McDonald’s Halloween pailsaka Boo Buckets, are back for Halloween. What the heck are they, you ask? They’re simply plastic trick-or-treat pails in three designs that replace the usual paper Happy Meal containers McDonald’s uses to serve up its kids’ meals.

The fast-food chain first introduced the pails in 1986 and have offered them off and on, with plenty of changes, since then. Their return wouldn’t seem like a big deal, except that lots of people are feeling nostalgic about their return, and the anticipation for them dominated social media as the pails’ arrival neared.

They’re now available at participating McDonald’s across the US, and I ordered one (uh, really two) to take a look.

McDonald’s Boo Bucket: My review

I ordered two Happy Meals on the McDonald’s app and picked them up in the drive-thru at my local McD’s. The app let me choose between a four-piece serving of Chicken McNuggets, a six-piece Chicken McNuggets serving, or a hamburger (you can upgrade to a cheeseburger). The meal comes with a kid-size order of fries, and you then choose between extra fries or apple slices, and select a drink. At the end of my order, the app asked me what kind of toy I wanted, and let me choose between “Halloween pails,” “toddler toy” or “no thanks.” (WHO WOULD DECLINE A TOY?)

Spoiler: I picked “Halloween pails.”

The Halloween pails

Big-ass battery maker EcoFlow is announcing the redesigned today fitted with long lasting LFP (LiFePO4) batteries and lots of ports to power your AC and DC devices. These are batteries sized to power your weekend away or a music festival.

The River 2 series consists of three batteries that vary by storage capacities, maximum AC power (pure sine wave) output, and charging ports:

The batteries can be charged in four different ways: a standard AC wall outlet, portable solar panels, a 12V car socket, and USB-C. The base River 2 can charge to 100 percent in as fast as 60 minutes, while the Max and Pro models take a bit longer due to their larger batteries.

The River 2 series, like most EcoFlow batteries, can be stacked and connected to take advantage of the company’s X-Boost tech. X-Boost is a little trick that lowers the output voltage to allow some devices rated up to 1600W (like heat guns and espresso machines) to operate off the River 2’s inverter. It doesn’t work with all high-wattage devices, though.

Vanlifers concerned with maximizing space will appreciate the handle placement which has been moved to the side. The resulting flat surface on top can be used as a makeshift table. The batteries can also serve as dual-use kettle bells with the entry-level model weighing 7.8lbs (3.5kg), the Max 13.4lbs (6.8kg), and the Pro 17.2lbs (7.8kg). I’m serious. Staying Instagram

Our local star is taking the “sun is smiling down on us” phrase literally, it seems. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory snapped a portrait of the sun on Wednesday that makes it look like it has two dark eyes, a swirling round nose and a happy smile.

“Say cheese!” NASA tweeted along with the eye-catching image.

There’s a science explanation behind the smile. “Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the sun ‘smiling,'” NASA said. “Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space.”

SDO launched in 2010 and has been hanging out in space and keeping an eye on the sun’s activities ever since. It’s used to study space weather and track the star’s flares and outbursts.

Twitter users saw the sun image and were quick to spot a resemblance to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council in the UK jumped in with a reworked version of the image that turns it into a happy Halloween pumpkin.

You might recall another fortuitous SDO image from 2014 when the sun sported a very Halloween-y jack-o’-lantern face. The more

The galaxy far, far away is ever-expanding on Disney Plus. The streaming service’s latest live-action Star Wars series is Andoran excellent prequel story that takes place five years before the events of Rogue One.

Ten of the 12 episodes are available now, and we’ll get one episode each Wednesday until Nov. 23.

Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor, who plays a vital role as a spy in the early days of the Rebel Alliance against the totalitarian Galactic Empire. You can also stream composer Nicholas Britell’s moody soundtrack for the first eight episodes.

Andor episode release dates and times

Here’s the full schedule for Andor on Disney Plus, as confirmed by the official Star Wars Twitter account. New episodes generally drop at midnight PT (3 am ET/8 am GMT/5 pm AEST).

Is there a trailer?

Lucasfilm gave us several trailers ahead of the show’s release, with the latest coming at parent company Disney’s D23 Expo in early September. You can also check out a 9-minute preview (mostly scenes from episode 3) in Disney Plus.

Will Andor get a second season?

It sure will. Creator Tony Gilroy confirmed at May’s Star Wars Celebration Anaheim that the show will return for a 12-episode second season that leads directly into Rogue One. It’s unclear when season 2 will air, but it’ll probably hit Disney Plus in 2023 or 2024. Expect to hear more at Star Wars Celebration Europe next April.

This story is part of Gift Guideour year-round collection of the best gift ideas.

Gift-giving comes from the heart, but it’s important to consider your budget too. Between celebrations, birthdays, graduations and other big life events, there seems to always be an occasion to shop for something special. Buying gifts for family members, friends, or any other special person or loved one can be challenging and overwhelmingly expensive. But there are gift options out there worth the investment that costs less than you’d think. So ditch the boring gift cards and grab one of these great gifts under $50.

With autumn upon us and the holidays quickly approaching, finding just what everyone wants might seem impossible, but we’ve taken the guesswork out of what to look for — and the earlier you start thinking about holiday presents, the more time you have to cash in on great deals.

From an affordable weighted blanket to handy tech that will simplify your life, this year you can buy a perfect gift for the holidays for under $50. We’ve researched the best gifts for under $50 that will fill any wish list (along with a few splurge ideas). The trick is knowing what’s not only a good value but what can be useful too. Here is a handful of the best gifts under $50, so you can treat yourself or someone you love.

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The JBL Bluetooth speaker that received the biggest improvements for 2021 is among the company’s smallest. The JBL