Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Like many young women my age, I have come to fear my office air conditioner and all the pain and misery it brings.

It’s a familiar story. In 2015, scientists found that the math typically used to set the temperature in most office buildings was biased in favor of men. The formula uses the metabolic rate of a 40-year-old, 154-pound man, not women, to determine comfort levels, which is why many women are miserable all the time (plus the whole centuries of oppression thing).

Little has changed since the study was published. And because I can’t change culture alone, I’ve decided to accommodate, not fight for justice. Read more…

More about Watercooler, Gender Equality, Air Conditioning Units, Culture, and Work Life

Reigning hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut defended his title on Wednesday and set a new world record at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York. No one even came close. 

Chestnut, described on ESPN as having the “the esophagus of a champion” and the “the stomach of a warlord” scoffed down 74 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes. This marks his 11th win in the last 12 years.

Following Chestnut, Carmen Cincotti shoved 63 hot dogs down his gullet, and Darron Breeden managed to devour 43 dogs. 

More about Hot Dogs, Competitive Eating, July 4, Nathans Hot Dog Easting Contest, and Culture

There are endless renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but let’s be real, America. The national anthem is best played on an electric guitar, with the gain cranked high enough for the amp to feedback.

Living up to the American tradition that bigger is better, patriot Cooper Carter performed a version of the national anthem on 25 electric guitars to celebrate the Fourth of July. 

Happy birthday, America. Turn your amps up to 11.  Read more…

More about Music, America, July 4, Culture, and Web Culture

Nothing quite says “America in 2018” quite like celebrating Independence Day on Twitter with a misspelled trending hashtag. 

Among those that have used the wrong hashtag on this patriotic holiday are the U.S. Air Force, the city of Boston, the Canadian Space Agency, and First Lady Melania Trump because of course. 

Credit where it’s due: Melania at least caught the mistake and replaced the tweet with the correct spelling.

More about Twitter, Hashtags, Independence Day, July 4, and Culture

Guy Pearce has spoken about his time working with Kevin Spacey, saying the actor was “handsy” on the set of L.A. Confidential.

The Australian actor vaguely spoke to his experience with his co-star, who has been accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct and abuse, on Andrew Denton’s Interview on Tuesday. 

Pearce worked with Spacey on the Curtis Hanson-directed 1997 crime noir L.A. Confidential. When Denton brought up Spacey during the interview, Pearce said it was a “tough one to talk about at the moment,” but still responded. Read more…

More about Sexual Harassment, Kevin Spacey, Sexual Abuse, Metoo, and Kevin Spacey Sexual Misconduct

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was rudely interrupted by Siri during his address to MPs in the UK Parliament’s House of Commons.

According to the BBC, Williamson was making a statement on the fight against Islamic State, when his iPhone smart assistant sprang into action, triggered by the word “Syria.”

Williams had to hold up for a second as Siri threw down some smug knowledge, something Speaker John Bercow called a “very rum business.” Yes, how very droll.

“It is very rare that you’re heckled by your own mobile phone,” said Williamson, after he shoved Siri back into his pocket. According to the news service, the defence secretary said he didn’t usually carry his phone during confidential parliamentary meetings, and that his Siri does not pose a security risk. Read more…

More about Siri, Culture, Consumer Tech, and Artificial Intelligence

It was a little over a year ago that Scarlett Johansson found herself embroiled in controversy over Ghost in the Shell, in which she plays a Japanese woman in a white woman’s (android) body.

Now she and Ghost in the Shell director Rupert Sanders are catching heat again, for a new project that will have Johansson playing a trans man. 

And if the actress’ reaction to the pushback is any indication, Johansson clearly learned nothing from the Ghost in the Shell dustup.

On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter and other trades broke the news that Johansson would be starring in Rub & Tug as Dante “Tex” Gill, a massage parlor owner in the 1970s and 1980s.  Read more…

More about Scarlett Johansson, Entertainment, Discrimination, and Movies Tv Shows

Seth Rogen is sick and tired of how Twitter has been dealing with the racists and white supremacists who plague the platform.

The actor called out Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Tuesday in a public tweet.

Rogen says he’s been privately messaging Jack via Twitter for months, trying to figure out what the company has in mind when it verifies white supremacists on its platform. Read more…

More about Twitter, Jack Dorsey, Racism, Social Media, and Seth Rogen

It’s not about the features you see — it’s about the ones you don’t.

On Monday, AndroidHeadlines published what it claims is the first official rendering of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. Unlike the Galaxy Tab S3, this tablet has no home button. It also features a larger display and is missing the Samsung logo across the top bezel.

More about Samsung, Smartphones, Tablet, Galaxy, and Phone

With so many rappers adding “Lil” to their stage name, it’s easy to get confused.

In this goofy guessing game, Mashable team members tried matching faces with the “Lil” names. It went … well, you be the judge. Read more…

More about Music, Mashable Video, Artist, Hip Hop, and Game