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Twitter is postponing the launch of Twitter Blue again, and when it finally returns, it might bring along a new breed of "official" checkmarks. This is according to Twitter CEO and owner Elon Musk, who tweeted the news on Tuesday. "Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation," he said. "Will probably use different color check for organizations than individuals." Given that the Twitter checkmark saga is getting increasingly hard to follow, here's an obligatory recap. Twitter's blue checkmark is used to prove users' identities. Shortly after acquiring Twitter, Musk rendered the blue checkmark mostly useless by making it a perk of purchasing a Twitter Blue subscription, meaning that everyone could get the checkmark for $8 per month without any additional identity verification. Then, after a wave of impersonations, Twitter brought in an additional, gray checkmark saying "Official" for certain accounts, as a way to do what the blue checkmark originally did: prove a user's identity. Then, Musk "killed" the "Official" checkmark, but the company brought it back shortly thereafter. Given the speed at which the entire endeavor was descending into chaos, Twitter decided it was best to pull Twitter Blue altogether, making it impossible for most people to get any sort of checkmark on their account. Musk chimed in, saying the feature will relaunch on Nov. 29 to "make sure that it is rock solid." Yes, it appears that this recap might ultimately end up being a thousand-word affair. We're very sorry. With Musk's latest tweet, it appears that the Nov. 29 date is definitely off the table. But the new colors are interesting, not only because they'll definitely complicate matters even more, but also for their meme potential (see below). In any case, if you were hoping to get a blue checkmark, you'll have to wait a while, and if you're an organization, your checkmark might be purple, beige, lavender? Given that he fired most of Twitter's employees (or drove them out with "extreme" demands), it's (probably) Elon's call, so all bets are off. View the full article

With nearly 12 million books, Z-Library advertised itself as the largest repositories of pirated books on the Internet. The site had millions of regular readers who found a wealth of free knowledge and entertainment at their fingertips. This reign ended abruptly two weeks ago when the U.S. Department of Justice seized its domain names. Following an FBI investigation, the authorities identified Russian nationals Anton Napolsky and Valeriia Ermakova as prime suspects. The pair were arrested in Argentina and now await potential extradition to the United States. Tor Network As part of the criminal investigation, the U.S. authorities seized 241 domain names. This effectively made the site unavailable on the open web. But Z-Library wasn’t completely wiped out and continued to operate through .onion domains on the Tor network. The remaining team members initially continued to respond to inquiries as well, suggesting that the two arrestees were not the only people running the site. Over the past 24 hours, however, Z-Library appears to have run into new issues. Those who try to access the platform’s .onion domains receive an error message informing them that Z-Library is unreachable. This suggests that there may be issues with the server or the technical setup. “Onionsite Not Found. The most likely cause is that the onionsite is offline. Contact the onionsite administrator,” the message reads. Whether U.S. authorities have anything to do with these recent developments is unknown. The Z-Library team has yet to comment on these issues and didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment. The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) While attempts to access Z-Library are currently problematic, that isn’t confirmation that the remaining team members have thrown in the towel. At the time of writing, the library remains accessible through The Invisible Internet Project, also known as I2P. I2P isn’t widely recognized among the general public but the network, which initially started as the “Invisible IRC Project”, has been around for more than two decades. I2P relies on peer-to-peer transactions and aims to be an uncensorable, anonymous, and secure communication system. That sounds like a good fit for Z-Library but novices will find it harder to set up than other alternatives. Disappointed On social media, Z-Library users appear frustrated by the new Tor problems. As we reported earlier this week, these people still support the shadow library, despite the criminal allegations. For their part, many book authors and publishers are disappointed to see this level of public support. While Z-Library ‘regrets’ that some writers suffered from its actions, the site is still not completely offline. Further information on the progress of the criminal prosecution has not been made available. As far as we know, the two named defendants have yet to be extradited to the United States. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article

While acclaimed filmmaker Rian Johnson might jump from one genre to another, one thing that's remained a constant are cameos from actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This remains true with Glass Onion. But before we give away the cleverly hidden cameo in this Knives Out sequel, let's take a step back to appreciate the big picture. Since his critically heralded directorial debut, 2005's Brick, writer/helmer Rian Johnson has fostered an ongoing collaboration with that neo-noir's leading man, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The two reteamed in 2012 for the time-travel thriller Looper, with Gordon-Levitt starring as a potentially self-slaughtering assassin. The pally pair also worked together on the actor's short-lived series HitRECord on TV. But JGL pops up in Johnson's other movies, often in sly cameos, you might have missed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's history in Rian Johnson movies begins...Three years after Brick, Johnson made the action-comedyThe Brothers Bloom. Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rinko Kikuchi were the leads, but the leading man of Brick can be spotted in an early party scene. It's basically a background acting gig, but for fans of the Third Rock From the Sun star, this quick cameo is a giddy delight in an already-winsome flick. SEE ALSO: How to watch 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' From there, Gordon-Levitt's cameos have become more and more challenging to spot — in part because you won't see that familiar face. When Johnson helmed 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, JGL was the voice of an alien named Slowen Lo. Spotted at the Canto Bight casino, this Abednedo added obstacles to Rose and Finn's adventure. But unless you were listening carefully, you'd miss Gordon-Levitt altogether; Slowen Lo was physically portrayed by Dee Tails. The aural cameos continued in 2019 with Knives Out. In this Glass Onion predecessor, he's credited as "Detective Hardrock." And if that name isn't familiar, that's because Gordon-Levitt is not one of the cops rubbing elbows with Benoit Blanc (unlike fellow Johnson regular Noah Segan). Detective Hardrock is a fictional detective within this story of the fictional detective — a donut hole in a donut hole, if you will. In the scene where nurse Marta (Ana De Armas) is sitting with her mother in their cramped apartment, we can hear as her sister watches a grisly crime show. An intense interrogator snarls offscreen, "You slashed his face open. You left him bleeding in the street like a stuck pig, then you crushed his skull with a forklift and burned his hands off to erase the fingerprints!" This bit of ghoulish dialogue is delivered by JGL in Law and Order parody mode. In 2021, Gordon-Levitt confessed to Us Weekly all of these cameos, saying, "Funnily enough, and folks may or may not know this, I’ve actually gotten to cameo in every single one of Rian Johnson’s films, from Brick to The Brothers Bloom and even Star Wars: The Last Jedi." But knowing all this, are you any close to picking out his cameo in Glass Onion? One more clue: It's all about tone. Where is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cameo in Glass Onion? Credit: Netflix He's not on the island, but you can hear him there. Sort of. You know that booming tone that Miles Bron that points out tells the hour on his private resort? That's Gordon-Levitt's most covert cameo yet. Rian Johnson spilled the beans in a Q&A following the world premiere of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Mashable was on the scene when Johnson said, "That's Joseph Gordon-Levitt's cameo in the movie. He said the word 'dong,' and we turned it into a musical note." Even Benoit Blanc wouldn't have figured that one out. The Glass Onion is in theaters Nov. 23 to Nov. 29, then comes to Netflix on Dec. 23. View the full article

It was supposed to be a decadent weekend away for the elites, so rich and powerful that they could escape the fears and pandemic of COVID-19 to party on a private island in Greece. There, under the glow of the titular Glass Onion, tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has engineered a methodically plotted murder-mystery game. All of the guests are invited into the twisted fun. Just ignore Derol. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is as jam-packed with clues and red herrings as its hit predecessor. But even as its complicated case comes to a close, you might be wondering about Miles Bron's party-crasher Derol. Ready to solve that puzzle? What was Derol doing in Glass Onion? On one level, Derol is a running joke. While Miles waxes poetic about the glorious exclusivity that his wealth has afforded, in wanders some presumably couch-surfing dude who is only referred to as Derol. Over the course of the movie, Derol pops up to puncture the affluent self-importance of a scene or to hang out with the world's premiere detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). And sure, it's funny. Johnson, who uses Knives Out and its sequel to satirize the absurdities of America's one percent, might even intend Derol as another lampoon of this lavish lifestyle: the happy-go-lucky hanger-on. BoJack Horseman had Todd. O.J. Simpson had Kato Kaelin. Miles Bron has Derol. In every affluent ascent, a little schleppy sidekick must fall. SEE ALSO: How to watch 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' But beyond these bemusements, Derol is an Easter egg for long-time Johnson fans. Derol is the Noah Segan cameo. Credit: John Wilson/Netflix Having appeared in over 70 films and television shows, Segan is a prolific performer. He's also in every one of Rian Johnson's feature films. Though sometimes, if you blink, you'll miss him, as with his uncredited cameo in the Breaking Bad episode "Ozymandias" — which Johnson directed, natch. It all began with Johnson's feature film debut, 2005's Brick, an indie neo-noir in which Segan played a bad boy rival to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's teen detective. For Johnson's sophomore effort, The Brothers Bloom, Segan snagged a small role as The Duke. In the sci-fi Western Looper, which pitted Gordon-Levitt against Bruce Willis, Segan played a snarling foe called Kid Blue. To this day, that's Segan's Twitter handle. In Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, you might spot Segan as X-Wing pilot Stomeroni Starck. Then, in Knives Out, he played Trooper Wagner, the overeager cop partnered with LaKeith Stanfield's stern Lieutenant Elliott. And now, Segan returns to the Benoit Blanc Cinematic Universe as a new character, tucked away behind a bushy beard and slacker chic. Over the years, Segan's cameos have become part of the director's signature, even as Johnson rises through the ranks of Hollywood — similar to how Sam Raimi works in appearances from his old pal Bruce Campbell (who starred in Raimi's cult classic The Evil Dead). Such loyalty is winsome outside of the films, and it also makes for a fun nod to fans. So, longtime Johnson admirers might keep their eyes peeled for the character actor with the charmingly crooked grin. And as Segan's officially kicked off his own directing career with a vignette in the horror anthology Scare Package and the vampire-comedy Blood Relatives (which hits Shudder Nov. 22), Johnson has proved some help, scoring a "thanks" in the credits of each. Now, if you really want a challenge, can you pick out the Joseph Gordon-Levitt cameo in Glass Onion? The Glass Onion is in theaters Nov. 23 to Nov. 29, then comes to Netflix on Dec. 23. View the full article

SAVE £20: The Fire TV Cube is on sale for £119.99 this Black Friday, saving you 14% on list price. Black Friday means it’s almost time for Christmas, which means it’s time to huddle around the TV for a festive season of non-stop movies and shows. Black Friday also means money off top items, so what's better on Black Friday than a bargain on the ultimate streaming device? The Fire TV Cube is available during Black Friday week for £119.99 — that’s a saving of 14% on the usual price. The Fire TV Cube is like a combination of other Amazon smart devices, all rolled together to create an all-in-one streaming solution. It plugs straight into your TV via HDMI and gives you access to all the top streaming apps — Netflix, Prime, Disney, YouTube, iPlayer, and more — and allows you to control live TV, adjust the volume, or find favourite content with voice commands (thanks to built-in Alexa). It supports WiFi 6E for seamless streaming and lightning-fast responses, as well as connecting with and controlling other smart devices. As for the quality of entertainment, the Fire TV Cube supports 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR, and Dolby Atmos audio. It’s the full home cinema experience packed into a box-shaped smart speaker. The discounted price is available until Nov. 29. Don’t miss a bargain on this excellent device. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Fire TV Cube (opens in a new tab) £119.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

SAVE £70: The Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for £79.99 this Black Friday, saving you 47% on list price. Sometimes bigger is better. That’s certainly the case on Black Friday. The bigger the discount the better. That’s also true of the Fire HD 10 tablet. It’s the biggest tablet from the Fire HD range, with an impressive 10.1-inch high-definition display. Fortunately, the Fire HD 10 tablet is included in the Black Friday sale at Amazon, giving you a big discount on this big device. This tablet has dropped to £79.99. That's a massive saving of 47% on list price. This deal will be available until Nov. 29, but why wait? It’s too good to miss at this price. What can the Fire HD 10 tablet do? It’s more a case of what can’t it do. It offers superb value at this price — an all-in-one smart tablet that rivals more expensive competition when it comes to features. This tablet supports all the top streaming apps — Netflix, Prime, Disney, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, and more — giving you hours and hours of entertainment. There’s also access to Amazon Kids+ for child-focused features, plus video calls, music, and Alexa for voice control. Just ask Alexa and she can help with all sorts of tasks. She can tell you the weather, help manage your smart home, and even tell you jokes. There’s up to 64MB of storage plus a beefed-up RAM of 3MB — a 50% increase on previous models. It also comes in a selection of colours, all of which are included in the deal. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet (opens in a new tab) £79.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a NatureID Plant Identification Premium Plan is on sale for £13.16, saving you 75% on list price. As the holidays get closer, it might be time to start gift shopping in earnest. Suppose you're searching for the right gift for green thumbs. You don't have to leaf them hanging over the holidays. NatureID is a plant identification and caretaking app that can turn a smartphone into a plant encyclopedia, and lifetime Premium Plans are on sale for £13.16. NatureID is an AI-based plant identification and education tool that can recognise over 14,000 species of flora. If you find a plant you don't recognise, snap a photo, and NatureID can tell you all about it. If you bring your phone camping, you could even pick out which plants to avoid. If you manage a garden, you might have seen some plants wither seemingly for no reason. Plants get sick. Sometimes it's from human error like overwatering, or it might be something you couldn't predict, such as a fungus in your soil or a sudden shift in the weather. Whatever the cause, NatureID's Plant Doctor helps you get to the root of the problem. Then, you can use the Plant Care Guide to ensure you give every denizen of your garden proper care. NatureID's Plant Journal provides watering, misting, feeding, and rotating reminders. It's like carrying around your own personal botanist. If you want to learn more about the exciting flora of the world, check out NatureID's plant encyclopedia or read the daily articles exploring the thrilling variety of plant life around you. Whether you're shopping for a master gardener or struggling to keep a cactus hydrated, NatureID is a fun digital stocking stuffer that may come in handy once spring arrives. Typically, a lifetime subscription to NatureID costs £50, but for a limited time, you can get it for just £13.16. That's the best price you'll find anywhere online. Opens in a new tab Credit: NatureID NatureID Plant Identification Premium Plan (Lifetime Subscription) (opens in a new tab) £13.16 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

SAVE £28: The Fire Tablet 7 is on sale for £31.99 this Black Friday, saving you 47% on list price. The whole Black Friday phenomenon is about being able to get your hands on the biggest, best, and latest devices that you’d never normally splash out on. The Fire Tablet 7 is one such device. It’s the newest, most advanced Fire Tablet 7 model, released earlier this year. But Amazon has knocked 47% off its retail price. That means it’s now available for just £31.99. That offer will stand until Nov. 29, a few days after Black Friday itself has finished — but only if they don’t sell out before then. It is a superb price, after all. This tablet puts a whole lot of smart fun and functionality into your hands. There are literally countless hours of movies and shows to watch, thanks to access to the likes of Netflix and Prime Video. You can also use Zoom, Skype, and Facebook messenger for making video calls. The Fire Tablet 7 also does everything you’d expect from a regular Alexa-powered device. Alexa will play your favourite tunes, update you on the news, or check on the weather. She’ll even help you do the shopping. And if you have kids, there’s Amazon Kids+ for books, games, and educational activities. This is one of our top picks for Black Friday — a tablet that stands up against the more expensive competition, but for even less than the already-low retail price. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Fire Tablet 7 (opens in a new tab) £31.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

SAVE £10: The Ring Indoor Camera is on sale for £39.99 this Black Friday, saving you 20% on list price. Black Friday is the time to stock up on devices and gadgets that you always wanted but never considered essential — the kind of thing that you always put off buying because it’s a tad too expensive. That’s why Black Friday is so great. You get everything on your wishlist at a more affordable price. Take a look at the Ring Indoor Camera, for instance. The Ring Indoor Camera is now on sale for just £39.99 — an impressive saving of 20%. The deal runs through Black Friday week, with the marked down price available until Nov. 29. But don’t delay and miss out! It’s one of those devices that you might have put off buying, but it’s also one of those devices you can’t live without once you’ve tried it. Made by Amazon (which means it connects to other Alexa-powered devices), the Ring Indoor Camera sends real-time HD video straight to your phone. That allows you to monitor your home, no matter where you are. It also has a two-way talk system. The Ring Indoor Camera sends motion activated notifications to your phone and records videos. All you need to do is plug it in. Setting it up is easy. If you already own an Echo Show, just ask Alexa to show you what’s happening in the other rooms of your house — ideal for parents and pet owners. And hey, while it’s at a low price this Black Friday, why not stock up on a few and keep the whole home covered and secure? Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Ring Indoor Camera (opens in a new tab) £39.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

SAVE £70: The Ring Alarm is on sale for £149.99 this Black Friday, saving you 32% on list price. Black Friday isn’t just a splurge for the sake of bargains. With the prices so low, you can also make forward-thinking investments, with the benefit contining for years ahead. Take the Ring Alarm. It’s a five-piece home alarm security system that will keep your home protected long after Black Friday has been and gone. And it’s hard to argue with the Black Friday price drop. The Ring Alarm is now available for just £149.99 — that’s a saving of 32% on list price. The Ring Alarm kit includes a base station, keypad, contact sensor, motion detector, and a range extender. That’s everything you need to get started. It's easy to install. You don't need to be a DIY expert. You control the whole system on your phone via the Ring app. It sends you motion activated notifications and real-time video from inside your home when connected to a Ring camera. That means you can monitor what’s happening in the house when you’re out and about or away from home. Because it’s made by Amazon, it syncs with other Alexa-powered devices for even greater control. You can also use Alexa to manage the Ring system — just tell Alexa when to switch it on and off. It can even call the emergency services. If you’re not sure you need it yourself, it’s also a great (and now more affordable) Christmas gift. Do you know someone who is security conscious and needs an upgrade? The deal is available until Nov. 29, so there’s time to stock up for Christmas. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Ring Alarm Kit (opens in a new tab) £149.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

SAVE £68: The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet is on sale for £81.99 this Black Friday, saving you 45% on list price. Christmas is for kids, but Black Friday is for adults. It’s all about the excitement of discovering what deals are on offer. The Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet is something that will get both kids and adults excited. For the kids, it’s the ultimate in portable entertainment — something that will keep them amused and occupied for literally years — and for adults, it’s a huge Black Friday bargain. The price has dropped to £81.99. That’s 45% off the usual price. This Black Friday deal is available until Nov. 29, which is a few days after Black Friday itself. But don’t leave it until the last minute. You never know when stocks might run out. What makes the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet so special is its processor, which works 30% faster, and a best-in-class battery life of 13 hours. And with the Amazon Kids+ subscription service, there's stacks of entertainment and education — books, movies, apps, games, and more for kids aged between 3 and 7. It has reliable parental controls for keeping tabs on what your kids are watching. You can also monitor how much screen time they get and set reminders for them to go to bed. A kid-friendly protective case will keep the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet safe and secure, no matter how much it is subjected to. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro Tablet (opens in a new tab) £81.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

Sunday Quordles are, all things considered, the most relaxing Quordles of all. For most of us, Sunday is when we're furthest from the workweek, and Sunday comes with a rich tradition of lounging around the house, reading the paper slowly and doing puzzles. An extra hard puzzle can be an added bonus, but it can also add frustration to an otherwise enjoyable day. If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need. What is Quordle?Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds. Is Quordle harder than Wordle?Yes, though not diabolically so. Where did Quordle come from?Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. How is Quordle pronounced?“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.” Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?Yes and no. Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you. After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle. What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset. Is there a way to get the answer faster?In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses: Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.” Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses. If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints: Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?Two words have letters occurring twice. Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?V. What do today’s Quordle words start with?B, R, D, and P. What are the answers for today’s Quordle?Are you sure you want to know? There’s still time to turn back. OK, you asked for it. The answers are: BOOTH ROAST DEUCE PROVE View the full article

It's Wednesday, which means there's a new Wordle puzzle for you figure out and new hints to help you solve it. The first tip to keep in mind: The New York Times recently added a new word list and updated the rules, so now plurals ending in S or ES will never be the solution. If you just want to find out today's answer, you can skip to the end of this article for November 23's Wordle solution revealed. If you'd prefer to puzzle it out yourself, keep reading for a few tips, tricks, and hints to guide you along the way. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 22 Where did Wordle come from?Wordle was originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner. It quickly exploded in popularity, becoming a global phenomenon enjoyed by thousands of players around the world every day. Some Wordle fans even began creating alternate versions of the daily word puzzle game themselves, such as battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations such as Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. TikTok creators have even live streamed themselves playing Wordle, and the puzzle game eventually grew so big that the New York Times bought it earlier this year. What's the best Wordle starting word?There is no objectively best Wordle starting word, just the best one for you. However, if you find your joy in being strategic when taking on word puzzles, we have a few ideas to help you choose your opening move. One hot tip is to choose a word that has at least two different vowels in it. It wouldn't hurt to make sure it has a few common consonants as well, such as S, T, R, or N. What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordles used to be available for you to access whenever you wished, like a giant wonderland of word puzzles. Unfortunately it has since been taken down, which was done at the request of the New York Times according to the website's creator. Nothing good ever lasts. SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Is Wordle getting harder?It may feel as though Wordle is getting harder, but we can assure you it isn't. However, if this news is more of a disappointment than a relief, Wordle does have a Hard Mode you can turn on if you want to up the difficulty. Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?Usually Wordle only has one correct solution per day. However, occasionally the puzzle game will accept two different solutions as right, spreading Wordle-related confusion in group chats everywhere. This is because the New York Times made changes to Wordle after acquiring it, swapping out some answers for new ones. The Times has since added its own updated word list, so this should happen even less frequently than before. To avoid any confusion, it's a good idea to refresh your browser before getting stuck into a new puzzle. Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Today's puzzle solution is a compelling internal urge, as well as an activity many commuters do every day. Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?No double ups today, only original letters! Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter D, as in "DOMINO" by Stray Kids. What's the answer to Wordle today?It's finally time to reveal today's Wordle answer, so lock in your final answers now. Drum roll please! The solution to Wordle #522 is... DRIVE. The word "drive" can refer to a strong internal desire to behave in a certain way, as well as the operation of a motor vehicle such as a car, bus, or truck. It's also the name of another Stray Kids song. Don't be disheartened if you didn't get it this time! There will be a new Wordle puzzle for you to try tomorrow, and we'll be back again with more tips and tricks to help you out. View the full article

If you’re thinking of gifting someone a robot vac this holiday, that’s a great idea. Who doesn’t want a robot to suck up their stray cereal bits and mop the floor so they can hang with friends? The hard part of giving a robot vac is choosing the right one — but we’re here to help. You may have heard of ECOVACS all-in-one DEEBOTs, but not all DEEBOTs are created equal. While most feature automatic dustbin emptying and a self-cleaning mop, some have an AI voice assistant, built-in camera, and even air fresheners. Check out this roundup of deals and really clean up when it comes to nailing your holiday list this year. For design-savvy dads This slick robot vacuum and mop combo looks super techy and is a shoe-in for dads with high expectations. The OMNI station offers a self-cleaning, drying, and automatic water refill, making this truly hands-free. In addition to top-of-the-line features like YIKO voice assistant and AI-powered obstacle avoidance, it’s a smart pick for big families because it’ll get any floor clean enough for the baby to crawl on. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT X1 OMNI (opens in a new tab) Up to $550 off at AMAZON Get Deal (opens in a new tab) For outdoorsy typesIf you know someone who hits the trail every chance they get, this powerful hybrid is for them. Enjoy the convenience of a self-maintaining robot vacuum that auto-refills water so it’s ready for its next mopping job and can clean itself. In addition to 5,000Pa that will suck up every last grain of dirt and sand, the all-new OZMO Turbo mopping system slays when it comes to cleaning up dried mud and other stuff they drag in. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT X1 Turbo (opens in a new tab) Up to $500 off at AMAZON Get Deal (opens in a new tab) For fur-baby parentsIf your pal always has fur on their pants, do them a solid and gift them this sucker and mop combo. The ECOVACS DEEBOT X1 PLUS comes with an air freshener so your home always smells clean. The powerful 5,000Pa gets up all that pesky dander, the turbo mop cleans muddy paw prints, and a built-in camera with voice communication lets them monitor their pup—and tell them to get off the sofa. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT X1 PLUS (opens in a new tab) Up to $350 off, EXCLUSIVE DEEBOT X1 PLUS Bundle at COSTCO Get Deal (opens in a new tab) For busy couples This vacuum and mop hybrid is perfect for couples who bicker about whose turn it is to clean. The auto-emptying station is super compact, a bonus for small spaces, and the oscillating mopping system gets hard floors all clean and smooth for couples yoga. The built-in air freshener is a nice perk, too. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT T10 PLUS (opens in a new tab) Up to $300 off at BEST BUY Get Deal (opens in a new tab) For fuss-free momsNot only does this hybrid rule when it comes to vacuuming and mopping, but it also empties its own dustbin, whose mom wouldn’t want that? The 2,300Pa suction and OZMO rotating mopping system gets floors mom-approved clean and it’s smart-home compatible, so she can tell it what to do. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT N8 Pro+ (opens in a new tab) Up to $300 off at AMAZON Get Deal (opens in a new tab) For your on-the-go partnerIf you hesitate to take off your sneakers at your partner’s place, this vacuum and mopping hybrid is a game-changer. Its 2,300Pa suction and compact design make it a great intro robot vac for small spaces, and the whole hands-free cleaning setup will give them sparkling floors with zero effort. Opens in a new tab Credit: ECOVACS ECOVACS DEEBOT N8+ (opens in a new tab) Up to $300 at WALMART Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article

Yves Tumor, Pedro, Venus X, and more are also slated to performView the full article

Amazon now owns iRobot, so we're expecting some sweet Amazon Roomba deals this Black Friday. Here are our top picks as of Nov. 22: OUR TOP PICK: The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is the first Roomba with a mop on board, on sale for the first time — $899 $1,099.99 (save $200.99) BEST CHEAP ROOMBA DEAL: The iRobot Roomba 694 is the best non-discontinued budget Roomba — $179 $274 (save $95) BEST REFURBISHED ROOMBA: The iRobot Roomba i7+ (renewed) maps rooms and is $150 cheaper than buying brand-new — $349.99 $556.99 (save $206.70) Roombas actually aren't hard to find on sale — but finding almost every model on sale at the same time is the rare part. If you were teetering between two models and leaning toward the less-advanced model based on price, Black Friday Roomba sales might be able to get you the better one in a better price range. Amazon is one of many retailers (Best Buy, Walmart, and Target being the other big ones) to have Roomba deals, and aside from some retailer-exclusive models (like the Roomba i1+ at Walmart), it's unlikely for any Roomba deal to only be available at one place. However, if any retailer is going to have the most reliable Roomba stock, we'd guess Amazon since 2022 marks the first Black Friday post-Amazon-iRobot acquisition. SEE ALSO: Black Friday is already here as far as these early deals are concerned: Save big on robot vacuums and more Shop the Roombas on sale at Amazon heading into Black Friday below, and check out our list of all other Black Friday robot vacuum deals. Any new deals will be marked with a , and any Roombas marked with a are at their lowest prices ever at Amazon. A fire emoji doesn't mean that the BF sale price (or stock in general) can't disappear between now and Black Friday, so if you see the flames, snag it while you can. Our top pick Opens in a new tab Credit: iRobot Our pick: iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ (opens in a new tab) $899 (save $200.99) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we like itThe first Roomba with a mop on board was a huge deal when it was announced. It's an even bigger deal that it's on sale less than two months after launching in late Sept. 2022. Now under $900 instead of over $1,000, the Combo j7+ uses the same PrecisionNavigation camera as the regular j7+ to recognize and avoid particularly-problematic obstacles like pet waste and phone chargers. When the Combo j7+ notices carpet, it stops scrubbing and lifts the mop completely over the vacuum itself. When cleaning is complete, the Combo j7+ empties itself. More Amazon Roomba dealsiRobot Roomba 694 — $179 $274 (save $95) iRobot Roomba i3 — $229 $349.99 (save $120.99) iRobot Roomba i3+ — $344.99 $549.99 (save $205) iRobot Roomba j7 — $349 $599.99 (save $250.99) iRobot Roomba i7+ (renewed) — $349.99 $556.99 (save $206.70) iRobot Roomba j7+ — $599 $799.99 (save $200.99) iRobot Roomba s9+ — $859.99 $999.99 (save $140) iRobot Roomba s9+ and Braava Jet m6 bundle — $1,149 $1,599.99 (save $450.99) More Black Friday robot vacuum deals Samsung Jet Bot Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $249.99 (List Price $599) Shark AI RV2002 LiDar Mapping Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $169.00 (List Price $399) Roborock E5 2500Pa Robot Vacuum & Mop (Opens in a new window) — $199.99 (List Price $359.99) iRobot Roomba j7 Wi-Fi Robot Vacuum Cleaner (Opens in a new window) — $349.00 (List Price $599.99) Anker eufy RoboVac G32 Pro Home Mapping Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $119.00 iRobot Roomba j7+ (7550) Pet Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $599.00 (List Price $799.99) iRobot Roomba i3 Evo Wi-Fi Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $229.00 (List Price $349.99) iRobot Roomba i1+ Wi-Fi Self-Empty Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $288.00 (List Price $529.99) Eufy RoboVac X8 Robot Vacuum With iPath Laser Navigation (Opens in a new window) — $349.99 (List Price $499.99) iRobot Roomba i7+ 7550 Wi-Fi Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $499.99 (List Price $899.99) View the full article

As of Nov. 22, Amazon is offering Black Friday deals on select Shark vacuums. Here are some of our top picks: OUR TOP PICK: The Shark IZ363HT Anti-Allergen Pet Power works for up to 50 minutes and is great for pet owners. — $229.99 $349.99 (save 34%) BEST BUDGET DEAL: The Shark ION Robot Vacuum AV753 has up to 120 minutes of runtime and works with Alexa. — 149.99. $229.99 (save 35%). BEST UPRIGHT VACUUM: The Shark ZU503AMZ Navigator includes a HEPA filter and self-cleaning brush roll. — $169.99 $229.99 (save 26%) BEST FOR PRIME MEMBERS: The Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum has a 60-day capacity and is bagless. — $299.00 $599.99 (save 50%) The holidays are a prime time for gatherings, delicious food, and Black Friday deals. Once again, Amazon's deals don't disappoint and include Shark vacuums that will help make cleaning easier. The retailer is offering discounts of up to 50% off the Shark AV2511AE AI Robot, and offers two models for under $200 — the Shark ION Robot Vacuum and the Shark ZU503AMZ Navigator. Check out these Amazon Black Friday deals before they're gone: Opens in a new tab Credit: Shark Shark IZ363HT Anti-Allergen Pet Power Cordless Stick Vacuum (opens in a new tab) Save $120 on Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we love itIf you're a parent to at least one pet, the Shark IZ363HT Anti-Allergen Pet Power is cordless and easy to maneuver around a variety of crevices and corners. It also includes accessories such as a brush roll, powerfins, and pet multi-tool that help you get into every nook and cranny of your home and upholstered furniture. It can also convert into a handheld vacuum so you can tidy up your car and other areas above the ground. This deal includes free shipping for Amazon prime members. Its sale price of $229.99 represents 34% off. Opens in a new tab Credit: Shark Shark ION Robot Vacuum AV753 (opens in a new tab) Save $80 on Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we like it:Robot vacuums let you live your life while your house gets cleaned, saving you time and effort. The Shark ION Robot Vacuum AV753 is one of the most affordable robot vacuums yet. Not only does it clean multiple surfaces, but it also works with Alexa and can vacuum for up to 120 minutes. Its three brushes (side, channel, and multisurface) work together to clean more efficiently. At $149.99 (35% off), it's sure to make budget-conscious shoppers happy. Opens in a new tab Credit: Shark Shark ZU503AMZ Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (opens in a new tab) Save $60 on Amazon (and get free shipping) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we like it: Don't be intimidated by the cord on the Shark ZU503AMZ Navigator. It provides great performance without the time constraints of cordless or robot models and still helps you clean even the trickiest areas. Equipped with a HEPA filter, a lift-away feature that helps you clean furniture and tricky corners, and swivel steering, this is a versatile vacuum — and it's only $169.99. With a discount of 26% and free delivery for Amazon Prime members, it's bound to go fast. Opens in a new tab Credit: Shark Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum (opens in a new tab) Save $300 on Amazon (and get free shipping) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we like it:The Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum may have the steepest price of all the models in this list, but it also has the biggest discount. With a bagless dirt compartment and self-emptying capacity, dirt will be off your radar for up to 60 days. Battery life can last up to 120 minutes. Live in a big house? The Shark AI recharges itself and then goes back to where it left off. At $299, the Shark AI Robot is 50% off its usual price. Prime Members get free delivery and returns on this luxurious robot vacuum. Want Dyson instead? Check out these deals: Dyson V7 Motorhead Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (Refurbished) (Opens in a new window) — $365.00 (List Price $399.99) Dyson TP02 Pure Cool Link Smart Tower Air Purifier and Fan (Opens in a new window) — $299.99 (List Price $499.99) Dyson Ball Animal 2 Upright Vacuum Cleaner (Opens in a new window) — $399.99 (List Price $499.99) Dyson V10 Absolute Cordless Vacuum (Copper) (Opens in a new window) — $399.99 (List Price $599.99) Dyson V10 Absolute Cordless Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $449.99 (List Price $549.99) Dyson TP09 HEPA Air Purifier Cool Tower Fan (Opens in a new window) — $499.99 (List Price $669.99) Dyson V15 Detect Vacuum (Iron) (Opens in a new window) — $649.99 (List Price $749.99) Dyson V10 Animal Cordless Vacuum (Opens in a new window) — $399.99 (List Price $549.99) Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Vacuum (Silver) (Opens in a new window) — $349.99 (List Price $499.99) Dyson TP7A HEPA Purifier Cool Autoreact Fan (Opens in a new window) — $349.99 (List Price $549.99) Dyson BP01 Pure Cool Me Air Purifier Fan (Refurbished) (Opens in a new window) — $199.99 (List Price $349.99) View the full article

Ring in the new year by upping your productivity with a new Chromebook. Shop the best Black Friday Chromebook deals at Best Buy, available as of Nov. 22: OUR TOP PICK: The Asus 2-in-1 Touchscreen Chromebook (Intel Core M3-8100Y, 8GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) is the perfect midrange laptop for getting things done or entertainment on the go — $179 $379 (save $200) BUDGET PICK: The Lenovo Chromebook 3 (Celeron N4020, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) is great for homework, browsing, and more for the lowest price we've seen outside of Walmart — $79 $139 (save $60) BEST DESKTOP REPLACEMENT: The HP 2-in-1 Touchscreen Chromebook (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) can do it all and then some, making it a great candidate for replacing clunky desktop PCs — $399 $699 (save $300) Looking for a sale on one of the best Chromebooks to round out your home office? Or maybe you want to send the kids back to school armed with a reliable way to tackle their assignments? Whatever the case, Best Buy has a Chromebook laptop to fit your needs this Black Friday. This year, the retailer has several brands on sale at steep discounts, from Lenovo to Asus, at seemingly every price point. There's even a $79 Chromebook on offer, the likes of which we haven't seen outside of Walmart to date. Plus, most of the units on sale come with free 3-month trials of YouTube Premium and 6 months of security software. These laptops will likely go fast at these prices, so read on for more details and shop our picks before they disappear. OUR TOP PICK Opens in a new tab Credit: Best Buy Our pick: Asus 2-in-1 Touchscreen Chromebook (Intel Core M3-8100Y, 8GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) (opens in a new tab) $179 at Best Buy (save $200) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we love itThis 14-inch Chromebook delivers the best of both worlds for those on a budget, but still looking for a premium experience. Use it as a full-size laptop or flip it over to take it on the go as a tablet. It comes packed with 8GB of RAM to juggle multiple apps and programs, and with a full HD 1920 x 1080 touchscreen, it's perfect for work or play. Best of all, it's just over 3 lbs and less than an inch thick, making it a win in terms of portability. At the end of the day, you're getting more savings than Best Buy has to offer here, too: this Chromebook is $53 cheaper there than Amazon's current price. BUDGET PICK Opens in a new tab Credit: Best Buy Our pick: Lenovo Chromebook 3 (Celeron N4020, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) (opens in a new tab) $79 at Best Buy (save $60) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we love itIf simplicity's what you're after, you'll find it with this 11-inch Lenovo Chromebook. At $60 off, it's just $79, marking the first time we've seen a Chromebook at this price outside of retailers like Walmart. It's a reliable pick for students, or anyone looking for a lightweight and sturdy laptop to go online, check email, and enjoy their favorite shows. It weighs less than 3 pounds and is less than an inch thick, and comes with a built-in media reader so you can store important assignments or other documents and transport them as necessary. For the price, you won't find a better Chromebook multitasker. BEST DESKTOP REPLACEMENT Opens in a new tab Credit: Best Buy Our pick: HP 2-in-1 Touchscreen Chromebook (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) (opens in a new tab) $399 at Best Buy (save $300) Get Deal (opens in a new tab) Why we love itLooking for a way to slim down your home office? This full-featured Chromebook might just be the ticket. Slide that heavy PC case to the side and put this HP 2-in-1 laptop into place, then pick it up and take it with you when work takes you elsewhere. Its large 14-inch screen gives you plenty of real estate to work with, and 128GB of SSD storage means better performance when it comes to managing your files. It also comes with a fingerprint reader to keep your laptop secure as well as an HD webcam with camera privacy switch to keep prying eyes out of your home. It's got everything you need to elevate your work-from-home experience, or to gift your exceptional student so they can get things done. View the full article

When I first made an account on Mastodon, Twitter’s supposed successor, I had a lot of questions. Does it scratch the Twitter itch? What server do I join? How does the whole server thing work? After spending some time on Mastodon and learning more about decentralized platforms in general, I've got the hang of it. But Mastodon's resource center is pretty technical and didn't help much in explaining what new users might be wondering about. I've done the legwork of answering your burning questions about how Mastodon works, so that you can be spared from the anxiety of signing up for a new social media app. Read on for an FAQ breakdown. WTF is Mastodon?Mastodon is a heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia that— oh wait, that's the wrong Mastodon. Mastodon is a social media app that’s been around since 2016. It’s powered by a network of independent servers all around the world. The network is called the "Fediverse," from the term "federated social media," which is the official term for a platform that is decentralized or not controlled by a single private server. SEE ALSO: Is Mastodon the emerging alternative to Twitter? Of all the Twitter alternatives in recent conversation since the Elon Musk takeover, Mastodon has emerged as the next best thing. Mastodon is very similar to Twitter in that they're both microblogging platforms. You can publish short posts, and they go into a central feed where you can read other people's posts. You can also "star" (like), "boost" (retweet), and share posts, and follow other people. Unlike Twitter, and basically every other popular social media platform, Mastodon's self-governed approach is to give users autonomy and decision-making power over how the platform functions. Any person or organization can make a server. Much like subreddits, servers are moderated by volunteers and have their own rules and protocols. But people are also signing up because, for now, it seems to be a less-toxic version of Twitter, which let's be honest, was already a cesspool before Musk bought it. Important difference: There is no, I repeat, no verification system. OK… so how do I sign up for Mastodon?Create an account by going to the Mastodon website on a desktop or downloading the app on iOS or Android. Immediately, you'll be asked to select a server to sign up with. This is where it gets a little confusing, so stay with me. The first step is choosing your server, but it's not as intimidating as it seems. Credit: Mastodon On this next page, Mastodon gives you a list of servers to choose from. They're basically affinity groups you can join based on your interests. Servers range from disable.social, for people who are chronically ill, mentally ill, and/or disabled, to mastodon.lol for members of the LGBTQ+ community, to newsie.social for journalists. Does that mean I can only interact with people on my Mastodon server?Nope! All servers interact with each other behind the scenes. The only noticeable difference is that people have different servers at the end of their account addresses. How do I sign up for a server?The signup page features a list of servers that have been approved for complying with Mastodon's policies. But there are many other servers out there. Submissions to be featured on the page are reviewed manually, and there's probably a backlog of approvable servers out there, so don't feel like you need to stick to this list. Choose from the list of Mastodon-approved servers. Credit: Mastodon What if I don't know what server to choose?There are also general servers like mastodon.social. But ultimately, it doesn't really matter because all servers interact with each other. Joining a particular server doesn't mean you're restricted from seeing certain content. It just means that is the specific server that's supporting and moderating your account (which we’ll talk about more in depth later). You can also set up your own server, it's a more advanced process that requires some knowledge of serving hosting and money to support it. There's no one server that's better than another server. Actually, as fedi.tips points out, joining a large server might be worse because "there’s a much smaller staff-to-user ratio." You can also transfer your account to another server. There's a growing list of resources for finding the right server. Mastodon has its own search tool for finding servers, aka, instances by keyword, and there's also a list on fediverse.party, coxy.co, and a quiz tool on instances.social. Also, you don't need to create an account to view a server, which is useful for helping you decide. Search for servers (instances) by URL, name, or description. Credit: Mastodon How do I start posting?Now that you've found the server you want to join, sign up by creating an account through that server's website. Clicking on "Apply for an account" or "Create account" of the featured servers on the website will redirect you to that server's site. Or you can navigate directly to it if you know the server name. Follow the directions on the site to create an account. mastodon.world is a general purpose server that's accepting registrations. Credit: Mastodon / Mastodon/world If you're using Mastodon on a desktop, on the right sidebar, you can filter timelines by "Home," which shows chronological posts from people and hashtags you follow, "Local," posts from people within your server, and "Federated," which shows recent posts from servers that your server knows about. Filter what content you want to see in your timeline. Credit: Mastodon / journa.host On the left sidebar, you'll see a text box for writing and publishing posts. You can search for people and hashtags to follow right above the text box. But there are several tools out there that have done the following legwork for you. Trunk and fedi.directory have a list of notable people to follow organized by theme, and Debirdify and Fedifinder find all the people you follow (or followed, RIP) on Twitter and show you their Mastodon account if they have one. Start posting here. Credit: Mastodon / journa.host Is Mastodon safe for all users? The problem with Mastodon being decentralized is that every server has its own set of rules, which makes content moderation subjective to the admins of that server. Mastodon's "Server Covenant" says it only links to servers that have "active moderation against racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia," but how that is interpreted and moderated ultimately comes down to the server. This means your experience interacting on the platform will differ depending on which server you choose because they don’t all share the same codes of conduct. In fact, people of color have reported instances of hate speech on the app. And posts talking about racism and larger systemic issues have been falsely interpreted as violating rules of conduct. Some users have also reported being asked to add content warnings to posts about social justice movements. In an interview with Time, Mastodon Founder Eugen Rochko says if hateful people do set up a server, Mastodon puts the power to deal with hateful content in the hands of its users. "I guess you could call it the democratic process, the hateful server can get ostracized or can get split off into basically, a little echo chamber, which is, I guess, no better or worse than them being in some other echo chamber." Earlier this week, journa.host, the server I joined, faced accusations of transphobia for suspending the account of trans journalist Parker Molloy for violation of the server's rules. In a Mastodon thread post, Molloy acknowledged that amid a heated exchange they broke the community's guidelines and "lashed out" at another user and the journa.host mods. Once their account was reinstated, Molloy asked people to "give [the server mods] a bit of time, to judge them on their actions moving forward rather than actions of the past." SEE ALSO: If Mastodon wants to replace Twitter, we'll have to ruin it first Clearly, Mastodon is not immune to content moderation issues that plague all social media platforms. However, Mastodon might be more equipped to resolve such issues. In the same thread post, Molloy said they'd spent an hour talking with Adam Davidson, one of the moderators of journa.host. "It was a very good, very productive conversation that I'm very glad to have had." Is Mastodon a worthy successor to Twitter?Yes and no. Mastodon is by no means a panacea for toxic Twitter. Social media inherently reflects all aspects of our society; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Social media changes when society changes. But unlike Twitter, which is about as impersonal as you can get, the resolution between Molloy and Davidson was human and civil. Would that have happened if this conflict unfolded on Twitter with thousands of others potentially inserting themselves into the conversation? Personally, using the platform feels more personal, and that's a good thing. The success or failure of a server lies in the hands of its community, and it's a comfort to know that the stakes are the same for its moderators. That being said, most people joined Mastodon as a reaction to the Twitter fallout, so it feels a little bit like an anti-Twitter echo chamber of users on their best behavior. Maybe it's because I've seen the rise and fall of too many social media apps, but it feels too good to last. Mashable's Christianna Silva has a similar take. "It's only enjoyable if you've forgotten the rise or slow, stuttering fall of every other social media platform in the last few decades." Will we ruin Mastodon like we ruined Twitter? Only time will tell. View the full article

The Detroit rapper’s second full-length of 2022 arrives in DecemberView the full article

While pirated Hollywood blockbusters often score the big headlines, other industries have also been battling piracy over the years, sports organizations included. Research has shown that sports piracy is prevalent around the world, with more than half of all sports fans regularly using unauthorized services. Football, also known as soccer in some parts of the world, is particularly problematic. According to a report published by Synamedia last year, football is the number one gateway sport that turns fans of other sports, including Camel racing aficionados, into streaming pirates. With the FIFA World Cup now underway in Qatar, this finding will be of great concern to sports rightsholders. The world’s largest sports tournament will draw billions of visitors from around the globe, including a large chunk tuning in via piracy sites. FIFA World Cup Takedowns In anticipation, some key copyright holders have taken action. In Canada, for example, the Federal Court issued a piracy-blocking order that requires local ISPs to prevent subscribers from accessing pirated FIFA World Cup streams. Anti-Piracy coalition ACE is also aware of the threat. With sports broadcaster beIN now among its ranks, tackling live sports streaming has become one of the group’s priorities. And for the World Cup, everyone is on high alert. Earlier this month ACE announced the shutdown of a major sports piracy ring in Latin America, targeting domains such as futbollibre.net and televisionlibre.net. A few days ago, its efforts shifted to Africa and the Middle East, taking down livekoora.online and yalla-shoot-new.tv. These names may not be very popular in the West but they attracted millions of visitors in some countries. Livekoora, for example, had more than 17 million visits last month, with most traffic coming from Morocco and Algeria. Settle and Shut Down ACE is usually very conservative when it comes to sharing details on these enforcement efforts. However, the group confirmed to TorrentFreak that livekoora.online and yalla-shoot-new.tv were operated by the same person, a Moroccan resident. The alleged operator was tracked down by ACE and agreed to a settlement deal. As part of this confidential agreement, the domain names were signed over to ACE. “The sites were shut down via a confidential settlement that includes the transfer to ACE of the domain names connected to the illegal streaming services,” an ACE spokesperson informs TorrentFreak. “ACE relies on its vast network of investigators and various legal tools such as subpoenas to identify and track persons of interest behind mass-scale piracy operations globally. The person has cooperated, and details of the settlement remain confidential.” Indeed, those who access the two sports streaming sites today see an ACE banner, informing them that the site is no longer available due to copyright infringement. We Will Find You! The anti-piracy group has reported quite a few of these shutdowns over the past several months but none reference any type of damages payment. While it’s certainly possible that settlements contain a financial component, we get the impression that shutting down sites is the main priority. These actions are then reported publicly to deter other site operators and to prevent aspiring sports pirates from joining the game. This is also stressed in a comment from ACE head Jan Van Voorn on the recent action. “Working with our member, beIN SPORTS, we have sent a clear message to piracy operators around the world, including anyone planning to steal content from the upcoming World Cup games, that we will find you and shut you down,” Van Voorn said. More Problems It’s too early to tell if this strategy will pay off, but right now opportunities for new ACE operations are in abundant supply. While two major sites were closed recently, dozens of others with similar names such as live-kooora, kooora4lives, and yalla-shoot, remain readily accessible. ACE is aware of this, of course, and informs us that this certainly isn’t their last enforcement action. “This action, while important, is not the end of our planned live enforcement activities in the region. We will continue to take actions either civilly or criminally via our law enforcement partners,” a spokesperson says. Notorious sports streaming sites are not the only problem. Beyond the ACE efforts, rightsholders also have to deal with FIFA World Cup piracy on legitimate social media platforms such as Twitter. When we looked at the most recent copyright takedown requests received by Twitter, a large percentage relate to the World Cup. These takedowns are not just limited to live streams but also target short highlights, and even six second clips of a cheering audience. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article

On the day Elon Musk took over Twitter, he made a proclamation. "Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints," Musk tweeted. "No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes." Well, it turns out that's been thrown out the window. No council has been formed or convened, yet Musk has authorized the reinstatement of a number of formerly banned or suspended Twitter accounts. Mashable has compiled a list of the most notable accounts which have been unbanned. All of these accounts, with the exception of one, belong to right-wing figures. Donald TrumpHands down, the most prominent account that has been reinstated is former President Donald Trump's @realDonaldTrump. Trump was officially banned from the platform on Jan. 8 2021, following the events of Jan. 6, in which a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Twitter said it was "permanently suspending" Trump at the time due to his using the platform to incite violence. On Nov. 18, Musk shared a tweet noting that he had unsuspended a few individuals but had announced that the "Trump decision has not yet been made." Later that same night, Musk launched a Twitter poll asking if Trump should be reinstated. More than 15 million Twitter accounts voted in the poll, which ended with 51.8 percent voting in favor of reinstating Trump's account. While Musk has acted as if the users made the decision, he had previously shared back in May, right after signing the initial deal to acquire Twitter, that he planned to unban Trump. “I do think that it was not correct to ban Donald Trump," Musk said while speaking at the Financial Times' Future of the Car conference. "I would reverse the permaban." Just days later, Musk echoed his statement again on Twitter. "I still think Trump should be restored to Twitter," he tweeted. Trump has yet to tweet since his account has been reinstated. The former president previously stated that he would not be tweeting even if he was unsuspended, as he now has his own social media platform, Truth Social, which he wants to promote. The Babylon BeeOne of the first accounts Musk reinstated was The Babylon Bee, a "conservative humor" website attempting to emulate The Onion. The Babylon Bee was actually not banned or permanently suspended from Twitter. The website's account was temporarily suspended in March. Twitter simply required that The Babylon Bee delete a tweet that broke its content policies. They had refused to delete the tweet, so the account remained suspended. The tweet in question purposefully misgendered United States assistant secretary for health Rachel Levine. Musk did not require that The Babylon Bee delete the tweet before reinstating their account. Elon Musk's actions here are not so surprising. The billionaire's private text messages were released earlier this year as part of a lawsuit Twitter filed against Musk when he wanted to back out of the acquisition. In a text message conversation from March, Musk's ex-wife, actress Talulah Riley, shared her dissatisfaction with The Babylon Bee's suspension on Twitter. "The Babylon Bee…suspension is crazy," Riley complained. "Can you buy Twitter and then delete it, please!?" "Maybe buy it and change it to properly support free speech," Musk replied. According to Twitter employees, when Musk took over in late October, one of his priorities was reinstating Babylon Bee's account. Jordan PetersonCanadian media personality Jordan Peterson is another individual who Musk reinstated early on in his tenure as "Chief Twit." Peterson's account was reactivated alongside Babylon Bee's on Nov. 18. Peterson, who also hosts a show on the right-wing media outlet Daily Wire, was originally suspended in June for misgendering actor Elliot Page. Peterson also purposefully deadnamed the actor, referring to Page by his previous name. SEE ALSO: 'Chief Twit' Elon Musk's first act: Personal customer support for right-wing trolls As with the Babylon Bee, Twitter at the time had required that Jordan Peterson delete the tweet in order to reactivate his account. Peterson refused, claiming he would "rather die" than delete the tweet. In August, Peterson relented and deleted the tweet. However, once his account was unsuspended, Peterson immediately posted a screenshot of his deleted tweet about Page, resulting in yet another suspension. Peterson is now back on Twitter, demanding that Elon Musk take action against users who post on Twitter anonymously. Kathy GriffinOne of these things is not like the others. Unlike the other reinstated accounts, comedian Kathy Griffin was the only one originally suspended from Twitter while Elon Musk was in charge. She's also the only one who is not a right-wing media figure. Griffin was suspended on Nov. 6 for impersonating Musk on the platform. A number of celebrities and other prominent Twitter users had changed their accounts in protest of Musk's changes to its Twitter Blue subscription feature, which now allows anyone to purchase a blue verification check mark badge for $8 per month. In order to demonstrate how fake accounts sporting the verified badge will provide harm to users on the platform, Twitter power users began parodying Elon Musk. Griffin was one of those who changed her Twitter name and avatar to mirror Elon Musk's Twitter account. She was banned shortly after. It's unclear why Musk decided to reinstate Kathy Griffin's account. Other notable users who impersonated Musk, such as Ethan Klein of H3H3, remain suspended. Griffin, however, shared that she will not be coming back to Twitter. Kathy Griffin says she won't be returning to Twitter. Credit: Mashable Screenshot "Dear Space Karen," Griffin said, referring to Musk, on her account at the social media platform Mastodon. "No thanks." Andrew TateFormer kickboxer-turned-internet-entrepreneur influencer Andrew Tate made headlines earlier this year after nearly every major platform banned him for breaking their hate policies with his misogynistic content. Twitter actually banned Tate long before Facebook and YouTube grabbed the headlines. Tate was banned on Twitter back in 2017 when he said rape victims "bear some responsibility" in response to the #MeToo movement at the time. Tate was quietly reinstated under Musk's Twitter over the weekend. He's already thanked the new Twitter boss for unbanning his account and has already started promoting his next internet marketing scheme. Marjorie Taylor GreeneRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was already on Twitter thanks to her official account as a U.S. Congressperson. However, her personal account, @mtgreenee, was permanently suspended earlier this year for consistently spreading misinformation about COVID-19. However, on Monday, Rep. Greene's personal account was reactivated. Various other right-wing figuresBy now, you may be noticing a pattern here. Aside from Kathy Griffin, every account here was suspended for breaking Twitter's policies about hate speech or misinformation. And every one of them are figures and influencers in right-wing politics. Other accounts that have been reinstated over the past week include: Project Veritas, a conservative group run by James O'Keefe. The account was originally suspended for repeatedly violating Twitter's policies on publishing private information. James Lindsay, known as @ConceptualJames on Twitter, a right-wing media figure who repeatedly and baselessly called individuals in the LGBTQ community "groomers" Sargon of Akkad, a right-wing YouTuber who was suspended from multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, after talking about raping a British Member of Parliament Meghan Murphy, an anti-trans pundit who was banned from Twitter in 2018. Murphy later sued Twitter in order to regain access to her account. She lost. Murphy's account was reactivated Sunday night. In a reply to another Twitter user, Murphy said a friend helped get her account restored. Podcaster Joe Rogan later tweeted at his "friend" Murphy, welcoming her back to the platform. While Kanye West, who was suspended from Twitter in October for making antisemitic remarks, has started tweeting again, it should be noted that his suspension was temporary and his account was reinstated before Elon Musk took over. Although, Musk did welcome him back to the platform when West started tweeting again. View the full article

It’s no secret that skincare is trending right now, and a quick glance at social media proves it. Celebrities and influencers alike have hopped on the “skincare as self-care” train, and the resulting swarm of must-have products can be overwhelming to say the least. From the best Korean beauty products to the latest skincare gadgets, there’s a lot to choose from. However, while skincare has (thankfully) come a long way from scrubbing your skin off with microbeads, it hasn’t gotten any easier to decide if a product is nothing but hype or a true holy grail. Enter SolaWave’s advanced skincare wand with red light therapy. Touted as a science-backed, four-in-one skincare tool, this tiny wand is on a mission to be the next must-have in your medicine cabinet. So how does it work? As a novice skincare enthusiast, I was definitely intrigued by the SolaWave the first time I saw it on social media. It was cheaper than many of the skincare devices I’d seen in the past, and — with celebrities like Doja Cat, Vanessa Hudgens, and Reese Witherspoon reportedly loving the device — I immediately wanted to know more. The company’s website explains that the tiny device combines four different skincare technologies — red light therapy, microcurrents, facial massage, and therapeutic heat — to provide what the company describes as the “ultimate at-home spa facial.” SEE ALSO: Shop SolaWave's BOGO free Black Friday deal I’d heard about all of these techniques in the past. Red light therapy, for example, is touted as a way to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, scars, redness, acne, and more. And microcurrent facials? I’ve heard some people swear that zapping a low-level electrical current through your skin is better than botox. However, while none of these technologies are new — and the science behind them definitely shows promise — I also have a healthy dose of skepticism around whether or not a tiny pen-sized wand can deliver the same results as professional-grade equipment. I was skeptical that the skincare benefits SolaWave promises could pack into such a tiny device. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable I put it to the testStraight out of the box, I was surprised at how tiny the SolaWave was in my hand. Just over the size of a pen with a convenient swivel head, the tiny device uses “smart-touch activation” meaning it turns on and off when the ceramic head comes into contact with your skin. After charging the device according to the instructions in the package, it was time to get to work. While the SolaWave turns on immediately when it comes into contact with your skin, the company explains that it works best on hydrated skin. Rather than fuss around with finding the right product, I opted to stick with their recommended Renew Complex Activating Serum. With ingredients like blue tansy oil, hyaluronic acid, and Aloe vera, the serum is designed to help evenly distribute the microcurrent therapy across your skin, so I washed and dried my face, applied a thin layer of the serum, and got started. How does it feel? I’m not going to lie, the first few seconds of swiping the SolaWave wand across my skin felt odd. I was expecting a stronger sensation due to the microcurrent, but it felt like a gentle tingling sensation spreading out from the smooth ceramic head of the device. The device felt warm against my skin — it gradually increased in temperature the longer I used it — without being hot or uncomfortable. I started using the wand at the base of my neck, following the instructions in the package to glide it upward and outward as I gradually moved along each side of my face. During my first session, I started small — SolaWave recommends starting with a five-minute session, three to five times a week — and I found that I actually enjoyed the process. It was super relaxing to use the device on my face and neck, and it almost felt like the device was making it easier for my skin to absorb the products I was using, so my skin felt way more hydrated than normal. The SolaWave wand works best when paired with a serum with conductive ingredients. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable But does it actually work? Immediately after using the red light therapy wand, I was surprised to find that I noticed a slight improvement in my skin. It wasn’t dramatic or anything — if I hadn’t taken a selfie earlier that evening, I probably wouldn’t have noticed — but there was a visible reduction in puffiness around my eyes, cheeks, and jawline. Over the next two weeks, I diligently included the SolaWave in my skincare routine. I used it both morning and evening, typically right after washing my face and applying a toning essence and the Renew Complex serum, around five or six days a week. Eventually, I started extending my SolaWave sessions by a few minutes at a time — adding some focused attention to areas of my face that were holding tension, needed some extra de-puffing, or looked a little dehydrated — and I was surprised by how well it worked. By the end of my second week, my skin was definitely looking better: A few hormonal acne scars on my chin had faded, the redness in my cheeks went down, and I swore to my partner that a broken capillary on my cheek had completely disappeared. On days when my seasonal allergies had me waking up with puffy bags under my eyes, I was thrilled to discover that the SolaWave was a great way to quickly knock them out. While I didn’t notice a huge difference in fine lines or wrinkles (at 32, I only have a few fine lines on my face that are noticeable when I’m dehydrated) I was still shocked by how well the device worked. I used the red light wand, which is designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, blemishes, and dark spots. But SolaWave also offers a blue light wand (meant to fight against breakouts, boosts the effects of serum topicals, and improve your skin's radiance) and a three-minute spot treatment device, which uses red and blue light to target acne-causing bacteria. Is it worth it? Honestly, I’ve got to say yes, the SolaWave is worth it. I’ve seen several at-home skincare devices, including red light therapy masks and microcurrent facial devices, that cost anywhere from $200 to $500. Compared to these, the SolaWave advanced skincare wand’s $149 price tag is a breeze. It’s still a little more expensive than the beauty devices you might see on the shelf at Target, but considering how well it worked, it’s definitely worth the splurge. If you want to save a few bucks, you can also swap out SolaWave’s Renew Complex serum with one of your own favorites. At $32 a bottle, it’s a little pricey compared to my favorite serums, and I didn’t notice much of a difference when I started experimenting with a few I already had on hand. Thankfully, the company’s website says it’s totally fine to swap in your own products — especially if they contain conductive ingredients to help make the most of the microcurrent technology — so you can try using it with products that you already know work well with your skin. If you’re still on the fence? I’d recommend following SolaWave on social media or checking out the website. The company frequently offers sales on its products, so you might be able to save a bit of money by snagging a discount code on the website. View the full article

Following a Pitchfork report on Butler’s alleged sexual misconduct, another woman claims the Arcade Fire frontman “exploited my body at times that were convenient for him.”View the full article

Adam Driver, Don Cheadle, and Greta Gerwig join forces in Netflix's White Noise, a whirling comedy-horror-drama blend with a trailer that will have you totally questioning your life. Based on the novel written by Don DeLillo, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise traces a modern blended family who is thrown into the midst of an apocalyptic disaster, testing their survival skills on the spot. While they manage to barely escape obstacles unscathed, the ragtag group never fails to remember that they’re a family first — which means bickering, joking, and always asking the world’s most pertinent questions. (Well? Do sheep have lashes, yes or no?!) The conflict-heavy trailer will have audiences on the edge of their seats as this unique family dynamic bounces hysterically from homes to lakes and chaotic sanctuaries. Making it out alive seems as likely as taking a gamble. Will this family’s combined love and persistence be enough? Or will they succumb to the growing number of die-ers in their state? White Noise debuts in select UK cinemas Dec. 2 and globally on Netflix Dec. 30. View the full article