Tech Boys

Ever since the rollout of the first M-series chips in 2020, the best MacBooks have dominated our guides to the top laptops . Thanks to the latest Apple silicon, the company's signature laptops have consistently offered impressive performance and long battery lives (which Windows laptops have only begun to touch). Granted, MacBooks can be expensive — especially as you add more RAM and storage — but their premium price tags accurately reflect their premium, oft-imitated design and quality. Apple's hot streak continues with the latest M4- and M5-powered models, some of the best MacBooks (and some of the best laptops) ever. Which MacBook should you buy? Apple just debuted the M5 MacBook Pro , but I think this year's 15-inch M4 MacBook Air is the best choice for most people because of its big display and quiet, Pro-level power. Its 13-inch counterpart is the best option for students since it's cheaper and a little more portable. Pro tip: you almost never have to pa...

Artists are pulling their music off Spotify , and users are deleting their accounts in protest of the company's many controversial decisions. Why are artists removing their music from Spotify? Critics say Spotify's algorithm has turned music lovers into " lazy listeners ," while artists argue the platform fails to fairly compensate them for their work. CEO Daniel Ek's investment in a company developing AI for military use has sparked further backlash. Most recently, Spotify faced public outrage for running recruitment ads for ICE — and refused to pull them. In response, bands like Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Hotline TNT, The Mynabirds, WU LYF, Kadhja Bonet, Young Widows, and many others have left the platform, with most citing Ek’s ties to AI-driven defense tech as the final straw. "We don't want our music killing people. We don't want our success being tied to AI battle tech," Deerhoof told NPR in a statement...

Brian Haidet, a scientist creating videos on YouTube under the handle AlphaPhoenix , showed off a camera in a new video that can capture footage of a laser pointer at the speed of light. The camera is an update on a previous design that could capture footage at one billion frames per second, but it comes with a major caveat: it can only shoot one pixel at a time. Haidet's camera is made from a gimbal-mounted mirror, two tubes, a simple lens, a light sensor and some Python code to tie it all together. Pointed at a laser pointer, the camera's able to capture a beam of light at two billion frames per second, showing it smoothly traveling between mirrors, with speeds that vary depending on where the camera is in relation to the laser pointer. "Light moves about six inches, or 15 centimeters, per frame of this video," Haidet says. "This beam of light is traveling at the Universe’s speed limit. Light in any reference frame will never move any faster or any slower ...

Just last week, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10, pushing users to upgrade to its latest operating system Windows 11. That makes the timing of a recent Windows 11 issue very awkward for Microsoft. Unfortunately, Microsoft's most recent Windows 11 update appears to have caused problems with numerous different applications and hardware peripherals, according to a multiple reports from different outlets , including our sister site, CNET. Many devices using Windows 11 will now require a follow-up emergency update to fix issued caused by the previous mandatory update. The October Windows 11 update "breaks localhost (127.0.0.1) HTTP/2 connections," according to Windows Latest, which also listed a number of issues that users are facing. For example, apps that were hosted locally were no longer able to connect to the network. Windows users were also finding that some hardware by Logitech was no longer working on their PCs. In addition, some users reported ...

For the best listening experience possible, you should familiarize yourself with the sound settings on your audio products. In particular, the equalizer (aka the EQ). Understanding how to operate this tool can vastly enhance a sound profile when done correctly. No, a PhD in audio engineering isn’t mandatory. Anyone can create an effective EQ directly on their media player or via third-party software. Need some guidance with the process? Say no more — Mashable’s got you. We gathered a few professionals from legacy audio brands to teach you how to properly customize the EQ settings on your headphones, earbuds, portable speaker, and car sound system.  Before we jump in, let’s get you caught up on some basics. A crash course in frequency ranges All those numbers on an EQ can be intimidating to look at. Don’t freak out. They’re easy to grasp once you read a breakdown. Depending on your device, the sound frequencies are often listed as numbers above or below the sliders, with number...

TL;DR: Check out this lifetime license to Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97 (reg. $199) — the smartest way to modernize your PC with a clean UI, better multitasking, and improved security. Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 11 Pro $14.97 $199 Save $184.03   Get Deal You know the upgrades you mull over for months? This isn’t one of them. If your system’s showing its age, consider this your green light: Windows 11 Pro is just $14.97 for a limited time. It’s an easy, affordable way to refresh performance, polish your desktop experience, and add modern protections in one move. This isn’t about chasing trends; it’s more about giving your computer the modern foundation it deserves. Windows 11 Pro brings a sleeker UI, better multitasking, and enhanced security — all in a one-time lifetime license. SEE ALSO: Windows 10 life support ends Oct. 14. Here’s what will happen. Think of it as the difference between driving a reliable car and sudde...

Back in 2021, VIL was just another fan, running a small YouTube channel where he shared his favorite VTuber moments. That's when he stumbled across Ava Lamp's streams — and something clicked. Four years later, he was on one knee on a balcony at TwitchCon 2025 , asking Ava to marry him. Like many modern romances, the love story between VTubers VIL and Ava Lamp started online. "I liked her personality, content, and model," VIL told Mashable at TwitchCon 2025, adding that he liked "her way of joking" and her "very slime-girl VTube model." "So, I followed her and started clipping her [streams], and she noticed the clips," he said. VIL proposes to Ava Lamp at TwitchCon 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Ava Lamp and VIL From there, an online friendship began to grow. They talked more, collaborated, and, eventually, VIL became a VTuber himself. Before long, the two were inseparable online — "best friends," as he put it. He started t...

When a fan recently posted on X , "bbno$ is my favorite rapper why does he have to be so mean to AI artists? 🥺🥺," the Canadian musician didn't offer a gentle explanation. Instead, he fired back with a simple, unambiguous response: "FUCK AI." This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. It's the kind of blunt sincerity that defines bbno$ (pronounced "baby no money") — the viral rapper known as much for his absurdist humor as his meticulous approach to independent artistry. But behind the all-caps expletive is a clear philosophy: In an era when algorithms can churn out songs, images, and videos faster than any human hand, he’s choosing to bet on people. That choice is on full display in his recent video for "ADD," a hyper-colorful, kinetic collage built entirely from fan-made animation. Instead of outsourcing to a studio or feeding prompts into generative software, bbno$ tapped over 20 independent ar...

Links have proven to be a tricky thing when it comes to social media engagement. On platforms like Threads, data suggests that people often don't click the links in posts, and creators on X have complained that posts including links don't get as much visibility. X is now trying to solve that. Head of product Nikita Bier shared that the platform is "testing a new link experience" that lets people open a link without leaving the original post entirely, so they can still view the Like, Repost and other buttons. The test is rolling out to iOS users first.   We're testing a new link experience, starting on iOS -- to make it easier for your followers to engage with your post while browsing links. For creators, a common complaint is that posts with links tend to get lower reach. This is because the web browser covers the post and… pic.twitter.com/oWraLpPwji — Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) October 19, 2025 "To help get better signal, posts will now collapse to ...

When you arrive at TwitchCon 2025 at the San Diego Convention Center, you're immediately met with tight security. Bags are checked, backpacks are prohibited, and everyone passes through metal detectors. To access different areas inside, attendees must scan their wristbands — but these often malfunction, and security rarely makes exceptions. With such a visible security presence, you'd think creators would feel safe. They don't — and for good reason. SEE ALSO: Streamer Emiru reportedly assaulted during meet-and-greet at TwitchCon 2025 Emiru, a YouTuber and Twitch streamer with nearly two million followers , was assaulted at a meet-and-greet on the first day of TwitchCon. And, despite Twitch saying time and time again that "safety and security" is its "highest priority," she was left feeling "hurt and upset by how Twitch handled it during and after the fact." "I don't understand how he was allowed to make it to me in the firs...