Marvel Studios didn’t give anyone other than attractive white men the top billing on a movie until almost 10 years into the life of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the 2018 release of Black Panther.

It was a historic box office winner. Now, in 2021, we’ve had Scarlet Johansson headline a Black Widow that earned almost $80 million dollars, despite being released during a pandemic with a simultaneous streaming premier on Disney+. And here we are again, a couple months later, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a Marvel interpretation of wuxia cinema led by Simu Liu, shattering the all-time U.S. Labor Day box office record.

Over the three-day period from Friday to Sunday, Shang-Chi earned an estimated $71.4 million in North American ticket sales. It added another $56.2 million from overseas markets. Neither of these numbers — which Comscore’s report notes “obliterated” previous estimates — account for Labor Day, which is currently projected to add another $10-15 million to the global total.

Shang-Chi‘s North American total is a box office record for Labor Day, with its $71.4 million more than doubling the previous record set by 2007’s Halloween remake, which earned $30.6 million over the four-day weekend. So yeah, Ten Rings is doing pretty all right numbers.

We love to see it. Marvel may be late to inclusive top billings, but that doesn’t devalue the success of releases like this one. Black Panther was a box office monster, and it still ranks as the second-highest earner among MCU releases in North America. Shang-Chi‘s opening is considerably smaller, but it’s also Marvel’s first-ever release for the typically sleepy Labor Day weekend.

We can only wonder what the weekend would’ve looked like if there was no global pandemic. But Marvel’s theatrical fortunes have been a rare bright spot in 2021’s COVID-addled box office. With not even one full weekend in the books, Shang-Chi immediately slides into the year’s top 10 earners, between Free Guy and the Space Jam sequel. (Black Widow is currently #1.)

There’s something to be said for the star power inherent in a Marvel production. Shang-Chi isn’t the most well-known comic book superhero, and until this movie Liu was better known for his TV work. But with the Marvel stamp (and the MCU stamp specifically) on Ten Rings, both the character and the star who plays him get an immediate boost. That’s a win for everyone.

There have been plenty of missteps along the way, make no mistake. The franchise’s first canonically gay character, for example, didn’t show up until more than a year after Black Panther, and it was a bit player appearing in just one scene. Even as recently as 2021, there are still signs that Marvel isn’t ready to center anything other than heteronormative representations of love and relationships.

There’s also Black Panther itself. The MCU kicked off with Iron Man in May 2008. Black Panther released in Feb. 2018, almost a decade later. There were 17 movies before it, worth billions in ticket and home video sales. And while there was some Black representation in the MCU prior to 2018, it’s hard to make the case that Marvel was banking on anything other than the power of its brand and its predominantly white, male stars to propel the franchise.

Since then, we’ve gotten Captain Marvel, led by Brie Larson. We got the Disney+ series WandaVision, led by Elizabeth Olsen. There was also the Captain America and the Winter Soldier streaming series, which delved directly into racial issues (albeit imperfectly) and introduced Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, who is Black, as the next Captain America.

There’s more coming, too: A Ms. Marvel series starring the young up-and-comer Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan; a She-Hulk series starring Tatiana Maslany as the eponymous green-skinned lawyer for superhumans; a Moon Knight series starring Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector, who is Jewish (somewhat problematically, Isaac has Jewish heritage though he wasn’t raised that way); and more beyond that, including a Black Panther sequel and a Disney+ take on Ironheart, led by Dominique Thorne. There’s also November’s Eternals, which features a diverse ensemble.

I’m not trying to sit here and say Marvel Studios is perfect with this stuff, or that it’s going to get things right every single time. But if Shang-Chi, which centers Asian and Asian-American perspectives for the first time in the MCU, can dominate at the box office during the historically chill Labor Day weekend, and while we’re still mired in a devastating pandemic, maybe it’s a sign Marvel is learning how to actively leverage its immense power over the entertainment industry in positive ways.

Welcome to Porn Week, Mashable’s annual close up on the business and pleasure of porn.

Over the last five years, the adult industry titan MindGeek — best known as the parent company behind Pornhub, Brazzers, and a slew of other popular porn studios and tube sites — has gone all in on developing and promoting one of its most seemingly niche endeavors: Nutaku, a platform devoted to the development and distribution of hentai games, which are explicitly sexual and animated.

Some of Nutaku’s top-rated hentai games include: King of Kinks, an RPG in which players build a party of (at most) scantily clad fantasy heroines, then “stumble upon inhuman beauties, ready to suck you dry.” Booty Farm, a dating sim that the site promises will “get XXX very fast.” And Merge Nymphs, a puzzle game that rewards success with sexual tableaus featuring cartoon women that the game bills as both “eco-friendly and dick-friendly.”

Since its 2015 launch, Nutaku, with MindGeek’s backing, has notably invested millions in hentai game development, and organized numerous extravagant marketing gimmicks, like a New York arts exhibition titled Hentai Is Art, to build the brand — and get unfamiliar Western consumers a bit more comfortable with the concept of cartoon sex, long associated primarily with the Japanese porn world. The platform has also inserted avatars of some of Pornhub’s most popular performers into its biggest games, clearly connecting the venture to the wider MindGeek ecosystem, and all the clout and eyes that come with it. The cartoonified facsimile of porn star Asa Akira even wears a Pornhub-branded tank top during her appearance in the dating sim Booty Calls… briefly.

As of 2021, ads for Nutaku, or games it offers, are a common fixture not only on MindGeek sites, but also many other adult venues. The platform hosts “over 500 lewd games!” And announcements for new Nutaku titles or initiatives land in adult industry trade publications every few days.

“It’s readily apparent that a ton of money has gone into the platform,” said Geoffrey Celen of The Porn Dude, a prominent review site that ranks adult gaming platforms.

Nutaku claims that MindGeek has been willing to invest in it because the porn powerhouse simply wants to tap a huge, underserved market for hentai games. But a number of adult industry insiders and observers, as well as information security experts, suspect there may be another motive at play: the absolutely obscene amount of user data that companies can potentially mine out of porn games. Data is, after all, far better than cash in the bank for any modern digital company — but its rampant collection is extremely worrying for any modern digital consumer.

MindGeek most likely did need a uniquely compelling motive, beyond the mere glimmer of a potential market, to devote so much effort to Nutaku’s growth and visibility, because the platform poses a real risk to the company’s wider endeavors. The conglomerate has expended considerable effort over the last decade trying to garner mainstream cultural acceptance and social respectability. However, hentai games have a decidedly bad reputation among MindGeek’s core Western consumer base.

They’re often popularly associated with stilted and immature writing, cheap and disconcerting graphics, and gleeful depictions of sexual assault, implicit or explicit underage sex, and acts of rampant misogyny — all of which do crop up far too frequently in hentai content. Hentai games also have a history of deception and disappointment — like advertising the horniest content ever, only to deliver a half-assed clone of a game like Call of Duty with a splash of sexualized graphics or a few jerky NSFW cut scenes. Or a collection of sex mini-games that just involve button-mashing and stiff, repetitive thrusts and moans. Since at least the late 1980s, far too many hentai games have also been little more than trojan horses for computer viruses and credential phishing scams.

“There even seems to be a stigma [against porn games] from people who like traditional porn,” said Michelle Clough, chair of the International Game Developers Association’s Romance and Sexuality Special Interest Group.

Hentai’s historical reputation is so bad that some popular gaming platforms categorically refuse to even consider carrying porn games. Even Nutaku has openly and repeatedly acknowledged the genre’s entrenched image issue, and the challenges of working against it, in official statements.

It’s always hard to pin down one definitive explanation for a big decision like MindGeek’s seemingly bold bet on Nutaku — in large part because they usually stem from multiple distinct motivating forces operating in parallel. However, the appeal of the type and level of user data hentai games stand to offer may pack enough appeal for a company like MindGeek to overcome a fair amount of apparent reputational risk.

What’s more, MindGeek has built abundant permissions for data collection and dissemination right into Nutaku’s privacy policy. Nutaku reserves the right to collect information on pretty much everything a user does on the site or app, share all that info with other MindGeek sites for “customization of content, advertising, and analytics,” and send aggregated data, sans personally identifiable details, to anyone, “without restriction.” The policy adds that this data “may be used to develop content and services that we hope you and other users will find of interest.”

It’s The (Adult) Economy, Stupid

When asked about the potential appeal of data derived from hentai gaming for a company like MindGeek, Nutaku communications manager Jay Acevedo avoided offering a direct answer.

He claimed MindGeek decided to launch Nutaku because it noticed “massive consumer demand for adult games in the West.” The Nutaku team has also seen signs of cultural change, he added, that may portend an erosion of the stigmas around fusing adult content and gaming that made it tricky to serve this market in the past.

Acevedo seemed confident that he and his team can “do the necessary pushes to help break that stigma,” although he acknowledged that “there is still so much to do.”

Adult and video game industry observers say there is certainly something to this explanation.

“There’s always been some desire for sexual content in games among gaming fans,” Matthew Wysocki, a professor of communications at Flagler University, a liberal arts college in Florida, who studies both porn and video games, said. Notably, the early explicit dating sim Softporn Adventure (1979), sold about 25,000 copies — to an apparently eager market of about 100,000 Apple II home computer owners.

“There’s always been some desire for sexual content in games among gaming fans.”

However, once video games started to become a proper industry, major U.S. retailers made it clear that they would not sell adult content, both to appease censorious cultural forces and to lean into the initial trend of marketing video games primarily towards children. For decades, this has made it hard for most consumers to encounter any porn games, much less well-produced content, or to feel safe when buying them off of some rinky-dink retailer in a seedy back alley of the internet.

Yet the persistent supply of cheap, crappy hentai games — and even their use as a consistent, and thus presumably moderately successful, vehicle for scams — speaks to an unyielding underlying demand. As do intensive fan efforts to mod mainstream games to add sexual content like basic nudity into them.

Then, over the last decade major mainstream games, like entries in the Baldur’s Gate, God of War, and Witcher series, started to feature increasingly explicit sexual content, in recognition of the maturing demographics and desires of video game consumers. Simultaneously, the democratization of game development tools and tutorials, and the rise of crowdfunding platforms, enabled a burst of no-holds-barred indie game development, Wysocki explained. A fair number of these indie producers found success creating openly NSFW games, attracting loyal followers, and avoiding censorship on these platforms in the mid-2010s. These developments sent clear signals of cultural change.

Still, many digital retailers remain reticent to embrace adult games. And game developers complain that many of the mainstream retailers and crowdfunding platforms that do in theory allow explicit adult content seem to place opaque caveats around that permission, leading to sporadic and seemingly capricious crackdowns on select hentai games.

This heady combination of unleashed creation and demand, yet uncertain marketplaces, all but demanded the creation of new hubs — like Nutaku — that offer a secure haven for creators, and a well-curated one-stop-shop for consumers to browse without worrying about scams, their privacy, or egregiously awful content.

Nutaku has notably voiced a commitment to keeping depictions of violent, underage, and incestuous sex off of its platform through proactive pre-release review processes. (However, critics argue that the site has featured plenty of games that involve sexual pressure or duplicity, characters who appear worryingly young, and absolutely rampant misogyny over the years.)

“It would be leaving money on the table for big adult companies to stay out of this,” Celen noted.

Porn’s data drive

But companies leave theoretical gobs of cash on proverbial tables all the time. So, simply establishing why MindGeek could in theory viably explore the hentai gaming space does not necessarily say anything about why the company would take the gamble inherent in doing so.

One obvious explanation for MindGeek’s foray into this space would be that it expected a hefty payout for taking risks and making investments. Nutaku registration is free, but users have to pay to purchase around 90 percent of its games.

However, the majority of Nutaku titles cost between $1 and $10, and many of its top games are free-to-play. Its games do lean heavily on micro-transactions, which always have the potential to net tidy sums. But we do not have any good information on Nutaku’s raw profitability now, much less what MindGeek made of its earnings potential in 2015 — around the same time Wysocki says making money on games mainly via micro-transactions was just starting to gain acceptance in the gaming world overall.

However, we do know that rich and robust data always appeals to the adult industry. Strongly.

Although they don’t broadcast the fact, pornographers are incredibly hungry for user data. Just like other media companies, they want to use it to guide content creation — to shoot photos and films that will keep people glued to screens as long, and coming back to a site as often, as possible.

Data also helps porn companies put the right videos in front of each consumer, driving up subscriptions, sales, and other site transactions as well as time spent on the platform. Increased page engagement times can boost a site’s appeal to advertisers, and their willingness to pay for space. And selling data itself, or insights drawn from it, to companies eager to best tailor and target their own products and marketing can potentially net particularly tidy profits.

This potential income is all especially important in a porn world that has been economically devastated over the last decade — largely by the advent of free porn sites, including many of MindGeek’s.

“Porn is merely a strategy for collecting user data.”

“MindGeek is a web development company first and foremost. Porn is merely a strategy for collecting user data,” said Brandon Arroyo, a porn researcher and host of the podcast Porno Cultures.

Yet the adult industry has not always been great at accumulating robust, actionable data. That’s partially because viewing porn is a very passive experience, Celen points out. Consumers “type in a keyword or browse a little, do their business, and they’re done in five to seven minutes.”

At best, sites can look at all the search and browsing activity connected to one IP address, device, and browser to build up a dossier on a user. Notably, most sites in theory have the capacity to track how long an individual lingered on a page, what parts of a clip they watched, whether they were actively on a page while the clip played, and a host of other ancillary details. Then they can aggregate this sort of user data, and fill it in with some best guesses about demographics, to develop the broad-level insights they so desire. But the brevity of active engagement with porn, as well as the active efforts some consumers make to confuse or mislead adult sites especially in bids to safeguard their sexual privacy, mean that this data has some hard and fast limitations.

Porn companies may try to supplement these basic insights with richer, and more definitively demographically pegged survey data. Brazzers periodically puts out a blitz of aggressive ads asking consumers to fill out its questionnaires. But people tend to lie on surveys, even when they’re anonymous, and especially when they cover taboo topics. And there’s likely a degree of selection bias in who, even among porn viewers, is willing to fill out an entire survey on the topic. So, even this seemingly heartier source of potential data is likewise hobbled from the get-go.

How your games can watch you

Gaming is a much more active, engaged digital activity, with players constantly making subtle choices that, when played online — as most hentai games are — can all in theory be monitored.

“Every gaming choice is effectively like a survey question,” Rob Shavell of the data security firm Abine said. But it’s a question answered, typically, without the belief that anyone is in fact watching, and may therefore be more honest, on average, than a standard survey response.

“Some groups have begun designing games specifically for market research,” Shavell noted.

In adult games, users constantly make decisions, whether by creating an avatar or selecting the dating sim character they want to pursue or picking a kink from a list in an RPG, Wysocki points out, that add up to comparatively massive sexual data troves.

“There’s a lot of data to be gotten just from watching people mash buttons,” concurred Chris Ling, CEO of Sekai Project, a video game publisher whose sister company, Denpasoft, has licensed, translated, and published adult games from Japan for a Western audience since 2014.

He added that, since Denpasoft focuses on visual novels that don’t involve many active choices, “that’s not our business.” However, he wouldn’t be surprised if tracking decision-making is core to other companies’ profit strategies.

Notably, many of the games on Nutaku seem to involve ample active decision-making.

What’s more, Shavell points out that almost every adult game platform requires registration and age verification — often including credit card details for games that involve micro-transactions. This allows them to potentially collect more detailed, reliable user demographic information than they could in most circumstances, “under the auspices of being compliant with regulations.”

According to Acevedo, as of 2021 Nutaku has over 60 million registered users, and continues to experience exponential growth. Past analyses of hentai gamers have suggested that the majority play games every day.

Whether or not data collection played a key role in MindGeek’s development and promotion of Nutaku, that is an obscene fuckton of ever-growing, ever-enticing user information sitting there, waiting for the analytics-happy company to make free use of it.

More data, more problems

It’s easy to accept the data collection potential inherent in Nutaku and other hentai gaming sites as just another neutral fact of the modern digital world. After all, we’re constantly smearing data around the internet in implicit exchange for almost every digital product or service we enjoy. And adult sites actually tend to have an unusually strong interest in protecting user data, given the PR crisis they’d face if any of that prurient content leaked out into the world unintentionally.

But there are always risks associated with heavy data collection.

“Attacks against game platforms are common,” Shavell said, as fraudsters are eager to access personal data on them. For example, recent research from the cybersecurity firm Akamai showed that, between 2018 and 2020, American gaming platforms suffered upwards of 10 billion “credential stuffing” attempts, in which scammers try to plug username and password pairs they’ve picked up from prior leaks across the internet into a platform to find accounts to invade.

Nutaku’s policies also acknowledge that, like most sites, it uses third party services, which independently collect information on user actions — each of which has its own policies on what it collects, protects, and shares. As is likewise standard, Nutaku does not vouch for or meaningfully restrict how those sites handle information that they collect from site users.

Beyond personal privacy concerns, we already know that when adult content creators get their hands on even a smidgen of consumer data they don’t necessarily use it to make content that better represents the full spectrum of human sexuality, learning about and filling every reasonable unmet niche and by so doing ideally helping us all explore our identities and desires. They’re businesses, ultimately driven by their bottom lines. So, they typically use data to gain a more refined sense of who their most lucrative consumers are, current or potential, and of the types of content that best attracts, engages, and retains these folks. Then, they double down on that content exactly. At its worst, this can artificially amplify some niche trends or desires, while suppressing other broad ones. The accumulation of more robust data troves, like those hentai gaming platforms potentially offer, may risk accelerating this warping, homogenizing tendency.

Subtle biases in datasets can also lead to significant errors in judgment or action. And rich as it may seem, data drawn from hentai game sites will likely contain plenty of biases. Notably, while Nutaku has made conscious efforts to increase its female and queer user bases, it is still largely male and straight — mirroring traditional video game consumer target demographics. (Clough of the International Game Developers Association, suspects this is because, to her eye, most of the site’s ostensibly female- and LGBTQ-friendly content feels like it was made by heterosexual men, filtering their best guesses at what other groups might want through their own perspectives and desires. It’s also, she added, still buried under a mountain of far more aggressively made-for-a-male-gaze hentai content — which can be very off-putting to outsiders.)

Nutaku users also often interact with, and make decisions within the context of, games that still reflect some of the field’s worst misogynistic tendencies: They frame women as collectibles to catch and ogle. They treat sex as an inevitable prize for following a proper sequence of actions. They all too often guide users towards aggressive, coercive, or otherwise simply shitty decisions to obtain their desired prizes. This overt priming and choice funneling introduces more potential subtle biases, which may be much harder to catch and control for than simple demographic skews.

And those unchecked biases could end up helping to drive the creation of content that reinforces these toxic tropes — not just within the relatively narrow and self-reinforcing ecosystem of one hentai gaming site but throughout the wider porn world.

Keep reading

• A beginner’s guide to the best porn games

• The best alternatives to Pornhub and Xvideos

• How to watch VR porn: Everything you need to know

• Porn ushered in a golden age of TV dicks

• Can’t figure out what kind of porn to consume? This handy infographic can help

Awards are cool, sure. But have you ever received a shout-out in an episode of Ted Lasso?

If you think football is life, frequently crave biscuits, try to be a goldfish when times get tough, and believe in “Believe,” you’ll likely agree that being referenced in the wholesome sports comedy is one of the highest honors a person can receive.

Like Season 1 of Ted Lasso, Season 2, which started streaming on Apple TV+ July 23, is packed with witty jokes and pop culture references galore. Ted and his Richmond crew love to name drop celebrities, bands, authors, and other noteworthy figures. And because the show is so good, sometimes those celebrities just can’t help but gush over their shout-outs.

Here are a few familiar faces who’ve already responded to their mentions in Ted Lasso Season 2.

1. Lin-Manuel Miranda

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This exchange between Coach Lasso and Coach Beard was stunning. But isn’t it even better knowing that at the end of the day even Miranda — an actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, playwright, and so on — knows that football is life? You love to see it.

2. Reba McEntire

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Thanks to Ted, Roy Kent used the alias “Reba McEntire” to pick up his Richmond tickets. Reba (aka Red Lasso) shared on Twitter that she couldn’t believe her ears when she heard her name in Season 2, Episode 5, and since then, Ted assured her that if she ever wants to attend a game she can pick her tickets up under the name “Roy Kent.” Adorable.

3. Pearl Jam

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Not even the great Pearl Jam could resist getting into the Ted Lasso spirit. You have to admit: That’s inspiring.

4. Drew Barrymore

What’s better than watching Ted Lasso’s speech about believing in rom-communism? Watching rom-com icon Drew Barrymore watch Ted’s rom-communism speech and scream over her shout-out, of course.

5. Diane Sawyer

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Seeing legendary broadcast news journalist Diane Sawyer tweet for the first time in over a year to shoot her shot with Ted Lasso? We ship.

6. Brené Brown

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Brené Brown, like any true Ted Lasso fan would be, was perfectly cool and chill when she learned about her Season 2 shout-out. No big deal. Nothing to see here, right Coach Beard?

7. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

And of course, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney went to great lengths to respond to their Ted Lasso joke. To recap: Higgins told Rebecca he’d just received a call from AFC Wrexham’s new owners, “showbix magnates,” Reynolds and McElhenney.

“I can’t tell if them buying the club is a joke or not,” Higgins concluded.

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For context, the actors and friends co-own the Welsh football club under the company “RR McReynolds,” and per a very official looking letter, they requested that Ted Lasso cease and desist from casting doubt on their ownership. In said letter they also referenced another popular Apple TV+ comedy (Mythic Quest, in which McElhenney stars) and threatened to take legal action if they didn’t receive two large boxes of Ted’s biscuits in a timely manner.

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As you would imagine, Ted delivered.

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Fans are introduced to a new batch of sharp jokes and pop culture references with each new episode of Ted Lasso. Some are glaringly obvious, while others are extremely subtle. But the special few that reach the eyes of the sources who inspired them are perhaps some of the greatest.

We’ll be sure to update the list with any future celebrity responses.

The first six episodes of Ted Lasso Season 2 are now streaming on Apple TV+, with new episodes every Friday.

Magic: The Gathering‘s new werewolf-themed set Innistrad: Midnight Hunt will put wolf packs in its card packs later this month, unleashing lycans on the trading card game once more.

Nineteen double-faced werewolf cards are among the 277 new cards arriving in the game’s 89th expansion, which is the first of two upcoming Gothic horror themed sets. But while the vicious vampires of Innistrad: Crimson Vow are due to arrive on Nov. 19, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt’s werewolves are leading the hunt on Sept. 24.

Ahead of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt’s release, Mashable can exclusively reveal a new card arriving in the set: Defend the Celestus.

Defend the Celestus
Credit: Wizards of the coast

Defend the Celestus is an Uncommon Green Instant card that gives you three +1/+1 counters to divide as you wish among any creatures on the battlefield that you control. +1/+1 counters increase a creature’s Power/Toughness rating, which is essentially their damage and health. So if a creature’s rating is 3/5, giving them a +1/+1 counter would bump that up to 4/6.

You could distribute Defend the Celestus’ counters evenly between three creatures to give them all a small boost, because you love all your kids equally. Alternatively you could dump all your counters on one hulking brute, buffing them up three times like a gym bro who’s overdone it on the ‘roids. The power is yours.

The fact that Defend the Celestus is an Instant also lets you play it whenever you wish, meaning you could spring it during an opponent’s turn to transform an otherwise certain defeat into a sound victory. That is, provided you have the mana to cast it. Defend the Celestus costs four mana to play including two Green, which is a substantial amount to keep untapped and on standby for use. Even so, it’ll be worth it if it saves your pack from being overrun.

Magic: The Gathering‘s Innistrad: Midnight Hunt set will be released Sept. 24.

TL;DR: Grab a Sharper Image Antimicrobial 1,000 Thread Count Sheet Set on sale for $69.99 (regularly $79) as of Sept. 5.

Labor Day isn’t just an excuse to rest up and take a much-deserved break from your desk job. It’s also a chance to score some serious savings.

If you’ve already jumped on the best Labor Day mattress deals, don’t forget to upgrade your bedding as well. This Sharper Image Antimicrobial 1,000 Thread Count Sheet Set for king-sized beds infuses comfort with technology to keep you comfy as you sleep. And for a limited time, it’s on sale for over 10% off. 

These sheets are naturally antimicrobial and help prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria that lingers on fabrics. For germaphobes or anyone who just wants cleaner, healthier sleep, this set is a must-have.

Regularly, the Sharper Image Antimicrobial 1,000 Thread-Count King Sheet Set retails for $79. But for Labor Day weekend, you can slash the price down to just $69.99 and invest in better sleep for cheap. The set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, and comes in your choice of white, gray, sand, or blue. This deal is only available for a limited time, so act fast.

TL;DR: Make movie night memorable with the Prima 1080p HD Pocket Projector, on sale for $229 — that’s 71% off — as of Sept. 5.

Fall is right around the corner, much to the dismay of summer lovers everywhere. But that just means outdoor activities will actually be enjoyable again — like lighting up a backyard bonfire or actually having a pleasant jog. It’s also the perfect excuse to invest in a projector. 

Setting up an outdoor cinema, complete with cozy furniture, blankets, popcorn, and a projector makes you feel like a kid again in the best way. Luckily for you, the Prima 1080p HD Pocket Projector is on sale for just a fraction of its regular price.

The Prima projector is about the size of an iPhone, so you can take it with you anywhere to set up a cinematic experience with a screen up to 200 inches.

Powered by Android, with a 64-bit quad-core processor, the Prima gives you access to the Google Play Store, where you can download apps and stream directly from your projector. It connects via Bluetooth, WiFi, or plug-in media via multiple built-in ports, including HDMI, USB, and micro SD. Having multiple connectivity options is extremely helpful in scenarios where an internet connection is not available.

You can enjoy up to three hours of video playback and up to 30 hours of audio playback on a single charge, or just keep your Prima plugged in for ultra-long family movie sessions. With the included tripod and remote control, setup will be a breeze no matter where your fall adventures take you.

For a limited time, you can snag the Prima 1080p HD Pocket Projector on sale for just $229 (regularly $799).

TL;DR: Try your hand at coding with the Learn Java Programming course bundle on sale for $39.99 as of Sept. 5.

Java is one of the most popular programming languages, so it makes sense that learning how to code and operate within it is a great way to distinguish yourself from other applicants in many fields.

With this Learn Java Programming course bundle, you can start your coding journey from wherever you’re sitting. This in-depth training program covers all the basics of programming in Java. And no matter what skill level you’re starting at, the format is accommodating and you’ll be able to work entirely at your own pace.

You’ll start by studying a hands-on approach to exploring the important language features in Java. Then, you’ll move on to courses that teach you how to write your first Java program from scratch. The course is multi-functional and allows you to refresh your memory or learn from no previous experience. As you move through the course bundle, you’ll learn Java 8 features and how to write code for virtually any machine, discover the spring framework using Maven and Eclipse, and much more.

Each course in this bundle is taught by experts on the Simpliv LLC platform. It’s known for its wide variety of educational courses that have been prepared by authors, educators, coaches, and business leaders who are already successful in the field you’re trying to break into.

Access to the Learn Java Programming bundle’s eight courses and 800 lessons retails for $359, but for a limited time, you can save 88% and get lifetime access to all of the courses in this bundle for just $39.99.

Labor Day weekend is here once again, which means it’s time to kick back, relax, and get your fingers ready to click “add to cart.” Always a major shopping holiday with deals aplenty, LDW is a great time to snag those products you’ve been eyeing all year.

For a limited time, you can enjoy massive price drops on everything from golf simulators to 3D printers and all the other random gadgets and gizmos in between. Just be sure to act quickly, as these deals will only be around for a few days.

TAO Clean Sonic Toothbrush and Docking Station

Clean your teeth and your toothbrush with this duo from TAO Clean. It features a state-of-the-art sonic toothbrush with 40,000 tiny brush strokes per minute and a patented docking station that kills germs on your brush using UV-C rays. Regularly $129, you can snag it in the next few days for just $59.99.

Toybox 3D Printer Deluxe Bundle

Featured on Shark Tank, this kid-friendly 3D printer lets you design and print your very own toys, figurines, decor, and other fun stuff. Using the companion app, you can choose from a massive catalog featuring designs from DC Comics, Cartoon Network, and more, or create your own from scratch. It’s typically $469, but you can get it for only $330 for the next few days.

11-in-1 Smartphone Photography Accessory Bundle

Wannabe influencers will love this accessory bundle that features a tripod, selfie light, multiple lens options, a Bluetooth remote, and more. Rather than dropping loads of money on a DSLR, this kit helps you amp up your photo skills using only your smartphone. Get the accessory bundle for only $22 (regularly $129) for a very limited time.

Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo Pillows

Hypoallergenic and antimicrobial, with cool and soft support, these shredded memory foam bamboo pillows are the perfect place to get some beauty rest. For a very limited time, you can get a two-pack of queen-size pillows for only $34.99 (regularly $80).

PhiGolf: Mobile and Home Smart Golf Simulator with Swing Stick

This Indiegogo-funded simulator lets you play an immersive game of golf from the comfort of your home. Perfect for a rainy day or during the off-season, its state-of-the-art sensor and swing stick are shockingly accurate. Use the code GOLF44 at checkout and get the PhiGolf for only $185 (regularly $250) for a few days only.

Adagio Accelerator 2000 Blow Dryer

The Adagio Accelerator 2000 gives you a salon-quality blowout without exorbitant prices. Featuring 1400 watts, fast-drying technology, and three different attachments, you’ll be able to dry your hair in less time without any damage. Get it on sale for only $49.99 (regularly $199) for a very limited time.

XC Security Camera with Hub + 2 Door Sensors

The XC Security Camera and door sensors let you do home surveillance right from your phone. It features a wide 138-degree camera lens with 360-degree panning, two-way audio, a built-in siren, and motion and sound detection for your protection. Regularly $79, you can snag it on sale for just $39.99 for Labor Day weekend.

Jawzrsize® Facial Fitness: Total Transformation Kit

Successfully funded on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, this unique set of non-invasive tools helps you achieve that jawline you’ve always wanted. Think of it like getting a facelift without the surgery. Get the total transformation kit on sale for just $39.99 (regularly $149) for the next few days.

Wine Insiders: 15 Bottles of Mixed Wines

The only thing better than getting 15 bottles of mixed wines delivered to your doorstep is getting 15 bottles of expert-approved wines delivered to your doorstep for just $72.25 (a $300 value). That’s under $5 per bottle in honor of Labor Day weekend.

Sam’s Club Membership + Free Rotisserie Chicken and Cupcakes

If you haven’t had the pleasure of bulk shopping at Sam’s Club, you’re missing out. Fortunately, you can sign up for a year’s membership for just $19.99 (regularly $57) in the next few days and enjoy incredible deals on everything from groceries and kitchen supplies to electronics and furniture. Plus, you’ll receive a free rotisserie chicken and eight-count of gourmet cupcakes when you make your first in-club purchase.

Milano Stella Aroma Stovetop Espresso Maker (8-Cup)

This hand-crafted stainless steel moka pot will help you embrace your inner coffee connoisseur. It’s compatible with any stovetop and has a removable funnel coffee filter for you to control the strength of your espresso to find your perfect pour. Typically $150, you can snag it on sale for just $95 for the next few days.

Lamp Depot Minimalist LED Corner Floor Lamp

This unique floor lamp slips unknowingly into the corner of your room and is only noticeable when you turn it on. Use the remote control to shuffle through over 16 million color variations and 300 multi-color effects to match any mood or vibe you can imagine. It’s usually $149, but you can get it on sale for $79.99 in honor of Labor Day weekend.

Tello Economy Prepaid 12-Month Plan: Unlimited Talk/Text + 1GB LTE Data + Free SIM

If you’re sick of your current mobile provider nickel-and-diming you, snag this 12-month contractless plan from Tello that features unlimited talk and text, 1GB of LTE data per month, and a free SIM card. An entire year is just $75 for the next few days, which you’ll pay up front.

Exobone Open-Ear Conduction Headphones

Instead of sticking earbuds inside your ear canals, the Exobones send sound vibrations through your bones. They have speaker pads that rest on your temples and transmit vibrations through your jaw to your inner ear — cool, right? Get a pair for only $69.99 (regularly $157).

GoRowinGo Water Rower Rowing Machine

Want a full-body workout every time? Just get the GoRowinGo Water Rower, which features variable resistance, time-, distance-, and calorie-tracking, and completely customizable settings. It’s usually $849, but you can get it on sale for Labor Day weekend for just $570.

Smart Dual Plug Outlet with Alexa and Google Home Capability

With Alexa and Google Home compatibility, these dual-plug smart outlets let you turn your basic appliances and electronics into smart, automated, and voice-controlled devices. Get a two-pack on sale for just $21.99 (regularly $26) for a limited time.

Gosund Smart WiFi Light Switch with Built-in Alexa

Place these smart WiFi light switches around your home and enjoy turning on and off your lights using only your voice or an app. Snag one to start for just $36.99 (regularly $46) Labor Day weekend only.

Velites Earth 2.0 Jump Rope Training System

Take the basic exercise of jumping rope to new heights with this system that pairs with an app and features weighted add-ons. You can add your fitness goals and gear, and gain access to over 1,000 tailored workouts and fitness programs for an extra boost. The Velites Earth 2.0 System is on sale for just $69.99 (regularly $82) for a very limited time.

ModernDek Eclipse Lamp

With three levels of brightness and three color temperatures, this lamp can be used for a nightlight, an atmosphere light, and more. It can easily be controlled with the included remote to suit your mood at any given time. It’s usually $99, but you can get it for just $44.99 for Labor Day weekend.

Angle Pro Knife Sharpener with 6-inch Chef Knife

Successfully funded on Kickstarter, this 3-in-1 knife sharpener features ceramic wheels for honing or straightening, diamond wheels for sharpening, and tungsten carbide rods for putting a new edge on your blade. It can be used for any size knife, including the six-inch chef’s knife in this bundle deal. Usually $79, you can snag the sharpener and knife set on sale for $60 for a limited time.

TL;DR: Charge all your tech at the same time with this 4-in-1 Multi-Port Charger, on sale for 48% off. As of Sept. 5, grab one for only $17.99.

Whether you’re on the road, out to dinner, or at the office, a low battery can really put a damper on any occasion or activity. Most people are still living the one-charger lifestyle, with a single USB charger in their office or bedroom. But the truth is, life is much easier if you make some affordable investments in lightning-fast chargers for your car, bag, or other areas of the home. That way you don’t have to live life on the verge of a dead battery.

Do yourself a favor and snag this 4-in-1 Multi-Port Charger while it’s nearly 50% off and give yourself an easy way to charge up any device on the go. With its Lightning, USB-C, Micro-USB, and Apple Watch connectors, you can keep not only your phone juiced up, but also your Android tablet, Apple Watch, Bluetooth speaker, and pretty much any other gadget in your everyday arsenal. Charging more than one device at a time won’t slow this baby down, though. You can fast-charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, USB-C, and Microdevices all at the same time.

Thanks to top-quality TPE, a nylon braided cable, and an aluminum shell, this charger is durable and built to withstand whatever you throw at it — unlike your typical Lightning to USB cable. Since the charging cable itself is 1.2m long, you can also comfortably charge and use your phone and devices from a distance as they power up. This makes it a perfect companion for road trips when multiple passengers are looking for a charge.

The 4-in-1 Multi-Port Charger from Tech Zebra typically retails for $34, but for a limited time, you can slash 48% off and snag it on sale for just $17.99 for a limited time. It’s available in both black and white options.

One of the primary missions for NASA’s Mars rover, Perseverance, is looking for evidence of past life. Some of that evidence is hidden away deep inside of Martian rocks.

That’s what led Perseverance to drill into one particular briefcase-sized rock and, for the first time during its still-young mission, collect a core sample. Images and data that NASA received on Sept. 1 confirmed that the rover’s first coring attempt was (probably) a success.

There’s a whole process here that starts with a more superficial look at the Mars surface. Perseverance is fitted with several tools for interacting with the environment, including a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), which is “a high-speed grinder with brushes to remove that weathered outer layer of rock and clear away dust,” and a Gaseous Dust Removal Tool (GDRT) that, as its name suggests, clears away the dust at the site of the abrasion.

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This first part of the process gives the rover an opportunity to use some other built-in instruments to examine the targeted rock even more closely. The data gathered from there helps NASA engineers decide if it’s worth moving on to the next step of trying to obtain a core sample.

This whole process unfolded earlier in August, which led in turn to Perseverance’s first attempt to core a Martian rock. Things didn’t go according to plan that time, as NASA explained in an Aug. 11 post.

While the rover’s seven-foot drill successfully bored its way into the rock and seemed to come away with a sample, images beamed back to Earth showed an empty storage tube. Unfortunately, that revelation occurred only after the tube was sealed and stored for future retrieval. It turned out that the rock itself wasn’t the best candidate for coring.

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For the latest attempt, which appears to have been a success, the NASA team back on Earth learned from their earlier experiences. This time, they used one of the Perseverance rover’s onboard cameras, Mastcam-Z, to snap an image of the sample tube — or at least, the top of it — before sealing it away for storage.

The first look is encouraging, with actual rock clearly visible in the open end of the sample tube. But that’s only the first step before storage. Once a sample is collected, the rover kicks off a procedure called “percuss to ingest” which rattles the sample tube five times in brief, one-second bursts. The goal is to clear any excess residue from the lip of the tube, but that shaking can also send collected material deeper down.

That appears to be what happened here. While NASA’s first shot of the tube’s open end clearly shows there’s something inside, a second shot, captured after the “percuss to ingest” process, shows only a dark space.

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Again heeding the lessons of the first coring attempt, NASA isn’t quite ready to call this coring operation a total success. Before the tube gets sealed off for storage, the Mastcam-Z will go to work once again “at times of day on Mars when the Sun is angled in a more favorable position.” The hope is that a new crop of images taken in different light will offer a clearer look into the sample tube.

No one’s expecting failure at this point, however.

“The project got its first cored rock under its belt, and that’s a phenomenal accomplishment,” said Jennifer Trosper, project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (that’s the team in charge of the Perseverance project). She added: “We did what we came to do. We will work through this small hiccup with the lighting conditions in the images and remain encouraged that there is sample in this tube.”

It’s going to be some time before the samples collected by Perseverance are actually safely ensconced on Earth. If all goes according to plan, the rover’s bounty will arrive here sometime in 2031 at the end of a three-stage “Mars Sample Return” (MSR) mission.