Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Basketball has March Madness. Tech has the Consumer Electronics Show. AI has been waiting for its big moment—and this week may finally be it. With Microsoft’s Build and Google’s I/O developer conferences happening back-to-back, it was already primed to be a big week. Microsoft announced 50 new AI tools alone, and Google followed up with its own slate just a day later. Then, out of the blue, Anthropic dogpiled with Claude 4, the latest version of its large language model (LLM), on Thursday. While the maelstrom of announcements included some gee-whiz trinkets (we’re looking at you, Google Virtual Try-On), anyone looking to build a business with AI should find plenty to look forward to and even some new tools to use immediately. Struggling to keep up? Here are the biggest announcements from every company, and how they’ll reshape the AI landscape in the coming months. Microsoft wants AI agents to talk to one another By giving AI the power to perform work like a human rather than simply talking like one, agents represent an obvious next step for LLMs. But there’s been one major caveat holding them back: They can’t easily interact with one another. An agentic AI that books plane tickets for business travel and another that books hotels sounds great, until you land in London with a hotel room in Madrid. Microsoft took a major step in resolving this impasse by adopting Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standard way for different agents – even those using different LLMs – to communicate. Anthropic actually created the standard in Nov. 2024. Still, Microsoft’s adoption means it’s well on its way to becoming a fixture of future agentic architecture, as HTML was for the open web. Microsoft also added MCP to Azure AI Foundry, its tool for creating AI apps, so users can begin building agents that interact with one another immediately. So what? Agentic AI remains in its infancy, but a widely adopted standard will pave the way for the next generation of agentic tools. Standardization between competitors means you’ll have your pick of the litter on future LLMs when automating processes, rather than getting locked into a single company’s ecosystem. Claude 4 makes coders swoon With just a 3.3% share of the generative AI market, ChatGPT and Gemini often overshadow Claude. However, developers won’t want to sleep on Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, which arrived unexpectedly on Thursday with some major coding bragging rights. Perhaps most impressively, Claude 4 boasts marathon runtimes of up to seven hours in its “extended thinking” mode, which allows it to take thousands of steps and use tools like web search. Anthropic claims it will also explore more approaches, catch more errors, and break down its reasoning for more complex problems. With these improvements, Claude Opus 4 shot to the top of the popular SWE-bench software engineering benchmark with a score of 72.5%, besting both OpenAI o3 (69.1%) and Gemini 2.5 Pro (63.2%). So what? While benchmarks don’t always tell the whole story, Claude has already earned a reputation as the LLM of choice for developers. Claude 4 further cements that reputation with improvements for the software engineering community, which will help differentiate it from its more general-purpose peers. Google AI Mode upends search Google debuted plenty of consumer AI at IO 2025, from the aforementioned virtual try-ons to Google Beam, which turns 2D video streams into live, hologram-like models with the help of six different camera angles and a lot of AI. However, the most consequential change for enterprises may well be AI Mode for search. Like AI Overviews before it, AI Mode integrates Gemini into the search experience much more thoroughly. When you activate an AI Mode search, Google executes a “query fan-out technique,” which breaks your query into multiple searches and executes them simultaneously, then stitches together the results. While this mode was previously available for Google Labs users, this week, it’s going mainstream. So what? Even if you’re not using AI Mode personally, any change to Google Search sends ripples into the pond for the millions of businesses that depend on Google Search to draw eyeballs. AI Overviews upended the search engine optimization (SEO) industry, and AI Mode may be even more dramatic. The way most people find information online is changing, and fast. Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI. Read our Privacy Policy Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here. An error occured.

Credit: Getty TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 NBA Conference Finals for free on YouTube. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.The NBA is a unique sport. There's nothing else in which incredibly tall athletes can be made to look tiny by aliens who could probably touch the sun if they stood on tip toes. And almost all of these shockingly tall athletes display a skillset that mere mortals can't even fathom. The NBA could make a legitimate argument that it hosts the very best athletes in the world. Sure, the NFL might disagree. And rugby definitely attracts some special specimens. But the NBA has a bunch of seven footers dunking on each other. That's tough to beat. You May Also Like If you are interested in watching the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.What is the NBA?The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America made up of 30 teams (29 from the United States and one from Canada). The reigning league champions are the Boston Celtics.When is the NBA?The NBA regular season runs from Oct. 22 to April 13. The play-in tournament is scheduled to be played on April 15-18, followed by the playoffs on the next day, and concluding with the NBA Finals in June. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! How to watch the NBA for freeThe 2025 NBA Conference Finals are available to live stream for free on YouTube. These free live streams are geo-restricted to India, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA Conference Finals from anywhere in the world.Live stream the NBA Conference Finals for free by following these simple steps:Sign up for a 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 IndiaVisit YouTubeWatch the 2025 NBA Conference Finals for free Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select NBA games before recovering your investment.If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.What is the best VPN for YouTube?ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like YouTube, for a number of reasons:Servers in 105 countries including IndiaEasy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and moreStrict no-logging policy so your data is secureFast connection speeds free from throttlingUp to eight simultaneous connections30-day money-back guaranteeA two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.Watch the NBA for free with ExpressVPN. Joseph Green Global Shopping Editor Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Death still has friends at the theater. Final Destination Bloodlines, the franchise’s first entry since 2011, ruled the box office with a $51 million domestic opening. Thanks to good reviews and an impressive box office, expect more Final Destinations for years to come. This weekend, Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible — The Final ReckoningFAST services. One of our recommendations is Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Our other two picks involve basketball and college parties. Recommended Videos We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+. Hoosiers (1986) The NBA playoffs are in full swing. The unpredictability of the games means upsets are bound to happen. One of the greatest basketball upsets at the high school level is dramatized in Hoosiers. The late Gene Hackman stars as Norman Dale, a college coach who flamed out and gets to coach basketball again at Hickory High School. The small Indiana town loves its basketball team but hates Coach Dale, who implements drastic disciplinarian measures in his coaching methods. However, Dale’s coaching and the return of star player Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) allow Hickory to experience a magical run in the 1951 state tournament. Hoosiers is the perfect underdog story and expertly captures the essence of small-town sports. Stream Hoosiers on Prime Video. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011) After the so-so reception to Mission: Impossible 3, Tom Cruise and Ethan Hunt needed a reset. Cruise brought in animation veteran Brad Bird to direct the fourth entry, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. The gamble worked, as the movie reignited the Mission movies and set the blueprint for future movies. After being blamed for the Kremlin bombing, the IMF is disavowed, forcing Ethan (Cruise) to go on the run. To clear his name and restore the IMF, Ethan must team with other IMF fugitives to find those responsible for the bombing. Ghost Protocol leaned into set pieces and practical effects, highlighted by Cruise’s scaling of the Burj Khalifa, which might go down as his most memorable stunt. Stream Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol for free on Pluto TV. S#!%house (2020) Cooper Raiff understands young adults. Not since Richard Linklater has a new filmmaker captured the ethos of a coming-of-age film like Raiff did in S#!%house. (We’re going with the marketing title, but by all means, pronounce it with the swear words.) Homesick college freshman Alex (Raiff) struggles to adjust to his new life. One night, Alex attends a party at the “S#!%house” fraternity and meets Maggie (Dylan Gelula), his sophomore residential advisor. Alex and Maggie spend the rest of the night together walking and talking as they form a genuine bond. Alex wants more in this relationship, while Maggie looks for the exit ramp. Don’t let the vulgar title fool you. S#!%house is all heart and a fantastic directorial debut. Stream Escape Room for free on Tubi.

Growing up, dinner table conversations at our house weren’t just about what we learned at school that day. My mom, Jill, was a CEO for my entire life, leading a nonprofit that made meaningful community impact while she simultaneously raised a family. Our dinner conversations included recaps of board meetings, talk of juggling multiple personal and professional roles, and advice for her kid (me!) on how to do right by others.   My mother’s daily examples of leadership showed me that career success and personal fulfillment don’t compete with each other—they’re complementary. Now, as I help lead Guild’s efforts, partnering with companies to invest in employee career development and talent pipelines, those early lessons continue to guide me.  It is possible to find balance  My mom taught me important lessons about balance that I use today. First, she taught me that having a meaningful career and making a positive impact aren’t mutually exclusive. People talk about “doing well by doing good” as an abstract concept, but I saw it firsthand every day. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would pursue the same.  I was also lucky enough to have a role model who showed it was possible to have both a thriving professional and personal life. Being a wife, mother, a (literal) boss, and an engaged community member were identities she wove together. It wasn’t always easy, but watching her showed me that these identities were equally important for fulfillment.  Often people—especially women—are presented with binary choices: Career or children? Devoted partner or independent social life? Many grapple with these decisions, but we don’t have to. There isn’t any shame in prioritizing one thing over another one day, and changing the next. My mom taught me not to feel guilty about this balancing act.   This ripple effect of positive modeling extends beyond the family. I’ve seen it through stories of Guild learners, like Sherry from Oklahoma, who works at Tyson Foods. Sherry finished high school, got promoted to plant manager, and became an advocate for our program among her colleagues. She’s an example of how leaders can effectively balance everything important to them: career, family, community outreach, and learning.   It’s never too late (or early!) to start a second act  My mom grew up in the 1950s and 60s with three brothers and limited resources. She was a natural athlete, but didn’t have the privilege of formal training in her earlier years.   Decades into adulthood, as her career entered its final chapters and she had more free time, she embraced the transition to her next chapter in life. At 50, she started playing senior women’s basketball. Fast forward 25 years, and she’s now a multi-titled senior Olympian at 75. Some of her best friends came through basketball, and she serves as a board member and advocate for senior women’s sports.  My mom taught me that building skills later in life is more than fulfilling—it keeps you young! It increases cognitive function, improves memory, and enhances emotional well-being. There’s urgency here on a global scale, as the half-life of professional skills is less than 5 years (less than 2.5 years in technology fields). The workforce needs people willing to be nimble and adapt to the skills their field requires, just as our personal lives benefit from constant learning. We can take lessons from people who grew to be the best in their field, too. Vera Wang designed her first dress at 40, and Toni Morrison wrote her first novel after a long career in publishing.  I’ve been inspired by people who pivot, learn, and succeed, and my admiration for people with this skill absolutely bleeds into the workplace. I like to bet on potential and give people opportunities beyond what their experience suggests, with faith that lifelong learners can figure things out with the right mindset and support. I believe that most career paths aren’t linear, and I have benefited from this myself, like in a previous role. A cofounder was the first person to really take a chance on me. He truly let me run by giving me a role that, on paper, wasn’t congruent with my experience but leveraged my skills in a meaningful way.   You’re a role model—whether you know it or not  Another lesson I learned from my mom is something I observed from her actions, not something she intended to share. She was, and is, a role model to me and many others without asking for the title. She modeled behavior, like taking initiative on difficult problems, championing innovation, or methodically pursuing ambitious goals, that those around her naturally emulated.  I’m again reminded of Sherry from Tyson, who not only completed her own education and rose through the ranks, but then supported her husband as he continued his education. Her son now works at Tyson too, and is pursuing his degree simultaneously. Her drive to better herself was contagious and positively impacted her family’s trajectory.   Other high-achievers come to mind as natural role models, too. Take four-time Paralympian Matt Stutzman, who competed in the recent Paralympics for archery. He’s using the same drive that took him to Paris to pursue a career transition that will support him and his family post-games. The examples are endless.   It takes courage to take on new challenges or champion change, especially when countering established norms. Whether pitching a fresh approach to customer research or volunteering to test a new platform, lifelong learners blaze trails for others to follow, and we have the power to be those leaders for others.   Your continuous growth will have a ripple effect on others  The most powerful lesson from my mother’s journey—from CEO to senior Olympian—is that our growth journeys create ripples far beyond our own lives. When we commit to continuous learning and development, we become living examples of what’s possible.  For business leaders, this means investing in growth while creating cultures where employee development is prioritized. For professionals at any career stage, it means embracing opportunities that stretch you beyond your comfort zone. For parents, it means focusing your energy where it’s needed most—at the boardroom or dinner table.   The result? More resilient organizations are populated by adaptable individuals who find deeper fulfillment in both personal and professional realms. More importantly, you’ll inspire others along the way—perhaps even your own children, who might someday write about the dinner table lessons that shaped their leadership journey.   Rebecca Biestman is chief marketing officer of Guild. 

The end of Squid Game is coming to Netflix. The streamer’s biggest series ever in terms of worldwide viewership concludes its run with the upcoming third season, which is the far and away biggest title that is getting added by Netflix in June.Also coming to Netflix in June: The return of FUBAR, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s very fun action comedy series, as well as as a new Tyler Perry movie and a Justin Willman magic special. Plus there’s a trio of documentaries grouped under the name Trainwreck: One about the Astroworld tragedy, one about infamous Toronto major Rob Ford, and one about the so-called “Poop Cruise.” How much you want to bet the thing that’s called Poop Cruise goes to #1 on the Netflix top ten chart?Here’s the full list of what’s coming to Netflix in June 2025:Avail. 6/1/25The American Barbarian Bee Movie The Birds The Blues Brothers The Devil's Own Dune (1984) The Equalizer Family Plot Focus Frenzy The Great Outdoors Hitchcock Hop The Legend of Zorro The Man Who Knew Too Much Neighbors15. Now You See Me (2013)Summitloading...Now You See Me Now You See Me 2 The Nutty Professor Pokémon The Series: XY Pokémon The Series: XY: XY: Kalos Quest Pokémon The Series: XY: XYZ Rear Window The Theory of Everything The Town U-571 Us VertigoAvail. 6/3/25Sara - Woman in the Shadows -- NETFLIX SERIESThe suspicious death of her son pushes a former secret agent back into action, investigating a series of crimes that grows increasingly sinister.Avail. 6/4/25Criminal Code: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESAn elite Brazilian Federal Police unit takes on a ruthless criminal gang in a deadly game of wits.Eva Lasting: Season 3 -- NETFLIX SERIESAs the gang graduates, their newfound freedom brings Camilo a new set of drama — and yearning — for Eva. Can their dreams survive adulthood?NetflixNetflixloading...Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal -- NETFLIX SERIES"Power Moves" follows Shaquille O’Neal as he takes on the role of President of Reebok Basketball, returning to the brand that gave him his first shot. Teaming up with Vice President Allen Iverson, Shaq is on a mission to revive the iconic brand and lead a bold comeback from Reebok’s Boston headquarters.Avail. 6/5/25Barracuda Queens: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESYearning for the thrill of their home burglaries, the queens set their sights on an even more lucrative target: the fine art galleries of Stockholm.Ginny & Georgia: Season 3 -- NETFLIX SERIESGeorgia has just been arrested for murder during her wedding - ruining her fairy tale ending and putting the spotlight on the Millers like never before. It's always been Ginny and Georgia against the world, but the world has never come for them quite like this. Now, Ginny needs to see where she stands when push comes to shove – Is the two of them against the world something Ginny really wants to sign up for?Tires: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESFueled by a surprise marketing victory, Will and Shane have steered the tire shop into the fast lane. But sudden success brings its own challenges.Avail. 6/6/25K.O. -- NETFLIX FILMA former fighter must find the missing son of an opponent he accidentally killed years ago, taking on a brutally violent crime gang in Marseille.NetflixNetflixloading...Mercy For None -- NETFLIX SERIESAfter severing ties with his gang, a former gangster returns to uncover the truth behind his brother's death — embarking on a relentless path of revenge.TYLER PERRY’S STRAW -- NETFLIX FILMWhat will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.The Survivors -- NETFLIX SERIESFifteen years ago, the loss of three young people tore this sleepy seaside town apart. Now, the mysterious death of a young woman dredges up the past.Avail. 6/7/25Boys on the SidePiece by PieceAvail. 6/9/25The Creature Cases: Chapter 5 -- NETFLIX FAMILYIf there's an animal in need, agents Kit and Sam are ready to help! Join them as they tackle more mysteries and meet friendly new critters along the way.Avail. 6/10/25Families Like Ours -- NETFLIX SERIESA teenage girl must choose between her divorced parents and her boyfriend after a permanent evacuation of Denmark turns citizens into refugees.Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYFeaturing exclusive interviews with survivors, paramedics and festival staff, this documentary examines the 2021 Astroworld tragedy and its aftermath.Avail. 6/11/25Aniela -- NETFLIX SERIESAfter her wealthy husband leaves her with nothing, a high-society Warsaw snob is forced to use the only survival skills she has left — her sharp wit.Cheers to Life -- NETFLIX FILMA pendant from the past sets Jéssica on a trip through Israel — where family twists, unexpected love and a search for meaning shape the ride of her life.Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY2013: four Frenchmen are arrested in Punta Cana with 700 kg of cocaine — none fit the trafficker profile. This documentary asks: who was behind the bust?Our Times -- NETFLIX FILMAfter years of research and companionship, two physicists from the 1960s unlock the secrets of wormhole theory and find themselves stranded in 2025.Titan: The OceanGate Disaster -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYThis documentary explores the Titan submersible's doomed 2023 journey to the wreckage of the Titanic and the ambitious OceanGate CEO behind the endeavor.Avail. 6/12/25The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish: Season 2NetflixNetflixloading...FUBAR: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESEager to return to action, Luke, Emma and the crew get more than they bargained for when a mysterious terrorist threatens to unleash worldwide chaos.PlaneAvail. 6/13/25Kings of Jo'Burg: Season 3 (ZA) -- NETFLIX SERIESVeronica Masire now bears the responsibility of the family curse, as she picks up where her brother left off — ruling Jo'Burg with legacy and power.Avail. 6/14/25Grey’s Anatomy: Season 21Avail. 6/16/25The Last Witch HunterAvail. 6/17/25Justin Willman: Magic Lover -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALSleight-of-hand sorcery. Mischievous mind games. Mind-blowing illusions. Justin Willman conjures up laughs in a special where comedy and magic collide.Kaulitz & Kaulitz: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESThe show must go on! Tom and Bill Kaulitz are back to share their exciting lives, even as dark clouds gather in paradise.Scandal: Seasons 1-7NetflixNetflixloading...Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYRob Ford scandalized Canadian politics as the brash yet beloved mayor of Toronto — until an infamous video of him smoking crack sparked his downfall.Avail. 6/18/25AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESA new batch of hopefuls face fierce competition, high expectations and even higher kicks as they vie for a spot with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.Rosario Tijeras (Mexico): Season 4 -- NETFLIX SERIESYears after Rosario's sacrifice, her legend haunts her daughter, Ruby. As the teen's life takes a dangerous turn, secrets from her past begin to unravel.Somebody Feed Phil: Season 8 -- NETFLIX SERIESFresh flavors and new friends await as globetrotting foodie Phil Rosenthal expands his culinary horizons to Amsterdam, Boston, Basque Country and more.YOLANTHE -- NETFLIX SERIESThis reality series follows Yolanthe Cabau in her glamorous new life in Los Angeles as she faces unexpected challenges and ghosts from her past.Avail. 6/19/25The Waterfront -- NETFLIX SERIESA prominent North Carolina fishing family wades into treacherous waters to keep their crumbling business empire afloat.Avail. 6/20/25KPop Demon Hunters -- NETFLIX FAMILYWhen K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.Olympo -- NETFLIX SERIESThe Pyrenean High Performance Center: home to Spain's most promising athletes. The question is, how far will they go to reach the top — and stay there?Semi-Soeter -- NETFLIX FILMPower couple Jaci and JP find themselves in a bumpy predicament when a new work pitch for a baby brand forces them to play the perfect pretend parents.Avail. 6/22/25The InternAvail. 6/24/25Steph Tolev: Filth Queen -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIALBow down to the queen as fearlessly filthy Steph Tolev rules the stage with hilarious confessions, unfiltered dating stories and absurd observations.Trainwreck: Poop Cruise -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYAn engine fire leaves 4,000 passengers stranded at sea without power and plumbing in this wild documentary about the infamous "poop cruise" of 2013.Avail. 6/25/25The Ultimatum: Queer Love: Season 2 -- NETFLIX SERIESSix couples put their love to the test by moving in with other partners. Are they ready for marriage — or is "the one" actually someone else?Avail. 6/27/25Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua Part 3 -- NETFLIX FAMILYWith their training complete, the three young adventurers embark on a new quest to learn more about Lucius and track down the rest of the Six Heroes.NetflixNetflixloading...Squid Game: Season 3 (KR) -- NETFLIX SERIESThe third and final season of Squid Game follows Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) after losing his best friend in the game and being driven to utter despair by The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who was hiding his true identity to infiltrate the game. Gi-hun persists with his goal to put an end to the game, while the Front Man continues onto his next move and the surviving players' choices will lead to graver consequences with each round. The world eagerly awaits to see the grand finale written and directed by Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has vowed to bring the epic story to its deserved closure. Can we hope for humanity in the cruelest of realities?Get our free mobile appNetflix: Summer 2025 Movie PreviewEvery big movie coming to Netflix this summer...

Don’t call Kylie Kelce a WAG. The acronym for the “wives and girlfriends” of professional athletes rankles the podcaster, who first rose to fame as the wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. As Kelce explains, the phrase suggests that “your spouse’s profession swallows you up as well.”But many in the media are heralding this moment as a “new era” for WAGs, and Kelce is just one of several famous women who are at the fore of this renaissance: Everyone from TikToker Alix Earle, who is dating Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios, to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles — unquestionably the more famous athlete — who is married to the Chicago Bears’ Jonathan Owens. Then there’s Taylor Swift, one of the most successful musicians on the planet, who, thanks to her relationship with Kylie’s brother-in-law Travis Kelce, has become the ultimate symbol of the new WAG.Meanwhile, a host of lesser-known women are experiencing their first taste of fame through their relationships with tennis players, Formula 1 race-car drivers, and even pole-vaulters. A sizable number have leveraged their romantic lives to receive brand deals, podcasting opportunities, and magazine profiles.By and large, our understanding of WAGs is rapidly evolving to acknowledge their own social and economic power. They’ve transformed from tabloid punching bags to an appealing status symbol. Still, the continued use of the term does raise some complicated questions: Why are we so interested in defining these women, some of whom are independently successful, by their relationships to men? And what does it mean that they might be raking in more attention and financial opportunities than some female athletes? The rise of the new WAG The public’s fascination with WAGs isn’t new. The acronym originated across the pond in the early 2000s to describe the wives and girlfriends of English footballers. British tabloids and football fans alike lambasted women — celebrities in their own right — like former Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham for their partying, extravagant spending, and flashy, maximalist looks. When the England national football team lost the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their partners were blamed in the press for the defeat. In the United States, being a WAG could be an equally dangerous public position. From Jessica Simpson to the Kardashians, they’ve been painted as distractions, attention-seekers, and bearers of bad luck. Over the past two decades, though, a WAG has become less of an involuntary title and more of an identity that some women are willing to cultivate, given that it can come with its own rewards.David and Victoria Beckham at the MOBO Awards on October 6, 1999. Dave Hogan/Getty ImagesThis modern version of WAG-dom can be credited to early 2010s reality shows like WAGS, Basketball Wives, and La La’s Full Court Life. These platforms allowed these women — some anonymous before they entered into relationships with athletes — to craft their own public narratives and become notable personalities on their own. For years now, Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, has modeled what it means to be a “WAG influencer,” embracing her public relationship with her spouse while building a separate career as a successful cookbook author and host. Since then, WAG-influencers have become a welcome staple of certain sports cultures. Formula 1 has exploded in recent years, with a small part of that popularity owed to the sport’s stylish other halves. Since 2017, female viewership has grown from 8 percent to 40 percent. This has been largely credited to the popular Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which put a spotlight on the personal lives of drivers and, naturally, their partners. Lily Herman, who writes the F1 newsletter Engine Failure, says that the current popularity of WAG-influencers in Formula 1 can be credited to the former partners of a few young popular drivers from 2019 to 2022, like Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Isa Hernáez and Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend Charlotte Sine, who were both featured on Drive to Survive. In 2022, Sine was the first WAG in the sport to explicitly use her access to the F1 circuit as a part of an ad campaign for the skincare brand Sunday Riley.“They were around during an era where the sport saw a lot of growth in its younger fan base, especially among teen girls and younger women, and there was a new wave of interest in these young drivers’ personal lives,” says Herman. These women have inspired fan pages, Tumblr accounts, and subreddits dedicated to their relationships, fashion, and rumored drama. Lately, the organization has fully embraced WAGs as recognizable supporting characters in the F1 universe, featuring them on social media and including them on chyrons during racing broadcasts. Tennis has tried to replicate the WAG-to-influencer pipeline too, although the sport and its fans are still warming up to the presence of outside partners. Morgan Riddle, who’s dating highest-ranked American male player Taylor Fritz, has been making get-ready-with-me videos for tournaments and vlogging about her life on the tennis tour since 2022. Ayan Broomfield, a former college tennis player who’s dating Frances Tiafoe, and influencer Paige Lorenze, who’s dating Tommy Paul, have mimicked the same career path, broadcasting their lives as WAGs on social media. Herman says that WAGs play a role in “adding dimension” to their male partners, contributing to the marketability of both. “Fritz is pretty bland as a public figure without his girlfriend,” says Herman. “She’s done way more in her work as an influencer and content creator to make him seem multidimensional than he has through solo interviews and profiles.”It certainly benefits younger, newer WAGs who are already powerful women. Biles and Swift have joined their ranks and seem to take pride in the role. Beckham, now a successful fashion designer, has also played a role in igniting a nostalgia for WAGs, thanks to the popular 2023 Netflix docuseries Beckham. The business of being a WAG is still very traditional In our current political climate, the WAG boom raises interesting questions. Research shows that some Gen Z-ers are identifying as more conservative than their parents. “Trad wife” content abounds online. Where do WAGs fit in? WAG influencers share some obvious similarities to tradwife influencers, women who’ve created lucrative identities and even businesses by perpetuating conservative ideas of marriage and motherhood. In a Substack essay, sports writer Frankie De La Cretaz argues that WAGs are essentially the tradwives of men’s sports: “No matter how many businesses a WAG starts or how many charities she runs, she still embodies a heteronormative idea of family and a woman’s place in society.” It’s hard to get around the fact that most WAGs are initially famous for their association with a male partner, although they may ultimately transcend that attachment (see Kylie Kelce’s complaint about being called a WAG and consider that her podcast, Not Gonna Lie, briefly dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience when it debuted in 2024).WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals.But even attempts to define WAGs outside of their relationships come off a bit shallow. Stories about how these women are impacting sports largely focus on their brand deals and follower counts. When we celebrate the influence of WAGs, we’re mostly talking about their ability to turn other women into consumers and spectators, not athletes. Meanwhile, WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals. Back in March, Australian tennis pro Daria Saville made a TikTok about the lack of sponsorships she and other female pros receive compared to tennis WAGs. “Female tennis players are not getting those brand deals,” she said. “It’s actually tennis WAGs that fit into the ‘aesthetic’ rather than, us, sweaty tennis players.” De la Cretaz tells Vox that the WAG boom echoes the mainstream platforming of tradwives. “It’s an extension of “girlboss” feminism, the idea that promoting women regardless of what that looks like is somehow good for women,” De la Cretaz says. “It’s also this idea that whatever you’re choosing is valid, even though those choices don’t exist in a vacuum.” The most visible WAGs are still predominantly in straight relationships, and a large part of being one still involves affirming a male athlete’s heterosexuality. As journalist Kira Cochrane wrote in a 2010 piece for the Guardian about football WAGs, “consciously or not, the women know their role is to boost their partner’s masculinity.” She added that their often highly feminized presentation “underlines [their] status as possessions, part of the package for footballers.” WAGs, with their new clout and influence, haven’t exactly gotten a total makeover. Rather, their hustle has grown more appealing. After all, they represent all the things women are encouraged to be in a time when mainstream culture is trending more conservative. They’re tradwives. They’re girlbosses. They’re stylish and beautiful. Most of all, they’re sitting on the sidelines. See More:

It takes a lot to make a paint color one of the most popular paint colors of all time—not every shade can be a Swiss Coffee or Pink Ground, after all. As Country Living’s Senior Homes & Style Editor, I am always on the hunt for what’s trending in the color world, so when I received an email from storied paint company Sherwin-Williams with data on their least popular paint color, I was intrigued. For the second year in a row, Sherwin-Williams is announcing their “Loneliest Color of the Year.” This year’s winner is Radiant Lilac. Throughout 2024, Radiant Lilac was Sherwin-Williams’ least tinted color. In fact, out of the millions of gallons of paint they create—a process known as tinting—this shade had less than 1,000 gallons tinted. For Some of Our Favorite Paint Colors:A true lilac, this shade is a softer take on the popular muddy plum, which appeared in our 2025 paint trend report after being named a color of the year by both Benjamin Moore and Glidden. “Purple can feel like a bold commitment—it’s not always the first color people reach for, especially if they’re unsure about how to bring it into their space,” says Sherwin-Williams Director of Color Marketing Sue Wadden. “Radiant Lilac sits in that in-between space: it’s not a neutral, but it’s not an overwhelming statement either, which can make it feel a little uncertain for some.”As part of the announcement that this soft purple is the company’s least popular shade, Sherwin-Williams teamed up with one of the most popular basketball players in recent years, Paige Bueckers, who was the first pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and won the 2025 NCAA College Basketball Championship with her alma mater, the University of Connecticut. Paige, who now plays for the Dallas Wings, is known for her love of purple and recently wore an iconic Radiant Lilac-colored custom suit created in collaboration with legendary designer Dapper Dan and Sherwin-Williams. Amy Sussman//Getty ImagesWNBA star Paige Bueckers at the 2024 ESPYS in a custom Radiant Lilac-colored suitIf Paige’s love for purple doesn’t have you convinced that the shade is worth trying, its cozy, universally flattering undertones should. “It’s that perfect balance between red and blue, so it feels grounded and calming, yet expressive,” says Sue. If you want to make a statement, use the color to highlight architectural features or statement furniture, Sue advises. She also recommends pairing it with moodier shades such as Roycroft Bronze Green or Rookwood Dark Red. But if you’re in the mood for something lighter, Sue recommends trying Cool Beige or Ice Cube. So, what do you think? Is it time for lilac to make a comeback? For More Paint Colors You’re Sure To Love:Anna LoganSenior Homes & Style EditorAnna Logan is the Senior Homes & Style Editor at Country Living, where she has been covering all things home design, including sharing exclusive looks at beautifully designed country kitchens, producing home features, writing everything from timely trend reports on the latest viral aesthetic to expert-driven explainers on must-read topics, and rounding up pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted to know about paint, since 2021. Anna has spent the last seven years covering every aspect of the design industry, previously having written for Traditional Home, One Kings Lane, House Beautiful, and Frederic. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. When she’s not working, Anna can either be found digging around her flower garden or through the dusty shelves of an antique shop. Follow her adventures, or, more importantly, those of her three-year-old Maltese and official Country Living Pet Lab tester, Teddy, on Instagram.  

I’m delighted to share that the 2022.2 Tech Stream, our final release of the year, is available for download.Tech Stream releases allow you to go hands-on with early access to the latest features. It’s also an opportunity to share your feedback on how we can build even better tools to power your creativity.Most recently at Unite, we gathered with our community of game developers to share some of these updates on topics like DOTS, rendering, multiplayer development, and XR, and we celebrated Made with Unity games like V Rising, Pentiment, Breachers, and many more. The dialogue online from over 9,000 Discord messages and countless in-person conversations was invaluable to shaping the future of Unity.Coupled with the 1,470 new forum threads where we discussed product feedback with you since the 2022.1 Tech Stream arrived and the 3,080 new notes on the Unity Platform roadmap, this feedback helped us get to today’s release. We couldn’t have done it without you and are excited to get that work in your hands. To learn more about how your feedback drives product development, check out this blog post.Together with the first Tech Stream, today’s 2022.2 completes this year’s cycle. Join us and explore what’s in store ahead of the LTS release in 2023. For even more on where Unity is heading, I encourage you to read our Games Focus blog series.In this post, I’ll be sharing a few highlights from this release, but you can always get more details in the official release notes.A frequent request we receive is to give you the ability to create more engaging gaming experiences, deeply immersive worlds, and to do so with more objects and characters than ever before.Unity 2022.2 includesECS for Unity (Entity Component System), a data-oriented framework that empowers you to build more ambitious games with an unprecedented level of control and determinism. ECS and a data-oriented approach to development put complex gameplay mechanics and rich, dynamic environments at your fingertips. Starting with Unity 2022.2, ECS for Unity is fully supported for production, so you can get even more out of ECS through support channels and success plans.ECS for Unity includes the Entities package, along with ECS-compatible packages for Netcode, Graphics, and Physics. If you’re already familiar with Unity’s GameObject architecture and scripting standards, ECS for Unity is fully compatible with GameObjects, so you’ll find a familiar authoring experience and streamlined workflows. This gives you the capability to leverage your existing skill set and leverage ECS only where it will best benefit your game experience.We’re already seeing some great games running on ECS for Unity, such as Stunlock Studios’s V Rising. Because they turned to ECS, they were able to vastly increase the number of in-game interactable assets to more than 160,000 across a 5km2 map, with more than 350,000 server-side entities powering the experience.If you’re looking for help, want to provide feedback, discuss best practices, or show off your projects, you can join a thriving community on our forums and Discord. Our teams regularly engage in these channels and keep a close eye on your feedback. Join us on December 8, 2022 for our Dev Blitz Day dedicated to DOTS, when we’ll be spending an entire day trying to answer all your ECS questions.The last 18 months have seen an explosion of multiplayer experiences being built with Unity, and we hear that many of you want to add multiplayer access to your games but aren’t sure where to start.Alongside Unity 2022.2, we’re highlighting Netcode for GameObjects, a package that simplifies the implementation of multiplayer capability to your project in a number of scenarios such as couch cooperative play. The package works with familiar GameObject-based programming techniques, and it abstracts away low-level functionality so you can write less code while creating the multiplayer experience you envision.For more demanding, large-scale games, you can harness the power of ECS with Netcode for Entities. Netcode for Entities can enable you to increase your game world size, player counts, and complex network interactions without the performance sacrifices developers have traditionally had to deal with.We also recently announced the launch of self-serve capabilities in our Multiplayer Solutions suite within Unity Gaming Services (UGS), which helps you to operate your multiplayer games with hosting, communications, and more. Learn more about the latest developments for this tech in this Games Focus blog, or take a deeper look at the UGS Multiplayer suite in this UGS video, produced in collaboration with Tarodev.Multiplatform scalability and high-fidelity graphics continue to be our focus for rendering. In our Games Focus blog “Rendering that scales with your needs,” we covered our dedication to delivering features that allow you to scale with confidence while tapping into an even broader range of tools that provides the best possible visual quality and performance.We continue to bring the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) closer to feature parity with Built-in Render Pipeline through more streamlined and scalable workflows. We worked on key tools such asForward+, which provides functional parity with Forward path in Built-in Render Pipeline, eliminating the light limit count so you can scale with quality across platforms.Another key feature is Decal Layers,which allow you to filter and configure how different objects are affected by Decal Projectors in a scene. Decals are useful for adding extra texture details to a scene, especially to break the repetitiveness of materials and their detail patterns.Other special URP enhancements include LOD crossfade for smoother transitions and Built-in Converter improvements that provide you with tools to upgrade your existing projects from the Built-in Render Pipeline to URP. You can also personalize your rendering experience with Shader Graph Full Screen Master Node and Custom Post Processing across both renderers.Diving into High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP), we’ve made enhancements that help you create even more beautiful physically based environments and detailed characters. You can scale high-fidelity environments with the new HDRP Water System to render oceans, rivers, and underwater effects, and use Volumetric Material to create procedural local fog using Shader Graph. Create even more realistic skies with improved Cloud Layers dynamic lighting, and you can even blend between different Volumetric Cloud conditions.You can also take your cinematic renders further to render realistic characters with Eye Cinematic with Caustics and PCSS shadows. HDRP Path Tracing Denoising provides you the choice between NVIDIA Optix™ AI accelerated denoiser and Intel® Open Image.Watch our latest Unite 2022 session on Lighting Environments in Unity to discover some key tips to get you started with our latest HDRP environment tools.Creative endeavors are never linear, and we understand that rapid iteration is part of the journey. This release includes new authoring features and workflow improvements to help speed up your productivity.For example, the Prefab system sees a number of upgrades, including the ability to quickly replace a Prefab Asset for a Prefab instance in a scene or nested inside other Prefabs. Read our latest blog on this topic for more information.For faster environments, the Paint Detail brush in the Terrain Tools package now allows you to simultaneously scatter multiple types of details with per-detail-type density settings available. Additionally, detail density and a few other Terrain settings are now overridable in the Quality settings to help you achieve platform performance targets.You can also use improved tooling and API features for Splines to help draw paths in your environments with greater precision. This means you can build out rivers, roads, camera tracks, and other path-related features and tools more efficiently. Thank you to all who engaged with us in the worldbuilding forums in the last couple months to help us finalize this delivery. For more on the API features, check out the documentation.Finally, the AI Navigation package is now available for you to quickly add intelligence to 3D characters and move in game worlds without needing to code rules manually. It also ships with samples to help you get started. See the forum for more details, and check out what’s next on the roadmap.In 2022.2, UI Toolkit is reaching parity with IMGUI for customizing the Editor and is the recommended solution for Editor tools. This means better separation of concerns, more flexible layouts, and advanced stylings. With updates like default inspectors generated with UI Toolkit, ported common built-in Property Drawers, TreeView controls with multicolumn support, and a new vector-drawing API, this release not only helps us reach parity with IMGUI but also supports runtime use cases as well.If you want to learn more about the current state of runtime, we recently released a new project demonstrating a full-feature interface with UI Toolkit based on your feedback for more samples. Check that out here.To help you get started, watch the recent Unite session illustrating a step-by-step example of how to build custom tools with UI Toolkit. Plus, visit the recently released Editor Design system for guidance on how to build intuitive experiences.After extensive work, testing, and listening to a lot of community feedback, DirectX 12 is out of an experimental state with the release of 2022.2. Depending on the project, you can now expect performance on par or greater than DX11, especially in draw call-heavy scenes.This is a result of significant investment into performance and stability, making DX12 the recommended graphics API for Windows and Xbox development. Additionally, DX12 lays the foundation for more advanced graphics features, such as real-time ray tracing, which is now available for Xbox game development. We couldn’t be more excited and thankful to you all for helping us get DX12 across the finish line and look forward to the great games you’ll be creating.We continue to hear that you not only want us to support new platforms, but also where we can simplify and improve development when targeting devices. If you haven’t already, check out the Games Focus blog “Reach more players over multiple platforms and form factors,” where we dive into both what is here now and what will be available in the near future.We’re making cross-device XR creation simpler with Unity XR Interaction toolkit (XRI). XRI provides a framework for common interactions that work across various controllers, such as grab, hover, select, visual feedback to indicate possible interactions on objects, and more. XRI is now in version 2.2, which adds multi-grab support, new locomotion methods, and a collection of ready-to-go Prefabs in our Starter Assets sample package.We recently invited the creators of Blacktop Hoops, a VR basketball game, to talk about how they used XRI as the base for their input controls during the Unite 2022 Keynote. Check out the XR segment for more information.We’ve also updated AR Foundation to version 5.0. This update brings two key features to reduce development time. The first is simulation, allowing you to test your AR app in the Editor using Play mode, an update that addresses a common AR developer frustration in the past. We’ve also added the AR Debug Menu as a new Prefab that you can use to view available configurations on your device and visualize AR subsystem data such as planes and point cloud positions.Finally, we’re continuing to add key platform support to the Editor with Meta Quest Pro, PlayStation®VR2 and Magic Leap 2.To read more about the 2022.2 Tech Stream, check out the release notes for a comprehensive list of features and the Unity Manual for documentation. As you dive in, keep in mind that while each Tech Stream release is supported with weekly updates until the next one, there is no guarantee for long-term support for new features and remember to always back up your work prior to upgrading to a new version. The upgrade guide can also assist with this. For projects in production, we recommend using Unity Long Term Release for stability and support.Each Tech Stream is an opportunity to not only get early access to new features, but also to shape the development of future tech through your feedback. We want to hear how we can best serve you and your projects. Let us know how we’re doing on the forums, or share feedback directly with our product team through the Unity Platform Roadmap. You can also follow us on Twitter and catch our latest Unity Twitch Roundtable, covering 2022.2, on demand.This release completes our 2022 development cycle. We have ambitious goals for next year, which you can read about in our Games Focus series or watch in the recent Unite Roadmap session. Thank you for all your support, and we look forward to partnering with you every step of the way.

The Last Braindance? Cyberpunk 2077's sequel includes a new city that "feels more like Chicago gone wrong", and I'm now wondering how the USA's collapse might have affected Michael Jordan's legacy Look, all I'm saying is that the declaration of martial law might have made that last three-peat a bit tougher to pull off. Image credit: VG247/CD Projekt News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on May 21, 2025 Cyberpunk 2077's sequel will let us take a detour from the returning Night City to visit a new location which feels a bit "like Chicago gone wrong". Naturally, this news has me questioning how Cyberpunk's timeline might have affected the most prominent basketball dynasty of the 1990s. The tiny nugget of info we got about this second city comes from Mike Pondsmith, creator of the Cyberpunk TTRPG series that CD Projekt's futuristic RPGs are based on. It's the first bit of concrete info about the game - beyond just where it's at in the production process - we've gotten for a while. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Speaking to Tvgry during this year's Digital Dragons Conference, Pondsmith touched on his current relationship with CD Projekt's Cyberpunk devs. He's "not as involved directly with the sequel as he was with the first Cyberpunk, but he does still pop by the studio to look at scripts and offer his views on stuff like new cyberware made for Project Orion. For instance, he revealed that when he was there recently, he "spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place in Orion - because there's another city we visit, I'm not telling you any more than that, but there's another city we visit." "Night City's still there," Pondsmith continued, telling us more, "I remember looking at it and going 'yeah, I understand the feel that you're going for in this, and this really does work - it doesn't feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong'. I said 'yeah, you know, I can see this working.'" Watch on YouTube This chatter starts at around the three hour and 45 minute mark of the video embedded above, if you want to check it out for yourself. I don't know if you'll do the same, but the mention of a Cyberpunk city that might be a bit like Chicago got me wondering what the existing Cyberpunk lore says about the actual Windy City. According to the series' Fandom Wiki (which does note that it needs more citations), Chi-town was "left in a state of absolute devastation" by the collapse of the United States that occurs between 1996 and 2008 in the Cyberpunk timeline, and was subsequently ravaged by a "catastrophic bio-plague" created by the federal government itself. By 2077, the city's "implied to have undergone some level of reconstruction" by rumours of it being connected to Night City via the transcontinental maglev rail network that Cyberpunk 2077's database describes as "currently inoperational", but subject to revitalisation efforts by Night Corp. Cool. But here's the thing. If Chicago started to fall apart in 1996 - the year that martial law was declared across the USA in Cyberpunk lore - do Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls win the 1996, 1997, and 1998 NBA championships to cement themselves as arguably the greatest basketball dynasty of all-time? That's assuming Jordan and the Bulls even exist in the Cyberpunk universe, but I think it's worth exploring anyway. The situation is this as far as I can tell - the aforementioned martial law runs from 1996 to 1999, so Jordan and co have that to contend with, in addition to a 1998 midwest drought and the collapse doing so much damage that "an estimated 90%" of Chicago is abandoned by the end of it in 2008. It's MJ though. I'm still banking on him to beat the Jazz in the finals, even if he's got to dribble past bio-plagues and hostile cybernetically-augmented soldiers to do it. Do you think his airness still ends up with six rings on his weird cyber-fingers? Also, how do you feel about visiting this second city in Cyberpunk 2? Let us know below!