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A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, July 19 (game #769).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ВОР
• DRAW
• CROSS
• BUZZ
• DRY
• LOAN
• PULL
• SWAY
• BOUNCE
• TWIST
• DRAG
• SHAKEN
• PASS
• GROOVE
• GIN
• PUFF

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Almost dancing
• GREEN: Breathe in
• BLUE: Not stirred
• PURPLE: Add a word

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: MOVE TO THE MUSIC
• GREEN: INHALATION
• BLUE: MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS
• PURPLE: ___WORD

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

The answers to today's Connections, game #770, are…

• YELLOW: MOVE TO THE MUSIC BOP, BOUNCE, GROOVE, SWAY
• GREEN: INHALATION DRAG, DRAW, PUFF, PULL
• BLUE: MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS DRY, GIN, SHAKEN, TWIST
• PURPLE: ___WORD BUZZ, CROSS, LOAN, PASS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

Today I got the idea stuck in my head that there was a group about a card game, so I had DRAW, PULL, PASS and CROSS. Fortunately, I abandoned this idea before I made any more mistakes.

Getting MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS helped narrow things down and led to me finding the green and yellow groups.

A good thing, as I would have struggled to find the fourth member of the purple quartet after BUZZ, cross and pass, but today I learned that loanword is a word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification.

There are some obvious examples, such as safari, karaoke and guru, but also some surprising ones like cookie, which comes from the Dutch language, and cartoon – which originated in Italian.

• YELLOW: SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER RAIN, SPRING, TAP, WELL
• GREEN: THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH A FOOTBALL PASS, PUNT, SNAP, SPIKE
• BLUE: SHARP FASTENERS BRAD, NAIL, PIN, TACK
• PURPLE: STARTS OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DON, LEO, MIC, RAP

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

- A spinoff series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was announced in February, with Hulu ordering the pilot

- Ryan Kiera Armstrong has been cast as the next slayer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar will reprise her role as Buffy Summers. She will also serve as executive producer

- No release date, trailer or plot details have been revealed yet

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel spinoff series is officially in development. After years of toying with the possibility of rebooting one of the best TV series of all time, the series is finally on the way with a pilot ordered by Hulu – one of the best streaming services.

News of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot series first came in February when it was announced that the series would be returning after 20 years. At the time of the announcement, Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) was named the show’s director, and Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face) were announced as writers.

The next big question was whether the slayer herself Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played the role of Buffy Summers, would be returning. And in short, yes, Gellar will be returning to Sunnydale, joining the team as an executive producer – but what about the show’s original production team?

The original ‘90s show was written and directed by Joss Whedon, who in 2021 was accused of creating a toxic work environment on the set of the show as well as its spinoff series Angel. Therefore, it’s confirmed that Whedon won’t be returning to work on the next chapter in the Buffyverse. With that said, original Buffy the Vampire Slayer producers Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui, and Dolly Parton (yes, the Dolly Parton) will all be returning.

It’s still early days into the spinoff’s production, but we’ve had our ears to the ground when it comes to all the recent updates regarding the show. Here’s everything we know about the next chapter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Full spoilers follow for Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 1-7.

Though the pilot is currently in early stages of production and a new lead slayer has been cast, an exact release date has yet to be determined. According to IMDb, it’s billed to be released next year, but again, an official announcement is yet to be made – so we wouldn’t rule out 2027.

A post shared by Sarah Michelle (@sarahmgellar)

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As well as stepping into the shoes of executive producer, Sarah Michelle Gellar will also be reprising her role as Buffy Summers. However this time, Buffy won’t be at the centre of the reboot. Instead, Buffy will be a recurring character and a brand new slayer will be the focus – and she’s been found.

Back in May, it was revealed that young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong would be taking on the lead role in the sequel series. Gellar told the news to Armstrong herself sharing the announcement via an Instagram reel where she said 'Welcome to the new Sunnydale' – a possible nod at the show's title maybe?

Prior to scoring the role as this generation’s next slayer, Armstrong kick-started her career in productions from some of the best streaming services including the Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and Netflix’s Anne with an E.

So far, Armstrong and Gellar are the only names attached to the spinoff’s confirmed cast. But while we still wait for more names to surface, Gellar has expressed her desire to bring back characters from Buffy’s past sharing with Vanity Fair Italia “My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well”.

If Gellar’s dream comes to fruition, there’s an endless slew of characters from Buffy’s past that could be resurrected, but the fandom will certainly have its favorites – Joyce Summers being one of the frontrunners, who died in season five.

Other names that could crop up range from Jenny Calendar, who suffered a heart-shattering death at the hands of Angel in season two, Tara who was shot in front of her lover Willow in season six, and even Anya who died during the final moments of the finale episode. But as exciting as this may sound, it hasn’t been confirmed.

Similar to its release date, we’re not exactly sure what direction the show will take plot-wise, however the reboot has been described as ‘the next chapter in the Buffyverse’, says Deadline. Additionally, Sarah Michelle Gellar also revealed to Vanity Fair that the reboot “Will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original”, adding “We will try to find a balance between new and old characters”.

Still, it doesn’t reveal a whole lot about which direction the reboot will go plot-wise. Saying that, TV Line shared details on a possible plot outline, which we’re taking with a pinch of salt for now.

According to the outlet the new slayer will lean more into the characteristics of Willow, Buffy’s timid yet intellectual sidekick with a knack for witchcraft rather than the combat, kick-ass Buffy-esque persona. TV Line also said that the new slayer could be named Nova, though it admits that this could very much be a placeholder name until more details are revealed.

Another speculation is around the new slayer’s group of friends, which TV Line says could replicate a similar one to the ‘Scooby gang’ from the original series consisting of Buffy, Xander, Willow, Buffy’s watcher Giles, and other recurring characters depending on the season. TV Line states that the new ‘Scoobies’ will be ‘Hugo, an out-and-proud nerd who comes from money, and Gracie, a young expert on vampires who’s an acolyte of Gellar’s Buffy’.

Alternatively, there’s another direction that the plot could take. Despite the golden rule of there being only one slayer at a time, the Hulu reboot could flip this on its head and explore the possibilities of there being multiple slayers – just as its season seven finale did. But this is simply a personal hypothesis.

Want to catch up on all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer before its spinoff series is released? There are plenty of platforms where you can stream all seven seasons including Hulu (US), and Disney+ and Paramount+ (UK and AU) – though only one season is available to stream on Disney+ in Australia.

• 22-minute video reveals the incredible work that goes into making Beelink’s tiny desktop replacements
• There’s a surprising amount of hand-assembly and testing in the mini PC production line
• There’s narration, no music, just pure factory sounds and impressive craftsmanship

As mini PCs have quietly evolved into compact yet capable machines, many can easily replace traditional desktops.

Once seen as niche gadgets, they now power home offices, media setups, and small businesses, with high-performance processors, expandable memory, and solid I/O support, all packed into tiny, low-noise enclosures.

Chinese manufacturer Beelink has been producing high-quality mini PCs since 2011, and if you’ve ever wondered what goes into making one of these miniature powerhouses, you’ll want to watch a new video that showcases the entire process.

We’re big fans of Beelink’s range of mini PCs here at TechRadar Pro. We’ve reviewed models like the SER8, SER9, Beelink ME mini, and GTR7 and always come away impressed. The company's most recent release, the GTR9 Pro, is powered by a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor and delivers 126 TOPS for next-gen AI.

The video, from SatisFactory Process, has so far been watched by nearly two million viewers, and for good reason. The 22-minute showcase explores how Beelink’s mini PCs are made from start to finish, and it's mesmerizing.

It begins with raw aluminum being pressed and CNC-machined into a case. From there, you see the entire transformation: polishing, chemical cleaning, abrasive blasting, electroplating, laser engraving, and dozens of small, meticulous assembly steps.

One of the most striking things is just how much of the work is done by hand.

From installing components on the motherboard to applying thermal pads and screwing together daughterboards, human workers are visible at almost every stage.

There are multiple quality control checks throughout, including electrical testing, visual inspections, firmware flashing, and more.

The build is topped off with packaging, accessories, plastic wrapping, and factory seals before heading out the door.

Part of what makes the video so watchable - and that 22 minutes absolutely flies by - is that it’s not flashy or promotional. There’s no voiceover, no music. Just the sound of real machines and real people building something.

Many of the comments under the video echo the same feeling: surprise at the number of steps involved, appreciation for the amount of human care, and admiration for a company willing to show the entire process.

As one commenter observed, “This is the best advertisement a company can do” - and it really is.

Watch and enjoy the video below.

• These are the best business laptops around
• And these are the best workstations available today
• Compact workstation PC appears with some outstanding features