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Elon Musk's X may still be permitting the posting of Grok-generated, sexualized images of real people, despite the company’s recent announcement that such content had been banned, according to reporting by The Guardian.

The British newspaper reported that its journalists were able to generate and upload videos depicting real women being undressed into bikinis, using images of fully clothed individuals.

SEE ALSO: Grok ban: The nations considering blocking AI chatbot over nonconsensual sexual content

In its reporting, The Guardian wrote:

"The Guardian was able to create short videos of people stripping to bikinis from photographs of fully clothed, real women. It was also possible to post this adult content on to X’s public platform without any sign of it being moderated, meaning the clip could be viewed within seconds by anyone with an account."

According to the newspaper, the sexualized images were created using the standalone Grok app and then successfully posted to X. Earlier this week, X said it had banned AI-generated, sexualized images of real people.

"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the [@]Grok account on X globally from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," the X safety account wrote in an update. "This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers."

X has faced criticism in recent weeks over the circulation of sexualized, AI-generated images on the platform. Earlier this month, governments in multiple countries said they were investigating or moving to restrict Grok following reports that it had enabled the creation of sexualized images of minors. X's safety update also stated that the company maintains a "zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content."

SAVE $35: As of Jan. 16, the Soundcore C30i open earbuds are on sale for only $34.99 at Amazon. That's a 50% discount from their usual cost and the lowest price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore C3i open earbuds $34.99 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $35.00   Get Deal

Open earbuds are everywhere at the moment. Several new pairs debuted during CES 2026, but they've been on the market for awhile now (check out our roundup of the best ones). If you've been curious about these air conduction-based earbuds, but don't want to spend a fortune, the Soundcore C30i open earbuds are majorly discounted at Amazon so you can give them a shot.

As of Jan. 16, the Soundcore C30i open earbuds are on sale for only $34.99 at Amazon. That's 50% or $35 cheaper than usual and their lowest price on record.

Open earbuds are designed for folks who want to actually stay in tune with the world around them and/or find in-ear designs uncomfortable. Instead of sitting inside of your ear canal, they use air conduction to transmit sound to your ears. While they come in several different varieties, the Soundcore C30i feature a clip design (similar to the popular Bose Ultra Open earbuds). They attach to the outer edge of your ears like a cuff and stay in place with the help of attachable ear grips.

Since they don't sit in your ear canal, the C30is don't offer noise cancellation. So in order to boost sound, they offer a surround sound mode through the Soundcore app to make listening more immersive. If you're a runner, cyclist, commuter, or anyone who wants to stay in tune with the outside world, the Soundcore C30is are a low stakes way to see if open earbuds are right for you (without breaking the bank).

SAVE $199.01: As of Jan. 16, get the Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED gaming monitor for $499.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $699. That's a discount of 28% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED gaming monitor $499.99 at Amazon
$699 Save $199.01   Get Deal

Now that we're at the start of a new year, we're facing down plenty of new games coming down the pipelines in 2026. Why not be ready with a monitor that can handle all the action with ease? You can do just that with this deal on one of our favorite gaming monitors right now, as it's available for its lowest price yet.

As of Jan. 16, get the Alienware AW3423DWF QD-OLED gaming monitor for $499.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $699. That's a discount of 28% and the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The Samsung Odyssey G5 ultra-wide gaming monitor just dropped to under $300 at Amazon

This 34-inch curved OLED monitor is all about making you feel like you're right in the middle of your favorite games. It offers a gorgeous, crisp picure with sharp details, deep hues and contrasts, and two HDR modes to offer the best possible performance: HDR 400 True Black and HDR Peak 1000.

It boasts 1,000 nits of brightness with a 0.1ms respnse time as well as AMD FreeSync and VESA AdaptiveSync. It's perfect for twitchier games where you need to make sure you're as precise as possible, so if you need a bit of help improving your game, this very well may do it for you.

You can customize the look and feel of the monitor thanks to its RGB lighting, and adjust and tilt it to your liking when placed on a desk. All of these features come together to give you one of the most comprehensive suites possible in terms of gaming monitors, which almost certainly means you'll be seeing some true improvement with your games. Just be sure you grab it now before it's no longer on sale.

SAVE 18%: As of Jan. 16, the DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is $89, down from $109, at Amazon. That’s an 18% discount, or $20 in savings.

DJI Osmo Mobile 6 $89 at Amazon
$109 Save $20   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy

Whether you're determined to become a TikTok star by year's end or you just genuinely like filming life, a gimbal (aka support so your videos don't look like they were filmed during an earthquake) could do you some good.

As of Jan. 16, the DJI Osmo Mobile 6 is $89, down from $109, at Amazon. That’s an 18% discount, or $20 in savings.

SEE ALSO: DJI Osmo Mobile 8 review: A phone gimbal for content creators on a budget

The Osmo Mobile 6 is super easy to use. Just unfold it, and it's ready to go. It uses ActiveTrack 6.0 to lock onto subjects, which is perfect for keeping up with energetic kids or pets. You can even use it to track yourself, making it much easier to film solo without needing someone else to hold the camera.

It features a built-in extension rod for better selfie angles or crowd shots, and it only weighs about 305g, so it’s easy to toss in a bag. And, if you have an Apple Watch, you can use it as a remote to view your camera feed and adjust the gimbal’s angle from your wrist.

SAVE $450: As of Jan. 16, get the 65" TCL QM5K 4K UHD TV for $450 at Best Buy, down from its usual price of $899.99. That's a discount of 50%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy 65" TCL QM5K 4K UHD TV $449.99 at Best Buy
$899.99 Save $450   Get Deal

If you've been thinking about adding a new TV to your home entertainment setup, Best Buy has your number. A big display can do a lot for you when you want to add a new screen for your favorite shows and movies, and you can get one now for an excellent price.

As of Jan. 16, get the 65" TCL QM5K 4K UHD TV for $450 at Best Buy, down from its usual price of $899.99. That's $450 off and a discount of 50%.

SEE ALSO: Level up your living room with $400 off this TCL 85-inch QLED TV

This 65-inch UHD QD-Mini LED TV boasts 4K resolution (2160p) with a crisp screen that brings you a crystal clear picture. It has up to LD500 precise dimming series with black levels of up to 500 with QLED hues and high HDR brightness as well to give you the most realistic image possible. Thanks to its AIPQ processor, it can even upscale content and control contrast, clarity, color, motion, and more all on its own.

It has an Onkyo 2.1 speaker system with subwoofer built in, and support for Dolby Atmos audio as well, so it's not just your eyes that get a treat. Gamers also get a leg up on the competition with Game Accelerator 144 with a 144 VRR, so games go lag-free.

What's more, all this comes with Google TV support, so you can watch and stream your favorite content directly from the display. That means no need for an additional streaming device or anything of the sort.

If you're ready for a new TV that ticks all the boxes for you while remaining budget-friendly, don't miss out on this Best Buy deal.

Boasting a corporate jargon title associated with evading responsibility, Park Chan-wook's anti-capitalist parable No Other Choice might feel too real to those burned by modern employment.

Based on Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel The Ax and written by Park, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, and Don McKellar, the film provides biting social commentary by asking the question: Is killing for the role you want a morally sound choice in this economy?

Mashable UK Editor Shannon Connellan sat down with Park and No Other Choice star Lee Byung-hun to discuss the film's skewering of the hyper competitive job market.

"We all live in the capitalist system, we all comply to it, and we're all trying very hard to survive in it as well. And we don't often question the system itself," Park told Mashable. "But when we do come upon the question of 'what if we could live in a different situation?' it leads to a very tricky state where you're considering ideas of getting rid of the system, or we're brainstorming ideas to take action to destroy the system. It's a very difficult state to be in.

"Regardless, in order to maintain the system, we still need to question the system as well. So in the film, I didn't want to make it too theoretical. I wanted to follow the individual and through that process, lead the audience to ask themselves their own questions about the system."

SEE ALSO: 'No Other Choice' review: Park Chan-wook's anti-capitalist parable skewers the job market

Said individual in No Other Choice is paper company employee Yoo Man-soo (Lee), who loses his job in a cruel company restructure. With his family to provide for, including his wife Mi-ri (Crash Landing on You's Son Ye-jin) and two kids, Man-soo scrambles to find work — and when an opportunity arises, he takes drastic measures.

Lee Byung-hun in "No Other Choice." Credit: BFI London Film Festival

"When [Park] approached me to say, 'let's tell the story together,' I really enjoyed the message [of the film] and the questioning. I found it very meaningful to tell as an actor," Lee told Mashable. "To play this very ordinary man, a family man who faces a very tragic reality, and is scrambling desperately to make things work, and eventually ends up making this very extreme decision."

Notably, the film makes a modern nightmare out of the job interview, as Man-soo faces the dreaded, often dehumanising process in his search for work.

"I guess I haven't gone on a lot of job interviews, personally, but I have been in many instances in which I have to evaluate actors for auditions, so I've seen how nervous people are when they are in the state of getting evaluated," said Park. "In addition, earlier in my career, I had a lot of meetings with producers to pitch my stories to them, which is also like an interview. So because I've been on both sides of a so-called interview, I know how difficult it is to be in that situation.

"Especially as an Asian, we are always taught to be humble, and humility is considered a very important trait in our lives. So to be in a situation where you have to sell yourself and hide your weakness while also being humble, it's even harder, which I think is especially harder for us in Eastern culture more than people in the West."

Watch the full interview above. No Other Choice is now in cinemas.

SAVE $60: As of Jan. 16, you can get NBA League Pass for only $49.99 for the rest of the season. That's about 55% off the usual cost of $109.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: NBA NBA League Pass $49.99
$109.99 Save $60.00   Get Deal

With new broadcast partners for the first time since 2002, watching NBA games got a lot more complicated this season — but only if you want to watch your home team. For those looking to watch every out-of-market game, NBA League Pass has you covered. And as of Jan. 16, you can sign up for the rest of the season for only $49.99.

Typically, the NBA League Pass costs $16.99 per month or $109.99 per season, but since we're about half way through the regular season, the league has lowered the price by about 55%. The 82-game regular season wraps up April 12, 2026, so you'll still get access to about 12 weeks of games for just under $50. That's just over $4 per week. You can sign up via Prime Video or directly through NBA League Pass.

Similar to NFL's Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass gives fans access to live out-of-market games, as well as games from the NBA's archive, analysis, documentaries, highlights, and more. Local games on NBA TV, as well as nationally broadcast games, will be blacked out live. So, if you live in New York City, you'll be able to watch every team except the Knicks and Nets. You can tune into locally blacked-out games three days after the live broadcast and nationally broadcast games three hours after.

The basic League Pass allows you to watch on one device with commercials, but if you spend a bit more on League Pass Premium (which is discounted from $159.99 to $74.99 for the rest of the season), you'll get to watch on up to three devices with in-arena streams instead of commercials.

SAVE $30: As of Jan. 16, get the Soundcore P41i earbuds for just $49.99. That saves you $30, knocking 38% off its list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore P41i earbuds $49.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $30.00   Get Deal

Even as an iPhone user, I'm not the biggest fan of AirPods. Unless you go for the AirPods Pro, the standard AirPods have a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't work for me. As an alternative, I tried the Soundcore P41i earbuds, and think they're the perfect replacement. And they're even better when they're on sale for 38% off.

As of Jan. 16, the Soundcore P41i earbuds are just $49.99. That saves you $30 off its $79.99 list price, and the earbuds lowest price ever. Less than $50 is an extremely affordable price to pay for earbuds with active noise cancellation.

The Soundcore P41i earbuds are a compact earbud with up to 12 hours of battery life. With active noise cancellation, it blocks out sound and keeps you focused and in the zone. Once you connect them to your phone, they reconnect every time as soon as you put them in, just like AirPods. But the best part is its many different sizes of ear tips so you can make sure they have a secure, snug fit. Oh and did we mention the case can even charge your phone?

Grab the Soundcore P41i earbuds for just $49.99 and save $30 when you buy them at Amazon.

SAVE 38%: As of Jan. 16, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon, down from $39.99. That’s a 38% discount, or $15 in savings.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $24.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $15.00   Get Deal at Amazon

If you’re still using a regular TV that isn't exactly "smart," or if your current setup is just painfully slow, this is the easiest way to fix it.

As of Jan. 16, the Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon, down from $39.99. That’s a 38% discount, or $15 in savings.

SEE ALSO: 4 coolest TVs at CES 2026 are from Samsung, LG, and TCL and feature wildly different tech

What makes this "Select" model different is that it runs on a leaner operating system. It’s designed to be fast without needing massive specs, and it currently holds the title for the fastest 4K stick you can find for under $40 (according to Amazon). It also features AI-powered search, which is great for indecisive or passive viewers. Just ask Alexa to find something to watch instead of scrolling through endless menus.

You'll get the standard 4K Ultra HD with HDR10+ support, plus access to several streaming platforms, like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+. It even supports cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass, so you can play titles like Hogwarts Legacy directly on your TV without actually owning a console.

It’s small enough to hide behind your TV and setup takes about two minutes — just plug it in and connect to your WiFi.

Apple's big annual event, which traditionally unveils the new iPhone, isn't until September. Yet, rumors and leaks surrounding what Apple has in store for the iPhone 18 continue to swirl on the internet.

Is the upcoming iPhone lineup going to bring about a big change to the Dynamic Island? It seems like it.

The latest news about what could potentially be the iPhone 18 lineup comes from leaker Digital Chat Station on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, as noticed by 9to5Mac.

According to the leaker, the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 will continue to have the standard Dynamic Island design. However, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models will get a new "under-display cutout area." 

SEE ALSO: Leaker reveals iPhone 18 color options. Think purple, red, and that's that me espresso.

This could mean that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models will receive a miniaturized version of the pill-shaped Dynamic Island. Or those more premium iPhone 18 models could get a "hole-punch" design that completely drops the Dynamic Island as we know it. 

In addition to the Dynamic Island-related leaks, the leaker also shared that the screen sizes for the iPhone 18 models should match those of the iPhone 17 line. 

The iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro should both offer 6.27" displays. The iPhone Air 2 will have a 6.55" screen. The iPhone 18 Pro Max will continue to offer the largest display at 6.86", according to the information shared. And much like the iPhone 17 lineup, ​​the iPhone 18 family of smartphones will have LTPO 120Hz screens.

SEE ALSO: Should you hold out for iPhone 18? What we know about the next-gen Apple phones.

While the iPhone 18's screen specs don't seem to offer any upgrades from the iPhone 17, it is interesting to see an iPhone Air 2 currently listed as part of the iPhone 18 lineup. Reports suggested that the iPhone Air, introduced last year, had not been selling as well as the rest of the iPhone 17 devices.

This latest leak also doesn't include any news or updates regarding the long-awaited foldable iPhone, which is expected to launch with the rest of the iPhone 18 line.

There's bound to be many more iPhone-related leaks in the coming months as Apple's annual iPhone event gets closer, so more updates should clear up exactly what Apple fans should expect from the iPhone 18 lineup.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG: Mega Kangaskhan ex Box is now only $29.45 at Amazon, with 37% cut off its usual $46.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG: Mega Kangaskhan ex Box $29.45 at Amazon
$46.99 Save $17.54 Get Deal

A lot of the recent Pokémon TCG sets on sale have only been able to offer a bit of extra value, a symptom of the trading card game’s short supply vs demand, but one surprising box seems to be a proper bargain. 

As of Jan. 16, the Pokémon TCG’s Mega Kangaskhan ex Box is 37% off at $29.45 at Amazon through various merchants doing business on the site. As confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel, that’s the best price we’ve seen through third-party sellers yet.

That’s a $17.54 price cut from its standard $46.99 price tag, and a nice saving, considering what you’re getting. 

To start, here’s exactly what you get with the Pokémon TCG’s Mega Kangaskhan ex Box:

• One Mega Kangaskhan ex foil promo card

• Four Pokémon TCG boosters — two Mega Evolution and two Destined Rivals, based on provided imagery, but the final product’s mixture may be different

• One oversized version of said Mega Kangaskhan ex foil promo card

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While there aren’t any more of the usual flashy extras with some special collections, like a Pokémon TCG coin or a figure, this Mega Kangaskhan ex box is still a great value when you compare market prices. 

Firstly, Amazon’s undercuts TCGPlayer’s listings as usual — with the latter’s cheapest listing being for $64.49 total ($34.49 plus $30 shipping). 

Secondly, due to market conditions, individual booster packs from most modern sets are currently priced between $10 and $15 each. With four included in this box, you’re realistically saving at least $10, and you’re getting a stunning Mega Kangaskhan ex card on top.

This particular deal is slightly hidden on Amazon right now, as you’re unable to see it on the product page until you select the ‘See All Buying Options’ button. When more Pokémon TCG collectors catch on, though, we expect this to sell out quickly.

Speaking of solid Pokémon TCG deals, you can still buy the Fall Edition of the 2025 Collector Chest at over $20 off. Meanwhile, you can also save big on the Pokémon TCG: Mega Lucario ex Figure Collection that’s on sale, too — containing five boosters, a titular promo card, and much more.  

Samsung has a pretty hilarious escape plan for you if you’re stuck watching the national championship on a screen that’s seen better days. The brand just launched its first-ever TV Transfer Portal, which is basically a bribe to get you to a watch party with a better TV.

SEE ALSO: 4 coolest TVs at CES 2026 are from Samsung, LG, and TCL and feature wildly different tech

On Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET, you can "transfer" out of a bad viewing situation. If you’re among the first 900 people to DM @SamsungUS on Instagram or X with a photo of your current non-Samsung setup and your Venmo handle, they’ll send you $50 for a rideshare to a party that actually has a Samsung TV.

Here's the fine print:

• It has to be a real photo of a non-Samsung TV in a home setting. Stock or AI photos will get you disqualified immediately.

• Commercial spots like bars or public spaces don't count (this is for home setups only).

• You can only enter once per person/Venmo account, but a single household or party can have up to three different people submit.

• If you're one of the lucky 900, the money should hit your Venmo on or around Jan. 20.

If you’d rather just be the host with the better setup so your guests don't ditch you, Samsung is also knocking up to 50% off select TVs through Feb. 8.

Elon Musk's X appeared to suffer a major outage on Friday.

User-reported issues for X on Downdetector spiked shortly after 10 a.m. ET. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as Mashable.)

Upon trying to open the social media site, we received an error message that read: "Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot." It was not immediately clear what caused the outage.

The error message on X. Credit: Screenshot: X

X also suffered a relatively brief outage earlier in the week. In fact, it's been quite the week for outages, with Verizon suffering a huge outage, with folks across the U.S. losing cell service for a long stretch.

Users on Bluesky, especially, reacted strongly to X being down, dunking on the site amid the ongoing issue of its AI tool, Grok, being used to create nonconsensual, sexual images. Some users have migrated away from X over time amid its rightwing shift.

X-Twitter is down Oontz oontz oontz oontz

— Ms . Penny Oaken, SkyWitch 🧙‍♀️ (@skywitches.net) January 16, 2026 at 10:47 AM

Brace position BlueSky - X is down

— Tom Jamieson (@tomjam.bsky.social) January 16, 2026 at 10:44 AM

X is completely down, now is BlueSky's chance to shine. So, we're replacing one letter in song titles today?

— Michael Kupperman (@mkupperman.bsky.social) January 16, 2026 at 10:52 AM

This story is developing and will be updated as necessary...

SAVE $100: As of Jan. 16, the DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo is on sale for $599. That saves you $100 off its $699 list price for 14% savings. That brings the device down to its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo $599 at Amazon
$699 Save $100   Get Deal

There's been so much news about DJI drones being banned in the United States, but are they actually? Technically, yes, however, there's still plenty of ways around the ban. If you already own a foreign made drone you can still operate it. Plus, already imported drones can still be sold, like the DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo, which happens to be on sale.

As of Jan. 16, the DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo is down to $599. That saves you $100 off its $699 price tag. That's some pretty good savings and actually, the devices lowest price ever.

The DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo is a lightweight and easy to use drone. It features palm takeoff and landing, so it'll come right to you after it finishes flying. As we expect in DJI drones, it has stunning 4K image capturing. The Fly More combo includes the DJI RC Motion 3, DJI Goggles N3, DJI Neo 2 Digital Transceiver, three batteries, a charging hub, and propeller guards.

Get the DJI Neo 2 Motion Fly More Combo for $599 at Amazon and save $100.

SAVE $903: As of Jan. 16, the LG 86-inch 85A QNED Mini-LED 4K TV is on sale for just $1,396.99 at Amazon. That's a savings of over $900 or about 39% off — its lowest price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 86-inch 85A QNED Mini-LED 4K TV $1,396.99 at Amazon
$2,299.99 Save $903.00   Get Deal

TV deals tend to pop off at this time of year, but they also move pretty fast. So it’s worth jumping on those that catch your eye. One we're looking at heading into the weekend is an all-time low price on a massive 86-inch Mini-LED TV from LG, one of our favorite TV brands.

As of Jan. 16, the LG 86-inch 85A QNED Mini-LED 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for just $1,396.99. While Amazon's listing might make it look like a price drop of only a couple hundred dollars, it's actually a savings of over $900 (about 39% off). Its actual list price is between $2,299.99 and $2,499.99 — as seen as Best Buy and LG's own website — so Amazon cuts itself way short.

Debuted at CES 2025, the LG Class 85A is a mid-range Mini-LED option that leans heavily into AI to improve your picture and audio. Thanks to its Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen2, AI can find the perfect HDR and brightness settings for whatever you're watching, while boosting dialogue over background noise and refining your sound to suit your preferences. The AI Magic Remote also provides content recommendations and viewing choices, picture and audio customizations, and even a generative AI gallery to turn your TV into art. Gamers will also appreciate its 120Hz native refresh rate and VRR 144Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium, and LG Game Optimizer.

Ultimately, if you want a massive screen with stunning picture quality that won't put a major dent in your wallet, the LG 86-inch 85A Mini-LED is a great pick.

SAVE $998.01: As of Jan. 16, get the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station for $999.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,998. That's a discount of 50%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station $999.99 at Amazon
$1,998 Save $998.01   Get Deal

Losing power is never fun. Whether you're dealing with an emergency or you prefer to go off-grid, you want to make sure you're always covered where electricity is concerned. A good way to do that is by having a portable power station to make sure you're covered at all times. Right now, you can grab a fantastic deal on an Anker portable power station, but this is your last chance to get it before it's no longer on sale.

As of Jan. 16, get the Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 portable power station for $999.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,998. That's $998.01 off and a discount of 50%.

SEE ALSO: The Jackery HomePower 3000 power station is $1,400 off at Amazon — act fast to save huge

The C2000 Gen 2 has a 2,048Wh LiFePO4 battery that offers 1,056Wh of power. It's pretty massive at around 28 pounds, so this is a big power station you'll need to account for, but it'll keep you afloat for a long time, which is worth that tradeoff. It can handle a 30amp plug and has a sustained power output of 2,400W with a peak at 4,000W, so it's a great pick for powering your life until you get electricity back or for camping trips.

Plus, you can use the included 200W solar panel to charge it back up to 100% when a wall charger just isn't an option. It can be fully charged in just 58 hours when you need to top it up, which means you won't be left waiting long when you finally deplete it.

If you're looking for a solid portable power station without spending the kind of cash one demands, don't wait. Get yours before it's out of stock and back up to its normal price.

Forget Team Black versus Team Green. When it comes to House of the Dragon, the bigger conflict appears to be Team George R.R. Martin versus Team Ryan Condal.

In a Hollywood Reporter interview, the Song of Ice and Fire author revealed that his relationship with the House of the Dragon showrunner is "worse than rocky. It's abysmal."

SEE ALSO: George R.R. Martin hints at a 'tragic' end for Tyrion in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' books

The pair co-created the Game of Thrones prequel together, but during Season 2, cracks in their relationship began to surface. In an Aug. 30, 2024 post on his Not A Blog blog, Martin wrote, "I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON."

That post came just days later, on Sept. 4. In a now-deleted post titled, "Beware the Butterflies," Martin argued that, by removing Helaena (Phia Saban) and Aegon II Targaryen's (Tom Glynn-Carney) baby Maelor from the show's infamous Blood and Cheese sequence, House of the Dragon had unleashed a butterfly effect that would negatively impact its adaptation of plot points from the rest of Martin's Targaryen history Fire and Blood.

SEE ALSO: How 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is different from George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Beware the Butterflies" was meant to be the first of six posts Martin would write about House of the Dragon. However, the other five never saw the light of day.

The post was a culmination of what appears to be a strained creative partnership.

"I thought Ryan and I were partners," Martin told The Hollywood Reporter. "And we were all through the first season. I would read early drafts of the scripts. I would give notes. He would change some things. It was working really well — I thought."

Then came Season 2.

"He basically stopped listening to me," Martin said. "I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn't doing it. Other times, he would tell me, 'Oh, OK, yeah, I'll think about that.' It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed. Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes."

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Martin and Condal's falling-out escalated in a Zoom meeting with producers and HBO executives where Condal outlined his season plan. Following that, Martin allegedly told him, "This is not my story any longer."

Following the call, Martin reportedly stepped back from House of the Dragon at HBO's request. However, a few months later, he returned to the show for reasons he told The Hollywood Reporter he "can't talk about."

Featured Video For You Sorry to break it to you, the dragons in 'House of the Dragon' are actually wyverns

In a March 31, 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Condal gave his side on Martin's critiques of Season 2, citing practical needs for the adaptation changes.

"I will simply say, I made every effort to include George in the adaptation process. I really did. Over years and years. And we really enjoyed a mutually fruitful, I thought, really strong collaboration for a long time," Condal told EW. "But at some point, as we got deeper down the road, he just became unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way. And I think as a showrunner, I have to keep my practical producer hat on and my creative writer, lover-of-the-material hat on at the same time.

"At the end of the day, I just have to keep marching not only the writing process forward, but also the practical parts of the process forward for the sake of the crew, the cast, and for HBO, because that's my job. So I can only hope that George and I can rediscover that harmony someday."

House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres this summer on HBO and HBO Max.

To the surprise of no one, Meta is shutting down its Horizon Workrooms virtual office software.

According to Meta's announcement, Meta Horizon Workrooms is being discontinued as a standalone app on Feb. 16, 2026.

The company spun it as a logical step given that Meta Horizon is now a "social platform that supports a wide range of productivity apps and tools."

SEE ALSO: Meta lays off more than 1,000 employees from metaverse division

But we believe the real reason has to do with the fact that people just don't want to sit in virtual reality meetings.

Launched in August 2021, the Horizon Workrooms is a virtual office that allows people to hold virtual meetings. The fact that it required users to wear an Oculus Quest headset made it impractical for many companies to have company-wide meetings this way, as well as made it more cumbersome for a lot of users.

Case in point: Meta itself gave a Quest to all of its employees for free in 2021, and they still didn't use it very much.

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The evolution of Meta's virtual reality worlds also came with a number of challenges, at one point including the lack of lags on avatars, which made early Horizon Workrooms meetings a bit awkward.

Meta also announced it would end the sales of enterprise Quest headsets and accompanying services starting February 2026. It appears that the metaverse, from which Meta derives its name, isn't such a great place for work after all.

The shuttering of Horizon Workrooms comes days after Meta laid off more than 1,000 employees from its metaverse division. With AI being every tech company's main preoccupation these days, VR will have to go sit in the back of the class.

Admin night doesn't look like much at first glance. A few friends on a couch. Laptops open. Phones out. Someone lights a candle. Someone else orders takeout. And then, quietly, the work begins: canceling subscriptions, paying overdue bills, booking dentist appointments, opening long-avoided emails, and finally setting up that high-yield savings account you've been meaning to deal with "next week."

On TikTok, admin night is emerging as one of 2026's most relatable low-key hangout trends — a structured, communal way to tackle the invisible labor of adulthood together. Less party, more parallel productivity. And in a cultural moment defined by financial anxiety, burnout, and an appetite for quieter socializing, it makes a surprising amount of sense.

SEE ALSO: How to get help with small tasks when your mental health blocks your way

At its core, admin night reframes productivity as a social activity. Instead of carving out solo time to face overwhelming to-do lists, friends gather with the shared understanding that everyone has life tasks they've been avoiding. The hang isn’t about grinding through work; it's about making those tasks feel finite, survivable, and, crucially, less lonely.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, journalist Chris Colin framed admin night as a response to "the isolation fanned by our collective overwhelm," arguing that our drift from one another isn't just about screens, but "the endless micro-obligations that keep us tethered to them." In that sense, admin night offers a small but meaningful interruption to that cycle.

The timing isn't accidental. In 2026, low-key hangs have fully replaced nights out as the default social currency. Rising costs, post-burnout fatigue, and a collective reassessment of what "fun" should look like have led people toward gatherings that are more affordable, quieter, and more intentional. Admin night fits neatly into that shift: no reservations, no cover charges, no pressure to perform. Just snacks, companionship, and a shared goal of getting your life slightly more together.

But admin night isn't just about saving money. It's also about emotional relief. Modern adulthood is administratively overwhelming in ways previous generations didn't experience. Subscription creep, fragmented healthcare systems, digital bureaucracy, and financial tools that assume a baseline literacy most people were never taught — all of this creates a constant background hum of stress. Ignoring those tasks can spiral into shame. Facing them alone can feel paralyzing.

Doing them together changes the equation.

There's also a real psychological mechanism at play. Admin night taps into a concept known as "body doubling," a practice that involves completing tasks alongside others to enhance focus and follow-through. Often used by people with ADHD, body doubling reduces task avoidance by providing gentle accountability and lowering the emotional barrier to starting. You don’t need advice or supervision; you just need someone else there, doing their own thing, reminding your nervous system that you're not in this alone.

Friends check in on each other’s progress. Celebrate small wins. Normalize how behind everyone feels. Someone asks, "Did you cancel it yet?" and suddenly the task feels doable.

Admin night also fits into a longer lineage of peer support that challenges the notion that personal worth is tied to productivity. In a 2021 Mashable story by Chase DiBenedetto about mutual aid communities like Extra Spoons, executive skill coach Lisa Joy Tuttle explained how peer support helps de-stigmatize the so-called "inability to adult" — a cycle in which anxiety, depression, or burnout makes everyday tasks feel impossible, and unfinished tasks then amplify shame. The goal of these communities, Tuttle noted, isn't to become a "shinier machine," but to create more space for connection, ease, and a life that feels enjoyable rather than optimized.

On TikTok, the aesthetic reflects that softness. There's no hustle-coded urgency. Admin night videos favor candles over timers, cozy couches over desks, wine or tea over energy drinks. The tone isn't "optimize your life" — it's "let's survive it together." In that way, the trend quietly rejects grind culture's obsession with individual discipline and replaces it with something more humane: shared responsibility.

There’s something subtly radical about that shift. Admin night acknowledges that being "bad at adulthood" isn't a personal failing. In reality, it's a structural one. It treats bureaucratic competence as communal knowledge, not a moral virtue. And it redistributes invisible labor by making space for people to admit what they don’t know without embarrassment.

Admin night won't magically fix your finances or cure burnout. But it does something smaller and maybe more important: It turns the most isolating parts of adult life into a reason to gather. In 2026, when fun increasingly looks like sustainability — and TikTok's own trend forecasting suggests the era of fantasy escapism is giving way to a return to reality — that might be the point.

After all, if adulthood is mostly admin, then admin night is just friendship adapting to reality.

Last summer, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland brought fresh life to the zombie franchise 28 Days Later with 28 Years Later, a jaw-dropping marvel of a horror movie. So, Candyman director Nia DaCosta had a dizzyingly high bar to hit with this year's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a direct sequel that plunges deeper into the curious characters of the ossuary-building Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), the infected Alpha Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), and the dynamic cult leader, Jimmy (Jack O'Connell).

Critics have been universally blown away by DaCosta's frightening and fascinating film. In her review for Mashable, Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko cheered, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a phenomenal film. As a sequel, it builds the saga of Spike without retreading its predecessor's steps. As a zombie movie, it delivers scenes of gut-churning violence and haunting loss. As a horror film, it is sublime, gorgeous, rich in visual splendor, surging with feeling, and intoxicating in its unexpected twists. Simply put, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple fucking rules."

So it was with great excitement that Mashable welcomed DaCosta and O'Connell to the Say More couch to celebrate Bone Temple, while shouting out their 2025 work — three of which made our best films of the year list — 28 Years Later, Sinners, and Hedda.

Above is the first five minutes of the conversation between Puchko, O'Connell, and DaCosta, tapping into how they came to be a part of this franchise and the dream that is working with Boyle.

For more from the interview, including insights into Jimmy's perverse cult and that show-stopping Kelson dance number, check out the full episode on YouTube.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is now in theaters.

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