Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II tour has only been traveling for a few weeks but it’s already blessed the world with iconic moments. From hilarious exchanges between the Carters to photographs of the twins, the fans are living. 

But perhaps one of the most important contributions the tour has given us? This glorious video of Barack and Michelle Obama dancing their hearts out at the latest stop. 

More about Beyonce, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Jay Z, and On The Run

On Sunday, Donald Trump tweeted.

Most of the time, the president’s tweets are occasions for any day ending with the letter “y.” But Sunday’s missive was particularly notable for what he said. Or didn’t say. Honestly, it was kind of confusing.

Trump’s tweet revealed the fact that he’d recently met with New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger at the White House. Their discussion apparently focused on the challenges facing journalism and journalists in 2018, but like much of what Trump tweets, the meaning is open to interpretation. Read more…

More about Politics, Culture, Donald Trump, New York Times, and Culture

Over 300 inmates in Idaho successfully hacked tablets in an effort to transfer thousands of dollars of credit into their accounts. 

The tablets — made by company JPay — are intended for accessing music, ebooks, games and emails. But because of a loophole, inmates were able to use them to transfer a collective $225,000 into various accounts.

As reported by the Spokesman-Review, 364 occupants of five different Idaho correctional facilities were able to access funds through a “vulnerability” that officials didn’t discover until early July.   Read more…

More about Hacking, Prison, Prisoners, Culture, and Web Culture

It’s no “covfefe,” but really, can anything ever beat that?

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and Donald Trump’s perhaps overly talkative lawyer, sent out a tweet on Sunday morning that quickly went viral. 

It was clearly a mistake, and may now be serving as a helpful distraction for the beleaguered Giuliani. But it’s prompted some first-class responses.

First, here’s the tweet.

It’s the kind of accidental posting any of us could share, and get roasted for. Twitter did exactly that.  Read more…

More about Politics, Culture, Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Culture

Arguably, Tom Cruise running his goddamn ass off is the glue that holds the Mission: Impossible franchise together. And now, we have math to prove it.

In celebration of the most recent addition to the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Rotten Tomatoes has crunched the numbers to find out exactly how much the man has sprinted throughout his nearly four-decade long career, and whether his running has a net positive effect for his films.

Spoiler alert: Tom Cruise’s running sells more tickets than Forrest Gump could ever hope to.

More about Entertainment, Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible, Rotten Tomatoes, and Mission Impossible Fallout

While surveying whales and dolphins off the Hawaiian Islands, scientists spotted a creature they’ve never seen before: a peculiar hybrid between a dolphin and a small whale. 

In 2017, before future naval officers trained on submarines in the waters around Kauai — a place called the Pacific Missile Range Facility — the U.S. Navy hired marine researchers from the Cascadia Research Collective to study the native animals in these seas. After encountering a large pod of melon-headed whales, the researchers tagged two of them, to see where they might go. 

It was then that the researchers noticed something curious about one of the creatures. It wasn’t quite a melon-headed whale. Nor was it exactly a rough-toothed dolphin, which are common to the area.  Read more…

More about Science, Animals, Whales, Dolphins, and Science

There’s been an exciting, new development in the action-packed world of geometric shapes.

Researchers from the the University of Seville and Seville Institute of Biomedicine have discovered a new shape that’s been dubbed the “scutoid.” And what a wonderful little discovery it is.

Scutoid is the shape adopted by epithelial cells — the cells that line the inside and outside of your body, helping to define its shape — to allow tissue to fold and curve.

“The epithelial cells are the ‘construction blocks’ with which an organism is formed,” said University of Seville faculty member Luisma Escudero in a press release announcing the discovery. “They are like pieces of Tente or Lego from which animals are made.” Read more…

More about Science, Health, Research, Shapes, and Scutoid

Help us, Carrie Fisher. You’re our only hope.

The recent cast announcement for Star Wars Episode IX contained a wonderful surprise: Carrie Fisher will reprise her role as Princess-turned-General Leia Organa one last time, despite the fact that she died in 2016. Fans are weeping in both mourning and celebration at the prospect of once again seeing the legend who made “Princess” synonymous with “unstoppable badass.”

Director J.J. Abrams made it clear that Fisher’s reappearance, which is possible thanks to unused footage from The Force Awakens, comes with the explicit blessing of her daughter, Billie Lourd. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Star Wars, Star Wars The Force Awakens, Star Wars The Last Jedi, and Star Wars Episode Ix

Taylor Swift is trying to do her part to ease the grief of a Massachusetts town mourning a recently fallen police officer. 

The Patriot Ledger reported that the pop star donated hundreds of complimentary tickets to Weymouth, Mass. for her Foxborough concert on Thursday, which is part of her Reputation Tour.

Swift gave the tickets in response to the death of Weymouth’s Sgt. Michael Chesna, who was killed earlier this month while responding to a car crash. The suspect is also believed to be responsible for killing bystander Vera Adams.

More about Entertainment, Taylor Swift, Reputation, Entertainment, and Music

In America, even fame can’t protect black people from the life-threatening dangers of white fragility.

While promoting Mission: Impossible: Fallout on Sirius XM’s radio show The Clay Cane Show, actor Ving Rhames revealed that he himself was the victim in a terrifying encounter with the police, after a neighbor mistook him for a robber.

Rhames has of course been a part of the core Mission: Impossible crew since the series began in 1996. He’s also taken on notable roles in such classics as Pulp Fiction and Dawn of the Dead.

More about Entertainment, Black Lives Matter, Racism, Police Brutality, and Mission Impossible