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Jon Stewart reveals his worst ever Daily Show interview guest

The Daily Show hosts sometimes take audience questions between segments, and Jon Stewart was posed a great one by a recent attendee: Who's his least favourite interview guest?The answer? Donald Rumsfeld, who was U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Iraq war. In the clip above, Stewart says he concocted a trap for Rumsfeld that he thought would allow him to "win the interview", but then got so focused on it that he missed something he felt undermined his argument."I did not, to my feeling, have a satisfying encounter with him. And it tortured me. Like literally, couldn't sleep," says Stewart. "I lost more sleep over that interview than he lost over the entire war."Want more film and TV news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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The Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising Booster Display Box hits record-low price at Amazon — save $90

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Display Box is on sale for $189.94 at Amazon, down from its $279.99 list price. Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Box $189.94 at Amazon $279.99 Save $90.05   Get Deal The Chaos Rising expansion in the Pokémon TCG has been steadily dropping in price, and Amazon’s latest offer on the 36-pack Booster Display Box has finally seen it drop below the $190 mark. As of Aug. 14, the Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising Booster Display Box is now priced at $189.94 on Amazon, after having $90.05 taken off its $279.99 list price for a 32% discount. That’s not only a whole $40.01 below the $229.95 Amazon price we spotted over Prime Day in June, but also the lowest we’ve ever seen at the retailer, confirmed via price tracker camelcamelcamel. With 36 Chaos Rising booster packs of trading cards inside, the $189.94 price works out to roughly $5.28 per pack. Compared to the $8.49 price you pay to buy single Chaos Rising packs, this means you’re also saving $3.21 per pack.  Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up! TCGplayer is technically still a touch cheaper, with English Booster Box listings starting from $184.99 with shipping included — almost $4 less than its estimated market price of $188.55. Chaos Rising itself contains more than 120 cards, with over 35 Pokémon and Trainer cards featuring special illustrations — with SIR Mega Greninja ex, MHR Mega Greninja ex, and SIR Cinccino ex among the most valuable chase cards worth up to $212 each. You can buy any of these cards individually on TCGplayer. Speaking of Greninja, you can still buy the Mega Greninja ex Premium Collection for around $60 after an Amazon price drop. Plus, the Pokémon TCG’s Perfect Order Booster Bundle is now only $49.99 after a $10 price cut. 

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One $130 payment unlocks 4,000+ documentaries for life

TL;DR: Pay $129.97 once for a lifetime MagellanTV subscription with 4,000+ ad-free documentaries and new content added weekly. Opens in a new window Credit: MagellanTV MagellanTV Documentary Streaming Service: Lifetime Subscription $129.97 $999 Save $869.03   Get Deal Some nights call for another sitcom rerun. Others call for black holes, ancient civilizations, unsolved crimes, or the rise and fall of an empire. MagellanTV makes those deeper dives easy — and its lifetime subscription is currently just $129.97 instead of $999 through Aug. 23.The documentary-focused streaming platform features more than 4,000 movies and series from filmmakers around the world. Its library spans space, science and technology, true crime, ancient history, war and military, nature, biography, travel, art, culture, social issues, and plenty more. Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up! Rather than scrolling through a general entertainment service hoping to uncover something substantial, viewers get curated collections devoted to real stories, discoveries, people, and events. Exclusive playlists make it easier to explore a subject in depth, while new documentaries added weekly keep the selection fresh.Everything streams without advertising interruptions. Where available, documentaries include 4K quality at no additional charge, giving sweeping nature footage and ambitious historical productions the presentation they deserve.MagellanTV works across TVs, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices, so viewers can start a series on the sofa and continue it elsewhere. Programs can also be cast from a mobile device to Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, or a compatible smart TV.Instead of adding another recurring charge to the monthly budget, smart viewers can make one payment and receive lifetime access.For documentary fans who regularly have to work hard to find thoughtful, well-produced stories, this is a win.Get lifetime access to MagellanTV for just $129.97 instead of $999 while you can.StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Get 2TB of lifetime cloud storage for a one-time $200 payment

TL;DR: Pay $199.97 once for lifetime access to 2TB of FileLu cloud storage (reg. $600). Opens in a new window Credit: FileLu FileLu Cloud Storage Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (2TB) $199.97 $600 Save $400.03   Get Deal Cloud storage is useful, essential even. Paying for the same space every month is less appealing. FileLu offers another approach. Pay $199.97 just once and get lifetime access to its 2TB Premium Plan.That makes this limited-time offer a practical choice for anyone ready to replace a recurring storage bill with one upfront purchase. The plan provides room for work documents, family photos, videos, creative projects, device backups, and more, with no limit on the number of files or folders you can store.FileLu also gives experienced users plenty of ways to move data. In addition to web and mobile uploads, it supports FTP, FTPS, WebDAV, Rclone, URL uploads, a command-line interface, API access, and S3-compatible object storage. The FileLuSync app can schedule automatic folder backups from a computer or server, making the service useful for both everyday storage and longer-term protection.Security features include SSL-protected transfers and encrypted storage. For more private material, Secure-SoloCypher Encryption lets users control the decryption key, while multiple folders can be protected with end-to-end encryption.The plan works across desktop, web, Android, and iOS, so files remain within reach across devices. Global CDN support helps uploads and downloads move quickly, and FileLu places no speed or individual file-size limits on Premium accounts.Families and teams can create shared spaces, collect files from others through FileDrop, share direct links, and allow comments on folders. Bulk folder downloads, multiple simultaneous downloads, email attachment backup, and ad-free links round out the package.For buyers who know they will need cloud storage for years, paying once is a confident way to simplify the budget.Don’t miss lifetime access to 2TB of FileLu Premium for a one-time $199.97 (reg. $600) for a limited time.StackSocial prices subject to change.

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The End of Oak Street ending explainer: Wait, what? How? When?

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The Wrong Girls director Dylan Meyer on giant squids, casting cats, and Kristen Stewarts secret side

Dylan Meyer has been building her career as a screenwriter with spirited movies like XOXO and Moxie. Now, she makes her directorial debut with The Wrong Girls, a stoner comedy that co-stars her wife, Kristen Stewart, and Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat. SEE ALSO: 'The Wrong Girls' review: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat shine in stoner buddy comedy The pair play "nimrod" besties Frankie and Molly, who are bumbling around Los Angeles while high on psychedelic drugs made from giant squid fluids. This deep-sea dose has given them the ability to speak telepathically to each other and to their two cats, Dio and GG, voiced by Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani. To celebrate the film's release, Meyer sat down for a virtual interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko. Together, they dug into the personal origins of The Wrong Girls, as well as inspiration points like The Blue Planet, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, and Empire Records. Plus, they got into casting cats and how Meyer's collaboration with Stewart reveals a new — and more true to life — side to the critically heralded performerMashable: Congratulations on the movie. It's very, very fun. I know it came from a personal space for you. Can you tell me a little bit about the origins of The Wrong Girls?Dylan Meyer: Yeah, I lived with my best friend Maggie McLean, who's now my producing partner, for five years. But it was definitely like the happiest and most, like, safe five years of my whole life. It was the first time I ever really felt like I had a home. Our little life together was very dysfunctional and very broke and very chaotic, but I really thought it was so sweet and funny in its own way. Like, the things that happened to us were deserving of the same kind of care and treatment that I see a lot of men's movies about their friendships get. I realized that there weren't movies like that really for women.  Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat star in "The Wrong Girls." Credit: NEON Like, when I was scraping my mind at the time, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion was almost the only girl-buddy movie that I could think of that was that straightforward. And we were such nimrods. I remember thinking, like, "God, I'm also an idiot." We could have our own movie, and, like, why isn't there one? You know, like, why isn't there a great Dumb and Dumber that's about girls? Girls are also Dumb and Dumber.That's something I love about The Wrong Girls. It's a movie where women get to be dumb, and that's part of the joy and the freedom of it. I think like in Romy and Michele, like in Dumb and Dumber, there's a sense of defiance in it, like: These are the rules of being an adult. But what if I say no?I agree. There are so many more ways to cut this cake than we've been led to believe. This is a 14-year journey to make this movie. I wrote the original draft of this in 2012, when we still lived together, and you know, it's really grown with me over the years. But like, I remember the [COVID] pandemic happening and me thinking, "Oh God, like, how will we ever tell stories normally again?" And then I was like, "Well, the one story I'm not really worried about is The Wrong Girls, because they probably barely even noticed there was a pandemic. They were just getting high in their house, as they were already before then." You know? It's a very good point. Speaking to that, how did psychedelics derived from deep-sea creatures come into play?I've been obsessed with giant squids since I saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I was five. Like, I think that giant squids have occupied a cosmic question mark in my brain. This idea that we've never really seen one, but they're massive, and they're down there? It's just this thing about how we know more about outer space than we know about the bottom of the ocean floor. Like, I'm really convinced that it's a psychedelic place down there, like, in the truest sense of mystery, imagination, possibility, freak-show stuff. It's all going down down there. We know it. Like, if you spend time watching Blue Planet or any other like deep-sea explorative programming, you will see that there is freaky stuff going on down there. So, it felt like a really natural fit to me that, like, if there's something mysterious and inexplicable and cosmic that we might be able to distill its origin point, [it's] that. Also, this is such a California movie, so the ocean being a part of it is, like, a key ingredient. So, it sort of all factors in. This is such a freak-flag movie for the two girls, and so I think the giant squids are, like, the natural other freak-flag contender. I've spent so much time watching Blue Planet and just sort of, like, truly immersing [myself] in what kind of chaos is going on under the sea, and I think it's bottomlessly inspirational. Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat star in "The Wrong Girls." Credit: NEON Are you the kind of person who's like, "I'm good watching it on the screen," or if you had the chance to go into a submersible and check those depths out, would you be the Steve Zissou?This is a big question. No, I don't think I'm a submersible guy. My knee-jerk reaction is like, no, probably not. I mean, I am obsessed with sharks and terrified of sharks. Like, I would put sharks at the top of my fear and love list. So, I think that the ocean is kind of a complicated place for me. I don't think submersibles are for me. And I'm not even particularly claustrophobic in my life, but I do think that's not natural. I don't think we're supposed to go down there like that.I do want to talk about the other key animals in this movie: the cats. Tell me about writing for cats.So, obviously, I'm a cat guy. I currently have two. And when Maggie and I lived together, there was always some random cat living with us that didn't belong to us. Like just a cycle of never-ending —Squatter cats?Yeah. I've had a lot of different cats over the years. Not all of them are your soulmate. Some of them are terrible roommates. [In writing for Dio and GG,] I was looking for the perfect foil for people who, like, can't get it together. And cats are that. Cats have it absolutely together. Nothing has it more together than they do in certain ways. We all know cats are judgmental, but, like, these guys [Frankie and Molly] specifically are so dysfunctional that I wanted the cat voices to really be almost stand-ins for the rest of the world, filtered through the really limited experience they have. I also wanted to write cats that have just been absorbing everything all the time. So they're familiar with pop culture. I wrote them as just shitty roommates, judgmental shitty roommates, and then as we, like, filmed it and went back with Seth and Kumail [for additional dialogue recording sessions), then I was sort of working with like, "Okay, what is the thing that most complements like this expression [on the cat's face]?" And it was something that was able to evolve over the course of making the whole movie and wasn't like one static thing. "The character was already very close to Kristen, which is sort of like a dirtbaggy skater punk type from the suburbs of Los Angeles that smokes a lot of weed. That's like Kristen in life and Kristen in art." Tell me about casting both the physical cats and the human voices of them.I looked through a lot of different cats that were available, which was a very challenging decision for me. It felt like the biggest decision I was ever going to make, in some ways. And I wanted cats that their physicality brought me a comedic experience, even if, like, they were refusing to perform comedically. Like, I was sort of hedging my bets on, "Okay, cats are not actors. We know this. What can I sort of get that will buffer the experience of looking at them and bring me comedic joy every time I look at them?" So I chose their faces for these exact reasons. I have never had a purebred cat, and I think those might be purebred cats. There's two per cat. They come in pairs. But I guess my feeling is that all kinds of cats wind up in shelters, and you don't know why they're there. Like my cat now, Cozy, he looks like he could have been designed in a lab in Korea. But he's just from the streets of Van Nuys, you know? He's just a Valley boy. I got his DNA tested, 82% American domestic cat. So, these cats, I chose them because they looked so funny, and especially that brown one's little wall-eyed thing. I burst into hysterics every time I even see him do anything. Then, Seth is a producer on the movie. And again, sort of in the shitty roommate category, Seth's voice to me just brings up like some dude you live with [who's] kind of a judgmental bro.Kumail I targeted as a cat fan. This whole movie was really brought together as, like, a labor of love by the people that made it. We were not, like, dangling fat paychecks in front of anyone. [The pitch to Kumail was basically,]  "Do you really like cats, and would [you] like to be a cat?"One of them was more frightened, and one of them was sassier. Kumail was just this frightened cat guy; it just made me laugh so hard. Kumail actually lost his cat of, like, 15 years during the process of making this movie. And I was having to ask him for voice notes as we were temping in, like trying out new dialogue along the way. And we only got to bring them in for official recording so many times, and I remember feeling like really worried about poking — The bruise?Yeah, I was like, "Does it make you feel better to be a cat now, or does it make it worse?" He can always say no if he doesn't want to, but he's such an incredible team player. And everyone was so good to me in that way, so yeah, those are the cats.Incredible. Then, you've got two incredible leading ladies. For Kristen in particular, she's a heralded actress. But she's not necessarily known for comedy, and I really enjoyed The Wrong Girls because it felt like watching her let go in a way I haven't seen in the other comedic work. So I'm curious for you, how did it come about that you were like, Kristen's the right pick for this?I actually wanted Kristen to be in this movie long before we were ever together. We met a very long time ago. And when I met her, who she actually is in life is quite close to this character [Frankie]. It's not who we're used to seeing her perform in role[s]. But Kristen is from the Valley, and she's actually really funny. Like in my life with her, I have experienced her own comedic timing enough to know that I'm like, "This is a missed opportunity in terms of this performer." And comedy is very vulnerable in a different way than what I think she's been used to doing. All of the comedy is an extension of the regular performances. So the character was already very close to Kristen, which is sort of like a dirtbaggy skater punk type from the suburbs of Los Angeles that smokes a lot of weed. That's, like, Kristen in life and Kristen in art. And then to me, in the next era of whatever movies are, you should just hire a really good actor because a really good actor is a good actor. And I knew she's funny because I live with her and she makes me laugh all the time. But she's a really brilliant performer and just not given the right set of circumstances to really showcase that [sense of humor]. So, I think the part being right allowed her to showcase some other stuff that people don't see from her as often.I love that, and I love the final dance number. You mentioned Romy and Michele, and The Wrong Girls' climax did remind me of the "Time After Time" number or like Barb and Star, where you have this like musical moment amid the comedy. But I also enjoy that your approach to it is a little more grounded, I think because it doesn't create a gloss for these girls. Can you tell me a little bit about how you approached that final dance number?There's a couple of components. Like, one thing is that I really wanted it to be... It's not a musical number in that, like, a song descends from nowhere. It is very much playing internally in their shared brain. I thought that was such a funny use of that kind of set piece that we've seen in other capacities. But, it was really paying off the premise of the telepathy, which is the wish fulfillment of having it with your best friend; you could effectively share earbuds or whatever and listen to a song that no one else can hear. Like [you can] have an experience that no one else is a part of, that's so private and so shared. So, narratively, it really was the final extension of everything else we'd been working on in the film. And then there's this question of like, "Can you suddenly know a choreographed dance number, or are you still, like, yourself?" And I think in asking myself that, I was like, "It would leave the reality of this movie for these girls to suddenly become incredible dancers that, like, have a routine. So, it needs to be more like in the spirit of you're eight, and you're making up a dance with your best friend."  LaKeith Stanfield and Kate McKinnon co-star in "The Wrong Girls." Credit: NEON There's just enough coordination between the two of them that they feel like they're in the same space, but also that no one is magically a professional dancer. It's born from just, like, the freedom of self-expression and the joy of self-expression, which is what it should be coming from. And as I said, this is such a freak-flag movie. So, to me, it was like the culmination of joy, connection, and private moments. And Céline [Dion], who's, you know, obviously the patron saint of feelings, as far as I'm concerned, a big operatic feeling...And patron saint of also dancing to the beat of your own drum —  Yes, like, dude, that is a freak-flag lady. You know what I mean? She is like on her own vibe, absolutely in the same way. And I think it was important to use Céline for me, because I wanted someone who felt a little like underrated in the way that the girls feel underrated. Céline Dion in the scope of the universe, not underrated. But by like arty punk guys [that Frankie and Molly are around] —Céline is not considered cool. Right. Underrated, not cool. This movie's got a lot of earnestness. And so her being the patriot saint of feelings, and like allowing the girls to have this just true joy finale that's totally private and shared, and then you get this like fun comedic button with it being witnessed by people, who cannot hear that song — it felt like the exact right ending. But that dance sequence didn't become a part of this movie until maybe a year before we actually made it. I was driving around in Albuquerque, listening to the radio when Love Lies Bleeding was happening. And suddenly, like, I think Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" came on. And I was like, "Oh, the movie wants it. Absolutely. What am I doing? Like, it needs this. It needs this, like, big feeling." Empire Records is such an influence on this movie. And I I wanted it to feel as good as it could possibly feel, and so that's how I feel when I watch them do that. I just feel such pure joy.The Wrong Girls opens in theaters Aug. 14.

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Eufy’s high-end Omni S2 robot vacuum hits $1,399 on Amazon — save $200

SAVE $200: As of Aug. 14, the Eufy Omni S2 robot vacuum and mop has been discounted to $1,399.99 at Amazon. That's $200 off its full price of $1,599.99. Opens in a new window Credit: Eufy Eufy Omni S2 Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo $1,399.99 at Amazon $1,599.99 Save $200   Get Deal Keeping your house clean, especially if you have a busy summer schedule, can feel like a lot. That's where robot vacuums come in handy. While the FCC may have banned models made outside the U.S., you can still get models already in circulation, and Amazon's a great spot to find deals. If you're looking for a robot vacuum that can also mop, the Eufy Omni S2 is one option on sale right now.As of Aug. 14, Amazon has the Eufy Omni S2 robot vacuum and mop discounted to $1,399.99 for a limited time. Compared to its full price of $1,599.99, that's $200 in savings. SEE ALSO: Purple's Labor Day sale gets you a king mattress for the price of a queen — shop now for up to $400 off With such a premium price tag, the Eufy Omni S2 offers quite a lot when it comes to cleaning. In terms of vacuuming, it features AeroTurbo 2.0 technology and 30,000 Pa of suction with 100 AW airflow, which can clean deep into carpets. It also comes with a DuoSpiral main brush and anti-tangle side brushes that help prevent hair of all lengths from getting caught up inside it and slowing it down.Mopping is mighty helpful as well. This combo cleaner can generate electrolyzed water on every pass, which helps kill off bacteria. Its HydroJet 2.0 technology uses 140-degree Fahrenheit water to clean the roller mop as well, so every clean feels fresh. Not to mention, it can easily detect floor types as it's moving around, so the mop will auto-lift if it hits a carpet.Plus, the Eufy Omni S2 features 3D MatrixEye 2.0 smart navigation technology to help avoid obstacles and get an efficient clean in every room. If it sounds like the perfect fit for you, don't miss out on this great deal at Amazon.Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

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Craftsman tool deal: Grab the 121-piece Gunmetal Chrome kit for $139 at Amazon

SAVE $30: As of Aug. 14, the Craftsman Gunmetal Chrome Mechanics Tool Set is on sale for $139 at Amazon. That's a 18% discount on the list price. Opens in a new window Credit: Craftsman Craftsman Gunmetal Chrome Mechanics Tool Set $524 at 169 $599 Save $75   Get Deal If you're looking to upgrade your tool set without spending a fortune, this Craftsman tool set deal is worth checking out. As of Aug. 14, the Gunmetal Chrome Mechanics Tool Set is down to $139, saving you $30 on the list price. If you've got a big DIY project coming up, now could be a good time to make sure you've got all the tools you need. Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up! The 121-piece kit has everything you need for a huge range of DIY jobs, including a wide selection of sockets, ratchets, wrenches, hex keys, specialty bits, and more. Its high-count 180-tooth ratchet is designed for working in confined spaces with a reduced arc swing, and the long-panel wrenches provide increased leverage to loosen stubborn fasteners. It also has Tight Torque technology designed to help you with difficult jobs, such as removing fasteners with rounded heads and reducing further rounding during common maintenance tasks. Plus, the sockets and wrenches have easy-to-read size markings to help you find the right tool. The set is also engineered to meet or exceed ASME specifications.Pick up this tool set deal at Amazon now.

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The best budget phone just got cheaper: Save $75 on the Google Pixel 10a at Amazon

SAVE $75: As of Aug. 14, the Google Pixel 10a is on sale for $524 at Amazon. That's a 13% discount on the list price. Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel 10a $524 $599 Save $75   Get Deal Earlier this week, the Made by Google event announced new Pixel phones. New Pixel 11 models will be released next week, and there's even a new Pixel 11 Fold on its way. But if you're not interested in the newest tech, you can score deals on older models.As of Aug. 14, the Google Pixel 10a has dropped in price by $75, taking the cost down from $599 to $524. This deal is for the 256GB phone across all four colorways. Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up! The Google Pixel 10a has a powerful camera, 30+ hours of battery life, and built-in AI features through Gemini, all making it the perfect choice for a well-rounded smartphone. Its Actua display reaches up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, and the scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 7i and IP68 water and dust resistance make it a durable option, a good choice if you're clumsy. And it's an unlocked Android phone, so you're not locked into any plans or stuck with one carrier; you have the flexibility to choose this yourself. Find this Pixel deal at Amazon right now.

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Best Buy is turning 60: Celebrate with massive weeklong deals on iPads, laptops, and TVs

TL;DR: Best Buy is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a sale running Aug. 17-23, plus an in-store-only Anniversary Day event on Aug. 22 with limited-quantity deals, including a gift card offer.Best Buy is turning 60, and instead of blowing out candles, it's blowing out deals. The retailer got its start as a small audio shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, and six decades later, it's marking the milestone with a sale, a sweepstakes, a YouTube collab, and — somehow — its own line of sneakers.Here's everything you need to know.The anniversary sale: Aug. 17-23The main event is a week-long sale running Monday, Aug. 17, through Sunday, Aug. 23, both in stores and online. Expect deals across iPads, headphones, laptops, and other tech. Best Buy is also refreshing the lineup with even more offers during anniversary weekend, Aug. 21-23.Members get an extra perk: My Best Buy Plus and Total members earn 10% back in rewards during the sale, up to $60. And if you're approved for the My Best Buy Credit Card, you'll earn 15% back in rewards on purchases made on your first day with the card.Anniversary Day: one day, in stores onlyOn Saturday, Aug. 22, Best Buy is running six special offers that are exclusive to physical stores, including a gift card deal. Quantities are limited — each store will have 50 of the 60th-anniversary gift cards available — so get there early.The upgrade sweepstakesGot an ancient phone, TV, or gaming system gathering dust? Best Buy wants to see it. Customers can submit photos of their oldest tech on Best Buy for a chance to win anniversary prizes.Custom 3D-printed shoes Credit: Best Buy And because 60 years apparently calls for footwear, Best Buy partnered with Nexbie on a limited-edition run of 3D-printed anniversary shoes, available for purchase on Best Buy.Best Buy also teamed up with tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee to trace how phones have evolved over six decades and how the retailer has been part of that journey.Sixty years in, Best Buy is still finding new ways to throw good deals your way — sneakers included.

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Apple TV just quietly stacked its library with 19 classic movies (for free)

TL;DR: Apple TV Plus just added 19 previously rent-or-buy movies to its subscription library at no extra cost, including Titanic, Arrival, The Sixth Sense, and Gone Girl. It's a Friday night, you're scrolling through your streaming apps, and you land on a movie you've wanted to rewatch for years. Then you see the price tag — $3.99 to rent, $14.99 to buy — for a movie you've already watched a dozen times. So you close the app and settle for whatever's actually included in your subscription instead.Apple TV Plus just made that whole dilemma disappear for a solid chunk of its classic movie catalog. The service, usually known for its slate of original shows and movies, just added a batch of classic titles that are normally rent-or-buy purchases, and they're now streaming free for anyone with a subscription. You'll find them tucked into a new "Great Movies Available Now on Apple TV" carousel inside the Apple TV app. SEE ALSO: What's new to streaming this week? (Aug. 14, 2026) It's not clear yet whether this is permanent or a limited-time thing. Apple tried something similar a few years ago, and it didn't stick around, so it might be worth getting started before these titles go behind a paywall again.The lineup varies depending on where you're located, but it's currently live in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Here's what's included in the U.S. right now:The MartianArrivalThe Bourne IdentityLooperE.T.The ProposalI, RobotForgetting Sarah Marshall21 Jump StreetThe Sixth SenseGone GirlZoolanderZodiacCharlie's AngelsTitanicMission: Impossible – Ghost ProtocolA Beautiful MindThe AviatorThe RookieThis freebie drop joins a library of more than 300 Apple originals. Apple TV normally runs $12.99 per month or $99 per year, though it's also included with Apple One if you're already paying for other Apple services. New subscribers can grab a seven-day free trial to test it out before committing. It's available through the TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and Windows, or through a browser at tv.apple.com.

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Hurdle hints and answers for August 14, 2026

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine. There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle. 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.If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered. SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hintTo create.Hurdle Word 1 answerCRAFTHurdle Word 2 hintSomething frightening. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerSCARYHurdle Word 3 hintTo steal. SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 14, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answerPOACHHurdle Word 4 hintTo speak.Hurdle Word 4 answerUTTERFinal Hurdle hintFluid that circulates oxygen. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerBLOODIf you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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Silo Season 3, episode 7 finally reveals who built the silos

It's all starting to come together.One of the core mysteries throughout Silo has been where the giant underground cities came from, and why they were built. Now, seven episodes into the third season, we still don't know the why — but we're starting to get a sense of the who. SEE ALSO: 'Silo' Season 3, episode 5 ending explained: Who is Per Stensen? What happens at the end of Silo Season 3, episode 7?Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) and journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) have been on a strange journey so far in Season 3's flashback storyline. They've dug into what happened to Daniel's sister Charles (Jessica Brown Findlay) on that Iran mission, been followed by a mysterious gray-haired man, and even had their car take on a life of its own to essentially kidnap them.Finally, though, episode 7 seems to bring some answers. After their autonomous vehicle abduction, they're met by Senator Thurman (Laura Innes), who introduces them to the billionaire they were discussing at the end of episode 6, Per Stensen (Colin Hanks). Stensen tells them they'll get all the answers they crave if they sign a simple NDA."Once we've signed, you'll get on the plane, and this time tomorrow you'll know everything," says Senator Thurman.Once the plane lands in Atlanta, Georgia, Stensen tells Helen that the next leg of the journey will be via helicopter. She asks where they're going, and he tells her a property of his."It's 300,000 acres," says Stensen. "That's 400 square miles. It used to consist of 42 individual farms." In the episode's final scene, we finally get a glimpse of what they're going to see."I wasn't just being dramatic before," says Senator Thurman. "This really is about saving the world.""What the hell is that?" asks Helen, and the senator tells her that Daniel — who has a background in engineering — knows."Er, it's a drill," he says, looking out of the window. "It's a very big drill."Who built the silos?The drill Daniel sees on the ground is the same digging machine we've seen before, now sat rusting in the watery cavern at the very depths of Silo 18. Even though it's not explicitly spelled out, what we're seeing at the end of episode 7 is obvious: It's the beginning of the silos being constructed.The people behind the project? Senator Thurman, who describes herself as a "believer" in the vision, and billionaire Per Stensen, who is funding the project and believes it's about saving the world.The big questions that still remain, though, are what happens to the world that forces everyone underground? And, hundreds of years on, who is in charge of the network of silos?Silo Season 3 is streaming now on Apple TV, with new episodes dropping every Friday.Want more film and TV news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on August 14

The New Moon has passed, but the Moon hasn't returned to full visibility quite yet. In fact, it will take a few more days before we can spot anything on its surface again.What is today’s Moon phase?As of Friday, Aug. 14, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waxing Crescent phase, with 3% of its surface visible. When is the next Full Moon?The next Full Moon will take place on August 28.What are Moon phases?The Moon doesn't look the same from Earth every night. As it travels around our planet, it moves through a lunar cycle that takes roughly 29.5 days to complete, according to NASA. The changing positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon affect how much of the Moon's sunlit side we can see, creating the different phases. Over the course of the cycle, the Moon progresses from a narrow crescent to a half Moon and eventually a Full Moon, before starting the sequence over again.The eight phases are:New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

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NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 14, 2026

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. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. 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. 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:Yellow: Bad teamGreen: Non-power conferencesBlue: ThirdPurple: Scientific elementHere are today's Connections: Sports Edition categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:Yellow: Easy OpponentGreen: "Group of 6" College ConferencesBlue: Associated with No. 3Purple: Ends in an Element on the Periodic TableLooking 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 #690 is...What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?Easy Opponent: BREEZE, CUPCAKE, PUSHOVER, TOMATO CAN"Group of 6" College Conferences: AMERICAN, MAC, MOUNTAIN WEST, SUN BELTAssociated with No. 3: BRONZE MEDAL, DALE EARNHARDT, FIELD GOAL, HAT TRICKEnds in an Element on the Periodic Table: 9-IRON, ADAM SILVER, KAHLEAH COPPER, PHOENIX MERCURYDon'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 yesterday's Connections.

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NYT Pips hints, answers for August 14, 2026

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 PipsIf 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 14, 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 14, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 14 PipsNumber (6): Everything in this purple space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.Number (6): Everything in this red space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.Number (6): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.Number (6): Everything in this orange space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.Number (6): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically.Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 14 PipsNumber (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 5-3, placed horizontally.Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 2-6, placed vertically.Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 14 PipsEqual (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed vertically.Number (16): Everything in this space must add up to 16. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 6-2, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed vertically.Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically.Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 3-6, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically.Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically.Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 14, 2026

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you know your logos.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. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. 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 categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:Yellow: PatternedGreen: Thought-relatedBlue: Drawing essentialsPurple: Similar shapesWant 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 categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:Yellow: Black-and-yellowGreen: Places where everyone thinks the same waysBlue: Comic book artist's toolsPurple: Triangle logosLooking 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 #1160 is...What is the answer to Connections todayBlack-and-yellow: BUMBLEBEE, CAUTION TAPE, CHARLIE BROWN, WOLVERINEPlaces where everyone thinks the same ways: BUBBLE, ECHO CHAMBER, HIVEMIND, SILOComic book artist's tools: BRISTOL BOARD, DIP PEN, INDIA INK, STRAIGHTEDGETriangle logos: BASS ALE, CITGO, DELTA AIRLINES, GOOGLE DRIVE SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 13, 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 todayIf 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 yesterday's Connections.

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Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 14, 2026

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you like geology. 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 14, 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 13, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Often seen inside rocks.Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no recurring letters.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.Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter G. 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...GEODEDon'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 todayIf 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 yesterday's Wordle.

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NYT Strands hints, answers for August 14, 2026

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you know a bit of trivia.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: Discovered by accidentThe words are related to popular discoveries.Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words describe invented items.NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.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.NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Inventions.NYT Strands word list for August 14PenicillinSlinkyInventionsPlasticMicrowaveVelcroMeet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet todayLooking 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 yesterday's Strands.

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Did AI play a role in a grisly double murder?

Officials in Acton, Massachusetts, say a teenager charged with killing two members of his family was using generative AI chatbot ChatGPT to explore violent scenarios prior to the murders.Arjun Aravind, 17, is accused of killing his 45-year-old mother, Sudha Venkatesan, and 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, this week. The boy's father was not home when the murders took place. Arjun Aravind was located by police in nearby Wayland, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning and taken into custody without incident.  SEE ALSO: Teens talking to Meta AI about suicide will trigger alert Speaking to reporters following Aravind’s arrest, Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan made a point of highlighting Arjun Aravind's internet use, saying the teen created violent scenarios on ChatGPT and masked it as fantasy fiction."The investigation has so far shown that Arjun had recently been demonstrating some concerning behavior, including using the internet and ChatGPT to make searches for theoretical ideas or fantasy stories regarding the killing of his family," Ryan said, according to an NBC News report."He was engaged in the use of ChatGPT in creating fantasy stories, kind of the gothic novel kind of stories, asking questions, creating characters, asking what about this if this happened to that, and they seem to appear to relate to threats to his family."Mashable's request for comment from OpenAI, the San Francisco company behind ChatGPT, was not returned as of press time.While numerous parents have accused chatbots of playing a role in young people harming themselves, some prosecutors are now pointing the finger at AI companies for allegedly abetting crimes. Earlier this year, Florida man Hisham Abugharbieh was accused of killing two college students and using ChatGPT to inquire about disposing of the bodies.OpenAI announced an update in December that purportedly puts "teen safety first" for underage users of ChatGPT. The company stated that it had refined its Model Spec, which guides how OpenAI's AI models should behave, and put a new set of principles in place for how it chatbot responds in high-stakes situations involving users under 18.A report released in March from the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that eight out of 10 popular AI chatbots helped researchers posing as teen boys plan violent crimes in over half of the responses. Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

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