Category Archives: Blog

The Hunt won’t be making its planned Sept. 27 release, and there’s no timeline for when it will hit theaters. 

Universal officially shelved the upcoming Blumhouse thriller on Saturday, confirming the decision in a statement provided to Mashable. The story of rich elites capturing “deplorables” and hunting them in some unnamed foreign location is just a bit too raw for the present moment.

“While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for The Hunt, after thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film, ” the statement reads. “We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.” Read more…

More about Universal Pictures, The Hunt, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

We don’t know what a double-double dismount from the beam is, but Simone Biles just pulled it off, so we know it’s a miracle already.

She’s won four gold medals for the United States already, but Biles couldn’t wait for the 2020 Olympics to make headlines for her unmatched talents. At the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday, she achieved a double-twisting somersault dismount off the balance beam, which as the announcer points out, had never been attempted before in a competition.

And your girl nailed it. The 22-year-old gave a knowing, beaming smile — before sauntering away like it was no big deal to make history (again). Read more…

More about Culture, Gymnastics, Simone Biles, Olympics 2020, and Culture

The Empire is striking back… in Bristol, England.

There’s nothing to fear if you live there and notice a giant Darth Vader head floating overhead. 

The Star Wars hot air balloon is part of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, the largest annual meeting of hot air balloons from around the world, running from Aug. 8-11.

But unlike the 130-plus hot air balloons that show up at the event, this particular Darth Vader hot air balloon, which was made in Bristol and has flown in cities around the world, never flew in its hometown until now.

More about Star Wars, Darth Vader, Hot Air Balloon, Culture, and Star Wars

Teenager Bill Demirkapi had been ghosted. Hard. “It didn’t feel good,” he explained to the large crowd gathered to hear him speak. “It hurt my feelings.” 

But Demirkapi, despite his status as a recent high-school graduate, wasn’t lamenting the traditional spurned-love problems typical of his cohort. Far from it. Instead, he was speaking at the famous DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas, and the ghoster-in-question was educational software maker Blackboard. 

Demirkapi had reported numerous vulnerabilities in Blackboard’s software to the company; after initially being in communication with him, the company stopped responding to his emails. But Demirkapi, who found he could access a host of student data — including family military status, weighted GPAs, and special education status — through vulnerabilities in Blackboard’s system, was undeterred.  Read more…

More about Hacking, Students, Def Con, Tech, and Cybersecurity

In honor of National Spoil Your Dog Day on Aug. 10, we’re looking at some of our favorite pet products that will help you show your dog how you really feel. Gone are the days when the pricey wet food and a belly rub were enough. It’s time to show your dog how much they mean to you — by getting extra AF, of course.

Although you probably don’t need an excuse to spoil your pooch, we’re always down for a silly holiday. Show your dog who loves them the most by snagging one of these over-the-top pet products and give a whole new meaning to the phrase “treat yo’ self.” (Because dogs eat treats — get it?) Read more…

More about Dogs, Pets, Mashable Shopping, Culture, and Animals

The following is a spoiler-free review of Netflix’s The Family. 

The Family is more likely to give you forehead wrinkles than answers.

Best categorized as an eyebrow raise told in five acts, Netflix’s latest docuseries takes aim at the Christian political organization The Family — officially known as The Fellowship Foundation. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of them by either name. According to numerous former members, that’s how they like it.

Renowned for its connection to (and alleged influence over) powerful leaders across the globe, this secretive “informal association” has been the source of Washingtonian skepticism for many years. With allegations ranging from congressional scandal coverups to undue influence over U.S. presidents, The Family’s role in D.C. seems to extend far beyond high-profile prayer groups.  Read more…

More about Netflix, Documentary, Christianity, Docuseries, and The Family Netflix

“Do not hack the elevators here, please.” 

Will Caruana is on stage at the annual DEF CON hacking convention in Las Vegas, and with a quick disclaimer and mischievous grin, he’s implored the crowd to behave. Behaving, of course, is not why anyone went to a talk on hacking elevator phones. 

According to Caruana’s talk, Phreaking Elevators, the emergency phones in elevators around the world are poorly, if at all, protected from potential abuse. Why does that matter? What trouble can you get up to with an elevator phone, anyway? Quite a lot, it turns out. 

For starters, anyone who is so inclined can dial into the phones — all you need is the number (which in some cases you can find online) — thus giving an attacker the ability to listen in on any conversation happening within.  Read more…

More about Hacking, Def Con, Tech, and Cybersecurity

The beginning of the school year can be rough for anyone. For the communities of El Paso, Dayton, Ohio, and Gilroy, California that have been rocked by recent mass shootings, it’s especially difficult this year. 

Lady Gaga is trying to make this transition easier. 

Her foundation, Born This Way Foundation, has partnered with the charity DonorsChoose.org to fund classroom projects in these three areas.

The ‘Born This Way’ singer announced the donations in a Facebook post. 

Around 18,000 students benefited from Gaga’s goodwill. Funds donated to these classroom projects provided supplies like iPads, books, and engineering kits.   Read more…

More about Lady Gaga, Schools, Mass Shootings, Social Good, and Celebrities

Elvie, a female-headed company based in the UK, designed these small and lightweight wearable smart breast pumps. Read more…

More about Mashable Video, Wireless, Breast Feeding, Breastmilk, and Breast Pump

It takes a lot of work to make a lot of crunch. Take a look into the snack giant’s 24-hour production factory. Read more…

More about Mashable Video, Snacks, Frito Lay, Culture, and Food