Entertainment
What Have CoJ Readers Taught You?
“I need to thank the commenter who recommended the novel Beautyland,” wrote a reader named Julie. “I laughed and teared up and even threw the book down after reading a particularly killer line; I never want it to end. Can we do a post where everyone says, ‘I want to thank the CoJ commenter who…’ We can have a giant dogpile of gratitude and ‘Can you believe how lucky we are this site exists?!’”
Julie’s comment made me clutch my heart — and I couldn’t agree more with her sentiment that the CoJ community always shows up with humor and wisdom. Here are a few things I’ve learned from CoJ readers, and I’d LOVE to hear your answers, too.
* “Go first in the buffet line. Why does no one want to be the one to start it? I am always up for that task.” — Sydnee
* “My goal one year was to replace all my small, silly underwear with huge panties and BE OK WITH IT, and it’s still the best resolution I’ve made. My life changed when I bought undies two sizes too big. So comfy! No wedgies! This must be how men feel EVERY DAY OF THEIR DAMN LIVES! I’m a hardcore big panty evangelist.” — Jen
* “In heart-to-hearts, ask someone, ‘Do you want to vent, or are you looking for help?’ My mom did this, and it was so nice to talk freely without getting her two cents and also to get her sage advice when I did want it. It’s priceless to know that someone loves you enough to listen to you vent.” — Molly
* “Bless you, new moms. If you’re trying, you are doing a great job.” — Anonymous
“Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks blush sticks are pricey, no doubt, but I have the shade ‘poppet’ which translates to the prettiest naughtiest flush on my cheeks. (I have actually gotten rid of all of my other blushes.)” — Jade
* “My parents divorced when my sisters and I were young, and our lives changed financially for the worse as my mother refused alimony and just wanted ‘her girls.’ Growing up first-generation Latina during a time when Latina women rarely got divorced, I felt very lonely. But reading Little Women made me feel less alone, since the March girls went through their own trials, and poverty was also a huge theme in their lives.” — Mallory
* “When you need to chop an onion, place your cutting board on your stovetop and turn on the vent/fan. No tears!” — Lisa
* “I once read that we should think, ‘just like me sometimes.’ As in, ‘That person is being a jerk…just like me sometimes’ or ‘She is being completely unreasonable… just like me sometimes.’ A good reminder that none of us are perfect!” — Laura
Plus, a million books and movies and TV series! I recently finished The Husbands (“such a fun audiobook, especially with the British accents,” commented Riss), and Deadloch is up next.
What about you??? What have you gleaned from CoJ readers? ILYSM xoxo
P.S. Our best reader comments and readers share their tattoos, cozy corners, and gray hair. Plus, one reader’s introvert nook!
Entertainment
New York sues Kalshi, claiming its unlicensed gambling
On Friday, New York state filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi, claiming that it’s operating as an “unlicensed gambling business.”
The Office of Attorney General Letitia James found that Kalshi is an illegal prediction market that exposes New Yorkers to “serious personal and financial risk,” according to a press release. The lawsuit seeks fines, the forfeit of all illegal gains, and restitution to members.
The suit claims that Kalshi’s prediction markets meet the legal definition of gambling “because the outcomes of the events on which its users are betting are uncertain and outside the control of the bettor or hinge on a game of chance.” But the platform hasn’t obtained a license from the New York State Gaming Commission. It also states that Kalshi is available to adults aged 18-20, while New York law requires users to be at least 21 to bet on sports.
“Kalshi has chosen to ignore New York’s gaming laws, which exist to protect consumers, prevent problematic gambling, deliver funding for critical public services, and ensure that every company plays by the same rules,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in the press release. “This choice has consequences, and working closely with Attorney General James, New York is taking action to stop this illegal behavior and bring Kalshi into compliance, because no company is above the law.”
Mashable Light Speed
“No matter what they call themselves, prediction markets like Kalshi are gambling platforms, plain and simple. By ignoring our laws, Kalshi is running an illegal operation and harming New Yorkers in the process,” James said in the press release. “We are taking them to court to uphold our laws and protect New Yorkers.”
Friday’s lawsuit comes after New York sued Coinbase and Gemini for similar allegations in April. It also comes after Kalshi sued New York state in Oct., according to CNBC, following New York’s Gambling Commission’s cease-and-desist letter to the company. A judge denied the company’s request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the commission in July.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), an agency of the federal government, has now sued New York, as it considers prediction markets to fall within its jurisdiction. “Rather than seek reasoned answers from the courts, Letitia James and New York seek to force an unprecedented, sudden shutdown of prediction markets nationwide,” CFTC chairman Mike Selig posted on X. “The [CFTC] has already sued to stop this and will continue to defend its jurisdiction.”
“It’s sad to see this type of political theater from the leadership in our own state,” a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. “States can’t just shut down a federally licensed exchange… We love New York, we love New Yorkers, and New Yorkers love our product.”
Entertainment
Google rolls back AI Google Earth feature a day after launch
After Google added its AI image generator, Nano Banana, to Google Earth on Thursday, it reversed its decision a day later.
Google announced the addition of Nano Banana 2 into its mapping platform, presumably to help users generate infographics about a site, see what it looked like historically, generate real estate ideas, and other use cases. Instead, as 404 Media observed, it made it very easy to inject misinformation into Google Earth, including making it appear like a nuclear strike had hit a location or that protests had taken over Google’s offices.
On Thursday, Google seemed to try to smooth out the kinks, sharing on Thursday night on X that “every image created with Nano Banana in Google Earth includes the SynthID digital watermark, so if someone is unsure about an image, they can ask the Gemini app or use Lens in Search to see if the image was AI-generated.” It also stated that it prevents image creation on “harmful topics.”
Mashable Light Speed
However, come Friday afternoon, Google announced on X that it was removing the feature:
We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. We’ve seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we’ve also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. So we’re rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails. It’s important to note that generated images didn’t appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI generated.
The backlash to the initial decision was quick. Replies to the rollback post on X include Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch saying, “You guys are living in a complete bubble. Step outside Silicon Valley for two seconds and you’ll realize no actual human wants AI sludge crammed into every corner of every product. Touch grass. Talk to actual people.”
Another top reply read, “There is 0 chance that no one on your development team didn’t raise exactly this concern.”
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
Google
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for August 1, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
-
Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
-
Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
-
Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
-
Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
-
Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally.
Mashable Top Stories
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.
Not Equal Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically; 2-0, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Judge grants extra year of NCAA eligibility to high school Class of '22
Keyshawn Davis withdraws from welterweight title bout with Devin Haney
