Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Editor’s note: Mashable and PCMag are both owned by Ziff Davis.

Shawn Mendes taught himself to play guitar by watching video tutorials on YouTube and now he’s selling out tours across the globe. So, who’s to say you couldn’t have the same fate?

We’ll save you the trouble of sifting through thousands of search results — we’ve already found the best tutorial. The Complete Guitar System – Beginner to Advanced is a course hosted on Udemy that will help you master the guitar, and right now you can get it on sale for just $9.99 in the PCMag Shop. Take advantage of it here because the course costs $12 at Udemy. Read more…

More about Music, Online Learning, Mashable Shopping, Entertainment, and Work Life

Boeing, the American aircraft maker of the 737 Max 8 planes involved in two fatal crashes in a five-month period, is hustling to salvage its reputation so passengers and air carriers will fly on those planes again. (Out of all U.S.-based carriers, Southwest and American Airlines had the largest number of the planes in their fleets.)

The company has even paid for its side of the story to appear at the top of Google searches — above critical news articles about the aircraft. The paid Google ads direct users to a statement promising an upcoming software update which would fix issues with the plane’s flight control system, known as the MCAS, or maneuvering characteristics augmentation system.  Read more…

More about Plane Crash, Boeing, 737 Max 8, Tech, and Transportation

What does a Dungeons & Dragons player look like? 

Well, they don’t all channel the overdone nerd stereotype portrayed on Saturday Night Live — and that’s prompted a delightful moment on Twitter.

In a skit performed during Saturday’s show, three employees from the graphics department, played by Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, and guest host Kit Harrington, battle over the title of “Employee of the Month” in a style akin to live action role-playing games like D&D.

The D&D community, tired of seeing the same old stereotype, wasn’t impressed Read more…

More about Snl, Twitter Moments, Saturday Night Live, Dungeons Dragons, and Dungeons And Dragons

Read more…More about Airpods, Mashable Reels, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Donald Trump is seeking re-election in 2020, and in case you had any doubts he tweeted a painfully bizarre hype video to confirm.

The two-minute-long video displays the words “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they call you racist. Donald J. Trump. Your vote proved them all wrong.”

 It’s also set to music from The Dark Knight Rises? OK!

The video features dramatic music and clips from Trump’s time in office, along with footage of Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, Bryan Cranston, Amy Schumer, Kim Jong-un, and more. Why? Unclear!

More about Twitter, Politics, Donald Trump, Web Culture, and 2020 Election

For years a teenager living just outside of London helped run an elaborate blackmail operation that bilked honest porn-site visitors out of their hard-earned cash — which he proceeded to blow on drugs, luxury hotels, gambling, sex workers, and at least one fancy £5,000 Rolex watch. 

Now, the 24-year-old Zain Qaiser, who went by K!NG online, has been sentenced to over six years in jail, and we’re getting a better picture of what the National Crime Agency is calling “one of the most sophisticated, serious and organised cyber crime groups” it has ever seen. 

More about Hacking, Porn, Ransomware, Cryptocurrency, and Tech

As NBA superstar Dwyane Wade prepares to call it a career, Budweiser has stepped up with the one thing they do best: a touching ad that will have you experiencing FEELINGS. 

The ad plays off the way others players have exchanged jerseys with Wade all season but, instead of NBA stars, Budweiser had Wade meet with five people who were inspired by or have received help from Wade. 

The clip includes the sister of a Parkland school shooting victim, Joaquin Oliver, whom Wade honored by writing his name on his sneakers before a game. Oliver gave Wade his old basketball jersey. The video also features a woman whose college tuition was paid by Wade. In return she gave him her cap and gown.  Read more…

More about Budweiser, Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, Joaquin Oliver, and Culture

Facebook is trying to put a stop to its most painful notifications.

The company is making several changes to how it deals with accounts that have been memorialized, including one that will attempt to put a stop to birthday reminders and event notifications for friends who have died.

Facebook has long been criticized for spammy notifications. But these can become much more than just a nuisance when one of your friends has died. With the newly announced changes, Facebook will try to prevent accounts that have been memorialized from showing up in notifications.

More about Tech, Facebook, Social Media Companies, Tech, and Social Media Companies

Watch out for scams popping up in your email inbox this tax season. IBM says it’s recently detected a wave of tax-themed phishing messages targeting both professional and personal email addresses. Read more…

More about Mashable Video, Email, Cybersecurity, Malware, and Hack

The Yeehaw Agenda remains strong!

Lil Nas X, who recently collaborated with Billy Ray Cyrus for a sick remix of “Old Town Road,” sat down with Genius Verified to explain the backstory and lyrics behind his viral hit. 

“I started to think about it,” Lil Nas X said, referring to when Billboard took the remix off its weekly Hot Country Songs chart. “Listening to other songs that’s actually on that chart, it’s like, wait a minute. Something’s not right.” 

Lil Nas X explained that he worked on the song while living with his sister, and he was inspired by the “runaway loner cowboy” lyrics. 

“I wanted to be more of a triumphant kind of story,” he told Genius. “The horse would be like, not having much, and Old Town Road would be that path to success. You know, you’re taking that horse to Old Town Road.”  Read more…

More about Youtube, Viral Videos, Genius, Culture, and Web Culture