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As Microsoft continues giving everyone reasons to drop Windows in favor of a more reliable and open platform, there's no better time to explore what Linux has to offer. Here are a few good apps worth your time if you've got a Linux computer to play with this weekend.

The weekend is so close I can almost smell it—and that means it’s time for another roundup of Raspberry Pi projects to try out over the next few days. This weekend, I’m focusing on building out self-hosted media servers and controllers to help simplify audio listening and controlling.

It's official: Netflix is buying Warner Bros. in a sale worth a towering $82.7 billion.

Announced by Netflix on Friday, the two companies have reached a "definitive agreement" in which Netflix will acquire Warner Bros. and all its film and TV studios, including HBO and its streaming platform HBO Max. According to the SEC filing, the sale was "unanimously approved" by both Netflix and WBD's boards.

The sale's total equity value (what Netflix pays for WBD's shares) sits at $72 billion with an enterprise value (what Netflix pays for WBD plus debt) of $82.7 billion, with Netflix valuing WBD at $27.75 per share.

SEE ALSO: What does Netflix's purchase of Warner Bros. mean for theatrical releases?

Netflix landed the winning bid after WBD rejected three offers from Paramount Skydance, and a bid from Comcast to merge NBC Universal with Netflix. The landmark sale is expected to close after WBD's Global Networks division, Discovery Global (a separate company from WBD's Streaming and Studios, they were split in June 2025), becomes a new publicly-traded company in Q3 2026.

Next, Netflix and WBD need to have their filed agreement approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

"Our mission has always been to entertain the world," said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos in a press statement. "Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling." Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters added that the acquisition "will improve our offering and accelerate our business for decades to come."

"Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most,” said WBD CEO and president David Zaslav in a statement.

What does this mean for your streaming services?

Essentially, the Netflix/WBD deal means the same streamer that owns mega hits Stranger Things and KPop Demon Hunters will also own HBO's library, including the Game of Thrones and Harry Potter universes, as well as DC Comics and Warner Bros. Games. That's a lot of IP. The deal is the biggest streaming move for Warner Bros. Discovery since it merged HBO Max with Discovery+ in 2023.

In its release, Netflix said it "expects to maintain Warner Bros.' current operations and build on its strengths, including theatrical releases for films." Mashable's Belen Edwards examined what Netflix's purchase of Warner Bros. mean for theatrical releases.

As for your personal streaming habits, the company described the titles of HBO and HBO Max as "a compelling, complementary offering" for Netflix customers, which sounds like we'll probably be seeing bundles or merged content libraries up ahead.

"By adding the deep film and TV libraries and HBO and HBO Max programming, Netflix members will have even more high-quality titles from which to choose," the company said. "This also allows Netflix to optimize its plans for consumers, enhancing viewing options and expanding access to content."

Netflix also mentions the acquisition would allow the company to expand studio production capacity and increase investment in original content.So until the SEC approves the deal, nothing will change in either of your streaming services. For now.

The European Commission on Friday issued a landmark €120 million fine to Elon Musk-owned X for breaching transparency requirements of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The fine, the equivalent of about $140 million and the first issued under the European Union's DSA, is linked to the "deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers," the EU release states.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's X rolls out feature that shows users' country of origin – then suddenly removes it

The "blue checkmark" is front-and-center in the ruling, stating that the once-free, now-paid checkmark deceives users and violates the DSA requirement to prohibit deceptive design practices. The blue checkmark now makes it difficult to verify authentic accounts and makes it easier for users to be scammed, according to the ruling.

"While the DSA does not mandate user verification, it clearly prohibits online platforms from falsely claiming that users have been verified, when no such verification took place," the ruling states.

The ruling also cites a lack of transparency within X's ad repository, stating that it has limited information about the content of advertisements and who is paying for them, which makes it difficult for researchers and the public to scrutinize.

X also failed to provide researchers access to public data as required by DSA.

The ruling follows a nearly two-year investigation launched in December 2023 to determine whether X violated DSA requirements related to the spread of illegal content and the effectiveness of its efforts to combat misinformation, the release states.

"Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU," said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

X now has 60 business days to bring forward plans to address its use of blue checkmarks, 90 days to address EU concerns regarding its ad repository and public data access to researchers or face further fines, according to the ruling.

Tesla's cheapest Model 3 is now available in Europe.

The company started offering a stripped-down version of the model across its European markets on Friday, notifying its users via an in-app message.

SEE ALSO: Tesla just dropped a free 40-day FSD trial to 1.5 million car owners

The Model 3 Standard is "our most affordable vehicle," Tesla wrote in the message. "(It) gives you all the best Tesla features with a lower cost of ownership over time."

The price of the Model 3 Standard varies by market. In Germany, it starts at €37,970, while in France and Italy, it's a bit cheaper at €36,990.

While that's roughly €8,000 cheaper than the next trim (which is now called Premium), you do lose quite a lot in terms of features.

We've covered the details for both the Standard trims of Model Y and Model 3 on Mashable. In short, compared to Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Premium trim, you get lower range, slower acceleration, no additional display for passengers in the rear, no heated seats in the back, less fancy decorative elements, partially textile seats, and fewer colors on offer, among other reductions.

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Some good news: Unlike in the U.S., the Model 3 Standard keeps Basic Autopilot with Autosteer; and unlike the Model Y Standard, it keeps the Panoramic Glass Roof. There are other, subtle differences between trims in Europe compared to America. For example, in Europe both the Standard and the cheapest Premium trim have seven loudspeakers; in the U.S. the Premium variant gets two speakers more.

The new model comes amidst a painful slump in sales across most European markets for Tesla, likely because of CEO Elon Musk's politics, but also due to strong competition from China's BYD and other electric vehicle makers.

Another bit of good news that may entice users to choose Tesla, though, is the latest Consumer Reports' auto brand ranking, which puts Tesla in the 10th place for the first time, a big jump from the 18th place last year. On the other hand, Germany's TÜV association recently highlighted some of Tesla's models as the least reliable it ever tested.

It's been nearly 15 years since Bob's Burgers launched on Fox with a pilot called "Human Flesh." Since then, the charmingly chaotic cartoon has blossomed into 16 seasons, hitting its 300th episode this year. For Bob's Burgers creator Loren Bouchard, the show's continued success — which included The Bob's Burgers Movie spinoff — has been a joy and a responsibility.

In a virtual interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor (and Bob's Burgers fan since its start), Kristy Puchko, Bouchard joined Say More to talk about the show's evolution and the fandom that spurred it on. In this clip, he reminisces about the show's start, when the numbers weren't great, but the love from fans could not be ignored.

"What Bob's was was...maybe a bubble show," Bouchard said, "It wasn't a disaster, but it wasn't a ratings smash. I liked those days. And I'll say why. I don't like it from the point of view of just the sheer fear, you know, you make so many decisions a day, working on a show like this. And you don't want to have the fear that if you make the wrong decision, everyone loses their job. That's an uncomfortable amount of stakes, I would say. But it does make you sharper. I think it adds a little adrenaline."

He continued, explaining how every detail feels crucial in that headspace: "It's that emergency room vibe, where it might be the stupidest thing — we're in the AVID editing suite, and we're moving a fart two frames to the left or to the right. But you know what, at that moment, where that fart goes is like, feels life-threatening and life-saving."

In the longer form interview, which you can watch on YouTube, Bouchard also spoke about what drives him now that the fear of being cancelled is gone. It's the fans, especially those who were there from the start. He doesn't want to let us down.

In the clip above, he shared, "I will say something about you early fans: That was amazing for us to know that we were just starting out, but that we could still pack the room at Comic Con. It meant a lot to us. It meant a lot to the network and the studio too. They were witness to, not necessarily these, you know, boffo ratings, but incredible love."

He went on, "When it became clear that we had passionate fans, even though we weren't a ratings hit, I saw the network in the studio basically say something along the lines of, 'Don't worry. We'll try and keep you on the air. We want this. This is what we want when the fans react like this.'

"So thank you," Bouchard said, speaking to the fans, "Thank you to you, early fans. You helped, you know, make it possible for us to be here now."

For more on Bob's Burgers, including Bouchard's thoughts on Bob as a bicon and the development of fan favorite Marshmallow, check out the full interview on YouTube.

Bob's Burgers is now streaming on Hulu.

I spend most of my time in Windows, so I’m used to thinking about malware as a fact of life. You stay patched, you avoid sketchy downloads, and you accept that a bad attachment or sloppy update can ruin your day. macOS has always felt different to me. I only use it when work requires it or when I’m in my home studio recording, and in all the years I’ve owned a Mac, it has stayed blissfully untouched by anything resembling a virus.

Picture this: yet another Excel report lands in my inbox, and, once again, it's a nightmare of leading spaces, inconsistent spelling, and useless rows. Previously, I would spend hours fixing it manually. Now, however, I use Power Query to profile the mess, sanitize the text, clean up the structure, and remove all the needless clutter.

Spotify is back with its highly anticipated annual recap, Spotify Wrapped, which rounds up your top songs and albums, favorite artists, listening time, and more interesting music insights for 2025.

After launching Gemini 3 in late November, Google is rolling out its latest Deep Think mode to AI Ultra subscribers.

Now available in the Gemini app for anyone shelling out $250 a month for the pro plan, Gemini 3 Deep Think is the supercharged mode of Google's latest large language model (LLM), designed to tackle more complex problems. According to the company, it "uses advanced parallel reasoning to explore multiple hypotheses simultaneously."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI in “code red” after losing 6% of its users in a week due to Gemini 3, report says

The latest update after Gemini 2.5, Gemini 3 Deep Think has a few bragging rights, as Google says it scored 41 percent on the extremely difficult LLM benchmark, Humanity’s Last Exam.

If you're paying for AI Ultra, you can try Gemini 3 Deep Think in the Gemini app by hitting the prompt bar and selecting the dropdown option.

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Demand is high for Google's AI tools of late, despite the company joining competitors like Anthropic and OpenAI in taking home an average AI safety report card this week. The rollout comes days after Google had to cap access to its next gen image generator, Nano Banana, temporarily dropping the number of free image prompts from three to two (this didn't affect Google AI Pro or AI Ultra plan subscribers). Google says its Gemini app is used by 650 million users every month, and with the arrival of Gemini 3, rival OpenAI reportedly lost 6 percent of its users in a week.

I've never been a fan of Christmas lights, but I do love Matter, and that's the only reason I had any interest in the Govee Christmas Sparkle String Lights. But it's the fun I had with this product that makes it a welcome addition to this year's tree.

The deadline to extend Obamacare subsidies is approaching, with millions of Americans at risk of having their insurance premiums increase dramatically if no plan is agreed upon. And on Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel took President Donald Trump to task on it.

"How long has Trump been claiming to have a plan for healthcare?" asks the late night show host in the clip above. "If you had an employee, or like a contractor at your house, who told you he was working on a project – something important like your roof – and he told you during interview before you hired him, he's like 'I have a plan for this roof, it's going to be a great plan, it's gonna be an excellent roof.' So you hire him, and some time goes by and you're like, 'Hey, where's the plan for the roof?' And he's like, 'It's almost ready.' And then a year later you still don't have a roof, and you're like, 'Hey, what's up with the roof?' He's like, 'It's coming, soon.' And that went on for four years until eventually you fire him, you give someone else the job, and then four years later he comes back, he's like, 'That roof you have is terrible, I could build you a much better roof.' And again, you fall for it! [...] This is exactly what Trump has been doing with healthcare."

Cue a montage of Trump clips from the past decade, with the president repeatedly promising a plan for health care.

"He's been saying this since 2015," says Kimmel. "At what point are we the idiots?"

There are a couple of eye-opening revelations in Pluribus episode 6 — and while one of them's somewhat disturbing, the other may give Carol (Rhea Seehorn) a cause for hope.

So, what exactly do we learn about the virus and how it can be transmitted? We've recapped everything below.

SEE ALSO: I have a 'Pluribus' question: What's going on with the animals? What do we learn about the virus in episode 6?

Episode 6 sees Carol travelling to Las Vegas to meet with Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte), one of the other few remaining people on Earth that hasn't contracted the virus. Carol travels with the purpose of telling Mr. Diabaté about the milk and what's contained within it, only to find out — via an entertaining John Cena cameo — that he already knows.

It's only as Carol is about to storm off that Mr. Diabaté reveals some new information he's learned about the virus' transmission:

Mr. Diabaté: "They cannot turn us. Not without our consent."

Carol: "What do you mean?"

D: "It seems the only way to make their virus work on us is by tailoring it to our individual stem cells. But to obtain those stem cells, they must first collect them from our bodies."

C: "Um... What? What?"

D: "Apparently that involves sticking a large needle into the bone of the hip. Somewhat painful, and very invasive. Something they cannot do without our permission."

C: "When did you find this out?"

D: "They made this discovery only yesterday."

Carol confirms this with the Joined, who, as we learned in episode 4, are unable to lie. Then she contacts them to explicitly refuse consent.

What does it mean for Carol?

As we can see from Carol's reaction, the news clearly comes as a massive relief. Carol's main fear so far has been that the Joined would turn her into one of them, which they'd given her every indication they planned to do. But now that they can't, Carol is off the hook, right?

Well, maybe. But it's worth noting that Mr. Diabaté also tells Carol that the Joined aren't happy with what they've discovered. We also know that one of their main drivers, alongside survival, is to spread their virus to everyone who doesn't yet have it. The Joined have all of the top minds in the world under their control, so it seems inevitable that while they don't yet have a way to transmit the virus without requiring consent, they'll probably continue looking for one.

Carol may have a short reprieve, but we'd be surprised if she's out of the woods just yet.

Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love game night.

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.

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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: NYT Pips hints, answers for December 5, 2025 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: Complicated

• Green: Circumstances

• Blue: Game night

• Purple: Chatting

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Tricky

• Green: State of affairs

• Blue: Classic board games

• Purple: ___ Talk

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 #908 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Tricky: COMPLEX, DELICATE, STICKY, TOUGH

• State of affairs: DEAL, SITUATION, STATUS, STORY

• Classic board games: MASTERMIND, MOUSE TRAP, OPERATION, SORRY

• ___ Talk: BABY, PILLOW, SMALL, SWEET

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 5, 2025

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

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a foodie.

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 December 5, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 5, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Feeling peckish?

The words are related to eating.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe dining establishments.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Dining Out.

NYT Strands word list for December 5

• Steakhouse

• Buffet

• Cafe

• Dining Out

• Bakery

• Bistro

• Brewery

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.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always in the mix.

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 December 5, 2025 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 December 5, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Amidst.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.

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...

AMONG

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 5, 2025

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

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.

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 5, 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 5, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed horizontally.

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

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

Not equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 0-2, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed horizontally.

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

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Dec. 5 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this red space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

Not equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically.

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

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

Number (24): Everything in this space must add to 24. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically, 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.

Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be less than 5. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically.

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

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable Expect greater ANC and sound from the AirPods Pro 3

Apple made noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro 3 stronger than their predecessor, and it shows. Most noises across the frequency spectrum are barely noticeable. Very few high-frequency noises (e.g., siren, whistle) will catch you off guard. Transparency Mode is stellar and gives ambient noise a natural presence. Enabling any of the new Hearing Health modes will transform the buds into hearing aids. Conversation Mode boosts vocal capture to engage in loud, clear-sounding chats. Adaptive Audio combines the two ANC modes, so you can get the best of both worlds while enjoying lively sound. Speaking of which, audio quality on the AirPods Pro 3 is awesome. Bass and clarity are amplified, plus the adaptive EQ fine-tunes sound to your environment. Personalized Spatial Audio is ideal for immersive listening; bass receives more oomph on Dolby Atmos tracks. 

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The Powerbeats Pro 2 have their own sonic strengths. Bass remains impactful and vibrant. Frequencies are better balanced this time around to create a pleasant mix of lows, mids, and highs. Spatial Audio with headtracking works better on the Powerbeats Pro 2 than the Fit Pro. However, ANC is a major downgrade. We heard endless noise when exercising indoors and outdoors. Mid- and high-frequency sounds were distracting at times. Thankfully, Transparency mode was reliable for increasing situational awareness. 

Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3

Read our full review of the AirPods Pro 3.

The sportier and longer-lasting buds are the Powerbeats Pro 2

Despite their lackluster IP rating (IPX4 sweat and water resistance), the Powerbeats Pro 2 are built to survive heavy-duty workouts. Hard plastic protects the entire product. You’ll feel at ease if the buds or case accidentally fall on hard surfaces. Beats’ earhook design keeps the buds latched on. My only complaint on the fitness end is the unreliable heart rate monitoring. Up to 10 hours of battery life per charge means more workouts in between recharges. The wireless charging case also holds an additional 45 hours when fully charged. If the buds are about to die, employ USB-C charging to generate 1.5 hours of use in 5 minutes. 

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The AirPods Pro 3 were designed with fitness in mind. I used the AirPods Pro 3 for my workouts and got mostly accurate readings from the HRM. It’s nice having the bump in battery life (up to 8 hours with ANC on), though the loss in additional charges from the charging case is a bummer (down from 30 hours to 24 hours). These buds share the same quick charging time as the Powerbeats Pro 2. The longer sound port occupies the concha and keeps each bud stable, but it also causes some discomfort after several hours of wear. Apple’s silicone tips still form a tight fit. IP57 dust-, sweat-, and water-resistance protect both the buds and the charging case. Now comes the real bad news: you must guard the AirPods Pro 3 with your life because they are poorly constructed. A 0/10 repairability score from iFixit says it all. The materials are fragile, and if something breaks on the inside, you’ll risk tearing ribbon cables when attempting to remove components.

Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Read our full review of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. 

Notable trade-offs Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

It’s no surprise that the AirPods Pro 3 deliver the truer Apple experience. That’s fantastic news for anyone with an iDevice (iPhone/iPad) or Mac. Android users receive very little functionality. All previously mentioned listening modes are restricted to Apple’s ecosystem. The same goes for standard features tied to the H2 processor: audio sharing, auto switch, and “Hey Siri,” to name a few. Apple doesn’t even let you enable Google Assistant.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are more platform-neutral, thanks to a proprietary chip that was developed for optimization with Apple’s and Google’s operating systems. You gain access to most H2 benefits and Android features like one-tap Fast Pair and Find My Device. HRM is even available on Android via the Beats app or third-party fitness apps. These buds also have Bluetooth multipoint to pair them with two devices simultaneously, no matter the platforms. It’s just unfortunate that Apple’s primary listening modes remain exclusive to current AirPods models.

Winner: AirPods Pro 3

Scientists now have proof that Mars' dusty storms can generate mini lightning, putting to rest decades of speculation.

The discovery came from a microphone aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, a lab on six wheels exploring the Jezero Crater region. While it was listening to Martian winds spinning and spitting dust, it also picked up something no one had heard there before: crackles and pops that turned out to be small electrical shocks within dust devils and storm fronts. 

Of course, everything on Mars has to be different from Earth — not even the thunder can sound like thunder. Instead, these tiny bits of lightning give off sounds more like those that people associate with static electricity — the shuffling-of-your-socked-feet-and-touching-a-doorknob variety.

Over two Martian years, researchers identified 55 brief discharges — usually when dust devils passed close by or when the leading edges of dust storms rolled over the rover. Now people can listen to the Martian lightning themselves. NASA released a recording, featured in the YouTube video below, this week. 

"We got some good ones where you can clearly hear the 'snap' sound of the spark," said Ralph Lorenz, a Perseverance scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, in a statement. 

SEE ALSO: NASA's asteroid sample just revealed new clues to life's origins

Scientists have long studied dust devils churning up Martian dirt. About 13 years ago, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught sight of an extraordinary one with a column stretching 12 miles into the sky.

Dust devils on Mars form similarly to those on Earth, despite the fact that Mars' atmosphere is much thinner. They tend to happen on dry days when the ground gets hotter than the surrounding area. Typically smaller than tornadoes, dust devils are whirlwinds that make a funnel-like chimney, channeling hot air up and around. The rotating wind accelerates similar to the way spinning ice skaters move faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies.

About 13 years ago, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught sight of an extraordinary one with a column stretching 12 miles into the sky. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / UA

As wind-blown grains bang into each other, they swap tiny electric charges. Over time, those charges build strong electric fields that can lead to sparks or even lightning, especially inside volcanic ash clouds. The Red Planet is covered in fine dust and constantly experiences dust devils and massive storms, so scientists have expected similar charging there. 

"On Mars, the thin atmosphere makes the phenomenon far more likely," said Baptiste Chide, a Perseverance scientist at L’Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie in France, in a statement, "as the amount of charge required to generate sparks is much lower than what is required in Earth’s near-surface atmosphere."

Lab experiments and computer models predicted this. That raised the possibility that even modest charging could produce flashes.

Scientists have documented lightning on Jupiter and Saturn, and they suspected for decades that Mars has lightning, too. But no one had ever observed it directly — that is, until now.

Though Perseverance hasn't caught one of these little lightning events on camera, its hot mic has picked up their pops just as dust clouds have swept past. In addition to the audio, the instrument made electromagnetic recordings.

Scientists noticed that the sparks occurred when dust lifted and collided, not simply when it hung in the air. It is the motion and friction of grains, not just having dusty skies, that drive the electricity, they said. Their findings now appear in the journal Nature. 

Although the rover encountered only two strong dust devils during this period, both produced detectable sparks. That means countless other whirlwinds across the planet are likely doing the same thing. Even more significant are the thousands of dust storms that form each year. Scientists suspect those turbulent, miles-long storm fronts produce far more electricity than isolated dust devils.

Electrical discharges from Martian lightning may change the chemistry of the planet's surface. They can create compounds like hydrogen peroxide, chlorine gases, and perchlorates that destroy organic matter. These reactions may help explain why scientists struggle to find well-preserved traces of ancient life at the surface.

Understanding this phenomenon is important to keep spacecraft and future astronauts safe on the Red Planet, according to NASA. Fortunately, decades of rover missions have not experienced any serious electrical damage. Still, the research team notes that the Soviet Mars 3 lander, which stopped transmitting only seconds after landing during a dust storm in 1971, might have fallen victim to a spark-related malfunction.

Generally speaking, the Red Planet is a quiet place, largely due to Mars' low-atmospheric pressure. In fact, it can fall so silent, there was a time the Perseverance team believed the rovers' mics might be broken.

First came Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was fine. Then there was M3GAN 2.0, which was a flop. Now we have Five Nights at Freddy's 2, a sequel that has all the energy of a dead battery. Behold the steady downward spiral of robo-horror sequels

In each of these franchises, the first film was about a killer robot who, despite being an antagonist, was compelling enough that audiences wanted more. So, Hollywood brings them back for a sequel. But this time, the bad robot has a heart of gold and only wants to protect a child. From what? Oh, a more advanced and even more evil version of the robo-killer that started it all. 

Look, that premise should be fun. In T2, it is because co-writer and director James Cameron kept Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator stiff and macho, then introduced a wiry robo-cop with shape-shifting abilities to bring fresh terror. In M3GAN 2.0, Blumhouse fumbled their new icon of horror by trying to make her a sassy superhero, killing the subversive vibe and losing their audience. With Five Nights at Freddy's 2, screenwriter Scott Cawthon and director Emma Tammi (who collaborated on 2023's Five Nights at Freddy's) follow this pattern to introduce flashy new versions of Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, and Chica, without abandoning the dinged-up but beloved originals. 

This does make for some fun third-act robot versus robot violence. But mostly this movie is about the living humans who bop around this franchise, clueless and always near death. And that's far more frustrating than entertaining. 

What's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 about?  Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, and Josh Hutcherson look scared in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

Thankfully, this sequel moves away from the tedious story of Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) and his guilt over his long-lost little brother. This time, his role is relegated to sidekick while his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio) recklessly seeks to reconnect with her ghostly pals, and his sort-of girlfriend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) grapples with the skeletons in her closet that weren't shaken free last time around.

You see, the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location at the center of the first film was a franchise, and the original location has its own secrets. Ahead of its time, this possessed pizza place has WiFi-equipped devices, which means its animatronics toys can operate remotely through one seriously vengeful spirit — and leave the restaurant.

In a flashback to 1982, poor Charlotte, draped in black and white stripes with a moody haircut, was just a kid when she was slaughtered before an audience of neglectful parents. (The '80s were a wild time.) So, naturally, this baby emo's soul clung to her favorite animatronic at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a black-and-white figure called Marionette. 

This haunted animatronic resembles a cross between Slenderman and the Insane Clown Posse, filtered through the kiddie-friendly lens of Tim Burton. Which is hilariously creepy for a kid's attraction, but also very true to the '80s, when Cabbage Patch Kids and Chuck E. Cheese were omnipresent. On a mission to wreak havoc on the town that let her die, Charlotte/Marionette sends forth her own fleet of Freddy and friends bots. And it's up to Vanessa and Mike to save the day, along with Abby, who is still bizarrely trusting of creepy androids. But this time, they'll get some third-act help from some familiar (and fuzzy) faces. 

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is tame, even for PG-13. Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie stand ominously in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

It's a PG-13 horror franchise. I get that. But for all its horror potential, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 goes very, very soft. M3GAN was PG-13, and it featured a body count, as well as slaughter scenes that left audiences gasping and howling with laughter. Gremlins was PG and offered nerve-rattling tension and a climax so gross it gave a generation of kids nightmares. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has off-screen violence, a handful of jump scares, and the same repeated gag of the Marionette scuttling toward the screen. 

Perhaps this is enough to please kids. But frankly, they deserve better. This summer the PG-rated Sketch proved a movie for kids can offer scary monsters and a story with a powerful message about big emotions and family. Nights at Freddy's 2 is just a rambling tumble of scenes that too often feel like filler or absolutely nonsensical. 

Some of it is horror cliché stuff, like someone hears or sees something spooky and reacts with the speed of a tortoise. You've fallen into a weird canal and hear plunking as if something has come in after you? Better stand still and swish around your flashlight instead of getting out of the water, right? Such tropes might be forgiven for being part of the genre expectation. We need to the inept randos to die and show the consequences our heroes face. The off-screen violence that results from these kill scenes — issuing bubbling blood but no image of actual injury — could likewise be excused because this is certainly for a younger audience. But how do you explain how Mike and Vanessa, who have been in this situation before, are still so comically bad at tackling any kind of robotic conflict? 

In one scene, Vanessa clearly lays out how Charlotte can be stopped. And oh hey, wouldn't you know Mike has the exact thing they need to stop her! But we won't talk about this again for another 40 minutes, for no apparent reason. The dialogue is similarly confounding. Vanessa and Mike — in the least interesting will-they-won't-they romance ever put to screen — have conversations as if they are in different rooms. It's not just that they're on the same page. It's as if they're reading off AI prompts from totally different plots. Such scenes made my brain wince.

This only gets more confounding as other supporting players pop up with little motive, like a creepy security guard with a broad smile, a mournful father (Skeet Ulrich in an all-too-brief appearance), and a dead father (Matthew Lillard, terrifyingly intimidating). They exposition dump or menace, then banish us back to a plotline full of tangles and holes instead of scares and fun. 

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 could have hit harder by leaning into its critique of grown-ups.  Matthew Lillard is still scary in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." Credit: Ryan Green / Universal Pictures

A recurring element of great horror movies is when a kid knows in their bones something is deadly wrong, but the grown-ups around them shrug them off (often to their own peril). The people who are supposed to protect you have left you susceptible to supernatural threat! Now what?! Such a setup reflects a frustration of being a kid and not being heard. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 treads into this trope in the first act, as Charlotte (still alive) desperately tries to get the parents at the pizza palace to see the danger in plain sight. When they don't, she winds up dead, and rightfully wrathful about it. 

As the Marionette, she is solidly spooky. And her gripe with the living is valid. So, Five Nights at Freddy's gets off to a promising start.

Plus, the parents in this opening are comically dismissive of this fretful child, which seems to set up a cartoony tone that could suit the film well. Rather than aspiring to a grounded attitude, Cawthon's script could have embraced the tightly strung energy of the young girls at the film's center. But no. We're back with blah Mike and tragic yet still boring Vanessa.

The only grown-up who keeps up this viciously dismissive energy is Wayne Knight as Mr. Berg, a science teacher who hates Abby for no apparent reason. His scenes are actually pretty funny. Knight commits to the cartoonish villainy of this terrible teacher, and in him, the film actually begins to have some spark and outrageousness. If Tammi had encouraged others in the cast to achieve this level of intensity, the film might have been more enjoyable. But like the first one, this sequel has just a deadly amount of talking, with too little scares, jokes, or surprises. 

But hey, I thought that about the first film too. And it went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. So, perhaps if you liked the first Five Nights at Freddy's, this sluggish sequel will thrill you far more than it did me.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters Friday.