Blogroll

TL;DR: The Microsoft Excel: From Beginner to Advanced course is on sale for £16.09, saving you 75% on list price.

Microsoft Excel shouldn't just be a "skill" you flex on your CV when you're trying to impress a potential employer. And while it does have lots of uses in the workplace, including sorting and managing raw data, it can also be incredibly useful in your daily life, like when you're figuring out your travel budget or visualising your fitness progress.

But if you admittedly don't know squat about the prized spreadsheet app, consider the Microsoft Excel Beginner to Advanced course your trusty tutor. For a limited time, you can grab it on sale for under £20.

This course contains eight hours of expert-led training spearheaded by Warrick Klimaytys, a computer technician who has helped thousands of students go from Excel Zero to Excel Hero. Great for beginners, it aims to teach you the basics of the program and help you get to grips with wielding its many functionalities to your advantage.

You can expect to learn how to create workbooks and spreadsheets that even your boss will gawk at, master tables, charts, formulas, and macros, calculate with the IF function and perform conditional formatting, and so much more. By the end of it all, you'll have the know-how to build and prepare a workbook to impress.

The course is accessible anytime, anywhere, and using any device, though you'll need to have your own version of Excel. And while you can always learn at your own pace, it's designed in a way that gets you up to speed as fast as possible, so you can already work at a capable level within just a few lectures.

Learn how to use Excel to your advantage. This Microsoft Excel Beginner to Advanced course normally goes for around £60, but you can grab it on sale for £16.09.

Opens in a new window Credit: StackSocial Microsoft Excel: From Beginner to Advanced £16.09 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

TL;DR: Stream Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There has been a lot of rugby on free-to-air channels recently, including massive games like Saracens vs. Harlequins and Sale Sharks vs. Exeter Chiefs. It's rare to see top-level sport available to watch for free, but the free games don't stop there. Fans can watch Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free from anywhere in the world with a simple hack.

If you want to watch Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs?

Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs kicks off at 3 p.m. BST on April 28. This fixture takes place at the Kingsholm Stadium.

How to watch Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free

Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs will be broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage starting from 2:30 p.m. BST on April 28. 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 rugby 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 Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) Learn More

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 Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs before recovering your investment.

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 Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL for free on JioCinema. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The new season of the IPL is in full swing and is already displaying incredible talent and exciting competition. The latest game will see Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru take to the pitch as some of the best cricket players in the world go head-to-head.

Want to catch the next fixture? You can watch Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru for free from anywhere in the world, just keep reading to find out how.

When is Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru?

Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru starts at 11 a.m. BST on April 28. This game will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.

How to watch Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru for free

Cricket fans can tune in to live streams of IPL cricket matches with the help of JioCinema. The streaming service is offering free live streams in 4K resolution on its app.

JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, but don't worry, you can unblock this free streaming service with the help of a VPN. A VPN is a tool that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access JioCinema from anywhere in the world.

Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by completing these easy steps:

1. Sign up for 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 India

4. Visit JioCinema (you will need an Indian phone number to subscribe)

5. Watch Gujarat Titans vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru 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

Most of the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free.

What is the best VPN for JioCinema?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including India

• 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 the IPL for free with ExpressVPN.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 27's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

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

A plum.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1044 is...

PRUNE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 28's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Similar to limerance

• Green: How a cheesy romcom starts

• Blue: Old TV problems

• Purple: Types of Mary's

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Passionate, as a Feeling

• Green: Bang Into

• Blue: Analog TV Interference

• Purple: ___Mary

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #322 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Passionate, as a Feeling: DEEP, EXTREME, FIERCE, INTENSE

• Bang Into: BUMP, BUTT, KNOCK, RAM

• Analog TV interference: FUZZ, NOISE, SNOW, STATIC

• ___Mary: BLOODY, HAIL, PROUD, VIRGIN

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

For years, Signal has been the go-to messaging app for private communications. The federal government now believes Amazon was using that power inappropriately.

According to the Washington Post, the Federal Trade Commission accused top Amazon executives, including former CEO Jeff Bezos, of using Signal's automatic message deletion feature to hide communications, even after the FTC ordered it to keep those messages around. Amazon was apparently supposed to stop deleting messages after it was notified that the FTC was investigating it for antitrust violations.

SEE ALSO: What is Signal? The basics of the most secure messaging app.

The FTC's allegation centers around the fact that these deleted messages are indeed gone forever, even if it's possible to see when a user did or didn't turn on the message deletion feature.

"From the messages that were not deleted, it is apparent that Amazon executives used Signal to talk about competition-related business issues," the court document read, per Engadget.

Signal has been widely used by activists and data security enthusiasts to conceal communications from prying eyes for years now. Messages benefit from end-to-end encryption on the app, meaning that only the users in the chat room can see them. Disappearing messages are set to automatically go away after a certain amount of time, in the event that the device with the messages on them is taken or compromised.

From a purely self-serving point of view, Bezos and company did the smart thing. In terms of cooperating with the FTC, however, they may have messed up a bit.

Apple got the weekend off to a weird start for some of its users.

As has been reported at 9to5Mac and The Verge, a strange problem is occurring for some users of Apple devices. Namely, folks are finding that their Apple ID accounts have been logged out and they need to log back in. For at least some of these users, logging back in with the original password actually locks you out of the account until you change the password to something else.

SEE ALSO: iPhone password reset attacks are real – how to protect yourself

The especially unusual part is that Apple's system status webpage doesn't show anything wrong with its services, and the company hasn't said anything about this publicly yet. But something is clearly wrong if this many people on social media are complaining about it.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

All of this is to say: Don't be surprised if your Apple device starts acting funky this weekend.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 27 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 27

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, April 27, 2024:

AcrossRevolutionary leader Guevara

• The answer is Che.

Shirley Temple or Ginger Rogers, e.g.

• The answer is Drink.

Mysterious in meaning

• The answer is Cryptic.

"For ___ a jolly good fellow …"

• The answer is Hes.

Pole with a reel attached

• The answer is Rod.

Shirley Temple or Ginger Rogers, e.g.

• The answer is Actress.

Boat for a whitewater adventure

• The answer is Kayak.

Give permission to

• The answer is Let.

DownPiece of snow or table salt, essentially

The answer is Crystal.

Very cool

• The answer is Hip.

Ask (someone) in earnest

• The answer is Entreat.

Absolute junk

• The answer is Dreck.

Sales booth

• The answer is Kiosk.

When doubled, a ballroom dance

• The answer is Cha.

Things that old audiobooks are sold on

• The answer is CDs.

Bread for a pastrami sandwich

• The answer is Rye.

It took less than a week for NASA Administrator Bill Nelson's gaffe to make it to social media. 

Over an hour into a budget hearing for the U.S. space agency, a congressman asked Nelson why China is sending spacecraft to the "backside" of the moon. 

"They are going to have a lander on the far side of the moon, which is the side that's always in dark," said Nelson, a former senator and astronaut, during the April 17 hearing. "We're not planning to go there."

He proceeded to tell the lawmaker that "We don't know what's on the backside of the moon." 

On two counts, that was untrue: The so-called far side of the moon is not dark, despite popular belief, nor is it completely unknown to American scientists. 

SEE ALSO: NASA is back in the moon business. Here's what that means. Tweet may have been deleted What is the dark side of the moon?

The far side is the hemisphere of the moon facing away from Earth. Because people never see it, that portion was once dubbed "the dark side." The confusing misnomer has led many to incorrectly assume the far side is shrouded in darkness. In reality, it receives just as much light as the near side. 

Perhaps the actual "dark" location on the moon is where NASA plans to send Artemis astronauts in the coming years: the polar south region, where scientists believe ice water is buried. The south is pockmarked with frigid craters cloaked in shadow.  

The far side is the hemisphere of the moon facing away from Earth. Credit: NASA / NOAA Why do we only see one side of the moon?

It takes about a month for the moon, some 250,000 miles away, to orbit Earth. It also takes the same amount of time for the moon to make one full rotation on its axis. This coincidence is why Earthlings always see the same lunar side.  

Prior to space exploration, many speculated the far side was a frozen and ominous region, a myth perpetuated by Pink Floyd's trippy "Dark Side of the Moon" album in 1973. 

Indeed the far side remained an enigma to humans, but only until October 1959. That's when the Soviet space program swung the Luna 3 probe around the moon. The spacecraft returned several grainy images that revealed a curiously different surface than that on the familiar near side. 

About a half-century later, NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to explore the region from space. Since then, the spacecraft has sent home loads of data, allowing scientists to map the far side in detail. 

The Soviet space program swung the Luna 3 probe around the moon in October 1959. Credit: Luna 3 / Russian Space Agency / NSSDCA What does the far side look like?

What scientists have learned is that the side humans can't see is vastly different.

Though the near side has large dark patches that together resemble a face, known as the "man in the moon," the far side has few of these spots. The spots are called maria, dark areas formed when meteoroids slammed into the moon, causing lava to emerge. Not only did the lava make the surface darker, but it erased previous craters that recorded some of the moon's geological history. 

The far side, on the other hand, is blanketed in more craters of various sizes and depths, including the enormous South Pole-Aitken basin. 

During the NASA and Soviet space race era, spacecraft never landed on the unseen side. Part of that was because of how difficult it is. The moon itself blocks communication between mission controllers on Earth and the far side. But in 2018, China put a communication relay satellite in space about 40,000 miles beyond the moon that could exchange the signals.

The far side of the moon receives just as much light as the near side.  Credit: NASA / USRA / GSFC visualization Why is China going to the far side of the moon?

Getting back to that House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 17: U.S. Rep. David Trone asked Nelson what made China so interested in the far side, rather than the south pole. 

"I have no idea," Nelson said. He did, however, explain that the U.S. is going to the moon's south pole because that's where NASA suspects water is preserved in dark craters. It's a vital economic resource for future lunar endeavors.

But scientists say there's actually a lot that could be gained from studying the far side, which seems to have a more pristine record of earlier cosmic collisions and impacts. 

NASA's Moonkam viewing the far side of the moon. Credit: NASA / Caltech-JPL / MIT / SRS

On Dec. 8, 2018, China launched the Chang'e-4 mission and became the first nation to land on the reverse side of the moon. It touched down at the Von Karman crater, a site within the South Pole-Aitken basin. 

The basin is a depression probably formed by an ancient asteroid collision so cataclysmic that it excavated some of the lunar mantle — material between the core and the crust — and brought it to the surface. The advantage of going to this location is the potential to learn more about the interior composition of the moon. 

What China found, according to a paper published in the journal Science Advances, is that the layer of soil there is much thicker than on the near side. It was about 130 feet deep. 

If the crust were a lot thinner on the side facing Earth, that might explain why lava was able to break through and form the maria spots. But why one hemisphere's crust would be so drastically different in thickness from the other is unclear. China's future missions may help answer that question. 

Solving such mysteries could not only tell us more about the moon's evolution, but provide further insight into the history of the solar system.

A spacecraft has carefully approached and imaged a large hunk of metal orbiting Earth — a step in tackling humanity's mounting space junk woes.

The delicate space mission, undertaken by the Japanese satellite technology company Astroscale, used its ADRAS-J satellite to travel within several hundred meters of an abandoned section of a noncommunicative, derelict rocket, proving it could safely observe in such close proximity.

"Pics or it didn't happen," the company posted on X (formerly Twitter). "Behold, the world’s first image of space debris captured through rendezvous and proximity operations during our ADRAS-J mission."

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

The mission is part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA, which is Japan's NASA counterpart) "Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration" project, which seeks a proven way to remove problematic space junk from Earth's orbit. A collision involving a large object can create thousands more pieces of debris, stoking a domino effect of future impacts.

The experimental spacecraft will now continue to closely approach the rocket, which Japan launched in 2009, gathering more data on the rocket's condition and motion. The following mission, with this information in hand, will "then remove and deorbit the rocket body using in-house robotic arm technologies," the company said in a statement.

"We selected this target because it is a large piece of space debris and there are many similarly shaped (cylindrical) pieces on the [space debris] list," Yamamoto Toru, who leads Japan's commercial removal mission, said in a statement. "If we are successful, we expect to be able to apply these techniques to the removal of similarly shaped space debris."

Tweet may have been deleted A rendering of the ADRAS-J spacecraft approaching its large space junk target. Credit: Astroscale

Space junk is a serious problem. The unregulated orbital trash now permeates a region of space around Earth called low Earth orbit, or LEO.

"LEO is an orbital space junk yard," NASA explained. "There are millions of pieces of space junk flying in LEO. Most orbital debris comprises human-generated objects, such as pieces of spacecraft, tiny flecks of paint from a spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites that are no longer working, or explosions of objects in orbit flying around in space at high speeds."

Unintentional collisions can happen. But intentional actions have dramatically degraded the LEO environment. "For instance, the deliberate destruction of the Chinese Fengyun-1C spacecraft in 2007 and the accidental collision of an American and a Russian spacecraft in 2009 alone have increased the large orbital debris population in LEO by approximately 70 percent, posing greater collision risks for spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit," NASA noted.

The International Space Station has needed to maneuver multiple times to avoid close impacts from speeding debris.

Somewhat recently, during a problematic 2021 test, Russia fired a missile at its 4,850-pound satellite Cosmos 1408, creating a cloud of fragments that triggered an emergency response on the relatively nearby space station.

"We're going to see consequences from this particular event for the next few decades," Hugh Lewis, a professor of astronautics at the University of Southampton who researches space debris, told Mashable at the time. "It wasn't a good outcome. It was never going to be a good outcome."

"There wasn't a worse target to aim for with respect for human spaceflight," he added.

Shopping for a new laptop is a tough task as it is. With the sheer number of options, it's easier than ever to fall into a cycle of choice paralysis, where making a final decision feels literally impossible. If you're a creative type who needs a laptop for a very specific purpose — in this case, video editing — the pressure can be even more intense because the wrong choice can really come back to bite you. So it's better that you get it right the first time. If you don't, you'll find yourself with a laptop that doesn't perform the way you need it to and end up in a deep financial hole.

To aid us in our search for the best video editing laptops, we reached out to Denver McQuaid, a creative marketing strategist who is also a seasoned VFX artist and video editor with a large following on Instagram and TikTok.

In an email conversation with Mashable, McQuaid walked us through the process of shopping for a great laptop for video editing, from the necessary specs, to budgeting, and beyond. And after surveying the top laptops available in 2024, there was one clear winner — the new MacBook Pro. Still, it's not the only laptop we have to recommend. Here's what McQuaid told us about picking the right device.

What makes a video editing laptop "good"?

With so many laptops offering wildly different features, it's important to narrow down which ones matter the most. In McQuaid's opinion, there are three qualities that a good video editing laptop absolutely needs: Speed, solid battery life, and a good display size.

Having a laptop that can process tasks quickly and efficiently is paramount for video editing. "[Speed] can be achieved in many ways," said McQuaid, "including RAM, hard drive write speeds, processor clock speed, and graphics rendering." Battery life is pretty self-explanatory — the less time you spend charging, the more time you'll have to actually work on your projects. When it comes to display size, McQuaid said the more you can see, the better. "I edit on a 13-inch [laptop], but often with an external monitor." He travels for work, so he uses a more lightweight laptop with a smaller screen, though he recommends newer editors go bigger. "I don’t regret it, but more screen space is always nice to have."

SEE ALSO: The best laptops for college students in 2024 What specs do I need in a laptop for video editing?

Your laptop's processor, RAM, and storage space are the specs you'll want to pay the most attention to when shopping for a video editing machine, according to McQuaid. "More RAM means faster video playback and preview times, and file caching," he said. A higher amount of RAM is also essential for multitasking. "It's ideal when working in multiple programs at once, like Premiere, Photoshop, After Effects, Final Cut, etcetera. This happens more often than people realize, especially on professional projects."

When it comes to picking out a processor, it's a little more of a dealer's choice, although McQuaid called out Apple's latest M3 chip as a top contender. "Typically, the number of cores is more important than processor clock speeds, as more cores at a slightly lower speed outperform fewer cores with faster speed," he said. But McQuaid also told us that it'll really come down to what programs you're using to determine the processor specs that you need. "A lot of Adobe editing software and effects aren’t fully optimized for multi-core rendering and processing," he told Mashable. "Knowing your editing workflow can help you decide what processor specs will actually be best for you."

Perhaps the most important spec to shell out for when picking out a laptop is storage, says McQuaid. "Do not skimp on storage," he said in our conversation. "As video files grow ever larger and get more high res, your drives will fill up faster than you expect!" He recommended that you go for at least 1TB of space and pick SSD storage over HDD because it's faster and more reliable (although he also says it's smart to have an external HDD on standby for long-term storage). More storage will come with a higher price tag, but it's worth the cost, said McQuaid. "Saving a little bit of money on smaller and slower hard drives now will cause ongoing and evergrowing file management headaches indefinitely...I have personal experience with this mistake, and refuse to make it again."

Don't sleep on the display

We already talked about screen size being an important factor when choosing a laptop for video editing, but that's not the only reason the display you ultimately choose matters. "The display is crucial in a few ways," McQuaid told us. "One element people don’t often think about is the color science of different displays," he said, mentioning that final cuts of videos will look a lot different depending on what the viewer is watching them on. That's why making sure that your laptop can produce an accurate range of colors is a big deal. "[It] gives you the best chance at making content that will look amazing across the board," McQuaid concluded. Though, he also added that most laptop displays today are up to snuff in that regard, so unless you're shopping for an external monitor, you won't have to stress too much over this.

Are cheap laptops worth it for video editing?

McQuaid warned against going too cheap when picking up a new laptop for video editing, because you'll most likely have to pick up a new one earlier than you planned. A lot of cheap laptops won't be able to handle serious video editing at all. You should still stay within your budget, but it's better to invest as much as you feasibly can now so your laptop will last as long as possible, because upgrading certain laptops down the line may not be achievable (that's why the top picks in this guide are on the expensive side). "Saving a few hundred dollars now will cost more if you have to buy a whole new laptop two to three years sooner because of outdated specs," McQuaid said.

SEE ALSO: The best laptop deals for April 2024, from an M2 MacBook Air to the HP Spectre x360 What are the best laptops for video editing?

Like we already said at the top, the MacBook Pro was the clear winner as the best video editing laptop for most people. (Are you surprised? Probably not.) While the latest MacBook Pro with the M3 chip is your best bet, McQuaid told us that even older MacBook Pro models will do the trick. He uses a 2019-era MacBook Pro that predates even the M1 chip, and it still works just fine for his needs. "MacBooks have some drawbacks, but the pros outweigh the cons in my opinion," McQuaid told Mashable. "The MacBook OS is more user-friendly and ideal for transferring files from computer to phone, or vice versa, especially iPhones." So, if you're looking for the intersection of power, quality, and convenience, the MacBook Pro is the way to go.

Of course, we realize that not everyone wants to jump into the Apple ecosystem, so we have more recommendations for you that fall outside of the famous fruit company. Check out more of our picks below, which we've chosen by way of vigorous hands-on testing and expert recommendation.

The shift from in-office work to hybrid and even full-time work from home has been great for a lot of folks; it allows for greater flexibility, a better work-life balance, and healthier habits. It also gives job seekers greater choice when applying for jobs that would otherwise require a cross-country or cross-state move.

Of course, this major shift comes with some downsides as well. The art of working from home doesn’t jive with all types of workers. Some folks prefer being in an office setting in order to keep themselves accountable for getting their work done efficiently (see: no mid-afternoon naps). Others like the communal aspect of being around colleagues rather than relying on Slack to get their socialization throughout the workday.

It’s no secret that having a designated workspace that's clean and organized will make sitting down and getting to work a whole lot easier than, say, rolling out of bed, grabbing your laptop, and swan-diving right back into bed to get to work (we’ve been there!). But these days, there are also a ton of products and programs designed to make actually sitting down at a desk and getting into the zone that much easier.

That being said, working from home also gives you the ability to multitask and get things done for yourself and your family during your workday. Whether you’re hoping to get fit from home or you want to take advantage of your lunch hour to catch up on laundry, if you play your cards right, it’s pretty feasible to get a lot of shit done. That gives you more time to enjoy yourself once you do close down your laptop for the day.

“While working from home may seem like you'd get easily distracted, I find that working from home is a great way to block your day so that you can be even more motivated to get everything accomplished,” explained Olivia Dreizen Howell, co-founder and CEO of Fresh Starts Registry, certified life coach, and clinical hypnotherapist. “For example, I spend every morning doing a 15-minute timed sprint to write out the day's to-do list while listening to fast and uplifting music, and then will get up to walk around, throw laundry in, bring dishes to the sink, clean up the bathroom for 5 minutes, and then sit back down and transition to classical music or subliminal audios while I begin work!”

If you’re ready to 10x your productivity and get the most out of working from home, we’ve got you covered. The following essentials were tested and reviewed by us, and they've proven to be some of the best WFH gear for upgrading your home office. Whether you want to use your office hours to get in shape or just do some dishes while on a conference call, the following gear will help you perfect the WFH grind.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that could effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. — but it's not going to be that easy.

The bill requires ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell its shares in the app to a buyer that meets U.S. government requirements within 270 days. Failure to do so would result in cloud providers and app stores being banned from distributing the app. (Existing users might be able to retain the app on their phones, but access to its content could be restricted, akin to a show available in one country but not another on Netflix.) The deadline for compliance is Jan. 19, one day before Biden's term is set to expire. The legislation was connected to a foreign aid package that included support for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. 

SEE ALSO: President Biden will continue to use TikTok to campaign even after banning it in the U.S.

If implemented, the ban would affect the approximately 170 million monthly active TikTok users in the U.S., 42 percent of whom are between the ages of 18 and 24. The app is particularly popular among younger users who use it to organize, communicate, educate, and entertain.

Lawmakers who voted in support of the divest or ban legislation cited concerns about data privacy, national security, surveillance, and propaganda, primarily due to ByteDance’s Chinese ownership. TikTok has routinely denied allegations that it shares U.S. users' data with the Chinese government. 

"We don't want to see a ban," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. President Joe Biden's campaign, however, will still be using it to reach young voters. "This is about PRC ownership," she emphasized, referring to the People's Republic of China.

TikTok does see it as a ban, though. 

"Make no mistake, this is a ban — a ban on TikTok, and a ban on you, and your voice," CEO Shou Zi Chew said, in a video posted on TikTok.

The American public’s stance on the ban is divided. About half of American adults — 49 percent, according to YouGov data from last month — said they'd support a ban. Approximately a third of Americans believe TikTok poses a national security threat while another third disagreed. At least half of all TikTok users say they strongly or somewhat oppose a ban. This debate comes at a critical time when many lawmakers are facing reelection.

So, what happens now? "It almost seems certain that we'll see legal challenges, and there do seem to be precedents that raise significant First Amendment concerns about this approach," explained Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, to Mashable.

What might TikTok do?

TikTok is likely gearing up for a legal battle to challenge any divestment or outright ban. That means suing the government, most likely on constitutional grounds, in federal court.

"This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court," TikTok stated after Biden signed the bill. "We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation."

SEE ALSO: Which countries have banned TikTok?

TikTok’s constitutional argument will presumably focus on the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech and expression, arguing that banning the app or forcing divestment violates these rights. On this basis, TikTok would be seeking to have the law declared unconstitutional, or at least asking for an injunction blocking it from being enforced. The U.S. government's position is expected to emphasize that any restriction on TikTok is necessary to safeguard Americans against surveillance, data privacy breaches, propaganda, and national security threats. Both sides have previously made similar arguments, with TikTok winning that argument in the courts before, notably in Montana last year.

"I expect there will be at least one legal challenge to the law. And I think the U.S. government will be hard-pressed to show that the law satisfies the appropriate First Amendment scrutiny," Electronic Frontier Foundation Civil Liberties Director David Greene told Mashable, adding that "there is no First Amendment exception for national security."

TikTok has strong legal allies and precedents supporting its case. "This legislation would set a terrible precedent for excessive U.S. government control over social media and Americans' speech," Ashley Gorski, senior staff attorney in the ACLU's National Security Project, told Mashable. Jenna Ruddock, policy counsel for Free Press, stated that a law targeting one platform like this violates the First Amendment and limits “essential spaces for people to connect and communicate."

TikTok might also argue due process violations, claiming the U.S. failed to explain why its mitigation measures were insufficient. Additionally, TikTok could cite the bill of attainder, alleging that the legislature specifically targets them unfairly.

Depending on how the lower court rules, and on TikTok's desire to keep fighting, there's a possibility that this case could be decided by the Supreme Court.

Beyond legal challenges, TikTok is expected to launch an aggressive PR campaign. When the ban was looming, TikTok urged its U.S. users to call lawmakers, resulting in a flood of calls to Congress. As Mashable's Tim Marcin wrote, "You can expect more messaging from the company as it fights to stay in the U.S."

But TikTok hasn't filed yet — and the U.S. government will likely respond in kind.

How might the U.S. government respond?

"The government will argue that this law is addressing conduct, not speech, and therefore, outside First Amendment protections," Anupam Chander, a Scott K. Ginsburg professor of law and technology and a visiting scholar at the Institute for Rebooting Social Media at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, told Mashable. He noted two instances of conduct could be alleged: "The conduct at issue would be surveillance, and the other would be propaganda — that it is manipulating the American people on behalf of a foreign government." However, the propaganda claim involves speech because it centers on "the editorial selection of particular topics, rather than others."

The U.S. government could also claim that TikTok infringes on Americans’ data privacy and poses a national security risk.

Yet, the data-gathering argument also raises free speech concerns. "Even in the context of personal data, [that is], the surveillance prong of the government's claims, there is an important First Amendment constraint," Chander explained.

SEE ALSO: The TikTok ban is law. Here's what happens next.

The court might argue that this infringes on the right to expression, but Chander expressed uncertainty over "whether or not [the courts] will feel that impingement is justified."

"And that's really where the big question mark in my mind is," Chander said. "Will the court be persuaded that the government has demonstrated [...] a compelling interest in preventing this app from operating with ownership that traces back to China?"

And the U.S. will likely have to supply more evidence to support its claims.

"We don't have any public evidence of why TikTok is a national security threat," Chander said. "We saw that members of the House and the Senate were given secret intelligence briefings by the U.S. government. Some of those senators and congressmen walked out and said, 'Oh my God, this is a national security threat, and we should ban it.' While others said it was all conjecture."

That lack of transparency raises concerns about banning a platform without clear justification, especially one used by millions.

As journalist and commentator Casey Newton pointed out in Platformer, "The government will likely struggle to make a convincing argument that banning TikTok is necessary for protecting Americans."

"If the Chinese government wants data on Americans, they don’t need TikTok to get it," Alan Z. Rozenshtein, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota, wrote in a piece for Lawfare on Monday. "They don't even need to steal it. The United States is a notorious outlier among developed nations for its lack of a national data privacy law. This means that the Chinese can just buy from data brokers and other third-party aggregators much of the same information that they would get from having access to TikTok user data."

Is there precedent?

Two legal cases suggest that TikTok’s arguments may hold weight. One is Lamont v. Postmaster General, a Supreme Court case from the 1960s. This case addressed the propaganda argument, similar to what the U.S. government might make against TikTok. In Lamont v. the Postmaster General, the court ruled that blocking mail from communist China infringed upon recipients' First Amendment rights to receive information.

The other case involves Montana’s failed attempt to ban TikTok. However, winning one case in court does not guarantee TikTok’s victory in this case. The government’s arguments will likely focus on the severity of national security risks, justifying any limitations on free expression.

SEE ALSO: U.S. judge blocks Montana's TikTok ban What happens if TikTok wins in the courts?

TikTok could pursue several paths, but it would likely need to make operational changes to comply with U.S. government expectations, even if the law is deemed unconstitutional.

What happens if the U.S. wins in the courts?

If the U.S. government prevails, TikTok will be forced to sell its shares to a U.S.-approved buyer or withdraw from cloud providers and app stores. 

"[TikTok] really has one shot, which is in the courts," Chander said. "The alternate Hail Mary strategy is to withdraw from the U.S. market and hope to return when there is a thaw in China-U.S. relations."

Even if the legislation is upheld, ByteDance has at least nine months to decide if it will sell the app in the U.S. The timeline can be extended to a year if the president feels there is progress on a deal.

SEE ALSO: A TikTok ban would probably also take down CapCut, Lemon8, and more Who is likely to win?

The outcome is uncertain, as both Democrats and Republicans support action against TikTok. Many legal experts, like Chander, aren’t making any assumptions on how this might turn out. "This is a question of what level of trust you place in the government to make national security determinations, even if those determinations impinge on your personal freedoms," he said.

Regardless of the outcome, the debate over technology, especially tech predominantly used by young people, will continue. New technologies often spark moral panic due to three main factors. According to Andrew Przybylski, a professor of human behavior and technology at Oxford University, these include "a new popular thing that young people are doing, a reason to think that these young people are vulnerable, and then some secret ingredient about what makes this technology different than all of the other technologies that we panicked about before."

Fears over TikTok’s algorithm and China’s involvement in the app may persist as issues for U.S. legislators even if TikTok wins. 

"We've already seen things like preventing TikTok from being used on government-owned devices or government-owned networks [and] ideas like Project Texas, that create some sort of data localization in the U.S.," Huddleston said. "You could also see some form of disclosure requirements."

How long will this take?

The short answer is that we don't know. A quick resolution could bring an answer in a few months, but for now, TikTok is acting like it's here to stay. 

After a worldwide press tour that's been studded with tennis-inspired haute couture, Zendaya's latest movie, Challengers, is finally opening in theaters. But be warned, the A-lister with style for days (years, eons) says you have got to see this one twice. 

Directed by acclaimed Call Me by Your Name helmer Luca Guadagnino, Challengers is a white-hot sports drama that is ostensibly about tennis — but it's really about one of the hottest love triangles that cinema has ever seen. 

SEE ALSO: 'Challengers' Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist on the significance of the 'I Told Ya' shirt

Zendaya stars as teenage phenom Tashi Duncan, whose skills are attracting big corporate sponsors before she even turns pro. Falling hard for Tashi's intensity on the court are two best buds, played by Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor. Art Donaldson (Faist) is a golden boy who plays by the rules on the court, but plays dirty off it. Patrick Zweig is a cocky bad boy whose mischievousness causes excitement, whether in the game or in his life. 

Who will Tashi choose is an ongoing question, as the scorching script from Justin Kuritzkes treats her like a tennis ball flying back and forth between the two lusty players. Sure, she dates one, then marries the other. But during the movie's climax — in which the two men face off in a championship match —  who she'll walk away with is anything but certain. 

Why does Zendaya say people should see Challengers twice? 

Look. We warned you in our review that Challengers is a movie that will leave you breathless. Between the walloping character drama, dizzying sexual tension, and a score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that should be the soundtrack to all of your summer shenanigans, it's a lot to take in. Perhaps viewers could be forgiven for getting a different read on the characters after their first watch than Zendaya has after inhabiting Tashi herself.  

Throughout the press tour, the celebrated actress has faced reporters who call her character a villain or declare to her face, "Tashi Duncan ain't shit." Essentially, some see Tashi's character as a master manipulator, "taking such good care of [her] little white boys" (as she says in the trailer) by treating them like pawns in her own game of chess. 

But to this, Zendaya pushes back, asking ETalk reporter Tyrone Edwards, "Have you seen it again?" When he says he's seen it one time, she responds, "Once you've seen it again, you let me know who ain't shit," pointing to Faist. It's a point she's repeated on the press tour: Art is the real bad guy here.  

Mike Faist as Art talks to Zendaya as Tashi in "Challengers." Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Sure, the trailers calls Tashi a "man-eater," playing up on Zendaya's glorious glower power in the role. But while she'll agree the character is "ruthless," Art — she says — is a "snake." 

O'Connor has joined her, noting that Art might seem like a nice guy, but that's a ruse. To get into Art's deceptions would be to share spoilers (though the Etalk interview does!). But what's so fascinating about Kuritzkes's script is how he plays into audience expectations with Art. Painted as the nice one, the good boy, we're conditioned to believe his feelings for Tashi are pure. His motivations are sincere, even when his actions are underhanded. But like Zendaya says, "Watch it again." 

On a second watch, it's easier to see the metaphorical sleight of hand Art is pulling on his supposed best friend and his crush. It's also easier to see what's really motivating Tashi and the feelings Patrick hides beneath his braggadocio. This is not to say Tashi and Patrick are innocents. Even the stars agree they are respectively "ruthless" and a "hot mess." But that's why this love triangle is so mesmerizing, because who is right or wrong or worth rooting for might change every time you watch it. 

Mike Faist as Art, Zendaya as Tashi, and Josh O’Connor as Patrick in "Challengers." Credit: Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

As Zendaya said in a press conference, "You watch it again, and I guarantee you that opinion will change… Every time, I'm angry at a different character or I feel more passionate about a different character, feel heartbroken... Your opinions will change every time you watch it. And that's the fun part about the film. You never really have the answers you want, and that makes you question everything." 

Challengers is an unexpected mystery box, made up of some gnarled heartstrings from three deeply flawed and fascinating characters. So, like rewatching a thriller once you know the answers to its haunting questions, Challengers calls you back again and again. So, actually yeah. Twice is for amateurs, not pro cinephiles. See Challengers three times. 

As Tashi Duncan would say, "COME ON!" 

Challengers is now in theaters. 

Can't get Shōgun's heartbreaking ninth episode, "Crimson Sky," out of your head? Imagine living with it for five years.

That's the case for Rachel Kondo and Caillin Puente, the two writers of the episode. (Kondo is also a co-creator and executive producer on the show; Puente is a story editor and associate producer.) The pair had the responsibility of bringing the most pivotal sequence of James Clavell's original novel to life, in which Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) attempts to leave Osaka.

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' co-creators break down the finale: 'It's a story about death'

Over the course of the episode, Mariko engineers a diplomatic crisis, undermines Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira), and threatens to commit seppuku, despite pleas not to from both John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Ochiba no Kata (Fumi Nikaido). After facing constant peril, Mariko is finally permitted to return to Ajiro, only to sacrifice herself in a fatal explosion that same night. It's a wrenching, tragic send-off for one of Shōgun's central characters, and after years of discussing it together, Kondo and Puente knew this was the episode they wanted to write.

In a joint interview with Mashable, Kondo and Puente — who described themselves as "Mariko and Ochiba's number one fans" — dug into why Mariko's final days resonated so much with them, how they built out her relationship with Ochiba, and the crucial role Sawai played in bringing Mariko to life. The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Anna Sawai in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

Mashable: What was your first reaction to reading Mariko's gate sequence and this final arc of her story in the novel?

Rachel Kondo: That sequence felt very much like an action sequence to me while I was reading it in the book. There's the same degree of tension; there's almost the same pacing, but with words and refusals. How you capture that in a novel was so beyond my scope of ability, maybe, but I think that the reason why it stuck with me was that you realize, in hindsight, that the whole story hinges on this scene. It builds to this one moment of a woman walking through a gate.

The whole story hinges on this scene. It builds to this one moment of a woman walking through a gate. - Rachel Kondo

Caillin Puente: [There's a sense of] realizing how amazing this scene is, and this whole section of the story, but then also wanting to approach it from a slightly different angle in terms of bringing Ochiba more into it. This is a character who we hear a lot about through other people's eyes, but we don't get to see her, and in the novel, she didn't have a personal connection to Mariko.

Looking at that scene [in Osaka Castle], at the political theater that Mariko is doing and the diplomacy crisis she's creating, it seems a bit out of Ishido's control. So we thought, "Who is capable of going toe-to-toe with Mariko in this fight of words?" And it was Ochiba. She has a great interaction with Mariko in that scene. Then we were like, "How can we expand this? How can we build on these characters' relationships?"

RK: And how can we imagine the relationship between the two? As Caillin was saying, that relationship didn't exist in the book, but we assumed that given their rank, they probably knew of each other, if not knew each other. That was one of the more exciting parts of [writing for Shōgun] was to imagine what would have been.

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' episode 9: Mariko's gate scene revisits a key moment from episode 3. Here's why.

One of the reasons I'm so devastated by this episode is because it ebbs and flows in a way. You think Mariko could die at the gate, and then she doesn't, and then you think she could die by committing seppuku, and then she doesn't. But after Yabushige's betrayal, you realize her death is inevitable. Walk me through the process of constructing the episode and building that tension.

CP: That's tricky. When you say that, it makes me think of the moment after Mariko's prepared to commit suicide and then doesn't. You can feel that for Mariko, it's the first time that it's occurred to her that she might survive this. She might be able to accomplish her goals, free these hostages, honor her father, and come out alive. I feel like those few scenes we get with her after that are really devastating, to see her imagine a different future for the first time.

Mariko was always so set in her purpose. She doesn't waver, even when she's struggling with it. She knows what she's signed up for. The way that Anna Sawai performs this scene where she's trying to escape the castle, knowing that she's going to get all these people killed — she does such an amazing job.

Anna Sawai in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

RK: Anna was also laser-focused as she was doing this episode. We were worried for her because it was so much heaviness, and Anna as a person kind of ceased and Mariko took over. It made the celebration once she had wrapped all the sweeter, because Anna came back to us.

I think it's worth mentioning that it was such a boon for us to be able to shoot in order. I feel like Anna as an actor and artist, and even us, as people who were trying to portray her, we all got better at understanding her. It all culminated in this one stretch. What she brought to the role [during the gate sequence] is the emotional cost of steadfastness. You can see on her face the humanity and the pain and the brokenness, and you can't imagine that as you're writing.

Anna [Sawai's] perspective on Mariko really evolved the character. - Caillin Puente

CP: Anna's perspective on Mariko really evolved the character in the story in a way that I think is really interesting. I remember having this conversation with her where we mapped out where Mariko would be wearing her cross visibly above her clothes. In certain scenes, we had this idea that she would tuck it inside of her kosode, like when she's with Blackthorne and when they're having this affair where she's obviously of two hearts. We were thinking that she could put away this side of herself in certain company, especially because Christianity was a complicated thing at that time. 

Then very early on, while we were shooting the first episodes, Anna approached us and said, "I think I would be wearing it all the time, even with Blackthorne, even with his hatred of Catholics." And that makes perfect sense with the final version of Mariko. I can't imagine her hiding her cross now.

SEE ALSO: 'Shōgun' is a master class in period costuming

I'd love to hear about her reaction to the episode 9 script. Were there any other details that she added, like with the cross detail?

CP: I don't remember her initial reaction to reading it, because when she was cast, she got all of the scripts at once.

RK: The reason we're having a hard time coming up with specific examples is because she basically considered every line of hers and thought about whether Mariko would say it. There was a scene in episode 1 where she's talking to Fuji about releasing her child. We had written that in a way that she was chiding Tadayoshi in this very cutting manner. And Anna was like, "I think she would be harsh, but not that harsh. She is still a woman of great grace and poise, and it doesn't feel very Japanese to just slam Tadayoshi." It made the scene better to cut down whatever harshness we had initially put in. 

CP: We talked a lot about the scene with Ochiba in [episode 9]. And I remember Fumi was the one who asked to do the blocking the way they did, where she almost eclipses Mariko and then is facing the opposite direction. They have this conversation where they're not really facing each other but you get to see both of them.

RK: Which nicely works with the scene when they're girls looking out for each other's backs during training.

Fumi Nikaido and Anna Sawai in "Shōgun." Credit: Katie Yu / FX

I loved the poetry aspect of the relationship, especially in episode 9. Ochiba asks Mariko for a starting line for a poetry contest, and she says, "While the snow remains veiled in the haze of cold evening, a leafless branch." In the novel by James Clavell, the line is just "a leafless branch." Tell me about expanding on that line and writing poetry for these two.

CP: That was interesting, because a lot of the poetry was actually coming either directly from the book or from our primary historian, Professor Frederik Cryns, because that type of poetry is so difficult and getting a poem to translate to be a specific matter for that time is really tricky. A lot of the time, he would come to us with historical references that we would adapt. If it was a line we really liked from the book that was important like "a leafless branch," he would tailor that a bit more into the Japanese so the translation would work. 

One of my favorite [lines in Shōgun] in what Mariko says to Ochiba in the scene they have together, "Flowers are only flowers because they fall." It's an adaptation of Mariko's real-life counterpart Hosokawa Gracia's real death poem. We slightly butchered the translation, but that was the gist of the poem that we really, really liked. I remember reading that at 3 a.m. while researching and being so excited that this was something that we would get to use. It's so perfect for the character.

What were some other ways you brought Hosokawa Gracia's real-life history to Mariko?

CP: There are pieces here and there. For Mariko's journals in episode 4, when she's taking notes about Blackthorne, we used Hosokawa Gracia's real journals to mimic her handwriting. Junko Fuchioka, our calligrapher, and Frederik, who was helping us translate all our historical documents into period feudal Japanese, were using her actual letters to get reference for how she would speak in her letters and what her writing would look like.

There are also some crazy historical anecdotes about Hosokawa Gracia's relationship with her husband, which we mirror with Buntaro. I think our version is actually a bit less dramatic than the historical version, which is kind of crazy.

SEE ALSO: How Japanese dry gardens inspired 'Shōgun's stunning title sequence

RK: What was the story you told me? About the snake and the ogre and the bloody kosode?

CP: There was a lot of strife in their marriage when she converted to Christianity because it was becoming illegal to be a Christian in Japan and the Taikō was expelling Christians. It was a very complicated situation, but she was so high ranking, she was technically allowed.

Her husband actually introduced her to the idea of [Christianity] but then didn't want her to be Christian. He blamed her ladies-in-waiting for encouraging her, and he ended up killing some of them and wiping his sword on her kosode. She refused to change and just wore this bloody garment for several days until he decided to apologize to her. Then she had this great line — all of this story is stuff of legend so I'm sure it's not 100 percent accurate — but he called her a snake and she said, "A snake is an appropriate wife for an ogre."

All episodes of Shōgun are now streaming on Hulu.

TL;DR: Through May 1, get this 8-piece Seido Japanese Master Chef's Knife Set for $109.97 and delivered in time for Mother's Day.

While many moms out there are happy away from the kitchen, some really like cooking. They enjoy taking the time to create meals for themselves and their families. If a special mom in your life is one of those culinary enthusiasts, this 8-piece Seido Japanese Master Chef's Knife Set could make for a thoughtful gift for Mother's Day. It's on sale for $109.97 through May 1.

This set of knives was made with high-carbon stainless steel, a Pakka wood handle, and a sloped bolster for a more comfortable grip. They also feature handmade Japanese craftsmanship.

These Japanese knives have a fifteen-degree edge angle, as opposed to the standard twenty-five-degree angle found on Western knives. This is said to give them a sharper cutting edge.

It includes a variety of knives to cover all cooking needs, from slicing fruits and vegetables to carving meats and dicing herbs. Packaged in a storage box that makes gifting easy, this set can enhance kitchen functionality and also add a bit of elegance to the workspace.

This set includes the following knives:

• 8-inch chef's knife

• 8-inch slicing knife

• 8-inch bread knife

• 7-inch cleaver

• 7-inch Santoku

• 5-inch Santoku

• 6-inch boning knife

• 3.5-inch paring knife

• Storage/gift box

While a unique gift for Mother’s Day, this Seido knife set is also terrific for other occasions. Give it for birthdays, anniversaries, or as a housewarming gift that will be used for many years.

Order by May 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get this 8-piece Seido Japanese Master Chef's Knife Set and gift box for $109.97 and delivered in time for Mother's Day.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Seico Seido™ Japanese Master Chef's 8-Piece Knife Set w Gift Box $109.97 at the Mashable Shop
$429.00 Save $319.03 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 30, fulfill your wanderlust with lifetime access to a OneAir Elite Plan on sale for $79.97 until April 30, the best price online.

If you need a vacation but have a tight budget, we have a solution for you. OneAir can help you unlock low prices and deals for the trip you’ve been dreaming about by notifying you when they become available. Through April 30, you can get a lifetime subscription to an Elite Plan for just $79.97.

Unlike other discount flight services, OneAir Elite’s exclusive membership gives you access to unpublished private rates from 700+ global airlines and 2 million+ top-rated hotel brands across the globe. OneAir uses AI technology to scan airfares and hotels worldwide and will notify you via email or mobile when prices drop. Choose up to 10 airports to receive notifications from and ensure you don’t miss out on that once-in-a-lifetime getaway to Bali.

Getting started with OneAir is super easy:

1. Purchase here and redeem your code

2. Sign up for OneAir's Elite lifetime plan

3. Get discounts on flight and hotel deal alerts sent directly to your inbox

Prices are all-inclusive, so you’ll never have to worry about extra fees or unexpected add-ons. This subscription offers 24/7 live customer service with agents ready to help anytime you need assistance.

Stop dreaming and start booking your next trip.

Get a lifetime subscription to a OneAir Elite Plan for only $79.97 until April 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: OneAir OneAir Elite Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Save Big on Flights, Hotels & More) $79.97 at the Mashable Shop
$790.00 Save $710.03 Get Deal

TL;DR: As of April 27, level up your computer with this refurbished Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 for only $569.99 (reg. $712).

Working from home means having all the right tools at your disposal. When your computer starts to lag or has trouble completing basic tasks, it may be an indicator that it’s time for an upgrade. This previously owned Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 has an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 processor for increased speed and productivity. For a limited time, it's on sale for $569.99.

With 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, there’s plenty of space for large files, documents, and media.

The 13.5-inch PixelSense™ touchscreen display has a resolution of 2256 x 1504 (201 PP) for a more pleasurable user experience. Whether you're watching movies on an international flight or just trying to get through the workday, the Intel® Iris® XFootnote Graphics can make staring at your screen all day more bearable.

Go about your day worry-free, and enjoy 17 hours of battery life on a single charge. Stay connected anywhere you go, as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 comes equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Refurbished items with a "B" grade may have light scratches, dents, or scuffing on the bevel or case, but the software remains unaffected. Without sacrificing quality, you’ll essentially get a gently used product at a fraction of the cost of a brand-new one. Not to mention, the benefit to the environment by preventing e-waste.

Normally $712, get the 2021 refurbished 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 in matte black on sale for only $569.99 or 20% off. No coupon is needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, 13.5" (2021 Model) 256GB SSD Windows 10 - Matte Black (Refurbished) $569.99 at the Mashable Shop
$712.00 Save $142.01 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through May 5, use the code ENJOY20 to score a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for only $55.99 (reg. $219).

Aside from the Microsoft Office suite, are there any other apps you can confidently say you've used religiously since elementary school? Even your grandma abandoned Internet Explorer at some point. But if you don't have it on your PC just yet, this sale on a lifetime license may make you want to take the plunge.

Compatible with Windows computers, the Microsoft Office 2021 Professional suite packs pretty much all the programs you need for peak productivity, whether for work or your personal projects. For a limited time, you can grab it on sale for only $55.99 with the code ENJOY20.

From crunching numbers in Excel to drafting up a manuscript in Word to collaborating with faraway colleagues in Teams, this collection of programs helps you cross out virtually any digital task imaginable. It includes unfettered access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, all of which are installable on either a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer.

With the one-time purchase of a license, you get instant delivery and download of the software license keys and download links, allowing you to install and enjoy the apps right away. The license, however, is connected to the computer, not your Microsoft 365 account.

But unlike Microsoft 365, which charges you a monthly fee, you only have to pay once for this license to use the apps anytime, anywhere — for life. You even get free customer service, so you can easily troubleshoot any kinks that you encounter along the way.

Make Microsoft Office yours forever.

A lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 Professional normally retails for $219, but for a limited time, you can get it on sale for $55.99 by entering the code ENJOY20 at checkout.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $55.99 at the Mashable Shop
$219.99 Save $164.00 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 30, you can get a lifetime subscription to the award-winning language-learning app Babbel for only $149.97 (reg. $599), no coupon needed.

Not all language classes are the same. The foreign language classes you were mandated to take back in high school? They're not nearly as dynamic as the lessons doled out by apps today. If you've always found it intimidating to pick up a new language, take this Babbel sale as a sign to take the plunge.

Babbel is an award-winning platform that makes learning less overwhelming. It packages lessons into 10 to 15-minute chunks you can squeeze into your day, all while offering personalized review sessions to help you retain what you've learned. Through April 30, you can grab a lifetime subscription, which lets you learn up to 14 languages for only $149.97.

Available on your smartphone, laptop, tablet, or any mobile device, Babbel grants you the flexibility to learn whenever, wherever. It packs over 10,000 hours of language education, spread across 14 languages. Want to learn how to order a baguette in French? Or how about a plate of carbonara in Italian? Whichever language you pick, you'll get to learn it without needing to clear hours of your weekend.

Instead of focusing solely on grammar and vocabulary, Babbel primarily focuses on language skills you can use in real life, from transportation and dining to shopping and asking for directions. Speech-recognition technology is also integrated into the platform to hone your pronunciation.

Thanks to the science-backed lessons developed by over 100 expert linguists from the likes of Yale University, City University of New York, and Michigan State University, within as little as a month, you could be holding down conversations with native speakers with confidence.

And in case you're not confident about your memorization skills, you can always take review sessions to help your newfound knowledge stick.

Dive into a new language with a lifetime subscription to Babbel, only $149.97 (reg. $599) through April 30.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $148.97 at the Mashable Shop
$599.00 Save $450.03 Get Deal