Tech

All hail Chunk, the winner of Fat Bear Week (and our hearts)

Published

4 months ago

October 2, 2025

Vicky

Over the last couple of weeks, the internet has been enjoying what is arguably the most wholesome week on the Internet — Fat Bear Week. After a record-breaking week of votes, this year’s winner has been crowned, and the king of Fat Bear Week 2025 is 32 Chunk.

For the uninitiated, Fat Bear Week is an annual event held by Explore.org and Katmai National Park in Alaska. Since the inaugural Fat Bear Week in 2014, voters have tuned in and watched as the Alaska brown bears (also called grizzly bears) gorge themselves on salmon and pack on the pounds in preparation for the long winter hibernation. Bears are photographed at the beginning of the season and again at the end, and people vote on their favorite fat bear transformation.

This year, 32 Chunk had the votes on his side. The mammoth male bear survived a broken jaw, which he nursed throughout the season, as the wild bears at Katmai don’t receive veterinary care. Despite this, 32 Chunk found his inner Payton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Adrian Peterson, came back from his debilitating injury, and ended up being one of the chonkiest boys on the lot when it came time for voting.

32 chunk and and bear 856 pose in a river for fat bear week

32 Chunk (left) and the runner-up Bear 856 (right)
Credit: Explore.org and Katmai National Park

The vote, which took place between Sept. 23-30, was a bracket-style competition between eight bears. Included in the bracket was 128 Grazer, a female bear who was on a two-year win streak. Much like the Kansas City Chiefs, she was unable to lock in the three-peat and was knocked out in the semi-final round against 856, whose own transformation this year was simply sensational. 128 Grazer’s child, 128 Jr, also made it out of the first round before losing in the quarterfinal.

Chunk’s win marks his first, allowing him to join the pantheon of Fat Bear Week winners. He has a long way to go to catch up with hall of fame talent like 480 Otis, who’s won the competition four times in the last decade, and 409 Breadnose, 747, and 128 Grazer, who have two wins each. In fact, 32 Chunk joins 435 Holly as the only two bears to win the title only once.

This year's final bracket.
Credit: Explore.org and Katmai National Park

It was also the most successful Fat Bear Week yet, as voters poured in to show their support for 32 Chunk and the other bears. Per Explore.org, this year’s event drew 1.7 million total votes over the course of seven days, beating out the prior record of 1.3 million, which was set in 2023.

The bears all still have work to do. Generally speaking, brown bears continue to hunt for food and get fatter until their food sources become naturally scarce due to the changing of the seasons. Most bears go into hibernation sometime between October and December. Since Alaska gets colder faster, bears at Katmai tend to land on the October and November side of that timeline. For 32 Chunk, he has no earthly idea that he’s heading into hibernation as a champion. His fans are hoping that come next spring, the king will awaken, lose up to 33 percent of his body mass, and start competing for next year’s belt.

Godspeed, 32 Chunk.

Tech

Elon Musk wants to build a giant catapult on the moon

Published

9 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

Elon Musk with his hand on his chin attempting to look intelligent

For years, Elon Musk has talked about colonizing Mars. Now, he's talking about building Looney Tunes contraptions on the moon instead.

The New York Times reported that Musk told employees at xAI on Tuesday evening that he wants to build a factory on the moon to construct AI data center satellites. Not only that, but Musk wants the factory to include some type of gigantic space catapult, called a mass driver, that would then launch the satellites into space, purportedly for the sake of powering xAI's artificial intelligence network.

"You have to go to the moon," Musk reportedly told employees, per the Times.

In case you're wondering why this plan involves xAI and not just SpaceX, it's because the two just recently merged at the corporate level. Musk said that the merger was necessary to help xAI build AI data centers in orbit around the Earth.

While these plans sound like something straight out of science fiction, Musk does have an impressive track record with SpaceX, which has accomplished many engineering firsts.

SEE ALSO:

Sam Altman unloads on Elon Musk in latest X posts

Of course, Musk did not elaborate on how, exactly, this facility would be built, or on what sort of timeline it would come together. Musk has spent decades talking up the notion of using SpaceX to colonize Mars, but he recently pivoted to the moon instead. Musk often talks about the importance of making the human race interplanetary.

As Mashable has reported previously, Musk has a history of making bold announcements that don't come to fruition.

Tech

How to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad online for free

Published

9 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

TL;DR: Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Copa del Rey semi finals are absolutely mouthwatering. A lot of fans will be focused on Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona, but the first semi-final matchup is arguably even better.

Athletic Club take on Real Sociedad in the Basque derby. The San Mamés stadium will host the first leg of this fiery rivalry. We're expecting passionate support, intense competition, and of course, drama in abundance. It's going to be electric, and you can enjoy everything that this famous game has to offer without spending anything.

If you want to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

Table of Contents

When is Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad?

Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. This fixture takes place at the San Mamés.

How to watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad for free

Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey is available to live stream for free on RTVE.

RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Spain, meaning you can unblock RTVE to live stream the Copa del Rey for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free by following these simple steps:

Subscribe to a streaming-friendly 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 Spain
Visit RTVE
Watch Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad for free from anywhere in the world

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Copa del Rey without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for RTVE?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTVE, for a number of reasons:

Servers in 105 countries including Spain
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey for free with ExpressVPN.

Tech

Reserve a new Galaxy device before Samsung Unpacked and get a free $30 credit

Published

9 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Vicky

FREE $30 CREDIT: Reservations for a new Samsung Galaxy device come with a free $30 Samsung credit.

Credit: Samsung

Reserve a new Samsung Galaxy device

Get a free $30 credit

Set a calendar event because the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event is set for Feb. 25 online at both samsung.com and the brand's YouTube channel. If you'll be first in line for one of the new Galaxy S26 devices, there's a special deal in store if you reserve in advance.

Reservations for a new Samsung Galaxy device will earn you a free $30 Samsung credit. In addition, you'll be eligible for a savings of up to $900 on your order, and get entered to win $5,000 to spend at Samsung.

We have some idea of what the new Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup will include, but we'll all have to wait until Feb. 25 to get solid specs. But if you have intentions of upgrading, there's no harm in securing a reservation and saving $30. All you'll need to do is fill out Samsung's simple form with your name, e-mail address, and your phone number, if you feel like it. Then Samsung will keep you updated about future steps. The discount gets cancelled if you don't end up ordering a qualifying Galaxy device.

Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry said he wouldn't be surprised if the new S26 lineup comes with camera upgrades, in addition to more standard improvements like better battery life.

For those who've been patiently waiting for Galaxy Unpacked, now's your chance to place a reservation on a new Galaxy device with a free $30 credit. It's a win-win for those who are ready for an upgrade.