Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Apple-heads and Amazon stans have cause for celebration, as the two most valuable companies in the world announced a plan to come together and solve the global problem of not being able to buy the latest iPhone models on the e-retailer’s site. 

That’s right, according to Bloomberg, soon you’ll no longer have to head over to apple.com to purchase a whole host of Apple products including the iPhone XR, the iPad, the Apple Watch, the Mac, or even the Apple TV. Instead, you can keep your browser forever parked at amazon.com for all your online shopping needs. Well, unless you’re one of the several people in the market for a HomePod, that is.  Read more…

More about Apple, Iphone, Amazon, Homepod, and Tech

The technology is the only thing more impressive than the DS X E-Tense’s exterior. Read more…

More about Cars, Mashable Video, Concept Car, Future Blink, and Tech

Irresponsible scooter parking is the scourge of any city overrun with the motorized devices. So on Thursday, e-scooter company Bird unleashed “Community Mode” on its app, which includes a way to report or complain about bad parking jobs or damaged Birds blighting city streets.

The new feature is part of Bird’s GovTech platform that lets cities work with the scooters within established transportation systems. That was released a few months ago, but now the Bird reporting is open to anyone on the app. Bird said cities will see the option in the coming weeks. Read more…

More about Bird, Apps And Software, Parking, E Scooter, and Tech

About 40 minutes into the show, right before Kong first appears onstage, the audience at King Kong on Broadway is crackling with excitement.

Ann Darrow (Christiani Pitts) is tied up, seemingly helpless and lost in the middle of a spooky forest when we hear a growl in the darkness. In one brilliant moment the part-animatronic, part-puppet animal that is nearly as tall as the stage appears in all his glory. Ann is lifted up to look the stunning giant in his all-too-human eyes. With the help of both onstage puppetry and behind-the-scenes workers, Kong opens his mouth and roars. The audience cheers. It’s a truly stunning feat.  Read more…

More about Broadway, Musicals, King Kong, Entertainment, and Music

A student struggling with math turned to Tinder for last minute help. 

College sophomore Maddi McMaster has taken calculus twice, and she was at her breaking point right before her midterm.

“My strongest subject is definitely English,” she said over Twitter DM. “I’ve always been terrible at math, so God knows why I chose an engineering degree when I first came to college.” 

She had “procrastinated with studying,” and the high school junior who usually helped her out with homework wasn’t on campus that late. 

More about College, Tinder, Twitter Reactions, Culture, and Web Culture

Electric scooter and bike sharing company Lime has rolled into Australia, launching in Sydney on Friday.

The Californian company’s bright green, dockless electric vehicles have been released into the streets, with 300 e-bikes distributed through Sydney to start and e-scooters to come soon.

Melbourne will be next, with preview electric scooter rides offered for locals heading to and from the Melbourne Cup horse race on Tuesday, and a three-month scooter pilot launched at Monash University in Melbourne earlier this week. Read more…

More about Australia, Ride Sharing, Scooters, Lime, and Tech

Found yourself subscribed to a shady ringtone service? Even though it’s 2018? Google Chrome will soon stop you from falling into that trap.

In an upcoming version of Chrome, the browser will throw up a warning page when it suspects users could be unwittingly subscribed to a direct billing scam, leaving them with unexpected charges on their next bill.

Chrome will detect if the subscription information on a webpage is insufficient, and like its other warnings, give the user the opportunity to go back, or proceed if they like.

More about Google, Cybersecurity, Chrome, Google Chrome, and Scams

Self-driving car companies have been testing their vehicles for years, but now regular riders are starting to catch rides in the robot cars. 

Instead of merely watching a vehicle loaded with cameras, sensors, and other equipment drive by, some lucky folks (and not just company employees) are now able to experience the autonomy in person.

Waymo is sticking to its end-of-2018 timeline for a self-driving taxi service in ArizonaGM’s Cruise says 2019 is the year for a car service to drive San Franciscans around. And, in Dubai, a self-driving taxi service has already hit the streets.

More about Bosch, Mercedes Benz, Self Driving Cars, Daimler, and Tech

The destructive Camp Fire has already burned over 18,000 acres of Butte County, Northern California as of Thursday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 

Since starting at 6:30 a.m. PT just north of Sacramento, the fire is consuming 80 acres per minute — photos show that smoke is already reaching the Bay Area about 150 miles away.

A combination of profoundly dry vegetation and heavy winds are contributing to the fire’s explosive pattern. Over the course of the day, evacuation orders were issued in Paradise, Concow, and Pulga, towns about 200 miles north of San Francisco.  Read more…

More about California, Wildfire, Science, and Web Culture

When making sense of the youth voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections, there’s good news, bad news, and some more good news. 

Early estimates show young people voted at historic rates. About 31 percent of people aged 18 to 29 voted in the midterms this year (a significant increase from 21 percent in 2014), according to a day-after exit poll by Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. The estimate suggests the midterm elections marked the highest level of participation among young voters in the past quarter century. 

More about Elections, Voting, Midterm Elections 2018, Social Good, and Politics