Gov. Mike Parson is sick and tired of all these sophisticated, no-good hackers and he’s not going to take it any more. It’s too bad the Missouri Republican has no idea what he’s talking about.

During a Thursday press conference, the confused elected official lashed out at a journalist who reported a vulnerability in an official Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website. The reporter, notably, waited until officials fixed the error before publishing the story. The flaw? The website apparently included teachers’ Social Security numbers in the HTML. 

“Though no private information was clearly visible nor searchable on any of the web pages, the newspaper found that teachers’ Social Security numbers were contained in the HTML source code of the pages involved,” reported the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Parson, who apparently has never heard of “view source,” obliquely threatened the Post reporter with prosecution.

“The state is committing to bring to justice anyone who hacked our system and anyone who aided or encouraged them to do so — in accordance with what Missouri law allows AND requires,” wrote Parson.

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Again, to be clear, there was no hacking involved here — a fact seemingly lost on Parson, but not on the scores of cybersecurity experts, reporters, and privacy advocates who actually understand the issue at hand.

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“We stand by our reporting and our reporter who did everything right,” Ian Caso, the St. Louis Post Dispatch‘s president and publisher, told Mashable in a statement. “It’s regrettable the governor has chosen to deflect blame onto the journalists who uncovered the website’s problem and brought it to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s attention.”

We reached out to the office of the governor in an attempt to understand how it could have bungled this so badly. We received no immediate response.

However, his rambling at Thursday’s press conference, as reported by NBC News, speaks for itself.

SEE ALSO: Watch hackers Rickroll their entire high school district at once

“This individual is not a victim,” Parson reportedly said. “They were acting against a state agency to compromise teachers’ personal information in an attempt to embarrass the state and sell headlines for their news outlet. We will not let this crime against Missouri teachers go unpunished, and we refuse to let them be a pawn in the news outlet’s political vendetta.”

Parson, in other words, has no idea what he’s talking about.

If you thought the documentary horror genre was done, you need to see The Medium.

Streaming on Shudder, it’s the latest from Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun, who helmed 2004’s Shutter. He has co-written The Medium with South Korean producer Na Hong-jin, writer/director of Cannes Film Festival favorite The Wailing. In their collaboration, the pair play the atmospheric long game, building a sense of dread slowly but surely, then locking audiences in after it’s too late to bail.

Framed as a (thankfully fictional) documentary, The Medium follows a film crew to a small town in the Isan area of northeastern Thailand, where they meet a shaman named Nim (Sawanee Utoomma). She claims to be possessed by a goddess called Ba Yan, who helps locals with blessings and spiritual ailments. For the Isan people, Nim explains, there are good spirits that protect and evil spirits that haunt and cause sickness. When the documentarians ask Nim if she changes her voice or body when possessed by such a spirit, she replies, “You might have watched too much TV. It doesn’t have to be like that.”

If only.

Nim, her sister Noi (Sirani Yankittikan), and their brother Manit (Yasaka Chaisorn) become concerned when Noi’s daughter Mink (Narilya Gulmongkolpech) begins behaving erratically. Once these actions move to a disturbing, withdrawn, and violent level, Nim and her family suspect they’re dealing with something sinister and supernatural. All the while, the documentary team rolls camera.

The film’s first two acts move at a subtle, simmering pace, but the finale is sheer frightening chaos. It’s a diabolical move from director Pisanthanakun, who lulls audiences into a sense of security before swiftly pulling the rug out from under us. Sitting at over two hours, the film spends ample time with the characters but keeps the momentum through a sense of foreboding — thanks in part to Chatchai Ponhprapaphan’s haunting score. As events escalate, the documentarians’ distance to their subjects becomes compromised while they wonder whether they should try to help Mink. This shift is reflected in a mix of their footage and security camera coverage. And in the well-worn tradition of found footage/documentary horror films like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, The Medium saves the most disturbing moments for last. There’s a scene featuring a Hereditary-level reveal that had me sleepless for days.

To convincingly sell the documentary element, the performances in The Medium need to be exceptional, and they are. In particular, the three female leads, Gulmongkolpech, Utoomma, and Yankittikan, truly shine. As Mink, Gulmongkolpech undergoes a significant physical transformation, taking on the notoriously tough role of a character undergoing possession. (Just ask The Exorcist’s Linda Blair how fun it can absolutely not be.) As the film rolls on, Gulmongkolpech’s physicality becomes simply terrifying, bringing all the vibes of Billie Eilish’s famously creepy When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? album cover.

For her part, Utoomma is quietly powerful as Nim, who follows methodical spiritual instincts while beginning to question her beliefs. She’s given one particular moment when her usual composure is shattered in pure emotional pain. Yankittikan balances her onscreen sister with stubbornness and fierce maternal determination as Noi, not letting anyone tell her what to do in this wildly tempestuous situation.

Ritual and ceremony play a huge part in The Medium. Pisanthanakun places serious importance on both throughout the narrative, as well as the value of spiritual inheritance, with Nim and Noi piecing together a string of mysterious and tragic circumstances connected to their family. Fair warning, The Medium features some disturbing content. In the same vein as The Exorcist and other possession movies, this film touches on sexual taboos.

If you’re looking for something different from Hollywood’s version of found footage/documentary horror that nonetheless plays within the parameters, check out The Medium. It’s truly frightening in parts, but also delves into family dynamics and the complexities of belief and ritual — and what happens when we question it all.

The Medium is now streaming on Shudder.

While you’re there, we’ve rounded up the best Shudder originals, horror comedies, and the scariest films on Shudder.

The best Black Friday deals on Apple devices and accessories as of Oct. 13:

• BEST MACBOOK AIR DEAL: MacBook Air (M1, 256GB) — $899.00 (save $100)

• BEST MACBOOK PRO DEAL: MacBook Pro (Intel Processor, 512GB) — $1,499.99 (save $299.01)

• BEST IPAD DEAL: iPad Air (WiFi, 256GB) — $639.00 (save $110)

• BEST IPHONE DEAL: iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at AT&T — $349.99 (save $349.99)

• BEST AIRPODS DEAL: AirPods Pro — $197.00 (save $52)

• BEST REFURBISHED DEAL: 2018 MacBook Pro (Intel i5, 128GB) — $440.99 (save $59)

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Historically, Apple is a brand that does not love offering a ton of sales, at least, not through their own website and stores. Even with the fanfare of Black Friday, you don’t get the same major price cuts you’d expect from other retailers during the holiday.

So what does this mean for the person on the hunt for a new iPad or MacBook? Are you destined to pay full price forever? Dear reader, absolutely not. Apple deals are out there for the taking all across the internet year-round, but especially once we enter Black Friday season.

SEE ALSO: Here’s where all the best Black Friday 2021 deals will be

Though you likely need absolutely no reminder, we continue to live in unprecedented times, meaning those Black Friday deals are already emerging. So, we’ve started rounding up the best of the best for you. In addition to this being a prime opportunity to knock some early shopping out of the way, supply chain shortages are definitely going to be a thing this holiday season, so early shopping on popular items (like that MacBook you’ve been eying) is the best way to make sure there is a gift to give come December.

So whether you’ve got your eye on the iPhone 13, continue to wait with bated breath for an AirPods announcement, or are hoping these new releases mean discounted older models, we’ll be updating you constantly on all the best Black Friday Apple finds from Amazon to Walmart to Best Buy and wherever else is offering savings worth hearing about.

IPHONES

OUR TOP PICK: iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at AT&T — $349.99 (save $349.99)

• A14 Bionic chip

• 5G connectivity

• Super Retina OLED display

Click here to read Mashable’s official review of the iPhone 12 Mini.

Finding a deal on a new iPhone that doesn’t involve trading in an iPhone is difficult to say the least. And if you’re upgrading from an older model, chances are the savings won’t be as great as a trade-in deal paints them out to be. That’s why we’re fans of this iPhone 12 Mini deal at AT&T, which requires no trade-in for a 50% savings on this phone.

More deals on iPhones:

• iPhone 13 (128GB) and iPhone 13 Pro at AT&T — free with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan

• iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — free with select trade-in and unlimited plans

• iPhone 13 Pro at Verizon — free with select trade-in and unlimited plan

• iPhone 11 (64GB), XR, and SE at Verizon — free with an unlimited plan and new line

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — free with a new line

• iPhone 12 (64GB) at Verizon — free with an eligible trade-in with an unlimited plan

AIRPODS

Our top pick: AirPods Pro — $197.00 (save $52)

• Active Noise Cancelation and Transparency modes

• Up to 4.5 hours of listening time (+19.5 hours with the included wireless charging case)

• Sweat- and water-resistant

Click here to read Mashable’s official review of the AirPods Pro.

Last Thanksgiving, we saw the AirPods Pro go all the way down to a mere $169 (their biggest-ever discount). And this year, though we’re only in early October, we’ve already seen them get close to that ultra low price. Even at $197.00, you’re still saving $50 on one of the best pairs of Bluetooth earbuds out there.

More deals on AirPods:

• AirPods 2 — $119.99 (save $49.01)

• AirPods Max — $469.98 (save $79.02)

APPLE WATCHES

Our top pick: Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm, GPS) — $349.00 (save $50)

• Always-On Retina OLED display

• S6 chipset

• SpO2 sensor for blood oxygen level readings

Click here to read Mashable’s official review of the Apple Watch Series 6.

It may not be the latest and greatest model anymore, but it remains a high-performing smartwatch with an impressive battery life that’s well-suited for any fitness fanatic.

More deals on Apple Watches:

• Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) — $406.71 (save $22.29)

IPADS

Our top pick: iPad Air (WiFi, 256GB) — $639.00 (save $110)

• 10.9-inch Retina display

• A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine

• Up to 10 hours of battery life

For over $100 cheaper than you’ll find it at Apple, you can grab an iPad Air with a powerful processor and plenty of space for you to download, take pictures, and work on projects with ease.

More deals on iPads:

iPad Air (10.9-in, 4th gen)

• iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB) — $539.99 (save $60)

• iPad Air (WiFi, 256GB) — $639.99 (save $110)

iPad Pro (11-in, 4th generation)

• iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB) — $699.99 (save $100)

iPad Pro (12.9-in, 4th generation)

• iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) — $999.99 (save $100)

iPad Pro (11-in, 5th generation)

• iPad Pro (WiFi, 512GB) — $999.99 (save $99.01)

iPad Pro (12.9-in, 5th generation)

• iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB) — $999.00 (save $100)

MACBOOKS

Our top pick: MacBook Air (M1, 256GB) — $899.00 (save $100)

• 13.3-inch Retina display

• Apple M1 chip

• Up to 18 hours of battery life

Read Mashable’s official review of the late-2020 MacBook Air here.

A MacBook that sits under $1000 is a good find, and a MacBook with an M1 processor that sits there even more so.

More deals on MacBooks:

• MacBook Pro (Intel Processor, 1TB) — $1,699.99 (save $299.01)

• MacBook Pro (Intel Processor, 512GB) — $1,499.99 (save $299.01)

• MacBook Pro (M1, 512GB) — $1,349.00 (save $150)

• MacBook Air (M1, 512GB) — $1,149.99 (save $100)

• 2020 Mac Mini (M1, 512GB) — $749.99 (save $149.01)

• 2020 21.5″ iMac with Retina 4K (Intel Core i3, 256GB) — $999.99 (save $300)

REFURBISHED FINDS

Our top pick: 2018 MacBook Pro (Intel i5, 128GB) — $440.99 (save $59)

• 13.3-inch Retina display

• 9 hours of battery life

• USB, HDMI, and SDXC card ports

If you’ve never been able to wrap your head around Apple’s prices, buying pre-owned might be for you. Though this laptop isn’t Apple certified, it has been professionally inspected by Amazon-qualified suppliers and will not show visible imperfections when held at an arm’s length. This MacBook Pro is still a relatively recent model with a good amount of storage, and all the old ports (unlike newer MacBooks) so no adapters will be necessary for basic USB and HDMI wires or SD cards.

More refurbished finds:

iPhone

• iPhone 8 (64GB) — $229.99 (save $20)

Apple Watch

• Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular, 42mm) — $189.95 (save $10.04)

iPad

• 2021 11-in iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) — $809.99 (save $90)

• 2021 12.9-in iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB) — $989.99 (save $110)

MacBook

• Early 2016 MacBook (Intel core m3, 256GB) — $379.99

College is a time full of questions. What should I major in? Who do I want to be in my new adult life? Which group of butts looks more welcoming?

The first trailer for Mindy Kaling’s young-adult campus-set sex comedy-drama delivers exactly what you’d expect from that description: Cheeky banter, pop culture references, awkward moments, sorority girls called Ashlee/leigh/leye, and cool ladies looking after each other as they work out exactly what they want from the buffet of buff babes available to them at the prestigious (and fictional) Essex College.

The series stars Pauline Chalamet (yes, of those Chalamets) as timid and nerdy Kimberley; Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott as her freshman year roomies Bela, Leighton, and Whitney; and Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina’s Gavin Leatherwood as — I’m sorry I didn’t catch his name because he had his shirt off. Which I believe is the point. Cheers, Mindy.

The first two episodes of The Sex Lives Of College Girls premiere on HBO Max on Nov. 18.

You love your Fitbit. Or you just got a new Fitbit. How nice!

But it’s running low on battery and you’re unsure about how to give it some more juice. Don’t fret. It’s really quite easy to get your device charging. Here are four simple steps to getting it done

1. Locate your charging cable.

This should be easy enough. When you got your Fitbit, it came with a charging cord that corresponds to your device, which has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Below, check out the charging cord for my Fitbit Inspire 2, plugged into a USB charging block. For most — if not all — Fitbit devices, you’ll need to connect to a USB charging source.

2. Plug your charging cord into a power source.

If you’re connecting to a charging block, plug it into an outlet. If you’re charging into a different USB power source, then you’re all set.

3. Connect your device to the charging cord.

Now, this is going to differ from device to device. For my Inspire 2, pictured below, you clasp the back of the device to the charging point, lining up the gold pins.

For a number of Fitbit devices, there is a similar process where you’ll line up charging pins.

Fitbit has a complete list of all Fitbit devices, and how they charge, right here. That will give you diagrams for just how to charge each tracker.

SEE ALSO: The best workout apps for exercising at home

Fitbit smartwatches, meanwhile, will likely have a different process than simpler trackers. The Ionic series connects via a magnetic system on the back. The Versa series sits neatly on top of its charger. The Blaze, well, the Blaze is a hassle. You have to remove the watch from its casing and put it in its charging box.

4. Track your charge and unplug when it’s finished.

From there, you let your tracker charge. This is typically easiest to do overnight, or during an extended period of sitting — since you’ve got to log those precious daily 10,000 steps.

The trackers have different ways of showing they’re fully charged, ranging from a smiley face on the display, an image of a battery, or a percentage. You can also track how charged your tracker is by opening the Fitbit app and clicking on the “Today” tab.

Jamie Costa has been doing impressions of beloved actor and comedian Robin Williams since Costa’s Vine days, and his latest video has garnered over a million views on YouTube.

The 5-minute video, titled “ROBIN Test Footage Scene,” was uploaded to YouTube on Monday. In the moving clip, Costa plays Williams on the set of Mork & Mindy, learning that his friend and fellow comedian John Belushi has died.

The video has had a massive fan response, but it looks like there’s no biopic in the works just yet. SFist reports that the video appears “to be a publicity stunt to generate interest or (investors) in a Robin Williams movie.”

We’d watch.

Fans of The Office know the show wouldn’t be half as good without Dwight K. Schrute. And Dwight wouldn’t be such a good character if he were played by anyone other than Rainn Wilson.

On the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey chatted with Wilson about his time on the show, his new pet peacock (how NBC of him), the “Golden Ticket” episode in Season 5, and more.

The full conversation was a delight, but if you’re looking for a rundown, here are four standout moments from the mini Office reunion.

1. How Rainn Wilson got cast on The Office

The Office Ladies hosts love to ask guests how they got involved with the beloved workplace comedy, and Wilson had quite the tale to tell. He was all set to work on a Janeane Garofalo show called Slice o’ Life, but after it was canceled post-pilot table read, he asked to audition for The Office.

“I called my agent. I was like, ‘I’d really like to audition for [The] Office.’ And I was the first person to audition on the very first day,” he shared. “Allison Jones, the casting director, kind of knew me from Six Feet Under and some other things. I was so excited. And I auditioned for both Dwight and Michael on that first day.”

“I was like, ‘This is completely in my wheelhouse. I know exactly who this person is. This guy is in my DNA.'”

“[Jones] keeps threatening to release my Michael Scott audition. It is truly terrible because I just did a Ricky Gervais impersonation. I didn’t know what else to do, so I was kind of pulling on my tie a lot,” Wilson explained. “But Dwight I knew. I was like, ‘This is completely in my wheelhouse. I know exactly who this person is. This guy is in my DNA. I have cousins who are really not that different from Dwight Schrute.’ And the rest is history.”

Wilson recalled being paired with Fischer during screen tests, and the two shared how much admiration they had for each other during that early interview process.

2. The joy of working with Steve Carell

As Kinsey explained, Wilson had the remarkable experience of being part of a comedy duo with Steve Carell for years. When asked what it was like to work with the man behind Michael Scott, Wilson had only wonderful things to say about his former on-screen boss. 

“Let me just say that, you know, when I look back on that work with Steve, I’m just so grateful because he’s obviously like one of the greatest actors — comedy actors, but even just actors like ever. And the fact that I got to do so much work with him was just such a gift,” Wilson said.

Unlike Carell, Wilson didn’t come from an improv background, but he said he loved when the two would play around with scenes on set.

“…Steve was incredible at that, no matter what I did — and I sometimes I would try to go really out of the box. Steve would completely react in character and accept what was being proposed,” Wilson said. “I mean, we would do the script. We would shoot the script and make sure we got it scripted correctly. and then we would improvise.”

Wilson learned a lot from the improv process on set, and he explained that Carell always encouraged out-of-the-box behavior.

“He never got kind of like, ‘God damn it, Rainn, why are you being so weird and so silly? Stay on the point of the scene.’ We can go way off kilter, you know, way off the path. And he would just be right there all the time. It was really a privilege to work with him,” Wilson said.

3. What Rainn Wilson took from The Office set

Another popular question on the podcast is “What did you take from set?” And for Wilson, the answer was essentially not nearly as many things as he’d wished he’d taken.

“Oh, this breaks my heart. I should have taken so much more, I should have fleeced NBC Universal,” he said. “I took Dwight’s glasses, I took his little desk plate that said Dwight Schrute on it. I took his stapler. And one or two other things I can’t quite remember, I have to look around and see, but I had a whole list of things I gave to Phil Shea [prop master], and I said, ‘Phil, pull these aside for me and I’ll get them from you later. And it was Dwight’s briefcase, and this, and that, and the other thing, and blah, blah, blah.'”

Sadly, Wilson didn’t end up getting the items on his list and said he heard that crew members were threatened and told they’d be fired and never work for NBC Universal again if they were caught trying to swipe any Office props from set. Yikes.

Wilson didn’t even get Dwight’s original desk bobblehead. Can you believe?

“I got one of the rejected bobbleheads that doesn’t look anything like the bobblehead. I did not get my original bobblehead,” he said.

4. Breaking character with John Krasinski

As faithful Office Ladies listeners and Mashable readers know, cast members of The Office were constantly breaking character on set. Before he hopped off the podcast, Wilson recalled that he and John Krasinski had a particularly hard time getting through the “Golden Ticket” cold open without catching the giggles.

“…God, what a what an amazing pleasure it was watching ‘Golden Ticket’ again. That’s really that cold open too, the KGB and the knock knock jokes, it was so good. There’s so many classic Office moments throughout it,” he said.

“People always ask, like, ‘How do you keep a straight face?’ It’s like, I didn’t keep a straight face,” he continued. “I just laughed all the time, especially John and I. We would just make each other laugh. We could look at each other’s eyes and know a laugh was coming,” Wilson revealed. “…I am certain that especially that little last section when John was like doing the KGB — I’m sure I was crying with laughter and we had to cut, you know, at least a dozen times.”

SEE ALSO: 9 of the best travel coffee mugs for your daily caffeine fix

Never forget that Wilson and Krasinski once shared a scene so funny that it shut down production for 20 minutes. Iconic.

Be sure to listen to the full podcast to hear all of Wilson’s comments and learn more behind-the-scenes stories from filming “Golden Ticket.”

You can stream episodes of The Office on Peacock and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.

The best Black Friday toy deals as of Oct. 13:

• BEST AMAZON DEAL: Kinetic Sand Sandisfying Set — $13.49 (save $6.50)

• BEST WALMART DEAL: Contixo 7″ Kids Tablet — $69.98 (save $30.01)

• BEST TARGET DEAL: LEGO Super Mario Master Your Adventure Maker Set — $48.49 (save $11.50)

• BEST BEST BUY DEAL: Star Wars Grogu, The Child, 12-in Plush Motion RC Toy — $45.99 (save $19)

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Though toys may be the most classic holiday gift out there, it seems that every year, there’s more and more options to choose from, making toys now feel like the most overwhelming holiday gift.

One way to minimize the stress is to start shopping early. It gives you time to find the perfect gift for your kiddo and this year, it looks like it’s even more necessary than ever — supply chain shortages are basically guaranteeing that shipping times will be longer than usual.

SEE ALSO: Here’s where all the best Black Friday 2021 deals will be

Luckily, the start times of Black Friday sales have adjusted accordingly, so scoring a good deal and making sure your kid actually has a present to unwrap come December are both very attainable goals. Each week, we’ll be rounding up the best deals on popular toys from across retailers, so you can make sure both your bank account and your little one are happy this holiday season.

Keep scrolling to check out our the top deals we could find as of Oct. 13.

AMAZON DEALS

Our top pick: Kinetic Sand Sandisfying Set — $13.49 (save $6.50)

From squishing and shaping, to breaking it down and building it back up again, kids can find hours of entertainment from playing with kinetic sand. With two pounds of sand and 10 tools included, this is a great set, as evidenced by the 15,000-plus Amazon reviews. And as added bonus, you can save $10 on a $50 purchase on select toys at Amazon, which includes this sand kit as well as every other toy in this section.

More Amazon deals:

• LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book — $15.99 (save $4)

• VTech Pop-a-Balls Push & Pop Bulldozer — $19.89 (save $8.10)

• Exploding Kittens Party Card Game — $24.99 (save $5)

• Sushi Go! The Pick and Pass Card Game — $7.39 (save $7.60)

• Pulse Performance Products KR2 Freestyle Scooter — $39.99 (save $10)

• Hot Wheels Basic Car 50-Pack (Amazon Exclusive) — $45.99 (save $9)

• VTech PAW Patrol – The Movie: Learning Watch (Chase) — $14.99 (save $3)

• Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Wooden Barn With 7 Animal Play Figures — $38.41 (save $28.08)

WALMART DEALS

Our top pick: Contixo 7″ Kids Tablet — $69.98 (save $30.01)

There’s no denying it — kids are growing up in a tech-fueled age. This tablet comes pre-loaded with educational apps, games, parental settings, and a child lock that’ll make sure your kiddo can have fun while staying safe. Its price and silicone case (which comes in seven different colors) are also give you some peace of mind for when this tablet is (inevitably) dropped.

More Walmart deals:

• Little Tikes Shop ‘n Learn Smart Checkout Role Play Toy — $135.99 (save $34)

• Little Tikes Activity Garden Playhouse for Babies Infants Toddlers — $64.99 (save $25)

• KidKraft Designed by Me™: Color Decor Wooden Dollhouse with 20 Pieces — $35 (save $44)

• Little Tikes TotSports Easy Score Basketball Set — $29.18 (save $5.79)

• Little Tikes Easy Store 3-Foot Trampoline with Hand Rail — $44.97 (save $25.02)

• Schwinn #VIP Kids Sidewalk Bike — $130 (save $24)

TARGET DEALS

Our top pick: LEGO Super Mario Master Your Adventure Maker Set — $48.49 (save $11.50)

It’s quite possible that Legos will never go out of style. Now pair that with a Mario theme, aka one of one of the most popular video games ever, and a nearly 20% discount, and you’ve got a very nice toy deal from Target. Plus, if you’re part of the Target Circle program, you can save $10 on a $50 purchase including these Legos (along with other select toys below).

More Target deals:

• LOL Surprise! OMG Dance Dance Dance Miss Royale Fashion Doll — $15.39 (save $6.60)

• Little Tikes Cozy Coupe — $49.99 (save $10)

• Barbie Care Clinic Playset — $46.99 (save $8)

• Step2 Plastic Pretend Play Modern Metro Kitchen Set with Utensil Accessories — $209.99 (save $45)

BEST BUY DEALS

Our top pick: Star Wars Grogu, The Child, 12-in Plush Motion RC Toy — $45.99 (save $19)

Whether you know him as the Child, Grogu, or Baby Yoda, you probably know this little guy won the hearts of kids and adults alike when he first appeared in 2019. In his iteration as a 12-inch RC toy, he somehow has the potential to be even cuter — you can use the remote and make him play hide and seek, wander around, and make noises.

More Best Buy deals:

• Barbie Dreamhouse Playset — $199.99 (save $25)

• MiP Arcade – Interactive Self-Balancing Robot By WowWee — $63.99 (save $36)

• L.O.L. Surprise! – Ooh La La Baby Surprise Lil Bon Bon — $27.99 (save $12)

MACY’S DEALS

Macy’s deals have yet to go live, but here’s a preview at some of the toys that will be discounted.

• FAO Schwartz Tie Dye Ultimate Set 148pcs — $24.99 (save $25)

• Super Mario 2.5″ Bowser Castle Playset — $35.99 (save $4)

• Nerf Fortnite Heavy SR Blaster — $46.99 (save $6)

• Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Stunt Tire Playset — $18.99 (save $3)

• Peppa Pig RV Playset — $44.99 (save $8)

• Sharper Image Robo Rage Remote Control Two-Player Robot Fighting Set — $39.99 (save $40)

Amazon has made a killing over the years by offering decent products for cheaper prices than its competitors, like the Echo Buds 2. But for better or for worse, the new Fire TV Stick 4K Max takes a slightly different approach.

The latest $54.99 streaming stick from the Bezos empire prides itself on, among other things, being the cheapest WiFi 6-compatible streamer on the market (WiFi 6 being a newer and faster version of WiFi that every new device will support eventually). The competition in this narrow category isn’t especially fierce, as the $179.99 Apple TV 4K refresh from earlier this year is basically the only other option right now.

But while the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a value on the WiFi 6 front, there are actually some pretty great, recent 4K streamers from the likes of Roku and Google that cost less than what Amazon is offering here. This isn’t an Echo Buds 2 situation either, where a handful of technical compromises are forgivable because it’s just so much cheaper than the competition. The new Fire TV Stick 4K Max is as good as it gets from the company’s streaming stick line, but unless you live and die by Amazon’s product ecosystem, it’s not a necessary upgrade.

Speedy and responsive

The latest Fire TV Stick is truly iterative, with next to nothing in the way of mind-blowing new features. Instead, Amazon is touting more powerful tech guts (namely a quad-core processor and 2GB RAM) that supposedly make it 40 percent faster than the previous 4K model. I didn’t have one of those on hand for side-by-side testing, but regardless, this thing hums along beautifully in a way last year’s 1080p model simply could not.

I was largely positive on the revamped Fire TV interface Amazon launched last year, but I’ve never felt better about it than I did while using the 4K Max. Scrolling horizontally through its various app and content rows is smooth as can be, while said apps and content also load quickly enough. Bouncing back to the home menu is similarly slick. The 2020 Fire Stick had noteworthy UI lag and that’s nowhere to be found here, as far as I can tell.

As for WiFi 6, the benefits are less clear at this point in time. It’s a faster and better version of WiFi, but you won’t get much out of it without a compatible router. Those are getting more affordable by the day, but we’re still in the early adopter phase of the WiFi 6 rollout. Chances are the router your ISP gave you doesn’t support it.

Now, I do have a WiFi 6 router in my home, but I didn’t sense an appreciable difference in streaming with the 4K Max compared to what I get out of a Roku or Chromecast. I spent an entire Sunday watching live football via Sling, and that experience was more or less identical to how it is on other devices. The same goes for watching 4K movies via apps like Prime Video. It’s fast and the quality is great, but that’s true on other streaming boxes, too.

That said, streaming video isn’t that intense as far as network operations go. Streaming video games is a different story, and I was mostly impressed with how the Fire TV Stick 4K Max handled that.

Doubles as a gaming stick

Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service hasn’t been a headline-grabbing hype-machine-slash-debacle like Google Stadia, so you’re forgiven if you forgot it exists at all. That said, Amazon upgraded the 4K Max with a 750MHz GPU to make it something of a gaming machine on top of a video streamer, and provided me with a Luna subscription for testing purposes.

My verdict: It could be worse!

Luna’s library is loaded with reflexive, precise games that should play horribly on a streaming service thanks to the latency that’s inherent to the whole concept of game streaming. I spent chunks of time with demanding games like Control, Sonic Mania, Mega Man 11, the original Castlevania for NES, and the high-speed futuristic racer Redout. In terms of pure playability, all of them were reasonable facsimiles of playing locally on real gaming hardware. I couldn’t sense much (if any) lag between my inputs and the action on screen.

Whether this is a direct benefit of the better WiFi hardware in the 4K Max, favorable network conditions in my home, high-quality servers on Amazon’s end, or some combination of all three factors is tough to pin down. What I do know is that the games felt impressively responsive.

My biggest gripe is that visual fidelity isn’t always great. Streaming artifacting was visible in the solid blue skies of Sonic Mania‘s first level and all over the picture in the opening bits of Ys VIII.

I’m a stickler for frame rates in a way that most normal people probably aren’t, but it was hard for me not to notice a slight, inescapable stutter while playing each and every game I tried on Luna. In general, each game strived to hit 60 frames per second but didn’t quite succeed at that. None of it crossed over into being unacceptably choppy, mind you, but it felt a little like playing a poorly optimized console game.

To be fair, I have ready access to modern gaming hardware, so it’s hard for me to play Luna without making what will always be an unfair comparison in my head. If I didn’t, this would be an acceptable alternative…if I were willing to pay $5.99 per month and $69.99 for the Luna controller. Hidden costs are real, folks.

Stiff competition

As thoroughly well-made as the 4K Max is, it’s still hard for me to recommend without reservations to anyone who’s looking to get a 4K streamer. For one, it is just a tad more expensive than the Roku Express 4K+ ($39.99) and Chromecast with Google TV ($49.99), both of which are just as good at everyday video streaming. Another crucial difference is that the Fire TV Stick’s home screen is chock full of ads for Amazon content, which isn’t the case with the competition.

To build on that point, you need to be really invested in Amazon products to get the most out of the 4K Max. The home screen recommendations are very Prime Video-centric, and obviously Luna isn’t much of a draw unless you pay for it. One feature I didn’t get to try is live picture-in-picture support for smart cameras like the Ring doorbell, another device owned by Amazon. You couldn’t pay me to put an Amazon camera anywhere near my home. If you feel differently, though, you can take advantage of that.

Similarly priced streaming devices from Roku and Google are more agnostic in this regard, even if every big tech company is difficult to trust in one way or another. Plus, all three have similarly effective voice search functions, so it’s not like Alexa is a unique selling point, either.

If you’re still on the fence about upgrading, keep in mind that you can get really good 4K streaming devices for dirt cheap. Whether you want to saddle up with Amazon or go with another brand, you’ll get something that plays your shows and movies effectively and without many issues. Just remember that, in one way or another, buying a Fire TV Stick might help furnish more wasteful trips to space for Jeff Bezos.

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