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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 minu...

Content warning: suicide, self-harm. By no means a light watch but an important and timely one, Mission sees a young man struggling to feel connected to society, contemplating dying by suicide but giving himself one week to convince himself to stay alive . Written and directedy with disorientating flair by Scottish director Paul Wright ( Arcadia ), this BBC -produced film explores the personal and social reasons behind suicidal behaviour through the experience of Dylan (a phenomenal George MacKay). It's not a sensational, generalised depiction of mental health , but instead a splintered, chaotic endeavor to visually render one person's complex perspective.  SEE ALSO: 21 reasons to keep living when you feel suicidal MacKay, who starred in Wright's For Those in Peril back in 2013, gives a mercurial performance as a man vehemently trying to find meaning in a world he feels alienated from. Dylan yearns for the reali...

France's highest court struck down a law this week that would have banned children under 15 from accessing social media networks such as Facebook and X. The legislation had previously sailed through the lower chambers of government with unusually broad bipartisan support. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/h9vsg14 via

Before there was Donald Duck or Goofy or even Mickey Mouse, there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. And now Oswald is finally getting his very own TV miniseries. At this year's D23 fan event, Disney  announced  that Oswald the Lucky Rabbit will star in a live-action animated three-part TV miniseries on Disney+. The "Oswald" miniseries is written, directed, and executive-produced by Jon Favreau. The cast includes an all-star comedy lineup, including Albert Brooks, Amy Sedaris, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Martin, Al Madrigal, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Mykal-Michelle Harris, and Ryder Allen. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. The road to his own Disney series was a long one for Oswald. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was first created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. Oswald starred in more than two dozen theatrical short films in the late 1920s, animated by Walt Disney Studios. However, in 1928, Universal took...

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 minu...

The new Google Pixel 11 was just unveiled this week. This usually prompts some consumers to question how Google's latest smartphone stacks up against Apple's current generation iPhone.  However, this isn't really the most apt comparison. Because the phones run different operating systems, owners of either device may be reluctant to switch ecosystems in search of greener pastures. The real head-to-head is between the Google Pixel 11 and its most direct Android rival: Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S26 . Let's put these two Android devices head-to-head. Google Pixel 11 vs Samsung Galaxy S26: Price With the cost of technology rising amid global shortages of semiconductors, memory, and storage, price is likely front of mind for many consumers. Both the Google Pixel 11 and Samsung Galaxy S26 start at $899 with 256GB and 12GB of memory. Currently, the Google Pixel 11 is only available via pre-order and the Samsung Galaxy S26 has been out for a few month...

Our top mobile and health tech editors from PCMag , CNET and ZDNET share their thoughts on Google's Made by Google Pixel event hosted by Trevor Noah . What were the coolest features on the new Pixel devices, and what felt like a dud?  from Mashable https://ift.tt/UoKOHx6 https://ift.tt/PeWltwh

Siri may soon be (finally) able to tell you more about what is happening in the world right now, but Apple could have to pay publishers a lot of money to make that happen. According to an Aug. 12 report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple has approached several news publishers in recent months about giving its forthcoming Siri AI assistant access to their content. The proposed multiyear deals would help Siri answer questions about current events and other information that changes in real time. Apple has reportedly discussed setting aside a nine-figure budget for the partnerships. Its proposed payment structure would compensate publishers whenever their reporting is used, according to the Journal. That differs from many existing AI licensing deals, which typically pay publishers a guaranteed fee in exchange for broader access to their content. It is unclear which publishers Apple has contacted or whether any agreements have been finalized. Apple declined to comment to the Journal. The ...

Comet combines a familiar Chromium browsing experience with Perplexity's AI assistant that can summarize pages, answer questions, and help with tasks across tabs. For more browser options, including traditional alternatives, check out our Essential Apps for Windows and macOS. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/UhQzSda via

OpenAI employees apparently have a quick way to reach founder and CEO Sam Altman , Fortune reported. It's an e mail address, friction@openai.com , and its purpose is to give employees a place to report company problems that OpenAI's leadership team can triage and handle. SEE ALSO: What is OpenAI Astra? Everything we know about the new — and possibly dangerous — new model The friction@ inbox has existed for a while, according to  Fortune , but its use widened when Fidji Simo joined OpenAI as CEO of Applications in the fall of 2025. Simo went on a "listening tour" to better understand problems across the company, and formalized the friction@ process. She assigned Irina Kofman, VP of strategic initiatives and operations, to monitor the inbox and ensure that issues were resolved. Simo also established a monthly, company-wide Slack update to track progress, Fortune reported. Simo has since left OpenAI, but these p...

CNET Senior Technology Reporter, Abrar Al-Heeti, gets a first look at the new Gemini intelligence features coming to the Google Pixel 11. In this video, we test out five upcoming capabilities designed to make finding and sharing information easier. from Mashable https://ift.tt/3tU29Pa https://ift.tt/SuxcLe0

Researchers working with the Trusted Computing Group recently identified a potential security issue in AMD's TPM code, prompting the company to release new motherboard and firmware updates to address the vulnerability. The update process was not exactly swift, however, as the fixed TPM code had already been available for months.... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/pMVk91a via

Imagine that you share a ride to work with the same colleague most mornings. As it passes by a license plate reader, the camera records the car, which can be linked through vehicle records to its registered owner. Beside it, another sensor detects signals broadcast by devices traveling nearby, such... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/ASpzFVR via

Windows laptops just can't catch a break. As the memory chip shortage rages on, a new report from the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News (UDN) says PCs are facing further price hikes as Microsoft raises its Windows 11 licensing fees for device manufacturers. According to a PC brand executive who spoke anonymously to UDN, Microsoft normally bumps its Windows license fees for PC makers by small margins every year. However, the latest increases are much higher than usual. SEE ALSO: RAMageddon is making it harder to find the best Windows laptops. These 10 are actually worth it. "In the past, licensing fees mostly increased by single digits each year, but starting in July this year, the average increase has reached 7 percent to 10 percent," UDN wrote. Other brand executives interviewed by the newspaper noted that the licensing fee increases vary by processor type; more powerful devices with higher-end CPUs have s...

In July, the FCC approved Reflect Orbital's proposal to deploy satellites capable of reflecting sunlight from orbit. These "space mirrors" are designed to redirect sunlight toward specific areas of the planet's surface, with potential benefits for power generation and other applications. Experts continue to debate the plan, while the California-based... Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/M6dRsBK via

That new singer in your Spotify playlist may have a name, a face, and a carefully written bio. Soon, Spotify may also tell you the person they describe doesn’t exist. Beginning in mid-September, the streaming platform will place an "AI Persona" badge on profiles built around AI-generated identities. Music from those profiles will also be excluded from Spotify’s editorial playlists and algorithmic recommendations by default, the company announced Aug. 11. Spotify will stop introducing listeners to AI Personas by default. Their songs should no longer pop up in Discover Weekly, Release Radar, or another personalized playlist unless you have already shown interest in the artist. You can still search for, play, and follow them, and following one may tell Spotify that you’re open to hearing more. Put simply, the company doesn’t want an AI Persona to be something you discover by accident. ...

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you like buying fresh fruits and vegetables. 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 h...

Developer Justin Marshall recently ported Word for Windows 1.1a to modern Windows systems. The open-source conversion draws on the source code of the original program, which Microsoft shared with the community in 2014. Read Entire Article from TechSpot https://ift.tt/nVJpOhS via

There’s a new robotaxi in town — Amazon's Zoox . Paid rides on Zoox became available for the first time ever, with service launching in Las Vegas on Monday (Aug. 10). The Sin City service follows Zoox's recent availability as a free option for select San Francisco riders.  While Alphabet's autonomous Waymo cars are also available in Vegas , Zoox has some distinct differences, most notably its carriage-style seating made possible by the absence of a steering wheel and gas pedal. Zoox vehicles also lack a formal front or rear, allowing them to drive in either direction seamlessly. Riders adjust temperature and music choices on screens in the cabin. On July 30, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Zoox could temporarily offer paid service .  "This temporary exemption will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years, subject to an enhanced...

Letterboxd  is down for many users on Sunday, with the film-tracking app confirming service issues and asking users to be patient while its team works to restore access. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. According to the outage tracker Downdetector, the majority of reported problems — 54 percent — involve logging in, while another 39% of users report trouble within the app itself; website issues account for just 4 percent of reports. Letterboxd acknowledged the outage in a series of posts, telling followers its team was "aware of an outage affecting service" and pledging to restore access "as soon as possible." In a follow-up post, the company said it was continuing to work on a resolution, thanking users for their patience. The most recent update came at 12:02 p.m. CT. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. No word yet on a cause or expected...