Technology
I ditched cloud backups for local storage—here are 5 things that surprised me most
Cloud storage feels like the obvious choice for backing up important data. It’s cheap (and even free up to a point), convenient, and simple to set up.
These 5 VS Code features completely changed how I work
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the undoubted king of coding editors, with 75% of respondents to the 2025 Stack Overflow Survey citing it as a tool they use regularly. It towers above not only strong competitors like Vim, Cursor, and Notepad++, but also over its fuller-featured parent project, Visual Studio.
Nintendo Switch 2 officially gets a $50 price hike in the US
After less than a year on the market, the Nintendo Switch 2 is going up in price.
The company announced in a press release on its website that the device is getting a price increase in every major region, including the United States. Customers in the U.S. will pay $50 more for the console, as its price is going from $449 to $499. Nintendo did not delve into specifics in the press release, citing only "changes in market conditions," but this is almost certainly a response to the global memory shortage driven by high demand for AI data center construction.
SEE ALSO: Nintendo announces 'Star Fox 64' remake for Switch 2That same memory shortage was the culprit behind recent price hikes on PlayStation 5 consoles and Motorola phones, among other tech products. Even if the reasoning is understandable, it must be stated that video game consoles rarely rise in price over time in a normal economic environment. The opposite usually occurs, typically after at least a few years on the market. Nintendo having to hike the Switch 2's price less than a year after its June 2025 launch is fairly unprecedented, at least in recent memory.
Nintendo said the changes go into effect on Sept. 1 of this year, so if you want a Switch 2, that's your deadline to get one for $450.
3 fresh new Netflix documentaries to stream this weekend (May 8-10)
Netflix is on fire right now with some new prestige scripted series and movies, from Lord of the Flies and Man on Fire, to Apex and Bugonia, burning up the platform. But sometimes you need a little grounding from all that fiction with a solid dose of documentary—which can be even wilder than fiction.
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
After some incredibly tense Champions League action this week, the focus returns to domestic action over the weekend. There are a number of fascinating matchups in the Bundesliga over the next few days, starting with Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt.
The hosts are looking to secure second spot in the standings. They'll face a tough test against Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that is gunning for European qualification. It should be an exciting contest in front of a passionate support at the Signal Iduna Park.
If you want to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt?Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on May 8. This fixture takes place at the Signal Iduna Park.
How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for freeBorussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from the Bundesliga before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for free with ExpressVPN.
Nintendo is raising the price of the Switch 2 — where to buy before the hike hits
Nintendo just announced that it’s raising the price of the Switch 2 due to "challenging business conditions" and the global economic outlook — crazy, considering last year's demand for the Switch 2 put literally everyone into a buying panic, and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie has already grossed over $800 million.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. gamers will have to cough up an extra $50 for the console by September. (Japan's price hike is happening later this month.) That's basically the cost of a new game or a Pro Controller that you're essentially handing back to Nintendo for nothing.
SEE ALSO: Is it worth buying a Nintendo Switch 2 for 'Pokémon Pokopia'?If you want to dodge the surcharge, you should probably grab your console sooner rather than later. Here's where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 at its original $449.99 price point:
Where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2AmazonThe Nintendo Switch 2 is currently available at Amazon for $449 (a whole 99 cents cheaper than its usual MSRP). You can buy it as a standalone console or as a bundle with games like Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 and Mario Kart World. (Just be sure to look at the "seller" when shopping on Amazon; if it doesn't say Amazon.com, it could be a sketch deal.)
Best BuyBest Buy also has the Switch 2 available as a console only or gaming bundle. You can get it today for $449.99. Plus, if you trade in a similar device, you could get a few bucks shaved off that price.
GameStopIf you're a GameStop fan, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 there for $449.99. If you're OK with buying pre-owned, you can save an extra $32.
TargetYou can get the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449.99 at Target, plus save 30% on Super Mario Galaxy with your purchase. The discount will auto-apply once you add the console and the game to your cart, so there's nothing extra you need to do to get the deal.
WalmartWalmart's also offering the Nintendo Switch 2 for $449 or you can get the Galaxy Bundle for $499, which includes Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.
NintendoIf you prefer to buy direct, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 console (and tons of accessories) right from the My Nintendo Store.
These AI note-taking earbuds record and summarize your meetings
Staying on top of conversations, whether in meetings, lectures, or even casual calls, can be harder than it sounds. You’re either fully engaged and missing key details, or busy taking notes and losing track of the discussion. And even when you record conversations, you’re often left with long audio files that are time-consuming to sort through.
I used Claude wrong for months, here's the setup that actually made it useful
When I first started using Claude, I treated it like a search bar with brains. I'd type a question into a fresh chat and get annoyed when Claude didn't understand what I wanted. It took me some time to realize that the problem wasn't Claude, it was me. A few changes in how I used Claude made it so much more useful.
Your 40V Ryobi mower is dying too fast—Why ‘self-propel' is killing battery life
If you've noticed your Ryobi lawn mower dying before the backyard is finished, the culprit isn't necessarily a bad or aging battery; it's probably how you're using your favorite feature. And if you've had the mower for a few years, how and when you use this feature becomes even more important.
I vibe coded a Rust frontend for FFmpeg and I’m never touching the command line again
FFmpeg is one of my favorite tools. It is a multimedia Swiss army knife that powers more media applications than I can count. However, it doesn't include a GUI by default, which can sometimes make it a bit difficult to use.
Groks voice mode comes to Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay users just got another AI assistant option for their cars: Grok.
On Friday, SpaceXAI (the SpaceX's subdivision that focuses on artificial intelligence) announced that Grok's voice mode is now available in Apple CarPlay.
Technically, Grok was already available in CarPlay, but it merely consisted of a placeholder app that displayed a "coming soon" message. Now, you can tap on the Grok icon, launch a new voice chat, and start chatting to the assistant.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Grok follows ChatGPT, which was made available in CarPlay in April 2026. Apple originally added support for AI chatbots in CarPlay in February.
SEE ALSO: AirPods with cameras reportedly in final testing at AppleAs is the case with other AI chatbots in CarPlay, you can't just invoke Grok via a voice command; you have to start the app manually before you can start talking to it. Another caveat is that you can't issue Grok commands to do stuff on your iPhone or in your car, but you can ask it about...stuff.
Some Tesla drivers, on the other hand, do get the luxury of invoking Grok with a "Hey Grok" voice command. The functionality was added in the company's latest "spring update," though availability varies by region.
Everyone is terrified of their router's reset switch (but this other button is much more dangerous)
Router buttons are notoriously bad at making sense. It's not even that many people simply don't know what they're there for; it's that routers don't have one unified form factor the way laptops and desktop PCs do, so you may not even know what you're looking at.
Google Pixel "Rules" are a joke compared to Samsung's Modes & Routines
It took a while, but automation tools are now baked into most smartphones. They're actually pretty good, too—with one exception. While Samsung Modes & Routines (even iPhone Shortcuts) are excellent, Google’s Pixel “Rules” are embarrassingly lackluster.
5 ESP32 Wi-Fi projects to make this weekend (May 8 - 10)
Almost every ESP32 device has Wi-Fi; it’s one of the things that makes the microcontroller so versatile. You can use this functionality to power a variety of wireless projects, from penetration testing to expanding the range of your home network.
Blair Underwood on honoring his mother, creating a legacy, and how he feels about AI
Just in time for Mother's Day, Blair Underwood has written a new book, A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood, which pulls from his mother's writings and diaries to tell the story of her life. In addition to collaborating with Ylonda Gault on the book itself, he also teamed with his sister Marlo Underwood to perform the audiobook.
To celebrate the book's release and his mom, Underwood visited with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko at the Say More studio in New York. Together they discussed Marilyn's life, her struggle with multiple sclerosis, her faith, and her deep love of fashion. Beyond that, Underwood shared how he found his mother's voice, and if he'd ever consider AI for such a job.
In their last conversation, Underwood had also spoken about how Sidney Poitier was a mentor to him as a young Black actor in Hollywood, and how Michael B. Jordan's Oscar speech for Sinners' tapped into Poitier's legacy.
For more of this interview and other Say More videos, be sure to check out Mashable's YouTube channel.
Your router is killing your Zigbee network—here's the $0 fix
Do you find that devices keep dropping off your Zigbee network or are slow to respond? The problem may not be your Zigbee network at all; it may be your Wi-Fi network. Both Zigbee and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi share the same frequency band, and they can get in each other’s way.
3 Paramount+ shows you can finish in a weekend (May 8-10)
There isn't a ton of new stuff landing on Paramount+ this week/weekend, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything great to watch—especially if you want to binge something that you can finish in about a weekend. Paramount+ has a massive library of newer and classic shows for U.S. subscribers to choose from, if you're willing to scroll through and find. Luckily, we love doing just that.
The Mafia Nanny writer Violet Matter on slow-burn romance, fandom, and season 3
Few genres thrive online quite like slow-burn romance. The anticipation, the yearning — it's the kind of storytelling that naturally fuels fandom spaces and fan fiction archives. And on WEBTOON, The Mafia Nanny understands that dynamic better than most. The hit webcomic has spent nearly 100 chapters carefully building tension between its leads, Davina and Gabriel, while cultivating an intensely invested fandom in the process.
As The Mafia Nanny enters its third season on May 11, writer Violet Matter is thinking about a lot more than just romance. What started as a slow-burn about a fiercely competent nanny protecting the son of a handsome mafia boss has grown into something much bigger. Following the long-awaited payoff of chapter 98 (yes, that kiss), season 3 finds Davina stepping fully onto the offensive as the story digs deeper into the Angelini family and the dangerous world surrounding them. And while fans can expect a whole lot of action and espionage this season, they can also expect more skinship and stolen glances, too.
SEE ALSO: 'Critical Role' fans, here's your first look at 'The Mighty Nein Origins' on WEBTOONWe talked to Matter about balancing romance with weekly serialized storytelling, how her fan-fiction roots continue to shape how she thinks about fandom and online community, and why the emotional heart of The Mafia Nanny always comes back to Mikey. Mashable has an exclusive first look at season 3's premiere chapter, "Episode 100."
It feels like season 3 marks a major turning point for the story. What feels most different about how you're approaching it now compared to earlier seasons?Violet Matter: My understanding of the side characters has changed a lot. At first, they were more part of the fun-and-games aspect of the story. But over the first two seasons, they each developed their own goals and backstories.
So now, in season 3, it's been really interesting to think about the stakes for everyone, not just Davina and Gabriel, and what the implications are for how the rest of the story unfolds. Because you're right: This is a turning point. Davina is going on the offensive, and she's going to… upset some marbles, I guess.
A mysterious package arrives for Mikey in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I love Davina because even though The Mafia Nanny is a romance, she's also genuinely badass. With her going on the offensive this season, how do you see her place in this world evolving?From the very start, Davina defined her own role. They had an idea of what they were getting when they hired her, but from day one, she stepped in and said, "This is how I'm going to do this job, and I won’t compromise on that."
So we're definitely bringing that energy to its natural conclusion. There are a lot of easy ways out that could've been taken that won't be. There's this deep sense in Davina that she needs to dot every "i" and tie up every loose end before this is all said and done.
She won't be satisfied with an ending where Mikey is just sort of safe or mostly safe. It's going to be all or nothing.
Protecting the charge is still the number one rule.Yes, but she'll also have to reconcile how some of the other rules she's broken in order to preserve this rule, and how that plays out. She's been having her cake and eating it, too, for a while. I think we'll see some of those consequences as well.
Davina's past continues to haunt her in season 3. Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON You mentioned how your understanding of the side characters has evolved as the story’s gone on. Are there any other things that feel really new or exciting to you as a storyteller this season?We get to see a lot more of the Angelini family itself. We've spent a lot of time expanding the world, especially in season 2, but now we’re going to see a lot more of the Don, and we're going to learn more about his endgame.
We know some of the things he’s done in the past that brought us to this point in the story, but we don't know all of them yet. So there’s going to be a lot more insight into his actions, both in the past and in the present, as the season unfolds.
Are we finally going to find out the origin story behind his obsession with olives?That started as a really minor joke in the script, just a little quirk to keep the bad guy interesting. And it's evolved into something that honestly deserves its own backstory. So yes, there has to be a dark reason for all of this.
After 98 chapters, Davina and Gabriel finally kissed at the end of season 2. Did crossing that line change the way you approach their relationship?We've had to walk a tricky line in season three because there’s still so much plot left to unfold. It's tempting to make every episode just Davina and Gabriel finally getting all their skinship and quality time together. But I do have to give the other characters screen time.
Their dynamic is only going to get stronger, especially as Davina finally starts to let down some of the last walls between them.
The family that bakes together, stays together? A sweet moment in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I love the word "skinship."It's important visually, especially in comics. In prose, you can have intimate moments that don’t rely on physicality, but in a visual medium, the physicality is right there on the screen. So even something really minor can feel like a huge moment.
You've said before that you didn't necessarily feel confident writing romance. How do you approach those scenes now?It's still very difficult for me. I feel like I could write fantasy or humor all day long, but when I get to romance scenes, I stop and overthink everything. I have to outline even really simple interactions because it feels like there’s so much politics at play between two people. There are so many things you can get right and so many things you can get wrong.
Everyone’s experience of love is so specific and unique. What works in real life for my husband and me is such a narrow experience compared to the whole spectrum of love, so figuring out how to portray romance in a way that feels emotionally accessible to a broad audience can feel intimidating.
So I think all you can really do is focus on what these characters need emotionally and where those needs meet in the middle.
You also come from a fan fiction background. How did that experience shape the way you think about character and romance?It definitely influences the way I approach romance because I sometimes hesitate to commit too hard to romantic content. There’s always a little voice in the back of my head going, "The fans will write that part."
The fan fiction writer in me is always thinking: "Create a cool world and let other people play in it."
Sometimes I worry that if I make something too canon, I’m cutting off avenues for fans to imagine other possibilities. But the reality is, if fans don’t like something, they’ll just remix it anyway, and that’s beautiful.
Exactly. They’ll just write a "fix it" fic. Do you feel like writing fan fiction made you better at writing serial storytelling?Absolutely. It made me comfortable writing serially and just starting without being afraid. With my first project, Forever After, we really didn't have a solid plan. They basically let me run wild with the plot.
The Mafia Nanny was more structured because crime and action stories need tighter plotting. We approached it with a more deliberate system for weaving threads back together and making the pacing feel really tight. But at the end of the day, it's still serial storytelling. I almost never follow my outline.
How far ahead do you outline?We have kind of a vague mountaintop in the distance that we think we’re heading toward, but usually, I only have the next chapter or two outlined. After that, the characters kind of do what they want.
I was so happy to see Mikey get such a beautiful emotional moment in chapter 100, especially with his mom. I think it's easy to forget sometimes that he's still just a little boy who lost his mother. So how do you approach writing grief through a child’s perspective?It was really important to me from the beginning not to villainize Mikey’s mother. It would've been easy to make her cold or awful because that’s often the first thing stories reach for in this kind of setup. But I didn't want to make commentary about her character beyond the fact that she was Mikey's mom and he loved her.
From Mikey's point of view, she was a great mom. And losing her is devastating, regardless of who she was. When I write him processing grief, I think about my own toddler and the way children narrate situations to themselves. They often get details wrong or invent explanations that help them make emotional sense of something.
Mikey has a little bit of that happening. And for him, it really hasn't been that long. The whole story takes place in less than a year.
Mikey remembers his late mother Emmaline in "Epside 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON A tender scene between father and son in "Episode 100." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON How does Mikey's journey this season shape the decisions Davina and Gabriel make together?One of the major themes this season is family. Hopefully, the story centers on the family these characters are building together, even with all the action and intrigue happening around them. Mikey is absolutely the heart of that family. He's symbolic in some ways because all of these characters are working toward a better future, and children naturally represent that. But he’s also incredibly specific in what he needs to feel safe and happy.
This season is really about the family staying together and realizing their potential.
Are there any other major themes this season besides family?Probably compromise. A lot of the characters are going to have to make decisions that are less than perfect. I don't think the ending of this story is going to go completely one way or another. It'll probably end in an imperfect compromise.
The Don's influence looms large over season 3 in this first look at "Episode 101." Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON The Mafia Nanny is built for vertical scroll, which is such a unique reading experience. How does writing for that format shape the way you build tension or emotional payoff?The artists are much better at using the medium than I am. I try to leave space in the script for them to take advantage of the format because they constantly come up with visual ideas I never could. But it has been fun to experiment with things like pacing panels vertically and thinking about how tension evolves as you scroll.
There was a really cool moment in season 2 where the producers figured out how to embed a GIF effect into the comic. As you scrolled, the words moved while the image stayed still. I still don't know how they did it.
There are so many possibilities in this format that I don't think anyone has fully unlocked them yet.
You've said before that you read the comments, and Webtoon readers are obviously very engaged online. How do you navigate that feedback loop while still protecting the story you want to tell?It's a delicate balance. I love reading the comments, but it can be tempting to engage too directly. Because I came from fan fiction spaces, I learned early on that fan communities are sacred. Even though the fan in me wants to participate, I think there needs to be some distance. I never want fans to feel like the writer is invading their space or pulling ideas directly from them in a way that feels murky.
So I mostly just read comments, enjoy them, and occasionally like particularly clever ones.
It's really cool that you've publicly embraced your fan fiction roots instead of distancing yourself from them.I can't really walk away from them because fan fiction is literally why I have this job. A producer read my fic and reached out asking if I'd ever considered writing comics. I genuinely thought the message was spam.
Fan fiction is such a powerful way to find community and practice storytelling. It's not the writing I'm most proud of, but I'll always proudly claim it because I loved writing it. And honestly, fan fiction just gives me so much joy.
Davina is going on the offensive in season 3. Credit: Courtesy of WEBTOON I was trying to explain to a friend recently why I love fan fiction, and I realized there’s almost no logical explanation besides: why wouldn't you?If you approach it as a form of creative transformation, then anyone can understand that. Why is SNL so popular? They're taking stuff in culture that's real, and they're giving it a new spin, a new lens. That's all of humor. That's a ton of fairy tales and fantasy, the things we come back to again and again.
The Mafia Nanny really works as a slow-burn romance. Did you ever feel pressure to speed things up?There's definitely pressure from readers who want the kiss immediately, preferably in episode 1, and then every episode after that.
But honestly, I think that pressure is a good sign because it means readers are emotionally invested. Slow burn storytelling is difficult in a serial format because the biggest danger is that readers get bored week to week. You don't want it to feel like constant teasing without payoff. So if the characters aren't together yet, there has to be a believable emotional reason why.
Personally, I love the yearning.Me too. Sometimes, if characters get together too quickly, the tension disappears.
What are you most excited for fans to see in season 3?There are a lot of really fun things coming up. Season 3 leans more into an espionage vibe because there are now so many characters with conflicting motivations who are all lying to each other. I'm excited to see readers theorize about which characters are secretly aligned and which ones are working against each other. There's going to be a lot of intrigue.
I love seeing different characters take center stage at different points. It creates opportunities for so many subplots and emotional dynamics.
How to use LAMBDA in Excel to create scalable, reusable functions
If you've ever found yourself rewriting the same Excel logic in different places, or building long formulas just to reuse parts of them, you're not alone. As spreadsheets grow, formulas tend to get more complex and harder to manage. Excel's LAMBDA function changes that by letting you define logic once and reuse it wherever you need it.
3 new Netflix shows worth binging this weekend (May 8-10)
Netflix has some excellent new TV series arriving in the month of May, including a few that are already lighting up Rotten Tomatoes and the Top 10, like Man on Fire and Unchosen. But there's still plenty to come on the streaming service, including what's in store for U.S. subscribers this weekend.


