This digest compiles the latest from Mashable.
Today’s Mashable Roundup
Google, Apple hosted dozens of deepfake nudify apps, investigation reveals
A new investigation claims that the Apple and Google app stores hosted dozens of so-called “nudify” AI apps, despite such apps violating the companies’ rules.
The Transparency Project (TTP), a group affiliated with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, found dozens of apps in both stores that digitally remove clothes, rendering the subjects naked or nearly naked. It found 55 such apps in the Google Play Store and 47 in the Apple App Store.
Wrote TTP:
“The apps identified by TTP have been collectively downloaded more than 705 million times worldwide and generated $117 million in revenue, according to AppMagic, an app analytics firm. Because Google and Apple take a cut of that revenue, they are directly profiting from the activity of these apps.”
Both tech giants have responded to the TTP report. Apple told CNBC it had removed 28 apps identified in the TTP report, while Google told the outlet it had “suspended several apps” while noting its investigation was ongoing.
However, the TTP concludes that both App Stores need to do more to stop non-consensual deepfakes.
“TTP’s findings show that Google and Apple have failed to keep pace with the spread of AI deepfake apps that can ‘nudify’ people without their permission,” the report states. “Both companies say they are dedicated to the safety and security of users, but they host a collection of apps that can turn an innocuous photo of a woman into an abusive, sexualized image.”
The report from TTP comes on the heels of the controversy surrounding Elon Musk and xAI’s Grok, which is under investigation in several countries for creating sexualized, nonconsensual images. A Mashable investigation found that Grok lacks basic safety guardrails to prevent deepfakes. In addition, researchers say Grok has created more than 3 million sexualized images — including more than 20,000 that appeared to depict children — over an 11-day period between Dec. 29 and Jan. 8.
With the dawn of the AI age, sexual deepfakes will continue to be a major issue for tech companies moving forward.
Shrinking Season 3, episode 1s emotional ending, explained
Shrinking is back, and Season 3 is already packing just as much of an emotional punch as its predecessors.
In a moving hour-long episode that builds to Paul (Harrison Ford) marrying Julie (Wendie Malick), there’s one scene right at the end that hits harder than any of the others. So what happens, and what exactly does it mean?
What happens at the end of Shrinking Season 3, episode 1?
The final scene of the episode links back to one of its first scenes, when Paul attends a neurology clinic and meets a fellow patient with Parkinson’s, Gerry (a cameo from Michael J. Fox). Paul is experiencing tremors in his left hand, and he has a conversation with Gerry — whose Parkinson’s is more advanced — about the various ways the disease is affecting them.
“How’s the brain?” asks Gerry at one point. “Any hallucinations?”
“No. Thank God,” responds Paul.
“They’re the worst. Bad enough your body goes, but then you start seeng shit. It’s scary. I didn’t even know that was a thing with Parkinson’s.”
Later, at the very end of the episode, Paul comes in from his wedding to get a glass of water in the kitchen. He turns from the sink and finds Gerry sitting in a chair, tucking into some cake. But moments later, when Julie joins him, it’s clear that Gerry isn’t really there.
“Oh,” says Paul, as he realises what’s happening. “You don’t see him, do you?”
The scene is a sign that Paul’s Parkinson’s has continued to progress. He’s now experiencing the same hallucinations that Gerry spoke to him about earlier on in the episode.
Is Paul hallucinating throughout the episode?
Some people with Parkinson’s may experience hallucinations, sometimes as a side effect of medication or as a symptom of an additional condition. So, is this what’s happening with Paul?
The first time Paul meets Gerry, it’s pretty clear that he isn’t a hallucination. When Paul is called by the doctor, the first thing she says is “Gerry, I’ll grab you in a minute,” indicating that she can see him too.
It’s only at the end of the episode that there’s any indication Paul is seeing and hearing something other characters cannot. This is what makes it such a painful moment — like Paul’s trembling hand, it’s yet another sign that the disease is impacting more and more parts of him.
Shrinking Season 3 is now streaming on Apple TV with new episodes Wednesdays.
Be prepared for anything with the Oupes Guardian 6000 power station for its lowest price yet
SAVE $500.01: As of Jan. 28, get the Oupes Guardian 6000 power station for $1,698.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,199. That’s a discount of 23% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
Much of the country was just buffeted by sleet and ice with a powerful snowstorm, and for many, it also meant power outages, some for extended periods of time. If you happen to find yourself without electricity often, a portable power station is your best bet. There’s one at Amazon right now that you’d do well to have in a similar emergency, and it’s on sale for a great price.
As of Jan. 28, get the Oupes Guardian 6000 power station for $1,698.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,199. That’s $500.01 off and a discount of 23%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This absolute unit of a power station is everything you need in an emergency. It has a 4608 Wh LiFePO4 battery with 6000W of output (boosted to 7200W) and 120V/240V dual voltage, which is expandable to 41kWh. In short, if you have an emergency that finds you without electricity, it’ll be your best friend. It can power everything from small electronics like laptops to fridges and larger items to get you out of an emergency and functioning again.
With 11 output ports, including five AC outlets, it has plenty of space to handle multiple devices at once. Plus, when you deplete the battery, you can charge it from empty to full in just under 90 minutes. That means you won’t be left sitting around and waiting for it to charge you back up again.
If you’re ready to stop waiting out power outages, this might be a good investment for you. Just be sure to get it while it’s available at this low price.
UK government could ban VPNs for children
VPNs could be banned for children in the UK if a new law is approved by the government.
On January 21, the UK House of Lords voted to allow an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would ban VPN usage for children.
Effectively, it would require VPN users to go through age assurance — the way that the UK’s Online Safety Act requires such assurance to view material deemed “harmful to children,” from pornography to content about eating disorders.
“Within 12 months of the day on which this Act is passed the Secretary of State must, for the purpose of furthering the protection and wellbeing of children, make regulations which prohibit the provision to UK children of a Relevant VPN Service,” the amendment states.
In the six months since the Online Safety Act went into effect, VPN use has more than doubled in the UK, as it’s a loophole for submitting personal data to view certain content. Now, the UK government seeks to close the loophole and deem VPNs unsuitable for minors, as well.
When Mashable spoke to free speech and internet experts in 2025 about age verification, they warned of “second-order censorship,” which comes after primary regulation. In this case, the primary regulation is the Online Safety Act, and people are finding workarounds. Second-order censorship would involve restricting VPNs.
It’s a similar story in the United States, where a proposed bill in Michigan seeks to ban both porn and VPNs.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is still proposed legislation, thus hasn’t been passed nor is it going into effect yet. MPs will now consider changes to the Bill as part of a process known as ping-pong: the to and fro of amendments to Bills between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The vote came days before Pornhub announced new restrictions coming in the UK: Any adult who hasn’t verified their age on the site before Feb. 2 will no longer be able to access it. Representatives from Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, cited VPN use as one reason why the Online Safety Act is failing. Aylo instead advocates for device-level filters as a more comprehensive way to keep minors off porn sites.
The DJI Mic Mini is back at its lowest-ever price — save $90 at Amazon
SAVE $90: The DJI Mic Mini is on sale at Amazon for $79, down from the list price of $169. That’s a 53% discount that matches the lowest we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
Watch any YouTube video or TikTok clip and you’ll likely spot it — the DJI Mic Mini. The tiny microphone seems to be attached to every content creator lately, and there’s good reason. DJI knows how to make tech that simply works great for creators. If you’ve been eyeing getting the DJI Mic Mini for your own content creation setup, check out this deal.
As of Jan. 28, the DJI Mic Mini is on sale for $79 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $169. That shaves $90 off the normal price thanks to a 53% discount. This sale price matches the lowest we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
This bundle has it all. You’ll get one DJI Mic Mini receiver, two transmitters, a charging case, a mobile phone adapter, charging cable, four windscreens, two magnetic clips, and a carrying case. Did we mention all of this comes in at under $80? It feels almost too good to be true.
Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard reviewed the DJI Mic Mini and found that it lives up to its viral hype. She wrote, “I’m convinced it’s one of the best upgrades for content creators.” She tested it out in less-than-ideal recording situations like on a busy street with windy weather and found its sound to be impressive. “With and without the noise-cancelling feature, the mic picked up my voice while barely picking up the sound of wind — birds and car engines were lost in many cases,” Allard wrote in the review.
With the charging case, you’ll be in line for 48 hours of battery life and the includes USB-C phone adapter is a benefit. It’s especially great if your content setup already includes a DJI camera like the Osmo Pocket 3.
While it’s sitting at an all-time low price of $79, upgrade your creator setup to the DJI Mic Mini. It comes with all the accessories you’d want for getting a pro recording system for on-the-go creating.
Last chance to score the DJI Power 1000 V2 portable power station for under $430
SAVE $270: The DJI Power 1000 V2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $429 with the on-page coupon, down from the list price of $699. That’s a 39% discount.
Winter is one of the least convenient times to lose power. Not that there’s a good time to experience a power cut, but winter feels especially brutal. Instead of sitting in the cold with zero lights and a dead phone, enlist the help of a portable power station to keep your gadgets charged up. Lucky for us, there’s an on-page coupon that’s worth taking advantage of before it expires.
Until Feb. 1, the DJI Power 1000 V2 portable power station is on sale for $429 at Amazon with the on-page coupon, marked down from the list price of $699. That’s a 39% discount that takes $270 off the price.
Next time the power goes out, the DJI Power 1000 V2 will keep your online and charged up. So long as the network didn’t go down, you can use the Power 1000 V2 to keep your WiFi router online, phone charged up, and coffee maker brewing. With a stable output of 2,600W, you can also keep the refrigerator cooling.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $500 right now
Come warmer weather, the Power 1000 V2 would like to come along on your camping trip. It’ll prove it was worthy of an invitation when it keeps your phone charged, powers the projector for nightly movies, and keeps the camp lights on.
But the DJI Power 1000 V2 is also awesome for DJI drone owners and content creators. Like the viral DJI Mic Mini, the brand knows how to keep creators happy and the DJI Power 1000 V2 is capable of super-quick charging DJI drone batteries. Plus, it operates as quiet as 26 decibels which is essential if you’ll be recording in the same room.
Before the coupon expires on Feb. 1, upgrade to the DJI Power 1000 V2 while it’s on sale for $429 at Amazon. It’ll come in handy for any content project, camping trip, and power outage.
Amazon to cut 16,000 jobs as it shifts resources to AI
E-commerce behemoth Amazon is making another round of layoffs, according to a blog post on the company’s official website.
Amazon said the cuts will affect 16,000 corporate jobs. The company said it will give its employees 90 days to look for a new role internally within Amazon. Those who don’t find a new role will receive severance pay and other temporary benefits.
The company’s public statement, from Amazon’s Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti, clarified that the company will “continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future.”
While Amazon doesn’t explicitly state what that means, the New York Times reports that the company intends to shift resources to artificial intelligence and the data centers that AI requires. As mentioned in their report, Amazon spent around $125 billion last year on data centers and related expenditures.
“Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm — where we announce broad reductions every few months. That’s not our plan,” reads a blog post written by Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon. Galetti also emphasized that the company was “working hard to support everyone whose role is impacted.”
Last October, Amazon sources told Reuters that the company was planning its biggest round of layoffs ever and was set to cut 30,000 jobs. Days later, Amazon announced that it was laying off 14,000 employees, but it seems the 30,000 report was correct after all. With today’s announcement, Amazon will have laid off 30,000 workers total, and Galetti’s blog post adds some context to the situation.
“While many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, other teams did not complete that work until now.”
While Amazon CEO Andy Jassy denied AI was responsible for the October layoffs, our colleagues at PC Mag note that Galetti provided employees with a different take at the time. (Disclosure: PC Mag and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)
“This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the internet, and…we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business,” Galetti said last year.
In addition to this latest round of layoffs, Amazon also announced just yesterday that it was closing all of its physical Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh store locations to focus on Whole Foods Market and grocery deliveries under the Whole Foods brand.
Amazon currently employs roughly 1.5 million people.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is now $250 off on Amazon. Thats $50 better than its Black Friday deal.
SAVE $250: Amazon has the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) on sale for $549 as of Jan. 28. That’s 31% off its regular retail price of $799, which is its biggest discount ever.
If your New Year’s resolution involves more wilderness adventures (and you haven’t broken it yet), you’re going to need a rugged smartwatch that can handle the elements. We recommend the Apple Watch Ultra 2 over the newer Ultra 3 because their differences are minimal, and because the Ultra 2 is usually easy to find on sale for a much lower price.
As of late January, its price is lower than ever. Amazon currently has the Ultra 2 on sale for a record-low of just $549, which is $250 off its $799 MSRP and $50 better than its Black Friday discount.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Amazon’s deal applies to most Natural Titanium variants with Alpine or Trail Loops in the small size. (It should fit wrists that are 130 to 160 millimeters in diameter.) If you’d prefer a Black Titanium case, a different band style, or a different size, head to Best Buy instead: More Ultra 2 variants were $200 off there at the time of writing.
The Ultra 2 features an ultra-bright, always-on OLED display, a customizable action button, an S9 SiP processor, a slew of health sensors, and up to 72 hours of battery life. It supports all of the latest “Liquid Glass” watchOS 26 features, including wrist flick gestures and the AI-powered Workout Buddy fitness assistant.
For reference, the Ultra 3’s only notable upgrades over its predecessor are a larger display with wider viewing angles, six extra hours of battery life, and support for 5G cellular connectivity as well as emergency SOS via satellite. Those are some nice improvements, to be sure, but they’re probably not worth the extra cash for most buyers. The Ultra 3 also retails for $799, and it’s never been more than $120 off.
Tackle all your home DIY projects with $80 off the Dewalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill Driver Set
SAVE $80: As of Jan. 28, get the Dewalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill Driver Set for $99 at Amazon. That’s down from its usual price of $179.
If you’re still puttering around the house waiting for a reason to finish all your home projects this far into 2026, this is your sign to bring them to an end: a shiny new tool. It’s officially DIY season for you, because we’ve found a deal that’ll help you finally finish up your to-do list. And you won’t even have to spend that much money to do it.
As of Jan. 28, get the Dewalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill Driver Set for $99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $179. That’s $80 off and a discount of 45%.
The Dewalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill Driver Set has everything you need to tackle all those odd jobs around the house. It comes with the electric drill itself, as well as a battery, charger, and LED light to make sure you can see what you’re doing, all for under $100.
The power drill, with a brushless motor, is compact enough at 7.6 inches front to back that it’s easy to fit in plenty of smaller, tighter spaces. It has an ergonomic grip for better control, and it’s perfect for most general-purpose drilling. It has a 2-speed transmission and a single-sleeve ratcheting chuck for your convenience, all with a longer runtime so you can get jobs done faster.
Whether you’re looking for an easy way to get things done or you want to give a gift to new homeowners or DIY enthusiasts, this affordable package is a great buy, especially at this price point.
How to watch Liverpool vs. Qarabag online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Liverpool vs. Qarabag in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Champions League group stage is coming to an end. Places in the knockout rounds are still up for grabs, with the final round of group-stage games set to decide which teams will progress to the last 16, which will make the playoff round, and which will miss out.
Liverpool are in a strong position to make the top eight and therefore avoid the playoffs. A win in their final group-stage fixture against Qarabag will guarantee their spot. Qarabag, meanwhile, are hoping to hang on to a playoff spot.
If you want to watch Liverpool vs. Qarabag in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Liverpool vs. Qarabag?
Liverpool vs. Qarabag in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Jan. 28. This fixture takes place at Anfield.
How to watch Liverpool vs. Qarabag for free
Liverpool vs. Qarabag is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Liverpool vs. Qarabag for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
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Visit RTÉ Player
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Watch Liverpool vs. Qarabag for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Liverpool vs. Qarabag (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Liverpool vs. Qarabag in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.
Everything you need to remember before Bridgerton Season 4
Dearest gentle reader, it’s nearing time for another season of courting and conviviality in Netflix and Shondaland’s Bridgerton.
We’ve spent the last three seasons relishing in the lustful long games of the Bridgerton family: the Duke of Hastings and Daphne, then Kate Sharma and Anthony, then Penelope Featherington and Colin — as well as a spinoff season on Queen Charlotte and her beloved King George. This time, based on the third novel in Julia Quinn’s series, An Offer from a Gentleman, showrunner Jess Brownell shifts focus to another Bridgerton: the rakish Benedict (Luke Thompson).
But what happened again last season? Here’s everything you need to remember from Season 3 of Bridgerton before you watch Season 4. Who married whom? What went down at that final ball? And what became of Lady Whistledown?
Penelope was unmasked as Lady Whistledown.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
Members of the Ton, this was the big one in Season 3: Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) was revealed as the formidable writer behind Lady Whistledown’s influential Society Papers.
Pen was first found out by her best friend Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) in the Season 2 finale, which meant the pair spent most of Season 3 in a stand-off. Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) confronted his new wife Penelope (more on that below) at the printers, and that went as well as you’d expect, considering how much she’s written about him and the Bridgertons. Plus, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) figured out who Lady Whistledown was by checking every printer in the Ton (smart!), then falsely claiming to be the writer and blackmailing Penelope (she failed and was sadly taken away by her mean Aunt Joanna).
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
Finally, it all came out at the Dankworth-Finch ball during the season finale. Bored in their marriages, Prudence (Bessie Carter) and Philippa (Harriet Cains) hosted a maximalist ball, paid for by their lucrative sister Penelope and attended by none other than Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Having spent the last three seasons j’accusing everyone of being Lady Whistledown, the Queen came face to face with her social rival.
In front of the ball, Penelope gave one hell of a speech about why she became Lady Whistledown as a means of finally being listened to and the result of being “captivated” by the members of the Ton. She asked the Queen permission to continue writing “responsibly” — it was a solid yes. Penelope finally introduced herself to her readers as Penelope Bridgerton in a new Whistledown column.
Plus, Pen got her mother, Lady Portia Featherington (Polly Walker), off the financial hook the whole thing with Jack Featherington and his fraudulent activities in Season 2, by convincing a prying crown solicitor the money they extorted was in fact her Lady Whistledown earnings.
Penelope and Colin got married.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton were married after three seasons of lusting from afar, but not before their best friendship moved into a carriage of pre-marital steam (Pitbull will never be the same).
The whole Whistledown discovery put a spanner into their very new marriage, as a betrayed Colin shut Pen out emotionally and physically — and served up a huge dollop of writer’s envy over her being a published author. However, Colin eventually accepted Penelope and Lady Whistledown as “one voice,” admitted his jealousy, and declared his love once more. In the final moments of Season 3, we see Pen and Colin have had a baby boy, and Philippa and Prudence have had daughters (meaning Pen and Colin’s son is the new Lord Featherington).
Alice and Will Mondrich levelled up.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
In Season 3, married couple Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) and Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe) found themselves in a prominent social position — and strangely sleeping in different bedrooms thanks to a dramatically prudish housekeeper. Alice’s great-aunt died and left Will and Alice’s eldest (but still very young) son Nicky an estate and a title: Baron of Kent. This all meant the Mondrichs’ standing in society was wildly changed from Will’s former life as a boxer and gentlemen’s club owner — they’re now seriously influential in the Ton.
Benedict had a steamy poly relationship.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
A member of the Ton’s outsider artist circles, Benedict has long dabbled with polyamory since Season 1, from his dalliance with artist Lord Granville’s wife Lucy and Genevieve Delacroix, but he’s spent much of Bridgerton suppressing his bisexuality. In Season 3, Benedict delved into a secret polyamorous relationship with widow Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio). However, their bond became strained as Tilley fell hard for Benedict, who finds consensual non-monogamy preferable, so they parted ways.
Unfortunately for Benedict, our Season 2 lovers Viscount Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Viscountess Kate (Simone Ashley) left for India in Season 3, meaning he’s the main administrator for the Bridgerton family now — and the next on the marriage mart, if his mother has anything to say about it.
Mega-chillers Francesca and John got married, but then…
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
After a very quiet courtship, Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) was married to John Stirling (Victor Alli) in the Bridgerton drawing room and prepared to leave for John’s primary estate in the Scottish Highlands.
After reluctantly attempting to join the Ton’s marriage mart, Eloise decided instead to see the world, asking to accompany Francesca and John to Scotland. Also suddenly joining them was John’s cousin Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), whose introduction right at the end of the Season 3 finale caused Francesca to get seriously tongue-tied and flustered. Giiiiirl.
Lady Bridgerton and Lord Anderson crushed hard on each other.
Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix
Lady Agatha Danbury’s (Adjoa Andoh) brother Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) and her best friend Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) were eyeing each other up all season, but before anything untoward happened, Violet asked her friend’s permission. Here, there was a throwback to a reveal from Queen Charlotte, that Lady Danbury had once had an affair with Violet’s father, Lord Ledger, after his wife’s death. (That’s best friend + dad, so best friend + brother seems chill.)
In the Season 3 finale, Marcus asked Violet for a dance at the ball. Cute.
Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 debuts on Netflix Jan. 29 and Part 2 on Feb. 26.
Everything we know about Ted Lasso Season 4
Round up the Diamond Dogs, because Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is coming back to Richmond.
Apple TV’s Emmy-winning sports comedy Ted Lasso returns for Season 4 this summer, three years after a Season 3 finale that the show treated like a series end. Now, though, Ted and the Greyhounds have some new adventures up their sleeves, ones sure to feature tons of folksy sayings, messages about mental health, and delicious shortbread.
From plot to cast to release date, here’s everything we know about Ted Lasso Season 4.
What’s Ted Lasso Season 4 about?
According to the official log line from Apple TV, “In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.”
Ted Lasso originally teased the idea of a Richmond women’s football team back in the Season 3 finale, when Keeley (Juno Temple) floated it to Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). Back then, it seemed like perfect spin-off material, given that Ted Lasso was presumably ending. However, now it’s part of the main show in its own right.
Who is in Ted Lasso Season 4?
Credit: Apple TV
In addition to Sudeikis, tons of familiar faces are returning for Ted Lasso Season 4. Waddingham and Temple reprise their roles as Rebecca and Keeley, and Emmy-winner Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Jeremy Swift are all back as Roy Kent, Coach Beard, and Leslie Higgins, respectively.
Ted Lasso Season 4 also brings new faces into the fold, likely playing some of the team members and personnel of the women’s football team. These new additions include Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsey, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern, and Grant Feely.
When is Ted Lasso Season 4 coming out?
Apple TV has confirmed that Ted Lasso will be coming out this summer, but has yet to reveal a specific release date.
TikTok users flock to UpScrolled in response to new U.S. owners
TikTok competitor UpScrolled has surged up Apple’s App Store rankings after users began turning to the new platform en masse. According to social media sentiment, many are on the hunt for alternatives to TikTok after new U.S. owners were officially instated this week, with expected algorithm changes raising questions about what content American TikTok users will be shown.
UpScrolled unexpectedly climbed to the top 10 in Apple’s U.S., UK, and Australian App Stores on Sunday, with and is now the second ranked free app in the former two — while TikTok isn’t even breaking the top 25.
Credit: Mashable screenshot / App Store
The app’s influx of new users overwhelmed its servers over the weekend. “Crazy load on our servers. So exciting!” UpScrolled founder and CEO Issam Hijazi posted on the platform on Sunday. “Sorry about the errors and glitches, we are increasing our capacity to handle the load. We expect things to become more stable in the next 12-24 hours.”
Credit: Mashable screenshot / UpScrolled
Launched in 2025 by Hijazi as an alternative to social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, UpScrolled allows users to share photos, videos, and text posts, and features a chronological feed for accounts you follow. There is also a discover feed, which UpScrolled says orders content by likes, comments, and reshares, “plus a touch of randomness to ensure every post still has a chance to be seen.”
The platform has stated it is developing more feeds which may use AI to recommend content based on your past behaviour. However, UpScrolled claims that such features will be “opt-in, fair, and transparent” in how they operate.
“We exist to put fairness back at the center of social media. Every voice deserves real reach and equal treatment. No shadowbans, no hidden throttling, no pay-to-play favoritism — ever,” UpScrolled’s mission statement reads. “We don’t push agendas — political, commercial, or otherwise. Our rules are clear and applied evenly. Our ranking is explainable, our decisions accountable, and influence comes with responsibility.”
So, why are users flocking to UpScrolled?
The interest in UpScrolled notably follows TikTok’s announcement last Friday that its U.S. operations have been taken over by a new, majority American-owned joint venture. TikTok’s new U.S. ownership has raised fears regarding censorship on the platform, which was compounded by an outage issue that swiftly followed the change of hands.
Notably, U.S. lawmakers previously accused TikTok of pushing pro-Palestinian content to users, citing this as one of their reasons for supporting the app’s ban in the country. TikTok’s new owners, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, have stated they will retrain and update its recommendation algorithm, and take control of U.S. content moderation.
Some TikTok users have also expressed privacy concerns regarding relatively minor changes to TikTok’s terms of service, which now state that the app may collect precise location data unless you opt out. Even so, many people moving to UpScrolled, who are posting about it online, have cited other platforms’ alleged censorship of pro-Palestinian content as the reason, with some further claiming suppression of anti-ICE sentiments. TikTok itself has said it’s investigating claims of the word “Epstein” disappearing in direct messages, but said it wasn’t deliberately censoring the name of the convicted child sex offender.
UpScrolled founder Hijazi has expressed unequivocal support for Palestine, creating the app in late 2023 as a response to online discourse and “selective censorship” on social media platforms. Headquartered in Australia, the app was officially launched in mid-2025 and lists pro-Palestinian organisations such as Tech for Palestine and Watermelon Pictures among its partners. Hijazi himself is Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian, and has voiced concern about censorship of pro-Palestinian content by big tech companies.
“Larry Ellison, the owner of Oracle, is the biggest contributor to the Friends [of the Israeli Defence Force] charity,” Hijazi said, speaking at ArabCon 2025 last September. “And that tells you something. If that person, who is friends with [Israeli prime minister] Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel in general is going to own 80 percent of TikTok moving on, and if Netanyahu himself is saying the importance of utilising TikTok and X to spread their narrative, that tells you a lot of things.”
Oracle is one of TikTok’s new owners in the U.S., holding a 15 percent share in the joint venture, while its executive vice president Kenneth Glueck sits on the board of directors. It is also responsible for storing and securing U.S. TikTok users’ data.
As such, many TikTok users who support Palestine now consider UpScrolled to be an attractive alternative.
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The sudden surge of interest in UpScrolled is reminiscent of the X users’ search for alternatives such as BlueSky after Elon Musk took control of the microblogging platform in late 2022. Thousands of users fled X in the following months, tanking the app’s revenue as advertisers left as well. More recently, many TikTok users turned to Rednote, aka Xiaohongshu, when it looked as though a U.S. ban would be put in place.
Shrinking Season 3, episode 1 has the perfect celebrity cameo
Shrinking is back for Season 3, and the first episode has already made us feel all the feels.
But aside from the episode’s poignant ending, there’s also a surprise celebrity cameo that has people talking: Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox, who pops up in a memorable scene with Harrison Ford.
So who does Fox play, and why is it significant?
Who does Michael J. Fox play in Shrinking Season 3?
At the start of the episode, Paul (Harrison Ford) visits a neurology clinic to discuss the tremors he’s experiencing in his left hand as a result of Parkinson’s disease. While waiting for his appointment, he takes a seat in next to a man who asks him what he’s in for.
“Parkinson’s,” responds Paul. “You?”
“Just a haircut,” comes his reply.
The man, Gerry (Michael J. Fox), goes on to have a conversation with Paul about Parkinson’s disease and the various symptoms that can come as it progresses, including changes to speech, postural instability, muscle stiffness, chronic pain, and hallucinations.
“Enough whining,” says Gerry at the end of their chat, shortly before Paul is called in. “I’m still here, so f*** Parkinson’s.”
Paul repeats it back as he follows the doctor. “F*** Parkinson’s.”
What’s the significance of Fox’s cameo?
The cameo is particularly significant because Michael J. Fox himself has Parkinson’s disease: He was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 1991 at the age of 29, after noticing a tremor in his finger.
After making his diagnosis public in the late ’90s, Fox launched a foundation to spread awareness and raise money for Parkinson’s research. In 2025, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his advocacy.
Fox’s cameo not only packs an emotional punch in Shrinking, but it also continues to spread awareness about the various symptoms that the disease entails.
Shrinking Season 3 is now streaming on Apple TV with new episodes Wednesdays.
Volkswagen recalls 40,000 ID.4 electric cars over fire risk
Volkswagen has recalled more than 40,000 of its ID.4 electric SUVs for one of the worst reasons imaginable: risk of battery fire.
There are actually several separate recalls going on here, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but they’re all very similar. First, 43,881 Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles, produced from Sept. 2, 2022 to Apr. 10, 2025, have been recalled. “In rare circumstances,” the NHTSA says, “the high-voltage battery modules may experience a thermal propagation, possibly resulting in a vehicle fire.”
The issue stems from shifted electrodes in the cars’ batteries, which can cause a short circuit, resulting in a fire. To make matters worse, there are several similar but separate issues that could cause battery fire here, with some ID.4 cars being more at risk than others.
For owners with affected vehicles, Volkswagen will “conduct a battery health check inspection and install updated SDD software on vehicles within this campaign, and will replace potentially affected HV battery cell modules,” for free.
An additional 670 VW ID.4 vehicles, model years 2023 and 2024, were recalled in January due to misaligned electrodes in the batteries, which can again cause vehicle fire. Plus, 311 vehicles were recalled in December last year over a similar issue.
This isn’t just a theoretical problem; several vehicles actually caught fire because of it. For 1,299 Volkswagen ID.4 EVs manufactured between Nov. 3, 2022, and Sept. 22, 2024, Volkswagen recommends that owners park the cars outside instead of in a garage, and charge them only on AC slow chargers.
European owners of ID.4 vehicles will be happy to know that this issue only affects American-made ID.4s, whose batteries were produced by SK Battery America, in its U.S. plant in Georgia. The Volkswagen ID.4 cars that were manufactured in Europe do not exhibit the same issue.
The Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box is down to a new record-low price on Amazon
TL;DR: The Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box has dropped to just $24.99 at Amazon. That’s 29% off its usual $34.99 list price.
If you’re a Magic: The Gathering player who’s been curious about the Avatar The Last Airbender expansion, it’s never been cheaper to dive in. As of Jan. 28, the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box has fallen to a new all-time low price of $24.99, undercutting the previous record we reported on by $2. This is confirmed by price tracker camelcamelcamel.
This Beginner Box is designed specifically for new players, but it doesn’t skimp on content. Inside, you’ll find 100 Avatar-themed cards, including two guided 20-card tutorial decks that walk players through their very first match as Aang versus Zuko. Once you’ve got the basics down, the box also includes eight themed 20-card half-decks, which can be mixed and matched to create full 40-card decks focused on different bending styles and strategies.
You’re also getting all the extras needed to actually play: two playboards, two Spindown life counters, learn-to-play guides, double-sided tokens, and a rules reference booklet. It’s essentially a board-game-style MTG experience that removes the usual learning curve.
With a strong 4.4-star rating on Amazon across thousands of recent purchases, this has already earned a reputation as a beginner favorite. Altogether, this is a great jumping-in point for those new to Magic: The Gathering, or veterans ready to see what the Avatar The Last Airbender expansion is all about.
For more Magic: The Gathering cards at a good price, you can also grab booster packs from the MTG Final Fantasy expansion for $8.99 each. What’s more, you can still score over $50 off the Magic: The Gathering Bloomburrow Play Booster Box at Amazon.
The Lego Botanicals Flower Bouquet and Bouquet of Roses is $30 off at Amazon — save ahead of Valentines Day
SAVE OVER $30: As of Jan. 28, the Lego Botanicals Flower Bouquet and Bouquet of Roses is on sale for $83.99 at Amazon. This is $35.99 off its bundle list price of $119.98.
There have been some great deals popping up on various Lego Botanicals sets lately. Whether you’re looking for something colorful for your home ahead of spring or shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts, it’s a good time to shop. As of Jan. 28, Amazon is offering an excellent Lego Botanicals Flower Bouquet and Bouquet of Roses deal for those looking to double up.
The Lego Botanicals Flower Bouquet and Bouquet of Roses sets you up with both sets for $83.99. This saves you $35.99 compared to buying each set at full price. Keep in mind it’s listed as a limited-time deal. If it’s jumped to the top of your Valentine’s Day gift list, now is the time to grab it.
Both are recommended for adults due to the complexity of their construction and come with plenty of pieces to keep you busy: 822 for the roses and 756 for the flower bouquet. The roses set features a dozen red roses in different stages of bloom, with four sprigs of baby’s breath mixed in. The flower bouquet offers a nice variety of roses, snapdragons, poppies, asters, daisies, and grasses.
This bundle is a nice way to grab two lovely Lego sets for cheaper than buying individually. Don’t miss out on your chance to score the Lego Botanicals Flower Bouquet and Bouquet of Roses bundle for $83.99 at Amazon.
Lego has plenty more floral sets to check out right now. Have a look at our breakdown of the best new floral Lego sets to see what the company has recently released. And if you’re curious to see more sets worth giving for Valentine’s Day this year, our roundup of the best Lego sets for Valentine’s Day can help you out.
The Lord of the Flies series trailer looks sufficiently disturbing
BBC‘s Lord of the Flies adaptation has a new trailer and it’s clear that this all ends in friendship, right?
Following two lauded film versions, William Golding’s iconic 1954 novel has been adapted for TV by Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and Marc Munden (The Mark of Cain), following a group of students stranded on an island in the Pacific after a plane crash. And there’s no grown-ups.
The White Lotus composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer has scored the series while none other than Hans Zimmer wrote the series’ main theme and additional music with Kara Talve.
The four-episode miniseries stars an ensemble of over 30 boys, many of whom are making their screen debuts — and this is a famously violent story. Each episode is named after their characters; Winston Sawyers plays leader Ralph, Lox Pratt plays rival Jack, with David McKenna as Piggy and Ike Talbut as Simon.
If you loved Yellowjackets, get acquainted with the disturbing classic that inspired it.
All episodes of Lord of the Flies will be on BBC iPlayer Feb. 8. U.S. dates TBC.
Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds are under $45 right now at Amazon — save $35
SAVE OVER $35: As of Jan. 28, Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds are on sale for $44.98 at Amazon. This is $35.01 off their list price of $79.99.
Buying a new pair of earbuds doesn’t have to make a massive dent in your wallet. If you’re on the hunt for a budget-friendly pair, it’s worth having a look at the Soundcore by Anker Space A40. This is especially true right now, as select colors are on sale for $44.98 at Amazon.
Both the black and blue Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds are marked down to this price at Amazon, but you can also score the white pair on sale for just one cent more at $44.99. All of these models are just a couple of dollars away from their lowest-ever price of $42.74, so now is a great time to grab them for a low price.
No matter what you’re listening to, these Soundcore earbuds sound great thanks to double-layer diaphragm drivers. They have a noise cancelling system that can reduce up to 98% of sounds around you, so you won’t feel constantly interrupted by what’s going on around you. On top of that, they offer up to 50 hours of battery life when you use the charging case.
Don’t miss out on this great deal on the Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds at Amazon.
These aren’t the only earbuds worth checking out. Our roundup of the best budget earbuds highlights even more picks we think are worth your time and money.
Shrinking Season 3 review: My heart cant take it
There’s something relentless about Shrinking to me. It’s just so genuine. Without being contrived, with timely jokes, with a knowing Jason Segel smile and… for f***’s sake! Why am I cry-laughing?! Again!?
Over multiple seasons, Shrinking has served up simply superb comedy that punches you in the heart and makes you deeply re-appreciate the people around you, flaws and all. Created by Segel, Bill Lawrence, and Brett Goldstein, Shrinking expertly reflects on the absurdity of grief, makes one hell of an argument for forgiveness, and celebrates the complexity of relationships. It’s almost outrageous to see human connection rendered so magnificent, with facetious lines like “f*** you for being emotionally healthy right now” and “playing the Dead Mom Card” delivered with a whole heart. Every episode makes me want to scream and hug someone, which I would do, if I wasn’t still sitting on this station bench dumbfounded by the Season 2 finale.
Season 3 picks up exactly where we left these now lived-in characters and ponders the courage it takes to move forward — after loss, in a relationship, through illness. And once again, Apple TV’s series hits home, and I don’t actually think I can handle it.
Shrinking Season 3 is all about the fear of moving forward
Credit: Apple TV
The first season of Shrinking focused on the immediate aftermath of Tia’s death and how her nearest each coped with it — especially her husband Jimmy (Segel), daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell), and best friend Gaby (Jessica Williams). Season 2 moved their raw grief into both anger and forgiveness, bringing Goldstein out of the writers room to play the man whose drunk driving accident killed Tia. Now, Season 3 focuses on a theme of moving forward and the courage it takes to do so, as well as the power of asking for help (in therapy or otherwise) — Shrinking‘s constant underlying theme.
Probably one of the hardest relationships for audiences to understand will be the family’s acceptance of Louis (Goldstein), a connection established in Season 2 in which Alice, Jimmy, and his best friend Brian (Michael Urie) forgave the man who caused their pain. Honestly, such a bond feels like it should be unbelievable, yet the show has spent the time with these characters, developing in them forgiveness through shared trauma. Thanks to Shrinking‘s impeccable writing and performances from Segel, Maxwell, Urie, and Goldstein, I actually buy it. And without spoiling anything, Season 3 does acknowledge the tension here.
Credit: Apple TV
It’s not the only forward motion in the third season; Jimmy considers finding love again, Alice debates college in Connecticut (as “passionate girl dad” Jimmy pretends he’s not dying inside about it), Sean (Luke Tennie) enjoys a casual dating life and semi-resolved father issues, Brian and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) prepare for parenthood with help from the proudly domineering Liz (Christa Miller) and delightful Derek (Ted McGinley).
As Shrinking‘s powerhouse of a cast member, Williams chews up scenes as Gaby yet again, as she leans into an actually healthy relationship with other Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.) and yearns for patients with higher stakes problems. When Williams enters a scene, her scene partners struggle for my attention, with her flawless delivery and comedic timing one of the show’s best elements. Nobody delivers a compliment or a takedown like Jessica Williams.
And then there’s Harrison Ford.
Shrinking Season 3 sees Harrison Ford at his best
Credit: Apple TV
Without a doubt, Season 3 sees Ford at his absolute best yet as curmudgeonly genius Paul, as he navigates his increasingly visible tremors and cognitive changes from Parkinson’s disease. The show quite literally has Paul saying “F*** Parkinson’s” multiple times, and you can feel it. In episode 1, the show includes a moving cameo by screen legend Michael J. Fox, who uses humour to unpack some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s, ones he personally faces in real life.
Last season, an ever-stoic Paul eased into being vulnerable with his friends, family, and partner Julie (Wendie Malick) about his neurological condition, and this season, Ford keeps Paul in the same furious state of disdain toward talking about it. However, he finally (and reluctantly) requests help from Jimmy, asking, “If you see me sinking, pull me up,” a request that echoes the show’s theme song lyrics
This fear of leaning on others for help remains one of Shrinking‘s core explorations; Paul is insistent on “not being a self pitying sh*thead.” Alice fears leaving her “frighteningly loyal support group” for college on the other side of the country. And Louis finds baffling support in people whose lives he impacted so deeply.
It’s this humans-will-surprise-you magic that makes Shrinking so wonderful, a laugh-out-loud comedy that reminds you that asking for support and supporting others in turn is an everyday superpower. An adamant champion of human complexity for three seasons, this show is so good it boggles my brain.
Shrinking Season 3 is now streaming on Apple TV with new episodes Wednesdays.
Stephen Colbert confirms final show date to Seth Meyers, speaks about future plans
Stephen Colbert only has four months left of The Late Show, and everyone is wondering what he plans to do next.
In the Late Night video above he speaks to Seth Meyers about the end of his show (the final episode will be aired on May 21), and any bucket list guests he wants to speak to before it finishes (the new Pope), before the conversation turns to rumors of future plans.
Colbert refuses to confirm or deny the various rumors (“I’ve got to keep my options open,” he says), but he does rule out a $13.5 million deal with Netflix.
The reason? “Not enough money.”
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 28, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love listening to vinyls.
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.
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.
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:
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Yellow: A copy
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Green: Scrubbers
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Blue: Vinyl parts
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Purple: Extra
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Imitation
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Green: Cleaning supplies
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Blue: Components of a record player
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Purple: Spare ___
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 #962 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Imitation: DUMMY, MOCK, PRETEND, SHAM
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Cleaning supplies: BUCKET, GLOVES, RAG, SOAP
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Components of a record player: MOTOR, NEEDLE, PLATTER, TONEARM
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Spare ___: ME, RIB, TIME, TIRE
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.
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 yesterday’s Connections.
NYT Strands hints, answers for January 28, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re always aware.
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.
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.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Zen state
The words are related to calmness.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe calming down.
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 Mindfulness.
NYT Strands word list for January 28
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Focus
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Meditation
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Notice
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Mindfulness
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Relax
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Listen
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Breathe
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 yesterday’s Strands.
Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 28, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re unkind.
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.
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.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Evil.
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 C.
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…
CRUEL
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
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 Wordle.
NYT Pips hints, answers for January 28, 2026
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.
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:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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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.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 28 Pips
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed horizontally.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 28 Pips
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically.
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 28 Pips
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.
Greater Than (10): Everything in this space must be greater than 10. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 5-0, placed vertically.
Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed vertically; 0-0, placed horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 5-0, 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.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in the UK
TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from the UK with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
The world of porn has been rocked by age-verification laws, requiring individuals to provide proof of age in order to access adult content.
Earlier in 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub responded by blocking users from those locations, and now the same situation is taking place in France.
The same situation is not taking place in the UK, but it’s no less frustrating. The UK’s age-verification law came into effect on July 25, but in this case, Pornhub is complying with the UK’s law. It’s nice that there’s no total ban, but these age-verification laws still raise serious privacy concerns. The prospect of handing over information to third-party systems and not knowing how these companies are handling or storing that data is naturally concerning to potential users. For these individuals, there is a workaround.
If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from the UK, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in the UK
VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.
Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:
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Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub
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Visit Pornhub
The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for Pornhub?
ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
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Fast streaming speeds free from throttling
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Up to eight simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).
Unblock Pornhub for free in the UK with ExpressVPN.
Stephen Colbert drops truths about the Melania doc
While Donald Trump and his administration continue doubling down on spin and rhetoric after the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by federal immigration officers in Minnesota, the White House is also heavily promoting the upcoming Melania doc.
The Amazon-produced documentary is the first film directed by Brett Ratner since multiple women accused him of sexual harassment or misconduct in 2017, and follows the First Lady in the days before Trump’s second presidential inauguration in Jan. 2025.
“It’s a real peek behind the curtain at a woman picking out curtains,” Stephen Colbert quipped on The Late Show on Tuesday night.
The host then took aim at Amazon MGM Studios for the colossal amount of money the Jeff Bezos-owned company reportedly dropped on the documentary.
“Amazon bribed a whopping $40 million for the movie and an additional $35 million for marketing, promotion and distribution,” said Colbert. “So big box office, right? Wrong, social media has been flooded with images of theatres in major cities that haven’t sold a single seat.”
Is everyone hitting Send Help instead this weekend or…
Jimmy Kimmel trolls Melania Trump over her new documentary
Melania Trump’s Amazon MGM Studios documentary is nearing release, and the First Lady has kick-started her promotional tour with an interview on Fox. But apparently all is not well behind the scenes.
“According to the writer Michael Wolff, Melania is bigly upset that the murders in Minneapolis are overshadowing the release of the $75 million bribe, I mean documentary, that Amazon made for her,” says Jimmy Kimmel in the clip above. “Alex Pretti was killed on Saturday, the same day they had the VIP screening of the movie at the White House, and now, while she’s promoting her film, she has to answer questions about it.”
Kimmel goes on to play footage of Melania speaking on Fox, confirming that both the president and her son Barron apparently liked the movie.
“Her son and her husband liked it,” says Kimmel. “All the people in the movie are giving it rave reviews. That’s enough for me. It is not, however, getting a positive response for some of the people who worked on the film. According to Rolling Stone, two thirds of the New York crew asked to have their names removed from the credits. Two is a lot of thirds.”
The Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Booster Packs are below market value at Amazon
TL;DR: Pokémon TCG: Prismatic Evolutions Booster Packs have dropped to just $12.96 at Amazon. That’s a 32% discount on their usual $18.99 list price.
at Amazon
$18.99
Save $6.03
Get ready to build your binder with Eeveelution pulls for less than usual, because Amazon has dropped the price on boosters for one of Pokémon’s rarest expansions. As of Jan. 28, Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Prismatic Evolutions Booster Packs are down to $12.96 at Amazon, marking a 32% discount on their $18.99 list price. For one of the most in-demand sets of the Scarlet and Violet era, that’s a solid price cut indeed.
Like those for other expansions, each Prismatic Evolutions booster pack includes 10 cards, with chances to pull rare, ultra-rare, and special variant cards from a set that’s become especially popular thanks to its Eevee and Eeveelution focus. Pack artwork is randomized, and all cards are tournament-legal, making these boosters a good fit for both collectors and players looking to freshen up a deck.
What really makes this deal stand out is how these packs of trading cards stack up elsewhere. On TCGplayer, individual Prismatic Evolutions booster packs are typically listed for more, and once seller fees and shipping are factored in, the total often ends up well above Amazon’s current asking price. Walmart listings also trend higher when packs are actually in stock, making Amazon the clear value pick right now.
Prismatic Evolutions has been tough to grab at a reasonable price thanks to high demand and frequent sell-outs. Single booster packs are a must-buy if you’re hoping to grab that valuable Special Illustration Rare Umbreon.
For those keen on the upcoming expansion, you can pre-order the Pokémon TCG’s Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections at their lowest-ever price on Amazon. Meanwhile, you can still grab the Pokémon TCG: Mega Venusaur ex Premium Collection Box for almost $22 off.
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 28, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know your hockey.
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.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Tale of tape
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Green: Platforms
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Blue: Old homes
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Purple: Name included
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Player bio information
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Green: Sports streamers
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Blue: Former MLB ballparks
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Purple: Ends in a Hall of Fame QB
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #492 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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Player bio information – ALMA MATER, HEIGHT, NUMBER, POSITION
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Sports streamers – NETFLIX, PARAMOUNT, PEACOCK, PRIME
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Former MLB ballparks – EBBETS, KINGDOME, THREE RIVERS, TIGER
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Ends in a Hall of Fame QB – FOREWARNER, HARBAUGH, HONEYMOON, OUTMANNING
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
End of today’s Mashable roundup.
