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The Top 10 TV Series Right Now, According to Streaming Data

2 October 2026 at 22:00

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Streaming in September was eclectic. The top 10 most popular TV shows of the month, according to data from JustWatch, include opposite takes on international espionage—Lioness's "everything is at stake" blockbuster vibe versus Slow Horses' darkly funny, morally ambiguous style.

Other series burning up the charts: spy-adjacent action show Reacher, a couple of sports comedies named after their main characters (Ted Lasso and Chad Powers), a dystopian sci-fi drama (Silo), a superhero show (Lanterns), and stories of criminals and cops (Furious and The Gentlemen). There's even a horror comedy (Widow's Bay). You could say there's something for everyone.

Lanterns

Topping the streaming charts this month is DC's TV revamp of Green Lantern, in which experienced Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) trains the new guy, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), on how to wield the mysterious and powerful Green Lantern Ring. It's a reserved, neo-noir style take on the comic mythos, as the heroes investigate a series of murders tied to an extraterrestrial threat. Lanterns is pulling in a 92% fresh ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, so it's definitely worth a stream. Stream Lanterns on HBO Max.

Ted Lasso

Season four of Ted Lasso sees the title character, played by Jason Sudeikis, returning to the UK to take on a new challenge: coaching the Lady Greyhounds, AFC Richmond's second-division women's football team. This multiple Emmy Award-winning series still has all the heart, humor, and positivity of the original run. Stream Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.

Reacher

Reacher actor Alan Ritchson is a great action star. Dude's the size of a house, but he uses his brains as much as his fists, and his "independent ass-kicker" lifestyle makes for great TV. Season four sees our morally uncompromising, giant-sized hero witnessing a supposed suicide, then finding out it's tied to a conspiracy so huge that world governments are involved. If you like your TV action-packed, you're probably already watching Reacher, but if you're not, get on it! Stream Reacher on Prime Video.

Lioness

If you like action, international espionage, and incredible performances, Lioness mashes them all up into a must-watch series. This cast is without lightweights, including Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, Emmy nominee Michael Kelly, and executive producer and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. Season 3 dives into a hidden network of dangerous foreign operatives, personal betrayals, and a high-stakes war that could define everyone's lives. Stream Lioness on Paramount+.

Slow Horses

Apple TV's Slow Horses delivers a more realistic, nuanced take on espionage by detailing the lives of the losers of British Intelligence. Instead of chiseled good guys and gals saving the world, the agents of Slough House are a team of dysfunctional, troubled souls trying to do the right thing (usually) in a morally gray world. Just like real agents. Their leader, gruff, obnoxious Jackson Lamb, is played to perfection by Gary Oldman. Slow Horses has an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score over its first five seasons, and season 6 is setting new records. Stream Slow Horses on Apple TV+.

Furious

In Furious, Emmy Rossum plays Alice Black, an FBI agent and former NYPD homicide detective investigating a series of murders that point to a female serial killer bent on offing the wealthy assholes who victimized her when she was a sex trafficked. If that's not a killer premise for a TV show, I don't know what is. Critics agree: Furious has a 99% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream Furious on Hulu.

The Gentlemen

Director Guy Ritchie's series is set at the point where the remnants of the British aristocracy meet the nation's gangsters and lowlifes. Theo James plays Eddie Horniman, aka the Duke, whose inherited family estate is barely paid for by profits from a drug-dealing operation. If you like hard-edged action, British wit, and a stylish gangster vibe, this is the show for you. Stream The Gentlemen on Netflix.

Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything seems to be haunted, cursed, or otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) wants to bring tourism to the island anyway, so he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial killer ghosts surrounding him in an effort to drum up new business. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. Stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

Chad Powers

Chad Powers is a sports comedy that's actually funny. Glen Powell stars as Russ Holliday, a former college football phenom who nuked his own career before he even got to the NFL. Instead of giving up, he dons a disguise, adopts the name "Chad Powers, and tries out for a failing college team. It works, but leads to outrageous complications as the jock tries to hide his deceit. Stream Chad Powers on Hulu.

Silo

Apple TV's Silo continues to track the downward spiral of the dregs of humanity, who are all living together underground in a cavernous edifice that goes all the way down. If you've been wondering how things got so bad, this season goes back in time to reveal the source of humanity's near-demise. (Unsurprisingly, humans are to blame.) You can stream Silo on Apple TV.

Apple Wants to Make It Harder to Run Agentic AI on Your Mac

2 October 2026 at 20:30

It appears agentic AI is all the rage: OpenAI's new agents, "Dots," rolled out this week, while Meta's Muse just passed five million downloads. Rather than just chatting with or using them to generate images, AI companies want users to start asking their bots to do things on their behalf, from managing their inboxes to ordering dinner.

But agents aren't just the next logical step for AI as a technology. When implemented poorly, they can be wildly dangerous. AI agents are designed to run on their own, and, in order to do that, they often need near-total access to your devices and their data. Some people are now giving agents full use of their computers, including all of their messages, files, passwords, and accounts. That's a lot of trust, especially when it's not that difficult to "hack" one of these agents for malicious purposes with a poisoned prompt hidden on a website, which could lead your AI agent to hand hackers the keys to your bank accounts. That's no good.

Apple is making it much more difficult for you to put yourself in this situation

How does Apple feel about this? The company is famously behind on the software side of AI—it only rolled out its AI-powered version of Siri in September—but its AI hardware business is booming. When the AI agent craze first took off with projects like Moltbot, customers bought Mac minis in droves in order to run those programs. Now, Apple advertises its various Macs with AI at the forefront: It doesn't offer its own models like OpenAI or Anthropic, but it's making plenty of money selling you the hardware to run those models.

Perhaps that's why Apple seems quite concerned about the AI agent trend, particularly when it comes to the data users are exposing to run these programs. Apple is all about privacy and security, and as such, I can only imagine the company watching in horror as so many users willingly hand their Macs (and all of their data) over to automated AI bots.

Against that backdrop, the company posted an update on its developer forum entitled "Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS." In it, the company highlights the dangers of developers asking users to grant "Full Disk Access" permissions to an app. Apple says this function has been traditionally reserved for backup apps that need to access the entire disk to function. (After all, if your backup app can't access your entire Mac, how can it back up your entire Mac?) But now, Apple says developers are asking users to expose everything on their Macs, including messages, mail, browsing history, and more, without those users fully understanding the consequences. Apple even argues the privacy implications extend beyond the user, as communication apps that demand Full Disk Access compromise the people the user is chatting with, too.

And Apple appears to be doing something about it: While details are slim, the company says it will introduce "additional controls to ensure that users who genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access can only do so with very explicit user action." I'm guessing this means that in the future, once you download an agent to your Mac, you'll have to click through a series of warnings and settings to "prove" to macOS that you really want to expose your entire Mac to the app and its AI. The company says it's doing this now, as the threat will only grow as AI agents improve and become more autonomous.

The risks of AI are increasing across the board

I'm all for additional safeguards when it comes to AI. In the past, you needed some level of technical expertise to install an AI agent on your Mac. As such, you likely understood the risks involved, or willfully ignored all the warnings in order to do so. Now that running agents is as easy as installing Muse on your Mac, the barrier to entry is minimal. Anyone can do it, even if they don't fully understand what they are actually doing. As the AI industry reckons with the risks its technology poses to humanity, companies like Apple should indeed be figuring out how to protect their users from AI's current dangers—even if users can still choose to ignore those warnings.

The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data

2 October 2026 at 13:30

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The most-streamed movies in September, according to JustWatch, include a couple of early Halloween treats: low-budget, high-scare horror flicks Backrooms and Obsession both made the top 10. If you like more gentle supernatural stories, 1990s classic Practical Magic made the charts too. You could also check out best-actor-ever favorites Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man and Dustin Hoffman in Tuner. So there's something for everyone.

Backrooms (2026)

Director Kane Parsons' analog horror breakthrough is proof that atmosphere, mood, and a fascinating story is scarier than CGI monsters every time. Based on the viral YouTube series of the same name, Backrooms tells the story of Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a store owner who discovers a labyrinthian liminal space in his furniture shop's basement. Renate Reinsve plays his therapist, who thinks it's a delusion, until she goes downstairs for a visit. A hit with critics—Backrooms is sitting at 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes—and audiences, Backrooms is a delicious early Halloween treat for horror fans. Stream Backrooms on HBO Max.

Practical Magic (1998)

Released to streaming to coincide with the sequel's release in theaters, Practical Magic is a beloved supernatural rom-com finding a new audience in 2026. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman play Sally and Gilly, sister-witches cursed with losing any man they ever love. Sally's romantic interest appears in the form of Aidan Quinn playing a detective investigating the disappearance of Gilly's abusive boyfriend. Can love, magic, and the power of sisterhood break the family curse? With a little help from '90s nostalgia, you bet they can. Stream Practical Magic on HBO Max.

Obsession (2026)

Director Curry Barker is still in his 20s, but his debut theatrical feature is the kind of horror film that changes the entire genre. Obsession is a classic "be careful what you wish for" story that feels fresh thanks to its talented young cast, unpredictable plot, and careful pace. Michael Johnston plays a young man too scared to tell his crush how he feels, so he wishes she'd fall in love with him instead. The result is a nightmare embodied by Inde Navarrette, whose portrayal of the villain/victim is at once harrowing, terrifying, and heartbreaking. Obsession is the best horror movie I've seen in years. Stream Obsession on Peacock.

Mayday (2026)

Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh play Cold War enemies brought together when Reynolds' plane crashes in the Russian wilderness. Branagh is ex-KGB, but he's always been a secret fan of America, so he helps Reynolds escape the USSR. Like the best bro-coms, Mayday is powered by the charisma of its stars, and you won't find any actors alive with more rizz than these two. If you like 1980s-style buddy action/comedies, Mayday is the right stream for you. Stream Mayday on Apple TV+.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi flick, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Stream Project Hail Mary on Prime Video and Fubo.

Supergirl (2026)

You shouldn't mess with a superhero's dog. Milly Alcock plays Kara Zor-el, AKA Supergirl, who traverses the galaxy hunting for Krem of the Yellow Hills (played by Matthias Schoenaerts). He shot Krypto the superdog with a poison dart, and justice must be administered. If you want a grittier take on the super-people of Krypton with some deep-lore DC universe building, look no further than Supergirl. Stream Supergirl on HBO Max.

The Whisper Man (2026)

Based on the novel by Alex North, The Whisper Man stars Robert De Niro as Peter Willis, a retired detective who returns to the game to solve a grisly cold case. A copycat is mimicking the crimes of the notorious Whisper Man, a serial killer Willis captured years before. This intense thriller is built around De Niro's powerful performance and a twisty plot that will keep you on the edge of your couch. Stream The Whisper Man on Netflix.

Tuner (2026)

You wouldn't think the life of a piano tuner would be exciting until you see Tuner. Leo Woodall plays Niki White, whose quiet life is turned to 11 when he learns he can use his ears for cracking safes as easily as tuning Steinways. Desperate for cash, White joins up with hardened criminals, and things go haywire. The excellent cast of this smart, tense thriller includes Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu. If you like suspense in the style of Hitchcock, check out The Tuner. Stream Tuner on Paramount+.

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

Directed by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian and Grogu sees Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his adorable baby Yoda pal pitted against Imperial warlords and the Hutt Twins. It's classic Star Wars: a lone hero and his companion doing heroic things while facing impossible odds. Packed with cliff-hanger action and colorful characters, The Mandalorian and Grogu is pure fun in movie form. Stream The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+.

Toy Story 5 (2026)

Pixar is so good at what it does, it can even make the fifth movie in a series about ratty old toys into art—not just art for kids, but art that's palatable for parents, too. In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang face a toy's most terrifying enemy: technology. Toy Story 5 asks if there's a place for action figures and Mr. Potato Head in a world where screens are the only thing kids care about. Stream Toy Story 5 on Disney+.

The US Government Just Launched an AI Chatbot

29 September 2026 at 21:42

AI is virtually everywhere in 2026; that now includes U.S. government websites. On Tuesday, the Trump administration launched "America.gov," a new website that uses AI to answer questions about the government. While the experience currently feels like ChatGPT running U.S. government-themed instructions, the plan is for America.gov to eventually let you take action as well.

What is America.gov?

America.gov "combines" the nearly 30,000 websites under the umbrella of the U.S. government into one set of sources. Rather than invite you to browse those tens of thousands of pages to answer your questions, that dataset serves as the basis for the site's proprietary chatbot. You ask the chatbot a question about the U.S. government, and the AI sifts through those websites to generate an answer. It's like ChatGPT, but if the model only had access to U.S. government websites and sources.

You could ask the site how to replace your Social Security card, renew your passport, or register to vote in your state. You could ask for information on changing your address with the USPS, when Medicare open enrollment dates are, or upload a PDF of a government form for assistance. The site says any personal information will be automatically removed, though the privacy policy clarifies that it "will make a best-effort attempt in your browser to remove any private details using Rampart (an open-source classifier system to detect some types of PII, such as Social Security Numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, and credit card numbers)."

The website currently supports three languages—English, Spanish, and French—as well as voice commands, if you prefer speaking to your chatbots rather than typing to them. You don't need an account to use it, nor is there a fee or subscription, and there are no ads.

What America.gov might be able to do in the future

In its current form, America.gov is a simple chatbot. But the site has bold claims for future features. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to let users apply for and renew their passports directly through the site, including a dynamic progress tracker to keep tabs on your documents. Other future abilities could include enrolling in Medicare or finding a job with the federal government.

But as with all claims, take these with a grain of salt. The government says these features are coming in early 2027, but this is a tall order for such a project. A single website that lets you complete complex government processes with the simplicity of a chatbot sounds great, but it would need to be accurate and reliable for all possible tasks and functions. It would certainly take significant proof of security and dependability for me to trust such a program with renewing my passport or helping me enroll in health care.

America.gov is full of ironies

It's impossible to discuss America.gov without acknowledging the administration that is spearheading the project. One would assume that an AI-powered government website developed by this administration would be biased towards Trump and his many falsehoods. And yet, the tool is astoundingly neutral, to the point where I can only imagine how frustrated Trump would be by some of these answers.

The first question many tested America.gov with was "Who won the 2020 election?" Donald Trump famously and frequently says that the election was stolen from him, but his new website plainly states that Joseph R. Biden Jr. won. The bot does sometimes tie the answer to the electoral count, stating that Biden won 306 votes to Trump's 232, but I was surprised to see "Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the 2020 presidential election under the official Electoral College count" as an answer on this site.

The site will also tell you that Donald Trump was president when diesel prices hit their highest historic price ($6.529 per gallon as of Sept. 21, 2026.), and that prices are high, in part, due to "military action" affecting the Staight of Hormuz. It will also say that grocery prices were higher in August than they were a year ago, which contradicts Trump's claims that prices have come down under his term.

Of course, Trump-influenced information that appears on official government sites will appear here. Ask it what the body of water that abuts Texas is called, and it will say the Gulf of America, formerly the Gulf of Mexico. Ask it what lake borders Toronto, Canada, and the bot will say Lake America, formerly Lake Ontario. In both cases, it will refer to the executive orders that changed those names.

Typically, I'd be worried about an AI tool hallucinating its answers and providing incorrect information to users. That's still a concern here, of course. But by creating a chatbot that only pulls information from official government sources, Trump has inadvertently created an official government fact-checker. And unless Trump starts injecting these sites with the same falsehoods he tells in interviews and on Truth Social, America.gov may be a reasonably reliable source of information.

‘Aura Battle,’ ‘Tylenol Baby,’ and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding

29 September 2026 at 20:53

If constantly being mogged by sigmas has you feeling like a fuhuhluhtoogan, and you have no idea what any of that means, you've come to the right place. This glossary aims to define and explain popular slang words and phrases of Generation Z (usually defined as people born between 1997 and 2012) and Generation A (anyone born between 2012 and now) so you'll know what the hell people are talking about.

A word of warning: If you aren't of those generations, and/or you need an online list to know what slang words mean, you should not say them aloud unless you're trying to be embarrassing.

New entries

Aura battle: Aura is coolness or charisma ("rizz" if you prefer). An "aura battle" is a public contest in which the person with the most aura, as determined by the crowd and/or comment section reaction, wins. (See "Aura")

Cortisol-coded: Describes something that's meant to be relaxing but is actually stressful, like watching a video of the 5 a.m. yoga routine of an influencer surrounded by $400 candles.

Misery girl: A young woman with piercings, a penchant for the darkly dramatic, and highly stylized makeup that makes them appear to have a skinny, pointy nose and huge eyes and lips.

Pheromone maxxing: Trying to influence the behaviors of others through your stink. Supposedly, young men in the "looksmaxxing" community are skipping showers and not washing their clothing in an attempt to make young women like them more. (See "-maxxing").

Quiet on the creek: A fishing-inspired way to say "keep it on the down low" or "be cool."

Side quest: A side quest in a video game is a quest that is not necessary to complete the game's main objective. In slang, a side quest is anything you do in life just for the experience of doing it.

Tylenol baby: After President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a scientifically dubious link between the active ingredient in Tylenol and autism, kids have been calling each other "Tylenol babies."

Viking rap: A musical sub-genre consisting of AI-generated Vikings rapping about longboats, raiding, and other Viking things.


304: Hoe. (Type "304" on a calculator and turn it upside down.)

4+4: Ate. Four plus four is eight, or "ate." (See "ate.")

6-7 (or 67): This piece of Generation Alpha brainrot slang doesn't mean anything. It's just funny to some people to say "6-7," especially in answer to any question involving numbers. Ex: "Q: What time is it? A: six-seveeen."

6-7 weekend: A weekend in which Saturday falls on the 6th day of the month and Sunday on the 7th.

7x7=49: Often refers to a man who is attractive in a self-evident way. Based on the belief that the equation 7x7=49 makes intuitive sense in a way other equations do not.

80/20 rule: An axiom in online incel spaces, the 80/20 is the idea that 80% of women only date the "top" 20% of men.

Algo speak: Coded language used to bypass online content moderation. Examples: "regarded" used instead of "retarded" and "unalive" instead of "kill."

Alpha male: Taken from animal ethology, an alpha male is the dominant member of a group of males, or just a male who is in charge. (See "beta male" and "sigma male.")

Alpine divorce: An alpine divorce is when a man takes his wife or girlfriend on a hike, usually in the mountains, and then just leaves her there to fend for herself.

ASAP (or A$AP): When a rapper has ASAP or A$AP in front of their name, it indicates affiliation with the ASAP Mob, a New York hip-hop collective.

Ate/eat: Done very well, often regarding clothing. e.g.: "You ate that outfit." See also: "serving."

Aura: Someone who is mysterious and cool is said to "have aura."

Aura farming: Depending on the context, “aura farming” can refer to a person who does something cool without trying or someone who is trying too hard to appear cool.

Baby Boo syndrome: A joking reference to people who are very into the Baby Boo memes popular on TikTok.

Baddie: A bad/wild girl. Meant as a compliment.

Baka: Japanese word meaning “crazy" or “foolish.” Used mainly in the anime community.

Based: Independent in a cool way.

Bed-rotting: Staying in bed all day. You may know it as “lazing around.” (See "Hurkle-durkle.")

Beez: Popularized in Nicki Minaj's 2012 track "Beez in the Trap," beez means something like "I am always." So "beez in the trap" means "I am always in the trap." (See "Trap.")

Beta male: A beta male, or just "beta," is a weaker, subservient male. (See "alpha male" and "sigma male.")

Boombayah: A euphemism for having sex. It’s used mostly online, often to defeat censorship algorithms.

Bop: A girl who sleeps around. Also: a great song.

Boy aquarium: TikTok slang that describes hockey games.

Boy kibble: The male response to "girl dinner," boy kibble is food boys eat. It usually consists of rice and ground beef, often served without spices or vegetables.

Boysober: Someone who has sworn off sex, relationships, and/or dating.

Brain-rot: A description of the overuse of stupid slang. See also: “Skibidi.” Also used to describe the effects of being overly online.

Brat: The contemporary meaning of "brat" is an adjective describing a person who is edgy, imperfect, and confident. It was coined by pop star Charli XCX who defined it as "that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown."

Bruzz: Bros. Part of the -uzz family of slang words. See "Huzz" and "-uzz."

Bubba truck: A lifted or otherwise modified pick-up truck.

Bussin': Very good or excellent.

Cap: A lie. Often used to say "no cap."

Cake: Butt, especially a nice butt.

Catch a fade: To have a fight. (See "fade.")

Chad: An attractive man; an “alpha male.” See "Giga-Chad."

Chat: A reference to streamers addressing their chat windows aloud. Saying “chat” in real life is an ironic joke. 

Cheesin': The slang word "cheesin'" refers to smiling, particularly a big, goofy smile. It comes from the common exhortation to "say cheese!" before a photo is taken. The word "cheesing," with a "g" at the end, often means the same thing, but it can also refer to the trend of throwing slices of cheese at cars and/or people.

Chopped: Ugly. Chopped is often applied to someone's face or outfit, but anything that isn't aesthetically pleasing could be called "chopped," as could anything that is generally not good, like an awkward situation.

Choppelganger: A portmanteau of "chopped" and "doppelgänger," a choppelganger is someone who looks like another person, but worse. (See "chopped.")

Chud: A physically unappealing person. Sometimes used for a man who holds right-wing views.

Clanker: A slur aimed at robots and AI agents pretending to be human.

Clock that: "I understand and agree." Not to be confused with older slang, where "clock" meant to see, or even older slang where "clock" meant "to hit or punch."

Coomer: A man who masturbates too often.

Corn: “Corn” is algo-speak that means “porn.” Used in online spaces where the word might cause your account to be flagged or banned. 

Coworker-core: A catch-all description for things that are unfunny or uninteresting in a way that appeals to older people.

Cracked: This slang term has two meanings: to have sex, as in "I got cracked last night," and to be really good at something, like "he’s cracked at Fortnite."

Crashout: To have an intense emotional outburst, usually accompanied by impulsive behavior. Crashing out is often due to being overwhelmed or overly frustrated.

D1 Crashout: An epic, elite level, extreme crashout. (See "crashout.)

Dah Bih Gah: "That bitch good," ie: "I like that thing." Usually used to describe food.

Dah Bih Tah: "That bitch tough," ie: "I like that thing." Usually used to describe food.

Dead: Past tense of having died laughing. If someone responds to a joke with "dead" or a skull emoji, they find it funny.

Deadass: Seriously. Used like, "I am deadass not lying."

Delulu: Delusional.

Deriod: A combination of "dick" and "period," deriod refers to men seeming to experience the mood swings commonly associated with women's menstrual cycles.

Dih: Algo speak for “dick.” (See "Algo speak.")

Doi doi doi: This piece of brain-rot slang doesn't mean anything. It's correctly pronounced by putting your hand up to your mouth and saying "doi doi doi" in a way that sounds funny.

Doomer: A person who is overly negative and/or cynical.

Drip: A fashionable or stylish look.

Dwerking: A male-centric variation of twerking. A sexually suggestive dancing characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the dick. Other variants include "pwerking" and "bwerking" where the "p" and "b" stand for pussy and boobs.

Edgar: A variation of the Caesar haircut worn especially among Hispanic males. Also refers to the kind of person who wears the haircut. 

Fade: A fight. (See "catch a fade.")

Fambushing: A combination of "family" and "ambushing," fambushing refers to young people checking where their parents are on location-sharing apps so they can get free food—if you see mom at Chipotle, you ask for a burrito.

Fanum tax: The theft of food between friends. Named for streamer Fanum, known for “taxing” his friends by taking bites of their meals or stealing fries. 

Fax, no printer: Telling the truth. Since "fax" and "facts" are pronounced the same, this is a colorful way of saying "facts, no cap."

Fent-fold: A description of the bent-over posture of people nodding on heavy drugs.

Fit: Short for "outfit."

Fuhuhluhtoogan: Supposedly from Baltimore slang, this is a nonsense word used so people will ask what it means but never receive an answer. Often paired with "Jittleyang."

Fujoshing: The verb form of the Japanese slang term "fujoshi," fujoshing describes women/girls enjoying media that depicts romantic relationships between men. This word is used almost exclusively in online fandom communities.

Gamer dent: The temporary indentation left on someone’s hair or skin after wearing headphones for too long.

Geeker: Someone who uses a lot of drugs.

Giga-Chad: A Chad among Chads.

Glaze: To overly praise someone, often insincerely, or with the hope of getting something in return.

Gleek: An older slang term that is gaining prominence lately, gleeking describes squirting saliva from under the tongue.

Glizzy: Hot dog. "Glizzy" was originally slang for Glock or gun, but came to mean hot dog based on the hot dog shape of a Glock's magazine.

Green fn: An interjection one might used when someone does something cool or impressive. Often used ironically. 

Goonbait: (See "gooning") Goonbait is, essentially, media that exists to inspiring gooning.

Gooner: A man who goons. (See "gooning.")

Goonette: A woman who goons. (See "gooning.")

Gooning: Extended masturbation without orgasm done for the purpose of entering an altered state of consciousness. (See "gooner," "goonette.")

Gyatt or Gyat: Once an interjection used when seeing someone sexy, like “god-DAMN,” “gyatt” has come to mean “attractive booty.”

Heavy soda: Pop with extra syrup. Some gas station soda machines have settings that control the ratio of syrup to carbonated water. A heavy soda is a soda with the syrup level set very high.

Hewwo: An overly cute way of saying "hello." Usually used online, and often ironically.

HGS: Abbreviation for "home girls" used in comment sections.

Hiplet: Derogatory slang for a woman who has "hip dips," i.e. inward curves on their outer thighs just below the hip bone.

Hozier yell: Named for singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier, a "Hozier yell" refers to the sound one makes when experiencing a peak, climactic, and/or awe-inspiring moment.

HTN: This acronym comes from the online incel community, where fairly good-looking men are described as "high-tier normies" or "HTN." (See "normie.")

Hurkle-durkle: Based on an archaic Scottish word, “hurkle-durkle” means to lounge in bed after it is time to get up. See also: “bed-rotting."

Huzz: -uzz slang for "hoes." See "bruzz" and "-uzz."

"It's giving": Used to convey that something has a specific vibe. Example: "That dude texts you every 10 minutes; it's giving desperate."

"It's so over": The situation is hopeless. The opposite of "we're so back." See also: "Doomer."

IWEL: This comment-section acronym is short for "I wouldn't even lie." Sometimes written as "IWL."

Jelqing: The use of stretching or weights in an attempt to increase penis size.

Jit: A kid. Used ironically online.

Jittleyang: Supposedly from Baltimore slang, this is a nonsense word used so people will ask what it means but never receive an answer. See also: "Fuhuhluhtoogan."

JOMO: A play on FOMO (fear of missing out) JOMO is an acronym that stands for “joy of missing out.”

Jugg: To grab quickly or to steal.

"Learn Chinese": Sports slang directed at failing players. They are in danger of being sent to play in China, so they should "learn Chinese."

Loaded water: Water enhanced with something—a flavor boost, fruit juice, electrolytes, carbonation, and even vitamins or prebiotics. The idea is to increase hydration by making water more palatable.

Looksmaxxing: Maximizing one’s physical attractiveness through personal grooming, working out, and dressing stylishly. See also: “-maxxing.”

🪫 (low battery emoji): The low battery emoji means "I am experiencing emotional depletion, heartbreak, or a general feeling of 'I can't anymore.'"

Lowkenuinely: This mash-up of "low key" and "genuinely" expresses sincerity but in a way that says "let's not make a big deal about it."

Lucky Scoops: Lucky Scoops are a kind of TikTok or Instagram video where buyers purchase a scoop that represents a chance to win merchandise. These videos are very popular with children; critics feel like they are a form of gambling.

Mason (or Mason 6-7 kid): A "Mason 6-7 Kid" or "Mason" is a stereotypical male member of Generation Alpha. Mason kids are known for their love of baseball-inspired fashion (caps and shorts), their "ice cream" haircut, and for repeating brainrot slang like "6-7."

-maxxing: A suffix used with any word to indicate trying to improve. Seeing your friends could be called "friendmaxxing," working out could be called "gymmaxxing," making jokes could be called "jestermaxxing," etc.

Mid: Average, bland, expected.

Mewing: A facial exercise meant to strengthen the jawline.

Mirror sex: Using a mirror to watch yourself have sex.

Mog: To be more attractive than someone, usually in an intentional or aggressive way. Example: "I was rizzing up this girl, but he walked in and totally mogged me."

"My 90 in a 30": A song played while driving that inspires speeding.

"My steak is too juicy": The phrase "my steak is too juicy" and other variants like "my lobster is too buttery," are online insults that suggest someone is complaining about something they should be grateful for.

Neurospicy: A different way of saying “neuro-divergent.”

Normie: A person who is considered normal or average. It's sometimes an insult suggesting someone is boring and witless. (see also, "mid.")

NPC: Non-player character. Originally describing video game characters, NPC is now used on the internet to mean people who don't think for themselves.

Opp: Short for "opposition." Someone who is out to get you. An enemy.

Performative male: An insult for young men whose tastes, hobbies, and lifestyle are seen as a performance aimed at obtaining societal approval, especially the approval of young women.

Phonk: The word phonk can refer to one of two musical sub-genres. It originally referred to throwback '90s hip-hop categorized by slow-tempo "chopped and screwed" production and vintage Memphis rap vocals. It now more commonly describes the heavily distorted, up-tempo EDM used in brainrot videos.

Pink cocaine: Also known as "pink snow," pink cocaine is slang for a powdered drug mixture that usually contains some combination of ketamine, MDMA, meth, opioids, and other substances.

Pole: A gun. See "up pole."

"Press F for respect:" In 2014 video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfighter, the player attends a funeral and a prompt is given that reads "Press F to pay respects." Now, a singular "F" in a chat window indicates respect. It's usually ironic.

Rawdogging boredom: Rawdogging is "doing something with no safeguards or support," so "rawdogging boredom" is consciously doing nothing.

Regarded: “Regarded” is algo-speak for “retarded."

RegencyCore: A fashion and design aesthetic that springs from the popularity of the fantasy-regency era look of the Netflix show Bridgerton, RegencyCore combines the opulent style of the British Regency era of the early 1800s with fantasy elements like pastel colors and gold accents.

"Reheating your own nachos:" This slang phrase comes from cultural critics in online fandom communities. It refers to performers and/or artists whose new works are seen as trying to recapture what was good about their previous artistic output. It's not always negative; it's possible to successfully reheat your own nachos.

Rizz: As a noun, "rizz" means charisma. As a verb, "rizz" or "rizz up" means attracting someone with your charisma.

Scientology speedrun: Young people running into a Scientology building and acting foolish until they are ejected.

Scorigami: A slang term among football fans for when the final score of an NFL game has never happened before in the league's history. The most recent scorigami was on September 28, 2025, when the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys tied 40 to 40.

SDIYBT: An acronym for "start digging in your butt, twin," this brainrot phrase doesn't mean anything. Some people just think it's funny to say.

Sendy and “Let’s get sendy": Sendy is an adjective based on the older rock-climbing and extreme sports slang phrase "send it." A shortened version of "ascend it," "send it" is said right before one is about to do something challenging. "Sendy" describes a person who is prone to doing bold things. "Let's get sendy" means something like "Let's get wild." It's been adopted by brainrot fans, so it's often repeated with no meaning meant to be attached.

Serve: Wearing a particularly stylish outfit. See also: "ate."

Serve cunt: To act in a powerfully and unapologetically feminine way; to slay.

Sharking: Looking for people to hook up with.

Sigma male: An internet-created male classification, a "sigma male" is as dominant as an alpha male, but is outside the male hierarchy, i.e.: a lone wolf. Originally used seriously, the concept was so widely derided it's now almost always used ironically. (See "Alpha male" and "Beta male.")

Skibidi: Named after “Skibidi Toilet,” a popular series of YouTube videos, “skibidi” itself has no specific meaning, beyond ridiculing the overuse of slang itself. See “brain-rot.”

Skrt: Onomatopoetic word for the sound of tires squealing upon acceleration.

Slopcore: This term describes the countless 100s of millions of cheesy-looking, unsettling, AI-generated images, videos, and songs that have hit the internet since AI was given to the masses a couple of years ago.

Slopper: Insult directed at people who use AI programs too much, people who takes conversations with LLMs too seriously, and people who have basically offloaded their thinking to an algorithm.

Snatched: Very attractive and/or flawlessly styled. 

Spawn point: Mother. Based on the spot you start in a video game.

Spoopy: Spooky.

Striker: Stolen/no-title car.

Surf Dracula: A hyper-specific phrase that describes "prestige" television series. The joke is that if there were an older TV show called "Surf Dracula," Dracula would be surfing in every episode, but modern shows would make the whole first season about how Dracula got his surfboard.

Sweat: A person who tries too hard, usually used in reference to video games. The adjective form is "sweaty."

SYBAU: An online acronym that stands for “shut your bitch ass up.”

That's AI: "I don't believe you" or "I doubt it," even when not connected to artificial intelligence.

TLPUR: This supposed acronym section has no meaning. The joke is to tell people it means something like "True Love Pills Until Rope" or "Too Late for Puberty."

Tradwife: Believer in traditional married gender roles.

Trap: Once used to refer to a house where drugs are sold, trap has come to describe both a form of music and any place where one works or hustles.

Treatler (and Treatlerite): "Treatler" and "Treatlerite" are online insults that combine "treat" and "Hitler" to refer to entitled users of services like Doordash or Uber Eats who regard luxury delivery services as a human right, and don't consider the hardships of the people who do the work that makes "private taxis for burritos" possible.

TS: TS originally was AAVE shorthand for "this shit," but it is often used to just mean "this."

Turnt: Excited or intoxicated, or excitedly intoxicated.

Tweaking: In older slang, "tweaking" referred to the nervous and erratic actions of someone on drugs, specifically, speed. Generations A and Z have expanded the definition to refer to any actions that are erratic, or even just mildly energetic, not necessarily related to drug use.

Twelve: Police.

Twin: Best friend.

Unc: Short for "uncle," used to describe slightly older people. Example: "The class of 2024 are unc-status to the class of 2028." See "yunc."

-uzz: -uzz slang words use "uzz" at the end of any word, so "bros" becomes "bruzz," "hoes" becomes "huzz," "granny" becomes "gruzz," etc.

Up pole: To raise a gun.

"We're so back": Opposite of "it's so over."

Venus tummy: When a woman's belly is a little fat, but not too fat, she is said to have a Venus tummy. Named for ancient Greek statues of Venus and Aphrodite who were a little fleshy.

Wojack: The name of a style of internet drawings used to quickly stereotype someone. See this post for a full explanation of the Wojak universe.

Yapping: Describes a presentational style often seen on online streams of talking a lot and/or quickly while not saying anything worthwhile.

Yeet: To quickly and/or forcibly eject.

You the birthday: A phrase that means "you're awesome" or "you're great" in the way a birthday is great: fun, exciting, extra, etc.

Young ho: "Young ho" is both a reclamation of the word "ho" and an expression of youth-based solidarity. Young women are posting videos of themselves defining what makes them "young hos," noting things like "Getting up at 7:50 to be at work at 8," and air-frying chicken nuggets.

Yunc: Yunc is a variation of "unc." In AAVE, a "yn" is a "young n-word." So "yunc" means something like "young uncle," or a person who may be young but has uncle vibes or unc status.

Zoomer Perm: A curly on top, short on the sides haircut popular among young people. 

OpenAI Just Announced 'Dots,' a New Type of Personalized AI Agent

29 September 2026 at 19:30

Not only are AI agents all the rage in the tech world, but they're becoming more mainstream by the week. Apple recently upgraded iOS and macOS with Siri AI, while earlier this month, Meta also launched "Muse," an agent that can perform tasks on your behalf—and potentially expose your private information. Now, it's OpenAI's turn to launch an AI agent, but its take on the trend is a bit different, and less accessible, at least at launch. The company is calling it "Dots."

What are OpenAI "dots?"

"Dots" isn't a single AI agent platform. Rather than having all OpenAI users tapping into the same "Dots" system, users create their own individual "dot" for a specific purpose. OpenAI says dots are always-on agents powered by the company's GPT-6 Astra model that learn over time based on your responses. They can connect to over 4,000 apps at launch, including ChatGPT (of course), Slack, and Teams.

According to OpenAI's pitch, you won't always have to instruct your dot to do things for you; instead, the agent will take anticipatory action, guessing what you need done based on previous experience. That might mean identifying a bug in the app you're developing and deploying a fix without being asked. One early dots tester reportedly forgot to file an invoice for work, and their dot prepared one on his behalf, only sending it after gaining his go-ahead.

Dots run on their own cloud computer. OpenAI says you can view this computer at any time to check what it's up to and what it has done. Dots can connect to other devices, including your laptop, if you grant it permission first. OpenAI says you can continue adding to its workload without worrying about slowing your bot down: It can supposedly handle many concurrent tasks. Maybe you're working on an app, and you task the dot with monitoring customer feedback and fixing small issues with code. Perhaps you're a content creator, and your dot analyzes interview transcripts for clippable segments, while drafting up social media posts.

Like other AI agents, dots are chat-based. The idea is to simulate the experience of texting a friend or colleague. You text them in ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams, and they text you back with updates and questions. They can even text you first when there's been a development. At launch, OpenAI says you can create a "primary" dot. You can give it a name and "make it your own," though it's not clear exactly what that means.

Are OpenAI's dots safe to use?

OpenAI says that dots build on ChatGPT's security systems "with additional safety and privacy safeguards." The company says all dots work on their own cloud computer, separate from your own machine—unless you choose to connect the two. The company claims that dots can sign you into accounts using saved passwords without actually exposing those passwords to the AI model. In fact, when you sign into an account, the AI model pauses working until sign-in is complete. Your dot will then resume its activity.

Dots will work in the background as part of its "proactive research" feature, but it will only connect to apps you've already permitted it to, using tools that cannot make changes. While prompt injection is always a risk with agentic AI, OpenAI says that dots have built-in safeguards to protect against malicious instructions. If the AI detects something suspicious, it will stop the dot from proceeding. In addition, you can set up custom rules to ensure the bot will never perform a task you don't want it to, such as sending emails.

Dots also operate on a system called "Auto-review," which compares upcoming steps against your instructions, rules, and safety requirements. If it detects an issue, it stops itself. The dot can then investigate further on its own or come to you with the problem. However, OpenAI acknowledges that dots can still make mistakes.

Who can use dots?

Unlike Meta, which is actively pushing Muse on all users, OpenAI's dots are not as widely accessible as of this writing. At launch, dots are only available to paying users, including ChatGPT Pro, Business Premium, and Enterprise users. What's more, you can only set up one dot right now, though OpenAI says you'll be able to set up multiple dots in the future.

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: What Is Viking Rap?

29 September 2026 at 14:30

This week's Out-of-Touch guide takes us from the frozen wastelands of ancient Scandinavia to Alabama courtrooms, with side quests to examine hometown nostalgia and the peculiar love Gen Z has for clowns.

What is "Viking rap"?

The newest trend in music online is videos of Vikings rapping. Clips from fake artists with names like "Viggo Ironside" and "Ragalor" are rapidly proliferating on TikTok and other places where videos are shared. The vibe is aggressive beats and bars about Valhalla, longships, tattered flags, and wolves. The visuals are usually of muscular blonde people with tattoos in a studio doing their thing, like this:

The only other setting these Viking rappers seem to inhabit are concerts, particularly ironic given that no one will ever actually see these "artists" perform live:

The most famous Viking rapper is Draugr Balled, who was the first to really solidify the whole Viking rap genre. Balled's videos regularly earn millions of views, and you can listen to this music on legit streaming services if you want to never hang out with me.

Judging from the hundreds of comments these videos inspire ("Just wasting water," "Reposted by every 45yr old divorced dad," etc.) Kids regard Viking rap as extremely cringe, so it seems like a guilty pleasure, the kind of thing you wouldn't admit that you like, even if you secretly dig it.

For the record: Actual Vikings probably didn't have tattoos, but Viking women were generally less subjugated than women in other civilizations of the time period. Actual Vikings were also into "flyting," verse-based insult battles that seem a lot like freestyle rap battles, so there's a little historical precedent for these videos. Anyway, check out the "vikinghiphop" hashtag if you actually want to listen to more of this kind of thing. Just don't tell anyone you like it.

What is a side quest?

As I'm sure you know, a side quest in a video game is a quest that is not necessary to completing the game's main objective. In slang, a side quest is anything you do just to do it. If going to college is your quest, a side quest might be finding the underground tunnels everyone talks about, or taking an outside-your-major elective like Fencing 101 just because it looks interesting.

TikTok rolls out age restrictions

Big news for kids out of Alabama this week, where a court settlement may change how every kid in the U.S. uses social media. TikTok's parent company ByteDance agreed to pay Alabama over $100 million dollars to end a lawsuit claiming TikTok is designed to keep kids addicted to the platform. TikTok will also implement a two-hour daily usage limit for children, overnight and school-hour restrictions, and ban the use of cosmetic filters on kids' accounts. Underage users will also receive an interruption after 15 minutes of TikTok use, and additional pauses at 60 and 90 minutes.

While these restrictions only apply to Alabama, this is only the first state settlement of what will likely be many. There are 27 similar suits working through the court systems in other states. The likely result will be nationwide guidelines for all social media. Meta, having recently settled a federal suit, has already implemented two-hour daily time limits for young users of Facebook and Instagram and is urging it competitors to do the same. Because navigating a patchwork of state laws is not easy for tech companies, big platforms are likely to adopt the strictest state requirements as a universal standard.

What are "how I feel in my hometown" memes?

I love when young people use new tools to express age-old emotions in novel ways. That's what "How I Feel in My Hometown" memes are about. You choose a fictional character, usually from an anime, to represent yourself and place 'em in scenes representing your hometown to capture that unique and melancholic sense of being a stranger in your birthplace, or having outgrown the place and seeing it with a different set of eyes. Here's an example, where Madoka Kaname contrasts with a small town:

and here's an anime character called Marin Kitagawa from My Dress-Up Darling in a Midwest town:

Another layer of irony comes from the song many memers use to accompany the video, That's My Kind of Night by Luke Bryan, an unapologetic pop-country ode to small-town life. You don't even have to know who Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen is to get how he'd feel about hanging out at Texas Buc-ee's:

Viral video of the week: I accidentally found the origins of the "propeller hat"

YouTuber BouncyClown's examination of the origin of the propeller hat "only" has about 150,000 views, so it isn't the most viral video this week, but it's a really interesting story and it's indicative of a growing trend among young people: They're really into clowns.

Clowncore is a whole thing, whether it's people doing a modern take on the "evil clown" aesthetic pioneered by the Insane Clown Posse in the last generation, kids celebrating happy clowns in general, or folks like BouncyClown who take things in a new direction by combining clown-stuff with the kind of quirky pop-culture history YouTube is known for.

To get speculative for a minute, the popularity of clowns and clowncore among young people seems like a reaction to how stultifying it is to live in a world where everyone is perfect on social media, and "cringe" is the greatest crime. It's rebellion in pancake makeup. Clowncore folks are saying, "Fuck trying to be beautiful. I'm going to make myself look as ridiculous as possible and just have fun." I'm no clown guy, but I stand behind the message 100 percent.

The Top 10 TV Series Right Now, According to Streaming Data

5 August 2026 at 16:00

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As much as Hollywood has been wringing its hands over franchise fatigue, consider this: In July, a Spider-Man movie made $168 million at the box office in one day, and the top streaming series was a Game of Thrones spinoff.

Fortunately, if you are hungering for something original, you can still catch innovative comedy series like The Bear and Widow's Bay, or tense thrillers like FROM and Cape Fear (well, OK, that last one is a remake of a 1990 Martin Scorsese movie that was a remake of a 1962 Gregory Peck movie that was an adaptation of a book, but the point stands). Here are all of July's most-watched series, according to data from streaming information repository JustWatch.


House of the Dragon

Seems we still aren't sick of dragons and incomprehensible political intrigue: The third season of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel based on a fake history tome by George R.R. Martin, came roaring back to the top of the streaming charts. With the season finale landing this weekend, fantasy fans will have to wait until the arrival of season two of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for their next Westeros fix. You can stream House of the Dragon on HBO Max.

Silo

Another book adaptation returning for a third season, Apple TV's Silo continues to track the downward spiral of the dregs of humanity, living together underground in a cavernous edifice that goes all the way down. If you've been wondering how things got so bad, this season goes back in time to reveal the source of humanity's downfall. (Unsurprisingly, humans are to blame.) You can stream Silo on Apple TV.

The Bear

Across four seasons, we've watched neurotic chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) flame out as an elite chef, return to his humble beginnings in his family's Chicago sandwich shop, try to turn said sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment, experience ups and downs in his business and personal life, and finally, at the end of season four, quit the food industry altogether. Taking place mostly over the course of a single day, the fifth and final season explores the immediate aftermath of that monumental decision—on Carmy, and the rest of the restaurant's partners and kitchen staff. It's a fitting goodbye for one of the most lauded TV series ever. You can stream the final season of The Bear on Hulu.

Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won nearly unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything is haunted, cursed, and otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) still really wants to bring tourism to the island. Mayor Tom is so married to his vision of Widow's Bay as the next Martha's Vineyard, he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial-killer ghosts surrounding him. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. You can stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

Lucky

Based on the bestselling novel by Marissa Stapley, Apple TV's latest hit stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular con artist. Her name proves to be a tad ironic after her latest job goes wrong and she finds herself the prime target of both the cops and the dangerous crime boss—who also happens to be her mother-in-law. Annette Bening is clearly having a grand time playing the ruthless Priscilla Masterson, who blames Lucky for the loss of $10 million she and Priscilla's son Cary (Drew Masterson) stole—never mind that Cary eventually ran away with it. With a supporting cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Timothy Olyphant, it's a fast-moving thriller with a sense of humor and an irresistible lead character. You can stream Lucky on Apple TV.

Ride or Die

This London-set series stars the ultimate odd couple. Octavia Spencer plays Debbie, the American wife of a British politician, and Hannah Waddingham plays her good friend Judith, who happens to be a master assassin. After a hit gone wrong, Judith must go on the run to stay ahead of another assassin working against her, and to avoid running afoul of the ruthless agency (literally called The Agency) that employs her. Obviously, Debbie gets pulled along for the ride. It's a fast, tense, and funny thriller series. You can stream Ride or Die on Prime Video.

I Will Find You

Like Max Cady in Cape Fear, the main character in I Will Find You has been imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. But unlike Max Cady, David Burroughs (Sam Worthington) doesn't set out to murder his lawyer. He was accused of killing his own son, and when he sees evidence that the boy is alive, he escapes prison to find his child. It's a modern take on The Fugitive: with the authorities on his trail, David must unravel a twisting conspiracy to clear his name and bring his child home. I Will Find You is a perfect summertime thriller. You can stream I Will Find You on Netflix.

FROM

The residents of the unnamed town at the center of FROM cannot catch a break. If it's not worms crawling around under their skin, it's the mysterious Man in Yellow stealing people's souls. Season four of this mystery-heavy show from the executive producers of Lost sees the survivors pushed to their limits as the veil between the strange town and the real world gets thinner. You can stream FROM on MGM+.

Cape Fear

Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, Cape Fear is a 10-episode reimagining of a classic novel that has previously been adapted into two celebrated films. In this extended version, Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden, a defense attorney who unsuccessfully defended murder suspect Max Cady 17 years previously. Turns out he wasn't guilty, and Cady has had nearly two decades to plan his revenge against the woman he blames for putting him behind bars. Javier Bardem brings unsettling energy to the role of Cady, previously played by Robert Mitchum, Robert De Niro, and Sideshow Bob. If you like slow-burn suspense that gradually ratchets up tension, you'll like Cape Fear. You can stream Cape Fear on Apple TV+.

The Agency

The spy thriller returns for its second season. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon Colby (code name Martian), a former CIA field agent who now runs operations for London Station, the agency's home office in the U.K. This season, the spy action grows more intricate, as Martian works to clear the name of his lover (Jodie Turner-Smith) while also going head-to-head with a possible double agent within the Agency's own ranks. You can stream The Agency on Paramount+ With Showtime.

The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data

4 August 2026 at 18:30

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After years of post-COVID uncertainty, are the movies finally back? Judging by July's box office returns, that certainly seems to be the case: Debuting in theaters within weeks of one another, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both have experienced record-breaking runs (the latter even claimed the largest opening weekend of all time, banking $360 million in the U.S. alone).

But if you ask me, the biggest box office success story of the year was much more unpredictable than seeing a movie from the world's most beloved director (or starring the most popular superhero) make bank: Obsession, a gnarly, R-rated horror flick produced on a budget of less than $1 million, went on to make more than $262 million in ticket sales—a true word-of-mouth phenomenon. On the other hand, with numbers like that, it's no surprise to see Obsession topping the streaming charts now that it is available to watch at home. Here are the other streaming movies that drew eyeballs last month, according to data from JustWatch.

Obsession (2026)

Arriving out of nowhere from first-time director Curry Barker, who got his start making sketch comedy videos on YouTube, Obsession debuted to higher-than-expected box office returns its opening weekend, and then just never stopped making money. It seems horror fans couldn't get enough of the story of a hapless teenager (Michael Johnston) who gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a "One Wish Willow" gag toy and expresses his heart's desire: that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. His wish comes true, and then some—with blood-splattering results. Stream Obsession on Peacock.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Project Hail Mary is streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

Legendary director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an LA diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born. Being a time traveler, Rockwell has tried this many times before and has always failed, but this time, it's going to be different—or everyone is going to die again. Part Terminator, part Black Mirror, Don't Die is a throw-everything-at-the-wall movie that goes so far over the top, you'll be forced to submit to its weird logic and style out of sheer exhaustion. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is streaming on Hulu, or you can rent it from Prime Video.

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

A family movie with enough darkness to balance out all the cute sheep, The Sheep Detectives tells the tale of an English farmer played by Hugh Jackman who reads mysteries to his flock of sheep every night. When he's found dead, the authorities attribute it to natural causes, but his sheep know better, and they set out to find the culprit using what they've learned from all those whodunnits. If you like the Babe movies, you'll like The Sheep Detectives, and if you think you're too cynical to get into a movie like this, you're probably wrong: It is charming and fun. The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Prime Video.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

A sleeper hit from 2019, Ready or Not followed a woman (Samara Weaving) who went to meet her fiancé's parents and wound up being hunted by them—their next target in a game of demonic ritual sacrifice dating back generations. The unlikely sequel picks up mere minutes after the first movie ended, with the other ultra-rich, ultra-powerful families in thrall to the same evil turning up to kick off round two. With a killer cast (including Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Elijah Wood, and director David Cronenberg) and a darkly hilarious skewer-the-rich vibe, it's bloody good fun. You can stream Ready or Not 2 on Hulu.

Troy (2004)

Why is a 22-year-old, vaguely remembered Brad Pitt historical action flick suddenly appearing on the streaming charts? It makes sense when you consider that Troy essentially serves as a prequel to 2026's The Odyssey. This flashy but shallow epic from director Wolfgang Petersen stars Pitt as the legendary warrior Achilles, who sets sail in the service of his king, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to lay siege against the title city to recover Helen (Diane Kruger), wife of the Spartan King Menaelus (Agamemnon's brother), from her "captors," Hector and Paris, young princes of Troy. If you've studied your myths (or if you've seen Christopher Nolan's new film), you know how it all turns out (it involves a horse). You can stream Troy on Peacock.

Masters of the Universe (2026)

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with He-Man—me and all of the other boys born between 1975 and 1982. I dreamed of seeing the musclebound hero on the big screen, but I was merely nonplussed by the 1987 Dolph Lundgren-starring adaptation, which looked nothing like the toys and cartoons. Turns out I just needed to wait 40 years, because the 2026 version, from Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight, is, if anything, too faithful to the campier aspects of the franchise, with a tone that walks the line between serious action epic and Barbie-style sendup. As a result (or perhaps just because 40 years is a really long time to expect people to care about a Hercules knock-off), the movie bombed at the box office—but perhaps it will find its audience of now-middle-aged men on streaming. You can watch Masters of the Universe on Prime Video.

The Long Walk (2025)

This chilling adaptation of one of Stephen King's earliest novels feels ripped from the capitalist hellscape of 2026: In an alternate 1970s U.S., a fascist government has taken over and, as a means of control, stages an annual "contest" known as The Walk, wherein a group of 50 boys is forced to compete in a non-stop, cross-country walking contest. The winner gets one wish granted, while the losers all get a bullet in the head. Two contestants (played by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson) are competing for their lives, closely watched by the ruthless Major (played by Mark Hamill in full villain mode). Stream The Long Walk on HBO Max.

Pressure (2026)

If you haven't heard of Pressure, ask your dad: This WWII flick, starring a post-Oscar Brendan Fraser as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, is prime Dad Movie material. It focuses on the lead-up to the Normandy invasion and is all about Eisenhower working closely with meteorologist (no, really) James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to determine if the conditions will be right to launch their planned invasion. Though it got good reviews, this one underperformed in theaters, but its modest charms seem right at home on streaming. You can stream Pressure on Peacock.

Independence Day (1996)

It's no mystery why this oversized alien invasion blockbuster hit the streaming charts in July. Even 30 years later, everyone likes to spend their July 4th watching Will Smith throw around one-liners as stuff blows up real good all around him (all capped off with a rousing speech from President Bill Pullman). You can stream Independence Day on Hulu.

Google Never Should Have Put Nano Banana Into Google Earth in the First Place

3 August 2026 at 20:00

Last week, Google rolled out its AI image generation model, Nano Banana 2, to Google Earth, its world explorer program. The company advertised the integration as a way for people to create infographics about different locations around the globe, or to generate historical landscapes of modern-day imagery. Users were also invited to generate their "dream homes" against real-world backdrops—so if you had plans to build an extension on your home, or visions of a vacation house on the lake, you could visualize it with Nano Banana 2 in Google Earth.

The news followed a trend of Google integrating its AI platforms into just about every one of its products and services (for example, last week it added new Gemini capabilities to Google Docs for Workspace users). From the company's perspective, it likely made total sense to add Nano Banana 2 to Google Earth. As it turned out, however, this is one product that Gemini wasn't meant for.

Google Earth has already dropped Nano Banana 2

Just one day after Google launched this big Nano Banana 2 integration, it rolled it back. The company issued an update to its original announcement, which read: "We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes; however, we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. So we’re rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails. It's important to note that generated images didn’t appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI-generated."

This statement doesn't properly describe the images that users were generating with this tool. In my view, it went beyond "violating" Google's policies: The internet, predictably, used Nano Banana 2 to generate inappropriate and insensitive images based on real locations. Perhaps it won't come as a surprise to learn that one of the images that took off most was of a plane crashing into the new World Trade Center in Manhattan. Other images depicted the Eiffel Tower destroyed, or the Egyptian pyramids collapsing into a sinkhole. While many would likely understand these were produced in jest, plenty more could see these "official" Google Earth images online and assume the worst.

But beyond the jokes, the potential for misinformation and disinformation was alarming. For example, one user demonstrated how they used the tool to place refugees shoulder to shoulder near the Mexican border. One could imagine such an image going viral, with viewers tricked into thinking the Google Earth still was an actual satellite image. Google likely has some guardrails in place preventing many image generations from taking place, but clearly those limitations weren't strong enough. And since anyone, whether they paid for Google's AI features or not, could use Nano Banana 2 with Google Earth, all one had to do was open Google Earth and fiddle with a malicious prompt until Nano Banana 2 complied.

Generative AI has no place in a tool like Google Earth

It doesn't take an AI skeptic to explain why this was a bad idea in the first place—but then again, few AI companies seem to be employing any skepticism before jamming generative AI features into their products. Tools like Google Earth are meant to be educational. You use them to learn about the world, its geography, and what different cities and landscapes look like. I personally love spending time spinning the digital globe around to learn about a new location, and often drop a pin on a random spot to see what it looks like on Street View. The reason I do this is that I understand Google Earth to be an accurate, reliable look at the world; if that weren't the case, why would I bother?

As such, it makes no sense to me for Google to introduce a tool that, by necessity, generates inaccurate and false views of the world. One of its selling points was viewing a place on the map as it looked in the past, but that's not what Nano Banana 2 was doing. Instead, the AI would pull from its training data to generate what it thought a historical representation of the area in question would be. If you asked it to show you what Paris looked like in 1726, it would likely overlay generic buildings and structures onto the map, rather than depict what Paris actually looked like three hundred years ago. What you're getting is the illusion of history; entertaining, perhaps, but certainly not educational—no better than scrolling through AI history slop on social media.

The same goes for the AI's "infographics." Companies like Google love to tout AI's potential as an educational tool, and on the surface, it seems like a great thing for Google Earth to generate learning graphics to teach you about a location on the map. But your generated graphic isn't vetted by anyone, and definitely not by an expert: The image that Nano Banana 2 spits out could be full of half-truths and hallucinations, and, what's worse, it won't offer any sources you can click through to check the AI's work. Casual users may retain the information they "learn" from these infographics, whether that data is correct or not.

At its worst, this feature was a disinformation machine. If you wanted to convince people that something bad happened in a particular part of the world, you could just type your request in, and Nano Banana 2 could spit out a realistic satellite image of your idea for easy sharing on social media. At a time when AI is spreading misinformation at a rapid rate, this only pours fuel onto an already raging fire. Companies like Google should be looking for ways to separate AI slop from real information, not helping it grow.

This isn't an argument against AI tools in their entirety, but it is an argument against embedding generative AI into an educational tool. What utility Google believes AI serves by taking truth and clouding it in falsehoods I do not know—other than giving it yet another example it can point to in order to tout its AI "success."

If You Loved 'Gilmore Girls,' There's One Movie You Need to Watch Next

31 July 2026 at 16:50

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Gilmore Girls is pure comfort viewing. We all wish our lives were filled with more sparkling, quick-witted dialogue spiced with deep pop culture references, and that we lived in a warm, quirky place like Stars Hollow—and that’s why it’s one of those shows that folks binge over and over again. It’s like getting together with some old friends—it never gets old. But true fans know that to keep up with the Gilmores, you have to absorb a lot of pop culture. If you’ve already watched the shows that fans of Gilmore Girls will love, it’s time to hop over to the movies that Rory and Lorelai would approve for movie night.

Why fans of Gilmore Girls should watch Mermaids

Mermaids is set in the 1960s, but the similarities with Gilmore Girls are strong. Winona Ryder plays Charlotte, a 15-year-old whose mother, Rachel (Cher), has a habit of moving to a new town every time she breaks up with a boyfriend. Adding to Charlotte’s growing sense of disruption is the fact that Rachel, who had Charlotte when she was just 16 herself, acts like her friend instead of her mother. When Rachel moves with Charlotte and her younger sister, Kate (Christina Ricci), to the small town of Eastport, Massachusetts, things begin to change.

If you loved the dynamic between Rory and Lorelai on Gilmore Girls, you’ll love Charlotte and Rachel. The show is pitched a little higher on the drama scale, but the funny, sharp dialogue between the women and the deep love between them is very Gilmore-esque. Like Rory, Charlotte is precocious and smart, though she’s a bit more prone to fantasy; despite being Jewish, she becomes obsessed with Catholicism, which causes her a lot of distress when she crushes on the local convent’s caretaker, Joe. And like Lorelai, Rachel is a strong woman who finds love in a small town without sacrificing her sense of self and independence. Their comic timing is flawless in this film.

That small-town, East Coast vibe in Eastport will also appeal to fans of the show. Eastport is depicted as a vibrant, tight-knit place where the locals are kind and weird in the best ways. When Rachel meets Lou (Bob Hoskins), the local shoe salesman, she resists falling in love for fear of losing her independence, but their blooming relationship is sweet and satisfying, and the town is populated by memorable characters just like Stars Hollow.

If you’re looking for banter, romance, and a town you wish you lived in just like Gilmore Girls, go watch Mermaids.

Stream Mermaids on Fubo or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies for fans of Gilmore Girls

Mermaids is terrific, but it’s not quite two hours long—so you’re going to need to add more movies to your list. Here are a few more that Gilmore Girls fans will love.

His Girl Friday (1940)

One of the many films directly name-checked in Gilmore Girls, His Girl Friday is way ahead of its time and the perfect match. The story, about a newspaper editor (Cary Grant) using a variety of shady (and, from a modern POV, kind of sketchy) tricks to win back the woman who is both his best reporter and his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell), is surprisingly gender-blind for a film released in 1940. And the dialogue—racking up an astounding 240 words per minute, on average—is so fast, so sharp, and so overlapping you’ll have to watch it three times to catch every joke and reference. If you come back to Gilmore Girls for the banter, you will love this movie.

Stream His Girl Friday on Fubo or Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

Juno (2007)

Another movie known for its sharp, rapid-delivery dialogue, Juno is also the perfect choice for Gilmore fans because of its main character, Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page). Sixteen years old and finding herself surprisingly pregnant, Juno navigates the emotional and social fallout with a sharp tongue and a bright mind that’s very much how you might imagine Rory dealing with a teen pregnancy. Juno agrees to let a childless couple (played by Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) adopt her baby, but as she grows closer to the husband, the film digs into complex relationship dynamics that fans of the show will appreciate.

Rent Juno on Prime Video.

Booksmart (2019)

One of the great things about Gilmore Girls is that it’s a show that celebrates intelligence and knowing things. The Gilmores and the people they surround themselves with are smart, and they enjoy being smart. So do Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) in Booksmart: They’ve skipped so many parties and hangouts in order to excel at school and get into Ivy League schools, and their quick, hilarious dialogue reflects how smart they are. When they learn that their hard-partying, much lazier classmates also got into great schools, they suffer what can only be termed a mild existential crisis, with hilarious results.

Rent Booksmart on Apple TV.

Before Sunset (2004)

The Gilmores often display an enviable dynamic: relaxed, affectionate, and challenging. Rory and Lorelai like to debate, to converse, to dig into their assumptions and have real conversations—the kind we all wish we were having on the regular. If you ever wished some of those conversations in Gilmore Girls would go on for, oh, a few hours, check out Before Sunset—it’s almost all conversation. It’s the sequel to Before Sunrise (the trilogy—itself basically one enormous conversation—ends with Before Midnight), but the second film is a closer match to the deep relationship between Rory and Loralei that makes the show special. The story sees author Jesse (Ethan Hawke) reunited with Céline (Julie Delpy), once again spending a day together in Paris nine years after a 24-hour conversation changed their lives, chatting in a way few people ever get to.

Stream Before Sunset on The Roku Channel or rent it on Prime Video.

Waitress (2007)

Quirky small town vibes, a loving found family, and an unplanned pregnancy—Waitress is what Rory or Lorelai’s life might have been like with some different choices or simple bad luck. Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell) is a small-town waitress trapped in a miserable marriage; her plans to save up money and flee are complicated when she finds herself unexpectedly knocked up. She begins an affair with her new obstetrician (Nathan Fillion, so: understandable) and learns that she has more friends—and better friends—than she imagined.

Rent Waitress on Prime Video.

Google Docs Is Rolling Out These Three New Gemini Features

30 July 2026 at 18:30

Google makes both Gemini and Docs, so it's not surprising that you'll find plenty of the former's features while using the latter. Gemini has a ton of Google Docs integration, including reading your text out loud, searching and summarizing your Docs in Drive, and a "Gemini bar" embedded into the app for prompting anytime. It's to the point that it's tough to avoid, which isn't great news for Google Docs users uninterested in AI features.

Of course, that won't stop Google. The company continues to add new Gemini features at a steady clip, and this week is no exception. As Android Authority notes, Gemini is now rolling out new image creation and editing abilities available directly in Google Docs. Google announced the changes in a Workspace update on Tuesday, highlighting how Docs users can tap into Gemini to create and edit images, diagrams, and infographics in their documents.

How Gemini's new Google Docs features work

According to Google, Gemini has three new functions Workspace users can take advantage of. First, users can create infographics or diagrams that summarize the doc in question. You could ask Gemini to do something like "add a diagram that explains the proposal at the top of this doc," or "create an infographic that summarizes the doc visually." Google says Gemini will pull from the context of the doc for these graphics, so these images should reflect what you have written in your doc—excluding the odd hallucination, of course.

In addition, Gemini can "refine existing visuals." You can ask Gemini to adjust the images in your doc with requests like, "change the aspect ratio of this image to 4:3," or "match the image's style to the other images in this doc." Finally, you can also ask Gemini to generate or edit multiple images at once. You could request the AI to create infographics in each section of your doc, or update all images at once.

Who has access to these new Gemini features?

These new additions to Google Docs aren't rolling out to everyone. Instead, they're exclusive to Workspace users, which includes Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. If you pay for Google's AI features, you can try these out once they roll out on your end. If your school, work, or organization uses Workspace, the same applies. Here's the full list:

  • Business: Business Standard and Plus

  • Enterprise: Enterprise Standard, and Plus

  • Education: Education Plus

  • Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra

  • Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education; Teaching and Learning

If You Loved ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,' There's One Movie You Need to Watch Next

30 July 2026 at 17:32

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Stuart Fails to Save the Universe might be the most surprising series on TV right now. Another spinoff from the wildly successful The Big Bang Theory, the show’s focus on bit players from the original series and an enthusiastic embrace of its gonzo multiverse plot shaped a fun, fast-paced, and inventive sitcom that both scratches the nostalgic itch for more of that universe and offers something completely fresh and new in it. If you’re looking for more sci-fi hijinx and humor that embraces the multiverse with wit, imagination, and a robust supply of heart (and you’ve already burned through the shows that offer a similar vibe), then there’s precisely one movie you should watch immediately: Everything Everywhere All at Once.

After Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, watch Everything Everywhere All at Once

Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka the Daniels), Everything Everywhere All at Once is the story of Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), an unhappy, middle-aged immigrant from China who runs a failing laundromat and is struggling in every aspect of her life, from her relationships with her father (James Hong), husband (Ke Huy Quan), and daughter (Stephanie Hsu) to her upcoming audit with the IRS. At her IRS interview, her body is suddenly controlled and she finds herself face to face with an alternate version of her husband, Waymond, who informs her that there are multiple universes and versions of her, and that she must access the skills and life experience of those alternate versions in order to save the multiverse from destruction by Jobu Tupaki—an alternate version of her daughter, Joy.

If you love the wild ride that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe offers as the gang regularly slides into a new alternate world, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the perfect match. As Evelyn struggles to comprehend the nature of her existence in a multiverse and figure out how to survive the bizarre and mind-blowing attacks Jobu Tupaki sends her way, we are treated to a dizzying range of insane universes. We see Evelyn as a martial arts movie star (not unlike Yeoh in real life), a scientist, a teppanyaki chef, a woman with hot dogs for fingers (in a universe where everyone has hot dogs for fingers) and, in one of the most moving moments, as a literal rock.

If you’re digging the emotional core of the show as Stuart seeks a universe where he is worthy and hasn’t ruined everything, the core premise of Everything will hit you right in the feels. Evelyn has been chosen because she’s the worst version of herself—the version that has consistently failed in everything she’s tried, and thus the version with the most stored potential. Her emotional journey from nihilism and anger to love and acceptance as she learns to fight for what she loves is powerfully moving. Like the show, the movie leverages the character-building aspects of a multiverse, letting us see how a normal, regular person with normal, regular problems might face a terrifyingly abnormal challenge.

Plus, the movie is just fun. How can you watch a scene where mild-mannered Waymond Wang defeats a gang of security guards using multiverse-downloaded fannypack skills and not want to watch the rest of the movie?

Stream Everything Everywhere All at Once on Hulu, or rent it on Prime Video.

More movies to watch after Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

The multiverse may be infinite, but movies about them aren’t. If you’ve watched Everything Everywhere All at Once and need more fun sci-fi stories, here are a few more movies that catch that Stuart vibe.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Douglas Adams’ classic story of an ordinary guy named Arthur Dent who is rescued by his friend (and secret alien) Ford Prefect when Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass isn’t a multiverse story per se, but it has similar elements. That’s thanks to the Infinite Improbability Drive, which allows for faster-than-light travel by passing through every point in every possible universe simultaneously, resulting in some really, really weird stuff (the hilariously inconsistent timeline resulting from the many variations of the story also contributes a sense of multiversity craziness). It’s an absurdist’s dream, riffing on every conceivable sci-fi trope and delivering a surprisingly sweet story of a man struggling with his sense of unimportance in an increasingly confusing existence.

Rent The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on Prime Video.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

You want a bit more edge to your multiverse humor? Check out Deadpool & Wolverine, in which everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth (Ryan Reynolds) has to skip through various universes to find a replacement Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who famously and nobly died at the end of Logan in 2017, for, er, reasons. It’s absolutely riddled with hilarious bits, fourth-wall breaks, and hyperviolence—but there’s a gooey emotional core to it, as well.

Stream Deadpool & Wolverine on Disney Plus, or rent it on Prime Video.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

If Everything Everywhere All at Once is a bit too staid and sedate for your tastes, check out this 1984 fever dream of a sci-fi movie. When rock star, scientist, and surgeon Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) tests a device that allows him to pass through matter, he briefly engages with the 8th dimension—and unwittingly attracts the attention of aliens who wish to use his technology to free their brethren trapped there, putting the existence of humanity at risk. It’s one of the weirdest vibes ever captured on film, but it’s also hilarious and one of the most unique films you’ll ever watch.

Stream The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension on The Roku Channel, or rent it on Prime Video.

John Dies at the End (2013)

If you love the unexpected twists that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe serves up as he and his friends travel through alternate universes, strap in for John Dies at the End. To say the story is complex would an understatement—it slides between the past, present, and future of various dimensions at a rapid clip—but it kicks off when a man named David (Chase Williamson) is contacted by his recently dead friend, Rob, who tells him about a drug called Soy Sauce that lets folks remember the future and allows entities to creep from one universe into another—and they’re infiltrating David’s universe. It’s wild and often really funny, so if it’s extra you’re looking for, look no further.

Stream John Dies at the End on The Roku Channel, or rent it on Prime Video.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

If you want to lean a bit more into plain old funny stuff, this modern classic is perfect. There’s no multiverse here, but there is a lot of affectionate humor aimed squarely at sci-fi tropes (especially the Star Trek universe and its, er, passionate fans). Galaxy Quest was a Trek-like TV series that aliens called Thermians believe was a documentary. When their civilization is threatened by a villain named Sarris, they kidnap the cast (including Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, and Sam Rockwell) of the TV series to help them defeat Sarris, and, yes, hilarity ensues. But also a lot of heart and character development, if that’s your bag.

Stream Galaxy Quest on Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.

Nano Banana 2 Is Coming to Google Earth

30 July 2026 at 12:30

Known by the codename Nano Banana 2, the most recent AI image generation updates added to Google Gemini have been a significant step forward in terms of quality and accuracy, and now similar capabilities are being plugged into the Google Earth app on the web. It means you're able to use the aerial, satellite, and 3D imagery packed into Google Earth as the basis for prompts for AI images—maybe peering into the distant past with a historical reconstruction or looking to the future with a sci-fi reimagining.

We've already seen just how precise and realistic the Nano Banana-powered features in Google Gemini are now, and Google has five suggestions for how you might deploy these capabilities in Google Earth. First, you can learn while exploring, so maybe getting the AI to build an infographic on the Statue of Liberty with key historical facts about it.

Google Earth
One idea for the new feature: Infographics (the Statue of Liberty in this case). Credit: Google

A text prompt such as "reimagine this empty lot in Tokyo as a vibrant shopping and retail district with open spaces" would transform a rather bare part of the Google Earth 3D map into something quite different. You can also visualize personal projects such as a dream lakeside home or an extension for your current property. Google Earth would combine the existing landscape with whatever you prompted, and help you come up with ideas as part of the planning stage.

You can also look forwards and backwards. "Sometimes it’s fun to let your imagination run wild," says Google, suggesting that you might want to get the AI to imagine how a place might look in a hundred years. (It might be worth nudging your prompt towards a utopian rather than dystopian vision of the future.)

Finally, Google suggests you dive back into the past. The company showcased a demo with the prompt "render a hyper-realistic view of what these Pompeii ruins looked like in 78 AD," which could be used by teachers, for example. That would instantly transform today's ruins "into a bustling, colorful street scene from the Roman Empire," in Google's words.

These new features come with the usual AI image caveats, however. While Nano Banana 2 can pull real-world information and images from the web, and is able to render graphics with more consistency and accuracy than previous models, there's still going to be the usual weaknesses involved with AI: Your lakeside home might not be entirely structurally sound, and the Pompeii reconstruction may not be entirely authentic—so bear that in mind when your images are produced.

Google Earth
Pompeii in all its original glory, as depicted by AI. Credit: Google

When I asked Google about this, a representative emphasized the real-world knowledge base that Nano Banana 2 draws on, which includes all the text and graphics it can find online, as well as the vast number of images that have been plugged into the AI during its training. With Google Earth, it will also trace over the structure ruins that are still in place when it comes to Pompeii, for example.

For a bit more clarity, you can try quizzing the Nano Banana 2 model inside the main Gemini app: I got it to render an imagined scene from Pompeii just prior to it being smothered by Vesuvius, then asked about the image accuracy. The AI said it had combined a bunch of real, historical information points to render the scene, including details on Pompeii's raised sidewalks, and the clothing styles of the day. Google hasn't said anything specific about usage limits, but the Nano Banana 2 upgrade is rolling out now globally, for all users of Google Earth on the web.

How to Make Sure Your Claude Chats Don't Get Shared Publicly (Again)

29 July 2026 at 17:11

If you use Claude, Anthropic's AI chatbot, you might be aware that your chats may have been exposed on Google. The news broke over the weekend, as Redditors discovered a treasure trove of conversations between Claude users and their AI bots. All one had to do was search for a keyword followed by "site:claude.ai/share" to find Claude conversations about that topic. It was, to be frank, quite the mess.

Luckily, Anthropic quickly plugged the security hole. Ever since, searching Google with "site:claude.ai/share" returns no results, so you can't find any of these chats today if you try. However, it's not necessarily a huge comfort to know that Google indexed these conversations in the first place—and for the second time in a year, at that. Anthropic dealt with a similar situation back in September, and while it isn't alone—Google once also indexed ChatGPT conversations—you might understandably be concerned about future chats leaking onto the web, as well as wonder whether your current chats were exposed.

Why were Claude chats exposed?

The thing is, it doesn't seem like every Claude chat had an equal risk of exposure here. Anthropic is adamant it doesn't share chat links to Google directly; instead, the vast majority (if not the entirety) of these chats appear to be conversations that individuals decided to share with others on the open web, according to Google. Claude lets you share your chats publicly if you wish, and while that can be convenient for showing friends, family, or colleagues a specific discussion, it might also open up your chat to Google's web crawlers, as when you share a chat, it generates a public link.

So, there's a silver lining in that private Claude chats that weren't shared are unlikely to be involved in this latest exposure. If you don't share your chats with anyone, you should be in the clear—though Futurism did report that one user in September's Claude debacle swears they never shared their exposed chats. However, if you do share Claude chats, your conversations might have been part of the indexing that happened over the weekend.

Further complicating things, it seems that Claude's "artifacts" are still visible on Google. Claude generates artifacts when the content of your project meets certain criteria, and can include anything like documents, code snippets, HTML sites, SVG images, diagrams, flowcharts, and Interactive React components. In many cases, users may want these artifacts to be public, as they may be meant to be shared widely. However, if you don't want your artifacts indexed on Google, you'll have to take action.

How to protect your Claude chats from future exposure

While there doesn't appear to be any reliable way to identify whether your chats and artifacts were included in this exposure, you can ensure that none of them are ever indexed by a search engine in the future. To do so, you'll essentially have to shut down sharing.

To start, head to Settings > Privacy in Claude, then choose "Manage" next to "Shared chats." Once this new page appears, you'll see all shared chats, including a link to the conversation and the date shared. From here, scroll through the list and select "Unshare" next to each chat you'd like to remove. This won't delete your chats; only their snapshots connected to these public links.

You Can Now Let Gemini 'See' Your Mac's Display for Free

29 July 2026 at 15:00

It may be polarizing, but there are lot of people using AI right now. Most of those users are likely exclusive to a chatbot, like ChatGPT or Gemini, using it as a Google replacement (don't do that), or as a confidant (please don't do that either). But if your goal is to use AI as a personal assistant, listen up: On Wednesday, Google announced two new updates for Gemini on macOS, one of which may have some privacy and security implications for users—assuming they opt in to it.

Gemini on macOS gets enhanced dictation

If you use dictation on macOS (i.e., speaking words out loud and having the AI type them for you), you might have a reason to use Gemini over Apple's built-in solutions. Going forward, Gemini on macOS has "intelligent dictation," which Google says polishes text "instantly at the cursor." That means Gemini will remove your stammers, like "ums" and "ahs" in between words, things you never would type out yourself. This works in any window on your Mac: You just press the Fn key, and start speaking.

We'll have to see this feature in action to know how well it works, but it does build off of similar enhancements Gemini has on other platforms. It's a small adjustment, but one that will make it possible to use Gemini to draft texts, emails, or documents without having to totally self-edit. That's the kind of utility I'm looking for from AI features. And since it's enabled by default, everyone using Gemini on Mac will be using it—unless they dig into their settings to turn it off.

Gemini can now "understand" your Mac's display

Google's second update for Gemini on macOS isn't so straightforward, nor is it enabled by default. Google calls it "screen-aware reasoning," a feature that grants Gemini permission to "understand" what's happening on your Mac's screen. The idea is to hand tasks over to Gemini: If you have your Notes app open, for example, you could press the Fn key and say "Turn these notes into an executive summary for the meeting this afternoon." Gemini will reportedly know to look at your Notes app, analyze your text, and configure it on your behalf, all without needing to work through a proprietary app.

You can stack together a series of commands, too: You could ask Gemini to draft an email for a team dinner, and pull from a select group of files on your Mac for important info (participants, budget requirements, dietary restrictions, etc.) You could continue on, asking Gemini to search Google Maps for specific types of restaurants, and include them as options for the team. And at any point, you can correct yourself, and Gemini will adjust accordingly. For example, if you said the team dinner should be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, but later on in your command you say, "Sorry, dinner should be 7 p.m." Gemini should make the appropriate changes.

Sure, there's a usefulness to this type of feature. If you're already using Gemini on macOS, letting "see" your Mac's display makes it more helpful. Rather than rely on the Gemini app for all your tasks, you can expand its range to your whole Mac, and, if Google is correct, in quite a complex way. But there's always a privacy risk in allowing AI programs full access to what's happening on your personal computer, and perhaps a security risk as well. Do you want Google's AI to be able to see everything on your screen?

It's not as big a risk as a true agentic program, of course. If you pay for Google's most expensive AI plan, you can access Gemini Spark, which can run autonomously on your Mac. The biggest flag to note is "prompt injection," in which hackers hide malicious commands for your AI in websites. If you task the AI to do something, and it stumbles upon such a command, it will think the request comes from you, not from the hacker. So, when it processes a request like "open [malicious site] and download [malicious file]" it will without question; or "open [crypto wallet], log in with saved credentials, and send funds to [account]," it will follow suit. That shouldn't be an issue with Gemini as it stands, though it theoretically could, if you ask it to perform a task that exposes it to prompt injection.

If you're someone who is interested in the latest features, this isn't to dissuade you from using Gemini's new agentic feature on macOS, but it's worth considering the very real risks before you do.

Your Claude Chats May Have Been Exposed on Google

27 July 2026 at 21:00

Chatbots are designed to make you feel like your conversations are personal. They're highly agreeable, and over-friendly, and simulate the experience of chatting with a friend online—assuming that friend can instantly generate a wall of text in a few seconds. In reality, however, they're far from personal, especially if your definition of "personal" includes "for your eyes only."

Claude chats were visible on Google this weekend

Some Claude users can attest to that fact after the weekend. As Cyber Security News reports, Anthropic's Claude share links have appeared in Google search results, indicating search engines like Google have indexed users' chats. Over the weekend, a viral Reddit post highlighted how, by simply adding "site:claude.ai/share" to your search queries, you could pull up real Claude chats directly in Google.

If a Claude user talked about the keyword you searched, and Google indexed that conversation, you could pull it up and read the transcript. According to Cyber Security News, that included lawyers discussing legal strategies, engineers talking through technical issues, and users being open with their personal problems. Depending on the conversation, that could range from mildly embarrassing to downright mortifying.

Now, some caveats: Anthropic quickly nipped the issue in the bud after the Reddit thread started making waves. If you try to search anything with "site:claude.ai/share" now, you'll simply receive a failed search result in return, so all your Claude chats should be safe going forward. Perhaps most importantly, it doesn't seem likely that these indexed chats affected everyone who uses Claude; rather, these were "share links," which Claude generates when you share a conversation with someone else. The glitch appears to stem from this feature—if you shared a chat from Claude, it may have ended up in this searchable database.

That said, not all the leaked chats might have fit that criteria. This same situation happened back in September, and, as Futurism reports, at least one affected user denied sharing their chats. Taken at their word, it's possible that some exposed Claude chats were also from users who never used the share chat function.

AI chats aren't private

Even if you're confident your Claude chats weren't shared, or trust that the leak has been plugged, that doesn't mean that your AI chatbot conversations should be treated with an assumption of privacy. Even if you never shared a conversation from Claude, and thus likely weren't affected by this issue, your chats may not be contained within your account. While you might think what you say with your AI stays between you and the chatbot, everything you say to your bot is shared with Anthropic and used to train future models—unless you explicitly opt out.

That's not just Anthropic: Most, if not all, AI companies operate this way, and each has its own set of policies. Some may have humans directly reviewing your chats, for example—something you might not think about when asking your AI bot for help with a personal issue.

Even if you opt out of data training, the company in question may still hold onto your chats for a set period of time. Anthropic, for example, will hold onto your chat data for 30 days after you delete the conversation. So not only is that data held on Anthropic servers in the first place, it lives there after you can no longer access it. Plus, Anthropic isn't the only company dealing with indexing exposure: While this is the second time this happened to Claude users, ChatGPT users dealt with a similar problem last August.

If you do choose to use chatbots, never share personal or private information with them—especially highly sensitive data like health info. AI is undoubtedly here to stay, and many find it useful, but if you care about your privacy, these tools simply don't have your best interests in mind.

If You Loved ‘I Will Find You,’ There's One Movie You Need to Watch Next

27 July 2026 at 17:00

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No one dishes out shocking twists and emotionally powerful moments like Harlan Coben, and his partnership with Netflix just keeps delivering stories you can’t help but devour in one sitting. I Will Find You, starring Sam Worthington and Britt Lower, is no exception: The story of a father risking everything to prove he didn’t commit an unspeakable crime while searching for the son he thought lost forever is the sort of show you hop online immediately after the credits roll to see what people are saying. If you’ve already watched the series that give the same vibe and want more innocent people trying to get their lives back, unpredictable plot swerves, and emotionally charged stories of hard-won justice, look no further than 1993’s The Fugitive.

Why you should watch "The Fugitive" after "I Will Find You"

The Fugitive was a massive hit in 1993. Based on a 1960s television series (also called The Fugitive) that was itself a national phenomenon, it’s the story of Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who is convicted of the brutal murder of his wife, Helen (Sela Ward), despite his claims of witnessing a one-armed man committing the crime. When the bus transporting him to prison crashes, Kimble escapes and launches a desperate campaign to prove his innocence, identify the murderer, and evade the dogged pursuit of U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his team.

The Fugitive scratches the precise innocent-man-on-the-run itch as I Will Find You, following Kimble as he uses his medical training and survival instincts to avoid capture while taking enormous risks. He poses as a janitor at a local hospital in order to conduct research on men with prosthetic arms and is almost caught several times by the smart and experienced Gerard (who famously tells Kimble that he doesn’t care when Kimble protests his innocence).

While the film doesn’t have the bonkers twists that Harlan Coben came up with for I Will Find You, there are plenty of unpredictable plot swerves as Kimble unravels a conspiracy that hits closer to home than he expects. Just like the Netflix series, the villain has violently self-serving motives, and the true story of what happened is a surprising reveal. And if your favorite part of I Will Find You was the interaction between father-daughter FBI agents Max Williams (Chi McBride) and Sarah Greer (Logan Browning) as they pursue David, you’ll absolutely love Sam Gerard and his team as they bicker, joke, and follow the trail with absolute dedication to their jobs.

Bottom line: The Fugitive is a big-budget, slightly less shocking Harrison Ford blockbuster that every fan of I Will Find You will love. You can rent The Fugitive on Prime Video.

More movies

Still craving twisty thrillers about innocent folks searching desperately for the truth? Here are a few more brilliant movies to check out.

Primal Fear (1996)

You want more absolutely mind-blowing twists? Primal Fear has one of the most brilliant swerves in film history. Edward Norton’s film debut sees him playing Aaron Luke Stampler, a stuttering, shy altar boy accused of viciously murdering the beloved Archbishop Rushman. Vain, publicity-seeking attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) takes Aaron’s case, believing the weak, forgetful Stampler incapable of such atrocities—but the twisty story builds to one of the all-time great reveals, a scene that made Norton a star overnight. Stream Primal Fear on Fubo or Kanopy, or rent it on Prime Video.

Gone Girl (2014)

Was it the complexity of the setup that hooked you in I Will Find You? Gone Girl takes that to the next level. Based on Gillian Flynn’s smash novel, the story begins when Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) comes home to find his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), is missing. The clues at the scene don’t look great for Nick, and as the sordid truth of his marriage emerges, things look worse—but nothing is exactly what it seems in this taut, clever mystery. If you were fascinated by the effort put into painting David as a heartless killer, you should know that Gone Girl takes that to the next level. Rent Gone Girl on Prime Video.

The Next Three Days (2010)

There’s something absolutely gripping about a story focused on an innocent person’s life ruined by a false accusation. The Next Three Days is a tense thrill ride based on that premise: John and Lara Brennan (Russel Crowe and Elizabeth Banks) are happily married with a young son. When Lara’s boss is murdered after Lara had an ugly, public confrontation with him, she’s convicted of his murder. As time passes and John can see her giving up all hope, he launches a desperate plot to break her out of prison and reclaim their lives. If you rooted for David to prove his innocence, you’ll root for John and Lara in the same way. Rent The Next Three Days on Prime Video.

Double Jeopardy (1999)

Part of the thrill of I Will Find You is the slow, twisty route to justice—to finding the truth and punishing the truly guilty. That’s where Double Jeopardy lives. Ashley Judd stars as Elizabeth Parsons, who is convicted of murdering her husband, Nick (Bruce Greenwood), after she’s found with a bloody knife on their boat, his body presumably swept into the ocean. She loses custody of their son and despairs—but she eventually discovers that Nick faked his death and framed her for the murder. Her life becomes consumed with the need to reclaim her son and—when she realizes she cannot be charged with the same murder twice—to get a measure of revenge. Stream Double Jeopardy on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

One of the all-time classics in the “wronged person serving time” genre, The Shawshank Redemption is simultaneously an inspiring story of friendship, a stirring tale of surviving in the face of horrific loss and injustice, and one of the greatest twisty stories of all time. Its steady pacing and careful characterization let you really get to know the wrongly convicted man at its core, and the ending lets you appreciate how resolute and determined he was while experiencing the worst horrors a human can imagine. Rent The Shawshank Redemption on Prime Video.

It Just Got a Lot Cheaper to Try Gemini Spark, Google's AI Agent

24 July 2026 at 17:00

Gemini Spark, the AI agent built into Google Gemini, is now a lot cheaper to try out in the U.S. Previously, Gemini Spark was exclusive to the Google AI Ultra plan, which costs $100-$200 per month. The company is now bringing the agentic AI to its AI Pro plan, which costs $20 per month. (For now, this change is exclusive to the U.S.)

When Gemini Spark was announced during Google I/O 2026, its features seemed potentially useful, but the barrier to entry was too high for most people. That appears to be changing now, as Google has cut the price by as much as 90%. It is not yet available on the $5/month AI Plus plan or the free tier, but that could change in the future too—though it's likely that using Gemini Spark on lower pricing tiers could mean that you hit your usage limits much faster.

What is Gemini Spark?

Google Gemini is a chatbot and a voice assistant that answers your questions, creates text, media, and even entire apps for you. Gemini Spark takes those capabilities to your Google account and executes actions for you.

You can think of Gemini Spark as a personal AI assistant that can look at your emails, calendar entries, photos, and other data in your Google account to perform tasks on your behalf. You can use Spark to bulk unsubscribe from mailing lists, make flight bookings, send reminder emails to clients, colleagues, or family members, book appointments, and much more.

Having said all that, a Gemini Spark overview from out sister site PC Mag emphasizes that its features tend to overlap with Gemini. PC Mag called Spark the best AI agent yet, but that doesn't mean it's perfect.

Does Gemini Spark respect your privacy?

To someone who is even remotely privacy-conscious, using Gemini Spark is going to sound quite invasive: You basically have to give it access to your entire computer if you want it to be able to act on your behalf. Google is aware of that, and has programmed the AI agent to ask for confirmations before performing certain actions. If you ask the agent to find birthday photos from 2017 and email them to someone, for example, Gemini Spark will show you the pictures and ask for a confirmation before actually sending the email. It applies the same logic to deleting emails, sending messages, using your saved credit cards to pay for reservations, and more.

It's worth keeping in mind that AI services have created serious problems for people who use these apps without due caution. The biggest strength of Gemini is its access to all the data that’s in your Google account, but if you give it unrestricted access and the AI agent messes up a request, you could be stuck with an incorrect hotel reservation, a flight booked to a wrong country, or other serious consequences.

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