Behind-the-scenes video game documentary kicks off with a deep dive into storytelling
Story matters in video games. That isn't to say they're required every time, but games are uniquely positioned to tell stories in unexpected ways.
That's the topic of discussion in the first episode of The Game Makers: Inside Story, a 10-part series that sits down with a diverse lineup of industry luminaries, including: Amy Hennig (Uncharted series), Jenova Chen, Jade Raymond (upcoming Star Wars game from Visceral), and Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us). The full series launches on Feb. 15, but we're thrilled to share an exclusive peek at the first episode.
Insane drone footage shows massive damage and flooding at California's Oroville Dam
Drone and helicopter footage over Northern California's imperiled Oroville Dam show the widespread damage and furious flooding that forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate on Sunday.
High water levels at Lake Oroville this weekend prompted authorities to use the dam's emergency spillway for the first time in its nearly 50-year history. The main spillway had suffered unexpected erosion earlier this week after heavy rains caused a 30-foot-deep hole in the structure.
In aerial footage, water is seen roaring down the dam's damaged spillway, looking like the world's most terrifying waterslide. The emergency spillway appears more like a muddy mess of small creeks that spill menacingly from the reservoir. Read more...
Hell f*cking yes Verizon's new unlimited data plan is a good deal
Hey data hogs, guess what? Unlimited data plans are back on Verizon.
Whoo-hoo! This is great news. Where do you sign up to switch, either from an individual plan that you're probably paying way too much for and getting way too little, or from another carrier?
Relax there tiger. Before you make the leap to Verizon's "unlimited" (with all of its fine print; more on that below) plan, you should know how it compares to the competition and whether or not you'll actually save money.
We totally understand what a nightmare it is to look through each U.S. carrier's confusing website to compare the plans, which is why we did all the homework for you. Here's the breakdown. Read more...
The NBA banned being jerks on Twitter, so now teams are being obnoxiously nice to each other
Trolls will be trolls, it seems.
Last week the NBA released new rules preventing teams from "mocking and/or ridiculing" each other on social media. It didn’t take long for teams to poke fun at the regulations with a little sarcasm.
The Sacramento Kings — whose persistent trolling on Twitter probably had something to do with the NBA's new rules — decided to take things in a friendlier direction on Friday night. Playing the Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento congratulated Hawks forward Paul Milsap on a nice shot from downtown and wished him a happy birthday. Read more...
Chris Evans channeled Captain America as he gave a unifying response to a hateful tweet
Cap has no time for rude people.
Chris Evans, the super handsome man who plays Captain America on the big screen, is known for his insane muscles and sweet personality. He's also no stranger to bringing the values of his character into his real life.
So, when David Duke, former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, asked Chris Evans over Twitter on Sunday why the movie star "hates the women of his own people," Evans responded with a message of love and unity.
'Rumps Against Trump' sees protesters bare their butts outside Trump Tower
The cold couldn't keep protesters from giving Donald Trump a bit of show at the weekend.
Hundreds showed up in front of Trump Tower in Chicago on a brisk Sunday afternoon to bare their butts in protest of Trump's refusal to release his tax returns.
As part of a "Rumps Against Trump" mass mooning organized by a satirical news organization, about 300 aimed their asses at the president's Chicago building for about 10 seconds.
There can be a lot of pressure that comes with Valentine's Day. It's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, after all.
If you’re feeling lost, look no further – it’s time to let technology be your wingman.
We have the perfect apps for you to kick off your evening, and then keep the fun going all night. As long as you begin the right way, everything else will fall into place and you can focus on spending valuable time with your Valentine.
The iconic holiday episode of The Office, "Valentine's Day," aired on Feb. 9, 2006, but the lessons learned for B.J. Novak have apparently stuck around.
But today, he brought back the plight of Ryan with a warning for all the lovebirds and tail chasers (still a relevant phrase?): "Be careful out there."
Long past the finale of everyone's fave workplace sitcom, Novak is out here reminding us to be vigilant. Read more...
Dude rolls his valentine an impressive heart-shaped joint
There are regular joints and blunts, and then there are works of art.
While some schmucks are out shopping at a pharmacy for boxed chocolate, Redditor gr33npete decided to take a different route and give his valentine a bit of green for the romantic holiday.
Flexing his impressive rolling skills, gr33npete created a joint shaped like a heart with an arrow going through the middle — it's actually super impressive.
While the shape of the joint is impressive enough, the details are essential to how adorable this joint actually is. In the comments, gr33npete explains that the joint actually needs to be smoked by two people at the same time for proper airflow. One of the mouthpieces is located at the back of the arrow and the other on the bottom of the heart. Read more...
Paul Pogba unveils new handshake on Twitter, and his partner will warm your heart
Last time Manchester United star Paul Pogba posted video of himself and a teammate doing a handshake like this on social media, he got rebuked by a club legend.
Now Pogba's back with a new potential post-goal celebration. And he has a new partner — his mom. To which we can only say: Awwwww.
Pogba, for the uninitiated, is a United midfielder who's among the most dynamic young players in soccerThis highlight video nicely illustrated why, but let's keep the story moving. How many global superstars practice celebratory moves with, of all people, their mothers? Read more...
T-Mobile strikes back at Verizon's unlimited data plan
The unlimited data plan wars just got real ugly.
It hasn't even been 24 hours since Verizon announced its new unlimited data plans and T-Mobile has already hit back with new additions to its own unlimited plan to match Big Red's.
On Monday afternoon, T-Mobile U.S. CEO John Legere went on a tweetstorm to even the unlimited playing field.
In addition to slamming Verizon for copying its T-Mobile One unlimited plan, losing its network advantage, and still advertising that people don't need unlimited data plans, Legere announced T-Mobile One, the company's unlimited data plan, will also get HD-quality video streaming and 10GB of 4G LTE hotspot data for tethering starting on Friday. Read more...
Let's be real: If you were stuck in a house-sized tin can for months at a time with only your other crewmembers as company, you might get a little slap-happy and start pranking.
That seems to be what's happening with astronauts onboard the International Space Station right now.
A tweet sent by NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson shows her floating around in a cargo bag that NASA's Shane Kimbrough and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet zipped her into.
Everything you need to know about Valentine's Day you learned in second grade
Grown-ups have really screwed up Valentine’s Day. We've made it into an expensive holiday fraught with romantic landmines. But kids, as usual, have it all figured out — it’s nothing but a day filled with fun candy and crafts.
If you're longing to get back to those heart-filled glory days? It turns out there’s a lot you can learn about how to properly celebrate from the time-honored children's ritual of exchanging valentines in class.
It’s about including everyone
Rule number one of elementary school valentines is that everyone in the class gets one. It’s not about being someone’s one and only or picking favorites like a too-cool mean girl. It’s about spreading the love to everyone in the room, whether you love them or not. Read more...
A university was attacked by its lightbulbs, vending machines and lamp posts
It sounds like a sci-fi movie. Over 5,000 connected devices, including light bulbs and vending machines, were hacked to slow internet service at a university to a crawl.
Poorly secured internet of things (IoT) devices have become gold mines for hackers looking to launch DDoS attacks to take websites and services offline. But this latest case, detailed in Verizon's Data Breach Digest 2017, is the rare example of gadgets attacking their own network.
The devices were making hundreds of Domain Name Service (DNS) lookups every 15 minutes, causing the university's network connectivity to become unbearably slow or even inaccessible. Read more...
This robot is all legs and can deliver your groceries
Meet 'Cassie,' a robot that is all legs, but packs a ton of personality. Conceived by Agility Robotics, she's a prototype of what robots could look like in the future. Read more...
Passenger drones will start flying for real in summer 2017
If you make it to Dubai this summer, you might have the chance to catch a brand new type of self-driving vehicle. One that flies.
At today's World Government Summit, the head of the city's Roads & Transportation Agency, Mattar al-Tayer, announced plans to introduce a passenger-carrying drone service. The one-person drones could be ferrying commuters between predetermined checkpoints by July; the agency showed off the vehicle at an event, according to an APreport.
Hey, remember in 2015 when Playboy announced that it would stop publishing images of nude women indefinitely, signifying the end of a 62-year tradition?
After Hugh Hefner's son, Cooper, was made chief creative officer for the magazine last October, he made it his mission to abolish the no nude policy. As an explanation for the new (old) policy, he tweeted this statement about the new (old) direction of the brand: Read more...
How one company is transforming trash into clean energy
Trash is a big problem. From massive landfills to the pollution swirling in the ocean, there’s a waste issue on our planet — and humans are to blame for it.
But what if we could turn that trash into energy?
For years this kind of closed loop system has been nothing more than a pipedream of the eco-conscious. Now, one LA-based green tech company is making that dream a reality.
Entrade designs and manufactures waste solution systems that convert solid waste into clean electricity on site.
“If you can take the waste and actually process it in the location that you are, that’s a tremendous opportunity to make the environment a much cleaner place,” says Nick Tarditti, head of corporate development. Read more...
How one company is transforming trash into clean energy
Trash is a big problem. From massive landfills to the pollution swirling in the ocean, there’s a waste issue on our planet — and humans are to blame for it.
But what if we could turn that trash into energy?
For years this kind of closed loop system has been nothing more than a pipedream of the eco-conscious. Now, one LA-based green tech company is making that dream a reality.
Entrade designs and manufactures waste solution systems that convert solid waste into clean electricity on site.
“If you can take the waste and actually process it in the location that you are, that’s a tremendous opportunity to make the environment a much cleaner place,” says Nick Tarditti, head of corporate development. Read more...
Donald Trump didn't tweet this morning and it freaked people out
So it's come to this.
In an era where how often President Donald Trump tweets has become as much of an obsession as the content of those tweets, we're all apparently way more mystified that Trump actually didn't manage to fire off his usual round of tweets until later in the morning.
13 things we learned about love from 'The Bachelor' franchise, for better or worse
When it comes to figuring out love, there might not be an official playbook, but there is The Bachelor franchise.
Over the years of being true Bachelor stans, the series’ bachelors and bachelorettes have taught us countless important lessons about love, relationships and the relentless pursuit of roses. Here are 13 keys to a happy relationship we've picked up from our Bachelor heroes .
We’ve all been there. You just pulled up to your significant other’s house, they said “be right out!” and you just remembered it’s that wonderful real holiday we all respect: Valentine’s Day.
No gift? No problem! Here are some literal last minute gift ideas you can come up with just in your car.
This is an old standby. If you happen to have a rubber band lying around your car, you can quickly write "LOVE" on it for an easy and practical makeshift bracelet. This is a viable option if you're in a pinch and not getting a gift is simply out of the question. Read more...
The internet Photoshops the crap out of Justin Trudeau staring at Trump's hand
A picture's worth 1000 Photoshops.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump had their first face-to-face meeting at the White House on Monday, prompting a flurry of activity as the internet awaited its next world leader-filled meme.
The new meme came in the form of an awkward glance as Trudeau looked disappointed for just a split second when Trump held out his hand for a shake during a photo op.
But the fact that the look was only for a moment didn't matter. The photo spread like a Beyoncé pregnancy announcement, and it soon made its way to Reddit's Photoshop battles, where the internet's Photoshop wizards went to work. Read more...
National Geographic's 'Origins' is like 'Cosmos' but about the nature of human civilization
What made human beings civilized? (Sure, certain individuals aren't so civilized — but on a species level, we're not doing so bad.)
That's the question being answered in Origins: The Journey of Humankind, a flashy eight-part series starring Brain Games host, futurist and filmmaker Jason Silva. It's coming to National Geographic in March — and we've got an exclusive look at the first six minutes, above.
Taking a leaf out of the Neil DeGrasse Tyson Cosmos playbook, Origins is heavy on trippy audio-visual sequences. National Geographic calls the show a "full-sensory time-travel adventure," and hired YouTuber John Boswell, known as Melodysheep, to create the necessary sound and vision. (You may remember Melodysheep's viral remixes of Carl Sagan from the original Cosmos.) Read more...
Obama's photographer just threw shade at Trump's chaotic security meeting
With every crazy new episode of the Trump show, Barack Obama's old White House photographer has been quick with the shade, and Monday was no exception.
Following news that Trump responded to an international nuclear crisis with a public security briefing lit by cellphones and captured on Facebook by an extra from the Ted movie, Pete Souza decided to share his own memory on Instagram. You know, to see how Obama and Trump's approaches compare.
Posting an image of the former president holding a security meeting in El Salvador in March 2011, Souza remembers in the caption that "national security discussions and head of state phone calls were conducted in a private, secure location." Read more...
ABC makes history with the first black Bachelorette
It took 33 seasons for The Bachelor franchise to make history.
Rachel Lindsay, a current contestant on Nick Viall's season, will be Bachelorette no. 13, multipleoutletsreport, marking the first time in the history of the entire ABC franchise that a nonwhite contestant will lead the show.
"I finished setting up my fantasy teams, but the only plays I want to make this season is for your heart." - Rachel ❤️🏈 pic.twitter.com/oLW7lDupos
Bachelor blogger Reality Steve first reported the news, which ABC declined to confirm. The official announcement will be made on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Monday night's episode of The Bachelor. Read more...
I waited in the snow for several hours to buy stuff with Kylie Jenner's face on it
"We're literally just waiting in the cold for hours for makeup we can buy online," one girl explained to her friend.
I had been waiting a little over an hour in light snowfall to enter Kylie Jenner's New York City pop-up shop, but I was nowhere near Lip Kit heaven — the line wrapped around two blocks. A security guard told me that the most dedicated of Kylie's Kings showed up at 5 a.m. for the chance to buy some stuff with her face on it and maybe see her IRL.
Some resilient fans came as early as Saturday, during what I will remind you is the dead of winter, to be at the front of the line. They were rewarded when Kylie herself dropped in the night before the shop's launch to take selfies advertising the space. Read more...
The app was quietly added to the App Store Feb. 9, according to analytics from App Annie, but it appears as though it's still in some sort of pre-launch phase as users can't log into the app or access anything beyond the initial launch screen. Read more...
'Please tell me that's not your penis' is the TV cliffhanger cracking up Twitter
Look, we're not accustomed to New Zealand's TV scene, but the cliffhanger ending to an episode of the country's biggest (and possibly only) soap opera Shortland Street makes us wish we were.
Let's set the scene: Two teenagers enter a home, hoping to do what teens do when there's an empty house. The only problem is the boy's dad is there, and he knows all about what's about to go down.
Facebook is shooting for a big year in live sports, making its mark on the fragmenting sports streaming industry.
Through a new partnership with Univision, Facebook will stream 46 games from Mexico's top soccer league Liga MX to the network's U.S. users, the companies announced Monday.
That's just one sport and one league, but it's a big deal for Facebook and it could be bad news for Twitter, Amazon and other streaming platforms. Facebook, approaching 2 billion monthly active users and on a quest to be the new TV, offers massive reach for videos. Read more...
Scottish actor Jimmy Vee is the guy inside everyone's favorite astromech droid in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Lucasfilm has confirmed to Mashable.
Vee replaced Kenny Baker, the original Artoo from 1977 through 2015, when The Last Jedi was filmed in the UK and Ireland last year. Baker was 81 and infirm at the time; he died during filming.
Vee's casting in the Force Awakens sequel was something of an open secret. Not only did UK tabloids say that Vee would be stepping into Baker's shoes as early as December 2015, but Vee himself has been retweeting Star Wars-related tweets from his fellow cast members, including Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill, for more than a year. Read more...
'SNL' mocked Trump again and scored its highest ratings in 6 years
Even though Donald Trump didn't actually make an appearance during this week's Saturday Night Live, his convincing impersonator Alec Baldwin made the show great again.
So great, in fact, that NBC reported Saturday's episode brought in the highest ratings to the show since January 2011, when Jim Carrey hosted and The Black Keys performed after an NFL game. This week's show received a 7.2 rating without the help of a football game.
Trump would be sad to know that the episode he hosted two years ago got nowhere near as many viewers as Saturday's broadcast, which was almost entirely devoted to mocking him. Read more...
Back when Durant paid tearful tribute to his mother during his MVP acceptance speech, he was playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. This summer, he signed with the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State played in Oklahoma City on Saturday night for the first time since that move, and things got heated. The Warriors won easily, 130-114, but there were multiple (albeit minor) on-court confrontations between Durant and his former teammates as the Thunder crowd pelted him with boos and insults all night long. Read more...
Elon Musk: 'Getting in a car will be just like getting in an elevator' in 10 years
The race to the first fully self-driving car might be raging on at full speed, but one of its main participants, benevolent Bond villain Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, is already looking well past the finish line into the autonomous future.
Musk — who was also on hand to announce Tesla's expansion into the United Arab Emirates, the company's first official entrance to the Middle Eastern market — told a panel at the World Government Summit in Dubai Monday that while self-driving car systems are imminent within the next few years, it might take longer for the tech to fully "disrupt" manual driving. When it does, he believes the world economy needs to be prepared to adjust to a society that no longer needs human drivers as part of the workforce.Business Insider first posted the video of Musk's remarks. Read more...
It’s been almost five years since the last of the great unlimited data plans died out and left just a few calcifying tendrils of grandfather access for those willing to live the remainder of their days on 3G phones.
People were upset when AT&T and Verizon ended those plans, even if few ever used their monthly allotment of 2G of data. Most, however, realized how awesome unlimited would have been in the age of 4G LTE. Obviously, carriers realized how not awesome that would be: people streaming 5 GB of data at 4G speeds without paying a dime more.
Drew Barrymore handles her daughter's tantrums in the best way
Children are the worst. All they seem to do is cry, scream and wobble about the place looking for the nearest sharp object to trip and fall on.
Just ask Drew Barrymore, star of Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet and all around G.O.A.T.
Barrymore's daughter Olive recently had a meltdown at Disneyland of all places, putting her mum in that tricky situation of having to deal with a screaming child in the most public of settings.
"In this case, she wanted to chase a duck," Barrymore explained to Seth Myers.
But rather than losing her nerve when faced with a kicking, screaming child, Barrymore showed off her legendarily good sense of humour and used the opportunity to take a funny photo. Read more...
Twitter just launched, and killed, a new abuse fix in 2 hours
Twitter is trying to listen to users when it comes to abuse, apparently. And that means rolling out a fix and killing it in short order.
On Tuesday morning, the company announced it would no longer notify users when they were added to lists. Lists are often deployed as a tool of harassment — adding people to a "top idiots of 2017" list, for example. But they're also used to organise communities or to follow certain topics.
Two hours later, after waves of mostly negative feedback, the company tweeted: "This was a misstep. We're rolling back the change and we'll keep listening."
"Reconsidered and reversing," tweeted Ed Ho, the company's Vice President of Engineering. Read more...
With the Super Bowl behind us, the website Pro Football Focus published a list of its 101 best players during the NFL season that was. Not included on the list was Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who gained 1,267 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns this season.
McCoy took the news in stride. Just kidding.
He took the battle to PFF's Twitter mentions, where he flamed the site's staff with this sophisticated counterpoint on Monday morning. Read more...
Hedgehog trapped in a yoghurt pot gets a shakedown from the cops
It's every mischief maker's worst nightmare: You're out on the town, getting up to some light-hearted fun, when suddenly you find yourself cornered by the police.
That's exactly the dire situation one "inebriated" hedgehog in New Zealand found itself in, after getting trapped in a yoghurt pot on Monday night.
The 3 places NASA could hunt for signs of ancient life on Mars in 2020
If you send a rover to Mars, you need to figure out what you want to study once it gets there.
Do you want an up-close look at former hot springs? Are you interested in learning more about the planet's past volcanic activity? How about checking out a crater that was once filled with water?
These are the questions NASA is asking right now as it prepares to send a rover designed to hunt for signs of past life on Mars by 2020.
Scientists working with the space agency have narrowed down a list of possible landing sites to the final three. Now, NASA just needs to figure out which one to choose. Read more...
Today is not a good day to be named Gerry Sandusky
Baltimore Ravens broadcaster Gerry Sandusky wants everyone to know — it's Gerry with a "G." That distinction is essential while reading Monday's news.
Jeffrey Sandusky — the son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky — was arrested Monday and charged with child sexual abuse. The news surely revived the story of his father, Jerry, who is still serving 30 to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period.
GerrySandusky, on the other hand, is the Baltimore Ravens play-by-play announcer, and made sure to distinguish that fact on Monday. Apparently he's been getting some hate online from those confusing him with the imprisoned JerrySandusky. Read more...
This company is opening a virtual reality multiplex this fall
Los Angeles is set to become home to a very futuristic theater experience this fall, as "new location-based virtual reality venture" Dreamscape Immersive launches a VR multiplex in the city in September.
Using technology based on medical imaging and body mechanics, the start-up is building an interactive experience where you don't just go to the movies, you get up and move in and out of the situation on screen and interact with the content and others watching alongside.
In a Monday news release about funding for the VR theater project, producer Kevin Wall explained Dreamscape as a fourth option or watching platform. Read more...
Sadly, there's only a limited amount being made at the Quay Street store in Auckland, but what's stopping you from getting some nice wrapping paper and filling it up with fried chicken, DIY style? The ton of grease? Hey, don't let facts get in the way of a memorable Valentine's Day gift. Read more...
Disney cuts ties with PewDiePie after anti-Semitic jokes
PewDiePIe's internet trolling has caught up to him.
Mashable has confirmed that Disney, and its digital entertainment firm Maker Studios, has cut ties with the Swedish YouTube star after learning a handful of his videos contain anti-Semitic jokes and Nazi imagery.
After being contacted by The Journal, PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, removed three videos (which collectively had amassed 23 million views) including a Jan. 11 video which included an image of two men laughing as they held a banner that read “Death to all Jews.” Read more...
Striking taxi driver trolls news report with a very rude fake name
Guess nobody on the news team speaks Greek, huh?
A cheeky cab driver who was out on the street protesting changes to taxi licenses in Melbourne, saw the arrival of a news crew as the perfect opportunity to exercise some creative dissent.
So the naughty malaka gave them a fake name. A rude one at that. The man, who called himself "Tsim Booky," successfully got a Greek word meaning "blowjob" (tsimbouki or τσιμπούκι officially) on national morning news program, Sunrise.
The unnamed cabbie from Melbourne may have taken down the serious tone of his strike against the Victorian state government's plans to deregulate the taxi industry and legalise Uber but seriously, if you felt you were facing potential financial ruin, wouldn't you want to stick it to the man, too? Read more...
In what appears to be a first for the sports world, the Philadelphia Union seek to hire someone they say "will be responsible for providing services to players and front office staff. Occasionally, fan events will also be held with the CTO for the most loyal fans who want a tattoo to represent their passion for their favorite soccer club, the Union." Read more...
Even a presidential tweet can't save Ivanka Trump's shoes.
The Trump name is vanishing from store shelves and shopping sites as retailers distance themselves from the first family's business empire.
Sears and its subsidiary Kmart became the latest big shopping chains to pull away from the Trump organization this weekend, Reuters reported. The two stores said they would end online sales of 31 items from Trump Home, the brand's line of household furnishings.
A jargon-bogged company statement attributed the decision to a "streamlining effort" focused on the retailers' "most profitable items."
News captions mixed up with a porn documentary make for pretty funny screengrabs
Media Watch is a program known for its tough and amusingly snarky take on the media landscape in Australia.
It's the television show that calls out other television shows. So when something bad happens on Media Watch, you bet people take notice. Especially when it's porn-y.
Writer Jane Howard noticed that the captions for the show were really, really wrong on the network's video-on-demand service, iview. She screenshots include quotes like: "You will be having sex with someone this afternoon on camera? I will," and "How did that go? Do you feel closer now that you've had sex?" Read more...
Sarah is a high school senior from Kansas. She babysits and enjoys eating taquitos, which are two very normal teen activities.
However, she discovered via text that her neighbor, Amy, had become very concerned with some of Sarah's "habits." Apparently, Amy's husband had seen Sarah driving by while he was out mowing the lawn and had noticed Sarah "smoking a cigar of some sort." Read more...
Good one, humans. You've polluted even the deepest trenches of the sea.
Even the deepest most remote parts of the ocean can't escape our foolishness.
Scientist have found a large amount of banned chemicals in the fatty tissue of crustaceans that live in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana and Kermadec trenches.
Though the locations are 10 kilometres (six miles) deep and far from land, researchers from Newcastle University in the U.K. identified traces of prohibited chemicals once used as fire retardants in the tiny amphipods.
Using deep sea landers to recover the samples, one of the chemicals scientists found were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs were banned in the U.S. in 1979 and no longer imported into Australia from 1975, amid environmental and health fears. Read more...
India's database with biometric details of its billion citizens ignites privacy debate
"Indians in general have yet to understand the meaning and essence of privacy," says Member of Parliament, Tathagata Satpathy.
But on Feb. 3, privacy was the hot topic of debate among many in India, thanks to a tweet that showed random people being identified on the street via Aadhaar, India's ubiquitous database that has biometric information of more than a billion Indians.
That's how India Stack, the infrastructure built by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), welcomed OnGrid, a privately owned company that is going to tap on the world's largest biometrics system, conjuring images of Minority Report style surveillance. Read more...
Apple teases a new show that's basically 'Shark Tank' for apps plus celebrities
Apple is getting ready for its Hollywood close-up.
On Monday, just hours after the tech giant dropped a trailer for its show Carpool Series,Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue and executive producer Ben Silverman unveiled a trailer for Apple's other new series: Planet of the Apps.
"This is a show unlike anything we've seen out there," Cue said at Re-Code's annual media conference. "Carpool Karaoke is in the same vein. We get a lot of things [sent to our desk], but we aren't out trying to buy a bunch of shows. We are trying to do things that are creative, that we think we can move culture and that Apple is adding value to." Read more...
Dyson is quietly working artificial intelligence into all of its home gadgets
SINGAPORE — In the brave new world of smart homes, Dyson thinks it's got a way to get a leg up over the competition: artificial intelligence.
The British tech giant has just invested some $412 million in a new research facility in Singapore, and sees it as a big piece in a future where "everything is automatic."
The large Singapore facility was unveiled on Monday.
Could this be the smart room of the future?
Image: mashable
"Almost every product can benefit from AI, lighting, purification, cleaning — everything that you see in a room needs artificial intelligence," declared Sir James Dyson, its founder said at its launch event. Read more...
Films to watch on Valentine's Day if you're a total cold-hearted cynic
For cynics, Valentine's Day is pretty rubbish. All those tired, over-played rom coms? Blergh.
But don't despair. There are plenty of romantic movies out there for you too — tales of love and desire that won't have you immediately rolling your eyes or running for front door.
Here's a bunch, from us to you. Love stories that are nice to look at and 100 percent likely to warm your cold, cold, heart at this loved-up time of year. Prepare the tissues! There will be tears.
Take This Waltz
Sarah Polley might be best-known as an actress, but she's adept director too. Take anti-romantic comedy, Take This Waltz. Read more...
Yes, Hillary Clinton tweeted about the end of Michael Flynn. Yes, it was glorious.
Hillary Clinton only puts down the cheese platter and logs off Netflix for special occasions these days (she deserves a break). And today was special.
White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday after reports emerged that he mislead the administration about his talks with Russia before Donald Trump even took office. We won't got into it here, but it's juicy.
Needless to day, Twitter enjoyed itself. After all, Flynn was trotted out regularly on the campaign trail to harangue Clinton about her email scandal, accusing the Democratic candidate of thinking she was above the law. And now, well. Read more...
The order was issued by the Islamabad High Court on hearing a petition submitted by a citizen who claimed that Valentine's Day was not a part of Muslim tradition and its promotions on mainstream and social media should be banned.
A circular was also doing the rounds on social media.
Pakistan's High Court not only bans Valentine's Day but tells media to not publish anything about itpic.twitter.com/7U5GJLA02E
Ivy told Buzzfeed that she thought it was funny to point it out, because she noticed that most of her Asian friends habitually take their shoes off when they're home, but "not many of (her) non-Asian friends do." Read more...
How I, Bridget Trump, became a Valentine's Day sex goddess
Note from the Editor: You've likely already heard of the v, v important political parody Bridget Trump? The love child of Donald Trump and Bridget Jones has been gathering fans around the world with her hilarious tweets that are remarkably similar to a certain businessman turned POTUS.
The brainchild of British comic Tiff Stevenson, Bridget Trump, is obviously very, very busy. Miraculously she found the time to share a diary entry with us. Here's how her Valentine's Day went:
February 13th
Gah! Another year of Valentine’s Day humiliation. No way will I get any cards. Toy with the idea of flirting energetically with anyone I think might be induced into sending me one, but dismiss as immoral. Instead I put the phone down on Malcolm Turnbull, fire off a couple of executive orders and listen to Elton John. Read more...
Apple Music's live radio channel finally comes to Singapore users
Apple Music's Beats 1 online radio station has gone live in Singapore, almost two years after the streaming music service was first launched in the country.
Beats 1, a live 24/7 radio station, was quietly launched on Tuesday in the city.
The National Muslim Youth Association, or Pembina, posted a guide for Muslim women on its Facebook page listing the "seven things Muslim women should avoid" when dealing with an eligible member of the opposite sex on Valentine's Day.
"Avoid the use of emotions" says this poster
Image: pembina
These include using "excessive" fragrance, interacting with men only in the day, and not to speak in a sweet voice. Read more...
Brace yourself for a Valentine's Day bedtime story with Tom Hardy and a dog
LONDON — If you like bedtime stories, dogs, and Tom Hardy — and let's be honest, what kind of monster doesn't like all of those things? — then you're going to want to keep 6:50 p.m. GMT on Tuesday free.
Basically, Hardy is going to be reading a bedtime story on British kids' TV network CBeebies.
Here's the trailer, in all its glory:
"Cloud spotting with a best friend is definitely more enjoyable," smiles Hardy in the clip, sat on a blanket and surrounding by stuffed bears. "Especially if your best friend is a dog." Read more...
Why I'm celebrating female friendship this Valentine's Day
I can count on one hand the number of times I've been in love. Those occasions have brought great joy, and even greater heartbreak. But the one form of love that's been a constant in my life is platonic love. This Valentine's Day I'll be celebrating the constancy of that particular love. It might sound sad to some people, but I couldn't be happier about it.
I won't be lamenting my lack of a boyfriend this Valentine's Day, I'll be celebrating the women in my life who've laughed with me (and at me); who've listened to my rants without judgement; and who've given me words of support and encouragement when things were really shit. Female friendship has been more meaningful than all of my toe-dips in romantic love. Read more...
In November, the Supreme Court of India ordered movie theaters to play the national anthem before each screening. People are also required to stand up when the national anthem is being played.
As one would expect, the ruling wasn’t received with open arms by many Indians. The move came after Narayan Chouksey, 78, filed a petition, saying that watching people not respect the national anthem hurt him "very badly". Read more...
John Oliver is so over Obama after those kitesurfing pictures
John Oliver doesn't pull metaphorical punches, even when it comes to former U.S. President Barack Obama.
The late night comedian, who was the main guest on Seth Meyers' Late Night show, reacted to Meyers' mockery that during his two months off he was disengaging from the news and "kicking back" on a beach sipping on piña coladas while President Donald Trump brought wreckage to the country.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever ‘kicked back’ in my life," Oliver laughed, before launching an unexpected tirade against Obama for living his best life on holiday with Virgin billionaire Richard Branson on his private island. Read more...
Finally, funeral wreaths get a chance to be V-Day flowers too
This is for the one you can't live without.
A florist in Manila has released an odd set of Valentine's Day funeral wreaths. Naturally, they're meant to be sent with declarations of love, peppered with puns about death:
Two of Saint Jo Flowers' offerings.
Image: Saint Jo Flowers/Facebook
Puns like "I'm dying to see you" and "You have a killer smile."
The line of "bouquets" is sold by Saint Jo's Flowers, which is calling them "Pamatay na Valentine's Flowers" (or roughly, Cutthroat Valentine's Flowers).
They carry witty lines in Tagalog and English and are shaped like mini funeral wreaths, at 1 foot (30cm) tall. Read more...
Desperate college boys worship actress to lose virginity, decorate tree with condoms on Valentine's Day
Weird are the ways of love. New Delhi's Hindu College would know.
One of India's oldest educational institutions, it celebrates Valentine's Day with a bizarre ritual that includes male students worshiping an actress (her photo) to lose their virginity.
Before you go further, watch this video that captures 'The Virgin Tree' under which the prayer is performed. The tree is decorated with balloons and condoms, and the actress' photo is hung on its branches.
This year the Hindu College boys have voted Disha Patani as their Damdami Mai (a name they use for the popular actress of the year), TheTimes of India reported. Read more...
OKCupid launches new features to help you navigate dating in the Trump era
Is your dating experience starting to feel a little complicated? You're in luck. OKCupid is launching two fresh new features that could improve your dating chances in this complex new reality.
The biggest renovation will bring mobile users a whole new way of viewing their potential matches. Instead of just seeing a photo, you’ll now get a DoubleTake. It's a new layout that offers multiple photos and profile highlights. So as you swipe by, you’ll get more info to go on.
OkCupid’s CEO Elie Seidman explained in a press release, “We know that each person is much more than just a photo, and our new features are dedicated to highlighting their uniqueness and individuality.” Read more...
Why the new MacBook Pro's battery life is great for some, not so for others
One of the hotly debated topics around Apple's 2016 MacBook Pro lineup of laptops is battery life. For some users, it's sub-par, far worse than on the previous generation of MacBook Pros. On the other hand, it achieved stellar results, with average battery life above 15 hours after Apple fixed an issue which caused erratic results on the initial battery tests.
So which is it? It could, in fact, be both, and macOS app developer Ben Slaney explains how.
In a blog post published last week, Slaney — who develops a macOS battery life indicator app called Battery Guru — says that the power efficiency on the 15-inch, 2016 MacBook Pro is excellent, far better than on previous MacBook Pros. Read more...
The meal comes with two Whoppers, two packs of French fries, two beers and — most importantly of all — an adult toy.
Image: burger king
"This is not a prank," a spokesperson for advertising agency Leo Burnett confirmed to Mashable.
It's not yet known what lies inside the mystery boxes and what kind of 'adult toy" is on offer
Those eager to get their V-Day kicks should make haste; the meals are only available Feb 14. after 6 p.m. to those over the age of 18 And they say romance is dead. Read more...
7 things that lasted longer than Michael Flynn as national security adviser
White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday after reports emerged that he mislead the administration about his talks with Russia before Donald Trump took office.
This may be the most hilariously NSFW game show opening of all time
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown is already chaotic enough as it is, but last Friday's episode really took things to a whole new level.
The British comedy game show always begins by introducing the contestants. Host Jimmy Carr goes around each person and asks them a question or two, and their responses tend to range from mildly silly to spectacularly ridiculous.
Teen sneaks into band's VIP section by editing their Wikipedia page
LONDON — People blagging their way into VIP sections by saying they know someone isn't a new thing — but this really takes sneaky to a whole new level.
Last Friday night, teenager Adam Boyd from Crewe, UK, went to see British band The Sherlocks. After arriving late, though, his view was obstructed.
"So last night I went to see a band, but we got in late and our view was shite," Boyd wrote on Facebook.
This was his creative solution:
Yep: he edited the band's Wikipedia page, adding in a line to say that he was the lead singer's cousin and that he influenced their first single. Read more...
Legendary Nokia 3310 might be coming back this month
Quick: What's the best phone you've ever used? For many, the answer is Nokia 3310, a nearly indestructible phone that predates the smartphone era by nearly a decade.
Launched in 2000 by then-gigantic Finnish phone maker Nokia, the 3310 was compact, sturdy, reliable and its battery lasted forever. Now, according to a report by reliable leaker of all things mobile, Evan Blass, the Nokia 3310 is poised for a triumphant return.
OK, we're not sure about the "triumphant" bit, as the report, posted over on VentureBeat, is scarce on details. It appears the HMD Global Oy, the Finnish manufacturer that bought the rights to market phones under the Nokia brand from Microsoft, will launch a "modern version" of 3310 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month. Read more...
A fake resignation letter from a frustrated "journalist" sick of writing about Kylie Jenner has gone viral on social media, with people giving shout-outs to the reporter for "standing up for what is right."
The letter is actually an article by satirical siteWaterford Whispers News, the Irish equivalent of The Onion, entitled "Did Kylie Jenner Get a Boob Job? Why Am I Being Paid To Write About This Shite?"
In it, the author launches a mouth-fouled tirade against the editor, Siobhan, who asked them to write another story about the youngest Jenner. Read more...
Fire brigade tweets warning for couples inspired by 'Fifty Shades'
Valentine's Day seems like the perfect opportunity to break out the handcuffs and fulfill all of your Fifty Shades fantasies. But lovers take note. The London Fire Brigade has tweeted a message of caution to those who are planning on being adventurous in the bedroom.
With the recent release of Fifty Shades Darker, LFB has warned the public about people being stuck in objects like penis rings. The number of people calling in for being trapped in penis rings is on the rise. This years figures are already equal to the combined incidences from the previous two years. Read more...
Man gets into a new relationship, friends hold touching funeral
LONDON — The joke about losing a friend to a new relationship has been floating around for a long, long time — but these guys really took it to a whole other level.
Uber's refusal to treat its drivers as employees now receiving backlash in India
Uber drivers in India have joined the worldwide commotion in slamming the ride-hailing service for not treating them as employees.
Drivers with Uber and its local rival Ola refused to end their strike against the company for a fifth day on Tuesday in India's capital New Delhi. The drivers have put up a list of demands that they want both the companies to address and fulfill.
The strike could continue for another few days despite a court order that has asked the drivers to resume the services, according to two drivers.
Drivers have joined unions, namely Sarvodaya Driver Association of Delhi and Rajdhani Tourist Driver Union, among others, and have demanded Uber and Ola to increase the monetary incentives, base fare, and also introduce round-the-clock customer service and provide accident insurance — things they feel an employee would be entitled to. Read more...
Young girl farts in vlog and brilliantly blames it on a ghost
Everyone farts, but not everyone has the brilliant skills needed to cover up their unexpected gas.
If you happen to land in this latter category, takes some notes from young vlogger Cyandra Galarza, who has gone viral after her sister posted footage of her farting in the middle of a video and blaming it on paranormal activity.
YouTube cancels PewDiePie show after anti-Semitic jokes
Google's YouTube has decided to cancel the second season of PewDiePie's reality show.
The move takes place hours after Disney, and its digital entertainment firm Maker Studios, cut ties with the Swedish vlogger after learning a handful of his videos contain anti-Semitic jokes and Nazi imagery.
Last month, PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, posted a video which included an image of two shirtless men laughing as they held a banner that read “Death to all Jews.”
In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said: “We’ve decided to cancel the release of ‘Scare PewDiePie’ season 2 and we’re removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred.” Read more...
Kathy Bates was almost in 'The Lego Batman Movie.' Seriously.
This post contains spoilers for The Lego Batman Movie; if you haven't seen it yet, turn back now.
Not content to simply throw together all your favorite DC comic book heroes and bad guys and hit blend, The Lego Batman Movie also borrows a dizzying array of villains from other pop culture properties — including icons from the Warner Bros. vault like The Lord of the Rings franchise's all-seeing Sauron, Harry Potter's Voldemort and The Matrix's Agent Smith.
That's not even counting all the other "uber villains" featured in the film: Gremlins, Velociraptors, Daleks, the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, mythological monster Medusa, Universal's King Kong and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, to name a few. Read more...
Instead of galavanting with Blue Ivy Carter at this year's Grammy Awards, Justin Bieber hopped on Instagram live to answer questions during Sunday night's broadcast.
While driving around, the singer read through comments—stopping at an innocuous question about his favorite song at the moment, and Bieber's response is as petty as can be.
After reading the question, Bieber pauses shortly before responding with "'Starboy' by The Weeknd."
At first, everything seems normal because, well, it's a great song that many people enjoy. But then Bieber lets out a maniacal cackle and it all makes sense. Read more...
22 actual headlines from Trump's first month that sadly weren't written by 'The Onion'
It's becoming increasingly hard to distinguish headlines from a chummy satirical news site and those from the never-ending hellish dystopia we still call "America."
Just two months ago, Americans lived under an administration whose most salacious scandals involved a hypoallergenic family dog and "something something emails." Now, we live under a President who may or may not have paid Russian prostitutes to pee on him, could be a Kremlin puppet (?) and appointed a white nationalist in love with World of Warcraft to be in charge of National Security.
On Sunday, a swan in Limerick, Ireland, decided it would completely disregard traffic safety rules and take a stroll in the middle of the road. Thankfully, this swan came to no harm because of a man named Jack.
"Jack give us a call yesterday to say a swan was on the bridge and what could be done to help. After getting some information on the condition of the swan we talked to Jack about the possibility of either lifting or guiding the swan to the slipway and back to the safety of the water." Read more...
This fire department would rather not rescue you from handcuffs this Valentine's Day
It's Valentine's Day and Fifty Shades Darker (you could also watch one of the vastly better alternatives) is in cinemas, and that can be a dangerous combination.
It can also drive firemen mad, as attested by this cute warning, issued by Zagreb, Croatia's Fire Department, which had to rescue a number of people from handcuffs on the Feb. 14 last year.
"Feel free to have fun and be creative, but be careful. Just in case, we are here. Last year we have had only four interventions at people's homes with people stuck in handcuffs...", reads the warning, posted on the Fire Dept.'s Facebook Monday. Read more...
This small device is helping a paralyzed man send romantic texts to his wife
Todd Stabelfeldt met his wife at church and began the wooing process with romantic text messages. But, back then, Todd had to dictate the texts to his assistant, which he felt was taking something away from him.
With a help of a small device, called a 'Tecla Shield,' Todd has been able to regain control of his mobile device, totally hands-free. Read more...
Online etiquette: The ultimate guide to social media manners
Here’s a status update that’s hard to ignore: Social networks and online apps are suddenly among today’s most popular communications tools, with over 1.23 billion people now logging in daily to connect with friends, family, and colleagues on Facebook alone.
But as we often forget, they’re also among the most public and visible of digital forums – and one in which it’s increasingly important that we comport ourselves professionally, as we now share them with friends, family, and colleagues the globe over. Likewise, from a career perspective, prospecting for sales or promotional leads and hunting for career-related opportunities rank among today’s most popular high-tech activities amongst working professionals in every field. Read more...
Driving in rain is no problem for this self-driving car
If you've ever wondered how a self-driving car might handle bad weather, inconsistent traffic signals and unpredictable human drivers, you may have your answer.
Drive.ai, the self-driving car startup that adds autonomous car-to-human communication through visual cues, just took one of its retrofitted self-driving cars on the kind of road trip that can prove particularly challenging for people and autonomous vehicles.
On Tuesday, Drive.Ai released an unusual, narration-less and, mostly, text-free (it only says, "This is a fully autonomous drive") video of a standard car retrofitted with the Drive.Ai self-driving system tooling around the streets of Mountain View, California. Read more...
You can now get married, and have your fourth meal, at Taco Bell
If your dream wedding involves a beautiful white dress, your family and friends watching you exchange vows and a post nuptial meal of gorditas and Doritos locos tacos, what a time it is to be alive.
Since 12:00 a.m. this morning, lovers have been entering the Love and Tacos Contest and Happily Ever Crashers Sweepstakes to win an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas and be the first couple to get married at the Las Vegas Cantina flagship restaurant.
By telling their love story through a short video, the lucky couple could win the cheesy (pun intended) wedding of a lifetime. The contest runs through March 1. Read more...
Amazon takes on Skype with Chime video conferencing
Amazon is taking on a new industry, and this time it's video-conferencing.
The tech giant on Tuesday launched Chime, a video-conferencing service that will compete with Skype for Business and WebEx.
“It’s pretty hard to find people who actually like the technology they use for meetings today. Most meeting applications or services are hard to use, deliver bad audio and video, require constant switching between multiple tools to do everything they want, and are way too expensive,” Amazon Web Services Vice President for Enterprise Applications Gene Farrell said in a statement. “Amazon Chime delivers frustration-free meetings, allowing users to be productive from anywhere. And with no ongoing maintenance or management fees, Amazon Chime is a great choice for companies that are looking for a solution to meetings that their employees will love to use.” Read more...
'Girlfriend's Day' is the bleak Netflix comedy you need today
"Everybody needs to smile on Valentine's Day, the saddest holiday of the year," says Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk in an effort to pitch his new Netflix film, Girlfriend's Day.
That sentence speaks aptly to what Girlfriend's Day is and does; it's a dark comedy (often literally, shot in shades of gray that would make E.L. James jealous) with layers of lies, betrayal and absurdity — the dark side of Valentine's Day on a film noir canvas.
In Girlfriend's Day, Odenkirk plays Ray Wentworth, a washed-up greeting card writer who used to rule his industry. When his state introduces a new holiday, Girlfriend's Day, Ray gets caught in the frenzy to write the perfect card, and entangled in a web of murder and conspiracy that he may not escape. Read more...
Apple is more valuable per share than it's ever been
The world is loving Apple.
The company's stock price hit a record-high Tuesday morning, opening at $133.47 per share. That's above its previous high of $133.00 on Feb. 23, 2015 and an overall rise of more than 40 percent over the last year.
Apple is now valued at more than $706.6 billion, outshining Alphabet's $574.9 billion and Amazon's $401.6 billion as of Tuesday morning.
What that boils down to is investors are happy with Apple's status and trajectory, despite the company's previous drops. The big bets, including original video, are spurring confidence rather than doubt. Read more...
'Stranger Things' star needs your help to fund his music video dream
The best investment you'll ever make.
Finn Wolfhard took a break from hanging out in the Upside Down over the weekend to ask fans of Stranger Things to help him live out his dream of being a director. You know, typical teen stuff.
The Netflix sci-fi actor is teaming up with Vine star and filmmaker Josh Ovalle to create a Western-style music video for the band Playdate. Ovalle posted a video to YouTube in which Wolfhard explained their vision for the video and set the video's budget which is about $6,000.
The pair have a Indiegogo page where anyone can donate as much money as they would like. The page now has over $2,000 so it seems like Wolfhard and Ovalle will be making their music video debut very soon. Read more...
Sad YouTuber finds a way to express her sorrow over her VR-distracted boyfriend
It's Valentine's Day, which means chocolates, flowers and, if you're Natalie Tran, your boyfriend ignoring you for a fully-rigged driving sim.
YouTube user Natalie Tran, aka Community Channel, demonstrated her distress over losing her boyfriend by silently serenading various heartbreaking songs, unbeknownst to her distracted boyfriend.
After trying to send an email, an error message pops up: "This app won't work properly unless you allow Google Play services' request to access the following: Body Sensors."
Runner loses race because apparently 'Spiderman attacked him'
Aengus Meldon was solidly on his way to victory in his race when the unthinkable happens — a pole vault bar falls onto him. Meldon manages to shake it off, but it gets tangled around his legs, severely slowing him down and causing him to lose his first place spot.
While this in itself is exciting to watch, what makes the video even better is the commentator. It's clear the commentator cannot believe what is happening on the track. "It's like Spiderman threw something at him!" he gushes. "Spiderman attacked him!"
Google's self-driving car engineers made so much money that they quit
The engineers building self-driving cars for Google had an unusual problem. They made so much money that they quit.
Google paid its staffers on Waymo, its self-driving car division, such huge salaries and bonuses that they had enough money to give up stable jobs at the tech company, Bloomberg reported.
The "unusual compensation system" was based on the success of Waymo, not Google itself. Employees' bonuses and equity were multiplied by as much as 16 in one case, Bloomberg said, putting employees' compensation in the multi-millions.
Twitter wants you to watch — not just read — your timeline.
Twitter has created a "top videos for you" section that shows videos that it believes the user may enjoy. The videos play automatically, without sound, as you hover over them. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed it is a test.
It's not unlike Twitter's "While you were away" feature that displays tweets you may have missed while not using its app. That feature, introduced in earlier 2015, differed from Twitter's overhaul of the timeline in February 2016 in that this bulk of tweets is placed within the timeline instead of being surfaced at the top. The new test limits that section to videos. Read more...
Emilia Clarke shocks BAFTA party with an edgy new look
Sweet mother of dragons, who the hell is this?
If you watch Game of Thrones or are literally ever on the internet, you probably always picture Emilia Clarke in the long blonde wig she wears as her (perfect) character Daenerys Targaryen.
This weekend at a pre-BAFTA party, the actress left her famous wig at home to don a verydifferent, much edgier look.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Emilia Clarke attends a pre BAFTA party hosted by Charles Finch and Chanel at Annabel's on February 11, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/John Phillips/Getty Images)
German zoo really wants its stolen penguin back, please
A mysterious disappearance of a penguin at a zoo in Germany has lead local police to believe that it was stolen.
The Mannheim Police posted a plea to its Facebook page on Monday, asking the public for any information involving the disappearance of a humboldt penguin from the Luisenpark zoo. According to the post, the penguin mysteriously vanished from its exhibit sometime between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, which lead zookeepers and police to believe that the animal was stolen.
This year, we dedicate the Mashable House to you: the superfans. The people who love to love what they love. The people who don’t simply partake in culture; they devour it. It’s for the people who are passionate, curious and downright obsessive.
In 2017, Mashable invites you to come obsess with us. We invite you to look beyond the ordinary and engage in activations that are more than meets the eye.
Registration for the 2017 Mashable House is now open. Running from March 10-12, it will culminate with one of SXSW’s hottest parties, our annual MashBash. Read more...
Report: One of the most talented 'Counter-Strike' players in the world signed for record amount of money
Nikolas "Niko" Kovac is one of the most talented individual Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players in the world, and team FaZe Clan reportedly bought him out from Mousesports for $500,000.
Dot Esports reported Monday that Niko was transferred from the German organization Mousesports for a fee of around $500,000, according to sources close to the situation. This is the highest-known amount paid for an individual player, the previous record being when Titan acquired Adil "Scream" Benrlitom from G2 Esports in 2015 for roughly $160,000.
Former Mousesports manager Christian Lenz called Dot Esports' report "proof of bad journalism" on Twitter, although did not say that the reported sum was inaccurate. Read more...
We explored Valentine's Day gifting by the numbers, and here's what we found
Love is in the air … Valentine's in here! Couples everywhere will show their love and affection for each other by sharing cards, candy, chocolate and – of course – flowers!
Check out all the info we gathered about Valentine's Day spending and gifting, along with other fun facts about the holiday.
This post was brought to you by Icelandair. Click here to begin your travel to over 25 European destinations!
Who says vacation can’t be educational?
Traveling through Europe is like stepping back in time, with celebrated sites around every corner. From museums that display masterworks by some of the most legendary names in the art world, to castles, historic districts and more, there’s no shortage of things to do and learn in cities like Amsterdam, Paris, London and Copenhagen.
Seeking out the most interesting locales requires a bit of pre-travel research, though. Thankfully, we’ve done most of the heavy lifting for you already with this handy guide. Read more...
Barack and Michelle Obama's Valentine's tweets will melt your heart
Tonight when we lay awake unable to sleep, let us all hold onto this sweet memory we have been given today.
In celebration of Valentine's Day, the world's premiere example of relationship goals, Barack and Michelle Obama, tweeted each other the loving messages we all needed on this romantic holiday.
5 ways you can improve communication with colleagues
Businesses spend a lot of time focusing on how they communicate with customers. While this is important, you also have to think about internal communication. Is there healthy dialogue happening between coworkers in your organization? If the answer is no, then something needs to change.
Why Internal Communication Matters
Communication…the mere mention of the word may conjure up an image of a counselor talking a couple through marital strife. It’s a loaded word that we all know is important, yet few successfully master. While necessary in personal relationships, communication is also important in the workplace. Healthy communication fosters better collaboration, strategies, decision making, and execution. It also affects these other important issues: · Read more...
The innovative city in the United Arab Emirates, which is also aiming to bring the world its first hyperloop, is no stranger to cutting-edge technology.
The "Dynamic Tower," which was proposed in 2008 by Israeli-Italian architect David Fisher, will feature 80 rotating stories that make the building look as if it's in constant motion. Not to mention it'll produce insanely cool views. Read more...
'Boyfriends of Instagram' showcases guys who struggle to make their girlfriends look picture perfect
For girls, taking the perfect Instagram picture is both insanely important and difficult.
It takes a ton of posing and reposing to look flawlessly breezy, candid and carefree. And posing to look like you're not posing is truly an art form.
Behind every great Instagram photo is a great photographer we don't usually think about. The "Boyfriends of Instagram" Facebook page features the men behind the social media beauties and the ridiculous lengths they go to to capture a pic that will get ALL the "likes".
This sick Valentine's day ad shows people getting naughty with their phones
It's Valentine's Day and we all know what this means — roses, chocolates and terrible marketing campaigns.
Smartphone maker OnePlus is the latest to come out with a cringeworthy ad titled "Who do you love?" The ad starts off with people looking at the camera, presumably talking to someone on the other side, seductively saying things like "You look so good in leather" and "Only I can turn you on."
'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' DLC will include a new dungeon
For the first time ever, a Legend of Zelda game is getting DLC.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch and Wii U will have an optional Expansion Pass that adds additional content to the game after its release, Nintendo said today. The Expansion Pass, available to pre-purchase for $20, will give access to two different sets of new content scheduled to release in summer 2017 and holidays 2017.
The first pack includes a Cave of Trials challenge, a new hard mode (which could be similar to Ocarina of Time's Master Quest) and a new feature for the in-game map. The second pack introduces a new dungeon, a new original story and "additional challenges." Read more...
The next iPhone's battery might be getting a Plus-sized boost
No matter how much faster, thinner or bigger iPhones get with each passing year, most users have one consistent complaint: the painfully small annual improvements to the device's battery life.
The latest iPhone rumor from KGI Security analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable source for leaks in the past, might finally put those complaints to rest.
Kuo says Apple will boost the power of the upcoming iPhone 8 by fitting a bigger battery into a smaller package. To make room, other components will be stacked on top of one another within the device, according to a research note spotted by MacRumors.
Why it's important to know what Trump is doing with that smartphone
After weeks of building concerns about the Trump administration's bumbling efforts at security, someone in the federal government is finally expressing concern about reports that President Donald Trump is still using an unsecured Android smartphone.
Two Democratic senators, Tom Carper (DE) and Claire McCaskill (MO), sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis about the security of the phone and whether or not its properly archiving Trump's many, many tweets.
Sanrio launches Hello Kitty mixed reality animations for HoloLens' Actiongram
The HoloLens is still a device primarily geared toward developers, but that hasn't stopped Japan's Hello Kitty from adding its pop culture power to the augmented reality device's suite of apps.
On Tuesday, Sanrio launched Hello Kitty on Actiongram, the HoloLens app that allows users to create short videos using a large array of holographic animations.
There are 14 animations included in the Hello Kitty pack, some of which can be seen in a short demonstration video (below) called "Vacation Kitty," created by well known Vine animator Alicia Herber. Read more...
Sexual assault survivors share powerful handwritten letters of self-love on Valentine's Day
For many survivors of sexual violence, self-love is an essential part of the healing process — and a powerful hashtag campaign is helping them share their strength online.
#SurvivorLoveLetter encourages survivors to flood social media with powerful handwritten love letters to themselves on Valentine's Day. With harrowing honesty, the campaign celebrates resilience in the face of trauma.
This Valentine's Day marks the third year of the hashtag movement, created by director and artist Tani Ikeda in 2015. She was inspired to start the viral campaign after reflecting on the healing process of her own rape — the "anniversary" of which is on Valentine's Day. Read more...
Parade of storms threatens to prolong California dam crisis
Right now in California, the nation's tallest dam is facing its toughest test yet — holding back about 1.1 trillion gallons of water while one of its auxiliary spillways, which acts as a relief valve, threatens to collapse.
The Oroville Dam crisis has forced nearly 200,000 people located downstream to evacuate, and it's not likely to be resolved quickly, based on the latest forecasts.
Another parade of Pacific weather systems is slated to begin hitting the state again late Wednesday, lasting on and off for about the next week.
These animated sculptures are freakishly hypnotizing
Some mathematicians will tell you that patterns exist all around us.
For John Edmark, an art lecturer at Stanford, patterns found in nature are the inspiration behind the mesmerizing sculptures called Blooms.
Each sculpture is 3D-printed and mimics patterns found in pinecones and sunflowers. They appear to come to life when rotated and filmed with a very slow shutter speed. Read more...
Police in Iceland really want drivers to stop looking at the Aurora
A group of tourists left Keflavík International Airport in Iceland at some point during the past week and found themselves unable to stop staring at the sky.
The Northern Lights were perhaps the biggest attraction they'd come to see, and here were the lights, right above them, just moments after entering the country.
The driver jolted left and right as everyone likely craned their necks to get a good view of the neon lights playing across the sky. Then they banked hard into a neighborhood and soon found a police car behind them. Read more...
Microsoft's president: We need a 'digital Geneva Convention'
The world's tech leaders need to come together to protect users from state-sponsored attacks and other cybercrime.
That was the message from Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith who called on the tech industry to form a "digital Geneva Convention," during an appearance at the RSA security conference in San Francisco.
In a strongly worded keynote that touched on cybersecurity, immigration, nationalism and the rise of state-sponsored cyberattacks, the Microsoft executive said tech leaders and governments now have a responsibility to come together to protect the public from cybercrime. Read more...
Here's the perfect way to participate in Random Acts of Kindness Week
What the world needs now, quite simply, is more kindness.
In a difficult time of inequality, political division and a slew of other serious global issues, Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week is here to inspire us to come together and make a positive difference in the world, no matter how small.
As part of the 17th annual RAK Week, which runs from Feb. 12-18, the foundation has developed a fun new way for people to get involved and collect innovative ideas on how to spread some cheer: The Kindness Generator.
A handy reference guide to Donald Trump's terrible handshakes
Donald Trump's handshakes are just like Donald Trump: bizarre, aggressive and not presidential. But they sure are fun to make GIFs of.
Here is your definitive guide to all the different, bad ways Trump has shaken hands — from that one handshake where he pulls the other person's arm to the other handshake where he pulls the other person's arm.
Observe all you want, but please — do not try any of these at home.
The Pull-In
This is the most basic of Trump handshakes. To identify, look at the other participant — at any point, does he or she look startled? If so, you've just seen a Pull-In. Read more...
Like any woman on one of these apps, I got a significant amount of comments about my appearance and a lot of extremely forward, sexual messages. Read more...
Piers Morgan simply does not realize J.K. Rowling masterfully subtweeted him
It's no secret that Piers Morgan is a man who loves to argue.
His latest bone is with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and despite how much she has been eviscerating him on Twitter over the past few days, he unfortunately persists.
The feud continued today when Rowling shared an excerpt of a glowing review of her brilliance in Daily Mail's list of 100 British celebrities who matter.
Host a Valentine's Day dinner for local refugees with this digital toolkit
This Valentine's Day, trade in your roses and fancy restaurant reservations and show some love for your community instead.
A new campaign called Refugees Welcome❤️ — heart and all — offers tips and resources to help you host a Valentine's Day dinner for refugees in your neighborhood. The website, RefugeesWelcomeToDinner.com, includes a toolkit complete with talking points, name tags and social media graphics, all in an effort to foster a much-needed cultural dialogue.
"Refugees Welcome❤️ is an effort to bring folks from refugee and non-refugee backgrounds around a table to break bread and break barriers," the site reads. Read more...
Repent. Autoplay Facebook videos with sound are here.
Get ready to visit the "Settings" tab on the Facebook app.
Facebook announced on Tuesday that it will begin including sound on autoplay videos for users on the company's mobile app.
The change — first noticed in a testing phase in August — will now start to be rolled out to a larger group.
Facebook is in the midst of a major push into bigger and higher-quality video content. The company is starting to make money off the video that is now a major part of the News Feed experience, primarily through mid-roll ads. The company introduced a video tab in December.
Facebook is also working on getting users to watch video not just on mobile or desktop, but also on their TVs through the introduction of a new app. Read more...
'Minecraft' players design Elon Musk's secret SpaceX Tunnel for him
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, may be working on a secret underground tunnel that runs from his office at SpaceX to the Los Angeles International Airport. He tweeted a picture earlier this month of what looks like the start of the tunnel along with the word "Minecraft," and a group of Lithuanian Minecraft players saw it as a challenge.
The crew of players spent two days in Minecraft creating an imagining of the tunnel that runs from SpaceX to LAX and posted a timelapse of the project on YouTube. This was the same crew that built a proposal for a Tesla Gigafactory in Lithuania, which caught the attention of Tesla. Read more...
The secret sauce that makes charity campaigns go viral
When a good cause goes viral, it can reaffirm our faith in humanity.
Think of the recent unprecedented surge in donations to the ACLU, or the famous ALS ice bucket challenge. Both campaigns inspired many people to respond to challenges that might otherwise feel insurmountable.
But new research published in the journal Nature Human Behavior shows that this phenomenon is the exception, not the rule.
Sander van der Linden, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Cambridge, recently set out to understand why some charity campaigns define a moment in our digital and cultural lives, while many others don't. Read more...
Migos Valentine's Day cards are exactly what you and yours need today
Sure, you can celebrate your love of Migos any day you'd like, but thanks to a creative project from Spotify, celebrating Valentine's Day with the Atlanta trio and someone you love just got more exciting.
The streaming service created a website for the holiday that lets you plug a name into the Migos card generator and voila! You've got a custom "raindrop, drop top" message—a phrase repeated from the group's smash hit "Bad and Boujee."
If you're unfamiliar with Migos, the Atlanta group rose to prominence with the help of a remix from Drake in 2013. They, however, soared in popularity when they landed their first song atop the Billboard charts with "Bad and Boujee" — which Donald Glover famously shouted out while onstage at the Golden Globes. Read more...
Looking for a last-minute one-night stand? You might think Tinder is your best bet, but new data shows you might actually have better luck elsewhere.
A new study from Luminoso, a company spun off from the MIT Media Lab, has figured out which dating apps are most likely to get you laid, help you find love and more. To do this, they used natural language understanding, a type of AI, to analyze more than 100,000 reviews of 16 of the biggest dating apps.
The results are especially interesting since it can be tricky to assess these kinds of things. People don’t always type “I got laid” in a review, but a data scientist from Luminoso explained in an email that beyond looking for mentions specifically of getting laid, their software can search the concept. That means they can capture lots of relevant phrases and even allusions to get to the heart of what users think about different apps. Read more...
'Shawshank Redemption' breaks characters free from its confined spaces
There are some major differences and similarities between the 1982 novella and the 1994 classic film. The film adaptation took the liberty to form deeper, larger character arcs and we couldn't be more grateful.
Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content.
Guy's little sister texted him the most adorable and innocent thing in the world
With terrible news constantly slamming everyone in the face every second, it's pretty easy to forget the innocent and kind things people do every day.
Cameron Valle who's from Dallas, Texas, but is attending school in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was texting his little sister Christen when she surprised him with an adorable gesture. While asking her brother for login credentials to use an iPad, she innocently censored the word "password."
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar