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If you enjoyed that very dark Black Mirror Season 6 episode "Loch Henry", then you might be in luck. Netflix's trailer for Bodkin has some very similar vibes.

Set in Ireland rather than Scotland, the comedy thriller series follows a trio of podcasters (Will Forte, Siobhan Cullen, and Robyn Cara) as they visit a small coastal town to investigate some old disappearances.

Cue creepy locals, amusing cultural clashes, and the inevitable realisation that the case isn't quite as cold as they first thought.

How to watch: Bodkin is streaming on Netflix from May 9.

Apple Vision Pro's Personas have gotten more realistic, with a new (beta) feature the company calls spatial Personas.

Until now, Personas — which are visual, semi-3D representations of the Vision Pro's user — would show up in FaceTime calls made within the headset and just kinda stand there in front of you. But with spatial Personas, the avatars can actually be positioned freely in a space; so you could have several Personas chatting around a coffee table.

The feature became available with visionOS 1.1 in late March.

SEE ALSO: I used the Apple Vision Pro on a flight to Costa Rica — and it was chaotic

Spatial Personas will appear positioned differently depending on what you're doing in the FaceTime call; if you're watching a movie together, other participants will be lined up next to you, but if you're playing a game with SharePlay, they'll appear across from you. You can move them around the space freely by pinching and dragging, though.

Some folks got the chance to try the feature out ahead of release. Inverse's Ray Wong noted that the spatial Personas feel a lot more lifelike, with the ability sit down or stand up, and have realistic eye contact.

Tweet may have been deleted

Web video producer Marques Brownlee noted that the floating head is a little "odd looking," but that the feature brings the ability to interact with the same content as someone else in real-time.

It also appears that the new Personas are now just a little better-looking overall, which is important as the initial version left a lot to be desired.

To enable the feature, tap the Persona button during a FaceTime call (see instructions on Apple's website). There are limitations. Up to five participants at once can use spatial Personas. You'll need visionOS 1.1 or later, and at least two people on the call will need to have an Apple Vision Pro.

Is "impressive Chromebook" still an oxymoron?

Luxe models like the $999 Google Pixelbook exist (well, existed), but plastic, practical-to-a-fault clunkers have defined this genre of web-based devices since it debuted in 2011. The Chromebook™️ is infamously cheap (costing and looking) and generally relegated to schoolwork or basic browsing — your archetypical bare-minimum laptop.

However, now there's Chromebook Plus. Google introduced this taxonomy for a new breed of ChromeOS computers in October 2023, marking the Chromebook experience's first proper retooling in over a decade. It rolled out in the form of an OS update for certain older Chromebooks and via eight brand-new models from Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and HP, which start at $399 to retain an appeal for budget shoppers.

SEE ALSO: Chromebook vs. laptop: What are the differences?

I spent several weeks with the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch, one of two 15.6-inch models from that original octet, which retails for $499. I'll tell you upfront that it makes some sacrifices to adhere to that price point, namely in build and audio quality, and its battery life is a letdown. I don't think it's quite able to slough off some of those Chromebook stereotypes. 

That said, the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is plenty peppy for casual productivity, especially if you're a big Google Workspace person, and its colorful, capacious screen is excellent for off-the-clock entertainment. It also comes with some useful features and AI tools you won't find in non-Plus Chromebooks. It's not an outstanding laptop worthy of our Mashable Choice Award, but it's decidedly solid if you're looking for a reliable bargain big-screener.

The only problem is that it doesn't exist in a vacuum.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.5-inch specs and price

Models with the "Chromebook Plus" label are guaranteed to have certain specs, including:

• At least a 12th-generation Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 7000 series processor (i.e., a CPU from 2022 or newer)

• At least 8GB of RAM

• At least 128GB of storage

• A 1080p webcam with temporal noise reduction

• An IPS display with a resolution of at least 1080p (Full HD)

This new standardization doesn't rewrite the book on Chromebooks, so to speak: It's been possible to buy a non-Plus model with this hardware before. Rather, Google said it's meant to make it easier for shoppers to narrow down their options and identify models that "will actually give you what you need, at the price you want."

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch's base configuration is available exclusively at Best Buy. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a traditional clamshell-style laptop that sells for $499 at Best Buy. Under its hood, you'll find:

• An Intel Core i3-N305 processor (a mobile CPU from early 2023)

• Intel UHD graphics

• 8GB of RAM

• 128GB of Universal Flash Storage (UFS)

• A 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution display (non-touchscreen) in a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 60Hz refresh rate

• MediaTek WiFi 6

• Two USB-C 3.0 ports, one USB-A 3.0 port, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack

Another variant of the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is available directly on the HP website starting at $599.99; it can be upgraded with a 144hz refresh rate, a backlit keyboard, and an Intel WiFi 6E card for a maxed-out price of $659.99. (This review only covers the $499 Best Buy model, FYI.)

HP Chromebook Plus 15.5-inch design

Let's acknowledge the polymer elephant in the room up top — yes, this laptop has a plastic shell, though you probably wouldn't know it from looks alone. It comes in a mineral silver finish that gives it an elegant, metallic-seeming sheen, and there's a reflective HP logo on its lid. It measures in at just 0.78 inches thin; while it's not a particularly small laptop, it's still sleek. Its hinge is tight and sturdy and not at all creaky.

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch looks sleek in Mineral Silver. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

That said, be gentle. I don't think you could completely junk the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch without serious intent, but I also don't think it could walk away from an accidental fall or drop without some cuts and bruises. My loaner unit's lid somehow picked up a nick during my testing, and I was only carrying it between my desk, couch, and kitchen table.

In the plastic's defense, it does keep the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch relatively light for its size at 3.81 pounds. Small kids might pitch a fit if they had to haul it around in their backpack all day, but I could easily tote it around in one arm.

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch has a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and an SD card slot on either side of its base. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch's low cost is a little more apparent in its plastic touchpad, which is accurate and responsive but weirdly grippy, as if it needs to be waxed or Zambonied. My fingers made a dull skidding sound every few gestures, like a scaled-down version of sneakers friction-squeaking on a gym floor. Finding the right finger pressure took some adjustments.

The quality of the keyboard is also on par with what I'd expect from a $500 laptop. It's definitely not the worst keyboard I've ever used — I survived the butterfly keyboard era and all I got were these lousy Genius Bar bills! — but it's not great. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like you're pushing the keys into Styrofoam: stiff, but also kind of airy and mushy, and overall just unsatisfying. I got used to it over time, too.

Note the numeric keypad. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

As an aside, I want to flag that there's a built-in numeric keypad to the right of the Chromebook Plus 15-inch's keyboard. It's not my favorite design choice, as it makes the keyboard and touchpad off-center, but I haven't docked points off for it because I know keypads are a draw for some users.

Meanwhile, the IPS display on the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is distractingly nice, and easily my favorite thing about this laptop. The colors are intense, with good contrast and rich blacks, and an anti-reflective panel preserves that quality at most viewing angles, even in direct sunlight. It also feels huge despite some moderately thick horizontal bezels. It really has no right looking as good as it does.

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6's display is vivid and spacious. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

I suppose the display could be brighter — it maxes out at a homely 250 nits — but it's workable and sort of a nice break from my Apple MacBook Pro's 500-nit screen, which can sometimes feel like staring into a high-beam headlight. It's not blinding, but its whites aren't dingy. I can make peace with that.

I wouldn't complain if the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch had a higher refresh rate, and you might be inclined to upgrade to the HP.com-exclusive 144Hz model, but 60Hz is completely reasonable for $500. I noticed a little jitteriness when I was playing Lies of P on it via Xbox Game Pass, but gaming and streaming were otherwise passably smooth. (Chromebooks aren't the best for gaming, but Google effectively endorses that use case by throwing in three free months of NVIDIA GeForce NOW's Priority tier with every Chromebook, including Plus models.)

SEE ALSO: The best gaming laptops of 2024 for every budget

The 1080p webcam is nested in the bezel across the very top of the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch's display, and it has a built-in privacy shutter that you can manually slide off and on. Its picture quality was adequate in photos and video calls, though it skewed a bit saturated and overly smoothed. I wish there was an option to turn the temporal noise reduction off — it made me look a little too airbrushed. 

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch's webcam isn't terrible, but it made me look a little orange and airbrushed. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch's stereo speakers are more overtly subpar. The audio is loud enough, but it sounds like all the oomph has been sucked out of it, as if you're hearing it from inside a closet. There's, like, a negative amount of bass. While not a dealbreaker for moi, since I typically wear headphones while using a laptop, it might be for some.

Connectivity-wise, the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch comes equipped with a decent number of ports: There's a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and a slot for an SD card.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch performance and battery life

So, what's so "Plus"? Google has a couple different selling points for its new Chromebook line, one being "power that gets more done," per a page on the company's website. Certified models offer "2x the processing power" compared to the most popular Chromebooks sold in the second half of 2022, it said, and offer "up to 10 hours of battery life" per charge.

A representative for Google told me that the company doesn't publish any specifics about its top sellers, so I couldn't personally verify its claim about extra processing power. But anecdotally, the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch was able to zip through my daily workflow, which involves bopping around between the Slack app, Google Workspace tools, Twitter, Zoom, and Mashable's CMS. It never ran hot, either, even when I sat it on my blanketed lap to play a few hours of Palworld and Assassin's Creed Odyssey after work one day. (The fan cranked up a bit, but it was never noticeably loud.)

Graphically undemanding games like "Palworld" ran well on the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

In a more technical setting, the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch clocked in at a multi-core score of 4,121 in Primate Labs' Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark (the Android version), which had its system run a variety of real-world tasks; the higher the score, the better. That puts it slightly lower than the HP Chromebook Plus x360 14c (another new Plus model), which scored a 4,318, with one asterisk: The x360 14c starts at $699 and retails for $819.99 as tested.

As for battery life, that "up to 10 hours" bit is doing a lot of heavy lifting. I got only seven hours and 11 minutes out of the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch in CrXPRT 2's battery life test. Eight hours is the minimum we look for in Chromebooks, nine to ten hours being ideal, so it kind of flopped here. Moving on!

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch software features

The other crux of Google's Chromebook Plus spiel is a suite of new software features: It "works like magic, feels like fun," the company said. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but most of them land somewhere on the spectrum between "convenient" and "kind of cool," and ultimately elevate the user experience in some way.

Falling under the former categorization is File Sync. This new feature makes all of the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides in your "My Drive" available without WiFi, then automatically updates the original files once your connection is restored. Offline usability has been a major critique of Chromebooks since forever, and while this isn't a terribly exciting tweak, I can see it being a nice peace-of-mind thing for travelers and commuters.

Back over in the webcam department, there's a new "pod" for video controls that appears in the lower navigation bar whenever the camera is turned on. These include some AI-powered settings like noise cancellation, live caption, and improve lighting, which work across platforms like Google Meet and Zoom. Again, nothing revolutionary, but it was handy to have them so readily available for mid-call toggling… when they worked. (Live caption didn't for me.)

The webcam's "Improve Lighting" AI tool (sort of arbitrarily) brightened one side of my face. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Chromebook Plus also brings new support for popular multimedia apps like Adobe Photoshop on the web, Adobe Express, and LumaFusion, a video editor, as well as Google Photos' Magic Eraser feature, which you'll also find on Google's Pixel 6, 7, and 8 series phones. (Those who purchase a new Chromebook Plus will receive three free-month trials of both Adobe products and a one-off discount on LumaFusion.) This is arguably Google's boldest update considering "Chromebook" and "photo and video editing" are rarely used in the same sentence, unless it's to say that the former is bad for the latter.

Google Photos Magic Eraser's "erase" mode (center) tended to produce more convincing results than "camouflage" (right). Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

I played around with Adobe Express and Magic Eraser in my testing, and without going into too much detail, both worked well. Adobe Express could be a little pokey, but it's a flashy Canva alternative with some hit-or-miss generative AI features. Magic Eraser made it easy to scrub distractions out of photos, or "camouflage" them so that their colors didn't stick out. While I wouldn't buy a Chromebook Plus solely to use these tools, it's exciting to see them succeed on a $500 laptop.

Last, and probably least, Chromebook Plus models come with two dynamic wallpapers that change based on the time of day. They're paired with matching animated screensavers and Chrome color themes.

Google's dynamic wallpapers and screensavers are Chromebook Plus exclusives. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Google said it will "keep adding new features to Chromebook Plus over time"; an AI-powered short-form content editor, generative video backgrounds, and desktop wallpapers are in the works for later in 2024.

Is the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch worth it?

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a low-priced pick for productivity revolving around the Google ecosystem with a large, vibrant display and some new software features that are at least interesting, if not game-changing. It's unfair to compare a Chromebook to other kinds of laptops, but as a lifelong MacBook user, I feel compelled to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed using this laptop (even if it didn't convert me away from Apple).

SEE ALSO: The best cheap laptops for 2024, tested and reviewed

Here's the thing, though: The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch isn't the only new Chromebook Plus, and other models kickflip on it when it comes to overall value.

For instance, the Acer Chromebook Plus 515 and the ASUS Chromebook Plus CX34 both come with slightly better processors and cost $399 apiece, or $100 less. (The former is another 15.6-incher, too.) Meanwhile, the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook Plus gets you a newer 13th-gen Intel Core i3 processor, a backlit keyboard, and a 2-in-1 design with a multitouch display for the same $499. 

The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a genuinely good budget laptop, but other Chromebook Plus models offer more for the same price or less. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Even if these other models make the same major concessions as the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch in the realms of plastic construction, audio quality, and battery life, the trade-offs seem more worth it on paper. (I'm hoping to test them, too, to see if this translates in practice.)

Ultimately, and if nothing else, I think the best thing about the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch just might be the potential it shows for these other Plus-ed options. "Impressive Chromebook" remains an oxymoron in this case, but it could veer toward tautology elsewhere among the lineup, at least as far as budget laptops are concerned. Google is onto something.

Opens in a new window Credit: HP HP Chromebook Plus 15a-nb0033dx $499.00 at Best Buy
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TL;DR: Through April 7, save over 30% on this folding exercise bike with an LCD display, ultrasoft seat, and anti-slip pedals with straps.

While the gym works for a lot of people, at-home machines are much more practical and affordable for most: Check out this folding exercise bike that’s $119.97 (reg. $199.99).

Pedal to the metal

If you’ve seen the viral walking pads dominating social media, this exercise bike has a similar concept. Since it only measures 28 inches long, you can set it up in the corner of your living room, office, or bedroom and pedal away at an effective, yet mindless, workout. It even folds up for easy storage when you’re not using it.

But we think you’ll spend so much time on the bike that it won’t be folded up often. Flick on your favorite series or movie and start working out, without ever having to drive to the gym. However, just like a gym machine, an LCD display shows your speed, distance, time, heart rate, and calories burned as you exercise. You could freestyle with whatever feels right, or follow workout plans curated for stationary bikes.

As far as comfort goes, this bike has a plush seat to keep you cozy and anti-slip pedals with straps to hold your feet in place as you pedal. The goal is to give you a smooth, enjoyable ride.

Hop on your folding exercise bike for just $119.97 (reg. $199.99). That’s 30% in savings.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Yosuda YOSUDA Folding Exercise Bike $119.99 at the Mashable Shop
$199.99 Save $80.00 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 7, get this CompTIA and IT Exam bundle on sale for $39.99 with code SECURE20.

If you're ready to kick your IT career up a notch or two, this CompTIA and IT Exam training bundle could help. Packed with comprehensive courses and expert instruction, this bundle could help you pass your CompTIA and IT certification exams. And for a limited time, you can enjoy an extra 20% savings on the already discounted price, making it easier than ever to invest in your future.

This bundle gives you five different pathways to train for IT certification. One way to do that is by checking out the Exam Simulator bundle from CramWise. You'll have access to more than 25 exam simulators with over 40 hours of content. It includes hands-on learning like performance-based questions, practice tests, and labs. If you're looking to master all the differences between databases on AWS and more, this is the place to go.

There's also one called LinuxPath that goes into Linux in detail, including real-world applications, best techniques, and boosting security. The DoJoLab features a comprehensive selection of CompTIA practice exams, labs, and more that will help prepare you for the exams.

With the CodeDirect course teaching you about Python and ExamsDigest diving into CompTIA, Cisco, and AWS certification exam prep, you'll be well-positioned to move your IT career forward with this online learning bundle.

This limited-time offer could help you gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence you need to pass your exams and succeed in the IT industry.

Get this CompTIA and IT Exam training bundle on sale for $39.99 until April 7 at 11:59 p.m. PT with code SECURE20.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: DojoLab The Complete CompTIA & IT Exam Lifetime Access Training Bundle $39.99 at the Mashable Shop
$2,748.75 Save $2,708.76 with code SECURE20 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 7, score affordability and portability with a refurbished Lenovo Tab E8 from 2018 for just $56.99 (reg. $119).

It's nice to have a portable device while you're away. Phones can do double duty in that department, but the screens are pretty small, and it's nice to save your phone's battery for a time when you might really need it. A tablet is a great option — and you don't have to shell out a lot of money to get one anymore. This refurbished Lenovo Tab E8 is on sale for just $56.99 (reg. $119) and can be your trusty travel companion.

Since it's refurbished, it doesn't have the absolute latest technology. However, it's only from 2018, so it's still a rather young tablet. It has a grade "B" refurbished rating, which means it's been cleaned and inspected to work well but could have some light scuffing or other cosmetic blemishes on the bevel or case.

It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, which isn't the highest, but it should support you in everyday tasks like streaming, browsing, emailing, and other day-to-day activities. 

The eight-inch display is great for watching shows while you travel. Plus, the slim design means it can easily slip into your purse, bag, or backpack. It also has WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

While it has the option to create multiple user profiles, it's only compatible with Android 7.1 Nougat.

Depending on your needs, this could be a good option for an extra on-the-go device at a very reasonable rate.

This refurbished Lenovo Tab E8 from 2018 is on sale for just $56.99 (reg. $119).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo Tab E8 (2018) TB-8304F, 16GB - Black (Refurbished) $56.99 at the Mashable Shop
$119.00 Save $62.01 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through April 7, this new, open-box Dell Wyse Thin Client Desktop Computer is just $64.99 (reg. $149).

The working model has changed to a more remote-friendly environment. That means many of us work from home without a devoted space to do so.

If you have a small home office or a slice of a room that you call your own for work, this Dell Wyse Thin Client Desktop Computer could be a tech upgrade that won't take up much space. For a limited time, it's on sale for just $64.99 (reg. $149).

This desktop is a new, open-box model. This means it's considered new but is often extra inventory from stores that may have been in contact with customers. It also means the price is reduced because of that.

Created with Wyse ThinOS, an Intel Atom quad-core processor, and 2GB RAM, it's made to be a smooth operator and offers efficient performance. It features three USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 port and supports dual displays, which can be crucial for some home offices.

This compact desktop has 8GB of storage to keep your important docs and photos locally. The ethernet connectivity is the only connectivity offered.

With enhanced security via the built-in Kensington security slot, a wired keyboard, and a mouse, it's an efficient little trio that could be a real asset for some WFH setups.

This is your chance to get the new, open-box Dell Wyse Thin Client Desktop Computer for just $64.99 (reg. $149) for a limited time.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Dell Dell Wyse 3040 Thin Client Desktop Computer Intel Atom X5-Z8350 2GB RAM 8GB SSD (Open Box) $64.99 at the Mashable Shop
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Wondering how to watch the college basketball tournament? Here are your best options: Most channels Sling TV Blue Plan $15 for the first month, then $40/month (save $25) Get Deal Most affordable Max With Ads $9.99/month Get Deal

The NC State and Purdue men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet in a tournament game in Phoenix on Saturday, April 6. The game is scheduled to start at 6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. PT. 

No. 11 seed NC State comes into the matchup 26-14 overall. Most recently, NC State beat No. 3-seeded Duke 76-64 on Sunday in the tournament’s fourth round. DJ Burns Jr. led NCSU with 29 points and four rebounds, and DJ Horne added 20 points and four rebounds. 

No. 1 seed Purdue comes into the matchup 33-4 overall. On Sunday, Purdue defeated Tennessee 72-66 in the fourth round of the tournament. Zach Edey led Purdue with 40 points and 16 rebounds.

SEE ALSO: March Madness and Caitlin Clark have already given us some great memes

Kevin Keatts is the NC State men’s basketball head coach. Matt Painter is the Purdue men’s basketball head coach. 

Purdue vs. NC State basketball game time, network

The Purdue vs. NC State men’s basketball game is scheduled to be broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV at 6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 6. The TBS/TNT/truTV broadcasters for the game are scheduled to be Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter).

Whatever team wins advances to play on Monday, April 8 in Phoenix.  

In the evolving world of sports broadcasting, the emergence of live-streaming platforms like Sling TV and Max represents an alternative to traditional cable and satellite TV that meets the expectations of the modern fan. 

Best streaming services for the NC State vs. Purdue basketball game 

As NC State takes on the Purdue men’s basketball team, you don’t need to worry if you're without cable. Explore the best options to catch every moment of this showdown via streaming.

Most channels: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue Plan $15.00
$40.00 Save $25.00 Get Deal

If you want to watch the Purdue vs. NCSU game on TBS or TNT via Sling TV, you’ll need either the Orange Plan or the Blue Plan. Both the Orange and Blue plans start at $15 for the first month and then increase to $40 per month subsequently, and they both also come with 50 hours of free DVR storage. 

TBS and TNT are two of the 26 channels included on both the Orange and Blue plans. There are six channels exclusive to the Orange Plan, including ESPN and ESPN2. There are 14 channels exclusive to the Blue Plan, and those include FS1, NFL Network, and TruTV. Another difference between the Orange and Blue plans is that you can only stream on one device with the Orange Plan, and the Blue Plan allows streaming on three devices at once. 

In higher-priced plans, Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, TNT, and TruTV. 

Most affordable: Max Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max With Ads
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Max is getting into men’s college basketball this March with the inclusion of the B/R Sports Add-On. You can see every jump shot, block, and upset across TNT, TBS and TruTV with no extra fees attached.

There are three Max tiers. The cheapest package is Max With Ads, which is $9.99 per month. It allows streaming on two devices. You can save 42% by paying for one year upfront at $69.99. 

The second package is Max Ad-Free, and that is $15.99 per month. If you’re mainly getting Max for sports, there isn’t much difference between Max With Ads and Max Ad-Free since sports will still include ads. If you pay one year upfront, you save 45% on Max Ad-Free at $104.99. 

Max Ultimate Ad-Free is the third package, and it is $19.99 per month. It also upgrades to allow streaming on four devices at once. Plus, it has 4K Ultra HD capability. The one-year price for Max Ultimate Ad-Free is $139.99. 

Wondering how to watch the college basketball tournament? Here are your best options: Most channels Sling TV Blue Plan $15 for the first month, then $40/month (save $25) Get Deal Most affordable Max With Ads $9.99/month Get Deal

The Alabama and UConn men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet in a tournament game in Phoenix on Saturday, April 6. The game is scheduled to start at 8:49 p.m. ET/7:49 p.m. CT. 

No. 4 seed Alabama enters the matchup 26-11 overall. Most recently, Alabama beat No. 6-seeded Clemson 89-82 on March 30 in the tournament’s fourth round. Mark Sears led Alabama with 23 points, and Jarin Stevenson added 19 points for the Crimson Tide. 

No. 1 seed UConn enters the matchup 34-3 overall. On March 30, UConn defeated Illinois 77-52 in the fourth round of the tournament. UConn got 22 points and 10 rebounds from center Donovan Clingan.

SEE ALSO: March Madness and Caitlin Clark have already given us some great memes

Nate Oats is the Alabama men’s basketball head coach. Dan Hurley is the UConn men’s basketball head coach. 

Alabama vs. UConn basketball game time and network

The Alabama vs. UConn men’s basketball game is scheduled to be broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8:49 p.m. ET/7:49 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 6. The TBS/TNT/truTV broadcasters for the game are scheduled to be Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter).

The winner advances to play on Monday, April 8 in Phoenix. 

If you don’t have cable or satellite TV, online live-streaming platforms like Sling TV and Max offer fans flexibility and accessibility that aligns with modern sports viewership.

Best streaming services for the UConn vs. Alabama basketball game 

Don't fear if you've cut the cord, because Saturday’s clash between UConn and Alabama is streaming. There are several streaming platforms ready to give you access to the game. Here are your top options.  

Most channels: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Blue Plan $15.00
$40.00 Save $25.00 Get Deal

If you want to watch just the UConn vs. Alabama game on TBS or TNT via Sling TV, you’ll need either the Orange Plan or the Blue Plan. Both the Orange and Blue plans start at $15 for the first month and then increase to $40 per month subsequently, and they both also come with 50 hours of free DVR storage. 

TBS and TNT are two of the 26 channels included on both the Orange and Blue plans. There are six channels exclusive to the Orange Plan, including ESPN and ESPN2. There are 14 channels exclusive to the Blue Plan, and those include FS1, NFL Network, and TruTV. Another difference between the Orange and Blue plans is that you can only stream on one device with the Orange Plan, and the Blue Plan allows streaming on three devices at once. 

In higher-priced plans, Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, TNT, and TruTV. 

Most affordable: Max Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max With Ads
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Max offers you a tiered approach to subscription services, each level includes the B/R Sports Add-On at no additional cost. College basketball fans can access comprehensive coverage, mirroring the depth and intensity of the tournament itself. The B/R Sports Add-On gives you access to live broadcasts of TBS, TNT and truTV. 

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In an age where artificial intelligence is being promoted as the next big thing, we're incessantly told about how robots will soon replace humans and everyone will be out of a job.

That hasn't happened quite yet.

With one exception – circus animals.

This year, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has returned, and is touring for the first time since closing seven years ago. But, this isn't the Ringling Bros. you may remember from when you were a kid. There are no more horses, zero tigers, and elephants are no where to be found. There is not a single live animal in this show.

The circus animals have all been replaced by a robot dog named Bailey.

A robot dog joins the circus

Could the modern circus – a hundreds of years old industry almost synonymous with live animal acts – successfully pull this off? A robot dog?

Mashable was invited to a recent performance of the Ringling Bros.'s latest show at UBS Arena in Long Island. I had plenty of questions regarding Bailey. I also wanted to see if Bailey was viewed as an adequate replacement in the eyes of attendees. 

SEE ALSO: Why don't we have AI-powered robot butlers yet? An investigation.

How would the circus-going public react to Bailey? More importantly, how would the circus' most important demographic – children – react to Bailey and the lack of live animals? To find the answers to these questions,I took my own two kids, aged 4 and 8, to see Bailey as well.

Jan Damm aka Nick Nack and Bailey the robot dog Credit: Matt Binder / Mashable

Before the show started, Ringling Bros. invited us to get up-close and personal with Bailey and talk with Bailey's co-star, human-performer Jan Damm who plays Nick Nack, as well as Lukasz Zajda, a crew member who helps bring Bailey to life (via remote control).

Bailey first greeted us backstage, trotting around with pink and yellow fur and a spring as a tail. We followed Bailey to the circus stage, where Damm and Zajda walked us through some of Bailey's biggest tricks. Bailey could roll over, spring, and beg just like, well, a real dog. 

Plus, Bailey can dance, which helps when one of the biggest acts in the show is a dance-off between Bailey and Damm.

Behind Bailey

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Bailey, however, is how simple Bailey actually is. Zajda, who controls Bailey throughout the show, gave me a look into the tech behind Bailey.

Bailey has a unique design, distinct to Ringling Bros. circus. However, underneath the colorful fur and cartoon eyes is a robot dog model that anyone can buy, Unitree Robotics' Go1 Model. The Unitree Go1 starts at around $2,700, although the company now has newer models for sale. 

Get a good look at Bailey's pink and yellow fur and spring tail. Credit: Matt Binder / Mashable

Zajda controls Bailey's every move from about 150 to 200 feet away using a wireless remote control, the default remote that comes with the Unitree Go1 model. It's basically like a drone remote control with two joysticks. And Bailey's battery can last around 45 minutes long, which is more than enough for a 2-hour performance with multiple acts of which Bailey makes three appearances.

And, speaking of Bailey's quirky cartoon robot dog eyes that I just mentioned before? That's just a looping video playing on an iPhone 12 which Ringling Bros. attached to the robot to make Bailey's face. It really did feel like Bailey's eyes were interacting with everyone around it, so I was surprised to hear that wasn't the case.

The return of Ringling Bros.

Originally founded in 1871, Ringling Bros. was once the biggest and most famous circus in the world. With the tagline "The Greatest Show on Earth," the live show toured the country with its infamous three-ring production. Ringling Bros. became so popular in the late 1950s that the company could no longer run shows out of their portable big top tents, moving to larger venues and sports stadiums like Madison Square Garden.

Ringling Bros. featured all the standard circus fare, from clowns to trapeze artists performing unbelievable stunts. But, Ringling Bros. biggest ticket-sellers were the live animals. And Ringling Bros. had the resources to bring animals on the road that competitors couldn't, like tigers and arguably Ringling Bros. most popular act, the elephants. 

Elephants were such a major draw for Ringling Bros. that it easily became the circus' trademark. The circus elephants were featured everywhere in promotions for the show. When Ringling Bros. came to New York City, the circus was known for parading the elephants around Madison Square Garden.

However, a traveling circus really can't properly provide adequate care for wild animals, as many animal rights groups argued over the years. Ringling Bros. faced criticism and legal challenges from organizations like the ASPCA and PETA over the treatment of its elephants. The USDA even fined Ringling Bros. under the Animal Welfare Act.

In 2016, citing new local laws regarding the usage of elephants in entertainment, Ringling Bros. announced that it was retiring its elephants, ending the elephant portion of its show entirely. And in 2017, 8 months after the elephants retired, Ringling Bros. parent company Feld Entertainment shared that ticket sales had abruptly fallen. Citing the removal of elephants from the show as the reason for the downturn, the company announced that the then-146-year-old circus would be closing its doors.

Tweet may have been deleted

Ringling Bros. would remain closed until 2023 when Feld Entertainment relaunched the show without live animal acts.

Farewell to live animal performers – it's for the best

Now for the real test though: How would circus attendees react to Bailey? Would kids like the robot dog?

The answers: The audience loves Bailey. Kids, especially.

Damm and Bailey perform for the crowd. Credit: Matt Binder / Mashable

The show is roughly 2-hours long and filled with musical and comedy segments, death-defying stunts, and record-holding acts like Wesley Williams, a Guinness World Record holder who rides a 34 foot tall unicycle in the show.

Bailey appears in just 3 segments – one appearance in the first half of the show to introduce the audience to Bailey, the aforementioned dance-off segment in the second half of the show, and then the farewell act featuring all the performers.

Judging by the crowd reactions every time Bailey came out, it actually feels like Ringing Bros. underutilized him. The audience lit up every time Bailey appeared. Bailey wasn't being talked about as a "robot dog act" like people would refer to the live animals as just the "tigers" or "elephants." Kids were calling out Bailey by name.

Bailey is now arguably the Ringling Bros' biggest star. And while he may be there to replace the horses and tigers and elephants, Bailey is clearly no consolation prize.

Damm, human performer, and Bailey, robot dog performer Credit: Matt Binder / Mashable

At 8 and 4, my kids are too young to remember the circus with live animals. I explained to them that there was once a time where you could see real-life tigers and elephants at Ringling Bros. "Woah," they exclaimed. 

After the show, I asked them if they would have preferred to have seen the live animals or Bailey at the circus. They could only pick one and the other had to go! Based on their reaction to my telling of the circus of old, I was actually surprised by their answer.

"Bailey," they both agreed.

So, the circus is back without live animals. And in this rare instance, it's good that a robot named Bailey took their jobs.

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 3 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 3

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, April 3, 2024:

AcrossLondon ___, drink of steamed milk and Earl Grey tea

• The answer is fog.

Woman celebrating with a band?

• The answer is bride.

Pinky or pinky toe

• The answer is digit.

What a phoenix emerges from, with "the"

• The answer is ashes.

"You ain't seen nothing ___"

• The answer is yet.

DownSkirmish or scuffle

The answer is fight.

Dog in "Garfield"

• The answer is odie.

Understands, as a joke

• The answer is gets.

Time to blow out the candles, informally

• The answer is bday.

Increase

• The answer is rise.

Being a great communicator isn’t just about knowing how to speak eloquently—it’s about knowing how to prepare for, and engage deeply in, important conversations. These simple strategies can help. Before a key conversation, take 30 seconds to jot down a few topics you know you want to cover. Going into the discussion with a rough […]

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TL;DR: Stream Northampton Saints vs. Munster in the European Rugby Champions Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

From the Six Nations to the Gallagher Premiership, there has been so much free coverage of live rugby this season. It has been a real treat for fans, and the free games are still coming. This time it's the European Rugby Champions Cup in the spotlight, as two strong sides come head to head.

If you want to watch Northampton Saints vs. Munster in the European Rugby Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Northampton Saints vs. Munster?

Northampton Saints vs. Munster kicks off at 12:30 p.m. BST on April 7. This fixture takes place at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton, England.

How to watch Northampton Saints vs. Munster for free

Northampton Saints vs. Munster will be broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage starting from 11:50 a.m. BST on April 7. 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 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 Northampton Saints vs. Munster 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 taking advantage of these offers, you can gain access to ITVX without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to stream Northampton Saints vs. Munster before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing ITVX from anywhere in the world, 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 Northampton Saints vs. Munster for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Stream Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens in the Betfred Super League for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

We're still in the early stages of the Betfred Super League season, but St Helens and the Catalans Dragons are already making a big impression. Both sides have started strongly, making their upcoming matchup a tantalising prospect for fans of rugby league.

If you want to watch Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens?

Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens kicks off at 8:05 p.m. BST on April 6. This fixture takes place at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan, France.

How to watch Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens for free

Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens will be broadcast live on BBC Three, with coverage starting from 8 p.m. BST on April 6. You can also live stream this fixture for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer 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 BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Unblock BBC iPlayer 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 BBC iPlayer

5. Stream Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens 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 taking advantage of these offers, you can gain access to BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to stream Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world, 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 Catalans Dragons vs. St Helens for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: A wide range of online courses from Harvard University are available to take for free on edX.

AI is coming, whether you like it or not. You could handle these first steps into a brave new world with panic and fear, or you could learn how to harness this technology.

The choice is yours, but edX makes the decision a lot easier. This online learning platform hosts free courses on Python, Javascript, and of course, AI. And better yet, these online courses are delivered by famous institutions like Harvard University. You could become a Harvard student without ever leaving home.

We have lined up the best free online courses from Harvard University on topics like Python, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity:

• Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature

• Applications of TinyML

• Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health

• CS50's Computer Science for Business Professionals

• CS50's Computer Science for Lawyers

• CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python

• CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

• CS50's Introduction to Cybersecurity

• CS50's Introduction to Game Development

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with R

• CS50's Introduction to Programming with Scratch

• CS50's Understanding Technology

• CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScript

• Data Science: Capstone

• Data Science: Inference and Modelling

• Data Science: Machine Learning

• Data Science: Productivity Tools

• Data Science: R Basics

• Data Science: Visualization

• Deploying TinyML

• Energy and Thermodynamics

• Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

• Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles

• Fat Chance: Probability from the Ground Up

• Fundamentals of Neuroscience Part 1

• Fundamentals of TinyML

• High-Dimensional Data Analysis

• Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster

• Improving Your Business Through a Culture of Health

• Introduction to Data Science with Python

• Introduction to Digital Humanities

• Introduction to Probability

• Justice

• Leadership: Creating Public Value

• Leaders of Learning

• Machine Learning and AI with Python

• Managing Happiness

• Masterpieces of World Literature

• MLOps for Scaling TinyML

• Modern Masterpieces of World Literature

• Remote Work Revolution for Everyone

• Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

• Shakespeare's Life and Work

• Statistics and R

• Super-Earths and Life

• Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market

• The Health Effects of Climate Change

• The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life

• Using Python for Research

You don't get a verified certificate of completion with these free courses, but that's the only catch. You can still enroll and start learning at your own pace. So what do you have to lose?

Find the best free online courses from Harvard University with edX.

Opens in a new window Credit: Harvard University Harvard University Courses Free at edX Get Deal

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone is on sale for £143.27 with code ROSETTA.

Your special someone might be fluent in the language of love, but that may just be for you to hear. For talking to practically everyone else in the world, they'll have to study up, and Rosetta Stone may be the place to do it. With beginner to expert lessons for 25 different languages, Rosetta Stone is a fun, adaptable way to learn a new language, and you can get it for life for only £143.27 with code ROSETTA.

There's more than one way to learn a language, so Rosetta Stone gives learners options. Users can try out their pronunciation with advanced speech-recognition technology that gives live feedback. Or they can brush up on their vocabulary with reading, writing, and listening exercises. 

This subscription lasts for life, which means your Valentine can take all the time they want to learn a new language, or a few new ones. There are 25 total, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Filipino, Japanese, Swedish, and so many more. 

Get a lifetime of language learning with Rosetta Stone for only £143.27 with code ROSETTA.

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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 3'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 single length of hair.

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. What's the answer to Wordle today?

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 #1019 is...

PLAIT.

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 3'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: The standard

• Green: Moves in Texas Hold'em

• Blue: Skin conditions

• Purple: US States shortened

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: Benchmark

• Green: Poker Actions

• Blue: Skin Types

• Purple: Starts of US States

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 #297 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Benchmark: BENCHMARK, GAUGE, STANDARD, YARDSTICK

• Poker Actions: BET, CALL, CHECK, FOLD

• Skin Types: COMBINATION, DRY, NORMAL, OILY

• Starts of US States: KENT, MARY, MASS, WASH

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.

When it comes to breaking YouTube records, you've probably heard of MrBeast and his record of most subscribed individual creator on the platform. MrBeast also once held the record for most viewed YouTube video in a 24-hour period after one of his uploads from August 2023 received nearly 60 million views in a day.

MrBeast's 24-hour view record would quickly be bested by the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI trailer which dropped just this past December. The GTA 6 trailer garnered more than 74 million views to grab that record from MrBeast.

But it seems like no one will be breaking the new record-holders view count any time soon.

On Monday, April 1st, 2024, the popular messaging platform Discord dropped a video announcing a new "Loot Boxes" feature. While the "feature" existed, Discord wasn't serious about it. It was an April Fools' Day joke. Discord Loot Boxes have already been removed from the platform.

But, somehow, Discord's 18-second April Fools' Loot Boxes video received more than one billion views in a 24 hour period.

Yes, you read that correctly. One billion views.

Credit: YouTube

The video received so many views, it actually got stuck at 628 million views at around the 16-hour mark as YouTube struggled to keep up with the count before updating to 1.4 billion at around the 24-hour mark.

To really drive this new record home, Discord beat the record by around 1.3 billion views.

How did this happen?

So, how did Discord achieve this impossible feat?

Tweet may have been deleted

The company is being coy about it on social media, posting "oops" on Elon Musk's social media platform X on Tuesday in a vague reference to the video. Discord also posted a few snarky replies to some users who commented on the post.

Tweet may have been deleted

Mashable reached out to both Discord and YouTube for comment but have yet to hear back from either company. We will update this piece if we do.

However, one software developer named Marvin Witt shared a very convincing breakdown of what likely happened. Basically, it appears Discord may have accidentally (or purposefully?) created a "working YouTube view bot" as Witt described it in a thread on X.

Tweet may have been deleted Here's what went down

When Discord pushes out a new feature, the platform often pushes out a pop-up announcement for users on the bottom right-hand corner of both the desktop app and web app.

Discord did this for the Loot Box joke feature on April Fools' Day. Witt shared a screenshot of the pop-up. Mashable can also confirm that we saw this pop-up when logging into Discord on Monday morning.

Tweet may have been deleted

According to Witt, who also runs an independent news and updates resource about Discord, the Loot Box video from Discord was embedded in this pop-up via an iframe. 

"Loot Boxes have arrived!" the pop-up reads.

However, as Witt shows, the YouTube video was not viewable for users unless they hovered their mouse over the pop-up message, in which case the video would then pop-up from the message like toast in a toaster oven.

Tweet may have been deleted

Discord's 18-second YouTube video was apparently auto-playing on loop in the background of the app while users spent countless hours messaging their friends or even just letting their computer idle.

So, that leaves one more question: Did Discord do this on purpose?

There's some pretty convincing evidence from Witt that it was indeed an accident.

On his X account, Witt posted a screenshot of a Discord post from a "high up developer" working at the company from April 1st.

Tweet may have been deleted

"How the fuck is this video getting so many views," it says.

Later in the day, some users started to notice that the pop-up's code in the Discord app had been changed to fix the issue, switching from the YouTube video to a video file. However, as Witt noted, many of the views were coming from users who kept Discord open and weren't actively using the app, meaning the problem would remain until those users updated the app, or the pop-up message no longer appeared because April Fools' Day was over.

Tweet may have been deleted

The Discord Loot Box video will likely become the source of much debate within the YouTuber community too, since there will inevitably be controversy about whether the record should count. Even if it does, there's likely to be a huge asterisk on this record.

Either way, Discord set out to fool everyone on April Fools' Day. It appears they did that, but not in the exact way they had planned.

The corona isn't the only thing optimistic eclipse chasers will try to see when the moon completely covers the sun over parts of North America next month.

Spectators will have a wee chance of seeing a comet with the naked eye or a standard pair of binoculars during the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Comet 12/P Pons-Brooks, which makes an appearance in the inner solar system every 71 years, will have its closest approach to the sun just two weeks after the eclipse on April 21. The timing of the visit means it could be visible in the temporary twilight that comes with a blocked sun. The key will be whether the comet — a space snowball — will undergo a sudden flare-up called an outburst a day or so before, said Tony Farnham, an astronomer with expertise in comet activity at the University of Maryland.

"Its forecasted brightness is right at the limit of most people's ability to see that brightness, and that's in a dark sky," Farnham told Mashable. But "The thing about this comet is that it has a history of going into outbursts, a couple of which have actually been fairly large."

SEE ALSO: How the 2024 solar eclipse will be different from the last Tweet may have been deleted

During the eclipse, the moon will cast its shadow across the continent, starting on Mexico's western coast at 11:07 a.m. PT, according to NASA, arcing from Texas to Maine, entering Canada through Ontario, and exiting on the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland at 5:16 p.m. NDT. Major U.S. cities in this corridor, known as the "path of totality," will include Dallas, Indianapolis, and Cleveland.

Totality is a rare opportunity for residents to see the sun's glowing corona, the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, usually swamped out by the much brighter solar surface. The peak moment will last up to four minutes and 28 seconds for the tens of millions of people viewing it in the shadow's path.

Comets can be spectacular astronomical events in their own right. They are enormous balls of ice, dust, and rock that formed in the outer solar system, left over from the early days of planet formation about 4.6 billion years ago. Their ice starts to disintegrate as they get closer to the sun, converting instantly from a solid to a gas, skipping over the liquid phase. That process creates their signature tails, millions-of-miles-long debris trails of vaporizing material.

Hundreds of years ago, comets were considered bad omens. Today, scientists know these icy bodies as time capsules of the ancient solar system. Some astronomers believe comets brought water and organic compounds — a.k.a. the building blocks of life — to early Earth.

Comet 12/P Pons-Brooks, which makes an appearance in the inner solar system every 71 years, will have its closest approach to the sun just two weeks after the eclipse on April 21. Credit: Dan Bartlett

In the months leading up to April 8, eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler has already mentally begun planning out his precious 4.5 minutes of totality.

"I'll make a quick look for that comet," he said. "But I won't spend more than 10 seconds or so doing that."

This large comet — which could have a nucleus up to 21 miles wide — has been compared to Star Wars' Millennium Falcon or a devil with horns for its unusual shape. Experts don't fully understand what's causing this distortion of its coma, the gas cloud around its nucleus. The last time Pons-Brooks, recently nicknamed the "devil comet," swung by was in 1954.

Comet Pons-Brooks shares the sky with the Andromeda galaxy on March 5, 2024. Credit: Gianluca Masi / Virtual Telescope Project How to find Comet Pons-Brooks during the eclipse

Recently, the comet was popping in on the galaxy Andromeda in the early evening sky. But during the eclipse, it should be near Jupiter.

To locate it, Farnham recommends looking to the left of the totally eclipsed sun. About a hand's length away should be Jupiter, which will look like a bright point of light, like a star. Using the planet as a reference, you may find the comet nearby while scanning around it with binoculars.

"If you look up in that vicinity and you see something fuzzy, that's the comet," he said.

"If you look up in that vicinity and you see something fuzzy, that's the comet."

Remember that it's safe to use regular binoculars to look at a solar eclipse when the sun is completely concealed, but never during a partial eclipse, even if only the rim is exposed. Direct sunlight can also damage the optical parts of a camera, binoculars, or telescope — including the filters on protective solar eclipse glasses, if a person wears them while looking through one of these devices.

Stargazers watch for Comet NEOWISE northwest of L.A. during twilight on July 19, 2020. Credit: David McNew / Getty Images

Still, astronomers are tempering people's expectations for catching a glimpse of Pons-Brooks. Nalin Samarasinha, a senior scientist and comet expert at the Planetary Science Institute, said the peak magnitude of Halley's Comet was around the same in 1986 as is predicted for this one on April 8, and he was unable to see Halley with the unaided eye in a predawn sky, a similar lighting condition to a total eclipse.

"I really doubt it will be a naked eye object (at least not with my eyesight)," he wrote in an email.

But for people planning to take pictures during totality, Samarasinha said it's worth trying some long exposures with a wide-angle camera, as Pon-Brooks might make a faint photobomb, particularly if it undergoes an outburst.

The moon blotting out the sun during a total solar eclipse. Credit: Alan Dyer / VW Pics / UIG via Getty Images What causes a comet outburst?

Though scientists don't know the exact cause of outbursts, one possibility is that heat waves from the sun make their way into a crack or pocket in the comet's nucleus, causing volatile gasses to then vaporize and shoot out material in a burst of energy. Another possibility is that as the comet evolves, a cliff or escarpment may form on the nucleus, exposing fresh material that then becomes active.

The ever-changing dynamics are what drew Farnham to studying comets in the first place: They're full of surprises. He plans to travel to Central Texas for the eclipse, and he will take a glance over for Pons-Brooks.

"If you see something, great, but if you don't, the real story here is the eclipse," he said.

This story originally published on March 9, 2024 and has been updated.