My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: The 10th Generation iPad

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The 10th-generation iPad is considered Apple’s entry-level budget tablet and was one of the best tablets on the market until the 11th-generation iPad was released. Right now, you can pick up the 256GB wifi version for the lowest price it has been since its release: $349.99, down from its listed $499 price. After looking at price-tracking tools, I can say this is the cheapest price the iPad has reached since its 2022 release.

The 10th-generation iPad came out in 2022 and it’s $50 cheaper than the newest iteration, making it a good budget option for those who don't need the latest specs. Since it's not on the list of Apple products no longer receiving software updates, you'll likely still get a few more years of updates. This iPad is still considered the best tablet for most people, as PCMag dubbed it in their "excellent" review, where it received their Editors' Choice award for affordable tablets. But if you can afford the extra $50 for the 11th generation, it is a better investment since it'll have a better chip, battery life, and features.

This tablet's processor is an Apple A14 Bionic. It's not as fast as the newer iPad's A16 Bionic chip, but it is still powerful enough to do all the basic tasks you're likely to use the tablet for. The screen resolution is a sharp 2,360 by 1,640 pixels with a 10.9-inch screen. You can expect about six hours of juice with a full charge, which is in between the iPad Mini and the 9th-generation iPad. The camera is a 12MP for the front and back.


Recommended iPad accessories:


If you are planning on getting the tablet, some useful (but not absolutely necessary) accessories include the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio, which will make your iPad work like a laptop, and the Apple Pencil USB-C, a stylus that will allow you to make the most of your iPad's touchscreen abilities.


Everything We Know About GPT-5, OpenAI's Latest Model

OpenAI's upcoming model, GPT-5, is nearly here. The company plans on announcing the model in a "longer than usual" presentation today, which suggests the company has some interesting news up its sleeve. The thing is, the cat's out of the bag—at least partially—as some GPT-5 news has leaked ahead of the announcement.

In a now-deleted blog post (archived here), we can see some of the new features and changes shipping with GPT-5. It'll come as no surprise that the post claims GPT-5 is OpenAI's "most advanced model," nor will it be a shock to learn that it improves "reasoning, code quality, and user experience" over previous models. However, the post does say the model can create and run code with "minimal prompting," and that it now has "enhanced agentic capabilities."

Companies are now pushing agentic AI more than ever: Rather than simply generate results, like text, images, or videos, from prompts, agentic AI can run tasks on the users' behalf. ChatGPT's agent mode, for example, can take over your web browser to perform tasks for you, or create an excel doc based on a request for a specific spreadsheet.

The post doesn't offer many other details in regard to GPT-5's performance and feature gains over previous models. We don't have any charts or figures to work from at this time. However, the post does share that GPT-5 is broken into four distinct models, depending on the use case. That includes:

  • GPT-5: This model is for logic and multi-step tasks.

  • GPT-5-mini: This model is not as powerful as GPT-5, and, as such, is designed for "cost-sensitive" applications.

  • GPT-5-nano: This model is designed to be fast for "low latency" applications.

  • GPT-5-chat: This is OpenAI's model for businesses to run multimodal and context-aware conversions.

In addition to this leaked GitHub post, BleepingComputer reports it has seen documents suggesting OpenAI's pricing plan for GPT-5. Like previous models, users will be able to access GPT-5 for free. However, ChatGPT Plus subscribers may be able to access GPT-5 with "advanced reasoning," while ChatGPT Pro users may get "pro reasoning." Reasoning models take extra time to "think" through a query, breaking down the request into individual steps before processing the request. BleepingComputer says GPT-5 can sync between reasoning and non-reasoning automatically, but that you can prompt it to reason at any time.

That's about the extent of our GPT-5 knowledge as of this article. However, we won't have to wait long to learn more: The leak comes just hours before OpenAI is set to officially announce its latest model, so it won't be long before we see how GPT-5 compares to other models, like GPT-4o, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.

How to watch OpenAI's GPT-5 presentation

You can check out the announcement live today at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). To watch, head to OpenAI's official YouTube channel, and click on the GPT-5 livestream.

Disclosure: Lifehacker’s parent company, Ziff Davis, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.



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20 of the Best Peacock Originals

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Peacock launched in mid-2020 largely on the promise of showing you reruns of The Office—but it also brought the power and checkbook of NBCUniversal to bear to create some solid original content (“creating” being, in some cases, a euphemism for “importing”).

Even though the library of Peacock Originals is still relatively small, it shows an impressive amount of diversity, not just in terms of style and genre, but in the people the stories are about, from an all-Muslim punk band to an Indigenous cultural center. Here are 20 of the best shows that are exclusive to Peacock.

The Day of the Jackal (2024  – , renewed for a second season)

Cinematic in scope, this new adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novel is buoyed by rather brilliant casting: Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a cold and steely international assassin pursued by MI6 operative Bianca Pullman—she's played by Lashana Lynch, putting her experience as the new 007 in No Time to Die to good use. I'm not sure there's anything here we haven't seen in countless other spy thrillers (including, of course, the 1973 and 1997 film adaptations), but the performances and production values are top-notch, with each episode playing out like a tense mini-movie. You can stream The Day of the Jackal here.


Poker Face (2023 – , two seasons)

After co-creating and starring in one of Netflix’s best original series, Russian Doll, Natasha Lyonne pulls a similar trick over here on Peacock. Poker Face, with Lyonne as pretty much the only regular character, pays tribute to Columbo in its mystery-anthology format: one-time cocktail waitress Charlie Cale, on the run from a ruthless casino magnate, travels the backroads of North America and encountering murder pretty much everywhere she goes. Fortunately, Charlie has an uncanny ability to tell when people are lying, as well as a very handy penchant for finding under-the-table work. Like Columbo, the audience is given all the details of the murder up front, and so the mystery isn’t whodunnit so much is how is Charlie going to solve it? Knives Out’s Rain Johnson created the series, and directs a few episodes, and the show has a style and a sense of humor that are recognizable, and welcome. Lyonne’s self-effacing, no-bullshit persona is perfect here, and she’s well-matched with a top-tier array of guest stars. You can stream Poker Face here.


Traitors (2023 – , renewed through season five)

The American take on a British series (based on a Dutch series), this wildly addictive reality show throws a bunch of celebrities together in a Scottish castle and marks a few of them as secret traitors, known only to the audience. The "faithful" players are tasked with finding the scoundrels before they walk off with an ever-growing communal prize pot. Cheering and jeering the contestants for their strategy and/or lack thereof is a lot of fun, and host Alan Cumming is a deliciously catty master of ceremonies with the best style on television. (Peacock offers the show in UK, Australia, and New Zealand flavors as well.) You can stream Traitors here.


The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022)

Nearly 25 years after it began, and a decade after The Best Man Holiday, this miniseries reassembles most of the original cast in their middle age, and what a cast: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau, and Melissa DeSousa are all back, even joined briefly by Monica Calhoun, who played Mia before her character's untimely death. It's a thrill to see these titans of the '90s Black rom-com (not one of whom has aged a single freaking day) all together once more. After the first two episodes pick up threads leftover from the film series, the show dives into the daily lives and struggles of our old friends. You can stream The Best Man: The Final Chapters here.


Twisted Metal (2023 –, two seasons)

The most brutal show on the Peacock block stars Anthony Mackie as John Doe, and is based on the ‘90s era vehicular combat games that your parents probably hated (it’s a lot of wild, demolition-derby style action involving smashing and/or blowing up your opponents). The show does what it says on the tin, roviding plenty of frenetic car-on-car action (and car-on-semi, car-on-hearse, -ice cream truck, etc.). The show’s creators worked to build out its world over two seasons with mixed success, but season two seems to be an improvement, and Anthony Mackie is an effective anchor for the chaos; he's joined by an impressive supporting cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Neve Campbell. Cars go boom, mostly, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want—it’s the show for the 15-year-old gamer inside all of us. You can stream Twisted Metal here.


Apples Never Fall (2024)

Liane Moriarty's novels have been adapted successfully in the past: HBO's Big Little Lies draws from one of her books, as does Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers. This miniseries follows the Delaney family, whose four siblings are forced to confront their dark family history following the disappearance of their mother Joy (Annette Benning)—a disappearance in which their father, Stand (Sam Neill), is a person of interest. Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, and Georgie Flood also star. You can stream Apples Never Fall here.


We Are Lady Parts (2021 – , two seasons)

A comedy import from across the pond, Lady Parts stars Anjana Vasan as Amina, a nice Muslim girl whose only goals are to finish her schooling (she’s working on a microbiology Ph.D.), and to settle down with a husband. All of which comes into question when she meets Saira, Ayesha, Bisma, and Momtaz—the women who make up the title punk band. The show’s creator, Nida Manzoor, co-wrote the original songs in the show, and the result is, perhaps, the best original soundtrack a sitcom has ever had. More than that, the show is funny, buoyed by great performances from Vasan and the other leads. There’s also a natural tension that the show smartly dives into: the members of an all-female, all-Muslim punk band are naturally outsiders in almost every circumstance; even within the group, the women have very different goals in life—guitarist Amina is a shy nerd whose nerves lead her to vomit at the drop of a beat, and her new role in this band is a challenge to her own image of herself, as well as to societal and family expectations. There are currently two seasons streaming, with no word on whether or not we'll see a third. You can stream We Are Lady Parts here.


Mrs. Davis (2023)

Just a science fiction action comedy about a nun married to literal Jesus on a quest to save the world from the title's artificial intelligence by finding the Holy Grail alongside her ex-boyfriend. So, yeah, there’s a lot going on in Mrs. Davis—sometimes a little too much, if I’m being honest. But Betty Gilpin holds everything together as Sister Simone, playing it straight in an extremely over-the-top world. It’s refreshing to see a show that’s so unafraid to take big swings, and it works much more often than it should. Though it was cancelled after one season (join the club, Mrs. Davis), it ends reasonably well, and, like co-creator Damon Lindelof’s HBO series Watchmen, would probably be best served by remaining a one-and-done. You can stream Mrs. Davis here.


Bel-Air (2022 – , renewed for a fourth and final season)

Though the first season had promise but earned mixed reviews, the Fresh Prince reboot really came into its own in its second and third seasons. It’s jarring for fans of the beloved original to tune in to find a straight drama with the same premise—one that often leans into heavy realism. Jabari Banks plays Will Smith, a 16-year-old from West Philadelphia who gets movin’ with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air following a gun charge and a run-in with a local drug lord. Banks is charismatic and believable, bringing a ton of personality to a show that occasionally veers down dark alleys. You can stream Bel-Air here.


Based on a True Story (2023 – 2024)

We’re definitely in Only Murders in the Building territory here, with a true crime enthusiast and armchair detective starting a podcast based on a series of local killings. The twist here is that Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) and her husband, Nathan (Chris Messina) realize that they know the serial killer they’re investigating (Tom Bateman), and realize that they’re sitting on a goldmine. Instead of turning him in, they’ll make a podcast about him (don’t worry: they’re not really meant to be likable). The show takes a while (nearly too long) to finds its voice, but once it does, it’s becomes a solid satire of capitalism and fame culture, going to dark places in considering what our true-crime obsessions really say about us. You can stream Based on a True Story here.


One of Us is Lying (2021 – 2022, two seasons)

Another murder mystery series, this time based on a young adult novel from Karen M. McManus. Here it’s a group of five high schoolers who show up to detention, only to have one of them die of what at first appears to be an allergic reaction. One of the students, Simon, runs a blog that reveals everyone’s secrets, and when it starts to look like murder, there are an awful lot of suspects. The premise isn’t wildly original, but it’s a solid, effectively twisty-turny mystery series that dovetails surprisingly well into its second season. You can stream One of Us is Lying here.


The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024)

Adapted from the Heather Morris novel, itself based on a true story, Tattooist follows Lali and Gita (Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak, with Harvey Keitel as an older Lali), who meet as prisoners during the Holocaust. Lali is given the task of tattooing numbers on the arms of prisoners, a job which grants him a small bit of privilege and room for his romance with Gita to develop, even amid the inhuman horrors surrounding them. You can stream The Tattooist of Auschwitz here.


The Lost Symbol (2021, one season)

By this point, we know what to expect with these Dan Brown adaptations: “Symbologist” Robert Langdon will put his hyper-specific skillset to use in uncovering a conspiracy the likes of which are rarely encountered by academics. And archaeologists don’t often come across lost arks and temples of doom, so this is a realm of disbelief that we’re perfectly content to suspend, especially following the Ron Howard/Tom Hanks movie series that began with The DaVinci Code. That team adapted three of the five books, but skipped this one for some reason, and so here we are: a new Robert Langdon, now played by Succession’s Ashley Zukerman, on the hunt for his kidnapped mentor as part of a mystery that’s tied up with the Freemasons. It’s talky, rather overly so, but works as a polished mystery that will absolutely appeal to fans of the films. You can stream The Lost Symbol here.


John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise (2021)

I was born in Chicago in the years just following the John Wayne Gacy murders, the facts of which weren’t kept from my extremely impressionable young ears. So, you know...not big into clowns, and I have a slightly fraught relationship with the true crime genre. There’s a bit more going on in director Rod Blackhurst’s true crime docuseries, though, than just wallowing in Gacy’s gruesome crimes. While the common (and not inaccurate) image of Gacy is as someone who ingratiated himself with victims by performing as a clown, there’s more to the story than that. His volunteer work, his role as the head of a contracting business, as well as involvement in local politics seemed to obscure his intentions, and kept both police and the media from digging as deeply as they should have into his criminal record. Almost as disturbing as the crimes themselves is the extent to which we can be taken in by someone who meets all our expectations of an upright citizen. You can stream Devil in Disguise here.


Rutherford Falls (2020 – 2022, two seasons)

Writer and producer Sierra Teller Ornelas joins Ed Helms and Michael Schur (The Office) for a warm and delightful sitcom with an unexpected premise: Helms plays Nathan Rutherford, a descendent of the guy whose statue has a prominent spot in town. His best friend is Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), who runs the local cultural center for the (fictional) Minishonka tribe. The two are on completely different sides of the big issues that arise when the mayor wants to take down the old statue (mostly because it’s in a bad spot and cars keep running into it), but work to maintain their friendship anyway. It’s a big-hearted show that isn’t afraid to get into complicated conversations, buoyed by the record number of Indigenous writers on staff, as well as Ornelas herself: In addition to her writing credits for shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore, she’s a sixth-generation Diné weaver, and that perspective is a huge part of the show’s success. You can stream Rutherford Falls here.


Saved by the Bell (2020 – 2021, two seasons)

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You Can Get These Beats Fit Pro on Sale for Half Off Right Now

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If you’re not too hung up on having the absolute latest model, this open-box deal on the Beats Fit Pro might be worth a look. Originally launched in 2021, these earbuds still hold up well, especially if you’re after a secure fit and strong audio. They’re currently going for $99.99 on StackSocial, while Apple still sells them new for $199.99. Since this is an open-box item, you’re getting a product that’s technically new, just returned or handled at retail, and repackaged after inspection. And because they run on Apple’s H1 chip, they pair quickly with iPhones, support Spatial Audio with head tracking, and let you call up Siri hands-free. Android users aren’t left out either, but features like automatic switching won’t carry over.

The sound is what you'd expect from the brand—punchy and powerful, which works great for workouts or bass-heavy playlists. Noise cancellation is better than average at this price, especially for lower frequencies, notes this PCMag review. What you don’t get is a customizable EQ, so if you don’t love the Beats tuning, there’s not much room to tweak it. Battery life is about average by today’s standards: You’ll get around six hours per charge with ANC on, and the case adds another 18. There’s also no wireless charging, and the IPX4 rating means these can handle sweat but not much more. Still, for under $100, this is a good deal for anyone not looking to splurge on newer models.



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Three Reasons You Shouldn’t Depend on Reddit As a Search Engine

It's one of those tech hacks that's been around a long time: Add "reddit" to the end of your Google search queries, the theory goes, and you'll get some actually useful information from real people, rather than SEO-optimized spam sites looking for your clicks. It's a trick that works, a lot of the time, depending on what you're looking for.

Now Reddit is starting to push its credentials as a search engine, making use of the "breadth of conversations and knowledge" on the platform to position itself as a genuine alternative to Google. We already have Reddit Answers, which lets you type in a query and get the opinions of Reddit back in summarized form, and there's apparently more to come.

But while the Reddit tweak may be handy for some Google searches, is it a substitute for Google? I'd argue that while there's undoubtedly a wealth of useful information on Reddit, and a lot of value in the platform as a whole, it's not the best idea to use it as a default search engine.

There's no guarantee of expertise

Reddit Answers
Reddit will give you information on almost everything. Credit: Lifehacker

Maybe you're heading to Reddit to find out how to fix a broken keyboard. For queries like this, you'll come across a pile of relevant posts. However, quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality, and there's no guarantee that what you're reading can be trusted.

Yes, you have the upvote and downvote system, which is helpful in assessing the quality of comments, and the associated karma system. Nevertheless, even with these signals, it doesn't necessarily mean you can always rely on the instructions, advice, and takes that appear on Reddit. For much of the time you're going to be putting your trust in someone you don't know anything about.

Add in the AI slop that is appearing on Reddit (as well as everywhere else on the internet), and it's not always easy to pick out the good stuff from the bad stuff. Compare and contrast these with articles that take you through topics step-by-step, written by authors with real names and photos attached, and put together with proper editorial oversight, and it's not hard to see where Reddit comes up short.

Reddit is limited to Redditors

Wes Anderson website
There are plenty of opinions outside of Reddit. Credit: Lifehacker

No offense to the good people of Reddit, but they only represent a subsection of humanity—a rather significant subsection, admittedly, with around 110 million people checking the site every day, but still only a fraction of the people who are connected to the web and who might be able to help you with your search queries.

Limit your searches to Reddit, and you're limiting yourself to posts from Redditors who are actually active in terms of contributions, and who have actually noticed the threads you're checking. What if the Redditors who know most about attracting birds to your garden have ignored or missed the conversation about attracting birds to your garden?

In terms of the stats, Reddit users tend to be younger, male, and from the U.S., and that means there are going to be certain biases in terms of the posts than come up when you search the platform. It's not quite like searching the web at large, which has certain biases of its own, but is open to everyone.

Don't discount all the information and advice you can get from everyone who has never logged into Reddit—whether you're looking for travel guides from locals or wondering in which order to watch Bond films.

You've got better options

ChatGPT Search
AI search can be helpful—within limits. Credit: Lifehacker

Google is far from perfect, but it can still surface useful and informative resources a lot of the time—especially if you know some of the secrets to using it as effectively as possible. Remember you can use the "site:" operator to limit results to one domain, add a "+" (plus) in front of words that must be matched, and a "-" (minus) next to words that should be excluded from results (which can help filter out some of the rubbish).

There's also the advanced search page on Google, which lets you limit results by language, region, or time (helping you avoid out-of-date information). The best approach is going to vary depending on what it is you're searching for, but Google still offers the most comprehensive and powerful search out there.

Another good idea is to seek out and follow sources you trust, whether that's on the web, on social media, or on platforms like YouTube. Over time, you should be able to figure out who you should be giving your attention to—and again these sources of information should be more reliable than random Reddit accounts.

However you do your searching, do it with a bit of caution and common sense. That obviously applies to AI searches, too: They're susceptible to hallucinations, and you need to double-check the websites they're pulling their knowledge from, but the way these AI tools are able to aggregate and present information from multiple sources can come in handy in certain search scenarios.



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Is ‘Howdy,’ Roku’s Ad-Free Budget Streaming Service, Any Good?

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Streaming service pricing these days is getting out of hand. At time of writing, the cheapest available Netflix plan is $8 per month and shows you ads, while more specialized services like Disney+ start off even more expensive ($10 a month, in Disney's case) and still have ads on their lower-tier plans. That's why it was surprising to see Roku announce a new, ad-free $3 per month alternative earlier yesterday.

The service, called Howdy, quietly launched alongside the announcement, with "10,000 hours of entertainment" already available. Roku CEO Anthony Wood says it's intended more to "complement" premium streaming services like Netflix rather than compete with them, which might explain the low cost. But with such an affordable price point, it might also be a worthwhile compromise between more expensive streaming options and popular free streaming services like PlutoTV, Tubi, or even Roku's own Roku Channel. I've never been able to stick with these free sites for long, but I'll admit that their libraries, often focused on popular classics, are tempting—being able to pay a small fee for something similar, but without ads, might be just I need, and could possibly give me just enough to get rid of some of the costlier bigger names.

How is Howdy's library?

Howdy doesn't focus on big-budget originals like Netflix, although "select Roku originals" from the Roku Channel are a part of the offerings here. Instead, the library leans more on titles from partners like Lionsgate and Warner Bros., and there are some recognizable options on offer.

Roku advertises Weeds as a standout TV show, while it calls out Mad Max: Fury Road as an example of Howdy's movies. I love Fury Road, but here's what particularly appealed to me on the service so far:

  • American Psycho

  • The Cabin in the Woods

  • Saw

  • Stranger Than Fiction

  • Blade and Blade II

  • Escape From New York

  • The Iron Giant

  • Dirty Dancing

  • Reservoir Dogs

  • The Neverending Story

You'll notice that most of these movies are on the older end, although there are some recent picks as well, like 2022's Elvis. TV, meanwhile, does have some older comfort watches, but leans a bit more recent, with a heavy focus on reality television. Here are my picks:

  • The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Holiday

  • The Great American Baking Show: Celebrity Big Game

  • Hot Ones

  • Dan Vs.

  • Bubblegum Crisis

  • Nip/Tuck

Is this enough to be your only streaming service? For me, probably not, but that depends on your tastes. It could justify canceling at least one of your pricier subscriptions, if you're a certain type of viewer. Click here to see an expanded list of movies on Howdy, and here for an expanded list of TV shows.

Also, while Howdy is primarily a paid service, it's worth noting that some content is available for free on a rotating basis, with current options including Weeds, The Kids in the Hall, Nashville, and a few other programs.

Where can you watch Howdy?

It might be easy to assume that part of Howdy's cheap subscription cost is an excuse to sell Roku devices, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong. The service is available primarily on Roku TVs and Roku players, but you can also access it through howdy.tv or via dedicated mobile apps on iOS and Android. So, with a clever living room PC or AirPlay workaround, you could watch Howdy without bringing any Roku hardware into your home.

The fine print

According to an email from Roku, Howdy shows and movies max out at 1080p, although multiple audio tracks are available when content supports it, as well as subtitles. Downloads are not currently available, although Roku says that might change down the line. Similarly, the company also told me it plans to bring Howdy to additional streaming devices in the future, although specifics are still up in the air.

Is Howdy worth the cost?

I spoke this over with some of my Lifehacker colleagues, and yeah, I think so. It's not the most robust library, but there's worthwhile stuff here, and given that renting some of these movies piecemeal can cost as much as $4 or $6 on sites like YouTube or Amazon, getting access to the movie you want plus the rest of Howdy's offerings isn't a bad deal. When you're sitting down to rent a classic, it's worth checking if a month of Howdy might be a better value.



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What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: The Disappearance of Julian Brown

For the past few weeks, the internet has been obsessed with the strange case of Julian Brown—a 21-year-old inventor from Georgia who supposedly unlocked a secret Big Oil doesn’t want us to know. According to this post on X (and many others like it), Brown figured out how to turn plastic into gasoline. In his backyard.

But things didn't go smoothly for Brown. On June 25, the young inventor posted a video offering a dire prediction: “I know I’m not going to live long,” he intoned, before describing the black helicopters that fly over him at night. Then, on July 9, Brown posted a video to his over 2 million Instagram followers, where he said, “Listen, everybody. I can’t go into too much detail, but there is some very, very odd stuff going on. I’m certainly under attack right now in many different ways … be on the lookout.” 

Then he was gone—complete internet silence, leaving his followers asking questions and jumping to conclusions. Brown, the theory goes, was targeted by Big Oil. This X post  lays out the theory better than I could: 

This isn’t the first time nefarious forces have seemed to target inventors who threatened the status quo. There was Stanley Meyer, that guy who invented a car that runs on water, then turned up dead, and Tom Ogle, who died a mysterious death before his 100mpg carburetor could hit the market. 

Brown's story has everything: a dashing protagonist courageously facing down a corrupt system with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance; a clever kid who could save the world if only “they” would let him. The only problem is that it's not true.

Is Julian Brown missing?

Despite the rumors, Julian Brown was never missing. He just stopped posting

Brown stopped updating his feeds in July, but despite the many social media posts and articles discussing his supposed disappearance, no missing person report was ever filed with authorities. According to Brown’s mom, he was home the whole time. Anyway, he started posting again a few days ago, blaming “hackers” for his social absence: “Hacker got into my iCloud and they were basically able to remotely watch and view my entire phone,” Brown said in a video on Instagram.

What did Julian Brown actually invent?

Julian Brown did not invent a way to turn plastics into fuel. Plastics are converted into fuel through pyrolysis: thermal decomposition of materials at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. We've known about it forever; it's how people have been turning wood into charcoal for thousands of years. Using pyrolysis to turn plastics into fuel has been around since the 1970s, a number of commercial plastic-to-fuel plants have been in operation in Europe and Asia since the early 2000s, and there are firms backed with huge money operating plants in the U.S.

To be fair, Brown never said or implied he’d invented the process of turning plastics into fuel. That’s on his followers. Brown’s focus is on building a solar-powered, microwave pyrolysis reactor that can create “‘free' gasoline and diesel alternatives from plastic waste,” according to his GoFundMe. He calls it “plastoline.” He seems like an amazing person I'd like to hang out with, but anything beyond that is iffy.

Was Julian Brown targeted by the fossil fuel industry?

There’s no way to know for sure whether Big Oil or another nefarious group was, is, or will be harassing Brown to bury plastoline, but it seems farfetched. Even if we ignore the moral, ethical, and legal challenges of stalking a private citizen, backyard plastic-to-fuel conversion operations aren’t a threat to energy companies—the entire concept of plastic-to-fuel conversion isn’t a threat to big energy. They actually love it. Here’s why: 

  • It’s way too expensive to be viable. The kind of large plants you need to process a useful amount of fuel from plastics are very expensive. The Brightmark commercial-scale plastics-to-fuel facility in Indiana cost around $260 million to build—not the kind of money you can kickstart.

  • All plastic waste isn’t suitable for pyrolysis. Only about half of the plastic we produce could be turned into fuel.

  • It wouldn’t matter anyway. In an ideal scenario, in which a GoFundMe raised $500–900 billion to construct enough Brightmark-style plants to convert literally every piece of viable plastic waste on earth into fuel, and there was some way to actually collect and transport all that plastic, and the legal and regulatory issues this would create didn’t exist, the net gain would be around 140–160 million tons of oil per year.  So the best possible ballpark blue-sky everything-worked-perfectly result would be about 3% of our annual oil demand satisfied with plastic-oil. This is not keeping the head of Exxon up at night.

But probably the main reason Big Energy isn’t trying to shut down backyard pyrolysis labs is that major oil companies are investing in plastic pyrolysis themselves. It’s for creepy reasons—oil companies sell the petrochemicals used to make plastics, and their “recycling programs” are a PR move and a to say, “Plastic is fine! We recycle it/turn it back into fuel anyway!” Big Oil loves when people focus on recycling, because the alternative is not using so much plastic. 

The myth of the “backyard inventor” 

No one can say for sure whether or not Julian Brown made some world-changing discovery—none of his work has been examined by experts—but it seems extremely unlikely. First, there isn’t that much to discover when it comes to pyrolysis. We know exactly how it works, and improving it is a matter of scaling through engineering and logistics—not the kind of thing you can do on your own. But even if Brown did invent something novel, one of the many well-funded pyrolysis companies would be better served by licensing Brown’s technology than doing ... whatever it is they’re supposed to be doing to him.

Julian Brown’s story fits a familiar script: A lone genius with little formal education is on the verge of a world-shaking discovery when he’s beset by shadowy forces protecting their empire. It’s good drama, but it rarely plays out like that in real life. Stanley Meyer’s dune buggy couldn’t really run on water, and he died of a brain aneurysm. Tom Ogle’s miracle carburetor didn't work either, and he died of a drug overdose, not from a GM-sponsored hitman. Also: Cars don't have carburetors any more.

We just don’t live in the time of Thomas Edison's folksy lab anymore. Scientific progress is measured in tiny steps, achieved through decades-long, organized slogs where thousands of middle managers stare at spreadsheets and go to meetings that could have been emails. It’s not exciting—in fact, you can tell it's the truth because of how boring it is.



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13 Shows Like 'Wednesday' You Should Watch Next

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Considering it began life as a series of single-panel comics, The Addams Family has shown impressive staying power. The '60s TV show became a Broadway musical and the mid-'90s movies are cult classics today, but more recently, Wednesday was a surprisingly massive, social media-fueled hit on Netflix when it debuted in 2022.

After a long wait, the show is back for its second season, reminding us that in an age when the demands of conformity are as great as they've ever been, we all crave a little misfit inspiration—and it needn't stop there. After you've binged Wednesday season two, you might find yourself craving more adventures of the proudly weird, and these 13 shows will do you proud.


Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 – 2020)

This one's pretty obvious: a spooky young lady leads a series full of supernatural shenanigans that (mostly) keeps tongue planted firmly in cheek throughout. Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is an old-school witch living in a household that’s not at all unlike the Addams family: two witchy aunts (played by Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis) alongside her warlock cousin (Chance Perdomo) and her loyal familiar, Salem the cat, all of them living their witchy lives just out of view of the local normies. At the outset of the series, Sabrina's forced to choose between signing her name in Satan’s book and becoming a full-fledged witch, or staying in high school with her human friends. Instead, she refuses to choose. Cannibalism, human sacrifice, and blood rituals abound. You can stream Sabrina on Netflix.


The Midnight Club (2022)

The Midnight Club, a Mike Flanagan series based on several different YA Christopher Pike novels, involves a group of eight terminally ill young patients at a bucolic hospice home run by a secretive and mysterious doctor (A Nightmare on Elm Street's Heather Langenkamp). Each night the kids meet secretly to share scary stories, each also promising to return from beyond the grave when their time comes. It's spooky and often moving without ever getting schmaltzy or precious. The tone is slightly more serious than that of Wednesday, but it still offers plenty of creepy fun in its extended, imaginative storytelling sequences. It was planned as more than a miniseries, so the cancellation after just one season leaves several questions unanswered. You can stream The Midnight Club on Netflix.


Legacies (2018 – 2022)

A (sorta!) standalone spin-off from the Vampire Diaries universe, Legacies follows Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell), an orphan descended from bloodlines that include vampires, witches, and werewolves—meaning the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted suits her perfectly: supernatural beings of all sorts attend, and it serves as a secret haven and training ground for those with powers. It's a place where they can learn to control and/or conceal their abilities—sort of a cross between Wednesday's Nevermore Academy and Charles Xavier's School. Naturally, coming-of-age drama and teen angst abound. You can stream Legacies on Netflix or buy episodes from Prime Video.


What We Do in the Shadows (2019 – 2024)

Five vampires share a gothic, appropriately run-down Staten Island residence alongside familiar Guillermo, occasionally hatching plots to conquer humankind...but mostly content to hang out at home and get on each other's nerves. The tone is more outright comedic than Wednesday, and there's a significant flip in the premise: Where the Addams family, and Wednesday herself, are always presented as the cool kids in a world of squares, our Staten Island vampires are decidedly not. Though convinced that their powers should grant them an exalted status, they're hopelessly out of touch with the modern world and self-centered to a point of literal absurdity. What they all do have in common is that they're very much outsiders—and don't care one bit whether you like it or not. You can stream What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu or buy episodes from Prime Video.

The Original Nintendo Switch Is Now More Expensive

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It's been a little over two months since the Nintendo Switch 2 came out, and Nintendo is already raising prices ... on the original Nintendo Switch. In a short and not-so-sweet blog posted to the company's website last week, Nintendo said that it would "adjust" U.S. pricing for all models of the Switch 1 starting on Aug. 3.

Time has passed, and the new pricing is here. According to Nintendo's website, the standard Switch 1 is now $340 (up from $300), while the OLED model is now $400 (up from $350) and the portable-only Lite version is now $230 (up from $200). In addition, the company's also raised the pricing for certain accessories, as a pair of Switch 1 Joy-Cons now costs $90 (up from $80). Even the Alarmo alarm clock is $10 pricier. Note that you may temporarily see alternate pricing at other outlets, as they either move stock they already have or work to update their listings. However, the new pricing is the plan going forward.

It's an odd move to raise prices on such an old device, especially right after releasing its successor, the Nintendo Switch 2. Notably, with the new pricing, the Switch OLED is now only $50 cheaper than a Switch 2 itself (which does lack an OLED screen, but can play exclusive games and makes numerous other improvements).

So what's the reason? Well, Nintendo's blog specifically blames the price hikes on "market conditions," and these higher costs follow yet more tariffs in the United States.

The news that the Switch 1 would get more expensive came just a day after an executive order from the White House that once again threatened trading partners with tariffs, set to kick in on Aug. 7. Japan, Nintendo's home country, was hit with a 15% tariff, and while that's not quite as high as some countries are having to deal with (Switzerland is getting a 39% tariff), it's also not nothing. Plus, much of the Switch's production takes place in Vietnam, which is staring down a 20% tariff.

Given that the new Switch 1 pricing is an increase of about 13%, it's not hard to figure out what happened here. Interestingly, the Switch 2 is not getting any price increases, though, but that might be to help keep sales momentum going after the console recently doubled the first-month sales of the original.

Also not getting price increases are Switch or Switch 2 games themselves, as well as Nintendo Switch Online memberships.

The news follows a separate price hike for Switch 1 systems in Canada, which saw $20 price increases on the Switch and Switch Lite, and a $40 price increase on the Switch OLED.



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This Powerful JBL Outdoor Speaker Is $160 Off at Woot

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The JBL Xtreme 4 is pretty large—at the limit of what I would consider a portable speaker—but offers powerful sound to make up for it; it can easily handle providing atmosphere for a large backyard barbecue party. Right now, it's $160 off on Woot, bringing its price down to $219.95 (originally $379.95).

That's a record low price for this particular speaker, according to price tracking tools. For reference, that's $30 cheaper than it was on Prime Day. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. (Heads up, though: Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states).

I've been using the JBL Xtreme 4 outdoor speaker for months, taking it with me to hang out in my backyard, in my office, and to host soccer games with Street FC. Since I have other JBL speakers, I am able to take full advantage of the Aurocast feature, which lets me connect it to other JBL speakers for fuller sound. I also find the full EQ customization and presets useful.

The speaker is powerful, which it should be for a speaker of this size. What stands out the most is its strong bass, which is typical of JBL speakers. Since it is IP67 rated, it can be submerged underwater and resists dust, making it perfect for the beach. It also comes with a detachable carrying strap that makes carrying it much easier.

The battery can last about 27 hours, depending on your use, but I've managed to stretch it past that point by being conservative with the volume. Speaking of volume, it's a directional speaker, meaning it'll project to wherever it's facing. In my backyard, I try to place it as far back as I can and pump up the volume, which has worked well for my gatherings of a dozen or so people.



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My Favorite Amazon Deal of the Day: The 10th Generation iPad

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