Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Three years after #OscarsSoWhite put a spotlight on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ diversity problem, it appears we’re finally seeing some concrete steps to course correct.

Under the #WeAreTheAcademy hashtag, the organization announced it was inviting a record-breaking 928 new members from 59 different countries to join its ranks. The increased focus on welcoming more women and people of color into one of Hollywood’s most exclusive clubs is a promising step toward fixing the industry’s systemic issues.

More about Entertainment, Oscars, Emilia Clarke, Daniel Kaluuya, and Timothee Chalamet

iOS 12 doesn’t officially come out until this fall, but you can try it early… if you’re courageous enough.

As with previous versions of the software, Apple has made iOS 12 available for download as a public beta so users can try it out, familiarize themselves with its many new features, and help report any bugs that may have slipped through the cracks.

Though the public beta of iOS 12 is mostly stable, it’s not final code reflective of what’ll come in a few months, which means some features don’t work properly, and it still crashes here and there. Read more…

More about Apple, Ios, Apps And Software, Hands On, and Preview

If you’re someone who wants to keep their online privacy intact, you’ve probably heard of VPNs before. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a service that protects your privacy by running your device’s connection through the VPN vendor’s server instead of directly connecting it to the server relative to your search. Read more…

More about Security, Reviews, Cybersecurity, Vpn, and Ip Address

Although there’s a lot of them around, Australians will have you believe that kangaroos aren’t actually hopping up and down our city streets.

Then something like this happens: A kangaroo delayed the second half of a match between soccer teams Blue Devils FC and Canberra FC on Sunday, when it hopped onto the field and set itself in front of goal.

While Australia has no shortage of decent goalkeepers, this little fella is also pretty adept at keeping a clean sheet.

More about Sports, Australia, Animals, Soccer, and Kangaroo

The trailer for the film adaptation of Angie Thomas’ novel The Hate U Give is here, and the film looks incredible.

Based on Thomas’ New York Times bestseller, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the film follows teenager Starr Carter who witnesses the shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.

Directed by George Tillman Jr., The Hate U Give features Amandla Stenberg as Starr, with Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Issa Rae, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Common and Anthony Mackie.

YouTuber Kian Lawley, who had a starring role in the film, was cut from the project after a video surfaced of him making racist remarks.  Read more…

More about Black Lives Matter, Police Brutality, Trailer, The Hate U Give, and Angie Thomas

Thanks to Alison Ettel, aka #PermitPatty, we can add selling bottled water without a permit to the list of things black people can’t do in America without having the cops called on them. 

Ettel became the subject of viral outrage Saturday when she appeared to call the police to report an 8-year-old black girl “illegally” selling water on a San Francisco street. The girl’s mom posted video of that apparent phone call to Instagram, and Ettel later told HuffPost she “pretended” to report the incident to the police. 

More about Social Good, Racism, White Supremacy, Permit Patty, and Social Good

The Washington Post has jumped to the defense of Sarah Sanders a day after the press secretary was refused service at a restaurant.

The piece, titled “Let the Trump team eat in peace,” was written by the paper’s editorial board. In it they argue that Sanders, Kirstjen Nielsen, and Stephen Miller — all public faces of the administrations widely condemned immigration policy — should be left alone and “allowed to eat dinner in peace.” It’s an odd stance for this moment in history, and naturally it has a lot of people really riled up. 

While the Post‘s board acknowledges that readers “will get no argument from us regarding Mr. Trump’s border policy,” they do argue against what they see as the incivility of interrupting someone’s meal. Read more…

More about Washington Post, Trump Administration, Sarah Sanders, Culture, and Politics

Pride parades are the best kind of public spectacle: They uplift, unite, and give people a great reason to have a lot of fun. 

As Pride Month comes to an end, spend a moment taking in scenes from parades that took place around the world over the past few weeks. They spread messages of hope, love, and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. 

You’ll see a near-naked roller skater in New York, drag queens in Lisbon, a daring activist in Ukraine, and massive crowds in countries like Brazil, Greece, Chile, and Italy.  Read more…

More about Photos, Social Good, Pride Parade, Pride Month, and Social Good

If you haven’t yet landed on who to root for during the World Cup, you should seriously consider getting behind Senegal. 

Sure, the men of the Senegalese team have made headlines for their incredible performances during round one of the tournament. But more importantly, if their pre-game warmup dances tell us anything, they seem to be having the most fun. 

A video of the team singing and dancing in unison on the soccer pitch before Sunday’s game against Japan went viral. It’s a short clip but it has already racked up over 2 million views — and it is easy to see why.  Read more…

More about Dance, World Cup, Senegal, Culture, and Web Culture

It’s been five long years since The Office finale, but thankfully its supporters have ensured that the show will live on forever.

Twitter user @The_life_of_ACE is the latest fan to continue the show’s legacy in the best way possible: by splicing up 26 clips from the show’s 9 seasons to create a beautiful rendition of the alphabet. 

“Someone did this with vines and I like The Office so here ya go,” @The_life_of_ACE tweeted, referring to the museum worthy viral video that is the ABC’s of Vine. 

Most fans of the show were thrilled with the video, and some even offered up their own suggestions for different letters.  Read more…

More about The Office, Culture, and Web Culture