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Robloxs new Party feature makes Discord obsolete

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 20:02

Since its founding, the gaming platform Roblox had a considerable drawback: Friends who wanted to play the same game together couldn't do so easily. Typically, they'd have to use a third-party app, like Discord, to coordinate a session. Then landing together in the same game server required tiresome logistical planning.

Roblox announced Monday that those days are in the past with the launch of its new Party feature, which allows friends to gather, select a game, and arrive in the server together. Users 13 and older can also chat with each other while playing.

SEE ALSO: Roblox launches numerous new safety features

Garima Sinha, Roblox's vice president of product, told Mashable ahead of Party's debut that the feature is a "huge step" toward the company's vision of reimagining the way people come together.

"It's a seamless way for people to connect, coordinate, and co-experience with their friends, all within Roblox," Sinha said.

Party, which rolls out Monday globally on desktop and iOS and Android devices, appears to be a major win for the platform's nearly 90 million daily users. The feature makes it easy to join the same instance of a game or experience. If someone needs to stop playing momentarily, they can rejoin the Party. A group of players can also travel together across Roblox's different games and experiences.

Party lets a group of users communicate and play together. Credit: Roblox

Roblox's data shows that Party boosts engagement, too. When friends play together, their sessions are an average of 1.9 times longer than sessions of users playing by themselves.

Sinha said that a Party-specific Application Programming Interface (API) launching early next year will give developers the opportunity to create custom experiences for groups playing together. A developer, for example, might give a Party a custom magic power or a secret space in their game's universe. Roblox hopes these extras will make the Party feature particularly attractive to users.

Importantly, Party is only available to use between players who are already friends, which may help address longstanding safety concerns regarding Roblox's youngest and most vulnerable leaving the platform for Discord or other communication apps and encountering predators or bad actors.

Players who are younger than 13 will not be able to chat in a Party, for now. Sinha said that the company is exploring ways to safely let young players communicate in the future. Parents can use Roblox's new parental controls to turn off the Party feature altogether, if they wish.

Roblox's Party feature has certain safety settings for users under 13. Credit: Roblox

Those who are 13 and older can text chat with each other via Party. Eventually, the product will include voice chat as well. All chats are moderated by Roblox.

If a Party wants to play a game or experience that exceeds an individual user's maturity label — a setting selected by a minor's parent — that player will have to get permission to change the setting to participate.

Players can turn off Party, block users, edit their friend list, and leave a Party chat.

Sinha said that, partly for safety reasons, the company wanted to make sure users weren't leaving Roblox to coordinate their playtime.

"This will give them a really structured, contained way of playing on Roblox," she said.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to Resize an Image on Windows 11

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 20:00

Changing an image’s size on Windows 11 is as easy as using an option in built-in apps like Photos and Paint. Alternatively, you can run a command or even use a website to give your photos a new size. I’ll show you your options.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Wazes killer feature finally coming to Google Maps

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 19:54

Way back in 2013, Google acquired the map startup Waze. Fast forward just 11 years and one of Waze's stand-out features is finally being rolled out to Google Maps.

As first noticed by 9to5Google, users are reporting that community reports from Waze are starting to roll out within Google Maps as well. The feature has long-earned Waze a specific fanbase that preferred this smaller startup directions and maps app over products from its much larger competitors like Google and Apple.

SEE ALSO: Apple Maps finally comes to the web

Basically, this Waze feature allows users to share when they come across new or temporary incidents that have occurred, warning other users of potential issues that may arise in their similar travels.

Credit: Truckin_18 on Reddit

For example, a Google Maps user has shared an alert it received from within the Google Maps app that warned about "Police reported ahead." The alert included a "From Waze drivers" addendum in the notification. The alert within Google Maps asks "Are they still there?" and the user can tap "Yes" or "No' to share whether the police are still located where other Waze drivers reported seeing them.

Google has been more closely integrating Google Maps and Waze specific features in recent months. As 9to5Google points out, Google shared that Google Maps would utilize Waze community reports within its app in a future update.

"Google Maps will surface reports from our drivers with attribution to Waze directly in the app," Waze announced on its website in July.

As of now, the update appears to be in the midst of rolling out, so some Google Maps users just might not seem them just yet. But soon, all Google Maps users will have access to a beloved feature that keeps many Waze users on Waze.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft Is Putting Ads in PDFs

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 19:47

Microsoft is showing banner advertisements in the PDF viewer in the Microsoft 365 (Office) mobile app. The ads have only been reported on Android devices, but they are even appearing for some paying Microsoft 365 subscribers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Targets Cyber Monday deals are live — check out our favorite deals

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 19:42

UPDATE: Dec. 2, 2024, 12:55 p.m. EST Updated with the latest deals at Target and removed out of stock items, including the Apple Watch Series 10.

Best Target early Cyber Monday deals Best Tablet Deal Apple iPad Air 11-inch, 6th generation (M2 chip, 128GB, WiFi) $499 (Save $100) Get Deal Best headphone and speaker deal Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones $199.99 (Save $150) Get Deal Best speaker deal JBL Flip 6 Speaker $79.99 (Save $50) Get Deal Best TV and Soundbar deal TCL 55-inch 4K UHD Google TV $229.99 (Save $120) Get Deal Best Smartwatch Deal Apple Watch SE 249.99 (Save $50) Get Deal Best Kitchen and Home deal KitchenAid 5.5-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer $279.99 (Save $170) Get Deal Best Toy Deal 50% off board games and toys at Target $10.99 (Save $11) Get Deal

Black Friday may be over, but the deals certainly aren't. Target's Cyber Monday deals already started up, featuring awesome discounts across categories including headphones, TVs, robot vacuums. Check out our favorite deals that are still live further down the page.

When does Target's Cyber Monday sale start?

Target's Cyber Monday sale kicked off Sunday, Dec. 1. The deals will run through Monday, Dec. 2, a 48-hour mad dash of deals following Black Friday.

Plus, the retailer is offering a holiday season price match. If you purchase an item at Target and it goes on sale leading up to Dec. 24, the brand will refund you the difference. It's also price-matching competitors' pricing within 14 days of your purchase.

Note: All newly added or updated deals have been marked with a ✨, while struck-through deals were either sold out or expired at the time of writing. Any deal marked with a 🔥 has dropped to a record-low price at Amazon, or matches Amazon's lowest price.

Best tablet deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air 11-inch, 6th generation (M2 chip, 128GB, WiFi) $499.00 at Target
$599.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Why we like it

"This Apple tablet is our favorite for most people, thanks to its versatility. It works just as well for artists as it does for students. The M2 chipset makes it a more viable laptop replacement than other tablets while costing you a few hundred dollars less than a supercharged iPad Pro." — Bethany Allard, Lead Shopping Reporter

More tablet dealsBest headphones deal Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM4 Headphones $199.99 at Target
$349.99 Save $150.00 Get Deal Why we like it

While our very favorite Sony headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5s, their predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM4s are also fantastic. Plus, they're $100 cheaper.

They're phenomenal headphones with active noise cancellation that truly tune out the world. If you like to crank up the volume, these are headphones for you because the audio quality is just so good. Plus, unlike the XM5s, the XM4s fold up for easy storage and toting around.

Right now, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to $199.99, saving $150 for 43% off during Target's Cyber Monday sale.

More headphone dealsBest speaker deal Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Flip 6 Speaker $79.99 at Target
$129.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Why we like it

JBL makes our go-to Bluetooth speakers. They're waterproof and portable with battery life to last for days. So we always have our eyes peeled for deals on JBL speakers during shopping events. At Target, you can find the JBL Flip 6 Speaker for well under $100.

It lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge and is both dustproof and waterproof. It's equipped with dual pumping bass radiators to deliver JBL's Pure Bass Sound to really get things bumping.

During Target's Cyber Monday sale, it's down to $79.99, saving you $50 on this top-notch speaker. That knocks 38% off the price.

Speaker dealsBest TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 55-inch 4K UHD Google TV $229.99 at Target
$349.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Black Friday conjures images of doorbusting deals, with shoppers racing to the TVs to fight over the inventory. Luckily, you don't have to be in the stampede for TV deals with Target's early Black Friday sale.

This TCL 55-inch 4K UHD Google TV is just $229.99, knocking $120 off the price for 34% savings. It provides 4K picture and a built-in Google interface, so you don't need an extraneous streaming device.

More TV dealsSoundbar dealsBest smartwatch deal Opens in a new window Credit: Target Apple Watch SE $249.99 at Target
$299.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Apple Watch SE is getting a holiday discount. During Target's holiday sale, find the Apple Watch SE for $50 off, marking it down to $249.99 from its usual price of $299.99.

The SE is a great alternative to the more expensive models in Apple's lineup, as it still comes packed with fitness-focused features as well as communication options. It's not the latest and greatest smartwatch from the tech giant, but for most it's capable of handling just about anything you might need it to.

This limited-time deal is available during Cyber Monday.

More smartwatch dealsBest home and kitchen deal Opens in a new window Credit: Kitchenaid KitchenAid 5.5-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer $279.99 at Target
$449.99 Save $170.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you're getting ready to whip up dozens of Christmas cookies, don't even think about doing it all by hand. Sure, it will be a great arm workout, but at what cost? Upgrade your kitchen tools ahead of the holiday season with the KitchenAid 5.5-Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer. It has twice the power of KitchenAid's standard tilt head mixer and can mix batches of 11 dozen cookies at a time. This mixer is no joke.

You can get the savings during Cyber Monday as it's marked down to $279.99, saving you $170 for 38% off.

More home deals

Kitchen

Robot vacuums and stick vacuums

Best toy deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hasbro 50% off board games and puzzles at target Get Deal Why we like it

Time's up on screen time. Turn to old-school entertainment this holiday season and stock your cabinets with board games and puzzles. Target is offering up to 50% off board games and puzzles during their Cyber Monday sale. Get Hasbro's The Game of Life for $11, knocking 50% off.

More toy deals

Legos

Board games, Barbies, action figures, and more

Categories: IT General, Technology

A Crash-course in PC Benchmarking

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 19:30

Benchmarking is all about testing the performance of your computer to see if it's working correctly, or if its performance is good enough for your needs. Benchmarking can seem complicated, but as long a you've got the basics under the belt, you'll be just fine!

Categories: IT General, Technology

Makefiles: What Are They and What Can You Do With Them?

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 19:01

If you've installed any software from source code, you've probably used Make. But what is this program and how does it work? Learn all about makefiles and how they can revolutionize your build process.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Best PS5 Cyber Monday deals live in 2024: Compare Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and more

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:54

UPDATE: Dec. 2, 2024, 12:45 p.m. EST Updated with new pricing and removed expired deals on PS5 consoles and games that are no longer in stock as of Cyber Monday.

You can find low prices on TVs, laptops, headphones, speakers, and so much more during Cyber Monday. It's the busiest time of the year for online shopping, with deals on just about everything. And the best news? It's all going down right now. And with Black Friday behind us, we're laser-focused on all the deals that Cyber Monday has brought with it.

But what deals come out on top during this busy period? What deals really get the people going?

SEE ALSO: Gaming deals are going strong ahead of Black Friday 2024

You could make the argument that TV deals or Apple deals are the top dogs over Cyber Monday, but gamers might disagree. PS5 Cyber Monday deals can result in mass panic, but there's no need to lose your cool this year. We've checked out everything on offer during this sales event and lined up a selection of standout PS5 deals. This includes deals on consoles, accessories, games, and more.

These are the best PS5 deals this Cyber Monday. Be sure to keep checking back, because these consoles, accessories, and games continue to go in and out of stock.

Best deals on PS5 consolesBest deals on PS5 accessoriesBest deals on PS5 games
Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals of 2024 — record-low prices are live

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:50

UPDATE: Dec. 2, 2024, 3:00 p.m. EST This post has been updated with the most recent sale pricing and stock of all of the Apple Watches still on sale the weekend after Black Friday, including a $20 further discount on the 2nd gen GPS + Cellular Apple Watch SE (compared to its initial sale price before Thanksgiving).

Early Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals: Best Series 10 deal Apple Watch Series 10 (46mm, GPS) $359 at Best Buy (Save $70) Get Deal Best Ultra deal Apple Watch Ultra 2 (49mm, GPS + cellular) $719 at Amazon (Save $70) Get Deal Budget Pick Apple Watch SE, 2nd Gen (40mm, GPS) $149 at Amazon (save $100) Get Deal

Black Friday itself is finished, but you can still score Apple Watch deals for Cyber Monday. The big retailers are bringing the best prices we've seen on Apple Watches all year.

As of Sunday, Dec. 1st, the Apple Watch SE is at the low price of $149 (although only in select colorways.) If you prefer to stick with the current-gen, the recently released Series 10 watch is also on sale, and at its lowest-ever price. And for shoppers who are really ready to splurge, you can still grab the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $70 off at Amazon.

SEE ALSO: MacBook deals are going extremely hard this Black Friday — here are the best deals live now

Below, you'll find each of those picks, along with more of the best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals. If you've got more Apple gadgets on your holiday wishlist, we're tracking all of the latest Apple deals as well. Just be warned: select sizes, colors, and configurations of the most popular Apple products are already very low in stock.

All newly added or updated deals have been marked with a ✨, while struck-through deals were either sold out or expired at the time of writing.

Best Apple Watch deal before Cyber Monday Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (46mm, GPS) $359.00 at Best Buy
$429.00 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read more from Mashable about the Apple Watch Series 10.

Just two months after its release, the Series 10 is down to a record-low price (for the third time).

Last year, the Series 9 dropped to $359 during Black Friday, so it's pretty impressive to be able to snag the next-gen Apple Watch for the same amount of money — especially when that next-gen watch has a bigger, crispier 46mm display (but a thinner design overall) and an inbuilt speaker for playing audio directly from your watch. If you'd be fine with a smaller screen, you can save an extra $30 and opt for the 42mm Series 10, which is on sale for $329 at Best Buy.

The best Black Friday Apple Watch deals

Series 10

Series 9

SE

Ultra

Categories: IT General, Technology

Save up to $70 on Skylight Calendar and Frame deals for Black Friday and organize your entire life

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:47

SAVE UP TO $70: The Skylight Calendar, Calendar Max, and Skylight Frame are on sale for up to 22% off on Black Friday from Best Buy and Skylight.

The best Skylight Black Friday deals: Best Calendar deal Skylight Calendar $249.99 (Save $70) Get Deal Best Frame deal Skylight Wifi Digital Picture Frame $109.99 (Save $30) Get Deal Best large Calendar deal Skylight Calendar Max $569.99 (Save $30) Get Deal

Skylight specializes in well-designed smart tech for the home with specific purposes. Their Calendar series aggregate and display collaborative family calendars where you can see and interact with them, while the Frame ensures your digital photos are a part of your day-to-day life.

Right now, Skylight Calendars and Frames are majorly on sale for Black Friday. The deals even include a promotion for the newly released Calendar Max. Save up to $70 on our top picks below:

Best Calendar deal Opens in a new window Credit: Skylight Skylight Calendar $249.99 at Best Buy
$319.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

When life gets complicated, your calendar comes to the rescue. The Skylight Calendar 15-inch Touchscreen Smart Calendar and Chore Chart is designed to lift digital calendars off the phone screen and bring them right into the home — multiple calendars.

With a brilliant interactive touchscreen, the Skylight syncs digital calendars for the whole family and assigns each calendar a different color so that it’s simple to tell them apart. Mounted on a kitchen wall or freestanding in the kitchen, it’s a simple way to update the kitchen calendar for the digital age.

Right now, the Skylight Calendar is $270 for Black Friday at Amazon — order now and save $70. 

Best Frame deal Opens in a new window Credit: Skylight Skylight 10-inch Wifi Digital Picture Frame $139.99 at Best Buy
Get Deal Why we like it

The Skylight Frame syncs with your smart device to make a digital photo library into a staple of your home.

Simple to set up, photos wirelessly load onto the frame. Those looking for a gift can even preload photos in advance, without unboxing the frame. The 10.7 x 9-inch frame easily sets up on a side table or desk. 

Take advantage of Black Friday to order this frame for $30 off.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy's Black Friday sale is live — find all the best deals here Best large Calendar deal Opens in a new window Credit: Skylight Calendar Max $569.99 at Skylight
$599.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Love the idea of a collaborative whole-family calendar but want more space? This is the pick for you.

The Skylight Calendar Max is a huge 27-inch version of the Calendar with room for more detail. Whether you’re buying for a business or a home, it comes equipped with enough space to make sense of even the densest calendars.

Right now, Skylight is offering the Calendar Max for $569.99, for a savings of $30 when you sign up for the Skylight Plus plan at $39 a year.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Tesla update adds Apple Watch connectivity, fart on contact options

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:21

Tesla dropped a number of new features, among them was quite useful Apple Watch compatibility. Also among the features — because Elon Musk seemingly runs Tesla with a juvenile edgelord's sensibilities — was a "fart on contact" feature that effectively turns any seat into a whoopee cushion.

SEE ALSO: Here's all the ways you can make your Tesla fart

Tesla announced its over-the-air holiday update, which made a number of improvements and added a bunch of features. Perhaps the biggest update is an app for Apple Watch that'll let you control a number of Tesla features via your wrist. For instance, an Apple Watch can be used as a key, view the car's battery level, set a temperature, and open the frunk.

A look at the Apple Watch Tesla app. Credit: Screenshot: X / @Tesla

While the Apple Watch updated will likely prove useful for many folks, the "fart on contact" feature will likely get a bit of use, too. It allows you to set any seat to "fart on contact," which means a fart sound will play when someone sits on that seat. It's a digital whoopee cushion and the third such fart feature from Tesla, which also has "fart on demand" and "fart on turn signal" settings.

Fart jokes. Credit: X / @Tesla

Those are far from the only new features announced by Tesla. A post on X — Elon Musk's version of Twitter — has the full details. Among the notable updates include the ability to set a preferred battery level upon arrival at your destination, a new alert for cross-traffic while in reverse, and Cybertruck's "Santa Mode" that turns your car's avatar into a sleigh.

Santa's sleigh looks a bit odd these days. Credit: X / @Tesla

Santa Mode is a neat little feature but it might not ease the sting of the Cybertruck's many recent recalls. Let's just hope those recalls don't stop Old Saint Nick from getting presents out to kids on Christmas.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Ronan Farrows simple tips for keeping spyware off your phone

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:21

Investigative journalist Ronan Farrow has one tip for those worried about their devices being hacked: Turn your phone off more often.

Appearing on the Daily Show a week after the release of his new documentary feature, Surveilled, Farrow argued that the general public should be "freaking out" more about the insidious use of government sanctioned surveillance technology on citizen's personal devices. And, as part of that awareness, more of us should be safeguarding our tech.

"Restart your phone everyday," he advises Daily Show correspondent Desi Lydic and the show's viewers. "That's one practical piece of advice. A lot of forms of this kind of spyware will be foiled by a reboot... Keep everything updated, is the other thing."

SEE ALSO: Zoom lied about encryption in 2020. Now it wants to pay $18 million to make that go away.

Farrow's personal and professional dive into government-led tech surveillance is documented in the hour-long HBO Max exposé, a visual tour through the journalist's 2022 New Yorker investigation uncovering a web of governments using the internationally-traded spyware Pegasus.

In the feature, Farrow narrows in on the work of Catalonian activists and their families, friends, and coworkers targeted by the Israeli-owned NSO Group. Farrow and his sources explain how they were able to discover and trace back their hacked devices—some journalists and activists got around the invasions using DIY aluminum foil Faraday cages. The documentary, through interviews with the tech's anonymous buyers and sellers, as well as government officials themselves, makes the case that no one is safe from Big Brother's eyes.

"I keep getting told, by experts in this technology, that if our government doesn't curtail the use of thisand there's a lot of skepticism that the incoming administration will—you won't know if you're on some target list," Farrow told Lydic. "You won't know if your phone is being hacked or how that data is being used. It's easy to see this as a distant issue... but it can come for anyone."

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Nintendo Switch Controllers of 2024

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:15

Show your Nintendo Switch or Switch OLED some love by pairing it with one of the best Switch controllers and taking your gameplay experience to new heights.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amy Adams on how she transformed into a dog in Nightbitch

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 18:00

Amy Adams goes through an incredible physical and emotional transformation in Nightbitch. She and filmmaker, Marielle Heller, reveal how they approached Amy's character in making the film.

Nightbitch is in theaters Dec 6.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Cyber Monday book deals

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 17:31
Best Black Friday book deals Best book deal 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire $10 at Walmart (Save $9.99) Get Deal Best non-fiction deal 'The Demon of Unrest' by Erik Larson $10.81 at Amazon (Save $24.19) Get Deal Best YA deal 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians Box Set' by Rick Riordan $17.76 at Amazon (Save $27.19) Get Deal Best cookbook deal 'Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook' by Sohla El-Waylly $14.52 at Amazon (Save $30.49) Get Deal

"Sure, you can load up your Black Friday cart with big ticket items like laptops and TVs, but the small stuff is just as fun. For us bookworms always looking to expand our library, there's nothing like a new book. Especially when you're not paying full price. If you're a dedicated e-reader user, the good news is a plethora of Kindle books are all on sale for Cyber Monday. You can stuff your Kindle to the brim with new books for cheap.

However, if you're dedicated to the physical page, there's even better news. You can find big Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on physical books. Whether you're buying for yourself or others, we've rounded up all the best deals on books." — Samantha Mangino, Shopping Reporter

Best Cyber Monday book deal Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire $10.00 at Walmart
$19.99 Save $9.99 Get Deal Why we like it

It's safe to say that the Wicked craze is in full swing. Whether you're holding space for all the memes the press tour is delivering or already ready for your second in-theater watch, have you considered reading the source material? And we're not talking about The Wizard of Oz.

The musical is based on Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the novel by Gregory Maguire, and if you, or the biggest Wicked fan in your life, are eager to dive deeper into the world, now is a great time to pick up a copy. Ahead of Black Friday, Walmart is offering 50% off the novel, bringing it down to $10.

Wicked not your thing? Don't sweat because the Black Friday book deals are endless. Explore more deals on fiction, non-fiction, YA, and cookbooks below.

Best fiction dealsBest non-fiction dealsBest YA dealsBest cookbook dealsBest book subscription deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

The Book of the Month Cyber Monday coupon code you dont want to miss

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 17:22

SAVE $30: Book of the Month (BOTM) is running a Cyber Monday sale, saving you up to $30 on memberships with a coupon code. Plus, members get a free bonus book in their next box. See codes below.

Opens in a new window Credit: Book of the Month 12-Book BOTM Membership $169.99 at Book of the Month
$199.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift this holiday season, Book of the Month (BOTM) might be able to help.

BOTM is hosting a Cyber Monday sale where you can get a six-book membership for $89.99 (save $10) with the code MITTENS10 or a 12-book membership for $169.99 (save $30) with the code MITTENS30. Bonus deal: If you’re a current BOTM member, you’ll also get a free book in your next box as a nice little “thank you” for your continued support.

SEE ALSO: The best Cyber Monday book deals

You can give BOTM as a gift in a few ways. You can buy the membership and have an email sent to the recipient, choose a fancy gift card they'll get by mail, or make a printable card to give them yourself.

If this is the first time you’ve heard about BOTM, let me fill you in. Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription service that's been around since 1926. (I’ve been a subscriber since 2021 and am a BFF Status member.) You can choose to pay monthly or annually, depending on your budget, and sign up for three-, six-, or 12-month memberships. There’s also no fee to pause your subscription, and you can cancel anytime.

Each month, you’ll get to choose one of five new book selections hand-picked by a team of experts. If you prefer audiobooks, you can also add an audiobook subscription. (The best subscription plan for this is the “2 credits per month” plan for $14.99 per credit.)

SEE ALSO: The best Kindle book deals live on Cyber Monday

The longer you’re a member, the more perks you’ll get. For instance, my BFF Status got me a BOTM tote bag, a free birthday book, and one Book of the Year finalist for free. Plus, the books themselves are much cheaper than the retail price. The BOTM app gives you access to the Virtual Book Tour, which includes bookish discussions and author chats.

With the holidays around the corner, a BOTM subscription would make a great gift for the reader in your life, especially with this Cyber Monday sale.

See also: Cyber Monday Book Deals

Fiction

Best non-fiction deals

Best YA deals

Best cookbook deals

Categories: IT General, Technology

The OpenWRT Team Just Released Their Own Router

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:39

OpenWRT, the open-source Wi-Fi router project, and the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) have unveiled a jointly developed router, the OpenWRT One. It's a router built from the ground up to use the custom OpenWRT firmware.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Spotify Wrapped 2024: When it comes out, how to view yours

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:33

Spotify users look forward to their Wrapped all year long. And for those who can hardly wait, don't fret: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is nearly here.

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Started in 2016, Spotify Wrapped is exactly what it sounds like: your year in Spotify, neatly wrapped up in a colorful — and uniquely shareable — interactive experience.

Spotify combs through your data and tells you your top artists, songs, albums, and more. For instance, you might find out you were in the Top 1 percent of Selena Gomez listeners. Spotify also creates a playlist of your Top 100 songs of the year.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2024 Tweet may have been deleted When will Spotify Wrapped be released in 2024?

The short answer: The exact date is a surprise. Spotify has never confirmed it, and let's face it — they probably never will. But we do know Spotify Wrapped will likely arrive quite soon.

It'll certainly come out the week after Thanksgiving. In 2023, it came out the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. So keep that in mind.

Tweet may have been deleted How to view your Spotify Wrapped

It's pretty simple to look at your Wrapped once it is released. All you have to do is open the app on your phone and click on the correct "Wrapped" icon. Typically speaking, it'll be a little button across a hard-to-miss banner. You can also go to the Wrapped section of the Spotify website.

And, of course, once you do view your Wrapped there's only one thing to do: share it with the internet, as has become obligatory.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Moana 2 directors reveal the meaning of the "never-ending chain"

Mashable - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:28

Moana has introduced many of us to the idea of the "never-ending chain." The directors of Moana 2 break it down for us and explain how that idea is explored in the hit Disney films.

Moana 2 is now in theaters.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Discord Finally Fixed a Big Issue on Linux

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/02/2024 - 16:28

The Discord app for Linux has finally received the long-requested feature to share in-game audio when using the screen-sharing feature in the app.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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