Feed aggregator

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you've read a few fairy tales.

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 Mashable

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 14, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Folk & fairy tale twosomes

The words are related to characters.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe exactly as the hint implies: characters whose stories are linked.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Once upon a time.

NYT Strands word list for October 14

• Tortoise

• Hare

• Beauty

• Beast

• Frog

• Princess

• Once upon a time

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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 aren't serious.

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 October 14, 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.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Just kidding.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

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...

PSYCH

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.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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.

VisionQuest reunites viewers with Vision (Paul Bettany), the synthezoid first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, he's not the only AI from the MCU to reappear in Marvel's latest television outing.

SEE ALSO: We watched 'VisionQuest's first episode at New York Comic Con. It's a trip.

That's because VisionQuest boasts a supporting troupe of Stark Industries AI who have popped up throughout the MCU. Within Vision's simulated mind palace (or mind mansion, really), they manifest as human avatars who help him with everything from basic upkeep to human socialization. From smaller-name robots like Dum-E (Henry Lewis) and U (Jonathan Sayer) to full-on Avengers villains like Ultron (James Spader), here's your guide to the AI characters of VisionQuest.

D.U.M.-E and U

First introduced: Iron Man

Created together during Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) time at MIT, Dum-E and U are a package deal. They're a pair of hydraulic arms that helped Tony assemble his Iron Man armors.

Within Vision's simulation, the pair manifest as handymen, although VisionQuest lists their more official roles onscreen in a series of helpful bullet points. Thanks to these, we learn that Dum-E is a general maintenance AI in charge of limb servo control and fire suppression. Like Dum-E, U is a general maintenance AI, as well as a defragger and video analyzer.

J.A.R.V.I.S.

First introduced: Iron Man

Arguably the most recognizable Stark AI, J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) served as Tony Stark's AI assistant and was also uploaded into all the Iron Man suits. Ultron almost destroyed him in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Tony uploaded what was left of J.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic vibranium body, helping create the Vision we know today. Before playing Vision in his physical form, Bettany lent his voice to J.A.R.V.I.S.

In VisionQuest, James D'Arcy takes over the role of J.A.R.V.I.S. His human avatar is a butler-like figure, which is fitting, given that Tony named him after the Stark butler. On top of housekeeping, J.A.R.V.I.S. is a security AI who also takes care of encryption.

SEE ALSO: New York Comic Con 2026: Everything announced at Marvel TV's panel F.R.I.D.A.Y.

First introduced: Avengers: Age of Ultron

With J.A.R.V.I.S. uploaded into Vision, Tony needed a new AI assistant for his Iron Man armor. Enter F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant), who took over J.A.R.V.I.S.'s responsibilities from Avengers: Age of Ultron all the way up to Tony's death in Avengers: Endgame.

Originally voiced by Kerry Condon, F.R.I.D.A.Y. is played by Orla Brady in VisionQuest. The show presents her as a socialization AI, which basically means she's Vision's human interaction coach. She also aids him with humor and tactical ops.

E.D.I.T.H.

First introduced: Spider-Man: Far From Home

After his death, Tony left an augmented reality security and defense system named E.D.I.T.H. (Even Dead, I'm The Hero) to Peter Parker (Tom Holland). E.D.I.T.H. (voiced by Dawn Michelle King) lived in a pair of sunglasses that Peter used, then mistakenly gifted to Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), aka Mysterio. Following Far From Home, E.D.I.T.H. has been offline.

VisionQuest's E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire) presents as a major daredevil. As a recreational AI, she tries to understand all the extreme ways humans have fun, leading to some pretty wild stunts. According to the show's bullet-point list of her roles, she also specializes in game theory and weapons.

Ultron

First introduced: Avengers: Age of Ultron

The biggest, baddest AI in the MCU is none other than Ultron. Tony and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) originally cooked him up as a peacekeeping program, which they then combined with the Mind Stone from Loki's scepter. Following his birth, Ultron decided that the greatest threat to the world was humanity, and set in motion a plan to extinguish all of mankind.

Years after the Avengers defeated him in Age of Ultron, Ultron returns as a prisoner inside Vision's mind, albeit now in human form. Unlike the other AI characters, he doesn't appear to have a specialized role. As the show describes him, he's simply an "asshole."

VisionQuest is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes Wednesdays.

Generative AI is enabling a tidal wave of nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse material. Social media algorithms are exacerbating online harassment and the doxxing of rape survivors. Now, humanoid robots are making the offline world more unsafe for girls and women.

Two teen boys are under investigation by German authorities after allegations that they used a walking bot to grope and harass a 16-year-old girl while she was in public. Police in Cologne confiscated the robot today (Oct. 13) after receiving reports over the weekend. Emergency services were also dispatched to the scene, the Associated Press reported.

The authorities haven't yet charged the boys with a crime, but told the press that they are being treated as suspects.

SEE ALSO: Did Ukraine’s strikes on data centers really silence Russian bots?

The alleged perpetrators were two teens themselves, aged 16 and 19. Witnesses said they appeared to be controlling the 4-foot-tall robot, decorated in human clothing and jewelry, nearby. In video clips that purport to show the two teens, the robot is being steered through busy streets to intentionally bump into women as part of what appears to be a livestream. The robot's behavior is routinely played for laughs in the clips.

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

Investigators are evaluating whether or not the robot was programmed to act in such a manner, or if the technology was maneuvered in real time. The answer to that question may determine what kind of legal repercussions the teens face in what is considered uncharted legal waters. Cologne authorities told the Associated Press they were not aware of humanoid robots ever being used for public harassment of this kind.

Popular live streamers have come under fire in recent years for profiting off of the public harassment of strangers, service workers, and women, in particular. Many have used novel technology, such as Meta's AI-powered Ray-Ban glasses, to secretly record interactions for views. It's only recently that platforms have begun to crack down on the viral trend.

SAVE $1,302: As of Oct. 13, the 65-inch TCL QM8L SQD-Mini LED 4K TV is down to $1,197.99 at Amazon. That’s a 52% discount off the $2,499.99 list price on Mashable’s "best QLED TV for most people."

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 85-inch Class QM8L Series TV $1,197.99 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $1,302.00   Get Deal

Shopping for a new TV often feels like a dizzying exercise in decoding endless display acronyms. But if you want staggering peak brightness and deep contrast without taking on a multi-thousand-dollar OLED price tag, TCL’s flagship 2026 set is currently discounted. The 65-inch TCL QM8L SQD-Mini LED 4K Smart TV is down to $1,197.99 on Amazon, saving you a massive $1,302 off its original list price of $2,499.99.

In Mashable’s guide to the best 65-inch TVs, shopping reporter Leah Stodart dubbed the TCL QM8L the "best QLED TV for most people." Unlike base-level sets that struggle in low-light environments, the QM8L introduces TCL’s revamped Super Quantum Dot (SQD) backlight system. By using microscopic 5-nanometer particles instead of standard 60-nanometer dots, the display delivers pinpoint color accuracy, dynamic contrast, and anti-blooming technology that actually keeps halo effects at bay during dark movie scenes.

Clocking in at up to 6,000 nits of peak brightness alongside over 4,000 discrete local dimming zones, this TV is tailor-made for high-glare living rooms. Stodart noted that its sublime peak brightness makes it "one of the brightest TVs you can buy," easily handling midday glare and sunlit sports matches while offering contrast that rivals far more expensive non-OLED displays.

The 2026 QM8L is built for high-end entertainment and gaming. It packs a 144Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and TCL's Game Accelerator suite for smooth console action, while Google TV with Google Gemini AI handles smart navigation.

Grab the 65-inch TCL QM8L SQD-Mini LED 4K Smart TV at Amazon before the 52% discount vanishes.

AI-generated images can now give celebrities entire social media moments they never took part in. For Mia Goth, that meant a supposed response to her divorce — right down to a T-shirt and breakup soundtrack.

After news of the Pearl and MaXXXine actress's divorce filing from Shia LaBeouf a few weeks ago, an Instagram post appeared to show Goth wearing a shirt that read "MY EX IS MY BIGGEST FAN." Paired with Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," it was easy to read as a comment on the split.

Except Goth’s representative says the image was AI-generated. And Goth doesn’t even use social media.

The post came from @miagoth_, a verified fan account with more than a million followers. Despite the fan-page label, People initially wrote about the image as a selfie Goth had posted herself, describing the shirt as her fashion choice days after filing for divorce. (The article and post have both been removed.)

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's wedding photos are going viral. There's just one problem.

That confusion is exactly what the actress's team says it has been trying to stop.

"Mia Goth does not have ownership of, nor does she engage in social media on any platform," her representative, Christine Tripicchio, told The Verge. "We have filed multiple complaints with Instagram to remove the verified fan account which continues to post counterfeit, AI images of Mia Goth."

Tripicchio also questioned how the account had qualified for a verification badge in the first place.

"The fact that this fan account meets Instagram’s criteria to qualify for a 'blue check' is disconcerting on a fundamental level," she said. "Beyond that, it is incomprehensible that Instagram evidently prioritizes the dissemination of forged and manipulated images over the protection and integrity of a public figure’s likeness."

In response, Meta told Mashable, "This account has been removed for impersonating a public figure."

"We must call out the misuse of AI"

Goth’s team isn’t alone in trying to correct a public moment that never happened.

A March investigation by Indicator identified six AI-generated influencer accounts with roughly a million Instagram followers combined that posted fabricated celebrity encounters. One, @ayannasoblack, shared fake gym photos with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena. All but one of the accounts linked to Fanvue profiles selling access to synthetic adult content.

Real performers' work also supplies material for these accounts. As Mashable reported, AI personas have recently reproduced comedians' jokes and performances to build audiences. Comedian Sarah Purdum told Mashable that women’s material was being "stolen and repurposed for sexy AI models."

SEE ALSO: Fake influencers, real money: Inside the AI creator business

For celebrities, the consequences extend beyond invented encounters. In January 2024, nonconsensual, sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift spread online, prompting SAG-AFTRA to condemn them as "upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning." Later that year, Swift cited a separate fabrication — images falsely suggesting she supported Donald Trump — when announcing her endorsement of Kamala Harris.

"It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she wrote.

Scarlett Johansson raised a similar objection in 2025 after an AI-generated video depicted her and other Jewish celebrities protesting Ye’s antisemitism. Although she condemned antisemitism, she objected to being included in a video she never participated in. "We must call out the misuse of AI, no matter its messaging, or we risk losing a hold on reality," she said in a statement.

Even deceased performers' families are being left to push back: In October 2025, filmmaker Zelda Williams asked people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her father, Robin Williams, saying the recreations were "NOT what he’d want."

What is Instagram's current AI policy?

An image being AI-generated doesn’t automatically mean Meta will take it down.

In its explanation of its policy, Meta says it generally keeps manipulated content available unless it breaks another platform rule, such as those against bullying or harassment. Instead, it uses "AI info" labels to provide context when it detects certain technical signals or someone discloses AI use.

SEE ALSO: Meta leans into AI in your feeds

Even those labels have needed adjusting, though. In 2024, Meta changed "Made with AI" to "AI info" after acknowledging that some photos with minor AI retouching were getting flagged. It later moved labels for content detected as AI-edited into the post’s menu, while keeping visible labels on content detected as AI-generated.

But that approach depends on detecting AI use in the first place. Meta has acknowledged that its systems can’t identify every AI-generated image and that the invisible markers it uses for detection can be removed. A missing AI label doesn't necessarily mean a photo is real (clearly).

OpenAI said that the employee had placed a device built to evade detection and that he had planned to secretly record meetings in other sensitive spaces.

Raye is a British singer-songwriter who planned on holding an intimate one-night concert for her fans next week.

The event's venue has capacity for 5,000 attendees. There were 1.8 million sign-ups for tickets. It sounds like a good problem to have, right? Having that many fans? One problem. The vast majority of those sign-ups were AI bots, according to Raye, run by profit-seeking resellers hoping to make money off her fans.

"This Symphony May Contain Hope" is a planned one-night live concert by Raye at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 23. It appears the singer was expecting to receive thousands of sign-ups and then send out a pre-sale link for interested parties, with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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

However, Raye wasn't expecting the resellers and AI bots to hit as hard as they did.

"Sadly our sign-up process was overwhelmed by scalpers, using AI bots to create hundreds of thousands of fake registrations," Raye wrote on her X account. "It's a new world we are living in now, I have never witnessed bots on this scale."

"It is so important to me that fans can be tickets at the face value price," she continued.

Raye says that for this special event only, she and her team would manually review the sign-up list and send a pre-sale link and code to individuals that they believe are real fans.

"I'm not sure what the future holds for ticketing, I do know this experience has really opened my eyes," Raye said.

Resellers have always been a problem when it comes to tickets for concerts, tours, and sporting events. However, the rise of AI has helped resellers streamline and scale their ticket buying, often leaving few, if any, regular-price tickets for actual fans.

Some artists have been forced to get creative in how they sell tickets to ensure availability. Spotify recently released features to help artists identify their real fans and offer them first dibs on tickets to local shows.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission recently sued Ticketmaster, which controls a majority of the U.S. concert market, for allegedly working with resellers to inflate ticket prices. Ticketmaster denied the accusation, but a jury later found that the company gouged customers and abused its monopoly power. Still, a long-term solution to the reselling problem is desperately needed.

While scrubbing through AI bot accounts may be possible for a special one-off event, it doesn't seem feasible for months-long nationwide or even global touring events.

Google announced the public launch of Gemini 4 Argon after an earlier limited release to select testing partners. It's the first model in the company’s Gemini 4 generation and now sits at the top of Google’s lineup.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the launch on X, where he said the model would be available globally starting today.

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

Google first announced Argon on Sept. 30 in a blog post by Google DeepMind SVP Koray Kavukcuoglu. At that point, it was limited to trusted cyber defenders in Google’s Fairwind Program. With today’s release, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use Argon in the Gemini app.

Google says Argon is built for long, complex work in software engineering, enterprise knowledge work like legal and finance, and cybersecurity defense. For everyday chat, Google says the model gets to the point with less hedging, repeats itself less, and avoids clichés. On longer tasks, it gives more frequent progress updates.

Argon 4 arrives during a busy fall season for frontier AI models. Google repeatedly missed its own deadlines for the launch of Gemini 3.5 Pro, and meanwhile, Anthropic released Claude Opus 5.5, and OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra. Meta's "super intelligence" Muse Wonder was just released yesterday.

As expected, Google’s own evaluation shows Argon testing ahead of its rivals on many benchmarks. On the independent Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Argon ties GPT-6 Astra at 53 with high reasoning enabled, one point above GPT-6.1 Sol and the new Muse Wonder Max. The same index places it about five points behind Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Sonnet 5.5.

The latest Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, as of Oct. 13. Credit: Artificial Analysis

Coding is the clearest focus of the release. Google says Argon already handles much of its internal engineering work, and today’s update brings Google Antigravity’s agentic coding interface directly into the Gemini app on macOS.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Google Gemini Argon 4: How to try it

Starting today, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use Gemini 4 Argon in the Gemini app. Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month. At I/O 2026, Google added a $100-a-month Ultra plan and lowered its top Ultra tier from $250 to $200 a month.

Google set an introductory API price for Argon:

• $2 per million input tokens

• $10 per million output tokens

• Cached input tokens at 95 percent off, or $0.10 per million

That is less than both main rivals charge. Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 costs $4 and $20 per million input and output tokens, while GPT-6 Astra costs $10 and $50 per million tokens. Today’s announcement focuses on the Gemini app and doesn’t say whether API access has widened beyond Google’s earlier rollout plans.

The rollout comes with several other changes to the Gemini app. First, Antigravity’s agentic coding interface now lives inside the Gemini app on macOS, so users can move between chatting and coding without switching apps. Second, a new toggle in the main chat window switches Gemini from chat to tasks. In tasks mode, Gemini can keep working across your Google apps and other services while you’re away from your computer. Pro and Ultra subscribers get access.

Additionally, Gemini now connects to more than 40 apps, including Instacart, OpenTable, Adobe, and Shopify. Google pitches this for jobs like ordering groceries, booking restaurant tables, and designing or building an online business.

Google Gemini Argon 4: Benchmark performance

Google’s comparison table has 18 results. Argon has the top score on 14, ties with GPT-6 in cybersecurity, and trails on five. All figures in this section come from Google. Typically, AI companies release results that show their own model scoring above its competitors.

Credit: Google / Mashable screenshot

Argon’s biggest leads are in knowledge work. Google says it tops the Vals Index, which weights finance, coding, legal, and tax work by each sector’s share of U.S. GDP. On AutomationBench, Zapier’s test of end-to-end business tasks, Argon scored 51.3 percent. That is about nine points ahead of the next model.

The coding results are mixed. Argon set a new high on DeepSWE v1.1, Google’s main test of long software engineering tasks, at 77.9 percent. But it trails GPT-6 Astra on FrontierSWE v2. On Terminal-Bench 4.0, it trails all three rivals, and Opus 5.5 leads.

Some of Google’s figures for competitors don’t match what Anthropic reported. Mashable reported that Anthropic put GPT-6 Astra at 57.9 percent on Terminal-Bench 4.0, while Google lists 58.2 percent. On the Terminal-Bench Science benchmark, Anthropic reported 58.7 percent for Opus 5.5 (default effort), while Google lists 63.3 percent. When Anthropic launched Opus 5.5, it also cautioned that "benchmark margins have become a less reliable guide to real-world differences."

Independent of Google, the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index has tested Argon’s "High" setting. For testing, Artificial Analysis combines 10 evaluations covering math, science, coding, agentic tasks, and reasoning into a single composite score. Artificial Analysis says it runs all of the tests itself on standardized hardware, so it isn’t relying on each company’s self-reported numbers.

On that index, Gemini 4 Argon (High) scores 53, well above the median of 26 for comparable models. While still behind heavyweights like Claude and ChatGPT, Argon 4 represents a 23-point jump over Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Google’s previous top model.

Argon ranks just a hair above Muse Wonder but below Anthropic and OpenAI's latest. Credit: Artificial Analysis

At introductory pricing, Argon costs about $1.99 per Intelligence Index task, roughly 60 percent of GPT-6 Astra's cost. Once the discount ends, that is expected to rise to $3.98, about 1.2 times Astra’s cost. By comparison, Opus 5.5 costs $5.98 per task.

Google Gemini 4 Argon: Safety and safeguards

Before today’s consumer rollout, Google released Argon in phases, starting with cyber defenders, while it participated in the U.S. government’s voluntary process for pre-release model access.

For everyone else, Google says the model is designed to refuse requests that could aid cyberattacks or chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks. Google says red teams tested those safeguards.

Google also says Argon is its most resistant model yet to indirect prompt injection. On Gray Swan’s benchmark — an Injection Prompt Test that measures how easily a model can be hijacked by malicious instructions hidden in content it reads — Google reports that attacks succeeded 0.7 percent of the time against Argon. The figures were 1.0 percent for both Opus 5.5 and Fable 5.1 and 8.5 percent for GPT-6 Astra. Lower is better on this test.

You can find the full Gemini Argon 4 model card on the Google website.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan released the results of her investigation into romance scams on Match Group apps, including Tinder and Hinge.

Hassan, the New Hampshire Democrat who serves as ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, began this investigation in Sept. 2025, when she and Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to Match and its CEO, Spencer Rascoff, requesting documents about romance scams on the company's platforms.

SEE ALSO: AI romance scams: Follow these tips to avoid being scammed online

These scams occur when a bad actor gains someone's trust by pretending to be romantically interested in them, only to then ask for money. The Federal Trade Commission reported that Americans lost almost $1.5 billion to romance scams last year.

The investigation — called "Outmatched: Tinder, Scammers, and Match Group's Efforts to Catch Up" — focused on how the company detects and removes scam accounts. As part of it, Match Group provided the committee with two written responses and internal documents in Oct. and Nov. 2025, and additional documents throughout this year. Match Group's senior vice president of trust and safety, Yoel Roth, also sat down for an interview with committee minority staff in April 2026.

The investigation found that, as of the second half of 2025, Tinder hadn't updated most of its AI models used to detect scammers and other bad actors for years. Roth told the committee that Tinder performs ongoing maintenance on its machine learning models and that Match retrains its models every year or every couple of years.

According to data Match Group provided the committee, the number of views received by the median scammer’s profile on Tinder globally increased by more than 700 percent between May 2024 and December 2025. In the first nine months of 2025, almost 1.5 million accounts belonging to scammers or other bad actors on Tinder and Hinge in the U.S. matched with at least one user; nearly 500,000 of those accounts exchanged contact information with another user. The two apps banned tens of millions of inauthentic accounts in 2025.

In Oct. 2025, Tinder announced the U.S. rollout of its user verification process, Face Check, which became mandatory for all new U.S. users in early December. Hinge followed suit. Match Group told the committee that within a month of nationwide deployment, Face Check reduced user interactions with spam, bots, and scammers on Tinder in the U.S. by more than 70 percent. The company said that the reduction was sustained for at least the next seven months.

Face Check isn't perfect. A viral YouTube video from April demonstrated that it can be tricked, and a Tinder spokesperson acknowledged these concerns to Mashable at the time. The spokesperson added that the app is committed to continuously improving its systems.

SEE ALSO: Tinder responds to viral video about tricking facial scan

Match also introduced a new AI model to detect scammers and other bad actors in the first half of this year after continued follow-up from the committee, according to the report.

Roth told Mashable in an emailed statement that Match welcomed recognition of its efforts to protect users, including Face Check, but disputed the report's characterization of its work: "The report mischaracterizes both the historical scale of our investment and the work already completed."

"Alongside our engagement with the Committee over the past year, we've made the largest safety advancements in Match Group's history. Trust and Safety is a foundational priority, and we intend to continue leading the industry in building tools that promote authentic, safe connections," Roth said.
 
Roth also said that romance scams are a cross-platform, societal problem that no company can solve alone, which is why Match participates in and helps fund cross-industry efforts to combat online scams. Those efforts include membership in the Aspen Institute's National Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention, co-founding the Tech Against Scams Coalition, serving on the advisory board of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, and supporting Sen. Hassan's ReportScams.gov Act.

Hassan said in a press release shared with Mashable: "During the course of our investigation, Match Group made progress in combating scammers — but it shouldn't have taken so long, and there's still more that Match needs to do."

If you simply can't get enough of Grand Theft Auto VI prior to its Nov. 19 release, there are still new GTA 6 leaks coming out.

Cyberleek, the anonymous entity that has been leaking clips from a pre-release build of GTA 6 since August, made their grand return in October after about a month of silence. Last week, Cyberleek posted a 24-minute video that seemed to show some story sequences and a glimpse of the male protagonist Jason rendered completely nude. That wasn't the end of it.

And, as Cyberleek said they would, nude clips of the female protagonist Lucia soon followed. On top of that, Cyberleek is now threatening to release a development build of the game, and according to Dextero, may have already done so. Websites affiliated with Cyberleek include a link to a file named GTA 6: Development Build v1.0.1, locked behind a $40 paywall.

It should go without saying that downloading files from a sketchy website is not a wise idea, nor is purchasing illegal content that violates Rockstar's copyright.

SEE ALSO: 'GTA 6': Is PS5 Pro the best way to experience the game at launch? GTA 6 Cyberleek update: What has been posted this week?

Cyberleek returned this week with more clips that you definitely should not watch at work.

That's because these new clips all center on the female protagonist, Lucia, nude. In the clips, Lucia does mundane things like walk around Vice City, drive a vehicle, and parachute off a skyscraper while wearing little to no clothes (OK, so not entirely mundane, actually). It doesn't seem like anything new has been posted since Monday morning, though.

One thing to note about these clips: The nudity doesn't appear to be a normal element of the gameplay, but rather some type of mod. Rockstar has designed its last couple of big open-world adventures around extremely reactive NPCs, and none of them react at all to seeing Jason or Lucia nude in these leaked clips. Between that, and another clip from last week where the player spawns a tank out of thin air, it sure seems like developer tools are being used to achieve outcomes that will not be possible in the final game.

In other words, don't expect to be able to streak around Vice City in the nude on Nov. 19.

Cyberleek threatens to release a development build of the game Credit: Rockstar

On websites associated with Cyberleek, the leaker threatened to release a full playthrough of the entire GTA 6 story if their memecoin reached $30 million in market value. The leaker also threatened to release a development build of the game if Rockstar failed to meet their demands to release GTA 6 on a physical disc. There's just one problem: The coin is tanking.

IGN reported a market cap of just $1.7 million, well below any of the stretch goals specified by Cyberleek, and certainly not even close to the $7.8 million high it reached on Oct. 11. Despite this, Cyberleek may have made good on their threat to release a development build of the game.

Dextero is reporting that the development build has been posted online, locked behind a $40 paywall. In addition, a Cyberleek website with all of the leaked clips now includes this update, posted on Oct. 13: "DEVELOPMENT BUILD IS OUT: GTA 6: Development Build v1.0.1.08022025 is up. The deal was 30 million marketcap and the build goes out. Cap was not hit. Build is out anyway. $40 per download. Pay it, then take the mirror."

Because the leaker is anonymous, and because it would be illegal and dangerous to download mystery files from an unverified website, we can't confirm that this development build is real, or that it was even directly posted by Cyberleek.

However, if there is now a development build floating around the web, expect to see far more GTA 6 leaks in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 19 release date.

Alternatively, you could wait and play the game when it actually comes out. You can preorder the game now.

What could Cyberleek release next?

A Cyberleek website includes a poll about what type of Lucia content to release next. The poll is set to end on Oct. 14, with the leading option as "Race track."

It seems extremely likely that more clips featuring Lucia are set to be released any day now.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Netflix is breaking from its streaming service standard in a big way, as in IMAX.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be released in IMAX theaters worldwide for a 50-day window in 2027. And Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko was among the clutch of film critics and reporters who were granted a sneak peek of Barbie director Greta Gerwig’s latest in IMAX at AMC Lincoln Center in New York on Tuesday morning.

Netflix premiered the trailer, which fans can now see above, along with some behind-the-scenes footage. Plus, Gerwig herself was in attendance to answer some questions from Stephen Colbert. 

Gerwig shared with the audience how C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books have been a huge influence on her, as they were read to her before she could read on her own. "I would not be who I am without these books," she told Colbert of her reverence.

Then, once she’d learned to read, she read them over and over, eventually reveling in the BBC TV series adaptation, of which she said, "No notes…I think it’s amazing and I love the beaver costumes."

To prepare for adapting The Magician’s Nephew, Gerwig tried to walk in Lewis's footsteps. She reread all the Narnia books, along with his other works and works by authors he loved. She traveled to his stomping grounds of in Oxford, Cambridge, and Belfast “to align myself to what his interior life would be.” She also “ate a lot of Turkish Delight in prep for this film.”

What is Narnia: The Magician's Nephew?

The film, written and helmed by Gerwig, is based on The Magician's Nephew, the sixth novel in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series and the first in chronological order.

The book, which begins in 1900 — 40 years before the events of the first published Narnia novel — centers on 12-year-old Digory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer, who travel to another world with the help of a mysterious ring. However, Gerwig’s version will shift the timeline to the 1950s, which could make for some curious obstacles if Netflix continues the film series. After all, World War II plays a key role in the next book chronologically (and the most iconic Narnia book), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The Pevensie children stumble into Narnia after evacuating London during the Blitz, a sustained aerial bombing campaign carried out by the Nazi German Luftwaffe.

The book also unfurls the origin of Narnia, reaching back 1,000 years. To get a sense of how much of this story will be in Gerwig’s adaptation, take a look at the trailer above.

David McKenna, who recently played Piggy in Netflix’s miniseries adaptation of The Lord of the Flies, stars as Digory. Beatrice Campbell, who played young Lisle in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, will play Polly.

Gerwig's cast also boasts Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma.

Why is "Stairway to Heaven" in the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew trailer? 

Gerwig noted to Colbert that Led Zeppelin rarely licenses this particular hit song. But she reached out to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to entreat them to allow Netflix to use the song in the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew trailer.

"It’s an epic song,” she explained. "It’s about a spiritual journey…false idols and the wrong roads you can go down." For her, this spoke to The Magician’s Nephew’s story, and Plant and Page, who she noted also adore Lewis’s works, agreed. "They too love C.S. Lewis and they have a reverence for his work," she revealed.

The key to Narnia for Gerwig is collaboration. 

Speaking to Colbert, she explained how hundreds of artists came together to build Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, from the sets and costumes to the music and performances. To ensure that everyone felt welcome to collaborate, the acclaimed director took a page from artist William Kentridge, who made a silkscreen piece called "A Safe Space For Stupidity".

Gerwig made a similar sign to hang above her office and said many collaborators came forward — citing the sign as an encouragement.

Together, they’ve created not only a Narnia fit for IMAX, but also glimpses of many fantastical worlds that already had this critic tearing up in awe.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will open in IMAX and other theaters worldwide on Feb. 12, 2027, with sneak previews in IMAX beginning on Feb. 10, 2027. The film will debut on Netflix on April 2, 2027.

Additional reporting by Belen Edwards.

Apple made four big announcements on Tuesday as it vies to break into the smart home business.

The announcement, part of a slate of press releases stealth-dropped by Apple (following one brief tease from Greg "Joz" Joswiak, Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing), includes a new smart display called Apple HomeView, a second-generation HomePod mini, a fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, and the Apple Home Collection, a line of smart security cameras, thermostats, and a door lock built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric.

Unlike previous Apple smart home products, all of the new releases lean on Siri AI, the rebuilt version of Siri that Apple is now bringing to its home devices. Strangely, Siri AI will not be available at launch on the new HomePod mini 2, but only in a future update.

The announcements were not a total surprise. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported for months on what to expect from Apple's October releases, and the HomePod refresh was the most anticipated piece. It is the first new HomePod hardware in roughly three years, since HomePod (2nd generation) arrived in early 2023, and the first update to the HomePod mini since the original launched in 2020.

Notably, the M6 MacBooks that many observers expected this month were absent. Gurman has indicated they're still set for release in October, however. For now, the company is focusing on the smart home, a category where Amazon and Google have long set the pace. Gurman has argued in his newsletter that the AI boom caught Apple off guard, and that to succeed, the company needs to push into areas it had previously been content to leave to competitors.

Siri AI is the common thread across all four announcements. Apple describes it as an entirely new version of Siri built on its latest Apple Foundation Models, with broad world knowledge, personal context, and more natural back-and-forth conversation. Users without an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad still get the general knowledge and conversation features, but personal requests require a paired device.

Here's everything that was announced as part of the Apple "Welcome Home" launch:

Apple HomeView Credit: Apple / Mashable screenshot

The headline product is HomeView, Apple's first smart display. It pairs a 7-inch Liquid Retina screen with a domed speaker base, joined by a stainless steel hinge that lets the display tilt. Apple pitches it as a personalized, shared household device. HomeView can recognize up to six people by their faces, and each gets their own Home Screen of apps and widgets.

According to Apple, information from apps like Messages and Calendar only appears when an enrolled user is recognized and their paired iPhone or iPad is nearby and recently unlocked. Shared photo albums and music remain available to everyone, including guests.

HomeView costs $299 in silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray. A wall-mounted model in space gray and silver is also $299 and attaches with one of three Schneider Home mounts:

• Power Mount USB-C Wall Connector: $59.95

• Power Mount AC Wired: $79.95

• Power Mount PoE Wired: $129.95, arriving in early 2027

Pre-orders opened Tuesday in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, India, and New Zealand, with Singapore following on Oct. 15. Availability begins Nov. 13. HomeView will not be sold in the EU because Siri AI isn’t currently available on iOS there. Apple says it is working with the EU on a path forward.

HomePod mini 2 Credit: Apple / Mashable screenshot

The second-generation HomePod mini keeps the familiar spherical design in five colors: pink, green, blue, white, and midnight. Apple says it runs on the S10 chip and uses computational audio to adjust dynamic range and loudness in real-time. Four HomePod mini 2 speakers can now be paired with the new Apple TV 4K for a four-speaker surround setup that calibrates timing and levels to the room. The speakers must be in matching front-and-rear pairs.

HomePod mini 2 can act as a speaker for Macs, serve as a home hub, support Sound Recognition for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and announce visitors identified by Face Recognition on compatible doorbells.

In its press release, Apple called it the company's most immersive home theater experience and framed it as one piece of a connected home alongside HomeView, HomePod mini 2, and Apple Home Collection. HomePod mini 2 costs $149 in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight.

Pre-orders opened Tuesday in the U.S. and more than 23 other countries and regions, with availability beginning Oct. 30.

Apple TV 4K (4th generation)

The new Apple TV 4K brings Siri AI to the TV with a full-screen interface for finding shows and movies. Apple's examples include asking which Apple TV shows won Emmys, asking follow-up questions about a show while watching, and, with a paired iPhone, requests that rely on personal context, such as playing a show a friend recommended in a message. Answers to mid-show questions appear in a small overlay rather than taking over the screen.

Apple says the A19 chip delivers up to 50 percent faster CPU and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the previous generation, and adds a dedicated AV1 decoder. The Siri Remote gains Find My with Precision Finding. As a home hub, the Apple TV 4K now offers Apple Intelligence-generated camera activity descriptions and summarized notifications in the Home app.

For the first time, the box has built-in far-field microphones, three of them, so users can talk to Siri without picking up the remote. Apple says echo cancellation lets it hear "Siri" even while audio is playing. Apple called it the company’s most immersive home theater experience in the release.

The Apple TV 4K costs $299, or $49.83 per month for six months. Pre-orders opened Tuesday in the U.S. and 29 other countries and regions, with availability beginning Nov. 13.

Apple Home Collection Credit: Apple

Apple Home Collection is a line of smart devices designed with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. Each product sets up with a tap of an iPhone and is managed entirely in the Home app, with no separate app or account. Every device supports Thread and updates its own Wi-Fi credentials if the home network changes.

LG is supplying four cameras. All record up to 2.5K video, recognize people, pets, vehicles, and packages, and store 10 days of history through iCloud+, so there’s no separate camera subscription:

• Video Doorbell Wired ($249.95): front and package-facing cameras

• Floodlight Cam ($399.95)

• Outdoor Cam Plug-In ($299.95)

• Indoor Cam Plug-In ($199.95): physically tilts down to stop watching when someone in the household comes home

The cameras will be sold in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

LG’s Smart Deadbolt Lock ($349.95, U.S. and Canada) uses Ultra Wideband to unlock automatically as a user with a home key on iPhone or Apple Watch approaches. It also offers tap-to-unlock, a PIN pad, and a backup key, and it works locally without an internet connection.

Rounding out the line are smart thermostats from both LG and Schneider Electric, plus standalone temperature and humidity sensors. An Adaptive Temperature feature adjusts heating and cooling based on whether anyone is home. Apple did not list prices for the thermostats or sensors.

The collection arrives in December, though some accessories won’t ship until early 2027. Apple Retail will also offer paid professional installation through ADT in the U.S.

Kelly Clarkson’s dispute with a Brooklyn shop has spilled beyond social media. Now, Yelp has paused new reviews for the Art of Play store.

As of Oct. 12, the platform has placed an "Unusual Activity Alert" on Art of Play’s business page, temporarily disabling the posting of content following the singer’s viral shopping complaint. A Yelp spokesperson confirmed the action to Mashable.

SEE ALSO: Kelly Clarkson’s Brooklyn shopping complaint has the internet taking sides

"This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news," the notice reads.

Yelp says it's investigating whether content on the page reflects actual customer experiences rather than reactions to the viral online feud.

"While we don’t take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we’ve temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate whether the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences rather than the recent events," according to the notice.

"If you’re here to leave a review based on a first-hand experience with the business, please check back at a later date," the notice adds.

Credit: Screenshot: Yelp

The disagreement began on Oct. 10, when Clarkson posted on X that an Art of Play employee had treated her as though she couldn’t afford to shop there. She compared the encounter to the boutique scene in Pretty Woman, where employees dismiss Julia Roberts' character based on her appearance.

At the center of the dispute was Molly, a mechanical singing bird. Art of Play said in an Instagram post that the bird was a permanent installation used in its magic shows and was not for sale. Clarkson pushed back with a photo of a $15,000 price tag on the "Singing Bird," accusing the shop of misrepresenting the interaction.

The store also clarified that Molly’s creator, Seattle artist Bliss Kolb, had a nearly identical bird available for $15,000. It also said staff had offered to show Clarkson another singing bird that cost about $2,000, but she left before seeing it.

The exchange prompted responses (and memes) from people defending Clarkson’s right to describe a bad shopping experience and others questioning the impact of a celebrity calling out a small business, both on social media and Yelp. That distinction is central to Yelp’s policy. The platform says reviews written as social commentary don’t provide the firsthand information customers need. When media attention brings an unusual spike in activity, Yelp can temporarily disable posting; once activity returns to normal, moderators remove the alert and clean up the page.

Credit: Screenshot: Yelp

Art of Play has said it reached out to Clarkson directly to "clear the air." In the meantime, anyone hoping to weigh in on Yelp will have to wait — including people who actually shopped there.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage, sign up for our Trending Now and Top Stories newsletters or get Mashable push alerts to discover the internet's most exciting voices. 

Just as the weather turns, EcoFlow is launching new whole-home power backup solutions in the U.S. The Titan series consists of three models that technically could quality as portable power stations, although you probably don't want to lug one of these on a camping trip. Instead, they're a great solution for keeping your home powered up when grid power fails.

All new EcoFlow Titan models are available to order. Below, you'll find details specs on all models to help you decide which is best for your home.

Credit: EcoFlow Specs on the Titan 5000 Plus, Titan 5000, and Titan 5000 Classic

The Titan series from EcoFlow differs from your average portable power station in that each model packs in a ton of power. Instead of using it to recharge your phone and keep a lamp on, the Titan models can power up large appliances like your washer and dryer or your home's HVAC system. Of course, it can also keep your phone topped up and the lights on, too.

The smallest and most affordable model is the EcoFlow Titan 5000 Classic with 5,000Wh capacity and 4kWh output. It includes AC ports, USB-A, USB-C, and a TT-30R with 120V configuration.

The upgraded EcoFlow Titan 5000 comes with a higher performance compared to the Classic model. It can handle both 120V and 240V.

The movable EcoFlow Titan models come with the ability to add expansion batteries. Credit: EcoFlow

The largest in the lineup, the EcoFlow Titan 5000 Plus is rated for 7.2kWH from the 5,000Wh battery. EcoFlow mentions this is powerful enough to keep a 3-ton central AC unit running, in addition to a TV, refrigerator, and lights all at the same time. Keep in mind the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10 will connect your home's power system to the Titan models.

The Titan 5000 Plus and the Titan 5000 can connect to your home's existing rooftop solar system when combined with the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10. That means you can rely on the Titan system for powering your home in an effort to lower power bills, not just in emergency scenarios.

All Titan models can expand with up to five EcoFlow Titan Battery units for up to 30kWh. Most homes find it best to start with the base unit and add expansion batteries as you find out the exact power needs.

How to order the EcoFlow Titan models

EcoFlow doesn't list exact prices for these models just yet and says that information will arrive on Nov. 3. The brand does give us ballpark figures, though. The most affordable option will cost in the $2,000 range for the Titan 5000 Classic. Add on installation and the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10 and you'll be looking in the $5,000 range.

The more advanced Titan 5000 and Titan 5000 Plus will land in the $3,000 range for the single unit alone. Going with one of those option with the EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 10 and installation service will cost in the $7,000 range.

Add your email address to the preorder page at EcoFlow and you'll be in for an early-bird discount that can take as much as $2,999 off the above prices. Reserving your unit for $50 will earn you a 5% off coupon and two free 220W solar panels.

Opens in a new window Credit: EcoFlow EcoFlow Titan series   Pre-order Here

SAVE $550.94: As of Oct. 13, get the Ecovacs Goat O1000 robot lawn mower for $949.05 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,499.99. That's a discount of 37%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Ecovacs Goat O1000 $949.05 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $550.94   Get Deal

The leaves may be changing and cooler temperatures rolling in, but that doesn't mean your responsibilities to your lawn have suddenly vanished. If you want to keep things tidy, you'll still have to mow the lawn occasionally. But if you don't mind shelling out a little cash upfront, you can hire a robot to handle all of that work for you without complaint. That's thanks to this excellent deal courtesy of Amazon on a great robot lawn mower.

As of Oct. 13, get the Ecovacs Goat O1000 robot lawn mower for $949.05 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,499.99. That's $550.94 off and a discount of 37%.

SEE ALSO: This half-priced Sunseeker X3 Plus robot lawn mower is selling out at Amazon

This wire-free robot lawn mower is all about making it easy for you to have a freshly-manicured lawn. It uses its HoloScope 360-degree Dual-LiDAR system to create a map of your yard before tackling each job.

Using this system, it can avoid all of the issues that might normally plague a robot handling human business: flower beds, sidewalks, driveways, and other areas. That leaves it freed up to trim away along edges and paths that you set or it analyzes on its own for down to 2cm positioning.

You can let it run on its own and map out your lawn by identifying over 200 types of obstacles, or you can use the accompanying app and set up mowing zones, schedules, and customizable no-go areas that the robot will completely avoid. It's all down to what you find more convenient, and the ability to set and forget lawn care feels pretty convenient to us.

Be sure to grab this robot lawn mower while it's still on sale for a limited time at Amazon.

Lots of people are excited about Grand Theft Auto VI, but PC players haven't been sure when they will be able to play it. That might have just changed.

Citing four different industry sources, GamesBeat reported that Rockstar plans to launch GTA 6 on PC in the first quarter of 2027, or by the end of March, in other words. That would certainly be a pivot from the company's previous PC strategy, as GTA 5 came out on PC nearly two years after its console launch, while Red Dead Redemption 2 took a little more than a year to escape consoles.

SEE ALSO: PS5 Pro stock updates: Where to buy Sony's console for 'GTA 6' without overpaying

This is big for a few reasons. First and foremost, if the report is accurate, people who primarily game on PC won't have to wait as long to play GTA 6 as they thought they might have to. It also means anyone who wants the most premium experience possible with the game might not have to agonize over whether or not to buy a PS5 Pro, as PC could offer the best version of the game — if you have a strong enough machine, anyway.

Beyond that, if Rockstar ends up doing an online mode for GTA 6, the PC version could be the home of the popular and growing GTA roleplaying community, as it has been for GTA 5. The PC ecosystem allows for much more freedom in terms of supporting user-created content, making it ideal for roleplayers.

As a reminder, GTA 6 launches on consoles in just over a month, on Nov. 19.

The dating app Bumble is being acquired by Ithaca Holdings for $1.3 billion, both companies announced today.

Ithaca, which is newly formed, according to Bloomberg, will also pay out Bumble's common shareholders $6.05 per share, a 138 percent premium over the Oct. 9 stock price. The app is going private five years after its IPO in Feb. 2021, when the app was valued at $14 billion.

SEE ALSO: Why Bumble now allows men to message first

Whitney Wolfe Herd founded Bumble in 2014 with the ethos of "women making the first move." In heterosexual matches, only women could send the first message.

In recent years, it's been in a financially rocky place, with stock prices around 96 percent below the IPO and declining revenue, paying users, and downloads. Wolfe Herd stepped down as CEO in early 2024, only to return a year later.

The app itself has also shifted over time, including launching prompts in 2024 to technically allow men to message first, and then openly changing the rules to fully allow men to message first earlier this year. Rumors of a sale started months before this announcement.

Now, Ithaca co-founders and co-CEOs Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman will become co-CEOs of Bumble. "They will partner closely with Ms. Wolfe Herd to extend Bumble's original vision to help people find connections in life and love into the next era," the press release states.

Wolfe Herd stated in the press release that Ithaca "believes in our women-first mission, and is committed to investing in Bumble's future."

"I believe deeply in Bumble's future, and I look forward to working alongside Ravi, John, and the Bumble team as we continue to innovate, create meaningful connections, and write the next chapter of Bumble’s story. I truly believe the best is yet to come," Wolfe Herd also said.

Earlier this year, Wolfe Herd announced plans for Bumble to remove the swipe feature and usher in a new, AI-powered user experience. Mashable reached out to Bumble to ask if these plans are still in motion.

Druski might be headed to Studio 8H.

The comedian and internet personality, whose real name is Drew Desbordes, is reportedly set to host Saturday Night Live on Nov. 7, according to Puck's Matthew Belloni on Oct. 12. Variety has since confirmed the booking with multiple sources, though NBC has not officially announced it, and an SNL representative declined to comment on Puck's report, as of Oct. 13. But if true, Druski could make SNL history as the first online content creator to host the show.

That would be a pretty big deal, and not just for Druski.

SEE ALSO: Druski has become a household name

For decades, SNL has helped turn comedians into household names. But Druski belongs to a generation of entertainers who have built massive audiences and successful careers without traditional Hollywood gatekeepers. His viral sketches, recurring characters, and increasingly ambitious comedy productions have already made him a star on his own terms, landing him multiple Super Bowl commercials, a sold-out national comedy tour, and his own arena-sized comedy festival.

So while hosting SNL would certainly be a milestone, it also raises a larger question about the changing relationship between internet creators and traditional entertainment. What does it mean to get your "big break" on television when you've already made it online?

SEE ALSO: Mashable 101 creator Grace Reiter joins ‘Saturday Night Live’ Why Druski hosting 'SNL' would be a big deal

Druski didn't come up through a traditional sketch comedy institution or television writers' room. He built his audience by posting sketches on Instagram, often playing exaggerated versions of people everyone seems to recognize, from overconfident athletes to questionable music executives.

That last character eventually became the foundation for Coulda Been Records, his satirical record label and talent competition, which grew from Instagram Live auditions into a larger entertainment franchise. He's since expanded into original YouTube programming, including Coulda Been House, a reality competition parody featuring aspiring entertainers and celebrity guests.

SEE ALSO: The Mashable 101: The creators defining the internet in 2026

And the audience for these shows is substantial. According to a 2025 Essence profile, the first season of Coulda Been House generated 58 million views across eight episodes. His satirical dating series, Coulda Been Love, also attracted tens of millions of views.

Of course, SNL is no stranger to internet comedy. The Lonely Island helped make viral digital shorts part of the show's DNA in the mid-2000s, while the comedy trio Please Don't Destroy followed a similar path years later. But those comedians became part of the SNL machine, creating work within its established format. Druski, on the other hand, has already built a successful comedy career and a massive audience without relying on traditional television.

The creator economy has blurred the lines between social media personalities and traditional entertainers. Creators are producing their own series, selling out live shows, launching businesses, and building entertainment companies around their audiences. For some, social media isn't a stepping stone to a career in entertainment. It is the career.

Druski is a particularly compelling example because his comedy is very SNL. His sketches rely on recognizable characters, social observations, and a willingness to commit completely to an absurd premise. The biggest difference is where audiences encounter them.

Hosting the show won't be the moment Druski becomes a legitimate comedian. He's already established that. Instead, it could signal a shift in how one of television's most influential comedy institutions recognizes talent that has emerged outside its traditional pipeline.

For decades, hosting Saturday Night Live has been a sign that a comedian has made it. But Druski's career is proof that you don't need SNL to get there anymore.

It's a classic tale: You open Instagram for a break, and 20 minutes later, you’re caught up on three arguments, worried about something you hadn't heard of til this morning, and wondering why you picked up your phone in the first place.

Then a video of a puppy appears, and for a few seconds, things improve. Or at least they feel that way. That kind of detour has a name: bloomscrolling.

Bloomscrolling is defined as actively seeking out uplifting, calming, or inspiring content (nature footage, funny clips, stories of people helping one another, etc.) instead of letting one distressing post lead to the next (otherwise known as doomscrolling).

SEE ALSO: I stopped doomscrolling after the election. You should too.

Think of it as opening an app with a positive destination. Maybe you want underwater footage of an Australian coral reef, an artist’s process, or the latest update from someone whose elderly dog has a devoted following. Whatever the subject, you’re choosing something you enjoy rather than waiting to see what turns up.

And you don’t have to abandon the news to make room for this type of content. As neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez told Real Simple, "[Bloomscrolling] does not mean pretending that bad things are not happening or completely avoiding the news."

"It is more about creating a healthier balance so that everything you see online is not making you feel anxious, angry, or overwhelmed," she says.

Now, bloomscrolling might feel like an obvious improvement over reading a comment-section fight. But some researchers have tested what looking at this type of content actually does.

A 2021 study recruited 30 young adults to view images of natural and built environments for three minutes each. Participants reported feeling more comfortable and relaxed after the nature images, although there was no significant difference in vigor.

And the effects go beyond nature. In a 2012 paper published in PLOS One, researchers in Japan conducted three experiments examining how viewing cute images affected subsequent task performance. In the first two, participants who looked at puppies and kittens showed greater improvements on tasks involving dexterity or visual searching than those who viewed adult dogs and cats.

Now your favorite kitten account may not fix your productivity, but the findings suggest those pictures can do more than make you smile. And neither study tested an endlessly refreshing social feed. But these findings help explain why certain images might make a pleasant break.

How to try bloomscrolling without losing another hour

You don’t need to overhaul your entire feed to try bloomscrolling. Start with a few deliberate choices about what you watch and when you stop.

There are many kinds of bloomscrolling videos, such as a painting tutorial, a funny sketch, or a recipe you’re excited to try. My advice is to think of something you usually find relaxing and give your scrolling a purpose beyond seeing what comes next.

Need a starting point? On TikTok, Cecilia Blomdahl (@sejsejlija) shares life on Svalbard, with Arctic scenery, cabin routines, and appearances from her dog, Grim. For something more upbeat, Mashable 101 honoree Alexis Nikole Nelson (@alexisnikole) brings infectious enthusiasm to finding and cooking edible plants. And if you want to keep up with the world while giving the doom a rest, Sam Bentley (@sambentley) shares positive news, including environmental progress. (See our Mashable 101 Social Good Innovators here for more of these content creators.)

Start with whatever draws you in. Follow accounts you look forward to seeing, and mute or unfollow those that regularly leave you feeling drained. You can also mark content as "not interested" to help curate your feed. But pay attention to your own reaction: Even an account full of beautiful homes or impressive workouts might leave you feeling worse.

Another important part of bloomscrolling? Setting a time limit for yourself. Even positive content can become distracting or mentally draining when scrolling goes on too long. A feed full of puppies still has no natural ending. A device like a Brick, a favorite among Mashable editors, can help you spend less time on your feeds.

After you've bloomscrolled for a bit, try bringing some of that inspiration into your real life. Make the recipe, get out your sketchbook, spend time in nature, or send a funny clip to a friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with.

Sometimes, the best outcome of a good scroll is finding a reason to put your phone down.