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For two seasons now, Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) has been House of the Dragon's most mysterious ensemble character. As the de facto keeper of Harrenhal, she's guided troubled Targaryen men through vision quests, guarded dragon eggs, and even proclaimed herself to be a witch.

Through it all, her own history has remained largely nebulous. Yes, she wants Harrenhal, as well as dragons to protect it. But why? Why is she so attached to this wretched stronghold?

House of the Dragon's Season 3 finale lays it all bare, revealing a tragic backstory for Alys that is nowhere to be found in George R.R. Martin's Fire and Blood.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 family tree: How Targaryens, Hightowers, and Velaryons connect What is Alys Rivers' backstory?

In a vulnerable scene with Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), Alys tells him a story that dates all the way back to the time of Aegon the Conqueror. During his conquest of Westeros, Aegon faced opposition from the tyrannical Harren Hoare, King of the Isles and the Rivers. Also known as Harren the Black, he holed himself up in his castle of Harrenhal, believing he could withstand any attacks from Aegon. However, he didn't account for dragonfire, which he realized too late when Aegon's dragon Balerion the Black Dread laid waste to Harrenhal, barbecuing Harren and his sons inside.

The burning of Harrenhal is thought to mark the end of Harren's line, but as Alys tells Aemond, one boy survived. He was badly burned, and his mother did everything she could to save him. First, she called on maesters from across the realm. When that didn't work, she turned to "older cures." Magic, incantations, treating him with things that lived in the forest. (Perhaps even the Green Men?)

These cures proved to be no help, and when Harren's last son died, his mother realized she couldn't join him in death. Instead, her dabbling in magic had left her cursed to live on for centuries within the bounds of the territory of the old River Kings. That mother is none other than Alys, now centuries old, unable to leave Harrenhal, and doomed to serve those who now rule its decrepit halls.

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon's Fabien Frankel reveals a detail from Criston Cole's death that was years in the making

While Alys never explicitly says she was Harren the Black's wife, she does say she was stripped of a title, name, and castle, which suggests she was a member of the nobility. That explains why she asks Daemon (Matt Smith) for Harrenhal itself. After all these years, she could return to the status she once knew.

Alys's tragic story also explains her fascination with the Targaryens and Dreamfyre's eggs. Her entire life was shattered by the actions of Aegon I Targaryen. His conquest took her sons from her and sent her to seek out magic that eventually cursed her. Perhaps, in getting an opportunity to join forces with a Targaryen and maybe rear some dragons of her own, she could find a way to break free from the spell that has bound her for centuries.

Alys Rivers's backstory is a show-only invention.

You won't find any of Alys's tale in Fire and Blood. Martin's fictional Targaryen history simply refers to her as a "wet nurse," one with witchy abilities who's believed to be a bastard of Lord Lyonel Strong (Gavin Spokes). Beyond that, we don't get any further hints at her backstory, nor do we truly listen in on any of her heart-to-hearts with Aemond.

Fire and Blood also doesn't give Harren the Black a named wife or a son who survives the initial dragon blast. However, it does introduce a rebel who calls himself Harren the Red and claims to be Harren the Black's grandson, suggesting his line might not have entirely ended in the fire. Martin does leave Harren the Red's legitimacy ambiguous, though.

By tying Alys into the dark history of Harrenhal, House of the Dragon is playing within the empty spaces of Fire and Blood. While Martin doesn't write about Harren the Black's wife, that doesn't mean he wouldn't have had one. It just means that hers may not have been a story the historians of Westeros had truly studied, or at least deemed fit to include in this Targaryen history. Like the reveal that Dreamfyre laid five eggs at Harrenhal, it's a plausible story that fits somewhat within the bounds of lore Martin has established, even if it's not outright canon in the book.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max.

The dust is still settling after the Battle of Tumbleton in House of the Dragon's Season 3 finale, and if you're anything like me, you're wondering, When are we going to see what happens next?

The good news is that House of the Dragon Season 4 is already on the way. HBO announced the Season 4 renewal in Nov. 2025, along with a Season 2 renewal for the yet-unreleased A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 3 family tree: How Targaryens, Hightowers, and Velaryons connect

As part of that announcement, HBO confirmed it had plans to release these seasons through 2028. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 2 will come first, in 2027, while House of the Dragon Season 4 is slated for 2028.

The exact release date for House of the Dragon Season 4 has yet to be announced, as Season 4 hasn't even started filming. However, given that every season of House of the Dragon has premiered in the summer (Season 1 in August, Seasons 2 and 3 in June), it's highly likely Season 4 will follow this trend and continue being HBO's summer tentpole release. So get ready for yet another two-year wait between seasons, an unfortunate norm in today's streaming age. (Remember when the wait between Game of Thrones seasons was just a year?)

Is House of the Dragon Season 4 the show's final season?

However, this two-year wait for more House of the Dragon may be the last one fans will have to endure, as it's highly likely that Season 4 will be the show's last.

At a 2024 press conference following the Season 2 finale, showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed that House of the Dragon would last four seasons. He has reiterated that sentiment throughout the press run for Season 3, telling Entertainment Weekly, "I can't speak for everybody else involved with the show and HBO and all that, but, yes, [four seasons] is very much my plan."

That means we'll only have one more hiatus until we find out how things will end for Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and the rest of her dysfunctional family. Given the ending of Season 3, we're surely in for House of the Dragon's darkest, bloodiest outing yet.

House of the Dragon Season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max.

Featured Video For You 'House of the Dragon's Fabien Frankel reveals a detail from Criston Cole's death that was years in the making

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you've ever watched football.

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. The sports 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 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 before 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: Tennis

• Green: Got a piece of that

• Blue: Here we gooooo

• Purple: Types of guards in sports

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Tennis Stat

• Green: Make Good Contact (In Baseball)

• Blue: Associated with Dak Prescott

• Purple: ___Guard

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 #686 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Tennis Stat: ACE, DOUBLE FAULT, UNFORCED ERROR, WINNER

• Make Good Contact (In Baseball): BARREL, CRUSH, LACE, SMOKE

• Associated with Dak Prescott: 4, COWBOYS, MISSISSIPPI STATE, QUARTERBACK

• ___Guard: COMBO, MOUTH, NOE, OFFENSIVE

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.

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

Released in August 2025, 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 on to 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 with 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 August 10, 2026

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 August 10, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 10 Pips

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 10 Pips

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 1-6 placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (10): Everything in this space must be greater than 10. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 6-4, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 10 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

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

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically; 2-0, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 6-0, 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 Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you play Call of Duty.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 7, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for August 7, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Take a shot at someone from a concealed position.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SNIPE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

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

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you like to support statements with facts.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 7, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Back it up

The words are related to having proof.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe aspects of ideas that require some form of proof.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Proof Positive.

NYT Strands word list for August 10

• Statistics

• Specifics

• Figures

• Data

• Facts

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a good sense of smell.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's 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?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. 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.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

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: NYT Pips hints, answers for August 7, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Lack of plan

• Green: Get a ticket

• Blue: Get a bill

• Purple: Facial hair

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Haphazardly

• Green: Ways to Receive Event Tickets

• Blue: Sections on an Invoice

• Purple: Famous Goatees

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 #1156 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Haphazardly: ANY OLD HOW, AT RANDOM, HELTER-SKELTER, WILLY-NILLY

• Ways to Receive Event Tickets: MAIL DELIVERY, MOBILE TICKET, PRINT-AT-HOME, WILL CALL

• Sections on an Invoice: BALANCE DUE, BILL TO, ORDER NUMBER, UNIT PRICE

• Famous Goatees: BILLY GOAT, COLONEL SANDERS, DOCTOR STRANGE, THE DEVIL

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 7, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

We all love catching up on award-winning shows and movies from time to time. Netflix’s large catalog has several Emmy-winning shows that don’t require you to invest significant time. These shows and limited series tell complete stories in one go that can be comfortably finished in a long day on the couch. You could even save it for Sunday and finish before Monday rolls around.

Dabbling with different Linux distributions is a fun hobby and something I've been doing for a while. Unfortunately, Linux enthusiasts like me have sort of a bad reputation when it comes to being welcoming to the hobby. Whenever someone asks me about trying Linux, I always have one distro in mind I can definitely recommend to beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Cleaning up a messy Excel spreadsheet can easily take longer than building it in the first place. I wondered whether Copilot could take care of the tedious work for me, so I gave it a deliberately chaotic workbook and a simple prompt. But instead of simply fixing problems, much of its effort went into deciding which ones it shouldn't touch.

With the price of new cars constantly rising, it is becoming harder and harder to find spacious family crossovers without overspending. If you're willing to get something with a few miles on the clock, your options open up quite a lot. On top of this, with depreciation on EVs being very steep in the first couple of years, your budget can go even further if you're willing to make the swap over to an electric crossover.

Everything is becoming more expensive, including things that are supposed to be cheap.

The latest example is DeepSeek's AI services, as reported by Bloomberg. The Chinese AI firm sent a notice to users on Thursday warning of a "significant" price increase, though it did not specify just how significant it would be. DeepSeek has been known for its extremely cheap services relative to the competition, especially with regards to its western counterparts, so this is probably not the most welcome news among DeepSeek users.

SEE ALSO: DeepSeek reportedly won't be banned in U.S. (for now)

To be more specific, DeepSeek currently charges less than a dollar per million input and output tokens, which is how AI services are sold to customers. By comparison, Anthropic's Fable 5 model charges $10 per million input and $50 per million output tokens. It was probably unsustainable for DeepSeek to continue charging so little compared to the competition, especially as the company plans to build a huge data center in Inner Mongolia.

But still, you can't count on anything staying cheap anymore. Not even AI, the thing that's making everything else expensive in the first place.

Thanks to the ability to easily add debit and credit cards for tap-to-pay, Google Wallet has become an irreplaceable part of daily life for many Android users. However, what many people don't realize is that while Google Wallet is great for payments, that's merely scratching the surface of all the things it can actually do.

Updated at 2:20 p.m. CT: Letterboxd is back up, per the company on X. "We're now back online. Thank you for your patience," they wrote.

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Letterboxd is down for many users on Sunday, with the film-tracking app confirming service issues and asking users to be patient while its team works to restore access.

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According to the outage tracker Downdetector, the majority of reported problems — 54 percent — involve logging in, while another 39% of users report trouble within the app itself; website issues account for just 4 percent of reports.

Letterboxd acknowledged the outage in a series of posts, telling followers its team was "aware of an outage affecting service" and pledging to restore access "as soon as possible." In a follow-up post, the company said it was continuing to work on a resolution, thanking users for their patience. The most recent update came at 12:02 p.m. CT.

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No word yet on a cause or expected resolution time.

The command-line terminal is still one of the most popular features of Linux, even though graphical interfaces have been common in desktop computers for decades. There are a few reasons for the terminal to stick around, but if you’re new to the platform, you don’t need to worry about it.

While I have some pretty powerful servers in my homelab, my most important and useful server does just one thing: manages my network. Without it, my whole network goes down, my external services no longer work, and I can't VPN home. So, if my network manager goes down, nothing else matters—that's why it has to be the most robust server, and, therefore, the most simple.

For many years, I had a long commute to work. At one point, I was driving as far as 86 miles each way, which seems insane to me now, but I drove to where the work was. Spending that much time on the road also meant more chances for something to go wrong, whether it was a dead battery, a flat tire, or a minor problem that could leave me stranded.

Most people treat AI model comparisons like a horse race where one comes out ahead and the other becomes unusable or slow. That thinking falls apart quickly once you spend real time with models that were never competing for the same job. Gemma 4’s quantized models and Qwen 3.6 are good examples of this. One is built to run quietly on your own hardware without sending a single keystroke to an outside server. The other is built to sit inside a cloud environment and work through problems at a scale that would make a local machine sweat. Knowing which one you actually need changes everything about how useful each ends up being.

Not every 3D print will go to plan, regardless of what you do. Understanding the underlying cause of a bad print is crucial to correcting it and will help you avoid problems in the future.

Microsoft's (or rather, Mark Russinovich's) Sysinternals suite packs more than 70 utilities, each designed for a specific purpose and useful in different situations. While I used a number of them back in the day when I regularly fixed issues on other people's PCs, I rarely have a use for most of the tools on my own machine these days. That said, there are a few Sysinternals utilities that I consider indispensable for every Windows user, myself included.