Here's a missing 'Westworld' scene we wrote to fill in the show's biggest plot hole
This piece contains spoilers for Westworld, up to and including episode 10.
Westworld's first season came to a close, tying together several loops, loose ends and unanswered questions.
Viewers finally learned that William and the Man in Black are in fact the same person, which has been theorized since episode 2. However, having seen William's transformation from hero to psychopath, we have to wonder what exactly happened when he and Logan went home after their visit.
Yes, Logan's fate in episode 10 was left undefined — William sends his future brother-in-law off into the sunset, naked and bound on top of a horse — but since Logan was last seen alive onscreen and the fact that William explained his business plans to him, we have to imagine Logan makes it out of Westworld alive. In which case, what the hell did his father and sister think about William's time in the park? Read more...
WorldView-4 is the latest advanced satellite in a fleet of five DigitalGlobe spacecraft designed to beam high-resolution images of various places on Earth back to people on the ground. Read more...
Get into Dan Stevens' head in FX's 'Legion' trailer
If you hadn't figured it out from The Guest, Dan Stevens is about as far from Downton Abbey as can be.
Stevens stars in FX's upcoming sci-fi drama Legion, and it's densely packed with action, effects and mind-bending visuals — the opposite, in every way, from his most famous TV role.
Legion exists in the same universe as X-Men, where the human race is "evolving," manifesting new powers and abilities. Stevens plays David Haller, a mutant mistakenly placed in a psychiatric facility (his father is one Charles Xavier). Read more...
Singer lulls puppy to sleep with acapella Christmas tune
No matter how cute your puppy is, sometimes making him sleep is the only way to get yourself a little peace and quiet.
YouTuber Rachel Smith found the perfect way to get her adorable dog to do just that – by singing a soulful, acapella rendition of "Christmas Time is Here."
Rachel, can we please get a full version of your beautiful voice singing this song, set to the serene image of your pup sleeping?
Bill Gates' favorite books of 2016 are the most Bill Gates books ever
You thought your favorite books were dorky*? Wait until you see Bill Gates' reading list.
In a blog post on Monday, Microsoft founder and big time book nerd Bill Gates revealed his favorite books of 2016, and well, they are the most Bill Gates selections ever. Which is to say, they are intensely nerdy books that will help you better understand the world.
Seriously. He says that one of his favorite genres of books is “books about mundane stuff that are actually fascinating.”
So it's no surprise that this year, Gates' favorite books are deep dives into things we see and experience every day. Selections range the gamut of literary explorations of tennis to explainers of genome science. Read more...
Interview: Al Gore on commiserating with Hillary, fake news, and Trump's climate views
Imagine being a fly on this wall: Former vice president Al Gore commiserated with Hillary Clinton about her unexpected presidential election loss, he told Mashable in a recent interview.
On the election, if there is anyone who can empathize with Clinton's predicament, it's Gore—the only other living person who earned more popular votes while also losing the Electoral College, and therefore, the presidency, when he ran in 2000 against George W. Bush.
Hillary Clinton, right, accompanied by former Vice President Al Gore, left, takes the stage for a rally in Miami, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016.
These former Clinton staffers are looking to disrupt local politics with their new startup
As a handful of Hillary Clinton's Ohio campaign staffers watched the results come in on election night, they had the same thought as many other Americans: Time for a drink.
The group made their way to the Local Cantina in Columbus for what was supposed to be a final goodbye between people who had spent 18 hours a day together for the past several months.
Instead, they left the bar with a new startup—Flippable, an organization focused on identifying local political positions that could turn from Republican to Democratic, and figuring out how to provide the resources to flip them.
"We started really brainstorming how could we turn this into a tool or a platform on November 9th," said Catherine Vaughan, co-founder of Flippable. "We're trying to really capture the energy and the tension and the national fervor around this issue right now." Read more...
The trolls who believe Bana, 7-year-old Syrian girl, isn’t real
The Twitter account of Bana Alabed, a 7-year-old Syrian girl, who in the past few months shared her experience of living in the besieged and war-torn city of Aleppo, has been targeted by trolls who claim she has fabricated her story.
Tweeting in English with the help of her mother Fatemah, Bana offered a new, damning perspective on the daily life of those living under the bombs in Syria's second city. The account — @alabedbana — has amassed more than 100,000 followers since it was started in September.
School district removes 'Huckleberry Finn' after complaint over racial slurs
To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been temporarily removed from some Virginia schools for racial slurs — a decision some are condemning as censorship.
Copies of the classic American novels have been lifted from the shelves of classrooms and libraries across a school district in Accomack County, Virginia, according to The Washington Post. While the books are already gone, the school district still has to decide whether it's going to permanently ban them.
"We have a committee looking at all of this,” Chris Holland, district superintendent, told Delmarva Now. “There’s been no recommendation right now." Read more...
The NBA's supernova superstar started this season on a rampage — and he's only turned the heat up since. Now, a quarter-way through the NBA calendar, Westbrook stands a very real chance of finishing the season with a feat no one has pulled off since 1962.
On Sunday night, Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder won their fifth straight game. And, for the fifth straight game, Westbrook posted a triple-double. That effort made Westbrook the first NBA player to register five straight triple-doubles since Michael Jordan (ever heard of him?) did so in 1989. Read more...
Dolly Parton's generosity continues with telethon for Tennessee fire victims
On top of Dolly Parton's pledge to donate $1,000 a month to families who lost their homes in a destructive wildfire near the Great Smoky Mountains last week, the country singer is now hosting a telethon.
The event is set for Dec. 13 in Nashville, Dollywood spokesman Pete Owns confirmed to Mashable.
The additional fundraiser comes less than a week after Parton announced in a video that her Dollywood Foundation had set up the My People Fund, which will provide $1,000 each month for up to six months to families who lost their homes in the wildfires. Read more...
'P*ssy grabbing' threats are now a thing in Trump's America
In October, Donald J. Trump insisted his hot mic comments from 2005 were harmless "locker room talk." Now that Trump's the president-elect, however, some men have turned the implied violence of his "pussy grabbing" into a slur to publicly harass and intimidate women.
The disturbing trend surfaced in a recent report published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that monitors hate groups and has collected reports of bias, intimidation and harassment in the wake of the presidential election.
Women across the country told the SPLC that boys and men had invoked Trump's vulgar phrasing, essentially threatening to sexually assault them. In the 10-day time period that SPLC reviewed, such harassment occurred, on average, twice a day. Read more...
12 things we learned about Mariah Carey from the premiere of 'Mariah's World'
The elusive chanteuse isn't so elusive anymore.
Mariah Carey is kinda sorta pulling a Kardashian with a new docu-series "Mariah's World." The first of eight episodes premiered on E! Sunday night, and is basically an inside look at what it takes to be a full-time diva.
In 40 minutes we learned more about Carey than we ever have. Here are the top 12 moments we'll never forget from episode 1.
On Nov. 26, Hett tweeted a devastating picture that his mother, Figen Murray, sent him from a craft fair.
My mum has set up her own stall at a craft fair and has messaged me to say she hasn't sold anything yet and my heart is breaking pic.twitter.com/cdzHn77pM5
This futuristic snowmobile will have you feeling the winter vibes
The 'Snoped' may be a prototype, but it is certainly making winter look a whole lot sexier. The design comes from a group in Michigan called 'Jruiter + Studio' and they appear to be doing everything but messing around with their innovations. Read more...
Snowy hill proves to be every car's worst nightmare
This might be the most slippery hill ever.
Filming outside her office in Montreal, Québec, YouTube user Samantha Dean caught footage of multiple cars crashing into each other after losing control on a snowy hill.
Even cars that try to stop at the top of the hill are met with an unfortunate sliding fate. Check out the multi-car pile-up above. Oof.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins reader's poll for TIME's 'Person of the Year'
When it comes to popularity, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems way ahead of the U.S. President Barack Obama and even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Modi topped the online reader’s poll for TIME's "Person of the Year," garnering 18 percent of the votes, the magazine revealed Monday. The magazine will announce its editorial choice for "Person of the Year" on Dec. 7.
In comparison, Obama, Donald Trump, and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange each received 7 percent of the votes, followed by Hillary Clinton, who managed 4 percent of the votes, and Zuckerberg, with 2 percent of approval from the people. Read more...
All of San Francisco tried to buy 'Hamilton' tickets and pretty much failed
Many people are pulling a Donald Trump and calling the hit Broadway musical Hamilton "rude." They struggled online for hours Monday to get tickets to the play before it comes to San Francisco next year. They mostly failed.
In what was an advance online ticketing event exclusively for American Express cardholders, tens of thousands lined up in an online "queue" at 10 a.m. Monday for tickets for the show that will be touring San Francisco beginning in March through August.
But via a randomized number system assigned to hungry theatergoers, a huge number of people didn't even get close to spending all their money on the hot musical. Read more...
Uber's artificial intelligence ambitions just got bigger
All the big tech companies are making a play in artificial intelligence. You can now undoubtedly count Uber among them.
Uber announced on Monday that it acquired AI startup Geometric Intelligence, which will form the core of its new AI Labs.
"The formation of Uber AI Labs, to be directed by Geometric’s Founding CEO Gary Marcus, represents Uber’s commitment to advancing the state of the art, driven by our vision that moving people and things in the physical world can be radically faster, safer and accessible to all," Uber Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden wrote in a blog post.
Holden pointed out a few particular problems that AI could help solve, including matching riders for uberPOOL, UberEATS and, of course, self-driving cars — and even the flying cars that Uber teased earlier in the year. Read more...
This week's 'Walking Dead' was ripped straight from the comics, and it was glorious
This post contains spoilers forThe Walking Dead Season 7, episode 7, titled "Sing Me a Song." If you missed the episode or need a refresher, check out ourrecap.
Okay, so I think a lot of us can admit it now – Negan is the damn worst.
Sure, he's handsome. And yes, he's charismatic. But he sucks, and now we all know just how much. The intimidation of his "wives," the bullying banter, the gas-lighting after people get upset over the bullying – it's all freaking terrible.
Whether you see that or not, the producers of the show are trying to make us have that conversation. They're trying to make him likable, while also framing him as evil incarnate. Is Negan charming, or is he the most sadistic person ever? Read more...
Microsoft has a new AI chatbot and it doesn't want to talk about Tay
Microsoft is experimenting with a new, tamer chatbot.
Months after the company's first chatbot Tay went viral for all the wrong reasons, Microsoft quietly rolled out a new bot that looks to be far less controversial than its predecessor.
Named Zo, the latest chatbot appeared on chat app Kik and is still "early access," according to Microsoft, though anyone with Kik can start messaging the bot now. In our limited testing, much of what the bot says is similar to the bland and sometimes nonsensical musings spouted by other bots.
Of course, after the public relations nightmare that was Tay, it's understandable that Microsoft would be careful with its next chatbot. Read more...
This NBA coach had an inspiring response to a question about winning championships
Gregg Popovich has five NBA Championship rings to his name, but the San Antonio Spurs head coach considers something else even more important than winning.
Popovich, along with Harvard professor and civil-rights activist Dr. Cornel West, took questions about social issues from 250 high school students in San Antonio last month, per The Nation. One of those students asked if the Spurs would win a championship this year, a feat they accomplished in 2014.
“Win the championship?" he said. "I don’t know, but it’s not a priority in my life. I’d be much happier if I knew that my players were going to make society better, who had good families and who took care of the people around them. I’d get more satisfaction out of that than a title." Read more...
For most of the season, Discover Westworld has been presented as a typical promotional website for a vacation destination run by Delos Incorporated, albeit one with an intriguing terms of service contract (in which guests give Delos the rights to their "skin cells, bodily fluids, secretions, excretions, hair samples, saliva, sweat, blood, and any other bodily functions not listed here," to be used however the company sees fit) and a virtual host called Aeden who is programmed to cryptically answer all your questions — including hints about the show's ongoing plotlines. Read more...
A pizza shop patron is fighting back against the #PizzaGate trolls
One man has taken the fight against fake news into his own hands after his local pizza restaurant became embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy theory.
On Dec. 4, police arrested 28-year-old, Edgar Maddison Welch of Salisbury, North Carolina, after he entered Comet Ping Pong restaurant in Washington D.C. armed with an assault rifle and fired a shot. Welch claimed he was investigating conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton and campaign chairman John Podesta running a child sex ring inside of a pizza place, referred to as "#Pizzagate."
Over the weekend, a good portion of the Midwest saw their first round of significant snowfall for the season, including parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
Chicago's first snow of the season set a record for Dec. 4 with over six inches, which was plenty enough for some NFL snow angels.
Luckily, too, the age of drones gives us a captivating birdseye views of the winter wonderlands, like this one from Madison, Wisconsin, where just under six inches of snow fell on Sunday. Read more...
Snapchat might be trying to bring video games to your Story
If a flurry of 3D-centric job postings is any indication, your Snap Stories will probably be getting a lot more animated and interactive in the not-so-distant future.
Business Insider noticed the influx of newly opened roles, which are mostly classified as being "Research" positions at Snap's HQ in Los Angeles. The listings call for candidates with 3D design, animation, modeling, rigging and skinning experience.
While many of these positions point to the further development of the ways that we already use Snapchat's augmented reality features (like its filters and World Lenses), others look to be branching out in a new direction, particularly in character design and gaming. Read more...
Model with natural hair posts moving account of discrimination on ANTM
The modelling world is not renowned for being particularly nurturing or sensitive to young talent.
Former Australia'sNext Top Model contestant and current dream girl Nyadak "Duckie" Thot has spoken out about discrimination in the modelling industry; more specifically, the humiliation she experienced while competing on the reality show in 2013.
In an Instagram post, the Australian model who was born in South Sudan, mentioned she had just done a shoot with jewellery company Dinosaur Designs, who kept her hair natural. Read more...
Forbes 2016 list of highest paid YouTubers will make you weep
PewDiePie — who recently declared he will delete his YouTube channel once he reaches 50 million subscribers — is the highest paid digital star of 2016.
The Swedish gamer — whose real name is Felix Kjellberg — made an estimated $15 million for the 12 months ending in June 2016, according to Forbes' recent ranking.
This is the second year the 26-year-old YouTuber has topped the list. His paycheck surged 20% from last year, when he made $12 million.
Kjellberg’s success is innately digital. He launched his channel by making “Let’s Play” videos, which showcase a gamer playing through a video game alongside footage of that player’s narration and reactions to the game. Read more...
Muslim-owned restaurant is offering free meals to the homeless this Christmas
A Turkish restaurant in London has decided to celebrate Christmas with a loving act of charity.
Shish Restaurant, which is Muslim-owned and based in Sidcup, is offering free meals to the homeless over the coming holiday period, The Telegraphreports.
Throughout the day, from noon until 6 p.m., the homeless and elderly will be able to enjoy a free three-course meal, with a main entrée choice of chicken casserole, vegetarian casserole or chicken shish (grilled chicken served on skewers), along with soup or cacik (Turkish yoghurt) and a dessert of rice pudding. Read more...
Because only 10 percent of the ingredients used to make beer make it to the final product, Regrained sought out a way to repurpose those leftovers.
With the slogan "Eat Beer," the company turns the scraps of grain left over from the beer-making process — along with ingredients like organic honey, puffed quinoa, chocolate and sea salt — into tasty snack bars. Read more...
Morrissey calls music industry a 'nest of horrors' and cancels 6 shows
British indie rocker Morrissey may be "heartbroken" that the last six shows in his tour are canceled, but he's still got some strong words for his management company and the music industry overall.
On his fan site, True To You, the former Smiths frontman posted over the weekend that his performances in Detroit, Chicago Cleveland, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio weren't happening because they were "destroyed by the ephemeral damagers."
He gushed about his loyal audiences across the world ("no words could ever express the volcanic love and joy found and shared") but was critical of his management company and how they financed his performances. Read more...
Eric Berry's poignant homecoming is this week's feel-good NFL story
NFL star Eric Berry played in his hometown of Atlanta on Sunday for the first time since becoming the fifth overall pick of the 2010 draft. The Kansas City Chiefs safety returned an interception for a touchdown, then gave the ball to his mother in the stands immediately after scoring to help his team to a big late-season win.
That's quite the inspirational homecoming in itself — but only the beginning of this story.
The last time Berry went home to Atlanta during an NFL season, you see, it was to receive chemotherapy.
How Oculus and 3D printers will let artists sculpt with digital clay
Now that we finally have the Oculus Rift's Touch controllers, VR gaming on the platform is about to get a lot more interactive. However, based on a video released by Oculus on Monday, the best use of the Touch controller may turn out be Medium, a software tool from Oculus that allows you to sculpt with digital clay in virtual reality.
In the launch video, we first see a user sketch out an idea using an Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro. Then the user takes the concept from that sketch and recreates it in Medium, constructing a 3D character in VR using layers, lighting effects and stamp tools. Read more...
25 feminist gifts for the nasty woman in your life
A nasty woman might not be president-elect, but that doesn't mean the nasty women (and other nasty humans) among us should hide.
This holiday season, encourage your favorite feminist with an empowering gift. No, it doesn't replace taking political action or volunteering in your community, but a small token can help lift someone's spirits — especially if they're anxious about the political vibes at home during the holidays.
Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft team up to stop terrorist content
Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and Google are teaming up on a new effort to prevent the spread of terrorist content on their networks.
The companies are creating a shared database that will allow them to track the "digital fingerprints" of accounts that share terrorist images and videos across their respective networks to make it easier to identify and remove the content.
Under the new partnership, when Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Microsoft removes a photo or video that promotes terrorism, it will add a hash — what the companies describe as a "digital fingerprint" that makes that particular piece of content identifiable — to a shared database. This will make it easier for all the companies involved to spot the same content on their own sites and remove it. Read more...
Young Chinese Aussies report highest levels of discrimination, survey finds
Racism is still pervasive in Australian society, but it's alarming how many young people say they're on the receiving end of it.
Chinese Australians report the highest levels of discrimination due to their race and cultural background, according to Mission Australia's 2016 Youth Survey.
The survey of teenagers, commissioned by the charity, covers 22,000 respondents between the ages of 15 to 19 years of age.
It found 88.7 percent of Mandarin speakers reported discrimination, followed by speakers of Cantonese (80.6%) and Filipino/Tagalog (80.4%).
Chapecoense awarded Copa Sudamericana title one week after devastating plane crash
South American soccer's governing body awarded Brazilian club Chapecoense the Copa Sudamericana title one week after a tragic plane crash killed 19 members of the team while en route to play the tournament final.
In a statement released Monday, CONMEBOL called awarding the title to Chapacoense "a posthumous homage to the victims of the fatal crash that leaves our sport in mourning."
The decision was endorsed by Atletico Nacional, the Colombian side that Chapecoense was supposed to play for the Copa Sudamericana trophy. Read more...
Plenty of GIF and emoji fun with Android's latest update
Google's latest Android update has arrived and it comes with a new set of emoji.
The company is now starting to roll out the Android 7.1 update, which includes its new gender-diverse emoji. It also includes new home screen shortcuts for apps and support for GIF keyboards.
The new emoji include 11 new characters portraying professional women — as doctors, welders, scientists, chefs, coders and more — as well as the dozens of new male and female versions of existing emoji. All of the new characters are available in different skin tones. Read more...
This dunk is absolutely brutal, and you'll never guess who threw it down
What we have here, folks, is a late contender for 2016's dunk of the year, thanks to Derrick Jones Jr. of the NBA D-League.
Jones is currently a rookie for the Northern Arizona Suns in the NBA's minor league after playing one season of college hoops for UNLV. But never mind all that — let's get to the glorious dunk.
It happened over the weekend, so we'll forgive you if it was lost amid football, the last of Thanksgiving leftovers and — well, let's face it, not many people watch the D-League.
Maybe we all should, though, after viewing this clip. Here's Jones catching the one-handed alley-oop about two counties away from the rim before somehow slamming it home over a hapless defender. Read more...
Someone compiled 262 movies from 2016 into a legendary trailer
When movie buffs put their useless knowledge to good use ...
Clark Zhu, an editor from California, edited together short clips from roughly 262 films that were released this year to make an epic, eight-minute, five-part trailer.
Most of it is underscored by classic, dramatic music. You know the songs I'm talking about – the ones that make you feel all the feels every time you watch a movie trailer.
And if you're in the mood to nerd out and know which movie each short clip is from, Zhu has an uber-detailed shot-by-shot list here.
Scotsman is just a wee bit excited to finally find some Irn-Bru in Australia
It can be a real pain to find Scotland's finest non-alcoholic beverage export, Irn-Bru, in Australia. Or anywhere outside of the U.K. for that matter.
So this video by a YouTuber only known as Shoot2Thrill has summed up many a Scotsman's reaction upon finding the drink somewhere else across the globe.
Warning: Excitable course language ahead.
"I don't think I've been this happy my whole entire life. I'm actually getting emotional about it," he said.
"I just went to the supermarket and I FOUND F*CKING IRN-BRU. OHHHHH. GET IN MY F*CKING BELLY."
In case you hadn't figured out, Irn-Bru is essentially the lifeblood of Scotland, long tussling with Coca-Cola as the most popular soft drink around. Read more...
Life's a beach: Australia's top 10 beaches named in new study
When you have 11,761 beaches to choose from, it's difficult to settle on a favourite.
Luckily the University of Sydney's coastal studies unit and Tourism Australia teamed up to compile a list of Australia's best 101 coastal hang outs. And they're pretty special.
To compile the exhaustive list, geomorphologist and marine scientist, Professor Andy Short OAM and conservationist, Brad Farmer, combined their wealth of experience to create an authoritative guide on what makes the best of the best beaches.
Beaches were ranked according to capacity for tourism, economy, lifestyle, leisure, surfing and play. Read more...
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard get philosophical about 'Assassin's Creed'
For a movie based on a video game franchise, Assassin’s Creed has plenty of moral complexity.
"Basically for the audience, they can't sit back and go, ‘OK, well we know this is the good camp and this is the bad camp,” Michael Fassbender told Mashable.
This time, the actor, who has played Steve Jobs, Macbeth and Magneto, takes on the role of a 15th-century assassin. The material is also taken seriously by Australian director Justin Kurzel, who shunned green screens and shot on-location as often as possible to give it a realistic feel.
It's all in pursuit of expressing the very human longing for power. Read more...
Sistergirls do Mardi Gras: Indigenous trans community crowdfunds for pride parade
Imagining a world without diversity, culture and the full rainbow of gender identities is a very dull prospect. Recognising and celebrating the expression these human values makes us healthier and stronger.
A world without the colourful and ecstatic celebration that is Australia's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras? No thanks.
Cue the Tiwi Sistagirls. A transgender community of around 40 who reside in the Tiwi Islands, a small group of islands around 100km north of Darwin and officially part of the Northern Territory.
The Sistagirls — who have given themselves this name, as a sign of self-respect and the desire to shun a western label — have overcome many challenges to create for themselves a vibrant and supportive network where they now feel confident and safe. Read more...
Images of pure joy as people celebrate at Standing Rock
A sense of victory swept through the camp of #NoDAPL protesters late Sunday and Monday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it wouldn't grant an easement needed to finish the the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.
While the jubilation might be short-lived with President-elect Donald Trump waiting in the wings, for now, the mood at the camps in North Dakota is festive.
Celebrations at Oceti Sakowin commence, you can hear the cheers of people all over#NoDAPL
Paul Hogan from 'Crocodile Dundee' is legit baffled by new acting honour
Nothing launched Australia onto the world stage quite like 1986 film Crocodile Dundee.
The star of it all, Paul Hogan, has finally been recognised for his contribution to the local film industry by receiving the Longford Lyell Award from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA).
But Hogan himself doesn't think he really deserves it.
Discussing the award with reporters on Tuesday, Hogan said the honour, presented by AACTA president and fellow actor Geoffrey Rush, was "mystifying" according to AAP. Read more...
Sticky tape playground is probably the most fun art installation ever
Ever found yourself sitting at home surrounded by a spare 24 cases of packing tape and thought "How I am ever going to use this?"
A group of installation artists have finally solved the excess tape problem that plagues our living rooms, in the most inventive way imaginable.
The TapeScape project has appeared around the world from America to Dubai, and now it's Australia's turn to play in tunnels made from nothing more than building scaffolds and tape.
Apple, which doesn't reveal Watch sales data, says Watch sales are great
Apple Watch sales growth is "off the charts" this holiday season, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"During the first week of holiday shopping, our sell-through of Apple Watch was greater than any week in the product's history. And as we expected, we're on track for the best quarter ever for Apple Watch," Cook told Reuters in an email.
Cook stopped short of actually revealing any sales figures for the Watch, which was upgraded to "Series 2" in September, alongside a new Nike-branded, sports-centric variant.
This is not surprising: The company has never revealed any sales data for the Watch, bundling it with the "other products" category in its earnings reports. There have been quite a few attempts to extrapolate what this means in numbers, but the truth is that any of those attempts could be a few million units wrong either way. Read more...
Indians mourn as iconic actress turned politician Jayalalithaa dies
The death of iconic politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram late last night has left millions of her supporters struggling to hold tears.
Such was the adoration that Jayalalithaa, more popularly referred as Amma, or mother, instilled that saw her elected as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times.
Jayalalithaa died at 11.30 p.m. late Monday after she failed to recover from cardiac arrest. She was recovering from a monthlong illness in the hospital and the status of her health development was kept confidential until the very end. She was 68 years old.
"Jayalalithaa ji’s connect with citizens, concern for welfare of the poor, the women and marginalised will always be a source of inspiration," India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after learning the news. Read more...
Hyperloop Technologies in talks with government for trial runs in India
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies may have found a new place to perform trial runs: India.
Top executive at the American research company says they are eager to come to India and begin trials for their high-speed transportation technology in the country. The company, which works on the concept envisioned by billionaire Elon Musk, is currently seeking a nod from the Indian government.
"The proposal is on Mr. [Nitin] Gadkari’s (Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India) table. We are ready,” Bibop G Gresta, chairman and Chief Bibop Officer, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc (HTT), told FactorDaily, adding he recently had talks with Prime Minister Modi and Gadkari. Read more...
Apple's new iPhone 7 ad features the cutest 'Romeo and Juliet' ever
If you capture an important moment on video with an iPhone 7, you won't be sorry you didn't bring a real camera — that's the message Apple is sending in its latest iPhone 7 ad, launched Monday.
The ad, above, shows two kids acting out a scene out of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in a realistic setting. But as the scene unfolds, we realize that it's all happening on stage, instead.
The ad ends with the tagline: "Your movies look like movies on iPhone 7."
Do they, really? You can check out our review of the iPhone 7's camera here — the phone carries a 12-megapixel shooter with optical image stabilization, and it's definitely one of the best cameras around, especially in low-light settings (as depicted in the ad). Read more...
Public road gritter naming contest winner will make wordplay enthusiasts proud
Has there ever been a public naming contest not taken over by ridiculous wordplay?
Oldham Council, a government organization for the UK borough of Oldham, recently put out a call on Twitter for the public to name their new road gritter, a truck meant for salting and sanding streets.
And the public did not disappoint. The name chosen for the vehicle? Nicole Saltslinger.
Oldham Council shared the winning name with a slow reveal, aided by vehicles Gritney Spears and Gritterbug.
The name Nicole Saltslinger was submitted by 10-year-old Eve, who of course attended the gritter's unveiling. Under the competition rules, only "children who live in Oldham or attend Oldham Primary School" could enter. Read more...
Trump started a Twitter war with China, and it worked: China's mad
Donald Trump's Sunday Twitter outburst naming China has continued to send ripples through Chinese media, as both state-run papers and social media grapple with what is seen as a huge affront to the large Asian power.
It all started last Friday when Trump spoke on the phone with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen — an event he boasted about on Twitter after.
The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!
The call was seen as unorthodox, and a break in decades-long diplomatic policy; the U.S. has not recognised Taiwan officially as a nation since 1979. Because China sees Taiwan as a breakaway state, official recognition by the U.S. could destabilise China-Taiwan relations. Read more...
Madonna twerks in the passenger seat during 'Carpool Karaoke' trailer
There have been some pretty big episodes of Carpool Karaoke over the past year — Lady Gaga, Adele, and Michelle Obama, to name just a few — but this looks set to be one of the biggest.
Judging by the all-too-brief trailer above, Madonna's Carpool Karaoke is going to be a memorable event.
In the 50-second teaser the legendary singer dances to "Vogue," talks about Michael Jackson, and — most memorably of all — kneels on the passenger seat and begins furiously twerking while Corden holds his sides with laughter.
Madonna Carpool Karaoke premieres on CBS on Wednesday Dec. 7.Read more...
This photo sums up how much the world has changed in 2016
We can all agree that 2016 was the year anti-establishment politics became mainstream in the West, sending shockwaves across traditional political parties.
One photo taken in April at the G5 in Hanover pretty much sums up this sentiment.
It shows Angela Merkel surrounded by Matteo Renzi, Francois Hollande, Barack Obama and David Cameron — the then-leaders of Europe's four largest economies and the United States.
The photo re-surfaced on Twitter after Renzi's shock resignation on Sunday night, following a crushing defeat in Italy's constitutional referendum: Read more...
Watch Elton John shut down this journalist that said he's retiring
During a performance at Newcastle's Metro Arena, Sir Elton John dismissed tabloid rumours that he would be retiring from his 50-year career in music (and that he has three chefs).
Lady Gaga shares empowering message about mental illness and trauma
LONDON — Lady Gaga made a powerful announcement at a shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth, stating that she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
During a segment on the TODAY show, the singer went to the Ali Forney Center in Harlem, New York, to hand out presents before delivering a powerful message to a group of young people.
"I don't have the same kind of issues that you have, but I have a mental illness and I struggle with that illness every day. So, I need my mantra to help keep me relaxed," Lady Gaga told the group. Read more...
No, ‘The Crown’ isn’t about feminism. It doesn’t have to be.
Spoilers ahead!
The Crown is not about an early feminist icon. Despite what you may have read about the Netflix original, Queen Elizabeth II's character is more motivated to follow rules enforced by men than advocate for herself or women’s rights.
Others, Mashable included, havesuggested that because Elizabeth takes her role seriously and consequently sidesteps her husband's wishes, The Crown is a proto-feminist tale. But, in the show's first season, she does these things reluctantly, as if her hands are tied. She would rather have been a dutiful wife and mother as her husband continues his naval career, than head of state. Read more...
'Transformers: The Last Knight' teaser trailer is all explosions and moody space shots
If you like your trailers full of moody spaceships and Mark Wahlberg running away from explosions, you're going to love the teaser for Transformers: The Last Knight.
Michael Bay's latest instalment opens with mechanical dragons and a medieval battle that looks straight out of Game of Thrones, then fast-forwards through the ages to our planet being attacked yet again.
Guess who's the only British person on Time's person of the year shortlist
Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Ukip party and prominent Leave campaigner in the Brexit referendum in June, has been shortlisted for Time magazine's person of the year award.
Farage is one of the 11 contenders named by the U.S. publication alongside U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Beyoncé and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"As head of the U.K. Independence Party, Farage was a face of the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, positioning the referendum as the start of a global populist wave against the political establishment," the magazine said. Read more...
People have been spotting a military blimp up in the sky that the Singapore Air Force just started testing.
The blimp, made by U.S. manufacturer TCOM, is radar-equipped and is meant to add an extra set of eyes to alert the military to possible threats, the Straits Times reported.
The 55m (180 ft) helium-filled aircraft can see up to 200km (124 miles) away, and will eventually operate 24/7.
People have been surprised to see it in the skies, and some have pointed out how cute the roundish balloon looks, compared with other sharper-edged compatriots.
Thematically, you need an underlying message that reminds us of our common humanity.
A dash or two of humour is never remiss.
There should be a strong seasonal feel, but not to excess.
A compelling storyline with an air of intrigue is preferred.
Always include a dog. Always.
Bring lumps to throats and you're definitely on the right track.
And if you manage to seamlessly incorporate every single one of these features, well, you might just have a rival to this Polish online auction website's advert entitled "English for Beginners." Read more...
During a charity match between Swansea City's All Stars and Briton Ferry Llansawel's over 35s, former professional footballer Lee Trundle did not miss.
Here he is taking what may be the world's sneakiest penalty.
They don't come much cheekier than that, do they?
The match took place on the weekend, and the clip has been shared on Twitter thousands of times. Read more...
Election, Olympics and Pokemon top the year's Twitter trends
History will remember — or choose to forget — a lot about 2016, and much of that will live forever archived on Twitter.
The top trends of the year ranged from the Olympics to Game of Thrones, covering everything in between from the Brexit to #BlackLivesMatter. Celebrities, movies, GIFs and challenges paint a picture of the 2016 in danger of drowning but looking firmly in the other direction.
Yup, Beyonce's 'Lemonade' just got an Album of the Year Grammy nom
The 2017 Grammy Award nominations were announced this morning and, as expected, it's looking like it'll come down to Beyonce vs. Adele in many of the top categories.
Also notable? Justin Bieber came in strong. After a win last year for Best Dance Recording for "Where Are U Now" the young pop star's transformation away from just a teen idol is complete, with huge noms for Song and Album of the Year.
Here's how the 2017 Grammy nominations shook out.
Song of the Year “Formation” —Beyoncé “Hello” — Adele “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” — Mike Posner “Love Yourself” —Justin Bieber “7 Years” — Lukas Graham
Record of the Year “Hello” — Adele “Formation” — Beyoncé “7 Years” — Lukas Graham “Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake “Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots Read more...
Netflix will now show you video previews to help cure your indecision
We've all been there, scrolling through Netflix's many options but entirely unable to settle on anything.
Netflix thinks some video will help you decide.
The streaming video giant is introducing video previews to its user interface. The video below shows how navigating to "Stranger Things" brings up a brief look at the show.
"As we launch more than 1,000 hours of original content next year, we know we have less than 90 seconds to capture someone’s attention and get them excited about a title — that’s why we’re introducing video previews into the TV browsing experience," Netflix product leads Stephen Garcia and Chris Jaffe wrote in a blog post. Read more...
Google's data centers, offices will use 100% renewable energy in 2017
Google will power 100 percent of its sprawling data centers and offices with renewable energy starting next year.
The tech giant on Tuesday said it had bought enough wind and solar power to account for all the electricity it uses globally each year. That means the servers handling your Google Maps requests, storing your backlog of unread Gmails and holding the work of aspiring YouTube stars will use only emissions-free energy.
Last year, just 44 percent of Google's power supplies came from renewables, the company said.
Google Wifi review: The easiest, cheapest way to fix bad Wi-Fi
I think we can all agree that Wi-Fi routers aren't sexy devices. Nobody really gets excited over a router, unless maybe if you work in IT.
And yet, Wi-Fi routers are kind of the rage right now. You see, we all want fast and reliable Wi-Fi in every corner of our home. But networking gear is mostly "meh," with ugly and cumbersome hardware and sub-par software, often using dated web-based interfaces that might as well require a computer science degree to figure out.
Google's OnHub router, which debuted last year, was a good step towards improving Wi-Fi at home, but at $200 it was still too pricey and didn't really fix bad Wi-Fi in large, multi-room homes. Read more...
Beyoncé could soon have the most Grammys of any female artist ever
Get twirling, Bey Hive.
Beyoncé got nine Grammy nominations this year, meaning that she could be the most-awarded female artist in Grammy history at the end of the 2017 ceremony.
She was nominated for the top prize, Album of the Year, alongside Adele, Justin Bieber, Drake and Sturgill Simpson.
"Formation" was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music VideoLemonade also got a nod for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Bey's Lemonade collaborations helped her get nominations in some genre-specific categories, too. “Don't Hurt Yourself” featuring Jack White earned Bey a nomination for Best Rock Performance. "Freedom" featuring Kendrick Lamar was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Read more...
Nigel Farage is mocked on Twitter over a spelling error
Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Ukip party, is offering his support in local elections this week — but was mercilessly mocked for standing in front of a party sign mis-spelling the constituency.
Speaking to Sky News in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, Farage could be spotted standing in front of a Ukip poster which added the letter 'n' to the word Hykeham.
Nigel Farage predicts a "major realignment" in British politics if "Brexit doesn't mean Brexit" https://t.co/5eTTITGjHz
While answering questions onstage at Guadalajara International Book Fair, the author addressed the tone of his next instalment.
"There are a lot of dark chapters right now in the book that I'm writing," he said. "You know, it is called The Winds of Winter, and I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming. And winter's the time when things die, and you know... cold, and ice, and darkness fills the world. Read more...
Your Starbucks cake could have more sugar than 5 Krispy Kremes
LONDON — Cakes sold at leading coffee shops could contain "staggering high levels" of sugar with some containing as much as 18 teaspoons per slice — according to new research.
The research was conducted by the campaign group Action on Sugar (AoS) at Queen Mary University of London. It surveyed 67 cakes from 157 UK coffee shops and supermarkets.
Data on the product's nutritional information — found on labels and brand websites — were used by researchers to compare sugar content on servings of "fruity cakes". Read more...
The return of this quiz-show hero sent Twitter into meltdown
LONDON — Cambridge University student Eric Monkman became an unlikely social media sensation in September when he appeared as a guest on the British television show University Challenge.
And on Monday night, he returned in a blaze of glory to the delight of Twitter.
Veteran British actor Peter Vaughan, best known for his roles as Maester Aemon on Game of Thrones and British comedy Porridge, has died at the age of 93, according to his agent.
In a statement released this morning (UK time), Vaughan's agent said, "This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan passed away at approximately 10:30 this morning. He died peacefully with his family around him."
Vaughan's extensive career spanned seven decades and included numerous roles in British television productions but also extended to feature films like horror classic Village of the Damned, Time Bandits, The Razor's Edge, The Remains of the Day and cult classic Brazil, in which he played the Minister of Information Eugene Helpmann. Read more...
Instagram comments are getting more like Facebook.
The company is updating its comments so users can like each other's comments on posts, the Facebook-owned company announced on Tuesday. The app is also adding the ability to turn off commenting on specific posts and remove followers from private accounts without using the block button.
All of the changes are starting to roll out as of Tuesday, but Instagram says it should take a couple weeks to show up to everyone.
In a blog post Tuesday, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said the ability to like comments helps Instagram users "show support and encourages positivity throughout the community." Read more...
More than movie magic: How 'Lion' integrates Google Earth in its stirring story
Technology may be the scourge that drives humans apart, but the new film Lion takes a different tack.
In the Oscar-hopeful film — based on a true story — Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel) is separated from his mother and brother and ends up traveling across India by train. He's adopted by an Australian couple and, 25 years later, uses Google Earth to try and find his home and his family.
To give the most possible accuracy to Brierley's search, Google Earth partnered with the filmmakers to make the Internet visuals as accurate as possible.
David Beckham's tattoos turned into animated illustrations for an important reason
LONDON — David Beckham's tattoos have been transformed into powerful animations in a film highlighting the lasting impact of physical and psychological child abuse.
The film — released by children's charity UNICEF — shows the footballer's tattoos coming to life in shocking scenes depicting physical and psychological abuse.
The first animated tattoo in the film features the words "violence marks forever" wrapped around a heart, while another shot shows a tattoo of an angel with tears rolling down its face
The other animated tattoos in the film depict traumatic scenes in which children are being assaulted and verbally abused. Read more...
Little boy decorated his entire kitchen with carrots
It's important to be proud of your hard work.
When this carrot-loving kid decorated the entire kitchen with carrots, he celebrated the achievement.
A woman on Twitter shared the adorable photo that her cousin posted of his son acting like a true champion.
My cousin just posted this picture of his son. Look how excited and proud he is of where he put all the carrots. I'm cracking up pic.twitter.com/fVETR5FXZU
You might be wondering, "Will the carrots make it exceedingly difficult to open up the cabinets?" I understand why you're thinking that, but a true talent for interior design knows that sometimes you gotta sacrifice efficiency in the name of artistry. Read more...
Chrissy Treigen is the official celebrity holiday pun of 2016
'Tis the season to make decorative choices based on corny puns about celebrities.
Wreath Witherspoons, though perfect, have gone a little commercial since Mindy Kaling brought the phrase into our holiday vernacular back in 2014 and Reese herself cashed in on the pun. But 2016 is the year to DIY a Chrissy Treigen.
All you need to do is print out a photo (preferably involving a burger) and stick it on top of your tree, like a North Star guiding you away from the trolls. Read more...
Grammys 2017: 5 things to know about this year's nominees
The 2017 Grammy nominations were announced this morning, and people naturally already have a lot of feelings (No Zayn for Best New Artist?).
As expected, many of the top categories will come down to Beyonce vs. Adele (give or take a Drake). Smart money should be on Beyonce to have the slightest edge. Queen Bey has never won Album of the Year, and the Grammys will likely want to acknowledge her most substantial work.
Beyond the Album of the Year showdown, here are the big storylines coming out of this morning's Grammy nominations.
Facebook is asking users to identify 'misleading' stories
Mark Zuckerberg may insist that Facebook doesn't have a serious fake news problem, but his company is apparently taking steps to identify misleading stories.
Some Facebook users tweeted Monday that they received surveys from the site asking them to identify whether certain headlines are misleading.
Chris Krewson, the editor of Philadelphia news outlet Billy Penn, noticed the query under a Philadelphia Inquirer article. It asked him to identify to what extent the link's title uses "misleading language," with options ranging from "not at all" to "completely."
Music streaming subscriptions are on the rise, but YouTube isn't intimidated.
The video giant reported Tuesday that it paid out $1 billion to the music industry based solely on advertising. In a blog post titled "A billion reasons to celebrate music on YouTube," the company elaborates on why the music industry should embrace advertising and subscription models for digital services.
YouTube is one of several digital services that is contributing to the rise of revenues for the music industry, which has suffered from a decline over the last decade. Read more...
This time, the players are UKIP donor Arron Banks (the 'splainer) and renowned Cambridge University classicist Mary Beard (the 'splainee).
Here's how it went down.
Banks, whose self-proclaimed credentials in Roman history include history lessons from his schoolboy days and regular visits to the city (oh, and he likes to watch Gladiator), made this assertion:
Witness the devastation of Aleppo in this 360-degree video
One of the biggest and most horrific stories of 2016 has been the ongoing destruction in the Syrian city of Aleppo and a new 360-degree video gives viewers a more complete, immersive view of the of the crumbling historic city.
The video, shared on Tuesday by the Aleppo Media Center, shows the ruins of the city's eastern al-Shaar neighborhood.
The video isn't the first such experience to show the utter devastation in Aleppo. Earlier in 2016, Amnesty International Australia used footage shot in 2015 to put together a "virtual reality" experience of the damage in the city, the first time a war zone was seen in this format. Read more...
These were the world's 10 most popular sports tweets of 2016
Twitter is still the place sports fans go for up-to-the-minute news and analysis about the teams, players and games they love.
Below, check out the 10 most popular sports tweets of 2016 according to Twitter, which allow us to relive a year that provided no shortage of spectacle and entertainment.
This is the story of how a squirrel stole Christmas.
Margaret Rican and her Seattle home has been targeted by a thieving squirrel that she has dubbed the "Bulb Bandit." In a series of YouTube videos, Rican documented the pesky rodent taking colorful bulbs out of a string of lights wraaped around her home's deck.
"He has stolen 150 in 24 hours, carefully and precisely chewing through the wires to steal the bulb and bury them around the neighborhood," Rican explains on YouTube.
While it's humorous to think that there's a Christmas-hating squirrel roaming the streets of Seattle, the story takes a sudden depressing turn when you realize this poor squirrel probably thinks the bulbs are actually food. Read more...
Get rebellious with us in this 'Rogue One' homemade trailer
The first Star Wars anthology film stars Felicity Jones in a fight to steal the plans for the Death Star. We wanted to join in on the fun by recreating the trailer with just practical homemade effects!
The most beloved version of 'Counter-Strike' will live on as a mod for 'CS:GO'
Sometimes the sequels just don't compare to the original.
Counter-Strike modder "Zool" released a trailer for an upcoming mod called Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive, which takes the beloved Counter-Strike (version 1.6) and recreates it in 2012's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The mod is currently in closed beta and is expected to release on Dec. 25.
The original Counter-Strike launched more than 16 years ago and became one of the most popular and longest-lasting competitive first-person shooters in the worldCS was actually created as a mod for Valve's game Half-Life, but it was then acquired by Valve and turned into a full-fledged series. It's only fitting for it to be remade as a mod again. Read more...
Please, please, please stop calling white nationalists "hipsters"
Remember the sweet, sun-kissed days of the '00s when all anyone could complain about was bearded hipsters taking over dumb Halloween parties with PBRs and record collections culled from Urban Outfitters?
Well, it's December 2016, and the greatest threat to American culture doesn't come from a bunch of Hampshire College dropouts, but white nationalists and the alt-right, two groups who helped move Donald Trump into the Oval Office come January. Still, some media outlets have gone so far to conflate the two—"Meet the dapper white nationalist riding the Trump wave," one Mother Jones headline recently read—which mischaracterizes hipster culture (no great sin), but moreover, unintentionally minimizes the profound danger sunglasses-wearing white nationalists pose. Read more...
Now a new trend has hit the beard scene and it's about to light up this festive season in a big — and very literal — way.
Twinkling fairy lights are the latest addition to the ever-burgeoning list of ways to bedazzle one's beard this Yuletide.
One pop-up is bringing the twinkly lights to bearded Londoners, with one-off beard decorating sessions and stylist consultations.
Image: Mikael Buck / East Village
Bearded hipsters can have a go at embellishing their whiskers with lights at a beard grooming stall at East Village E20's Christmas market in east London on Sunday, Dec. 11
The "pimp my beard" pop-up will offer bearded gentlemen the chance to have a signature look crafted for them by a professional beard stylist. Read more...
Samsung-centric blog SamMobile reports it can "exclusively confirm" the upcoming Galaxy S8 will also ditch the classic 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of a sleeker, thinner design. The report doesn't name its sources, so it's fair to take the news with a healthy grain of salt.
For the musically minded, the blog claims the device will possibly compensate by integrating new stereo speakers made with tech from recently acquired Harman, since removing the only way to enjoy audio on the down low and replacing it with extra-loud speakers is a totally logical trade. Read more...
5 browser extensions that can save you time and money
Driven by the pursuit of a great deal, you’ve downloaded bar code scanning apps on your phone and clipped coupons from your local newspaper. But even you — a savvy deal seeker — may not know that your computer can replace both of those money-saving activities.
Browser extensions are plug-ins you can download on web browsers like Chrome or Safari, and some of these tools can do your bargain-hunting homework for you.
These are our picks for five of the best browser extensions for online shopping.
Honey
Honey is a browser extension that promises to help you find and automatically apply the best coupon codes at checkout before you complete an online order. So rather than opening a separate tab and searching for coupons and sales from coupon aggregator sites, you just shop as usual and let Honey do the work for you. Read more...
Justin Trudeau has worked his way back into our hearts
Our relationship with Justin Trudeau has been on the rocks, but after the Canadian Prime Minister's heartfelt interaction with a Syrian refugee, he's found his way back into our hearts.
Trudeau was overcome with emotion listening to newcomer, Vanig Garabedian discuss his first year living in Canada, and when Trudeau weeps, we all weep.
Garabedian recalled that when he stepped off the plane a year ago, the prime minister personally welcomed him to the country, shaking hands with him and his family in Toronto's Pearson Airport.
As Trudeau heard how genuinely grateful Garabedian is to be living in Canada, he couldn't help but shed a few tears. Read more...
We assume Gwyneth Paltrow has already purchased this $85 rock from Nordstrom
You know that person on your holiday list who's just impossible to shop for? Time to throw in the towel and get them a rock.
Department store chain Nordstrom is currently selling a rock with leather on it, also known as a "Leather-Wrapped Stone." It's priced at $85, but if that particular rock is out of your price range, you can purchase a slightly smaller rock, also wrapped in leather, for $65.
The company responsible is Made Solid, a Los Angeles-based business specializing in leather goods. Okay, Made Solid doesn't actually make the rocks — shoutout to the Earth for that one — but they do create lovely leather pockets for them to rest in like artisanal, Goop-esque Humpty Dumpties. Read more...
This time the results are clear: America thinks Trump tweets too much
Donald Trump still has more than a month to go until he becomes president of the United States, but Americans already want him to stop tweeting.
In a new poll taken by Politico and Morning Consult, 56 percent of respondents said Trump tweets too much. Just five percent want him to tweet even more, and those people are surely sadists who simply want to watch the world burn.
In other words, the American public seems to agree with...everyone. Journalists would prefer Trump hold press conferences instead of firing off a few 140-character thoughts every so often. His own staff had to take away his tweeting privileges for part of the campaign, lest he set fire to another news cycle on a whim. Read more...
Over the weekend, Twitter user @AnishUKIP posted two (now deleted) tweets about Christmas.
"I know this is early, Merry Christmas to all," he wrote. "We are a western Christian country. If this country loses its identity the rest is meaningless."
It’s hard to say what drew me deep out into the Great Smokey Mountains for my first Smokey Mountain Chopper Fest.
Was it my fascination with the cultural dichotomy that makes up this particular brand of chopper culture spanning from redneck to skate rat? Or was it the promise of bearing witness to a type of belligerent, primal Sendakian rumpus the likes of which I’d only heard about in story books?
After catching glimpses of last year’s mayhem via Instagram, I had to see the fire jumping, chopper chugging, face down shenanigans myself.
The way to Chopper Fest was marked by broken down motorcycles along the side of the road. Read more...
Amazon Go is a much better idea than delivery drones
I wanted to dismiss Amazon Go as another Jeff Bezos attention play. But I was wrong. This is the shopping experience we’ve all been waiting for. Amazon is the most important retailer in the country, and when it tries to transform how we shop and receive products, people listenI listen.
When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos went on 60 Minutes a few years ago to unveil his plans for drone delivery, I had a million questions and almost zero faith that they would ever make it happen. Delivery drones like Amazon's proposed Prime Air must be fairly large, they’re loud and, in most neighborhoods, will always feel invasive. And the FAA is never going to cooperate. Delivery of one product by drone isn’t even particularly efficient. If nothing else, Amazon is an incredibly efficient product delivery service. I can order five products this morning and receive some or all of them within 48 hours (and sometimes sooner). Read more...
Some dog's don't deserve the title of man's best friend.
The dogs that roam the streets of Moscow are known to be pretty intuitive; some of them have even been seen navigating the city's complex subway system. But when it's time for some grub, these dogs also know a quick way to score a bite to eat.
A group of three dogs were recently spotted ganging up on a poor woman exiting a grocery store. After a few moments of the dogs jumping on her, she finally gave in and handed the big one a loaf of bread.
It's unclear if the woman previously made the mistake of feeding these dogs or if they just run a food-stealing ring that operates out of the grocery store. Read more...
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' reimagined as a homemade trailer
Join the rebellion — the homemade miniature rebellion, that is! As the first Star Wars Anthology film releases this weekend, we recreated the trailer using the mighty force of DIY.
Creating opportunity and excitement for STEM careers
The impact that technology has on our lives is incredible — it has changed the way we communicate, has created improvements in our health and has revolutionized the way we understand and interpret our world.
As opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) continue to grow, so do the possibilities. In fact, a recent analysis of 26 million job postings found that nearly half of all the jobs in the top quartile in pay require some coding knowledge or skills. That number will only grow larger in the years to come. By 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are projected to be in a CS-related field. Read more...
New animated short film reveals the anxiety and stigma of 'flying while fat'
In tiny airplane cabins, pressure mounts — especially for plus-size travelers entering an aircraft that wasn't designed with them in mind.
To bring attention to the discrimination and stress plus-size people face when flying, London-based activist and artist Stacy Bias has created a new animated short film called Flying While Fat. She hopes to start a conversation about acceptance and inclusion of plus-size travelers.
Bias tells Mashable she created the animated short to amplify the often silenced voices of fat airline passengers, giving them the chance to unpack the challenges of fitting into spaces that physically exclude them. Read more...
'Rogue One' director talks reshoots: 'Star Wars has to be fantastic'
To some Star Wars fans, reports that the upcoming movie Rogue One was spending weeks reshooting some scenes this summer was cause for consternation.
But Rogue One director Gareth Edwards has news for those fans — that's how movies work. Reshoots make them better. And that goes double for a Star Wars movie.
"With a lot of films you go 'that's good,' and walk away," Edwards told Mashable. "But Star Wars has to be fantastic. So you shouldn't let go of the camera, or the edit suite, until they [pry] it out of your hands." Read more...
13 awesome tech gifts for everyone on your holiday list
‘Tis the time of year when the frenzy of holiday shopping hits and you find yourself wracking your brain for good gift ideas. This time, you’re trying to plan far enough ahead so you don’t end up emailing Amazon e-certificates at the 11th hour.
Fear not, there’s still plenty of time to get everyone a thoughtful and really cool gift. Here’s a handy guide of tech gifts for everyone you’re shopping for. Ranging from affordable to splurge-worthy, there’s plenty of tech to go around.
For the friend who wants to escape reality
Image: VIEW-MASTER® DELUXE VR VIEWER
You’ll be a superhero in your gamer giftee’s eyes when you present him or her with the View-Master Deluxe VR Viewer. It is the perfect and affordable way to introduce anyone to their own virtual reality headset and escape reality, especially when they can dive into practically-limitless VR content and adventures from View-Master or Google Cardboard. The headset comes with a headphone connector and focus wheel. ($39.99) Read more...
Three months after Apple secured a huge court win over rival Samsung, the United States Supreme Court has stepped in and reversed the previous ruling, throwing out hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and sending the case back to a lower court.
The Supreme Court's ruling on Tuesday is a new chapter in the five-year-old battle between the two companies. This particular round related to $399 million Samsung was ordered to pay Apple for copying the iPhone's rounded edges, flat screen, and the way in which apps are arranged.
BREAKING: Supreme Court throws out $399 million judgment against Samsung in company's patent dispute with Apple over iPhone design.
This art installation is bringing the northern lights to cities all over the world
Catching a glimpse of the norther lights just got a whole lot easier, thanks to an installation called 'BOREALIS' by Swiss artist Dan Archer. Read more...
There's a very good reason to tweet emoji at Google right now
Your friends know what it means when you text them a burger emoji — you're hungry! 🍔 — but Google sure doesn't.
Or didn't, we should say: Because starting today, Google will be able to interpret emoji via its Twitter handle. Simply tweet an emoji to @Google and the service will give you relevant results.
So, if you want to find the best burger in your area, all you have to do is tweet the burger emoji at Google, which takes just a matter of seconds. The account will then respond with a link to a Google search for "burgers nearby," displaying a map with restaurant listings. Read more...
Portland's polar bear plays in the first snow of the season
Nora the polar bear is SUPER pumped.
The Portland Zoo received its first snow of the season recently, giving its resident one-year-old polar bear a chance to frolic in the fresh powder.
The young bear was born in captivity last year, but was abandoned by her mother after just a few days and was raised by zoo keepers at the Columbus Zoo before arriving at her forever home in Oregon's Portland Zoo.
How to repurpose high-tech gadgets when you're way, way out of range
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HISTORY
When people find themselves stranded in the wilderness, they need to get creative with how they use the resources at their disposal while they try to survive the elements. Innovative wilderness hacks are staples among the participants in HISTORY’s hit survival show Alone. The series follows the day-to-day lives of survival experts as they try to last as long as possible in Patagonia, Argentina — so they know a thing or two about making the best out of an extreme situation.
While the hardcore survivalists on Alone aren’t allowed to bring any technology with them when they’re dropped into treacherous and remote locations, odds are you would at least have your smartphone on you if you ever found yourself stranded with no signal. Read more...
Stunning Instagrams capture woman's 4,500 mile flight as human swan
On a lightweight wing and possibly a few prayers, Sacha Dench gracefully glided over Dover's white cliffs Monday, becoming the first woman to cross the English Channel in a paramotor.
It was a remarkable feat and just the latest leg in a Herculean effort that's seen the British conservationist fly from the icy Russian tundra to British soil, tracing the migratory route of the Bewick's swan.
Dench's journey, which will end in Gloucestershire in the south west of England after she delivers a petition to Downing Street to lobby for swan conservation, has seen her travel some 7,000 km over 11 countries. Its goal: to see first hand the challenges these beautiful, dwindling birds face as they make their epic annual journey west — and to educate some of the communities they encounter on the way. Read more...
LeBron James is biggest name yet to avoid Trump hotels
When the Cleveland Cavaliers head to New York City to play the New York Knicks on Wednesday, some of the team's players, including its biggest star, will reportedly be bypassing the team's usual Trump-owned hotel.
While the Cavs have a contract with Trump's SoHo hotel, LeBron James is among a group of players who have been granted permission to stay elsewhere on the team's trip, according to ESPN.
With reports of unexpected shutdowns plaguing phones with serial numbers outside of the previously announced "very small number" of iPhone 6S devices, Apple has once again issued a statement to reassure concerned customers that their voices have been heard.
The statement touts Apple's achievement of the "highest customer satisfaction rating of any smartphone maker in China and around the world," before rehashing the pertinent details of the battery shutdown saga. The new information comes at the very end, seen below: Read more...
The internet is rallying to help fund this dog's facelift
LONDON — An internet campaign to help fund a facelift for a Shar-Pei called Hector has passed the halfway mark.
The dog is currently under the care of Halfway Home Dog Rescue in Collingham, UK. Hector was found abandoned and the home took him in to stop him from being put to sleep when no one claimed him.
The home has said that Hector, whose skin is rubbing against his eyes, will need an operation to stop him from going blind. The organization is currently trying to raise between £1,500 and £3,000 to pay for a facelift. Read more...
Fiona Apple's Christmas carol a delivers holiday message to Donald Trump
Though it's been said many times, many ways, Fiona Apple singing, "fuck you, Donald Trump," still manages to bring a fresh take on a classic sentiment.
Apple rewrote Nat King Cole's Christmas classic to reflect the current chilly political climate, singing, "Trump's nuts roasting on an open fire as he keeps nipping at his foes."
And from there, she really starts going in, calling out Trump's privilege, predatory behavior and racism. "Everybody knows some money and entitlement can help to make the season white," Apple warns. This world truly is bullshit.
These opening movie title sequences are pure masterpieces
One of the marks of a great filmmaker is their ability to utilize every part of the film to enhance the story's theme. Here are some of the best opening title sequences in film history.
Lights, Camera, Cameron: Netflix releases trailer for new Cam Dallas show
Apparently being a famous digital influencer does entail a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
At least that's what it looks like in the new trailer for Cameron Dallas' new Netflix show Chasing Cameron.
The 10-episode series, which debuts on Dec. 27, follows the star's behind-the-scenes life. It focuses in on his adventures with close friends Taylor Caniff, Aaron Carpenter, Blake Gray, Willie Jones and Trey Schafer, as they all set out on MAGCON's (Meet and Greet Convention) first international tour.
“Social media… it’s the future for the new generation,” Dallas says in the trailer.
Meet LiLou, the therapy pig here to make you feel better about flying
Who needs licensed social workers and prescription Xanax when you can have therapy pigs?
Meet LiLou, the groundbreaking Juliana pig who now freelances at the San Francisco International Airport. LiLou joins a diverse team of therapy animals at the airport, there to soothe anxious passengers. She is believed to be the first pig in the country to take on this kind of role.
The team, known as the "Wag Brigade," was formed approximately three years ago. It includes approximately 300 animals who work diligently to sit and look cute as panicked passengers pet their way to oblivion. Read more...
Expectations vs. reality at the office Christmas party
Ah, the annual office holiday party. It’s the perfect opportunity to cut loose with your coworkers, blow off steam and let your colleagues finally see you with your hair down.
It’s also a social situation that lends itself to embarrassing snafus, awkward conversations, wardrobe malfunctions and some super awkward next-morning run-ins at the watercooler.
Below are a few things you’ve been quietly hoping will happen at this year’s office party, but who are you kidding? We all know how this will turn out.
Office gift giving…
Expectation: This year’s Secret Santa exchange will finally yield something you can actually use. Read more...
Lucky Kiwis were able to enter the contest on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram by following KFC New Zealand's profiles and suggesting merchandise the company should make. There were reportedly more than 15,000 total comments and suggestions on the social media posts. Read more...
No, Mr. Trump. Do not cancel the plan for a new Air Force One
President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he thinks the Air Force should end procurement of the next version of Air Force One, which is based on Boeing's latest version of the iconic Boeing 747, because it's too pricey.
Doing this would be, shall we say, very bad. Sad even!
Not only is that interpretation wrong, there are two great, if interrelated, reasons for keeping the procurement open: We need a new plane. And jobs.
The answer is unequivocally yes, since the current version of Air Force One is getting old, having entered service in 1990, during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. The age is showing, with higher costs to operate the plane (about $200,000 per hour, according to CNN), and the necessity of fuel stops on long trips, such as Washington to Tokyo. According to Boeing, such stops would not be needed if the new 747 were used. Read more...
6 deeply serious questions we have for Joe Biden about a 2020 presidential run
America is holding out for a hero to save us from the shitshow known as the 2016 election, and it turns out Joe Biden might be up for the job.
Though the beloved VP crushed hopes of running for office in 2016 early on, at a Senate session on Monday Biden gifted us a glimmer of hope that he hasn't completely ruled out running for president in 2020.
Barack's right hand man hinted at a possible run for office after Trump's four years are up, according to CNN.
"Yeah, I am. I'm going to run in 2020," Biden responded, when questioned about his future plans. When reporters asked what exactly he would be running for, he sassily replied, "For president. What the hell, man." Read more...
One Drop is revolutionizing diabetes care through an app
The tech revolution in healthcare has so far focused on people who are already pretty healthy. FitBits, Apple Watches and the like are useful if you're trying to stay fit, but not if you're looking for tools to help manage a chronic condition.
One company is bridging the gap between chronic illness and technology — and software and hardware — with a new service and app launching this weekOne Drop will provide a monthly subscription of all the tools a person with diabetes needs to manage their condition. The physical equipment is paired with an app that tracks activity, nutrition and the many other factors that go into managing diabetes. Read more...
What models of diverse identities really think of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
On Monday night, 51 of the industry's most sought-after models strutted down the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway, touted as the most beautiful women in the world.
But who decides what makes them the most beautiful?
With so many gorgeous, diverse working models, it's a wonder that every model on the 2016 Victoria's Secret catwalk fits into one, classic mold of conventional beauty.
It's time to call out Victoria's Secret inclusivity problem. There are so many types of beautiful that deserve representation on the VS runway — curve, people with disabilities, transgender and gender non-conforming models who have worked tirelessly to redefine common beauty standards, and those efforts deserve recognition. Read more...
The trailer for 'The Circle' is here — and so is a creepy promotional website
Emma Watson is going to Silicon Valley.
The Harry Potter alum shines in the trailer for the upcoming adaptation of Dave Eggers’ best-selling 2013 novel The Circle.
The film follows Mae (Watson), a recent grad who feels lucky to have been hired to work at The Circle, a Facebook/Google-esque mysterious, wealthy Silicon Valley company that catalogs everything and everyone's personal information.
Tom Hanks stars as one of the company's leaders, and John Boyega (The Force Awakens) and Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) play two of Mae’s co-workers.
Return date announced for third and final season of 'The Leftovers'
It's been a year to the day since The Leftovers last aired, which makes Dec. 6 the perfect date for HBO to announce when the Damon Lindelof drama will return for its third and final season.
In a new video released on Facebook and Twitter, Lindelof and series co-creator Tom Perrotta (who wrote the novel on which the show is based) appeared in the white garb of the Guilty Remnant to tease fans about the show's Season 3 premiere date.
While we still don't have an exact date for The Leftovers' Season 3 return, Perrotta at least deigned to reveal the month: April 2017, meaning that the show is likely slipping into the slot vacated by Game of Thrones, which will return next summer instead of its usual spring debut. Read more...
The 'Dota 2' Boston Major: How to watch and what you need to know
The first Major of the 2016-2017 Dota 2 season is about to kick off in Boston, and all 16 teams are locked in for the $3 million tournament.
The Boston Major's four-day main event runs from Wednesday to Saturday, Dec. 7 to 10, featuring eight invited teams from last season's International and eight qualified teams. All 16 teams competed in group stages this past Saturday and Sunday to determine their seeding in the bracket.
Google, Microsoft, Facebook receive notice from Indian court over illegal activities
Silicon Valley giants have found themselves in legal hot water in India.
India’s top court has expressed concern over illegal activities and cyber abuse that occur on Facebook as well as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo search engines.
The Supreme Court has sent notice to the companies asking why they aren’t preventing users from behaviors including circulating rape videos and posting other private content without the subjects' consent. The companies have until Jan. 9 to respond.
The matter was brought to the court by Prajwala, a Hyderabad-based NGO, which requested the service providers remove offensive materials immediately after the content was brought to their attention. Read more...
Dad texts daughter all the reasons why he loves her mom, has the internet sobbing
Cuffing season is upon us, and with it a desire for a love so pure that it can outlast anything (or, at the very least, four solid months indoors).
So it makes sense that the internet is in tears over a tweet from Twitter user @sydnyy_, who shared a series of text messages from her father regarding his 27-year marriage to her mother.
I'm writing an essay about my parents and hearing this from my dad about my mom made me cry. 27 years of marriagepic.twitter.com/27muq07Xpz
Sydney's father details the sweet story of his engagement, the challenges of working while raising a young family and his present-day feelings about her mother, 27 years later. Read more...
Donald Trump, Peter Thiel beckon tech leaders to Trump Tower
One month after his election as president of the United States, we may get a better idea of what to expect from Donald Trump's relationship with tech as he's summoned tech leaders to his gilded tower in Manhattan for a roundtable non Dec. 14.
According to USA Today, the key members of Trump's transition team who extended the invitation included the president-elect's future chief-of-staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law Jared Kushner and sole tech pal, Peter Thiel.
Trump famously claimed he doesn't use a computer, but he does partake (too much) in communicating with his followers via Twitter, where he has bashed big-time tech companies like Apple, Google and Amazon. Read more...
Will Ferrell will be starring in a comedy about esports
Will Ferrell has lampooned the competitive worlds of car racing, figure skating, basketball and youth soccer, and now he's set his sights on competitive gaming.
Ferrell is set to star in an upcoming esports comedy, Legendary Entertainment announced in an email release Tuesday. The film does not yet have a title or expected release date.
The esports comedy is being likened to Talladega Nights, a 2006 comedy film written by and starring Ferrell, who plays dysfunctional and successful NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby. Ferrell's role within the world of esports has not yet been announced for the upcoming film, but I wouldn't put money on him just being a spectator. Read more...
This stylish phone case can also protect your iPhone from a 45-foot drop
Smartphone case company Mous is proving the strength of their newest product by testing their 'Airo Shock' material in some unconventional ways. Read more...
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