Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Workers gather to watch a launching ceremony.

Image: Library of Congress

In 1941, the United States Maritime Commission ordered the establishment of emergency shipyards to build cargo ships for the U.S. and Britain that could be assembled as cheaply and rapidly as possible to replace losses from German torpedoes.

The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard on Baltimore Harbor was established in February and quickly set 27,000 employees to work building these new “Liberty ships.”

Each Liberty ship was designed to carry over 10,000 tons of cargo, but often carried far more to meet wartime needs.

The construction process was streamlined to the point where in some cases an entire vessel could be welded together and ready to launch in less than a month. Read more…

More about History, Retronaut, Baltimore, World War Ii, and Ships

Two 20-something cyber experts helped bring down the widespread ransomware attack that infiltrated networks at hospitals, banks, and government agencies in multiple countries.

A 22-year-old British researcher unintentionally found the so-called “kill switch” that authors of the malicious software left in the code. Later, he teamed up with a 28-year-old engineer in western Michigan to ultimately halt the infections, the Associated Press reported.

The unprecedented outbreak, which began last Friday, locked up computers and extorted users for large Bitcoin payments in nations as diverse as the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain, and India. It also hit the U.K.’s National Health Service, affecting computers in hospitals and doctors’ offices.  Read more…

More about Nsa, Cybersecurity, Hackers, Windows, and Malware

Melissa McCarthy hosted Saturday Night Live on May 13, the evening before Mother’s Day 2017. And since she didn’t have her own mom there at the show, McCarthy treated Joan, a random audience member (also, a mother,) to a tour of the show’s backstage area.

It’s funny, sure, but more than that: it is adorable. McCarthy ferrying a visibly overwhelmed Joan through the hustle and bustle of a live TV show’s working area — llama and all — has to be one of the cutest moments in the weekly comedy series’ 42 seasons. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Tv, Snl, Saturday Night Live, and Melissa Mccarthy

Amazon Echo Silver responds to dozens of names that sound like “Alexa,” tolerates rambling anecdotes without argument, and is programmed to carefully sidestep casual racism.

Saturday Night Live had some fun with Amazon’s cylindrical talking speaker, turning the Siri-like voice interface into an eternally patient caretaker for “the greatest generation.”

The punchline here — “LOL aren’t old people lame and adorably hateful?” — is questionable, but SNL‘s talented cast capably milks it for some memorable zingers, at least. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Tv, Snl, Saturday Night Live, and Amazon Echo

Long before she bowled us all over with her jaw-droppingly perfect Sean Spicer impression on Saturday Night Live, Melissa McCarthy had proven herself as a master of physical comedy.

While the temptation must have been high for SNL writers to give “Spicey” an outsized presence during McCarthy’s May 13 hosting gig, they showed restraint. Spicey’s play date with Alec Baldwin-as-Trump paled next to this game show sketch, which put a fresh spin on one of comedy’s oldest props: the cream pie.

McCarthy’s hapless contestant took multiple pies to the face as the game turned against her — and it is comedy gold Every. Single. Time. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Tv, Snl, Saturday Night Live, and Melissa Mccarthy

Warning: Contains spoilers for Stephen King’s novel It (and possibly spoilers for the upcoming film adaptation, too).

For rampant Stephen King fans like myself, 2017 is set to be a year of glorious, clown-filled happiness.

We now have two trailers for Andrés Muschietti’s upcoming adaption of It, and so far things are looking promising. We’ve seen the iconic opening sequence with Georgie chasing his paper boat through the streets of Derry, and the beginning of a nicely creepy journey into a murky storm drain. We’ve even had our first proper glimpse of Pennywise.

More about Film, Scary, Stephen King, It, and Novel

The wonderful thing about Melissa McCarthy hosting SNL this week is we knew she was going to bless us with another turn as White House Press Secretary Sean “Spicy” Spicer. But things got a little… weird. 

The sketch began with Aidy Bryant as deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders greeting the press in lieu of Spicer, who she said was fulfilling some Naval Reserve duties (but who was totally hiding in the bushes outside the press room).

The press took the opportunity to beg Sanders to take over briefing duties full time. 

“You are clearly articulate and charming, whereas Sean is bullish—” and will spray you with a fire extinguisher, apparently.  Read more…

More about Saturday Night Live, Melissa Mccarthy, Sean Spicer, and Entertainment

Alec Baldwin is back on Saturday Night Live for what may be one of his last appearances as President Donald Trump. And he used the opportunity to fess up to pretty much all the suspicions about the administration that we’ve had over the first 100-ish days. 

In an interview with Lester Holt (Michael Che), who he called any number of inappropriate and incorrect other black men, Baldwin as Trump admitted he fired former FBI Director James Comey because he was investigating White House ties to the Kremlin. 

“I fired him because of Russia,” Baldwin said. “I thought, ‘He is investigating Russia, I don’t like that, I should fire him.’”  Read more…

More about Saturday Night Live and Entertainment

Yo ho yo ho, it’s apparently going to be a pirate’s life for McCartney! 

For some godforsaken reason, on Saturday the legendary Paul McCartney — yes, Sir Paul McCartney from The Beatles, that’s the guy — announced something truly bizarre on his social media platforms.

Paul McCartney will be starring in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Yeah, no — we have no idea why or how this is happening either. But it’s happening.

A 74-year-old McCartney posted a promo poster for the fifth Pirates film that shows him looking remarkably like his now co-star, Johnny Depp. McCartney’s pirate hair, beard, makeup, bandana, hat, rings, AHH this man is almost unrecognizable. What is going on? Read more…

More about Entertainment, Music, Conversations, Movies, and Johnny Depp

Eurovision fans often complain that Australia shouldn’t be included in the contest — after all, it’s not a European country. And now … the critics have quite a bit more fuel for their fire. Or, alternatively, a reason to include the Aussies forever and ever after a stunt on the show’s finale.

Here’s what went down (under). While last year’s winner, Jamala, was performing her number, an enthusiastic man wearing an Australian flag somehow got himself onto the stage. He then proceeded to moon everyone. Fun!

And the internet, predictably, went wild. (Worth noting: many people watching Eurovision had been drinking for a while at this point.) Read more…

More about Watercooler, Australia, Eurovision, and Watercooler