- Help
- Google+
Emotionally, working from the comfort of home can be a blessing. But from a physical comfort or productivity standpoint, working from home can turn into a curse without the right setup. Amazon's Big Spring Sale is the perfect time to optimize your home office for getting shit done, even if your home office is just a corner in the living room.
SEE ALSO: Amazon Big Spring Sale 2026: Live updates on the top dealsOne underrated WFH hack is just to keep your space clean. Even if it's not a conscious distraction, a mess in the background (or that weird smell from the washing machine) is hard to compartmentalize when you're at home all day. So, take advantage of Amazon's spring cleaning deals and get your big annual clean out of the way on a day off. And during the week, send the robot vacuum out and throw on some noise-cancelling headphones.
For other classic WFH struggles, we've picked eight work from home essentials on sale at Amazon that'll change the game on a daily basis.
An ergonomic mouse Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse $19.98 at AmazonAn ergonomic mouse (or vertical mouse) looks like it would take some serious getting used to, but you'd be surprised at how natural it feels. These weird-shaped mice keep your hand in a neutral handshake position rather than making you twist your hand to lay flat on a traditional mouse. Relief can be felt all the way from wrist to shoulder.
This wireless vertical mouse from Anker is on sale for less than $20, making it $50 less than the sale price on the popular Logitech Lift Mouse.
A wireless charger Opens in a new window Credit: Twelve South Twelve South HiRise MagSafe Wireless Charger Stand $35.99 at AmazonOn a stressful day, nothing sends you over the edge quite like wrestling with tangled cords when your laptop's about to die. One quick way to de-clutter your space is to switch to a wireless charging station for your phone. This MagSafe stand props your phone up while it charges and can charge AirPods, too. The glacier blue option is more than 50% off during the Big Spring Sale.
A standing desk Flexispot Comhar Electric Standing Desk $229.99 at AmazonMany WFH-ers accidentally find themselves taking fewer desk breaks than they would at the office, mostly because there are simply fewer reasons to stand up at home. A standing desk offers a physical change of pace from an otherwise sedentary workday. Benefits range from relieving back strain or achy legs to boosting productivity, especially on the days when you're nodding off.
The FlexiSpot Comhar desk can switch from sit to stand mode (46.5 inches) with the press of a button. It also features a built-in drawer and two USB charging ports.
A cervical neck stretcher Restcloud Neck and Shoulder Relaxer $19.99 at AmazonWorking location aside, neck and shoulder tension is a pretty universal side effect of staring at a computer for a living. This popular neck stretcher and cervical traction pillow from Restcloud is designed to hug the natural C-shape curve of the neck — the antithesis of tech neck. Lying on it for just a few minutes per day can relieve pressure on your neck muscles and spine.
An air purifier Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max air purifier $169 at AmazonAllergies or not, no one is completely immune to the respiratory irritants naturally floating around in our homes. But pollen season is a great time to grab an air purifier on sale — the Blueair Blue Pure 311i Max is our favorite air purifier deal at Amazon's spring sale. Its HEPA filter quietly captures airborne particles known to make us feel crappy, like pollen, dust, mold spores, and pet dander.
The 311i Max can clean up to 1,858 square feet in an hour (the largest capacity of any purifier on sale for less than $200).
Noise-cancelling headphones Sony WH-1000XM6 $398 at AmazonRead Mashable's full review of the Sony WH-1000XM6.
A $61.99 discount on headphones doesn't seem that exciting if the headphones still cost almost $400. But it's a little different when we're talking about Sony's latest flagship headphones, which have only gone on sale a few times in their 10 months on the market.
The WH-1000XM6 and their pristine active noise cancellation are the best you can buy to get you in the zone at home, whether you need to seal out construction during a meeting or blast your eardrums with a focus playlist. Other upgrades from the 1000XM5 include improved mic and overall call quality. Plus, the whole headset finally folds.
A walking pad UREVO CyberPad Smart Walking Pad with 14% Auto Incline, Brushless Motorized Under Desk Treadmill for Office Fitness, Elegant Speed Lights, Spacious Surface, Digital Controller, AI-Powered App $379.99 at AmazonWe don't underscore the importance of going for at least a small walk in the sun around here. But since the typical work schedule doesn't block time off for an hour-long daily stroll, a walking pad is a game-changing way to squeeze in extra steps throughout the workday.
Make it an under-desk treadmill if you have a standing desk, or hop on while you listen to a camera-off presentation. If you're actually trying to break a sweat, the Urevo CyberPad can hit up to a 14 percent incline. It's compact enough to be stored under most beds or couches, or can be flipped up to store against a wall.
A curved monitor Samsung 27-inch Essential S3 Curved Monitor $115.99 at AmazonThe freedom to work from the couch is certainly a pro of working from home, but hunching over like that for days (weeks? months?) on end can wreak havoc on your body. (Take it from someone who took way too long to curate a legitimate desk setup when working from home during COVID.)
Plus, pairing your work laptop with a monitor that doesn't suck to look at can positively impact productivity. It's much easier to jump between 30 open tabs when they're spread out between two screens, and the slight bend of my curved display really does feel more immersive than a flat screen. The 27-inch Samsung Essential S3 has one of the biggest discounts of all monitor deals during the Big Spring Sale, down 36% from its usual $179.99.
TL;DR: As of March 28, the Lego Ideas Starry Night is down to $136.99 in the Amazon Big Spring Sale. That's $33 off the list price of $169.99.
Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Ideas Vincent Van Gogh The Starry Night $136.99 at AmazonLegos don’t often get significant discounts. The prices of these much sought-after building sets tend to hold firm through the year. So whenever there’s a good discount in a shopping event like Amazon's Big Spring Sale — now in its fourth day and running through March 31 — Lego fans have to seize the moment.
One such deal is on the Lego Ideas Starry Night, a 3D wall art recreation of the classic Vincent van Gogh painting. This deal is pretty as a picture, you could say. The Lego Ideas Starry Night is down to $136.99 in the Big Spring Sale. That’s a 10% drop from the list price of $169.99. You’ll save $33 — a record saving on this set.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!This 2,316-piece set, which comes with a minifigure of van Gogh himself, is still full price at Lego.com, where you’ll rarely find any kind of major sale outside of Black Friday. The lowest we’ve ever seen this Starry Night set before is $150. If you haven’t played with Legos since you were a kid, this a chance to find out what being an AFOL (adult fan of Lego) is all about. It's therapeutic fun.
Get artistic for less with the Lego Ideas Starry Night — now marked down to $136.99 in the Amazon Big Spring Sale. A rare 20% saving on the list price of $169.99.
The Moon is shining brightly tonight, with more than half of its surface lit up. Keep scrolling to find out what you could see tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?As of Saturday, March 28, the Moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 77% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.
Tonight, without visual aids, you can spot the Tranquillitatis, Imbrium, and Vaporum Mares. With binoculars, you'll also be able to see the Mare Frigoris, Alphonsus Crater, and the Clavius Crater. A telescope can help you see even more, including the Caucasus Mountains and the Apollo 14 and 16 landing spots.
When is the next Full Moon?In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.
What are Moon phases?According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in roughly 29.5 days, cycling through eight distinct phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces us, sunlight illuminates varying portions as it travels, making it appear full, half, or a narrow crescent. These shifting appearances are known as the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:
New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a physicist.
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 Pips hints, answers for March 28, 2026 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: Get on
Green: Newton's law
Blue: School
Purple: Botany
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Step onto, as a vehicle
Green: Quantities in mechanics
Blue: Textbook images
Purple: ___ Plant
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 #1021 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayStep onto, as a vehicle: BOARD, EMBARK, ENTER, MOUNT
Quantities in mechanics: ACCELERATION, FORCE, MASS, MOMENTUM
Textbook images: FIGURE, ILLUSTRATION, PICTURE, PLATE
___ Plant: FACE, PITCHER, POWER, ROBERT
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 March 28, 2026Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.
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.
Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a good communicator.
Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on 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 preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 28, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Just writeThe words are related to communication.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words describe written communication.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Correspondence.
NYT Strands word list for March 28Missive
Correspondence
Text
Postcard
Letter
Memo
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.
Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always in the know.
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 hints today: Clues, answers for March 28, 2026 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 Pips hints, answers for March 28, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Happening.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?The letter O appears twice.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.
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...
AFOOT
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.
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.
Amazon's Big Spring Sale (which runs through March 31) has been surprisingly good in the streaming deals department, but they're also limited to new and returning subscribers in most cases. Plus, once the discounted subscription rate expires, you're back to spending an arm and a leg on movies and music each month. Not to mention, the movies you actually want to watch are always on the streaming service you don't have. If you're looking to dive back into the world of physical media, now's a great time to splurge.
Amazon has slapped the Big Spring Sale discount on plenty of Blu-ray and 4K UHD movies, as well as CDs and vinyl. We've rounded up some of the best deals below, but be sure to check out the sale pages for music and movies to get the full scope of the physical media deals at Amazon. There's something about holding a movie or album in your hands that streaming just can't touch. Long live physical media.
Best physical media deal at Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Movies, Music, and Books Buy 3 for the price of 2 Get Deal Why we like itWhile there's plenty of individual deals on movies and music, this buy three for the price of two deal at Amazon is the best way to grab more for your money in the Big Spring Sale. Some of the individual movies, CDs, and records we've rounded up below are actually included in the deal, which means you can save even more — including Harry Styles' Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.
Best Big Spring Sale 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray dealsCasper (Blu-ray) — $8.49 $14.98 (save $6.49)
The Mummy Trilogy (Blu-ray + Digital) — $10.19 $16.98 (save $6.79)
Sinners (Blu-ray + Digital) — $13.99 $22.98 (save $8.99)
A Minecraft Movie (4K Ultra + Digital) — $14.99 $34.98 (save $19.99)
The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital) — $14.99 $24.99 (save $10)
Alien 40th Anniversary (4K Ultra + Blu-ray + Digital) — $16.19 $26.99 (save $10.80)
The Bad Guys 2 Collector's Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $17.99 $32.98 (save $14.99)
Interstellar (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $19.96 $25.99 (save $6.03)
M3GAN Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $19.99 $34.99 (save $15)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $19.99 $34.99 (save $15)
M3GAN 2.0 Limited Edition Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $21.49 $37.99 (save $16.50)
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Collector's Edition (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $22.39 $30.46 (save $8.07)
Song Sung Blue (Blu-ray + Digital) — $22.95 $27.98 (save $5.03)
The Housemaid (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $25.79 $42.99 (save $17.20)
Hamnet (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $27.95 $32.98 (save $5.03)
Alien: Romulus (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $27.99 $40.99 (save $13)
Longlegs Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $29.54 $49.98 (save $20.44)
Predator: 4-Movie Collection (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) — $29.90 $54.99 (save $25.09)
MGMT Oracular Spectacular CD — $7.99 $9.98 (save $1.99)
Cardi B AM I THE DRAMA? CD — $11.04 $14.98 (save $3.94)
Zach Top Ain't In It For My Health CD — $11.30 $13.29 (save $1.99)
Harry Styles Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. CD — $13.99 $17.98 (save $3.99)
Morgan Wallen I'm The Problem CD — $14.99 $17.98 (save $2.99)
Olivia Dean The Art of Loving CD — $15.69 $17.98 (save $2.29)
Kacey Musgraves star-crossed Ruby Red Vinyl — $13.99 $26.98 (save $12.99)
SZA Ctrl Vinyl — $19.50 $24.98 (save $5.48)
My Chemical Romance Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge Vinyl — $19.99 $24.98 (save $4.99)
Beyonce Lemonade Vinyl — $23.94 $29.98 (save $6.04)
Benson Boone Fireworks & Rollerblades Vinyl — $24.80 $29.98 (save $5.18)
Taylor Swift The Life of a Showgirl Orange Glitter Vinyl — $26.30 $36.98 (save $10.68)
Juice Wrld Legends Never Die (5 Year Anniversary) Limited Edition Vinyl — $29.99 $39.98 (save $9.99)
Laufey Bewitched The Goddess Edition Vinyl — $31.99 $35.98 (save $3.99)
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Vinyl — $53.20 $69.98 (save $16.78)
Aerosmith Aerosmith (Legendary Edition) Deluxe Vinyl — $116.86 $149.88 (save $33.02)
TL;DR: Get the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan lifetime subscription for $85 (reg. $540) with code MARCH15 and access a range of AI tools for writing, images, documents, and multimedia in one platform.
Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $85AI can speed up creative work — but only if your workflow stays manageable. If you’re constantly switching between tools for writing, images, and editing, the time savings start to disappear. 1min.AI aims to simplify that by bringing those tools into one platform, and a lifetime subscription to its Advanced Business Plan is on sale for $85 with code MARCH15.
Whether you’re a copywriter, designer, social media manager, podcaster, small business owner, or just someone experimenting with AI, 1min.AI covers a lot of ground. It pulls from multiple models you’ve likely heard of — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, and more — so you can handle different tasks without jumping between apps.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!You can draft content, generate visuals, work with documents, and experiment with audio or video, all in one place. It’s not replacing the need for human input, of course, but it can help you move from idea to draft (or draft to something more polished) a bit faster. The platform also rolls out regular updates, adding new features and improvements over time.
How 1min.AI can simplify your workflow:
Create content faster: Write, edit, and optimize articles, posts, and marketing copy
Handle visuals in one place: Generate and edit images without separate tools
Work smarter with documents: Summarize, translate, and extract insights from files and PDFs
Produce multimedia content: Turn text into audio or video and edit both with AI support
With the lifetime plan, you get 4 million credits per month, enough for large-scale use, whether that’s generating long-form content, images, or multimedia assets. That roughly translates to 1.1 million words, nearly 6,000 SEO keywords, and over 1,100 images. You can allocate those credits however you like, share access with up to 20 team members, and store your work without limits.
If your current setup involves juggling multiple AI tools (and subscriptions), this is a more consolidated alternative.
Normally $540, grab a lifetime subscription to 1min.ai for $85 with code MARCH15.
Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Thirty-five years ago, British author J.K. Rowling was commuting from Manchester to London when she was struck by divine creativity: She imagined the tale of a young, orphaned wizard who was key to unraveling a magically violent authoritarian uprising. In what would become Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (for American readers), the young mother found her pot of gold.
The idea behind Harry Potter would scale into a 7-book and 8-movie series, a Broadway show, and amusement park franchise, and eventually a media behemoth valued at tens of billions of dollars. Its latest venture, a multi-season HBO television adaptation, is set to premiere Christmas Day 2026.
The young wizard boy would forever transform the worlds of children's publishing, entertainment, and fandom, birthing multiple generations of fervent readers and a new model for mega-franchises. Similarly, over the next two decades, the woman who was merely filling the hours of a delayed commute would become the preeminent young adult author of her time — and then, to the chagrin of many, morph into the celebrity face of an unrelenting anti-transgender campaign.
SEE ALSO: 75 best LGBTQ films to stream right now J.K. Rowling's pop culture takeoverThe first book in the Harry Potter series was released to UK markets in 1997, with a limited run of just 500 copies. As one rumor attests, Rowling's publisher, Bloomsbury, encouraged the author to change her byline from Joanne to the more gender-neutral "J.K." just before going to print as a way to appeal to young male audiences. Rowling later told the Belfast Telegraph the move was decided long before publishing, to protect against any fallout from her previous marriage.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as it was titled in Britain, won several publishing awards and garnered critical praise in the UK before being introduced to U.S. readers. With the American debut and its translation to global audiences, the book's popularity skyrocketed even further. The first Harry Potter novel occupied the number one spot on the New York Times' bestseller list for two straight years, toppling even adult fiction on the at-the-time combined list. It cumulated in more than 11 million worldwide sales by 2001 and set the record as the fastest-selling children’s book in history. The saga is considered the best-selling fantasy series of all time — the fourth book's audiobook even won a Grammy. First editions of the UK printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone have been auctioned off for tens of thousands, even millions, of dollars.
Potterheads had gifted Harry Potter an eternal legacy: the largest fan-powered media conglomerate in the world.Beyond the dollars and cents, Harry Potter also ushered in modern internet fandom. Avid fans (known as Potterheads) pioneered new digital spaces in the wake of a Y2K transformation and the dot-com bubble, generating the "Potterverse," hotbeds of fan creation and discourse that spilled Rowling's creation onto the internet.
Ten years later, the last novel in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hit shelves, setting yet another record as the fastest-selling new release fiction book of all time. Fans lined up for midnight release parties worldwide, decked out in full costume to celebrate and mourn the end of an era (or so they believed). In reality, Potterheads had, perhaps unknowingly, gifted Harry Potter an eternal legacy: The largest fan-powered media conglomerate in the world.
Harry Potter — the entertainment tentpole, not just the children's series — was just getting started. Rowling sold the books' movie rights to Warner Bros. Entertainment, which turned the series into eight blockbuster films released between 2001 and 2011. They netted more than $7 billion, nabbing 12 Academy Award nominations and numerous BAFTA noms. She sold the theme park rights to Universal Studios, which runs several Harry Potter-themed Wizarding Worlds.
Fans gather at King's Cross railway station in London to celebrate the 2007 release of the final Harry Potter book. Credit: Getty Images / Stringer / Getty Images EntertainmentFive years after the films ended, Rowling published the novel adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a theater spinoff of the Harry Potter series co-created with director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne. It was fully produced for audiences on both the West End and Broadway; it's still running. Rowling then turned a series of in-universe Harry Potter textbooks into the three-part Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film series.
And then there were the numerous Harry Potter video games, including Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery and the popular RPG Hogwarts: Legacy.
Rowling also published numerous books unrelated to the Harry Potter Universe, under both the J.K. Rowling name and her masculine pen name, Robert Galbraith. Books with the Galbraith moniker have consistently ranked on UK top-selling books lists since the author's true identity was revealed. Most recently, the Harry Potter franchise launched a series of celebrity-narrated audiobooks and released the first teaser for its HBO-backed Harry Potter TV series.
Rowling, the owner of a $150 million superyacht, has a current net worth of $1.2 billion.
To try to list the full amount of merchandising and licensing endeavors Rowling signed off on to garner that wealth would be impossible. Let's just say she has her own Rule 34: If it exists, there's probably a Harry Potter version of it. For most of her career, Rowling was simply the monarch of this vast magical empire.
Rowling's image soursThe beloved children's book author waded into new waters in the 2010s, dipping her toe into political commentary via her popular X (formerly Twitter) account. Her most circulated posts, shared to 14 million followers, decried racist Brexit campaigns and compared leaders like President Donald Trump to Harry Potter villain Voldemort.
Shortly after, Rowling's political stances became more complicated. She publicly donated to the Better Together campaign against Scotland's proposed independence from the UK, comparing pro-independence rhetoric to Harry Potter's Death Eaters in a remark that generated social media backlash. In 2015, she received pushback for refusing to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, although she denounced Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies against Palestinian communities.
Rowling and the team behind the Fantastic Beasts films faced criticism in 2018 for not depicting a romantic relationship between two male main characters, according to Business Insider, despite Rowling having confirmed that the two men were canonically in love. The series weathered several more controversies involving its star-studded cast, including the hiring of alleged abuser Johnny Depp, whose role was recast with Mads Mikkelsen for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
The scandals continued, but bigger, with Rowling at the center of the tempests.
In a series of X posts in 2019, Rowling attached herself to a group of highly visible and vocal political commentators who target so-called LGBTQ identity politics, specifically trans activism. Responding to criticism, Rowling denied she was part of any far-right movement.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Rowling, in fact, describes herself as a liberal feminist. But the author has repeatedly criticized what she sees as a culture of "woke," a movement allegedly being forced on the masses by leftist leaders and activists — talking points also adopted by the far right.
Credit: Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty ImagesBy association, Hollywood icons have become mired in Rowling's political controversy, despite her having little creative input in many of the upcoming projects. Though the Harry Potter franchise is long behind her, Hermione portrayer Emma Watson has been publicly reckoning with Rowling's comments. Celebrities that have more recently signed on to upcoming projects — like the aforementioned audiobooks and upcoming TV series — have waded in, seemingly unprepared, to the discourse.
Keira Knightley, who voices the villain Dolores Umbridge in the 2025 audiobooks, said she was unaware of any fan boycott and hoped we could all "find respect" for people with different opinions. Many fans were incensed at what they felt was her downplaying Rowling's controversial stance. The show's cast, including actor and new Dumbledore John Lithgow, have had to face the music, too.
The Potterverse wasn't prepared for its matriarch to make such a turn. Navigating half a decade of transphobia from Rowling, fans continue to grapple with the issue, including organizing various boycotts of Rowling's beloved properties. Some have divorced themselves only from things that actively generate money for Rowling, like new merchandise, games, and media. Others have rejected it all, fan-made creations included, to try and force Rowling's hand.
Rowling has not yet lost her massive online following, with nearly 14 million followers on X. The world of Harry Potter is nowhere near its end.
A full timeline of Rowling's transphobia2019 - "#IStandWithMaya"In Dec. 2019, Rowling publicly announced her support, via Twitter, for Maya Forstater. Forstater was a critic of the UK's Gender Recognition Act — which allows trans people to legally change their listed sex via a Gender Recognition Certificate — and was let go from the Center for Global Development following a series of transphobic comments. (Forstater later sued her employer for discrimination and lost, but was later awarded £100,000.) The author said she didn't agree with forcing "women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real."
Rowling's pro-Forstater tweet gained traction after fans recalled Rowling had previously liked and unliked a post referring to trans women as "men in dresses," in addition to other offhanded reposts of transphobic language over the years. The author had also recently followed late YouTuber Magdalen Berns, co-founder of For Women Scotland, a women's rights organization that demonizes trans women.
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe issued a statement in support of trans and gender non-conforming communities in the post's aftermath. (Radcliffe later became an ardent supporter of the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization focused on the LGBTQ community.)
2020 - "Accusations of TERFery"In mid-2020, Rowling doubled down on her posts with even more X tweets. She criticized an article on menstruation that used the term "people who menstruate" instead of "women." Rowling continued to reiterate her belief in an essential, biological sex in a series of replies.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Many online called her out for repeating problematic talking points from trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). Rowling held her stance in a now infamous blog posted to her official website (coinciding with the start of Pride Month), writing that she had "followed the debate around the concept of gender identity" for years and wasn't surprised she was the latest victim of "cancel culture."
Rowling wrote that she believed trans women (but only those who medically transitioned) were vulnerable and deserved protection, but that she wasn't willing to support them at the risk of "making natal girls and women less safe." She rejected the portrayal of TERF ideology among activists, and included her reasons for supporting "gender critical" discussions and not adhering to "woke virtue-signaling."
"Gender critical" activists believe that gender identity is immutable — they often argue that acknowledging trans or nonbinary identities is a threat to women's safety. Rowling began using her support for women's rights and charitable causes, and her fears regarding medical transitioning, as justification for her comments.
While conservative leaders commended her "bravery," many more in Rowling's circles came out against her, including Watson; Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies; and Fantastic Beasts lead Eddie Redmayne. Other franchise stars, including Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) spoke in her defense.
A group of employees at Rowling's publisher Hachette UK then refused to work on her new children's book, The Ickabog, forcing the publisher to respond in a statement that its clients have the "right to express their own thoughts and beliefs." Four authors then left the literary agency that also represented Rowling, citing the company's lack of action against the author.
Later that year, Rowling was criticized for transphobic plot lines in her new Robert Galbraith novel, according to the Los Angeles Times. She had previously said researching this novel had been the reason she was looking into "gender critical" spaces in the first place. More than 1,500 UK creatives signed and published a letter in support of trans rights following these events.
Rowling repeatedly shared dangerous misinformation about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), youth intervention, and gender dysphoria across her social media platforms throughout this year.
2021 - "Ignorance is Strength."Rowling leaned further into her online crusade against trans people, specifically criticizing the way trans people are covered in the media, including the use of chosen pronouns. In one X post, for example, Rowling riffed on the political doublespeak found in George Orwell's 1984, adding a new line to mock the way she interpreted news organizations' use of gender-inclusive language.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.She accused trans activists of doxxing her personal address by posting photos outside her home with protest signs — publications, including LGBTQ site Them, reported that the addresses of her historical residences were actually listed online. Following an investigation, Scottish police found there was “no criminality” to the posts featuring her residence, Them reported.
Following continued social media pushback, Rowling repeated her views from 2020, reiterating she was empathetic to trans rights but that she believed in the "sanctity" of a biological sex.
2022 - "She never dropped her flag."Rowling came out against a Scottish reform bill that would make it simpler for trans people to change their listed gender and obtain new legal documents in 2022, stating that it would "erode women’s sex-based rights."
She posted support of lesbian gender-critical activist Alison Bailey — who sued the UK's Stonewall organization after creating a trans-exclusionary splinter group — and other anti-trans activists.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.The author also responded to a fan boycott of the soon-to-be-released Hogwarts: Legacy game, saying that the action represented the same level of hypocrisy as historic book burnings. At this time, Rowling posted a picture of herself with leaders of the anti-trans lobbying group Get The L Out UK, writing #RespectMySex.
In response to Rowling's postings, the official Quidditch sports league, which organizes more than 600 teams across 40 countries, rebranded to Quadball.
Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin vocalized his support for Rowling's stances and compared criticism of Russian cultural leaders to those critiquing Rowling. The author tweeted her support of Ukraine in response, refusing to affiliate herself with the world leader.
Rowling then launched a new Edinburgh-based support center for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault that specifically excludes trans women, hoping to silo such support from "political agendas."
Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.
2023 - "I don't care about my legacy."Rowling ushered in 2023 by alluding to trans women being "violent, duplicitous rapists."
She was quoted in an episode of The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling podcast, saying that the modern trans rights movement is "powerful, insidious, and misogynistic" and akin to Harry Potter's Death Eater cult. The podcast was produced by anti-Free Press cofounder and current CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss — herself accused of transphobia by sites like Them — and hosted by former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper.
Rowling said she doesn't care or think about her legacy, dismissing fan backlash.
Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz / Future Publishing via Getty Images 2024 - "Out and proud cheat."Rowling's online crusade reached new heights in 2024.
She trained her rage upon Scotland's Hate Crime and Public Order Act, which broadened existing protections to include "age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, and variations in sex characteristics." In a series of X posts, the author attempted to goad Scottish authorities into prosecuting her for online hate crimes, repeatedly misgendering prominent trans figures. She then donated tens of thousands of dollars to Scottish lobbies campaigning against trans-inclusive language in discrimination law.
She tweeted in support of those accusing Olympic athlete Imane Khelif, a cisgender woman (who would go on to sue the author) of being a biological man who enjoys punching women, according to Yahoo News. She also condemned actual trans athletes, a pattern that would continue over the next year.
She posted numerous threads on single-sex public spaces and protecting women from "predators."
In late 2024, Rowling said she didn't believe that children are born trans and said gender-affirming care for children is worse than performing lobotomies.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.She attempted to clarify her political stances in a response to an X user who referred to her as a far-right conspiracy theorist:
"I am a left-leaning liberal who's fiercely anti-authoritarian… My values haven't changed; what's changed is the political landscape. What was once my natural home (a pragmatic centre-left party focused on dealing with economic disparity, championing social liberalism and equal rights) is now dominated by an illiberal, identity-based strain of politics I consider elitist, harmful and out of touch with the day-to-day concerns of regular people, particularly women… The reality is that there's currently an assault on women's rights unparalleled in my lifetime, and it's coming from both left and right. If ever there was a time for women across the political spectrum to come together, it is now."
The internet also turned Rowling's new X profile picture into a meme after users pointed out that the yellow wallpaper behind the author's selfie appeared to be infested with mold, which they jokingly contended could be the source of her fixation on trans issues.
"A transphobic mycelium entity corrupting her mind for the past few decades would explain everything," one user wrote.
2025 -"TERF VE Day"Throughout 2025, Rowling shared criticism of pro-trans legislation and trans inclusivity, arguing that supporting the rights of biological women is a feminist crusade while scoffing at public disavowals of her and her work — including those from Harry Potter stars and directors.
She celebrated a UK Supreme Court decision limiting Britain's Equality Act to biological sex definitions ("TERF VE Day," she wrote, posting a picture of her smoking a cigar). She posted support for anti-trans writer Graham Linehan after he was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence in a series of transphobic X posts, calling the action "totalitarianism."
On Oct. 30, Rowling lambasted Glamour UK's Women of the Year cover highlighting the "Protect the Dolls" slogan, a phrase advocating for the safety of trans women. "I grew up in an era when mainstream women’s magazines told girls they needed to be thinner and prettier," she wrote. "Now mainstream women’s magazines tell girls that men are better women than they are."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.The author started the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund and said she would personally give money to women whose sex-based rights are "violated."
She said she would continue to criticize "unevidenced medical experiment on minors," eschewing evidence-based research that proves gender-affirming care saves lives — she joined others in protesting a clinical puberty blocker trial. The author spent the final months of the year debating X users about whether trans women are "real" women and posting repeatedly about campaigns for single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms, writing, "I want my daughters to live in a country where their right to single-sex spaces isn’t under attack from their own government."
On Dec. 18, she posted, "Merry Terfmas everyone 💜🤍💚" and later replied, "Personally I prefer Boxing Terfmas, when all the hard work’s done and you can put your feet up and watch re-runs of classics like 'what about clownfish?' and 'you are committing literal genocide.'"
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Calling her posts "the truth," Rowling denied that she peddles hate, even as experts cite an epidemic of violence against trans women. On the heels of the Human Rights Campaign's declaration of a "national state of emergency" for LGBTQ Americans, GLAAD tracked 2.5 incidents of anti-LGBTQ hate every day in the U.S alone. U.S. leaders have proposed more than 1,000 anti-transgender bills in 2025. UK police reported more than 3,800 transgender hate crimes that same year Globally, those numbers are larger, predominately targeting Black trans women and, increasingly, trans activists and movement leaders. Due to rampant underreporting, the numbers are likely even higher that that.
2026 - "Never give up on your dreams."Although her posting has become less frequent in the year leading up to the new Potterverse show, Rowling has continued to reshare generally anti-trans sentiments on her public social media pages. More directly, she posted misleading statements about puberty blockers and transitioning youth, and platformed campaigns of Keira Bell, a UK-based detransition activist and gender-affirming care critic.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Rowling celebrated the verdict of a recent medical malpractice lawsuit, which awarded $2 million to a young person who said she was pressured by therapists and doctors into a double mastectomy. Wrote Rowling in a Feb. 3 X post:
"As more and more detransitioners arrive in court, the public will learn the full extent of the harm done to kids in the name of an ideology. Clinicians performing these 'treatments' will go down in history as barbarous activists who betrayed a sacred oath: to do no harm. But we should never forget how many people outside the medical profession urged these young people on, gleefully assuring them that anyone advising caution was an evil bigot."
The author has remained consistent in platforming trans-exclusionist accounts and brands, too, like sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics. She rejoiced being blocked by India Willoughby, the country's first trans national television newsreader and co-host of Loose Women.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.For fans, Rowling's dogged efforts to demonize trans people have been harrowing. The rift between the universe's creator and its unofficial caretakers has turned into a chasm. There doesn't appear to be an end, nor a bridge, in sight.
In Rowling's second novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the wizarding world's evil is growing stronger. The villains, believers in magic-based eugenics, are getting louder. Even the titular young wizard is being enticed to agree with their bigoted beliefs by the specter of a charismatic young Voldemort.
As the serpentine words slither through his mind, Harry turns to the wise Albus Dumbledore, the master of a fantasy world he has emphatically embraced — until now. The man slips him a simple truth, one that the Harry Potter fandom clings to tightly: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
TL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Belgium in a 2026 International Friendly for free on RTL Play. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2026 World Cup is looming large on the horizon. And that means top international sides from around the world will be sharpening up in the coming weeks and months.
There are a number of high-profile International Friendlies taking place this week as teams look to build momentum, including USA vs. Belgium. Mauricio Pochettino's side will need to be at their best to get anything out of a talented Belgian team.
If you want to watch USA vs. Belgium in a 2026 International Friendly for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is USA vs. Belgium?USA vs. Belgium kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on March 28. This fixture takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
How to watch USA vs. Belgium for freeUSA vs. Belgium is available to live stream for free on RTL Play.
RTL Play is geo-restricted to Belgium, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Belgium, meaning you can access free live streams on RTL Play from anywhere in the world.
Lve stream USA vs. Belgium for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Belgium
Visit RTL Play
Stream USA vs. Belgium for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch USA vs. Belgium without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select games before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for RTL Play?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTL Play, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Belgium
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream USA vs. Belgium for free with ExpressVPN.
The White House press room is going to be beamed directly into Americans' phones, as the Trump administration announces a new mobile app that includes live news updates, policies, and official media.
SEE ALSO: Melania Trump brings humanoid robots to the White HouseAnnounced Friday following a series of cryptic posts, the first-of-its-kind app includes live feeds of the official White House accounts, a "news" feed including press releases and announcements, an affordability tab showing the current cost of common goods, and a media gallery — basically a pocket version of the White House website. In an X post announcing the app, the administration included yet another "hype reel" including footage of missile launches.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.The app also appears to be a tool to help the administration's mass deportation system, with an included Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tip line that takes users to the ICE reporting webpage. Users can sign up for government newsletters and even "text" President Donald Trump via the app (it links to the White House's standard contact form, to be clear). Reminder: That means the administration has access to your personal contact information, including your name and number.
Whether or not the app retains more user information than the administration's other feeds is unclear — and both Android and Apple have different app privacy guidelines — but the implication of applying standard app permissions to official government apps (including location tracking and ad targeting) has already alarmed some users. Following a recent standoff between AI developers and the White House over the threat of a mass citizen surveillance program, other users raised immediate concerns about state-sanctioned spyware.
For now, Apple's App Store directs users to the White House's standard technology privacy policy page, which includes data usage policies for visitors to official White House websites, contact forms, and social media pages. Scroll to the bottom, and the only specific information listed under "White House app" is a contact email address.
TL;DR: Live stream Scotland vs. Japan in a 2026 International Friendly for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
There are a number of interesting International Friendlies taking place this week as teams start to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, including Scotland vs. Japan. The Scots are still riding high after defeating Denmark 4-2 in their last fixture, but Japan will pose a tough test at Hampden Park.
If you want to watch Scotland vs. Japan in a 2026 International Friendly for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Scotland vs. Japan?Scotland vs. Japan kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on March 28. This fixture takes place Hampden Park.
How to watch Scotland vs. Japan for freeScotland vs. Japan is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can access free live streams on BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Lve stream Scotland vs. Japan for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Stream Scotland vs. Japan for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Scotland vs. Japan without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select games before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Scotland vs. Japan for free with ExpressVPN.
As a special treat for those who love physical media, Amazon is running a special promotion during their Big Spring Sale. As of March 27, on books, movies, and music, get three for the price of two. No matter what your vice is — hardcovers, Blu-rays, vinyl, or CDs — you can bundle any combination to get the discount.
Big name books, movies, and music are covered in the sale. If you still haven't read Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, you can pick that up alongside Grammy award winning artist Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving. Plus, you can catch up on the latest Marvel and get The Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts* on Blu-ray.
There are plenty of great items that qualify for the deal, here's how to redeem.
How to redeem Amazon three for two dealThere's no special code required to score Amazon three for two deal. All you need to do is add any combination of the qualifying items in your cart and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Get three for the price of 2 on books, movies, and music. Get Deal Three for two booksThe Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. — $14.18 $19 (save $4.72)
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans — $19.58 $28 (save $8.42)
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon — $11.99 $18 (save $6.01)
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden — $10.78 $18.99 (save $8.22)
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros — $9.85 $15.99 (save $6.14)
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins — $15.68 $29.99 (save $14.31)
Murdle: Volume 1 by G.T. Karber — $12.48 $16 (save $3.52)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir — $13.98 $22 (save $8.02)
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt — $12.98 $19.99 (save $7.01)
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi — $14.98 $20 (save $5.02)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle — $4.82
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown — $5.38 $10.99 (save $5.61)
Honey Bunny Funnybunny by Marilyn Sadley and Roger Bollen — $5.98 $9.99 (save $4.01)
How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace by Andy Elkerton — $5.81 $10.99 (save $5.18)
I Love You Like No Otter by Ross Rossney and Sydney Hanson — $5.37 $8.99 (save $3.62)
K-Pop Demon Hunters: For the Fans! by Angela Song — $5 $6.99 (save $1.99)
See You Later, Alligator by Sally Hopgood and Emma Levey — $8.91 $16.99 (save $8.08)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Peekaboo Easter — $9.31 $9.99 (save $0.68)
World of Eric Carle, Around the Farm — $11.99 $17.99 (save $6)
Abbey Road: Anniversary Edition by The Beatles (Vinyl) — $22.98 $29.99 (save $7.01)
Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator — $34.97 $36.98 (save $2.01)
Ctrl by SZA (Vinyl) — $19.50 $24.98 (save $5.48)
Currents by Tame Impala (Vinyl) — $31.62
Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. by Harry Styles (CD) — $13.99 $17.98 (save $3.99)
Lemonade by Beyoncé — $23.94 $29.98 (save $5.04)
The Life of a Showgirl (Sweat & Vanilla Perfume CD with Poster) — $12.32 $13.98 (save $1.66)
Stick Season by Noah Kahan (Vinyl) — $39.98
Alien (4K) — $16.19 $26.99 (save $10.80)
The Sound of Music (4K, Blu-Ray, and Digital) — $33.19 $39.99 (save $6.80)
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (4K) — $24.99
Pokémon Pokopia isn't the first big hit for Nintendo Switch 2, but it's arguably the first one to make a lot of people online feel left out about not owning the console.
With tons of people sharing wild builds on social media, Pokopia is pretty hard to resist for lovers of Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and any of the game's other big influences. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch 2 costs money, and we live in uncertain economic times. All of this raises the question: Should you buy a Switch 2 for Pokopia?
SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Pokopia': How to get the Suck ability to move water around Why you should buy a Switch 2 for PokopiaThe arguments for getting a Switch 2 just for Pokopia are pretty straightforward: It's a great game, and the Switch 2 is a great console.
At this point, you already know if Pokopia is your cup of tea or not. I don't need to explain to you why it is or isn't. All I can say is that I'm super not into life sim games generally, but Pokopia got its hooks in me pretty good for a couple of weeks. The developers at Nintendo, Koei Tecmo, and Game Freak have delivered the best Pokémon game in years, full of whimsy and personality, and you can potentially play it forever if you want.
But the nice thing about a Switch 2 is that it can play other games, too. Games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and any number of visually enhanced Switch 1 games. That doesn't even get into the massive treasure trove of third-party games, big and small, that you can get on the eShop. Heck, you can even play Virtual Boy games on it, if that's your thing. The Switch 2 might not get every big, hyped up AAA blockbuster (don't count on it getting GTA6), but just about everything else that's worth playing will eventually make its way onto Nintendo's console in due time.
Heck, there are even rumors of a brand new Star Fox game and a full remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time coming in 2026. The Switch 2's lineup could very well be pretty stacked by the end of this year.
Why you shouldn't buy a Switch 2 for PokopiaThe argument against buying a Switch 2 for Pokopia is also easy to lay out: It costs a lot of money that you could spend elsewhere, especially in these economic conditions.
Considering that a Switch 2 on its own is $450 and Pokopia is $70 on top of that, it's hard to blame anyone who would rather hold onto their $520 for the time being, especially if the person reading this is really only interested in Pokopia and wouldn't want to play the other games I listed above.
In the end, there is more to life than video games. But video games are also pretty damn cool, so there's no wrong decision here.
An accidental leak has now been officially confirmed by AI company Anthropic regarding its most powerful AI model yet.
The model, now known as "Claude Mythos," was originally uncovered in a report from Fortune. Anthropic has since confirmed the details about the leak to the outlet.
The data leak included details about the upcoming release of the Claude Mythos AI model, an "exclusive CEO event," and other internal assets such as PDFs and images, according to Fortune. In total, the leak included nearly 3,000 assets that Anthropic had not previously published.
Claude Mythos leak detailsAccording to Anthropic, the leak was the result of an issue with the content management system (CMS) that the company uses. The data was uploaded to the CMS by the company. However, Anthropic failed to mark the items as private so the data was stored in a publicly accessible data lake.
SEE ALSO: Anthropic wants to hire a weapons expert. It's not what you think.Some of the data was unused assets from past announcements from Anthropic. Other leaked data was internal corporate information such as employee details or info about an invite-only CEO event.
Also found within the leaked data, however, was information about Claude Mythos in an unpublished blog post draft.
Claude Mythos and CapybaraAccording to the leaked draft about Claude Mythos, Anthropic has completed its training of the model and refers to it as “by far the most powerful AI model we’ve ever developed.”
In a statement provided to Fortune after the leak, an Anthropic spokesperson described Claude Mythos as an AI performance “step change” and said the model is “the most capable we’ve built to date.” Anthropic says that Claude Mythos is currently in the trial stage and available to select "early access customers."
SEE ALSO: Anthropic sues Pentagon as Claude downloads soarIn addition to the new AI model, the leaked post also mentions a new, unreleased AI model tier from Anthropic called Capybara.
Anthropic currently offers three different tier levels for each of its AI models: Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku. Opus is currently its most powerful and most expensive tier whereas Haiku is the smallest and least expensive. Capybara would sit even above Opus as Anthropic's largest and most intelligent AI model tier.
Capybara cybersecurity risksThe leaked post also details Anthropic's concerns about the cybersecurity risks that Claude Mythos brings to the table, too. It appears that Anthropic believes that Claude Mythos could be used by hackers to run cyberattacks.
“In preparing to release Claude Capybara, we want to act with extra caution and understand the risks it poses — even beyond what we learn in our own testing," reads the leaked Anthropic post. "In particular, we want to understand the model’s potential near-term risks in the realm of cybersecurity — and share the results to help cyber defenders prepare.”
Anthropic described its unreleased model as “currently far ahead of any other AI model in cyber capabilities” and that the model “presages an upcoming wave of models that can exploit vulnerabilities in ways that far outpace the efforts of defenders.”
The company said in the leaked draft blog that it was providing early access to organization to give them "a head start in improving the robustness of their codebases against the impending wave of AI-driven exploits.”
SAVE 46%: As of March 27, you can get the Nothing Ear (a) wireless earbuds for $58.99, down from $109, at Amazon. That's a 46% discount or a $50.01 price cut.
Nothing Ear (a) $58.99 at AmazonIf you want a pair of earbuds that stand out from the crowd without emptying your wallet, the Nothing Ear (a) should definitely be on your radar. For the Big Spring Sale, they've dropped to just $58.99, which is $50 off their usual $109 list price.
SEE ALSO: Amazon Big Spring Sale 2026: Live updates on the top dealsMashable's Tech Reporter, Alex Perry, recently rounded up the reviews for these buds, and the consensus is that they deliver way more than their price tag suggests. They offer an open-midrange sound and clarity that outperform those of standard, more expensive AirPods, and they have active noise cancellation strong enough to drown out loud household distractions. Plus, you'll get around five hours of battery life even with every single battery-draining feature turned on at once, like ANC and multipoint pairing.
As always, I checked the fine print, and there are a couple of things you should know. Perry noted that the biggest critique across the board is that the charging case lacks Qi wireless charging and relies strictly on USB-C. But skipping wireless charging is a fair trade-off for a case that's as small and pocketable as Apple's AirPods. Also, according to the Amazon listing, the voice-enabled ChatGPT feature will only work on a Nothing series phone. Still, grabbing earbuds with this level of sound quality for under $60 is a total steal.
Google is making it way easier for loyal OpenAI users to make the switch to Gemini.
This week, the company announced a suite of new "switching tools" that let users efficiently transfer entire chat logs and "memories" — or individual profile details like personal preferences, relationships, and historic context — directly into a new Gemini account. The goal is to skip the time needed to personalize a nascent chatbot assistant and get right into using a Gemini that knows you.
SEE ALSO: Jmail creators release Jeffrey Epstein’s calendar as JCal"Once you import these memories, Gemini will understand the same key facts you’ve shared with other apps, like your interests, your sibling’s name, or where you grew up. Instead of starting over from scratch, you can quickly get Gemini up to speed on what matters most to you," the company wrote in a March 26 blog post.
In addition, Gemini can now access and learn from the rest of your linked Google accounts, including Gmail and Photos, using Google's Personal Intelligence.
How to import your chatbot conversations to GeminiThe tools don't just involve simple data upload, although users are encouraged to upload entire chat logs via zip file, too. Instead, Gemini uses your existing chatbot's knowledge to its advantage, offering tailored prompts to gather "memory" that can then be fed back to Gemini. Here's how to use it:
Total TimeStep 1: Go to "Settings" in the Gemini app.
Step 2: Select "New Import"
Step 3: Copy the provided prompt.
Step 4: Paste the prompt into your existing chatbot of choice.
Step 5: Copy the chatbot's summary of your preferences.
Step 6: Paste the summary in the Gemini Settings window, then select "+Add Memory"
Why users may be flocking to GeminiEarlier this month, TechCrunch reported that the standalone ChatGPT app had experienced 295 percent day-over-day increase in app uninstalls and a 13 percent decline in downloads, following news that the chatbot's parent company had brokered a deal with President Donald Trump's Department of War. The company swooped in amid an ongoing feud between Anthropic, makers of chatbot Claude, and the Pete Hegseth-led department over the use of generative AI tools for mass domestic surveillance and the potential creation of weapons.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly backtracked, saying that the company had moved too fast in an effort to "de-escalate" a tense situation. But users were still put off by the company's quick acquiescence in negotiating a contract with the administration. Meanwhile, downloads for the Claude app jumped.
If you spent $500 on a PlayStation 5 at launch in 2020, you can take some solace in knowing that's the cheapest one of those things will ever get.
Sony announced on the PlayStation Blog that PS5 consoles are getting price increases in basically every major global market, including the U.S., effective April 2. In the blog post, Sony vaguely blamed current economic conditions for the price hikes, which any eagle-eyed reader will recognize as Sony most likely pointing the finger at both Donald Trump's tariff policies and the global AI arms race that's driving up prices for all electronics.
SEE ALSO: The Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade for 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' has a little bit for everyoneThe new prices in USD are as follows:
Base PS5: $649.99
PS5 Digital Edition: $599.99
PS5 Pro: $899.99
This price hike, combined with another PlayStation price hike that took place last August, means these devices all cost anywhere from $150 to $200 more than they did at launch. The PlayStation Portal device also got a price jump to $249.99 as part of this announcement. Separately, Xbox consoles also increased in price last year. So far, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been unaffected by this, but that console has only been on the market for a little less than a year. It would not be a shock to see Nintendo join in on this trend at some point.
It's definitely worth noting that this is far from normal in the world of video game hardware. For my entire life, the price of consoles has gone down over time, not up. Companies usually release cheaper hardware revisions as a console's lifespan goes on, so more and more people can get in on the fun. Thanks to tariffs and AI, however, that seems to no longer be the case.
When my partner, actor and writer Tom Ward-Thomas, applied for the Amazon series The Power, he was asked to send in an audition tape, commonly referred to as a "self-tape." The role called for a character to strip and perform a humiliating dance. The nudity was implied, not shown — yet the "production" wanted him to strip down for the audition.
"I did the tape, head and shoulders only, and removed my top. They loved the tape but now wanted a full-body shot and told me, 'Feel free to go all the way.' I said I was happy to go down to underwear, not naked," Ward-Thomas recalls. "I never heard from them again."
SEE ALSO: How to avoid getting scammed online in 2026More recently, in Dec. 2025, Ward-Thomas was contacted directly, not via his agent, with another opportunity, in exchange for an "audition" requiring a 30-second clip involving full frontal nudity, which he spotted as a scam.
"I wasn't sure from the beginning whether it was above water, but when he was insisting on a naked self-tape, I realised it was not above board."
The rise of this practice, which we're coining "castfishing," has become a plague on the industry. Mashable spoke to actors and other experts about these scammers and who they're exploiting.
What is the 'castfishing' scam?Castfishing is the offer of a big break in exchange for a nude video.
An anonymous former actor who left the industry told Mashable they've experienced more than one scam casting call with characters in sexual situations. In one experience they described, the character had a bloodthirsty and insatiable lust and spent most of the film luring others into having sex.
"The 'self-tape' was expecting my own interpretation…and was without lines. Nudity was fine to be included! The production notes at the bottom of the treatment said 'no acting experience necessary,'" they say.
While catfishing — pretending to be someone else online — isn't new, what's different here is the entry point, says Anna Rowe, founder of romance fraud education site Catch the Catfish and fraud centre and think tank LoveSaid.
"Instead of romance or flirtation, offenders are exploiting ambition, authority, and the power imbalance in the creative industries. They're grooming victims under the guise of professionalism, using industry language, fake opportunities and implied expectations to normalise increasingly inappropriate requests," says Rowe.
By the time nudity is introduced, Rowe went on, the victim doesn't feel like they're being exploited, but evaluated.
"That's what makes this so dangerous," she says. "It removes the internal alarm system people usually have with sextortion, because it doesn't feel like a sexual interaction. It feels like a career opportunity, which can be rare."
Exploitative practices encouraging nudity predate the rise of the self-tape, with one Redditor sharing their own experience of a sham in-person audition requiring full nudity on tape.
The arts have long been plagued by abuses of power, with scandals continuing to make headlines. The multiple allegations of abuse from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, which catapulted the #MeToo movement in 2017, are just a handful of examples.
But now that self-tapes are more common, so is castfishing.
Self-tapes are the new norm in HollywoodThere was a shift towards self-tapes that happened just before COVID, and it became a massive trend afterwards, actor and agent Lydia Piechowiak told Mashable.
"Technology has expanded opportunity, but it's also expanded opportunity for bad actors," says actor Jona Xiao, who at 12 years old first experienced a scam audition, looking for monetary gain.
The rise of self-taping democratized access, she says. Actors don't have to live in LA or New York to audition anymore, and that's powerful. But, "it's also created new vulnerabilities. It's easier than ever for someone to create a fake breakdown [summary of the project and roles], request tapes, or present themselves as legitimate without in-person accountability."
Equity, the leading British performing arts trade union, recognised a spike in complaints when surveying about self-tapes in 2020. Actors found their time exploited, auditioning and never knowing if it was watched, needing to develop their own filming skills, and often needing a scene partner. Despite this, the self-tape boom has continued, both for good and bad.
An industry standard to prevent the exploitation of actors' time and otherwise has been established, thanks to multiple organisations representing or working with actors, but the standard must be upheld.
In 2023, a group of UK actors came together to publish their own self-tape best-practice document, hoping to regulate a practice they called "the main route to work." Speaking to Variety, the group stated, "If we're going to have self-tapes, they need to be done in a way that's transparent, regulated and fair."
It's easier than ever for someone to create a fake breakdown, request tapes, or present themselves as legitimate without in-person accountability. - Actor Jona Xiao"Often they'll [casting directors] say, if it's a scene requiring you to be topless, 'please don't film this topless' or will say, 'please don't submit actors [who] are not comfortable with this,'" says Piechowiak from her experience as an agent.
However, unrepresented actors may not have this level of protection, or actors may be contacted directly.
Real-life audition scandalsJoey Gugliemelli, better known as Sherry Pie, a would-be contestant on the twelfth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, made headlines in 2020 after five young actors came forward with accusations that Gugliemelli had exploited them while posing as a casting director via e-mail.
Gugliemelli reportedly encouraged actors to remove clothing on camera, even going as far as to encourage one man to masturbate on camera, according to BuzzFeed News. The scheme was apparently in-depth and pitted actors against each other, encouraging them to strip while insinuating that other auditioners were doing the same thing.
VH1 swiftly disqualified Sherry Pie from Drag Race after the accusations came to light, and she was mostly edited out of the season. Despite admitting to inappropriate behavior, she's still performing drag as of this year.
Another public example of castfishing is former Doctor Who actor Noel Clarke, who was accused of recording nude auditions and showing them to others in 2021, as reported by The Guardian. Clarke later lost a libel case against The Guardian, with the Court finding allegations of sexual misconduct "substantially true."
"We have, anecdotally, received several of these types of cases over the last few years," says a representative for the Revenge Porn Helpline, which supports UK adults who have been affected by intimate image abuse.
The representative told Mashable these have mainly been fake modeling opportunities, which entailed contacting women and asking for fully-clothed and nude images to "create a portfolio." Once the extorters receive this content, they blackmail the women to not share it or request more intimate content. In some circumstances, the representative says, the extorter will block the woman, leaving her concerned about what might happen. "The purpose of this is unknown," the representative says.
"Abusers are excellent at manipulating not just their victims, but also people and institutions that should be enforcing the safety rules. Once a predator finds an environment where he or she can get away with minor infractions, the misconduct usually escalates," says Mick Grewal, a lawyer with expertise in cases of sexual abuse. He represented over 100 survivors of Larry Nassar in a $500 million settlement case against Michigan State University.
How to spot castfishing or other scams"Your instincts are usually right. Trust yourself," recommends Grewal.
"If you believe a crime has been committed, you can contact law enforcement. A lawyer can help you navigate the justice system and discuss civil remedies like restraining orders and injunctions, invasion of privacy claims, and seeking accountability through compensation for economic and non-economic damages," Grewal continues.
Equity's self-tape guidelines (and SAG-AFTRA's in the U.S.) prohibit nudity in self-tapes, Equity's TV official Natalie Barker told Mashable. But legitimate casting processes may continue to ask for nudity. In 2022, intimacy director and actor Katrina Stelk wrote that the guidelines are a good step, but that casting directors may not be aware of them.
Multiple UK-based sources Mashable spoke to confirmed that another Equity guideline, a three-day window for self-tape return, is often not followed, even via an agent. This again represents an abuse of power by influential decision makers in the industry.
Outside of this, it can be down to the directors to ensure actors are protected.
"Because the context is so different in a self-tape, you have to provide constructive guidance to facilitate an actor [to do] the work," says Ellie Heydon, actor and director of BBC's Outrageous.
"If we're sending off a scene, even with a kiss in, I'll usually write an accompanying note that says don't worry about the physical intimacy, or rub that bit out, and then you're not leaving it up to the actor to then interpret it," Heydon says.
Without enforcement and proper regulation, there is still a long way to go. "The industry hasn't eliminated exploitation. It's just evolved," says Xiao on bad actors focusing on self-tape auditions.
"We would always advise members to consult our casting vetting guidelines and do due diligence — make sure it's a reputable production company/casting director; ensure nudity is required for the role; that if they do decide to send a video or images containing nudity, they do so via a secure data transfer service and that there is an explicit safeguarding policy around how the data will be kept confidential and deleted," says Barker.
However, until we see more regulation, especially in the age of AI, it'll take time to ensure protection against fake casting calls — and maybe even longer before it's enforced.
SAVE $150.99: The Shark Pet Cordless Vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $149, down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 50% discount and just $1 more than the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark Pet Cordless Vacuum $149 at AmazonYou never know when your life will change forever. For Mashable Associate Editor Tim Marcin, a seemingly normal unboxing of a vacuum cleaner led to a major change. If you, too, have a pet that sheds and have been searching for a cleaning solution, listen in.
As of March 27, the Shark Pet Cordless Vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $149, down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 50% discount and just $1 more than the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.
A dog is arguably the most important character in a household. They make important decisions like what's for dinner, who's allowed which spot on the couch, and what time everyone should be going to bed. Unfortunately, they're not good at housekeeping. Paired with the shedding issue, us humans have to take over.
Thankfully, Editor Tim Marcin has found a solution for us all in the Shark Pet Cordless Vacuum. He explained in his review, "This vacuum has proven to be a game-changer for my household. It'll run for 40 minutes on a charge, has tremendous suction, and attachments for hard-to-reach spots It can also detach completely to turn into a handheld vacuum. The vacuum is light and features a sleek build that's easy to store."
SEE ALSO: Stick vacuums on sale in Amazon's Spring Sale: Shark is dunking on Dyson so farThis suction power Marcin refers to is the Shark Hypervelocity suction which is designed to tackle pet hair or messes with ease. Plus, its low-profile makes this model great for getting under furniture or under the bed.
As an added bonus on today's 50% off discount, Amazon is tossing in a free credit worth $6.51 that you'll be able to spend on a future purchase.
If you have pets at home and have been looking for an affordable stick vacuum, the Amazon Big Spring Sale's price on the Shark Pet offers a great value.
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...
Boston's most important responders: Bostonians The people of Boston are to be congratulated for being...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
Digital Privacy: A Catch 22 Mobility, convenience, accessibility and real-...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...