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It sure looks like Google is prepping its controversial AI mode for primetime.
This week, some Google users noticed an AI Mode button showing up instead of Google's iconic "I'm feeling lucky" button on the homepage. And today, a Mashable reporter spotted "AI Mode" appearing as an option on search results pages, alongside stalwart Google tools like News, Shopping, Images, and Videos. Notably, this reporter did not proactively sign up to participate in AI Mode through Google Labs. That suggests Google is testing the feature for select users.
AI Mode appears for select users on search results pages. Credit: Tim Marcin / Mashable This is what AI Mode looks like in Google Search. Credit: Tim Marcin / MashableThis suggests a widespread release of its AI-powered search tool is coming soon. Maybe at Google I/O next Tuesday?
Google has been testing AI search features ever since OpenAI and ChatGPT started siphoning away searchers, particularly younger searchers. And that's just one of many new developments from Gemini-land.
Like pretty much every other week, a lot happened in AI news this week.
So, we've rounded up the biggest stories and most important AI developments in products, business, politics, and... Catholicism. Here's our recap of AI news this week.
Grok's "white genocide" problem, ChatGPT learns to code, and more Gemini newsxAI's Grok chatbot went off the rails this week, responding to X users with completely unprompted musings about "'white genocide' in South Africa." The company said it was due to an "unauthorized modification" and promised to do better next time. Coincidentally, xAI leader and Grok power user Elon Musk has been repeatedly tweeting about the subject. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined the ongoing pile-on on X:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.In OpenAI's world, the company brought GPT-4.1 to ChatGPT "by popular request." Initially, it was only available through the API. Now it's available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users with Enterprise and Edu access rolling out soon and GPT-4.1 mini for free users.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.On Friday, OpenAI also launched a preview version of Codex, a coding agent for engineers. That's rolling out to ChatGPT users Pro, Enterprise, and Team subscribers. Codex is "a version of OpenAI o3 optimized for software engineering."
Google held a pre-I/O event for Android news. The main takeaway there is that Google is bringing Gemini to Android operating systems in smart watches, cars, and TVs.
There's probably no better fit for image-to-video generation than TikTok, and it has released a new feature that does exactly that. It's called AI Alive, and Mashable's CJ Silva says it's pretty realistic.
Credit: TikTokLast but not least, prepare to hear a lot more AI-generated narration with your Audible books. Its parent company Amazon announced this week that it's partnered with publishers to "expand [its] catalog with AI narration."
OpenAI's foreign and domestic infrastructure plans, a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation, and AI copyright controversyThis was also a big week for artificial intelligence in politics and foreign affairs.
OpenAI is reportedly already making moves on its global AI infrastructure plans. Bloomberg reports that it is "considering building new data center capacity in the United Arab Emirates." Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other tech billionaires joined President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia for a visit with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who launched a new AI company called Humain.
While business schmoozing went down in the Middle East, Bloomberg also reported that OpenAI's Stargate Project to build AI infrastructure in the U.S. has run into roadblocks. Plans have reportedly been held up by Japanese investor SoftBank over tariff-related concerns.
On top of that, Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly renegotiating the terms of their partnership as OpenAI tries to restructure its for-profit business into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) which would still be governed by its nonprofit board, according to the Financial Times. OpenAI needs to keep Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion, happy but the increasingly competing interest has reportedly created tension between the companies.
In the public sector, House Republicans proposed a ten-year moratorium on states introducing their own AI regulations, 404 Media reports. This language was nestled in the Budget Reconciliation bill. Don't Republicans like states' rights? We're confused too.
Speaking of AI regulation under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Copyright Office published a "pre-publication version" of part three of its highly anticipated AI copyright report last week, which generally favored copyright holders over AI companies claiming fair use. The very next day Trump, fired Copyright Office head Shira Perlmutter. That hasn't stopped plaintiffs in the Kadrey v. Meta from using it as a weapon against Meta, as Mashable first reported.
What does the new pope have to say about AI?A lot, actually. Pope Leo XIV said AI posed "new challenges for humanity in his first address to the College of Cardinals. And his name choice pays tribute to Pope Leo XIII who presided over the Catholic Church during the Industrial Revolution and advocated for workers rights and social reform.
Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
NASA engineers have brought a set of obsolete thrusters back from the dead on the Voyager 1 probe, just before losing their ability to talk to the aging spacecraft.
Over a half-century, Voyager 1 has sprinted about 38,000 mph and become the farthest human-made object, crossing into interstellar space. For the past two decades of its journey, the spacecraft has come to rely on a special set of backup thrusters that are designed to control its roll motion. But those backups have begun to clog with gunk, and no one is sure how much longer they'll last — perhaps mere months.
Meanwhile, a powerful antenna in Australia — the only one capable of sending instructions to Voyager 1 now 15.5 billion miles from Earth — was about to go offline for critical upgrades. NASA feared if those backups failed during the monthslong blackout, the team would forever lose their fragile link to the spacecraft.
So engineers crafted a risky plan to attempt a resurrection of the primary roll thrusters that the team had all but given up on in 2004. Those small engines help spin the spacecraft just enough to keep it pointed at a guide star for orientation. Without them, Voyager 1 would be as good as gone.
"At that time, the team was OK with accepting that the primary roll thrusters didn’t work, because they had a perfectly good backup," said Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager, in a statement. "And, frankly, they probably didn’t think the Voyagers were going to keep going for another 20 years."
SEE ALSO: Carter's UFO hounded him for years. Few knew his expertise in astronomy. Voyager 1 launched from Earth in 1977 and is the farthest human-made object in space. Credit: NASA / JPL-CaltechBoth Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, have far outlived their original life expectancy. Launched in 1977, the pair was originally intended to study Jupiter and Saturn, their moons, and Saturn's rings. For the two-planet journey, they were built to operate for just five years.
After their initial success, engineers doubled their objectives to include two more giant planets, Uranus and Neptune. Between the two spacecraft, they've explored four planets, 48 moons, and a host of planetary magnetic fields and rings. Now they're in the cold, uncharted abyss.
In August 2012, Voyager 1 made history as it entered interstellar space, the region between stars, filled with material ejected by other stars that died millions of years ago. Voyager 1 and 2 are the only spacecraft ever to fly outside of the heliosphere, the region of space affected by the sun's constant flow of radiation and particles.
But after 48 years hurtling through the unknown, their systems are wearing down. The primary roll thrusters stopped working 21 years ago, after losing power in two small internal heaters. Engineers at the time thought that meant they were inoperable.
"That was a legitimate conclusion," said Todd Barber, the mission’s propulsion lead, in a statement. "It’s just that one of our engineers had this insight that maybe there was this other possible cause and it was fixable."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.The team pondered whether a disruption in the heaters' circuits had essentially flipped a switch to an off position. If they could turn it back, the heaters might work again.
To try it, the team would have to turn on the broken thrusters, then try to restart the heaters. If, during that time, the spacecraft drifted too far off course, the broken thrusters would automatically fire, due to their programming. The danger there would be if the heaters were still not working, they could trigger a small explosion.
But within 20 minutes of attempting the fix, the team saw the heaters' temperature rise dramatically, signaling success.
"It was such a glorious moment. Team morale was very high that day," Barber said. "It was yet another miracle save for Voyager.”
A radio antenna at the Deep Space Network's Canberra facility in Australia is the only dish that can send commands to the Voyager spacecraft. Credit: NASA / JPL-CaltechAs of May 4, the Australian antenna — part of NASA’s Deep Space Network, a system of three enormous radio dish arrays on Earth — is offline. It'll remain dark until February 2026, with only brief periods of operation in August and December.
The antenna upgrades are necessary for Artemis astronaut moon landings and will increase communication capacity for deep space robotic missions, said Suzanne Dodd, who oversees Voyager and the Deep Space Network.
Voyager 1 is so far away, it takes 23 hours for a command to reach the spacecraft, and another 23 hours for mission control to hear back from it. NASA has previously said the Voyagers generate about 4 fewer watts of power annually, limiting the number of systems the spacecraft can use. The teams have occasionally turned off equipment to conserve power.
NASA says the goal is to keep the two missions afloat beyond 2025.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro 13" i5 2GHz (2020) 4 Thunderbolt 3 Ports 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Space Gray (Refurbished) $449.99Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup just got a sleek new sibling: meet the S25 Edge. It’s an ultra-thin, titanium-clad version of the flagship, designed to lure in the premium crowd. Over in Apple-land, there’s a new kid too: the iPhone 16e. It’s not flashy, not titanium, but it is the cheapest way to get a new iPhone this year.
So, which digital ecosystem do you want to plug your life into? We’re breaking down how these two stack up on price, design, display tech, battery life, and cameras. If you’re here for a quick pick and price is your only metric, just get the 16e and move on. But if you want the full picture, please, keep reading.
We should also note that if you're excited for the year of thin phones, you'll have to wait for the rumored iPhone 17 Air to get an ultra-slim Apple smartphone.
The new Samsung Galaxy S25 offers a lot of features for the money, but the 16e wins on price alone. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 16e: Price and specsIf you’re judging by price alone, the iPhone 16e is the clear winner. It starts at $599 — almost half the cost of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which begins at $1,099 for 256GB or $1,219.99 for the 512GB version. At that point, you could just get a standard iPhone 16 for $799 and still have cash to spare for accessories.
So what does $599 get you with the 16e?
8GB RAM
128GB storage
Apple’s new A18 chip with a 4-core GPU
6.1-inch display
The Action Button
It’s not dripping in luxury, but it’s modern where it counts.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s S25 Edge does cost more. This isn’t a phone for deal hunters — it’s for Android users who want something razor-thin, ultra-premium, and unapologetically exclusive. However, the S25 Edge still offers a lot of value for its price. It has many of the same features as the flagship S25 Ultra, but for a whole lot less (both in dollars and size).
For $1099, think of it less as a phone, more as a flex:
12GB RAM
256GB storage
Snapdragon 8 Elite
6.7-inch AMOLED display
Samsung’s pitch for the S25 Edge is simple: Take everything you love about the flagship S25 and wrap it in a body that’s thinner, lighter, and slicker. It’s got those signature curved edges, a titanium frame that feels more aerospace than smartphone, and three sharp finishes: Titanium Silver, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Icy Blue.
The iPhone 16e takes a more utilitarian approach. It’s got Apple’s tried-and-true aluminum-and-glass build paired with a Super Retina XDR display. It looks clean, feels solid, and comes in exactly two shades: Black and White. Simple, classic, and not trying too hard.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 16e: DisplayThe iPhone 16e sticks with what works: a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel that’s sharp at 460 ppi. You still get Apple’s usual bag of tricks — True Tone, Wide Color (P3), and Haptic Touch. It’s bright enough for most people, topping out at 800 nits in typical use and 1200 nits for HDR content. It's also worth noting that the 16e ditches a rear camera compared to the standard 16.
Samsung, never one to be outdone in display tech, gives the S25 Edge a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen wrapped in a new Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. It boasts a crisp 3120 x 1440 resolution, a dynamic refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. It’s bigger, smoother, and sharper on paper.
Meet the ultra-slim new Samsung phone. Credit: Alex Perry / MashablePlus, there’s an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor built right into the display. Like the 16e, the Edge also drops one of the usual rear cameras, keeping things a bit more minimal this time around.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 16e: CamerasThis one is for the photographically inclined; you can get by with either smartphone. Both the S25 Edge and the iPhone 16e are straight shooters when it comes to taking a photo. Here's what the iPhone 16e offers:
48MP main camera
12MP 2x Telephoto
Digital zoom up to 10x
Standard Apple features like Burst mode, red-eye correction, and Live Photos
What the S25 Edge gives up in camera count, it tries to make up for in sheer megapixel flex. Samsung’s also betting big on Galaxy AI, promising smarter capture, editing, and sharing:
200MP main camera
12MP ultra-wide with 2x optical, 10x AI zoom
12MP front camera
Under the hood, the iPhone 16e runs on Apple’s new A18 chip, built with a 6-core CPU—two performance cores, four for efficiency— designed to juggle tasks smoothly while keeping power draw low. The main spec split from the regular iPhone 16? The GPU. The 16 gets a 5-core GPU, while the 16e settles for four. It's not a massive difference, but if you game or edit video on your phone, you might feel it.
On the Android side, the Galaxy S25 Edge runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite — the same chip that powers the S25+ and Ultra. It’s tuned for serious mobile horsepower, from AAA mobile gaming to AI-heavy photo edits. The Edge also packs more RAM than the 16e, which gives it a leg up in multitasking and performance headroom.
If battery life is your dealbreaker, the iPhone 16e might just edge out the Edge — ironically. Samsung’s obsession with making the S25 Edge thinner and lighter came at a cost: battery capacity. The iPhone 16e packs a 4,005mAh cell, which Apple claims is good for up to 26 hours on a single charge.
The S25 Edge isn’t far behind, with a 3,900mAh battery. That puts it well ahead of the baseline iPhone 16 (which sits at 3,561mAh), but still slightly behind the 16e.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs iPhone 16e: Which should you buy?If you're looking for maximum value without feeling like you're settling, the iPhone 16e is a smart, balanced pick. It gives you flagship-level performance, modern Apple design, solid battery life, and just enough of the bells and whistles to feel current, all for $599. It’s not flashy, but it’s efficient, reliable, and comfortably within reach for most buyers who just want a great phone that’ll last a few years.
The Galaxy S25 Edge, on the other hand, is a statement piece. It’s the phone you buy because you want something that feels high-end every time you pick it up — ultra-thin, titanium-framed, and loaded with display and camera tech. It’s more powerful, more polished, and more expensive, as expected. But that price tag is buying you more than specs — it's buying a vibe. So if you're deep in the Android ecosystem and crave sleek hardware with top-tier performance, the Edge earns its name. Just bring your wallet.
iPhone 16e $599 at Apple.comThe Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) seems to be heading for a family reunion of some kind on Doctor Who — and it's about time.
In a surprise twist, first revealed halfway through his season 2 episode "The Interstellar Song Contest," Doctor number 15 has been having visions of the first person to travel in the TARDIS with Doctor number one (William Hartnell): his still-mysterious granddaughter Susan, played then and now by Carole Ann Ford.
Ford, age 84, is the last surviving member of the original TARDIS team. Susan was the "Unearthly Child" for whom the first-ever episode of the show, broadcast on November 23, 1963, was named. Other than a one-off appearance in a 1983 anniversary special, she hasn't been seen in the show since becoming the first companion to leave the TARDIS — the very name of which, we were told, was Susan's creation — in 1964.
Susan, a pupil at Coal Hill school, was the reason her teachers Ian (William Russell, who died in 2024 age 99) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill, who died in 1993) strayed into that bigger-on-the-inside police box in the first place. Like the Doctor's latest companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), they were effectively kidnapped.
Ford felt trapped herself; as promising a character as the mysterious granddaughter sounded, she wasn't given much to do week to week besides scream and faint. So she was written out at the end of "The Dalek Invasion of Earth," the second serial to feature the Doctor's infamous enemies. Hartnell's Doctor locked her out of the TARDIS so she would start a new life with her Earthling beau David, and left with a speech about how he would come back one day.
Spoiler alert: The Doctor didn't come back. But that speech was reused at the beginning of "The Five Doctors" (1983), in which Ford's Susan appears in several scenes alongside the second actor to play the first Doctor, Richard Hurndall (William Hartnell died in 1975) — Ford having made her peace with the show by then.
Technically, that adventure took place before Susan left the TARDIS — so in a timey-wimey kind of way, this is the first time we've seen Susan in 61 years.
But to quote another Doctor, the moment has been prepared for.
How Doctor Who led up to the Susan reveal Carole Ann Ford in 1964, showing a Dalek what she thinks of it. Credit: Victor Drees / Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty ImagesIn the second episode of Gatwa's first season, "The Devil's Chord," the TARDIS lands in 1963 to visit the Beatles at the suggestion of then-companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). Off-handedly, the Doctor tells Ruby that his earlier incarnation is living in a junkyard across London with his granddaughter Susan.
"I put that in as a test," Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies told Mashable in a pre-season interview. "She hasn't been mentioned in the show since 1964, so I wondered how my bosses at the BBC would take that, and thought, 'I'll take it out if no one likes it.' But everyone loved it."
The success of that Susan test brought us to the cold-open cliffhanger of "The Legend of Ruby Sunday," the penultimate episode of season 1. That's when the Doctor wondered if the reason for multiple appearances of characters played by Susan Twist was that his granddaughter had survived the genocide of his people, the Time Lords, and regenerated herself.
In that same episode, the Doctor casually revealed more about his family than ever before. "If you've got a granddaughter, that means you've got kids," Kate Lethbridge-Stewart said. But the Doctor denied it. "Not quite, not yet," he said, waving away the obvious chronological issue with this all-purpose explanation: "Life of a Time Lord."
Mention of his granddaughter appeared to be a fake-out; Susan Twist's multiple characters were in fact created by the Doctor's old enemy Sutekh. "Did you think I was family, Doctor?" laughed the ancient god. But as we said at the time, bringing up Susan may yet mean Ford's return to the show: "Could there be one final Susan twist at the end?"
Why is Susan returning now? Carole Ann Ford alongside a Dalek, and Frazer Hines, who played "Doctor Who" companion Jamie, in 2022. Credit: Tristan Fewings / Getty ImagesIn "The Interstellar Song Contest," the Doctor revealed that he'd seen Susan in his head after the Time Lord genocide. But the scene where he is frozen in space, close to death, is the first time we see the vision too.
"Grandfather," says Susan, in what appears to be a TARDIS very much like the Doctor's. "Come find me," she adds, in another vision towards the end of the episode.
That may be all that showrunner Russell T Davies wrote for Ford, at least; given her age, a regeneration may be necessary if and when the Doctor finds her. But if he has shot scenes with her on the TARDIS set, it's more likely that Ford's version of Susan will appear again at some point in season 2's final episodes, "Wish World" and "The Reality War."
More concerning, in the meantime: the effect on Ford herself. "I don't know if I could survive the excitement," she said of a then-theoretical return to the show at Luton Comic-Con in 2024, according to the BBC. "It would be intense beyond all intensity."
Doctor Who Season 2 premiered April 12 on Disney+ and BBC. New episodes air weekly on Saturdays at 3 a.m. ET.
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 hintA robbery.
SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answerHEIST
Hurdle Word 2 hintWhat a parent might do to a naughty child.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 17, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerSPANK
Hurdle Word 3 hintAn Arctic dog breed.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 17 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 17, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answerHUSKY
Hurdle Word 4 hintTo tease someone.
SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for May 17 Hurdle Word 4 answerFLIRT
Final Hurdle hintEgg-shaped.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerOVATE
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: Add the new OS and Office programs your PC needs with discounted $54.97 bundle of Office 2021 and Windows 11.
Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $54.97Buying a new computer is expensive, even if inflation has slowed. Just add Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and upgrade your Windows 11 Pro license to speed things up and get the most out of your current hardware. You can bundle Office 2021 and Windows 11 to get a PC makeover for just $54.97 (reg. $418.)
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TL;DR: Live stream Leinster vs. Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
There are a number of huge rugby fixtures taking place this weekend, but Leinster vs. Glasgow Warriors might be the biggest of the bunch. It's a battle at the top of the United Rugby Championship standings between two talented sides.
If you want to watch Munster vs. Ulster in the United Rugby Championship for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Leinster vs. Glasgow Warriors?Munster vs. Ulster starts at 7:35 p.m. BST on May 17. This fixture takes place at thr Aviva Stadium.
How to watch Leinster vs. Glasgow Warriors for freeMunster vs. Ulster in the United Rugby Championship is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.
RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can stream on RTÉ Player from any location.
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The best VPNs for streaming aren't free, but leading VPN providers do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By signing up for these deals, you'll be able access free live streams without actually spending anything. This is a temporary fix, but it gives you enough time to stream Munster vs. Ulster (plus more United Rugby Championship fixtures) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for sport?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to live stream the United Rugby Championship, for a number of reasons:
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TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Montana with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.
In the early stages of 2025, the world of porn was rocked after a number of states introduced laws that required visitors to upload ID before accessing sites. Pornhub responded by banning visitors from these states from accessing their website.
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If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Montana, we have all the information you need.
How to unblock Pornhub for free in MontanaVPNs 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.
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TL;DR: Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup final for free on BBC iPlayer/ITVX. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The FA Cup final is here, with Crystal Palace taking on Manchester City for a chance at glory.
Manchester City have endured a tough season by their exceptionally high standards, but lifting the FA Cup would provide some level of comfort. Crystal Palace have shown real promise this season, culminating in an impressive 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at the semi-final stage. Can they go all the way and lift the FA Cup for the first time? They'll need big performances from the likes of Mateta and Eze to overcome City.
If you want to watch Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the FA Cup final?Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup final starts at 4:30 p.m. BST on May 17. This fixture takes place at Wembley Stadium.
How to watch the FA Cup final for freeCrystal Palace vs. Manchester City in the FA Cup final is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer/ITVX.
BBC iPlayer and ITVX are geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer/ITVX from anywhere in the world.
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TL;DR: Unblock porn sites with a VPN. The best service for unblocking free porn sites is ExpressVPN.
You access to porn sites is restricted in many locations around the world, and we're not talking about far away places with no connection to you. We're talking close to home.
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There are valid reasons for restricting access to porn, but there is also something to be said for protecting online freedom. When the time is right, you should be able to access all your favorite porn sites without hassle. Fortunately, there is a simple workaround for these online restrictions.
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The best VPNs for bypassing content restrictions are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can retain access to porn sites in an unsupported location.
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Unblock porn for free 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 17 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Natural classifications
Green: Measuring tools
Blue: Black and white birds
Purple: Electronic
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Member of a kingdom in taxonomy
Green: Graduated instruments
Blue: Kinds of penguins
Purple: "E" Things
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 #706 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayMember of a kingdom in taxonomy: ANIMAL, BACTERIA, FUNGUS, PLANT
Graduated instruments: BEAKER, PROTRACTOR, RULER, SYRINGE
Kinds of penguins: CHINSTRAP, EMPEROR, KING, MACARONI
"E" Things: COMMERCE, MAIL, SCOOTER, SIGNATURE
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 17Are 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 MashableBy 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 17 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 17 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: She's got gameThe words are sports-related.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words are popular women's sports teams.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Basketball
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for May 17Storm
Fever
Wings
Dream
Basketball
Mercury
Liberty
Lynx
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 17 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 17, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Heightened.
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 G.
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...
GROWN.
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 17Reporting 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.