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Showing posts from December, 2025

When creativity slows down, this AI platform helps move things along for $25

TL;DR: The 1min.AI lifetime subscription bundles AI writing and image tools into one platform and is discounted to $24.97 (reg. $234) through Jan. 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI: Lifetime Subscription $24.97 $234 Save $209.03   Get Deal Staring at a blank screen and a blinking cursor can be one of the most time-consuming parts of creating content. AI writing tools won’t replace human creativity, but they can help get your creative juices flowing faster. For a limited time, the 1min.AI Lifetime Subscription is on sale for $24.97 (reg. $234), through Jan. 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT, and is at its lowest price to date. 1min.AI provides users with access to a variety of AI models through a single dashboard. Its writing tools include an article generator, rewriter, paraphraser, and summarizer, which are terrific features designed to help users get through writer’s block. Instead of starting from scratch, you can generate a rough...

25 good things that happened in 2025

After a year like 2025, it's easy for anyone who inhales large quantities of online news to be downhearted. This was a year that began with a terrifying salute from the world's richest man . His government IT department , known as DOGE, swung a wrecking ball at the agency that oversees U.S. overseas aid ; many experts say widespread disease and famine will be the result. There was already a famine in Gaza , ceasefire notwithstanding. Ukraine remains at war. Climate change is still a thing , 2025 was one of the hottest years on record, and the tech industry's obsession with AI data centers is making it worse . But in many cases, this wasn't the full picture. Elon Musk, faced with multiple protests and a Tesla boycott , left his controversial government role in May to spend more time with his tech companies. DOGE died, unlamented. In December, the World Health Organization reported fragile gains in feeding Gaza that inched the region out of its famine. Ukraine rema...

ICE is spending millions to use influencers as recruitment tools

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is spending millions to turn the chronically online into deportation agents, according to internal communications reviewed exclusively by the Washington Post . The agency's $100 million marketing strategy , detailed in a 30-page document distributed to ICE officials this summer, includes a massive push to flood the digital market with geo-targeted and content-based advertising. The plan even names specific platforms, like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Substack, and Rumble, a popular "alt-tech" video platform frequented by conservatives. SEE ALSO: Trump's golden phone is delayed. Again. Recruitment advertisements under this plan would specifically target users whose devices ping near military bases, NASCAR races, UFC fights, college campuses, or gun and trade shows, as well as listeners of "patriotic" podcasts, country music, fitness, and true crime. A significant portion of the strategy hinges on g...

Instagram chief: AI is so ubiquitous 'it will be more practical to fingerprint real media than fake media'

It's no secret that AI-generated content took over our social media feeds in 2025. Now, Instagram's top exec Adam Mosseri has made it clear that he expects AI content to overtake non-AI imagery and the significant implications that shift has for its creators and photographers. Mosseri shared the thoughts in a lengthy post about the broader trends he expects to shape Instagram in 2026. And he offered a notably candid assessment on how AI is upending the platform. "Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn’t be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools," he wrote. "The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything." But Mosseri doesn't seem particularly concerned by this shift. He says that there is "a lot of amazing AI content" and that the platform may need to rethink its approach to labeling such imagery by "fingerprinting real media, not just c...

Invest smarter with this $56 AI-powered investment tool

TL;DR: For $55.19, Sterling Stock Picker helps you pick smarter stocks using the power of AI. Opens in a new window Credit: Sterling Stock Picker Sterling Stock Picker: Lifetime Subscription $55.19 $486 Save $430.81   Get Deal Financial freedom is a goal for many, but the world of side hustles, stocks, and saving accounts can be overwhelming. If looking as the NASDAQ makes your head spin or you get decision fatigue browsing the Dow Jones, Sterling Stock Picker could be a worthwhile investment. This AI-powered platform gives custom recommendations based on your risk tolerance, investment goals, and portfolio performance. Get lifetime access for only $55.19 now. Researching stocks and watching the market can feel like a full time job, but you obviously want to be informed before shelling out your hard earned money. Sterling Stock Picker takes on the administrative side of investing, by using AI for real-time data, strategic advice, and risk assessment. Whet...

IDC warns of major PC market downturn due to memory crunch

The demand building out AI infrastructure has placed on PC component makers has already led to the death of one consumer-facing RAM brand, but a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests it could have an even worse impact on the PC industry at large. In its worst-case-scenario model, the IDC predicts PC shipments could shrink by up to 8.9 percent in 2026 because of the high cost of memory. "Instead of expanding conventional DRAM and NAND used in smartphones, PCs and other consumer electronics, major memory makers have shifted production toward memory used in AI data centers, such as high-bandwidth (HBM) and high-capacity DDR5," IDC writes. That's continued to drive up the price of the RAM that is available for PC makers, which has naturally led to them to raise the price of their own products to stay above water. For example, modular PC maker Framework has already had to raise prices on some of its laptops and parts, and says "further cos...

The Rickroll and Wake Up Dead Man share a surprising connection

There was a time — years ago, mind you — that "Rickrolling" someone was the peak of internet humor. If you don't know what this is, bless your either young or old heart. The nearly 20-year-old prank was simple: You'd get someone to unknowingly click the link to the cheesy music video for Rick Astley's '80s classic "Never Gonna Give You Up." Boom, you've just been Rickrolled. SEE ALSO: Rian Johnson on 'Wake Up Dead Man,' Josh O'Connor's neck tattoo, and AI slop Well, in a neat bit of synergy, the latest installment of the beloved-by-the-internet series Knives Out actually shared a location with the filming of "Never Gonna Give You Up." Director Rian Johnson confirmed on Bluesky that the gym scene in Wake Up Dead Man was shot where Astley filmed his classic music video. Surprisingly, not that much of anyone cared on set. "This is true, and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song...

Memory shortage: Framework raises DDR5 RAM prices again with a per GB price hike

It seems certain at this point that laptop and smartphone prices are going to go up even more in 2026. Case in point: modular PC maker Framework just announced yet another price hike on DDR5 RAM components. Framework says that it's charging customers "as close as possible to the actual purchase prices we have with our suppliers," and that it will now be charging roughly $10 per gigabyte. Why? Demand for memory hardware, as a result of the AI boom, has led to a global memory shortage, which has in turn forced companies like Framework to raise their prices. Earlier this month, we reported that Samsung had warned its manufacturing partners that it was doubling prices on DDRM RAM, and laptop makers like Lenovo, Dell, and HP have all warned of looming price increases in the new year. The most recent price hike from Framework adds $10 per GB for the 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB options, with prices going up even higher for RAM modules 48GB and up. And, again, this is yet another p...

How to watch AMD Keynote at CES 2026

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Dr. Lisa Su will help get CES 2026 underway on Monday, Jan. 5 by delivering a keynote address. AMD is a major player in the tech world, if perhaps not a household name like Apple or Samsung. It's one of the preeminent chipmakers on the globe, making it increasingly powerful and important in the AI era. OpenAI, in fact, just announced a massive partnership with AMD in an effort to build out AI infrastructure. AMD wrote on its site that Su will take the "CES stage in Las Vegas to highlight, alongside partners and customers, the AMD vision for delivering future AI solutions – from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices." You can watch the keynote address on YouTube . It's scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 5. We've also embedded the livestream below. Mashable will be on the ground reporting at CES 2026 — make sure to follow our coverage . You can expect lots of news from the big stories to the weird gadgets. ...

Microsoft Office 2019 drops to $29.97 for a lifetime Windows license

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows is on sale for $29.97 (reg. $229), giving you lifetime access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more on one computer. Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows $29.97 $229 Save $199.03   Get Deal Software subscriptions add up quickly, especially when you only need the basics. If Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are already part of your daily routine, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 is a practical alternative, offering a single payment with no additional fees for only $29.97 (reg. $229). This edition includes the classic lineup, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, all installed locally on a single Windows PC. While it isn’t Microsoft’s latest version, Office 2019 brought real improvements over earlier releases, like enhanced inking tools across apps, new data analysis features in Excel, better presentation op...

Tesla-style retractable door handles will be banned in China

Retractable door handles, popularized by Tesla, are now found on many electric vehicles. However, if automakers want to do business in China, they will have to adjust their approach to handling door handles in the country. As noted by the outlet  Autoblog , under new draft rules  released  by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all vehicles in the country weighing under 3.5 tons must have interior and exterior handles with a mechanical emergency release. SEE ALSO: Apple removes popular gay dating apps from China's App Store This move will effectively ban all retractable EV door handles on new cars released in the country. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2027. Regulators didn't have to work too hard to make their case that electric-only retractable door handles are a safety issue. A recent Bloomberg analysis tied 15 auto deaths directly to Tesla's doors not opening. Although many EVs feature mechanical releases within the vehicle, ther...

Drop those free apps — own Microsoft Office for just $35

TL;DR: Stop juggling subpar free apps. A lifetime of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more is just $34.97 (reg. $219.99) for a limited time. Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $34.97 $219.99 Save $185.02   Get Deal Anyone who’s been hopping between free writing apps, browser-based spreadsheets, and whatever presentation tool you can find in a pinch, here’s some good news: you can get the full Microsoft Office Professional 2021 suite for just $34.97. Not per month. Not per year. For life. This deal gives you permanent access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access, and even the free version of Teams — all installed directly on your Windows machine so you can work offline, online, or anywhere in between. It’s the classic Microsoft experience, updated for how people actually work today . Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals t...