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 For the superfans: Get your sneak peek at this year’s SXSW Mashable House
If you consider yourself a true superfan, then you already know what’s up. You’ve been to the Mashable House many times before, and can navigate the craziness that is downtown Austin during SXSW. This year, Mashable invites all the superfans to join us in the celebration of obsession. We celebrate the dedication it takes to wait in line for hours to see your favorite show’s panel (we’re looking at you, Thronies). The need to try every breakfast taco in Austin — just to make sure that your favorite is really your favorite. When it comes to the culture of SXSW, we are proudly committed to discovering every last detail. Read more... More about Sony, Toki, Swag, Tattly, and Bosco Read More »Sorry haters, you're never getting a dislike button on Facebook
If there's one Facebook rumor that absolutely refuses to die, it's that a dislike button might someday appear on the site. No matter how many times Mark Zuckerberg says he will never, ever make one, at least once a year, it seems, a fresh rumor picks up steam. This time, rumors were stoked when it was discovered that the social network is doing a small test of a thumbs down reaction inside of Messenger. At last, right? Not quite. Facebook confirmed the test is real, but this doesn't mean we're any closer to getting anything resembling an actual dislike button. Read more... More about Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, Apps And Software, and Tech Read More »Here’s how you create echo chambers on Facebook
Take it from the president of the United States: Human beings are creatures of comfort. We're not particularly inclined to seek out contradictory information and would rather believe things that reinforce our worldview. Sometimes we post those things at 6 a.m. to make a point to our foes, even if our claims are fact-free. Most of the time, we pay a price for that willful ignorance, but researchers are on the brink of learning just how destructive those impulses can be when combined with the scale and power of Facebook. Read more... More about Science, Social Media, News, Journalism, and Media Read More »Facebook is on a big listening tour for local media — and publishers are actually happy
"Media Organizations Make Pilgrimage To Facebook Headquarters To Lay Content At Foot Of Mark Zuckerberg," reads the headline of perhaps my favorite article from The Onion. It's a satire, of course, but the act of media companies traveling to Facebook's headquarters and speaking about how each party can better serve each other is, in fact, a reality. Two weeks ago, 15 of the top stakeholders in local media traveled to the New York office to do exactly that, among a day of other publisher-focused events including one on video monetization, previously reported by Digiday. The roundtable for local news included partnership groups like the Local Media Association and the Local Media Consortium, as well as media companies like Gannett, TEGNA and McClatchy. The three participants, who Mashable spoke with, seemed optimistic about the future relationship given Facebook's commitment to listening, transparency and execution. Read more... More about Facebook Journalism Project, Business, Newspaper, Online Media, and Facebook Read More »Looks like the best 'Destiny' raid is making a comeback soon
If you're a true-blue Destiny fan like I am, you probably watched this "Age of Triumph" teaser and thought only one thing: OMG VAULT OF GLASS IS COMING BACK!! Destiny's very first raid remains the best of the bunch in many a fan's mind, and Bungie's teasing look at the game's final live event seems to confirm its imminent return. Details will be revealed on March 8 at 1 p.m. ET in a Twitch stream. There's not much else to say about this teaser. Age of Triumph will introduce a new "Record Book," giving Destiny players one, last lineup of challenges to tackle as Bungie turns the bulk of its attention to whatever's next for the series. Read more... More about Bungie, Destiny, Gaming, Entertainment, and Entertainment Read More »To Trump, Obama is a Kenyan Muslim founder of ISIS master spy who loves golf and is 'a very good man'
Let's try to do this in a single sentence, shall we? Stay with me. To President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama is:
Obama has, indeed, been many things. He's been the head of the Harvard Law Review, a professor, a community activist, a state senator, a United States senator and the president. But to no one is Obama more than Obama is Obama to Trump. Read more... More about Wiretap, Basketball, Golf, Twitter, and Foreign Policy Read More »Looking for hope on climate change under Trump? Cities are where the action is.
In St. Petersburg, Florida, city planners are busy mapping out how the low-lying coastal area will cope with sea level rise. In Salt Lake City, officials are working to get 100 percent of the city's electricity from renewable sources. Out in Los Angeles, electric cars are steadily replacing conventional cars in the city-owned fleet. These local initiatives and thousands of others were already underway when President Donald Trump took office in January. Today, local leaders say they feel even more compelled to take climate action as Trump vows to cut funding and policies related to energy and environmental protection. Read more... More about Sierra Club, C40, Oregon, California, and Florida Read More »4 months later, 'Dota 2' teams, talent and organizers say they still haven't been paid
Several individuals say they have not been paid for participating in and working at a Dota 2 tournament in November 2016, including event organizers, on-air talent and at least three teams. Pro Dota 2 teams CompLexity Gaming, Alliance and Team NP as well as event talent and organizers from BEAT Gaming have all reportedly not been paid by Northern Arena for November's Northern Arena BEAT Invitational, according to TheScore Esports. The three teams are the only ones that have confirmed to TheScore that they haven't been paid, although it's possible that others have not been paid. More about Northern Arena, Esports, Gaming, Valve Corporation, and Dota 2 Read More »We might be able to make Mars habitable
A group of scientists have devised a plan to make Mars a little more hospitable to human life. A computer modeling experiment suggests that we can use a spacecraft to create a magnetic field around Mars, shielding it from the solar wind that's stripping its thin atmosphere away, oxygen ion by oxygen ion. If the plan works — and that's a big "if," it could melt the red planet's polar ice caps to bring back some liquid water to the Martian surface for the first time in billions of years. "It has been estimated that nearly one-seventh of the ancient ocean of Mars is trapped in the frozen polar cap," the abstract for the proposal, which was presented at NASA's Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop last week, reads. Read more... More about Nasa Earth Observatory, Solar Wind, Space Exploration, Magnetic Field, and Mars Read More »Yeah, Twitter's watching you even when you're not tweeting
You don't have to push a button to send a signal. Services like Twitter keep tabs on your behavior even if you aren't prodding your touchscreen to "like" or "retweet" things, and they use all that precious data to serve you #content that's tailor-made to attract your eyeballs. As Slate's Will Oremus explains in a new feature about Twitter's algorithms, the company pays attention to a variety of cues from its users to deliver information using its "best tweets" and "in case you missed it" functions. A lot of this is expected—you're more likely to see tweets that are recent and frequently retweeted, or from an author you engage with a lot — but one element should catch your eye: "How much time you spend reading tweets by that author, even if you don’t engage." Read more... More about Social Media, Facebook, Algorithms, Machine Learning, and Twitter Read More »Emma Watson's reaction to her critics is sorta hypocritical—but a great learning moment
Emma Watson is a feminist. Based on her work and her words, there is no disputing that the Beauty and the Beast actress is unequivocally for the equal rights of all genders across the globe. So when some people concluded otherwise because of a photoshoot that showed a little underboob, Watson was quick to shut critics down. However, many pointed out her statement is just kind of hypocritical based on comments she's made in the past about Beyoncé. On Sunday afternoon, clearly baffled by the negative reactions to the Vanity Fair spread, Watson spoke up to remind everyone what it means to be a feminist. Read more... More about Watercooler, Conversations, Controversy, Beyonce Knowles, and Beyonce Read More »Chance the Rapper is donating millions to Chicago public schools—and is asking for your help, too
Chance the Rapper may have just won three Grammys, but that doesn't mean it's time to kick back and relax. There's work to be done, but for the Chicago native, the next project has nothing to do with releasing another mixtape. In a press conference Monday afternoon, Chance explained that his nonprofit organization, Social Works, would be spearheading an effort to raise $215 million for Chicago Public Schools while the city wrestles with education budget reform. And with an initial $1 million donation, he made it clear that he will continue pressuring Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to allocate more funding for public schools. Read more... More about Conversations, Watercooler, Public Schools, Chicago, and Chance The Rapper Read More »'GTA Online' is getting nostalgic with a top-down 2D mode
GTA Online just keeps bringing more and more games and activities for fans of the mayhem-fueled multiplayer mode of Grand Theft Auto V, and a couple incoming features sound like they'll be a ton of fun. Rockstar Games teased new game modes, races and cars coming to its popular GTA Online, including two new Adversary Modes called Resurrection — "a gallows humor take on dodgeball" — and an homage to top-down 2D GTA games appropriately called Top Down. Adversary Modes are game modes created by Rockstar that take the world of Grand Theft Auto and inject fun, interesting rules to make unique minigames like Deadline, a Tron-like motorcycle game where players have to avoid hitting the trails of other players' motorcycles, and Slasher, a game with one shotgun-wielding "slasher" that hunts down flashlight-wielding players who only receive their own shotguns if they manage to survive for three terrifying minutes. Read more... More about Gaming, Rockstar Games, Gta Online, Gta, and Entertainment Read More »Japan’s latest trend? A spamusement park
A city in Japan has become home to a combined spa and amusement park...a spamusement park. Here's to relaxing thrill rides. Read more... More about Real Time Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Relaxation, and Towel Read More »This guy spent 8 years making an emoji snake, and it was totally worth it
You've never seen a snake quite like this one. Justin Kobylka spent eight years breeding pythons until he was finally able to create this mesmerizing, one-of-a-kind white ball python with three orange-faced smiley emoji on its skin. The emoji patterns are caused by recessive mutations. Kobylka says the snake's worth at least $4,500, but he has no plans to sell it. To put that in perspective, you could head to PetSmart and buy a normal ball python for $40. If nothing else, Kobylka's emoji snake matches well with emoji PJs. [H/T: Business Insider] Read more... More about Breeding, Snake, Python, Emoji, and Tech Read More »Samuel L. Jackson uses one tweet to crush Ben Carson and his slaves as 'immigrants' comment
Today, like most days, Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of reason. While making his debut as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on Monday afternoon, Ben Carson said that America's "can-do" value system was best exemplified by slaves — who he audaciously referred to as "immigrants."
“That’s what America is about,” Carson said to department officials. “A land of dreams and opportunity." Read more... More about Development, Urban, Housing, Immigrants, and Slaves Read More »We're finally—finally!—getting details on the iPhones coming out in 2019
One of the biggest expectations we have for the upcoming iPhone 8 is an edge-to-edge OLED screen—but if a new supply chain rumor is true, that's just the first step in Apple's master plan. A recent report claims every iPhone model will adopt OLED screens by 2019, according an article in The Bell spotted by MacRumors. OLED technology requires less power than LCD displays and produces brighter colors. If Apple does make a full-on move to OLED, LCD producers, some of which have been experimenting with more flexible designs to stay relevant in the increasingly curvy smartphone ecosystem, could be cut off from the iPhone entirely. Read more... More about Supply Chain, Rumor, Display, Lcd, and Oled Read More »Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep to lead Steven Spielberg's Pentagon Papers drama
Superstar director Steven Spielberg is assembling a superstar cast for his next movie. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep have just been set to lead The Post, Mashable has confirmed. The fact-based drama revolves around the Pentagon Papers, a classified Department of Defense study which detailed the true scope of the U.S. government's dealings in the Vietnam War. Leaked by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the documents revealed that the Johnson administration had systematically lied to the public and to Congress to cover up the dramatic escalation of the war in Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers were finally declassified and released in full in 2011. Read more... More about The Washington Post, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Movies Read More »The mystery of why pandas are black and white has been solved
We finally know why pandas are black and white. It has nothing to do with them being so very, very cute — instead, its meant to make pandas look tough, according to a new study. Pandas are one of the few mammals that don't have coloring that matches their environment. They're a study in contrasts, with black fur that matches dark forests and white fur for snow-filled landscapes. A team of researchers from UC Davis and California State University, Long Beach, wanted to know the adaptive significance of those colors. (They're the same team who figured out zebras have black and white stripes to keep away blood-sucking flies.) Read more... More about Biology, Research, Panda, Animals, and Science Read More »Michael Jordan’s words of wisdom confused the hell out of everyone
A verbal misstep by His Airness had the sports world guffawing this weekend when Michael Jordan declared "the ceiling is the roof" in an address to fans at a University of North Carolina basketball game. Thankfully, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was here to cut through the noise on Monday. SEE ALSO: My president was a hooper Jordan played for UNC before going on to his legendary NBA career. Appearing during a break in play in Saturday night's basketball game against arch-rival Duke, Jordan talked up the Tar Heels football team, which was being feted before the home crowd. Near the end of his pep-talk, Jordan dropped this knowledge bomb. Read more... More about Nba, Sports, Entertainment, and Sports Read More »The tool that forces you to take a quiz before commenting is now available to everyone
A Norwegian media outlet is spreading the love in an attempt to stop the hate. A tool public broadcaster NRK was using on their website to keep comments less angry and off-topic is now available to other sites. It's a really simple concept. The tool is just a quiz with three multiple-choice questions about the article that a reader must take before posting anything in the comments section. Site editors said they built it to force people to take a breath and calm down before posting an angry rant. Here's a quiz on a story posted Monday about fake news in the media industry. (This is translated by Google from Norwegian into English.) Read more... More about Media, Norway, Github, Open Source, and Quiz Read More »Shots of a passenger ferry going through intense waves are totally real
Australia's Sydney Harbour is far from what you'd call the high seas. But recent windy weather has led to some rocky trips on the Manly passenger ferry, which have also led to some amazing photographs of the challenging waves faced by these commuter boats on Saturday. Captured by photographer Haig Gilchrist, one particular picture of waves rising higher than the ferry's short railings looks utterly terrifying. It's not Photoshop, we swear. More about Sydney Harbour, Sydney, Photography, Ferry, and Australia Read More »Trump still refuses to wear his tie correctly and tapes it down instead
Donald Trump is a man of quick fixes — a big wall to deal with immigration, random rallies to build popularity, or "alternative facts" to blur away undesirable truths. So it's no wonder he has quite the fix for keeping his tie in place — clear office tape. Months ago, Trump was spotted sticking a piece of tape on the back of his tie, and as learned on Monday, he's still doing it now he's president.
For a man weirdly obsessed with appearances, Trump is pretty loose with that tie. It's a small quirk that actually tells you a lot about the life philosophy of the reality star-businessman who was recently elected president — at least if Twitter jokes have anything to say about it. Read more... More about Style, Donald Trump, and Social Media Read More »Researchers discover how normal people (like you) become internet trolls
The troll's post is coming from inside the house. Possibly even your house, in fact. A joint research project out of Stanford and Cornell Universities has determined that internet trolls are not just the rando online harassers that our parents warned us about, but also consist of plenty of first-time offenders driven to toxicity by a set of predictable factors. Trolling has a recipe, in other words. Just what is reportedly pushing your average Joe to the realm of internet-dickery? Two main indicators were identified by the research team: The tone of other comments, and the person's mood. More about Comments, Trolling, Trolls, Technology, and Tech Read More »'Supergirl' is planning the 'Lois and Clark' reunion of our dreams
Last week's Supergirl revealed that Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain) is no longer the hero he once was before being captured by Cadmus. After 10 years trapped inside the shadowy group, he returned to his family for what seemed like a heartwarming reunion — only to betray his former allies at the DEO and steal a list detailing the names and whereabouts of every alien in the country as part of Lillian Luthor's scheme to rid the world of extraterrestrial visitors. What would Superman say?! The March 6 episode, "Exodus," will give Daddy Danvers a chance to explain himself to his heartbroken daughter Alex (Chyler Leigh). Read more... More about Andrew Kreisberg, The Cw, Teri Hatcher, Dean Cain, and Supergirl Read More »'A Separation,' our next MashReads book, shows how sticky things get when relationships die
Reactions to loss can take many forms. Whether it's a quiet withdrawal or hiring a professional weeper, every breakdown of a relationship can provoke something unexpected in all of us. These are the type of themes explored in Katie Kitamura's new book A Separation, Mashable's March pick for MashReads, our monthly book club. SEE ALSO: MashReads Podcast: 'History Is All You Left Me' is a heartbreaking novel about teenage grief In A Separation, Kitamura tells a minimalist tale about a woman seeking out her estranged husband in a small Grecian town, who seems to have gone missing while researching a book about grief. Taking place in a blighted landscape of fire, crime, lethargy and unease, the story investigates the intricacies of intimacy when love has long since diminished. Read more... More about Mashreads, Book Club, Books, Katie Kitamura, and A Separation Read More »New settlement allows civilian review of NYPD surveillance
Residents of New York City are on their way to having new oversight of their police department's counterterrorism operations, which often includes surveillance. A new settlement filed Monday would permit a civilian representative to report police to a judge whenever the representative feels officers violate guidelines that restrict how far police can go in monitoring religious and political groups. The lawsuit stems from NYPD surveillance of Muslims, some of whom sued the city over that surveillance in 2013. The representative will also be privy to how the NYPD runs its surveillance investigations, and will be allowed to stick around until the NYC mayor gets court approval to remove the person. The deal still needs to get final approval from U.S. District Judge Charles Haight. Read more... More about Surveillance, Mosques, Muslim Ban, Police, and New York City Read More »The White House just plagiarized an ExxonMobil press release
The Donald Trump White House has a decidedly mixed record when it comes to the accuracy of its press releases, but lifting an entire paragraph from someone else's statement? That's unfortunate. On Monday, Trump released a statement congratulating ExxonMobil for its latest "job-creating investment program." While it's not entirely unheard of for the government to coordinate statements with private companies, issuing copy-and-pasted corporate spin is more unusual (sigh). Oh, and did we mention that current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was previously CEO of ExxonMobil, where he he worked for 41 years? Read more... More about Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil, White House, Donald Trump, and Watercooler Read More »Is that Bulbasaur on wheels? Nope, it's Volkswagen's new concept car.
If you're a fan of Pokémon, you just might see a familiar face Volkswagen's first fully autonomous concept vehicle. The ride is called Sedric (as in self-driving car), and let's be real, it looks like a Bulbasaur with those wide-spaced "eyes." And it doesn't look like anything you'll find on the road today. Sedric isn't meant to be controlled by a human driver. Instead, the all-electric concept is supposed to operate with full Level 5 autonomy, which means the system can handle all the work, and will only pick up riders when they summon it with the press of a button. The vehicle was made with ride sharing in mind, as the company claims that in the future, "intensively used vehicles" will cut traffic and energy consumption while increasing safety and sustainability. Read more... More about Concept Car, Ride Hailing, Ride Sharing, Self Driving Cars, and Autonomous Cars Read More »The reasons why social media can make you feel both magical and miserable
The internet can lift you up as quickly as it tears you down. At least that's how it seems to some teens and young adults who build rewarding relationships on social media but also, at times, feel rejected or excluded by friends and strangers. This complicated grey area — where social media both connects and isolates us — is rarely captured in the way we talk about how young people live online. Platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram either bring people together in novel and fun ways, or they breed narcissism and become a hunting ground for cliques and bullies to prey on vulnerable kids. Read more... More about Research, Science, Social Media, Mental Health, and Social Media Read More »GOP's sad Obamacare replacement quickly becomes a fire meme
The Republicans unveiled their healthcare plan on Monday night and it's looking like a weak replacement for Obamacare. It defunds Planned Parenthood, rolls back the Medicaid expansion, restricts abortion, and lets insurers jack up premiums by 30 percent if there's a lapse in coverage. Oh! And there's a big tax cut for CEOs making more than $500,000 and a weirdly specific ban on lottery winners getting Medicaid. Needless to say, people were not impressed, and they responded with the internet's greatest tool for self-expression: Memes. Read more... More about Gop, Meme, Healthcare, Obamacare, and Watercooler Read More »Some people aren't cool with having less sexist pedestrian traffic lights, go figure
Pedestrian lights are the latest frontier for equality in one city. A lobby group called the Committee for Melbourne is behind a push for the Australian city to have half of its pedestrian lights feature a female silhouette, as opposed to the usual male version. But not everyone is happy. Even those aware that the lights won't actually resemble an old timey Mary Poppins figure. It's all part of the Equal Crossings initiative, and its aim is to reduce unconscious bias and further gender equality in a public setting. "Unconscious bias reinforces stereotypes and influences daily decisions and attitudes. The Equal Crossings initiative will draw our attention to these issues in a practical and positive way," Committee for Melbourne's CEO, Martine Letts, said in a statement. Read more... More about Equality, Gender Equality, Pedestrian Crossing, Pedestrian, and Traffic Lights Read More »'Get Out (of the White House)' proves truth is scarier than fiction
Ready to be scared? The box office-smashing, fear-inducing fright fest that is Get Out has been stunning audiences with its sharp exploration of racism. But sometimes (usually) the scariest things are the most familiar. Like President Donald Trump's line "I am the least racist person you'll ever meet," the people in the town the movie's main character (Daniel Kaluuya) visits with his white girlfriend in the film are way too nice and creepy AF. That's how they get you! But what if Chris' girlfriend was Ivanka Trump? Horror of horrors! That's exactly the scenario that plays out in Funny or Die's new parody, Get Out (of the White House). Even Get Out director Jordan Peele is spooked and impressed by its play-by-play remake. Read more... More about White House, Jordan Peele, Donald Trump, Racism, and Film Read More »The internet is very upset about the mistake on Trump's green #MAGA hats
It's not St. Patrick's Day until you've got your green and gold "Make America Great Again" hat securely on your head. That's why the GOP and Donald Trump's team have been pushing sales of the $50 hat since last week — to make sure you show your Trump support and avoid getting pinched when the Irish holiday rolls around on March 17. The only problem? As people on Twitter pointed out, the hat features a four-leaf clover 🍀. St. Patrick's Day, however, is all about shamrocks ☘, which have three leaves.
Sexual abuse survivor Thordis Elva defends forgiving her rapist on TV
It's the controversial TED talk that everybody saw. Icelandic writer Thordis Elva shared the stage with her high school boyfriend and rapist, Australian man Tom Stranger — both inviting the audience to discuss sexual violence in a new way. However, sharing a stage, co-writing a book (South of Forgiveness) and forgiving one's rapist is a concept many are uncomfortable with. So when Elva was a guest on Australian panel show Q&A, she found herself defending her path to forgiveness and reconciliation. Some felt her attacker wasn't held to account, while an advocate for domestic abuse survivors warned of the "vicious cycle" that traps many survivors who forgive. Read more... More about Qanda, Q A, Rape, Sexual Abuse, and Australia Read More »Sonos puts your sound bar where it belongs, under your TV
Now that I know about Sonos Playbase, I wonder if Sonos was spying on me. When the company announced Playbase Tuesday, it noted that roughly 70% of all flat screen TVs in the U.S. are not mounted to the wall. It felt like a stat pulled directly from my home. I have five HDTVs; only one is mounted to a wall. The others sit on counters and furniture. One of them has a sound bar that slightly obscures the bottom of the screen. This fact about people like me led Sonos to an acoustic epiphany: the sound bar they currently sell, the wall-mountable Playbar, doesn’t meet the needs of most HDTV owners. More importantly, the new sound bar they were trying to design should not be a bar, at all, but a platform. Read more... More about Sound Bar, Hdtv, Audio, Sonos, and Tech Read More »Chinese orchestral mash-up of all your favourite Disney songs is pretty amazing
You've never heard Disney songs like this before. This instrumental medley of 12 theme songs featuring traditional Chinese instruments is the ultimate mash-up of East-meets-West. Singapore's TENG ensemble uses traditional instruments like the Guzheng and Pipa as well as Western instruments in its performances. They've got everything from Snow White to Frozen covered — just go on and have a listen. Read more... More about Chinese Orchestra, Singapore, Instrumental, Disney, and Watercooler Read More »Oculus Rift's 'Robo Recall' is the game VR has been waiting for
Back in 2015, hidden in a tiny soundproof room at CES in Las Vegas, a demo for a cops-versus-giant robot game called Showdown blew me away. At one point, I watched in amazement as fully rendered, three-dimensional bullets whizzed by my virtual face in slow motion. When I took the Oculus Rift off, all I could think was, "this is the experience that will blow people away when it finally reaches the public." Well, that day has come, in the form of another game called Robo Recall — the best and most polished virtual reality gaming experience I've seen to date. More about Gaming, Virtual Reality, Vr, Epic Games, and Oculus Read More »Hey, Silicon Valley: Your culture sucks, so quit raving about it
Back when the iPhone was a mere twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye, "culture" didn't mean all that much in Silicon Valley. Now, it means even less. While a fair and equitable work community is worth striving for, endlessly mentioning your company culture is a tired marketing ploy, and one that many women in tech have known to be only lip service for some time now. The c-word is invoked to provide cover. It's a box to tick. It may be tech's favourite buzzword, but it's time to give it up. Just how insincerely "culture" is used has become clear in the wake of Uber's most recent set of scandals concerning its allegedly top-to-bottom bro workplace, not to mention the endless drip of lawsuits brought by women and people of colour at companies from Tesla to Tinder. Read more... More about Sexism, Workplace Culture, Github, Sexual Harassment, and Uber Read More »Steve Aoki's 'Ghost In The Shell' remix is getting ripped apart by fans
It hasn't been the most pleasant year for those behind the reboot of Japanese anime classic, Ghost In The Shell. The upcoming film's been dogged by criticisms of whitewashing ever since it was announced Scarlett Johansson would play the lead role of Major Motoko Kusanagi — a clearly very Japanese character. And it seems the disappointments won't end. This one's thanks to Steve Aoki. The DJ's turned his hand to creating the 1995 film's unofficial theme song, played during the intro. In short, it's the remix nobody asked for. Here's the original by composer Kenji Kawai, for reference. Read more... More about Soundtrack, Entertainment, Film, Music, and Steve Aoki Read More »13 mildly sassy out-of-office replies to use when joining the Women's Strike
On Wednesday, women from across the United States and beyond will participate in a historic strike, protesting on behalf of all the marginalized groups currently threatened by the Trump administration. The strike offers a unique opportunity for women-identified people to potentially disrupt the flow of capitalism, if only for a day, and share a powerful message of dissent. It'll also allow strikers to send delightfully righteous messages to their coworkers that they'll have no choice but to accept. If you're planning to take the day off on Wednesday, here's a list of out-of-office replies you can send to everyone on staff, letting them know just how historic this moment is and/or just how clever you are. Read more... More about Feminism, Protest, Womens Strike, Womens March, and Watercooler Read More »Let Cookie Monster teach you about the illustrious true history of cookies
No surprises that Sesame Street's Cookie Monster knows a helluva lot about cookies. Everyone's favourite blue fuzzball has appeared in a new video for Bon Appétit, where he goes through a hundred years of cookie history with a pair of kids. If only history lessons at school were this entertaining. And delicious. Read more... More about Food, Videos, Video, Cookie Monster, and Sesame Street Read More »Everyone's favourite physicist has a far-out live show about space (and aliens)
You may remember physicist Brian Cox from such hits as "patiently explaining climate change to a diehard denier" and "taking on the government to protect the BBC." He's an international treasure, in other words, and Australia's ABC network has given him a brand new space show. As thanks, presumably. Stargazing Live will see Cox along with non-scientist (but excellent person) Julia Zemiro exploring the wonders of space and the cosmos, including taking live questions from the folks at home. The show will broadcast for three nights from April 4 to 6 from the Siding Spring Observatory in rural New South Wales. Read more... More about Tv, Aliens, Space, Abc, and Stargazing Live Read More »People are furious that 'Madam Secretary' will feature a lecherous Filipino president
This weekend, an episode of CBS political drama Madam Secretary will feature a lecherous Filipino president getting punched in the face. The episode, scheduled to air on Saturday, was promoted with a trailer that's getting people talking, because many are drawing parallels with the real president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who's been criticised for making overtly inappropriate and sexist remarks. The episode's plot will feature the fictional president Datu Andrada (played by Joel de la Fuente), making sexual advances toward the protagonist, U.S. Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (played by Téa Leoni). Read more... More about Sexism, Rodrigo Duterte, Embassy, Washington, and Philippines Read More »Brother and sister fight over a guy in Coke's new ad
Nothing like some good old sibling rivalry. Coke's new ad features a brother and sister that are both fighting over the attractive guy cleaning their pool. The video, which has been viewed almost three million times, has been praised for being inclusive and supporting diversity. But the real question is, who gets the guy in the end? Watch to find out. Read more... More about Lgbtq, Coca Cola, Watercooler, and Advertising Read More »American paparazzi confuse Deepika Padukone with Priyanka Chopra and she isn't amused
They're both bonafide Bollywood stars. They're both pursuing Hollywood. They've both appeared on the same talk shows. They've both attended the Oscars. But dear paparazzi, they are NOT the same! For the second time, the American media has mistaken Deepika Padukone of xXx: Return of Xander Cage fame with Priyanka Chopra of Quantico fame. First, when promoting xXx, which also starred Vin Diesel, and now, at Los Angeles International Airport where shutterbugs lined up to welcome Padukone with chants of "Hi, Priyanka" and "Priyanka, welcome back!" Read more... More about Oscars, Los Angeles, Paparrazzi, Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika Padukone Read More »Turtle living in wishing pond gets surgery after years of eating of coins left by tourists
The Thai sea turtle that spent years eating coins off the bottom of a wishing pond has undergone a successful surgery. The 25-year-old, nicknamed Omsin (Thai for "piggy bank"), was found with an engorged stomach full of heavy coins, and she made headlines as a warning to people casting coins into ponds for good luck. The coins, found in her stomach and intestines, were pressing on her other organs, and preventing her from diving, breathing or eating properly. Vets operated on Omsin on Monday, removing removed some 915 coins weighing nearly 5 kg, according to Nantarika Chansue, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University who has been spearheading the turtle's recovery. Read more... More about Turtles, Animal Welfare, Thailand, Animals, and World Read More »Donald Trump-inspired app counts how often men interrupt women
Tired of being interrupted? A new app claims it may be able to help. Called Woman Interrupted, the app uses your smartphone's microphone to analyze conversations and track how many times men interrupt women in a given conversation. Created by Brazilian ad agency BETC to coincide with International Women's Day, the app's creators say Woman Interrupted was inspired in part by the first presidential debate when Donald Trump repeatedly interrupted Hillary Clinton. The app, which is available for both iOS and Android, uses your smartphone's microphone to track conversations and determine the number of interruptions in a given conversation. Read more... More about Advertising, Apps And Software, Tech, Tech, and Apps Software Read More »When her father refused to, this company's CEO walked a woman down the aisle to marry her bride
Being gay can be especially tough in some conservative Asian cultures, but supportive workplaces can make all the difference. This video posted by HSBC Bank in Taiwan tells the story of one of its employees, Jennifer. In an interview segment in the video, she reveals that her parents don't acknowledge her relationship with her partner, and refused to attend their wedding. So the bank's country CEO, John Li, walked her down the aisle on her big day. The touching video also talks about Jennifer's 11-year relationship with her partner, Sam. Read more... More about Same Sex Marriage, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Lgbtq, and Hsbc Read More »Girls in India will receive solar lamps this International Women's Day for an important reason
This International Women’s Day, a South Korean conglomerate is planning bring light to thousands of kids in India. Samsung India has announced that it will be distributing 10,000 solar lanterns to girl students in the country. Not-for-profit organization CAF India is also part of the initiative. The solar lanterns, to be distributed in government schools across Noida and Gurugram in Delhi-National Capital Region and Sriperumbudur near Chennai, will enable girls to spend more time on studies, the firms said. A huge pool of Indians don’t have access to education. On top of that, fewer girls than boys are enrolled in schools. Only 48 percent of women in rural areas had completed five years of primary schooling in the country, according to a report by International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity last year. Read more... More about International Women S Day, Education, Samsung, Solar Lanterns, and Solar Lamps Read More »Emma Watson defends her 2014 comments about Beyoncé
It's now been a week since Emma Watson's braless Vanity Fair photoshoot, which sparked a massive reaction and began an ongoing back-and-forth about whether or not her actions were hypocritical. And it doesn't look like the debate is going to die down anytime soon. The most recent talking point concerns a 2014 interview for Wonderland Magazine, in which Watson discussed Beyoncé's self-titled 2013 album. "I'm quite nervous to bring it up because I still haven't really formulated my own ideas about it," she told Tavi Gevinson, before going on to say that the videos made her feel "really conflicted". Read more... More about Uk, Interview, Tweet, Twitter, and Photoshoot Read More »Minister slammed on Twitter for saying women need protection from 'hormonal outbursts'
Indians are miffed with their Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. And why not? In a rather bizarre statement made on a television show, Gandhi defended the imposition of early curfews on girls' hostels (known as dormitories elsewhere) across the country, saying young women needed protection from their own "hormonal outbursts." When questioned by a female college student on the rationale behind 6 p.m. curfews in ladies' hostels, the minister said: "When you are 16 or 17 you are also hormonally very challenged. So to protect you from your own hormonal outbursts perhaps a lakshman rekha (boundary line) is drawn. It really is for your own safety." Read more... More about Twitter Reactions, Women Empowerment, Conversations, Gender Equality, and India Read More »The cast of 'Will & Grace' are taking adorable on-set selfies and we can't get enough
As the world awaits the return of Will and Grace, the cast have been sharing on-set selfies while filming the revival promo over the weekend. Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally showed their excitement at their backstage reunion by posting a series of selfies on social media. They'll return to our screens for a 10-episode revival. And, it looks like nothing's changed since the show ended in 2008
Can Singapore's smallest mobile operator hope to compete in a country of 250 million?
Singapore's smallest mobile operator is looking to hit the big time. Circles.Life, the country's only Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), announced on Tuesday its plans to expand into larger countries such as Hong Kong and Indonesia within the next year. SEE ALSO: Why unlimited data is making a comeback An MVNO is unlike a traditional mobile operator, in that it doesn't own its infrastructure, but rather leases hardware assets such as satellite towers and transmitters from traditional players. While the company said it's "hit [its] target" in Singapore — albeit declining to reveal exactly what that is — entering Indonesia will be very different, a top exec said. Read more... More about Mobile Operators, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Telecommunications, and Singapore Read More »Facebook reports the BBC to police for sending sexualised images of children
Facebook reported BBC journalists to the police after they provided, under request, sexualised images of children discovered on the social network's private groups. The episode occurred as part of a BBC investigation into Facebook's content moderation systems, which the news organisation says isn't effective. The BBC reported dozens of photos to Facebook, including an apparent freeze frame showing child abuse, but more than 80 percent of the photos weren't removed. Following the investigation, the BBC asked Facebook for an interview about its moderation system. Read more... More about Content Moderation System, Sex Abuse, Bbc, Facebook, and Social Media Read More »The cast of 'Harry Potter' have a WhatsApp group and it sounds simply magical
Imagine being in a WhatsApp group chat with Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and the entire main cast of the Harry Potter films. Seriously, just think about it. What do they message each other about? Which emoji does Radcliffe favour? Do they share old behind-the-scenes photos and laugh about random on-set memories? Well, Emma Watson herself has confirmed that a Harry Potter cast WhatsApp group does in fact exist, and frankly we'd consider facing down an army of Dementors just for a single hour of browsing through it. During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Watson was asked if she stays in touch with Daniel Radcliffe. Read more... More about Uk, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Harry Potter, and Daniel Radcliffe Read More »Thailand's red taxis are taking the petty route to drive Uber and Grab out of town
Threatened by the entrance of Uber and Grab's ride-hailing service, some 200 drivers in tourist-friendly Chiang Mai, Thailand, have decided to band together to drive out the new threat. The Bangkok Post has reported that the drivers of the song taew — the iconic red modified pickup trucks operated as mini buses — are collectively photographing and reporting Uber and Grab drivers to the authorities. SEE ALSO: Turtle living in wishing pond gets surgery after years of eating of coins left by tourists Ride-sharing apps exist in a grey area in the country for now, as the government works out regulations around them. Read more... More about Taxi, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ride Sharing, and Ride Hailing Apps Read More »11 things we get to know about the Wonder Woman movie ahead of time
Warning: This post inevitably contains spoilers, if you consider anything studios purposely show journalists before release a "spoiler." The new Wonder Woman movie is due for release in June and unsurprisingly there's a huge amount of speculation around it. If the trailers weren't enough to satisfy your appetite, we have a little bit more to keep you going until it hits cinemas. Mashable got a sneak peak of some unfinished sequences of the movie during post-production in London. Here are a few things we learned: Read more... 1. It opens in Wonder Woman's place of originMore about Movies, Marvel, Dc Comics, Patty Jenkins, and Chris Pine Read More »Stephen Hawking reminds us technology will kill us all and it's all our fault
We are well into 2017 and the situation hasn't got any better, so here comes the routine alert from world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking that we're all gonna die — and it's all our fault. During an interview with The Times, Hawking repeated the concept that humanity faces existential threats from climate change, artificial intelligence and mass species extinction. He also warned that the human inclination towards aggression, linked to technological advancements, could mark our destruction (roughly in 1,000 years): Read more... More about Humanity, Technology, Stephen Hawking, and Tech Read More »You can tell the difference between hot and cold water just by listening to it
This is one of those weird things that sounds impossible, but the moment you listen to the sound it'll make perfect sense. For his guest video on Tom Scott's YouTube channel, science vlogger Steve Mould demonstrates the difference between the sounds of cold and hot water being poured into a mug. "Like many things," says Mould, "this was something that you knew intuitively — even if it wasn't something you were aware of consciously." You learn something new every day. Read more... More about Uk, Steve Mould, Tom Scott, Experiment, and Science Read More »Patagonia and Google look to defend public lands with stunning VR film series
The Bears Ears region in southeastern Utah has many claims to fame. It's the sacred home to five Native American tribes, a popular spot for rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts from around the U.S., and the location of tens of thousands of archaeological sites. But despite Bears Ears' importance, which earned it a national monument designation just weeks before President Barack Obama left office, the area is still threatened due to fossil fuel interests and politics. Now, a new series of interactive, virtual reality short films will take you there, so you can explore the landscape for yourself — and even help save it. Read more... More about Mashable Debuts, Native Americans, Indigenous Rights, Indigenous, and Short Film Read More »Ricky Gervais laughter makes the perfect 'Big Bang Theory' backing track
Turns out Ricky Gervais has enough laughter for an entire audience. YouTuber Owen Cooper recently proved as much when he decided to edit a clip of The Big Bang Theory to replace all the canned laughter with the trademark, hyperactive laughter of Gervais. Frankly, all episodes should sound like this. Read more... More about Uk, Youtube, Laughter Track, The Big Bang Theory, and Ricky Gervais Read More »How to stalk your competitors' negative reviews for new customers
Stalking your competitors' reviews can be an extremely effective technique for getting new customers. That said, it's a strategy that's more art than science, and must be done very carefully.Responding directly to negative feedback left for your competitors is generally a very bad idea. It can make you look like a jerk, and will more than likely make your competitors pretty unhappy. So, how can you leverage your competitors' negative reviews to generate leads?This post will come at the issue from two different angles:
Russia finally approved 'Beauty and the Beast — but there's a caveat
Russia has finally approved the release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast — but there's a caveat. The country's culture minister, Vladimir Medinsky, told the Associated Press that it granted a screening license to the film with a 16+ age restriction. That's the equivalent to Rated R movies in the U.S. which, in reference to a Disney live-action remake, seems unusual. Medinsky came under pressure from an ultra-conservative MP, Vitaly Milonov, who sent him a letter urging him to take action against the film, calling it "a blatant, shameless propaganda of sin and perverted sexual relationships" under the guise "of children's fairy tales." Read more... More about Russia, Beauty And The Beast, and Entertainment Read More »Watch this flock of birds form hauntingly beautiful patterns in the sky
If you ever find yourself standing below a large flock of starlings, you'd do well to turn your camera on. On Sunday, Al Kitching shared a video on Twitter of a starling murmurationAccording to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), this is "a mass aerial stunt" which involves "thousands of birds swooping and diving in unison". The video, which has been shared around 1,400 times, is pretty breathtaking. So, why do they do it?"We think the starlings do it for many reasons," reads the RSPB entry. "Grouping together offers safety in numbers — predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock of thousands. Read more... More about Birds, Uk, Tweet, Viral Video, and Twitter Read More »Stephen Colbert calls Anderson Cooper out for muting Trump's tweets
Everyone knows the only way to manage frenemies on Twitter is through the mute button. It gets around the awkwardness of having said frenemey know you have blocked them, or unfollowed them. No one knows this better than Anderson Cooper, who admitted on Monday night to Stephen Colbert that he has muted CNN's number one frenemy: the 45th President of the United States. That doesn't mean people don't tell Cooper when Donald Trump attacks him, but regardless, Colbert pressed him about what tweets are worth covering and what to make of the real-time comments from Trump. But Cooper has an interesting point when he says, "I just don't want to have that drama in my life." Can't argue with that one. Read more... More about Twitter, Donald Trump, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Conversations, and Watercooler Read More »This English breakfast pie is maybe the most British thing ever
There is nothing more quintessentially British than a good old fashioned fried breakfast. Except, perhaps, for a fried breakfast encased in a pie. The "Brekkie Pie" comprises all the ingredients you'd typically find in an English fry up — bacon, fried egg, baked beans and tomatoes and HP sauce. Entirely pink Starburst packs are coming your way
You know that feeling when you unwrap the Starburst bag and the first one is pink...and the second one is pink? Imagine if you could feel that sense of wonder, accomplishment without any of the hard work of just hoping? You will be able to do just that starting in early April, when Starburst releases All Pink packs for a limited time. Matt Montei, Sr. Director of Confections at Wrigley, said this idea came completely from the candy's fans. "On social media we’re seeing people talk about pink Starburst more than any other flavor; there’s even a meme about being treated 'like a Pink Starburst,'" Montei said. "The Pink conversation and fanfare has continued to grow so we decided to act." Read more... More about Pink, Starburst, Candy, Food, and Watercooler Read More »Nest beefs up security with two-factor authentication
Smart thermostat Nest is about to get a lot more secure. The company just added an important security feature that you should enable if you care about keeping your IoT-enabled home safe: two-factor authentication. The feature works just like it does anywhere else — you've likely seen it on services such as Gmail or PayPal. It adds an additional layer of security on top of your password by requesting a verification code at login. Since this code is sent to your phone when needed, it means an unauthorized user can't log in even if he has the password. Read more... More about Internet Of Things, Two Factor Authentication, Nest, Tech, and Gadgets Read More »People are calling for this 'sexist' and 'degrading' advert to be removed
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) has been accused of "degrading" women and sexism in its latest advertising campaign in France. The image of a model in a leotard and roller skates bent over a stool has caused an outcry on social media, with many calling for the ad to be removed People have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the offending add using the hashtag #YSLRetireTaPubDegradante (#YSLRemoveYourDegradingAd) Vegans, this plant-based leather is made just for you
Green Banana Paper is repurposing banana plants left over after a harvest and recycling them into customizable leather-like wallets. Read more... More about Wallets, Banana Fibres, Banana Plant, Real Time Video, and Real Time Video Read More »Someone has invented a waterproof toupee that looks just like real hair
A young British couple have designed a toupee that's unlike any other conventional hair replacement. 'Quiff and Co' have become a massive hit online for their waterproof and durable hair piece that you could never tell apart from real hair. Read more... More about England, British, Ant And Stevie, Quiff And Co, and Male Pattern Baldness Read More »Jimmy Kimmel embarrassed Emma Watson with some 'Harry Potter' outtakes
On Monday night's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy Kimmel spoke with Emma Watson about her unique acting career, which of course all started from her very first role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Kimmel then showed an outtake from one of the very first films, featuring young Harry, Ron and Hermione. It turns out Watson was very well cast, because just like Hermione, Watson was a little know-it-all on set and it caused many a ruined take. "I was such a loser," Watson said about it, laughing. "I really love those books. I really wanted to do my job well, and I kind of overdid it." Read more... More about Late Night, Harry Potter, Emma Watson, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conversations Read More »A pizza place got super judgy over one pineapple-lover's order
If you love pineapple on your pizza, you might feel a little wounded these days (thanks, Iceland!). And things aren't getting any easier for you. One hapless twitter user tried to order her favorite tropically-topped pie and was - as Cher Horowitz might put it - brutally rebuffed by an unnamed pizza place.
Ouch. The scorned twitter user has gotten tons of support from the social media community:
Google can finally translate Hindi sentences like a pro
You can now count on the Google Translation app to settle your dinner-table debates over popular Hindi dialogues and what they actually mean. Google says it has improved the way its namesake translation service parses Hindi, Russian and Vietnamese languages, now funnelling them through its AI-powered deep neural networks. The company says starting in the next couple of weeks, it would be translating an entire sentence of Hindi, Russian and Vietnamese in one go, rather than handling few words and small phrases as it does currently. Read more... More about India, Vietnamese, Russian, Hindi, and Neural Network Read More »'PooPerch' is a shelf for your phone while you use the toilet
'PooPerch' hangs under your toilet paper holder and provides a convenient, safe space for your phone. Read more... More about Mashable Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Real Time Video, and Real Time Video Read More »Hyperloop One shows first photos of its desert test loop
They're building a tube in the desert. After some delays, lots of controversy and maybe a little concern about the longevity of the enterprise, HyperLoop One, the next-gen transportation company, is building a full-scale test track (test tube?) in the Nevada desert. SEE ALSO: 5 tough questions for Hyperloop One Unveiled at Dubai's Middle East Rail Conference, the images and video show 50 meters of white 3.3 meter-in-diameter metal tubing connected end-to-end. Hyperloop One calls the test track DevLoop. So far, there's 500 meters of tubing, weighing over 1,100 tons. Image: Hyperloop one When the DevLoop is completed, it will form a loop in the desert, roughly 30 miles outside of Las Vegas, where HyperLoop One hopes to conduct its first full-scale test of what would be the World's first hyperloop transportation system. Read more... More about Hyperloop, Hyperloop One, Tech, and Transportation Read More »Wikileaks document dump alleges the CIA can hack almost everything
If the CIA wants to peer inside your digital life, it'll find a way, no matter what you've done to protect yourself. That's the basic message inherent in a trove of documents dumped by Wikileaks Tuesday that allegedly exposes a slew of CIA hacking techniques. Wikileaks claims this document dump is the first in a series it's calling "Vault 7." The group says it's the largest release of documents pertaining to the CIA in the agency's history. "Year Zero," the title of the first release, contains 8,761 documents that allegedly come from "an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence" at its headquarters in Langley, Virgina. Read more... More about Nsa, Cia, Document Dump, Donald Trump, and Wikileaks Read More »February recap: 5 trending topics to spark watercooler conversation
In all likelihood, your morning looks a little like this: You hit snooze three times on your smartphone, jump out of bed like a madman twenty minutes before you're supposed to be at work, and get halfway to the office before realizing you're wearing mismatched shoes. And forget about reading the news—you're more concerned about the emails piling up in your inbox before 9 a.m. That's why in 2017, we're adding a little oomph to your morning with monthly re-caps of some of the most viral, conversation-worthy hits on the internetz. Consider this your ICYMI monthly update on the trending topics everybody has been buzzing about at the watercooler. Read more... More about Sponsored, Supported, Lifestyle, and Travel Leisure Read More »A camera made from 23,000 drinking straws offers a very unique perspective
In an age where we would go to any lengths to get a unique photo, two artists, thirsty for something new, have created a camera that offers peak uniqueness. Michael Farrell and Cliff Haynes have developed something called the Straw Camera. The name of the camera indicates exactly what it is made out of — 32,000 drinking straws. Image: michael farrell & cliff haynes "The Straw Camera, which is a box stacked with approximately 23,000 black drinking straws, produces a multipoint perspective from an array," Cliff Haynes wrote on the camera's website. "The light viewed/collected by each individual tube is recorded onto the photo sensitive material placed at the opposite end." Read more... More about Pics, Art, Camera, Conversations, and Watercooler Read More »The CIA is interested in hacking your car, WikiLeaks claims
WikiLeaks has published a trove of files it says are linked to the CIA's hacking operations — which apparently includes efforts to hack into cars. The first in a series called "Vault 7," "Year Zero" supposedly comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virginia. "Year Zero" details the CIA's malware arsenal and "zero day" exploits against Apple iPhones, Google's Android operating system, Microsoft Windows and even Samsung TVs. Read more... More about Cia, Vault 7, Wikileaks, and Tech Read More »Pete Davidson explains his 'SNL' absence: I'm 'happy and sober for the first time in 8 years'
Pete Davidson's Saturday Night Live tenure has been jam-packed, but the 23-year-old has been less visible on the show lately. Davidson revealed in an Instagram post on Monday that he recently gave up drugs and stepped back from the show to focus on his health. "I know I've kinda been missing, from social media and on the show," he wrote in his Instagram post. "I quit drugs and am happy and sober for the first time in 8 years."
There's a Nokia 3310 with a gold Putin face on it waiting for you
If you, for one, are ready to welcome our new Russian overlords, there's good news: you can get one of those new-fangled throwback Nokia 3310 phones with a gold-encrusted Vladimir Putin face. The phone is a product of Elijah Giacometti, an Italian jeweler who, as The Outline notes, has made quite a tidy business, called — of course — Caviar, out of selling ultra-luxury tech items like diamond-encrusted iPhones and an Apple Watch with an inscription celebrating Putin's birthday. And now Giacometti is pushing Caviar to embrace the wave of nostalgia sweeping through mobile users by expanding his line to include the Nokia 3310 throwback phone. Read more... More about Russian Luxury, Nokia 3310, Vladimir Putin, Tech, and Mobile Read More »You can create your own augmented reality experiences with this app
2017 is the year tech will change the way we interact with the world around us. Augmented reality is the emerging tech that’s slowly disrupting our lives. Perhaps you spent a good chunk of last year running around after Pokemon IRL? Or sent a Snap of you with an adorable pair of dog ears to your nearest and dearest on Snapchat? Then you’ve experienced the power of augmented reality for yourself. And there’s an exciting British startup bringing AR to the palms of the people. Zappar is the app that’s giving you the power of augmented reality via something you can’t live without – your smartphone. Read more... More about Supported and Tech Read More »Selling counterfeit goods in China could put you in prison for a week — if one billionaire gets his way
Amazon is plagued by counterfeit sellers – and so is its biggest rival. Jack Ma, the chief executive of Alibaba, is finally doing something about it. Ma called on the Chinese government on Tuesday to crack down on counterfeiters. “If, for example, we imposed a seven-day prison sentence for every fake product sold, the world would look very different both in terms of intellectual property enforcement and food and drug safety, as well as our ability to foster innovation,” Ma wrote in an open letter on the social network Weibo, according to the Financial Times. Ma addressed his letter to the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In the past, Ma has defended counterfeiters and said they're sometimes better than the real thing, FT reported. Read more... More about Counterfeiting, China, Asia, Jack Ma, and Alibaba Read More »Nike to release sport hijabs for Muslim women athletes
It's been quite a week of inclusivity for Nike after the sporting brand released a plus-size clothing line for women, but it looks like things aren't slowing down. Now it seems Nike is releasing Nike Pro Hijab for Muslim women athletes that will become available as soon as Spring 2018. “The Nike Pro Hijab may have been more than a year in the making, but its impetus can be traced much further back, to an ongoing cultural shift that has seen more women than ever embracing sport,” a statement from Nike says, according to Al Arabiya English. “This movement first permeated international consciousness in 2012, when a hijabi runner took the global stage in London," referring to Saudi Arabia's Sarah Attar. Read more... More about Sports, Muslim Women, Hijab, Nike, and Conversations Read More »Alec Baldwin might soon step away from his 'SNL' Trump impression
It was fun while it lasted. Although Alec Baldwin has captured America's attention with his impression of President Trump, it seems like the actor will be taking a step back from it after the current season of Saturday Night Live. SEE ALSO: Alec Baldwin is co-writing a parody Donald Trump memoir and Trump probably isn't so thrilled Baldwin sat down for an interview with Extra's Mario Lopez Monday, where the two discussed his upcoming movie Boss Baby and the future of his guest appearances on SNL. During the interview, Baldwin revealed that he plans to retire from his Trump impression soon. “The maliciousness of this White House has people worried," he said, "...that’s why I’m not going to do it much longer, the impersonation, I don’t know how much more people can take it.” Read more... More about Donald Trump, Saturday Night Live, Snl, Alec Baldwin, and Watercooler Read More »Even in the White House, Trump can't escape Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump's weird week just got weirder as he strolled out to surprise a White House tour group only to make his grand entrance in front of a portrait of former first lady and his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. SEE ALSO: Looks like Hillary Clinton and the internet are on the same page about this Mike Pence email thing Trump casually walked out to cheers and screams, seemingly oblivious to the painting of Clinton behind him, a specter staring down from the wall behind as if to remind him and everybody there, "You lost the popular vote." The painting is Clinton's official White House portrait from her time as first lady. Read more... More about Hillary Clinton, White House, Donald Trump, Watercooler, and Politics Read More »Stephen Colbert unravels Trump's ties to Putin with his handy dandy 'Figure-It-Out-A-Tron'
Stephen Colbert is very determined to help us figure this whole Russia-Trump thing out. On The Late Show, he brought out his technologically advanced "Figure-It-Out-A-Tron" AKA his chalkboard to untangle the twisted web that possibly connects Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin and Russia. After explaining the connection between Russia and Jeff Sessions, the FBI, the CIA and so on, Colbert marked each one with a "P" (for Putin, of course). By the end of his investigation, all the P's, shall we say, rained down upon President Trump and, as Colbert phrased it, he was "drowning in P." We can't say that this diagram washed away any of our worries, but we appreciate the help. Read more... More about Russia, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Stephen Colbert Read More »The 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' trailer gets an intergalactic homemade makeover
Ok, the sequel might seem like it's lightyears away but don't freak. We've recreated the new trailer using homemade toys and tricks to keep you entertained till the new Marvel movie opens in May. Check out the side-by-side comparison. Check out the behind-the-scenes. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content. Read more... More about Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Marvel Studios Read More »Couple married for 37 years preserves their love through delightful matching outfits
Every couple expresses their love differently. Some post lovey-dovey photos aggressively on social media. Some get each other personalized gifts. Some just like to Netflix and pizza. One Japanese couple expresses their love through wearing tasteful, matching outfits almost every single day. Considering they have been married for 37 years, maybe this is the secret to long-lasting marriage that we've all been missing? If it used to be a secret, it is now very much so public. The over-60 couple has become an international sensation thanks to their Instagram account. SEE ALSO: Adorable couple fall in love in 'Final Fantasy XIV' and have an in-game wedding Read more... CIA hack of Samsung TVs was named after a Doctor Who monster
WikiLeaks' sudden dump of secret CIA documents includes a lot of detail on the exact methods the agency has been allegedly using to hack various devices. One of the more colorful descriptions is the tool created to hack Samsung smart TVs, which turned them into covert microphones. The CIA called the hack "Weeping Angel." For any fan of the Doctor Who, the reference was clear. The Weeping Angels are a monster on the show, known for their peculiar ability: The Angels (which are evil, of course) can move lightning-fast, but only when no one is looking at them. As soon as you lock your gaze in their direction, they freeze, unable to move, resembling statues. Read more... More about Vault7, Wikileaks, Cia, Weeping Angel, and Doctor Who Read More »Barbra Streisand doesn't need people, she needs pancakes
People who need pancakes are not the luckiest people in the world - they're the most disgusted with the current state of the world. Formidable songstress and political activist Barbra Streisand has admitted to letting the current state of political affairs get to her in the most relatable of ways: stress eating.
Streisand, who has previously called Trump, "both dangerous and unfit for office," followed up that initial tweet with another one that reinforces her new breakfast routine. Read more... More about Donald Trump, Barbra Streisand, Pancakes, and Watercooler Read More »Wikileaks' CIA dump contained WAY more bad memes than you would think
Wikileaks dumped a huge cache of CIA documents and files this morning in the first of a series of Vault 7 leaks, and in doing so, showed the world the agency's horrible taste in memes. The whole leak, codenamed "Year Zero," can be viewed via torrent download. When you check out all the files on your PC, you'll find more than just zipped documents and PDFs. There's a whole array of .gifs and .jpgs too — and most of them are memes. Old, lame memes, for the most part. Here's a quick look at some of the memes that came along with the dump. You'll see they include everything from Boromir's "One does not simply..." warning to a pipe-smoking baby. Read more... More about Memes, Gifs, Emoticon, Leaks, and Cia Read More »See Darren Criss menace Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist in 'The Flash' musical episode
Glee alums Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist will reunite with their former co-star Darren Criss in The Flash's upcoming musical crossover with Supergirl, and Mashable has an exclusive first look at the trio in action. Gustin doesn't seem particularly thrilled to see his fellow Warbler in the sneak peek image below — but that's probably because Criss is playing the villainous Music Meister — a metahuman whose powers cause people to spontaneously erupt into song and dance when they hear his voice. Melissa Benoist as Kara, Grant Gustin as Barry Allen and Darren Criss as Music Meister. Image: Jack Rowand/The CW Read more... Shut it down: Jesus is on Tinder now
Jesus may be your lord and savior, but could he also be your next boyfriend? Just swipe right on his amazing Tinder profile to find out. A dating app doesn't seem like the most obvious place to find the son of God, but this is 2017. Anything can happen. And Jesus has recently been popping up on Tinder, where he displays his characteristic modesty by listing his profession as carpenter. He’s looking for love with both men and women. So if you’re into beards, draped robes and much older men — he’s listed as 21 but he reminds you in his profile that he’s actually several thousand years old — this could be a match made in, er, heaven. Read more... More about Dating, Tinder, God, Religion, and Jesus Read More »Ben & Jerry's will sell ice cream that tastes like your favorite cereal
Ben and Jerry's wants you to trade your morning bowl of cereal for a morning bowl of ice cream, and they've got the flavors to make it worth your while. The ice cream brand announced Tuesday that it will sell cereal-flavored scoops in shops across the country. This new breakfast-inspired offering comes in three flavors reminiscent of those sugary cereals your mom refused to buy you as a child. First there's Froot Loot, the Fruity Pebbles of the bunch. Then there's Frozen Flakes, a would-be favorite for Tony the Tiger. Finally, there's Cocoa Loco, the Cocoa Pebbles ice creams. Each scoop is a blend of crunchy cereal bits and the nostalgic flavor of sugary milk. Read more... More about Ice Cream, Food, Watercooler, Watercooler, and Pics Read More »Scientists could end up flying blind about Arctic sea ice at the worst possible time
All is not well in the Arctic, where sea ice is in a long-term precipitous decline due to human-caused global warming. In February, for example, Arctic sea ice set a monthly record low, with sea ice extent coming in 455,600 square miles below the February 1981 to 2010 average. That means that, at the end of February, the Arctic was missing an ice chunk the size of Texas, California and West Virginia combined, thanks to an unusually warm winter and long-term climate change. That's a lot of missing sea ice. To track sea ice trends, scientists have been using microwave sensors aboard Defense Department weather satellites that pass near the North Pole, but recent failures in key instruments plus delays in planning and launching next generation satellites means we may soon be flying blind in the Far North at the worst possible time. Read more... More about Science, Nsidc, Satellites, Global Warming, and Climate Change Read More »How to participate in the Women's Strike if you can't skip work
We're about to find out just how much girls run the world — and the global economy. The International Women's Strike, also called A Day Without a Woman, encourages women to skip work and ditch unpaid labor on International Women's Day. The March 8 strike will take place in more than 50 countries around the world, calling for gender equality, reproductive health access, labor rights and an end to gender violence. While U.S. Women's Strike organizers said the movement was created by working class, black and migrant women — groups who often experience the most economic inequality, yet are still taking the personal risk — joining a strike arguably requires privilege. This could leave out women in low-paying jobs and hourly work, who might not have the same freedom to strike as women with more financial stability. Read more... More about Gender Equality, Activism, Protest, Women S Rights, and Women Read More »'Kong: Skull Island' review roundup: This monster mash is a total smash
Kong is king again. Critics are hot on Kong: Skull Island, which is currently drawing an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its wide release this weekend. The monster movie reboot goes into the heart of the jungle with a star-studded cast (including Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson), and, according to reviews, returns with a rip-roaring adventure reminiscent of Apocalypse Now and Jurassic Park. Find out exactly what the critics had to say about it below. The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy praised Kong's execution of a familiar formula: Read more... More about Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Kong Skull Island, Movies, and Entertainment Read More »Harvard dropout to give Harvard commencement speech
Harvard's most famous dropout (okay, maybe second) is going to be giving the commencement speech at the prestigious college's upcoming graduation. Harvard University announced on Tuesday that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be the featured speaker at the institution's 366th commencement on May 25, 2017. He won't be the first dropout to speak. Bill Gates spoke at Harvard commencement in 2007, a fact that clearly wasn't lost on the Harvard communications department, which put together this video. “Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership has profoundly altered the nature of social engagement worldwide. Few inventions in modern times can rival Facebook in its far-reaching impact on how people around the globe interact with one another,” said Harvard President Drew Faust in the press release. Read more... More about Business, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Business Read More »Calm down. Here's what you actually need to know about the WikiLeaks dump
On Tuesday, WikiLeaks published a massive trove of unverified documents it claims came from "an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence." The documents, dated from 2013 to 2016 and dubbed "Vault 7" by WikiLeaks, describe powerful tools the agency has allegedly used to break into smartphones, computers and televisions. The revelations are juicy, but it will likely be days before the important details are parsed out. Here's what you need to know now. Read more... Is the CIA hacking me?More about Cyber Security, Vault 7, Cia, Wikileaks, and Tech Read More »Switch and 'Zelda' were Nintendo's biggest U.S. launches ever
Your non-gamer relatives might have lined up to snag a Wii on day one, but Nintendo's Switch is apparently an even bigger deal. The new console and its marquee launch title — The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — both broke launch records for Nintendo in the Americas. We're just missing one thing: actual numbers. Nintendo hasn't officially shared its launch weekend sales data for Switch or Zelda, but the "Best. Launch. Ever." assertion still comes from a reliable source: Nintendo of America boss, Reggie Fils-Aime. He spoke to Nick Wingfield of the New York Times, who shared the details from his forthcoming write-up on Twitter. Read more... More about The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo, Gaming, and Entertainment Read More »Edward Snowden weighs in on WikiLeaks CIA dump
While the waves are still being felt from Tuesday's huge document dump by WikiLeaks focusing on CIA hacking techniques, we now know what Edward Snowden, the world's most famous whistleblower, thinks of the information held inside. Posting on Twitter Tuesday morning, Snowden said that the leak "looks authentic" and is "generally a big deal." He went on to elaborate why he believed the information - which centred around allegations that the CIA's covert program allowed it to crack into iPhones, Androids and even Samsung TVs - was credible. Read more... More about Edward Snowden, Wikileaks, Cia, Tech, and Politics Read More »Smartphones are only a luxury if you have money
Do you want healthcare or a smartphone? That was the choice posited by Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Tuesday morning. His comments made it seem as though smartphones are an extravagance. "Americans have choices," Chaffetz said. "So maybe rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own healthcare." And before this devolves into partisan screaming, let's point out that former President Barack Obama once said something quite similar. Read more... More about Internet, Barack Obama, Jason Chaffetz, Iphone, and Smartphone Read More »A Google Pixel 2 without a headphone jack wouldn't be the end of the world
Get all your tears and frustration out now because it's only a matter of time before your favorite smartphone follows Apple and drops the headphone jack. Though it sure looks like Samsung's Galaxy S8 will keep the headphone jack, Google is reportedly looking to kill the classic headphone port for the Pixel 2, 9to5Google reports. The Google fan blog says it's seen an "internal Google document" that claims the headphone jack's going away. However, the blog gives no reason as to why Google would make such a controversial move, which will almost certainly alienate customers. Read more... More about Audio, Rumors, Smartphones, Android, and Headphone Jack Read More »'Star Trek: Discovery' has found its captain
Jason Isaacs is beaming up to Star Trek: Discovery, where he's been tapped to play Captain Lorca, the leader of the titular starship in CBS All Access' new series. Discovery will differ from previous installments of the franchise in that the ship's captain will not be the lead character of the series; the show's protagonist will instead be a lieutenant commander played by Sonequa Martin-Green. Executive producer Bryan Fuller — who stepped down from showrunning duties on Discovery to focus on other projects — previously explained that since Star Trek has already had multiple series told from the point-of-view of the captains, he wanted to explore "a character from a different perspective, who has a different dynamic with the captain, with subordinates." Read more... More about Cbs All Access, Jason Isaacs, Star Trek Discovery, Entertainment, and Tv Read More »Creative 'Overwatch' players bring boss battles to the game
With the new custom game browser in Overwatch, players are coming up with some really inventive new game modes. One of the best genres by far is boss battles, where multiple players team up against one super-powered hero in an epic fight to the death. Whether the games are called "boss battle," "raid boss" or "Reinhardt vs. Torbletts," the new boss fight games populating the custom game browser tend to follow a few simple rules:
5-year-old girl becomes the youngest ever person to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee
In today's news: a five-year-old is better at spelling than you. Edith Fuller just made history by becoming the youngest person to ever qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee at only 5 years old, after expertly out-spelling more than 50 competitors at the 2017 Scripps Green Country Regional Spelling Bee in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After correctly spelling the word 'jnana,' a term for knowledge in Hinduism according to Merriam-Webster, Fuller was guaranteed a spot in the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C this May, where she will compete against kids from across the country as old as 15. Read more... More about Washington Dc, Oklahoma, National, Scripps, and Cute Kids Read More »Scientists store digital files in an unlikely place: DNA
A new coding technique could make it possible to condense your entire digital library onto a microscopic hard drive. Except the hard drive won't consist of metals and plastic. It will be made of DNA. Scientists in New York have developed a way to compress digital files and squeeze the data into the four base nucleotides of DNA: A, G, C and T. They did so by adapting an algorithm designed for streaming videos on cell phones. "We take storage almost [for] granted, and we accumulate a lot of information in our daily life," said Yaniv Erlich, a computer science professor at Columbia University who co-authored a new study describing the technique. Read more... More about Biotechnology, Data Storage, Columbia University, Biological Data, and Digital Data Read More »Blue Origin shares a preview of its giant New Glenn rocket
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has finally revealed how its upcoming New Glenn rocket will launch and then reuse a rocket stage by landing it back on Earth. The process, detailed in a computer animation on Tuesday, sure looks familiar, and not just because the creepy animated humans were used in the company's last video. It clearly resembles the same process that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket goes through for that company's launches. SpaceX has successfully landed a rocket stage both on land and at sea multiple times in order to demonstrate reusability, which Elon Musk and Bezos see as the key to lowering the costs of spaceflight. Read more... More about Falcon Heavy, Elon Musk, Space Exploration, Science, and Falcon 9 Read More »This 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' homemade trailer is so similar to the original that even we were confused
The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is upon us so we've taken on a near galactic task in recreating the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' trailer using only homemade items! Check out the full version. Check out the behind-the-scenes. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content. Read more... More about Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Marvel Comics Read More »This trailer for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is made from homemade toys and props
Ok, the sequel may seem lightyears away but don't freak! We've recreated the new trailer using homemade toys and props for your enjoyment until the new Marvel movie is released in May! Check out the side-by-side comparison. Check out the behind-the-scenes. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content. Read more... More about Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Chris Sullivan, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff Read More »Go behind-the-scenes of this homemade 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' trailer
The Homemade Movies gang went for a long trip around the intergalactic DIY zone to recreate this entirely homemade trailer. Make sure to see how they used homemade items in this exclusive behind-the-scenes. Check out the full version. Check out the side-by-side comparison. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content. Read more... More about Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Marvel Studios Read More » | ||||
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utorak, 7. ožujka 2017.
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