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Before NASA shot astronaut Scott Kelly into orbit for the first time in 1999, he had an important order from his commander: Take one of these diapers, and go practice at home. 

So there he was, wearing a government-issued space diaper, lying down in his bathtub with his legs propped up. He was trying to simulate the way he'd be sitting in the Space Shuttle. 

After living his whole life trying to avoid peeing his pants, Kelly found it took some unlearning to be able to relax and let the good times, er, flow. But he eventually figured out how to open the floodgates. When it was his turn as commander on his next mission, he gave the same instructions to his crew: Go practice. That order, however, didn't go over so well with one male astronaut.

"I actually had a crew member that wouldn't practice, refused to, and then almost had to be catheterized in space," Kelly told Mashable, adding empathetically that being an astronaut is a lot of pressure. 

That's why when his agent called him with a promotional opportunity to work with Goodnites, a maker of children's disposable bedtime underwear, he wanted to help reduce the stigma of bedwetting. It wasn't just the shared experience of needing to wear a diaper-like undergarment he identified with, it was the incredible pressure he realized children also must feel. Nighttime incontinence affects one in four 5-year-olds, one in five 7-year-olds, and one in 20 10-year-olds, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

"Kids have a lot of stuff on their plate," said Kelly, who has two adult children, "so if this could help some kids feel less embarrassed about wetting the bed, I was all in."

SEE ALSO: Yes, NASA astronauts will still pee in their new spacesuits NASA astronaut Scott Kelly prepares for the Expedition 43 launch inside the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA / Victor Zelentsov

It's common knowledge that astronauts wear diapers. Perhaps no one brought that to the fore more than former astronaut Lisa Nowak — but that's a 900-mile story for another time. 

The shuttle and International Space Station have toilets, but sometimes the crew don't have access to them. During launches and landings, astronauts must stay strapped into their seats, and spacewalks — when astronauts venture outside for experiments or maintenance tasks — often require being sealed in a spacesuit for up to eight hours. 

Not many people can hold it for that long while continuously hydrating, so diapers have become a necessity — especially after the astronaut corps expanded to include women. The original urine collection contraptions designed for male astronauts couldn't be easily adapted for female anatomy. 

A sample of an adjustable Maximum Absorbency Garment, or "MAG." Credit: NASA / Center for the Advancement of Science in Space NASA donated unused MAG samples to the National Air and Space Museum. Credit: NASA / National Air and Space Museum

In 1988, NASA started making MAGs — Maximum Absorbency Garments — for all its astronauts, said Kiona N. Smith, author of Peeing and Pooping in Space. The MAG uses a highly absorbent polymer compound between layers of material to remove moisture, which turns the pee into a solid gel.

Perhaps deep down we're all snickering 12-year-olds, a fact that may have inspired Smith's book, but that curiosity is as innate as nature's call. 

"As silly as the questions and answers sometimes sound," Smith told Mashable, "it's that human urge to go, 'OK, but how does this work?'"

Goodnites' new "Mission Dry" ad campaign, which launched last month, includes a commercial featuring Kelly. The video opens with the astronaut and a young crewmate doing a spacewalk and basking in the once-in-a-lifetime view of the stars. But the child can't enjoy the experience because he's distracted. He accidentally peed in his spacesuit and fears mission control will make fun of him. 

Child: Houston's probably laughing. 

Kelly: They're not laughing. 

Child: How do you know?

Kelly: Because I just peed.

Child: Just now? 

Kelly: Just now. 

Kelly, who is now retired after spending 520 days in space, was paid for the gig. As a public space agency, NASA doesn't usually endorse companies or their products. But he's not the only astronaut who liked the campaign's message. Cady Coleman, also retired from NASA, and a handful of other people who have flown on parabolic and short commercial flights, are also lending their voices. 

"On one of my missions, I did need to pee while I was wearing my spacesuit, and it went just fine," Coleman said in a reel on Instagram. "My suit was clean and dry, ready to go, and so was I."

Retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and others have joined a Goodnites disposable nighttime underwear ad campaign. Credit: Goodnites

For four decades, NASA has used the same spacesuit technology for astronauts. Axiom Space is designing a new one for the Artemis III crew, who will be the first people to walk on the moon since 1972. Though engineers have made several improvements, including dust-resistant materials, a compact life support system, and an HD video camera attachment, some things won't change, like wearing a MAG, said Russell Ralston, Axiom Space's deputy program manager for extravehicular activity.

"If it's not broken, don't fix it," Ralston told Mashable during the news conference in 2023. "They're just honestly a very effective solution. Sometimes simplicity is best."

That means a long and illustrious legacy of pants-peeing on the moon will continue, following in the boot prints of Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin, the self-proclaimed first.

"He stepped off the bottom step of the lunar lander and realized he had to go," Smith said. "So you've got this picture of him standing there on the lunar surface, and what you don't realize is he is 100 percent peeing into his urine collection device at that moment."

TL;DR: This refurbished MacBook Air combines portability and power, and now it’s just $199.97 (reg. $999) through June 1.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Air (1.8GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $199.97
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In the market for a new laptop? If you’re hoping to snag something lightweight that doesn’t skimp on power, you can’t get much better than a MacBook Air. And right now, you can snag one of these refurbished Apple favorites for just $199.97 (reg. $999) through June 1.

Tackle anything, anywhere for 12 hours straight with this lightweight MacBook

Some laptops make you choose between power and portability, but this MacBook provides both in a sleek silver package. This model weighs in at just 2.96 pounds, but still manages to come equipped with a powerful 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM to tackle whatever the day brings.

With a 13.3-inch widescreen display, it’s easy to answer emails or take a break and binge-watch a show. The Intel HD Graphics 6000 provides crystal-clear visuals and a smooth streaming experience. And if you’re hoping to save content right on the device, you have plenty of room with its impressive 128GB of storage.

An impressive 12-hour battery life lets you get things done without hunting down an electrical outlet halfway through the day. And Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities allow you to connect easily wherever you go.

Wondering how you’re scoring this model for 80% off? It’s a grade A refurbished device, which means it will arrive on your doorstep in near-mint condition with virtually no signs of prior use, while you enjoy a deep discount.

Act fast to bring a MacBook Air home for only $199.97 (reg. $999) through June 1, while supplies last.

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TL;DR: Stop scrolling endlessly to find your next binge sesh with help from a lifetime subscription to BitMar Streaming Content Finder, now $14.99 (reg. $150) with code BITMAR5 through June 1.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription $14.99
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TL;DR: This gaming console, the Kinhank Super Console X2, has something for everyone in the family, and it’s now just $89.97 (reg. $159.99) through June 1.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kinhank Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console $89.97
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It’s not easy finding something that entertains the whole family, but the Kinhank Super Console comes pretty close. Packed with over 70,000 classic retro games from Atari, Nintendo, PlayStation, and more, this all-in-one device also doubles as a streaming hub that runs Android apps like Netflix and Disney+.

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This multitasking console covers everything from arcade to Android

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

Should AI chatbots have the same rights as humans?

Common sense says no — while such a far-fetched idea might make for good sci-fi, it has no place in American law. But right now, a major tech company is trying to bring that idea to life, pressing a federal court to extend legal protections historically primarily afforded to humans to the outputs of an AI bot. 

Character.AI, one of the leading AI companion bot apps on the market, is fighting for the dismissal of a wrongful death and product liability lawsuit concerning the death of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III. As co-counsel to Sewell’s mother, Megan Garcia, and technical advisor on the case, respectively, we’ve been following these motions closely and with concern. 

In a hearing last week, Character.AI zeroed in on its core argument: that the text and voice outputs of its chatbots, including those that manipulated and harmed Sewell, constitute protected speech under the First Amendment.

But… how? The argument is subtle — deftly designed to remain inconspicuous even as it radically reshapes First Amendment law. Character.AI claims that a finding of liability in the Garcia case would not violate its own speech rights, but its users’ rights to receive information and interact with chatbot outputs as protected speech. Such rights are known in First Amendment law as “listeners rights,” but the critical question here is, “If this is protected speech, is there a speaker or the intent to speak?” If the answer is no, it seems listeners' rights are being used to conjure up First Amendment protections for AI outputs that don't deserve them. 

Character.AI claims that identifying the speaker of such “speech” is complex and not even necessary, emphasizing instead the right of its millions of users to continue interacting with that “speech.” 

But can machines speak? Character.AI’s argument suggests that a series of words spit out by an AI model on the basis of probabilistic determinations constitutes “speech,” even if there is no human speaker, intent, or expressive purpose. This ignores a cornerstone of First Amendment jurisprudence, which says that speech — communicated by the speaker or heard by the listener — must have expressive intent. Indeed, last year four Supreme Court justices in the Moody case said the introduction of AI may “attenuate” a platform owner from its speech.

In essence, Character.AI is leading the court through the First Amendment backdoor of “listeners’ rights” in order to argue that a chatbot’s machine-generated text — created with no expressive intent  — amounts to protected speech. 

SEE ALSO: AI companions unsafe for teens under 18, researchers say

This defies common sense. A machine is not a human, and machine-generated text should not enjoy the rights afforded to speech uttered by a human or with intent or volition.

Regardless of how First Amendment rights for AI systems are framed — as the chatbot’s own “speech,” or as a user’s right to interact with that “speech” — the result, if accepted by the court, would still be the same: an inanimate chatbot’s outputs could win the same speech protections enjoyed by real, living humans. 

If Character.AI’s argument succeeds in court, it would set a disturbing legal precedent and could lay the groundwork for future expansion and distortion of constitutional protections to include AI products. The consequences are too dire to allow such a dangerous seed to take root in our society.

The tech industry has escaped liability by cloaking itself in the protections of the First Amendment for over a decade. Although corporate personhood has existed since the late 19th century, free speech protections were historically limited to human individuals and groups until the late 1970s and peaked in 2010 with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case. Tech companies have eagerly latched onto “corporate personhood” and protected speech, wielding these concepts to insulate themselves from liability and regulation. In recent years, tech companies have argued that even their conduct in how they design their platforms — including their algorithms, and addictive social media designs — actually amounts to protected speech.

But, at least with corporate personhood, humans run and control the corporations. With AI, the tech industry tells us that the AI runs itself — often in ways humans can’t even understand.

Character.AI is attempting to push First Amendment protections beyond their logical limit — with unsettling implications. If the courts humor them, it will mark the constitutional beginnings of AI creeping toward legal personhood.

This may sound far-fetched, but these legal arguments are happening alongside important moves by AI companies outside of the courtroom. 

AI companies are fine-tuning their models to appear more human-like in their outputs and to engage more relationally with users — raising questions about consciousness and what an AI chatbot might “deserve.” Simultaneously, AI companies are funneling resources into newly established “AI welfare” research, exploring whether AI systems might warrant moral consideration. A new campaign led by Anthropic aims to convince policymakers, business leaders, and the general public that their AI products might one day be conscious and therefore worthy of consideration. 

In a world where AI products have moral consideration and First Amendment protections, the extension of other legal rights isn’t that far off. 

We’re already starting to see evidence of AI “rights” guiding policy decisions at the expense of human values. A representative for Nomi AI, another chatbot company, recently said they did not want to “censor” their chatbot by introducing guardrails, despite the product offering a user step-by-step instructions for how to commit suicide. 

Given the tech industry’s long-standing pattern of dodging accountability for its harmful products, we must lay Character.AI’s legal strategy bare: it’s an effort by the company to shield itself from liability. By slowly granting rights to AI products, these companies hope to evade accountability and deny human responsibility — even for real, demonstrated harms. 

We must not be distracted by debates over AI “welfare” or tricked by legal arguments granting rights to machines. Rather, we need accountability for dangerous technology — and liability for the developers who create it.

Meetali Jain is the founder and director of the Tech Justice Law Project, and co-counsel in Megan Garcia’s lawsuit against Character.AI. Camille Carlton is policy director for the Center for Humane Technology, and is a technical expert in the case. This column reflects the opinions of the writers.

TL;DR: Live stream Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free on Ran.de. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2025 NBA playoffs have been really entertaining, with a number of fascinating series between well-matched teams. We're expecting an absolute battle between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. Can Anthony Edwards lead his side to victory against the experience of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green?

If you want to watch Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3)?

Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on May 10. This game takes place at the Chase Center.

How to watch Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) for free

Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) in the 2025 NBA playoffs is available to live stream for free on Ran.de.

Ran.de is geo-restricted to Germany, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Germany, meaning you can access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

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2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Germany

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5. Watch Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) for free

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA playoffs before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Ran.de, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Game 3) for free with ExpressVPN.

On any given day, poking around for TVs on sale is all but guaranteed to turn up at least some decent steals.

Of course, retailers don't casually offer their best TV prices year-round, and TV deals may soon be much harder to come by as tariffs invade the consumer tech market. Though TVs haven't quite been affected as overtly as the Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox consoles, a majority of the best TV brands do their manufacturing in countries facing steep import rates. (LG is reportedly considering raising prices due to tariffs, while Samsung may be safer since most of its production is anchored in Mexico.)

Either way, knowing when TVs are cheaper than usual is a good adult shopping skill to have. The selection of live TV deals fluctuates depending on the month, and understanding the peaks of the TV calendar is a crucial chapter in the unofficial TV buyer's guide.

SEE ALSO: A tariff survival guide to buying refurbished smartphones, TVs, and headphones

Luckily, the best TV deals do peak at a few specific times throughout the year. You're not totally screwed if you don't have the time or the budget to scope out a new TV during Black Friday chaos (though that is the best time to buy a TV — spoiler alert). Aside from Black Friday, NFL playoffs season, and spring are two other times that you'll find a lot of TVs on sale (and at lower-than-usual sale prices), including premium flagship models that don't get much action otherwise. Let's break down the strategy.

(If your search is a more straightforward "just tell me the best TV deals right now" vibe, check out Mashable's dedicated TV tab. If we find a noteworthy TV deal on any given day, it'll pop up here.)

The #1 best time to buy a TV: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Months: Late October, November, and early to mid-December

People may not be throwing down in a Best Buy parking lot at the crack of dawn anymore, but Black Friday TV deals are still unmatched — they're just not nearly as fleeting.

Black Friday is trending toward a month-long affair at this point, with retailers shifting into Black Friday mode online as early as October. The extended time frame raises the question of whether TV sale prices will drop even further closer to Black Friday. Thankfully, most of the big retailers aren't trying to trick you — in fact, Best Buy and Samsung will straight-up tag a certain deal as a Black Friday deal if they drop it ahead of time, confirming to buyers that there's no need to hold out until the week of Thanksgiving.

This is an especially auspicious time for budget shoppers looking for the cheapest possible version of a 4K TV at a certain size. During Black Friday, basic budget-friendly 4K TVs are typically the doorbusters that sell out soon after they drop — and are much less likely to return in the next few months.

SEE ALSO: Walmart vs. Amazon: Who actually has the best deals?

In-store or not, Best Buy TV deals during Black Friday include elite prices on top 65-inch TVs (or larger). You can save hundreds on high-end QLEDs, OLEDs, and big-screen cheap QLEDs at shockingly low prices. Budget-friendly TVs get even more. Our favorite TV deal from Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024 was a Hisense 75-inch QLED TV for $449.99 at Best Buy. Walmart also stays in the mix with a handful of wild doorbuster deals on the best cheap TVs. Amazon mostly dabbles in the affordable TV crowd and focuses on its own Fire TVs, which often drop to record-low prices.

Post-holiday sales and New Year sales are absolutely a thing, but you can be confident that most TV prices are generally better before Christmas than after. We've seen firsthand how sale prices on TVs subtly go up by $100 or two (or three) during post-holiday sales. However, if you miss the Black Friday-Cyber Monday season, another chance to save soon follows...

The second-best time to find TV deals: NFL playoff season

Months: Mid-January to early February

The people want to know: Are TVs cheaper after the holidays? The answer is technically yes, but not in the "after-Christmas sales slash New Year's sales" way that you're thinking.

If you didn't snag your TV during Black Friday, your next best bet is to wait in the wings until the end of January for football-fueled deals, which kick off near the start of the NFL playoffs (sometime in mid to late January) and last until the big game (some in early to mid-February).

SEE ALSO: How to get free Peacock, Paramount+, and Max streaming through services you might already have

The month-long lead-up to the biggest football game of the year — one of the most-watched sporting events of the year — is prime time to find a TV on sale. In particular, these deals may focus more on TVs that are good for watching sports: i.e., big-screen QLEDs. The vibrant lighting supplied by a QLED panel is ideal for following small details like a ball or tiny score box, as well as the brightness of the team's colors and the field to make your experience feel as live and in-person as possible. It's not uncommon for most of these deals to be identical to what we saw during Black Friday, or in some cases, drop even lower in price due to proximity to CES. (See explanation below.)

There is one group of TVs that still may not be seeing their lowest possible sale price during football sales: If you're eyeing one of the most premium, most recent models from a certain brand and still aren't seeing a discount of more than $100 or two, you might consider pumping the breaks until spring.

The third-best time to find TV deals: Spring

Months: March and April

Flagship TVs don't go on sale that often. And even when we get deals, the discounts hardly feel like a deal. (Oh, wow: $200 off a $2,000 TV? You shouldn't have.)

Until CES happens, that is. CES is a Las Vegas-based tech trade show where the latest and greatest consumer tech is unveiled to gadget enthusiasts. The annual TV release cycle mostly revolves around CES, as it's where brands like Samsung, LG, TCL, and Hisense show off their new TV designs for the year. While these fresh releases aren't the ones going on sale, those splashy new TV releases do force last year's models to go on sale.

SEE ALSO: As tariffs come for tech, these are the best cheap laptops under $1,000

The key here is that the best deals start not when the TVs are announced at the event in January, but once they're officially up for grabs to the public in the spring. As of May 2025, most highly-awaited flagship TVs for the year are out, or at least have prices announced. For example, LG released the OLED C5 OLED in March, TCL released the QM6K Mini LED in March, and Samsung released the Frame Pro and unveiled prices for its S95F OLED in April. Funny enough, we already caught some small discounts on those new models in their first weeks on the market. Those were fleeting, but deals on the predecessors like the LG C4 OLED, TCL QM7, and older Samsung Frame models are what we're really eyeing.

Now that LG has finally released the 2025 C5 OLED, keep an eye out for drops on the C3 and C4. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The one outlier here is Sony, which has been sitting CES out for the past few years in favor of its own release schedule — a very Apple and iRobot-coded tactic. In 2023 and 2025, Sony announced its new TV lines for the year in March, though it deviated in 2024 with a June launch. Sony's slightly differing release calendar doesn't change the fact that Black Friday and football season are the main times for discounts. Then, Sony's discounts throughout the year will simply depend on when its annual TV lineup launches. Its 2025 Bravia 8 II OLED and Bravia 5 and 2 LCD models should be revealed any day now.

Honorable mention: Prime Day(s)

Month: July

Amazon is typically pretty low on the list of best places to buy a TV. While it does sell most of the same brands of TVs as competing retailers do, its sale prices are more volatile and often plagued by inflated prices that make discounts look better than they are. (Pro tip: You can spot-check the prices of TVs at Amazon by pasting the listing URL into Camelcamelcamel, a free Amazon price tracking site.)

However, Amazon stands out as a TV destination during the shopping holidays it made up for itself: Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days (basically a second Prime Day). These events usually happen in July and October, respectively. Amazon Prime Day 2025 has been confirmed for July with specific dates TBA.

SEE ALSO: How to recycle Amazon packaging (yes, all of it)

Naturally, Fire TVs are the focal point during Prime events, and these deals go hard — for example, we've seen a 43-inch Amazon Omni 4K Fire TV drop to $99.99 and a 50-inch Hisense QLED TV for $149.99 during Prime Big Deal Days. (These are wild screen size to price ratios that can only be rivaled by similar Walmart doorbusters on its TV brand, onn.) Both of those jaw-dropping deals were invite-only deals that you have to request to unlock, but it's still a first-come, first-served situation that would be the case with any doorbuster deal.

But Amazon isn't the only good place to buy a TV on sale during Prime Day. Amazon's self-titled events also trigger conveniently-timed competing sales from its biggest competitors, and as antithetical as it sounds, Best Buy and Walmart almost always beat Amazon at its own game during Prime Day — with TVs, at least. Unless Fire TV is already your comfort streaming platform, don't limit your TV search to Amazon during these events just because Amazon picked the dates.

You can't kill Doctor Who.

That's the ultimate meta-lesson from "The Story & the Engine," episode 5 of Season 2 of the show's tenure on Disney+. Even if persistent online rumors that Disney won't renew its co-production for a third season turn out to be true, this 61-year-old BBC show will simply emerge in a new form.

As the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) says in his first ever six-word memoir: "I'm born. I die. I am reborn."

"The Story & the Engine," which mostly takes place inside a barber shop in Lagos, Nigeria, is a prime example of how Doctor Who can adapt to many different places, times, and cultures. Written by Nigerian-British playwright Inua Ellams, the script builds on his play "Barber Shop Chronicles" — for which Ellams visited 60 Black-owned barber shops in the UK and across Africa — and gives an American Gods-style sci-fi spin to the stories traditionally told there.

Ellams is the first Black man to write for Doctor Who, and this episode is the first to feature a fully BIPOC cast — other than in a brief flashback scene in which current companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is working as a nurse in a UK hospital.

But Ellams himself is hardly new to Who; he's a fan of the show from his childhood in Nigeria. Classic 1970s episodes were shown, via an ancient projector, on a large screen — hence the magic screen in the Lagos barber shop where stories are projected ... and where, for the first time, the Doctor Who opening titles appear in the universe of the show itself.

SEE ALSO: All the times 'Doctor Who' broke the fourth wall

"As a kid I was terrified of this show," Ellams told Doctor Who Magazine. "Hiding behind the sofa, peeking ... it was closer to a cinema in my living room."

When has the Doctor visited Africa?

Technically, we've seen the Doctor in Africa twice before — but he barely knew he was there.

In "The Chase" (1965), William Hartnell's first Doctor visits a haunted house exhibit which turns out to be in Ghana in the then-far future year of 1996. And in "The Pyramids of Mars" (1975), which saw the original appearance of Season 1 villain Sutekh, the Tom Baker Doctor is transported to Sutekh's tomb in Egypt.

But "The Story & the Engine" is the first time the Doctor knowingly lands his TARDIS on the African continent. Why? First, Lagos' status as a communications hub can help the TARDIS navigate Belinda's way home. But the Doctor also explains to Belinda that since his current "Black body" is not fully accepted in many parts of the world, he likes to come to the barber shop in Lagos formerly run by his friend Omo, where he can just be himself.

What's the original six-word story?

The Doctor discovers a mysterious barber has taken Omo and his customers hostage. The barber is using stories to power a journey through story-space known as the Nexus. And that gives the Doctor a path to victory: by inserting his own "never-ending story" into the barber's engine, using just six words.

The six-word story concept isn't new, of course; it's generally attributed to Ernest Hemingway, an American writer with his own connections to Africa. But the Doctor claims that he gave Hemingway the idea for six-word stories because, "I wanted to see how good he was."

The six-word story Hemingway came up with isn't actually mentioned in the show, but you might be familiar with it if you've ever taken a creative writing class. "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Whatever happens to the show next on the U.S. side, its popularity in the UK — not to mention many countries around the world like Nigeria — will ensure its continuity in the long run. Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor will regenerate, and the Doctor will be reborn.

Doctor Who Season 2 premiered Apr. 12 on Disney+ and BBC. New episodes air weekly on Saturdays at 3 a.m. ET.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Heard during a baseball game

• Green: Football venues

• Blue: University sports tiers

  Purple: Tennessee footballers

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Things an umpire says

• Green: NFL stadiums

• Blue: First words of college conferences

• Purple: QBs drafted by the Titans

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #229 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Things an umpire says - BALL, OUT, SAFE, STRIKE

• NFL stadiums - ALLEGIANT, GILLETTER, LAMBEAU, SOLDIER

• First words of college conferences - AMERICAN, ATLANTIC, BIG, SOUTHEASTERN

• QBs drafted by the Titans - LEVIS, LOCKER, MARIOTA, WARD

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere, with this lifetime subscription to iScanner, now £18.78 (reg. £149.56) with code SCAN through June 1.

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Raise your hand if you've ever had to rush to the library to print something. If most of us don't have the space for clunky printers, chances are we also don't keep a scanner at home. That's what iScanner is for.

This iOS app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a handy little scanner that works for basically any document type. Scan anything, anywhere, with this lifetime subscription to iScanner, now £18.78 (reg. £149.56) with code SCAN through June 1.

No more wasted desk space

Even if you're one of the few with a physical scanner still in your presence, you can now clear some counter space thanks to iScanner. And while you're at it, you can throw away that dusty old filing cabinet, too. 

iScanner is the number one US-based scanning and document management tool, letting you knock items off your to-do list from anywhere. Need to save a receipt for taxes? Do you have a contract you need to digitise? You can scan any document using just the phone on your iOS device. 

Students, entrepreneurs, educators, and stay-at-home moms alike will all find endless uses for a scanner in your pocket. The AI-powered tools ensure your documents' borders are detected and automatically adjusted while also straightening scan pages and ditching curves and skews. 

Thanks to AI, you can also use iScanner to help you solve complicated math problems.  Or put its OCR technology to the test and let it help you decipher text in up to 20 languages.

Once things are scanned, the app becomes a full PDF editor and file manager. Edit your scans, including signing them, adding text, or auto-filling them with custom templates. Then, use the file manager's folder via drag and drop to keep them safe and organised. 

Scanning something confidential? You can also protect files and folders by locking them with a PIN. 

Get a lifetime subscription to iScanner, now £18.78 with code SCAN through June 1.

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To stop.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

PAUSE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Home furnishings.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 10, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DECOR

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A backbone.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 10 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 10, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SPINE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Opposite of most.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 10 Hurdle Word 4 answer

LEAST

Final Hurdle hint

A holy cup.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

GRAIL

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Indiana with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states still have restrictions in place for online adult content, leaving users searching for a solution.

Millions of users in Virginia are unable to access popular sites like Pornhub after the introduction of age verification laws. The reasons for this restriction are complicated, but the workaround is straightforward. In just a few simple steps, users in Indiana can secure access to Pornhub without spending anything.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Indiana, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Indiana

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unblock Pornhub for free in Indiana with ExpressVPN.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 10 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: How you might end an email

• Green: Lacking

• Blue: Drive

• Purple: They share a second word

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Letter sign-offs

• Green: Without

• Blue: Vigor

• Purple: ___ Strip

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #699 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Letter sign-offs: BEST, CHEERS, LOVE, SINCERELY

• Without: ABSENT, MINUS, SANS, WANTING

• Vigor: BEANS, ENERGY, PEP, ZIP

• ___ Strip: BACON, COMIC, LANDING, SUNSET

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 10

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 10 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 10 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Find the missing links

The words are meat-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are types of cylindrical pork dishes.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Sausages

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for May 10

• Andouille

• Liverwurst

• Sausage

• Kielbasa

• Chorizo

• Salami

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for May 10 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 10, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Used to make bread rise.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter Y.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

YEAST.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 10

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

The Texas attorney general brought the cases in 2022 under state laws.

In the tariff era, minor price fluctuations can be big news, and many people are quick to blame any price increase on tariffs. Just last night, Mashable fact-checked a false alarm about Microsoft raising some Surface laptop prices. Now, it's Walmart's turn.

On April 30, Reuters reported that Walmart had reinstated a $6.99 fee for online grocery delivery and pickup orders under $35 for shoppers in the Walmart+ Assist program. That program lets shoppers who use food stamps, EBT cards, or Medicaid sign up for Walmart+ — a membership that offers various benefits like free pharmacy delivery and discounted gasoline purchases — at a 50 percent reduced price ($49 annually compared to the regular $98). During the COVID crisis, Walmart took away the basket fee on small orders made by Walmart+ Assist members, but the charge was reinstated sometime in April.

Enter The Daily Mail, which reported that "new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump" were to blame for the change. If Walmart was passing along tariff costs to low-income shoppers, that would certainly be an unusual public relations screwup. However, the company says that's absolutely not the case.

A company spokesperson told Mashable that the basket fee (which is standard practice for most retailers when it comes to online grocery orders) has nothing to do with tariffs and doesn't apply to in-store purchases.

Walmart currently operates 4,605 stores in the United States, and shoppers around the country rely on the retailer for low-cost groceries and everyday necessities. Numerator, a data and tech company, recently published statistics that show fully 94 percent of SNAP shoppers have bought groceries at Walmart in the past year, making it by far the most popular grocery store among food stamp recipients.

U.S. households consume a lot of produce and dry goods imported from around the world, which are affected by new global tariffs implemented by the Trump administration. However, giant companies like Walmart are better positioned to absorb price increases than smaller businesses. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon tried to reassure investors of this in a February earnings call, and the company has announced a new program to help bring more American-made products to its shelves, an initiative called Grow With Us.

How often do you get good news in the mail? As life moves online, the amount of bills and junk mail in our mailboxes is fast approaching 100 percent. However, on occasion, you can still get a random letter from Mom or an Amazon Prime delivery. And you can't ignore the bills forever, unfortunately.

That's why the U.S. Postal Service's Informed Delivery service is so popular. The service sends you a black-and-white photograph of all your incoming mail via email, while also alerting you to USPS package deliveries and status updates. It's an ingenious little program. After all, all your mail has to get scanned and sorted en route, so why not send people a quick email preview of what's on deck for delivery? By keeping an eye on your email, you always know when you actually need to check the mailbox.

Imagine this, but in an app. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Timothy Beck Werth

Now, USPS is reportedly prepping an Informed Delivery app for Android and iOS devices. This week, DroidLife and 9to5 Google reported that a beta test of the app is already underway, with a full mobile app to follow.

Technically, USPS first announced this app in 2024, but since then, the federal government has undergone a bit of a regime change, and federal funding priorities have shifted accordingly. Previously, the postal service has been a target for the Trump administration. The original announcement also said the app would be released in late 2024, which means it's actually ahead of schedule by government program terms.

"The app will send notifications when the USPS Informed Delivery daily digest email is available and when there is an update on a package’s arrival. Customers will be able to use the app to scan tracking numbers or label barcodes to find out the status of inbound or outbound packages," according to the original announcement.

Per 9to5Google, the iOS beta has already been filled, but you can still try to join the Android beta.

Christine Martinez, who was a friend of two of Pinterest’s three co-founders, sued the company in 2021 for breach of implied contract and other claims.