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If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game. Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle,...

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 today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for August 4 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 .  Wor...

SpaceX's massive Starship rocket is scheduled to lift off from the company's Texas launch site as soon as this evening for its 10th flight. The launch window opens at 7:30PM ET (6:30PM CT). As always, the flight test will be livestreamed on the SpaceX website and on X, with a webcast starting 30 minutes before launch. The weather is looking iffy for launch, though, so don't be surprised if this one gets postponed; SpaceX said on Saturday that conditions were looking only 45 percent favorable. According to Space.com , the company has backup opportunities on August 25 and 26. Watch Starship's tenth flight test → https://t.co/UIwbeGoo2B https://t.co/gbQv9akMO9 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 15, 2025 Flight 10 follows a series of failures this year during SpaceX's seventh , eighth and ninth test flights. And in June, a Starship vehicle exploded on the ground during preparations for a static fire test of its six Raptor engines. If all goes according to plan for Fli...

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands , the New York Times ' elevated word-search game. Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections . If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle,...

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 today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for August 4 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 .  Wor...

Amazon's Blade Runner limited series finally has a release window. Deadline reports that the upcoming sequel show, Blade Runner 2099 , is slated for a 2026 release on Prime Video. The story at this point remains a mystery, though the title suggests it'll take place 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049 . Ridley Scott is said to be involved in the production. It was revealed last year that Michelle Yeoh will star in the series , and according to Deadline , she'll be joined by Hunter Schafer, Dimitri Abold, Lewis Gribben, Katelyn Rose Downey and Daniel Rigby. We first heard about the possibility of Blade Runner 2099 back in 2022 , when it was reported that Amazon Studios was developing a live-action series set in that universe, but there have been few updates since. The release window was noted in an internal memo obtained by Deadline , which reports that the series is now in post-production. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/C8kTPl1...

SAVE $80: As of Aug. 22, Apple AirPods Pro 2 are still down to $169 at Amazon. This is 32% off their list price of $249, saving you $80. Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 2 $169 at Amazon $249 Save $80 Get Deal Who needs a big sale event to save on AirPods ? Quite a few of Apple's earbuds have been sitting at low prices lately, including AirPods Pro 2 . If you've been looking to pick up these earbuds at a reduced rate, you can score them for $169 right now at Amazon. This is a 32% discount on their list price of $249, saving you $80. This deal price on the AirPods Pro 2 is also only $20 away from the best price we saw for the AirPods Pro 2 over Prime Day , so it's still a decent pickup at this price. And who knows how much longer this deal will stay live, so act fast to pick them up at this low price. SEE ALSO: The 5 best noise-cancelling earbuds include the most comfortable buds I've ever worn AirPods Pro 2 offer gre...

As the handheld PC boom has taken off, companies have tried to push the boundaries of the Steam Deck form factor Valve helped popularize. Lenovo tried detachable controllers . Acer is trying an 11-inch screen . And Abxylute is apparently combining them both (and then some) into the Abxylute 3D One , which The Verge reports features an 11-inch, glasses-free 3D display and detachable controllers, all for "under $1,700." The Abxylute 3D One is based on a hardware prototype co-developed by Intel and Tencent that the companies demoed at CES 2025. The prototype, dubbed the "Sunday Dragon 3D One," featured a display that used eye-tracking to achieve its 3D effect. The version Abxylute is selling seems to be offering more or less the same features, with an Intel Lunar Lake chip, 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, an 120Hz display and a built-in kickstand. The Abxylute 3D One's controllers can detach like Joy-Cons, which leaves it looking like a chunky Surface Pro. Abxylute ...

There's a Black Moon on the rise, but if that phrase conjures a similar Creedence Clearwater Revival lyric in your head, relax: This one isn't bound to take your life.  A so-called Black Moon isn't an astronomical term, but it is a mysterious nickname that, confusingly, could refer to a couple different lunar scenarios.  The buzz right now centers on an event (or non-event, depending on how you think of it) happening Aug. 23. When an astronomical season, which is about three months long, includes four "new moons" rather than three, the third one is sometimes called a Black Moon. This happens about once every 33 months.  Before you reach into the back of your closet to dust off a telescope or binoculars, know that there's really nothing to see here: The moon will seem to vanish into the night. The true benefit of a Black Moon is perhaps the accessibility of everything else in space you might have been missing.  "Being able to see the Milky Way is...

President Donald Trump says the US government is taking a 10 percent stake in chip maker Intel. Trump shared the news during a press conference on Friday , though an official announcement is still forthcoming, Reuters reports . News of a plan to convert Intel's previously promised CHIPS Act funding into equity in the company was first reported earlier in August. A meeting between Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and Trump following the President's call for Tan to resign seems to be the source of the deal. "He walked in wanting to keep his job and he ended up giving us 10 billion dollars for the United States. So we picked up 10 billion," Trump shared during the press conference.  Based on Intel's current share price, a 10 percent stake would be worth around $10 billion, Reuters says. It's important to note that the government investing in Intel is not the same thing as receiving free money, it's the exact opposite. The government's stake in Intel will also...