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NelsonG

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  1. TL;DR: Through Nov. 23, you can get the Face To Feet Laser Hair Remover for just $49.99 instead of $189.99 — that's a 74% discount. Between the time it takes and the potential for painful nicks, shaving is just plain exhausting. If you want to limit how often you have to shave, you could try this at-home laser hair treatment. Normally, this laser hair remover would cost $189, but this sale is celebrating the holidays by dropping the price early. Until November 23, 11:59 PM Pacific, you can get the Face to Feet Laser Hair Remover for just $49.99. No need to shave during winter Stop trading the feeling of smooth skin for the hassle of shaving. If you want to reduce the amount of hair almost anywhere on your body, an at-home laser hair removal gets you out of a hairy situation. Even at a salon, laser hair removal may not be permanent. What it can do is reduce the amount of hair in a given area over several treatments. This handheld device takes about 45 seconds to heat up and start safely removing hair. You may feel a light pain, but a few uncomfortable sessions isn’t much when you consider the average woman spends 72 full days shaving over the course of her life. Laser hair removal works by zapping the hair right at the follicle. After a few treatments, the hair could stop growing without causing any damage to the skin. This laser device even has a 360-degree rotating handle to make it easier to hit those hard-to-reach areas like the armpits. Just make sure not to overdo it. Most salons recommend a laser treatment every four weeks until the area is bare. Ready for bikini season, even in sweater weatherSave time shaving by getting it all done at once. For a limited time, get the Face To Feet Laser Hair Remover on sale for $49.99 (reg. $189). No code needed. Sale ends November 23, 11:59 PM Pacific. Prices subject to change. Opens in a new tab Credit: Vista Shops Face To Feet Laser Hair Remover (opens in a new tab) $49.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  2. TL;DR: Through Nov. 23, you can get the FARA Classic Heater for just $79.99 instead of $99 — that's a 19% discount. The holidays may be chilly, but you could treat your friends and family to more than the warmth of good company. This season, we’re thankful for some truly incredible deals, including a 19% discount on the FARA Classic heater in blue or emerald green. Keep the family happy and cozy for just $79.99 with this versatile heater. No code needed. A portable, safe heater to keep your guests warm You may want to give your holiday guests the best experience you can, but heating a whole home is expensive. You could save money while keeping your friends and family comfortable by heating the room they’re in with a compact space heater like the FARA. And by compact, we mean the FARA is a little over eight inches tall and weighs 1.76 pounds. Hide a few around the room for the heating equivalent of surround sound. This small but powerful heater packs a 1,200W heating capacity. The manufacturers claim that’s enough to warm a 215-foot room, but it also has an 800W low power mode for steady warmth over a long period of time. Cranking up the heat before bed may feel nice, but sleeping through the night in affordable comfort is great too. It even has a hidden handle in case you want to move it a little closer to the bed. The FARA comes with protection from tipping over and overheating, and the whole thing is made from flame-retardant materials. Keep yourself warm and your heating bill low Heating individual rooms with space heaters is a time-tested method of keeping your heating bill lower through the cold season. Place a FARA heater in a strategic location and bask in the warmth. Now until November 23 at 11:59 pm Pacific, get the FARA Classic Heater in blue or emerald green for just $79.99 (reg. $99). Prices subject to change. Opens in a new tab Credit: BOLDR FARA Classic Heater (opens in a new tab) $79.99 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  3. Like any good mystery, my endless journey began innocently enough. Neo taking a phone call. Lebowski and a piss-soaked rug. Alice falling down the rabbit-hole. I was watching TV, and I tweeted. (Both things I do too much.) That simple tweet would lead me to years of messages, random Reddit threads, and Instagram DMs with a costume warehouse. The mystery in question? A Hawaiian shirt that I simply needed to find. But not just any Hawaiian shirt. Michael Scott's Hawaiian shirt from The Office's Season 3 episode "The Convention." It's orange and floral, a resplendent piece of Microsoft Office merchandise. Here's the tweet I sent all the way back in 2019. See, I am a connoisseur of Hawaiian shirts — long before they back in fashion — and a somewhat obsessive fan of The Office. OK "somewhat" is an understatement: I basically wrote a book while ranking every episode for Mashable. This shirt was my white whale. But I didn't realize a screenshot, plus "my kingdom to anyone who can locate," would take years to (kinda sorta) resolve. SEE ALSO: All 185 episodes of 'The Office,' ranked When the tweet got a few likes, I decided to actually look for it. It started simple. I messaged the Microsoft Office and Microsoft company store accounts on Facebook. No dice. Not even a response. Now, to be clear, at this point I wasn't even reporting a story. I just really wanted that beautiful shirt and was doing my best to locate it. This was a personal journey. Over the next few days, I began reaching out to my network, until a friend of mine, similarly obsessed with my quest, suggested I get in touch with the show's costume designer. Carey Bennett, who worked on The Office for its first four seasons, gave me some good clues about the origin of the shirt. At the time, it had been more than a decade since the episode had been shot, but Bennett believed it was either something they created custom or, more likely, a free shirt gifted to the show's costume department from Microsoft. "Oftentimes a piece is created from scratch or is a piece that’s been altered or enhanced, which is what I originally thought was the case with this shirt," Bennett wrote in an email in 2019. "The more I thought about it though ([it's] been many years since I designed that show!) I think I remember that it had been given to us by Microsoft. We had a ton of promotional products given to us by various companies for that episode. After trying many choices we decided that Michael would definitely choose to wear the free 'schwag.'" That's the thing, Bennett said, every single stitch of clothing on a show is purposeful. "Each scene is like a painting and has to be composed with color and texture," they said. I threaded this bit of news under my original tweets about the shirt and moved on with my life. I loved the shirt but felt like I had hit a bit of a dead end. Even though I stopped my search, I thought a lot about why I even loved the shirt in the first place. That 2006 episode, titled "The Convention," is what I deemed the show's 28th best half-hour in my Office opus. And it's also one of my favorite episodes to rewatch. In it, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) twists into a pretzel of anxiety in some corporate Philly hotel that's hosting an office supplies convention. Michael is trying his best to play it cool around Jim, who transferred to the competing Stamford branch after his big swing to win over Pam failed. So Michael puts up a front around Jim, wearing this wonderfully cheesy convention swag while blasting awful techno music and sipping a cosmo in his hotel room. It's a great scene — funny at first, then heartfelt as Jim reaches out to Michael, who's hurting and perpetually lonely. That's all well and good, but my love for the shirt comes down to Carell's 'fit. The Dad Jeans with the floppy Hawaiian shirt tucked in: The man was ahead of his time. And I want to copy that exact outfit. It is the perfect mix of my fashion sense and my favorite show. But at this point in time, it didn't seem possible to find. Then a funny thing happened. I kept receiving tweets — like at least once a week — about this damn shirt. I'm talking a tweet a week for years. Somehow, my tweet appears at the top of Google when you search for the shirt, alongside a few Reddit threads. People asked me if I had found it. No, I'd say. Another person would ask. Nope. Rinse and repeat. Clearly, I was not alone. The DMs never stopped. I stopped replying, but I didn't forget. As more time passed, and the tweets kept coming, live moved on. I joined Mashable, the pandemic started, I got married, adopted a dog, and moved twice. Yet, the shirt remained in the back of my head the entire time. So, a years later, I rededicated myself to finding it — for content, yes, but also for my own peace of mind. First, I asked Bennett if they remembered anything else about the shirt's origins. No luck. Then, I turned to Universal. The show filmed on the Universal Studios lot throughout its run, and Universal was also involved in the production and distribution of The Office. Bennett had suggested that if the shirt lived anywhere, it was "most likely lost in the enormous costume warehouse" at Universal Studios. I found an Instagram account associated with the costume department, sent a message in July, and hoped for the best. The account hardly posts, so I didn't think they'd respond. However, after about a month, they got back to me and promised to search their archives. Holy shit, I thought, while pondering the journalist ethics of asking to buy the shirt if they found it. I also checked my bank account to see how much I'd willingly spend. As it turns out, I should have been preparing for heartbreak. "We checked with our Archives team and unfortunately that is not a shirt we have in our inventory," the account wrote back. Undeterred, I immediately checked in with Microsoft. A representative got back to me quickly, saying, "We’re looking into it! It might be tricky to track down." After a few follow-ups, they told me it was a busy time for the company and to check back in a few weeks later. (Honestly, that's kind of a fair, considering this was a rather silly quest.) Before we go any further, a point of order: There are knockoffs out there for purchase. Nothing against the knockoffs, but this offering from Vinco is a clear replica. It's not the correct material, the design is a bit off, and it's sold on a website I wouldn't immediately trust. My hope was to find the shirt, or at least its origins. If this was a bit of free gear for Microsoft employees, for instance, I'd want one from a Microsoft worker's attic. If it was a one-off for the show... at least I'd have an answer of some sort. Well, I have good news and bad news. I have arrived, years later, at about half of an answer. Microsoft did get back to me with some notes from its archives team. "The Microsoft Office shirt featured in the Office TV show appears to be custom for the episode and character," a representative wrote in an email. In other words, they believe it was a one-off creation for the show. The team linked out to a post on the subreddit r/DunderMifflin from about a year ago. It wasn't a super popular post but the user, u/dontthroworanges, seemed to have found an unaltered version of the shirt. The Reddit user wrote: I found the shirt with a bit of info and a cool story. So I too had been looking for this shirt for years. Dead end after dead end. Until... I came across some high resolution photos posted on Getty from this episode in where you could barely make our [sic] the brand and logo of the manufacturer of the shirt. So I stared at it for a while and made the discovery it's an "Eagle Dry Goods Signature Series" shirt. In doing some basic searching of the brand they primarily dealt I'm [sic] promotional products hence why Microsoft used them for this swag. So, then I hopped on eBay and bang! There it was in all it's glory. The shirt I had been looking for for so long. A few clicks later and the shirt was mine. There it was. Just like that. Someone had gotten to it before me. I fired up Getty Images, and this appears to be the image in question. If you zoom in and focus, you can just barely make out the brand name. God, I want this shirt. Credit: Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images When you Google "Eagle Dry Goods Signature Series," you don't get much. It appears to be either a brand within the company Uniforms USA or a brand sold by the company back in the day. Uniforms USA makes workwear. Online, I found a digital copy of the 2008 Eagle Dry Goods catalogue through Uniforms USA, which on Page 39 has a very, very familiar looking shirt. Familiar, no? Credit: Uniforms USA The design, called the "seaside camp shirt," appears to be the exact same as Michael's Hawaiian shirt in the episode. It's tough to tell if the color matches exactly. It's worth noting this catalogue came out well after "The Convention" would've filmed, so Michael's shirt might've been an outdated colorway by 2008. I've reached out to both Reddit user dontthroworanges, as well as Uniform USA, for further details but have yet to receive a response. I'll update down the line if I hear back. But at this point, there's not too much else to uncover. It's clear the shirt in The Office was made by Eagle Dry Goods. Unfortunately, if there are any more of the camp shirts floating around out in the ether, they're not for sale on eBay or elsewhere. This all seems to suggest that Microsoft's theory was correct. Maybe someone found a Hawaiian shirt that Michael would wear, plastered it with a Microsoft Office logo, and off they went. It also seems possible Microsoft PR made a few of these and sent them out. The exact origin remains a bit unclear. In short: I still don't have the shirt. Disappointing, I know. Now, the good news: I do have a knockoff. After years of searching, my brother bit the bullet for me and bought a replica off a questionable site. Close, but not 100 percent. Credit: Mashable The material is polyester and spandex. It feels sort of like a swimsuit but it is light, which will be nice in the summer. The color seems similar to Michael's shirt, as does the design. But it's just not the same. All in all, not a bad knockoff. It would make a great Halloween costume or a summer 'fit at the beach in late August. To be clear, I'm not giving up my search just because I have a knockoff. I emailed the Office Ladies podcast asking for help — hosts Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer, who played Angela and Pam, respectively, love investigating these sorts of weird things from their show. I'd also love to hear from anyone and everyone who might have a clue. (Here's looking at you, Steve Carell.) That's what I've got for now: a knockoff and half an answer. Even after years of looking and sending countless messages, I still cannot escape Michael Scott's Hawaiian shirt. View the full article
  4. What makes the perfect family movie? It needs to be smart enough to keep the parents engaged but wacky enough to make the little ones laugh. It needs to have warmth and hope as much as it has stakes and danger — but not too much fear, 'cause we still gotta get these kids to bed tonight. Below are some of the best family movies streaming on Hulu. They'll make you laugh, they'll take you to outer space and underground and back again, and they'll have you seriously consider buying a zoo. In general, get ready to enjoy a nice dose of fuzzy feelings no matter your age. 1. The Bob's Burgers Movie Credit: 20th Century Studios Your favorite burger-flipping family, now on the big screen? Dreams do come true! The Bob's Burgers Movie, written by series creators Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, has all the charm of the beloved Emmy-winning series with an extra helping of wacky, burger-related hijinks. When a massive sinkhole opens up directly outside their restaurant, Bob and Linda must try new and creative ways to bring in business and make rent, while the kids launch a Hardy Boys-esque investigation into a skeleton they found in the sinkhole. There's danger, there's intrigue, and there are laughs to spare in this warm musical comedy that will win over longtime Bob's Burgers fans and newbies alike. How to Watch: The Bob's Burgers Movie is streaming on Hulu. SEE ALSO: 8 essential 'Bob's Burgers' episodes to watch before you see 'The Bob's Burgers Movie' 2. Muppets from Space Credit: James Bridges/Jim Henson Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock Nothing hits quite like a Muppets movie, and Muppets from Space, following fan favorite Gonzo, is a great pick from the storied Jim Henson crew. Gonzo is having a crisis of identity, tired of not knowing what he is or where he comes from. So when he begins to receive strange messages seemingly from outer space, he does everything he can to learn about their origins, and in turn, his own. Unfortunately for Gonzo, there are other, more nefarious agents out there on their own search for alien life. Packed with slapstick shenanigans, visual gags, and punchy one-liners, Muppets from Space is both a smart and silly pick that will make the whole family smile. How to Watch: Muppets from Space is streaming on Hulu. 3. Mary and the Witch's Flower Credit: GKids Mary is an eager young girl with bright red hair who can't seem to get anything right. When a friendly cat leads her to a mysterious flower that grants her temporary magical powers, Mary discovers a hidden world of adventure where all is not as it seems. Mary and the Witch's Flower is an exuberant, lovable story from Hiromasa Yonebayashi, a former Studio Ghibli animator. Brimming with heart and excitement, this beautifully animated film (whose English dub features the voice talents of Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent) will soon become a family favorite. How to Watch: Mary and the Witch’s Flower is streaming on Hulu. 4. Big Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Is there a movie featuring a more charming Tom Hanks than Big? Well, maybe — Tom Hanks is very charming. But Big is certainly at the top of the list! When 12-year-old Josh Baskin makes a wish to be big, he's shocked to find the next morning that his wish has actually come true. With the help of his best friend, who is still a kid, Josh starts experimenting with being an adult for a change and learns that being "big" isn’t as easy as he thought. Big, written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg and directed by the GOAT Penny Marshall, is a classic for a reason — it's funny, well-paced, deeply endearing, and makes us all feel a little bit like kids again. How to Watch: Big is streaming on Hulu. 5. Ernest and CelestineYou probably haven't seen Ernest & Celestine. The film was released in France in 2012, and though it received an English dub in 2014, it was overshadowed by other animation movies — like Frozen — which was still riding high off of its success at the time. Want more about the latest in entertainment? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter today. However, just because Ernest & Celestine is not a grand CGI animation doesn't mean it's worth skipping over. Because with storybook-like visuals and a friendship-filled story, the movie gives off the feelings of an old-fashioned film you'll want to cozy up to. The comedy-drama sees a world in which, separated by fear, the rodents live underground and the bears live aboveground. However, instead of eating Celestine (Mackenzie Foy) after stumbling into her, musician bear Ernest (Forest Whitaker) teams up with the mouse to complete their varying agendas. Unfortunately, this also forces them to run from the police together. - * Brooke Bajgrowicz, Entertainment Fellow How to Watch: Ernest and Celestine is streaming on Hulu. 6. We Bought A Zoo Credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film/Kobal/Shutterstock The movie that launched a thousand memes, We Bought a Zoo tells the true story of Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his two children struggling to find a new normal after the death of their mother and Benjamin’s wife. Looking for a fresh start, Benjamin looks for a new house and ends up — look, it’s right there in the title — buying a dang zoo! Based on a best-selling memoir of the same name, We Bought a Zoo is a heartfelt tale of love, grief, and rebuilding, with the added bonus of pretty animals! How to Watch: We Bought a Zoo is streaming on Hulu. 7. Monster House Credit: Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock Craving something creepy but kid-friendly? Then step on up to this sensational 2006 film, in which the Big Bad is a towering, sentient, old house that gobbles up toys as well as trespassing children. While the premise might sound perturbing, children will relish the tale of three spirited kids who not only discover the Monster House's horrors but also its hidden heart. A surprisingly poignant finale follows a bunch of frights and fun, making this a great pick for family movie night. Using motion-capture animation, director Gil Kenan taps into Amblin Entertainment's established aesthetic, where grounded drama meets freaky fantasy. Adding oomph — and some grown-up curb appeal — is a voice cast that includes celebrated actors, like Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kathleen Turner, Jon Heder, and Jason Lee. Trick or treat? Why not both! - * Kristy Puchko, Film Editor How to Watch: Monster House is streaming on Hulu. 8. Spider-Man Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Before Tom Holland was out here charming the pants off the world, or Andrew Garfield was breaking all of our hearts, there was only one Spiderman, and that was Tobey Maguire. Sam Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man is the seminal spidey-guy origin story that absolutely holds up to today's exacting superhero movie standards, in no small part thanks to its stellar cast (Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris). Spider-Man will always be a fun watch. After all, this is the movie that taught us that with great power comes great responsibility, that high schoolers can be 35-year-olds if you want, and that the best way to make out is upside down and in the rain. How to Watch: Spider-Man is streaming on Hulu. SEE ALSO: The Spider-Man rumors are true, and we're ecstatic 9. RobotsFor a throwback watch that will entertain the kiddos, look no further than 2005's Robots. Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest, Mel Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, and more — we can't list names forever! — star in this high-energy animated sci-fi adventure about, you guessed it, robots. Rodney Copperbottom (McGregor) is an idealistic young inventor who becomes a local hero when he uses his skills to repair damaged or outmoded robots. The company that was trying to sell upgrades to these busted robots at a major premium? Well, suffice it to say, they're pissed. The movie's strength comes from its imaginative depiction of a robotic world (its transportation system is basically a Rube Goldberg Machine), making Robots an enchanting pick for family movie night. * How to Watch: Robots is streaming on Hulu. 10. Father of the Bride Credit: Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock The movie that made a generation of women look at Steve Martin as a father figure, Father of the Bride is a lovely family comedy that will likely make you clutch your kids or call your parents, depending on where you're at in life. A remake of the 1950 classic of the same name, Father of the Bride tells the story of a dad surprised by his daughter's sudden engagement and having trouble letting go. For very little reason, he disapproves of his future son-in-law and is an absolute curmudgeon throughout the wedding planning process. It's a relatable, endearing romp written by rom-com queen Nancy Meyers, and also starring Diane Keaton, Martin Short, BD Wong, Kieran Culkin, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and George Newbern. How to Watch: Father of the Bride is streaming on Hulu. UPDATE: Oct. 21, 2022, 4:07 p.m. EDT This list was originally published on November 13, 2021. It has been updated to reflect the current highlights available on Hulu. View the full article
  5. Qatar will take on Senegal in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Al Thumama Stadium. Kickoff time for the Qatar vs. Senegal match is set for 8a.m. ET on November 25 at the 40,000-seat venue in Doha. The hosts will be hoping to secure three points after a clash with Ecuador on Nov. 20. Meanwhile, the Lions of Teranga will be coming from a match with Netherlands. How to watch Qatar vs. Senegal on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Qatar vs. Senegal match will be shown on FS1, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group A games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. SEE ALSO: FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule including how to watch The winner of Group A will play the runners-up in Group B, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group B contains Iran, Wales, USA and England. Sunday, Nov. 20: Qatar vs. Ecuador Monday, Nov. 21: Senegal vs. Netherlands Friday, Nov. 25: Qatar vs. Senegal Friday, Nov. 25: Netherlands vs. Ecuador Tuesday, Nov. 29: Ecuador vs. Senegal Tuesday, Nov. 29: Netherlands vs. Qatar View the full article
  6. Portugal will take on Ghana in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Stadium 974. Kickoff time for the Portugal vs. Ghana Group H match is set for 11 a.m. ET on Nov. 24. Both the Portuguese and the Ghanaians will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 40,000-seat venue in Doha. How to watch Portugal vs. Ghana on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Portugal vs. Ghana match will be shown on FOX, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group H games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. SEE ALSO: FIFA World Cup 2022 schedule including how to watch The winner of Group H will play the runners-up in Group G, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group G contains Cameroon, Serbia, Switzerland and Brazil. Thursday, Nov. 24: Uruguay vs. South Korea Thursday, Nov. 24: Portugal vs. Ghana Monday, Nov. 28: South Korea vs. Ghana Monday, Nov. 28: Portugal vs. Uruguay Friday, Dec. 2: Ghana vs. Uruguay Friday, Dec. 2: South Korea vs. Portugal View the full article
  7. 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?Z. What do today’s Quordle words start with?B, A, S, and S. 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: BALER AMAZE SPICY SEGUE View the full article
  8. SAVE £22: The Fire TV Stick 4K is on sale for £27.99 this Black Friday, saving you 44% on list price. The days of fighting other shoppers over giant TVs on Black Friday are well and truly over. That’s not to say there aren’t still sensational bargains to be had on big screen entertainment every Black Friday. But now you can simply place an Amazon order from the comfort of your own home, and all the entertainment you’ll ever need arrives in the form of the Fire TV Stick 4K — a small smart stick that plugs directly into your TV. And there’s never been a better time to add the Fire TV Stick 4K to your home cinema setup. It has been reduced to just £27.99 for Black Friday — that’s an incredible saving of 44%. The Fire TV Stick 4K comes equipped with countless hours of entertainment from the top streaming services, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, and YouTube. Plus, it provides access to live TV channels and subscription services such as BT Sport. As the names suggests, it all comes in glorious 4K, with an Alexa-powered remote control. Just tell Alexa what you want to watch. There's no better time to pick up this stick for yourself or buy it as a gift, with families huddled together around the TV for the holiday season. This Black Friday deal runs until Nov. 28, so there’s still time to nab the Fire TV Stick 4K even after Black Friday has come and gone. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (opens in a new tab) £27.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  9. TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a Mindfulness.com Plus Plan is on sale for £61.43, saving you 82% on list price. At times, there may be ample reasons to be stressed, but there’s also a lot you may be able to do to alleviate some of that stress. Mindfulness.com is an app filled with exercises and tools to help you manage your self-care, and a lifetime subscription is on sale for £61.43. The world may give you a buffet of things to be anxious about, but Mindfulness has a menu of over 2,000 practices that could help you deal with it all. Get access to new meditations every day of the year and hundreds of living practices that you may be able to fit into your daily routines. Some of them only take a minute, but they may be able to help ground you in a positive mindset. If you have trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. Around 70 million Americans experience sleep-related problems. It may help to try the sleep tools that Mindfulness puts at your disposal. Those include rainy night playlists, sleep stories, and more. If you want a relaxing way to fall asleep while viewing or listening to something pleasant and in your control, it could just be a click or tap away. You can even get guidance from experts, whether you’re an expert in meditation and self-care or a total beginner. Money can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to spend it to take care of yourself. Mindfulness has a 30-day guarantee to give you your money back if you aren’t happy with their service. Give your mental health a chance to flourish. For a limited time, get a lifetime subscription to Mindfulness.com on sale for £61.43. Opens in a new tab Credit: Mindfulness.com Mindfulness.com Plus Plan (Lifetime Subscription) (opens in a new tab) £61.43 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  10. SAVE 81%: Private Internet Access is an advanced service with premium features for protecting your data. A two-year subscription to Private Internet Access is on sale for £43.94, and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. Here we go. It's Black Friday shopping season, and that means deals on absolutely everthing including VPNs. We've already been treated to impressive deals on NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and CyberGhost VPN, and now Private Internet Access has clearly got FOMO. A two-year subscription to Private Internet Access is on sale for £43.94 this Black Friday, saving you 81% on list price for a limited time. This heavily discounted plan also includes an extra four months of coverage for free, and is fully refundable for 30 days. If you're not totally satisfied with the service, you can recover your investment without a hassle. What that guarantee should tell you is that Private Internet Access has a lot of faith in its offering. Private Internet Access provides powerful levels of encryption to ensure that your data and identity remain protected from hackers, viruses, and other online threats. All users also get antivirus software scans and malware removal, with fast connection speeds, around the clock customer support, and access to secure servers in 84 countries. There are probably better services out there for unblocking top streaming sites, but Private Internet Access still does the job without sacrificing security. You can still access more movies and shows on leading sites like Netflix and Disney+ by connecting to secure servers in other countries. Bag the best Black Friday deal on Private Internet Access. Opens in a new tab Credit: PIA Private Internet Access (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) (opens in a new tab) £43.94 only at Private Internet Access Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  11. SAVE £40: The Echo Show 5 (second generation) is on sale for £34.99 this Black Friday, saving you 53% on list price. There’s a very unique feeling waiting for those Black Friday deals to drop. Waiting to see if the device you always wanted will be marked down to a new low price, or combing Amazon to find those products you never knew you needed in the first place. That’s exactly what you get with the Echo Show 5 (2nd generation). Either you know it and want one, or you’re about to find out what it is and will soon want one. It is, after all, an essential addition to any modern smart home. Either way, you can get your hands on it with the impressively low Black Friday price of £34.99 — that’s a saving of 53%. The Echo Show 5 (2nd generation) is an Alexa-enabled smart display that allows you to make video calls, watch your favourite streaming platforms, or see your photos and video collection. All you need to do is ask Alexa. More than just a screen, it connects with other devices and controls your smart home — allowing you to sync and control other smart devices with voice commands — and does everyday Alexa tasks, like setting alarms, telling you the weather, or collating shopping lists. The Black Friday price runs until Nov. 29, which means it will still be there after the chaotic Black Friday rush — but don’t leave it until the last minute and miss out. Opens in a new tab Credit: Amazom Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) (opens in a new tab) £34.99 at Amazon Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
  12. It's Sunday at long last, so why not unwind with a fresh Wordle? If you're stuck, below are our tips and hints to help you solve it. Don't forget to check out the updated rules that arrived last week with the New York Times' new word list — don't waste those precious guesses. If you'd rather skip the pretence and get straight to the answer, you can jump to the bottom of this article to find November 20's Wordle solution revealed. Otherwise, keep on reading for some tips, tricks, and hints to help you solve it yourself. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for November 19 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, as Wordle is a game, games are meant to be fun, and fun is extremely subjective. However, if strategy and tactics are what you find fun, we have a few ideas to help you optimise your first move. Some helpful tips include choosing a word that has at least two different vowels in it, and making sure there are some common consonants like S, T, R, or N mixed in. What happened to the Wordle archive?Once upon a time the entire archive of past Wordles was openly available for any puzzle enthusiast to plunder and play whenever their hearts desired. Unfortunately this bounty has since been erased from the internet, with the website's creator saying its removal was at the New York Times' request. SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Is Wordle getting harder?Though it may feel as though solving Wordle's puzzles is more of a struggle than it used to be, the game isn't getting any harder. You are able to make it more difficult though, as Wordle has a Hard Mode you can enable. Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?While Wordle law usually dictates that there can only ever be one correct solution per day, the word puzzle game does occasionally violate this law and accept two different answers. 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:Think confident thoughts, you've got this. Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?Not today! Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter B. What's the answer to Wordle today?Get your last guesses in, because we're about to reveal today's Wordle answer! Are you ready? The solution to Wordle #519 is... BRAVE. View the full article
  13. FIFA World Cup games start on Sunday Nov. 20, just after the opening ceremony. After with the kickoff match between Qatar and Ecuador, multiple games will be played every day until the end the group stage on Dec. 6. The even more momentous quarterfinals and semifinals will run on Dec. 9 and 10, and 13 and 14 respectively. Then come the third place game on Dec. 17, and the final on Dec. 18. The famously complicated-until-you-finally-get-it scheduling logic works as follows: There are 32 teams, broken up into groups of four, called Group A, Group B, etc., all the way through Group H. Every possible matchup between members of each group is exhausted. And then, well, just read the rules yourself. There’s a series of eight games called the “Round of 16,” and the rest of the games are single-elimination until the final. Fortunately, you don’t have to understand how advancement in the tournament works to tune in. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., live games will air pretty early, particularly for soccer fans on the west coast. SEE ALSO: The Qatar World Cup is already going viral for all the wrong reasons What is the Group stage schedule for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar? Nov. 20: Group A: Qatar vs. Ecuador. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Nov. 21: Group B: Iran vs. England. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group A: Senegal vs. Netherlands. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group B: United States vs. Wales. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Nov. 22: Group C: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group D: Tunisia vs. Denmark. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group C: Mexico vs. Poland. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group D: Australia vs. France. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Nov. 23 Group F: Croatia vs. Morocco. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group E: Germany vs. Japan. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish Group E: Costa Rica vs. Spain. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (for free!) in Spanish. Group F: Belgium vs. Canada. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock (last free Peacock broadcast of the tournament). Nov. 24 Group G: Cameroon vs. Switzerland. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H: Uruguay vs. South Korea. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H: Ghana vs. Portugal. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group G: Brazil vs. Serbia. 2 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 25 Group B: Iran vs. Wales. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group A: Qatar vs. Senegal. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group A: Ecuador vs. Netherlands. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group B: England vs. United States. 2 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 26 Group D: Tunisia vs. Australia. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group C: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group D: France vs. Denmark. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group C: Argentina vs. Mexico. 2 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 27 Group E: Japan vs. Costa Rica. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group F: Belgium vs. Morocco. 8:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group F: Croatia vs. Canada. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group E: Spain vs. Germany. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 28 Group G: Cameroon vs. Serbia. 5:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H: South Korea vs. Ghana. 8 :00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group G: Brazil vs. Switzerland. 11:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H: Portugal vs. Uruguay. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 29 Group A: Netherlands vs. Qatar. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group A: Ecuador vs. Senegal. 10 :00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group B: Iran vs. United States. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group B: Wales vs. England. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Nov. 30 Group D: Tunisia vs. France. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group D: Australia vs. Denmark. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group C: Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group C: Poland vs. Argentina. 200 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 1 Group F: Canada vs. Morocco. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group F: Croatia vs. Belgium. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group E: Costa Rica vs. Germany. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group E: Japan vs. Spain. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 2 Group H: South Korea vs. Portugal. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H: Ghana vs. Uruguay. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group G: Cameroon vs. Brazil. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group G: Serbia vs. Switzerland. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox Sports 1 in English, or Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 3 Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group C winner vs. Group D runner-up. 2:00 p.m. Airing on ET. Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 4 Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 5 Group E winner vs. Group F runner-up. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group G winner vs. Group H runner-up. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 6 Group F winner vs. Group E runner-up. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Group H winner vs. Group G runner-up. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. What is the quarterfinal schedule for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?Dec. 9 Quarterfinal. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Quarterfinal. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 10 Quarterfinal. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Quarterfinal. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. What is the semifinal schedule for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?Dec. 13 Semifinal. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. Dec. 14 Semifinal. 2:00 p.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. When is the third place match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?Dec. 17 Third place. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. When is the final match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?Dec. 18 Final. 10:00 a.m. ET. Airing on Fox (terrestrial) in English, or Telemundo, Universo and streaming on Peacock in Spanish. View the full article
  14. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has arrived, and if you’re lucky, you’re watching the opening ceremony from the safety and comfort of home — unless you enjoy sleeping in a shipping container and eating overpriced and unappealing food. Musicians at the opening ceremony will include Jungkook from BTS, and rapper Lil Baby. Since 1954, the World Cup has been one of the biggest events in TV, period — though the opening ceremony has only become a major feature of the broadcast in recent decades. The last one, in Russia, featured a performance by Robbie Williams and a speech by Vladimir Putin. That was pretty controversial, and regarded as "more exciting than the opening game." Qatar, with plenty of controversy all its own should prove similar to last year’s host in this regard. But one new development in global sports has been the slow and steadily migrating of all major TV events from terrestrial and pay TV to streaming services. So here’s how to tune in: How to watch the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony on TVIf you’re looking for the English-language broadcast, the regular Fox terrestrial channel will show the ceremony (Check your local listings to find out where that is on the dial). If you prefer to listen to Spanish, the terrestrial channel Telemundo will air the ceremony. Telemundo has signaled that its coverage will include context about Qatar’s human rights record during the ceremony itself. So tune into Fox at 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday Nov. 20 to watch the ceremony live in English. Or Tune into Telemundo at 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday to watch in Spanish. How to live stream the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony. If you’re a cord-cutter, the simplest way to livestream the ceremony is by, well, livestreaming Fox for English, or Telemundo for Spanish. This can be accomplished by subscribing to a live TV streaming service. Here are your options for doing that: Vidgo's "Plus" plan at $59.95 per month Sling TV’s Blue plan at $35 per month YouTube TV at $64.99 per month FuboTV at $69.99 per month Hulu + Live TV at $69.99 per month with ads DIRECTTV Stream at $69.99 per month But you can also watch the opening ceremony in Spanish on NBC's Peacock app, which is only $4.99 per month. View the full article
  15. Meta is hosting a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. concert. Yes, you read that correctly. Meta is celebrating what would be Biggie's 50th birthday with a virtual reality concert where Biggie's "hyper-realistic" avatar will perform Biggie classics. The event is a partnership between Willingie, Gunpowder & Sky, and The Notorious B.I.G. Estate and will take place on Dec. 16 in Horizon Worlds. SEE ALSO: Apple's mixed-reality headset could arrive next March for $2,000 Prior to the concert, there will be a virtual recreation of a day in Biggie's life in Brooklyn. It will feature narration from American writer and music journalist Touré. The concert will also feature performances from Sean “Diddy” Combs, The Lox, Latto, Nardo Wick, and Lil’ Cease. This is not the first time technology has enabled fans to experience their favorite artists after their death. Notably, a hologram of the late Elvis Presley sang with Celine Dion on American Idol and a hologram of Tupac performed with Snoop Dogg at Coachella in 2012. As virtual reality technology advances, so does the opportunity for events like Biggie's concert that would be impossible in the real world. The concert also comes at a time when metaverse concerts are gaining mainstream attention. This year MTV introduced the "Best Metaverse Performance" category which BLACKPINK won for their "pretty savage" concert in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUGB) Mobile. View the full article
  16. In the midst of what appears to be the resignation of most of its remaining workforce, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has reinstated formerly banned or locked accounts, apparently as an opening salvo in the platform's new "freedom of speech" program. The accounts of comedian Kathy Griffin, author Jordan Petersen, and conservative satire publication The Babylon Bee were welcomed back to the platform on Friday, according to a tweet from Musk. As part of Musk's "Freedom Fridays," Musk has notably brought back the accounts of The Babylon Bee and Petersen, whose accounts were both locked earlier this year for tweets misgendering trans people. In March, The Babylon Bee was locked for "hateful conduct," following tweets misgendering Rachel Levine, a transwoman and current US assistant secretary of health. Months later in July, Petersen's account was also similarly locked after posts misgendering trans actor Elliot Page. Petersen was quoted that he would "rather die" than delete his tweets. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk is firing Twitter employees who dare criticize or correct him In contrast to the hateful conduct lockouts, which appear to have been reversible all along if the users deleted the problem tweets, Griffin, had been "permanently suspended" from Twitter just days prior. In response to the messy Twitter Blue verification rollout, the comedian impersonated Musk, leading to her suspension. In tweets that — as is so often the case with Musk — might or might not have been jokes, Musk had already tweeted that Griffin's suspension might not actually be permanent. However, with Friday's announcement, Musk updated Twitter's position on hateful content. He'll allow it on the site, but under the threat of shadowbans. According to his tweet, any "Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter." The new moderation policy would make such content invisible "unless you specifically seek it out," Musk tweeted. It's unclear what this form of content moderation would look like in practice. "Deboosting" tweets seemingly means removing the algorithmic "boost." However, ensuring that a user "won't find the tweet" accidentally would involve making retweets and quote tweets impossible as well, even in a critical context. Having been in charge for just 16 days at this point, the new Twitter boss has begun to put his "free speech" program into practice by creating a day called "Freedom Friday," and using it to bring back two right-wing accounts locked for hate, and one liberal account that had been banned for impersonating Musk himself. These moves have shown, to some users, what the new "hardcore" Twitter will look like going into the future. View the full article
  17. Late 2011, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom published a promo video that surprised even the most hardened file-sharers. Produced by Printz Board, the catchy four-minute track featured personal appearances by stars including Kanye West, Will.i.am, Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather, Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys, and Snoop Dogg. Through carefully edited soundbites, the celebrities gave shining endorsements of Megaupload, with tens of millions watching the video, mostly on YouTube. Arriving just weeks before Megaupload was shut down by the U.S. government, it was an audacious move on a scale unlikely to be seen again. Dotcom was rumored to have sunk more than a million dollars into that video, but it transpires that equally audacious stunts can be pulled off with a lot less. PikaShow – Not Just Another Piracy App PikaShow runs on most Android devices, including smartphones and tablets. It allows users to stream live TV or download movies and TV shows for use offline. PikaShow is popular worldwide thanks to its subtitle capabilities and for those who prefer bigger screens, casting is also available. PikaShow’s biggest draw, of course, is the price. It’s currently available via free download and generates revenue from in-app advertising, some of it provided by Google according to a recent analysis. How much PikaShow generates is unclear but when the MPA filed a complaint with the USTR in October, the Hollywood group put forward an estimate of 10 million downloads. Part of this success is likely attributable to the “smooth” and “lag-free” streams PikaShow advertises. According to the MPA, the quality can be explained as follows: The application sources most of the content directly from the servers of copyright holders (live TV and VOD) by circumventing their technological measures and then hosts the stolen content on third party cyberlockers and user-generated content platforms. TorrentFreak contacted PikaShow’s developer for comment on the ten million download estimate. We received no reply but considering recent developments, that wasn’t entirely unexpected. PikaShow Markets to the Masses The MPA believes that PikaShow’s developer can be found in India. Evidence online tends to back that up and given PikaShow’s recent stunt, location theories will remain intact. In North America, the most popular wood vs. ball sport is baseball. While 500 million fans worldwide can’t be wrong, cricket’s two billion fans provide perspective. In India, few things are more important than cricket so when the Asia Cup 2022 cricket tournament began late August, millions of TV screens became the country’s focus. Asia Cup 2022 drew an estimated 200 million viewers in its first week alone, with broadcasts beamed into Indian homes by Star India, a company known for its zero-tolerance approach to piracy. These pictures, broadcast by Star India, must’ve gone down like a lead balloon. What prompted this audacious move is unclear and since PikaShow is maintaining radio silence, we may never know the precise details. However, it appears that following negotiations with the Afghanistan Cricket Board during the tournament, “Digital Video Streaming Platform” PikaShow became the new official sponsor of the country’s national team. At that stage Afghanistan had no chance of winning the competition but still had one remaining game on the big stage. With India as their opponents, a massive TV audience and considerable exposure for PikaShow was guaranteed. MPA: Sponsorship Was “Controversial” That PikaShow even considered such an outlandish scheme is remarkable, but actually going through with it raises the stakes significantly. Unsurprisingly, the Motion Picture Association is fully aware of events and describes the sponsorship deal as “controversial.” The Board of Control For Cricket in India is probably aware too. Even if the takedown notices it previously sent to Google had been forgotten, messages the organization received on Twitter would have served as a reminder, including the helpful: “If u want live match then download pikashow app.” Perhaps most importantly, Star India knows all about PikaShow. Good/Bad Results From TV Stunt According to SimilarWeb data, traffic to PikaShow’s website increased by 25% in September following its TV escapades. October’s figures were only slightly down, a suggestion that the sponsorship exercise may have boosted traffic, but not all publicity is good publicity. In a DMCA notice sent last week to Github, Star India called PikaShow “a rogue standalone pirate application” that has plagued the industry, OTT platforms especially. “Based on our investigation, we have found that ‘Pikashow’ is using your services for ‘app update check’ functionality on their application. Which is further indulged in the act of copyright piracy by providing unauthorized streams of digital content without consent of the copyright owner,” the company wrote. Github responded as expected by taking the repo down but Star India is nowhere near finished. Civil Lawsuit, Injunction, Criminal Investigation After Star filed a copyright complaint against PikaShow at the High Court of Delhi, Justice Prathiba M. Singh responded with an injunction last week (pdf) directed at the country’s ISPs, numerous intermediaries supplying services to PikaShow, and PikaShow itself. Gambling company 1XBET and Github India are required to disclose any information they hold, including payment information, bank account details, plus any contracts in place with PikaShow. Domain name companies NameSilo, Tucows, and GoDaddy, must disable several domains (pikashows.com, strms.in, strms.one, jonahz-viccen-i-202.site, i-cdn-0.jonahz-viccen-i-202.site, cdn4506.jonahz-viccen-i-202.site) and hand over everything they hold on PikaShow’s operator. India’s ISPs must immediately block a list of PikaShow-related names. Whether PikaShow has any regrets over these civil matters is unclear but future prospects look bleak. On October 27, 2022, Star India filed a criminal complaint against PikaShow and an investigation by Delhi Police is currently underway. A second criminal complaint, filed by Disney, has also been recorded. The next hearing is scheduled for January 25, 2023. Whether PikaShow will still be online remains to be seen. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
  18. Look what you made Ticketmaster do. The ticketing service has released a statement addressing the bungled sale of tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour saying, "we want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets." SEE ALSO: 'Midnights' lyrics that scream 'written by Taylor Swift' For those who haven't been following the chaos, here's a brief rundown. Ticketmaster canceled the general sale of tickets to Swift's first tour since 2018 this past Thursday after rescheduling the Capital One cardholder sale. On top of that, the service was unprepared to deal with the volume of fans trying to purchase tickets through the Verified Fan presale this past Monday. The Ticketmaster website crashed ahead of the Verified Fan presale and fans endured hours-long queues with some getting an error message when they finally reached the front of the line. "We estimate about 15% of interactions across the site experienced issues, and that’s 15% too many, including passcode validation errors that caused fans to lose tickets they had carted," the press release reads. Ticketmaster blamed "unprecedented traffic" on the site due to bots and fans without presale codes for the issues with the site during the Verified Fan presale. In their lengthy statement, Ticketmaster runs through the numbers that informed their approach to the Eras Tour. It reports that 3.5 million people registered for the Verified Fan presale — the largest registration in its history. Around 1.5 million fans received presale codes and 2 million tickets were sold during the Verified Fan presale breaking their record for the most tickets sold in a day. Yesterday, Swift broke her silence on the debacle in a statement on her Instagram story. The Midnights singer wrote, "we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they would." Hopefully, the story of Swift and Ticketmaster might be ending soon. View the full article
  19. France will take on Australia in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Al Janoub Stadium. Kickoff time for the France vs. Australia Group D match is set for 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 22. Both the reigning champions and the Australians will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 40,000-seat venue in Al Wakrah. How to watch France vs. Australia on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The France vs. Australia match will be shown on FOX, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group D games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group D will play the runners-up in Group C, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group C contains Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mexico and Argentina. Tuesday, Nov. 22: Denmark vs. Tunisia Tuesday, Nov. 22: France vs. Australia Saturday, Nov. 26: Tunisia vs. Australia Saturday, Nov. 26: France vs. Denmark Wednesday, Nov. 30: Australia vs. Denmark Wednesday, Nov. 30: Tunisia vs. France View the full article
  20. Denmark will take on Tunisia in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Education City Stadium. Kickoff time for the Denmark vs. Tunisia Group D match is set for 8 a.m. ET on Nov. 22. Both the Danes and the Tunisians will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 40,000-seat venue in Doha. How to watch Denmark vs. Tunisia on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Denmark vs. Tunisia match will be shown on FS1, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group D games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group D will play the runners-up in Group C, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group C contains Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mexico and Argentina. Tuesday, Nov. 22: Denmark vs. Tunisia Tuesday, Nov. 22: France vs. Australia Saturday, Nov. 26: Tunisia vs. Australia Saturday, Nov. 26: France vs. Denmark Wednesday, Nov. 30: Australia vs. Denmark Wednesday, Nov. 30: Tunisia vs. France View the full article
  21. Qatar will take on Ecuador in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Al Bayt Stadium. Kickoff time for the Qatar vs. Ecuador Group A match is set for 11 a.m. ET on Nov. 20. Both the hosts and the Ecuadorians will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 60,000-seat venue in Al Khor. How to watch Qatar vs. Ecuador on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Qatar vs. Ecuador match will be shown on FOX, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group A games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group A will play the runners-up in Group B, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group B contains Iran, Wales, USA and England. Sunday, Nov. 20: Qatar vs. Ecuador Monday, Nov. 21: Senegal vs. Netherlands Friday, Nov. 25: Qatar vs. Senegal Friday, Nov. 25: Netherlands vs. Ecuador Tuesday, Nov. 29: Ecuador vs. Senegal Tuesday, Nov. 29: Netherlands vs. Qatar View the full article
  22. Switzerland will take on Cameroon in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Al Janoub Stadium. Kickoff time for the Switzerland vs. Cameroon Group G match is set for 5 a.m. ET on Nov. 24. Both the Swiss and the Indomitable Lions will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 40,000-seat venue in Al Wakrah. How to watch Switzerland vs. Cameroon on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Switzerland vs. Cameroon match will be shown on FS1, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group G games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group G will play the runners-up in Group H, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group H contains South Korea, Ghana, Uruguay and Portugal. Thursday, Nov. 24: Switzerland vs. Cameroon Thursday, Nov. 24: Brazil vs. Serbia Monday, Nov. 28: Cameroon vs. Serbia Monday, Nov. 28: Brazil vs. Switzerland Friday, Dec. 2: Cameroon vs. Brazil Friday, Dec. 2: Serbia vs. Switzerland View the full article
  23. Brazil will take on Serbia in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Kickoff time for the Brazil vs. Serbia Group G match is set for 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 24. Both the 2002 champions and the Eagles will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 80,000-seat venue in Lusial. How to watch Brazil vs. Serbia on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Brazil vs. Serbia match will be shown on FOX, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group G games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group G will play the runners-up in Group H, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group H contains South Korea, Ghana, Uruguay and Portugal. Thursday, Nov. 24: Switzerland vs. Cameroon Thursday, Nov. 24: Brazil vs. Serbia Monday, Nov. 28: Cameroon vs. Serbia Monday, Nov. 28: Brazil vs. Switzerland Friday, Dec. 2: Cameroon vs. Brazil Friday, Dec. 2: Serbia vs. Switzerland View the full article
  24. Senegal will take on Netherlands in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Al Thumama Stadium. Kickoff time for the Senegal vs. Netherlands Group A match is set for 11 a.m. ET on Nov. 21. Both the Lions of Teranga and the Dutch will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 40,000-seat venue in Doha. How to watch Senegal vs. Netherlands on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Senegal vs. Netherlands match will be shown on FOX, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group A games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group A will play the runners-up in Group B, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group B contains Iran, Wales, USA and England. Sunday, Nov. 20: Qatar vs. Ecuador Monday, Nov. 21: Senegal vs. Netherlands Friday, Nov. 25: Qatar vs. Senegal Friday, Nov. 25: Netherlands vs. Ecuador Tuesday, Nov. 29: Ecuador vs. Senegal Tuesday, Nov. 29: Netherlands vs. Qatar View the full article
  25. Argentina will take on Saudi Arabia in a group-stage FIFA World Cup clash at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Kickoff time for the Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia Group C match is set for 5 a.m. ET on Nov. 22. Both the 2021 Copa América champions and the Saudis will be hoping to get their campaign off to a good start at the 80,000-seat venue in Lusial. How to watch Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia on streaming or TVWorld Cup 2022 fans in the U.S. have a choice of options when it comes to livestreaming games at the tournament. You can watch every game on the FOX Sports family of networks, which are the official English-language broadcast partner in the United States. The Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia match will be shown on FS1, with broadcasters Telemundo and Universo also showing the game. Fans who prefer to use live TV streaming services have options including FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV. Those looking to stream the games online in English can use the Fox Sports App for $19.99 per month. Spanish speakers can use Peacock Premium, which is $4.99 per month – however it will contain ads. Ad-free Premium Plus costs $9.99 monthly. When are the other Group C games?Teams will be hoping to get enough points in their three group-stage games to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The winner of Group C will play the runners-up in Group D, whereas the team that comes second place will play its winners. Group D contains Tunisia, Australia, Denmark and France. Tuesday, Nov. 22: Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia Tuesday, Nov. 22: Mexico vs. Poland Saturday, Nov. 26: Poland vs. Saudi Arabia Saturday, Nov. 26: Argentina vs. Mexico Wednesday, Nov. 30: Poland vs. Argentina Wednesday, Nov. 30: Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico View the full article
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