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I’ve been forcibly blue-checked on Elon Musk's X. Here’s what it’s like.

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:30

If you've been on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly known as Twitter, over the past day or so, you've likely seen at least one influential account you follow share their shock (and dismay) over receiving a blue checkmark on their profile.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

As previously reported, Musk changed the verification rules on X – once again. Now, any user who has at least 2,500 followers who pay for the $8 per month X Premium subscription service will get a free X Premium subscription of their own. And one of the "perks" of the subscription service is the blue checkmark badge.

Tweet may have been deleted

Apparently, though, not too many noticed Musk's new policy before the blue checkmarks began forcing their way on to their accounts.

Well, if you received a blue checkmark on the house courtesy of Elon Musk...welcome to the club!

Last April, I became one of the first recipients of a "spite" blue checkmark, as some have come to see these badges, because I was a member of a small group including @dril who covered the Block the Blue campaign — an effort from some of the platform's power users to block any paying blue checkmark user on the site.

Here's what it's like

Many users have asked me about it over the past year, inquiring just how "paid" X looks for a user that is, well, not paying.

I can confirm that involuntarily badged users not only get the blue checkmark badge for free, but the entire suite of paid features. It is basically the same as the paid subscription service, X Premium. 

These newly blue checkmarked users can now edit their posts, create tweets longer than 280 characters, and upload videos that are up to 3 hours long. And, of course, they get the verification badge, as well as a few other smaller X Premium features.

What features don't they get? X's AI chatbot Grok and the longform Articles feature are currently paywalled for Premium+ subscribers who pay $16 per month. (If a user has more than 5,000 followers who pay for X Premium, Musk says they will be moved to a complimentary Premium+ subscription and get those too.)

The only noticeable difference between a paid X Premium subscription and the free ones that Musk gives out is the managed subscription option. Users with a free X Premium plan have no real subscription to manage, so there are no options on the relevant tab, just a message letting them know they have a complimentary subscription.

How to hide the blue check

One of the problems with having a blue check on the Musk version of the platform is that it's no longer a sign of actual ID verification (If anyone can buy one, then what purpose does it serve?). Plus, some users still utilize web browser plugins and extensions that automatically block blue checkmark accounts. Your account may be caught by one of those blockers inadvertently!

If you hate your new blue check, don't worry. You can hide it. Here's how:

  • Go to the left-hand sidebar menu on X when you're logged into your account and click on the X Premium tab.

  • Scroll down to the Customization section on the Premium page and click Profile Customization.

  • From there, just tap on the option to hide your blue checkmark. 

The only thing that changes is the visible checkmark next to your name on X. All the other Premium features remain.

Categories: IT General, Technology

A solar eclipse can cook your eyes. Here's when to put the glasses on.

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:30

Millions of people are about to have the rare opportunity to look directly at the sun.

Those within the corridor created by the moon's shadow — aka the "path of totality" — will get up to 4.5 minutes to take a gander with the naked eye during the total solar eclipse on April 8.

If that statement raises your hackles, you're not alone. Parents have scolded children likely for centuries — long before NASA — on the dangers of staring at the sun. And it's so ingrained in humans not to look, the natural instinct is to squint and wince when confronted with bright light, said Dr. Ralph Chou, a retired optometry professor from the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

"Your body has all sorts of things going on to prevent you from getting hurt," Chou told Mashable. "We have what's called the aversion reflex."

For the most part, those warnings hold true, but total solar eclipses are the one exception. During this astronomical event, the moon comes between the sun and Earth in space. When they align, the sun is entirely hidden, and the sky darkens to twilight.

That's when people can look in the direction of the sun, except instead of seeing that bright saucer of light, they'll view the sun's corona, a hazy glow around it. The corona is the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, normally blown out by the much brighter solar surface.

SEE ALSO: A comet could photobomb the solar eclipse. Here's where to look. Tweet may have been deleted

But knowing when it's safe to remove protective eclipse glasses during the event may not be so obvious to the layperson. It's important to keep those shades with special eclipse-viewing filters on until the right moment, said Chou, who led the group that developed the international standard for solar eclipse viewers, known as ISO 12312-2.

When it's safe to remove eclipse glasses

The key time is known as Baily's beads, when sunlight pokes through the valleys on the edge of the moon. The effect looks like the discrete beads of a necklace. When the last of the beads is disappearing, then it's safe to remove the protective glasses, he said.

"It may be fairly bright still with those beads, but it won't harm your eyes," said Chou, who was a professional astronomer before becoming an optometrist. "It only lasts a few seconds, and then they're extinguished, and you get the total eclipse."

The safe time to remove solar eclipse glasses is known as Baily's beads, when sunlight pokes through the valleys on the edge of the moon. Credit: Jamie Cooper / SSPL / Getty Images

The length of time the sun is completely covered will vary depending on a spectator's location. It's time to put the glasses or solar viewer back on when the first flash of white light breaks free.

"It's unmistakable because, all of a sudden, the world just turns so bright," Chou said. "You've got enough time to get the glasses back in front of your eyes."

At no time during a partial eclipse is it OK to look at the sun without protective glasses, so experts say it's important for people to know if they are indeed in the path of totality. Seeing even a tiny crescent of sun is enough to cause irreversible damage.

At no time during a partial eclipse is it OK to look at the sun without protective glasses. Credit: Carlos Tischler / Eyepix Group / Future Publishing via Getty Images What happens to eyes while looking at the sun

The risk is solar retinopathy, a type of blindness caused by burns in the retina at the back of the eye. The retina's job is to convert light into electrical signals to the brain through the optic nerve.

Without special protective eyeglasses, the retinas start to absorb the light that's coming in from the sun. Once those light receptors are flooded, the overrun passes the retina and instead gets absorbed by the dark pigment lining the eyeballs. That's when the cells start to suffer chemical attacks, Chou explained.

"The big danger about that is that when the pigment absorbs the excess radiation, it turns it into heat and raises the temperature inside the cells to the point where you actually start cooking the tissue," he said. "That leaves you with a permanent scar at that point that cannot be repaired."

Without special protective eyeglasses, the retinas start to absorb the light that's coming in from the sun. Credit: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

The extent of the damage depends on how much exposure a person gets of that direct sunlight. It's not necessarily one long stare that causes irreparable damage; several glances add up, causing the same effect.

Despite being warned about these dangers, some people believe as long as their eyes don't hurt, they're fine. But because retinas don't have pain receptors, a person would not feel the damage as it's happening. People with retinal burns often don't notice vision impairment until a few hours later.

Why you can't wear sunglasses to look at the sun

Doctors also emphasize that everyday sunglasses are not strong enough to protect people while sun-gazing. The sun would still be roughly 10,000 times too bright, Chou said. Not only would sunglasses not reduce visible light to a safe level, but the materials in the glasses aren't capable of blocking harmful infrared light.

"All of a sudden, the world just turns so bright."

Eclipse glasses and viewers that meet international safety standards are so dark, people can't even see their feet in front of them. If a person can, that's a red flag they aren't the right glasses, said Kelly Korreck, NASA's program manager for the eclipse.

"You also want to be careful walking in these," she told Mashable. "Make sure you're standing in the place you want to look while you have them on."

Experts also warn of a common user error with eclipse glasses: People tend to put them on, then try to take a picture with their phone or gaze through an unfiltered camera or telescope. The intense solar rays coming through those devices could damage the filters of the eclipse glasses — and, in turn, a person's eyes.

Michael Zeiler, an eclipse cartographer, said even experienced eclipse chasers can get hurt if they're not careful.

"I have a friend who caught a brief glimpse of a very thin partial eclipse through binoculars," he said. "He definitely had a short-term visual impact. But after some time, after a few days, his vision was restored."

Doctors also emphasize that everyday sunglasses are not strong enough to protect people while sun-gazing. Credit: MARK RALSTON / AFP via Getty Images

The international standards for solar eclipse glasses, established in 2015 by the Swiss-based International Organization for Standardization, sets the maximum and minimum limits for the darkness of the shades. That recommended range stems from the 1950s, when human studies were performed prior to modern bioethics.

While the United States developed atomic warheads, the military conducted experiments on servicemen in the Nevada desert to determine the impact of flashblindness. Troops were instructed to watch the fireball of a detonated nuclear bomb from about 10 miles away. Some of the participants suffered permanent eye damage.

In about half of retinal burn cases, cells regenerate and vision is restored. For the others, the damage is done.

"It's very rare that you see a person who has fried their eyes so badly that they can be classified as legally blind," Chou said. "But there are some who do."

This story originally published on Feb. 7, 2024 and has been updated.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Chinese fantasy farming sim 'Immortal Life' adds trauma bonding to pastoral ideal, and I love it

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:06

Few farming simulators start by obliterating hundreds of people via giant meteor. However, that number is not zero. Introducing: Immortal Life.

Immortal Life cultivates more than a pastoral fantasy

Developed by YiFang Studio, Immortal Life initially stands out from other farming simulators due to its unique xianxia setting. Fortunately, while C-drama fans will have fun spotting common tropes, you don't have to be familiar with the Chinese fantasy genre to enjoy this game. Once you've jumped in, all the much loved farming sim activities such as fishing, mining, foraging, and planting crops quickly present themselves, albeit infused with supernatural Chinese elements.

Where Immortal Life truly distinguishes itself is by immediately trauma bonding you to the local townsfolk.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Immortal Life

Immortal Life begins the same way as Story of Seasons, Stardew Valley, and indeed most other games in the farming sim genre: You moving to a small, abandoned farm with the intent to revive it. In that respect, it seems fairly standard. What isn't standard is the freak disaster that completely destroys the local Taoist sect mere moments after you arrive, killing almost everyone in it.

This surprise smiting quickly establishes a sense of community and camaraderie, directing your focus toward helping your fellow survivors. Then after the initial crisis, the destruction gives your agricultural efforts a clear purpose. At first it's simply to feed your new companions, as all of the sect's resources were pulverised in the disaster. Then it's to earn enough to rebuild.

SEE ALSO: 'Cult of the Lamb' turned me into a single parent of 20

Rather than simply selling enough bok choy to become a billionaire, Immortal Life offers you a greater objective. You aren't merely running a business — you're building a home. 

Farming is important, but so are friends and feasts Credit: Mashable screenshot: Immortal Life

Pastoral fantasies aren't just about growing vegetables. A quiet life watering potatoes and keeping bees does have its appeal, particularly when contemplated in the blue-light glow of a company-issued laptop. Still, man cannot live by freshly baked sourdough bread alone. For many, the cottagecore daydream is also about sharing your homemade meals with others.

Fortunately, Immortal Life has a mechanic for throwing dinner parties.

Immortal Life is populated by friendly, beautifully illustrated characters with distinct personalities, most of whom will quickly endear themselves to you as you fill up their friendship hearts. (Not all, though. I've had more than enough of self-proclaimed genius inventor Wei Hong's shenanigans.) This bonding is significantly helped by the fact that, unlike your followers in Cult of the Lamb, your newfound companions are actually useful.

Featured Video For You Resilient farm robot uses lasers and algorithms to destroy evil weed empires

In a welcome contrast to the average farming sim local, who is happy to wait for a hero while their town languishes, Immortal Life's sect members won't leave the work of reviving it all to you. They also utilise their own unique skills to help, whether that's by establishing a workshop to coordinate reconstruction, journeying to find new trade routes, or opening a shop to improve the sect's financial position. There's a sense that you're all on the same team, working together towards a common goal. 

The sect even gives you a generous stipend at the beginning of every season to assist your efforts. It's just the right amount of communism.

You can't hide on your farm forever, and you won't want to Credit: Mashable screenshot: Immortal Life

Immortal Life further integrates you into the local community through its gameplay. I was initially nonplussed by the absence of a shipping container on my farm, a farming sim stalwart which players typically use to sell their crops. However, I soon realised that having to offload my produce at a store meant I was forced to actually go into town, preventing me from becoming a complete farm hermit.

In doing so, I began to notice people's routines and stumble upon side quests, whether selected from those pinned to the town bulletin board or picked up from townsfolk sporting exclamation marks above their heads. This made me feel more connected to the town, as though I was becoming part of the community. 

Another ingenious element are Immortal Life's paper cranes. This being ancient fantasy China, mobile phones aren't around quite yet. Instead, one of your fellow cultivators develops magical paper cranes that are capable of flying messages to others. It's a small thing, but receiving letters and gifts wherever you are throughout the day makes the world seem more alive, and contributes to the feeling that it's a living community that cares for each other. 

Immortal Life upgrades the farming sim experience Credit: Immortal Life

Immortal Life has a significant main plotline, one which I've still not completed despite having racked up almost 100 hours in-game. The game cleverly spreads out the introduction of new areas and gameplay elements across this questline, constantly luring players back with the promise of new discoveries to unlock and explore. This, the xianxia setting, and trauma bonding would already be more than enough to distinguish Immortal Life from its peers. 

However, the farming simulator also identifies and addresses a plethora of genre tropes that frequently cause irritation in other such games.

Immortal Life doesn't make you pass out if you stay up too late or run out of stamina, eliminating the daily race back to your bed. Your watering gourd never needs to be refilled, and allows you to briefly summon an efficient rain cloud. Rather than dotting your farm with dozens of storage chests, you can construct one large warehouse with upgradable storage capacity. The game even allows you to access your storage from floating crystals dotted throughout the world, so you don't need to run all the way home whenever you forget an item.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Immortal Life

Cooking is also more involved than farming sim fans may expect, requiring you to rush around a kitchen in a minigame similar to a single-player Overcooked. It feels much more satisfying than simply selecting a recipe in a menu, and certainly had me pondering how to make these dishes in real life. It doesn't get too repetitive either, as you can choose to bypass the minigame once you've three-starred a recipe.

There's a focus on education as well, fitting the theme of personal cultivation. Taking classes at the rebuilt Lecture Hall can increase your stats and improve your combat skills, with mining in Immortal Life's dungeons secondary to firing spells at lizards, bats, and spitting plants. The game's combat system is a relatively rudimentary top-down shooter that is ridiculously easy to cheese, a fact which I love and consider a feature rather than a bug. Even so, it's still a reasonably advanced combat system by farming sim standards, complete with an elemental spell system.

I do wish Immortal Life would let you raise animals, as buying meat and eggs from the local grocer is not in line with my self-sustainable goals. Their exclusion is understandable considering that dairy isn't terribly prevalent in Chinese cooking, and rearing animals for slaughter would decidedly shatter the game's friendly atmosphere. Still, I'd at least like to be able to collect my own eggs so I don't have to buy fresh ones simply to preserve them.

Returning to the roots of why we farm Credit: Mashable screenshot: Immortal Life

Farming simulators are tried and true cosy game stalwarts. From Story of Seasons to Stardew Valley to Coral Island, these games allow players to indulge their pastoral fantasies of owning a farm, befriending their neighbours, and finally escaping the corporate rat race. Yet despite their comforting vibes, farming sims are often unable to escape the trappings of capitalism. 

Immortal Life isn't necessarily a complete exception, still requiring you to sell your crops for spirit stones and partake in general commerce. Still, capitalism's cold steel grip feels a bit looser in the mountains of China. Rather than gathering wealth for its own sake there's a wider goal to aim for, one that others are working toward with you.

Usually farming sims have me primarily focused on tending my field and upgrading my tools which, while engaging, can begin to feel cyclic and rote by the first winter. Immortal Life has me just as invested in helping my sect and nurturing friendships alongside my crops. The game emphasises the importance of community, luring the player into town and reminding them that there's a rich world outside crop cycling. 

Though it's different from so many other farming sims, at its heart Immortal Life takes us back to the root of the pastoral fantasy. While cultivating the land is a significant draw, Immortal Life understands that the appeal of absconding to the countryside isn't just in growing vegetables. It's equally important to cultivate relationships, a community, and yourself.

Immortal Life is currently available on PC.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to reset your Apple ID password

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

Buddy, we've all been there before. I cannot tell you how many times I've forgotten a password — especially the password for my Apple ID. If you're in the same boat, don't worry: It's pretty easy to reset your Apple ID password.

An Apple ID password is relatively easy to forget because it's not necessarily something you'd need to remember every day. Luckily, Apple has a comprehensive page on its website for resetting your Apple ID password.

Here are the simple steps you'll need for a basic reset of your Apple ID password.

Total Time
  • 5 minutes.
What You Need
  • iPhone

Step 1: Go to settings on your iPhone

It's the icon that looks like a gear. Excuse the tie and half a suit behind the icon in that screenshot.

Credit: Screenshot: iPhone

Step 2: Select your name > Sign-In & Security > Change Password.

This will take you to the built-in program for resetting your Apple ID password.

Credit: Apple

Step 3: Enter your phone's passcode

When using your iPhone to reset your Apple ID password, Apple may require you to enter your phone's passcode to make the change.

Credit: Screenshot: iPhone

Step 4: Change your password.

You'll have to enter a new password and verify it. Then bam, you have a new Apple ID password.

Credit: Screenshot: iPhone

So that's it! That's how simple it is to change your Apple ID password. Now, if you want to change your Apple ID on a Mac, that is possible as well. As Apple notes on its website the steps are very similar. The site reads:

"Choose Apple menu  > System Settings (or System Preferences) > Sign in with your Apple ID (or Apple ID). Then click Password & Security, Change Password, and follow the onscreen instructions."

So if you forgot your Apple ID password, do not worry. In just about five minutes you'll be all reset and ready to go.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Xiaomi 14 Ultra review: Does its pro-level camera beat the iPhone?

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the latest iteration of the company's top-of-the-line "Ultra" phones, maintains the series' tradition: be the most powerful camera phone you can buy.

Note that I didn't write "the best" — I said "most powerful." While Xiaomi's top phones often have incredibly versatile camera systems, if you just want to point and shoot, you'll typically get more polished results from a Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, or an iPhone.

Xiaomi sent me the Xiaomi 14 Ultra — the most powerful cameraphone it has ever launched — for review. The company also sent me a neat set of accessories that make this phone even more similar to a standalone camera. It's an impressive kit, but like previous Xiaomi Ultras, although it's mighty and versatile, it can also be a bit too much.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra price and specs

Globally, Xiaomi is selling one configuration of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It costs €1,500 for the E.U. and £1,299 for U.K. — and comes with the following specs:

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip

  • Qualcomm Adreno GPU

  • 16GB of RAM

  • 512GB of storage

  • 6.73-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display

I'm not even going to pretend that this is not a large sum of money, especially when you can buy a top Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device for less. Xiaomi does bring some interesting features to the table, but I'm afraid the price tag will make it more of a niche device than it should be.

Opens in a new window Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable Xiaomi 14 Ultra £1,299.00
Get Deal Xiaomi 14 Ultra: What I like about it

With this phone, Xiaomi wants to make absolutely clear that you're also carrying a powerful camera in your pocket. From the massive rear camera bump to the camera-focused accessories, it's obvious that this is a camera that can also make phone calls — and I like Xiaomi's dedication to this idea.

Funky, unique design

It's not for everyone, but the aesthetics works and I've had several people ask me something along the lines of "What kind of monster camera phone is this?"

The grip has a shutter release button and a zoom dial. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Design-wise, you get faux leather on the back (my unit was black, making the leather part a lot less noticeable), an aluminum frame, and a slightly curved display (with the same curvature on all sides and in corners, something Xiaomi is very proud of).

It really starts to shine once you add the (optional) case, the grip, and decoration rings for the camera bump, but it suffers from some rookie mistakes on Xiaomi's part. For example, the case is too difficult to get off the phone.

I also like the power and versatility of the camera system (more on that below).

What's 'eh' about Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Xiaomi's HyperOS isn't bad; it's like the "best of both worlds" combo between iOS and Android. Still, I occasionally struggle with finding certain items from the menu.

OS could be better

The icons have change a bit since Xiaomi rebranded the OS from MIUI to HyperOS, but frankly, the overall design of the user interface could still use some more character. I'm also not a fan of Xiaomi's habit of shipping the phone with pre-installed, third-party apps. If I happen to need Booking.com, I'll install it myself, thank you.

Despite the large battery, Xiaomi 14 Ultra's battery life is just OK; check our detailed impressions below.

What I dislike about Xiaomi 14 Ultra

The phone is top-heavy, with the part where the humongous camera bump resides being noticeably heavier than the rest of the phone. I've noticed this on previous Xiaomi Ultra devices, and it can get annoying, especially during those long, scrolling sessions on planes and waiting rooms.

A bit unwieldy From the front, it looks like any other phone. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The camera bump protrudes so much that I was constantly concerned about damaging the phone when putting it on its back. When I had the decorative rings installed around the camera bump, I actually did damage it in normal use, as the color started to wear out on the ring's edges.

I've also had a chance to try out the Xiaomi 14 as well, and while its camera system is slightly less powerful, it has none of the drawbacks described above. It has a far smaller camera bump and otherwise very similar specs to the Ultra. Plus it's a lot cheaper at €999 ($1,076), making it a better choice for most users.

That camera!

First, it's important to note that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can be had with a set of camera-focused accessories, sold for €200 ($217) under the name "Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit." It consists of a leather case, a detachable grip with camera control buttons that doubles as an extra 1,500 mAh battery, and two decoration rings to place around the phone's massive camera bump on the back.

None of it is essential, but it will definitely make you feel more like a "pro" while taking photos with your Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

The camera is powerful, but it does make the phone top-heavy. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Equipped with all these extras, I set out to snap some pro-looking photos. I've discovered very soon, though, that with this phone, it's not just a matter of pointing and shooting. The very first photo I took (i.e., my son in a messy room against the bright backdrop of the balcony doors) was an oversaturated mess due to the camera's overzealous HDR.

In some cases, the HDR did a good job of evening out brighter and darker portions of the image, but it was a hit or miss affair.

The Xiaomi takes great photos in daylight, but HDR is hit or miss. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

In fact, that was my experience throughout my use of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. I took some wonderful night photos of some historic buildings in the town of Rab, Croatia, but after examining them later, I found out that more than half were way too blurry for my taste. I've compared my results with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which produced much more even results.

Zooming in at night can be done, but it'll be even harder to get a sharp photo. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Night photos, in general, were a bit too warm; worryingly, they were sometimes also muddy, with severe loss of detail. Again, I felt like I could achieve a great photo with several takes and some tinkering with the settings, but when I just pointed at something and took a photo at night, I got way better results with the iPhone.

Slightly blurry and too warm - fairly typical for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Now, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra's camera is a technological marvel, with four 50-megapixel sensors and two periscope lenses working together to produce a crisp photo — even at 5x magnification or in near dark scenarios.

The main sensor is a Leica Vario-Summilux, providing a variable aperture, thanks to incredibly thin carbo-coated blades that allow varying degrees of light into the lens. You can get a natural bokeh effect with this camera, which is better than the artificial bokeh (portrait mode) that most smartphone cameras do.

You can get a pretty good bokeh effect with this phone. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

And yes, you can always go to the camera's Pro mode and fine-tune the exposure, white balance and other settings to get the best photo. Sometimes, you'll get a better photo than you would on an iPhone.

Need a closer shot? Switch to the 5x periscope telephoto camera. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

But just pointing and shooting without thinking won't be nearly as consistent. So unless you're already a pro, know that this phone will require some work to produce that perfect photo.

Thanks to the 32-megapixel camera on the front, selfies were nice and detailed (with enough light). Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Selfie camera was a similar story. In daylight, I effortlessly took some great-looking selfies. Expecting decent performance at night, I snapped a selfie, only to find it unusably dark. And once again I had the feeling that the Xiaomi could do way better, but its software isn't fine-tuned well enough to automatically use the best settings in various scenarios.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra battery life

It's not as great as it looks on paper. Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a massive 5,000 mAh battery, but the phone seems to run through the juice quite fast, sometimes even when idle.

Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to test the battery with our standard benchmark, in which we run loops of one TikTok video until the phone runs out of battery. That's because Xiaomi phones don't let you leave the display on indefinitely — the longest you can go until it goes back to sleep is 10 minutes (what gives, Xiaomi?).

It's just not the same without the extras. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

My (imperfect) daily usage impressions are that the phone will last you a day and a half at most. It's not bad, but you'd expect more from a phone with such a massive battery.

Charging speed, on the other hand, is excellent. You'll get from zero to 100% in a little over half an hour if you use the included 90W wired charger.

Is Xiaomi 14 Ultra worth it?

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a powerful camera and stands out with some neat additional features such as the optional Photography Kit.

Even aside for the camera system, it's a powerful phone, though we'd like it to have more battery life and better weight distribution. But the price tag makes it very hard to recommend over its chief competitors. Consider it if you really need some of its unique camera features.

Categories: IT General, Technology

iPhone 16: Leaked pics suggest it'll go wild with buttons

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

It seems like Apple is making some big design changes to the new iPhone 16 this year.

Based on some of the reporting that's already out there, that's not exactly news, but now we have some compelling new photographic evidence to give us an idea of what those changes look like.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 16 rumors: Release date, price, specs, features, and more

Sonny Dickson shared some photos of alleged dummy iPhone 16 units on X, and if these photos are to be believed, Apple has gone button-wild this year.

SEE ALSO: iPad 2024: 2 new models tipped to drop soon — and may come with this iPhone feature Tweet may have been deleted Which buttons may appear on iPhone 16?

Aside from the usual power button and volume rockers, Apple has given every iPhone 16 model a programmable action button on the left side, something that was reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro models last year.

On the right side is a new "Capture" button, which will supposedly be used for zooming and snapping photos in a more intuitive way than is currently possible on iPhones.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 16: This rumored design change could mean more screen real estate

Aside from those buttons, it looks like the iPhone 16 Pro models will both be 0.2-inches larger than last year. The iPhone 16 Pro will be 6.3-inches and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be 6.9-inches, per 9to5Mac.

I'm just sad they aren't bringing the physical home button back à la the iPhone SE series, but that's life.

Categories: IT General, Technology

'Chicken for Linda!' review: Don't miss this gorgeously animated culinary quest

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

Chicken For Linda! is an immaculate snowball of a movie, as what begins as a young girl's wish to eat a chicken dinner quickly spirals into an unexpected adventure.

SEE ALSO: 'Ripley' review: Andrew Scott is a stone cold marvel in exquisite Highsmith adaptation

Here, stolen poultry, pantless cops, and madcap chases through Paris await, along with some of 2024's most unforgettable animation. Between pops of color and slapstick comedy, directors Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach craft a touching mother-daughter story about how even the simplest things can unearth long-buried memories — and all the emotions that come with them.

Chicken For Linda! understands how "small" stories can still have huge stakes. Credit: GKIDS

As its title suggests, Chicken For Linda! (Linda veut du poulet! in the original French) is all about getting eight-year-old Linda (voiced by Mélinée Leclerc) some chicken. It's her one wish when her mother Paulette (Clotilde Hesme) wants to make amends after an unfair punishment: She just wants to eat chicken with peppers, a dish her late father Giulio (voiced by Pietro Sermonti) used to make. All Paulette needs to do is secure the ingredients and cook the meal.

On the surface, Chicken For Linda!'s premise seems fairly straightforward, even when you throw a general strike into the mix that makes it impossible for Paulette to go shopping. Yet Malta and Laudenbach add layer after layer of emotional depth to Paulette and Linda's journey, to the point that even an everyday act like buying chicken becomes a quest surprisingly rooted in love and grief.

That emotional depth all starts with the film's opening shot: A wedding ring ensconced in a green bubble twirls into view while Giulio delivers a voiceover about memory. The depths of our memory, he says, are like a black night, where forgotten moments wait to be rediscovered. Other colorful bubbles pop into view: memories of Paulette teaching baby Linda the names of each of her fingers, of Linda entranced by the shiny beauty of Paulette's wedding ring, of Giulio serving chicken with peppers to his family. Suddenly, Giulio's bubble shrinks, then disappears altogether. The other follow suit, until all we're left with is a bubble of a crying baby Linda against a backdrop as black as night.

SEE ALSO: 'The First Omen' review: Can this nun-centered prequel hold a candle to the original?

Years later, Paulette's wedding ring becomes a point of contention between her and Linda, as she believes Linda has traded it at school for a new beret. Her anger at the loss prompts a hard slap and a punishing visit to Linda's annoyed Aunt Astrid (voiced by Laetitia Dosch), but none of that compares to the guilt Paulette feels when she realizes she was wrong. (The family cat Gazza was the culprit all along!) Linda's request for chicken and peppers becomes not just a way for her to connect with the father she barely remembers, but a way for Paulette to atone for the pain she caused her child as well. Even as Linda begins to lose herself in the joy of her and her mother's hunt for chicken throughout Paris, Paulette remains dogged in her determination to cook this meal and salvage her relationship with her daughter.

Of course, the meal itself brings its own share of baggage with it. Chicken and peppers was the last meal Giulio ever cooked for Linda and Paulette, who now mostly cooks up microwave meals. In one heartbreaking scene, Paulette pores over Giulio's recipe book — making sure to blow the dust off its cover first — and struggles to contain her emotions when she comes across the instructions she needs. It's just one of many moments of empathy Chicken For Linda! has for Paulette, proving that even though Linda's name is in the title, it's just as much her mother's story as it is hers.

Chicken For Linda! is nonstop fun. Credit: GKIDS

With all these stakes in place, Malta and Laudenbach keep even Chicken For Linda!'s most absurd escapades rooted in Paulette's attempts to reconnect with Linda, and in Linda's hopes to reconnect with Giulio through her faint memory of the last meal they shared. If anything, these emotions make the film's absurdity reach even higher comedic heights, a feat helped along even more by Chicken For Linda!'s (literally) colorful ensemble.

SEE ALSO: 'La Chimera' review: Josh O'Connor goes tomb raiding in this magical film

Each of Chicken For Linda!'s adult characters are a charming bundle of contradictions. Paulette berates Linda for being a thief, only to steal a chicken from a farm minutes later. Aunt Astrid is a yoga instructor who encourages her class to remain peaceful, even as she scarfs down candy to placate the unbridled rage she feels whenever Paulette asks her for something. Truck driver Jean-Michel (voiced by Patrick Pineau) becomes immediately smitten with Paulette after she and Linda stow away in his truck. He's so smitten that he offers to help them prepare their chicken dinner — even though he's allergic to chicken.

Rounding out the cast are Linda and her group of friends, whose childlike wonder in the face of this grand hunt for chicken and peppers marks a stark contrast from the mostly stressed adults. They're a delightful bunch, especially since Chicken For Linda! allows them to be grubby and silly and even a tad morbid. I don't know what made me laugh more: Children shaking down a car to hinder a police investigation, or Linda debating how best to kill a chicken. Sure, it's dark, but it feels exactly like the kind of excitement a wild child would have when making chicken and peppers from scratch.

Chicken For Linda! is a hand-painted marvel. Credit: GKIDS

Part of why the children in Chicken For Linda! are so much fun stems from the film's animation, which places us in a childlike point of view thanks to its hand-painted, almost doodle-esque animation. Vibrant blocks of color build environments, light, and shadow, while each character gets a color of their own. Black lines trace out features on each character's face and body, but Chicken For Linda! shuns over-detailing in favor of more impressionistic work. If you ever tire of Disney and Pixar's recent CG work that strives for realism, one watch of Chicken For Linda! will remind you of the versatility of animation.

Chicken For Linda!'s animation especially shines during the film's musical sequences. These aren't big song-and-dance numbers, but rather fantasies that bring us deep into characters' minds. One near-lullaby details how hard it can be for parents to sleep, while an Astrid-centric song brings us on a candy-coated walk through the stars. Elsewhere, a key number smartly uses color blocking to evoke everything from spotlights to film projection, all in the service of examining memory.

Each song takes Chicken For Linda!'s animated playfulness to the extreme, but the whole film is full of moments that reaffirm the power of 2D, hand-painted films. Take the memory bubbles that open the film. They're a simple concept, but Chicken For Linda! executes them in a way that is at once visually engaging and impossibly moving. Really, they're just a small-scale representation of the film's overall goal: Taking a simple story about dinner and elevating it to delightful and unexpected places, more than earning that exclamation point at the end of its title along the way.

Chicken For Linda! opens in New York April 5, in Los Angeles April 12, and in select U.S. theaters starting April 15.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Grab this expert-led CISSP certification training for only $32

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: Through April 7, you can get lifetime access to expert-led CISSP security and risk management training for only $31.99 with coupon code SECURE20.

With data security being paramount to companies of all sizes, and data breaches on the rise, there's a burgeoning demand for skilled cybersecurity experts to help defend their respective systems.

If you've ever considered capitalizing on this demand and breaking into the cybersecurity field, studying isn't enough. Getting certified as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) enhances your credibility and boosts your employability in the field. Don't. know where to start? This CISSP Security and Risk Management course bundle offers the training you need, and through April 7, you can get it on sale for only $31.99 with the code SECURE20.

It's no secret that a CISSP credential is one of the most respected and recognized certifications in the cybersecurity sector. Even just a single certification can do wonders for getting your foot in the door. This training bundle includes eight courses for eight different certification tiers, giving you a leg up against your competitors.

The courses are put together by premier e-learning provider Intellezy Learning, whose repository of lessons is recognized by the likes of eLearning Journal and The Craig Weiss Group. Through their training, you can expect to receive expert-led instruction on various cybersecurity topics, including security and risk management, asset security, identity and access management, security operations, and more.

All courses are accessible anytime, anywhere, using any device. By the time you finish it all, you'll have already built a solid foundation needed to pursue in-demand CISSP certifications.

Train to be a cybersecurity pro with this bundle.

Usually retailing for $424, you can get the CISSP Security and Risk Management course bundle on sale for $31.99 with the code SECURE20 until April 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: StackSocial The CISSP Security & Risk Management Training Bundle $31.99 at the Mashable Shop
$424.00 Save $392.01 with coupon code SECURE20 Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

This portable microscope can take photos and videos, and it's on sale

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: As of April 5, you can get your hands on this portable microscope on sale for $81.99, no coupon needed.

You whip out your binoculars when you have to magnify objects from miles away, but if you're attempting to zoom in on something in front of you, no amount of squinting will do. Instead of subjecting yourself to potential eye strain, consider this pocket microscope on sale as a nifty tool to bring on your adventures.

On sale for 18% off, this handheld microscope is far from the microscopes you used back in your high school biology class. It has a built-in 4-inch screen, allowing you to see whatever subject you're zooming in on more clearly. It comes equipped with a 2-megapixel lens, 1080FHD picture quality, 80x magnification, and eight adjustable LED lights. With the right settings, it's like you'll have 20/20 vision on viewing microscopic objects.

This portable microscope also has a built-in 2,000mAh rechargeable battery, allowing you to take it on the go. It weighs less than half a pound and comes with a wrist wrap and a carrying bag, so it should be easy to slip into your pocket or tote around.

If you like to share your observations on social media, the microscope offers microSD card support, so you can take and store images and videos for later posting. You can also connect it to a Windows computer or Mac via USB, the Amcap software for Windows, your Mac's Photo Booth app, or the WebCam Monitor Mac app.

Explore the micro-world in clear detail with the Portable Handheld Pocket LCD Microscope. It usually goes for $100, but for a limited time, you can grab it on sale for only $81.99, no coupon needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mesay Portable Handheld Pocket LCD Microscope with 4" Screen $81.99 at the Mashable Shop
$100.00 Save $18.01 Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

'Monkey Man' review: Dev Patel's directorial debut is both exhilarating and raw

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

At the London premiere of Monkey Man, star, co-writer, and first-time director Dev Patel described the film as his "best friend, worst enemy, and the little gremlin" on his shoulders, for years.

It’s easy to see why: Monkey Man will likely consume viewers as it did its creator. Patel's directorial debut is a gory, exhilarating, non-stop revenge plot, punctured by sprawling action scenes and set against a politically-fraught, contradictory India.

The two-hour-long film, produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions, found its inspiration in a plethora of cultural sources. It has drawn parallels to Keanu Reeve's John Wick; Patel himself has named Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan, action icon Bruce Lee, and everything Korean cinema has to offer, as influences. But it is Hindu mythology — more specifically the vast Sanskrit epic Ramayana — that acts as a tapestry behind Monkey Man, where the deity Hanuman underscores the decisions and decisiveness of the film's hero.

Monkey Man takes aim at opulence and inequality

In Monkey Man, Patel plays Kid, a lonesome man who spends his days donning a monkey mask and getting beaten to a pulp in an underground fighting ring run by the apathetic Tiger (Sharlto Copley). Set in the fictional city of Yatana, resembling Mumbai in its opulence and disparity, the film begins with Kid's pursuit of a job at a lavish hotel, working for Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar), the unforgiving manager who heads a secret brothel within the hotel's impenetrable walls. Kid works his way up the ranks, befriended by one of his fellow workers, Alphonso (Pitobash) and encountering various players in the ecosystem: Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala), a full service sex worker who is underutilized by the film, and Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher), an amoral police officer who is the nucleus of Kid's ploy for revenge.

Dev Patel turns first-time director for the film. Credit: Universal Pictures

Kid's quest for vengeance is relentless, but the audience is left in the dark about what quite drives it, and what this character's past holds. Nonetheless, Patel is utterly convincing in his angst and determination, as Kid's disdain for corruption in the country becomes apparent, slowly spelled out through hazy flashbacks of his seemingly late mother and snippets of gloomy news segments between events.

Inequality is rife in Yatana, with the flamboyance of the rich consistently contrasted with those who live underneath the city's skyscrapers. In one instance, Alphonso tells him that they are both "rolling with the kings now" – referring to their unlikely infiltration of the elite – and Kid retorts: "They don't even see us."

SEE ALSO: Dev Patel and Jordan Peele team up for bloody, brutal 'Monkey Man' trailer

The film is highly stylised in its approach, with the camera seemingly flying between spaces and scenes, each brimming with color and object, executed by cinematographer Sharone Meir and editors Dávid Jancsó and Tim Murrell. So much of the film is simply entertaining. Amongst these moments: a self-aware wink towards John Wick, in a scene where an underground arms dealer hands Patel a Glock. Interspersed with the present day are whisper-laden, hand-drawn retellings of Hindu fables, and, later, insight into the neon-lit, provocative parties at Queenie's hotel, the site which occupies much of the movie and Kid's anxieties.

A weave of action and political commentary

Monkey Man is a real treat when it comes to Patel's handling of the action genre, with both his performance and direction elevating the ultra-violent fight scenes that are far from methodical. The first chaotic fight scene between Rana and Kid will keep audiences transfixed, also offering a rare bout of humor. Hindi insults are hurled, blood is strewn, and punches are thrown, all at the same time. The energy invoked in such scenes, again replicated in the nail-biting climax, is palpable and frenetic.

Sharlto Copley in 'Monkey Man'. Credit: Universal Pictures

The film, which shines brightest when the spotlight is on the action and aesthetics, loses some light with its political messaging. The country’s reigning political party in real life, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is never taken by name but its presence looms: the divisive politics of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party lie at the movie’s roots, causing the same devastating ripples in Patel's fictional city as they do in modern India today. A viral post on X delineated how the flags of the political party in Monkey Man were shown in the original trailer to be orange, the color code of the BJP, but later changed to red. This change, presumably from Patel and Universal, may be an effort to save the movie's fate in India, where its release is currently delayed. And, if a recent Washington Post report is to be taken into consideration, this isn't surprising: entertainment criticizing the Indian government is being censored, leading to streaming giants like Netflix and Prime Video casting a cautious eye on its works in the country.

Notably, Netflix was the original distributor of the film, having bought the worldwide rights in 2021 for $30 million. This was later dropped, and it was then that Peele stepped in and Universal acquired the rights instead. Whether this has to do with Patel's complicated depiction of right-wing Indian politicians is not known.

The film, which shines brightest when the spotlight is on the action and aesthetics, loses some light with its political messaging.

Patel's intent to discern parts of India's political climate — namely, its treatment of marginalized people – is clear, but oftentimes comes across half-baked. Perhaps this is intentionally opaque, a way to conceal the overt condemnation of current government. There are references to farmers and laborers, to those who have lost land, to police corruption, and to the way faith has been weaponized for political prowess. But the references will arguably only be known to those familiar with the headlines occupying the Indian subcontinent.

Dev Patel delivers ambitious storytelling with an emotionally-punctured climax

More than the political, the personal is what elevates Monkey Man. Patel's performance, and moments of reflection, feel deeply personal, as the project certainly was to the actor himself.

Towards the second half of Monkey Man, Kid seeks refuge at a temple helmed by hijras, known as India's third gender and a historically marginalized group. Here, he is supported by the temple's inhabitants, who are also known to be shunned by society, living on the outskirts of India's urban metropolis. The leader, Alpha (Vipin Sharma), urges Kid to shed his past: "Destroy in order to grow and create space for new life," he says.

These words not only motivate Kid for his hunt to defeat his enemies, but also ring true for his own sense of identity and the power of rebuilding. His defeats at Tiger's underground ring no longer define his story. Instead, he draws parallels with the tale of Hanuman, which, at its core, is about overcoming evil. This is the fuel behind the film, which takes genre-centric themes of destruction, evolution, and redemption and applies them in ways that feel fresh. Mythology and morals underscore the plot in such ways, and for the most part, allow the story to be pierced with emotional weight. Patel's debut is an exhilarating, ambitious adventure, one that is sure to lay the groundwork for further directorial ventures.

Monkey Man is out in cinemas.

Categories: IT General, Technology

'The People's Joker review: A self-reflexive trans parody takes aim at the modern superhero

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

The People’s Joker is an intriguing artifact of modern media, with absurd lo-fi stylings that break the mold of modern, mass-produced superhero movies. The story of a trans comedian in Gotham City, Vera Drew’s long-awaited DC Comics parody is rendered with all the flair of a local used car commercial, though it feels like it couldn't have taken any other form. It is, at times, far more ambitious than outright entertaining, but it also bends the boundaries of ostensibly "good" media (see also: studio-polished media) in self-reflexive ways.

The film is also, quite strangely, a semi-autobiography of its author, filtered through a superhero-saturated zeitgeist as a means of both cultural critique and intriguing self-reflection. Some have called The People's Joker "outsider art" — the cinema of the self-taught, which inadvertently strays from convention — but the director appears to have a keen sense of formal control. She seems to intentionally echo the DIY aesthetics of The Amazing Bulk, the self-funded, so-bad-it’s-good Incredible Hulk knockoff filled with obvious green screen and stock CGI that went viral in 2012.

These intentionally flimsy aesthetics are unlikely to attract a wide audience, as are the movie's numerous anti-jokes aimed at intentional awkwardness. But they are ripe for cult-like consumption in an era where cult movies no longer really exist. It's a work that demands better and smarter output from major studios, before providing its own example of just how easy this would be — and drawing corporate ire in the process. The movie, which Vera Drew co-wrote with Bri LeRose, may not always work, but when it does, it works like a charm.

What is The People's Joker about? Credit: Altered Innocence

Reaching deep into the corners of DC Comics lore (with a number of Warner Bros. superhero movie and Martin Scorsese references to boot), The People's Joker follows our protagonist in flashback, a young trans girl whose deadname is bleeped out through most of the film. At first, this voluntary censorship is both gentle and hilarious, but eventually it leads to an emotional gut punch when the name is spoken out loud. An ethereal framing device clues us in on what's going on, as Joker the Harlequin — played by the director herself — speaks to us from a magic mirror lodged in neon clouds, as she drops deep-cut Batman Easter eggs and insider references to the New York comedy scene with machine-gun pacing. It's as welcoming to general audiences in one scene as it is impenetrable and in-joke-ey in the next.

The young Joker's journey is reminiscent of Clark Kent's; they're both Smallville kids who go to the big city to find themselves. Only in Joker's case, her path to self-affirmation is stand-up comedy at a time when comedy has been made illegal in Gotham. This, too, manifests as yet another paradoxical dichotomy: It takes the form of niche internet references while speaking the language of the mainstream "culture war" with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. 

After being rejected by the highly corporatized, Saturday Night Live-like United Clown Bureau, aka the UCB (the film has a particular bone to pick with improv institution the Upright Citizens Brigade), Joker teams up with a delightfully verbose and surprisingly encouraging Penguin (Nathan Faustyn) to start an outsider troupe of underground "anti-comedians" to strike at the heart of Gotham's fascist crackdown. It's here that she meets and becomes romantically involved with the elusive Mr. J (Kane Distler), a Joker-esque figure modelled after Jared Leto's incarnation of the character in Suicide Squad, and a trans man who flaunts his top surgery scars without apology. 

This oddball romance draws from the Joker-Harley Quinn dynamic in numerous comics and shows, wherein Mr. J is both welcoming and controlling. But in this case, he also helps Joker the Harlequin, who presents as male until they meet, find herself and come to a better understanding of her own gender identity. The People's Joker may take the form of fan-fiction fantasy, but its tale of transgender self-discovery, and the painful imperfections of even the most life-changing romance, is stunningly true to life. 

Meanwhile, even its seemingly unrealistic elements, like its poorly composited green screen, serve a distinct purpose. As a trans woman figuring out her place in comedy and in the world at large, Joker the Harlequin never feels like she exists in the same physical space as the movie's backdrop. It’s a jarring effect that draws attention to the movie’s flimsy artifice. However, by capturing this disconnect, this sense of dissonance, it casts a spotlight on Joker the Harlequin, and in the process, forces us to not only watch the director's performance, but to truly see her. 

The People's Joker belongs to a bold new wave of trans cinema. Credit: Altered Innocence

It wouldn't be a stretch to look at The People's Joker alongside Jane Schoenbrun's We're All Going to the World's Fair and the upcoming I Saw the TV Glow and hail (or at least hope for) the emergence of a new transgender cinema that loops back around on itself. From memes and online challenges to the most visible, mainstream film and television, both Vera Drew and Jane Schoenbrun's work taps into the specific millennial experience of being shaped by media, but before the act of finding online communities to bond over these experiences was as easy as it is today.

It's the cinema of the niche internet forum, born from a combination of loneliness and limited access to mirrors, in the form of other people with similar experiences. But as much as The People's Joker is filled with inside jokes, its true feat is balancing its in-group conversations with a unique perspective on mainstream cinema. It's also the cinema of self-reflection via self-projection, playing out like some fantastical fever dream about the way an adolescent Vera Drew might have seen herself in the pages of DC Comics, or in its movies and shows.

Her transformation into Joker the Harlequin — whose look is inspired by Joaquin Phoenix in Joker — also works as a fantastic critique of the modern superhero movie. The People's Joker isn't a parody in the Friedberg and Seltzer sense (the great minds behind Epic Movie and Meet the Spartans), where familiar iconography is both the target of and vehicle for the lowest-hanging fruit. Rather, the film’s parody strikes at the heart of a culture that uncritically embraces a movie like Joker without recognizing what it's missing — a queerness that Joker and other superhero movies don't fully embrace, despite frequent chatter about nominal diversity.

The modern superhero has swung between self-serious (The Dark Knight) and self-effacing (The Avengers), but rarely has it been self-critical enough to embrace the campiness of its source material. I wrote in my review of Joker in 2019 that there was something especially kitsch about Phoenix's performance as he completed his transformation — an effeminacy that seemed to embody society's fears and rejection of queerness. But the film itself never follows through on this. Vera Drew picks up this baton and charges headfirst into a pane of stained glass dedicated to the sanctity of modern superheroes. She is, in effect, making the 2019 Joker movie feel complete; her film is as much a parody as it is a complementary puzzle piece.

However, the movie was nearly prevented from seeing the light of day.

The delayed arrival of The People's Joker. Credit: Altered Innocence

After its premiere at TIFF in September 2022, subsequent screenings of The People's Joker were pulled from the festival, and from subsequent festivals like Fantastic Fest. The details are muddy, but appear to involve an initial letter from DC Comics owners Warner Bros. Discovery — not technically a cease-and-desist, but something strongly worded — which may have had an inadvertent Streisand effect, propelling the film to heroic underdog status.

Soon, even to those who hadn't yet seen it, The People's Joker wasn't just a parody film but a symbol of mistreatment by powerful conglomerates, despite the movie appearing to fall under fair use according to copyright law. Even without the spotlight shone on the movie thanks to this controversy, it would still have functioned as a critique of corporate IP. Instead, it was transformed into a meta-text in the process. The film is both about, and fully embodies, the notion of artistic freedom.

Perhaps it's more "important" than consistently good — it fails to be funny or engaging for stretches — but its importance can't be understated. Its fictional story is of a closeted trans woman searching for an outlet through artistic expression despite fascist crackdowns and the corporatization of art, just as its journey to the screen is one of a trans filmmaker attempting to express her own story in the face of corporate suppression. As reflected by the malaise at the box office, "superhero fatigue" has inevitably set in for audiences. Yet this meta text reinvigorates the genre, as The People's Joker not only tells a subversive story of fighting the powers that be, but fully embodies that message with its passion for the IP and its utter irreverence for its supposed sanctity. (Deadpool's R-rated snark feels tame next to Joker the Harlequin's.) 

Ironically, Warner Bros.' wariness over Vera Drew's movie has made The People's Joker  all the more powerful. However, this superhero parody is also zany, silly, kitschy, and above all thoughtful enough that it would've likely struck a chord regardless.

The People's Joker is now in theaters.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Take $135 off this Panasonic-powered, MagSafe-compatible power bank

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: Through April 7, this Panasonic-powered, MagSafe-compatible portable power bank that can charge up to six devices simultaneously is on sale for $183.99 with the code SECURE20.

To those of us whose lives seem tethered to the screens of our devices (see also: everyone), the fear of them going kaput at the most inopportune moment is all too real. A reliable power bank in tow is not just a nice-to-have — it's a necessity at this point.

If you're one to juggle more than a handful of devices, a portable battery that can accommodate multiple gadgets at once is ideal. The Panasonic-powered Flash Pro Plus, for instance, can charge up to six devices at once, wired or otherwise, and through April 7, you can snag it on sale for 42% off with the code SECURE20.

From smartphones to tablets to even laptops, the Flash Pro Plus can charge it all. Designed to cater to Apple and Android users, it packs 25,000mAh of power and boasts fast charging capabilities, taking your device from 0 to 100% in only a little over an hour. It has a built-in 50W USB-A port compatible with Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, and Huawei devices, a 100W USB-C port for laptop charging, and MagSafe compatibility that supports wireless charging of up to 15W for devices like iPhones. There's even a separate charging pad exclusively made for Apple Watches. If you're charging multiple devices simultaneously, the built-in OLED display provides real-time information about the current battery percentage of each one.

In terms of longevity, the power bank is Graphene-infused and designed in partnership with Panasonic to ensure its durability. It's also portable enough to carry with you wherever you go, and TSA and EASA-approved, making it suitable for air travel.

Keep your gadgets going with the Flash Pro Plus. It normally retails for $319, but you can get it on sale for $183.99 with the code SECURE20 through April 7.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Chargeasap Flash Pro Plus 100W USB-C 25000mAh Graphene Power Bank w/ Magsafe Compatibility $183.99 at the Mashable Shop
$319.00 Save $135.01 with code SECURE20 Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

Score this refurbished Dell Chromebook for only $88

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

TL;DR: Through April 7, pay only $87.99 for this refurbished Dell Chromebook 3100.

What's the point of investing in a state-of-the-art laptop if all you'll do is browse the web, check your email, and draft documents? When it comes to your gear, you don't always have to throw money at swanky gadgets. If you're only on the hunt for a trusty device that can handle daily computing tasks, consider picking up this refurbished Dell Chromebook 3100.

On sale for under $90 through April 7, this new-to-you Dell laptop makes short work of everyday multitasking. Designed for students and casual users, it may not have the swankiest specs, but it packs enough features to help you power through your usual tasks.

This Chromebook is powered by an Intel Celeron N4000 processor that delivers the needed speed to cross out one task after another. Its 4GB RAM allows for simultaneous booting and running of multiple programs sans the lag, while its 32GB storage capacity offers enough digital real estate to house your most important files. It also comes with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, along with USB ports and a headphone jack for your peripherals.

With its 1366x768 resolution screen, you can view and browse web pages and media in vivid detail. Plus, with Chrome OS installed, you'll have immediate access to Google-integrated apps you're likely already familiar with, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sheets, YouTube, and more.

Now, it's worth mentioning that this refurbished Chromebook is listed with a grade "B" rating, meaning it may have minor scuffing on the body. But rest assured that the minor cosmetic marks don't compromise how the laptop operates.

Enjoy no-frills computing with this new-to-you Dell Chromebook 3100. It usually retails for $100, but you can get it for only $87.99 through April 7.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dell Dell Chromebook 3100 11" 2.6GHz, 4GB RAM 32GB eMMC (Refurbished) $87.99 at the Mashable Shop
$100.00 Save $12.01 Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

'Mary and George' review: The horniest period drama of 2024 is also one of its best

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

If you like your period dramas dripping with political viciousness and lust, let Mary & George satisfy your every craving.

SEE ALSO: 'Renegade Nell' review: All hail Louisa Harland's highwaywoman!

This miniseries, based on Benjamin Woolley's nonfiction novel The King's Assassin, offers up a seductive tale of power — and the lengths we go to to claim it. There will be educational threesomes, attempts at dark magic, and of course, good, old-fashioned murder. And at the center of it all lies the titular mother and son pairing determined to take Jacobean England by storm, played to perfection by Julianne Moore (May December) and Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You).

What is Mary & George about? Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in "Mary & George." Credit: Starz

Moore plays Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham. When we first meet her, she's just given birth to her second son, George (Galitzine), to whom she mutters such sweet nothings as "Perhaps I should have left you on the floor to rot" and "What use are you to anybody?" Her toughest-of-tough love — if that's even what you could call this — hides a kernel of truth. Being a second son means George won't inherit anything of value, so he will always be seen as less-than.

But as George grows up, it's clear Mary views him as the most "useful" of any of her children. Her first son, John (Tom Victor), is mentally ill, and therefore shunned, so she turns to George's good looks to try to secure a prosperous future for her otherwise penniless family. That means sending George to France to learn how to behave in high society. Lessons include sword fighting, etiquette, and leveraging your sexuality and your body to get just what you want, from men or women alike. Showrunner D.C. Moore brings these early scenes in France to life with equal parts titillating teasing and full-on debauchery, but they're only hints at what's to come once George returns home to England.

SEE ALSO: Get three months of Starz for less than 10 bucks

That's because Mary, in all her puppet master glory, has her sights set on the highest possible target for George's affections and newly honed talents. He isn't going to seduce just any noble: He's going to seduce King James VI and I (Tony Curran) and secure the Villiers family all the power and fortune Mary so desperately desires.

Mary & George is sexy, biting, and tragic all at once. Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran in "Mary & George." Credit: Starz

George's path to becoming King James' lover isn't a straight line. The king's bedchamber is already full of young men clamoring for his favor, with Robert Carr (Laurie Davidson), the cunning Earl of Somerset, standing above them all. The interplay between Mary, George, and the Somersets makes for some delicious, The Great–style verbal sparring — especially in a scene in which courtiers admonish Mary for her overly rouged face. Some excellent editing choices, including perfectly timed smash cuts to title cards, add an extra level of humor to a show whose dialogue is already a riot.

But even with all its royal ruffs and political rituals, Mary & George isn't afraid to get down in the muck either. George bites it multiple times throughout his earlier attempts to meet James, at one point throwing himself into mud behind James' carriage in a moment of total desperation. Wooing a king, it seems, is not a pretty business. And Mary & George refuses to stay buttoned-up for the sake of keeping history prim and proper.

SEE ALSO: 'La Chimera' review: Josh O'Connor goes tomb raiding in this magical film

That sentiment extends to the show's treatment of sex. Raunchy love scenes abound, from royal orgies to secret meetups in dark alleyways. But what else would you expect from King James, a monarch whose constant public horniness seemingly heightens the lust in everyone around him? In his court, desire is the norm, as is queerness. ("Bodies are just bodies" is a common refrain throughout the series.) James is unabashed in his love for men, and it's a given that those who gain his affections, like George and Robert, are elevated in stature. If they are judged within the court, it's more due to envy of their status than their sexual orientation, although there are certainly members of the greater public who consider James' behavior to be taboo.

In a court where love and sex are as good as currency, Mary & George still works hard to position James and George's connection as (mostly) genuine. Galitzine and Curran are magnetic as this deeply flawed couple, at one point declaring their love, at others taking different lovers in order to make each other jealous. There's fun in their petty moments of revenge, but there's tragedy here, too — especially as James' health declines and George grows further into the role of a politician interested only in his own best interests.

George's relationship with Mary compounds this tragedy even further. Mary is so obsessed with protecting herself by raising her family up in the world that she reduces each of her children to tools who can get her what she wants, most often via strategic marriage or seduction. If everyone in your family has been alienated or turned into some warped version of themselves, is the status you achieve even worth it?

Julianne Moore, Nicholas Galitzine, and Tony Curran make Mary & George a must-watch. Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in "Mary & George." Credit: Starz

As Mary schemes and plots, Moore attacks every scene she's in with cold ferocity, transforming Mary into a ruthless political maneuverer who never lets her guard down — not even around her children. Even when George tries (and fails) to hang himself to avoid traveling to France, her reaction is one of blasé disgust. Yes, she's despicable, but in Moore's hands, Mary is so heinous it's fun.

As Moore's onscreen son, Galitzine continues his rise to stardom following his turns as a dumb jock in Bottoms and an English prince in Red, White & Royal Blue. Hilariously, his role in Mary & George serves as a kind of crossover event, as Red, White & Royal Blue's Prince Henry cites George Villiers as King James' "dumb jock boyfriend" in the novel. Despite this strange coincidence, Galitzine's performance here is nothing like his prior work. He begins Mary & George as a charming, if angsty, young man, and his transformation into a vicious power player over the course of the show is mesmerizing to behold. Watching him and Moore go from conspiring together to butting heads becomes one of Mary & George's great joys.

Another of those great joys is Curran's work as James, who serves as Mary & George's sad, and surprising, heart. Curran's James is bombastic and brash as he oversees his court, yet there's a constant sense that he knows he's being used. No matter how much George offers his love, or Mary her friendship, there's always the slightest hint of fear in James that none of this might be real.

These touches of pain serve as the perfect foil to Moore and Galitzine's more devious performances, although there's no doubt that Mary and George come with their own baggage. This trio's dynamic may be royally screwed, but Moore, Galitzine, and Curran make them a mess you simply can't ignore.

Mary & George is now streaming on Starz.

Categories: IT General, Technology

'Ripley' vs. 'The Talented Mr. Ripley': The tiny change that makes a big impact

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

In some ways, Ripley is ruthlessly aligned to Patricia Highsmith's beloved 1955 novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Writer/director Steven Zaillian uses the breadth of eight episodes to dive into the details of the antihero's deceptions, laying the groundwork for his dubious backstory, specifying his clever check counterfeiting, and keeping close to the source material when it comes to Ripley's most malicious crimes. But one little detail has been altered in this Netflix miniseries, and it makes a big difference. It's all about a dressing robe. 

For those new to the world of Tom Ripley (All of Us Strangers' Andrew Scott), the new series bearing his name stars Scott as an enterprising American who lives uncomfortably on the fringe of New York's high society. That is, until shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf inadvertently gives him a way to dig in like a tick.

SEE ALSO: 'Ripley' review: Andrew Scott is a stone cold marvel in exquisite Highsmith adaptation

Greenleaf's 25-year-old heir apparent, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), has fluttered off to Italy, where he harbors romantic dreams of becoming a painter. Desperate to get him back to America and invested in the family business, Herbert — believing Tom to be a friend to his prodigal son — offers him a paid trip to Europe with the task of convincing Dickie to come home. But shortly after setting foot on a picturesque (and piping hot) Italian beach, Tom falls hard for this affluent life of leisure — and Dickie Greenleaf himself. Using his wits and flexible moral code, Tom Ripley will do whatever it takes to stay in this cushy social sphere. No one will stand in his way. 

But what does a robe have to do with all this?

Why the robe in Ripley matters. Credit: Netflix

In both the book and the show, Dickie's mother entreats Tom to take a few gifts for her son with him: Some socks, some shirts, and a robe. In both versions, she's precise on all the objects except for the robe, insisting that Tom — as Dickie's friend — pick a color that would suit her son. In the novel, when Tom presents the robe he's chosen to Dickie in Italy, Highsmith describes the minor event like this, "As Tom had anticipated, Dickie was extremely pleased with the bathrobe."

In the previous chapter, Tom had thought all he desired was for Dickie to like him, so the American playboy approving of his sartorial style here is a feather in his cap, as it were. But in the show, things don't turn out so pleasant. It's not just that Dickie doesn't like the robe — though he doesn't. It's that Zaillian uses Dickie's distaste of it to build a thread in a tapestry of Tom's resentments and feelings of rejection. 

Featured Video For You Andrew Scott on crafting the iconic 'Ripley' in Netflix's new mystery series

In episode 1, "I: A Good Man Is Hard to Find," Tom obediently rolls into Brooks Brothers to retrieve the ordered clothes. When the snobby clerk notes Mrs. Greenleaf has left the color choice up to Tom, he says, "Oh, I think the maroon." Without hesitation, the clerk corrects him sharply, "The burgundy." Tom blinks and drops his gaze, repeating sheepishly, "Burgundy." 

Ripley is presented in black-and-white, so the viewing audience cannot see this color (maroon or burgundy or not). However, when a wide shot reveals all three potential dressing robes side-by-side, the one Tom's chosen stands out all the same. The other two are striped, mirroring the style of a blazer or business suit perhaps. The third — the burgundy — boasts a loud paisley pattern.

"Are you sure?" The clerk responds, a hint of judgment in his tone. Tom is sure.

Ripley's robe illustrates Tom's otherness.  Credit: Netflix

This first robe scene is one of many moments in the series in which Tom's taste is called into question. The implication between him not knowing the name of this hue and his choice of the loudest robe suggests he is lowbrow — even by the standards of Brooks Brothers' clerk. But even before this blunder, there are details that show how he stands out among the wealthy: Tom's wrinkled shirt. His hands plunged self-consciously in his jacket's pockets. Then his slight embarrassment at the color correction. He is othered in this moment for failing to meet the aesthetic standards of the high class and for feeling shamed by a shop clerk. (We'll soon learn that even Dickie gets the color wrong, but no one will correct him.)

Episode 2, "II: Seven Mercies," reveals Dickie's reaction to the robe. Looking over the shirts from Mrs. Greenleaf, the dashing young man offers a snide comment, "My mother doesn't seem to realize that the best shirts in New York were imported from here," meaning Italy. Yet for the dressing robe, he reserves a sharper disdain. "Of course she'd choose this one," Dickie says, looking upon the robe while Tom looks upon him expectantly. "Who in the world would ever wear a purple paisley robe? I mean, my god. It's awful." 

In the book, Tom is pleased to know he and Dickie share a similar taste, proven by Dickie's approval of the chosen robe. In the show, Tom looks stricken. It's not just that they don't have the same aesthetic; it's that Dickie's blasé remark unknowingly declares Tom as having terrible taste, as being less than. Yet Dickie calling this robe "purple" is another clue to Zaillian's adaptation. 

Purple has long been a color tied to queer-coding. In the 1950s, when gossip columnists were writing about Hollywood leading men whose homosexuality was an open secret (or a deeply hidden one), they'd use code words like "confirmed bachelor," "dedicated to his mother," and sometimes note a purple flower in his lapel. It seems Zaillian is drawing on these codes of Ripley's time to allude to Tom's own unspoken same-sex yearning for Dickie. Essentially, without realizing it, Dickie is calling Tom out, and not kindly.

Later in the TV series — as he did in the novel — Dickie will confront directly Tom about his presumed queerness — which Tom denies vehemently. Perhaps this robe scene plays into why Tom rejects this label. Dickie isn't sophisticated enough to get the color of the robe right, but he wrote the "purple" robe off as a "awful" thing. Inadvertently, Dickie rejected Tom's hint of who he really is beneath his flattering facade. And the sting of this is clear on Andrew Scott's face, as Johnny Flynn goes on chattering with no apparent notice.

Yet the queer subtext gets more pronounced in the robe's final big moment. 

How the robe seals Freddie Miles' fate. Credit: Netflix

After their disastrous boat ride, Tom returns to Dickie's villa to pack up the late heir's things. To substantiate his story that Dickie is moving to Rome, Tom — as a bosom buddy — is gathering up his effects. Among Dickie's jewelry and suits, Tom also packs the robe. Later, in "V: Lucio," when unwelcome acquaintance Freddie Miles (Eliot Sumner) barges in, Tom tries to convince him this Roman apartment is Dickie's, not his. But Freddie is suspicious and spots something strange.

Hung on the lone bedroom's door is the paisley robe, a garish trinket amid the marble floors and dark wood furniture. An insert shot draws the audience's attention to it, but Freddie doesn't immediately mention the robe, instead asking for a drink and feeling out this Ripley character.

After making him squirm for a bit, Freddie accuses, "You're living here with [Dickie], aren't you?" When Tom denies this, Freddie counters, "Dickie wouldn't be caught dead in that ghastly robe." Tom doesn't speak, but his eyes grow fierce as if he's fixing on a dark decision. 

In the book, Freddie comes to a similar conclusion of cohabitation, but it has no connection to the robe. (It's a piece of jewelry that triggers Freddie's declaration.) Desperate to keep the real secret of Dickie hidden, Tom kills Freddie in that apartment, and swiftly blames the victim. He decides that Freddie is the kind of man who'd beat someone up for being a "pansy." Highsmith's prose invites the reader into his further internal justification:

"One could loathe Freddie, too. A selfish, stupid bastard who had sneered at one of his best friends — Dickie certainly was one of his best friends — just because he suspected him of sexual deviation. Tom laughed at that phrase, 'sexual deviation.' Where was the sex? Where was the deviation? He looked at Freddie and said low and bitterly, 'Freddie Miles, you're a victim of your own dirty mind.'"

In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom doesn't so much grapple with his sexuality as he fiercely runs from it by becoming Dickie over admitting in any real way his complicated feelings for the man. 

How Freddie is different from the book to the Ripley TV show.

In contrast, Ripley doesn't paint Freddie as homophobic, instead implying Freddie and Tom might have queerness in common. In the book, Freddie is described as an ugly "mountain" of a man with red hair. In the series, he's played by the slender Eliot Sumner, whose look is androgynous and suave.

Notably, during their fatal confrontation, Freddie wears a printed scarf that could be deemed "loud" in the same way as the robe. He had a flirtatious energy toward Dickie in earlier episodes and perhaps regards Tom with a pang of surly jealousy. Plus, the naked young man waiting for Freddie in his hotel room further suggests the character's queerness. In the show, Tom exploits the Italian police's presumed homophobia as a tool to suggest Freddie was a debaucherous, unsavory sort, who might wind up murdered because of his lifestyle. In this way, Tom shows to the audience a keen awareness of how gay men were often maligned, even as he uses it to his own selfish means. 

Essentially, in the series, Freddie and Tom as presented as more alike than they are different, down to their flamboyant accessories and the implications of them. This suggests queerness alone might not have led to Tom being cast out of Dickie's circle of friends. However, Tom's queerness is not as important to the character as his deep fear of alienation. One informs the other, certainly, as the supporting characters in the book — and to a lesser degree in the show — regard "sissy" behavior with a sneer. But Tom's driving motivation is his need to be included, and once he is rejected by Dickie, he strives lethally to present himself as a man worthy of inclusion.

Love might seem too foreign a concept to a man who refuses to know himself the way this American tourist does. Tom creates entire fictions for himself to keep from recognizing his own flaws. Beyond Dickie, the embrace of high society is something Tom cons his way into throughout this series. Playing to the egos of the wealthy, he mirrors the interests of his posh prey. He manipulates their emotions by exploiting their vanity. He spins tales to amuse them and make himself seem more a jester than a threat. He seeks validation via party invites, fancy dinners, and day trips. Still, his resentment keeps him at a remove, as do his resulting crimes of theft and murder.

Whether using the name Dickie or Tom, he doesn't let anyone close. Yet he yearns to be seen and coveted — perhaps like a purple paisley robe from Brooks Brothers. 

Ripley is now streaming on Netflix.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best VPN services of 2024, tested and reviewed

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

UPDATE: Apr. 5, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT We're in the process of overhauling our VPN coverage based on stricter criteria and additional hands-on testing. As such, this guide to the best VPNs will continue to evolve as we review more services.

Don't let it go to your head, but everybody wants you — more specifically, your browsing data. Personal information about the links you click on and the sites you visit is highly valuable to third parties, including your internet service provider (ISP) and Google, who may want to share or monetize it. Certain government and law enforcement agencies are also eager to peek at your activity online for their own surveillance purposes, as horny Texans learned earlier this year.

One way to reclaim some of your digital privacy is by getting a virtual private network, or VPN, a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and one of the VPN provider's private, remote servers before spitting it out onto the open web.

Why do you need a VPN?

While the best VPNs won't make you totally anonymous — VPN providers can still see what you're doing while you're using their servers — they can secure your data and hide your true IP address from prying eyes on the outside.

SEE ALSO: Texas says goodbye to Pornhub — and hello to the top 10 VPNs

While not its primary purpose, a VPN's ability to conceal your real IP address also makes it useful for spoofing your location. This will allow you to bypass geo-restrictions on content that's not available in your country or region. (If you're someone in the U.S. who wants access to streaming services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX, for example, a VPN can make it happen.)

Deciding which VPN to trust with your privacy and your money can be tough, especially if you're not familiar with the technology, which is why we're testing (and re-testing) a slew of popular VPN services. Keep reading for a rundown of the best VPN services we've tried so far.

Note: Prices for most VPN providers' long-term plans change frequently. The rates below were accurate at the time of publication.

Best VPN deals this week
  • ProtonVPN PCMag Exclusive: $3.95 Per Month + 5-Months Free (60% Off 2-Year Plan)
  • Surfshark VPN $2.29 Per Month + 2-Months Free (79% Off 2-Year Plan)
  • ExpressVPN $6.67 Per Month 1-Year Plan + 3-Months Free + 1-Year Free Backblaze
  • NordVPN $3.09 Per Month + 3-Months Free (Up to 69% Off 2-Year Plan)
Categories: IT General, Technology

AdultFriendFinder is a borderline-porn hookup site that's stuck in the past

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 11:00

Moving to a new city or working at a new job where you don't know anybody can seriously be depressing, especially if you're already introverted as it is. What are you supposed to do? Sit at the bar by yourself? And talk to strangers?

Then comes the lightbulb idea: You can make friends online! If online dating is so popular and successful, there's no way there aren't a few legit sites where you can make adult friends in your area with similar interests. Hmm, AdultFriendFinder.com sounds like the right ballpark.

So you're on your lunch break at work, type in the URL, and the next thing you know, you're frantically closing the tab and hoping nobody walked behind you for that split second.

Our point: AdultFriendFinder is not what it sounds like.

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder What is AdultFriendFinder?

AdultFriendFinder is one of the most well-known sites for finding quick sexual encounters, regular hookups, and literally anything else even remotely related to sex. The rowdy feed of matches, jumble of explicit photos, and stimulating calls-to-action offering all types of sex makes it heaven for anyone looking for a good time with no filter — and hell for someone who wouldn't be caught dead clicking on a "There are hot singles in your area" ad.

SEE ALSO: The best sex toy deals to shop this week

Even if you're not using it for real sex, it's always nice to have spank bank material in your back pocket. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, sexting, nudes, and Pornhub searches all saw a spike thanks to the vast number of people who started social distancing at home. Those who didn't want to risk quarantine sex or weren't finding people on their level of horniness on Tinder were pretty much guaranteed to get their rocks off somehow via AdultFriendFinder.

On AFF, you can find someone to sext via messaging or video chat (and plan to get it on IRL, if that's what you're looking for), watch live streams, or join niche group chat rooms. Is it worth $20-something per month? Depends on how much fishy content you're willing to overlook for a juicy sexting session.

We reached out to Kalyn Sanders, a business development executive at Friend Finder Networks, for updated AFF demographics. Right up there with Tinder's monthly flock, AdultFriendFinder snags the attention of over 55 million visits around the world per month, on average. (To whet your appetite upon signup, the main landing page flashes a few statistics, including "98,897,765 hot photos" and "3,495,277 connections," but we're not exactly sure what that means.) Most traffic originates from the United States, followed by visitors from the United Kingdom and Canada. SimilarWeb ranks the site as the 25th most-visited adult site in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: Is Tinder Platinum worth it? I tried it for 3 months to find out.

Specifics on the demographic that most people care about — the gender ratio — can be hard to track down. Sanders told us that "there's a two to one ratio of single men versus categories like single women, couples, and groups." The split between men and women is an expected one for a lot of hookup-centric sites. At the end of the day, it's a paradise for straight men, hit-or-miss for straight women and LGBTQ men, and likely an actual hellscape for LGBTQ women.

AFF lets you identify as and search for a man, woman, a couple, or trans. Despite trying to be a sex-positive site with blog posts, groups, a sex academy, and more, its language for the LGBTQ community has historically been anything but inclusive or positive. Previously, the AFF sign-up page listed "TG/TV/TS" as the "trans" gender selection — we'll let you infer what those stand for. Though, we will admit, this language has improved recently with more gender options that are appropriately labeled.

SEE ALSO: How to unblock Xnxx porn for free Is AdultFriendFinder worth it?

If you're 100 percent over being grilled with relationship questions and the slow-and-steady pace on traditional dating sites like eharmony or Match, AdultFriendFinder is your golden ticket to instant communication. Registering takes about 30 seconds — it requires nothing from you aside from an email address, a username, a password, and an introduction. Your notifications will start pouring in even without adding any juicy info (because people see nothing wrong with hitting up a profile with a gray silhouette as a profile photo, apparently), but it's probably best to add a few photos and a detailed description — both to up your chances of flirtation or finding someone who shares a super-specific fantasy, and also to signal to other users that you're not a bot.

AdultFriendFinder features a personality questionnaire to personalize your profile and up your chances of finding a compatible match. Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder

After registering, there are a ton of ways to personalize your account (way more than you'd expect for a hookup site, honestly). The more you fill out, the more attractive your profile will be to new viewers. There are the basic physical appearance questions about eye and hair color, and since I identified as a woman, cup size was an option. (If you identify as a man, I'm sure you can guess what question they ask.)

Many self-proclaimed hookup seekers can probably admit that they'd still like to hook up with someone they'd also like to grab a beer with, especially if they plan to see that person multiple times. Those people will appreciate that AFF gives a compatibility score with each user you come across: a metric that rates how well you might mesh with someone in the bedroom based on how you answered questions about what turns you on, whether you're dominant or submissive, and so on.

The site also features a personality test and a "My Kinks" form where you can select whether or not you're "curious about, into, or can't live without" a certain kink (e.g., anal, bondage, role play, etc.). It also lets you choose whether you're a voyeur, the giver, or the receiver.

One weird thing about the Personality Type test is that it asks several questions about whether or not you enjoy shopping at discount stores — not really sure what that's about. It also asks whether or not "a quiet time for prayer should be allowed in school." You can choose "strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, somewhat agree, or strongly agree."

Once you finish the personality test (20 questions), you can opt to have your Personality Type show up on your profile or have it hidden. It will also show you which personality types complement yours.

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Finding a match on AdultFriendFinder

Like a traditional dating site, AdultFriendFinder gives you a collage of potential matches and will let you know who's online or close distance-wise. These will be random right after you sign up, but you can opt to update your preferences to refine your results: Choose your preferred gender(s), age range, location and mile radius, race, sexual orientation, body type, and marital status.

You barely have to scroll before noticing that there's no shortage of nudity. Depending on whether you set your preferences to men, women, or both, you'll see all of that stuff up close, personal, swinging around, in action. You name it, it'll pop up.

AdultFriendFinder is basically like a PornHub that you can interact with. We probably don't have to say this, but AdultFriendFinder is NSFW and not safe to be on while kids are in the room. If you'd rather not see the site's raunchier side, it offers a "no nudity" option, but I still wouldn't trust this filter enough to be online in a family setting or at work. Some videos will be blurred out and read "Naughty video" until you upgrade to a Gold Membership, but trust me — you'll get to see a lot, even with the free version.

The message section is set up similarly to a Gmail account, and you can mark things as read or important just as you would on a real email. You'll receive some crude messages instantly (creeps on Tinder do the same thing), but some will be genuinely friendly.

SEE ALSO: Tinder releases yet another feature to stop inappropriate messages AFF is not all bad

Once you get past the in-your-face sexplosion of naked profile pictures, horny AIM-era profile names, and explicit videos, there are actually an impressive number of resources to help make your experience as satisfying as possible. Some will cost money even outside of the paid subscription, which is kind of dumb.

Aside from the NSFW content, the website is relatively straightforward (albeit ugly). Every feature is advertised in big letters, notifications are displayed clearly with labels, and you don't really have to click around to find anything. This makes it super accessible for users of all ages, even those who aren't tech-savvy and can't even figure out Facebook. Buttons are all over the place, but you figure it out after messing around for a few minutes.

Activities range from direct messaging, sending virtual gifts and tips, watching live videos of people in your feed, joining adult chat rooms that can get very niche, or entering photo contests.

AdultFriendFinder is like a PornHub that you can interact with.

Think of AdultFriendFinder as the dating site version of New York City — it never sleeps. You'll find people who work the regular 9 to 5, people who work the night shift, and people in other time zones, so it's nearly impossible to log on and not have people to talk to. You know, like that booty call who's always awake when you text them.

Or at least that used to be the case... 10 years ago. What was once a hot site that a few Reddit users were quick to hype up is now one of the dating sites that Reddit users can't help but diss — in the few instances that AFF is even being discussed at all. It's notable that, on a site where online dating is such a mammoth topic of discussion, AdultFriendFinder has rarely been mentioned in a positive light since the early 2010s. The Reddit community is diverse and open-minded; if a dating site exists, someone on Reddit has used it and has an opinion. When an innocent soul does ask if it's legit, AFF usually gets dragged for sketchy pricing and being riddled with bots.

However, some Reddit members have praised AFF as a site for men meeting men. Even so, the site's still buggy and isn't exactly great for meeting real people who aren't, as one Reddit user so eloquently put it, "busted and unstable."

SEE ALSO: Is Bumble Premium worth it? I tried it for 2 months to find out. Paid memberships are where things get... interesting

You can do a decent amount of exploring without paying a cent: Limited messaging and emailing, visit and like most profiles, and enter some chat rooms. But just a few clicks on AdultFriendFinder can send you deep down the rabbit hole, and a lot of that juicier hidden content can only be unlocked with a paid membership (called the Gold membership) or by earning points.

Points are AdultFriendFinder's non-monetary currency. If you're a free member, you'll have to earn points through on-site activity to unlock stuff that's exclusive to paying members. It's kind of like a game, with points acting like dollar bills at the strip club.

A Gold membership is pretty much the standard if you're a guy looking for girls. While researching on Reddit, we found a few women who said they wouldn't meet a guy unless he's a Gold member. A Gold membership puts a little bit more credibility behind someone's profile and makes the whole encounter feel a bit safer. It's easier to believe that someone's a real person if they're a paying, active member of the site, and it's nice to know that they're taking it slightly seriously. Plus, if you see a picture or profile that looks like it's 10 years old, it really might be — there are a ton of non-active, non-paying profiles from old members and escorts still lingering.

AdultFriendFinder also gives members the option to confirm their identity with ConfirmID. If you do this, the site promises to give you two weeks of Gold for free. The ConfirmID works by entering your legal first and last name, home address, gender, and date of birth and uploading a copy of your driver's license, passport, or other government-issued ID.

If you spend more quality time on the site than expected, becoming a paid member is definitely something to consider. Once you're paying, you basically become royalty on the site: Your profile will appear way higher in searches, you can use the most advanced searches, unlock profiles with private photo albums, check out video profiles, and message to your heart's content. A general rule is that increased involvement and payment on your end generally equals more success on the website, as your constant activity and heightened searchability make it easier for others to find you.

AdultFriendFinder price

Prices for a Gold membership fluctuate but generally get cheaper the longer your subscription is: Get one month for $27.95, three months for $20.95 per month ($62.82 total), or 12 months for $14.95 per month ($179.40 total). The three-month membership is billed quarterly, while the 12-month membership is billed annually. With a Gold membership, free members cannot contact you, but they can still see your profile.

You can also purchase profile highlights designed to make your profile stand out. They're $9.95 per month or $8.95 per month for a three-month run (billed quarterly). Although it's not super clear how these highlights work, the site promises your profile will "get noticed first in search and browse results" and that your emails will appear highlighted. It also notes that highlights are "colorful and attention-grabbing."

Credit: Screenshot: AdultFriendFinder Good for: Very open-minded people looking to blow off steam

Stating the obvious, AdultFriendFinder is a space for people who want to bang with no strings attached, people who are in a sexual rut, people who are tired of porn, and people who find sites like eharmony boring. Getting to know someone for weeks before meeting up can be exhausting, and sometimes, you want to skip the small talk and do the dirty with a random. It's gonna get kinky out there, and that's great for those who are dying to blow off steam and want someone who will respond well to a brusque, sexy message.

People are so active on this site that it's impossible not to feel desired. You'll probably get a flood of message notifications, and once you come across your first legit suitor, you'll start to loosen up. Even if you're left on read a few times, you'll learn which opening lines and flirty comments work and which don't. But since the site is aimed toward casual sex and encounters and not serious relationships, the whole rejection thing isn't nearly as prevalent.

As with all dating sites, catfishing is a big buzzkill. Your chances of being pursued are way higher if you have a lot of pictures of the same person (AKA you), videos, and a genuine profile that lets people know they're not dealing with something sketchy. Even if you've had bad luck with online dating in the past, AdultFriendFinder is the place to be honest.

Bad for: People looking for a real relationship and the entire socially-conscious community

You know those warnings that thrill rides at amusement parks are required to put up that tell people who get dizzy easily or have heart problems to not get on the ride? AdultFriendFinder could use something like that. This site is not for the faint of heart — if you're a cynic, conservative by any means, get sketched out easily, or aren't a fan of dick pics, you'll probably hate it. Similarly, if you appreciate a well-crafted, aesthetically-pleasing website that feels safe — no matter how badly you want to have sex — one glance at the landing page likely signals that it's not for you.

AdultFriendFinder is not the place to be if you're trying to make friends unless "with benefits" is tacked onto the end. Every inch of the site screams "this website is used to have sex," and you should really listen to that.

As illustrated by the recent flood of artsy activism guides on Instagram, it's clear what content appeals to young people on the internet: Something aesthetically-pleasing, sharable, and digestible. The "sharable" part doesn't totally apply to online dating, but apps like Hinge and OkCupid closely follow this design trend by limiting the number of words (and ads) in each tab, steering clear of endless scrolling, and ensuring that important info isn't cluttered with flashing clickbait.

For instance, Pure is a modern, no-strings-attached hookup app that appeals to your horny side with a single, witty statement about sex rather than bombarding you with boobs and "Have sex in NYC now!" claims. Anyone older than a millennial may be totally used to this pop-up-ridden layout, which seemed to be popular in the early 2000s — but for younger folks, AFF's chaotic approach is way too reminiscent of Omegle.

AFF could do so much more to make people take it seriously

The entire website looks like an ad about hot MILFs that pops up when you're illegally streaming a movie. Seriously, it's bad. Even though the website is technically legit, the pictures, word choice, and exclamation points everywhere scream "scam." No, AdultFriendFinder, "98,897,765 Hot Photos" is not the way to make potential new users trust you.

We're not knocking a quick hookup or no-strings-attached relations. This isn't about morals. Genitals are quite literally in your face from the moment you make an account, and that's just not cute. There are chiller ways to go about insinuating that this is a hookup website without feeling like you're trapped in a sex dungeon with strangers.

I could not get past the fact that the entire site looks like it's about to invite five viruses to your computer. We're talking terrible graphics that look like they were made on Microsoft Paint and pictures of women who look like they're from Pornhub in 2007. (That's when AdultFriendFinder was officially sold and rebranded from its original parent company.) Reddit user Snoo53279 summed it up in a comment from July 2020: "The people on AFF are definitely real, but there is a huge smattering of bots that also get in the way so it can be a bit of a PITA to use." If they're not bots, they could be men posing as a couple to seem less threatening.

The parade of women on the landing page is questionable for two reasons. This shouldn't even need to be clarified, but not everyone is looking for a woman. At the least, the advertising isn't inclusive — but this crosses into fetishization territory. The cherry on top is that the women in the photos (unsurprisingly) probably aren't even members of the site, according to a disclaimer at the bottom of the landing page.

AdultFriendFinder's overall outdated vibe goes past an aesthetic annoyance — it's downright problematic at times. The lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community is nearly unforgivable, and we'd be scared to see some of the related rhetoric that AFF users feel comfortable spewing. Without even a dash of social awareness, it's hard to see how anyone who's not an out-of-touch straight cis man would feel comfortable on this site.

Attempting to navigate the shoddy design might be enough to smother your horniness. Three main issues can make the site borderline unusable: It looks shady as hell, an alarming portion of the user base is made up of bots and spam accounts, and the user interface itself is outdated and rife with bugs.

Other Reddit users mention that the desktop web version won't even load for them at random times — an especially frustrating roadblock for people who want to end their membership and stop monthly charges. A solution to the laggy web version might be to clear your cache or use the smartphone app, but your experience probably won't improve. AFF's mobile page doesn't even mention an Android app, and the link to the iPhone app brings up a "not available" pop-up in the App Store. For a site that claims to have over 50 million visitors each month, the lack of accessibility to a smartphone app is just plain odd — especially in 2023.

Adding to the sketchiness, a network hack in 2016 exposed around 412 million accounts, including "deleted" accounts that weren't actually deleted from the database. If this is enough reason for you to fall back on Tinder for finding a friend with benefits, we don't blame you. Signing up with a burner email and avoiding using your real name as a username are wise moves (pick a naughty word and add 69 to the end, IDK), though keeping your personal information private is hard when credit cards are involved.

In 2007, AFF was involved in a lawsuit with the FTC over allegations that the site used malware to send explicit pop-up ads to computers owned by people who hadn't signed up for the service. Though we haven't seen reports like this recently, so we're hoping those ridiculous ads you see are at least confined to people who actually use the site.

The alternatives to AdultFriendFinder

Surprisingly, AdultFriendFinder feels much more legit than its competitors. While other hookup sites have names like FreeSnapMilfs.com, Fuckswipe.com, and Instabang.com, AdultFriendFinder will be the one you'd hate showing up in your Google search history the least. Most have the same general idea: to find sexual partners, have cybersex, etc., but with names like those, the authenticity is way too questionable. AdultFriendFinder boasts a much larger audience and has built credibility in a Tinder-saturated market where these blunt, friskier competitors may have trouble gaining trust.

SEE ALSO: Best hookup apps and dating sites to find casual sex with no strings attached

No matter how in the mood you are, your hungry eyes may not be able to look past AFF's heinous interface. We mentioned Pure earlier. The aesthetically pleasing, hella-millennial UX design is simply more palatable than AFF and the blueprint of what a modern hookup app should be. Kind of like a Snapchat for sex; your uploaded selfies, personal info, and conversations will self-destruct every 60 minutes. The app will send the hookup version of an Uber request to anyone close and ready to rumble, and you can choose what information to disclose from there.

Remember when we said AdultFriendFinder would be a nightmare for gay and bi women? Feeld was our favorite alternative app dedicated to singles and couples looking for threesomes, foursomes, or however many people you want — minus the unicorn hunting and rampant fetishization that many non-hetero, non-monogamous people face on traditional hookup sites and apps. However, as of Dec. 7, we are in the process of reevaluating Feeld's place among our recommendations after the app's recent update arrived with bugs and location-related safety concerns. Feeld has since told Mashable that locations shared were not users' current exact locations, rather the name of the city, town, or borough.

The final verdict: Is AdultFriendFinder worth it?

AdultFriendFinder is a low-pressure way to find a friends-with-benefits situation without insulting anyone. Everyone is pretty much there for the same reason — and though it'll feel pretty unorthodox if you've only ever used Tinder to scope this type of thing out, AFF's blunt advertising at least means you won't have to explain that you're not looking for a relationship. It's niche-friendly, well-populated, and has a ton of interactive outlets to indulge your primal urges.

But that freedom comes with a price — the price is feeling like one of those people who fall for the ads that pop up before a free Pornhub video. It's not that a site dedicated to sex and sexting is inherently scammy — it's that AdultFriendFinder drowns you with explicit photos on profiles that might not even be real people while asking you to pay for a subscription with every click.

Unfortunately, no matter how in the mood you are, some people aren't cut out for the nothing-left-to-the-imagination approach with grammar mistakes all over the place. It wants to be sex-positive so badly, but the language the site has used in reference to the trans community is the furthest thing from that.

The functionality and safety of the site and the mobile app aren't where they need to be in 2023. If security measures were tightened, graphics and photos were cleaned up to feel more relevant, and decision-makers behind the scenes were given a lesson in inclusivity and pronouns/identities, AdultFriendFinder could be a handy tool to find attachment-free hookups and connect with a community that's down for anything.

This isn't a dating or hookup site we would personally use, but if you're feeling brave, you can register for AdultFriendFinder here. Just don't try this at work.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder Learn More
Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch the 2024 Paris-Roubaix online for free

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 10:15

TL;DR: Stream the 2024 Paris-Roubaix for free on SBS On Demand. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Hardcore cyclists really love to suffer, for some reason. We're not exactly sure what's so appealing about taking on a steep incline, but there must be something that keeps this dedicated group coming back for more torture.

What's easier to understand is the appeal of watching the best cyclists in the world do battle over one of the most challenging routes imaginable. That's what's on offer from Paris-Roubaix.

If you're interested in watching the 2024 Paris-Roubaix for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is Paris-Roubaix?

Paris–Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting just north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix. The race is nicknamed the "Hell of the North," and it's clear to see why. The route is 259.9 kilometres long with 29 cobblestone road sections totalling 55.7 kilometres.

Mathieu van der Poel won the 2023 Paris-Roubaix.

When is the 2024 Paris-Roubaix?

The 2024 Paris-Roubaix takes place on April 7.

Can you livestream the 2024 Paris-Roubaix for free?

The good news is that free streaming of the 2024 Paris-Roubaix is available from these locations:

You can access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with a VPN. These powerful tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can access free streaming platforms from any location.

Unblock free streaming sites to stream the 2024 Paris-Roubaix by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia (or another location listed above)

  4. Visit SBS On Demand (or another site listed above)

  5. Stream the 2024 Volta a Catalunya for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free streaming sites without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2024 Paris-Roubaix before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Paris-Roubaix?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking free streaming sites to watch sport, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

  • Fast connection speeds

  • Up to five simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the 2024 Paris-Roubaix for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch England Women vs. Sweden Women online for free

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 10:14

TL;DR: Stream England Women vs. Sweden Women in a UEFA EURO 2025 qualifier for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Watching live sport for free is not always easy, which is exactly why it's so satisfying to be able to ditch the dodgy streams and watch your favourite athletes without jumping through hoops.

If you want to watch England Women vs. Sweden Women for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is England Women vs. Sweden Women?

England Women vs. Sweden Women kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on April 5. This fixture takes place at Wembley Stadium.

How to watch England Women vs. Sweden Women for free

England Women vs. Sweden Women will be broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage starting from 7:30 p.m. BST on April 5. You can also live stream this fixture for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK. This process makes it look like you're connecting from the UK, so you can access ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ITVX to watch live football by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  4. Visit ITVX

  5. Stream England Women vs. Sweden Women for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ITVX without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream England Women vs. Sweden Women before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking ITVX, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream England Women vs. Sweden Women for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix online for free

Mashable - Fri, 04/05/2024 - 10:11

TL;DR: Watch the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix for free on ORF, ServusTV, RTBF, or RTL ZWEE. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Believe it or not, but Max Verstappen doesn't win every single F1 race. Carlos Sainz Jr. took the win in Australia, giving hope to everyone that this season might be a little more competitive. Sure, Verstappen was forced to retire from the race after just four laps. But forget all about that. Competitive racing is back.

If you're interested in watching the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, we've got all the information you need.

When is the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix?

The 2024 Japanese Grand Prix takes place over 53 laps of the 5,807-kilometre Suzuka International Racing Course. The full schedule can be found here:

  • Practice 1 — 3:30 to 4:30 a.m. BST on April 5

  • Practice 2 — 7 to 8 a.m. BST on April 5

  • Practice 3 — 3:30 to 4:30 a.m. BST on April 6

  • Qualifying — 7 to 8 a.m. BST on April 6

  • Race — 6 a.m. BST on April 7

Sky Sports is broadcasting live coverage of every race weekend this season, with race highlights of the Japanese Grand Prix available on Channel 4 after the race. But there's an alternative, and it's totally free.

How to watch the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix for free

You can stream all the action from the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix live and free on these streaming platforms:

These free streaming platforms are geo-restricted, meaning you'll be blocked if you attempt to connect from outside the country of origin. Fortunately, you can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can access these streaming services to watch F1 for free from anywhere in the world.

Unblock these free streaming services by following these simple steps:

  1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria, Belgium, or Luxembourg

  4. Connect to ORF, ServusTV, RTBF, or RTL ZWEE

  5. Watch F1 races from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) £82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Formula 1 live streams for free. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can stream the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix without actually spending anything.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for F1?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for streaming live sport, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries including Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg

  • Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is protected

  • Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

  • Up to eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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