Author Archives: Carol Edwards

After a bumpy few weeks, Twitch is putting an end to the “topless meta” trend.

According to TechCrunch, the streaming platform updated its attire policy on Wednesday to address a viral trend in which users stream nude or appear to be nude while streaming. In the new policy, Twitch outlines very specific guidelines that prohibit streamers from being “fully or partially nude” or to “imply or suggest that they are fully or partially nude, including, but not limited to, covering breasts or genitals with objects or censor bars.”

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The policy goes on to say that “For those who present as women, we ask that you cover your nipples and do not expose underbust,” although cleavage is allowed, and “the area extending from your hips to the bottom of your pelvis and buttocks” must be covered.

Explicit nudity was already banned on the platform. But the recent trend, topless meta, featured streamers nude or appearing nude but with their breasts and genitals out of frame or covered with a black censor bar. A streamer and OnlyFans model who goes by Morgpie effectively kicked off the trend by streaming topless in a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders and was subsequently banned from the platform. “Meta” in this context is a gaming term that’s short for “most effective tactic available.” So essentially, savvy streamers like Morgpie were taking advantage of the loophole to get more engagement and visibility. This was especially popular for streamers with smaller audiences.

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As TechCrunch notes, such videos were properly tagged for Sexual Themes, therefore weren’t technically breaking any rules and by default didn’t appear on the homepage. But the thumbnails featuring nude or apparently nude streamers that showed up on other pages began to irk members of the community. “Our goal, with this and other recent changes, is to make Twitch a safe and welcoming place for all of the communities that call it home, improve the clarity of our policies, and ensure that people have the experience they expect when spending time on Twitch,” said Angela Hession, chief customer trust officer at Twitch.

Previously, Twitch had updated its nudity policy to allow “fictionalized” i.e. illustrated or animated nudity. But photorealistic AI-generated images flooded the platform and Twitch changed the policy soon after, saying “Digital depictions of nudity present a unique challenge – AI can be used to create realistic images, and it can be hard to distinguish between digital art and photography,” in a follow up blog post.

So there you have it. The topless meta party is over, and streamers will have to find another way of boosting their profile fully clothed.

Your next Windows keyboard will have a small design change with big implications.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced the introduction of a “Copilot key” to Windows 11 PC keyboards. This means users will have access Copilot’s AI-powered tools with the press of a button. Like the Windows key that brings up the Start menu, the new key will launch Copilot in Windows, an AI-powered assistant that works within the operating system and across Microsoft’s app ecosystem.

The Copilot key for Windows 11 PCs.
Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft is making Copilot more accessible

Last February, Microsoft kicked off its generative AI frenzy with Copilot, a productivity tool that can generate ideas, draft emails and documents, summarize conversations, and more, thanks to OpenAI’s latest large language models and data pulled from Microsoft 365 apps. After a year of building out Bing Chat (now rebranded to Copilot), Copilot for Microsoft 365, and Copilot in Windows 11, it’s a fitting next step to consolidate all of the AI pieces by tucking them into one button.

The Copilot key also marks a symbolic merge of hardware, software, and interconnectivity. “In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more  personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer. “This will not only simplify people’s computing  experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”

You’ll start to see the new Copilot key on many Windows 11 PCs at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Availability, including upcoming Surface devices, will begin in late February.

Elon Musk’s X is changing up its Verified Organizations program by launching a new, more affordable tier for small businesses.

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X has officially rolled out a new $200 per month “Basic” plan for organizations interested in verifying their account with the gold checkmark badge, but aren’t looking to fork over a whopping $1,000 per month for the “Full Access” plan.

Brands on X can also sign up for an annual Basic plan as well for $2,000 per year. An annual plan is not currently offered for the Full Access plan.

What’s the Basic plan?

According to the official @Verified account on X, which first broke the news about the plan on Tuesday, the basic plan is “designed for smaller businesses, subscribers receive ad credits & priority support to enable faster growth on X.”

Verified Organization Basic accounts get the gold checkmark verification badge, “priority support” from X, and the X Hiring platform to post job openings. X will also provide ad credits equal to the amount paid by the subscriber. For example, at the $200 per month level, a user will receive $200 ad credits each month. In addition, the subscribed account will also receive all of the benefits from X Premium’s Premium+ plan.

For a quick refresher, X Premium is the $8 per month subscription plan for non-organization users, which includes the blue verification badge, the ability to post longer videos and text posts, and other extra features like monetization eligibility. Late last year, X launched an additional Premium+ plan for $16 per month ,which includes all of those features from the Premium plan with some added extras like no ads and access to the company’s AI chatbot Grok.

So for $200 per month, Verified Organizations on the Basic plan will get all of the above, just like those paying $2,000 per month.

Basic vs. Full Access Verified Organization plan

There’s a big difference in price between $2,000 per year for Basic and $12,000 per year for Full Access Verified Organization plans.

The biggest difference is Basic users won’t have access to the Affiliations feature, which the Full Access provides. Affiliations allows the Verified Organization account to list other X accounts on their profile. Once listed, those accounts receive X Premium and a logo next to their verified badge showing their affiliation with the Verified Organization account. 

Basic users also won’t receive a “2x boost” for their posts on the platform, according to X.

It seems clear that X has rolled out this new Basic tier because the $1,000 per month Verified Organization subscription is out of reach for many users. The $8-per-month X Premium plan has long-faced a similar struggle in signing up new subscribers as well.

However, the new Basic plan doesn’t include the most integral Verified Organization feature: Affiliations. Unless a user is already spending that much to advertise on X each month, in which case, the subscription is basically free with the ad-spend credits, the Basic Verified Organization plan doesn’t offer much more than the $16 per month X Premium+ plan. The only real difference appears to be receiving a gold verification checkmark affixed to an account’s username instead of a blue one.

Pour one out for Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, the ground-breaking mobile game that proved building games for women is serious business. As of today, the game is no longer available in app stores and will no longer offer in-app purchases. A post on the game’s official message boards said current players would be able to use the app and its in-game currency until April 8, 2024.

When Kardashian announced the game in 2014, the press and general public scoffed at its simple concept: to rise through the ranks of Hollywood under the mentorship of Kardashian and assume your rightful place as an A-list celeb. But Kardashian would have the last laugh. Within six months, the game had raked in more than $74 million and become a certifiable phenomenon.

In 2019, Polygon’s Petrana Radulovic named it one of the top 100 games of the decade, noting that it was “unapologetically tailored toward young women” and “was perhaps the biggest indication that a mobile game for girls could be successful.”

The game decreased in popularity as the years wore on, but it still had a cult following. One report proposed that the game may have earned more than $8 million a year as recently as 2018.

According to players, the developer’s lack of interest in the game had become noticeable in recent months. Just yesterday, a new petition on Change.org demanded more frequent updates to the game. “As a passionate fan of the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game, I am deeply saddened by its current state,” write the petition creator. “These updates were not just about new content; they were about keeping the community engaged and excited.”

In a statement to TMZ, Kardashian said, “I’m so grateful from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has loved and played Kim Kardashian: Hollywood in the past 10 years… I will be forever inspired by this community that we built together.”

Forget quiet luxury inspired by Succession. What about actually wearing the Roys’ clothes?

Costumes and props from the award-winning HBO show are up for auction until Jan. 13. Yes, that includes the “ludicrously capacious bag” (as of publication, bidding was at $1,300), as well as other iconic pieces that played key roles in the show and launched major meme moments.

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The auction is held by Heritage Auctions with HBO as a pre-Emmys celebration, per IndieWire. Succession was nominated for a whopping 27 Emmys for its fourth and final season, which concluded in a grotesquely fitting way for eldest boy Kendall, Roman, Shiv, Tom, Cousin Greg, and the rest of the characters we love to hate.

Speaking of complicated parasocial relationships with the Roys, why not take the obsession one step further and own a piece of the show? And wow, there are so many gems. It wouldn’t be a Succession auction without the understated designer clothes in muted colors and rich materials. There are suits from Prada, Lanvin, Hugo Boss, Theory, and more.

But the real standouts are some of the props that might actually be too triggering to own. Such as the “Boar on the Floor” game complete with dried (real?) sausages and glass tumblers (currently $1,050); Roman’s eulogy for Logan (currently $2,800), devastatingly scribbled on pink index cards; and fake New York Magazine ($1,550) and Forbes ($1,600) magazine covers that would look deliciously menacing framed on a wall.

Oh, you can also bid on the “Doderick the Dog” costume that Cousin Greg threw up in (currently $825). Thankfully, there are no blood bags up for auction.

Of course, there are nine days left until the auction closes, so the prices are bound to go up from here. But whatever the cost, it’s a small amount to pay for the privilege of cosplaying in the nest of vipers.

SAVE $300: As of Jan. 3, get an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 for $1,499.99 at Amazon. That’s a discount of 17%.

Start the new year off right with a brand new smartphone. If you didn’t get one over the holidays, there are plenty of great options on offer, especially with the latest Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event on its way. You can save big right now on one of Samsung’s best devices that, in fact won a Mashable Choice Award last year. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a fantastic foldable, and it’s even better when you can save when buying it.

As of Jan. 3, you can get an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 for just $1,499.99 at Amazon. That’s $300 off its normal price of $1,799.99 and a discount of 17%. All three colors are available at this price: cream, icy blue, and phantom black, so you can get the one that best fits your personality for the same deal.

This folding phone is one of the best you’ll find, according to Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry. Perry praised its enhancements over the previous model, including a thinner form factor, flatter hinge, and newer processor, saying it all added up to “produce probably the best foldable on the market right now.”

It boasts 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 7.6-inch screen, 6.2-inch cover display, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor. Its 4,400 mAh battery means all-day use, and it’s perfect for multitasking as it can allow for up to four open apps on the same screen at a time. Its 10MP selfie camera, 4MP under-display lens, and rear camera array (50MP wide lens, 12MP ultra-wide lens, and 10MP telephoto lens) are impressive. Plus, its gaming capabilities are no slouch, either.

This phone is unlocked, meaning you can use it with any carrier. It’s also likely going to go quickly at this price, so best to buy while you can if you’re ready for a new phone.

Welcome 2024 by developing a new hobby you’ll love this year. Here are our favorite deals on craft kits, meditation apps, pickleball sets, and much more that can help you start this year off on the right foot.

A quick glimpse at our favorite new hobby deals for 2024:

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BEST SUBSCRIPTION DEAL

Headspace annual subscription

$41.99 for your first year
(save 40%)

Get Deal

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BEST DIY DEAL

Adult Lego kits

save up to 20% at Best Buy

Get Deal

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BEST SPORTS DEAL

Helium Pickleball Paddles (set of 4)

$55 at Amazon
(save $70)

Get Deal

A new year means a new you, so it goes. But that doesn’t mean swearing off the old you that got you this far. Instead, treat the new year as a time for growth by picking up a brand-new hobby. You don’t need to conquer a new language or start a business to experience growth. Your new hobby can be as small or as big as you’d like. The biggest growth happens in the smallest moments, after all.

Whether you’re into sports or art, there’s a whole bunch of new hobbies waiting for you in 2024. And the 10 deals below can help you kickstart your new habits. Save on Lego kits, DIY jewelry-making, Kindle Unlimited or ClassPass subscriptions, and much more.

Adult Lego kits

Legos aren’t just for kids. If you’re looking to get in touch with your inner child in 2024, advanced kits make for a fun and rewarding new hobby. Not to mention, they can help you relieve some stress and hone your mindfulness skills. You can build an orchid, a Vespa, an assortment of succulents, a throwback Atari console, or even a replica of Hokusai’s “The Great Wave.” There’s a Lego kit for just about every interest and Best Buy currently has an assortment of them on sale for up to 20% off.

A Cricut machine

DIY queens and kings seeking a new outlet for their creativity in 2024 should jump on the Cricut machine trend if they haven’t already. Cricut cutting machines, like the Explore 3, let crafters make precise and intricate cuts on all sorts of materials, including cardstock, vinyl, iron-on, cork, foam, and more. Customize t-shirts, make your own stickers and decals, and maybe even launch a little side hustle selling all of your creations. The Explore 3 is regularly $319, but it’s sitting at $279 at Amazon.

A meditation app

Make 2024 the year you finally start a meditation hobby. An app like Headspace can help you build a mindfulness practice, improve your sleep, de-stress throughout the day, and even boost your productivity. It offers hundreds of guided meditations and mini exercises to help you navigate the craziness of the year ahead. Everyone could use some grounding, and as far as hobbies go, meditation is one of the most beneficial ones you can have. Save 40% on your first year of Headspace to kick things off.

A pickleball set

If you want to get more active this year in a way that’s actually fun, try picking up pickleball. It combines elements from tennis and ping pong to make for a challenging, but enjoyable, sport for players of all ages. Better yet, it only requires a court, a paddle, and a ball. This Helium Chroma set comes with four beginner to intermediate paddles that are quite stylish, four balls, and a carrying case for toting it all on the go. It regularly retails for $125 and is currently sitting at $69.99 at the Helium website. But if you grab it at Amazon, you can slash the price down 56% and pay just $55 as of Jan. 3.

A candle-making kit

If you find yourself always spending too much money on candles, why not try making your own? Order a DIY candle-making kit, like this one from Bright Creations, and get going. It includes 79 pieces — a 2.5-pound bag of natural palm wax, 10 iron stands, three wick centering bars, 30 adhesive stickers, 20 wood wicks, and 15 cotton wicks — all for just $12.99 (reg. $18.99) at Amazon. That’s a savings of 32%. And, as a bonus, you can use your new creations as gifts for the next special occasion.

A new journal

There are some real health benefits to journaling, from improving your memory to helping you process emotions. But starting a journaling practice from scratch is a little daunting. That’s why a journal with prompts and structure is so helpful. Papier’s Joy Wellness journal covers 12 weeks of mindful goals, habits, meals, sleep, and gratitude. It includes daily, weekly, and monthly check-ins, as well as places to set intentions, take notes, and jot down reflections. Plus, it’s on sale for just $29.75 instead of $35.

A fitness membership

Want to start a new fitness adventure, but not sure what you like? Try ClassPass for free for an entire month to test the waters. Check out barre classes, or yoga, or kickboxing, or pole dancing. The options are endless on ClassPass and with a free month-long trial, you have nothing to lose. After your trial is up, you can choose to purchase credits for as low as $29/month.

A Kindle Unlimited subscription

This is the year you finally start making your way through that list of books, and it all starts with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited. Usually $23.98 for two months, you can secure your 60-day membership for only $4.99 to kick things off. As a member, you’ll unlock access to millions of digital book titles, thousands of audiobooks, and even some magazine issues. And the best part is that you don’t need a Kindle device to enjoy it. You can access the library from your phone or tablet with the Kindle app.

DIY sewing kits

Whether you try embroidery, latchhooking, knitting, or any other DIY craft as a new hobby, you’ll certainly be rewarded when you create something from nothing with your own two hands this year. This DIY embroidery kit comes with four different patterns to stitch, as well as all the supplies you’ll need to get started. Plus, it’s on sale for under $20 as of Jan. 3.

A jewelry-making kit

While the beaded Taylor Swift-esque friendship bracelets are cute, they’re not exactly the most complicated jewelry to make. Try your hand at something new this year with this DIY hand-stamped jewelry kit and bring a classy new swag to the Eras tour and beyond. It’s only $25.19 at Amazon (reg. $27.99) and comes with metal letter stamps, a hammer, a steel bench block, mini chain nose pliers, stamping tape, stamping blanks, jump rings, and more.

The new year brought bad news for the few people out there who are still using Windows 7 and 8. Steam has officially ended support for the decades-old operating systems.

As of January 1, 2024, Steam has pulled support for Windows 7 and 8.1 due to core features of the platform relying on updated versions of Google Chrome, which only function on Windows 10 and above. In a Steam FAQ blog post, it wrote that “existing Steam Client installations on these operating systems will no longer receive updates of any kind including security updates.”

The news shouldn’t be that much of a shock; the gaming distributor announced in March of last year its plan to discontinue support for Windows 7/8.1. In that announcement, Steam revealed that only less than 2 percent of the service’s 132M active users still use the operating systems.

Both operating systems are on their last legs these days. Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 7 in 2020 and just ended support for 8.1 in January 2023. Even Windows 10 is coming to the end of its life cycle with the tech giant announcing plans to end free updates for the OS in 2025. So enjoy these operating systems while you can before we’re all forced to use Windows 11.

SAVE UP TO $32.97: New subscribers can sign up for a free 3-month membership to Amazon Music Unlimited. A membership typically costs $10.99 per month for non-Prime members and $9.99 for Prime members, so you can save up to $32.97.

Don’t let January get you down — take this downtime to discover some new music that will brighten your days. Amazon Music has something in mind that’ll help with the winter blues — and it’s free.

As of Jan. 3, new subscribers can sign up for three months of free access to Amazon Music Unlimited. A membership for non-Prime members typically costs $10.99 per month, so this deal will save you $32.97 total. Prime members typically pay $9.99 per month for a subscription, so this free deal will save them $29.97. The deal terms state you’ll need to be a new subscriber to Amazon Music Unlimited to be eligible for this offer. After the three months is up, you’ll be charged the regular monthly price. However, you can cancel at any time.

With Amazon Music Unlimited, you get access to 100 million songs that you’re free to listen to as many times as you’d like, ad-free. You also get unlimited skipping power so you can quickly skip through any playlist songs that don’t match your vibe. Plus, you can download unlimited songs to enjoy while offline.

Looking to keep busy with something other than music? The subscription also gives you access to ad-free podcasts so you can keep up with all the latest news or dive into a mystery series.

If winter months tend to drag on, keep busy by discovering new music or a new favorite podcast with three months of free access to Amazon Music Unlimited.

TL;DR: Stream Real Madrid vs. Mallorca for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming service from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

2024 has started with some good news for fans of La Liga. ITV will broadcast La Liga in a new three-season deal, with some of the biggest clubs in world football set to be broadcast live and exclusively free to air on ITV, ITV4, and ITVX.

If you want to watch Real Madrid vs. Mallorca for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Real Madrid vs. Mallorca?

Real Madrid and Mallorca will kick off at 6:15 p.m. GMT on Jan. 3 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Mallorca for free

You can watch the fixture between Real Madrid and Mallorca live on ITV4, with coverage starting from 5:45 p.m. GMT on Jan. 3. You can also live stream this fixture for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can connect to ITVX from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ITVX by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Steam Real Madrid vs. Mallorca for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to ITVX without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream Real Madrid vs. Mallorca before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 94 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to five simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 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. You can use the money-back guarantee to recover your cash after watching the match.

Stream Real Madrid vs. Mallorca for free with ExpressVPN.