Technology

Spoilers for Heartstopper Forever ahead.

July 17 was a fantastic day for anyone who loves the movies. Not only did we have the release of Christopher Nolan's epic The Odyssey, but Netflix has wrapped up one of its most beloved IPs with a full-length feature in Heartstopper Forever.

Clearly, these are two very separate events. The Odyssey is set to be a theatrical phenomenon, currently screening in IMAX 70mm around the world, and is set to take at least $200 million at the international box office across its opening weekend.

Meanwhile, Heartstopper fans will be streaming Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie's (Joe Locke) final farewell from the comfort of their own homes. The series has swapped format after its original three TV seasons, but the movie runtime is still equivalent to around 4.5 episodes.

If you're anything like me, you'll be doing both in a double bill that not even Barbenheimer could touch the sides of. But what if I told you there's a direct nod to The Odyssey in Heartstopper Forever if you know where to look?

Charlie's Odyssey poster in Heartstopper Forever is the perfect nod to the Christopher Nolan movie

wonder if there'll also be a heartstopper poster in the odyssey movie xx pic.twitter.com/txBu76z3JjJune 16, 2026

When Nick and Charlie briefly break up, Charlie spends a great deal of time in bed to try and keep his problems at bay. When friends Elle (Yasmin Finney), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), and Tao (William Gao) arrive to stage an intervention, we see a poster of The Odyssey hanging above Charlie's head.

This isn't a detail we've seen in the previous three seasons, so I'd like to think that it is a direct Easter egg nod to the Nolan movie's release — despite this not being confirmed.

"Wonder if there'll also be a Heartstopper poster in The Odyssey movie," one fan joked on X/Twitter, who also spotted the background detail.

As with everything Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman has put her name to, the detail in Heartstopper Forever is nothing short of beautiful. The Odyssey reference isn't the only Easter egg you'll spot in the movie, but not more spoilers here... make sure you read our ending explainer to catch up on what you might have missed.

Are this week's movie releases going to join forces to become a legitimate double bill? I highly doubt it. But the fact that two such separate creations can briefly come together to share a wonderful moment is a testament to the power of cinema and creating meaningful art.

Head on over to our best vacuum cleaner guide and you'll spot that Shark makes a couple of appearances. It's easily one of the top manufacturers if you want a powerful, reliable and affordable vacuum for your home. And now, one of its most advanced and convenient models just dropped to a great low price.

I've spotted the Shark Clean & Empty at Amazon for £199 (was £349.99), which is one of the lowest prices outside of Black Friday and only around £30 more than the previous record-low.

I've had a Shark vacuum for several years now, and no exaggeration, it was one of the best purchases I've made. With good battery life, time-saving anti-hair wrap tech and powerful cordless suction, it's made keeping my home tidier so much easier.

With all these features, and now an auto-empty charging base on the Clean & Empty, I can only imagine it'll be even more useful to prevent dust from flying everywhere when it's tipped into the bin.

Buy the Shark Clean & Empty at Amazon

The Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum offers convenient automation features and versatile cleaning technology, including a special brushroll that works on both hardwood and carpeted surfaces. Its self-emptying dock doubles as a charging station, which makes it easy to keep fully charged, even though it runs for up to 40 minutes at full battery. For under £200, it's hard to pass up such a high-tech and highly rated vacuum.View Deal

We've not tested this specific model at TechRadar, but we have tried the slightly more advanced Shark Detect Clean & Empty, which scored an impressive four stars.

Many of the key features are available in this cheaper version. However, you do miss out on the Detect mode, which automatically adapts suction and power to suit different surfaces and needs for better efficiency. It's not an enormous loss, in my eyes, especially as the anti-hair wrap tech and auto-empty charging base are still included in the standard Clean & Empty that's currently on sale.

Festivals pose a bit of a conundrum when it comes to charging. It's really useful to have a phone — for checking programs, finding friends, and snapping photos — but the days are long, and there's minimal access to power points. A power pack is your best friend, and below I've rounded up the best models for festival-goers.

I've included a mix of options. There are compact, lightweight power banks that won't weigh your bag down and can charge your phone while you're using it. These can generally only manage two charges at the absolute maximum, so they're best suited to one- or two-day festivals, or festivals where you'll have overnight access to power. There are also larger power packs that offer multiple recharges, but which are generally too bulky and heavy to carry around all day.

Our seasoned reviewers have tested all of these power banks personally, and given them their stamp of approval. You can hit the 'More details' button to find out more about each one, and for a link to the full review, and there's also a handy specs table at the bottom of the page so you can see how the different options match up. Can't find what you're looking for? Our general best power bank guide has a wider range of options.

Power up Iniu P50-E1

Why's it good for a festival? We were impressed with this power pack's "strong blend of portability, speed, and value". The capacity is impressive given the pocketable size — you should be able to use it for multiple recharges before you need to plug it in again.

Read our full review

Pros

• 45W fast charging
• Very compact
• Handy lanyard cable

Cons

• Won't hit top speed on all phones
• Lacks 20V output for some laptops
• Picks up scratches easily

Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 45W Built-In Retractable USB-C Cable

Why's it good for a festival? A compact, reliable power pack with a helpful cord and integrated cable. You won't get many charges out of it, but it's a great one for popping into your bag while you're out and about at the festival.

Read our full review

Pros

• Convenient retractable cable
• Useful display
• Solid overall performance

Cons

• Not enough wattage for more power-hungry devices
• Could recharge a little faster
• Thermal throttling can prevent peak performance

Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K Slim)

Why's it good for a festival? It supports MagSafe charging, and snaps onto your phone with enough force you won't have to worry about losing it. The slimline design is perfect if you want to keep using your phone while it powers up.

Read our full review

Pros

• Charges fast
• Strong magnetic grip
• Slim for a 10K battery

Cons

• Heavier than expected
• On the pricey side

Anker 87W 20000mAh Power Bank

Why's it good for a festival? This model has enough oomph to juice up not just phones but things like laptops and tablets, if they're part of your festival plan. It feels solidly constructed and durable.

Read our review

Pros

• Large power output
• Well-made
• Integrated USB-C cable

Cons

• Some rivals are smaller
• Unnecessarily powerful for many
• Display lacks detailed information

INIU Carry P51L-E1 Power Bank 22.5W 20000mAh

Why's it good for a festival? It's small enough to fit into a pocket, and comes with a handy lanyard for looping it onto a bag. There are three ports and it works quickly, although don't expect multiple charges out of it.

Read our full review

Pros

• Small yet capacious
• Convenient features
• Clear display

Cons

• Display could be more detailed
• Some may desire more ports
• Not enough power for large devices

Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K)

Read our full review

Pros

• A powerful 140W output
• A screen that shows charge rates
• Premium build quality

Cons

• Chunky dimensions
• Higher priced
• No UPS mode

Specs compared

Note: the cards above will only show if the product is available in your region — that means there may be products featured in this table that you can't see above.

Science has discovered around 6,000 planets, and this is the first one, other than Earth, that is rocky and has an atmosphere.

The streaming video company with the world’s most subscribers has leaned quickly into AI-assisted production.

It’s getting even more expensive to be an Apple loyalist.

You could hardly say Netflix is a business in trouble, but it does have a problem: for a lot of its shows, viewing figures are declining sharply after the first season. According to Bloomberg, Beef lost more than 70% of its viewers going into its second season, while The Night Agent lost 50% of its audience in season two.

This seems to be a pattern repeated over many Netflix shows, including some that rack up impressive viewing figures in their first season. The streaming platform relies on subscribers sticking around, and these stats are apparently "a major source of concern" for the executives at Netflix.

So what's going on? While I'm not privy to the internal discussions at Netflix or the statistics that its executives are available to them, I am a Netflix subscriber of many years standing — and I have a few ideas about what's going on.

Viewing fatigue

There's a lot to get through these days, isn't there? Tens of millions of songs on music streaming platforms, more movies than you'll ever have time to watch in ten lifetimes, and of course the entire history of TV — with new shows appearing weekly. It's perhaps no surprise that we're all finding it hard to stick with successive series when there's so much more out there to watch and listen to.

The way that Netflix's stats work, is that a drop-off in viewing numbers for a second season also includes those who abandoned the show somewhere along the way during the first run of episodes. And if you're not getting grabbed episode after episode by the plot and the characters, it's all too tempting to click away.

That's a shame for slow burn shows and those that need time to get going, and perhaps we all need to learn to be a bit more patient. However, it goes some way to explaining why Netflix shows can shed a lot of viewers after the initial pull of the first few episodes — there's an awful lot competing for our attention.

The binge model

For the most part, Netflix continues to drop its shows all at once, so as soon as they're live you can binge watch an entire season. Sometimes it's great to be able to burn through a bunch of episodes, but it also means you can be done with an entire season very quickly.

This exacerbates the problem of gaps between series (of which more in a moment), but it also means shows can be quickly forgotten in the rush of everything else that's going on. Some of my favorite TV shows are those that come out week by week: I watch the episode, then I catch up on the recap podcasts.

It means shows last longer — not in terms of the actual running time, but in terms of how many days and weeks it takes to get through a season. I actually quite like being able to binge shows sometimes, but it does mean they can be quickly forgotten.

Stranger Things lasted almost 10 years from start to finish (Image credit: Netflix)Season-to-season gaps

This isn't something that only affects Netflix, but we're still seeing huge gaps between seasons of shows — and unless the viewing experience is very special, that's likely to lead to waning enthusiasm from audiences as the months and years drag on.

Silo isn't a Netflix show, but the point is the same: as I was settling down to watch the third season a few days ago, even the initial recap montage had me confused (there was a mere 18 months between the end of season two and the start of season three). There were parts I didn't remember, and I had to head over to Wikipedia to get caught up.

Stranger Things is a Netflix show, and while I did manage to drag myself through it in its entirety, it was a struggle towards the end. The show lasted for just shy of a decade, and there are huge swathes of it that are no longer in my memory banks. It's not easy to produce television shows quickly, but the slow rollouts aren't helping their chances.

A trust issue

I've seen Netflix's regular cancellation of shows floated as a reason for second-series-syndrome, and I think this is an issue for program makers as well as audiences. If you don't know whether or not you're getting a second or third season, then you have to throw everything into the first one, and think more about wrapping it up neatly than extending it.

The Night Agent is one of the Netflix shows I've found it hard to stay with: the original rookie-on-the-run premise worked well and the first season was propulsive entertainment, but as it's continued, it's become more of a by-the-numbers action thriller. It's almost like they're making it up as they go.

Compare that with something like Bridgerton, which is a Netflix show I have managed to keep up with. It is of course based on a series of books (as is Apple TV's Slow Horses by the way), and that helps to ensure variety from season-to-season, with the focus switching between different characters and plotlines.

I'm not sure exactly how Netflix can fix the problem of viewing numbers declining in season two — I'm not a highly paid TV executive after all — but those are a few thoughts about why it's happening.

You could hardly say Netflix is a business in trouble, but it does have a problem: for a lot of its shows, viewing figures are declining sharply after the first season. According to Bloomberg, Beef lost more than 70% of its viewers going into its second season, while The Night Agent lost 50% of its audience in season two.

This seems to be a pattern repeated over many Netflix shows, including some that rack up impressive viewing figures in their first season. The streaming platform relies on subscribers sticking around, and these stats are apparently "a major source of concern" for the executives at Netflix.

So what's going on? While I'm not privy to the internal discussions at Netflix or the statistics that its executives are available to them, I am a Netflix subscriber of many years standing — and I have a few ideas about what's going on.

Viewing fatigue

There's a lot to get through these days, isn't there? Tens of millions of songs on music streaming platforms, more movies than you'll ever have time to watch in ten lifetimes, and of course the entire history of TV — with new shows appearing weekly. It's perhaps no surprise that we're all finding it hard to stick with successive series when there's so much more out there to watch and listen to.

The way that Netflix's stats work, is that a drop-off in viewing numbers for a second season also includes those who abandoned the show somewhere along the way during the first run of episodes. And if you're not getting grabbed episode after episode by the plot and the characters, it's all too tempting to click away.

That's a shame for slow burn shows and those that need time to get going, and perhaps we all need to learn to be a bit more patient. However, it goes some way to explaining why Netflix shows can shed a lot of viewers after the initial pull of the first few episodes — there's an awful lot competing for our attention.

The binge model

For the most part, Netflix continues to drop its shows all at once, so as soon as they're live you can binge watch an entire season. Sometimes it's great to be able to burn through a bunch of episodes, but it also means you can be done with an entire season very quickly.

This exacerbates the problem of gaps between series (of which more in a moment), but it also means shows can be quickly forgotten in the rush of everything else that's going on. Some of my favorite TV shows are those that come out week by week: I watch the episode, then I catch up on the recap podcasts.

It means shows last longer — not in terms of the actual running time, but in terms of how many days and weeks it takes to get through a season. I actually quite like being able to binge shows sometimes, but it does mean they can be quickly forgotten.

Stranger Things lasted almost 10 years from start to finish (Image credit: Netflix)Season-to-season gaps

This isn't something that only affects Netflix, but we're still seeing huge gaps between seasons of shows — and unless the viewing experience is very special, that's likely to lead to waning enthusiasm from audiences as the months and years drag on.

Silo isn't a Netflix show, but the point is the same: as I was settling down to watch the third season a few days ago, even the initial recap montage had me confused (there was a mere 18 months between the end of season two and the start of season three). There were parts I didn't remember, and I had to head over to Wikipedia to get caught up.

Stranger Things is a Netflix show, and while I did manage to drag myself through it in its entirety, it was a struggle towards the end. The show lasted for just shy of a decade, and there are huge swathes of it that are no longer in my memory banks. It's not easy to produce television shows quickly, but the slow rollouts aren't helping their chances.

A trust issue

I've seen Netflix's regular cancellation of shows floated as a reason for second-series-syndrome, and I think this is an issue for program makers as well as audiences. If you don't know whether or not you're getting a second or third season, then you have to throw everything into the first one, and think more about wrapping it up neatly than extending it.

The Night Agent is one of the Netflix shows I've found it hard to stay with: the original rookie-on-the-run premise worked well and the first season was propulsive entertainment, but as it's continued, it's become more of a by-the-numbers action thriller. It's almost like they're making it up as they go.

Compare that with something like Bridgerton, which is a Netflix show I have managed to keep up with. It is of course based on a series of books (as is Apple TV's Slow Horses by the way), and that helps to ensure variety from season-to-season, with the focus switching between different characters and plotlines.

I'm not sure exactly how Netflix can fix the problem of viewing numbers declining in season two — I'm not a highly paid TV executive after all — but those are a few thoughts about why it's happening.

• Survey inds 69% of Americans support Bernie Sanders’ policy of requiring AI firms to transfer 50% of their stock to a public fund
• Respondents are also overwhelmingly in favor of giving the federal government the power to block new AI services deemed “risky”
• Support does appear to drop when Sanders' name is mentioned

AI is developing an image problem, and respondents to a new survey have made their feelings clear: Bernie Sanders’ demand that AI firms contribute stock to a massive public fund is widely supported.

Conducted during June 2026 by the nonpartisan survey research company Verasight, the survey consisted of 17 questions sent to 1,690 adults (18 and above), finding over two-thirds (69%) supporting Sanders’ policy – a figure that only drops to 64% once it is revealed which politician the idea is associated with.

The bad news for the AI industry doesn’t end there, as respondents demonstrated a notable distrust for how AI companies conduct themselves, with nearly half (43%) believing that the regulations proposed by the AI companies are designed to benefit those same companies. Incredibly, 30% of respondents trust the US federal government more than companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.

How does AI wealth distribution work?

(Image credit: Getty Images / Tasos Katopodis)

Senator Bernie Sanders’ plan gives the public a direct stake in America’s largest AI companies, with a one-off tax paid not in cash, but in stock. "Since AI is built on the collective knowledge of humanity, the wealth it generated must benefit humanity," he said, announcing his planned Act on social media.

This would, according to Sanders’ proposal, deliver an annual $1000 check to U.S. citizens, and fund healthcare and education.

"The findings from our latest survey demonstrate a rare instance of bipartisan agreement," noted Ben Leff, CEO and Co-Founder of Verasight.

"There is an undeniable desire among Americans of both parties for federal oversight, absolute transparency, and accountability to ensure AI safety and to enable all Americans to participate in the economic benefits of AI."

Even with a polarizing figure like Bernie Sanders attached, the wealth fund idea retains support, which suggests that while people are happy to use AI to answer questions, streamline processes, and make tasks quicker, they’re less comfortable with the industry’s wider impact.

A poor public perception

While AI companies are becoming increasingly unpopular, it isn’t all bad news. The survey quizzed subjects about their feelings on other industries, including tobacco, pharmaceuticals, and casinos, along with social media. If the tide is turning against AI, it still isn’t regarded as poorly as casinos or tobacco.

Feelings about AI companies are also notably more positive than social media. Given the concerns expressed about federal oversight and public wealth funds, there could be an avenue for OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Microsoft, and others to improve the general feeling about AI: accepting a degree of social responsibility.

The European Union is using its Digital Markets Act to crack down on big tech companies that aren’t being fair.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, July 17 (game #1132).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1133) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TRAVEL
• FLY
• QUIZ
• SCORE
• OPINION
• CARRY
• HEALTH
• TART
• CULTURE
• MIND
• TIME
• GOALTEND
• VIEW
• LIVES
• DOUBLE DRIBBLE
• ATTITUDE

NYT Connections today (game #1133) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: NBA fouls
• GREEN: Your convictions
• BLUE: Arcade scoring systems
• PURPLE: Begin with a musical sound

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1133) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: COMMIT A BASKETBALL VIOLATION
• GREEN: BELIEF
• BLUE: THINGS TRACKED IN VIDEO GAMES
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "POP"

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1133) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1133, are…

• YELLOW: COMMIT A BASKETBALL VIOLATION: CARRY, DOUBLE DRIBBLE, GOALTEND, TRAVEL
• GREEN: BELIEF: ATTITUDE, MIND, OPINION, VIEW
• BLUE: THINGS TRACKED IN VIDEO GAMES: HEALTH, LIVES, SCORE, TIME
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "POP": CULTURE, FLY, QUIZ, TART

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

I made my mistake after successfully threading ATTITUDE, MIND, OPINION and VIEW, although I was thinking about components of a debate rather than a BELIEF.

My error was, of course, confusion over basketball terminology. DOUBLE DRIBBLE and GOALTEND I knew, but instead of TRAVEL I selected SCORE. Which, on reflection, makes no sense.

Meanwhile my confidence over WORDS AFTER “POP” was fragile, but I successfully guessed FLY instead of SCORE. Before googling I thought it was an alternative to a zip fly. I now know it’s a baseball term.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, July 17, 2026, game #1132)

• YELLOW: GRAND FINALE: EPILOGUE, FAREWELL, LAST DANCE, SWAN SONG
• GREEN: SEEN IN AN ARCADE: CRANE GAME, PINBALL, TICKETS, TOKENS
• BLUE: FOUR GROUPS OF FOUR: CARDINAL DIRECTIONS, CLASSICAL ELEMENTS, SEASONS, SUITS
• PURPLE: ENDING IN PARTS OF A CAR: PLOT SPOILER, ROBIN HOOD, SATIRES, TREE TRUNK

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, July 17 (game #1635).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1636) — hint #1 — VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1636) — hint #2 — repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1636) — hint #3 — uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1636) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1636) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• K

• T

• B

• C

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1636) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1636, are…

• KNAVE
• TIGHT
• BLEAT
• CHAOS

This was already a tricky game, with two words featuring silent letters. I navigated those okay, then crashed out — ending my win streak on the final word.

I had four possibilities for words ending I-G-H-T and I picked three wrong ones before I ran out of guesses.

Why I went with the obscure “wight” rather than TIGHT I can’t explain.

Daily Sequence today (game #1636) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1636, are…

• DEPTH
• CHUCK
• CRISP
• ETHOS

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1635, Friday, 17 July: CUMIN, PALER, GRASS, INBOX
• Quordle #1634, Thursday, 16 July: IGLOO, PLAIT, YEAST, AROMA
• Quordle #1633, Wednesday, 15 July: PROXY, BRICK, BROTH, SURGE
• Quordle #1632, Tuesday, 14 July: EBONY, AVOID, RODEO, CUTIE
• Quordle #1631, Monday, 13 July: VOICE, BISON, BURNT, BUILT
• Quordle #1630, Sunday, 12 July: STAIN, BINGO, LARVA, DICEY
• Quordle #1629, Saturday, 11 July: WORTH, PRONG, DINGO, DRUID
• Quordle #1628, Friday, 10 July: GREET, STEAK, DUSKY, HAUTE
• Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
• Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
• Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
• Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
• Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
• Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK
• Quordle #1618, Tuesday, 30 June: HALVE, DRYER, THERE, MINTY
• Quordle #1617, Monday, 29 June: SLURP, CRACK, CRANK, PHONY
• Quordle #1616, Sunday, 28 June: RUPEE, TOPAZ, FULLY, BEING

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, July 17 (game #866).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #867) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… A healthy breakfast

NYT Strands today (game #867) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• COUNT
• STAY
• WOOLY
• LUNCH
• LONG
• LARGE

NYT Strands today (game #867) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 13 letters

NYT Strands today (game #867) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 4th row

• Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #867) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #867, are…

• SWEET
• OATY
• NUTTY
• CRUNCHY
• SALTY
• WHOLESOME
• SPANGRAM: BOWLOFGRANOLA

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I go through phases with breakfasts of having the same thing for ages before getting bored and switching to something new.

In recent months I’ve been through porridge, overnight oats, fruit and yoghurt, and recently a BOWLOFGRANOLA all in pursuit of “a healthy breakfast" when in truth I would love to eat bacon and eggs every day.

I digress. After finding SWEET and OATY the search became a hunt for the obvious — although I was unaware granola could also be SALTY.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, July 17, game #866)

• ENTERTAINMENT
• NATURE
• SPORTS
• GEOGRAPHY
• SPANGRAM: TRIVIALPURSUIT

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Former Meta employees allege the company penalized them for taking medical leave.

Science has discovered around 6,000 planets, and this is the first one, other than Earth, that is rocky and has an atmosphere.

Motorola's Edge 70 Max pairs a 7,100mAh silicon-carbon battery with built-in Qi2 magnetic charging, flagship hardware, and a slim design in its India debut.

The post Motorola Edge 70 Max: The Android Phone Built to Last All Day appeared first on TechRepublic.

23andMe will pay $18 million to settle claims from 43 states over its 2023 data breach, which exposed genetic information tied to nearly 7 million people.

The post 23andMe Agrees to $18M Settlement With 43 States Over 2023 Data Breach appeared first on TechRepublic.

• Amazon's AWS cloud services billing system went wild on Friday
• Customers saw bills in the trillions
• AWS apologized and is working on a fix

AWS, the cloud platform that serves millions who use Amazon's servers to run websites and businesses you use every day, just freaked out many of its customers with usage bills that literally went into the trillions.

"I just saw $1.5 trillion on my AWS bill and my soul left my body," wrote Bharath_uwu on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, and he wasn't alone.

The Guardian originally spotted the Tweet and multiple social posts relating to the seemingly widespread glitch.

AWS doesn't mail out invoices. Instead, customers logging into the Billing and Cost Management console spotted the billion- and trillion-dollar bills and expressed emotions ranging from concern to panic.

I just saw $1.5 trillion on my AWS bill and my soul left my body https://t.co/EgfQKJTHVl pic.twitter.com/L0gXYbDio7July 17, 2026

As Dan Harvey, who heads marketing at Learning Through Landscapes, told the Guardian, "I almost had a heart attack when I received an email alert from Amazon Web Services with the billing for our charity’s school grounds audit app."

Some tried to take the billing error in stride. Chinmay on X encouraged others to post their highest AWS bills. As of 10 hours ago, he was at $333B.

Others called out AWS for the error with something less than good humor. "I bet someone must have had a real heart attack. This shouldn't be legal...," wrote Mr Doob on X.

Amazon, to its credit, has been delivering multiple updates starting at around 1:30AM PDT on Friday, July 17, when they first spotted the error: "We are investigating issues with Cost Explorer reflecting inaccurate estimated billing data."

A few hours later, AWS reported it had found the culprit: "We have identified the root cause as an issue with unit pricing within the estimated billing computation subsystem, and we are working on a mitigation," they wrote on the AWS Status page.

However, hours later, AWS admitted, "Our efforts to backfill corrected estimated cost and usage data are still underway. We are progressing slower than anticipated."

The good news is that AWS is not asking anyone to pay these incorrect fees and that, while this has been a big frustration for services that run their websites and businesses on AWS, the cloud system has been working flawlessly, and there have been no reports of outages or performance issues on Friday (if you don't count the years shaved off freaked-out customers' lives).

AWS has even tried to make light of the mistake, posting this on X:

"Typo alert: Some customers saw quadrillion-dollar AWS billing estimates today. Slight miscalculation on our end (very slight ). We're fixing it now. No action needed on your end. Sorry for the confusion. Real question: what will you do with those trillions instead?"

Yes, everyone can all laugh now, though I'm not certain customers like Harvey, Bharath, and others are chuckling along with them.

Was your business affected? How big was your AWS Billing mistake? Let us know the "damage" in the comments below.

• Amazon's AWS cloud services billing system went wild on Friday
• Customers saw bills in the trillions
• AWS apologized and is working on a fix

AWS, the cloud platform that serves millions who use Amazon's servers to run websites and businesses you use every day, just freaked out many of its customers with usage bills that literally went into the trillions.

"I just saw $1.5 trillion on my AWS bill and my soul left my body," wrote Bharath_uwu on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, and he wasn't alone.

The Guardian originally spotted the Tweet and multiple social posts relating to the seemingly widespread glitch.

AWS doesn't mail out invoices. Instead, customers logging into the Billing and Cost Management console spotted the billion- and trillion-dollar bills and expressed emotions ranging from concern to panic.

I just saw $1.5 trillion on my AWS bill and my soul left my body https://t.co/EgfQKJTHVl pic.twitter.com/L0gXYbDio7July 17, 2026

As Dan Harvey, who heads marketing at Learning Through Landscapes, told the Guardian, "I almost had a heart attack when I received an email alert from Amazon Web Services with the billing for our charity’s school grounds audit app."

Some tried to take the billing error in stride. Chinmay on X encouraged others to post their highest AWS bills. As of 10 hours ago, he was at $333B.

Others called out AWS for the error with something less than good humor. "I bet someone must have had a real heart attack. This shouldn't be legal...," wrote Mr Doob on X.

Amazon, to its credit, has been delivering multiple updates starting at around 1:30AM PDT on Friday, July 17, when they first spotted the error: "We are investigating issues with Cost Explorer reflecting inaccurate estimated billing data."

A few hours later, AWS reported it had found the culprit: "We have identified the root cause as an issue with unit pricing within the estimated billing computation subsystem, and we are working on a mitigation," they wrote on the AWS Status page.

However, hours later, AWS admitted, "Our efforts to backfill corrected estimated cost and usage data are still underway. We are progressing slower than anticipated."

The good news is that AWS is not asking anyone to pay these incorrect fees and that, while this has been a big frustration for services that run their websites and businesses on AWS, the cloud system has been working flawlessly, and there have been no reports of outages or performance issues on Friday (if you don't count the years shaved off freaked-out customers' lives).

AWS has even tried to make light of the mistake, posting this on X:

"Typo alert: Some customers saw quadrillion-dollar AWS billing estimates today. Slight miscalculation on our end (very slight ). We're fixing it now. No action needed on your end. Sorry for the confusion. Real question: what will you do with those trillions instead?"

Yes, everyone can all laugh now, though I'm not certain customers like Harvey, Bharath, and others are chuckling along with them.

Was your business affected? How big was your AWS Billing mistake? Let us know the "damage" in the comments below.

The bike isn’t motorized and is completely toddler-powered.