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What’s Something Beautiful You’ve Read?

Recently, I’ve started doing something I haven’t done since college. Lying in bed with a book, I’ll find myself clutching my heart over a sentence — and then feeling compelled to root around for a pen in my bedside table so I can underline an especially good sentence. Do you ever do this? Here are three parts I marked (and tell me what you’ve loved lately!)…

“I didn’t know how to be mad at people yet, so I just aped the behavior I had seen at home: speaking to someone in tight, terse little sentences until they went insane.”
— The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

“[My father and grandfather] both had thick, coarse beards that they cared for rigorously… it seemed that this was a kind of sacrifice made in the name of loving well, of having something that a small child could bury their hands in, something closer to the ground those hands might be reaching up from.”
— There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib

“My curiosity about Grey is a huge, violent dog on a very tight leash.”
— Another Marvelous Thing by Laurie Colwin

In the third one, a man, in the midst of an affair, is wondering about his lover’s spouse. (Caveat, since someone asked why I read about affairs: I’m not into actual affairs, but I’m fine reading about affairs, in the same way that I’ll watch The Sopranos even though I’m not a huge fan of murder and money laundering. I am just really interested in different people’s lives and why they do what they do.)

Anyway, this line struck me because — I can’t decide if this is embarrassing to admit! — it describes how I feel about any woman who previously dated the guy I’m currently dating. I’m curious about his romantic past, but I will not probe because I know even the smallest tidbit will make me nuts — hence, a huge dog on a tight leash. Have you ever felt this way? I know it’s uncool, but what a perfect way to describe it.

Sometimes a book will get it right in a way that feels like a forehead slap. A while ago, I was at a bookstore with a friend, who said he read only non-fiction because he always wanted to learn something when he read. I pointed out that you can learn a lot from fiction. “Oh, for sure — about sentence structure, syntax, etc,” he replied. “No, about the human condition!” I said.

Remember Ethan Hawke’s wise words? “Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry… They have a life to live, and they’re not really that concerned with Allen Ginsberg’s poems or anybody’s poems, until their father dies, they go to a funeral, you lose a child, somebody breaks your heart, they don’t love you anymore, and all of a sudden, you’re desperate for making sense out of this life, and, ‘Has anybody ever felt this bad before? How did they come out of this cloud?’” And that’s when you need it.

Tell me: What have you been reading lately? What lines have stayed with you? Novels, poetry, non-fiction, memoirs, I’d love to hear!

P.S. This poem is so romantic, and the darkly funny book I can’t stop thinking about.

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T-Mobile is down. Social media users are not taking it well.

In case you haven’t heard, T-Mobile’s mobile network appeared to go down for a lot of users on Monday afternoon.

Users in the United States reported a widespread outage, with mobile service in particular being disrupted, and some users reported they were stuck in “SOS mode,” which can happen if service is interrupted. As usual, customers took to social media apps like X and Reddit to vent their frustrations, sometimes directly at T-Mobile itself.

On X, one user reported being stranded and unable to order a Lyft home (though, apparently, still able to post to X), while another said they were seeing a long line at their local T-Mobile store. Over on Reddit, a post about the outage has already collected more than 5,500 comments, with users trading rumors about the possible cause and potential fixes.

As a reminder: The person running a brand’s social media help line typically can’t fix the outage.

As of this writing, “T-Mobile” was trending on X, and search terms such as “Is t mobile down” and “t mobile outage” were trending on Google Search.

Mashable reached out to T-Mobile with questions about the outage, which the brand still hasn’t acknowledged. We’ll update this story if we receive more information.

This is a developing story…


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T-Mobile down: Why SOS mode shows up on your phone

Updated on July 27 at 7:48 a.m. ET — T-Mobile informed Mashable that it had fully restored service by 10:53 p.m. The company provided Mashable with the following statement:

We have fully restored service for all customers and sincerely apologize for the difficulties. We know that customers rely on us to stay connected to what matters most, and we appreciate their understanding as we prioritized resolution.

Updated on July 27 at 10 p.m. ET — Beyond its initial statement, T-Mobile has no update on the outage.

“Our teams are actively working the reports of technical challenges impacting some customers,” the company said in a statement to Mashable. “Any service impacts are in the process of being resolved and are our highest priority. We know how critical it is to stay connected, and every available resource is focused on resolving this as quickly as possible.”

In the meantime, many T-Mobile users are going to X and Reddit to complain.

A post on Reddit about the outage already has more than 5,500 comments, and users are trading rumors about the possible cause of the T-Mobile outage, as well as potential fixes. We’ll continue to update this post as this story develops.

As of this writing, Downdetector shows that thousands of users are still actively submitting error reports. In addition, Status Gator reports that the outage is nationwide, with T-Mobile-connected providers like Mint Mobile and Boost Mobile also experiencing problems.

Updated on July 27 at 5:47 p.m. ET — Users on X are still complaining about a T-Mobile outage, and the topic is currently trending. However, user error reports on Downdetector have slowed since reaching a peak at 4:58 p.m. ET.

T-Mobile users appear to be experiencing disrupted mobile service on Monday afternoon.

More than 64,000 users reported problems as of 5:15 p.m. ET, according to Downdetector. User error reports started to spike at 3:48 p.m. ET, and as of this writing, they’re continuing to climb. The majority of users either listed the problem as “no signal,” or simply “mobile phone.”

screenshot of user error reports for t-mobile from downdetector


Credit: Screenshout courtesy of Downdetector

SEE ALSO:

T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free — how to qualify

Shortly after the issues were reported on Downdetector, searches surged on Google for SOS mode, which can appear on devices when service is disrupted. SOS mode means your phone should still be able to make emergency calls via satellite if needed.

On X, dozens of users complained of an outage, with some users specifically complaining about SOS mode.

screenshot of iphone in sos mode

A Mashable editor provided this screenshot of their phone stuck in “SOS Mode.”
Credit: Mashable


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NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 28, 2026

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you’ve ever watched football.

As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO:

Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO:

Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

  • Yellow: Type of football roles

  • Green: Ways to hit a tennis ball

  • Blue: Extra points

  • Purple: Sounds like a number

Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:

  • Yellow: Football Positions

  • Green: Tennis Shot Descriptions

  • Blue: Worth Two Points/Runs

  • Purple: Ends in a Number

Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #673 is…

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

  • Football Positions: GUARD, LINEBACKER, RUNNING BACK, TIGHT END

  • Tennis Shot Descriptions: BACKHAND, DROP, SLICE, SMASH

  • Worth Two Points/Runs: 2-RUN HR, LAYUP, SAFETY, WRESTLING REVERSAL

  • Ends in a Number: CONINE, END ZONE, HEAVYWEIGHT, WITTEN

Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.

If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.


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