Author Archives: Carol Edwards

The saying “behind every great man, there’s a great woman” may be slightly outdated, but Showtime’s newly ordered series First Ladies aims to explore its more literal interpretation. 

As reported by Deadline, the show will be a scripted drama about how various First Ladies of the United States have wielded their influence, as well as examining their inner lives and experiences in the White House. The first season will focus on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. 

While the castings for Ford and Roosevelt have not been announced, Viola Davis will play Michelle Obama; the Emmy and Academy Award–winning actor is also set to executive produce the project.  Read more…

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While most of our beloved smart products have been designed to streamline our responsibilities and make life easier, they’re still vulnerable to the odd security breach from time to time. From old passwords to unsecured Wi-Fi connections, there are a number of red flags that can leave our favourite Internet of Things (IOT) products like smart TVs, smart locks, security cameras, and even smart forks open to all kinds of cyber threats. Fortunately, there are a number of proactive steps you can take to secure your devices and keep your home safe from online threats.

Embrace being unique

OK, we know establishing and creating unique passwords can be a pain in the bum — but it’s all worth it when you think about the time and energy you’ll save not freaking out about your online security. If you’re someone who tends to use the same passwords for all of your devices, you could be setting yourself up for a rude awakening down the line — especially if a security breach means your data is shared or compromised by a third party.  Read more…

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Ready yourself for some Snoop Dogg Monopoly. 

Hasbro, the maker of Mr. Potato Head, Twister, G.I. Joe, and the aforementioned board game designed as a “critique of American greed,” is now the proud owner of Death Row Records. Yes, you read that correctly. 

So reports Rolling Stone, which details the circuitous route by which the toymaker came to own a record label associated with Dr. Dre and Tupac. Hasbro, it seems, purchased an entertainment company by the name of Entertainment One earlier this week. That company just so happened to have acquired Death Row Records’ catalog in 2013 for around $280 million.  Read more…

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All aboard for the galaxy far, far away.

On Sunday at D23 Expo, Disney unveiled new details about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the much-hyped Star Wars resort and experience coming to Disney World in Florida. 

In essence, it’s a Star Wars hotel on steroids. Guests sign up for a two-day, two-night itinerary aboard the Halcyon, a “glamour starliner” with views of space out of every window — including those in each room. (For the sake of the claustrophobic, I do hope there will be some ways to look out at the real world.) 

Essentially, it’s a space cruise that really takes place entirely on the ground in Orlando, Florida. Read more…

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If you’ve ever wanted to visit the Marvel universe, now’s your chance.

Well, more accurately, next year’s your chance.

Disney has confirmed Avengers Campus, a new Marvel-themed land, is coming to Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Paris in 2020.

The park was first teased at the last D23, back in 2017, and details have trickled out bit by bit since then. However, this year’s D23 offered the most substantive information yet. 

Walt Disney Imagineering’s Scot Drake shared that the premise is that these are campuses set up by the Avengers to recruit the next generation of superheroes — i.e., park guests. The two locations, along with Hong Kong Disneyland (which is home to the attractions Iron Man Experience and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle!), will be “linked together in a global story.” Read more…

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On day 12, the waves picked up.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg’s wind-powered journey across the Atlantic Ocean hit a particularly stormy stretch on Sunday. Thunberg and her sailing team, en route to a U.N. Climate Action Summit (and Mashable’s Social Good Summit) in New York City, hit rough seas some 300 miles from Canada’s Nova Scotia. She noted this in a brief Twitter video update, soon after a wave crashed over the boat. 

“It’s very rough with very high waves,” Thunberg said.

Amid a long seafaring journey surrounded by boundless waters and the formation of a tropical storm in the north Atlantic, Thunberg and her team have consistently reported undaunted spirits. Read more…

More about Science, Climate Change, Oceans, Greta Thunberg, and Social Good Summit 2019

Andrew Finch was shot dead by police on Dec. 28, 2017. Officials hope a new system will prevent a similar death from ever happening again. 

The 28-year-old man was simply minding his own business at his home in Wichita, Kansas, when police officers arrived in response to a call alerting them to a nonexistent hostage situation at his address. Finch had been swatted, and the consequences of this specific form of online harassment were as deadly as they were predictable. The introduction of a new voluntary registry for individuals who believe they might become victims of a similar attack hopes to change that.  Read more…

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The OA was something special, and its fans are now finding ways to rep both the show and its big ideas in their daily lives.

We know by now that the canceled Netflix series wasn’t for everyone. But creators Brit Marling (who also starred) and Zal Batmanglij blended an assortment of sci-fi and supernatural elements together into a stew that practically demanded further conversation.

For two seasons, Marling and Batmanglij weaved a mystery that was as enthralling as it was cryptic. It’s the kind of story that begged for the sort of fan theorizing that trails lots of other popular shows, especially as it leaned into more off the wall ideas like dimension-hopping and making magic through dance. Read more…

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Kaboom.

Somewhere beneath the waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean, likely around the island of Tonga, a volcano recently erupted. The proof lies in a sprawling raft of extremely lightweight volcanic rock called pumice, which is so porous that it floats. NASA posted satellite images of the drifting mass on Aug. 23, though the geologic display was first spotted in mid-August. 

“Many of the world’s volcanoes are shrouded by the waters of the oceans,” wrote NASA. “When they erupt, they can discolor the ocean surface with gases and debris. They also can spew masses of lava that are lighter than water.” Read more…

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Andrew Luck, the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft and star quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, announced his retirement on Saturday.

The 29-year-old is exiting the sport at a relatively young age for a player at his position, and it seems that injuries played a big role in his decision. He missed more than half of the 2015 season and all of the 2017 season, and he’s been dealing with new issues as the 2019 season approaches.

“I’ve been stuck in this process,” Luck said on Saturday in a news conference called after the Colts third pre-season game — which he sat out of. “I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live. It’s taken the joy out of this game … the only way forward for me is to remove myself from football.” Read more…

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