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Move over, Sherlock Holmes. Quit twirling your mustache, Poirot. Hang up your hat, Miss Marple. There's a new flock of great fictional detectives in town, and they're not even human. They're... The Sheep Detectives.

Screenwriter Craig Mazin (The Last of Us) and director Kyle Balda (Minions) adapt Leonie Swann's novel Three Bags Full in this wooly criminal caper. Hugh Jackman stars as shepherd George, who loves nothing more than reading mystery novels to his sheep. What he doesn't know is that his sheep fully understand the tales he spins them, hanging onto every word of each whodunnit.

However, the flock soon finds themselves in a mystery of their own when their beloved shepherd is murdered. According to his lawyer (Emma Thompson), he left behind $30 million, a fortune that gives several people in his circle the motive to take him out.

Who will get justice for George? Surely not the bumbling local policeman (Nicholas Braun). Instead, George's flock takes it upon themselves to use their mystery novel know-how to pin down his killer. How tough can solving a real crime be?

The Sheep Detectives' latest trailer teases the chaos that awaits our ovine case-crackers, including a serious tendency to want to bash some cars in. Plus, it gives us a better look at the film's stacked cast, be they sheep or human. In addition to Jackman, Thompson, and Braun, The Sheep Detectives stars Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Rhys Darby.

The Sheep Detectives hits theaters May 8.

The dream of someone else working instead of you while you enjoy the finer things in life has just become a bit more real.

Anthropic announced a new feature for Claude Cowork and Claude Code, enabling the smart assistant to use your computer on its own while you're away.

So, if Claude needs a certain tool to finish a task, it can point, click, and navigate on your screen to get what it needs, including opening files, using a browser, and running dev tools.

The feature, which requires no setup, is available in research preview for Claude Pro and Max subscribers, and only on Mac computers.

Anthropic pointed out that the tool works particularly well with Dispatch, a tool that lets you assign Claude (its desktop version, to be precise) tasks from your phone.

This sounds awfully close to the type of automation that's recently been on the rise with tools like OpenClaw becoming immensely popular, but it's far more restrictive than that. While OpenClaw is typically given full reign over a computer, Claude's version will prioritize using connectors to service such as Slack and Google Calendar, and when it decides it has to open an app directly, it will ask for permission before accessing a new app.

SEE ALSO: Claude AI discovered 22 Firefox flaws. Here's how many it figured out how to exploit.

Despite these safety measures, users should be very careful before handing Claude (or any smart assistant) full access to their computers. As Anthropic itself puts it, "Claude can make mistakes, and while we continue to improve our safeguards, threats are constantly evolving." For more detail on what Claude can and cannot do using this tool, go here.

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 and meet the Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices.

Here’s the thing about farmers: They love to talk about farming.

As a flower farmer and vegetable gardener myself, it’s something I’ve experienced a lot. We love to swap stories about growing practices, compare notes about dahlia or potato storage, and wax poetic about our favorite varieties of heirloom tomatoes. But when I can’t connect with another grower face-to-face, I find myself turning to podcasts, Instagram, and YouTube channels to scratch that itch, especially as another season starts to come into focus. 

Enter: Jesse Frost of No-Till Growers. 

The 43-year-old Frost is author of The Living Soil Handbook and the man behind the No-Till Growers network, which includes a popular YouTube channel with more than 400K subscribers, a corresponding Instagram account, and the Growers Daily podcast. 

A no-till farm (or garden) is one where the soil is never plowed or turned over and is heavily mulched, like with wood chips or cover crops — a practice that can help with soil health and erosion control. It’s a big topic in the farming community as many growers strive to improve the quality of their soil and produce better yields, not to mention reduce the need for pesticides or other inorganic inputs.

Credit: Zooey Liao / Jesse Frost / Mashable

Based in Kentucky, Frost and his wife Hannah Crabtree run Rough Draft Farm, a small-scale vegetable farm that serves their local community. It’s also where Frost creates much of the content that appears across his channels, and where he applies the no-till farming practices he speaks of so often. 

Frost says that his biggest mission is to help others learn alongside him.

“We try to create and aggregate as much information about growing food ecologically as we can, and then disseminate that for free,” Frost says. “The entire idea is we believe organic, no-till farming is important work and the technical details about how to do it should not be behind a payway.”

We recently caught up with Frost about some of the essential tools he relies on every day, why content creation is so important, and the power of authenticity online.

Talk to me about how everything got started.

I originally launched the [Market Garden] podcast back in 2018 because I just felt like that was the information I needed and wanted the most and it just was not out there. I knew there were all these growers who were doing creative, low-till things, but the information on how was just not there. So I decided to call them and record it and share it. Seemed like a reasonable idea at the time, and now it's a huge part of my life.

I later stepped away to concentrate on farming, on video making (which is easier than podcasting because it can be done on your own and then edited in the morning, unlike podcast interviews, which are typically done during the day when I need to be farming). I also wanted to give my wife, who is a painter, a chance to do some of the stuff she wanted to do and had sacrificed so that I could make the podcast. 

Within the last couple of years you launched the Growers Daily podcast – talk to me about the shift into daily content. 

I started Growers Daily in September of 2024, the idea just being that I thought farmers and growers might enjoy a daily podcast to listen to. I love daily podcasts. I use them to motivate myself in the morning and then afternoons when I'm tired. Moreover, the daily was also something I could do early in the morning so it didn't require much, if anything, from the family or anyone else. I love daily podcasts, but most of them are sports or news-oriented. My idea was simple: why not farming? 

In My Bag Shure SM7B Microphone $439 Shop Now RØDE VideoMic Pro+ Shotgun Microphone $271 Shop Now RØDE DeadCat Windshield $49 Shop Now RØDE Wireless Go II $219.99 Shop Now Sony α7 IV Mirrorless Camera $2,598 Shop Now Glide Gear Teleprompter $199 Shop Now Stirrup Hoe $38.07 Shop Now Wheelbarrow $139 Shop Now

What are the products you can’t live without for content creation? 

On the podcast side, I use the Shure SM7B microphone and although I have not tried every microphone out there, the bang for the buck is huge and I like how well it fits my voice. Microphones are really high on my list of "can't live withouts" because I remember a time before I did live without good microphones and I don't really want to go back there. 

On the video side, I'm often using either the RØDE VideoMic Pro+ shotgun mic with the Deadcat windscreen (for in-the-field shots) or the Rode Wireless Go II for talking or doing interviews. I like to have the Omnidirectional lavaliers for those as well, but not a requisite. I just think sound really elevates video. 

Camera-wise, I'm a big fan of Sony. Originally, I just liked how long they would record (versus the 29:59 limit that Canons had). That comes in incredibly handy when filming farm presentations. I find that Sonys are user-friendly and relatively intuitive (this is an aspect I appreciate because I am not a big tech guy and have no time or space in my brain to learn all-new equipment). I also just like the video color and saturation better on Sony than other cameras I've tried. Specifically, right now I have a Sony A7IV for shooting outdoors (with a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens). For the podcast, which I film at my desk, I use an older Sony A7C (with a Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens). 

I have a teleprompter that I can't live without for the podcast, but not because it's a great teleprompter, just because I use it a lot. It's an old Glide Gear, and it's fine but it's a little awkward to get in and out of every day (the podcast is daily). It's 7 years old and it does the job and if I have to take it to the field, I don't sweat it too much. 

Because I'm on a farm (and a budget), I try not to overdo it on the quality (read: price) of my equipment. I could buy better mics and cameras, but they will get dirty. For me it's about finding that balance of quality and price so I won't feel bad handling it with muddy fingers as I move it around the farm. 

Also shouts to my editor Mike, who now handles all of the backend stuff on the videos and podcasts — he's pretty hard to live without. 

How about when it comes to farming? 

I always say I could run my farm on a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a 7-inch stirrup hoe, and a rake if need be. No special brands or preferences there, but those would get me pretty dang far. The tech for shooting videos and recording podcasts is ever-evolving. In farming, there is new tech, too, obviously, but a lot of food can still be grown with very little in the way of tools, as it has been for thousands of years. 

You do a great job of showcasing your humor and personality within your content — is this something you actively think about and plan for? 

I wouldn't say I think about being funny very much or work on material really at all. Oftentimes, like I would imagine it is for many people, my humor comes up when I need to fill empty space, or when I feel awkward, or when I felt like something I said was boring and I'd like to bring the listener back in.

Humor is a great tool in that way. For instance, the subjects of my podcasts can often involve intricate details on, say, the planting distances of broccoli. If I don't make a joke or ten somewhere in there, people are gonna check out. Myself included, frankly. You ever fall asleep recording a video? It's not a great look. 

Where do you see your best engagement? 

I think I see my best engagement not based on platform or content-type but on sincerity. I think people respond most to honesty and vulnerability. I don't exploit that, I just notice it. People really love to see my mistakes. People really love to see me be human. And I love to show those things because I want people to walk away from my work still feeling good about their own work. 

Content creation has a unique power to make people feel less-than or unaccomplished, but as creators, we can make the choice to show them we screw up, too. I do it all the time. I am as good at screwing up as succeeding. I think it's helpful for people to see that. 

What makes a good farming account? 

I wish I knew! The somewhat embarrassing truth is that I don't watch a lot of farming content. Basically none. The reason for that is to keep generating new ideas and not keep feeding the old ones. I don't want what I'm sharing to be what everyone else is sharing, which is what tends to happen in the content creation. So I don't watch YouTube videos, I don't listen to farmer podcasts really, unless my friends are on it or some farm I'm interested in. I read research papers and talk to researchers and growers (on top of also farming full-time and gaining my own perspectives). 

The goal is just to always try to bring something new to the space. And I've also had to grow okay with just not knowing all the time what the new thing or tool or trick people are talking about is all the time. So No FOMO here — I know I'll find it eventually. And really, like I said, farming doesn't change that much. I've been doing this for almost 17 years. I've seen a lot of tools come and go in that time. The next big thing is still the shovel, wheelbarrow, hoe, and rake. 

Any noteworthy achievements you’d like us to mention? 

We've made 350+ episodes of the daily. We've done hundreds of videos. We have 400,000 subscribers on YouTube, millions of podcast downloads, but when I think about that question, I just think about the time I helped my kid through a hard thing, and didn't say anything stupid in the process to make it worse. Or how I had a difficult conversation with someone that actually made the situation great — better than I could have imagined. I don't know that numbers or classic achievements (awards, etc.) will ever satisfy me quite like a relationship achievement. Those are the best. 

What do you love about creating content? 

It's a fun, creative challenge every day. I've always said I have two parts of my brain that need a ton of attention — the physicality side (picking stuff up and moving it around) and the creative side. Farming fulfills the physical side, whereas content creation fulfills the creative. They work well together in that way. I also love how accessible it is. If you have a genuine desire to change something in the world (in my case, how the soil and earth are treated), content creation is a way you can start embarking on that mission today. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I've never really been able to get into The Sims, for a few reasons. For starters, I don't have the patience to meticulously recreate my friends or favorite celebrities in its highly detailed character creator. Beyond that, much of its gameplay by default revolves around managing meters to make sure your Sims stay happy and don't die. It's compelling to many and one of the most popular games of all time for a reason, but it doesn't really work for me.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, on the other hand, might be the kind of life-sim I can get into. I've played a few hours of Nintendo's quirky new island management simulator for Switch (as in the first one, though it'll also work on a Switch 2), and I really dig it so far. It's become a part of my daily routine, as every morning I boot it up, see what the goofy little Mii recreations of my friends and favorite fictional characters are getting up to, and then move on with the rest of my day.

It's hard to say yet whether Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will have real staying power like The Sims, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon Pokopia, but anyone looking for a low-key delivery mechanism for laughs on Switch or Switch 2 should give it some consideration.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream $59.99 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here SEE ALSO: Pokémon Pokopia: How to power up Rock Smash Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream gives a lot without asking for much from you I agree! Credit: Nintendo

For those who don't know, Living the Dream is the long-awaited follow-up to Tomodachi Life for Nintendo 3DS. The basic premise here is the same as it was more than a decade ago: You create a bunch of Mii characters (you know, like the guys you played as in Wii Sports) based on whoever you want to base them on, and they live together on an island. You can give them gifts, feed them food, nudge their personalities in different directions, and try to make them become friends or even lovers together. But for the most part, what they do and how they act is up to them, not you.

That means that, beyond the initial setup phase of making a Mii and crafting your island's appearance to your heart's content, Tomodachi Life isn't a game you play so much as it's a funny little virtual ant farm that you check in on every now and then. The biggest key to its success, in my eyes, is that the characters all speak out loud using extremely mechanical-sounding text-to-speech technology. You can modulate and pitch their voices to your liking, but at no point will their speech ever come close to sounding truly human, and that's part of the charm.

A typical Tomodachi Life session, at least for me, lasts about 45 minutes at most. I start by turning the game on and talking to any Miis who have issues that need resolving, which can range from "I want a new friend" to "I need a new outfit." The happier you make them, the more they level up, unlocking various bonuses that are better left unspoiled.

Again, they just kinda do this stuff on their own. Credit: Nintendo

The real charm of all of this is that it's naturally, effortlessly funny at almost every turn.

The voice synthesis is a big part of the humor, as just listening to your Miis talk is hilarious on its own, but Nintendo has also crafted a bunch of funny little comedy skits that play out naturally without much intervention from the player. Sometimes a Mii will ask you to go bowling with them, which means all of the island's residents will pose as bowling pins, and you have to knock them over. Other times, they'll ask you what you think about current trends, or if you want to help them foster friendships with other Miis.

This is also what my friends and I do on the weekends. Credit: Nintendo

There are a ton of different little vignettes to see, and there's no telling how much of Living the Dream one would have to play before seeing all of them. Admittedly, it's up to the player to make their own fun, to an extent. My main method of enjoying Living the Dream has been to create Miis who only sort of resemble fictional characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Marge Simpson, and Eric Cartman, and watch them interact with each other. Your mileage may vary with this, as for other people, creating Miis of their real-life friends or family members will be the key to enjoyment.

To its credit, Mii creation is also deeper here than it's ever been before. Aside from new cosmetic options like hairstyles, Miis can now be non-binary and can use any pronouns, no matter what their gender is set to. They can also date and marry anyone of any gender, should you choose to set it that way. The last Tomodachi Life only supported heterosexual romances, so this is a huge improvement.

Character creation has gotten key upgrades. Credit: Nintendo

My only major concern for Living the Dream is that Nintendo has severely limited the ability to share screenshots and videos using the Switch's share button. You can still capture them, but getting them off your console and onto a computer or phone is much more difficult than it normally would be, presumably for content safety reasons. I get that in the abstract, but easily being able to share silly little moments on social would go a long way towards making Living the Dream part of my daily routine for months to come.

I'll have more to say when the time comes for a full review, but at least after the first several hours, I'm excited to play more Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on Nintendo Switch on April 16. You can pre-order the game now for $59.99 at Amazon and the My Nintendo Store.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box on sale for $21.81, which is not only 38% off its $34.99 list price, but also about $3 below the current $24.84 market value.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box $21.81 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $13.18 Get Deal

If you have been waiting for the Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar The Last Airbender expansion to get to the right price before jumping in, the latest deal on the Beginner Box is one of the best chances you’ll ever get.

As of March 24, Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Beginner Box listed for $21.81. Compared with its $34.99 list price, that is a savings of $13.18, and it also lands below the $24.84 TCGplayer market value. For a licensed starter set that is aimed at two players and packed with actual play pieces instead of just a small sampling of cards, that is a pretty easy deal to like.

Not only is $21.81 a rare low price for this beginner box, but it is also only 24 cents shy of its lowest-ever price — as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel.

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As well as a great crossover trading card game product, this starter bundle doubles as a way to deliberately walk beginners into the MTG trading card game. Along with guided battles between Aang and Zuko using two 20-card tutorial decks, you can use step-by-step learn-to-play guides included to help you through your first match. 

After that, the box opens up with eight additional 20-card Avatar-themed half-decks that you can combine into full 40-card decks, letting you mix and match different themes and strategies rather than getting stuck with just one static setup. Along with the included cards, you’ll get two playboards to help keep turns organized, two Spindown life counters for tracking totals, five double-sided tokens, and a rules reference booklet for quick check-ins as you play.

For more MTG deals, the Magic: The Gathering Duskmourn House of Horrors Play Booster Box is still $22 off at Walmart. Meanwhile, MTG’s Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box has been cut to under $120 at Amazon. 

The Moon is starting to appear bigger each night. This is because of where we are in the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle is a 29.5 day cycle of the Moon's orbit around Earth and includes eight unique phases. Keep reading to find out where the Moon is in that cycle today.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Tuesday, March 24, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 33% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

The Moon is slowly coming back into view, so each night there will be more to see. For example, tonight, without any visual aids, you can see the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisum. There may be other features visible too, however these will be the most distinct.

With binoculars, you'll also be able to catch a glimpse of the Endymion Crater, the Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. And, finally, with a telescope, you'll be able to spot even more, including the Apollo 11 and 17 landing spots.

When is the next Full Moon?

In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in roughly 29.5 days, cycling through eight distinct phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces us, sunlight illuminates varying portions as it travels, making it appear full, half, or a narrow crescent. These shifting appearances are known as the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Airports in the US are in disarray at the moment, with TSA agents going without pay since mid February due to a partial government shutdown. Speaking about the situation on Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel didn't have to go out of his way to mock the president's handling of the situation — a 10-year-old tweet did most of the heavy lifting for him.

"All the tumult did not stop the president from playing golf this weekend," says Kimmel, "which made me nostalgic for this classic tweet from 2016, which reads: 'While our wonderful president was out playing golf all day, the TSA is falling apart, just like our government! Airports a total disaster!'" Oh, who said that? Donald Trump said that."

The host's conclusion? "Man oh man, if Donald Trump ever met president Trump, he would hate him."

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order 3-Pack Blister (Chikorita) listed for $32.44, which puts it $4.32 below the current $36.76 market price. That gets you three Perfect Order booster packs plus a special foil Chikorita promo card in one sealed preorder.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolutions Perfect Order 3 Pack Blister (Chikorita) $32.44 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here

In the Pokémon TCG market, Perfect Order preorder prices have been bouncing around all month, but the Chikorita 3-Pack Blister is one of the simpler buys if you just want sealed packs without paying above market value. Although Elite Trainer Boxes and booster bundles have been getting most of the attention, this smaller blister is still a great buy for collectors and casual rippers alike.

As of March 24, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order 3-Pack Blister (Chikorita) is listed for $32.44 at Amazon. Against the current TCGplayer market price of $36.76, that works out to a $4.32 difference. It is not the biggest discount we have seen on a Perfect Order product, but getting anything below market value is a solid result this close to the expansion’s release date of March 27.

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As the name implies, this blister comes with three sealed booster packs from the Perfect Order expansion, with each pack containing 10 additional game cards — alongside the included Chikorita foil promo card.

At the time of writing, individual Perfect Order booster packs cost $11.79 each on Amazon — totalling $35.37 if you wanted to buy three. With this blister pack, you’re not only saving $3.13 compared to buying three boosters on their own, but you’re essentially getting a free Chikorita promo card as well.  

Perfect Order leans heavily into Mega Zygarde ex, while also featuring trading cards with other Pocket Monsters that appear in the Pokémon Legends: Z-A game, like Mega Clefable ex, Mega Starmie ex, and Meowth ex. The Perfect Order expansion includes more than 120 cards, more new Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, more than 25 Trainer cards, and more than 30 Pokémon and Trainer cards with special illustrations.

To save even more on the Pokémon TCG’s new expansion, you can preorder the Perfect Order Booster Bundle for under $59 at Amazon. What’s more, the Pokémon TCG First Partner Illustration Collection Series 1 is still available to grab for under $65. 

Jon Stewart has been gleefully hating on Punch, the Ichikawa City Zoo monkey who found comfort in a stuffed toy after being abandoned, ever since the poor little guy first went viral.

In the Daily Show clip above, the host reacts to the news that Punch may have found himself a girlfriend, playing footage of the little monkey frolicking with a new companion before sharing his thoughts.

"Fantastic. It's really nice. Although, um...hey listen girl, straight talk. I know what you're thinking, but girl...you can't fix him," says Stewart, before addressing Punch with a whispered aside. "Punch, seriously, if you're watching, I am happy for you, but a little advice: Pre-nup."

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle available for preorder at $58.95, undercutting Walmart’s current $59.88 price. That gets you six booster packs from the new Perfect Order expansion for just under $10 per pack.

Pokémon TCG: Perfect Order Booster Bundle preorders Best Amazon Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle $58.95 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Best Walmart Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle $59.88 at Walmart Pre-Order Here

Perfect Order preorders have been especially rocky in the Pokémon TCG space, with prices on ETBs constantly fluctuating. So it's great to see Perfect Order Booster Bundles back in stock at a low price with Amazon.

As of March 24, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle listed for $58.95, while Walmart has the same preorder at $59.88. At Amazon’s current asking price, the six-pack bundle comes out to about $9.83 per booster pack, which is a much better deal compared to the $11.79 price for individual booster packs. Each Perfect Order booster pack contains 10 cards, one Basic Energy, and one Pokémon TCG Live code card. 

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An expansion with over 120 new cards, Perfect Order is another Pokémon trading card collection honing in on the Mega Evolutions that appear in the Pokémon Legends: Z-A video game — such as Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Clefable ex, and Mega Starmie ex. 

We predict prices will shoot up and consistently stay above $60 once Perfect Order is released on March 27, so we recommend pre-ordering at this low price before the release date.

For other in-demand Pokémon TCG releases, you can also get the Pokémon TCG: First Partner Illustration Collection (Series 1) for under $65. For more Pokémon TCG Perfect Order preorders, you can still preorder the Build and Battle Box for under $50.

Apple has officially announced the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference: June 8 to 12, starting with a special event at Apple Park on Monday, June 8.

As is customary, Apple will talk about its software platforms, which most likely includes the next version of Apple's mobile platform, iOS 27, as well as new versions of macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS.

In a news post accompanying the announcement, Apple said it will spotlight "incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements."

While artificial intelligence is a ubiquitous topic for tech companies these days, it's a particularly important one for Apple, which has been very slow to launch an improved version of Siri.

In particular, Apple's revamped Siri (Siri 2.0, if you will) should come with onscreen awareness, personal context, and be more deeply integrated with apps. We might also see a version of Siri that has chatbot capabilities similar to the ones in OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.

As for the rest of WWDC, Apple says the conference will have more than 100 video sessions and interactive group labs and appointments. Developers who would like to attend the event in person can apply here until March 30. Not everyone gets to go; instead, Apple will randomly select the winning tickets and notify the winners on April 2.

For a more comprehensive list of what we expect to see at this year's WWDC, go here.

SEE ALSO: Apple WWDC 2026: Everything we know so far

For those following from home, the conference will be streamed on Apple's Developer app, the company's website, and YouTube channel.

TL;DR: Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 is now $42.49 (reg. $499.99) with code MARCH15 until March 29.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 $42.50
$499.99 Save $457.49   Get Deal

If you’re still working with multiple tools just to build and test your code, there’s a better way. Instead of patching together separate editors, testing tools, and deployment setups this setup keeps everything under one roof. That can mean fewer slowdowns, fewer compatibility issues, and less time spent troubleshooting.

Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 is a fully featured IDE designed to streamline development workflows across languages and platforms, and for a limited time, it’s on sale for $42.49 (reg. $499.99) with code MARCH15 until March 29.

Build, test, and ship all in one place

This 64-bit development environment is built to handle large, complex projects at full speed. You can build cross-platform mobile and desktop apps with .NET MAUI, create web interfaces using Blazor, and develop applications for Windows, Linux, and containers, all without switching tools.

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Hot reload capabilities also let you apply code changes instantly across .NET and C++ apps, so you can iterate quickly without constantly restarting your environment. For developers working on larger or more dynamic projects, that kind of real-time feedback can make a noticeable difference in day-to-day productivity.

Native integrations with Azure and GitHub keep your development and deployment workflows seamlessly connected from start to finish.

Spend less time typing, more time coding

Built-in AI tools like IntelliCode analyze your coding patterns to suggest entire lines or blocks of code, helping reduce repetitive work. You’ll also get AI-assisted refactoring and real-time suggestions that can help cut down on bugs and cleanup later.

Features like CodeLens surface insights directly in your editor, including test results, commit history, and author info, so you’re not constantly switching between tabs.

This is a lifetime license for a single user, which means you pay once and keep access to the 2026 Professional version without ongoing fees. It’s a practical option for developers who prefer owning their tools rather than paying monthly subscription fees.

If you’re looking for a more streamlined way to build, test, and collaborate on your code, you can get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 for $42.49 (reg. $499.99) with code MARCH15 until March 29.

Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE OVER $140: As of March 24, the Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) is on sale for $651.20 at Amazon. That's a 18% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) $651.20 at Amazon
$799 Save $147.80   Get Deal

The Apple iPad 11-inch (A16) has dropped to its lowest-ever price at Amazon, before the retailer's Big Spring Sale offically starts. As of March 24, this model is down from $799 to $651.20, a saving of $147.80 on list price and its best-ever price. This deal is for the 512GB model and is only available in the color yellow.

This is a great all-rounder iPad thanks to its powerful performance from the A16 chip. Whether it's gaming, streaming, photo editing, or work tasks, it'll perform fast and efficiently. And it won't run out of battery either; this model boasts an all-day battery life.

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It has a Liquid Retina display with True Tone that is designed to adjust to ambient lighting to make the viewing experience comfortable no matter the lighting. Other features include a 12MP Center Stage front camera for video calls and a 12MP rear camera with True Tone flash for 4K video and document scanning.

Connectivity includes WiFi 6 and optional 5G, along with a USB-C port for charging and accessories. It also supports Apple accessories like the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the Magic Keyboard Folio.

Get this iPad deal at Amazon now.

SAVE OVER $500: As of March 24, the Hisense 85-inch QD7 TV is on sale for $797.99 at Amazon. That's a 39% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 85-inch QD7 TV $797.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $502   Get Deal

Amazon's Big Spring Sale runs from March 25-31, but if you're looking for an early discount on a great TV, we've found just the deal for you.

As of March 24, the Hisense 85-inch QD7 TV is over $500 off ($502), taking the price down from $1,299.99 to $797.99. This is only three cents off its best-ever price of $797.96, so this really is a strong early deal.

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This price is for the 85-inch TV, but all sizes are heavily reduced, from 50-inch all the way to 100-inch. And with each size, you'll be getting the same impressive quality of Mini LED backlighting with up to 600 nits peak brightness. It also has full array local dimming to give you better contrast and deeper shadows, brighter highlights, and reduced halo effects.

It's a great option for gamers too, thanks to the native 144Hz panel with Motion Rate 480, 144Hz Game Mode Pro, and AMD FreeSync Premium. And on the inside, the TV runs on Fire TV. This means you'll get all your content and most used apps in one easy-to-navigate home screen. You'll also get Alexa voice control which makes searching for content much easier.

Get this impressive TV deal online at Amazon now.

SAVE $39.01: As of March 24, the Apple AirTag four-pack is on sale for $59.99 at Amazon. That's a 39% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag 4-Pack $59.99 at Amazon
$99 Save $39.01   Get Deal

Amazon's Big Spring Sale kicks off this week, which can only mean one thing: record-low prices on Apple products. And that's exactly what we're getting with the Apple AirTag four-pack, which is heavily discounted ahead of the sale. As of March 24, these trackers are down to just $59.99. That works out at around $14.99 per AirTag, and is the lowest-ever price for this popular bundle.

AirTags are the perfect product if you're often losing items like your passport, wallet, or keys. They're a compact tracker that works with the Find My app, so you can keep track of everyday items. The setup is easy — just a simple connection to an iPhone or iPad. You can also share an AirTag with up to five people so multiple users can track the same item.

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It includes a built-in speaker to play a sound when trying to find an item that's nearby but out of sight (i.e. down the side of the couch). It also has Precision Finding with Ultra Wideband technology to help guide you directly to it on supported iPhone models.

For items further away, it uses the Find My network of Apple devices to help locate it, and Lost Mode can notify you when an item is detected again. This is ideal for luggage when flying, and it even lets you share the location with third parties such as airlines. Also, every AirTag is powered by a replaceable battery that lasts over a year. When it runs out, just replace with a CR2032 coin cell battery to keep using the tracker.

This AirTag bundle has never been priced so low, so get this deal at Amazon now.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, March 24, 2026:

AcrossApple computers

• The answer is Macs.

Colorful parrot with a long tail

• The answer is Macaw.

Enticing scent

• The answer is Aroma.

___ song (dangerous lure)

• The answer is Siren.

"Barbie" character whose job is "beach"

• The answer is Ken.

DownSinging sister in the Osmond family

• The answer is Marie.

Future oak tree, perhaps

• The answer is Acorn.

Attended

• The answer is Came.

___ song (farewell performance)

• The answer is Swan.

Conceal

• The answer is Mask.

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

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

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

SAVE $300: As of March 24, the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air is on sale for $1,299 at Amazon. That's $300 off the list price and the best-ever price for this model.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 15-inch MacBook Air M4 (512GB) $1,299 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $300   Get Deal

Amazon's Big Spring Sale is still a day away, but the retailer has already dropped some impressive deals on Apple products, including the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air M4.

As of March 24, this impressive laptop has dropped to $1,299 from $1,599. Not only is that a saving of $300 on list price, but it's the best-ever price for this model. This price is specific to the 512GB model in the color sky blue. The starlight option is also heavily reduced, and costs just 97 cents more.

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We crowned this MacBook the best for most people in 2026, so trust us when we say it's a great option if you're looking for an Apple computer that can do a bit of everything. The display is one of the best, giving you a 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display that supports up to one billion colors. And it's built with the powerful M4 chip, so it will give you fast performance with every task, even if you're multitasking between heavy jobs like video editing. You'll also get up to 18 hours of battery life, no matter how heavy your workload is.

For video calls, enjoy the benefits of the 12MP Center Stage camera (a feature that keeps you centered in the frame), three microphones, and a six-speaker system with Spatial Audio support. And of course, with macOS, you'll be able to download a wide range of apps including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Get this great MacBook deal at Amazon now.

The key to making anything happen in Pokémon Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2 is to get a little help from your friends.

Case in point: getting paper. No, I don't mean "get that paper" in the "making money" sense. I mean, literally, getting paper as an item in your inventory so you can complete requests or use it in construction projects. This can be done somewhat easily if you get far enough in Pokopia's story, but like a lot of other things in this adorable Pokémon life sim, it's not as straightforward as you'd think.

SEE ALSO: 10 of the coolest and weirdest 'Pokémon Pokopia' builds we've seen so far How to get paper in Pokémon Pokopia

If you've played a decent chunk of Pokopia, which I assume you have if you find yourself needing paper, then you probably know that certain materials can only be created by handing a prerequisite ingredient to a Pokémon who has a certain skill that can transmute what you gave it into something else. One early-game example is giving wood to Scyther, who processes it into lumber. Paper is the result of a similar process.

Specifically, you're going to need to befriend a Pokémon with the "Recycle" ability. There are a few in the game who can do this, including Porygon and Beldum, but probably the easiest one to get is Trubbish, who you can meet pretty early in the game's story in the Bleak Beach area. His habitat consists of a Sign, a Waste Bin, and some Garbage Bags, which can all be found in Bleak Beach. You can also wait until you meet Metang later in the game's story, as that Pokémon also has Recycle.

Once you have a Trubbish on hand, the next step is finding Wastepaper, an item that's not particularly useful on its own but can be turned into Paper by giving it to a Pokémon with the Recycle ability. This is where the process can get a little tedious if you're relying on a Trubbish at Bleak Beach, as wastepaper is much more commonly found in the Sparkling Skylands area later in the story.

However, Nintendo Life has a hot tip that you can use a Dragonite Doll to travel to a dream island that should have an abundance of Wastepaper for your needs, potentially even before you've unlocked Sparkling Skylands.

Hopefully, this piece has given you at least a cursory idea of how to get Paper in Pokémon Pokopia. Whatever you do with that paper is up to you, though.

If you're ready to invest in an Echo, you don't need to buy these devices at full price. They always go on sale during events like Prime Day and Black Friday, so it's worth holding out until the next big sale.

The next sale happens to be right around the corner, too. Amazon's Big Spring Sale runs from March 25 to 31. Like any Amazon sale, we expect some of the biggest discounts will be on Amazon's own devices, and that includes Echos. The sale hasn't even started, and we've spotted great savings on the Echo Show and Echo Spot. So if you're ready to buy, take advantage of these 40% discounts before the sale ends.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's Alexa is a Mashable Readers' Choice Award winner New Echos in 2025

On Sept. 30, 2025, Amazon debuted several new Echo devices. We've yet to test the new Amazon Echo Dot Max or the refreshed Echo Studio, however, once we've completed testing, we'll add them to this guide.

Changes to existing Echo devices in 2025

For existing Echo owners, or those looking to become ones, a major change happened in 2025 that affects user privacy. Amazon sent out an email to users saying the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" feature on the device will no longer be available as of March 28, 2025. But what does that mean?

Previously, the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" setting allowed the devices to process requests locally without sending them to Amazon servers. However, with that setting no longer supported, all requests will now go through Amazon servers. Plus, if you do have that setting turned on after the change goes into effect, you'll lose access to the Voice ID feature as well.

While Amazon promises that all information requests are encrypted and secure, it still means that the retailer has access to all of that data.

What can an Echo smart speaker do? Trying out the new Echo Spot smart alarm clock. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

All Echo devices utilize Amazon Alexa's AI superpowers — it's just a matter of which form you want your Echo to take. The Echo and Echo Dot are smart speakers that you can use for music, phone calls, calendar reminders, or news alerts. Amazon Echo Show devices, on the other hand, can do all of the aforementioned audio stuff, but they also boast colorful displays for making video calls, streaming entertainment, or managing your day. Think of Echo Shows as stationary, more affordable tablets, essentially.

Most Echo devices are designed to act as smart hubs within your home, but some Echo devices can also be taken on the road. Echo Auto brings hands-free Alexa functionality to the car, while Echo Buds and Echo Frames can travel with you anywhere.

What can Alexa+ do?

Alexa is to Amazon as Siri is to Apple, and is the driving force behind every Echo. But Alexa just got a big upgrade. Now there's Alexa+, a new AI-powered version of Alexa introduced to Echo devices in March 2025. For Prime subscribers, Alexa+ will be included in membership, and non-subscribers will have to pay $19.99 per month for the service.

Alexa has an answer to almost anything you ask. Just by shouting out, you can play music, adjust the volume, and set an alarm or timer. And that's just naming a few options. On devices like the Echo Show, you can also ask Alexa to pull up recipes or answer questions that come up while cooking. With Alexa+, the AI agent doesn't just respond to commands but can actually engage in conversation.

Here's a short list of what Alexa+ can do:

• Provide a highlight reel of the day's security footage

• Read stories to kids

• Plan a date night

• Book restaurant reservations

• Control your smart home technology from one central hub

• Access your calendars and set reminders

• Get answers to any question you can think of

• Make phone calls (and video calls with an Echo Show)

• Get the latest weather and news

• Follow recipes

• Shop on Amazon

• Stream music (and video on an Amazon Echo Show)

• Play games

There are more than 100,000 Alexa skills that you can utilize via an Echo device, and Amazon is always adding more.

Alexa gets supercharged when other smart home tech comes into the picture. If you have a smart thermostat or smart light bulbs, as long as they're compatible with the Alexa system, you can create routines through your Echo. That can be as simple as telling Alexa to turn on the lights in one room or programming Alexa to turn the thermostat down before you come home.

If you're ready for an Alexa-powered home, read on for the 10 best Amazon Echo devices of 2025.

Apple's annual developer conference is less than three months away, and the rumor mill is turning at full speed. Between several sources, most notably Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, we've got a pretty clear picture of what to expect when Tim Cook takes the stage in June.

Of course, Apple is still capable of some surprises. (Last week's AirPods Max 2 launch came out of nowhere, for instance.) With that in mind, here's what we know about the annual iOS-focused event.

When is WWDC 2026?

Apple hasn't officially announced WWDC 2026 yet, but history is a reliable guide here. From past years, Apple typically announces the event in late March, and the conference itself lands in the first or second week of June — almost without fail. Based on that pattern, some sites like 9to5Mac expect WWDC 2026 to run from June 8–12, with the keynote kicking things off on Monday, June 8.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone Fold may come later than we thought iOS 27

In November 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman broke the news that iOS 27 is being positioned internally as Apple's "Snow Leopard" moment — a callback to the 2009 Mac OS X release that famously ran a "no new features" marketing campaign that laid the groundwork for every update since.

As Gurman described it, Apple's engineering teams are "combing through Apple's operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality." The motivation isn't hard to understand. Since the release of iOS 26, users have reported a lengthy list of grievances, including device overheating and unexplained battery drain, as well as UI glitches, keyboard failures, and sluggish animations.

According to Gurman, iOS 27 is also meant to prepare Apple's software stack for its foldable iPhone. Other than that, expect to see new refreshes for watchOS, tvOS, macOS, visionOS, and iPadOS.

Siri is finally getting a real upgrade (no, really this time)

The long-promised overhaul to Siri — the one Apple has been teasing and delaying since the early Apple Intelligence announcements — is expected to be front and center at WWDC 2026. AppleInsider reported that the update, codenamed "Campo" internally, will give Siri an interface closer to what you'd expect from ChatGPT or Claude. It's a more conversational, chatbot-style experience that Apple has been quietly building toward.

According to AppleInsider, a deal struck earlier this year will see Apple incorporate Google's Gemini models into its Apple Foundation Models framework. It was a deal worth $1 billion per year, and its comparatively small change given Apple's existing $20 billion annual arrangement with Google for default search placement.

Beyond the Siri overhaul, Gurman reported that Apple is weaving AI into additional apps throughout iOS 27. The most intriguing addition: a health-focused AI agent tied to a Health+ subscription, expected to arrive next fall. There's also reportedly an expansion of Apple's AI-powered web search, which Apple is positioning as a direct competitor to both ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Gurman also revealed that Apple has been internally testing a full chatbot app called Veritas, which is described as a text-based proving ground for the re-architected Siri. Apple reportedly has no plans to release Veritas as a standalone product.

The Tim Cook situation

No WWDC preview would be complete without a word on Apple's leadership. A Financial Times report from November 2025 claimed Cook was poised to step down between late January and June 2026. That window has now passed without incident, and Gurman — who has been tracking Apple's succession planning closely — called the FT's specific timeline "simply false."

Gurman's broader read from his newsletter is that Cook "still loves the job," succession planning is ongoing with John Ternus (SVP of Hardware Engineering) as the leading internal candidate, but an imminent departure is not in the cards. When Cook does eventually step down, he's expected to remain as board chairman. So don't expect any dramatic announcements from the WWDC stage this June.