The 2022 midterm elections proved that the youth vote is strong — and that polling measures are, maybe, not. Now that Election Day has passed, there's one metric yet to explore: Pornhub views, of course.
Two years ago, during the presidential election, Pornhub traffic dipped around primetime, with an 11 percent drop around 6 p.m. This year, traffic decreased around the same time(Opens in a new tab) — but not as much. The tube site received only a seven percent drop at 6 and 7 p.m. Compared to a typical Tuesday, however, traffic didn't recover; after 4 p.m., it remained lower than average throughout the night.
Pornhub had the biggest drop in traffic during primetime on Election Day, just like in 2020.Credit: Pornhub
SEE ALSO:
How Pornhub changed the world
Pornhub dove even deeper into the data and separated it out state-by-state. The biggest jump was Washington, D.C, where traffic to the site nearly doubled on Election Day. There, Pornhub traffic was 92 percent higher on Nov. 8 than traffic on a typical Tuesday. Perhaps staffers needed to let off a little steam?
The biggest Pornhub traffic changes state by state (these are the top 10).Credit: Pornhub
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Colorado — where there were highly-watched races — traffic went down: four percent in Georgia, 10 percent in Pennsylvania, and 11 percent in Colorado, according to Pornhub. Seems like if anything were to get people off Pornhub, it'd be these hot-button elections.
Related Stories
The best sexting apps for those NSFW exchanges
Pornhub responds to permanent Instagram ban in open letter
How Pornhub changed the world
If you like Pornhub, these raunchy dating sites are worthy alternatives
How to get verified on Pornhub
U-S-A! U-S-A!
Website of this article：https://dointy.com/?m=home&c=View&a=index&aid=65128
Mark Zuckerberg expressed concerns in Trump phone call, so that should fix everything
Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly suggested to President Donald Trump, in a roundabout fashion, that perhaps the poster-in-chief could tone it down a little. For him? Pretty please?
Axios reports(Opens in a new tab) that two sources familiar with a phone call Trump made to the Facebook CEO on Friday said that Zuckerberg did not make any specific requests of the president, but conveyed "concerns" about his "tone and rhetoric," expressed disagreement with recent sentiments, and told the president that his choice of words "put Facebook in a difficult position."
The latter is likely a reference to the fact that Facebook has faced increased pressure to moderate the president's statements on the platform, which regularly contain outright lies, misinformation, and inflammatory rhetoric.
Now, as protests against police brutality have erupted in major cities across the U.S., Trump's tone has stepped up accordingly. On Thursday night he posted a tweet containing the quote "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", and a Saturday tweetstorm included the suggestion that mayors and governors should crack down on protests using "the unlimited power of our Military(Opens in a new tab)".
Twitter finally took action on a few of Trump’s tweets. One was flagged for containing misleading information about mail-in ballots, the other was hidden from Trump’s timeline for glorifying violence.
SEE ALSO:
Twitter hid Trump's violent tweet. Why won't Facebook?
Zuckerberg told Fox News last week that private companies should not be an "arbiter of truth," even though amid a worldwide pandemic, Facebook has in fact taken actions to ensure inaccurate information about coronavirus and related public health issues are countered with facts. But Twitter's escalation, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's accompanying statements addressing Zuckerberg's comments, have put further pressure on Facebook and Zuckerberg to not let the president's false or incendiary posts stand unchecked.
Both social media giants are in the White House's crosshairs ahead of the November election, with Trump signing a somewhat toothless executive order on May 28 meant to intimidate them into letting him share whatever he wants.
Sex with someone you dont live with is now illegal in England
No sex with people outside your household.
That's a rule now enshrined in law in England as new legislation is brought in prohibiting indoor "gatherings" of two or more people from different households amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
It's been dubbed a lockdown "sex ban" by the media, but the new legislation(Opens in a new tab) makes no explicit mention of the word sex. But, is sex really banned? We took a look at the new rules.
Indoor "gatherings" are banned under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations 2020 bill(Opens in a new tab), which came into effect on June 1, 2020. The new rules define gatherings as "when two or more people are present together in the same place in order to engage in any form of social interaction with each other, or to undertake any other activity with each other." If you're single or if you live apart from your partner this new legislation will affect you.
The UK has been under lockdown since March 23 — so 10 weeks — and until now the government restrictions have stipulated that people are only allowed to leave their homes for a limited set of circumstances, including for work, health reasons, to buy food, or to get exercise. Those restrictions have been loosened over the past few weeks.
SEE ALSO:
Now is the time to ditch single people's most hated question
So, does sexual intercourse fall under the categories "social interaction" or "any other activity"? It would appear so. Unless you live with your sexual partner, you will be breaking the law if you go to another person's house for sex. It's also prohibited by law to stay overnight away from home, unless it's for work, funerals, or avoiding harm. In short, it's illegal to visit friends, family, or sexual partners inside their homes or to spend any time indoors with someone you don't live with.
For the people abiding by lockdown restrictions for the past 10 weeks, it likely comes as no surprise that sex with people outside your household remains off limits. So, what difference does this legislation actually make? Until now, the person who entered another person's home would have been in breach of the lockdown rules. Under this new law, both people can now be prosecuted under the amendment. Previous restrictions made no mention of meeting up in private places, and instead the message to 'stay at home' was disseminated by the government. According to(Opens in a new tab) police guidance published by the College of Policing, the approach to restrictions has changed as of June 1. "Rather than requiring a reasonable excuse to leave the place where a person is living, there are specific things that members of the public cannot do," reads the guidance.
There are exceptions to the rules about gatherings and overnight stays. Both are permitted in the following circumstances:
between members of the same household
for people attending a funeral; for an elite athlete and their coach or parent
for work purposes or providing charitable services
to facilitate house moves
to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
to provide emergency assistance
for providing registered early years childcare
to avoid injury, illness, or to escape a risk of harm
to facilitate access between parents and children
to fulfill legal obligations or participate in legal proceedings
for the purposes of education
I emailed the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and asked the following question: "Is it now illegal for a person to go to another person's house to have sex?" In my email I noted that the legislation did not make explicit mention of 'sex' but that people have interpreted the law as a sex ban.
In reply, a DHSC spokesperson said: "Changes to Coronavirus Regulations mean people can spend time outdoors, including private gardens and other outdoor spaces, in groups of up to six people from different households. However, everybody should act responsibly and continue to strictly observe social distancing rules."
SEE ALSO:
Horny and romantic books that will completely consume you
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
"Individuals who participate in a prohibited gathering will be in breach of the regulations, and the police will use their common sense and discretion in all cases," the statement continued. The spokesperson added that DHSC had "set out" its plan "to return to life to as near normal as we can, for as many people as we can, as quickly and fairly as possible in order to safeguard livelihoods, but in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS."
For people looking for loopholes to this law, remember that sex outdoors is already punishable under pre-existing including indecent exposure and outraging public decency. Furthermore, under new guidelines, people meeting up in outdoor gatherings of up to six people are required to practice social distancing.
Police can't burst into your bedroom and fine you for having sex.
You might well be wondering about how the police can enforce something like this. Well, on Monday, 10 Downing Street confirmed(Opens in a new tab) that police can't burst into your bedroom and fine you for having sex. Not sure if any of us quite expected that course of events to be on the cards, but glad to hear No. 10 has ruled it out, nonetheless.
Police can arrest or fine those breaking the law, but they don't have the power to check inside your home. The default fine stands at £100 in England.
"The police will do as they have done since the beginning of the health regulations being in place. They will be exercising their common sense and engaging with the public and only issuing fixed penalty notices when they believe it’s a last resort," the prime minister's spokesperson told the Mirror. The spokesperson added that police in England don't have powers to enter people's homes under the regulations. "What they can do is enter homes where they suspect serious criminal activity is taking place under separate and existing laws," they added.
Looks like that sex hiatus will be going on a little longer then.
LAPD Zoom call: 8 moments you need to see from the angry, public roasting of police
The Los Angeles Police Commission hosted a Zoom call with citizens on Tuesday and people let. them. have. it. The citizens of LA are fed up and angry, and they aren't hiding it.
People called in for more than six hours and absolutely laid into the police(Opens in a new tab) and its leadership amid widespread protests against police brutality in LA and across the country. The protests, of course, were sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed, black man who died last week when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck.
A common theme from the callers was to demand the resignation(Opens in a new tab) of LA Police Chief Michel Moore, who said Floyd's "death is on [looters'] hands as much as it is those officers" — comments for which he later apologized, claiming he misspoke.
We collected a few of the most noteworthy moments from the wild and angry Zoom call, which was also plagued with a few technical difficulties.
1. Upgrade your Zoom account
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
2. The tweet gives you the gist
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
3. "Have you considered being good at your jobs?"
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
4. "I'm looking at a lot of people who just got the shit kicked out of them the whole day."
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
5. Maybe, possibly, potentially, Tony Hawk called in(Opens in a new tab)?
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
UPDATE: June 3, 2020, 1:27 p.m. EDT Hawk confirmed on Twitter that it was not him on the call.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
6. This one has a Curb Your Enthusiasm ending added
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
7. A call about the real looters
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
8. "You are public servants. Not soldiers."
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Instagram, give the swipe-up feature to everyone so protesters can share resources
There's no denying Instagram Stories is a strong platform for protesters who want to spread a message.
Unfortunately, a lot of activists are missing an essential tool for connecting their followers to valuable resources: the swipe-up feature.
While it seems minor, it would allow accounts to link to important sites for fundraisers, organizations, and bail-out funds.
As they protest the killing of George Floyd and police brutality, protestors need all the help they can get boosting the visibility of these links. Unfortunately, as of right now, the feature is reserved for specific types of Instagram users: those who have more than 10,000 followers or are verified.
People want to set the feature free. And they're speaking out about it on Twitter.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
The ability to "swipe up" is mostly reserved as a marketing tool for brands, celebrities, and influencers who want to make some extra cash by linking to products or services.
Influencers and celebrities also use it to promote podcasts, YouTube videos, and newsletters. And, in some cases, sketchy giveaways.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
But under the current circumstances, the swipe-up feature could be a powerful tool for quickly sharing links to activist organizations, reading materials, news stories, and more — regardless of someone's follower count.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Instead, those with under 10,000 followers are forced to use alternative methods, like taking the "link in bio" route by posting a link on their profile. However, to get to the link, you have to go through the extra steps of tapping on the user's handle.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Not only is the process less intuitive, but it also interrupts the experience. It's more likely users will keep swiping through other Stories than stop, go to someone's profile page, and tap on a link.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Instagram declined to comment on whether it plans to release the feature to everyone. But things don't look promising.
Of course, it's easy to see why Instagram is being cautious, since not all users will use the links with good intentions. Some could post links that lead to spam or malware.
But perhaps to start, Instagram can only allow links to certain organizations and fundraising sites. That way, they can rest assured followers will be swiping up to legitimate links.
In the meantime, you can sign a petition to catch Instagram's attention.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
It specifically calls on Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri (who remains quiet on the matter) to "give every user on Instagram an opportunity to amplify voices of the silenced by letting accounts of all follower numbers share swipe-up links to their Instagram stories."
Maybe if enough people sign the petition and blow up Mosseri's mentions, he'll actually listen.
Calls to delete popular astrology app Co—Star after controversial protest meme
Co—Star, the astrology app known for its outlandish push notifications, has come under fire for a post related to the police brutality protests on their popular Instagram account:
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
For those not in the Insta-astrology account "scene," many accounts follow this type of format: One scenario or prompt, with 12 different responses to correspond with the 12 different Zodiac signs. (Here's another example(Opens in a new tab) from Co—Star's account.)
In the now-deleted post, Co—Star made the prompt "At the demo[nstration]," and assigned different roles to each sign. For example, Cancers would "Bring lots of water bottles (NOT milk) to rinse out people's eyes" while Libras are "demo buddies with five people they're 'talking to.'"
The caption of the post read(Opens in a new tab), "Here are some demo tips. You can find more in story."
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
This memeification of the protests which have swept across the U.S. in the wake of the killing of George Floyd — a black man who died after three police officers pinned him down and one kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes — didn't sit well with the app's followers. Screenshots went viral, as did calls to delete the app(Opens in a new tab).
The post was deleted and replaced with an explanation by Co—Star:
View this post on Instagram
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
"We thought that putting these important tips in a meme format would be a palatable way to share the things we’ve learned about keeping each other safe in the street," the post reads. "The intent was not to minimize the protests, but to make them feel less scary; to encourage people to take action." They then shared other activists' posts on how to safely protest.
While some commenters applauded the app, others criticized Co—Star for not actually apologizing. "Giving off a bit non-apology vibe," said one commenter.
Hopefully if Co—Star learned anything from this, it's to not meme the fight to end inequality.
Mashable has reached out to Co—Star for comment and will update if received.
Reddit CEO honors Alexis Ohanians request to fill his seat with a black board member
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced Friday that he would resign from his board seat and urged the company to replace him with a candidate who is black. Shortly thereafter, in a thread on the site(Opens in a new tab), Reddit CEO Steve Huffman confirmed that the company will move forward with Ohanian's request.
"Alexis Ohanian (u/kn0thing(Opens in a new tab)), my Reddit cofounder, announced that he is resigning from our board and that he wishes for his seat to be filled with a black candidate, a request that the board and I will honor," Huffman, known on the site as spez(Opens in a new tab), wrote. "We thank Alexis for this meaningful gesture and all that he’s done for us over the years."
While it's unclear how quickly the company plans to fill this seat, Huffman went on to note that, even beyond this initiative, Reddit has more work to do.
"As Reddit has grown, alongside much good, it is facing its own challenges around hate and racism," Huffman wrote. "We have to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the role we have played."
Huffman said the company will focus on the parts of Reddit that "reflect an unflattering but real resemblance to the world in the hate that black users and communities see daily." Huffman added that the company would provide more clarity to users and moderators on where its administrators stand when it comes to racism, offering moderators a seat at the table to help shape corporate policies.
Huffman reflected on Reddit's history regarding its policies on racism, highlighting where the company has made progress and where it's fallen short. He specifically called out Reddit's failure to take action on The_Donald(Opens in a new tab), a pro-Trump subreddit that became a breeding ground for violent content.
This comes only a few days after Ellen Pao, the interim CEO of Reddit in 2014, criticized Huffman's open letter to employees, in which he made it clear the company doesn't tolerate "hate, racism, and violence," noting that its "values are clear."
"I am obligated to call you out: You should have shut down the_donald instead of amplifying it and its hate, racism, and violence," Pao said Monday on Twitter(Opens in a new tab), adding, "So much of what is happening now lies at your feet. You don't get to say BLM when reddit nurtures and monetizes white supremacy and hate all day long."
In his posted response today, Huffman copped to Pao's criticism and admitted that The_Donald was "a community that relished in exploiting and detracting from the best of Reddit and that is now nearly disintegrated." He also said the company should've "quarantined(Opens in a new tab) it sooner."
So, while it hasn't been banned or shutdown, the "quarantine" (Opens in a new tab)effectively prevents users from accidentally viewing its content. Users will only be able to enter the subreddit with a verified email address after opting-in.
Regardless, Huffman made it clear that this is a turning point for Reddit:
"We have a choice: return to the status quo or use this opportunity for change. We at Reddit are opting for the latter, and we will do our very best to be a part of the progress."
Additionally, Huffman left the thread open for Reddit users to ask him any questions on the matter. At the time of writing, it's amassed over 20,000 comments.
In the Q&A(Opens in a new tab), he maps out a few things Reddit's aiming to accomplish this year, including publicly sharing summaries of quarterly calls with moderators, expanding its number of councils, regularly cycling members so it can bring on more moderators, and creating a council on social justice issues (that will also host all-council calls on how the company's policies are evolving).
So, if you're active on Reddit, feel free to keep the conversation going.
I May Destroy You is a defining moment for on-screen portrayals of consent and sexual violence
Content warning: This review contains discussion of rape and sexual violence.
You won't be able to shake I May Destroy You from your thoughts. After watching, you'll close your laptop, or turn off your television, but I guarantee you this: it will stay with you. Created by Chewing Gum writer Michaela Coel, this new 12-part BBC One/HBO drama tackles the intersection of sexual assault, consent, and race in a radical way that is rarely, if ever, seen on screen.
Episode 1 begins with Arabella (Coel), a young millennial writer living in London, pulling an all-nighter in a last minute attempt to finish the book she's been writing. When she takes a break to meet up with friends (setting a one-hour alarm for herself), the night changes course. The following day, she has no recollection of how she got back to her desk, or how her phone screen got smashed, or why there's blood pouring from a gash on her forehead. Arabella is disorientated, confused, and grappling with a disturbing flashback of someone being raped. That someone, she later realises, was her.
These events unfold in a way that is infused with striking realism — and that is no accident. In Aug. 2018, while delivering the McTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Coel said she was raped when she was writing Season 2 of Chewing Gum. "I was working overnight in the [production] company's offices; I had an episode due at 7 a.m. I took a break and had a drink with a good friend who was nearby," said(Opens in a new tab) Coel. When she regained consciousness, she was typing Season 2. "I had a flashback. It turned out I’d been sexually assaulted by strangers. The first people I called after the police, before my own family, were the producers."
In the press materials sent by the BBC, Coel makes reference to the real-life roots of the story. "All in all, the hardest thing was not getting distracted in wonderment at the confounding reality of having turned a rather bleak reality into a TV show that created real jobs for hundreds of people," she said.
But, out of this bleak reality, Coel has created something that challenges on-screen depictions of sex, consent, and assault. Black women have been historically been erased from conversations about sexual violence. That omission is rooted in racism that can be traced back to the time of slavery, when rape was only considered something that happened to white women. As Vanessa Ntinu wrote(Opens in a new tab) in gal-dem, "Historically, black women are perceived as objects of sexual exploitation, dating back to days of slavery where the concept of rape was never applied to the black woman simply because she was assumed to have been a willing and promiscuous participant."
In those first few episodes of I May Destroy You, Coel explores an aspect of sexual violence that gets little attention: unacknowledged rape(Opens in a new tab). Psychologists use this term to describe sexual violence that fits a legal description of rape or assault, but is not labelled as such by the survivor. For the first two episodes, Arabella doesn't realise she's been assaulted. Even when talking to a police officer about that night, she urges caution in the police officer's interpretation of her disturbing flashback, the images she couldn't shake from her mind. Coel brings to life an element of assault survivors' experience — the difficulty of realising that you've been raped because the reality of rape is so different to how it's portrayed on screens and in the media(Opens in a new tab).
Later in the series, when Arabella's agents introduce her to another writer, Zain, to assist somehow in the writing of her book, the two end up having sex. What Arabella doesn't realise, though, is that Zain removes the condom midway through — a violation that is also known as "stealthing,"(Opens in a new tab) a form of sexual assault.
Arabella's story isn't the only remarkable part of this show. Her best male friend Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) has a storyline that explores black masculinity, internalised homophobia, and male experiences of rape. Meanwhile, Arabella's other best friend Terry (Weruche Opia) endures a racist microaggression during an audition for a supposedly empowering advert when a white casting director asks her to take off her wig so she can see her natural hair.
This show is coming to our screens at a pivotal moment in history — as protests continue across America and parts of the globe against racism and police brutality, following the police killing of George Floyd, who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The contents of I May Destroy You has the power to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about who rape happens to, and what sexual violence really looks like. That act of service could not be more necessary.
I May Destroy You debuts on HBO on Sunday, June 7, and on BBC One on Monday, June 8. Both episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from Monday.
Forrest Fenn claims someone found the treasure he hid in the Rocky Mountains 10 years ago
A multimillion-dollar treasure intentionally tucked away in an undisclosed, incredibly remote part of the Rocky Mountains has reportedly(Opens in a new tab) been found — and the story behind the loot is perhaps wilder than you can imagine.
Forrest Fenn, an eccentric 89-year-old author and artifacts dealer, claims he buried a treasure — estimated to be worth at least $1 million and up to $5 million — in a remote spot a decade ago. He said a cryptic 24-line poem in his memoir would lead searchers to the treasure.
In the last decade, a huge online and IRL community built up around finding the treasure. Some 350,000 people have tried to find it. As Money(Opens in a new tab) covered in detail last year(Opens in a new tab), certain "searchers" have dedicated their lives to the treasure hunt. Some people quit their jobs. At least four people died trying to find it. Others think the whole thing was a hoax, as in, the treasure doesn't exist.
Now, according to Fenn himself, the chase for the treasure is over. He confirmed to Money(Opens in a new tab) that it had been found in the past couple of days.
"It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago," Fenn wrote on his website(Opens in a new tab). "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot. I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries. So the search is over."
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
But, and this is a pretty big but, we've still yet to see the treasure. And we don't know the identity of the person who apparently found it.
“The guy who found it does not want his name mentioned. He’s from back East,” Fenn told the(Opens in a new tab) Santa Fe New Mexican(Opens in a new tab).
Fenn told the paper the person sent him a picture of the treasure to confirm the find, but Fenn declined to send a copy of that photo to the paper. So... a lot of questions remain.
And yet things are even more complicated. Barbara Andersen, a Chicago real estate attorney, told the New Mexican(Opens in a new tab) she is filing an injunction in federal District Court against the person who allegedly found the chest, saying they hacked her and stole her solution. She wants to stop the person from selling the loot and have the court hand the chest over to her.
“He stole my solve,” she told the paper. “He followed and cheated me to get the chest.”
During a pandemic, protest livestreams are more important than ever
Protests against police brutality continue around the country, but not everyone who wants can participate. Whether immunocompromised, living with someone in a high risk group for COVID-19, or simply too far away to attend a protest, people around the world have found their own way to engage: livestreams.
Leigh Wallace, an 18-year-old in Mississippi, goes through chemotherapy every other week to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The treatment hasn’t affected her immune system as much as it has other patients, Wallace said, but her parents are wary of allowing her around other people, even friends. While treatable, Hodgkin’s lymphoma limits the body’s ability to fight infection. The number of new coronavirus cases(Opens in a new tab) is increasing in many states, and the world is bracing itself for a "second wave," expected(Opens in a new tab) to hit this autumn.
But Wallace couldn’t just sit at home while her peers marched against police brutality. Her parents have a tight grip on her bank account, so she couldn’t donate to a bail fund or community organization. While she signed petitions pushing for prosecution for officers and advocating for defunding law enforcement, Wallace wanted to be more involved.
“News stations and YouTubers can take the footage and later edit them to fit their personal agenda.”
She began watching Instagram livestreams of the protests to stay informed. In a Twitter DM, she said that because she was viewing raw, unedited footage, she could get a clearer picture of what’s actually happening. Watching the protests live allows viewers to see police using disturbing force against peaceful protestors for themselves.
“I think the news and even some YouTube creators are incredibly biased,” Wallace said. “News stations and YouTubers can take the footage and later edit them to fit their personal agenda.”
Similarly, Celina Juarez, a 21-year-old restaurant employee in Los Angeles, felt that news outlets weren't focusing on what mattered. Juarez lives with her grandparents and didn't want to risk spreading the coronavirus to them, since the elderly are at high risk.
"I feel that the news is showing more of the looting and less of the police brutality against peaceful protest when, based on every livestream I've tuned into, it's really the opposite," Juarez said in a Twitter DM.
While the protests have been associated with looting and rioting, multiple videos(Opens in a new tab) show black protestors shutting down white agitators attempting to graffiti storefronts and steal merchandise. When the protests began in Minneapolis in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white police officer, Juarez and Wallace felt that news coverage focused on the looting rather than law enforcement escalating violence against peaceful protestors.
In addition to presenting a clearer picture of the the protests in support of Black Lives Matter, livestreams also provide crucial information for those who attend.
Elijah Daniel, a YouTuber with 568,000 subscribers and 446,000 Instagram followers(Opens in a new tab), attended numerous protests in Los Angeles last week. He's also been broadcasting the protests on Instagram Live, where tens of thousands of viewers watched police tear gas gatherings, shoot rubber bullets into crowds, and arrest peaceful protestors who were out after Los Angeles' controversial curfews.
I watched Daniel's protest livestream last week because I had several friends who were also marching in Hollywood. It seemed peaceful from wherever Daniel was marching, but the chants of "No justice, no peace" were broken up by panicked comments warning viewers that police were tear gassing protestors a few blocks ahead. Madison Beer, another influencer who's been actively attending protests and was marching ahead of Daniel, tweeted that cops were beginning to block in protestors well before curfew.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
As soon as I read the livestream comments, I called everyone I knew at the protests to warn them. One narrowly avoided the gas and rubber bullets, which law enforcement began deploying just minutes after he decided to take side streets out of Hollywood.
This weekend, I attended the massive candlelight vigil for George Floyd and other black victims of police brutality, which took place only blocks from where police had arrested(Opens in a new tab) thousands of peaceful protestors the week before. During the drive over, I watched the livestream broadcasted by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles to keep tabs on police presence. Watching the protests live is a matter of safety.
Watching protest livestreams is a matter of public safety.Credit: David McNew / Getty Images
"I know it's easy to watch a video on the internet, but to watch it in real time is on a whole other level."
Daniel's viewers are also using the livestream to open up conversations about police brutality and privilege with their families. Claire-Louise, a 21-year-old customer service agent in Belfast, Ireland, can't attend protests in Ireland because there aren't any close enough to be accessible. She's been showing Daniel's livestreams, as well as other screen recorded livestreams, to her family members who she claims are "a bit backwards in their mindset."
"I know it's easy to watch a video on the internet, but to watch it in real time is on a whole other level," Claire-Louise said in a Twitter DM. "I get happy when I see the peacefulness but I get angry and anxious when I see the brutality and just blatant racism."
Influencers and celebrities continue to fall out of public favor through this period of civil unrest. From posting well intentioned but ill informed black squares to their Instagram accounts to getting arrested for looting(Opens in a new tab), as Jake Paul did, celebrity culture is cracking. But those who use their platforms for activism, as Elijah Daniel and Halsey have, are inspiring a generation of viewers to join the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Even though I can't actually be there, it at least makes me feel like I am," Wallace said. "Seeing how many people are at the protests, plus thinking about how many people are watching livestreams, makes me think that in time something may actually happen."
OKCupid adds Black Lives Matter badge and profile questions about racial inequality
On Thursday, OKCupid announced that it's rolling out a #BlackLivesMatter(Opens in a new tab) badge in a dozen countries. Users can obtain the badge by answering yes to the question, "Do you want to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement by adding a badge to your profile?"
Since badges won't actually do anything to solve racism, OKCupid has also donated $50,000 to the ACLU, Black Girls Code, Fair Fight Action and the NAACP. The app will also donate a million dollars in advertising space to black civil rights organizations.
SEE ALSO:
How single people have been dealing with the 'sex ban' in England
In addition to the badge, OKCupid has added matching questions related to racial injustice and inequality. Users can answer whether they protest; whether it's okay to silently support racial equality; how they plan on addressing racial inequality (say by donating or protesting); and whether they find it important that their date supports racial equality.
OKCupid racial inequality questionCredit: okcupid
OKCupid how will you address racial inequality questionCredit: okcupid
In the past week, over 100,000 users have responded to the new questions. The majority said it's not okay to silently support equality, according to OKCupid's blog post. Seventy percent are protesting for racial equality.
This isn't the first time OKCupid has created badges and questions around social justice. They did so with supporting Planned Parenthood(Opens in a new tab) and marriage equality as well(Opens in a new tab). While the badge could be seen by some as virtual signaling, the questions do allow users to dig deeper into a potential match's commitment to racial equality — which is a step in the right direction.
Related Video: Want to donate to help the Black Lives Matter movement? Here's how.
A recipe for air-fried oranges went viral. We can confirm its gross.
Welcome to AirFryDay, where — you guessed it — every Friday Mashable covers the latest trends, dispenses advice, and reviews recipes for your air fryer.
When I test viral recipes for AirFryDay I do my best to go in with an open mind. These things surprise you. Just last week I was kind of surprised that air fried cheese — literally just cheese in the air fryer — was pretty dang tasty.
That said, going into this week I had to really try to go in with an open mind. Hot oranges did not sound good to me.
SEE ALSO:
The best air fryers for making crispy food faster than the oven
The TL;DR: It was not good. Not good at all.
The recipe comes from @thejenjones(Opens in a new tab) on TikTok and has racked up nearly 6 million views(Opens in a new tab). Here's how the process looked, in three pics, via @thejenjones.
Hot oranges.Credit: Screenshots: TikTok / @thejenjones
Here's how you make it, via the TikTok from @thejenjones.
Ingredients
Orange(s)
Ground cinnamon
Maple syrup
Yogurt
Granola
Directions
Cut your orange(s) into thick slices, then using a knife, carefully remove the circular rind from the fruit.
Rub the orange slices with maple syrup then season with cinnamon.
Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air fry the oranges for 4 minutes at 400 degrees.
Place a cooked orange slice on a plate. Top with yogurt, then another orange slice. Spread yogurt on the top orange slice and top with granola. Enjoy.
The details
One thing this recipe definitely has going for it: It's easy. The most difficult part of the whole thing is cutting the orange slices into circles. Frankly, I found it easier to just chop the rinds off than trace interior circles with my knife, as @thejenjones did in her TikTok.
SEE ALSO:
Air-fried cheese is delicious because crispy cheese is amazing
Regardless, here's how my circles looked after cutting. They're a bit small but that's what my grocery had.
Orange circles. Neat.Credit: Mashable
Once the oranges were cut, I gave each one a dousing of maple syrup and then a heavy sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Here's how that looked.
Mmmm, cinny orange.Credit: Mashable
From there, I preheat my air fryer to 400 degrees, dropped the oranges in, and cooked them for four minutes. When I took the oranges out they were lightly caramelized and scorching to the touch. Here's how they looked.
Hot oranges. Credit: Mashable
The final step, again, was pretty simple. I stacked oranges with yogurt, then topped with granola. The TikTok from @thejenjones used plant-based yogurt — they create lots of plant-based recipes — but all I had was plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, so I used that. My granola was a crushed up Nature Valley bar I snagged from my local bodega because I needed only a tiny bit.
Stacking the deconstructed parfait of sorts wasn't difficult, really, except for the fact that the hot oranges began to liquify the yogurt almost immediately. Still, my end product wasn't bad looking.
Doesn't look awful, right?Credit: Mashable
The taste, however, was a different story. There is something uncomfortable about the taste of an air fried orange. The bright tang is lost. The texture loses its snap. It's both dried out and soft and juicy. And it's hot. I don't know how else to describe it but as a hot orange. A hot, hot orange.
Sometimes, less is more. This would actually be a fine enough breakfast if you just didn't cook the oranges. Sure, it would feel like doing less, but a bright, juicy citrus, paired with cold, tangy yogurt, and crunchy granola? That would be a nice combo of temperatures, textures, and flavor profiles. But the hot oranges turn the cold yogurt soupy and overpower everything.
Still, feel free to give the air-fried oranges a whirl. After all, it went super viral, which seems to imply at least some people like it. As for me? I'll be eating oranges at room temp.
Kamala Harris reminding Mike Pence Im speaking is every woman in a meeting
You know you're living in a deeply stupid era when every time a woman in power has to firmly ask a man to stop talking over her, it becomes a meme.
Joe Biden's running mate Kamala Harris had her own "reclaiming my time" moment during the vice presidential candidates' debate. While Mike Pence didn't quite reach Trump levels of shouting over his opponent and moderator, the VP refused during almost every single one of his answers to acknowledge moderator Susan Page's polite requests that he stop talking when his time was up, and interrupted Harris when her time was not.
Her firm response, repeated at least four times over the course of the 90-minute debate: "I'm speaking. Mr Vice President, I'm speaking."
By the end of the debate, "I'M SPEAKING" was trending on Twitter with over 44,000 tweets quoting Senator Harris' words.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
SEE ALSO:
Kamala Harris' reactions to Mike Pence at the VP debate are all you need to see
Surprising no person who has been spoken over in a meeting or life in general, women were especially heartened by the sight of a female candidate refusing to let an older white dude steamroll her time.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
SEE ALSO:
A fly landed on Mike Pence's head during the debate and it stayed there for 2 minutes
People also questioned Pence's cunning strategy of... talking over two women for an entire debate.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
For the record: Numerous studies have shown that men interrupt women(Opens in a new tab) in mixed-gender settings much more often and more consistently than they do other men, and much more often than women interrupt anyone.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Is it any wonder that when a woman calmly pushes back, it hits a nerve?
UPDATE: Oct. 8, 2020, 2:21 p.m. AEDT Incredibly, during post-debate analysis on CNN, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum literally interrupted the one woman on the panel with him while she was discussing the "I'm speaking" moments. You won't believe what happened next.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Related Video: How to vote in the 2020 presidential election
Election Day is serious stuff, but the memes and jokes are good, too
Election Day in the U.S. is an important day, for sure, but it's also a great day for memes and jokes. After all, if the internet has proven anything, it's that it can make a meme out of any situation.
So Tuesday morning, as East Coast voters awoke and began heading to the polls, they also began making jokes and memes about the day's events. Some of the memes are simply silly and funny — the kind of jokes that aren't political. They're meant to make you chuckle.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Some of the other memes and posts, however, are more political. They either urge folks to vote for one side, or make fun of the general state of elections in the U.S.
Acclaimed author Stephen King even poked fun at himself for his previous battle over verification with Twitter's new head Elon Musk.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
And then there was a...whole thing...with Katy Perry.
Related Stories
People are using the same meme template to troll Elon Musk's Twitter
John Oliver's dive into election subversion features an explosive Nick Offerman cameo
Katy Perry's 'Swish Swish' video is a celeb-filled 'Space Jam' knockoff
Yes, we're talking "Teenage Dream," campaigned feverishly(Opens in a new tab) for Hillary Clinton, pop star Katy Perry. She posted a photo(Opens in a new tab) of herself voting for Rick Caruso, a longtime Republican(Opens in a new tab) billionaire who recently changed parties in his bid for the mayorship of Los Angeles. Lots of folks online were "displeased" with her. Perry's stans, meanwhile, have been left trying to defend the pop star, with some folks jokingly covering the screen that showed her voting for Caruso.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Election Day has just gotten started and the votes across the country will likely be tallied for days to come. So, that means you can expect more memes. Because no matter what happens, the internet still has jokes.
In 2022, it seemed BeReal was the app of the moment(Opens in a new tab). Founded in 2020 by French entrepreneurs Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, the app swelled in success(Opens in a new tab) last year, reaching over 50 million downloads(Opens in a new tab) by October and being crowned the iPhone app of the year(Opens in a new tab). Other social apps were scrambling to replicate BeReal's premise, and continue to do so(Opens in a new tab).
But the precarity of BeReal was quickly acknowledged online(Opens in a new tab), too. For one thing, "authenticity" and social media are at natural odds with one another. For another, BeReal had the advantage of emerging at a time when people were tiring of other community-based apps for that very reason. This gave the app an innate sense of "novelty", as Mashable's Elena Cavender wrote in December, but its usage has ultimately evolved to mimic that of other content-based social apps. "BeReals became the new version of the selfie, with people clamoring to get memorable BeReals at concerts and with celebrities," she wrote. "It became a new way to go viral on other, more monetizable platforms."
This is just one development that has led to a chunk of users skipping BeReal's daily notification – or abandoning the app entirely(Opens in a new tab).
At its peak in September 2022, BeReal saw 12 million monthly downloads. This January, that fell to 3.3 million, according to data from Business of Apps(Opens in a new tab) and Apptopia(Opens in a new tab). More indicatively, perhaps, is the drop in daily active users: this number has nearly halved(Opens in a new tab), from 20 million daily users in October 2022 to 10.4 million now.
Amber hasn't stopped using BeReal entirely but her use has waned as a result of the app's very foundation: asking people to document what they are doing, authentically, and in the moment.
"I feel like BeReal is like the ultimate manifestation of 'look, look, see what I am doing right now!'" she tells Mashable. "It's not like I don't adore my friends and have an interest in my friends' day to day activities. It's because I genuinely don't think we as people were made to see, let alone want to see, what other people are doing when they aren't with us, friends included."
SEE ALSO:
How much do we shape-shift across social media?
She isn't the only one. Many users, like Amber, still use the app but less than they once did. Kayla says she uses the app "sporadically", but does occasionally dive in for the purpose of connecting with friends.
"I miss a lot of days, but use it to check in on close friends I don't typically talk to, like friends from college, friends I've moved away from, people like that," she says.
Another once active user, Meg, says she is using it less since the summer, too: "I mean, how many times can I take a photo of me at my desk doing boring work?"
Meg’s qualm – directed at the motony and lack of variety in daily posts – is shared. Aryaman says he stopped using it because there was little engagement to be had. "There aren’t too many conversations to start based on someone’s work screen and cup of coffee," he says.
Other reasons for not using the app vary from irritation at the daily notification to "there are too many different social apps" to keep track of. A majority, however, rejected BeReal for the pressures it posits. As mentioned, the app's promise of authenticity was contentious from the start. But users recognise that others don't always use the two-minute window BeReal sets for posts, instead waiting for a moment when something more exciting or photo-worthy was occuring.
"There was a lot of social pressure to be posting things that were not real," Michael, a once-avid user of the app, says. "The app is conducive to showing off that you have a more enriched lifestyle or patterns, when realistically, that’s not always the case."
Amelie feels similarly, telling Mashable, "I realised it wasn't the 'live in the moment' version of social media, but just another way to superficially document your life with your friends. It had become status and image based." Rohan, too, says, "It lost all its beauty. People don't use it to document their real lives, they just wait until they are doing something interesting.”
Related Stories
Joe Biden used BeReal to encourage annual vaccines
TikTok is trying to BeReal
Why are BeReal selfies so unflattering?
Not even a bank robbery can stop Miles Teller from posting on BeReal
These criticisms of BeReal are not unique to the app, but akin to any objections directed at social media as a whole. The only possible difference is that BeReal positioned itself as an alternative to the glossy images of Instagram and the commodified content of TikTok. The app has naturally been transformed as a consequence of rooted behavior on social media and habits that are hard to shake.
All of this is not to say that BeReal has tumbled into insignificance. In October, the app's valuation was somewhere around $600 million(Opens in a new tab). The insistence of other apps to imitate BeReal is also a testament to the fact that the startup was onto something, whether that's the timeframe it provides for posts or the dual camera concoctions it delivers.
In response to Mashable, BeReal passed along a link to their Press page(Opens in a new tab), which reads:
We want for ourselves what we want for our users – not to chase fame or the spotlight or to be tethered to metrics like the number of followers or number of downloads. We don't share our numbers, even though we see lots of rumored estimates online. In the spirit of authenticity and veracity, we’ll say to take these figures for what they are…estimates :).
Those who still use the app are loyal to it, with some explaining that taking a daily post is now just a habit, while others go as far to say BeReal is their favorite of social apps. Amongst these users are those who perceive BeReal as a sort of journal, or a way to document daily life in mere seconds.
"It’s more of a little diary entry for me to remember each day. It’s nice looking back on my days even if they are monotonous and boring," says Ryan. Sofia also says she likes to go back and see what she was doing over the course of months: "the real draw, really, is that facilitated record and memory-keeping."
The decline of BeReal, whether momentary or not(Opens in a new tab), underscores a greater dissatisfaction: with apps, with influencers, and with any sort of glorified content. This is a larger challenge the likes of Instagram and TikTok will have to reckon with, too. A reinvention of sorts may be required of them all – for BeReal, it's unclear what this could look like.
Theres a shortage of diabetes drugs because of a TikTok weight loss trend
There's not a lot of advice I'd give out categorically, confidently, and in perpetuity. But I'm going to be brave, and I'm going to say one thing I will never regret: No one should ever trust a weight loss trend.
Right now, that trend happens to be medicines used to treat diabetes that also curb hunger: Ozempic and Wegovy. They are both made by Novo Nordisk(Opens in a new tab). They're similar medications, semaglutide, but Wegovy is available in slightly higher dosages.
Elon Musk tweeted(Opens in a new tab) about taking Wegovy to lose weight. Andy Cohen tweeted(Opens in a new tab) about people taking Ozempic for weight loss. Some people on TikTok(Opens in a new tab) are attributing Kim Kardashian's supposed weight loss to the drug, despite Kardashian not saying anything about taking it.
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
"I have seen news about Kim Kardashian's body transformation over the past couple of months," one user says to the tune of nearly 600,000 views, 31.6 thousand likes, and more than 5,000 saves(Opens in a new tab). Later, she lays out her theory: "I think Kim might have been on a GLP-1 semaglutide… In my opinion, this is purely speculation, it looks like it could be a possibility that Kim K is one of those celebrities [using a GLP-1 for weight loss]." According to TODAY(Opens in a new tab), these drugs are in a class called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They work by mimicking how your body feels when you eat food.
The topic "Ozempic" has more than 300 million views on TikTok, with many users who say they're using it off label — for weight loss instead of for diabetes. Ozempic is also approved by the FDA(Opens in a new tab) for improving blood sugar control "in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus when used in addition to diet and exercise."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved(Opens in a new tab) Wegovy for "chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol)." That means people taking it for weight loss aren't taking it off label like they are with Wegovy's sister drug Ozempic.
Both medicines are spoken about interchangeably online, each are intended to be taken along with a healthy diet and exercise plan, and they're both injections.
Related Stories
No, NyQuil chicken isn't a real TikTok trend
Skin cycling is the TikTok trend that's demystifying active skincare
TikTok trend reminds people to be kinder to themselves
TikTok bans ads for fasting apps and weight loss supplements
Weight loss apps don't help users with one really important thing
And, now, there's a reported shortage of the medicine for the people who actually need it. In August, the company wrote in a news release(Opens in a new tab) urging healthcare providers "to not start new patients on Wegovy." They stopped advertising and promoting it, and decided to "temporarily stop shipments of the first two dose strengths (0.25 mg and 0.5 mg) — all to minimize demand from new patients and increase the likelihood there would be enough product available in the market to meet the needs of current people taking Wegovy." The FDA lists the drugs(Opens in a new tab) as "currently in shortage."
If you feel like you’d like to talk to someone about your eating behavior, call the National Eating Disorder Association’s helpline at 800-931-2237. You can also text "NEDA" to 741-741 to be connected with a trained volunteer at theCrisis Text Line(Opens in a new tab) or visit the nonprofit’s website(Opens in a new tab) for more information.
Quordle today: Here are the answers and hints for September 3
You made it all the way to the weekend, and you're rewarded with a Quordle like this? It's unfair. No one should have to work this hard on Saturday (with apologies to the many, many people who always have to work on Saturdays).
Well, it's not hard to find the Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need.
What is Quordle?
Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
Is Quordle harder than Wordle?
Yes, though not diabolically so.
Where did Quordle come from?
Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30(Opens in a new tab). Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian(Opens in a new tab) six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue(Opens in a new tab) from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running.
How is Quordle pronounced?
“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”
Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?
Yes and no.
Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.
After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.
What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?
Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times.
Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.
Is there a way to get the answer faster?
In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:
Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand(Opens in a new tab) suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”
Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.
If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:
A semi-useful hint about today’s puzzle
Synonyms for all four words are in the following sentence (in no particular order).
Place Willy Wonka's latest treat on a specific part of your tongue and you'll notice the flavor is sweet in one spot, bitter in another, and citrusy in a third.
Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?
One word has a letter occurring twice in a row.
Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?
Get more from Costco with a new Gold Star Executive Membership for $120
The following content is brought to you by Mashable partners. If you buy a product featured here, we may earn an affiliate commission or other compensation.
After kicking back during the muggy days of summer, fall brings our attention back to productivity and making the most of our time and money. With this seasonal shift, you might be looking for easy ways to extend your budget.
You already know Costco delivers more bang for your buck on multipacks of toothpaste and shampoo, but you’ll also find a treasure trove of items you had no idea they even stocked, including things you actually need for fall.
When you purchase a Gold Star Executive Membership for $120(Opens in a new tab), you’ll receive an annual 2% Reward (up to $1,000) on eligible Costco and Costco.com purchases. New members also get a $20 Costco Shop Card. To get started, buy a Costco Membership Activation Certificate online and activate it in-store.
A reliable back-to-school laptop
Credit: lenovo
With a 15.6-inch touchscreen, 10th Gen Intel Core i7, and Dolby speakers, the Lenovo IdeaPad S340(Opens in a new tab) is a nicely priced option for getting work done. Research projects, stream movies, and play some games on this lightweight laptop with a decent battery life.
A sweatpants alternative
Credit: Splendid
Start your day with yoga or some focus-improving mindful meditation in these ultra-comfy Splendid leggings(Opens in a new tab) available in gray, blue, and navy hues. With an athletic fit, a wide waistband, and moisture-wicking fabric, you might be reaching for these instead of your sweats.
A cozy pet bed
Credit: Kirkland
With your dog as your WFH office-mate, a Kirkland Signature cuddler dog bed(Opens in a new tab) is the furball equivalent of an awesome desk chair. Its upholstery-grade fabric cover feels like real furniture, but it can still be tossed in the washing machine.
A sleek countertop cappuccino maker
Flex your barista skills and create your own dairy or vegan coffee drinks with a pro-inspired, stainless-steel De'Longhi Dedica cappuccino maker(Opens in a new tab). This compact machine has a legit portafilter for brewing espresso, a steamer for frothing milk, and four convenient presets.
Credit: De'Longhi
An artsy smart TV for watching the game
Stream new fall series on The Frame(Opens in a new tab), Samsung’s 4K QLED TV that doubles as wall art. It comes with a $50 starter membership to the Art Store’s collection of some 1,200 masterpieces.
Credit: SAMSUNG
*Valid only for nonmembers for their first year of membership. Limit one per household. Nontransferable and may not be combined with any other promotion. You must join in person with a Costco representative. New members will receive their Costco Shop Card by mail in 4 to 6 weeks. Costco Shop Cards are not redeemable for cash, except where required by law.
A Costco membership is $60 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $60 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes one free Household Card. May be subject to sales tax. Costco accepts all Visa® cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT and Costco Shop Cards. Departments and product selection may vary.
Opens in a new tab
(Opens in a new tab)
Credit: ANDREA PIACQUADIO FROM PEXELS
Costco Gold Star Executive Memberships: $120
(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
Quordle today: Here are the answers and hints for August 25
We're now in the last week of August, which means we're on the verge of crisp air, fall leaves, and pumpkin spiced this and that. But how can you be expected to enjoy the changing seasons when today's Quordle is such torture?
Fortunately, all four Quordle answers for today are down below. But if you've got time, check out our strategy guide. Become a Quordle champ by summer's end, instead of jumping to the answer. I have a feeling you'll want games like this to keep you company as the weather gets colder, so don't just spoil this one for yourself! (Unless you want to, because, again, the answers are all down there).
What is Quordle?
Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
Is Quordle harder than Wordle?
Yes, though not diabolically so.
Where did Quordle come from?
Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30(Opens in a new tab). Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian(Opens in a new tab) six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue(Opens in a new tab) from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running.
How is Quordle pronounced?
“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”
Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?
Yes and no.
Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.
After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.
What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?
Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times.
Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.
Is there a way to get the answer faster?
In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:
Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand(Opens in a new tab) suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”
Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.
If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:
A semi-useful hint about today’s puzzle
Synonyms for all four words are in the following sentence (in no particular order).
After twisting my ankle in my attempt to hunt the deer, I had to remove the splint I made with a stick of bamboo and some cloth bandage when it started to cause a rash.
Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?
No.
Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?
Tinder for readers: A new social app is based on books you love
Can similar reading tastes lead to a healthy romance? Klerb(Opens in a new tab), a new social app based on literary preferences, seems to think so.
The app has already been called "Tinder for bookworms,"(Opens in a new tab) despite being in early beta. According to the site, Klerb is "a free meetup app for readers," with IRL activities being offered for like-minded readers "based on the similarity of their bookshelf."
It basically sounds like a book club, with the app doing the work for the reader: the algorithm finds people who have similar reading tastes or have read the same book recently, then creates themed events around these interests. They encourage groups to then turn these events into a club, if things go well during in-app chats.
SEE ALSO:
#BookTok rejoice: TikTok launches official Book Club
Though the premise sounds like a dating app, the developer behind the app, Abe Winter, told The Guardian that Klerb is "not a hook-up app or a dating app of any kind." But he says that he is trying to bring the Tinder model to reading, creating aa "a geo-radius social tool" for people with "academic interests."
So the app isn't trying to be the next Bumble or Tinder but there could be scope for romance. The tagline does suggest this: "Use Klerb to find compatible people, groups, and events in your radius."
There appears to be 1,605 existing members already, and Winter says that there is a waiting list and plans to roll out the app once he gauges there is enough interest.
For real book-worms, this may just be the most romantic meet-cute of all. In the Klerb.
So you're watching a fun video on YouTube. Neat, good for you.
You've seen a moment you really like, and you want to convert that fun little moment from YouTube into a GIF. I get it, pal, GIFs can be fun.
Don't be embarrassed if you don't know where to start. Creating an animated GIF from YouTube is easy and I've broken the process down into 10 very simple steps.
OK then, let's do it.
1. Pull up your YouTube video and copy the link
For demonstration purposes, I'm choosing the "Instagram" sketch from Netflix's(Opens in a new tab) hilariously bonkers, truly wonderful sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
Why? Because I love that show and it is very GIF-able.
2. Go to Giphy.com(Opens in a new tab) and create an account
You don't need a fancy GIF maker or Photoshop to create a GIF from a YouTube video. You just a Giphy account.
I'm assuming here that if you're looking for tips to make a GIF, you do not have a Giphy account. So go ahead and make one. You must have an account to make GIFs on Giphy, which wasn't the case in the past. It's simple: You just need an email address and a password. There are other GIF converters out there, but using Giphy is going to be the easiest path and will leave you with a quality GIF.
3. On Giphy.com, click the "create" icon right beside "Upload in the righthand corner.
It looks like this:
GIPHY create button.Credit: Screenshot / Giphy
4. Paste your YouTube link into the blank space under the title "Add Any URL"
Below is what that'll look like. You can also make GIFs from Vimeo, Giphy, or from videos you have on your computer.
GIPHY gif maker.Credit: Screenshot / giphy
5. Once you paste your link, Giphy will automatically take you to a GIF-maker tool. In this tool you can select the time and duration of your GIF.
So here's where the fun starts. You just have to locate the part of the video you'd like to turn into a GIF, then select the length of the loop. (Note: It may be helpful to toggle around with the timing on YouTube then move the Giphy time-selection tool to where you want it.)
For my demonstration, for instance, I really wanted the moment when Vanessa Bayer's character said, "I hope nobody gulps us," because I find that phrase to be very funny.
On YouTube, I saw that line started around 1:21, so on Giphy, I jumped straight there.
The moment I wanted to capture in gif form.Credit: YouTube / Screenshot / Netflix
6. Cut the GIF to your exact length then hit "Continue to Decorate"
So, after jumping to 1:21 in the video, I found a 1.9 second duration that perfectly captured Bayer's line-delivery while also removing a camera cut that made the loop look weird. Here's what the page will look like.
Hope nobody gulps us.Credit: giphy / screenshot
7. Add captions or any other decoration
For my GIF, I wanted the line: "Hope nobody gulps us." You can play around with filters, animations, fonts, and drawing but I'm keeping it simple here.
I chose a simple "caption" text and yellow font. Here's what that looks like.
ITSYL gulp sketch.Credit: Giphy / Screenshot
8. Scroll down and hit "Continue to Upload" at the bottom right of the page
Here's the button:
Upload giphy.Credit: Giphy / Screenshot
9. Upload your GIF
The "Upload to Giphy" be in the bottom right part of your screen. You can also add relevant tags if you want to make your creation easier to find for others. I put "ITSYL" and "gulp" for mine because why not?
The button you're looking for.Credit: giphy / screenshot
10. Save the image
Right click on the image, and hit "save image as." You can choose a name for it and bam, your GIF is downloaded. You can use that downloaded GIF image anywhere you would normally use a regular image. Giphy also gives you lots of options to share it on all sorts of platforms like Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and others.
OK, then there it is. You have a GIF. Hope that helps. Here's mine.
Via Giphy(opens in a new tab)(Opens in a new tab)
It's worth noting Giphy is far from the only tool to make GIFs, it just happens to be my favorite. But here are few other tools to make GIFs out of YouTube videos (and other things) that you can try.
You can just add "GIF" before the word YouTube in a link. Here's a tutorial(Opens in a new tab) on how this works, but if you take any YouTube video and write the word "GIF" into the URL(Opens in a new tab), it takes you to a GIF editor. It doesn't get much easier than that. If writing GIF into a URL confuses you, the same tool can be found at GIFs.com(Opens in a new tab).
Giphy also has a Mac app called Giphy Capture(Opens in a new tab), which allows you to screen capture anything and make a GIF out of it. It's a super useful tool if you want to make GIFs that aren't simple YouTube links.
GIFRun is a tool(Opens in a new tab) that will let you make a GIF out of just about anything, including TikTok.
Imgflip has a GIF maker(Opens in a new tab) that's slightly more complicated than some of the other options. But it does allow you to play around but more, giving you the ability to change the width the of the video and the frame rate.
The aptly named Make A GIF allows you to(Opens in a new tab), well, make a GIF. It has an easy to use YouTube-to-GIF tab as well as other options, like Facebook-to-GIF and uploading a GIF.
