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Hunting down the best Prime Day sales can be exhausting. Limited-availability Lightning Deals often sell out in minutes, and it can take hours to sift through hundreds of thousands of discounts across the site.

But there's a better way to find Prime Day deals on the stuff you want: enable Alexa to give Amazon deal alerts.

SEE ALSO: Paying for Prime Day purchases with Affirm: With great power comes great responsibility Who can use Alexa's advanced deal alerts?

Advanced Amazon deal alerts are available for U.S.-based Prime members on newer Echo smart speakers and include upcoming deals on eligible products from your Wish List, shopping cart, or Saved for Later queue up to 24 hours before they're available. You can also have Alexa purchase an item for you as soon as its discount goes live.

The advanced deal alerts feature is available year-round, but it'll be especially valuable during massive savings events like Prime Day and Black Friday when discount FOMO is very real.

How to turn on and use Alexa's advanced deal alerts

1. Open the Alexa mobile app. Go to More > Settings > Notifications > Amazon Shopping; from there, hit Shopping Recommendations and then Deal Recommendations.

2. Add products you're interested into your Wish List, Shopping Cart, or Saved for Later queue on the Amazon app or website.

3. When Alexa catches word of an upcoming deal on one of those products, your Echo will light up yellow. Ask, "Alexa, what are my notifications?" to learn more.

4. Once you've heard the latest deals, ask Alexa to remind you about the deal or ask her to order it when it goes live. ("Alexa, buy it for me.") The purchase will be made using the default payment and delivery address in your Amazon account, so make sure that information is updated and correct beforehand.

What if an item sells out or I change my mind?

You'll only be charged if your order goes through when the deal is available. If a product sells out before Alexa gets to it, she'll break the news in an email and a push notification. And if you change your mind about an item, Amazon will send you a post-purchase confirmation email that contains a "Cancel order request" link just in case.

Evil returns with its fourth and final season this week, and you won't want to miss out on all the wicked fun. Picking up with the Antichrist arc that ended Season 3, the premiere episode offers a new theme for the show's pop-up book opening titles. As indicated by the episode title, "How to Split an Atom," it's all about the evils found in science. 

In the first four episodes released to critics, Evil touches on fears over particle colliders, lax food production regulations, Elon Musk's running X (into the ground), and those cute yet creepy robot dogs. Each episode, true believer ​​David Acosta (Mike Colter), skeptic Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), and science guy Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) are sent on a new monster-of-the-week adventure, touching on classic creatures, curious sci-fi questions, and religious visions of relentless demons. 

What you need to remember about Evil ahead of Season 4: Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) hears something go bump in the night in "Evil." Credit: Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

Last season, the devilish Leland Townsend (Michael Emerson) managed to steal one of Kristen's frozen eggs from a fertility clinic. And he's used it — via surrogate — to pave the way for the birth of the Antichrist. Kristen, who's seen Leland fuck with her family in just about every way imaginable, could be furious. But in the first episode of this season, she laughs in his face. As seen in the teaser, she scoffs at the idea of him being father to her biological son. "Did you ever wonder why The Omen skipped the infancy? Because that's the real horror." 

Leland had been hoping to rope Kristen in through some biological imperative to care for the Antichrist, but she's too busy investigating tales of Satan worshippers and possessed pork in Upstate New York to take much notice. However, Leland still has his hooks in her husband Andy (Patrick Brammall), who was previously abducted, tortured, and turned into an oblivious sleeper agent. Whenever he hears a certain kitschy tune, Andy is putty in the hands of Leland — and Sheryl, Kristen's mom/Leland's workplace rival. 

See, while Sheryl is working for Satan, she's still trying to achieve what's "best" for the Bouchard family. Unfortunately, her vision of success may not align with her daughter's. 

Elsewhere, Father David is on new missions for the Catholic Church's version of secret intelligence, The Entity. Ben is being pestered by a pernicious djinn, and Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) makes the most of her screen time by kicking all kinds of demon butt — with the help of gardening shears! 

Season 4 is very baby Antichrist-focused.  Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) runs some experiences in "Evil." Credit: Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

For three seasons, Evil creators Robert King and Michelle King have made this irreverently fun series a mix of Catholic lore, cryptids, and supernatural scares. But with the end coming nearer and nearer for the series, which Paramount+ nearly canceled without a proper conclusion, there's a noticeable drive to hammer out the conclusion of Leland's big plan to bring about the apocalypse through the birth of the Antichrist. 

Early on, it seems the countdown to the birth might be meant to create a ticking clock on the season. However, within the first four episodes, the baby is born in a shockingly anti-climactic fashion. The Kings have some fun putting the endlessly sinister Leland into the kooky comedy of baby vomit and at-wit's-end parenthood, but these bits get most interesting when it pushes Leland to get creative in his manipulation. Stealing more files from Kristen's therapist, he figures out a new means to potentially lure the mother of five to return to the side of her infant (and destined for evil) son. Without spoilers, it's a moment both deeply chilling and not remotely supernatural. It's most interesting in how it impacts the Bouchards, and the projectile-vomiting baby of it all.

The weekly mysteries take a hit.  David Acosta (Mike Colter), Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), and Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers) search for a werewolf in "Evil." Credit: Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

Like The X-Files or Doctor Who, Evil has offered plenty of thrilling tales through its one-off mysteries. But this season, two of the first four episodes don't offer answers as much as they do plant seeds for future reveals. As this streaming series airs week by week, that lack of closure on the minor mysteries can be a bit frustrating, but I'd advise fans who prefer the creepy critters episodes to hang in there. 

Episode 3 ("How to Slaughter a Pig") brings back the creepy campfire vibes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Kristen and company are invited to an Upstate New York pig farm because of an internet game called the Possessed Pork Challenge. What follows is classic Evil — a satisfying mystery studded with scary moments of man and beast, as well as a political allegory that makes the final reveal even more haunting. From there, episode four digs deep into demons, complete with delightfully deranged practical effects. 

Evil's cast is back and crackling.  Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) on the attack in "Evil." Credit: Elizabeth Fisher / Paramount+

In the final season of Evil, the three leads all get curious new aspects to their characters that are exciting to see explored. Kristen begins the season with a new devil-may-care attitude that brings chaotic sex scenes and laugh-out-loud quips into her plotline. David probes new aspects of his psychic abilities that unlock a seething rage almost alien to the ever-composed priest. And Ben has encountered enough unexplainable mysteries that cracking the code of the djinn might well break his very worldview. 

Whether a defiant levity, an uncharacteristic fury, or an absorbing obsession, these attitudes brew a tension as they push their players to a breaking point. We don't see what that break will look like in the first four episodes, of course. But considering how the birth of the Antichrist came well before mid-season, we can assume the real fireworks will be about our heroes — and they should be truly spectacular. 

Evil Season 4 premieres on Paramount+ May 23, with a new episode dropping each week. Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Paramount+. Seasons 1 and 2 are also streaming on Netflix.

Google is addressing its deepfake pornography problem, now lowering AI-generated or synthetic porn in its search rankings.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that the company is lowering this kind of content within search rankings on its engine, "continuing to decrease the visibility of involuntary synthetic pornography in search and develop more safeguards as this space evolves."

Traffic on sites featuring nonconsensual and AI-generated porn via Google has been down in the last month: two of the most prominent deepfake sites, for example, have respectively seen 21 percent and 25 percent less U.S.-based desktop search traffic in the first ten days of May, compared with the previous six-month average.

However, even with Google's plan to derank such search results, the sites can still be discovered.

Google says the company has "been actively developing new protections in search to help people affected by this content, building on our existing policies." Mashable has reached out to Google for comment.

SEE ALSO: Deepfakes of Taylor Swift have gone viral. How does this keep happening?

Earlier this month, Google updated its policies to ban advertisers from promoting websites that facilitate the creation of deepfake pornography. The update on its longstanding ban on sexually explicit ads will be enforced on May 30 and takes aim at "sites or apps that claim to generate deepfake pornography, instructions on how to create deepfake pornography, endorsing or comparing deepfake pornography services." Advertisers who violate this policy will face suspension and the inability to advertise with Google again.

Google is also offering a request form to remove involuntary fake pornography from its search results.

Last year, Bloomberg found that Google is one of the biggest traffic-drivers to sites promoting synthetic or AI-generated porn. Searches for celebrities or content creators combined with the word "deepfake" would often result in sites specializing in such content, sending millions of views their way. A recent report from Wired also revealed that thousands of women have complained to Google about these kind of websites. And in January of this year, NBC reported that nonconsensual deepfake pornography of celebrities appeared at the top of Google's search engine and Microsoft's Bing.

The prominence and proliferation of deepfakes has been deemed a crisis, especially for women and people of marginalized genders. This year alone, deepfakes of famous figures like Taylor Swift and Jenna Ortega have sparked discourse around the subject, and the role that big tech plays. Other major platforms, including Meta apps and X (formally Twitter), have been called out for their complicity in allowing nonconsensual porn to spread.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

When Apple launched its new iPad Pro devices earlier this month, the company said they were the thinnest gadgets it has ever produced. But are they structurally sound enough to resist a little accidental bending?

A reminder: Apple's new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro are both incredibly thin, with the 11-inch model measuring 0.21 inches, and the 13-inch model being even thinner at 0.20 inches.

Likely recalling 2018's "bendgate," when freshly launched iPads bent just a little too easily, Apple immediately said that a new metal cowling inside the new models will make the devices sturdier, and less prone to bending.

That's easier to believe when you see independent tests, though, and now we have them. YouTubers AppleTrack and JerryRigEverything both put the new iPads to the bendy test, and the results were surprisingly good.

It's not that the new iPad Pros will never bend. If you apply enough force, they will definitely bend, and — eventually — break (especially if you bend it vertically instead of horizontally). But they fare better than the last generation of iPad Pros, and in all of the tests, it really took a lot of force to push them past their limits.

Perhaps even more importantly, while the new iPad Pros will bend when moderate force is used, they will more or less revert to the old shape and remain fully functional.

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

In addition to bending the new iPad Pro, JerryRigEverything also performed his usual test of scratching the device from all sides. The results are similar to what you'd expect — the device fares well under moderate stress, but if you really try and use a sharp knife, it will most definitely scratch.

These tests are never perfect, and the sample size is very small, but they do give us some idea of how the devices will perform in real life. And it appears that bending isn't something you should be worried about when purchasing the new iPad Pro.

If we had to compile a list of our worst nightmares, having your old, long deleted nudes randomly show up on your phone would probably be near the top of the list. Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happening to some iPhone users who upgraded to the latest version of iOS, 17.5.

According to this Reddit thread (via MacRumors), some iPhone and iPad users are seeing old, permanently deleted photos show up among their new pics. Worse, some of these photos were taken and deleted years ago, no longer gone for good.

SEE ALSO: No need to look up from your phone. Apple is trying to cure your motion sickness.

"Just completed the update. When in conversation with my partner, I went to send a picture and saw that the latest pictures were nsfw material we’d made years ago when we were living apart (covid etc). But WTF. It was permanently deleted. Years ago but magically it’s back?? I checked my iPad and it also has pictures (some art work I did years ago). I feel so uncomfortable. Anyone else got this issue? I mean with pictures coming back post update," wrote one Redditor.

"Same here. I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly," wrote another."

On iOS, deleted photos can be accessed for 30 days after deletion, after which they should be permanently removed from the user's devices and the cloud.

This is concerning for several reasons. Besides the obvious — you don't want the photos you've deleted to ever show up anywhere again — the fact that these photos even exist somewhere makes you wonder what other deleted materials may be lurking in the cloud or on your device(s).

The bug seems to be present in the latest iOS 17.5 version, and MacRumors pointed out that some users reported a similar bug in the iOS 17.5 beta. It's unclear how widespread the issue is; we've contacted Apple about it and will update this article when we hear back.

Fabulous fighting game Drag Her! has been cancelled, ending hopes of seeing famous drag queens like Asia O'Hara and BenDeLaCreme scratch each others' eyes out. Times are tough in the games industry, and now even queens are being toppled.

Indie developer Fighting Chance Games publicly announced Drag Her!'s cancellation on Wednesday, revealing the project would be shutting down after three years in development.

SEE ALSO: Crab MLMs, gay Dracula, and Pooh Bear body horror: 9 of the best upcoming games at SXSW Sydney

"This is an especially painful decision brought about by a simple lack of funding," Fighting Chance Games wrote on X (formerly Twitter).  "Over the life of this project, we have pitched to a long list of publishers, platforms, and more looking to get Drag Her! picked up. Despite a groundswell of audience support, a fully funded Kickstarter, successful grant applications, and wonderful turnout at major game events — no amount of legitimacy we built has culminated in a deal."

Drag Her!'s small development team is also disbanding, meaning that we're unlikely to see another title from Fighting Chance Games any time soon. Studio director Ian Ramsay told Mashable that some team members have moved on to other jobs, while others are still looking for work.

"We still have a great deal of love and respect for one another and the game, and are sad that it’s come to a premature end," Ramsay said.

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Fighting Chance Games initially launched Drag Her!'s crowdfunding campaign in 2022, which raised over $75,000 for the 2D side-scrolling fighting game's development. While acknowledging that it would be a challenge to convince investors that a market exists at the intersection of drag and video games, the developers were resolute in taking on the task.

The team officially licensed the likenesses of famous drag queens such as Kim Chi, Laganja Estranja, and Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, and even got so far as running a beta playtest last August. Mashable had the opportunity to play Drag Her! at SXSW Sydney last year, and found it a delightfully camp experience. 

Yet investors remained skeptical, and Fighting Chance Games is now being forced to sashay away.

"Without money, and with a future made bleak by the ongoing layoffs in the game industry, we could no longer hang on," Fighting Chance Games wrote on Kickstarter. "If we were in a better position, we would've just self published and utilised different premium options (like DLC characters and outfits), but we were basically swinging from small pots of money that would keep us going and then forcing us to stop."

Sadly, Ramsay told Mashable that Drag Her! is unlikely to return to the stage despite the team's best efforts.

"We don’t really see [any future for Drag Her!]" said Ramsay. "We did everything in our power to bring our game to life. In order for us to come back to her, there would need to be a substantial shift in the demographics of the people who fund games.

"Investors remained reticent to see value in a game that didn’t reflect them personally. This was in spite of how many people it DID represent, the hungry dedicated fanbase, and the success the team accrued along the way."

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It's a sad end to Drag Her!'s story, and one that we're unfortunately likely to see repeated. The games industry is currently being ravaged by job cuts and studio closures, with over 8,000 layoffs announced within the first two months of 2024 alone. Both Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive have announced plans to cut five percent of their respective workforces, while PlayStation revealed it would lay off 900 employees.

In an environment where even Star Wars games are being cancelled while proven studios are killed, it feels as though nothing is safe in the games industry right now.

"For us, Drag Her! was a killer piece of gay media — a chance to showcase the sheer joy of queer culture — and an opportunity to move the community forward," Fighting Chance Games wrote. "A game that could normalise, equalise, and validate, rather than force us to the margins."

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Fortunately, all of Fighting Chance Games' hard work won't completely vanish into thin air. The developers are turning their lemons into "gay ass lemonade" by releasing a "skinny" version of the game on PC for free — more a drag princess than a fully fledged queen. 

Drag Her! Failure to Launch Edition will only have three combatants as opposed to the seven that were initially planned, and won't have the career mode that the developers had envisaged. But if you're a fan of Kim Chi, Laganja Estranja, or Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, it could still be fun to jump in for some local or online multiplayer. The incomplete game will be released on Steam May 16 at 9 a.m. PT /  12 a.m. ET.

"Fight your friends, neighbors, enemies, and she-roes (sometimes all at once with 4-player mode)," reads Drag Her!'s Steam page. "The only thing you can't fight is the inevitable foreclosure of your game studio."

At Google I/O earlier this week, generative AI was unsurprisingly a major focal point.

In fact, Google CEO Sundar Pichai pointed out that "AI" was said 122 times, plus two more times by Pichai as he closed out the event.

The tech giant has injected AI features into seemingly all of its products and services, including Search, Workspace, and creative tools for videos, photos, and music. But arguably the biggest news of the day was how Google's announcements compared to those from OpenAI. Just a day before Google I/O, OpenAI unveiled GPT-4o, a "natively multimodal" model that can process visuals and audio in real-time, which ostensibly ramped up the burgeoning rivalry.

Google I/O's vibe was very different from OpenAI's event. Google seemed unfocused, throwing endless AI spaghetti at the wall during an event that lasted almost two hours, compared to OpenAI's focused and breezy 26 minute show.

But the AI capabilities that the two companies shared were noticeably similar, even using the same rhetoric (the AI is "interruptible") and examples (AI can help with homework). Below, we've rounded up the three big, eerie similarities in the two companies' messaging.

1. Simulating more than one human-style sensory input at once

Both Google and OpenAI talked about their AI models being "natively multimodal." In this context, this piece of jargon means the models have visual, audio, and text understanding all rolled into one. In the AI world, these types of expression are described as "modalities."

Google proudly claimed that Gemini has been "natively multimodal" from the beginning. OpenAI's GPT-4o was its first model that combined voice and image processing with its existing text capabilities. So now, Google and OpenAI are on equal multimodal footing. Both companies showcased what they can do with technologies that can "see" and "hear."

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But both companies demoed features that explicitly showed off their models' abilities to "see" and "hear" in real-time.

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Google VP Sissie Hsiao presented a Live feature for the standalone Gemini app that echoes what DeepMind is working on with Project Astra, and might be the technology that powers this feature coming to Gemini Advanced subscribers in the coming months. Gemini Live "can better understand you and answer naturally, you can even interrupt while Gemini is responding and it will adapt to your speech pattern," said Hsiao.

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If an AI bot that you can interrupt sounds familiar, that's because OpenAI said it first. "You can now interrupt the model," said researcher Mark Chen during OpenAI's live demo the day before Google I/O. "You don't have to wait for it to finish your turn before you start speaking and you can just butt in whenever you want."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever is leaving. But what did he see?

Later on in OpenAI's live demo, researcher Barrett Zoph used GPT-4o to help him solve a linear math equation. Zoph pointed a smartphone camera at a piece of paper with a hand-written equation, and ChatGPT walked him through how to solve for "x."

Sameer Samat, president of Google's Android ecosystem, demoed a similar ability to help with physics homework using Google's existing Circle to Search tool. By circling a physics word problem displayed on a Pixel, Samat showed how Gemini can process the visual and provide step-by-step instructions on how to solve it.

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Both companies shared other ways of how multimodality can help users. Zoph showed ChatGPT's new vision capabilities on the desktop app by generating a graph from the code that was used to demonstrate GPT-4o's contextual awareness. ChatGPT accurately identified that the graph was about temperature data over time and successfully provided some analysis of what the graph meant.

The next day at Google I/O, Labs VP Josh Woodward demonstrated how Notebook LM, Google's digital scratchpad, could take in information from an open-source physics textbook and turn it into a podcast-style conversation between two bots about Newton's Laws of Motion. Then, Woodward showed how he could jump into the conversation as if he were calling in to the podcast, and ask it to customize examples for his son.

2. AI that's your friend thanks to context awareness

The message from both Google and OpenAI was about how multimodal AI can improve people's lives. "We want everyone to benefit from what Gemini can do," said Pichai talking about Google's flagship AI model, Gemini 1.5 Pro. This set the stage for announcements throughout the event about Gemini seamlessly fitting into your life by understanding context.

Nowhere was this more clear than in the Project Astra demo video from Google DeepMind. The technology, described as an "advanced seeing and talking responsive agent," is shown accurately responding to naturally phrased questions referring to visuals that aren't explicitly mentioned.

With the tester pointing a smartphone camera at various things, it describes what the code is on a desktop screen, identifies the concept of Schrodinger's Cat that shows a simple whiteboard drawing of a live cat's face next to a dead cat's face and a cardboard box held up by the tester, and comes up with a band name for a tiger stuffed animal and a (real) Golden Retriever. The band name is "Golden Stripes," by the way.

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On Android, Google VP of engineering David Burke showed off what context awareness looks like in users' hands. Burke demonstrated how you can ask specific questions about the contents of a YouTube video, like say, the rules of Pickleball.

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OpenAI also demoed contextual understanding. In demos posted to OpenAI's site, the audio version of GPT-4o "watched" its human conversation partners, flirtatiously noting a demo-er's OpenAI sweatshirt in one instance, and cracking dad jokes, understanding sarcasm, and refereeing an on-camera rock paper scissors game in others. In another demo, some code was casually shared with ChatGPT, and the application showed off GPT-4o's audio capabilities by actually analyzing the code, apparently without being fed any explicit description of what it was meant to do.

Google DeepMind's Project Astra is still very much in development, but its contextual understanding on Android will roll out to users in the coming months. OpenAI's GPT-4o voice mode isn't available yet, with no details on when it ships, according to CEO Sam Altman.

3. AI helpers that know your schedule and work needs

The overarching message of Google I/O and OpenAI's event was AI can take care of tasks in your life that range from visionary to mundane, which normally involve, you know, googling something, or using your own human brain. Google took this a step further with explicit callouts of AI agents, assistants, and teammates (there were a lot of different terms for AI helpers sprinkled throughout, which frankly we're still a little confused about.)

Examples of what Google agents could do included using Gemini to return a pair of shoes by taking a picture of them with your phone, and prompting the agent to search your Gmail inbox for the receipt, locate the order number, fill out a return form, and schedule a pickup. As Pichai noted, Google isn't quite there yet, but more concretely a Gemini side panel in the Gmail mobile app can summarize relevant emails or draft replies based on context clues mined from your inbox.

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This is where Google has the upper hand because AI becomes a lot more useful when it works across different apps like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Search. OpenAI was the one that started this conversation by talking about its goal of achieving AGI (artificial general intelligence) and making references to sci-fi AI assistants like Scarlett Johansson's character in the film Her. During OpenAI's event, CEO Sam Altman tweeted "her" in an apparent reference to the film. But despite OpenAI's explicit or implicit yearnings for this type of use case, there wasn't much talk about AI agents.

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Besides, OpenAI would have an uphill battle to fight if it wanted users to start uploading their work documents and calendars into their ChatGPT accounts. But you know what does have email and calendar apps? Apple. And OpenAI has reportedly finalized a partnership with the iPhone maker to bring ChatGPT to iOS 18. And Apple's developer conference WWDC is less than a month away.

The tech beef rages on with more battles soon to come.

John Krasinski appeared on BBC Radio One and tried to guess which radio callers' imaginary friends were real and which were fake.

Survival of the Thickest and Babes star Michelle Buteau remembers well the first joke she ever wrote. And it's a banger.

The comedian appeared on The Late Show on Wednesday, speaking to host Stephen Colbert about taping her second Netflix special at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 6, making history as the first ever woman to tape a comedy special there.

During the interview, Colbert asked Buteau about how she started in comedy, including taking a stand-up class at the American Comedy Institute (ACI) and writing her first ever joke. Ready?

"Lines at Disney World remind me of my ex boyfriend: three hours of waiting for a two-minute ride."

Wey-oh!

An MIT astronomy class has found three of the oldest stars in the universe lurking right outside the Milky Way. 

The stars, about 30,000 light-years from Earth, are in the galaxy's "halo," the cloud of stars surrounding the main galactic disk in space, and are estimated to have formed about 12 to 13 billion years ago. That would place their births shortly after the Big Bang, which scientists believe happened some 13.8 billion years ago. 

"These little stars are nearly 13 billion years old, and they haven't changed one bit since," Anna Frebel, the class' professor, told Mashable. "The stars will continue to exist for about another 3 to 5 billion years or so."

Their method for finding the old stars, each located in a different part of the halo, may help astronomers discover more like them. 

SEE ALSO: Webb telescope spots proof of the first stars to light the universe Tweet may have been deleted

Given that most of the chemicals in the universe are thought to have come from exploded stars, scientists have rationalized that the firstborn must have been composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, the primitive material that emerged from the Big Bang. Over time, as stars died and enriched the universe with heavier chemical elements, subsequent generations of stars formed with more diverse ingredients.

Scientists are on the hunt for the original generation of stars — so-called Population III stars — and it's one of the missions of the James Webb Space Telescope, the leading infrared observatory run by NASA and its European and Canadian partners. Finding these pristine, pure-bred stars is one of the top priorities of modern astrophysics. 

Though these three aren't in that elusive Population III category, they are very ancient and among the first "Population II" stars, Frebel said, which are extremely light on other chemical elements. By comparison, the sun contains 10,000 times the amount of iron to helium as one of the three stars the class studied. Their research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society this week. 

In the fall 2022 semester, Frebel launched a new course on techniques to analyze ancient stars, then had the students practice applying those tools to stars that had never been thoroughly studied before.

The students, some of them undergraduates, combed through star data from the Magellan-Clay telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, looking for stars that were low in strontium and barium. That led them to three stars originally observed by Magellan a decade ago. 

The student authors believe each star is all that's remaining of three previous galaxies. Those small primitive galactic neighborhoods would have at some point been absorbed into the sprawling Milky Way.

The Milky Way looms above the twin Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Credit: Yuri Beletsky

How did they figure the stars came from earlier galaxies if there are no other traces of their existence? 

As the class looked closer at each star's motion, the students noticed they were all traveling against the traffic. 

"The only way you can have stars going the wrong way from the rest of the gang is if you threw them in the wrong way," Frebel said in a statement.

Finding and studying other stars like these three close to home could help astronomers better understand the evolution of the very first galaxies, usually too faint and distant for scientists to observe. Credit: Serge Brunier / NASA

To find other ancient stars like these three, scientists could employ their method: Look for stars with low levels of certain chemical elements, then discern whether they're traveling in the wrong direction. 

"While most of our classes are taught from the ground up, this class immediately put us at the frontier of research in astrophysics," said Hillary Andales, one of the co-authors.

Frebel said finding and studying other stars like these three close to home could help astronomers better understand the evolution of the very first galaxies, usually too faint and distant for scientists to observe. 

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 May 16 SEE ALSO: 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for May 16

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, May 16, 2024:

AcrossUse a swizzle stick

• The answer is stir.

Vowel sound represented by an upside-down "e"

• The answer is schwa.

Deck that contains a card called Wheel of Fortune

• The answer is tarot.

With nobody else around

• The answer is alone.

Eye of ___ (witches' brew ingredient in "Macbeth")

• The answer is newt.

DownDo-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do

• The answer is scale.

The first "t" of #tbt

• The answer is throw.

"You can't make me!"

• The answer is iwont.

$100/night, e.g.

• The answer is rate.

Persian suffix in seven country names

• The answer is stan.

"The Daily Show" host Desi Lydic took some time to roast King Charles' recently unveiled — and very red — portrait on Wednesday.

Can you FaceTime on an Android phone? Most people would be inclined to answer "No" to the this question. After all, FaceTime is a feature that is purpose-built for the Apple ecosystem, so how on earth can an Android user participate in a FaceTime call.

Well, you'd be surprised. At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) three years ago, Apple made an announcement that shocked the masses.

Can you FaceTime on an Android?

In WWDC 2021, Apple announced that Android users will have the option to participate in a FaceTime call, but there is a catch. While they can join a FaceTime session, they can't launch one. An iPhone user would need to send the Android participant a link, allowing them to join the call.

For example, on my M2 15-inch MacBook Air, I can tap on the FaceTime app and hit "Create link."

I can then send that link to an Android user, which sends them to a page that prompts them to add their name before hitting "Continue."

FaceTime on a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Android). Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

They may be asked for permission to access the camera and microphone; make sure they click "Allow."

Permissions for FaceTime on a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Android). Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Finally, they can hit "Join."

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

On the iPhone users' side, they'll get a notification to let the Android user into the FaceTime session. And just like that, Android users can participate in a FaceTime call.

So to answer the "Can you FaceTime on an Android?" question, the answer is "kind of." Yes, you can FaceTime on an Android, but no, you can't launch any FaceTime calls on a non-iOS phone.

A parade of intense solar storms have hit Earth — the strongest since Halloween over 20 years ago.

While these outbursts from the active sun can pose serious threats to our electrical grid and communications systems, they also stoke brilliant events in our polar skies, commonly called auroras or the northern lights. In particular, our medium-sized star recently emitted a number of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which are ejections of super hot gas (plasma). "It's like scooping up a piece of the sun and ejecting it into space," Mark Miesch, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center, previously told Mashable.

When they collide with Earth, solar particles can become trapped by our planet's magnetic field, traveling to the poles and colliding with the molecules and particles in our atmosphere. Then, these atmospheric particles heat up and glow. Three U.S. weather satellites captured this dramatic event from above the North Pole on May 11, showing a glowing ring around places that don't usually witness the dancing lights.

"Multiple coronal mass ejections from the sun sparked an extreme geomagnetic storm around the Earth last week, creating stunning auroras, even in places where the northern lights are rarely seen," NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) explained when it released the image below. "The Southern Hemisphere also reported remarkable auroras from the storm."

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

As you can see, the vibrant lights, fueled by the influx of solar particles that drive an event called a "geomagnetic storm," dipped across the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. This view is a combination of images captured by the U.S. weather and environmental satellites Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21.

The expansive auroras as seen from space on May 11, 2024. Credit: NOAA Tweet may have been deleted

More intense solar activity may lead to more vivid auroras in 2024. Similar to storm seasons or climate patterns on Earth, the sun experiences a cycle of weather. The sun's lasts for 11 years. During this pattern, solar activity increases for some 5.5 years, then decreases, then picks up again.

"It's the space equivalent of hurricane season," Miesch told Mashable last year.

NOAA expects the sun's activity to peak, or reach "solar maximum," this year. Indeed, our star is putting on quite a show.

TL;DR: As of May 13, ditch delivery and make your own gourmet pizza with the Wolfgang Puck Outdoor Pizza Oven and Grill, now on sale for $169.99 with accessories, dough packets, wood pellets, and more. 

You don't need to go to a fancy restaurant for gourmet pizza, and you don't need to get delivery either. You can also forget about overpriced luxury ovens with price tags of $700 or more. The farthest you may have to go is to your backyard if you have a Wolfgang Puck Outdoor Pizza Oven. 

This home pizza oven burns natural wood pellets and reaches optimal pizza temperature in a matter of minutes. Get out your favorite toppings and a bounty of cheese at the ready because you can take recipes from dough to done and on your plate. There's just one ingredient you can't forget: the Wolfgang Puck Outdoor Pizza Oven, on sale for $169.99. That's more than half off — and it includes a bundle of accessories and starter tools.

Restaurant-quality pizza at home

This outdoor oven heats to 950 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 15 minutes, just enough time to gather the family. Pizzas can cook in as little as 90 seconds at those temps. You might wait longer for the cheese to stop bubbling before you take your first bite.

This bundle also comes with wood pellets in apple, oak, and charcoal flavors. Four pouches of artisanal dough (enough for eight pizzas) are also included along with a specialized thermometer, reversible cooking stone, pellet drawer, pizza peel, and fire starters. The chimney is even removable, so now you can cook homemade pizza when you go camping, visiting friends, or even tailgating. 

Pizza isn't the only thing on the menu. The flip-side of the pizza stone is a grill you can use for other dishes. If you need some inspiration, check out recipes like jalapeño lime chicken breast or steak and bleu cheese flatbread, all included with your new grill. 

An affordable home pizza oven for less

Give someone a pizza, and they'll have pizza for a day. Get them a pizza oven, and they'll have pizza for life. 

Get the Wolfgang Puck Outdoor Wood Pellet Pizza Oven and Grill bundle for $169.99, a 52% discount from the usual price. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Puck Outdoor Wood Pellet Pizza Oven & Grill (Stainless Steel/Bundle) $169.99 at the Mashable Shop
$359.99 Save $190.00 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through May 22, capture your outdoor adventures with these HD digital camera binoculars, now on sale for just $99.97 (reg. $199.99).

As the colors of spring unfold, many of us enjoy exploring nature's breathtaking beauty. For outdoor enthusiasts, bird watchers, hikers, world travelers, and photography lovers, having the right gear is essential. While you were sleeping, binoculars moved into the digital age, and now you can get these HD digital camera binoculars on sale for $99.97 through May 22.

These digital camera binoculars combine the powerful magnification of traditional binoculars with the high-tech capabilities of a digital camera. You'll be able to see and capture stunning details from a little over half a mile away thanks to its precise focus adjustment.

Whether you're hiking through picturesque landscapes, attending outdoor concerts, or observing wildlife, these binoculars ensure you won't miss a moment. Zoom in on interesting scenes and subjects with incredible clarity using the 12x magnification and the anti-reflective coating. It also has anti-fog, waterproofing, and anti-shock features so you won't have to worry about a little rain or heat while you're enjoying yourself.

The built-in digital camera allows you to take photos and videos of your favorite sights. Watch what you capture on the two-inch LCD screen and record it to show to your friends and family later.

They're small and lightweight (just 15.8 ounces), which makes for a portable companion that can easily slip into a bag, pocket, or backpack on your next camping trip or bird-watching trip.

More than just a viewing tool, you can also use them to capture memories, study details, and share your discoveries on social media.

These HD digital camera binoculars are on sale for just $99.97 (reg. $199.99) until May 22 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mesay HD Digital Camera Binoculars $99.97 at the Mashable Shop
$199.99 Save $100.02 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through May 22, get an Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad (10th gen) on sale for just $94.97 (reg. $249). 

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad (10th gen, new — open box) $94.97 at the Mashable Shop
$249.00 Save $154.03 Get Deal

Tablets are the ultimate portable option for staying connected on the go. However, their function can fall short when you have to type more than a few lines of text or a quick email reply.

Access your iPad's full potential with the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio, now available for a limited time for just $94.97 (reg. $249) until May 22. Ideal for students, professionals, and everyday users, this keyboard folio can help transform your iPad into an even more productive tool.

The two-piece magnetic folio immediately connects to your iPad without any pairing needed. It gives you access to a keyboard to type comfortably on so your iPad becomes a true mobile workstation. It also provides easy access to favorite shortcuts via a fourteen-key function row. The Magic Keyboard has a large trackpad that works when you click anywhere, which can help streamline your workflow.

Easily transform your iPad into a laptop-like device with the adjustable stand which allows for different viewing angles. Whether you're FaceTiming your team while on the road or watching a movie on a long flight, your Magic Keyboard can be adjusted to suit your needs.

This is a new, open-box Magic Keyboard, which is typically considered an excess item from store shelves. It is still in new condition but might have come into contact with customers. Because of this specific situation, open-box items are sold for less than usual. It's also worth noting that the package might show slight signs of extra handling.

The Apple Magic Keyboard Folio is on sale for just $94.97 (reg. $249) through May 22.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through May 22, make scheduling simpler with Calendbook, a hub for up to 10 calendars that you can integrate with Zapier, Zoom, Stripe, and more. A lifetime subscription is now only $39.97. 

Scheduling a meeting sounds simple, but first you have to check your availability across all your various calendars, set reminders, and send invites. If it's an online meeting, you also have to consider time zones and which app you'll use for the call. It's a lot to do for a simple task, but there are tools to make it easier, like Calendbook.

A lifetime subscription to this affordable alternative to apps like Calendly is on sale for $39.97 (reg. $220), but that price won't last long. 

Check 10 calendars at once

This browser-based platform lets you connect up to 10 calendars in a single app, instantly checking for conflicting appointments. No more double-booking. 

Need to schedule a meeting? You can send invites or set up a booking page that only shows your available times. You can even set appointments in different time zones. Set up an automatic email confirmation and reminder to keep you on task throughout the day.

Calendbook integrates with apps like Stripe, Zoom, Meet, and Zapier for seamless scheduling and payment processing, and it lets you connect to thousands of other apps. 

Stay organized with Calendbook

Take the work out of managing your appointments. Think of it as your own personal secretary or booking assistant, only one that will never retire.

Until May 22 at 11:59 p.m. PT, get a lifetime subscription to Calendbook for $39.97. No coupon needed. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Calendbook Calendbook: Lifetime Subscription $39.97 at the Mashable Shop
$220.00 Save $180.03 Get Deal

Dearest Readers, Bridgerton is back with Season 3. This means the return of Lady Whistledown's ruthless wit, a budding romance for a Bridgeton family member (or two! or three!), and fresh cause for us to re-evaluate our crushes from least alluring to downright devastatingly swoon-worthy.

SEE ALSO: 'Bridgerton' remains queen of classical pop covers. Here's every hidden song in Season 3.

One of the best bits of Bridgerton is feeling a part of the hot-and-bothered drama and heady possibilities of the courtship season, where flirtations could lead to happily-ever-after but fumbles could lead to social alienation — and a dressing-down in everyone's favorite gossip newsletter. This season sees Colin Bridgerton returning from abroad and catching the eye of every available lady in the Ton. But we're rooting for Penelope Featherington, who's been pining for him since their shared childhood. But Polin — as their couple moniker goes — is far from the only romantic plotline thrown down this season; there's plenty of crushable characters from which to choose.

Before we plunge into the our fan-flapping fascinations, a note: Absent from this list are previously ranked crushes, like the dynamic dressmaker Madame Delacroix and the amusingly surly Mrs. Varley, as well as Season 1's glowing Duchess Daphne Basset (neé Bridgerton) and her dashing Duke, Season 2's adorable ingenue Edwina Sharma, and Queen Charlotte's young hotties. These characters — while worthy of your daydreaming — either barely appear in Season 3: Part 1, or are absolutely absent. Maybe next season.

Now, here's our list of Bridgerton characters, worst to best, or least crush-worthy to most!

18. Francesca Bridgerton + Lord John Stirling Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: The newest Bridgerton on the marriage market and her favorite suitor seem nice, I guess.
Cons: However, they're about as interesting as watching paint dry in total silence — which seems like their idea of a perfect date. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

17. Benedict Bridgerton Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: The second eldest Bridgerton loves playing cards with his younger siblings.
Cons: Is still kind of just there. — B.E.

16. Lord Samadani Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and David Mumeni as Lord Samadani in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Queen Charlotte's pick of a match for Francesca, Lord Samadani is rich, gentlemanly, and actually talks to the women he's courting. Props all around.
Cons: Wants eight kids. That's a big ask. — B.E.

15. Queen Charlotte Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Somehow never lets the outfit wear her. Even when it's a wig with motorised swans within it.
Cons: Becoming less creative in her social dominance activities — a "sparkler" instead of a diamond, your Majesty? Really? — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

14. Lady Agatha Danbury Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Casually still the most politically influential person this side of Lady Whistledown and the Queen. Still throws one hell of a party. Looks fire in a top hat.
Cons: Hates everyone who isn’t a Bridgerton — that includes you. — S.C.

13. Portia Featherington Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Sex education icon!
Cons: But maybe too invested in her daughters' sex lives? — B.E.

12. Philipa Featherington + Prudence Featherington Harriet Cains as Philipa Featherington and Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: The Dumb & Dumber of Regency-era England, this double act is dopey fun, especially when it comes to bumbling into a sex talk with their mother.
Cons: Recently married but still utterly attached at the hip, it can be hard to discern where one sister ends and the other begins. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

11. Lord Remington

Pros: This potential suitor lives for gossip and Lady Whistledown, and truly seems to hit it off with Penelope.
Cons: Disappears from the show as quickly as he arrives. — B.E.

10. Cressida Cowper Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton and Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: High fashion queen with shoulder puffs for days.
Cons: Regency Mean Girl. — S.C.

9. Will Mondrich + Alice Mondrich Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich and Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Small business owners who genuinely love each other? Legends.
Cons: "Great gowns, beautiful gowns" is not as interesting a storyline as Bridgerton thinks it is! Give these two beautiful people something to do! — B.E.

8. Lady Tilley Arnold Hannah New as Lady Tilley Arnold and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Forget your shy and virginal debutantes. Lady Tilley is a widow looking for stimulation, intellectual and sexual. Benedict is lucky to have caught her attention.
Cons: Her interest in Benedict — the fuckboy of the Bridgerton household — has us doubting her taste. — K.P.

7. Lord Marcus Anderson Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury, and Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Walks with a swagger while oozing powerful quantities of charisma.
Cons: His sister doesn't seem like his biggest fan. What's going on there, exactly? — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

6. Lady Violet Bridgerton Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton and Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Where many of the mums of the Ton scramble to get their kids wed to the wealthiest could-be match around, Violet dedicatedly urges her children to a "love match" — like she herself had with their dad! Though a mother of eight, Violet manages to always look fabulously put-together, and this season we see her cheeks blush like a school girl when a new romance begins to bloom for her!
Cons: Did we mention she has eight kids? And they include Benedict and Francesca? — K.P.

5. Eloise Bridgerton Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: In Season 1 and 2, Eloise was giving Elizabeth Bennet, being more keen to enjoy her own interests than get caught up in the marriage game. As such, Eloise is spirited and winningly irreverent — most of the time.
Cons: Scorched by the revelation that her best friend was keeping a major Whilstledown secret from her, Eloise has soured this season. When she's not sulking or buddying up to Bridgerton's answer to Regina George, Eloise is pulling the tedious "I'm not like the other girls" schtick by insulting the interests of her peers. Hobby-shaming is not cool. Justice for embroidery! — K.P.

SEE ALSO: It's time for 'Bridgerton' to say gay 4. Anthony Bridgerton + Kate Bridgerton (née Sharma) Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: The Viscount and the Viscountess are still the smokin' hot duo they were when we left them in Season 2. Constantly engaged in amorous congress instead of that stack of overdue paperwork (sometimes on said paperwork).
Cons: Genuinely happy. Remember how hot it was when they hated each other? — S.C.

3. Colin Bridgerton Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Bridgerton lead glow-up aside, Colin knows that the sluttiest thing a man can do is keep his mouth open just a little bit. He also shows promise as an erotic travel writer — with some tips from Penelope, I bet the two could kick start a literary dynasty.
Cons: Should probably save his erotic travel stories for his journal. Should also stop getting Penelope into compromising situations in his attempts to help her. You know being alone in a room with her looks bad, Colin! — B.E.

2. Lord Alfred Debling Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington and Sam Phillips as Lord Alfred Debling in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: Goes against the grain and embraces difference. Is capable of naming all 620+ species of bird on the British Isles (probably).
Cons: Terrible at bringing back promised glasses of lemonade. — S.H.

1. Penelope Featherington, Our Diamond of the Season Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in "Bridgerton." Credit: Liam Daniel / Netflix

Pros: A deeply observant literary mastermind whose secret identity is driving the Queen to distraction. Ditches her acidic family colour palette for ball-stopping Parisian Pen aesthetic. Prefers books and writing truths about the Ton to gallivanting around the wilderness. An absolute babe and the Ton's beating heart, despite their ignorance.
Cons: Born in the wrong century. Other than that, none at all. Quiet, Eloise.— S.C.

Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix. Season 3 will drop in two halves, with Part 1 streaming on May 16 and Part 2 on June 13.

Meeting people in real life is ideal, but it's not always realistic, especially when life revolves around non-stop work hours, launching a startup, juggling multiple clients and side hustles as a busy freelancer, and just generally trying to have it all.

There aren't enough hours in the day, and honestly, the free hours we do have are typically spent showering, sleeping, or hovering over the sink, chowing down on whatever we can find for dinner or lunch. Sure, it's not always pretty, but no one said success would be easy.

So, how do you find time to meet people when you're too busy for happy hour? Fortunately, the philosophy of "work smarter, not harder" can be applied to your love life, too. 

Enter the world of online dating, but not the kind you're used to. We're talking about elite dating sites for professionals, curated for singles who understand the challenges and rewards of a demanding career.

SEE ALSO: How to balance your side hustle with a full-time job

Yes, we know you're online all day for work, and the last thing you want to do is spend more time on your computer or phone trying to find a partner. But the best dating apps and sites for professionals let you connect with potential partners on your own time and terms.

This means you can forego the awkward, almost-maybe-not relationships and immature time-wasters to curate your dating experience to fit your lifestyle and schedule.

What's the best dating app for professionals?

When you think of dating apps, two things probably come to mind: Tinder (or worse, Facebook Dating) and the question of how you'll ever find someone who understands that your busy lifestyle is just who you are. The good news: We can answer both of these concerns right here and now.

First, let's deal with the whole Tinder thing. Yes, it's super popular, and for a good reason: people are getting laid! But if you're looking for something more than a casual fling, endless swiping is not the answer. Many dating apps, including Bumble, EliteSingles, and The League, have features designed for single professionals interested in finding a more meaningful connection. You honestly don't even need to download or use Tinder at all (unless you want a hookup app on standby).

SEE ALSO: TikTok is obsessed with the 'power struggle stage' of relationships. But what is it?

Now, let's talk about finding someone who understands and respects your busy lifestyle. You're not alone in wanting a life that's meant to go somewhere, and you shouldn't have to settle. You deserve someone who can lift you up and support you, not drag you and your dreams through the dirt.

How can you find this person? Through the very peculiar power of niche dating sites. Whether you're looking for the top dating sites for professionals over 50 or dating apps for people earning six figures (or more), you have options. To get your search for a partner started, we've created this guide to the best dating apps for professionals.