| ||||
 Uber's SVP of engineering is out after Recode surfaces sexual harassment allegation
Finally, some evidence that Uber is taking sexual harassment allegations seriously. Amit Singhal, formerly Uber's senior vice president of engineering, has resigned after reports surfaced of him leaving his previous job at Google due to sexual harassment allegations, Recode reported Monday. CEO Travis Kalanick asked for Singhal's resignation Monday morning. SEE ALSO: Uber's ratings are in the toilet The news comes just a week after Susan Fowler Rigetti brought attention to Uber problems with a toxic work culture and sexism in the workplace with a blog post on her personal experienceKalanick said he would conduct a thorough investigation of the matter with Attorney General Eric Holder and Uber board member Arianna Huffington. Read more... More about Business, Google, Uber, and Business Read More »Donald Trump's first 100 days in office will be the focus of a Showtime series
Showtime has renewed its political documentary series The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, which will "examine the riveting and unprecedented events unfolding – both inside and outside the Beltway – in President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office," according to a release from the premium cable network. “During the historic drama of the 2016 election, The Circus was a compulsively watchable series, providing unparalleled access and critical insight,” said David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime. “Presented weekly in real time, the show was also a real breakthrough for documentaries on television. Mark Halperin, John Heilemann, and Mark McKinnon are some of the most respected and compelling voices in politics, and given the breathtaking pace of developments in the Trump presidency, we are pleased to be able get them back on the air with new episodes.” Read more... More about The Circus, Showtime, Donald Trump, Entertainment, and Politics Read More »The night that broke the Oscars: How the 2017 awards changes the game forever
Some disaster films can't be saved with edits or rewrites, especially when they're real. It was past midnight and as excited as everyone was to learn which film took top prize at the 89th Academy Awards Ceremony, plenty of people were also tired, and ready for the three-and-a-half self-congratulatory marathon to end. After a bit of fumbling and a series of confused looks off-stage, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway finally announced La La Land as the Best Picture winner. Commence cheering, the marking off of Oscar ballots. Then, noticing that something was amiss on the Oscars stage. SEE ALSO: Oscars 2017: Full winners list Read more... Chrissy Teigen makes sure everyone knows John Legend didn't win an Oscar (this year)
Now that we've waved goodbye to awards season, we must take soak up all the Chrissy Teigen, John Legend behind-the-scenes material that remains. Chrissy Teigen, social media goddess, made absolutely sure that everyone on Twitter knew that her husband John Legend did not win an Oscar... this year.
Does John seem a little dejected to you? Although he was not nominated at this year's Oscars, he did win the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2015 for the song "Glory" from the movie Selma. But, as Chrissy makes extremely clear...Not.This.Year. Read more... More about Oscars 2017, Twitter, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, and Watercooler Read More »Oscars whodunit: Which accountant screwed up the 'Moonlight' win?
And then there were two. We got some clarity late Sunday night as to exactly how La La Land was announced as Best Picture when it was really Moonlight's prize to win: Someone from Pricewaterhousecoopers — which has had this Academy Awards gig for more than 80 years now — handed presenter Warren Beatty the wrong envelope. That narrows it down to two suspects. And as of publication, only these two individuals know who did the deed. On one side of the stage was Brian Cullinan, Chairman of PwC’s U.S. Board, taking part in his fourth Oscars. On the other was his colleague Martha L. Ruiz, now participating in her third Academy Awards. Read more... More about La La Land, Moonlight, Envelope, Oscars 2017, and Movies Read More »Sean Spicer is checking staff phones because his office leaks like sieve
Imagine if Noah had built his arc without checking for termites. All that wood, freshly cut and slotted into place for this big beautiful boat, suddenly full of holes and soaked to the core. Now imagine this boat is the White House press office. Just a ship full of leaks in the middle of a monsoon, trying to survive with duct tape and beat-up plastic buckets. News reports make it seem like we know everything that happens in the White House. Press Secretary Sean Spicer says something behind closed doors, and an article appears on the internet maybe an hour or a day later. Last week, according to multiple reports, he gathered his staff and told them to pile their phones on a table so others could comb through them in an attempt to figure out who was leaking to the press. He drilled in the importance of not leaking this meeting to any outlet, and of course we knows this because it leaked immediately. It's like watching a man new to arcades slowly become overwhelmed by whack-a-mole. Read more... More about Confide, Signal, Phones, Leaks, and White House Press Office Read More »Brain scans help predict the stories we're most likely to share
Sharing information has never been easier. Tap a button or click a mouse and you can tell hundreds of your closest friends and family, or thousands of strangers, pretty much anything. But with a seemingly infinite amount of information and number of ways to share it at our disposal comes difficult choices regarding what to share and when. The process of choosing what to share isn't as straightforward as it might seem. A new study suggests that our brains rapidly consider the personal and social complexities of information-sharing so that you can make that judgment call within a matter of seconds. Read more... More about Journalism, Social Media, Media, Viral, and Psychology Read More »Well-done steak and other delicious items from the White House menu
And now for some unsurprising news: Donald Trump eats his steak well-done with ketchup. Last night, according to a report from Independent Journal Review, the President went to a Trump Hotel in D.C. and treated himself to an ornate dinner.
Whether it's McDonald's, a taco bowl or a well-done steak with "catsup," President Trump just knows what makes great cuisine. Read more... More about White House, Trump, Humor, Watercooler, and Watercooler Read More »Everywhere you look there’s a massive Trump bump
Everywhere you look, there's the Trump Bump. What's the Trump Bump? It's the fresh rise of activism, it's the traffic jumps for online news outlets and it's the pumped-up entertainment industry that we have seen in the month following President Donald Trump's inauguration. If you've been wondering how wide Trump's reach actually is and how many industries have been impacted, here are all the things blessed or cursed by the mighty Trump bump. Subscriptions to the 'failing' New York TimesEvery time Trump hates on media outlets like the New York Times, CNN and NBC News, they get another click. The president's attention means that more people are signing up to get information from these and other trustworthy news sources. In the weeks after Trump's election, the Times saw its paid subscribers reach 2.5 million, per Politico. Read more... More about Media, Donations, Protest, Donald Trump, and Watercooler Read More »Irritated elephant chucks a tree branch at a Jeep-full of people
Elephants are majestic creatures. But while adorable, they can also be incredibly dangerous. A Jeep-full of passengers on a game drive in South Africa experienced this firsthand when a young bull elephant attempted to throw a branch at the vehicle with his trunk, narrowly missing some of the people in the vehicle. Game drives travel through the safari every day, and are designed to give visitors an up-close look at the wild animals that live in the region. While getting this close to these animals is thrilling, it also can be dangerous, as this video reminds us. Read more... More about Videos, Conversations, Safari, Tourist, and South Africa Read More »'Hearthstone: Journey to Un'Goro' expansion bringing 135 new cards in April
The next Hearthstone expansion is venturing into the dinosaur-filled jungles of Un'Goro Crater with Journey to Un'Goro in April. Hearthstone: Journey to Un'Goro is bringing 135 new cards to Blizzard's online competitive card game in early April, including dangerous dinosaurs, predatory plant life, elite elementals and a volatile volcano. In the announcement video above, Hearthstone production director Jason Chayes and game director Ben Brode discuss some of the new cards and unique features coming to the game soon. SEE ALSO: Voice actor accidentally hints at possible dinosaur-themed 'Hearthstone' adventure Read more... SpaceX wants to send 2 people around the moon in 2018
In a bold and surprising step, Elon Musk's private spaceflight company SpaceX wants to fly people around the moon and bring them back to Earth in 2018. According to Musk, two private citizens — whose identities aren't public yet — want to pay SpaceX to send them from Earth, around the moon and bring them back home aboard a crewed Dragon spacecraft and Falcon Heavy rocket. "We've been approached to do a crewed mission beyond the moon," Musk said during a press call Monday. The flight profile would bring the space travelers down to "skim the surface of the moon" in a long loop around the lunar body, Musk said. Read more... More about Moon, Falcon Heavy, Nasa, Elon Musk, and Science Read More »Saturn's strange hexagon stands out in new photo of the ringed planet
A spacecraft speeding through the solar system 619,000 miles from Saturn snapped a photo of the ringed planet's north pole in stark relief. The new image, taken by the Cassini spacecraft, shows Saturn's strange hexagonal jet stream surrounding the strong hurricane at the pole. "The north pole of Saturn sits at the center of its own domain," NASA said in a pretty poetic statement about the image. "Around it swirl the clouds, driven by the fast winds of Saturn. Beyond that orbits Saturn's retinue of moons and the countless small particles that form the ring." Read more... More about Saturn Photos, Space Photos, Saturn, Nasa, and Science Read More »J.K. Rowling teases next 'Fantastic Beasts' movie with one perfect tweet
It only takes J.K. Rowling one tweet to stir buzz. The Harry Potter author on Monday used the social media platform to tease the next Fantastic Beasts film.
Yeah, it's not much to go off of. But even a page is enough magic for the muggles and no-majs out there. The first film — Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — debuted in November. The spinoff was inspired by a Hogwarts textbook of the same name. It was written by Rowling and directed by David Yates, who also directed the final four films in the Potter franchise. Read more... More about Twitter, Fantastic Beasts 2, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling Read More »Oxford wants you to know it's not like the other dictionaries, it's a cool dictionary
Oh God, save us all. Oxford Dictionaries published its latest update on Thursday, adding more than 300 new words to its official collection. With words like "yas," "squad goals," and "sausage party," if we could personify this list into a GIF, it would unquestionably be: Oxford updates its collection every three months, reflecting new terms and popular slang. Past slang additions to the online reference include "awesomesauce," "manspreading" and "Slang terms are just as real as any other word, and are included in the dictionary in just the same way," Oxford says on its site. Read more... More about Oxford Dictionaries, Watercooler, Watercooler, and Conversations Read More »'Get Out' finally got a negative review and it's from exactly who you'd expect
Jordan Peele's Get Out made over $30 million in its first weekend, and garnered an extremely rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with over 100 reviews. Critics were floored, audiences were stunned but The National Review's Armond White didn't see what they saw. "The horror side of the story shows writer-director Jordan Peele...imitating the slave-era terror of 12 Years a Slave," White wrote in the first negative review of the film, knocking it's "fresh" percentage on RT to 99%. "Peele’s plot jacks up that film’s existential paranoia, a modern response to the helplessness of enslavement that politically naïve kids now dread as a modern American reality." Read more... More about Jordan Peele, National Review, Armond White, Get Out, and Movies Read More »Bill Gates' latest Reddit AMA is unintentionally hilarious
Bill Gates did his fifth Reddit AMA on Monday—and it was surprisingly revealing, assuming you care much about how the Microsoft cofounder feels about hot dogs. To promote the AMA, Gates tweeted an SNL-style David S. Pumpkins skit of himself. "My idea for a David Pumpkins sequel at Saturday Night Live didn't make the cut last Christmas, but I thought it deserved a second chance," Gates said on Reddit. The AMA itself is full of some great answers by Gates on technology, philanthropy and universal basic income—but he also found time to talk about sandwiches and jumping over chairs. We found the best responses for you. Read more... More about Reddit Ama, Reddit, Billionaire, Bill Gates, and Microsoft Read More »Learn how to play the guitar in 60 seconds thanks to this musical system
'Fret Zeppelin' is a LED learning display system that can teach you how to play guitar. Once you select a song you'd like to learn from the app, Fret Zeppelin will light up to show you where to place your fingers. Read more... More about Real Time Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Music Lesson, and Music Read More »44-year-old man told by mom to stop being so mean on Twitter
We recently covered how a Twitter beef between NBA legend-turned-TV-analyst Shaquille O'Neal and Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee got really intense really quick. Just how intense, though? Now their moms are involved. Shaq's mother reportedly intervened to calm things down between the two grown men — but McGee's mom isn't ready to bury the hatchet just yet. "He cyberbullied my son," Pamela McGee, a former U.S. Olympian and WNBA player, told The Undefeated this weekend. "Totally inappropriate. Shaquille needs to lose his job or be suspended. The NBA needs to make a stand." Read more... More about Nba, Sports, Entertainment, and Sports Read More »Drone crashes through woman's apartment window
Drone fails aren't new (especially around the holidays when no one knows how to properly control their newly purchased flying device), but having one crash through your apartment window is still shocking. A woman in New York City was jolted to attention on Sunday evening when a GoPro camera drone crashed into her high-rise apartment window, according to local news reports. The drone smashed through the glass of the 27th-floor window in Manhattan, missing the 66-year-old woman by just four feet, according to the New York Post. A neighbor who lives in the floor above thought someone had jumped out of the window. Read more... More about Device, Crash, New York City, Gopro, and Drones Read More »That insane Best Picture mix-up came too late to save the Oscars' ratings
2017 gave us the most memorable Oscars in the show's 89-year history, after Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly announced La La Land as Best Picture instead of the category's actual winner, Moonlight. Alas, it was too late in the day to give the awards a curiosity-induced ratings bump; the show-stopping moment happened at the very end of the ceremony (which ended up being the longest Oscars telecast in 10 years, clocking in at an exhausting 3 hours and 49 minutes), after midnight on the East Coast. Instead, the 89th Academy Awards ceremony continued its ratings slide — averaging 32.9 million total viewers and a 9.1 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, which is a nine-year low for the show. Read more... More about Jimmy Kimmel, Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, Oscars 2017, and Oscars Read More »If Steve Jobs was still alive he'd totally be wearing this 3-decade-old watch
You just can't beat a classic. Japanese manufacturer Seiko recently announced plans to re-release a version of its vintage 1980s Chariot model timepiece. That just so happens to be the same watch that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is pictured wearing in an iconic 1984 Norman Seeff photograph, which later graced the cover of Time Magazine. And let's be totally real here: If Jobs were still alive today he'd likely prefer this three-decade-old wrist watch to the current Apple Watch. Why? It's all about simplicity. More about Watch, Seiko, Steve Jobs, Apple Watch, and Apple Read More »Uber ignored warnings from California DMV about its self-driving cars: report
Serious question for Uber: Will you ever learn to listen? Uber ignored repeated requests from the California DMV to register its autonomous car program with the state—even as it was gearing up to roll out the service in San Francisco—according to email records obtained by The Verge. The DMV pulled the cars' registrations after Uber debuted the self-driving service. Uber killed the program in response and moved the cars to Arizona. SEE ALSO: Uber's ratings are in the toilet Anthony Levandowski, the vice president of Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, claimed the cars always had a human monitor, and that they weren't truly autonomous as a result. But California law stipulates that a vehicle containing self-driving technology should be registered as autonomous regardless. Read more... More about Regulations, Arizona, Dmv, California, and Autonomous Cars Read More »Elon Musk is sending two people to the moon and everyone has FOMO
Fly us to the moon and back, Elon! As the world attempts to chill following Oscars drama on this fine Monday, Elon Musk has casually announced that his private spaceflight company, SpaceX, will be flying two tourists around the moon in 2018. No. Big. Deal. After SpaceX released a statement, clarifying that two private citizens — whose identities have not been made public — want to pay to embark on the out-of-this-world adventure, people of the internet collectively freaked the heck out.
Trump is low key taking credit for the Oscars flub because of course he is
Because nothing surprises us anymore, it's with a shrug and an "of course" that we learned President Donald Trump thinks the big Oscars Best Picture flub happened last night because of him. SEE ALSO: How 'Moonlight' made Oscars history In what's apparently a long, in-depth interview with far-right online website Breitbart done on Monday—a topic which is its own story, to be sure—Trump touched on the mistake, implying that all those jokes about him must have been so distracting that the envelopes got mixed up. During the chat, Trump said: It's true that host Jimmy Kimmel took some direct shots at Trump while others took a more thoughtful route in making their displeasure with Trump known. Read more... More about Breitbart, Oscars 2017, Donald Trump, Entertainment, and Politics Read More »B.J. Novak doesn't like Casey Affleck either
The final minutes of the 2017 Oscars were an unbridled, unmitigated, unimaginable disaster. If that sounds dramatic, it's because it is. (It's Hollywood, how else am I gonna talk about it if not with flair?) B.J. Novak, Hollywood as he may be, does not normally share a penchant for drama — so he went with a simple, direct and poignant approach to the Best Picture disaster. This is what he tweeted out after the debacle unfolded live:
99-year-old woman checks 'getting arrested by the feds' off her bucket list
Most people's bucket lists don't get much more complicated than hitting a tropical destination, or maybe jumping out of a plane. But 99-year-old Dutch woman Annie is not like most of us. Her lifelong wish? To get herself arrested. In anticipation of hitting her 100th birthday, the Nijmegen-Zuid resident and her niece hit up the police station, requesting to be put behind bars. As the ABC reports, Annie has long wanted to "experience a police cell from within." She certainly looks like she's having a great time in the photos police officers posted to their Facebook page. Read more... More about Netherlands, Police, Arrested, Nijmegen Zuid, and Bucket List Read More »That Oscars screw-up could have been avoided with this one design change
Large lettering could have saved a whole lot of Oscars drama. Actor Warren Beatty walked onstage at Sunday's Oscars meaning to announce the winner for best picture, but in his hand was a card with the name of Emma Stone, who had already been declared best actress that night for her role in La La Land. The photo above shows Beatty's card was not the one meant to end the show, but reading such small type in the heat of the moment — while assuming you were handed the right slip of paper — is a lot to ask. Seemingly puzzled, he showed stage-mate Faye Dunaway the card, and she said "La La Land." More about Design, Big Type, Best Picture, La La Land, and Moonlight Read More »PricewaterhouseCoopers messed up the Oscars big time. Will people still trust it with their taxes?
They had one job. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the vaunted accounting firm that has lorded over Oscars secrets for decades, usually relies on the Academy Awards for some easy, free publicity as tax season approaches. The company's public relations department likes to play up an aura of Hollywood lore around its 88-year run as caretaker of the winners list, treating the act of looking after a handful of envelopes as a sort of mysterious ceremonial tradition that can only be entrusted to the world's most elite accountants. That image came crashing down within the span of a few minutes on Sunday night. And all it took was a single, misplaced envelope. Read more... More about Oscars 2017, Oscars, Pwc, Business, and Film Read More »You might want to rethink what you're 'liking' on Facebook now
Facebook's reactions just turned one and the company is finally revealing how its revamped like button impacts your News Feed. It turns out the company weighs reactions — love, haha, wow, sad and angry — over "likes" in determining what content to surface in your News Feed. SEE ALSO: Instagram launches photo albums, sadly "Over the past year we've found that if people leave a Reaction on a post, it is an even stronger signal that they'd want to see that type of post than if they left a Like on the post," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "So we are updating News Feed to weigh reactions a little more than Likes when taking into account how relevant the story is to each person." Read more... More about Facebook Reactions, News Feed, Facebook, Apps And Software, and Tech Read More »What the type of steak you eat says about you
Ask yourself honestly: Can you really love someone who doesn't cook steak at the same temperature as you? After The IJR published a bombshell story this weekend alleging that the President Trump had ordered well-done steak again — again! — the hundreds of dorks who actually care about this stuff erupted in outrage on Twitter. Traditional liberal outlets condemned the president for degrading the sacred meat, while conservative personalities like Paul Joseph Watson slammed dissenters as "idiot hipsters." The way you cook your meat, both sides seemingly genuinely argued, has everything to do with the way you see the world. Read more... More about Donald Trump, Food, Watercooler, and Politics Read More »Rogue None: Why the Force isn't with Star Wars at the Oscars
As Yoda might put it: awards make not one great. That's about the only consolation for the Rogue One crew in the wake of the 2017 Academy Awards. The movie was nominated in two categories, visual effects and sound mixing. It lost in both — continuing a 33-year streak in which no Star Wars movie has won a single Oscar. If you're a farm boy just in from Tatooine, you might look at the list of winners and conclude that Suicide Squad was a greater success than Rogue One — a billion-dollar international box office hit that has garnered more critical acclaim than almost any other in the Star Wars franchise. Read more... More about Star Wars, Oscars, Rogue One, Entertainment, and Film Read More »The cast of 'Moonlight' front new Calvin Klein underwear campaign
There's no stopping the cast of Moonlight. Fresh from the utter sh*tstorm that was the Oscars, Academy Award-winning Mahershala Ali and his fellow co-stars Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes are fronting a captivating underwear campaign for Calvin Klein. SEE ALSO: How 'Moonlight' made Oscars history Shot by Willy Vanderperre, the campaign is a series of black and white photographs which are a mix of fashion shots and close-up portraits of the actors. More about Mahershala Ali, Calvin Klein, Fashion, Entertainment, and Film Read More »Love Pocket? Mozilla just bought the app to fix its mobile problem.
Mozilla is trying to get back into mobile. The company acquired Read It Later, the developer of bookmarking app Pocket, in what Mozilla called its "first strategic acquisition." Terms of the deal were not disclosed but both companies said Pocket would continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Mozilla, which makes the Firefox web browser. For Mozilla, the acquisition could help give the company something of a fresh start in mobile. Mozilla killed what was left of its Firefox OS earlier this year. Launched in 2013, the ill-fated operating system failed to gain traction despite the release of the company's budget phones. Read more... More about Read It Later, Pocket, Mozilla, Apps And Software, and Tech Read More »Twitch will let streamers sell games, raising loads of ethical questions
Let's start with a hypothetical scenario ... It's Aug. 22 and Middle-earth: Shadow of War has just launched. Joe Streamer on Twitch got the game a few days ago from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and he's finally able to start sharing it with his 10,000 followers. Joe Streamer also sells Shadow of War through his Twitch page, compliments of a new feature the streaming service is set to offer. For every copy he sells via Twitch, he'll pocket 5 percent of that money himself. How enthusiastic do you think Joe Streamer will be when he talks about Middle-earth: Shadow of War? Whether or not Joe Streamer is an honest dude, it's the potential for dishonesty that counts here. Read more... More about Esports, Gaming, Entertainment, Twitch, and Entertainment Read More »YouTube just hit a huge milestone
YouTube views aren't slowing down any time soon. The Google video platform said Monday that people around the world are now watching a whopping 1 billion hours of YouTube’s content every day. The milestone "represents the enjoyment of the fantastically diverse videos that creative people make every single day," Cristos Goodrow, VP of engineering at YouTube, wrote in a blog post Monday. "Around the world, people are spending a billion hours every day rewarding their curiosity, discovering great music, keeping up with the news, connecting with their favorite personalities, or catching up with the latest trend." Read more... More about Digital Entertainment, Online Video, Youtube, Entertainment, and Youtube Read More »Colbert skewers Trump with a parody of that New York Times ad
Stephen Colbert is trying to outdo the New York Times — at least when it comes to criticizing Trump. His show released a parody of the New York Times' "truth ad" that appeared during Sunday's Academy Awards telecast. On Monday, The Late Show posted their version of the simple yet powerful 30-second Times ad that indirectly called out Donald Trump. The show's parody was not so subtle.
5 classic movies you won't believe have fewer Oscars than 'Suicide Squad'
Everyone's still talking about the craziest thing that happened at the Oscars on Sunday: Suicide Squad winning one. The DC Comics anti-hero action movie took home Best Make-up and Hairstyling. Fans had fun with it, while film snobs took it hard. Just like Suicide Squad.
Suicide Squad: One Oscar. These 5 timeless classics: None. What's more, there is not a single Academy Award among these titles. To make matters worse, Suicide Sqaud also has 100% more Oscars than all five combined. The situation is so bad that for every Suicide Squad win, there aren't any for the following. Read more... More about Rear Window, Singin In The Rain, Wild, Lego Movie, and Film Read More »If Twitter GIFs get longer, know that Lin-Manuel Miranda is behind it
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a lot of things: Composer, actor, West Wing fan, almost-EGOT, and prolific Twitter user. That fact made it all the more endearing when the Broadway star and his favourite website had a little chat Monday night, chewing the fat about GIFs after a particularly amazing one of Miranda doing his signature hand gesture popped up. Miranda devotee Casey Maher posted a supercut GIF of the man himself throwing out sneaky hand bops at every opportunity. The gesture is a reference to the comedic podcast My Brother, My Brother And Me according to Pajiba — a sly wink to his fans. Read more... More about Gif, My Brother My Brother And Me, Twitter, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Watercooler Read More »Amazon might update Alexa with voice recognition
Amazon's Alexa could soon be a lot smarter. The company is working on a new feature that would allow its voice-enabled assistant to distinguish between different voices, according to a report form Time. The feature, which for now is reportedly called "Voice ID," enables Echo devices to recognize the voice of the main account holder associated with the speaker. Such a feature could be used to prevent others in the house from making purchases or using voice commands. Though Time reports the technology has been in the works for more than a year, it's not clear when, or if, the company will launch the feature. The underlying tech is reportedly ready, but the report speculates the Seattle-based company could be delaying the feature due to privacy concerns. Read more... More about Alexa, Siri, Amazon Echo, Amazon, and Gadgets Read More »Two bros were playing a casual game of tennis. Then Serena Williams showed up.
It's a crisp evening as you and a friend play a casual game of tennis. You're getting the blood flowing, breathing some fresh air, and decompressing just a bit. Casual. And then — holy crap is that Serena Williams?!? Yes, that is Serena Williams. What's more, she says this story is one with a moral: You never know when the GOAT might crash your game of tennis. Williams was out for a stroll in San Francisco's Mission District on Sunday night when she came across two chill bros playing some tennis at Dolores Park. She was wearing a pair of fuzzy slipper-like boots instead of her usual tennis shoes — but that didn't stop her from jumping in the game. Read more... More about Serena Williams, Tennis, Sports, Entertainment, and Sports Read More »Everything you need to know about SpaceX's big moon announcement
Elon Musk is nothing if not ambitious. The SpaceX founder wants his company to lead the charge to build a city on Mars, and next year, the spaceflight company plans to fly its first astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. So generally, SpaceX is pretty busy. But that doesn't mean it can't take on just one other little project, right? Namely, in 2018, SpaceX plans to fly a pair of (presumably rich) private citizens around the moon and bring them back home. It all sounds pretty intense, so let us break it down for you. Read more... More about Space Exploration, Private Spaceflight, Moon, Moon Mission, and Elon Musk Read More »Relive the wild ride that was the Oscars with the 10 most viral tweets
If you're one of those people who think the Oscars is kinda boring, well, we certainly hope that Sunday night changed your mind. There was a gluttony of incredible, if often cringeworthy moments: From that Hollywood tour randomly paying a visit, to that wild ending in which Moonlight was (eventually) crowned Best Picture. There were plenty of moments the internet couldn't help but pick out. But don't worry, we've compiled Twitter's top 10 most retweeted tweets from the Oscars. Please enjoy. Read more... This red carpet observation scored plenty of retweets.More about Watercooler, Film, Entertainment, Tweets, and Tweet Read More »These adorable teddy bears were reportedly hacked to expose 2 million messages
As if you needed another reason not to put an internet-connected microphone in your child's bedroom. A California-based toy company selling "a message you can hug" reportedly exposed over 2 million voice messages recorded between parents and children to online hackers. What's worse, the company was allegedly notified multiple times that additional customer data was online and available for anyone to grab — yet the data remained up for at least a week with evidence suggesting that it was stolen more than once. Spiral Toys specializes in internet-connected toys, and its CloudPets line of stuffed animals represents what is becoming a trend in the toy industry: dolls that don't rely on a kid's imagination. Instead, products with names like "Talking Puppy" connect a child and relatives via the internet and allow them to send recorded voicemails back and forth. Read more... More about Hackers, Hack, Cloudpets, Internet Of Things, and Tech Read More »This top bank will supply you with a 'trust passport' for the gig economy
Not long ago, it seemed unlikely anyone would be comfortable sleeping in a stranger's house or riding in their car. That idea is now the foundation of multi-billion dollar companies. To do that, Airbnb and Uber basically commodified trust, largely by allowing users to review each other as a form of accountability and, until now, Australian online jobs marketplace Airtasker followed a similar route. It allows people to bid for jobs, like assembling furniture or mounting a television, similar to TaskRabbit. SEE ALSO: Uber's SVP of engineering is out after Recode surfaces previous sexual harassment allegation Read more... Internet divided over who to blame for teen's death over Snapchat stunt
Netizens are divided over who should bear the blame for the death of a teenager in Singapore, who died while attempting a Snapchat stunt. Last Friday, 17-year-old Jonathan Chow wanted his friend to take a Snapchat video of him jumping over a fourth floor railing at a mall. He thought he would hop over the railing and land on a ledge by it. The ledge appeared to be solid, but was instead made of plasterboard. When Chow landed on it, he tore through the flimsy material and plunged down four floors. "He came up with the idea of doing the stunt. We both thought the ledge was made of concrete, but when he jumped [on it], he fell straight through," his 17-year-old friend Ruth, who was meant to be filming the video told news outlet TODAY. Read more... More about Snapchat, Singapore, and World Read More »The internet wants to know WTH Kellyanne Conway is doing on the Oval Office couch
Donald Trump had a big meeting with leaders of historically black colleges and obviously Kellyanne Conway took it very seriously. What's happening here? The internet had opinions and theories. Lots of them.
The Gods are furious with Seattle's Space Needle right now
Seattle hasn't exactly been blessed with the most gentle weather as of late, with storms bringing snow, lightning, and you know, general thundersnow chaos. But weather reached a wild peak Monday, with the city's beloved Space Needle copping a blow direct from the Gods. The incredible footage of the Space Needle's lightning strike was posted by the building's official Twitter account, and oh boy, is it worth checking out: You know how they say lightning doesn't strike twice? Well, it does, and here's a video of the Needle getting hit again to prove it: Read more... More about Snow, Seattle, Lightning, Twitter, and Space Needle Read More »Prominent GamerGate target details disturbing harassment, all these years later
Years on from the peak of the GamerGate controversy, women in the game industry are still finding themselves harassed by anonymous people. In a series of troubling tweets on Monday night, game developer turned congressional candidate Brianna Wu said GamerGate is still "ongoing" for her, years after receiving death threats that forced her to flee her home. Wu highlighted a recent incident where she had been sent pictures of herself by a stranger, taken near her Boston home without her knowledge. "The coffee shop I write at, the theater my husband and I go to, the shops I frequent near my home. Message was, 'I know where you live,'" one of her tweets reads. Read more... More about Brianna Wu, Entertainment, Gaming, Gamergate, and Entertainment Read More »81-year-old woman makes iPhone app after only starting to use computers at 60
If you laugh at how older people use computers, this 81-year-old from Japan is going to set you straight. Masako Wakamiya is making the news for an app she created to show people the correct way to place their traditional doll displays ahead of Hinamatsuri, or Girl's Day, in Japan. Wakamiya is a former banker who clocked 43 years of service at a major Japanese bank, and only learned how to use computers when she was 60. In the app, named Hinadan — a combination of the words hina, a type of doll, and dan, meaning "tier" — the player must position 12 dolls in their correct positions on a display with four tiers. Read more... More about Coding, Retiree, Elderly, Japan, and Tech Read More »Governments are in the business of doxing people now, so that's great
The message is hardly subtle: Write something we don't like and we'll dox you. The Australian government's welfare agency released a writer's personal details after she penned a critical article about its debt collection. Does that seem like a petty, horrible precedent? Well, yes. On Feb. 6, writer Andie Fox published an article about her experience with the social services provider, Centrelink, after being contacted by a debt collector. It was, she wrote, "a vortex of humiliating and frustrating bureaucratic procedures." More about Automated Debt Recovery Scheme, Social Security, Welfare, Privacy, and Centrelink Read More »New Zealand mudslide wipes out sea life in precious marine reserve
While earthquakes cause damage on the surface, we often don't pay attention to the havoc played out under the sea. Back in November, earthquakes with a magnitude of up to 7.8 hit Kaikōura in the north-east of New Zealand's South Island. There was significant damage to major roads, as well as nine faults discovered in the area. But scientists have recently discovered that the earthquakes also unleashed underwater mudslides in Kaikōura Canyon, wiping out all life living in its sea bed.
ISRO will now look for new bodies of water in India's Silicon Valley
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently set a world record by launching 104 satellites at one go, but their next venture will be discovering new lakes in India's Silicon Valley, according to reports. SEE ALSO: Lake catches fire in India's Silicon Valley yet again Bangalore is said to have had over 1,000 lakes once upon a time. But environmental pollution and urban development has reduced that number by half. Only 478 lakes remain currently, according to state records. But there could be more. And the state wants to ascertain that, with the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) bringing ISRO on board for the project. Read more... More about Mapping, Geology, Lake, Bangalore, and India Read More »See the Sistine Chapel like never before in this detailed new photo project
It's all in the details. The Sistine Chapel can now be viewed from a whole new perspective, thanks to a digital photo project that has captured every minute detail of the building. 270,000 photographs were taken during the five-year project, capturing everything from Michaelangelo's frescoes to the building's mosaic floor. Image: Getty Images Photographers used a 10-metre-high portable scaffold and special telescopic lens in order to capture the images (which are not pictured). The photos are now stored in a Vatican server holding 30 terabytes of information. Read more... More about Photography, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, World, and Pics Read More »Xiaomi just announced its own processor
Moving beyond smartphones, laptops, and accessories, Chinese technology giant Xiaomi made a foray into the processor business, joining companies such as Apple and Samsung that use self-designed processors in their smartphones. SEE ALSO: Xiaomi finally enters Pakistan On Tuesday, Xiaomi announced the much-anticipated Surge S1, the first SoC (system-on-chip) it has built with Beijing Pinecone Electronics, a company it owns. The Surge S1 is a mid-range SoC, which Xiaomi is positioning as a competitor to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625, and MediaTek's P20 and P10. In a slideshow with benchmark data of all the aforementioned chips, Xiaomi claimed that its processor topped performance. Read more... More about Huawei, Apple, Samsung, Processor, and Xiaomi Read More »A black bear tried to reach into a hatchback and people are in shock
You probably can't bear to look at this. Visitors to a Beijing drive-by wildlife park narrowly escaped the claws of black bears after they swarmed a white hatchback on Feb. 26th. The car was driving through Badaling Wildlife World — where two women were mauled by a tiger in July last year — when the incident happened, according to an eyewitness report. A Weibo user called JenniferSalvatore — who's surname is Wang according to the South China Morning Post — wrote an account of the brief, minute long ordeal, and posted a series of videos that went viral. Read more... More about China, Asia, Wildlife, Animals, and Beijing Read More »Singapore's Ministry of Defence suffers its first successful cyberattack
A cyberattack on the Defence Ministry of Singapore's internet system (I-net) has resulted in the personal data of 850 employees and conscripted military personnel being stolen. The stolen data includes national identity (NRIC) numbers, telephone numbers and dates of birth. No classified military data was stolen in the breach of the I-net system, the government said, as reported by Channel NewsAsia. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) added that the purpose of the hack may have been "to gain access to official secrets." The attack, which originated online, "appeared to be targeted and carefully planned," Mindef deputy secretary David Koh said. Read more... More about Data Breach, Singapore, Cyberattacks, Hacking, and World Read More »I want this credit card-sized dumbphone more than I want the Galaxy S8
Somebody hold me because my obsession with credit card-sized gadgets is getting just a little out of control. Days after discovering the Kado Wallet phone charger, I've now found a phone — a rather good-looking dumbphone if you ask me — at Mobile World Congress 2017 that's equally as small and slim. The credit card-sized phone is called the Talkase T3 and it's the latest version of the mini GSM phone that was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2014. In the age of big, high resolution do-it-all smartphones, there's absolutely no reason I should be excited about a dumbphone with a teeny, tiny 0.96-inch (diagonal) OLED display, but since dumbphones are apparently back in style, and Samsung's Galaxy S8 won't be announced for another month, I can't help but be in love. Read more... More about Phones, Mobile, Dumbphones, Mwc 2017, and Mobile World Congress Read More »I moved a robotic hand using (basically) my mind
In the nether regions of the "NEXTech" area of Fira Gran Via, the enormous venue in Barcelona where Mobile World Congress is taking place, I've learned that graphene is important. Among the several startups and research projects that heavily rely on the use of graphene, a carbon allotrope that's thin, durable and conducts electricity well, the most interesting was Italian Institute of Technology's initiative Rehab Technologies, which showed me how graphene could be used to improve the life of people with disabilities. They showed me a robotic hand prototype which I controlled remotely by contracting and relaxing the muscles on my hand. All it took is two graphene-based electrodes strapped to my arm, which conduct the neurological signals sent from my brain to my muscles. Read more... More about Mobile World Congress, Mwc2017, Mwc17, Robotics, and Rehabilitation Read More »Ed Sheeran and Jimmy Fallon covered 'Shape of You' using classroom instruments and it's legendary
The world's favourite guitar-toting redhead and the world's favourite classroom instruments band — what's not to like? Ed Sheeran joined Jimmy Fallon & The Roots for a funky version of his latest crowd-pleaser "Shape of You" and it's sexy AF. Playing a banana shaker, Sheeran has never been more Sheeran, while jack-of-all-trades Fallon performs with a Casio keyboard, bass drum, Guiro and blocks. There's room also for the xylophone, kazoo, apple shaker, bongos and ukulele. They all look so inspired. More about Classroom Instruments, Shape Of You, The Roots, Jimmy Fallon, and Ed Sheeran Read More »Jon Stewart has a powerful message to the media after 'breakup' with Trump
Jon Stewart is back. For the second time since Donald Trump became president, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart has appeared on Stephen Colbert's Late Show. And this time he addressed the media after Sean Spicer banned reporters from CNN, The New York Times, Politico, the Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed from a White House briefing. “I heard Donald Trump broke up with you. Stings a little, doesn’t it? You finally thought you’d met your match: a blabbermouth who’s as thin-skinned and narcissistic as you are. Well, now it’s over! Well, good riddance, I say. Kick. Him. To. The. Curb.” Read more... More about Cnn, New York Times, Buzzfeed, Media, and Stephen Colbert Read More »BBC documentary creates a stir, India bans channel from filming in tiger reserves
In an unprecedented move, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been banned from filming in India's tiger reserves for five years. The ban was reportedly caused due to misrepresentation of facts in BBC South Asia Correspondent Justin Rowlatt's documentary on Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. In his documentary titled Killing for Conservation, Rowlatt highlighted the Indian government’s "ruthless" anti-poaching policies. He claimed that Kaziranga has a "shoot-at-sight" order for poachers. He details in his written account: "The way the park protects the animals is controversial. Its rangers have been given the kind of powers to shoot and kill normally only conferred on armed forces policing civil unrest." Read more... More about Wildlife Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Reserve, and India Read More »#BagelGate, the train fight that rocked social media, gave us some glorious jokes
The nation was transfixed Monday afternoon after footage emerged of an incident on a train involving bagels, which has been dubbed #Bagelgate. A brawl erupted on a train in London when a group of passengers placed bagels on other passengers' heads. Some people didn't take too kindly to having a piece of bread placed on their head, and some resorted to throwing the bagels out the window of the train, while others resorted to intimidating behaviour, which resulted in police intervention. During the fray, a cacophony of shouting and chanting can be heard as passengers sing: "he's got a bagel on 'is 'ead" [he's got a bagel on his head]". Read more... More about Transport, Bagels, Jokes, Uk, and Watercooler Read More »State Department tweets then deletes congratulations to Oscar-winning Iranian director
The U.S. State Department tweeted then deleted a message congratulating an Iranian director who used his Oscars acceptance speech to slam President Trump. The State Department's Persian-language Twitter account, @USAdarFarsi, congratulated Asghar Farhadi who won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film for "The Salesman."
I sat in Peugeot's Instinct concept car and it told me to relax
Car makers usually present their new wares at the Geneva car show, which takes place in early March this year. But Peugeot changed all that when it brought its new concept car, the Instinct, to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It was a good move: This car probably fits better among the smartphones than other cars. SEE ALSO: Ford's self-driving cars won't have steering wheels because engineers maybe kept falling asleep While still very much in concept territory, the Instinct is a hybrid, self-driving car that connects to everything — not just your smartphone, but also your smart toaster and Amazon Echo at home. Read more... More about Cars, Self Driving Car, Mwc2017, Mobile World Congress, and Mwc17 Read More »Just a load of animals with pancakes because humans are weird
Humans aren't content with tossing pancakes and eating them in a civilised fashion on Pancake Day. They must also put pancakes on their pets. On Pancake Day, people are sharing photos of pancake #FoodPorn, but they're also sharing photos that are guaranteed to brighten your day. People are sharing adorable — and slightly weird — photos of animals wearing and eating pancakes. Here's a kitten eating miniature, kitten-sized pancakes. Um, here's a hedgehog eating a pancake. You're welcome. Read more... More about Food And Drink, Food, Dogs, Pancake, and Animals Read More »It's embarrassing how much I suck at playing 'Snake' on the new Nokia 3310
Before there was Candy Crush or Pokémon Go, there was only one game everyone played on their cellphones: Snake. The game's concept is simple: Maneuver a snake around the screen as it grows longer and longer and try to avoid eating its tail. Having not played the game in over 10 years, I had to try it on the new Nokia 3310 at Mobile World Congress 2017 and see if I still had any of my skills. At the Nokia booth, Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder and I decided to have a friendly Snake-off battle. Who emerged victorious? Had years of playing touchscreen games hindered our feeble hand-eye-number-pad coordination skills? Read more... More about Dumbphones, Mobile World Congress 2017, Mobile World Congress, Mwc 2017, and Mwc Read More »Benedict Cumberbatch just landed his dream role by giving it to himself
Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch may have actual magical powers. Either that, or his vision board has some real juice. The Sherlock star has played a number of literary icons over the years, but for his latest role, Cumberbatch will get the opportunity to tackle one of his own fictional heroes in a new limited series co-produced by Showtime and Sky Atlantic. Through his production company, SunnyMarch, Cumberbatch is set to executive produce and star in Melrose, a five-part series based on the semi-autobiographical novels written by Edward St. Aubyn. He'll play the titular character, Patrick Melrose, an aristocratic and outrageously funny playboy who struggles to overcome the damage inflicted by a horribly abusive father and a mother who tacitly condoned the behavior. Read more... More about Doctor Strange, Melrose, Sherlock, Showtime, and Benedict Cumberbatch Read More »Thousands of French people want Barack Obama to be their next president
More than 40,000 people have signed a spoof petition calling for Barack Obama to be the next president of France. As France prepares for its general election in May, an unofficial campaign has been launched to "bring France out of its apathy" and elect Barack Obama as France's new president. "We would like to make a big splash in electing a foreign president as head of our beautiful country," reads the campaign's manifesto. What will the new presidential administration change about online payments?
It’s been a rocky start for the Trump Administration. Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you stand, there’s been controversy and divisiveness surrounding everything from the administration's cabinet picks, the travel ban, and the repeal of Obamacare. However, we’re curious about how the new administration is going to impact payments systems — which could have grave implications for big banks to Fintech startups to customers like you and me. Rolling back regulationsThe Trump Administration has made no secret that they’re going to relax on regulations that have been placed on banks following the 2008 economic crisis. The administration is focusing on dismantling the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read more... More about Business, Online Payments, and Business Read More »Bizarre Boston Dynamics robot moves like a world-class athlete
The glimpses we caught of Boston Dynamics' astounding Handle robot earlier this month didn't tell even half the story. The cutting-edge robotics company officially unveiled the 6.5-foot-tall Handle on Monday, weeks after a stunning, yet brief, video of it was leaked during a conference early this month. Now we have the official video and confirmation that Handle brings together everything we love and fear about robots. Standing full height, Handle looks like what car manufacturing robots might create if asked to build a human. It has wheels for feet and two arms attached to the hip area and extend grotesquely behind it. Its hands, such as they are, are rubber nubs that can be swapped out for a variety of grabbers. There's a torso and chest, but no head. Read more... More about Robotics, Robot, Robots, Handle Robot, and Boston Dynamics Read More »Everything you need to know about 'Outlander' Season 3
Starz recently announced that the hotly-anticipated Season 3 premiere of Outlander will hit our screens in September — an agonizingly long wait, considering that we got our last glimpse of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) way back in July 2016. But anything worth having is worth waiting for, and that's especially true of Outlander Season 3, which will explore that very theme, as Claire and Jamie must defy the odds and find a way to reunite after decades apart. Here's everything we know about Outlander Season 3 so far: THE PLOT:Fans of Diana Gabaldon's beloved series of novels know that Season 3 is based on the third book in her Outlander saga, Voyager — a rip-roaring adventure that spans multiple years and countries. Read more... More about Diana Gabaldon, Starz, Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, and Outlander Read More »Apple will ditch iPhone's Lightning connector for USB-C: report
A new report in the Wall Street Journal signals that Apple could be making a huge change for its upcoming iPhone 8 models: ditching the Lightning port, a mainstay since the iPhone 5 released in 2012. While much of the report focuses on the likelihood that Apple will be using a flexible OLED screen for at least one of the upcoming phones, as previously rumored, the nugget about the Lightning port might be the bigger news. According to the Journal, Apple is planning to include "a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector." Read more... More about Usb C, Lightning Port, Iphone 8, Apple, and Tech Read More »John Legend calls on Americans to take to the streets and resist Trump
John Legend has urged Americans to speak out and unite against Donald Trump in a frank cover interview with Fault magazine. Asked whether raising a daughter in "Trump's America" scares him, the singer said he hoped Trump's presidency would be short-lived Legend added that Trump promised to do things which are "really bad for the country," stating that Trump has promised to do some "good" things. Legend says he hopes that Trump will only deliver on the good promises, but conceded he doesn't have much faith in him. Read more... More about Lifestyle, Watercooler, Entertainment, Music, and Potus Read More »Engineer alleges culture of sexism and discrimination at Tesla
AJ Vandermeyden, a female engineer at Tesla, sued her employer last fall, alleging the car company commited several cases of sexism and workplace discrimination against her, The Guardian reported Tuesday. The decision to speak out about her case comes a week after former Uber engineer Susan Fowler Rigetti published her own account of sexism by her employer, prompting action from Uber as well as more women in Silicon Valley to share their own stories. SEE ALSO: Uber's SVP of engineering is out after Recode surfaces previous sexual harassment allegation Vandermeyden’s lawyer is Therese Lawless, who also represented former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao in her discrimination lawsuit against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Read more... More about Business, Workplace Culture, Workplace, Silicon Valley, and Delete Uber Read More »John Oliver 'accidentally eviscerates' Trevor Noah as guest on 'The Daily Show'
Nowadays we normally see John Oliver behind his own desk on his weekly show Last Week Tonight. However, that doesn't stop him from appearing as a guest on a follow peer's show. John Oliver went back to his old stomping grounds on Monday night as a guest on The Daily Show. While there, him and Trevor Noah discussed a wide variety of things, including whether Oliver has ever liked Trump and if he ever envies shows like The Daily Show that run every day instead of once a week. They also discuss the fact that Oliver's segments often "accidentally eviscerate" whatever's at the center of the segment. In discussing this idea, Oliver inadvertently makes a dig at Noah. Read more... More about Trevor Noah, John Oliver, The Daily Show, Conversations, and Watercooler Read More »Seth Meyers tries to figure out what the hell Trump's first congressional address will look like
"Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated." - The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. In this edition of our favorite Late Night segment "A Closer Look," host Seth Meyers digs into the president's preparations to address Congress for the first time, and his administration's "agenda," which, thus far, pretty much just consists of attacking the media. His attacks have become so frequent, in fact, that George Bush has become the voice of reason. George W. Bush, a former president known for famous quotes like, "I know the human being and fish can co-exist peacefully." That's our voice of reason. That's where we're at. Read more... More about George W. Bush, Congress, President Trump, Donald Trump, and Seth Meyers Read More »Every 'X-Men' movie ranked worst to best
After 17 years, Hugh Jackman will take his last bow as Wolverine (for now, anyway) along with Sir Patrick Stewart as the benevolent telepath Professor X in Logan. It's been a long road for the two actors and the stars they've shared the screen with, from the core cast of the first three X-Men films to the First Class prequels and Wolverine standalone films. That's pretty emotional for an X-Men movie fan, so we decided to rank all the previous movies and to revel in the highs and lows of the series over almost two decades. This ranking includes every live-action X-Men movie, except for Deadpool, which we can probably agree was kind of its own thing, and Logan, which you'll have to see for yourself. Here's how they rank, from worst to best: Read more... More about Marvel, Logan, Wolverine, Lists, and X Men Read More »James Corden made the Oscars more absurd by recreating 'La La Land' audition
"Who switched the envelopes?" Armed with a fabulous wig and tight blue sweater, James Corden put a unique spin on recapping the events of the 2017 Academy Awards. The late night host recreated Emma Stone's audition from La La Land which including singing a melancholy tune about the film losing best picture to Moonlight. Corden also poked fun at Warren Beatty "being blind" and the award show's history of having primarily white actors being nominated for awards while dramatically turning in a dimly lit room. One man's flub is another man's jokes for the next six months. Read more... More about Emma Stone, The Late Late Show With James Corden, James Corden, Oscars 2017, and Watercooler Read More »Kanye West releases a 17-minute song that might sound familiar
If you're hoping to hear new bars from Kanye West, you're going to have to be patient. The rapper's latest release doesn't feature his voice whatsoever, and is actually an updated version of an extended demo featuring The Dream. "Bed Yeezy Season 5" was the track playing during West's New York Fashion Week show this year. The atmospheric collaboration between The Dream and West collaborators DJDS is a version of J. Holiday's 2007 hit "Bed," only this time stretching almost 20 minutes long. According to The Fader, the song was originally written for Chris Brown, and the demo had been previously released in a 53-track bootleg mixtape. Read more... More about Yeezy, Conversations, Entertainment, Kanye West, and Entertainment Read More »Xbox Game Pass is basically a Netflix subscription for gaming
Is this the "Netflix, but for video games" that will finally stick around? Microsoft announced Xbox Game Pass on Tuesday, a new service that gives fans free and unrestricted access to an assortment of Xbox games. That access comes at a familiar price: $9.99 per month. It's the Netflix model, minus the streaming. Subscribers can instead download full games to their Xbox One and play them freely while they're part of the Game Pass catalog. New titles will cycle in and out on a monthly basis, but all save data and achievement progress will remain. Subscribers also receive discount pricing in the Xbox Games Store, on both games and their add-ons. Read more... More about Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft, Xbox One, Gaming, and Entertainment Read More »This touchscreen vibrates, blasts music—and companies like Apple should pay attention
All those rumors that the next iPhone or Samsung will be all screen in the front have a problem: No one's really sure how to do that. You'd need to remove or redesign the camera lenses, the sensors and the speakers, and while none of it's impossible with current technology, it's still a daunting task to accomplish without major drawbacks. A UK-based company called Redux appears to have solved a big part of the problem. During a live demo in Barcelona, where Mobile World Congress is underway, they showed me how their tech can turn an LCD or an OLED screen into both a speaker and a surface that responds to touch with haptic feedback. Read more... More about Mobile World Congress 2017, Mobile World Congress, Redux, Speakers, and Smartphones Read More »NFL players may seem tough, but they can't hang with these really bad jokes
What do ducks wear to weddings? Duxedos. If you love corny jokes like this, you will get to hear a plethora more in this video where NFL players challenged each other head-to-head to not laugh at them. These hulking professional athletes may have tough exteriors and can potentially break you with one tackle, but they also can't resist a good pun. Why can't zoo animals take tests? Too many cheetahs. All right, we're done. Read more... BONUS: Here's a clip of Kellyanne Conway's previous (and mercifully brief) career in stand-up comedyApple is dead set on moving Touch ID into your iPhone screen
OK Apple, we get it: You really want to move our TouchIDs straight into our iPhones' displays. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted Apple yet another patent Tuesday that focuses on new potential designs to embed fingerprint reading tech directly into a phone's screen. It's just the latest speculative method Apple could someday use to accomplish the job — the company was granted a similar patent earlier this month. The design described in this latest filing, which was spotted by 9to5Mac, wouldn't just move the sensor directly into the screen for the same old Touch ID experience — it might also enable near instantaneous user authentication, making transactions and other ID-sensitive tasks much more seamless. Read more... More about Biometric, Touch, Patent, Iphone 8, and Apple Read More »Unlikely animal friendship blossoms when a carriage-pulling horse shares its food with pigeons
They share the streets, so they might as well share their food. A tourist captured this video of a very generous carriage-pulling horse feeding pigeons near Central Park by spitting some of its food onto the ground for them: Because the horse's head took up too much space inside the bucket, the pigeons couldn't sneak their way in to steal a snack. But, the horse had its bros' backs and fed them from its own stash. After all, city animals need to stick together. If only we could all be as considerate and kind as this charitable steed. Read more... More about Carriage, Nyc, New York, Animals, and Horse Read More »Inside Twitter's decision to keep Periscope and abandon everything else
In the wake of Twitter's decision to give up on Vine, there's a question that is hanging over Periscope: Could it be next? "It’s funny that people keep saying that. Everything we’ve done demonstrates that we’re doubling down on the platform," Periscope CEO and cofounder Kayvon Beykpour said last month during an hourlong meeting in the basement of Twitter's New York City office. Periscope is still relevant to Twitter for the same reasons Vine wasn't. Twitter says it wants to be the people's news network, that people go to it for a look at what's happening now. Last month, that meant protests at airports across the country. Read more... More about Influencers, Vine, Online Video, Live Video, and Business Read More »No fear, we've rounded up the best movies and shows of February right here
The CineFix staff gets together to talk about what they're just really into right now. This month there's some HBO love, some classic dystopian sci-fi, an FX show that you NEED to start watching, and even a recommendation for another YouTube channel. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content. Read more... More about Binge Watch, February Binge Watch List, Baskets, Kaptainkristian, and Get Out Read More »Lego's next release screams girl power and we're totally here for it
A new Lego set expected to hit stores at the end of 2017 will feature the badass astronauts and scientists who made NASA what it is today. The set — called Women of NASA — was created by science communicator Maia Weinstock and honors five accomplished women from NASA history. Lego announced that it has approved the set for release on Tuesday. "Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the U.S. space program," Weinstock wrote in a description of the set.
Raspberry Pi adds a key feature to its $10 computer
Making your own smart device just got easier. Raspberry Pi is celebrating five years since the launch of its original ultra-cheap DIY computer by announcing a new one, the Raspberry Pi Zero W. The Zero W incorporates wireless LAN and Bluetooth and is priced at $10 ( about £8), plus tax. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is known for its credit card-size computers, popular among electronics hobbyists and educators. In the last five years, the Foundation has sold over twelve million Pis and built up a loyal fanbase. The Raspberry Pi foundation launched the Raspberry Pi Zero in November 2015. At just $5, the Zero saw widespread adoption by DIY enthusiasts. All kinds of projects were built with it, from a Simpsons Shuffler to an electric skateboard. Read more... More about Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi, and Tech Read More »Mean NASA frozen yogurt robot makes a small girl cry
NASA: where you can check out the uses of liquid nitrogen, purchase your very own star map and establish a healthy distrust of robots from a young age. Dad and Redditor Derwolfe took his 4-year-old daughter to the Johnston Space Center in Houston, Texas, for a day of educational fun recently, and it was mostly going ok— until dessert. A high-tech (is it?) frozen yogurt machine promised to customize the little girl's dessert, made it to her specifications and showed it to her. Then, it just took took it away from her. Read more... More about Girl, Froyo, Frozen Yogurt, Nasa, and Watercooler Read More »A YA tale inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement should be the next book you read
It may be early in the year, but the best YA novel of 2017 is likely already in stores. The Hate U Give, the debut novel of author Angie Thomas, hit shelves today and is the buzziest non-sequel to hit the YA world in some time. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, The Hate U Give follows sixteen-year-old Starr Carter, a girl caught between two worlds. One is the poor black neighborhood where she lives, the other the rich suburban prep school she attends. But when Starr's childhood best friend is killed by a police officer, an act Starr witnesses, she's thrust into the turmoil and the national story her neighborhood becomes. Read more... More about Ya Books, Books, Mashreads, Entertainment, and Entertainment Read More »'Zoom in on the nose' meme is guaranteed to improve your self-esteem
Dogs are good. They are nice. They are the internet's saving grace. And they're at the heart of the pure new "zoom in on the nose" meme from @SNCKPCK, which blesses you with a delightful photo of a dog, then whisks you away on a fun scavenger hunt for a compliment. What's not to love? Take this good friend, for example. Zoom in on his nose, and you'll see a message: "Look in the top left corner." In the top left corner, it'll say "Look at my dog tag." Please do so. We're not going to spoil it for you, but the message on the dog tag will drastically improve your day — or your money ($0) back. Read more... More about Twitter, Dogs, Memes, Watercooler, and Watercooler Read More »Chance the Rapper shares his tattoo regrets with Katie Couric
Chancellor Bennett is a father, independent artist and Grammy award winner—but that doesn't mean he also doesn't have tattoos he regrets. He is human after all. The rapper recently sat down with Katie Couric, who he's mentioned in his rhymes before, and the two talked everything from gun violence in Chicago to his iconic '3' hat. While they chomped on food from Harold's Chicken Shack, Chance showed off his rarely seen tattoo and shared the story behind the phrase inked on his chest. SEE ALSO: Chance the Rapper buys out every screening of 'Get Out' at theater so fans can watch for free “It’s so stupid, I hate it. No one’s seen it,” he sheepishly told Couric, while revealing the "get back to work" tattoo that sits above his heart. “It’s a backwards tattoo. It’s a mirror tattoo, which is a concept I created." Read more... More about Conversations, Watercooler, Katie Couric, Chance The Rapper, and Watercooler Read More »This weird phone's got a 360-degree camera built right in
Weird doesn't even begin to describe the Protruly Darling. Billed as the world's first "VR mobile phone", the Darling and its built-in 360-degree "VR" camera is the type of phone you'll only find from some obscure Shenzhen-based company you've never heard of before. I discovered the Protruly Darling at Mobile World Congress after getting lost through the convention center halls en route to another meeting. And thank goodness, because it's exactly the kind of weird the predictable smartphone market needs. Everything about the Protruly Darling is just bizarre and it's apparent the very second you hold it in your hand. Read more... More about Cameras, Mobile World Congress, Mwc 2017, Mwc, and Android Read More »The team behind 'The Division' is turning James Cameron's 'Avatar' into a video game
Ubisoft's already made an Avatar game, back in 2009. But now Massive Entertainment, the development studio behind The Division, is tackling one of their own. We don't know much about the game, save for some flowery language about its pretty world and themes that you can hear in the video Ubisoft released this morning from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The developers are working on the game with Fox and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, and it will be set in the world of Pandora. Ubisoft's 2009 Avatar: The Game — a prequel — was set two years before the events of the actual movie, and let you choose between playing as a human RDA solider or one of the Na'vi. In the video above, associate creative director Ditte Deenfeldt mentions that players will be able to experience the universe of Pandora to their choosing, which could suggest a similar avatar/human choice or perhaps narrative decisions that could impact the story — another popular video game trend. All we have right now are guesses. Read more... More about Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft, James Cameron, Avatar, and Gaming Read More »Hunters rescue a deer that got stuck between 2 trees
A deer that got itself stuck between two trees found a helping hand from a group of hunters. In November, a truckload of hunters were out driving on a hunting trip in Oregon when the car in front of them stopped suddenly. After spotting some commotion in the trees, the hunters discovered a doe, stuck between two trees. After multiple attempts, one of the men decided to grab a hatchet to make the job easier. The doe was less than pleased, but after several minutes the hunters managed to free the deer, and it ran off into the wilderness. Read more... More about Viral Videos, Animals, Deer, Watercooler, and Watercooler Read More »Why Kellyanne Conway was on the couch and oh lord this is so dumb
We are not yet 40 days into the Donald Trump presidency and Kellyanne Conway may have instigated the absolutely dumbest controversy of the young administration thus far, which is saying something for the woman who coined the phrase "alternative facts." Yes, I'm speaking of #Couchgate, in which Conway was photographed with her feet on the Oval Office couch during a photo opp, incurring so much misguided wrath. And the fact that it 1) has a hashtag and 2) includes the requisite, scandal-tagging "-gate" suffix tells you right away this dumb. Dumb dumb dumb dumb. Read more... More about Dumb Controversies, Kellyanne Conway, White House, Social Media, and Politics Read More »Netflix: We will stream to your eyeballs, or VR, or um whatever the future is
Today, Netflix streams to TVs, computers, tablets, phones, game consoles and more—but what about in the future? During a keynote at Mobile World Congress on Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the streaming video service will adapt to whatever the hot new video-viewing technology is in 10, 20, or 50 years. "Five or ten years from now, the quality of Netflix on all of your devices will be incredible," Hastings said. "We don't know what that is. We have to learn by experimenting." Hastings said the company's not focusing on creating original video content specifically for a type of screen or display size. Instead, its original shows prioritize storytelling so that it doesn't really matter what size screen or device you watch content on—what's most important is feeling a connection with the content. Read more... More about Mobile, Streaming Video, Mobiled World Congress, Mwc 2017, and Netflix Read More »Those kids from the viral '80s TV show are back to do their intro as adults
Did you identify as Catrina? Or did you feel like more of a Joe? At the end of 2016, the intro of a '80s TV show from the UK took the internet by storm. People became obsessed with the over-enthusiastic kids introducing themselves, the perky dance and the catchy tune. Parodies were made, memes were created. It was a great time. Well, the Emu's Pink Windmill (that's the actual name of the show) kids are back as the adults they have matured into, and they know exactly what everyone wants: a reunited version of that intro. They do not disappoint. Read more... More about Television, Kids, 80s, Viral Videos, and Conversations Read More »San Diego's Frozen Zoo Read more...More about Oliver Ryder, Cheetah, Species, Endangered Species, and Stem Cells Read More » Yeah, the Oscars may not be the best thing to talk about on your next date
This year's Academy Awards may have been a little more shocking than most, but it apparently still provided plenty of things for people to loathe. Hater, the dating app that brings people together based on what they both dislike, asked their users to weigh in on this year’s Oscars, and they found plenty of common ground. People were offered the award show-specific topics in the week leading up to the ceremony, and — as with all topics — they swiped on them to indicate love, hate, like and dislike. SEE ALSO: The best dating apps to get you laid Funnily enough, the thing they hated the most was “listening to other’s Oscar predictions.” Turns out sitting through people’s thoughts on Best Actor are about as interesting as hearing people drone on about their dreams. So maybe don't drop your deep showbiz insights on your next date. Read more... More about Hate, Hater App, Academy Awards 2017, Oscars 2017, and Dating Read More »These are the online dating emoji your love life desperately needs
The language of love is a tough one to master. And the language of online dating? Even tougher There are literally no suitable emoji for certain things, like letting your friends know you're out for an evening of Netflix and chill—or that your love life is basically a burning dumpster Trump finally says why he will skip the White House Correspondents' Dinner
Donald Trump finally told the world why he's skipping the traditional White House Correspondents' Dinner this year, and his reasoning is a hoot. On Saturday, Trump used his Twitter account to announce he would not be attending the traditional dinner. Many people immediately assumed he was doing his best to avoid being demolished by the many jokes that would undoubtedly be made at his expense. We've seen him targeted at past dinners by professional comedians like Seth Meyers and Barack Obama, so it made sense, but in an interview with Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning, Trump claimed he's not attending because of "fake news." Read more... More about Fox And Friends, Conversations, Donald Trump, Fake News, and Politics Read More » | ||||
| | ||||
| ||||
utorak, 28. veljače 2017.
FeedaMail: Mashable
Pretplati se na:
Objavi komentare (Atom)
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar