Behold, 20 of the funniest YouTube videos ever

Reddit remains the internet's best dumping ground for some of the funniest content out there. While Reddit has produced some great original material, users on the site equally love to pay tribute to amazing content on other sites.

This happened when Redditor u/sporite went onto to the Ask Reddit subreddit to get a general idea of what videos — viral or not — always manage to make Reddit users laugh hysterically. The result was a thread that contained a buffet of the best YouTube videos that are absolutely hilarious.

Animals, Vines (RIP), and plenty of fails are just a few of the highlights of the entire 1000+ comment thread. While there were a ton of suggestions, we've selected the crème de la crème of the bunch.

So please, enjoy 20 of the funniest YouTube videos Reddit has deemed to be worthy of internet gold.

1. Nice, Ron

Ron really just finds a way to screw something up somehow, and the person filming the video makes sure he knows this.

Posted by u/coverack.

2. White Bear on Ice

During the filming for a White Bear Mitsubishi ad, a polar bear just can't seem to get his balance. The last fall is definitely the best one though.

Posted by u/Emmaleigh3341.

3. Guy Falls Asleep Playing EVE Online

Words cannot describe the noises that are coming from Tim when he fell asleep playing EVE Online with his friends. Give the video a watch and please explain how this can be considered "snoring."

Posted by u/Scunner132.

4. Dog Imitating a Siren

This video is both hilarious and precious. You need to absolutely check out how impeccable this doggo's impression of an emergency siren is.

Posted by u/asd090316.

5. Cat Jump Fail

This viral video tells such a compelling narrative whose complexity is further conveyed through the solid music choice that accompanies it. Give this video a watch to see this cat jump where no cat has jumped before.

Posted by u/PacSan300.

6. How is prangent formed

Yahoo! Answers was a beautiful dumping ground for the strangest questions, and the most ridiculous spelling mistakes. This amazing video tackles the topic of pregnancy, and the internet's inability to even spell the word.

Posted by u/HippoFalcon_.

7. Chris Pratt's Blooper Reel from Parks & Rec

What a gem. Chris Pratt on Parks & Rec is a gift that keeps on giving. And if you aren't convinced, then just take a look the series' blooper reels.

Unfortunately the original blooper video that Reddit users held in high regard has since been taken down. Fortunately, there's no shortage of Parks & Rec blooper compilations on YouTube.

Posted by u/PenguinWITTaSunburn.

8. Liam Neeson Doing Improv

Liam Neeson's stern and cold delivery of every line in this sketch is absolutely hilarious. He takes his role of a hypochondriac to a whole other level that will remain forever untouched by actors for years to come.

Posted by u/furrrsurre.

9. My Waffle Wedded Wife

This YouTube video is really sweet. When a bride and a groom are at the altar exchanging vows, the bride's husband-to-be accidentally says, "My waffl-y wedded wife," instead of "lawfully wedded wife." They crack up, the minister makes more jokes, and the entire audience also joins in on the laugh. Definitely a solid sign of a long and happy marriage.

Posted by u/IveGotAnElasticHeart.

10. You Wanna Play a Little Game?

I'm not going to spoil what happens in this video, but there's a reason why Reddit loves it. Jigsaw would be proud, maybe.

Posted by u/Stevepac9.

11. She's a Wolf in Mouse Clothing

Animals screaming seems to be a recurring theme in the videos that Reddit users seem to enjoy. These dubbed over mice screaming into the void is both hilarious and relatable.

Posted by u/Skyeborne.

12. Funniest Game Show Answers of All Time

Sometimes coming up with answers on the spot can be a little daunting, but this compilation video proves otherwise. Some of these just really GO for it you know? My favorite one is the person who is asked about a vegetable you marinate and he replies with "grapes." Iconic.

Posted by u/powerspyin1.

13. "A Child" Vine

RIP Vine, we hardly knew ye. This iconic five-second clip of someone clearly not getting the point is a staple among those on Reddit. It's dark humor at its finest.

Posted by u/_Bereavement.

14. Hilarious Jack Russell Goes Crazy with Excitement

This doggo was so excited to compete in the Agility Test at Crufts 2017. He was speedy, but he didn't necessarily keep his eyes on the prize, or his owner for that matter.

Posted by u/doubleohnicole.

15. Hi, I'm Ed Asner

This video starts innocently enough with Ed Asner introducing himself, but then he takes a freaking knife out of nowhere? I need an explanation, but I'm also OK knowing Asner isn't here to mess around, I guess.

Posted by u/Starman926.

16. Sulfur Hexafluoride Blooper

Helium needs to move aside because sulfur hexafluoride is here to snatch the crown for the best gas-induced funny voice. This old blooper shows a man inhaling this gas which makes his voice incredibly deep. This rule apparently applies to burps as well considering this man lets out an inhuman belch that will shake you to your core.

Posted by u/greenagemutantninja.

17. Rammstein vs Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster apparently has an affinity for German industrial metal music. Watch this amazing collab between Rammstein and Cookie Monster that Reddit apparently hails as the world's most iconic duo.

Posted by u/DammitPantera.

18. Head Smashes Board

A motivational speech about believing in yourself takes an odd turn when this man tries to break a "bored" using just his head. This does not turn out the way he expected it to. Perhaps if he believed in himself a little harder, this viral video would have a different ending.

Posted by u/TagProNoah.

19. Look at this Graph

You'd be doing yourself a major disservice if you didn't listen to this amazing, uncut edition of "Photograph" by Nickelback.

Posted by u/PacSan300.

20. The Brakes

Who would've thought that Tina driving a car in Bob's Burgers would translate so well in real life? While in this particular case there's a massive ship, its pretty likely the captain was experiencing the same feelings of anxiety as Tina did in this amazing dubbed-over video.

Posted by u/silverhydra.

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'Wordle' today: Here's the answer, hints for April 30

You made it! It's Sunday, and you're just about ready to unwind with a game of Wordle. We're here as always to help guide the way with our expert Wordle advice and the solution.

If you prefer to just be told the answer, you can scroll to the end of this article for April 30's Wordle word to be revealed. But if you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans have even sprung up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the Wordle answer for April 29.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that brings joy to your heart. But if what brings you joy is strategy, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?

Though usually Wordle will only accept one correct solution per day, occasionally it will rebel against the norm and deem two different answers acceptable. This is due to changes the New York Times made to Wordle after it acquired the puzzle game.

The Times has since added its own updated word list, so this should happen even less frequently than before. To avoid any confusion, it's a good idea to refresh your browser before getting stuck into a new puzzle.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

It can be both a place and a famous actor's surname.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

It does! It's a tricky one too, so watch out.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

What's the answer to Wordle today?

We're finally about to reveal the answer to today's Wordle, so get your guesses in now!

Are you ready?

The solution to Wordle #680 is...

PLAZA.

Don't feel discouraged if you didn't get it this time. The beauty of Wordle is that there's always a new one to try the next day, and we'll be here again with more helpful clues and hints.

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'Quordle' today: Here are the answers and hints for April 30

If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need.

What is Quordle?

Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.

Is Quordle harder than Wordle?

Yes, though not diabolically so.

Where did Quordle come from?

Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. 

How is Quordle pronounced?

“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.”

Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?

Yes and no.

Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you.

After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle.

What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?

Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. 

Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset.

Is there a way to get the answer faster?

In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses:

Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.”

Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses.

If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints:

Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?

Two words have twice-occurring letters.

Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?

No.

What do today’s Quordle words start with?

S, G, R, and R.

What are the answers for today’s Quordle?

Are you sure you want to know?

There’s still time to turn back.

OK, you asked for it. The answers are:

1. STOUT

2. GROUT

3. RALPH

4. RIGOR

What to know before signing up for Bluesky

If you're on Twitter, you've probably seen people flocking to Bluesky, a social platform hailed as a promising alternative to the now-ailing bird app. It looks nearly identical to Twitter, was initially funded by Twitter, and calls itself a "social network for microblogging" which, huh, is funny because that's exactly what Twitter is. Anyway! Before you go running for Bluesky's greener pastures, it’s important to know what you’re agreeing to when you sign up for the platform.

Bluesky currently owns everything you post

On Thursday Apr. 27, Twitter user Ashley Gjøvik tweeted about Bluesky's disconcertingly broad terms of service. She tweeted several screenshots of the terns, including a snippet that reads "If you post any content to the Bluesky Web Services, you hereby grant Bluesky and its licensees a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, publicly display, publicly perform, modify, sublicense, and distribute the content, on or in connection with the Bluesky Web Services."

In plain English that means: we own everything you post.

Rose Wang, who works in Strategy and Operations at Bluesky according to her LinkedIn profile, replied to Gjøvik's screenshots with an explanation of how Bluesky's team intends to interpret the terms: "In order for us to operate, we need to be able to promote the app," wrote Wang.

"That means, we will take screenshots of Bluesky, which will include your users’ content. That said, we have explicitly told our community that if we are using your content in a way you disapprove of, please email us... and we’ll do our best to honor your wishes. Bluesky was created so that users own their data, devs will never be locked out of the ecosystem, and creators can always own the relationship with their users... Thus, we are doing our best as [a] team to honor our ethos... Soon, our ToS will spell out use cases to mitigate confusion."

That all sounds nice. But Terms of Service agreements amount to a binding contract, and tweets claiming a company is "doing [its] best" to use your content a certain way do not.

These terms are harsh, even compared to Facebook

Let's take a look at Facebook's terms of service, which are much more nuanced in their explanation of user rights. "You retain ownership of the intellectual property rights," the terms page reads. "Nothing in these Terms takes away the rights you have to your own content... However, to provide our services we need you to give us some legal permissions (known as a 'license') to use this content."

The Facebook terms document then outlines what is covered by the license, and notes that it only applies "specifically when you share, post, or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights on or in connection with our Products." The document also provides a helpful example: if you post a photo, you grant Facebook certain necessary permissions, allowing Facebook's parent company Meta to duplicate it, store it, and share it with others in ways "consistent with your settings." Reassuringly, it notes that the license you grant "will end when your content is deleted from our systems."

Bluesky may just be protecting itself because it's new

In comparison to Facebook's terms, Bluesky's read like a first draft put in place to satisfy a legal team, probably so the platform could start onboarding users and, for her part, the CEO has claimed this is essentially what happened. You know what they say in tech: move fast, break things, and claim ownership of your users' content!

Wang's replies point to another sticky subject: copyright. "We must protect ourselves," she wrote. Journalists, according to Wang, have been "taking screenshots of the app and putting it into their publications," and the terms need to make it possible to "transfer rights to license content to them." In the case of moderation, Wang said, copyright once again comes into play. Bluesky must be able to legally transfer content to moderators "so that they can scan through content" and sift out objectionable material.

These terms might have downsides for Bluesky itself

But owning user content, and being able to transfer rights to that content, may mean BlueSky is not protected by the "safe harbor" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Under the DMCA, safe harbor protection goes away if a company has the "right and ability to control" copyright-infringing content and can potentially profit off of it. That means these terms leave Bluesky vulnerable to costly copyright infringement litigation, which would sap the fledgling app's potential.

For all its promise, Bluesky is still very much a work in progress. And while it's never fun to read the fine print, it's worth taking a quick look before handing over your content to Bluesky.

Mashable has reached out to Bluesky's CEO for comment, and will update if we hear back.

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The internet goes wild over a bonkers NFL Draft Round 1

The first round of the NFL draft was a wild ride on Thursday night.

The Houston Texans got to wheelin' and dealin', in the end making the second and third overall picks for quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson, respectively. Kentucky QB Will Levis — a pre-draft consensus high pick — waited, waited, and waited, only to not get selected at all in the first round. The Philadelphia Eagles kept up their strategy of just...drafting national championship-winning Georgie Bulldogs.

The internet, predictably went wild for such a fun draft.

There were jokes and observations about Levis' long wait and the weird (wrong) Reddit rumor that he was going to be drafted first overall. Oh, and some of his odd food choices.

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Then there were the posts about first overall pick Bryce Young, who is...vertically challenged...for an NFL QB.

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There were jokes about the Eagles drafting two Georgia players after doing the same thing in recent drafts.

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And then there were just lots of other good posts and jokes.

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The lower rounds of the draft continue through Friday and Saturday. Hopefully your favorite team makes good picks but, worst comes to worst, at the least the jokes and memes will be good.

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'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' review: Remember when these movies were fun? James Gunn doesn't.

I regret to inform you that the Guardians of the Galaxy as you know them are dead. What remains in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 are flickering remnants of fun times, but mostly maudlin bullshit.

After bouncing to the DC Extended Universe for the chaotic sequel The Suicide Squad, writer/director James Gunn is back with the superhero film series that brought fresh life to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By 2014, a string of suspenseful but oh-so-serious superhero movies (your Iron Mans, Thors, Captain Americas) had made this franchise a tense and tearful space. The Guardians of the Galaxy blazed into the MCU as rock-loving roughnecks, who were unapologetically coarse and goofy. But subsequent sequels and Avengers tie-ins haven't just killed Gamora, they've killed the chaotic charm that made this motley Marvel crew such a blast.

What's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 about? 

Credit: Marvel

With Gamora offed in Avengers: Infinity War, the surviving Guardians are holding up in their headquarters in Knowhere, where a mourning Peter "Star-Lord" Quill (Chris Pratt) is throwing himself a pity party, complete with drunkenness and a miserable soundtrack. Forget the bouncy mixtapes of '60s, '70s, and '80s pop that have defined his rascal appeal. Radiohead's "Creep" is what opens this Guardians movie, along with a sequence of animal abuse. And there'll be plenty more of that particularly traumatizing element throughout the movie. 

Penned by Gunn, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 pitches Peter and his crew on a quest to rescue Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) from the mad scientist who created him, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

After a kidnapping attempt from High Evolutionary minion Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Rocket is left mortally wounded. Despite Peter's pissy attitude, the Guardians must band together to pull off a series of heists to recover the McGuffin that can save Rocket's life. Along the way, they'll run into familiar friends and foes, including the Gamora (Zoe Saldana) from another timeline, who has no history with Peter and the Guardians, and so thinks of him as a pathetic sex pest that keeps trauma dumping on her at every opportunity. (Fair!)

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 ruins its fun formula. 

Credit: Marvel

Where the first film had a fun push and pull between boisterous Peter and sneering Gamora, the third has a Peter who is justifiably but annoyingly mopey. Who could blame this Gamora for cringing every time he's near?

Meanwhile, most of the other Guardians are forced into caretaker mode, constantly catering to Peter in a way that spills out more and more mournful dialogue about loss. Of course, post-Snap we've seen a lot of the Avengers and their acolytes struggle with grief. But for how many movies (and TV shows) does Marvel expect us to endure this? At some point, it's just drudgery. And that point is here, where not only is Peter a glum chump, but Rocket, the wicked-tongued comic relief, is comatose for most of the movie. When he's not, he's experiencing flashbacks of a traumatic childhood that is aggressively violent and so joltingly tragic that parents might think twice before taking their kiddos to this one. 

With Rocket sidelined, his best scene partner, Groot (Vin Diesel), is adrift with the schtick of saying, "I am Groot," over and over. And the joke has gotten stale. Meanwhile, Nebula (Karen Gillan) is saddled with being the nagging mother figure, dragging dumb and dumber duo, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), into some form of a plan. While this leaves Gillan little to do but scowl, Bautista and Klementieff are terrific, bringing the most humor and heart to this trudging superhero movie. 

While Peter and Mantis are siblings (exposition dropped as often as how Gamora is back in their lives), Mantis and Drax have big Sibling Vibes. They squabble like children, passionate and irrationally. And it's the lightest this movie dares to get. Even in their wide-eyed reactions, they are delightful, like when new Gamora derisively calls them, "Bug and Doofus." Where every other Guardian is bogged down by Snap-related trauma, Mantis and Drax find the light enough to actually make this movie feel less of a drag. Thankfully, they are not alone in this. 

Chukwudi Iwuji and Maria Bakalova bring verve to Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. 

Credit: Marvel

Some of the newer faces in the MCU are welcome additions. For one, Maria Bakalova, who broke out as Borat's daughter in Borat Subsequent Movie Film, lends her voice to Cosmo the Spacedog. A labrador-retriever mix in a CCCP spacesuit, she was launched on a test rocket never to return to Earth. But since then, Cosmo's acquired tech to help her speak English (with a thick Russian accent) and telekinetic powers that prove pretty pivotal. But her greatest contribution is a sweet and silly running gag about her desire to be recognized as a "good dog." It's simple, silly, and sublime.

Elsewhere, Will Poulter is deliciously wacky as a himbo in the vein of early Thor, and is a great balance to Elizabeth Debicki's returning and frazzled Ayesha. The Suicide Squad's Daniela Melchior brings a sharp wit to a small role, as does Nathan Fillion, who starred in Gunn's gross-out horror movie Slither. But Chukwudi Iwuji stands out from the pack of newcomers giving us a villain who feels Disney in a good way. (As opposed to...)

The High Evolutionary's deal feels tiresomely reminiscent of Thanos and Kang: yadda yadda perfecting the world by making it in his vision. In this case, he's a bioengineer who's been making mammals into mech-monstrosities, resulting in a scene that feels very Toy Story, when Woody and Buzz end up in Sid's workshop of misfit toys. The premise of this villain and his look (which the movie calls out as a blatant ripoff of RoboCop) are meh. But Iwuji brings a volatile bravado that feels vintage Disney villain. Think Jafar, Ursula, or Scar. At any moment, he might burst into violence or a song! So whether he's rhapsodizing about eugenics or casually deciding on genocide, he's electrifying to behold.

Speaking of the genocide and eugenics of it all — again, parents might want to preview before taking offspring to this PG-13 Disney movie. 

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is more slog than romp. 

Credit: Marvel

Gunn's movies are typically known for madcap humor, exciting action, and a slight edge that feels rebellious within Disney's MCU machine. But here, much of the humor and edge is dulled by the depressing onslaught of death and torture. The violence is alarmingly intense for this brand. Characters are mauled, set ablaze, or have bones snapped, and a head is decapitated to presumably comedic effect. Maybe this mayhem would play better if the movie were funnier or at least less solemn. But as it is, it's shocking and off-putting to see such graphic violence in a movie that presumably was meant for kids and parents to enjoy together. Essentially, it feels like Gunn is reaching for maturity through moping and shock value, and the result is gross, not engrossing. (Does this bode well for the future of DC movies?)

Likewise, the needle drops that once had a theater rocking along with Peter's superb playlist now feel haphazard and torturously too long, be they used for reflection or celebration. At two hours and 30 minutes, Gunn's latest is achingly indulgent, engaging in slow-motion sentimentality with more enthusiasm than the action sequences, which are so frenetically cut that they are efficient but not effecting.

In short, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is a major disappointment. While some of its stars manage to shine despite a screenplay that is a black hole of sadness, the underwhelming action, convoluted plotline, and confounding score add dead weight instead of elevation. In the end, the credits come as a blessing, not a bummer. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters May 5.

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'Victim/Suspect' trailer: How the criminal justice system fails victims of assault

The upcoming documentary Victim/Suspect follows journalist Rae de Leon as she investigates a disturbing pattern across sexual assault cases nationwide — survivors who go to the police to report their assaults are often treated as suspects.

In de Leon's research, which includes recordings from police interrogations, interviews with victims, and accounts from legal experts, we learn that survivors reporting their assault are sometimes charged with or even arrested for filing a false report. Victim/Suspect offers a painful look into a criminal justice system that fails its victims and emboldens a hostile environment that threatens those who speak up. This is the latest documentary from filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman, whose harrowing investigation Roll Red Roll was nominated for a Peabody.

Victim/Suspect premieres on Netflix May 23. 

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Get a KitchenAid stand mixer for $90 off at Wayfair's Way Day sale

Save $90: The KitchenAid Classic Series stand mixer (4.5-quart) is now on sale for $239.99 at Wayfair, down from $329.99 when you use the coupon code SAVE90 in your shopping cart.

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Credit: KitchenAid

KitchenAid Classic Series stand mixer (4.5-quart) (opens in a new tab)

$239.99 at Wayfair (save $90 with coupon code SAVE90)

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Home pastry chefs know it's always a great time to bake pies, tarts, and other delicious treats. They also know the value of having great tools at their disposal to make the most out of every ingredient. If you're in the mood for whipping up tasty treats, then this deal might be for you.

As of April 27, the KitchenAid Classic Series stand mixer (4.5-quart) is now on sale at Wayfair for $239.99, down from its usual price of $329.99, when you use the coupon code SAVE90 in your cart. This deal is part of Way Day, a Wayfair seasonal sale that provides big discounts on many products in the store's inventory. Way Day ends today at 11:59 p.m. PT, which means this deal is available for a very limited time.

KitchenAid products are known for being long-lasting when properly cared for. This particular stand mixer features 10 speeds so you can mix your ingredients to your desired texture and creaminess. Not only does this deal include the stand and stainless steel bowl, but it also includes a dough hook, wire whip, flat beater, and whisk so you can make every treat imaginable.

Additionally, the KitchenAid Classic series stand mixer is compatible with other attachments in the KitchenAid line (sold separately). Easily tilt the stand mixer back when finished with your creations, remove the bowl and attachment, and effortlessly clean up after a hard day's worth of home cooking.

More deals like this

• Home Easy stand mixer (4.8-quart) — $93.99 $139.99 (save $46) This deal is also a part of Way Day and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT

Users spent 24% more time on Instagram thanks to Reels

Unfortunately, it turns out we actually kind of like watching Instagram Reels.

When Instagram first launched Reels and promised to pivot the social media platform to video, users were livid. We threw fits. Kylie Jenner demanded that we "make Instagram Instagram again." And, at first, Reels flopped as a lame version of TikTok. 

But, at Meta's earnings call on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg reported that time spent on Instagram had risen by 24 percent, an engagement increase he blames on Instagram Reels.

"Reels continues to grow quickly on both Facebook and Instagram," Zuckerberg said in the earnings call. "Reels also continue to become more social with people resharing Reels more than 2 billion times every day, doubling over the last six months. Reels are also increasing overall app engagement and we believe that we're gaining share in short-form video too."

Reels aren't just doing well because we're seeing our friends and favorite influencers post them, though. A big part of the reason we're all so sucked into Reels is, Zuckerberg said, because of artificial intelligence. He said the ranking systems and AI recommendations have "driven a lot of the results that we're seeing today across our discovery engine, Reels, and ads."

While Zuckerberg didn't give us any daily breakdown of Reels users, he said the monthly active users rose for all of Meta's apps combined. Meta CFO Susan Li said on the call that the company isn't quantifying "expected engagement growth" for Reels, but it is happy with what they've seen. "It's clear that people value short-term video," Li said, according to Business Insider.

This comes just a few weeks after Instagram launched new tools for Instagram Reels creators, including new metrics, gifts, and a space designed for users to "find inspiration" through trending audio and hashtags. It's surely a ploy for continued engagement, but, hey, it seems to be working.

Meta also reported a $28.6 billion first-quarter revenue — showing 3 percent year-on-year revenue growth. But the company also noted a $5.7 billion net profit — a $523 million decline — partly due to the restructuring costs related to some 21,000 job cuts. Shares jumped a mighty 12 percent following the meeting.

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'A Haunting in Venice' trailer: Hercule Poirot's most terrifying case is here

Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is back for another murder mystery, and it just might be his creepiest case yet. 

Following Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, the latest Agatha Christie novel getting the live-action treatment is Hallowe'en Party, titled A Haunting in Venice for its film adaptation. A Haunting in Venice sees a retired Poirot forced back into the detective space following a séance gone wrong on Halloween night. After one of the séance attendees is murdered, Poirot realizes that his culprit may be more than he bargained for — is it a ghost? Or is someone playing a sinister trick? 

A Haunting in Venice also stars Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, Tina Fey, and Michelle Yeoh, with Branagh also directing. 

A Haunting in Venice opens in theaters on September 15. 

TikTok is bringing AI-generated profile pictures to the masses

TikTok will soon create AI-generated profile pictures at users' request, according to a leak first covered by The Verge.

The tool creates headshots in the same way you might create AI headshots on the Lensa app or AI SuitUp. But, instead of generating a photo through a third party, TikTok's new feature will allegedly be built right into the app, The Verge reported. In screenshots shared from social media consultant Matt Navarra, it looks like the app will ask users to submit between three to 10 photos and it will create up to 30 avatars, but you can only use the tool once a day. Then, you can set it as your avatar, download them, post them — whatever your heart desires.

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TikTok did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment, but it said in a statement to TechCrunch that the tool — which it calls an "experiment" — is already available in select regions.

"We’re always thinking about new ways to add value to the community and enrich the TikTok experience, as we continue to build a safe place that entertains, inspires creativity, and drives culture," a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch. "In a few select regions, we’re experimenting with a new way to create and share profile pictures with the TikTok community."

If you've been paying attention, this should come as no surprise. Social media platforms are all trying to dip their fingers into generative AI: Snapchat's divisive My AI, Meta's late scramble to AI, Artifact, the AI social media platform from the creators of Instagram, and more. 

All the while, TikTok is in trouble. Lawmakers in over a dozen countries have all implemented various bans of the app due to fears that TikTok is giving user data to the Chinese government, and one U.S. state completely banned the app from being downloaded.

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The Xbox Elite wireless controller Series 2 Core just hit its lowest price yet

SAVE $21: As of April 26, the Xbox Elite wireless controller Series 2 Core is on sale at Amazon for the all-time low price of $108.99 (normally $129.99).

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$108.99 (save $21) at Amazon

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When it comes to shopping for game controllers, the Xbox Elite wireless controller Series 2 is typically your best bet for Xbox and beyond. But when it costs nearly $200, it can be difficult to pull the trigger. That's where the Xbox Elite wireless controller Series 2 Core comes in. It's a more affordable version of the same controller, just without some of the customizable accessories you get with its more expensive cousin.

Right now, the Xbox Elite wireless controller Series 2 Core is on sale for its lowest price yet. You can grab it at Amazon for just $108.99, which is $21 off its normal price of $129.99 and a savings of 16%. This is the cheapest the controller has been since it dipped to a similar price in late 2022.

Of course, you are paying more than you would for a standard Xbox controller, but you do get what you pay for. The Elite Core controller is an excellent option for gamers who want a bit of a leg up on the competition. It features adjustable-tension thumbsticks, a rubberized grip, and short hair trigger locks. Plus, it can last up to 40 hours per charge so you don't have to worry about the controller shutting off when you're in the middle of a game.

All you're really missing out on for the extra cash for its pricier alternative is a set of interchangeable thumbsticks, paddles, an additional D-pad, and a charging dock and carrying case — nothing you'll be forlorn without, especially when you can get a great controller for this price.

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Private company's daring moon landing likely just failed

A Japanese company likely crashed a spacecraft into the moon as it attempted a soft landing Tuesday, causing an abrupt end to its five-month journey from launch pad to the lunar surface.

The company, ispace, invited the world to watch alongside its Tokyo-based mission control through a livestream of the event on April 25. The nail-biting landing sequence lasted about an hour as the spacecraft performed a braking engine burn and followed automated commands to adjust the Hakuto-R lander's orientation and speed to touch down.

But after many minutes past the expected landing, mission control could not make contact with the spacecraft. With the team of engineers visibly disappointed, ispace officials said they had to assume the landing was unsuccessful. They'll continue to investigate the status of the lander, said Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace.

"At this moment, what I can tell is we are very proud of the fact that we have already achieved many things during this Mission 1," he said. "We acquired actual flight data during the landing phase. That is a great achievement for the future missions."

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Though 60 years have passed since the first uncrewed moon landings, it remains a daunting task, with less than half of missions succeeding. Unlike on Earth, the moon's atmosphere is very thin, providing virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. Moreover, there is no GPS system on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot. Engineers have to compensate for these shortcomings from 239,000 miles away.

The company will continue to investigate the situation to determine what might have gone wrong, said Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace. Credit: ispace / YouTube screenshot

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This is not the first time the private sector has attempted to get to the moon. For example, in 2019 an Israeli nonprofit and company collaborated on the $100 million Beresheet mission, which crashed on the lunar surface after an orientation component failed. The mishap potentially scattered some intriguing artifacts on the lunar surface in the process.

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For one of ispace's payload customers, the failed landing means the indefinite postponement of another dream: the first Arab moon mission. The ispace lander was supposed to deliver the United Arab Emirates' Rashid rover to the moon, which would explore the Atlas Crater. Along with the Emirati rover, a Japanese space program robot was on board.

Hakuto-R is the first of many other commercial missions that are expected to attempt this feat soon, many of which are an outgrowth of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program. The program was established in 2018 to recruit the private sector to help deliver cargo to the moon. Ispace couldn't directly participate in the NASA program because it isn't an American company, but it is collaborating on one of the contracts led by Draper Technologies in Massachusetts, expected to land on the moon in 2025.

Ispace executive leaders look on as they await word on whether the Hakuto-R lander succeeded on April 25, 2023. Credit: ispace

These upcoming missions will support the U.S. space agency's lunar ambitions, shipping supplies and experiments to the surface ahead of astronauts' arrival in 2025 or later, as well as kickstarting a future lunar economy.

Which will be the first to make the journey intact? The commercial race is on, with many more opportunities this year.

"History can be made only by those who (face) challenges, and challenges will not be possible without taking a risk," said Yuichi Tsuda, a professor of astronautical science at Tokyo University, during the live broadcast. "The risk can be taken only by those who dream. So ispace teams, you are all excellent dreamers."

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The Lomi countertop composter makes recycling food scraps as easy as loading the dishwasher

Composting is one of the most impactful yet wildly inconvenient individual actions one can take against climate change on a day-to-day basis. The average person probably realizes, to a point, how much food waste their household is creating — the smell of the trash is a great indicator — but the environmental impacts of that food waste are pretty out of sight, out of mind.

Half of the problem is probably that many people don't even know what composting is. It's one of those words that might conjure up a vague mental image upon hearing — like a human-sized pile of dirt or a human-sized pile of worms — but doesn't force any real-life consideration afterward. The idea of composting specifically is often blown off with a simple, "Does anyone actually do that?"

Pela is one company looking to make composting a more accessible, less gross process. The Lomi, a chic indoor countertop composter, offers an alternative between throwing everything away and committing to the whole outdoor composting operation. I simply had to clear off a slab of counter space to try Lomi in my apartment.

Putting the food waste problem on the average person's radar

One needs to understand the food waste nightmare to understand the importance of composting.

While many of us probably twitch after watching someone toss a plastic bottle into the trash when there's literally a recycling bin right there, tossing old refrigerator food or banana peels in the trash isn't likely to generate the same visceral reaction. That's just where it goes, right? The landfill will take care of it or whatever.

But the carbon impact of food waste is just as dire as that of the plastic rotting in those same landfills. Food waste makes up more than 20 percent of landfill waste, beating out any other single trash material. When food rots, the anaerobic conditions created in the process become a breeding ground for bacteria that produce methane as a byproduct of breaking down the food.

Data estimates that the average household wastes almost a third of the food it acquires each year. That, combined with food wasted at businesses like restaurants (like the perfectly good bagels they're required to throw out at closing), translates to 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions. The World Wildlife Fund says that the food wasted by the U.S. alone generates emissions equivalent to what 37 million cars could pump out.

But, while the average person can't help that much of their recycled plastic doesn't actually get recycled — or that 20 big corporations create more than half of the world's total single-use plastic waste in the first place — decreasing your food waste is a less-daunting personal climate action.

Composting, along with following a list (rather than shopping when you're hungry) and remembering that expiration dates aren't gospel, can significantly reduce the food-related trash your household produces, subsequently decreasing the amount of trash bags you go through, the spats over whose turn it is to take that trash out, and the smell that comes with nasty tossed fridge leftovers.

But composting won't become the norm until it's accessible.

Lomi rules because traditional composting drags

It feels weird to say this considering the effects of climate change will bring a whole new meaning to inconvenience, but traditional composting is inconvenient as hell.

The concept is easy enough on its face: Composting is literally just recycling. It's the process of decomposing and converting organic matter (food scraps, leaves and yard clippings, brown paper products) into dirt-like, nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be put back into soil.

But up until a market for indoor electric composters emerged a few years ago, the "simple concept" of composting previously required serious outdoor space that could house a three-foot by three-foot-ish compost bin, manual churning over the course of a few months, at least a neutral stance on worms, and possibly the trickiest bullet point of them all: the motivation to do all that work in the first place. (Getting people to care about the environment past recycling a soda can is hard, OK.)

If you didn't personally have that big yard but were still dedicated to the cause, you could hoard your food scraps and find a local place with a community composting program. Before Lomi, I kept food scraps in your average stainless steel compost bin or in a bag in the freezer (the latter smelled far less rank, but still isn't an ideal storage situation). I'd eventually drop my collection off at places like BK ROT or Mom's Organic Market: a chain grocery store that offers community drop-off bins for hard-to-recycle items like shoes, wine corks, glasses, batteries, and home compost.

Unfortunately, the rules of what is and isn't accepted for traditional composting are pretty strict. Community drop-off places are typically using that aforementioned outdoor compost pile method, which is a dream for bugs and rodents. They particularly love the stench of decomposing meat and dairy products. So while it's understandable that most collection places disallow pest-attracting items to keep composting streamlined, some folks may not be willing to memorize the list or separate their scraps at home.

Lomi makes composting as easy as loading the dishwasher

An autonomous indoor composter with a sealed lid makes all of this a moot point.

Lomi is really quick and easy to set up. The hardest part about it might just be finding the counter space for another slow cooker-sized appliance. Lomi even has a series of super thorough, straightforward Youtube videos that can walk you through setup.

Replace Lomi charocal every few months and use a Lomi pod in Grow and Lomi Approved modes. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Lomi's bucket has a handle that locks and unlocks for easy emptying. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The unit itself arrives already assembled, so your only job is to dump the included charcoal pellets into the inner and back filters. Both the Lomi Basic and classic Lomi come with a round of charcoal and a bag of Lomi pods. The pods feature "a proprietary blend of probiotics that improves the speed of degradation, the reduction of smell, and most importantly help to create the most healthy output to add to your gardens/lawn/planters." The activated charcoal needs to be replaced every three months or so, and the machine will remind you when it's time to swap. The good news is that the old charcoal, as well as the rest of the packaging that any Lomi materials arrive in, can be thrown into Lomi after unboxing.

What kinds of things can Lomi compost?

Lomi can compost the fruit and veggie remnants you'd expect, plus so much more that you wouldn't expect. Your local compost drop-off spot could never.

Lomi's main draw is the variety of food and non-food items that it can take off of your hands — without leaving the house, at that. The best part of the "yes" list is that it's full of things that would typically stink up your trash can, like meat scraps or expired grub that someone forgot about. I got my roommates on board with using Lomi and it didn't take long for everyone to get the gist of what can and can't go into Lomi. The new addition to our routine quickly became second nature, especially with Lomi sitting on the counter right above the trash.

The only condition attached to Lomi's flexibility is that the mode you choose matters. Depending on contents, you'll choose from three modes by holding down the button on the front of Lomi until the corresponding picture lights up. Here's a quick breakdown:

• Eco Express is the fastest of the options and is best for general raw or cooked food waste (leftover pasta, including lasagna, is a go). This mode takes three to five hours to complete.

• Lomi Approved is the most flexible setting of the three as it's the only one that works with food scraps as well as Lomi-approved packaging like bioplastics (many clothing orders that come in the mail work here), paper products like brown CVS bags or paper towels, and other assorted compostable packaging that you never know what to do with. This mode takes five to eight hours to complete.

• Grow Mode is how you'll get that nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be added back into a garden or houseplants, and it's only meant for fruit and vegetable scraps. This mode takes 16 to 20 hours to complete.

Each cycle uses less than 1kWh, which is less electricity than one dishwasher load requires.

Grow Mode was perfect for this batch of rogue grapes, peels, and edamame. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Lomi Approved mode was my go to — here's a mix of bread, assorted vegetable scraps, and compostable cotton swabs. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Pela's "What can go into Lomi?" list was wickedly helpful when internalizing the items that get the green light. Whereas many composting do's and don'ts use vague umbrella terms like "organic," Pela names names. It notes that "paper products" includes things like paper towels and napkins, that "grains" includes bread, pizza crust, and even cereal (but without the milk!). Rinds can go in as long as they're cut up, but very hard peels like a pineapple head should only be added in small quantities. Large packaging should be cut or ripped into smaller pieces.

There's actually an entirely separate list for items that should go in sparsely, and a list of items that shouldn't see the inside of Lomi at all. Common sense tells you that chemical-y non-food items like soap, metal, plastic, or glass still need to be thrown in the regular trash or recycling bin. Though meat scraps can go into Lomi, their bones can't.

Lomi condenses a full bucket of trash to a handful of dirt

Note: The material that Lomi produces isn't like the dirt you'd find in the ground. It's dirt-adjacent organic output that can sometimes feel more like moist soil or dry, crumbly mulch with larger pieces in it. Lomi refers to it as "Lomi dirt," so for lack of a better term, I'll do the same.

I wish Lomi had a transparent window so I could witness what the hell goes on inside of this thing. Technically, "what goes on" is a mix of heat, aeration, abrasion, oxygen, and helpful bacteria from Lomi pods, with the smelly stuff neutralized as it's pushed through the charcoal filter. But knowing the terminology involved in the process never curbs my fascination when I take the lid off, especially when I remember that Lomi achieves in hours what an outdoor compost pile achieves in months.

Not only is the sheer transformation to dirt amazing, but the downsizing of that matter is also something. Despite each batch almost always reaching the three-liter fill line, Lomi condensed our varietal heap to a cup or two of dirt. Pela estimates that it's around an 80 percent reduction in food waste matter each time.

Lomi condenses a full bucket to a few handfuls. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I didn't know whether to expect Lomi to be obnoxiously loud like a vacuum or rumble more discreetly like the dryer. Its noise level is kind of in between, though the hum is broken up by occasional startling creaks and squeaks that could definitely be believable additions to a Halloween sound effect playlist. It's giving Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

What do you do with Lomi dirt?

What went into the batch also determines whether or not the Lomi dirt can be used as actual compost. Dirt from both Eco-Express and Grow Mode can be added to plants — this can be a garden, your lawn, or indoor plants like I did.

Because of its bioplastic and paper content, Lomi Approved dirt is the only dirt that shouldn't be added to plants. Of course Lomi Approved is the mode that makes Lomi so unique from traditional composting methods and of course that's the mode used most frequently in my apartment.

The full bucket of scraps and compostable packaging ahead of my first Lomi run. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The results of my first Lomi run. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Instead, you can toss the compost in a green bin (curbside or community composting) or simply trash it. But the green bin solution kind of cancels out Lomi's draw in the first place. Anyone who has easy access to a green bin could just save $499 and put their scraps directly into the bin, and most people who are considering Lomi are probably doing so specifically because they don't have access to a green bin.

As antithetical as it feels, putting Lomi Approved dirt in the trash is still saving space and preventing odor in your garbage can, as well as in the landfill. Decomposing is the most harmful aspect of sending solid food waste to the landfill, anyway, so sending matter that's already decomposed at least skips that step.

Lomi's personal and potential global impacts on waste are apparent immediately

My apartment's management company can thank Pela for saving them from the extensive bitching I would have done over the nonexistent garbage disposal that we were promised. It's been game changing to have Lomi as a place to ditch old leftovers, cooking remnants, and general plate scum that isn't going to stink up the trash or gunk up the sink drain.

It didn't take long for me to notice how much less trash my roommates and I were producing. The difference was even more glaringly obvious when I was a guest in other people's homes and watching them trash every single crumb of food. Once you have the ability to compost at home, you can't go back.

The way that Lomi deals with packaging is my personal favorite flex. My household lives a pretty low-waste lifestyle anyway, but it's impossible to completely avoid the occasional paper towel or stack of brown napkins at the bottom of an Uber Eats delivery. Much of my low-waste swaps (like recycled cotton rounds) come in compostable packaging. I'm also currently using up some compostable cotton swabs since my cat knocked my reusable Last Swab off of the counter and into the fourth dimension. Now, there are no discrepancies between tossing and recycling. I just Lomi it.

I quickly saw how Lomi's eco-friendly effect on this one chore in my household alone could add up across the 140,000 households (hopefully more by the time you're reading this) that use Lomi. Pela's 2022 Impact Report estimates that a year with Lomi could divert up to 803 pounds — the CO2 equivalent of saving 10 trees — in a single household. My number is probably a little less because we run Lomi less often than once a day and are creating Lomi Approved dirt a majority of the time. But the difference I feel like I've made in the past 12 months is tangible just based on how much slower our trash fills up. At any rate, Pela's goal of eliminating 10 billion pounds of waste per year by 2028 doesn't seem like a stretch.

Downsides: Recurring maintenance and recurring trial and error

Sometimes, rather than the loose soil-like dirt that falls out of the bucket when you turn it upside down, I opened the lid to a rock-hard residue that cemented to the inside of the bucket. It stuck in crevices that were nearly impossible to reach with any type of cleaning utensil and was so stiff that it prevented the arms at the bottom from spinning, rendering Lomi unusable. Only after days of poking and soaking (the second of which I don't think is really advised) was I able to push the remnants out. Wrestling with brown Lomi mush is just about as appetizing as touching the wet food that collects in the sink catcher.

According to Pela's community support page, I wasn't the only one who experienced this problem, or the only one who had to order a new bucket because of the havoc the stubborn residue wreaked on the original. Community moderators noted that foods high in sugar content (fruit) or in starch content (bread) naturally congeal and harden during a heated breakdown process. I don't remember the exact mashup my roommates and I had added to Lomi before experiencing the weirdly-solid consistency, but I do know the dirt has been pretty normal since keeping a stricter eye on the greens-to-browns balance of each batch.

Other issues had a more involved fix. In addition to the inner bucket, I had to replace the fan after Lomi stopped mid-cycle multiple times and hit me with an ominous beep and blinking light. I do like that Pela doesn't make you guess what the problem is — the Youtube channel covers most ailments Lomi might display and what to do about them. Customer service was incredibly responsive and quickly filled an order for replacement parts get me back on track.

Those parts were free because my Lomi was still under warranty, but I can foresee it being annoying to couch up more money if maintenance issues occur past the one-year mark. Charcoal filters and Lomi pods will also be recurring costs, but those shouldn't be more than $40 or $50 per 90 cycles.

But honestly, I swear the hardest part of using Lomi is getting the damn lid on correctly. It twists on and off in a similar manner to an Instant Pot, but requires a few attempts with a certain flick of the wrist.

Is Lomi worth it?

If Lomi ever becomes slightly cheaper, its status as the new kitchen staple isn't far off. And millions of households adopting such a sustainable personal practice could be a turning point for emissions generated by food waste. Considering that more than 40 percent of food waste happens at the household level, electric countertop composters like Lomi could completely revolutionize one of the grossest household chores — diverting the carbon footprint of multiple pounds of food at the push of a button.

Lomi makes composting more accessible effort-wise, but misses the financial aspect of accessibility. As is the case with most novel tech products chilling in a market with few competitors, Lomi's steep price isn't necessarily unfair or unexpected. Unfortunately, in-home composting needs to not only be easy, but affordable to have a shot on most people's countertops, and 500 bucks isn't exactly that. Lomi is available at Amazon, which is nice — and it sometimes goes on sale.

But Lomi has so much going for it that makes the cost justifiable, even when accounting for a few maintenance quirks. It's a seamless transition into anyone's daily kitchen routine that makes composting approachable for the average person who wouldn't bat an eye at food waste otherwise. Plus, the prospect of less trash and catching a whiff of old fridge food less often might be enough to pique your interest.