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‘AfrAId’s John Cho turns iconic AI film moments into hilarious “fanfiction” — Know Your Role
John Cho turns our game ‘Know Your Role’ on its head by creating a new storyline for each image from iconic AI movies.
John Cho turns our game ‘Know Your Role’ on its head by creating a new storyline for each image from iconic AI movies.
Stephen Colbert brutally mocks Trump’s rambling speech style
Stephen Colbert mocked Trump’s rambling style of public speaking during “The Late Show” on Tuesday.
Stephen Colbert mocked Trump’s rambling style of public speaking during “The Late Show” on Tuesday.
Stephen King is finally teasing what a new Dark Tower story might look like
Stephen King has taken to X to share some hints about what a new Dark Tower story might involve.
Stephen King clearly has the Dark Tower on his mind in a big way.
The author has been posting on X (formerly Twitter) about his eight-book series for the past few weeks, seemingly hinting that another story could be on the horizon.
The problem? His posts were about as vague as it’s possible to get. Or at least they were up until yesterday.
On Tuesday, the horror legend finally dropped a hint about what a return to Mid-World might look like.
“I think maybe Mejis, beside the Clean Sea. And America-side,” posted King, in response to a fan sharing his previous posts and asking “Where are you taking us?”. “I can’t stop thinking about Mid-World.”
Mejis, to recap, is a key location in the fourth Dark Tower novel, Wizard and Glass. It’s the place main character Roland Deschain travels to in his youth in what is essentially an undercover mission, to find out about the movements of political enemy John Farson. “America-side” refers to “our” world, which in King’s novels overlaps and intersects with Roland Deschain’s world.
The indication from King’s latest post is that he hasn’t started writing anything yet — he’s still in the idea phase. So if we do get to return to the Dark Tower universe, it likely won’t be for a while (unless Mike Flanagan’s TV adaptation gets there first, of course).
Netflix is making a ‘Sweet Bobby’ documentary
Kirat Assi’s story of being catfished, the subject of Tortoise Media’s “Sweet Bobby” podcast, is being made into a Netflix documentary.
In 2022, journalist Alexi Mostrous investigated the story of Kirat Assi, a 29-year-old London radio broadcaster who was romantically catfished for eight years in one of the most complex cases of false identity you’ll ever hear. Tortoise Media’s resulting true crime podcast Sweet Bobby saw millions tuning in. And now, Assi’s story will be re-examined on Netflix.
Announced by the streaming service on Wednesday, the case at the heart of Sweet Bobby will be explored in a new documentary. It’s being directed by Lyttanya Shannon (who directed BBC’s exceptional, Steve McQueen-produced documentary Subnormal: A British Scandal), and produced by Raw and Kiran Sira (Murder, Mystery and My Family), and executive produced by Rebecca North (Netflix’s American Nightmare).
Like the podcast, the documentary will trace how Assi met a man called “Bobby” on Facebook and formed a deep friendship and romantic relationship with him that would become controlling and manipulative. The whole time, Assi was being catfished — as Mashable’s Chance Townsend defines it, “the act of creating a fake profile on social media or dating platforms to deceive others, often using someone else’s pictures and information to create a false identity.”
But who Bobby actually was would be a mind-boggling truth involving over 60 invented characters — and a deeply devastating revelation for Assi.
“It was a slow destruction of everything I had. Bobby targeted every part of my life – my career, my dreams, my hopes, my relationship with family, with friends, my studies,” Assi told the Guardian in 2022. “I could have met someone real, had a baby during that time. But the other impact has been on my mental and physical health.”
As CNN reported this year, “In the UK, while catfishing itself is not classified as a criminal offense, if the person using a fake profile engages in illegal activities, like financial gain or harassment, they can be punished by law.”
Netflix hasn’t announced a date for Sweet Bobby yet. Until then, here’s our picks of the best true crime documentaries on Netflix.
Stephen King has 3 words to describe Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Life of Chuck’ adaptation
Stephen King has shared his first thoughts on Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of his novella, “The Life of Chuck”.
Another Stephen King story adaptation is on its way, and it sounds like the author himself is a big fan of this one.
On Tuesday we got some first look images and more information about The Life of Chuck, Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the horror author’s novella of the same name, courtesy of Vanity Fair.
King’s description of the finished result? “A happiness machine.”
It’s not often you’d think of King adaptations and “happiness” in the same sentence, but The Life of Chuck isn’t really a horror story — the novella is more of an offbeat surreal mystery in the vein of Being John Malkovich, in which a man called Marty suddenly begins seeing the same image appearing everywhere of a stranger called Chuck.
To say more would be to spoil the story, which is available in King’s “If It Bleeds” collection. Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, and Mark Hamill star in the adaptation. Flanagan, who wrote and directed it, has plenty of prior King form: He’s previously adapted Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, and is currently working on bringing The Dark Tower to the screen.
The Life of Chuck‘s release date is TBC.
How to watch Scotland vs. Australia T20 series online for free
Live stream the Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Live stream the Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
We know that cricket isn’t for everyone, but can we all agree that T20 cricket is a lot of fun? Test cricket obviously has a place in the world of sport, and a lot of dedicated fans will always appreciate this traditional form of the game. But T20 cricket is for absolutely everyone. It’s fast, fun, and available to watch for free.
If you want to watch the Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Scotland vs. Australia?
The Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series takes place on the following dates:
Scotland vs. Australia (T20 1 of 3) — 2 p.m. BST on Sept. 4
Scotland vs. Australia (T20 2 of 3) — 2 p.m. BST on Sept. 6
Scotland vs. Australia (T20 3 of 3) — 2 p.m. BST on Sept. 7
The good news is that every match is available to live stream for free.
How to watch Scotland vs. Australia for free
The Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series is available to live stream 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, meaning you can access free live streams on BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Access free live streams of the Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Stream Scotland vs. Australia for free from anywhere in the world
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ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Scotland vs. Australia without committing with your cash. This clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream the T20 international series before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, 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 free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 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 the Scotland vs. Australia T20 international series for free with ExpressVPN.
NYT’s The Mini crossword answers for September 4
Answers to each clue for the September 4, 2024 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.
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.
Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Wednesday, September 4, 2024:
Across
Unwanted emails
The answer is spam.
Glam rock?
The answer is geode.
Symbol on an “I’m With Stupid” shirt
The answer is arrow.
What a fitness tracker counts
The answer is steps.
Future’s opposite
The answer is past.
Down
Big name in mattresses
The answer is Serta.
Distinctive features of a sponge
The answer is pores.
Take into one’s family
The answer is adopt.
Cries from a kitten
The answer is mews.
[I’m shocked … shocked!]
The answer is gasp.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Mini Crossword.
NYT Strands hints, answers for September 4
The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.
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.
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, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: American beauty
These words are quite the sites.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
The answers all relate to national parks.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram starts vertically and finishes horizontally.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is NationalParks.
NYT Strands word list for September 4
Redwood
Arches
NationalParks
Glacier
Saguaro
Badlands
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
How to watch Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open online for free
Live stream Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open online for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Live stream Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open for free on 9Now or TVNZ+. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The US Open is reaching its conclusion, with only a handful of players left competing for the prize. The defending champion Coco Gauff is out of the women’s draw, leaving the door open for the likes of Swiatek. The Polish star is looking to win the US Open for the second time, but home favorite Jessica Pegula stands in her way.
If you want to watch Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
How to watch Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open for free
Fans can live stream the 2024 US Open for free on these platforms:
Australia — 9Now
New Zealand — TVNZ+
These streaming services are geo-blocked, but anyone from around the world can access these sites with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can unblock 9Now and TVNZ+ from anywhere in the world.
Access free live streams of the 2024 US Open by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia or New Zealand
Watch Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open for free from anywhere in the world
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ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of Swiatek vs. Pegula without actually spending anything. This clearly isn’t a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch every US Open match before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for the US Open?
ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the US Open for free, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Australia and New Zealand
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
Fast connection speeds
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 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.
Live stream Swiatek vs. Pegula in the 2024 US Open for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.