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 Even without new music, Taylor Swift is the highest-paid musician of 2016
That's one way to shake off the haters. Taylor Swift topped Forbes' list of the 30 highest-paid musicians in the world. The 2016 list includes Rihanna, Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and even Swift's ex Calvin Harris — but Swift swept them all away. At $170 million in annual earnings, she beat out the second-highest paid musical outfit, One Direction ($110 million), which no longer even exists. “She not only delivers with solid music and great live concert performance experiences, but she is also young, poised, beautiful and—so far—relatively non-controversial,” said Fox Rothschild attorney Lori Landew. “Brands … see her as a safe and reliable spokesperson who is very aware of her brand equity and is strategic about protecting its value.” Read more... More about List, Forbes, Adele, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift Read More »Brave bandit makes off with bucket of gold in broad daylight
If for some reason you ever find yourself in possession of a bucket containing $1.6 million worth of gold flakes, here's a pro tip: Don't leave it unattended on the streets of New York. Some high stakes thievery took place in broad daylight in September on West 48th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues in Manhattan (and just off the Diamond District) when a brazen man walked right up to an unattended armored truck, picked up the five-gallon bucket, and scampered off as passersby were none the wiser. Police released surveillance footage of the man in hopes of tracking him down because no one else seemed to take notice of him. Read more... More about Buckets Of Gold, Robbery, Thievery, New York City, and Watercooler Read More »Here are the teams competing for $750,000 at the ECS Season 2 finals
The second season of the Esports Championship Series is almost over. Eight qualifying Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will go head-to-head from Dec. 9-11 in Anaheim. Will a European team take home a majority of the $750,000 prize, or will North American competitors make fans proud on their home turf? The teams representing North American will be SK Gaming, Cloud9, OpTic, and Immortals. The European teams are Astralis, FaZe, EnVyUS, and Team Dignitas. Day one match-ups starting Dec. 9 will play as follows:
Hunter S. Thompson's weed is coming to pot shops soon
The late, great Hunter S. Thompson was well known for his contribution to journalism. But he was also known for his love of getting f*cked up. Now, thanks to a new deal with Hunter's widow Anita Thompson, his precious, personal weed strain may be coming to a pot shop near you. Anita says that she is frequently approached by ganjapreneurs wanting to slap Hunter's name on a weed strain. But she didn't want to do that unless it was a genuinely his. Well, she recently struck a deal with the trust that has been overseeing Hunter's 42-acre estate dubbed Owl Farm that's located in Woody Creek, Colorado, just a short drive from Aspen, according to the Aspen Times. Read more... More about Colorado, Weed, Cannabis, Hunter S Thompson, and Watercooler Read More »Kate Middleton has at least one relatable hobby
Unfortunately, your average day probably looks nothing like Kate Middleton's. But you and the Duchess of Cambridge might have one hobby in common: coloring. According to the Telegraph, Prince William told acclaimed illustrator and Order of the British Empire (OBE) recipient Johanna Basford that Kate enjoys coloring in her therapeutic coloring books, including that one called The Secret Garden that you always see at Costco. Image: Amazon So what do we think? Does Kate Middleton color inside the lines or out? Does she use the regular colors for things or would she be chill with, like, a purple sun? Does she do that thing where you trace the outline of an object with a color, then fill in with a slightly lighter version of the same color? Read more... More about Uk, Kate Middleton, and Watercooler Read More »Beyoncé's 'All Night' video is finally on YouTube and couldn't have come at a better time
If, perhaps, you need an easily accessible ray of hope in your life, Beyoncé has stepped up the the plate yet again. She released the endlessly warm and fuzzy video for "All Night" off Lemonade on YouTube, so you no longer need Tidal to access some truly adorable footage of Blue Ivy and her parents. The video also features tender moments from significantly less famous happy couples and guest appearances from some girls poised to run the world like Amandla Stenberg and Bey's own mentees, Chloe x Halle. Bey has previously released "Hold Up" and "Sorry" as standalone videos from the visual album. "All Night," her fourth single off Lemonade, is getting traction just in time for all your sentimental holiday moments and Grammy consideration. As always, Beyoncé's knows precisely what she's doing Read more... More about Youtube, Lemonade, Music Video, Celebrities, and Pop Star Read More »New website lets you design your own ultra-expensive rocket
The private spaceflight company United Launch Alliance (ULA) usually plays the stodgy uncle to Elon Musk's young, swaggering SpaceX. Where SpaceX touts its Silicon Valley-style disruption of the commercial rocket market, ULA prides itself on its reliability. "Someday I expect the rest of the industry will become as reliable as we are," ULA CEO Tory Bruno, said in a press conference Wednesday, throwing a little implied shade at the competition. But now, ULA wants to be the cool kid on the rocket-building block. To do so, ULA has launched a new website to let you virtually build and order your own rocket — assuming you have about $100 million sitting around. Read more... More about Spacex, Rocket Launches, Commercial Spaceflight, Spaceflight, and Private Spaceflight Read More »When NASA intentionally crashed a passenger jet, it somehow went even worse than expected
Image: NASA On Dec. 1, 1984, scientists from NASA and the FAA took a passenger jet out to the desert and crashed it on purpose. The Controlled Impact Demonstration was an experiment to test a new fuel additive which could potentially reduce catastrophic fuel fires in a crash scenario. The FM-9 additive had shown promise in simulated impacts, but a real test was necessary. NASA obtained an aging Boeing 720 for the project and brought it out to Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base in California Crashing a jet was a rare opportunity. In addition to testing the fuel additive, scientists outfitted the cabin with an array of instruments for other survivability experiments, from new seat and luggage bin designs to fireproof materials. Read more... More about Plane Crash, Air Travel, Airplane, Nasa, and History Read More »The internet simply cannot decide how giraffes should wear their neckties
It's a well-known fact that the world's giraffes collectively possess thousands of neckties. They are just not sure how to wear them. Would they place them at the base of the neck — where the collar on a human shirt might be — or at the top of the neck for a tighter, more choker-esque fit? Comedian Jeremy Hammond posed the question on Twitter days ago, but it seems like the internet still cannot decide. Weird! The internet is usually so good at deciding things.
Justin Bieber is '90 percent sure' Instagram is for the devil
Justin Bieber has a pretty solid reason for not returning to Instagram — he is not the dark lord Satan. "Instagram is for the devil," he told the crowd in London at the last date of his Purpose Tour, explaining his exit from the social media platform. "I think hell is Instagram. I'm like 90 percent sure." When Biebs expands on his argument, it's pretty damn convincing. "We get sent to hell and we get locked in the Instagram server," he said. "I'm stuck in the DMs. I'm trying to climb my way out and I can't." Read more... More about Pop Star, Live Music, Celebrities, Justin Bieber, and Satan Read More »J.R. Smith left basket wide open because he was busy hugging an opponent
In one of the more bizarre moments you'll see in basketball, Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith took a moment to embrace opposing player Jason Terry on the sidelines in the first half of the Cavs-Bucks game on Tuesday. The two have a history — Smith was suspended for a game after he elbowed Terry in the face in the 2013 playoffs — so it appears as if they've reconciled their differences. But why was their hug so strange? Because it happened in the middle of the game, leaving Smith's man wide open and allowing the Bucks to score. More about Jr Smith, Nba, Basketball, Entertainment, and Sports Read More »Exploring Los Angeles with Branden Harvey
We ran around LA with Branden Harvey, shooting this awesome video with the Huawei Honor 8 phone. Read more... More about Supported, Us World, Travel Leisure, Work Play, and Mobile Read More »The 8 Netflix features we desperately need in our lives
Netflix finally did it. On Tuesday, the beloved streaming service debuted the feature we've all been waiting years for. Subscribers can now download certain movies and TV shows to watch later, without an internet connection. While binge-watchers everywhere are celebrating this game-changing opportunity to view Westworld on a flight to Cuba or while walking the dog, there are still some features Netflix is missing. Here are some suggestions on the features Netflix can roll out to make our streaming experiences even more enjoyable, because it's 2016 and streaming is life. Read more... More about Streaming, Tech, Movies, Television, and Netflix Read More »Super dangerous Brazilian motorcycle chase is something out of an action film
Apparently action movies aren't all that unrealistic. An alleged thief armed with a motorcycle as a getaway vehicle attempted to evade police capture with some reckless driving through the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Unfortunately for the robber, the cops had a motorcycle of their own. Warning: This video is loud. The two blaze through the streets of São Paulo, often going the wrong way until the suspect tests his luck one too many times by going through a red light at an intersection. Thankfully, it seems as if nobody was seriously injured in the ordeal. Read more... BONUS: Police officer rescues unconscious driver in out-of-control carPlease make this keychain-sized Game Boy a reality
Back in the early days of the Nintendo Game Boy, it was revolutionary that a full-fledged gaming experience could fit easily into a backpack. The latest evolution of the Game Boy, which was unveiled during a recent Hackaday presentation, doesn't only just fit in a bag or a pocket — it's small enough to clip right onto your keyring. Behold: the tiniest functional Game Boy known to man, courtesy of Jeroen Domburg, aka Sprite_TM. Image: hackaday The hacker created the tiny device using a color OLED screen and an ESP32 microcontroller. The setup includes just about everything you got with an old-school Game Boy: a functional direction pad, buttons, and even speakers for in-game audio. Read more... More about Hacker, Small, Game Boy, Nintendo, and Tech Read More »The Oscar Map: It's the end of #OscarsSoWhite, at least for this year
LOS ANGELES — Ding-Dong, #OscarsSoWhite is dead. There will be no R.I.P. tweets. It will not be featured in an "In Memoriam" montage. The hashtag that haunted Hollywood for two awards cycles can be safely put to rest — at least for the 2017 ceremony — since as many as half of this year's 20 acting nominees are poised to be people of color. That's thanks to Fences, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Loving, Lion and Collateral Beauty. Just think what might've been if the Nate Parker controversy hadn't undermined The Birth of a Nation! Fences star Viola Davis is looking like a lock for Best Supporting Actress, and the actress most likely to pull off an upset is Moonlight's Naomie Harris. Davis' co-star, Denzel Washington, is a surefire Best Actor nominee who will no doubt give Casey Affleck a run for his money. Read more... More about Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Silence, Martin Scorsese, and Casey Affleck Read More »Friendly deer greets a hunter in the woods and demands to be pet
You never know where you'll meet a deer friend of yours. Brian Powers was out hunting near Wausau, Wisconsin, recently when he spotted something odd. Powers noticed a deer near a creek, but instead of running at the sight of a human, the friendly deer approached Powers and insisted on some head scratches. Oddly enough the deer also had an orange scarf around its neck, probably to deter hunters from shooting the friendly creature. Hunters and hikers often wear the color orange to warn other hunters that they are not animals to prevent accidentally getting shot. "This deer lives in the wild but is friendly toward humans and someone was smart enough to put the orange scarf around his neck to try to protect him," Powers told WFRV-TV. Read more... More about Viral Videos, Deer, and Watercooler Read More »Jennifer Aniston's husband gave her the best Thanksgiving surprise this year
In case you were wondering, yes, Jennifer Aniston's life is just like a rom-com. The actress stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about tabloids, the expectations of motherhood and to play charades. But while on the famous couch, Aniston also shared a sweet story about her husband, actor Justin Theroux, and the delightful Thanksgiving surprise from him this year. "We had just been together the week prior and I was going to London to do some work," she explained. Being the sneaky husband he is, Theroux told Aniston his schedule was completely booked for the holiday week, therefore breaking tradition of having dinner with friends the night before Thanksgiving. Read more... More about Conversations, Watercooler, Ellen Degeneres Show, Ellen Degeneres, and Thanksgiving Read More »This device fixes the worst thing about owning a dog
The 'Piqapoo' clips onto your dogs tail and collects all its doo doo...so you don't have to. While it looks awkward, the device could be a hit. It's tested successfully with over 100 dogs. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Dog Poop, Poop, Poo, and Dogs Read More »Inside the life of a techie solider
It all started with a toaster. When Army Corporal Neftali Delgado awoke one day as a child only to find that the family toaster had stopped working, he decided to take it apart and see what was wrong. Cpl. Delgado turned his passion and interest in fixing various devices into a career with the U.S. Army. As a Computer/Detections Systems Repairer in the U.S. Army, Cpl. Delgado performs maintenance and repair on a variety of critical systems and equipment, including night vision devices and equipment, plus some of the newer optic systems that are being rolled out. Taking things apart and figuring out how to put them back together has been a lifelong joy for Cpl. Delgado — and it’s something he gets to do every day with the U.S. Army. Read more... More about Us And World, Sponsored, Supported, and Tech Read More »A tribute to the most influential directors and filmmakers in cinema history
Every great film director was influenced by another who came before them, all the way back to the beginning of cinema. These are the people who make the movies that make other people realize they want to make movies. And a whole lot of them are on this CIneFix list, from the original Lumiere Brothers to modern icons like Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee. Subscribe to CineFix for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/cinefix Read more... More about Mashable Video, Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Movies, and Best Movies Ever Read More »Hate incidents spike after Trump wins election
A Louisiana woman was standing at a red light when three white men pulled up in a truck. "Fuck your black life!" one of them yelled at her. As they drove away, laughing, one of them chanted "Trump!" Such is just one of many reported incidents of hate compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) following the election of Donald Trump. In the 10 days since the election on Nov. 8, the SPLC tallied 867 "hate incidents" compiled through media accounts or reported to them directly. They include real life events but not online harassment. Read more... More about Increase, Hate Crimes, Gop, Republican, and Election Read More »The feel-good story that made the soccer world's horrific plane crash even more tragic
When thousands of Brazilians packed a church and a soccer stadium in the city of Chapeco this Tuesday, they mourned what would have been a tragedy under any circumstances: A plane carrying the pride of Chapeco, the soccer club Chapecoense, crashed Monday, killing 19 players. But the horror and sadness that continue to reverberate through the soccer world are amplified by their context. The plane was carrying Chapecoense to the biggest match in its 43-year history. The crash instead becomes a nightmare ending to what had been the club's dreamy rise through the ranks of soccer in Brazil, a Cinderella story in a country where the sport enjoys a religious following. Read more... More about Soccer, Sports, and Entertainment Read More »This Android malware is hacking into your Google account to install apps
Your Google accounts could have been compromised if you own a Android phone, thanks to a new malware variant known as "Gooligan." The malware has infected more than 1 million accounts, according to research released Wednesday from cyber security company Check Point, and that figure is growing by a massive 13,000 devices per day. In August, Gooligan emerged as a complex malware that infects devices after users download apps from third party stores. It was originally related to a malicious app from 2015 named SnapPea. The malware steals authentication tokens that can be used to access data from Google Play, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Drive and more. The malware installs certain apps on a user's phone and highly rates them. Its main mission is to install adware to generate revenue for those apps, reportedly raking in as much as $320,000 a month. Read more... More about Gooligan, Malware, Hack, Apps, and Android Read More »NFL suspends player for using marijuana to treat Crohn's disease
The NFL handed Buffalo Bills lineman Seantrel Henderson a 10-game suspension on Tuesday for violating the league's controlled substance policy. Henderson was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last year, and uses marijuana to cope with the effects. His 10-game suspension comes after serving an additional four-game suspension at the beginning of the 2016 season for marijuana use. Henderson's suspension provides even more fuel to the heated debate on the NFL's arguably overbearing policy on marijuana use. “There is zero allowable medical exemption for this per the NFL," Henderson's agent Brian Fetter said after his first suspension, per Deadspin, "however, there clearly should be.” Read more... More about Domestic Violence, Marijuana, Football, Nfl, and Entertainment Read More »These online maps are tracking the outbreak of violence and harassment in America
It has only been three weeks since Donald Trump won the election, but in that time, harassment and hate-related incidents across the country have increased. To fight the outbreak of violence and intimidation, some organizations are turning to digital maps. The wave of horrible acts prompted even Trump himself — when pressed by 60 Minutes reporter Leslie Stahl — to tell supporters allegedly perpetrating the crimes, "Don't do it, it's terrible." He added, "Stop it." In a report published on Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization based in Alabama that has been tracking hate groups for 45 years, published an article that looked at the spike in hateful harassment and intimidation incidents across the U.S. in the first 10 days following the election, reporting nearly 900 in all. Read more... More about Patrick Meier, Ushahidi, Donald Trump, Election 2016, and Tech Read More »Google Earth Timelapse shows how man has altered the planet in 32 years
In 2013, Google launched Timelapse — a Google Earth project that shows us how the Earth has changed in the last thirty years or so. Now, Google has updated Timelapse with imagery spanning from 1984 to 2016 and petabytes (PB) of new data which includes new, sharper images. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Google, Maps, Real Time Video, and Google Earth Timelapse Read More »Big change announced in Reddit CEO's apology over editing fiasco
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has not only issued a formal apology on the social media platform for editing comments made about him on the site by Donald Trump supporters, but he's announced a big change to the site as well. In a long post on r/announcements, Huffman begins by saying, "tl;dr: I fucked up. I ruined Thanksgiving. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again." Perhaps the biggest news, though, is buried in Huffman's PS: There's now filtering available on the popular r/all. Huffman shared a video (below) on how users can filter out subreddits from their personal r/all page. Read more... More about Donald Trump, Reddit, Steve Huffman, Pizzagate, and Tech Read More »Steve Aoki and Gerard Way go Rogue in surprise 'Overwatch' charity match
LOS ANGELES — Steve Aoki, celebrity esports owner of team Rogue, linked up with Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance on Wednesday for a charity Overwatch match in Los Angeles. The musical duo hopes to raise $10,000 for Best Buddies and National Alliance on Mental Illness. The stream will begin Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT on Aoki's Twitch channel. Best Buddies is nonprofit dedicated to creating employment opportunities for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities; NAMI helps support and educate people and families that suffer from mental illness. Read more... More about National Alliance On Mental Illness, Best Buddies, Charity, Twitch, and Overwatch Read More »Dramatic NatGeo photos show how climate change is transforming the world
The effects of climate change are already visible in communities across the world. Prolonged droughts are zapping fields dry from Texas to Tanzania. Powerful storms are flooding homes from North Carolina to Nepal. At the farthest ends of the planet, glaciers are melting and habitats are vanishing. Amid such disruption, a global band of photographers has managed to turn these concerning realities into a collection of stunning scenes from their own backyards. National Geographic this fall tasked its online photo community, called Your Shot, with submitting photographs on the theme of human-caused climate change. Read more... More about Paris Climate Agreement, Cop22, Climate Change Effects, Wildfires, and Drought Read More »Liza Koshy's ready for her holiday party with YouTube Red's 'Jingle Ballin''
LOS ANGELES — Home Alone and the holidays. Those are two of digital star Liza Koshy's favorite things. She even purchased the "Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal" sweater back in June, in anticipation of December. So when YouTube approached her with an idea for a holiday special, it was an obvious yes. "I freaking love the holidays," the 20-year-old YouTuber, who first rose to fame on Vine, told Mashable in a recent Facebook Live interview. "I've been psyched for them. It's my favorite time of year. This one was super easy to agree to. It gave me the opportunity to do longer content. It's a 35-minute special. Everything I come up with myself has been seven minutes and below. Shorter form ... I was super excited to create something longer and see if I could even do it." Read more... More about Youtube Red, Liza Koshy, Holidays, Jingle Ballin, and Youtube Read More »Leah Remini's Reddit AMA reveals juicy secrets of Scientology
Leah Remini, author of Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, hosted a Reddit AMA to reveal juicy insights into the mysterious religion. On Tuesday, Remini declared herself an open book, encouraging users to ask her their burning Scientology-related questions and boy did she confess. The actress and comedian discussed her new eight-part series on A&E, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and spilled some serious secrets on the religion she left behind after 30 years. The former King of Queens star held nothing back when it came to answering questions about the church abusive's practices, how the religion influenced her time in Hollywood and how she feels after having removed herself from the toxic environment. Read more... More about Entertainment, Scientology, Leah Remini, Reddit, and Reddit Ama Read More »Charles Dance's 'honey badger' impression is all you need
We partnered with Charleston Dance, famous for his take as the Lannister patriarch, to bring you his impression of the viral "honey badger" video. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Tywin Lannister, Charles Dance, Honey Badger, and Real Time Video Read More »The Sundance Film Festival created an entire section of climate change films
Climate change is near and dear to Robert Redford — and now it's near and dear to his Sundance Film Festival, too. Sundance unveiled its initial list of titles Wednesday, and while its documentary lineup is sure to get people talking thanks to films about JonBenet Ramsey, the Hulk Hogan-Gawker trial and the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri, the festival is also making headlines with a special New Climate program. New Climate titles — such as Marina Zenovich's Water & Power: A California Heist, Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Coral and Jiu-liang Wang's Plastic China — appear in the festival's various sections, including both the U.S. and World Cinema Documentary competitions. Read more... More about Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jonbenet Ramsey, and The Yellow Birds Read More »The inspiring reaction one neighborhood had to a complaint over a gay pride flag
Donald Trump may try to build a wall against Mexico — but Susan Pearlman of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is busy constructing her own kind of wall. Pearlman recently came home to her college town to find an anonymous letter telling her that her gay pride flag made a neighbor feel "deeply troubled." Pearlman, whose daughter is a lesbian, chose not to take down her flag but instead reached out to her neighbors — who responded by putting up 20 pride flags outside their own homes, Pearlman told Mashable. Pearlman, who describes her community as having a "history of being LGBT friendly," was shocked to receive such a letter. Read more... More about Gay Pride, Lgbtq, Watercooler, and Politics Read More »Amazon opens up Alexa's brain to developers
Amazon just added the artificial intelligence behind its Echo speakers to the list of services it offers to businesses. The company introduced a new service Wednesday called Lex, which allows developers and businesses to tap into the AI smarts that power Alexa for their own bots. Lex is currently in a preview phase, open to developers in Northern Virginia, but Amazon plans to expand its reach in the future. The service allows developers to create conversational bots for Facebook Messenger (and soon Slack and Twilio) that are powered by the same speech recognition and natural language processing used for Alexa in Amazon's Echo devices. It also ties into other Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools so developers who are already using Amazon-hosted services can more easily create a bot experience. Read more... More about Amazon Echo, Amazon, Apps And Software, Tech, and Apps Software Read More »Seagull knocked out by soccer ball comes back to life after some TLC
If you've ever had the pleasure of watching sports in the city of Melbourne in Australia, you'll notice there are a helluva lot of seagulls. That means they can accidentally get struck — like this poor little bird who copped it sweet from a ball at a soccer match between Melbourne City and Sydney FC on Wednesday night. Sydney FC's goalkeeper, Danny Vukovic, was kind enough to try and stop the game while the seagull lay motionless on the pitch. Once the game stopped, he carried the winged fella to the sideline, then gave it a little pat. But there's a happy end to this story: The seagull miraculously finds life again! Resting on a bench with some concussion, before eventually flying off to continue eating chips and squawking for another day. Read more... More about Seagull, Videos, Video, Sports, and Soccer Read More »30 gifts for the person in your life who is still mad at Nate Silver
Have you heard the news about the election? It was a real upset, especially because polls reflected an outcome which was not the one that ended up happening. For some, placing trust in the polls was the only way they survived the weeks prior to the election. However, this resulted in a lot of anger following the results. Namely a lot of anger at Nate Silver, the man behind the site FiveThirtyEight. And if one of the people angry at Nate Silver happens to be on your holiday shopping list, then here are some ideas for what to buy them. Read more... More about Holiday 2016, Holiday Gift Guide, Watercooler, Holidays, and Gift Guide Read More »Martin Shkreli's not mad teens made his drug for about $2 a dose, you are
Remember Martin Shkreli? Pharma troll and fan of both Donald Trump and the Wu-Tang Clan? He just got schooled by a bunch of teens, but he's not mad about it. Not at all. You are. Shkreli became notorious in 2015 after he acquired the rights to Daraprim, a treatment for a parasitic infection that affects people with low immune symptoms like pregnant women and HIV sufferers. His troll achievement was unlocked when he raised the price of the drug from $13.50 to $750 per pill to huge public outcry. Things have not slowed down for our man Shkreli since. His company Kalobios filed for bankruptcy, he spent $2 million on the world's only copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album, and most recently, he hosted a Brooklyn happy hour after an appearance in court for securities fraud charges. Read more... More about Students, High School, Daraprim, Australia, and Martin Shkreli Read More »Hilarious grandparents worry about their granddaughter on FaceTime
Parents worrying about their kids is one thing, but grandparents anxious about their grandchildren takes it to a whole different level. Check out this adorable 90-year-old couple named Helen and Al as they have a hilarious conversation with their 18-year-old granddaughter on FaceTime. Their granddaughter was walking to class alone when it was dark outside and Helen and Al were very vocal about how displeased they were. Fox Sports Brazil honors plane crash victims with powerful 90 minutes of silence
Class has a way of shining through during the most tragic times. Fox Sports Brazil paid powerful tribute to club team Chapecoense by airing 90 minutes of silence when the team should have been on the pitch playing Colombia's Atletico Nacional in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final Wednesday evening. Chapecoense, from Chapeco, Brazil, was enjoying a dream season. But a shocking tragedy canceled Wednesday's match when the team plane crashed en route to Colombia on Monday, killing 19 Chapecoense players and rocking the soccer world. Read more... More about Soccer, Sports, and Entertainment Read More »Even pets are now using medical marijuana to treat their pain
Medical cannabis is not just for humans anymore. A growing industry of medical marijuana products is targeting our furry friends too. Edibles, oils and tinctures with an extract of cannabis, called cannabidiol, or CBD, are helping older, weak, injured, and sick pets deal with pain and other ailments. But this isn't about Fido getting into your personal edibles stash, then scarfing down a bowl of puppy chow and chilling on the couch. It's more in line with humans who use marijuana to cope with the effects of chemotherapy during cancer treatments or for back pain and other chronic illnesses. (Another reason this is no joke — pure cannabis is dangerous for pets. It can cause seizures, stomach problems, respiratory issues and other problems if inhaled or eaten.) Read more... More about Cannabis, Medical Marijuana, Pets, Us World, and Us Read More »The Weeknd and Bella Hadid's Victoria's Secret encounter was everything
Nothing like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to bring together former lovers. After almost two years of dating, The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, and Bella Hadid broke up in early November—so when the two reunited in the public eye at the Paris event, the reactions immediately rolled in. SEE ALSO: The Weeknd and Bella Hadid have split up Fans shared the shaky footage of the encounter on Twitter and were quick to point out the ease between the two—and the fact that Tesfaye basically serenaded her down the runway. Image: Getty Images for Victoria's Secret A photo from the event also shows a subtle smile from Hadid, causing some fans to tweet out their immediate reactions over their reunion. Read more... More about The Weeknd, Bella Hadid, Fashion Show, Victoria Secret, and Watercooler Read More »Here's how 'Arrow' pulled off those surprise cameos in its 100th episode
This post contains spoilers for Arrow Season 5, episode 8, titled "Invasion!"In the Arrow installment of this week's CW superhero crossover, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), found himself abducted by the Dominators, along with his allies Thea (Willa Holland), Diggle (David Ramsey), Ray (Brandon Routh) and Sara (Caity Lotz). While captured, the aliens placed the quintet in a shared dream that offered them a seemingly idyllic existence: Oliver and Thea's parents, Robert (Jamey Sheridan) and Moira (Susanna Thompson) were alive and well, as was Sara's sister, Laurel, whom Oliver was engaged to marry. Read more... More about Melissa Benoist, Grant Gustin, Stephen Amell, Arrow, and Entertainment Read More »Teens who drifted out to sea on inflatable toys rescued by fishermen
Sitting on an inflatable flamingo in the sea seems like a great Instagram opportunity, until you get pulled further...and further out to sea. It's what happened to four teenage girls on "Schoolies" — a spring break-style holiday for Australian school leavers — on Phillip Island in the state of Victoria. The group were found "floating helplessly" on two inflatable flamingos, a dinosaur and a unicorn half a kilometre (0.3 miles) from shore on Monday, in waters that reportedly, so happen to be teaming with sharks. "We just wanted to get a few good Instagram pictures, and it turned out we drifted nearly all the way to the other island," Katie, as she's known, explained on The Project. Read more... More about Schoolies, Sea, Australia, and Watercooler Read More »What it's like to wear Nike's HyperAdapt self-lacing sneakers
Even the most tech-averse will admit that they'd like to step, even if just briefly, into a shoe from the future. That's what Nike is promising with its self-lacing sneakers that have leapt from Hollywood screens into reality. Nike put the dream of self-lacing shoes into the minds of sci-fi and sneaker fans when Michael J. Fox donned a fictional pair in 1989's Back to the Future Part II. By 2015, the year the movie is set, Nike had seemingly perfected the technology in real life, first announcing the Nike Air Mags, replicas of the sneakers Fox wears in the movie, and later the HyperAdapt — a self-lacing sneaker Nike intends to sell as an actual product. Read more... More about Wearables, Fashion, Nike Hyperadapt, Hyperadapt, and Wearable Tech Read More »Dude sharpens $1 knife into a blade that can slice water bottles
While expensive knives will surely keep a sharp blade longer, YouTuber JunsKitchen demonstrates that a cheap dollar store knife can be honed so fine that it will cut almost anything. Of course he sharpens the knife using a knife sharpening stone, which will definitely run you more than a dollar, even for a cheap one. The New York Mets think this guy is worth $1 million per home run
Slugger Yoenis Cespedes just signed a four-year, $110 million extension with the New York Mets. That breaks down to $27.5 million per year, making Cespedes the highest paid outfielder in baseball. A couple weeks ago, we calculated just how much Aroldis Champan — the top free agent pitcher available this offseason — is looking to make, per inning and per pitch. An international signee from Cuba, Cespedes was the premier outfielder on the market. What does $27.5 million look like over the course of a season? Cespedes is known for his power, so let's see how much the Mets value it. He's averaged 27.4 home runs over his five-year career, meaning he'd make about $1 million every time he knocks one out of the park in the next four years. Read more... More about Mlb, Baseball, New York, Entertainment, and Sports Read More »Activist's Twitter campaign prompts advertisers to flee Breitbart
Several major brands are scrubbing their ads from far-right news outlet Breitbart following pressure from social media users. A makeshift campaign at the center of the boycott effort called Sleeping Giants claims that more than 20 advertisers have either publicly or privately agreed to remove ads from the site, including Kellogg, U.S. Bank and Warby Parker. Their decisions come amid renewed backlash against the site prompted by Donald Trump's recent appointment of Breitbart chairman Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist. Critics say the agitative outlet frequently traffics in racist, misogynist and homophobic content. Read more... More about Breitbart, Business, Advertising, and Media Read More »7 tech gifts for the filthy rich
You shun Black Friday and Cyber Monday as discount feeding frenzies that you'd never partake of. And when limited-edition sneakers are immediately sold out just minutes after release, you don't flinch at paying a $1,000 premium for impossible to get $150 shoes. If this describes you or a friend you plan on gifting, then you've arrived the right place. The following are a few money-is-no-object options to impress your friends and family who are lucky enough to know someone flush with the sweetest holiday nog: disposable income. Image: caviar Read more... 'Vikings' creator previews Ragnar's journey of redemption in Season 4 return
This recap and interview contains spoilers for the midseason premiere of Vikings — Season 4, episode 11, titled "The Outsider."When we last saw Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), he had just returned to his home in Kattegat after a six year absence. Much to the disapproval of his people, he had abandoned his responsibilities as king in the wake of the Vikings' crushing defeat in Paris at the hands of the Frankish forces led by his brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), and hadn't been heard from in years. Much had apparently changed in Ragnar's time away — his young sons, Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen), Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith), Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø) and Sigurd (David Lindstron), had all grown into headstrong young men, disillusioned by their absent father, while his eldest son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), was preparing to sail to the Mediterranean, eager to forge his own legacy away from his father's shadow. Read more... More about Michael Hirst, History, Travis Fimmel, Vikings, and Entertainment Read More »This mom created her own version of the Evil Kermit meme
Mothers are more perceptive to trends than their kids give them credit for — especially this mom, who memed herself for her kid's entertainment. When Twitter user @Tayhannon went out for the night, her mom appropriately created her own version of the Evil Kermit meme after she had left.
Evil Kermit emerged as the meme to showcase one's innermost terrible thoughts and quickly became a rising trend. The original post began with Twitter user Anya, who used Evil Kermit to express her sentiments when she saw a fluffy dog. Read more... More about Evil Kermit, Pics, Watercooler, and Conversations Read More »Australian startups need more diversity to thrive, not closed borders
Sixty-one percent of Australia's top 50 startups were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants, according to the 2016 StartupAUS Crossroads report. Despite this, the local tech industry is up against strong headwinds from the government when it comes to hiring skilled technology workers from overseas. In recent weeks, both major political parties have proposed tougher restrictions on Australia's 457 visa system, which allows businesses to sponsor skilled foreign workers for up to four years. The timing, so soon after the election of the outspokenly anti-immigrant President-elect Donald Trump in the U.S., has shades of political opportunism. It also comes amid the increasing power of the right wing One Nation party locally, sending ministers stumbling to "put Australia first." Read more... More about Startups, Visas, Immigration, Startup Aus, and Australia Read More »How it felt to not know Trump won the election for 2 whole weeks
Joe Chandler's "bubble of ignorance" popped last week and there's no going back. The 65-year-old calendar artist from coastal Georgia managed to stay in the dark about the election results for two full weeks. After a deluge of publicity about the "last man in America to know who won the election," the country's next president was revealed to him last week at a political take on a "gender reveal party" on an Atlanta radio show. "I was crestfallen," Chandler said to Mashable. "It was like stab in the heart with a knife when those red balloons came out of the box." Read more... More about Election Results, Donald Trump Election 2016, Election 2016, Watercooler, and Us Read More »'Bro is glistening': Christmas carol gets Kiwi makeover in hilarious vid
Star of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and all-around Kiwi legend, Julian Dennison, stars alongside British singer Ronan Keating for a Christmas carol with a difference this year. Air New Zealand's latest funny video sees Dennison play the role of music producer, ordering Keating to change the words to "Winter Wonderland" — making them more relevant Down Under. Whether it's your bro glistening (with sweat, because it's hot), or avoiding prickles from your nan (if you know, you know), the Christmas carol's lyrical redux is a vast improvement from the original TBH. Turns out Dennison is just as funny and sweet as his Wilderpeople character in real life, if not more so. Read more... More about Video, Air New Zealand, Ronan Keating, Julian Dennison, and Entertainment Read More »Seeing Furbies sliced in half is really disturbing, even if you hate them
You might think yourself hardened from all the terrible things that you've seen on the internet, but you're about to feel that ~empathy~ again. The Furby, an animatronic toy that somehow became a popular plaything for children in the late '90s and early '00s, has admittedly been a bit creepy from the beginning. There was always that lingering fear that your Furby could turn evil at any moment. Anyway, the cheery dad and son duo behind YouTube channel What's Inside? have recently released a video that takes a look at the inner workings of the Furby Connect plus the original...by slicing it in half with a water drill. Read more... More about Furby Connect, Video, Furby, Watercooler, and Australia Read More »Banana leaf Hermes bag resurfaces as a meme in Asia because street food
It's been six years since designer Jean-Paul Gaultier trundled out that banana leaf bag "inspired by the tropics," but people still can't get over how much it looks like a pack of street food. The clutch, which was part of a 2010 couture collection for fashion house Hermes, is pretty much the exact size and shape of a parcel of banana leaf-wrapped food that you can find on the streets of Southeast Asia. The Thais use the fragrant leaf to wrap desserts such as sticky rice and custard. In Malaysia, it looks like a takeaway pack of nasi lemak — the country's national dish that consists of coconut rice, chicken, egg, peanuts, anchovies and sambal chili. Read more... More about Banana Leaf, Hermes, Runway, Street Food, and Nasi Lemak Read More »Dolly Parton is donating $1,000 a month to fire victims in Tennessee
Dolly Parton is a national treasure. The beloved singer announced Wednesday that her companies would donate $1,000 a month to "all of those families who lost their homes" in the devastating Tennessee wildfire that has killed at least 7 people.
According to local officials, the fire has destroyed at least 400 structures in and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, since Monday. Guests of the nearby Dollywood theme park were forced to evacuate the premises. Read more... More about Dollywood, Dolly Parton, Wildfire, Tennessee, and Us World Read More »Aboriginal communities embrace technology, but have unique cyber safety challenges
For many people living in remote Aboriginal communities, mobile devices are the sole means of accessing the internet. However, when the use of mobile devices oversteps social and cultural lines, it can have serious consequences for individuals and their families. While some people avoid social media and online financial transactions as a protective measure, this can result in new forms of digital exclusion. Our research into online risks, carried out in central Australia and Cape York, reveals unique problems in remote communities, many of which are caused by the sharing of devices. More about Technology, Indigenous, Smartphones, Cyber Security, and The Conversation Read More »How photographs can argue for human rights
Ms. Dhu was a 22-year-old Yamatji woman who died in custody in the South Hedland Police Station in August 2014. Arrested for unpaid fines, she was already suffering from pneumonia and septicaemia caused by a broken rib, inflicted by her partner some months earlier. She became very ill overnight and died. The 2015 coronial inquest into her death heard that police officers had believed that Ms. Dhu was "faking." At the inquest, footage was shown, reportedly revealing that police treated her roughly. Her family has asked that the CCTV footage of Ms. Dhu's final, agonising hours of life be released. So far, the coroner has refused this request. Read more... More about Human Rights, Aboriginal Australians, Photographs, Ms Dhu, and Australia Read More »These striking photos showcase Australia's unique ecology
Australia's unique ecology and environment arguably make it quite the easy place to photograph. It's why there's a host of spectacular images from the Ecology in Action Photographic Competition, run by the Ecological Society of Australia. It's just announced its winners and finalists for 2016, and there are plenty of visual treats to devour. The competition aims to highlight the diversity of the country's ecology, while also celebrating the important work that ecologists do out in the field. Categories include "Out Standing in the Field", which looks at ecologists in action; and "Niches & Hollows", covering adaptive behaviour and biodiversity. Read more... More about Environment, Nature, Ecology, Photography, and Australia Read More »Starbucks releases hot baked apple lattes and Frappuccinos for Christmas
It's starting to smell a lot like Christmas in Japan. Starbucks on Thursday released its latest festive flavour in the country, baked apple, in the form of a hot latte and a Frappuccino ice-blended drink. Baked apple joins the Starbucks Japan Christmas line up of gingerbread and pecan nut drinks. Image: starbucks japan According to Starbucks Japan's blog, the hot baked latte is made with warm apple juice, and contains bits of caramelised apple and brown sugar and butter. Read more... More about Festive, Christmas, Japan, Frappuccino, and Coffee Read More »Fitbit is buying Pebble, report claims
Health and fitness wearables maker Fitbit is buying smartwatch maker Pebble, The Information reports, citing three people familiar with the deal. Pebble, which started out as a Kickstarter project in 2012, captured a portion of the smartwatch market early, before heavyweights such as Apple and Samsung launched their first watches. However, the company has most recently been struggling financially, laying off a quarter of its workers in May 2016. The Information doesn't have a price for the deal, but Engadget reports Fitbit is buying Pebble for a paltry $34 - $40 million, which is orders of magnitude lower than some previous offers Pebble has had on the table — and refused. Read more... More about Acquisition, Pebble, Fitbit, Business, and Gadgets Read More »Clever coin-sorting wallet is practically magic
One of the most frustrating things about cash is having to fumble at the register, digging through your wallet for coins. A clever new wallet design promises to handle that for you. Just dump a handful of notes and coins into its larger note compartment, and with a shake, the coins get sorted into a separate coin pouch. This eliminates that awkward dance most people do at checkout, where you try to drop your coins into a typically small coin compartment, before slipping your notes into another. The Kin wallet comes from three Singapore designers, and is about to become a reality through Kickstarter. The wallet raised S$274,554 ($191,989) of its humble S$4,000 ($2,797) goal in a month from over 4,000 backers. Read more... More about Design, Kickstarter, Singapore, Wallet, and Lifestyle Read More »India's richest man is offering 4G for free to all his 52 million users for 3 more months
Only India's richest man could afford to offer free 4G services to millions of users — and Mukesh Ambani just did that. The Chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries announced on Thursday that his phone company, Reliance Jio, will extend its current three-month offer of free 4G LTE services for another quarter. This means new and the existing 52 million Jio customers will get free 4G connectivity until March 31, 2017. The free services include unlimited free voice calls, 1GB of 4G LTE data every day, access to public Wi-Fi hotspots spread across the country as well as video-on-demand services. Read more... More about Mukesh Ambani, Reliance, Telecommunications, Reliance Jio, and India Read More »This artwork combining Superman and Facebook is so on point
LONDON — Ever wondered how Superman would keep his identity a secret in the modern days of technology and social media? Chances are it wouldn't be the easiest task in the world. But one artist has captured that perfectly. On Monday, an illustrator who goes by the name Brakken (real name Max from Australia, according to his Deviant Art profile) shared the following drawing on his Tumblr page. The picture shows Lois Lane staring at her laptop with wide eyes, with a close up of her screen in the background. More about Uk, Fan Art, Technology, Facebook, and Superman Read More »Bang & Olufsen's fancy Beoplay H9 headphones come with noise cancellation
Bang & Olufsen's headphone selection was a little lacking so far: The company's flagship over-ear wireless headphones, the Beoplay H7, don't have active noise cancellation. The Beoplay H8 have the feature, but they're a smaller, on-ear model. Now, the company has filled the gap with Beoplay H9, a set of stylish, over-ear wireless headphones with active noise cancellation. The Beoplay H9 are a dead ringer for the H7, down to the aluminum touch controls. The specs are also quite similar — 40mm drivers, 20 to 22,000Hz frequency range, Bluetooth aptX support — so it's fair to assume that they're basically the same model with the addition of active noise cancellation. Read more... More about B O, Headphones, Beoplay H9, Tech, and Gadgets Read More »Prince Harry met Rihanna and they could not stop laughing
LONDON — Prince Harry might have grown up surrounded by royalty, but — until this week — he hasn't really been in the presence of true pop royalty. On Wednesday, Harry fulfilled what was surely a lifelong wish — to meet the Queen of Pop, Rihanna. And, it wasn't just a one-off — the pair actually met twice in the same day. The prince — currently on a tour of the Caribbean — met RiRi for the first time at an afternoon event in Bridgetown, Barbados marking the country's 50 years of independence. True to form, the prince's first words to Rihanna were frightfully British: "Hello, it's very nice to meet you." Read more... More about Uk, Caribbean, Watercooler, Royal Family, and Rihanna Read More »Lady Gaga led the Victoria's Secret Angels in a backstage sing-along
LONDON — What's the best way to get pumped up to take on the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? A rousing sing-along backstage with Lady Gaga might do the trick. Luckily for the Angels, Gaga was on hand to do just that at the show in Paris on Wednesday. And luckily for us, there is plenty of evidence on social media. Surrounded by Angels, Gaga dons one of the iconic pink robes and belts out her smash hit “Million Reasons.”
25 super weird, cheap gifts to get you uninvited to next year's Christmas party
Sometimes you just want to say f*ck it. Holiday shopping can be stressful - especially when you're broke. Between trying to find the perfect gift and not breaking your tiny budget, it's easy to think, "What if I never had to do this again?" Here are 25 gift ideas under $5 almost guaranteed to get you uninvited to next year's Christmas party. 150 Piece Message in a Bottle CapsuleImage: amazon Price: $2.31 2Four Piece Novelty Bone Ballpoint PenImage: amazon 3Yonger Vent Human Face Anti-stress BallImage: amazon Price: $3.96 Read more... More about Christmas, Wtf, Weird Products, Gift Guide, and Holidays 2016 Read More »People eat cash, another reason vegetarians can dislike the new fiver
Vegetarian and vegan communities in the UK are in tumult over the revelation that the new plastic polymer £5 note contains animal fat in the form of tallow. Tallow is a substance made of animal fat derived from beef or mutton (or even pork) which was traditionally used as the base for soaps and candles. A petition gathering more than 100,000 signatures had demanded the Bank of England to "cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use". The Bank confirmed the use of tallow in the base substrate of the fiver in a Twitter conversation: Read more... More about Vegans, Five Pound Note, Five Pound, Vegetarians, and Watercooler Read More »'Guardians of the Galaxy' director kills off co-workers in gory 'The Belko Experiment' trailer
After directing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn had Hollywood waiting with baited breath for his next project. Rather than attach himself to some generic big-name studio property, Gunn stayed true to his genre roots and dug up an old screenplay for The Belko Experiment. He even managed to get the project off the ground without having to direct it, instead leaving the film in the capable hands of Greg McLean (Wolf Creek). So really, we have Marvel to thank for this thrilling splatterfest, which I had an absolute blast with when I caught it in the Midnight Madness lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was acquired there by Jason Blum's BH Tilt label following an enthusiastic response from gorehounds. Read more... More about Tiff, Jason Blum, Bh Tilt, The Belko Experiment, and Marvel Read More »Pop-Tarts unveils Dunkin' Donuts flavor collaboration
You could drag yourself out of bed 10 minutes early, rush through your morning routine and sprint out the door to grab coffee before work. Or you could just toast one of these Dunkin' Donuts coffee-flavored Pop-Tarts and get on with your day. On Thursday, Kellogg's unveiled a limited edition collaboration with the coffee retailer. Available in Frosted Chocolate Mocha and Frosted Vanilla Latte, Pop-Tarts' latest product blends the choice breakfast of our youth with the cups of coffee we've come to rely on in adulthood. The new flavors hit grocery store shelves nationwide this month and will retail for $2.59 a box. Read more... More about Food, Watercooler, and Pics Read More »10 reasons why Donald Trump is actually King John from Robin Hood
LONDON — What could Donald Trump possibly have in common with a 13th century English King from a cartoon? More than you might think. Some uncanny similarities between the President-elect and King John from the 1973 Disney classic Robin Hood were highlighted on Twitter by Tyler Huckabee Behold this glorious Twitter thread.
People think Lena Headey would be perfect for this 'Star Wars' character
LONDON — There aren't many franchises out there to rival Star Wars in terms of sheer popularity, but Game of Thrones is probably one of the few that comes close. So imagine what the reaction might be if those two worlds came together? Well the internet has spoken, and they've got just the person for the job.
The Victoria's Secret 2016 show was straight out of 'Game of Thrones'
LONDON — The Victoria's Secret fashion show is the most star-studded, over-the-top runway show in the world. Indeed, Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner, and Irina Shayk were all serving Night's Watch chic on the runway during the show's "Dark Angel" section. Here's Gigi sporting a distinctly Jon Snow-esque ensemble... Read more... More about Victorias Secret, Uk, Lifestyle, Watercooler, and Entertainment Read More »Jennifer Aniston explains the big problem with a 'Friends' reunion
Admit it: you've always hoped, somewhere in the back of your mind, that there might one day be a Friends reunion. Obviously there would always be the danger that it wouldn't quite live up to the hype. But it'd be pretty hard to resist if it came along, right? Well, some bad news: during a recent interview with Lorraine Kelly on ITV, Jennifer Aniston explained why a return to Central Perk's probably not gonna happen. "I don't know what we would do," says Aniston in the clip above. "I think that period of time was sort of nostalgic, you know? Read more... More about Uk, Itv, Friends Reunion, Friends, and Jennifer Aniston Read More »Watch Felicity Jones show off her 'Rogue One' combat skills
Felicity Jones learned "a lot of kung fu" for her role as Jyn Erso in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Because if you're trying to steal the Empire's Death Star plans, you'd better be prepared to fight it out. A much less formidable foe than the Empire? A skittish Jimmy Fallon. Assassin's Creed VR experience gives us a taste of cinema to come
We still haven't reached a stage where full-length virtual reality films are the norm. However the studio behind the live-action version of Assassin's Creed is hoping to give us a taste of cinema to come. "Assassin's Creed VR Experience," from 20th Century Fox, combines the Oculus Rift and an AMD Radeon graphics card-powered Alienware computer to take fans inside a short, VR version of the forthcoming film starring Michael Fassbender. Using the same time traveling dynamic as the game and the film, you first meet a scientist who sends you back into the world of parkour-loving assassins, giving you a first-person VR view that was filmed on the same set used in the cinematic version. Read more... More about Samsung Gear Vr, Oculus Rift, Alienware, Amd, and Virtual Reality Read More »An ex-Tesla engineer fixed everything that's wrong with the hoverboard
The 'Moboster' was designed for a level ride to prevent the same tilts and falls synonymous with popular hoverboards. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Invention, Indiegogo, Skateboard, and Boosted Board Read More »iHeartRadio's new streaming options lets you choose a song, then return to the radio
iHeartRadio's entry into the crowded on-demand music streaming market will stay true to its roots. The company's new streaming services, iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access, will incorporate on-demand listening into radio stations. "Spotify is digitized CDs," iHeartRadio President Darren Davis told Mashable. "Our ancestor is radio." The services, announced in September, let users play regular radio or custom and artist stations. From there, users can replay songs. When a replay ends, they will be redirected back to the live or custom radio station. While listening to Z100, for example, you could save or replay a song before going back to whatever's on the air: Read more... More about Radio, Pandora, Apple Music, Spotify, and Iheartmedia Read More »How to watch The Game Awards on your screen of choice
The Game Awards kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 1, but it's not airing on any television networks. So how do you watch? There are lots of options, as it turns out. You might not be able to find it on any channel accessible from your cable box, but it'll be streaming on a variety of platforms, many of which connect directly to your TV. It should go without saying, but all of these options will require an internet connection. Console gamers have it easy. Turn on your PlayStation or Xbox and you'll be able to watch it all via PlayStation Network or Xbox Live. Just look for the appropriate tile on the home screen for your console of choice. Read more... More about Esports, Gaming, Entertainment, and The Game Awards Read More »Incredible drone pilot weaves teeny tiny spaces for stunning beach video
The beach looks even more beautiful when you're looking at it through a bicycle wheel, no? In the event you've never seen it that way, you might want to take a look at "Fresh Squeeze," a technically stunning drone video by Robert McIntosh, the camera flits through the tiniest spaces, navigates sharp corners and avoids obstacles to capture some truly gorgeous footage of Venice Beach. SEE ALSO: 7 tech gifts for the filthy rich According to LAist, the project was filmed on a GoPro Hero 4, which was stripped down to help it fit through small enclosures, then attached to a micro quadcopter. The footage was also stabilized using ReelSteady from Adobe AfterEffects. Read more... More about Drones and Watercooler Read More »You can now get HBO and Cinemax through Amazon
Amazon is still trying to take over cable. The tech giant's TV replacement, Amazon Channels, is adding HBO and Cinemax. HBO will cost $14.99 a month for Prime members, and Cinemax will cost $9.99 a month. Amazon Channels lets users pay for some specific channels, rather than an entire cable subscription. The offering is more of a replacement for traditional TV than Amazon's streaming services, Amazon Video and Prime Video. Users can already pay fees in the $10-a-month range to subscribe to about 80 on-demand channels, counting both traditional TV channels like Starz as well as digital-only channels like Seeso. Amazon has reportedly also been working on introducing a live TV option to compete with the likes of Dish's Sling TV, Playstation Vue and DirecTV Now. Read more... More about Cord Cutters, Cinemax, Hbo, Amazon Prime Video, and Amazon Video Read More »Airbnb relents, will limit how long people can rent out properties in two major cities
Faced with pressure from cities around the world, Airbnb is cracking down on hosts who don't seem to live in the properties they rent. The company will limit the number of nights a host in London or Amsterdam can rent a property through its short-term rental site. To rent a home for more than 90 days in London or 60 days in Amsterdam, hosts will need to apply for a license. The automatic cap applies to listings for entire homes, not to rooms in an otherwise in-use house or apartment. The number of nights a year a home is rented and the number of entire home listings in a city are two of the numbers that most concern affordable housing advocates opposed to Airbnb. Read more... More about Affordable Housing, Amsterdam, London, Airbnb, and Business Read More »Nokia Android phones are coming early next year
Fallen mobile phone giant Nokia is about to (attempt to) rise again next year with new phones — this time based on Android. The plan has been known for a while, but it's now official, as the company itself confirmed it in a press release Thursday. The new Nokias will be manufactured by Foxconn subsidiary FIH Mobile and sold by a Finnish company called HMD Global, which will have an exclusive global license for the Nokia brand for the next ten years. The story of the new, new Nokia is somewhat complex, so here's a little background: Microsoft bought Nokia's struggling mobile phone division in 2013 for $7.2 billion but it ditched the Nokia brand the following year, instead calling its mobile phones Microsoft Lumia. Read more... More about Smartphone, Android, Nokia, Tech, and Mobile Read More »'Hamilton Mixtape' has got a special show happening that you can watch right here
The Hamilton lottery pre-show is back and literally mixing it up. Long before tickets for the smash musical became notoriously difficult to find and the devil himself beat you to seeing it, the original cast began the tradition at the Richard Rodgers Theatre to do a fun pre-show prior to the lottery drawing. On Dec. 1, artists who collaborated on the Hamilton Mixtape will join #Ham4Ham to share their love of the show with its fans.
Baby hits the milly rock in the womb
They say that dancing is in your genes, and this baby may be proof. Twitter user Kiara Lawhon tweeted an ultrasound video of her future niece or nephew already getting down to their own beat in the womb. Watch this baby hit the milly rock harder than we ever could. We guess we should just stop practicing now — unless you're a baby, then continue on. Read more... BONUS: This stem cell gun helps burn victims regrow their skin in just a few daysCould glow-in-the-dark hair be the next new trend?
Make your next music festival look even more memorable by dying your hair with neon colors that glow-in-the-dark. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Hair Beauty, Glow In The Dark, Real Time Video, and Real Time Read More »Massively hyped video games: Expectations vs. reality
We all know the video game hype cycle: a game is announced, a fancy trailer drops, we pick apart every second of every video released in its marketing, then, finally, the game is released. You download it, start to play and very suddenly realize that this game isn’t what you quite expected it would be. This cycle is nothing new; disappointment and the sharp sting of reality are feelings as old as time. Take a look at some of the expectations we've had for recent popular games compared to the stark reality of what they actually were. Read more... More about Funny, Humor, Illustration, Comics, and Gaming Read More »The film production company behind 'Her' is getting into video games
The endless dance between video games and movies continues. Annapurna Pictures, founded by Megan Ellison in 2011, is the latest Hollywood player to line up. The film production company behind Her, Zero Dark Thirty, and Sausage Party (among others) will start publishing games in 2017 under the banner of Annapurna Interactive. The first two releases are expected to arrive in spring 2017: What Remains of Edith Finch? and Gorogoa. Edith Finch comes from the team at Giant Sparrow, the studio behind the 2014 indie gem The Unfinished Swan. The upcoming game — which was first revealed in late 2014 — is a collection of interactive short stories that all relate to a cursed family in the state of Washington. Read more... More about Video Games and Entertainment Read More »Apple's working on a fix for mass iCloud calendar notification spam
Spam be gone! Apple is working on a fix for all the spammy iCloud calendar invitations that some iPhone users have been receiving over the last few weeks. "We are sorry that some of our users are receiving spam calendar invitations. We are actively working to address this issue by identifying and blocking suspicious senders and spam in the invites being sent," Apple told iMore. Most of the calendar invitations originate from sketchy Chinese email accounts and promise to offer discounts on brand name products such as Uggs or Ray-Bans. Read more... More about Calendar, Icloud, Spam, Iphone, and Ios Read More »Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin evacuated from the South Pole
Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was evacuated from the South Pole Wednesday after becoming ill. Aldrin, who is 86-years-old, was visiting Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica as part of a tour group that left for the South Pole from Cape Town, South Africa on Nov. 29. The U.S. National Science Foundation, working with the Air Force, evacuated Aldrin to McMurdo Station — a US Antarctic research facility — via a ski-equipped LC-130 cargo plane. He is in stable condition, according to a statement posted by White Desert, the tour operator. More about Mcmurdo, National Science Foundation, Antarctica, Astronauts, and Buzz Aldrin Read More »Here are all 132 new cards in 'Hearthstone: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan'
Hearthstone just got a whole lot meaner. The latest Hearthstone expansion — Mean Streets of Gadgetzan — released on Thursday, bringing 132 brand new cards to Blizzard's competitive card game. With all-new powerful pirates, menacing Murlocs and crooked criminals entering the fray, the Hearthstone meta is sure to be shaken up. Below, we've gathered all the new cards from Hearthstone's fourth card expansion for your perusal. Some of them have a brand new symbol on the left side under the card's mana cost, signifying that they are a tri-class card and can be used by three different class decks. Cards with crossed cudgels are part of the Grimy Goons crime family — Hunters, Warriors, and Paladins; cards with potions are part of the Kabal — Mages, Priests, and Warlocks; and cards with a lotus are part of the Jade Lotus — Druids, Rogues, and Shamans. Read more... More about Esports, Gaming, Blizzard Entertainment, Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan, and Hearthstone Read More »Puppy finds adorable way to clean his pee puddle
Good boy, Pablo! Most dogs accidentally go #1 (or even worse, #2) from time to time in the house – but Pablo just might be the first dog to clean his mess up himself. When the pup wasn't able to make it outside to use nature's bathroom, he was forced to use his human's bathroom (well, the floor of his human's bathroom). His human then tweeted a photo of the toilet paper wad Pablo the puppy lovingly created to soak up his pee. Of course, the dog could also have just messed around with the roll of toilet paper after his bathroom break, but it's more fun to think of him as being a clean canine. SEE ALSO: 100 Years of Pomeranian Beauty Read more... Facebook to roomful of journalists: 'We hear you'
Another day, another attempt by Facebook at saving face in light of that whole "fake news on Facebook is ruining news" thing. And this time, to a room full of journalists! On Thursday, Patrick Walker of Facebook's media partnerships for Europe apologized for mistakes Facebook made handling the fake news problem, and outlined the social network's commitment to combatting it at the NewsXchange Conference in Copenhagen. Except, this time, the room included more than 500 journalists—the very people whose work is being devalued by the proliferation of fake news. Facebook outlined seven principles within its plan to address fake news. CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared these steps earlier this month in a post on the platform which temporarily disappeared thanks to what Facebook claimed was a glitch. Read more... More about Fake News, Facebook, and Business Read More »Apple Maps may soon use drones to give you better directions
In news that should make anyone who's experienced an Apple Maps fail a little less angry, Bloomberg reports that unnamed sources say that Apple is taking steps to overhaul its Maps service. The report's sources claim Apple is building a new team of robotics and data-collection experts with the directive to use drones to capture and update map information. Up to now, Maps data has been collected by a fleet of street-bound cars, so taking to the sky would immediately expand the effort. SEE ALSO: Apple's 'spaceship' campus looks like a futuristic, solar-powered fortress in new drone video The drones would be especially helpful for up-to-the-minute road monitoring for accurate traffic information, an area where Apple Maps has lagged behind Google Maps. The data collected will be sent to Apple teams, which will be tasked with updating the app for the highest level of accuracy possible. According to Bloomberg's sources, at least one person from Amazon’s Prime Air division has been brought in for the work. Read more... More about Drones, Apple Maps, Apple, Tech, and Apps Software Read More »'Dead' fish miraculously comes back to life the moment the toilet flushes
Either this beta fish had a terribly short life or it hatched an amazing escape plan. Fish owner Brook Essick was transferring her fish Dane from a small glass to a large tank after a cleaning when something went wrong. Moments after the transfer, Dane's body became lifeless, and Essick presumed the poor fish dead. "When we put him back in the bowl, he swam for probably five seconds and then just immediately 'died' and started floating," Essick told Mashable. Essick was unable to confirm that Dane still had life left in his small fishy body, so she did what most fish owners do when their loved ones die, and she flushed Dane off to fishy heaven. Read more... More about Fish, Animals, Funny, Viral Videos, and Watercooler Read More »Levi's CEO writes open letter on LinkedIn: Leave your guns at home
Chip Bergh, CEO of popular clothing company, Levi Strauss & Co., penned a heartfelt open letter to customers asking them to leave their guns at home. In the letter posted to LinkedIn on Wednesday, Bergh made a plea for Levi customers not to enter stores carrying weapons following a recent incident, in which a gun inadvertently went off in one of the company's stores, injuring the customer who brought it. Bergh offered his opinions on the "complex" and "divisive" U.S. debate over gun safety and rights as a former army officer, a father and business leader of a 163-year-old company. Read more... More about Business, Gun Control, Guns, Weapons, and Shopping Read More »Global warming blowout: Record highs beat record lows by 51-to-1 ratio in November
As the planet warms in response to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the ratio of high temperature records compared to low temperature records has become more skewed. If the climate weren't warming, that long-term ratio should average out to about 1-to-1. However, that isn't the world we're living in. A 2009 study found that the record highs to lows ratio was 2-to-1 for the lower 48 states during the 2000s, and this disparity has only grown since then. Projections show the imbalance increasing in coming decades as global warming continues. Keeping in mind that individual months show considerable variability in weather patterns, it's clear that over the long-term, the ratio of record highs to record lows is now strongly favoring record highs as well as record warm overnight temperatures. This is consistent with computer model projections of a warming world. Read more... More about Climate Change, Temperature Ratio, Global Warming, Extreme Weather, and Climate Read More »It's World AIDS Day! This innovative condom may be the future of safe sex
The 'Lelo Hex' condom became available in summer 2016 and it could be future of protected sex. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Safe Sex, Contraception, Condoms, and Sex Health Read More »Counter-Strike adds new gloves to break your bank account
Changing the skin game one glove at a time. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Valve, Counter Strike, Esports, and Entertainment Read More »Hip university sends college acceptance notices on Snapchat
In keeping with current cool-teen culture, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is accepting new students in the hippest way it knows how: through Snapchat. As a UW admissions counselor tells WBAY, in addition to traditional acceptance letters, this year's accepted students also receive congratulatory Snaps sent straight to their smartphones. Jena Richter Landers, a UW-Green Bay social media specialist, says students will often send back "excited selfies" after they've viewed their acceptance Snap. It's also become the first place where students learn they've been accepted, as most still have to wait on admissions packets sent through the mail. Read more... More about College, Snapchat, and Watercooler Read More »'Nashville' is coming back sooner than expected
The wait is over, Nashville fans — after being cancelled by ABC in May and revived by CMT in June, the country music drama will be back on our screens this December. CMT is rewarding patient fans with a sneak peek at the first hour of Nashville's two-hour Season 5 premiere on Dec. 15 at 9 p.m., almost a month ahead of the show's official CMT debut on Jan. 5. For the cord-cutters out there, Hulu will debut the Nashville sneak peek on Dec. 16, and will continue to be the official digital home of the series (Seasons 1-4 are still available on the streaming network), offering episodes online the day after they air on CMT. Read more... More about Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, Cmt, Nashville, and Entertainment Read More »Streaming is a disaster, do not cut the cord, just don't do it
You want to cut the cord. You hate your cable company. You hate their calls, their promotional offers, their bills, their service reps. And the option to get away from them, in the form of the future: Streaming. A little digital river for you to dip into, and find yourself, outside of the traditional means of getting you're favorite TV and movies. You're on your own. Your in the wild. The future is yours, and it's cordless. Except for one, single problem: The fact remains that in 2016, cable remains a far better, more stable experience than any streaming service out there. More about Att T, Directv, Sling Tv, Playstation Vue, and Cable Tv Read More »Monster 53-pound snapping turtle rescued after getting stuck in a pipe
A massive 53-pound snapping turtle was rescued from a drainpipe in Texas after it became stuck. A man was exploring a new development in Hockey, Texas, when he discovered the stuck turtle and phoned the Houston SPCA's Wildlife Center of Texas, ABC 13 reports. The SPCA arrived on the scene and identified the turtle as a threatened alligator snapping turtle. They then called the Rosehill Fire department to help with the rescue because the pipe was too thick to open without heavy machinery. Image: Houston SPCA Wildlife Center of Texas The fire department arrived and used the jaws of life to spread the pipe so that the turtle could be removed. Unfortunately, after the turtle was removed several other alligator snapping turtles and other animals were found stuck in the pipe. Read more... More about Rescue, Turtle, Watercooler, and Videos Read More »Ecstasy can reduce fears and stress in PTSD patients. Here's how.
When ecstasy hits, it unleashes a rush of euphoria and abundant compassion in users. That's precisely why the drug could be an effective treatment for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), early studies show. A large-scale clinical trial is set to move forward next year to test the therapeutic benefits of MDMA—a.k.a. ecstasy, or molly—in survivors of war combat, sexual assault, violent crimes and other traumatic experiences. This week, the Food and Drug Administration said researchers could move ahead with the trial after a series of smaller trials proved successful. The bigger Phase 3 trial could pave the way for the agency to approve ecstasy as a legal drug within a few years. Read more... More about Clinical Trials, Drug Research, Opioid Addiction, Opioids, and Prescription Drugs Read More »These detailed, laser-blasting 'Star Wars' drones are pure badass
Propel's hand-painted and hand-sized Star Wars drones are more than just your average licensed toy. The hand-sized drones, available in four designs (Millennium Falcon, X-Wing, TIE Fighter and 74-Z speeder bike), light up and shoot lasers just like in the movies. The latter isn't just for show. Up to 12 drones can engage in aerial dogfights to recreate Star Wars' most epic space battles. Ahead of its launch on Friday Dec. 2, Propel invited me to check them out in person and try my hand at flying for the Empire and Rebellion. Read more... More about Quadcopters, Lasers, Hands On, Toys, and Drones Read More »How to order prescription Snapchat Spectacles
Fear not, glasses wearers. Prescription lenses for Spectacles, Snap's video-camera glasses, have arrived. Rochester Optical, a lens manufacturer based in Rochester, New York, is now cutting and selling prescription lenses for Spectacles, the company announced Thursday. The lenses start at $99 and cost depends on prescription strength, lens type and coating. The lens types include standard plastic, high-index, polarized Rx Sun or photochromic. Image: rochester optical Interested purchasers must complete an online order form and then ship their Spectacles directly to the store. Read more... More about Business, Tech, Gadgets, Sunglasses, and Glasses Read More »'Rogue One' battles rage in this new 'Star Wars: Battlefront' trailer
Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic fight as heroes for the Rebellion and Empire, respectively, in the Rogue One: Scarif add-on for Star Wars: Battlefront. This new trailer highlights some of what you can expect from the new location's jungle-and-beachside action. It's a welcome sneak preview of the battleground featured in the Dec. 16 movie. The map pack comes to the game on Dec. 6 for Season Pass holders, or anyone that owns the recently released "Ultimate Edition" of Battlefront (which includes the season pass). A $15 a la carte DLC release will follow on Dec. 20, two weeks after the Season Pass early access starts. Read more... More about Film, Rogue One, Star Wars Battlefront, Star Wars, and Gaming Read More » | ||||
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