep, but the Eight Sleep Pod 5 has a glaring factor — it’s really, really expensive. We’re talking between $3,000 and $6,000+ for a queen-size setup, depending on how luxurious you want to go. Since that number is not one most people find easy to swallow, I slept on the Eight Sleep Pod 5 for several months to decide if I think it’s worth the price. In the end, I’ve come to love almost everything about the Pod 5, and I miss it when I’m not sleeping at home, but I did find some aspects frustrating. My detailed adventure with the Eight Sleep Pod 5 takes off from here.

Disclaimer: If you deal with chronic sleep issues, please seek out professional medical guidance before turning to any type of physical product for relief.

How does the Eight Sleep Pod 5 system work?

It’s helpful to get the whole overview of how the Pod works before I dive into what my experience was like sleeping on the system. At its core, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is a cover that slips over your mattress much like a fitted sheet. But this cover contains a network of small tubes that pump either hot or cold water throughout. The aim here is to either warm you up or cool you down, and therefore, help you get better sleep.

The brains of this water system sit in the Eight Sleep Pod Hub, which sits next to your bed and attaches to the cover via a thick cord. Sleepers control the cover’s temperature through the Eight Sleep app or with three buttons located on the side of the cover. There’s also an autopilot mode that hands off temperature control to the app, and it’ll adjust throughout the night to what it thinks will help you sleep best.

The Pod Cover connects to the Hub, which sits near the bed. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Besides heating and cooling, the cover has some serious smarts in the name of sleep metrics. It detects heart rate and breathing patterns, and monitors sleep stages. All of that info gets sent to the app, which then gives a detailed nightly report on sleep quality. It also has a vibration function, allowing you to set an alarm to wake you up via vibration every morning, which is really snazzy and infinitely better than a cellphone alarm.

The blanket

In addition to the cover, sleepers can add the Eight Sleep Pod 5 blanket to the setup. It works in a similar fashion to the cover with small water tubing throughout that sends either warm or cool water through the channels. The blanket connects to the cover via cords to the ports located at the foot of the cover. Conveniently, the cords tuck under your mattress, so there’s little risk of kicking the blanket cords while you sleep.

An easy click-to-connect system attaches the blanket to the cover. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The temperature for the blanket is also controlled in the app. Since the Hub controls the temperature of both the cover and the blanket, you’ll need to select one temperature for both products.

The base

For an extra luxurious slumber, Eight Sleep sells an adjustable base to pair with your mattress, the Pod’s cover, and the blanket. The adjustable base articulates at the head and the foot, so you’re free to adjust either area to find your perfect combo. In the app, you can move the base into pre-set positions for reading, relaxing, or sleeping, or keep it flat. Getting more particular, you can adjust the head and foot to the specific degree of your liking.

At times during testing, I found the reading position to feel too upright, but the lower relax position to be too close to lying down, so I adjusted the degree of incline, which is super easy to do in the app. The Eight Sleep base also has a built-in speaker that can lull you off to sleep with the soothing sounds of a rainforest and awaken you with soft beach waves. You can also go with pink noise, white noise, or brown noise.

Choose your favorite degree on the adjustable base. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app The base can listen for snoring and adjust the head to help mitigate. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

Another major benefit of the base is its snoring mitigation function. When the base detects snoring, it’ll raise the head area slightly. This small adjustment is undetectable, and its aim is to prop sleepers up in a better position to open their air passages, hopefully putting an end to snoring.

Since plenty of us get poor sleep on account of a partner snoring, myself included, this automatic adjustment is a lifesaver. I haven’t noticed my partner snoring in months, aside from the times we’ve been staying at a friend’s house where there was no Eight Sleep Pod provided in the guest room. Sigh.

SEE ALSO: Tempur-Pedic’s smart bed frame taught me I’m bad at sleeping Surprise! Setting up the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is super easy.

Since I tested the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5, which includes the cover, blanket, adjustable base, and legs for the base, I had a total of eight boxes. To say I was intimidated by the setup is an understatement. But to my absolute delight, it was super easy. Yes, it was a lengthy process that took several hours, but it was all straightforward. I had the help of my partner, but none of the elements would have been unmanageable by myself. The adjustable base is split into two sides, which makes it easier to carry into the bedroom. Perhaps best of all, the setup requires zero tools. 

Setting up the cover, blanket, and adjustable base was straightforward, thanks to the app's instructions. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

All you need to set up any and all elements of the Eight Sleep Pod 5 system is distilled water, a WiFi connection, the app up and running, and some time. I’ve assembled simple platform mattress bases that were far more complicated than the Pod 5. Phew. The app takes you through detailed setup instructions in a way that makes the entire process a cinch.

What I loved about sleeping with the Eight Sleep Pod 5

In truth, I loved a lot about the Eight Sleep Pod 5. Seattle summers have followed the global trend of getting way too hot, and most of us don’t have AC. I sleep hot to begin with, so summers have felt especially evil to me. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 made me forget what it was like to sweat the bed every single night. In my several months of testing, I woke up sweaty exactly once. Just one time I woke up drenched. Before the Pod 5, it was a rare occurrence if I didn’t wake up soaked. The difference was shocking. I also deal with migraines from dehydration, so having a sleep solution that keeps me from sweating a ton and losing a bunch of water at night has been a miracle.

Controls on each side of the bed means you don't have to look at your phone to make temperature adjustments in the middle of the night. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

My testing continued into the fall, and once the weather turned rainy and gray, I found comfort and pleasure in crawling into a pre-warmed bed each night. Napping on a pre-warmed bed also felt like I had unearthed some kind of hidden level of enjoyment in life that I didn’t have access to before the Pod 5.

The Pod 5’s base also changed my partner’s proclivity for snoring. In fact, it stopped it entirely. Not once did I wake up to shake him. I have to assume that not only did I sleep way better because of this, but he did, too.

Things I didn't love about the Eight Sleep Pod 5

Sleeping on the Pod 5 for the first two weeks or so was a journey, and I often wanted to get off the Pod train. Some nights, I woke up too cold and had to reach for my phone to bump up the temperature. (My partner preferred to make temperature adjustments with the Cover’s side controls, but I always went into the app.) Other nights, I woke up too hot and had to lower the temperature. All of that disrupted my sleep, probably more than getting sweaty would have.

In the app, select your ideal temperature for bedtime, night, and dawn. Autopilot will make adjustments, if you'd like. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app A nightly look at how autopilot adjusted the cover's temperature. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

It took several weeks for me to get acquainted with the Pod 5 and for it to get used to my preferences. On occasion, the bed would decide a toasty +7 was optimal for my bedtime temperature, which felt like I was sleeping on the sun itself. Other nights it went with a more moderate +5. I told it +3 was my preference, but the cover did what it wanted at times. To this day, it still spurts out bedtime temperatures seemingly at random. This, however, is easy to adjust in the app.

Because the Eight Sleep Pod 5’s Blanket has water channels, it’s heavier than your normal duvet insert and cover. Personally, I love a weighted blanket, so the Pod 5’s blanket is heaven for me. My partner, however, does not like weighted blankets and is not in love with the hefty feel of the blanket. The Blanket is an add-on to the Pod’s Cover, so I only recommend going for it if you enjoy the feel of a weighted blanket.

I love the weight of the Eight Sleep blanket. My partner doesn't. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable Who might love the Eight Sleep Pod 5

After sleeping on the Pod 5 for months through several seasons, I’ve compiled a list of people who I think would get significant benefit from the Sleep Pod 5 and might be able to justify the price. They include:

• Especially hot sleepers who don’t find relief with bedding or a breathable mattress

• Cold sleepers who can’t warm up with bedding

• Those who live in a warm environment without AC

• People with persistent aches and pains

• Couples who prefer to sleep at different temperatures

• Sleepers who are dealing with hot flashes

• Those who are super interested in detailed sleep metrics

In essence, if you want better control of temperature paired with detailed sleep metrics but you don’t want a wearable sleep tracker, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 could be ideal. 

SEE ALSO: I slept on Nectar's cooling mattress for a month and still got sweaty Sizing options for the Eight Sleep Pod 5

Eight Sleep offers the Pod 5 in full, queen, king, and California king sizes. All of these sizes are capable of supporting two sleepers, with separate temperature controls on each side. However, if you sleep alone, you can indicate that during the initial setup to have the entire bed set for one sleeper.

The separate sides make the Pod easier for couples to use since temperature preferences tend to vary. It’s also ideal for when one person is napping and the other isn’t, or if your bedtimes vary. But the lack of a twin-size is a miss, in my opinion. After testing the Pod for months, I think older people who deal with pain or lower mobility are great candidates for the Pod 5, but they’ll have to be in a full-size bed or larger. The lack of a twin also means you can’t use the Pod 5 for a split king set-up, which is identical to two twins in a side-by-side arrangement. I love the idea of a split king adjustable base with the Eight Sleep Pod since this would allow each sleeper to choose their ideal base position, in addition to the temperature.

The Autopilot membership is extra

When you buy the Eight Sleep Pod 5, you’ll also need to select your Autopilot plan for the first year of ownership. The options include standard, enhanced, and elite, with varying levels of metrics and functions attached to each plan. These memberships provide access to Pod 5’s Autopilot feature, which enables your Cover to adjust the temperature throughout the night to what it deems most comfortable. Here’s the pricing breakdown for the first year:

• Standard: $199

• Enhanced: $299

• Elite: $399

Each Autopilot membership gives two users access to the plan, so you only need one plan per bed. And here’s what’s included:

• Standard: Autopilot temperature adjustments, sleep and health reports, vibrating and thermal alarms, snoring detection, and a two-year warranty

• Enhanced: Everything in Standard, but with a five-year warranty

• Elite: Everything in Enhanced plus advanced wellbeing monitoring, cardiovascular monitoring, and respiratory monitoring, like abnormal heart rates or breathing patterns.

It’s not possible to purchase the Pod 5 without signing up for one of these plans. However, after your first year, you can bail on the plan. But that means the Pod Cover will not automatically adjust temperature at night, and you’ll need to set it manually. You’ll also lose access to vibrating and thermal alarms, and you won’t get sleep tracking metrics, either. Boiled down, without the Autopilot plan, the Cover is pretty much just a fancy heated or cooling mattress cover. I fail to see much allure in using the Pod 5 Cover without the plan, so I’d factor the annual price into the overall cost of ownership.

An always-improving app that’s hungry for details

I’ll hand it to Eight Sleep — the developers put so much thoughtful design into the Pod 5 that it’s complicated to explain every feature of the bed and the app. Even a month after sleeping on the Pod 5, I would open the app to find a new area with new metrics and controls that I did not know existed.

The app is a complex beast, and I think data-driven folks will love it. Each morning, you get a comprehensive look at how you slept the previous night, including time spent in REM, deep sleep, and overview numbers that include how much time you spent asleep and how long sleep interruptions lasted.

The app also lets you see sleep biometrics, like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, snoring time, and breath rate. In addition to these detailed metrics, the app has some functions I’m pretty smitten with, like nap mode and a jet lag protocol. There’s also a special function that those who are transitioning into menopause will be thrilled about.

Hot flash mode could be a savior for those who deal with disrupted sleep from them. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app The away function in the Eight Sleep app is snazzy. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app Hot Flash Mode

About a month into my testing journey, Eight Sleep launched a new Hot Flash Mode. Once enabled, this mode lets sleepers alert the Cover about a hot flash, which will send the cover into a super quick cooling mode for a set amount of time. You get to choose the temperature drop and the duration. To make this easier than heading into the app when experiencing a hot flash, you can assign Hot Flash Mode to a button on the cover’s side.

I got to chat with Dr. Nicole Moyen, Eight Sleep’s Director of Science & Clinical Research, about Hot Flash Mode. She explained that about 80 percent of people in perimenopause will experience hot flashes, and many will go through several each night. Not only is this uncomfortable temperature spike disruptive to sleep, but Dr. Moyen also said it’s basically impossible to predict when a hot flash will occur. 

She said Eight’s Sleep’s own research has shown that simply sleeping on the Pod itself can cut the normal instance rate in half, even without using Hot Flash Mode. “We’re lowering people’s core body temperature and therefore keeping them within a narrow thermostat range that the brain needs,” she explained over our video call. But with Hot Flash Mode, sleepers can access rapid cooling in an attempt to mitigate the hot flash. Plus, the Pod will warm back up after the set time. Dr. Moyen explained that this experience is a stark contrast to how most people experience a hot flash, which involves intense heat, sweating, and getting out of bed to cool down — not to mention this is often followed by chills on account of the now sweaty bed.

I haven’t experienced the joy of hot flashes yet, but I tested out the function, and it does exactly what it should: cools you like you’re on fire. For people who deal with interrupted sleep each night for years on account of hot flashes, I can see how this feature could offer great relief. Plus, it could mean less disruption to a partner.

Away mode

When you head off on vacation or leave for the weekend and won't be around to sleep on the Pod 5, the app has an away mode. It takes you into a calendar to select when you'll be leaving and when you're returning. When setting up this schedule, you can indicate if both sleepers will be gone or just one. This'll put the bed in a dormant mode until your return. If you happen to come back earlier than expected, it's easy to push the "I'm back" option, and the Pod 5 will resume its normal schedule.

A bed that lives on WiFi

We all love WiFi, but the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is really, really in love with that connection. In fact, it hardly works without access to WiFi. That means the AWS outage took every Eight Sleep Pod offline. My bed went cold, but I was fine once I put on warmer pajamas and grabbed an extra blanket. Other users were in worse shape, and some took to the internet to complain of missing work because the bed’s alarm didn’t go off or struggling to sleep because it was too hot or too cold.

The following day, the brand's CEO, Matteo Franceschetti, posted on his X account that Eight Sleep would roll out Backup Mode, making some of the bed’s functions available via Bluetooth, bypassing the need for WiFi. If AWS crashes or your WiFi goes out, you can still adjust temperature and elevation. Some features won’t work, like the bed’s Autopilot adjustments, and the bed won’t turn on automatically at bedtime like it usually does, but you can manually set the temperature.

Eight Sleep said this new feature’s rollout would be “gradual,” and I haven’t seen any update on my Pod. But this update gives potential owners reassurance that their beds will still be able to heat or cool in the event of an outage. Keep in mind you’re still kinda screwed if the power goes out, unless you own a portable power station or have a generator for home backup.

A sad note about cleaning

You’re probably wondering how you’d go about cleaning a mattress cover that includes a network of water tubing. I sure was while I was testing. The answer is a pretty big letdown — you can’t. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 cover is not safe to clean in the washing machine. Instead, you’ll need to spot clean it as necessary with water and a smidge of soap. The Pod’s blanket is also not machine washable, and the tag notes instructions to “spot clean with a damp cloth only.

This brings me to urge caution to anyone who has pets or small kids from investing in the Pod 5. Any accident from pets, kids, or yourself (like spilled coffee or wine) could be near impossible to thoroughly and hygienically clean. Should you sweat at night (hopefully not, thanks to the temperature control), that could also soak into the non-cleanable cover.

Pair this with the premium price of the Eight Sleep Pod 5, and I’m not feeling like this is a wise splurge for those who share a bed with kids or pets. In theory, you could add a waterproof mattress protector over the Pod 5 Cover, but that could also create a barrier between you and the cooling or heating effects that cost top-dollar.

Is the Eight Sleep Pod 5 worth the price?

In a queen-size, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 with Hub and Cover sells for $3,248 with the Standard Autopilot plan. If you add the blanket and adjustable base to the setup and go with the Elite Autopilot plan, the queen-size price shoots up to $6,497. That’s a heavy lift for most people, especially considering you have to bring your own mattress to the party. 

But before I say I think the Pod 5 is too expensive, I have to point out that sleep is one of the most important pillars for us human beings. Sacrificing sleep is not smart, and the CDC mentions it's a large player in how our immune system functions and a major player in overall heart health and brain function.

With that in mind, if you cannot sleep because you’re too hot or too cold, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 might very well be worth the high price tag. If the Pod 5 allows you to get better sleep even for just one year, it works out to about $8 per night in the queen size. If we up the time frame to five years, it works out to just $1.67 per night. That’s not much for an investment in wellbeing and health.

I don’t think the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is a good investment for all sleepers, but it could be a life-changer for some. Considering some people drop more than the price of the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5 setup to spend one week on a cruise ship with Mickey Mouse (no shade — those Disney cruises look incredible), I don’t think the $3,049 price tag or even the $6,395 price for the cover, blanket, and base is all that wild. 

Sleep has the power to make a dramatic difference in almost every aspect of our waking hours, and if the Eight Sleep Pod 5 helps you get better sleep, I think it’s well worth the price. Keep in mind, Eight Sleep offers a 30-day trial, so you have some reassurance knowing you have a month of sleeping on the Pod 5 to decide if it’s a worthwhile investment.

It took me a while to fall in love with the Pod 5, but now that we’ve gotten to know each other better, I’m a big fan.

A parting note: You deserve an adjustable base

When testing the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5 setup with the temperature-regulating cover and blanket with the adjustable base, something stuck out to me: an adjustable base is a next-level sleep accessory that you need. Adding an adjustable base to your bedroom setup makes it feel like you splurged to book the first-class suite every single night. The pleasure of hanging out in bed to watch shows, read, or reply to emails while cozy in an elevated position is something I underestimated.

Sleeping with the head slightly elevated is great for those who deal with light snoring, and raising the feet is optimal for athletes or those who work on their feet all day, since it can help with blood flow. But the simple luxury of reading in bed while sitting up on a stable surface (instead of an unstable pillow pile) is a life upgrade I wholeheartedly recommend. Temperature-adjusting Eight Sleep Pod or not, an adjustable base is a life changer.

Opens in a new window Credit: Eight Sleep Eight Sleep Pod 5 $3,048 at Eight Sleep
Queen-size Shop Now

SAVE $100: As of Dec. 9, the iPad mini is on sale for $549 at Amazon. That's a 15% savings on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) $549 at Amazon
$649 Save $100   Get Deal

Apple's iPad Mini is back on sale, and, as of Dec. 9 you can save $100 on the WiFi + cellular model which is now down to $549. The iPad Mini gives you the full Apple iPad experience, but in a smaller design. It features Apple Intelligence, an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, the ultrafast A17 Pro chip, a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, USB-C, Wi-Fi 6E, and support for Apple Pencil Pro, making it great for note-taking, marking up documents, and editing photos and videos while on the go.

Apple Intelligence has various different features that help you write and get things done quicker. And despite its small size, the Liquid Retina display uses P3 wide color, True Tone, and ultralow reflectivity to make sure everything looks super high quality.

The A17 Pro chip also gives you powerful performance, with ultrafast graphics and an all-day battery life. The 12MP front camera also comes with Center Stage, an Apple feature that keeps you centered during calls. Meanwhile, the 12MP rear camera takes high-quality photos, 4K videos, and can even scan documents.

Pick up this iPad deal from the Amazon website now.

SAVE $350: As of Dec. 9, the Garmin fēnix 8 is on sale for $849.99 at Amazon. That's a 29% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin fēnix 8 $849.99 at Amazon
$1,199.99 Save $350   Get Deal

The Garmin fēnix 8 is one of the most advanced Garmin models. Really, there's very little it can't do. It's especially a great companion for the endurance athlete (thanks to its impressively long battery life), but it's also great for anyone who takes their fitness and recovery seriously, with all kind of metrics to help you train smarter. Right now, this watch is on sale at Amazon with a discount that brings it down to its best-ever price. As of Dec. 9, save $350 and take it home for only $849.99.

This fitness tracker has a 1.4-inch solar-charged display with a scratch-resistant sapphire lens and a durable titanium bezel, so it's perfect for activities on rougher terrain. It even has a built-in LED flashlight for visibility after dark, and if you're running 5K or 50K, the battery life will keep you going. You’ll get up to 48 days in smartwatch mode with solar charging and up to 149 hours in GPS mode with solar charging, all with an always-on display.

This smartwatch really is designed to be your training companion, helping you to boost performance and reduce injury risk with targeted strength training plans, real-time stamina tracking, sport-specific workouts, and a huge range of built-in sports apps. It includes one of Garmin's most popular health metrics, the training readiness score, which uses sleep quality, recovery, training load, and HRV status to gauge whether you’re in peak condition or if you're due some rest.

For everyday use, it has a built-in speaker and mic that let you make and receive calls when paired with your phone, and you can use your phone’s voice assistant for texts.

This Garmin deal won't last long at Amazon, so don't miss out.

SAVE $202: As of Dec. 9, the Hisense 75-inch QD7 is on sale for $597.99 at Amazon. That's a 25% savings on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch QD7 $597.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $202   Get Deal

Christmas is the perfect time of year to treat yourself to a new TV. If you've been looking for a new TV to bring in the festive season, this latest Amazon deal on the Hisense 75-inch QD7 is not one to ignore.

It's a seriously impressive TV, and a great choice for rewatching all your festive favorites thanks to its mini-LED backlighting with up to 600 nits of peak brightness. The QLED color technology also uses quantum dots to produce over a billion shades, helping even small details appear vivid and realistic.

It's built with the Fire TV OS, so all your apps and live TV appear on one easy-to-navigate home screen. And with it being an Amazon system, you can press a button on the remote to use Alexa for finding content, checking sports scores, or setting reminders.

A native 144Hz panel with Motion Rate 480 keeps fast action clear, and a 144Hz Game Mode Pro and AMD FreeSync Premium offer a smooth, variable refresh rate for responsive, non-laggy gameplay. It even benefits from artificial intelligence features like the AI Smooth Motion with MEMC. This helps reduce blur during quick movement.

And right now (as of Dec. 9), you can get this TV for $202 less, currently priced at $597.99. According to camelcamelcmael, it has never been priced lower. Pick it up from Amazon now while the deal still lasts.

SAVE $130: As of Dec. 9, the Samsung 32-Inch Odyssey G55C is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's a 39% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-Inch Odyssey G55C $199.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $130   Get Deal

In need of a new gaming monitor to upgrade your setup? Look no further than this Amazon deal on the Samsung 32-Inch Odyssey G55C. As of Dec. 9, this model is currently on sale for its lowest-ever price, bringing the list price down to $199.99. That gives you a $130 savings.

And it's an impressive monitor, built for immersive gaming. Display-wise, you'll get a QHD resolution with 1.7 times the pixel density of Full HD for sharp, detailed visuals and more on-screen space. It also benefits from HDR10, so you get richer colors, brighter highlights, and deeper shadows. And say goodbye to screen lag, the 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time help keep everything feel smooth and responsive. Not to mention, the AMD FreeSync keeps the monitor and your graphics card in sync to reduce tearing.

It's a curved monitor, with a 1000R curved display that wraps around your field of view to make your gaming experience feel much more immersive. Eye Saver Mode helps to protect your eyes too by cutting down on blue light and reducing flicker, making it easier to stay focused and comfortable for long gaming sessions.

Grab this great gaming monitor deal from Amazon while it's on sale.

This week’s tips are adapted from Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner’s new book, The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation (HBR Press). An “Octopus Organization” is flexible, decentralized, and built for change. The journey to becoming one begins with identifying “antipatterns”: formulaic responses to complex challenges that can set […]

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A CPU cooler doesn't have to be expensive to be great. If you have a hot-running CPU, the ID-COOLING FROZN A620 PRO SE is all you really need. It's a chunky air cooler with two 120mm fans that do an excellent job at keeping your modern AMD Ryzen or Intel CPU cool without breaking the bank.

TL;DR: Watch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free on Channel 4. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There is quite simply no tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations. It's an electric combination of heated rivalries, colorful fans, and football without the handbrake. We know that the eyes of the footballing world are already fixed on the 2026 World Cup, but this incredible tournament should whet the appetite of fans before the main event next summer.

The likes of Mohamed Salah, Achraf Hakimi, Sadio Mane, Bryan Mbuemo, and Victor Osimhen will be taking center stage in Morocco. We're expecting some scintillating football from the best of the best.

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If you're interested in watching the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is the Africa Cup of Nations?

The Africa Cup of Nations (or AFCON) is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. 24 teams are drawn into six groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the knockout rounds.

The defending champion is Ivory Coast. Egypt is the most successful nation in the tournament's history, winning seven times and securing three consecutive titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

When is the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations?

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is the 35th edition of the competition. This year's event takes place from Dec. 21 to Jan. 18 in Morocco.

How to watch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is available to live stream for free on Channel 4. All matches will be live across Channel 4’s network, including Channel 4, E4, 4Seven, and Channel 4 Sport YouTube. 

Channel 4 is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can stream the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

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

4. Connect to Channel 4

5. Watch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer pretty generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch AFCON without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Channel 4?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on free platforms like Channel 4, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (also with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for free with ExpressVPN.

It's day 19 of the lunar cycle and we're close to a new lunar phase, the Third Quarter. From here, the moon will quickly get smaller each night until there's nothing left at all. That phase is known as the New Moon. But what's happening tonight, on day 19? Read on to find out.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Tuesday, Dec. 9, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 73% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

We've still got more than half of the moon on display, so for the time being there's lots to see on its surface. If you're looking up without any visual aids, keep an eye out for the Mare Tranquillitatis, Tycho Crater, and Oceanus Procellarum. If have binoculars to hand, pull these out to see the Gassendi Crater, Clavius Crater, and the Alps Mountains. If you're serious about moon gazing and have a telescope to hand, take it out to see all this plus the Apollo 15 and 16 landing spots and the Reiner Gamma.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Jan. 3.

What are moon phases?

NASA explains that the lunar cycle (which is about 29.5 days long) is made up of the Moon’s phases, which describe how the Moon looks from Earth as it travels around us. We view the same side of the Moon at all times, but the sunlight hitting its surface shifts as it moves through its orbit. That changing illumination is what makes the Moon appear full, half-lit, or not visible at all. The cycle includes eight distinct phases:

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.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 6, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 9, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 4-0, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 9 Pips

Number (14): Everything in this space must add up to 14. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (17): Everything in this space must add up to 17. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 6-4, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (8): Everything in this space must be greater than 8. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easy if you've had to buy equipment from Academy.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. 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 What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Baseball catcher

• Green: Football flags

• Blue: Premiered after 2000

• Purple: Types of bags

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Catcher's Equipment

• Green: Football Penalties

• Blue: Sports Movies of 2001

• Purple: ____Bag

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #441 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Catcher's Equipment - CHEST PROTECTOR, MASK, MITT, SHIN GUARDS

• Football Penalties - CHOP BLOCK, CLIPPING, FALSE START, HOLDING

• Sports Movies of 2001 - 61*, ALI, HARDBALL, SUMMER CATCH

• ____Bag - DUFFEL, HEAVY, ROSIN, SPEED

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections 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.

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 today's Connections.

Alex Karp, the CEO of controversial tech company Palantir, raised eyebrows during a recent live interview with the New York Times. In a viral video of the discussion, Karp defended his company to the Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin, gesturing dramatically with his arms, bouncing up and down on his chair, and struggling to make his point. 

Palantir’s X account shared the video on Sunday morning and announced Karp is launching The Neurodivergent Fellowship: "If you find yourself relating to [Karp] in this video — unable to sit still, or thinking faster than you can speak — we encourage you to apply."

Palantir announced Karp himself would conduct final interviews for the fellowship. In a reply to the first message on X, the company included an application link to the fellowship, which is available in Palantir’s New York City and Washington, D.C. offices.

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"The current LLM tech landscape positions [neurodivergent people] to dominate," according to the application. "Pattern recognition. Non-linear thinking. Hyperfocus. The cognitive traits that make the neurodivergent different are precisely what make them exceptional in an AI-driven world."

Palantir, a data and analytics company co-founded by conservative "kingmaker" Peter Thiel, was quick to argue that the fellowship is not a DEI initiative.

SEE ALSO: What is Palantir? The secretive tech company behind Trump's data collection efforts

"Palantir is launching the Neurodivergent Fellowship as a recruitment pathway for exceptional neurodivergent talent," according to the application, "This is not a diversity initiative. We believe neurodivergent individuals will have a competitive advantage as elite builders of the next technological era, and we're hiring accordingly for all roles."

Applicants do not need a formal diagnosis to be eligible and the position pays between $110,000-200,000 annually, with potential for stock units and even a sign-on bonus.

Karp’s interview and his company's new fellowship cap off a newsworthy year for Palantir, which was tapped by the Trump White House to track immigrants in the U.S., aid in deportations, and potentially create a master database on every American.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he plans to sign an executive order permitting only "one rule" for regulating artificial intelligence in the U.S.

"There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI. We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Several states, including California and New York, have passed statewide legislation this year regulating various aspects of AI, including transparency, whistleblower protections, and user and teen safety. Trump did not elaborate on which states he considered bad actors in the regulatory process, or what qualified them as bad actors.

SEE ALSO: AI safety report: Only 3 models make the grade

A version of an executive order that leaked online last week reportedly directed federal agency and cabinet leaders to determine how to punish states with existing AI laws, according to The Verge.

Earlier this year, Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act attempted to ban state regulation of AI for 10 years, a provision that Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green notably rejected. The moratorium was very unpopular amongst registered voters, according to a poll conducted in mid-May. The measure was eventually voted down 99-1 by the Senate. Some MAGA supporters, including Trump ally Steve Bannon, continue to oppose industry-led regulation of AI.

Still, proponents of a regulatory ban still want to provide AI companies carte blanche to innovate without having to address state-by-state regulations. David Sacks, a tech venture capitalist and the Trump administration's special advisor for AI and crypto, is reportedly behind the executive order, according to The Verge.

It's not clear how Trump's executive order would affect Congressional legislation, like the bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Democrat Sen. Mark Hawley that would require federal agencies and major U.S. companies to account for AI-related workforce reductions.

A report released last week by the tech research nonprofit Future of Life Institute found that only three of eight major AI models got a passing grade on safety.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Pok Pok Pok Pok: Lifetime Subscription $39.97
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