mashable-rss

Fede Álvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” includes an Easter egg that’s become a bit of a tradition in the franchise: the drinking bird.

Movies in the Alien franchise are always filled to the brim with references to each other, and Alien: Romulus is no exception. In Fede Álvarez’s Alien sequel/Aliens prequel, there’s a subtle bit of set decoration that’s become a tradition in the franchise: the drinking bird.

In one of the very first scenes in Alien: Romulus, mine worker Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her android brother Andy (David Jonsson) are dining in a Weyland-Yutani company canteen. Sitting on their table is a drinking bird. The kind of toy sometimes found on office desks, the drinking bird was patented in 1945 by American scientist Miles V. Sullivan and is now sold in varying quality on Amazon by the bucketload.

It’s a dual-bulbed glass bird on a fulcrum, which uses thermodynamics to dip its beak into a glass of water repeatedly. Plus, they usually have a fancy little hat, because this is a place of business.

The drinking bird, which is sometimes referred to as the dippy bird, shows up in several of the Alien films, comics, and video games, including Alien³, Alien vs. Predator, and Alien: Covenant, and the game Alien: Isolation. It’s an homage to the very first shot of Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien, when the camera is careening through the Nostromo ship and catches sight of two drinking birds sitting on the ship’s dining table, dipping away. In fact, the toy birds are on the table during the film’s famous chestburster scene, idly sitting by while Gilbert Kane (John Hurt) has a baby Xenomorph punch out of his chest during dinner.

In Alien: Romulus, the drinking bird takes on a meaning of its own beyond the obvious fan service, as a symbol of the overworked, indentured mining workers of the Weyland-Yutani colony. Unable to break the regimented monotony of their cog-like roles, Rain and her friends seek escape and enrichment elsewhere — but are seriously doomed for even trying. They are the birds, people.

It’s not the only Easter egg or franchise nod in Álvarez’s film, but it’s a good one.

Alien: Romulus is now showing in cinemas.

Read More 

‘The Union’ actor J.K. Simmons keeps taking roles where he has to do stunts and he’s as surprised as anyone as to why.

‘The Union’ actor J.K. Simmons keeps taking roles where he has to do stunts and he’s as surprised as anyone as to why.

Read More 

Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA with WNBA League Pass. Avoid blackouts and watch the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Fans of the WNBA won’t want to miss the next match as Connecticut Suns and Dallas Wings prepare to go head-to-head. The Connecticut Sun have been competitive throughout the 2024 season, but they’ll face fierce competition from the Dallas Wings.

It’s going to be a great game, so if you want to watch Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA from anywhere in the world, keep reading because we have all the information you need.

When is Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings?

Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 16. This fixture takes place at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

How to watch Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings

You can watch Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings and the rest of the 2024 WNBA season from across the world with the WNBA League Pass.

The WNBA League Pass, however, may not show locally televised games live in the participating teams’ local areas. However, with the use of a VPN, you can get past these geo-restrictions. These are tools that work to hide your real IP address (i.e. your digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations, so you can bypass blackouts to watch every WNBA League Pass game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video).

Access every WNBA League Pass game 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 a location with no broadcast deals for the WNBA

Log in to WNBA League Pass

Stream every WNBA game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video)

What is the best VPN for the WNBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for hiding your real IP address and streaming more sport, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

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 Connecticut Sun vs. Dallas Wings in the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Read More 

Watch Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever in the WNBA from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Watch Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever in the WNBA with WNBA League Pass. Avoid blackouts and watch the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever are set to take to the court as the WNBA season continues. It’s a great line-up too, with players such as Caitlin Clark for Indiana Fevers and Natasha Cloud for Phoenix hitting the court.

It’s going to be a great game, so if you want to watch Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever in the WNBA from anywhere in the world, keep reading because we have all the information you need.

When is Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever?

Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever in the WNBA starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 16. This fixture takes place at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

How to watch Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever

It couldn’t be easier to livestream the 2024 WNBA season. Fans from across the globe can tune in through the WNBA League Pass.

But if you’re using this, it’s important to note that the WNBA League Pass may not show locally televised games live in the participating teams’ local areas. But you can get past these geo-restrictions by using a VPN. These are tools that work to hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations, so you can bypass blackouts to watch every WNBA League Pass game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video).

Access every WNBA League Pass game 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 a location with no broadcast deals for the WNBA

Log in to WNBA League Pass

Stream every WNBA game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video)

What is the best VPN for the WNBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for hiding your real IP address and streaming more sport, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

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 Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever in the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Read More 

Watch Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA from anywhere in the world.

TL;DR: Watch Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA with WNBA League Pass. Avoid blackouts and watch the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream are set to take to the court as the WNBA season continues. Taking place in Georgia, it’s set to be another great match of the season with Jewell Loyd and Allisha Gray set to appear in the lineup.

There’s plenty of coverage of the match, so if you want to watch Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA from anywhere in the world, keep reading because we have all the information you need.

When is Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream?

Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 16. The game takes place at the Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia.

How to watch Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream

Live streaming the 2024 WNBA season couldn’t be easier. Fans from anywhere in the world can tune in through the WNBA League Pass.

However, it’s important to note that the WNBA League Pass may not show locally televised games live in the participating teams’ local areas. But you can get past these geo-restrictions by using a VPN. VPNs are helpful tools that work to hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations, so you can bypass blackouts to watch every WNBA League Pass game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video).

Access every WNBA League Pass game 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 a location with no broadcast deals for the WNBA

Log in to WNBA League Pass

Stream every WNBA game live (except games hosted by Amazon Prime Video)

What is the best VPN for the WNBA?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for hiding your real IP address and streaming more sport, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries

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 Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream in the WNBA from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Read More 

Billie Eilish took Stephen Colbert’s “questionert” during an appearance on “The Late Show”.

Billie Eilish took Stephen Colbert’s “questionert” during an appearance on “The Late Show”.

Read More 

“The Daily Show” host Desi Lydic has mocked Trump’s attempt to be “intellectual” during a speech.

“The Daily Show” host Desi Lydic has mocked Trump’s attempt to be “intellectual” during a speech.

Read More 

Netflix’s “Daughters” is an emotional documentary that offers an honest look at how incarceration affects families. Review.

If you were lucky enough to have a good dad growing up, imagine if they were suddenly taken away for reasons you don’t quite understand. Would you wonder why he was no longer around to sing you songs or talk with you? Would you be angry at his absence? That’s the starting point for Angela Patton and Natalie Rae’s moving documentary Daughters, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is now available to stream on Netflix. 

The movie follows four girls — Aubrey, who excitedly recites her multiplication tables; Santana, who helps her mom take care of her younger siblings; Ja’Ana, who struggles to remember what her father looked like before he went to prison; Raziah, who wishes she could tell her dad about her day — and their incarcerated fathers as they prepare for the rare chance to hold and hug one another during a father-daughter dance. 

As the documentary explains, the availability of in-person visits have sharply declined in prisons across the country, meaning years could pass between opportunities for children to hold their parent’s hand or sit in their lap. The result that this has on the daughters in the film is profound. As the filmmakers check back in a year and then three years after the dance, missing out on time spent with a parent due to incarceration has lasting consequences on the girls’ behavior and their well-being. It’s heartbreaking to see the pieces of childhood lost as collateral damage. 

What is Daughters about?

The first voice in Daughters belongs to Patton, founder of the Girls for a Change nonprofit, which aims to empower young Black girls. Their Date with Dad event, which reunites daughters with their incarcerated fathers for one day, is a signature program of the organization. “They already know what they need… The wisdom lives inside of them,” Patton says of the girls. She explains that the idea for the event came from girls she worked with; it was the suggestion of bringing a dance to their dads that led to the program’s creation in Richmond, VA, before expanding to Washington, D.C. 

In preparation for the big event, the fathers enroll in a 10-week coaching class that will try to prepare them through the emotions of that day, examine their own family history, and rededicate themselves to being there for their daughters. The men’s conversations are just as emotionally wrenching as the interviews with their daughters, revealing generations of pain and their intentions to do better for their kids. But the powerhouse moments really belong to Aubrey, Santana, Ja’Ana, and Raziah, who are unafraid to be honest about their hurt and confusion over their situation. Reuniting with their fathers is such a joyful but bittersweet moment; the men are in various stages of their sentences, and it may be years or even decades before they will have the chance to freely hug their daughters once again. 

Daughters celebrates and centers Black girlhood. 

Between the tearful moments (and there are a lot of them), the filmmakers sprinkle beautiful interstitial scenes of girls playing with each other, riding their bikes, running their fingers through blades of grass or splashing in a river. There are also plenty of poignant close-ups of a smaller hand grasping onto their parent’s hand, showing that even as they grow older, they still rely on that sense of touch and the security, warmth, and love that comes with it. These scenes are typically used as background visuals behind a voice-over or contemplative beats by singer and cellist Kelsey Lu, but they beautifully illustrate what’s at stake here, and what organizers, communities, and families are fighting for — offering these girls an ongoing connection with their fathers and the chance to enjoy moments of a carefree childhood as much as possible. 

Cinematographer Michael Cambio Fernandez plays with different formats, using both digital and film to give Daughters the feeling of a family album. Grainy handheld footage, artistic black-and-white scenes, and starkly somber interview footage all meld together to give viewers a sense of every side of the story — including that of the hesitant mothers. We see the excitement of the girls’ faces as they get ready for their big dance, the glee on the men’s faces as they help each other tie their ties and get dressed up for their daughters. For a fleeting moment, there is hope and joy in everyone’s faces, happy cries of “Daddy!” and “I love my dad!” fill the room. 

Daughters is easily one of the best documentaries you’ll see all year. It’s enlightening, it’s moving, and it’s stunning to watch. Patton and Rae focus on the experience of four little girls to illustrate such a specific loss that’s often overlooked in conversations about the criminal justice system. The documentary leaves you with more to think about, some tears to dry, and perhaps the feeling you should call your dad to tell him you love him. 

How to watch: Daughters is now streaming on Netflix. 

Read More 

Answers to each clue for the August 16, 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 Friday, August 16, 2024:

Across

Senegal’s neighbor to the east

The answer is Mali.

___ Allen White, star of TV’s “The Bear”

The answer is Jeremy.

Make a getaway

The answer is escape.

What’s longer in the morning and evening than it is at noon

The answer is shadow.

Voices below altos

The answer is tenors.

No longer in the Drafts folder

The answer is sent.

Down

Interlocks (with)

The answer is meshes.

Esoteric

The answer is arcane.

Give false hope to

The answer is leadon.

Ship into the country

The answer is import.

“Surely you ___!”

The answer is jest.

Coniferous trees with red berries

The answer is yews.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

Read More 

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.

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: This or that

These words make good pairs.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The answers are related to expressions.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is Options.

NYT Strands word list for August 16

Swim

Sink

Make

Break

Double

Nothing

Feast

Famine

Options

Looking for other daily online games? Find one you might like – or hints for another game you’re already playing – on Mashable’s Games page.

Read More