The best robot vacuums for hardwood floors

BEST ROBOT VACUUM DEALS:

  • eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 11S (Slim) — $149.99 (save $80)

  • Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot Vacuum with XL Self-Empty Base — $444.99 (save $155)


Robot vacuums have revolutionized the way we clean our homes. We no longer have to be home in order to clean because robot vacuums run on schedules that you can set for while you’re at work, sleeping in another room, running to the store, or even on vacation.

If you don’t have carpet, you might not be as inclined to invest in a robot vacuum cleaner, but these little machines are actually beasts when it comes to hardwood flooring. (Imagine never having to wear socks in your home again!)

Do robot vacuums really work?

If we’re being honest, robot vacuums are usually not as thorough as upright vacuum cleaners. Their suction isn’t as powerful and you just can’t get the same kind of clean that you get from eyeballing your floors and going back over spots you can tell you missed.

Of course, some robot vacuums do have features that allow them to detect problem areas with extra dirt and debris buildup where the vacuum will put in extra attention, but that’s not necessarily the standard across all price points.

Some robot vacuums don’t have smart mapping, so they clean your house in a sort of chaotic random pattern rather than the side-by-side lines you would probably do if you were the one controlling the vacuum. Though the robots try to hit every spot with this method, they’re bound to miss every now and then.

However, one thing to ask yourself is: Are you currently vacuuming your floors every day? Because robot vacuums can do that. So if they miss a spot one day, they might catch it the next, leading to an overall increase in floor cleanliness.

Overall, robot vacuums *do* get the job done and offer a convenience that other types of vacuum cleaners can’t. If you have a manual vacuum, you might want to break it out on occasion for a deep cleaning.

Are robot vacuums better for hardwood floors or carpet?

We’d say that most robot vacuums actually perform better on a hardwood floor than on carpet. All robot vacuums have a main suction system and side brushes that push dirt in the line of suction. Not all of them have impressive brush rolls, though, which are a necessity for cleaning carpets.

Sucking up hair (human or pet) is easier for robot vacuums on hard flooring because on carpet, the vacuums have to really be able to dig deep and pull up hair embedded in the fibers. On hardwood floors, the hair is just sitting there ready to be pulled in by the suction from a robot vacuum.

Hardwood floors require less work from a robot vacuum to do an efficient job cleaning. If you have both carpet and hard flooring, most robot vacuums automatically adjust between floor types, lowering or raising to get the closest clean possible.

Do robot vacuums scratch hardwood floors?

Robot vacuums themselves are designed to work on hardwood floors without scratching them. They have rubber wheels and gentle rubber brushes that pull in dirt without ripping up your floors.

Where you might get floor scratching is if an abrasive piece of sand, glass, rock, etc. gets caught under the wheel and drags throughout the house. This is pretty uncommon, but to be safe, make sure your floors are clear of any large, sharp debris before running the robot vacuum.

Which robot vacuum is best for wood floors?

If you’re only focusing on hardwood floors, you don’t have to get a robot vacuum with a ton of fancy extra features. (Though, you’re more than welcome to, of course.) Our top pick for the best robot vacuum for hardwood floors is the iRobot Roomba 675.

This robot vacuum is mid-range in price, while still having features like WiFi and app connectivity. The Roomba 675 is great on hardwood floors and can tackle pet hair. It does have a brush roll, so it can easily transition to carpeting and rugs as well.

What about hard floors that aren’t wood?

Laminate floors, tile floors, and any other kind of hard flooring that isn’t hardwood can get the same treatment as wood floors. Robot vacuums that work well on hardwood floors will also do a good job on these floors.

Should you use a robot vacuum or robot mop for hardwood floors?

Both robot vacuums and robot mops are valid choices for cleaning hardwood floors, and really work in conjunction with each other to get the best clean. A robot vacuum will sweep up loose dirt, dust, and debris, while a robot mop can come through and scrub up caked-on dirt to really make your floors shine.

There are some robot vacuums that have both vacuuming and mopping functions. If you want both features, we definitely suggest going for one of the hybrid models to save space. Below, you’ll find our top picks for all the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors.

How to start dating again after a break

A dating break can be a refreshing (and necessary) time for self-reflection and enjoying one’s own company. After some time, though, you may find yourself wanting to enjoy someone else’s company, too.

Taking a dip back into the cold waters of the dating pool can be intimidating. There’s the paralysis of choice — not only for choosing a match on a dating app, for example, but choosing an app itself. And then there’s the anxiety and all the uncertainty.

Still, if your goal is to meet a partner or even just a hookup, dating is the way to do it.

Here’s how to dive back into the game.

Am I ready to date again?

The first question to ask yourself is whether dating again is right for you at this moment. Only you can answer this question. Know that your pace may be different from that of others, said Kiana Reeves, somatic sex educator and chief brand officer at the plant-based sexual wellness brand Foria. As you ponder whether you’re ready, focus on what gives you pleasure in terms of self-love, but also make sure to engage in other activities you enjoy, such as spending time with friends and family.

“Enjoy experiencing your life at your preferred speed, and the rest will follow,” said Reeves.

Figure out your motivations for wanting to date. If it has to do with “proving a point” to an ex (that you’re still desirable, or that your relationship is really over), don’t start dating, said Joe Kort, PhD, certified sex therapist and co-director of sexual medicine training provider Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.

The same goes when you’re looking for a new relationship to alleviate the pain of your previous one. That doesn’t work, said Kort.

“We live in a society that has a fast-food approach to dating,” said Reeves, “and moving from one thing to the next is pretty common.” As such, you may feel “single stigma.” If you want to date because you think being single is somehow wrong, or because you can’t stand being alone, that’s probably what you need right now — to spend time with yourself, not a new partner.


“We live in a society that has a fast-food approach to dating.”

Kort also dispelled a couple longstanding dating adages as myths. The first is that people have to wait a certain amount of time to assure they’re “over” their past relationship before getting back out there. Instead of setting a calendar date to re-download Tinder, Kort advises trusting yourself and how you’re feeling.

The second myth is that people shouldn’t get into a relationship until they’re “healthy” again. If you need time — especially if your past relationship was in any way traumatic or abusive — take all that you need. But if you’re itching to get back out there (for reasons other than trying to “prove” something to your ex or something similar), there’s no need to set timelines.

In addition to trusting yourself, Reeves said to be honest with yourself and others about where you’re at.

Licensed psychologist and relationship expert Nikki Coleman said to ask yourself two questions: Will dating again enhance my life? And, do I want to expend my energy dating right now?

Dating is a numbers game, Coleman said, which means spending time and mental capacity (and oftentimes, money) to find a match. “If you’re truly ready to get back out there,” she continued, “then the frustration, disappointment, and sometimes even anxiety associated with dating will be a worthwhile endeavor.”

The only person who will know if you’re ready to date again is you, no matter what well-intentioned family and friends say.

Mashable Image


Credit: bob al-greene / mashable

How do I date after a break?

You’ve done some self-examination and you’ve picked out the best photos for Bumble. Now what?

Reentering the dating world can bring up a slew of emotions, Reeves said, including apprehension, excitement, and uncertainty. Beginning with some clarity about what you want can help.

Are you looking for a long-time relationship or a cheeky hookup? Having a goal in mind can help guide you in how you want to connect and how to go about it. For someone seeking a long-term relationship, for example, the “designed to be deleted” Hinge is probably a better app option than sexual exploration-minded Feeld.

Having an intention can help you identify qualities you’re looking for in another person as well. Do they seem ready for a relationship, or whatever connection you want?

At the same time, Coleman urges people to stay curious and open to possibilities. Dating should be fun, she said, and an exploration of yourself as much as getting to know someone else.

SEE ALSO:

The top dating trends of 2021, so far

As such, you can reframe this experience. Instead of focusing on the negative — say, how long it’s been since you’ve dated — you can think about all you’ve learned about yourself and what you want.

Whether you set a goal or not, start slow, said Coleman and Kort. It’s OK if you’re rusty. There’s no need to, say, schedule five first dates in a week.

You don’t want to burn yourself out or set unrealistic expectations for your first few dates. “Building connections doesn’t happen overnight,” Reeves noted, “even if attraction is instant.”

Set boundaries with yourself and others. Coleman suggests making a checklist of all the things you need to feel as safe and secure as possible. Say you only want to go on one date a week, or you don’t want to text a potential match all day. These are all reasonable requests — you just have to be honest with your dates about them.

Know that you can put on the breaks anytime if a relationship isn’t moving in a direction you like, said Kort. Video or phone dates are also great options if you find that you’re not ready for in-person connection. Especially in COVID times, virtual dates allow you to meet people without the potential health risks that come with in-person connections right now.

Above all, remember to enjoy yourself. As Coleman said, “Dating should be fun, or don’t do it.”


“Dating should be fun, or don’t do it.”

Am I ready to have sex with someone new?

Reeves suggests pacing yourself with sex, as with dating. Embrace the activities that make you feel good, whether solo or with a partner. Ask yourself what intimacy looks like for you. Figure that out before getting intimate with a partner.

Kissing for the first few dates or just hand-holding and talking is more than OK, and can actually forge a deep connection, according to Reeves. “These types of activities build trust and help our nervous systems regulate in the way we need to feel safe in sexual intimacy,” she said.

While your body may want sex (signified by getting aroused), your brain may need more time. You can wait until you get a resounding yes from your mind that you feel safe and ready. If you’re feeling awkward about sex and intimacy, you’re not alone, especially if you’re reading this during COVID times.

Once you’re ready to sleep with someone new, Reeves suggests coming prepared for the best experience. Pack condoms, lube, and whatever else you need to feel most comfortable.

Have an open conversation with your new partner about your boundaries and what feels good for you. You’ll end up doing what gives you the most pleasure, and you’ll be at ease knowing limits have been set.

Awkwardness around these conversations are par for the course. “Sometimes the questions and communication in this stage can feel awkward,” said Reeves, “[and] that’s great! It means you are staying curious and open, and it’s a good sign that honest communication and learning are happening.”

Open communication doesn’t just lead to the feeling of safety; it also leads to better sex, period.

Dating after a break can be nerve-wracking, but through honest conversations — with yourself and others — and mindful steps, you may find yourself splashing happily in the deep end.

Related Video: We asked over 1,000 people about their post-COVID dating plans

Fat bear champ eats so many fish he can barely walk

The aptly named

Hibernation is no joke.

The livestreamed bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve — of Fat Bear Week internet fame — devour salmon over the summer to outlast the long, harsh winter famine. Last year’s Fat Bear Week champion, sizable bear 747, has already succeeded in growing impressively fat in 2021. In fact, he’s so big that recent footage shows him struggling to ascend a riverbank.

Katmai’s Brooks River, where the explore.org cameras broadcast live, has been flush with salmon this season. In July, bears crowded the river to feast on 4,500-calorie fish.

And bear 747 — the largest and currently most dominant bear of the river — has used his girth and influence to exploit the best fishing spots in a hyper-competitive bear world, which means lots of calories. The footage below shows 747 laboring up a commonly-used bear trail.

Bear 747 is in his salmon-eating prime. Rangers have spotted him catching and devouring 15 fish over the course of just a few hours. Last August, the live cams also captured him, flush with fish and fat stores, struggling up the riverbank.

SEE ALSO:

The fat bears are fighting. But not like you’d expect.

The fat bears are a conservation success story. Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game ensures bounties of fish make it up into wild watersheds like Katmai’s. This keeps Katmai’s lakes and rivers, which are protected from harmful exploitation and development, flourishing with life. Alaska’s Bristol Bay saw its biggest run of sockeye salmon on record this year.

“This is a story about a very healthy ecosystem,” Naomi Boak, the media ranger at Katmai National Park and Preserve, told Mashable in 2020. “It’s about salmon that have cool enough and fresh enough water to thrive.”

Related Video: Fat Bear Season: Everything you need to know about the best time of the year

Snag Echo devices, Fire tablets, and more on sale at Amazon

Make your nightstand even smarter.

Nearly every Alexa-enabled device is on sale at Amazon as of Aug. 16. Our favorites:

  • OUR TOP PICK: Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) — Save $30

  • BEST FOR YOUNGER KIDS: Fire 7 Kids Pro tablet — Save $40

  • BEST FOR THE DORM: Echo Dot (4th Gen) — Save $15


Whether you’re heading back to school or just looking to up your tech game, Amazon’s “Off to College” sale is bringing steep discounts to basically every single Amazon device. We’re talking up to 44% off Echo devices, up to 40% off Fire tablets, and more.

These sweet deals run through Aug. 22. Check out the full list of discounted devices at Amazon, and peep our top picks below if you need help deciding which one to bring home.

OUR TOP PICK: Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) — $54.99

The Echo Show 5 is an ideal bedside table assistant — perfect for the busy student. You can set alarms, timers, and reminders with your voice, and enjoy access to your calendar, the weather, and the news. You’ll also be able to make video calls to friends and family, use your favorite music and video streaming sites, and control connected smart devices. This is one of the first deals we’ve seen on the new Echo Show 5 since it’s release earlier this year, and it’s by far the best price yet.

Save $30 at Amazon

Credit: Amazon

Save $30 at Amazon

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BEST FOR YOUNGER KIDS: Fire 7 Kids Pro tablet — $59.99

If back to school season is coming up for your little one, a Fire Kids tablet can bring education — and fun — to the mix. The tablet is complete with customizable parental controls, so you decide what your child can view. Kids can request apps, and parents have the ability to approve any downloads or purchases. There are also options to approve contacts for video calls, block certain websites, and more.

With purchase, you’ll also get one free year of Amazon Kids+, which will give your child access to tons of apps, games, books, videos, and songs. There’s even educational content courtesy of National Geographic, Rabbids Coding, and LEGO.

Save $40 at Amazon

Credit: Amazon

Save $40 at Amazon

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BEST FOR THE DORM: Echo Dot (4th Gen) — $34.99

College students need to save as much time as possible (all those papers aren’t going to write themselves) and the Echo Dot makes things easy with hands-free control. Ask Alexa to play lo-fi study beats while you’re cramming for an exam, Google a question on your homework, or make calls to your family — all without having to whip out your phone. This deal brings the Echo Dot within $6 of its lowest Amazon price to date, making Amazon’s budget-friendly smart speaker even more affordable.

Save $15 at Amazon

Credit: Amazon

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MORE GREAT DEALS

Fire HD 10 Plus tablet — Starting at $129.99

If you’re anticipating a hybrid school model for your child, or if you need another device to take video calls on while you work from home, the Fire HD 10 Plus tablet is a good, relatively affordable option. It features wireless charging, 4 GB of RAM, and a 12-hour battery life. Plus, with multiple storage options and the choice between an ad-supported lock screen or an ad-free one, you’ll be able to choose the tablet that’s best for your lifestyle (and your budget).

Save $50 at Amazon

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Save $50 at Amazon

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Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) — $99.99

The latest Echo Show 8 features a few upgrades to its predecessors, including an updated camera, auto-framing for video calls, and a faster processor for easy multitasking. It’s ideal for catching up with loved ones via video call, managing smart home devices, following along with recipes, and more. This is the lowest Amazon price we’ve seen on the 2nd-gen Echo Show 8, so snap if up if you’re interested.

Save $30 at Amazon

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Explore related content:

  • The best smart speakers: See where the Amazon Echo Dot, others rank

  • The best tablet to buy for your kid

  • The best Bluetooth speakers for getting lost in your favorite playlists

PSA: AirPods Pro haven’t been this cheap since *before* Prime Day

SAVE $69.01: Typically $249, Apple’s AirPods Pro are on sale for just $179.99 at Amazon and Walmart as of Aug. 16 — that’s a 28% savings.


In case you haven’t noticed, almost every pair of wireless earbuds released over the past two years has immediately been compared to the AirPods Pro. Lately, that’s included the all-new Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, the recently updated Beats Studio Buds, and Amazon’s improved Echo Buds.

It’s not just because everyone seems to enjoy putting Apple through the wringer — a $250 pair of earbuds should be more than worth their salt. But it’s also because the AirPods Pro have managed to remain the gold standard for noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort to this day, even with all the competition. (And besides, their iPhone connectivity is almost unmatched.)

SEE ALSO:

Apple’s free AirPods promo is back for students and teachers

Still on the fence? There’s rarely been a better time to see what all the fuss is about: As of Aug. 16, both Amazon and Walmart have the AirPods Pro marked down to $179.99. That works out to 28% off their usual retail price, or a savings of just over $69 (nice), which is their biggest discount since mid-February and just $10 away from last Black Friday’s all-time-low price. You simply love to see it.

As a quick recap, the AirPods Pro are an October 2019 release that improved upon the original AirPods (no Pro) with a lightweight design, Active Noise Cancellation, and a Transparency mode that lets the wearer hear some ambient noises while listening to music. (Transparency mode is super useful for when you’re walking on a busy street, waiting for a train, ordering coffee, and other situations where you need to be somewhat aware of your surroundings.) Apple also promises more than 24 hours of battery life and throws in three different pairs of flexible silicone ear tips for a customizable fit.

Hit the link below to order a pair while they’re still sitting at $179.99. Based on past AirPods Pro deals that have come and gone, we’d bet good money they won’t be this cheap for long.

Save $69.01 on Amazon

Credit: Apple

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Save $69.01 at Walmart

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Explore related content:

  • Which wireless earbuds have the best sound? These are our top picks.

  • Best noise-canceling headphones for blocking out the outside world

  • Best headphones for iPhone owners: Think outside the (AirPods) box

Stunning microscopic videos illuminate some of Earth’s deeply hidden mysteries

Each year, we bring you the most compelling microscopic videos from the annual Nikon Small World competition. And each year, the videos paint detailed pictures of entire worlds hidden with our own.

This year’s winning video, showing micro-organisms living symbiotically inside a termite’s gut, helps shine a light on how natural carbon cycles occur in the wild.

What does endemic mean when it comes to COVID?

LaToya Feltus holds her 13-year-old daughter Amya's hand as she gets vaccinated in Louisiana.

First the coronavirus was an epidemic, then it became a pandemic, and now we’re starting to hear over and over again that it’s on its way to becoming endemic. That means COVID will forever be part of our lives in some form, like how the Spanish flu of 1918 morphed over time into the common flus of today.

As we grapple with Delta rage, it’s helpful to understand what endemic means when it comes to COVID both in terms of what we do in the present and what our day-to-day will look like in the future. For starters, even if COVID will eventually become endemic, it doesn’t mean we should give up trying to contain the virus, public health experts have said. And if more of us get vaccinated now, and maybe one day annually, getting COVID may mean a few days of discomfort and then bouncing back to normal until we do it all again the following year.

“There will be a time in the future when life is like it was two years ago: You run up to someone, give them a hug, get an infection, go through half a box of tissues, and move on with your life,” Emory University researcher Jennie Lavine told The Atlantic. “That’s where we’re headed, but we’re not there yet.”

What does endemic mean?

When a disease spikes suddenly in a certain area, that’s an epidemic. When that disease spreads uncontrollably into multiple countries, that’s a pandemic. When it burrows so deep that it constantly hums along, albeit at controlled, predictable levels, that means it’s endemic.

COVID “is too widespread now for us to stop or eradicate from humans, so it will very likely become an endemic disease,” Dr. Rachel L. Roper, a professor at East Carolina University’s medical school who has a doctorate in microbiology and immunology, wrote in an email.

Malaria and dengue are widely thought of as endemic in parts of Africa. The chickenpox is endemic worldwide. Respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, is also endemic in the U.S. It looks like the common cold in most adults and older kids, but can be more serious for babies, potentially causing pneumonia, according to the Mayo Clinic.

With an epidemic, the risks are generally unclear at first, Harvard Immunologist Yonatan Grad told the university’s communications team in a Q&A. If it were endemic, COVID would persist, but it’d spread less rapidly and we’d have systems in place to prevent it from sucking us under more relentless, pounding waves. To arrive at that scenario, we need more immunity and less transmission. Immunity comes from vaccinations and infections, but there is much more to learn about how long it lasts, and at what level, for both.

“Since viruses spread where there are enough susceptible individuals and enough contact among them to sustain spread, it’s hard to anticipate what the timeline will be for the expected shift of COVID-19 to endemicity,” Grad explained. “It’s dependent on factors like the strength and duration of immune protection from vaccination and natural infection, our patterns of contact with one another that allow spread, and the transmissibility of the virus.”

When will COVID be endemic?

Many virologists believe we’re on our way to COVID becoming endemic, but when exactly we’ll flip the switch from dealing with a pandemic to an endemic virus is unclear.

“It really is more of a process where we understand that there’s not going to be uncontrolled community-based spread and that by allocating to COVID-19 the resources that we normally allocate to other endemic conditions [and] are sufficient to keep the infection under control,” Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, said, according to Canadian broadcaster Global News.

Of 119 immunologists, infectious disease researchers, and virologists surveyed earlier in 2021 by the science journal Nature, 89 percent believe COVID will likely or very likely be endemic. An epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Michael Osterholm, told Nature: “Eradicating this virus right now from the world is a lot like trying to plan the construction of a stepping-stone pathway to the moon. It’s unrealistic.”

It’s possible that COVID diminishes in some parts of the world but stubbornly sticks around elsewhere, depending on local public health protocols. The higher the vaccine coverage, the more likely immunity can take hold in a region, Nature reports. For example, the measles have been eradicated from the U.S. as an endemic disease since 2000, but cases flares up now and then due to international travelers (and anti-vaccination misinformation). Remember the Disneyland measles outbreak from 2015?

It’s rare for a disease to completely disappear. Two examples that have been eradicated, according to the World Health Organization, are: smallpox and rinderpest, or cattle plague. Vaccinations played an important part in cutting down both.

Isolation and quarantine stopped the spread of SARS in 2003, Roper said. Roughly 8,000 people were infected in 29 countries at the time, according to the CDC.

How come the vaccines haven’t stopped COVID from becoming endemic yet?

Higher vaccination rates may in some areas eventually stop COVID, but that depends on how many people get vaccines, how long they last, and how effective they are at reducing transmission over time.

As public health officials keep saying, the vaccines are doing what they were expected to do: prevent death and hospitalizations. But not enough people have been vaccinated. We wish a drop of vaccine could magically make COVID go poof, but pharmaceutical companies aren’t fairy godmothers.


“As long as there are people who won’t get vaccinated, it will continue to spread.”

COVID “will hopefully become pretty rare, certainly in the U.S. where we have effective vaccines widely available. But as long as there are people who won’t get vaccinated, it will continue to spread. The more unvaccinated people we have, the more it will spread,” Roper added.

You are way more likely to get COVID if you’re unvaccinated than if you’re vaccinated, according to data compiled by KFF, a health research nonprofit.

The number of unvaccinated globally remains high for a variety of reasons, including political schisms and distrust in the U.S., vaccine hoarding by rich countries, limited access in poorer countries, and logistical issues with some unable to take off work or get childcare when they get jabbed and have to deal with temporary flu-like side effects.

Only 23 percent of the world’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID and 31 percent are partially vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, an online educational resource focused on global living conditions.

So does possible endemicity mean we should give up now?

Getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and social distancing in public spaces can help control overcrowding in hospitals and keep schools, restaurants, and other businesses open, according to The Atlantic. If you have disposable income, you can donate to help people around the world get vaccinated too. How often we have to wear masks or how far away we should stand away from each other depends on the situation, according to the CDC. It may be low risk to walk your dog outside alone without a mask. Same goes for two vaccinated people to stand next to each other and talk without masks on. But the risk increases when the pair chat in a crowded, indoor space surrounded by strangers whose vaccination status varies, healthcare officials have said.

“Even in situations where you have high vaccine coverage, if you’ve got a lot of transmissions then you wouldn’t take your mask off,” Dr. Michael Ryan, a WHO executive said at a press conference earlier this summer.

Just because COVID may become endemic, doesn’t mean we throw out our masks and stop fighting.

As Dr. Arrianna Planey, a medical geographer with a Ph.D. in geography and geographic information science, tweeted, “endemicity is not destiny.”

UPDATE: Aug. 15, 2021, 5:25 p.m. PDT This post has been updated to include comments from Dr. Rachel L. Roper, a microbiology and immunology professor at East Carolina University’s medical school and add information about RSV.

Alabama rush TikToks are huge, but they also remind us of sororities’ racist, elitist culture

I could watch Alabama rush TikToks for hours, but sororities aren't as pretty as they seem.

They say you know a sorority girl when you see one, and boy, have I seen some lately.

If you were scrolling TikTok at all this past week, it’s likely that your For You Page was at some point taken over by college freshmen at the University of Alabama, most of them showing off their outfits of the day (OOTDs). While OOTD videos are not new, these were all for a very specific event: sorority recruitment, better known as rush week.

One user's OOTD for rush week.

One user’s OOTD for rush week.
Credit: screenshot: TikTok/@ebbabyyy

Another typical OOTD example, from a different user.

Another typical OOTD example, from a different user.
Credit: Screenshot: TikTok/@reeseboo11

#BamaRush, as it’s aptly tagged on TikTok, has stolen the hearts of unassuming TikTok viewers everywhere. The videos themselves are simple: college-aged women getting dressed for their events, showing off their outfits and naming where each dress, shoe, and accessory came from. It’s frilly and fabulous, and it’s impossible to look away.

Several elements tie these videos together. Firstly, every named clothing item seems to be from the same (expensive) stores and brands. Kendra Scott, Steve Madden, and Pants Store (which, contrary to the name, sells more than pants) are the Alabama rush uniform. Secondly, all of the girls drop some very confusing lingo, including Philanthropy Day, blacklisted, Old Row, Pref Day, and PNM.

And thirdly, almost all of the #RushTok main characters are white women.

Yes, the pomp and circumstance of Alabama’s rush process is undeniably fun. And after almost 18 months of cancelled events (including rush at Alabama last year, which was entirely virtual), it’s thrilling to see college students get dressed up to have some innocent fun while participating in school traditions. But TikTok’s obsession with Alabama’s sorority recruitment has paved the way for the next trend: explainer videos on the racist and elitist history of Alabama’s Greek life.

OK, what exactly is rush? And why do we care so much about Alabama’s?

Sorority recruitment, aka rush, is supposed to be a mutual selection process where girls who are interested in joining Greek life visit each chapter on their campus, at events often called “parties.” At each of these parties, the potential new members (PNMs) chat with the current members to learn about their organizations in a highly orchestrated flow of conversations.

After each day of parties, the PNMs submit a ranked list of every sorority they visited, from the ones they’d most like to join to the least. The sororities also rank every single girl their members talked to, from the ones they’d most like to join to the least. A mysterious algorithm then analyzes these lists to best match them up for the next day’s events. The list slowly dwindles over the days, until each girl is hopefully left with her ideal sorority match.

The University of Alabama’s rush process is extremely integral to not only campus culture, but American college culture as a whole. In short, Alabama does it best. The school has 18 Panhellenic sororities, with 7,600 active members, according to the Alabama Panhellenic Association. Each of these organizations pulls out all the stops every rush season, hoping to attract the best and brightest women to their organizations. And the physical location of the university, in Tuscaloosa, AL, is home to a long line of Southern sorority traditions.

Basically, the world of Alabama Greek life is super secretive, expansive, and exclusive, and the sheer mystery of such a glamorous process can’t help but be interesting. Whether you participated in Greek life in college or had never even heard of it, the TikToks taking over FYPs everywhere let viewers in on a little bit of the fantasy, told through the lenses of the girls going through it themselves in what feels like a reality TV show.

Meet Makayla, TikTok’s biracial rush queen and the impetus for anti-Alabama rush videos

As the events of rush week happened, several girls kept reappearing on many users’ feeds. While most of them were the aforementioned white women, user @whatwouldjimmybuffetdo, whose first name is Makayla, quickly became a fan favorite as one of the only women of color on #RushTok. She clearly identified herself as biracial, after some commenters accused her of using tanning beds to make her skin darker.

Makayla posted the same OOTD videos as everyone else, and seemed to be enjoying the rush process. But after completing most of rush, she updated her fans to let them know that she had been dropped by every single sorority on campus. She would not be receiving a bid due to rumors of a video that showed her underage drinking, which broke the strict recruitment rules. Makayla went on to address the video in her TikToks, saying that she was not in fact drinking in it and she was unfairly eliminated.

This cued the onslaught of criticism against Alabama’s rush process. While it’s true that many women do get cut during the process, the seemingly unfair dismissal of Makayla reminded several Greek life alumni of the often racist qualifications that sororities use to choose PNMs.

“We have to keep the same energy across the board, We have to apply the rules the same to everybody,” said TikTok user and Alabama Phi Mu alum Marissa Lee. “We can’t have this trend where, if you’re going to be a woman of color or if you’re going to be a different person in an environment, then you have to be above reproach, then you have to be exceptional.”

While we can’t know if Makayla’s racial identity had anything to do with her rush fate, it’s impossible to ignore the glaringly racist tendencies of Alabama’s sororities. According to NPR, Alabama’s sororities weren’t desegregated until 2013.

Read that again. Black women were not allowed to join Panhellenic sororities at the University of Alabama until eight years ago, likely under the antiquated rules of their national organizations. And in less documented realities, the social norms that dictate who makes it into the “best” sororities at many universities often leaves out anyone who isn’t white and wealthy.

“The top houses know who they want before anyone even walks in their doors,” said TikTok user Cedoni Francis, a Vanderbilt University alum speaking more broadly about Greek life. “Because these are the girls who people have gone to summer camp with, these are the girls that people have rode horses with their entire life, these are the girls you go to high school with. Elitism breeds elitism.”

Francis also explains how the classist dues and fines structures bar low-income students from joining sororities and the statutes that forbid non-white members, leading to a lack of economic, racial, and ethnic diversity in Greek life everywhere.

The problem isn’t only with Alabama’s sororities, and the TikTok craze should reignite a bigger conversation about Greek life culture.

This isn’t the first time the issues of racism, classism, and sexism have surfaced in the Greek life scene. Around June 2020, several universities saw the Abolish Greek Life movement gain traction on social media due to members coming forward with stories of blatant discrimination and sexual assault only made possible through Greek life’s culture.

“People of color drop out of recruitment and out of their organizations at disproportionate rates due to the systemic oppression and racial violence that they experience as part of these organizations,” reads an Instagram post from @abolishnugreeklife, the account leading the movement at Northwestern University. “No number of [diversity and inclusion] workshops is gonna fix that.”

While some of these universities did see certain Greek chapters close their doors as a result of the movement, many remained open and operating without much change — all of Alabama’s chapters among them. With this most recent fascination in Alabama’s sorority scene and the examination into Greek life’s roots, it could be a chance to once again seriously discuss the consequences of Greek life’s structures.

“Greek life should be abolished for more reasons than excluding marginalized peoples,” reads an @abolishgreek_alabama post. “Even if you had a great experience with Greek life as a minority, you are complicit in a system that endangers students and perpetuates assault, sexism, alcoholism, elitism, and homophobia among other things.”

Yes, the dresses are pretty and the Southern drawls are enchanting, but when Alabama’s rush season concludes and the reality TV show-like haze has lifted, we won’t be remembering the white women who got bids to their dream sororities. We’ll be thinking of girls like Makayla, who may just be the latest victim of decades-long racism, and hoping that the TikToks that explain why this happens can start the path towards change.

T-Mobile is investigating a reported data breach. It sounds like a bad one.

T-Mobile customers should probably keep an eye out for suspicious activity on any accounts that might be tied to their customer profile.

T-Mobile customers may want to brace for some bad news.

The mobile service provider is investigating a reported data breach that may have exposed the private info of more than 100 million people. The would-be perpetrator is apparently trying to sell off a portion of the data, Vice noted in a Sunday report.

The site spoke with the anonymous author of a forum post offering up roughly one-third of the T-Mobile USA customer data in exchange for 6 bitcoins (worth a bit less than $280,000 as of Aug. 15). While it could all be BS, Vice was able to look at samples of the data and confirm that the seller has “accurate information on T-Mobile customers.”

The stolen data, which was reportedly obtained from multiple T-Mobile servers, is filled with identifying information, including names, addresses, and phone numbers; social security numbers; IMEI numbers, which are unique to each mobile device; and driver’s license info. It’s not clear if this data is available for every person exposed in the breach, but the seller did confirm to Vice that their access to T-Mobile’s servers has been cut off.

T-Mobile hasn’t yet responded to Mashable’s request for comment, but the company did tell Vice that it’s “aware of claims made in an underground forum” and is now “actively investigating their validity.”

On the one hand, it’s entirely possible that the seller is misrepresenting the scope of the breach and/or the contents of the information they claim to be selling. T-Mobile likely isn’t going to say anything until there’s a clearer sense of the risks its customers are actually facing. Vice reviewed some of the data and confirmed its authenticity, but who’s to say the seller isn’t pulling a fast one with, say, previously leaked data?

That said, waiting on a giant company to be transparent in situations like this isn’t always the best idea. T-Mobile’s first priority is to its bottom line and the people who own shares in the company. If you are (or even just were) a T-Mobile customer, it might be a good idea to watch for suspicious activity on your accounts until there’s more clarity.

Meet Nestflix, the fake streaming service for fictional shows from real movies and TV

We'd still probably struggle to pick what to watch tonight.

Horsin’ Around. Sunrise Bay. The Manny. None of those things exist in our universe, but they’re entertainment staples in the world of BoJack Horseman, Schitt’s Creek, and This Is Us respectively.

The technical term for a fake show within a show is a “nested story,” and there are a lot of them that we who inhabit this reality will never get to watch. Web designer and artist Lynn Fisher, whose website is a veritable toy box for pop culture aficionados, has given us a glimpse of what a streaming service might look like in the fictional world of TV shows by creating Nestflix, a scrollable Netflix dupe that only lists nested shows and films.

Fisher’s attention to detail in Nestflix is seriously impressive. Each entry has a thumbnail with thematically appropriate lettering, a short summary, a list of in-universe actors or directors who “worked” on it, and of course the name of the original project in which the show is nested.

Mashable Image


Credit: Lynn Fisher

In an email to Mashable, Fisher said she’s always been a fan of nested stories and has been “mentally collecting” them since she found out Angels with Filthy Souls from Home Alone wasn’t a real movie years ago. She was also motivated to make Nestflix when Schitt’s Creek released a fake trailer for Moira Rose’s The Crows Have Eyes 3, because “that level of dedicated meta definitely sparked something in me that this could be a real project.”

Nestflix isn’t a comprehensive site yet, and Fisher has received hundreds of submissions from fans who want to add their favorite nested shows to the site. At the time of publishing she’s only fully added one suggestion to the site (Lieutenant Diablo from Lucifer, the most common request according to Fisher), but plans to add more from the 700+ submissions she’s received.

Fisher also has a solid rubric for what does and doesn’t count as a nested show. “I’m not currently adding films or shows that aren’t seen on screen,” she wrote. “Lots of classics are only mentioned in dialogue or shown as a poster in the background. A lot of the Seinfeld ones are like this unfortunately, as iconic as they are.”

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There’s also the question of shows-within-shows-within-shows (“may include them eventually in a ‘fake fake’ category or something”) and whether or not fake trailers from Saturday Night Live count (“They technically are films/shows within a show, but they aren’t nested within a greater narrative”).

Some of Fisher’s other projects include a complete menu of all the food mentioned in The Good Place, a tool that lets you dress up David Rose in any of his iconic outfits from Schitt’s Creek, and an interactive list of airports and how they got their three-letter codes (no really, it’s fascinating). When asked what tips an idea over from something she thinks might be cool to something she puts her time into creating, Fisher wrote that presentation and size are both important factors:

“I think it’s the matching of presentation and having enough content to realize it. Nested films and shows could just be a wiki technically, but wouldn’t be nearly as fun. It’s the combination of the recognizable streaming interface plus 400+ titles to choose from. Once I fit those things together, it felt like it could be real and special.”

Of course as Nestflix proves, something doesn’t necessarily have to be real to be special. But the fact that Nestflix exists at all is a testament to Fisher’s creative mastery.

“My medium is the web,” she wrote, “so an idea I have has to make a compelling website first and foremost. Once I figure out how the information can be presented in that way, it usually goes smoothly from there!”