Entertainment
What’s Your Sick Day Comfort Drink or Food?
What are your go-to comforts when you’ve caught a cold? I go straight for tomato soup; my husband likes mint tea. And my daughter? She gets French lemonade. Hear me out.
Anyone who’s taken a sick kid to the pediatrician has heard the advice: don’t stress about food; just keep them hydrated. The first time Margot got really sick (pneumonia at 18 months), the doctor firmly told me, “Anything to keep her hydrated. Juice, Jell-O, ice cream, literally anything with water content.” I thought he was being dramatic, but I soon realized just how hard-headed a sick toddler can be. We really did try everything, and each tablespoon of liquid was a battle.
I remembered that advice one Saturday, a year later, when Margot had a regular old cold. The three of us were running errands and popped into a local French bakery, where I spotted lemon juice on the menu. Citron chaud, rather — otherwise known as hot lemonade. The menu described it as the traditional French formula: fresh lemon juice, steamed, then cut with a dash of hot water and just dab of honey. In other words, a huge mug of very hot, very sour liquid. I looked at my droopy toddler — lips parched from another week of total disinterest in anything remotely hydrating — and I wondered if it might work.
Reader, she loved it. She practically choked on the first sour sip — then dove right back in. She loved it so much that, after steeling myself, I tried a taste. And instantly, I got the appeal. Citron chaud is bracing and warming — a pleasant jolt to the system. It somehow feels like taking a shot and cozying up with a cup of tea. And sometimes it’s just what the doctor ordered.
Here’s how I make it at home:
Citron Chaud
Serves 1-2
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-5 lemons, depending on size)
1/4-1/2 cup very hot water
1-2 tsp honey
Add lemon juice to a saucepan, and set over a high heat until it just begins to simmer. Remove from the burner and pour into mugs. You can either pour the whole thing into one large mug (or a small bowl, if you want to be properly french about it), or divide it into two. Add 1/4 cup of hot water, and stir in 1 tsp of honey until it dissolves.
Now, take a deep breath, and give it a taste. If it makes you shout, “Hoo-ah!” like Al Pacino, then you’ve made it correctly. If, after trying, you want to take it down a notch, then go ahead and add the other 1/4 cup of water and second teaspoon of honey. But if you’re up for it, I encourage you to try at least one cup at hoo-ah level. It’s like a good slap on the back, right when you really need one.
Do you have a sick-day drink or food? I’d love to hear about your comforts or slap-on-the-back recipes!
P.S. Three more warm drinks for winter days, and two ways to make chai.
Entertainment
Moltbooks real risk isnt AI. Its your data.
There has been a lot of hype around Moltbook, the Reddit-like social media platform for AI bots where humans aren’t allowed to post. But how, exactly, does it work? Should we worry about agentic AI taking over the world, or should we worry about our data?
In this video, Mashable producer Teodosia Dobriyanova spoke to AI ethicist Catharina Doria who talked us through the latest AI hype, the importance of AI governance and data protection, and why she believes the internet is going to move on from AI-generated content into something way more human.
If you’re unsure about the latter, just look at 2026 social media trends. Instead of AI content, there is a return to analogue, to offline activities, and mundane realism in most aspects of life — offline dating, tactile experiences, or the resurgence of early 2000s tech.
Entertainment
Want to try Clawdbot? Get the Apple 2024 Mac mini for under $550 at Amazon.
SAVE $50: As of Feb. 11, the Apple 2024 Mac mini ison sale for $549 at Amazon. This is $50 off its list price of $599.
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The MacBook lineup is always worth considering if you’re seeking portable power, but if you’re someone who prefers a more permanent setup, it’s worth checking out the Mac mini. This desktop computer features a compact build that fits neatly next to a monitor. What’s even better is it’s currently on sale at Amazon, making now a great time to buy.
As of Feb. 11, the 2024 Mac mini has dropped to $549 at Amazon, an 8% discount from its retail price of $599. Overall, this saves you $50.
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The Mac mini packs the M4 chip into its five-by-five inch build, which provides you with speedy performance no matter if you’re using it for work or just casually browsing around the internet. This version also comes with a 10‑core CPU and GPU, 16GB of Unified Memory, and a 256GB SSD. On top of that, you’ll find Thunderbolt, HDMI, and Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, and USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front.
If you’re still torn between this and a MacBook, writer Matt Binder argued that price is another point to take into consideration. In his breakdown of why you should get the Mac mini over the M4 MacBook Pro, he says the “base model M4 Mac mini has the exact same specs, but comes with a slightly smaller 256GB SSD drive.” As for the price difference, you’re getting around “one thousand dollars in savings.”
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Act fast to save $50 on the 2024 Mac mini at Amazon.
Entertainment
Pornhub traffic dipped during Bad Bunnys halftime show
Bad Bunny’s halftime show at the Super Bowl made waves even among porn watchers. During the game, Pornhub’s traffic crashed the hardest not during the (admittedly snoozy) four quarters, but during the Benito Bowl.
Credit: Pornhub
Compared to an average Sunday, Pornhub’s traffic dropped 46 percent at 8:31 p.m. ET — right around the ending of Bad Bunny’s performance. The big dip began between 8:11 and 8:19, and according to Men’s Journal, the halftime show started at 8:12. Football and non-football fans alike turned off explicit content for a few minutes to tune in.
Despite the Patriots’ performance, Massachusetts fans had a bigger drop-off on Pornhub around halftime than fans in the Seahawks’ home state of Washington: Massachusetts traffic was 44 percent below average at that time, while Washington’s was only 14 percent below average. Once the game was over, though, Pornhub traffic in The Bay State crept up to 15 percent above average — maybe they were soothing their loss. Washington fans were celebrating, with traffic at a one percent below average at the same time.
Mashable Trend Report
Credit: Pornhub
Surprisingly, Pornhub traffic in Bad Bunny’s home of Puerto Rico had a smaller dip below average during halftime (29 percent below an average Sunday).
Credit: Pornhub
Overall, the decline in Pornhub traffic during the Big Game was pretty typical. According to this graph from the tube site, it usually sees a 15 to 28 drop in traffic during those times. This year’s game was somewhere in the middle (24 percent). Considering it wasn’t the most exciting game of football, it’s no wonder that most locked in to see Bad Bunny.
Credit: Pornhub
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Spurs guard Stephon Castle exits game with pelvis injury
Moltbooks real risk isnt AI. Its your data.
