Category Archives: Blog

Mercury is a mystery.

Just two spacecraft have ever flown by the closest planet to the sun. Now the BepiColombo mission, a joint European-Japanese science undertaking, is on track to orbit and closely observe the cratered planet in 2025.

The endeavor, involving two research spacecraft hitching a ride on a larger vessel (the Mercury Transfer Module), just completed its first flyby of Mercury on Oct. 1, and it sent back black-and-white images of the planet from some 620 miles (1,000 km) to 1,500 miles (2418 km) above the planet’s surface.

“It was an incredible feeling seeing these almost-live pictures of Mercury,” Valentina Galluzzi, a scientist working on the BepiColombo mission, said in a statement.

The images show the instruments on the Mercury Transfer Module (which transports the mission’s two orbiters to Mercury) in the foreground, and the detailed topography of Mercury’s surface in the background.

An image taken from some 1,500 miles away from Mercury.
Credit: esa / jaxa

Craters identified on Mercury’s surface.
Credit: esa / jaxa

Mercury’s geology as viewed from above.
Credit: esa / Jaxa

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Once BepiColombo starts orbiting Mercury in 2025 (after numerous flybys to fall into the planet’s orbit), the probes will start researching the planet’s elusive history.

“For example, [the mission] will map the surface of Mercury and analyse its composition to learn more about its formation,” writes the European Space Agency. “One theory is that it may have begun as a larger body that was then stripped of most of its rock by a giant impact. This left it with a relatively large iron core, where its magnetic field is generated, and only a thin rocky outer shell.”

This outer shell is covered in ancient lava flows that have been pummeled by comets and asteroids for some 4 billion years. The next flyby, with images, happens on June 23, 2022.

Privacy experts aren’t the only ones wary of Amazon’s new rolling surveillance robot.

On Oct. 2, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert published a mock ad revealing that under the Amazon bot’s clean exterior lurks a dark soul. And your pets better watch out.

That’s because in the Late Show‘s imagination, the robot — which Amazon unveiled on Sept. 28 and dubbed Astro — invades more than just its owners’ homes. Rather, it has a sinister side designed specifically to make life miserable for its canine companions.

“Here at Amazon, we believe tomorrow is today,” intones the smooth voice narrating the fake Astro commercial. “That’s why our product engineers have created the most futuristic new way to terrify your dog!”

The video details Astro’s supposed “torment mode,” and makes clear that “vacuum cleaners and blenders are now pooch petrify-ers of the past!”

And no, the ad wants everyone to know, this is not an accidental byproduct of thoughtless design — the cruelty is the point.

“The all new Amazon Astro is designed specifically to cause intense emotional anguish for canines,” the video happily highlights.

So watch out. And the next time you see one of these surveillance monstrosities rolling toward you considering hiding. Humanity’s best friend will be way ahead of you.

Some 25 million years ago, a small, chance mutation dramatically altered the course of primate history. And it’s a major reason you don’t have a long muscular appendage protruding from your lower back.

(Alas, a small injury-prone tailbone remains.)

In fascinating new research recently published online, researchers identified an ancient change to a primate gene that ultimately led to the loss of tails in apes like gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. Most monkeys, with their impressive serpentine tails, don’t have this mutation.

“There’s compelling evidence that a single change enabled this,” said Itai Yanai, the director of the Institute for Computational Medicine at New York University and an author of the research.

The discovery, of course, also helps appease a popular childhood question (and, perhaps, a continuing quandary for many inquisitive adults). “It’s a question that’s been in my head since I was a little kid: Why don’t I have a tail?” said Bo Xia, the Ph.D. candidate at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who actually made the discovery. (Xia injured his tailbone a couple of years ago, which renewed his interest in his long-lost tail.)

The mutation didn’t happen in a conspicuous place in the primate genome. “This was a small thing that was unique to tailless apes,” explained Hopi Hoekstra, a professor of zoology at Harvard University who studies genetic changes and adaptations in vertebrates. Hoekstra had no role in the research

By comparing the genomes of tailed primates versus those without tails, Xia spotted that humans and apes (but not monkeys) had a unique stretch of DNA inserted into the TBXT gene, which carries genetic instructions for tail formation. “It’s the beautiful simplicity of comparing genomes of primates with tails and tailless primates” said Hoekstra. “They found a mutation that knocks out part of this gene that produced this trait of interest.”

A type of gene called a “jumping gene” — that can jump around and insert itself randomly into other places in the genome — inserted itself, forming this mutation, the authors explained. Ultimately, this insertion resulted in a new pattern of expression of the TBXT gene that coded for no tail, or a smaller tail.

Orangutans, like humans, don’t have tails.
Credit: CHONG JIUN YIH / GETTY IMAGES

To bolster their findings, Xia and his team experimented on laboratory mice (which share many, but not nearly all, genes in common with humans). They genetically engineered mice so the animals would have the same TBXT gene expression pattern as people. This resulted in many mice with no tails, short tails, or kinked tails. In contrast, mice that weren’t genetically altered had normal tails.

In sum, this adds up to strong evidence that this single gene mutation played a significant role in the loss of tails in primates. (Though other genes likely play somewhat of a role, too, noted Xia, as the mice had differing tail lengths). “The authors provide a compelling list of evidence that they found the mechanism by which primates lost tails,” said Charles Fenster, a biologist at South Dakota State University who researches evolution. Fenster had no involvement with the research.

And once this mutation started circulating in a primate population, evolution did its work: Millions of years later, our tails are almost completely gone, save the tailbone.

Evolution

This new research confidently answers the question of how we lost our tails. It was likely a small, but potent, genetic mutation. But a question that’s still not fully answered is why the resulting physical change (loss of tails) took hold. In other words, why in apes and humans was it evolutionarily advantageous to lose our tails?

“This is always a hard question,” said Hoekstra. It inherently involves some speculation, which goes outside the main scope of this research. But there are some intriguing ideas.

Fundamentally, losing a tail must have been a good thing for many primate populations. Advantageous mutations spread. “Those mutations that are benign will spread. And those deleterious mutations will be purged from the population,” explained Fenster.

“It’s always a matter of cost-benefit.”

In the case of shortened or tailless primates, the benefits of losing the tale ultimately outweighed the costs. “It’s always a matter of cost-benefit,” noted Hoekstra. Yet, some harmful costs — though vastly outweighed by benefits — may still linger in people today. For example, some of the genetically mutated mice in the new research had neural tube defects, which are defects of the spinal cord. Today, one out of 1,000 newborn babies has a similar defect. “Maybe we still have this remnant of a problem,” said NYU’s Yanai. “In other words, by losing tails we paid the cost of a defect in one out of 1,000 births.”

But what are the big benefits of losing a tail? Here are some ideas.

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Although the first evidence of bipedal primates is from some 4.4 million years ago, earlier primates may have started spending more time out of the trees and on the ground — perhaps for better foraging opportunities. A population of primates who had this tail mutation, resulting in a better anatomical ability to stand more upright and forage on the surface, may have been more successful than their tailed counterparts.

As the tailless primates succeeded, the genetic mutation would have become more common. In this case, the tail mutation could have acted as a “predaptation” in primates that were spending more time on the ground, said Jef Boeke, also a study coauthor and the director of the Institute for Systems Genetics at NYU Langone Medical Center. “It preadapts you to do bigger and better things,” Boeke explained. “This enables us to walk more readily on two feet.”

For many populations of primates, losing a tail may have simply been a better life option, noted Hoekstra. A tail can be costly to produce (more calories needed to support a major appendage); a tail can be injured; or “it’s another appendage for a predator to grab you by,” she said.

Ultimately, losing a tail turned out to be excellent for our hugely successful, though imperfect species. Our tailless bipedalism allowed us to travel long distances and become experts in foraging and hunting. We could feed our bigger, energy-demanding brains. We developed intricate language. We would one day address scourges and plagues with vaccines and antibiotics; venture into outer space; create wondrous music.

Still today, we continue to discover, and even better reveal the secrets of how we became such a smart, capable species. In an age of computer-dominated research, the genetic researcher Xia — rather than specially programmed, advanced software — identified a momentous genetic mutation through human ability and curiosity.

“He just looked at the genome,” said Yanai. “That’s a testament to the enduring power of human-generated discoveries.”

Imagine waking up one morning and finding an unexpected $20 million in your bank account.

It would be pretty sweet for a moment, until you realize that money isn’t legally yours and the bank will soon correct the mistake.

But…what if the bank couldn’t do that?

Well, that hypothetical scenario became real for a few lucky users of the decentralized finance (DeFi) staking protocol Compound, which acts like a bank without all the traditional banking rules.

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Now Compound’s founder is begging those users to return around $90 million, or around 280,000 COMP, that mistakenly went out. And he’s taking the ask a step further by threatening users who don’t return the money.

Compound and other DeFi protocols basically work as blockchain-based banks, allowing users to borrow money and take out loans. The platform, in turn, rewards lenders with its native COMP token.

On Wednesday, the service released an upgrade and that’s when things went downhill.

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“The new Comptroller contract contains a bug, causing some users to receive far too much COMP,” explained Compound founder Robert Leshner in a tweet.

That “far too much COMP” that was overpaid to Compound’s users amounts to roughly $90 million.

And remember the earlier scenario about waking up to $20 million in your bank account? That appears to be what happened to at least one Compound user, who tweeted a screenshot of the more than 70 million COMP sitting in their account.

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Another user appears to have received even more, around $29 million.

One Bitcoin developer explained to CNBC that due to the way blockchain works, there’s really no way for Compound to get its money back.

So, Leshner tweeted out a deal to users who received the COMP tokens: Return the money voluntarily and you can keep 10 percent.

However, if these users do not give up their newfound riches, Leshner says that Compound will report the income to the IRS to be taxed. Furthermore, he warned users that they would be doxxed, meaning their personal information would be made public.

The threats are bizarre.

For one thing, regardless of whether the Compound users decide to keep all the COMP tokens or just the 10 percent, they still have to report their earnings and pay taxes on them. Whether Leshner meant to imply this or not, it appears as if he’s saying that the IRS doesn’t need to know about the 10 percent a user keeps if they return the rest.

As for the doxxing claim, it appears to be an empty threat, according to CoinDesk. Compound does not collect user information.

Leshner told the crypto outlet that he views this as a “moral dilemma” for the users who received the COMP tokens. Others in the cryptocurrency community disagree, citing a popular phrase “code is law,” which basically implies that what the protocol did should be accepted as the rule. Mashable has reached to Leshner for comment.

As of publishing time, two users have returned roughly $12 million in COMP tokens to Compound, according to CoinDesk. Just about $78 million left to collect.

A new version of iOS always takes some getting used to. But must I get used to this?

Those of you who have downloaded iOS 15 might have noticed a new functionality in iMessage. When someone sends a photo, video, or group of photos, a download icon appears in the chat stream right beside the media. The icon is a little square with a downward arrow going through it. Click the button, and you’ll save the image to your photo stream, which Apple displays by transforming the icon into a checkmark.

My sister shared a picture of her dog, but I’m distracted by the ugly icon right next to it.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

Previously, to save an image someone had sent you over text, you had to click to expand that image, click on the square with an upward arrow icon, and then scroll down to the “Save Photo” option.

SEE ALSO: Which wireless earbuds have the best sound? These are our top picks.

This process was definitely a little involved, and not that intuitive. I understand how it might have been tough for some users to figure out. However, I can’t get behind the design and placement of the new method. It’s clunky, makes the tech too visible, and frankly is just kind of ugly — something you really don’t expect from Apple.

Apple seems to have taken intentional steps to make iMessage more visual: It lets you select an icon for a group name, respond to texts with “heart” and “!!,” and represents people through their pictures — or a photo of their initials, if you don’t select a picture for a contact — instead of just their names.

It also redesigned the way you send photos and videos in iOS 15. If you’re sending more than one picture in a single message, it stacks the images on top of each other. It looks more like a pile of photos now, which you can click to expand. That solves the problem of a bunch of photos clogging up your feed.

A photo stack looks nice and takes up less space in a visually pleasing way! But the download icon gets in the way.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

But next to those “stacks,” in the middle of a lot of empty space, is the download icon. It’s kind of an electric blue, so, with my dark mode background, it caught my eye right away.

I think what I take issue with is that in a stream of media, it puts something that’s simply about utility in the middle of everything. It is a tiny thing, but I’ve found that seeing it irks me. It has jolted me out of conversations, distracting me from the content.

Of course, the feature’s new placement will be useful for people who just want to download images quickly. But even on the utility side, it has issues. Next to a stack of photos, it downloads all the images, which could be annoying if you’re just trying to download one. I also noticed that a tapback on a photo stack superimposes itself on top of the download icon, which is like a UX traffic jam.

Beep beep, iMessage icon traffic jam.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

Apple was clearly trying to make downloading photos from iMessage easier and more intuitive. But it did so without its usual thoughtfulness and style. I’m sure we’ll all get used to it. And I’m not mad, just disappointed.

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If you were born in the last five years, you might think Disney means Marvel or Star Wars. You also shouldn’t be reading this list because you are five and probably getting jelly all over your mom’s tablet. Also, go outside! The world is beautiful and yours to explore!

Everyone older than five, stay where you are, because the world is a fire pit and we’re just riding out the ashes. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t have joy! For many of us, Disney has meant optimism, or quality family TV, or a high probability for a fun animal sidekick. All good things. Things we need.

With that in mind, we dug through the massive Disney+ catalog to uncover the best shows and movies from the 1990s that deserve a rewatch, or a first watch for a whole new generation of lucky viewers.

Let’s bring back a little of that pre-2000 innocence with these nostalgic picks that all still hit the right notes.

1. The Mighty Ducks (1992)

It’s 30 years later, but The Mighty Ducks still quacks, people! This classic is a story we’ve seen before (a curmudgeon having his heart slowly melted by a ragtag group of kids) but with a key twist — this one’s in an ice rink! There’s heart and charm to spare in the journey of a last-place youth hockey team led to victory by begrudging coach Emilio Estevez, a deeply baffling court-ordered “punishment” for his drunk-driving arrest. Though the later films lose a little magic with each new installment, D1, the film that started the franchise, remains a winner for all audiences.

How to watch: The Mighty Ducks is streaming on Disney+.

2. Aladdin (1992)

The way this moment still hits…
Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

You’ve been singing A Whole New World in the shower since before you could say “magic carpet.” So you already know that Aladdin, a swoon-worthy scamp in a shirtless vest, finds the Genie of the Lamp (Robin Williams’ greatest role?) and pretends to be a prince to impress the queen of the crop top, Princess Jasmine. When evil vizier Jafar and his wise-cracking parrot (the role Gilbert Gottfried was born to play) enter the mix, things only get more complicated for our favorite street rat.

Aladdin lifts its story from a well-known Middle Eastern folktale and is bolstered by a catchy Alan Menken score and the infectious joy of the vocal cast. It’s also worth noting that for many in the ’90s, the independent and adventurous Jasmine was a breath of fresh air in a long line of lovesick Disney princesses. Seriously — her best friend is a tiger!

How to watch: Aladdin is streaming on Disney+.

3. Hocus Pocus (1993)

A cursory Google search reveals that a troubling amount of people have asked “Is Hocus Pocus based on a true story?” To set the record straight: this Halloween classic about a trio of over-the-top, scenery-chewing 17th-century witches reincarnated in the 1990s by a virginal high schooler is not a true story. It’s a ridiculous autumnal romp that’s low on scares and big on fun.

As the witches, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are absolute hams who are clearly having the time of their lives, and the movie is funnier for it. Special mentions go to the scene-stealing charm of a young Thora Birch and cinema’s dreamiest puritan, Thackery Binx — the only time you’ll think you might have a crush on a cat.

How to watch: Hocus Pocus is streaming on Disney+.

4. Boy Meets World (1993)

One reason Boy Meets World remains such an enjoyable watch is because of its small and relatable stories. Its strength is in its containment. Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, isn’t trying to save the world from destruction; he’s trying to survive middle school — and that’s enough! Alongside his friends Shawn (Rider Strong) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel), and under the tutelage of teacher and neighbor Mr. Feeny (William Daniels), Cory navigates the highs and lows of being a kid, and later an adult, as the show follows him through college. (Quite literally, he is a boy meeting the world.) Originally airing on ABC, Boy Meets World tackles a number of sensitive subjects — bullying, domestic abuse, and racism to name a few — but this truly lovely show never feels like an after-school special.

How to watch: Boy Meets World is streaming on Disney+.

5. The Sandlot (1993)

“The Sandlot” has aged quite a bit but is still full of classic moments.
Credit: 20th Century Fox / Kobal / Shutterstock

For those looking for escape into a warm and cozy slice of Americana, look no further than The Sandlot. This nostalgic sports comedy tells the coming-of-age story of a misfit group of boys who play baseball together in a 1960s Los Angeles suburb. When the narrator, “Smalls,” accidentally loses his father’s prized Babe Ruth-signed baseball over a fence, the boys must do whatever it takes to retrieve it. But behind that fence lives their greatest fear: a massive bull mastiff they’ve nicknamed “The Beast.” With a tone akin to Stand By Me but with a little more levity and a lot of heart, The Sandlot is a surprisingly affecting film that always hits a home run.

How to watch: The Sandlot is streaming on Disney+.

6. A Goofy Movie (1995)

Some families, oversaturated by Disney’s box office domination in the ’90s, skipped a trip to the theaters when A Goofy Movie debuted. These families made a serious mistake. A Goofy Movie is both an exciting cross-country adventure and a thoughtful reverie on how parent-child relationships evolve over time. That’s right! Goofy is a dad now, and like many parents, he’s struggling to adjust to his son Max’s (Disney Animation-veteran Jason Marsden) newfound teenage independence and rebelliousness. Filled with shockingly catchy songs from Max’s favorite pop star Powerline (a Michael Jackson-like character vocalized by Tevin Campbell), A Goofy Movie is a relatable and lively story that’s earned deserved cult-status among millennials and beyond.

How to watch: A Goofy Movie is streaming on Disney+.

7. Doug (1996)

Following the life of 11-year-old Doug Funnie (voice acting legend Billy West) after he moves to a new town, Doug is a beloved cartoon for a reason. It’s goofy but grounded, with accessible story lines and lovable characters. While Doug’s adventures range from the simple (helping his neighbor) to fantastic (investigating a town monster myth), he’s usually also trying to impress his friend and crush, Patty Mayonnaise — a voice most will recognize as Yoga Jones (Constance Shulman) from Orange is the New Black. Loaded with silly, fantastical interludes featuring Doug’s alter-ego Quail Man or his Snoopy-like dog Porkchop, Doug absolutely stands the test of time. Perhaps that’s because it’s been in the hands of both of the animation behemoths of the 1990s: Doug premiered on Nickelodeon, but was acquired by Disney in its fifth season.

How to watch: Doug is streaming on Disney+.

8. Smart Guy (1997)

Taj Mowry stars as a 12-year-old genius attending high school in the impeccable sitcom “Smart Guy.”
Credit: disney

Boasting three seasons on The WB (remember The WB?), Smart Guy follows the life and escapades of 10 year-old child genius T.J. Henderson (Tahj Mowry) as he attends high school with his older, non-genius siblings. T.J. is the smartest and smallest student in school, and high school is hard enough without the added embarrassment of not having hit your growth spurt yet! Smart Guy is a charming family sitcom, tackling everyday struggles like sibling rivalry as well as more nuanced conversations like the loss of the children’s mother. Viewer warning: Every time you hear the show’s theme song, it will absolutely be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. And that’s not a bad thing!

How to watch: Smart Guy is streaming on Disney+.

9. Recess (1997)

While you were getting a splinter from the mulch under the swings, the middle school kids of Recess were concocting elaborate plans to infiltrate the teacher’s lounge and holding full-scale wars with the neighboring yard of kindergartners. This animated series is incredibly clever, depicting the school playground as a microcosm of human society complete with its own social hierarchy, territories, and functioning system of law. While in class, the kids suffer under the authoritarian rule of the teachers, but during recess, they are self-governing: They are free.

In an overt nod to this theme, the show’s opening music and credits sequence are direct homages to the WWII classic The Great Escape, with the kids literally tunneling out of class and onto the schoolyard. Originally premiering on ABC’s “One Saturday Morning” block, Recess is both a satire and a refreshing take on childhood, with voice talents like Pamela Adlon bringing emotional resonance to an already engaging show.

How to watch: Recess is streaming on Disney+.

10. Hercules (1997)

Who puts the “glad” in “gladiator”? Hercules! The movie’s soundtrack alone is enough to earn Hercules a spot on this list — it’s an exhilarating combination of gospel, classic musical theater, doo-wop, and power ballads from Disney legend Alan Menken. Beyond the toe-tapping tunes, the movie centers on the life of Greek and Roman demi-god Hercules (in Greek, he’s Heracles) trying to earn his place on Mount Olympus with the other gods. The voice cast here is in rare form, with James Woods, Tate Donavan, Susan Egan, Hal Holbrook, Paul Schaffer, and Charlton Heston all lending their talents to this energetic and uplifting Disney flick. Come for the origin story of a legendary hero, stay for Danny DeVito as a half-goat, half-man coaching Hercules in a training sequence that rivals Rocky’s.

How to watch: Hercules is streaming on Disney+.

11. Brink! (1998)

On the Disney Channel in the ’90s, one name was synonymous with “absolute hunk,” and that name was Erik von Detten. This lanky kid with a California vibe and a middle-part bowl cut absolutely cornered the market on cool-guy-casting for the latter half of the decade, with no outing more archetypal than this made-for-TV sports flick about, uh, extreme rollerblading.

Detten plays Brink, the leader of an inline skating crew that often clashes with a group of sponsored skaters, Team X-Bladz. Their conflict is a difference of philosophy: Brink and the Soul-Skaters skate for the joy of it, not the seemingly vast amounts of money to be made in aggressive inline skating. But when Brink learns of his father’s financial troubles, his hard line on sponsored skating begins to soften. This movie boasts some seriously exciting rollerblading sequences alongside a heartening story about family and principle.

How to watch: Brink! is streaming on Disney+.

12. The Parent Trap (1998)

brb watching “The Parent Trap” a thousand times on Disney+
Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

Did you know The Parent Trap is a Nancy Meyers movie? One more reason to love the film that launched Lindsay Lohan’s career and sent a generation of kids into a feverish obsession with overly intricate handshakes. The Parent Trap, a remake of the 1961 classic, tells the story of two girls who meet at summer camp and realize they were twins separated at birth by their now-divorced parents. Nothing left to do in this situation but switch places and try to get Mom and Dad back together, right?

Lindsay Lohan is precocious and adorable, doing double-duty as both of the twins with the help of (now-commonplace) movie magic. She fits right in alongside the veteran cast, which includes a glowing Natasha Richardson, Dennis Quaid at his dreamiest, and iconic ’90s villain Elaine Hendrix absolutely stealing the screen. The Parent Trap is as charming now as it was 20 years ago, though hopefully fewer children of divorce will be using it as a blueprint to lock their parents in a room together while giggling mischievously just outside the door. It’s just a movie, kids.

How to watch: The Parent Trap is streaming on Disney+.

13. So Weird (1999)

Disney said goodbye to the ’90s by experimenting outside of its ooey, gooey comfort zone with this slightly dark, slightly scary Disney Channel show best described as “X-Files, but for kids!” With a level of fright on par with Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?, So Weird follows teenager Fiona Phillips (Cara DeLizia) as she contends with a new monster/paranormal event of the week at each stop on her rock star mother’s music tour. With the added cred of actual ’70s music legend Mackenzie Phillips, the engaging series through line of Fiona searching for clues about her deceased father, and the presence of certified ’90s hottie Erik von Detten (!!!), So Weird is a fun, eerie adventure that exists in a category of its own in Disney’s catalog.

How to watch: So Weird is streaming on Disney+.

14. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)

A perfect poster for a perfect movie.
Credit: disney

The year is 2049, and Zenon (Kirsten Storms) is a mischievous teenager living on a space station where everyone dresses in bright spandex. After her latest prank goes too far, Zenon is grounded, literally, and sent to her aunt’s house on Earth. She soon uncovers a plot to destroy the space station, and with the help of a few new friends, must find a way back into space to save everyone she loves (including her BFF, played by Raven-Symoné).

The quintessential DCOM (that’s Disney Channel Original Movie for the uninitiated), Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is fluffy, but it’s the best kind of earnest, entertaining fluff, boosted by a delightfully kooky vision of a future only 20 years away from the present. Cetus-Lupeedus!

How to watch: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is streaming on Disney+.

Shop the best robot vacuum deals as of Oct. 1:

• Roborock E4 Robot Vacuum — $209.99 (save $90)

• Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop with Self Empty — $579.99 (save $220)

• iRobot Roomba S9+ with Automatic Dirt Disposal — $1,080 (save $219.99)

Only three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and a few days each month when you need to vacuum but just don’t have time. Whether you detest the chore or get a little bummed when you can’t have that satisfying dance with your Dyson, a robot vacuum is a universal lifesaver. Shop models on sale below.

Our top picks

Roborock E4 Robot Vacuum — $209.99 (save $90)

If you’re vacuum shopping on a budget, this basic Roborock packs serious sweeping skills for less than the cheapest Roomba. A suction level of 2000Pa beats the specs of similarly priced vacs and reliably combs carpets. Scheduled sweeps and spot cleanings can be set up through the app.

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ Robot Vacuum and Mop with Self Empty — $579.99 (save $220)

Pro and plus feel like appropriate descriptors for a self-emptying vacuum and mop with 2,600Pa of suction. (That beats the Roomba s9+, which is almost double the price.) The Ozmo N8 Pro+ includes premium smart upgrades like laser-based mapping that can target specific rooms and sensors that dodge carpets while mopping. After nearly two hours of cleaning, the N8 Pro+ returns to its charging and self-emptying dock, which only requires emptying once a month.

iRobot Roomba S9+ with Automatic Dirt Disposal — $1,080 (save $219.99)

Multi-pet homes need a vacuum that’s ready to perform on carpets doused in fur. The Roomba s9+ is iRobot’s current most intelligent bot, unleashing 2,500Pa of suction onto heavy shedding zones and using its flat edge to snatch hair from corners. But more debris collected doesn’t mean more emptying on your part — the automatic dirt disposal bin is good for 60 days at a time.

More great robot vacuum deals:

Under $300:

• Eufy Robovac 11S (Slim) Robot Vacuum — $149.99 (save $80)

• Eufy Robovac 15C Max Robot Vacuum — $175.99 (save $104)

• Roborock E4 Robot Vacuum — $209.99 (save $90)

• iRobot Roomba 614 — $224 (save $25)

Under $500:

• iRobot Roomba i3 Robot Vacuum — $349.99 (save $50)

Under 800

• iRobot Roomba i6+ Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal — $695 (save $104.99)

Over $1,000 (but really nice)

• iRobot Roomba S9+ with Automatic Dirt Disposal — $1,099 (save $200.99)

Robot vacuum and mop hybrids and dedicated robot mops

• Coredy R750 Robot Vacuum and Mop — $199.99 (save $121)

• Roborock E4 Robot Vacuum and Mop — $257.99 (save $122)

• Bissell SpinWave Hard Floor Expert 2-in-1 Vacuum and Mop — $349.99 (save $50)

• iRobot Braava Jet M6 Robot Mop — $399 (save $50.99)

• Ecovacs Deebot N8 Pro Robot Vacuum and Mop — $429.99 (save $170)

• Roborock S6 Pure Robot Vacuum and Mop — $390.99 (save $209)

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The ensemble cast of On My Block cooks up an alternative plot for Season Four of their Netflix show.

Welcome to AirFryDay, where — you guessed it —every Friday Mashable covers the latest trends, dispenses advice, and reviews recipes for your air fryer.

Here’s a sentence someone who works on the internet never expects to write: I should’ve read the comments first. But damn, it would’ve saved me a fair bit of time, a lot of cleaning, and an acrid smell overtaking my apartment if only I’d read the comments before testing a viral TikTok air fryer hack.

That’s because the comments pointed out something obvious about cooking popcorn in an air fryer. If you toss loose popcorn kernels in the basket of a heated air fryer, they will certainly pop. But they will pop and fly upward, sometimes careening into the heating element of an air fryer, which is typically placed right above the basket, totally exposed. Some kernels might even get lodged in the heating element, which would certainly not be good…

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, here’s the viral TikTok in question, published by user ameerah_mh, which garnered about three quarters of a million views. It’s super basic: Put loose kernels in air fryer, blast at 200 degrees Celsius — that translates to 392 degrees Fahrenheit — and cook for five to six minutes. Here’s how their product looked.

How the popcorn hack was supposed to go.
Credit: screenshots: tiktok / Ameerah_mh

While it might seem pointless — since, you know, microwave popcorn exists — I can actually see the utility in this recipe. Using loose kernels, you choose exactly how much popcorn you make, which is helpful if you don’t want a whole bag. The recipe also doesn’t use any oil or butter — no added fats at all — which makes it an especially low-calorie snack for folks who want that. If you make loose kernels on a stovetop pot, you absolutely must use at least some oil to prevent burning and most microwave popcorns have at least some butter or oil. I can see the promise in tossing kernels in an air fryer basket, walking away, then having neatly contained popcorn in the basket five minutes later.

So I set about testing the recipe for this week’s iteration of AirFryDay.

One issue: The air fryer in ameerah_mh’s TikTok had a mesh basket. Mine has a nonstick grate, set inside the basket. Popcorn kernels would likely fall through the grate, and thus not receive hot, circulated air from all sides. To correct this, I lined my grate with aluminum foil and poked holes through it, which would allow hot air to circulate underneath the kernels while also keeping them off the bottom of the basket.

From there I preheated the air fryer to about 400 degrees, set the timer to six minutes, dumped a handful of kernels into the foiled basket, and started the cooking process.

Foil with holes and uncooked kernels, ready for the heat.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

About one minute in, a few kernels popped. From there, I listened closely because the best way to cook popcorn is to pull it when the popping slows to a crawl. The popping increased until about 3 minutes were left, when kernels really started clanging around. For lack of a better term, the popping sounded violent. Then the smoky smell started leaking out. Shit, I realized, it’s probably ricocheting off the heating element.

Is this the end for my air fryer? I wondered.

Eventually the popping slowed and I turned the heat off with more than a minute left on the timer.

When I pulled the popcorn out, I was pleasantly surprised, considering the burning smell. There was a decent bounty of well-popped, stark white popcorn. No oil, no muss, no fuss. Sure, there were a number of un-popped kernels, but such is life with popcorn.

Not a great pop ratio, but not terrible.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

I dumped the product into a bowl, enjoyed a few kernels, then salted the whole thing and crunched a big handful. Not bad! In a pinch, it was a healthy, easy snack.

Popcorn, up close.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

But then I inspected the heating element and yikes, it was not good. A fair number of pieces of popcorn had popped, shot into the heating element, and lodged themselves into the element itself. The popcorn was charred and still smoking. Frankly, it looked like a mess that was going to suck to clean.

Not great!
Credit: Mashable / tim marcin

Never great when your air fryer starts smoking, even though it is turned off.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

Sheepishly, I went to the comments of the viral TikTok to see if other folks had run into this issue. To my dismay, people pretty much predicted this would happen. “What about the element,” wrote one commenter. “Don’t do it. I have exactly the same air fryer and the popcorn burns on the element,” wrote another. “If any gets in the fan that’s a problem,” wrote a third.

Well, don’t I feel silly. So, yes, while this popcorn air fryer hack technically does work — heat pops popcorn, duh — there is no way I’d recommended anyone try it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a heating element to clean.

Sometimes you look at a snarling extraterrestrial symbiote — with his razor-sharp smile and lasciviously long tongue — and you just feel seen. Remarkably, I saw a bit of myself, and all of us struggling to thrive in this murky pandemic moment, when I saw Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Surprisingly, this superhero action-romp is centered on an alien vigilante who reflects the mania, madness, and carnage of being human right now.

Don’t mistake me. This bonkers sequel to 2018’s Venom was never intended to be the superhero genre’s commentary on a world driven to the brink by a global pandemic. Production on Venom: Let There Be Carnage was wrapped weeks before COVID-19 brought film productions worldwide to a standstill. So the coronavirus was not a consideration beyond pushing the movie further and further down the release calendar. Venom and his frenemy Eddie Brock (both played by Tom Hardy) live in a timeline without COVID, but with another dangerous pathogen, who mercilessly attacks the public without warning. In this eerily coincidental setup, Venom becomes a shining and troubling reflection of who we are in this time of fear, disease, and desperation to find a new normal.

Laying low after leaving a trail of decapitated bodies from Veddie’s last adventure, Venom begins this sequel in a sort of lockdown. Like many who were bored in the house and in the house bored, Venom got a pet. As if he were a New England hipster, he picked up a couple of live chickens. Eddie expected them to be food for the alien’s insatiable hunger for brains. But Venom can’t bring himself to bite the heads off of the plucky pair because “Sonny and Cher are best friends.”

So, the pet chickens are a clucking part of the cramped apartment that Venom and Eddie share. But hey, it’s not all bad. They binged Making A Murderer (possibly while the rest of us were hate-watching Tiger King). Plus, Venom got into cooking, just like so many did with the rise of work from home (and takeout prices). Together, these roomies found a wonky rhythm in the close confines of Eddie’s apartment and his body, which they share. But after untold months, Venom is going stir-crazy and yearns to break free of Eddie and all his “don’t eat people” rules.

Remember how good it felt stepping back out into the world, even briefly? Maybe you went to your local bodega to get your favorite junk food. (For Venom, that’s chocolate.) Perhaps you went to a costume party, a concert, or a carnival? Venom does it all, and for the first time, he does it without hiding behind Eddie. “I’m coming out of the Eddie closet,” the towering titan proclaims to a bewildered crowd at the rowdy Carnival of the Damned.

In an interview with Uproxx, director Andy Serkis has described this splashy scene or revelers, costumes, and dancing as “Venom’s coming-out party.” He even noted that screenwriters Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcel imagined the carnival setting of the scene as “an LGBTQIA kind of festival.”

This proved prophetic. In the isolation of the pandemic, a lot of people have had time for personal reflection. Some discovered their pride and came out about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Bedecked in glow sticks and cheered on by the crowd, Venom follows their lead, feeling the glory of telling his truth and having it accepted. It’s the dream!

Yet, this victorious scene feels a bit zany in context. The audience to Venom’s coming out cannot conceive of what they’re actually witnessing. They don’t realize there’s a man-eating monster before them; they think Venom is wearing a cool costume for the carnival. So, when he takes to the stage opposite rapper Little Simz (a mid-concert cameo), he might be considered part of the show or a cosplayer finding their true self through a mask (to paraphrase Oscar Wilde). Still, it’s thrilling and sweet to see this cheerful tough guy embraced by an ecstatic community. More than anything Venom wants to see people and be seen.

Venom was a dance break away from going full pandemic-era TikTok star!

He wants to be a hero, who thwarts crime and eats criminals! In this coming out moment, he’s really feeling himself. Little Simz is right there with a mic, seemingly poised to jam out to her hit song “Venom,” which is the theme for this movie and a recent TikTok trend. Sadly, the film fails to give us a ‘Ninja Rap’ moment (a la Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Part II: The Secret of the Ooze) that could have made this scene go from sweet to sublime. Venom was a dance break away from going full pandemic-era TikTok star! (But maybe there’s still time for that…)

As charismatic as Venom is, he is not simply a superhero. He’s an anti-hero, who makes messy and murderous decisions on impulse. This makes him a joltingly accurate depiction of these times. His hunger to engage in the human world is understandable, but it doesn’t change the simple fact that Venom a threat to the public’s health. A superhero who wears a facemask might now play as an allegory for protecting your community. Meanwhile, Venom doesn’t want to hide behind a mask, and he’s literally a deadly parasite. Through both Venom movies, he and his kind invade human bodies, often destroying them from the inside out. In Let There Be Carnage, Venom’s body-hopping is treated as a dark joke. But as one after another host collapses because of him, we’re reminded how selfish desire — no matter how relatable — can be lethal to others.

Like Venom, we want to go out into the world, party without a care, be seen and appreciated. But Venom barrels through San Francisco as if its residents aren’t his community but just an audience to his latest urge. This makes Venom not quite a hero, but nonetheless a fitting hero of our twisted times.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now playing in theaters.