Category Archives: Blog

Think nobody’s going to notice if you don’t scan that gallon of milk at the self-checkout register? Think again.

According to Business Insider, Walmart’s using new cameras with computer vision to aid in catching thieves at over 1,000 of its stores.

The company confirmed to Business Insider it has a technology program called “Missed Scan Detection” that uses AI-equipped cameras to “track and analyze activities at both self-checkout registers and those manned by Walmart cashiers.”

The goal with the cameras is to detect when items aren’t scanned at checkout. If the cameras see an item hasn’t been scanned, it sends a checkout attendant to provide assistance. Read more…

More about Theft, Cameras, Ai, Walmart, and Computer Vision

Toys ‘R’ Us will rise again!

After breaking everyone’s hearts with its store closures in 2018, Toys ‘R’ Us will reportedly re-open for business (albeit in a much smaller capacity) for the 2019 holiday season, reports Bloomberg.

Tru Kids Inc. CEO Richard Barry, who used to be an executive at Toys ‘R’ Us, plans to open a half-dozen stores in the U.S. by the end of the year. A new online store is also expected to arrive as well.

The new Toys ‘R’ Us stores he’s pitching are said to be about 10,000 square feet, which would be about a third of the size of the closed ones. Read more…

More about Retail, Toys, E Commerce, Toys R Us, and Culture

Mac finally got his game of catch.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans should remember that Mac (creator Rob McElhenney) dreams of playing catch with retired Phillies second baseman Chase Utley. It almost happened in the sixth season of the FX series, in the episode “The Gang Gets Stranded in the Woods.” But, well… the gang got stranded in the woods.

Now, almost 10 years after that episode aired, the dream came true. Utley threw out the Phillies’ ceremonial first pitch on Friday — part of his retirement ceremony — and McElhenney was there — as Mac, to be clear — to catch.

Mac’s history as an Utley fan goes back even further that his missed game of catch. We first learned how hard he stanned back in Season 5, when Dee reads a letter that Mac wrote to the ball player. He asked for a game of catch, complained about his dad, and complimented Utley’s hair choices. Read more…

More about Baseball, Rob Mcelhenney, Entertainment, Sports, and Movies Tv Shows

James Charles is back, proving that nobody stays canceled for long. 

The 20-year-old beauty vlogger’s feud with his former mentor Tati Westbrook over his sponsorship of her company’s rival hair vitamins rocked social media. In her now-deleted takedown “Bye Sister” — a play off Charles’ chipper video introductions, “Hi sisters!” — Westbrook publicly ended their “transactional” friendship and said her former protégé sexually harassed other men, knowing that they identified as straight and wouldn’t return his advances.

YouTube drama is often contained to the community; when vloggers begin feuding and stans take sides, it rarely extends beyond the people who already religiously follow the creators involved. But last year’s explosive Dramageddon showed that when the drama is juicy enough, even the most offline people will follow along.  Read more…

More about Youtube, Drama, Canceled, Culture, and Web Culture

One of Facebook’s most prominent critics is now sounding the alarm about the social network’s cryptocurrency plans.

Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes, who made waves earlier this year when he called for the breakup of the company, is describing Facebook’s crypto plans as “frightening” and warning that the endeavor could make the social media giant even more powerful.

In a new op-ed, published in the Financial Times, Hughes lays out his concerns about Libra, the Facebook-backed cryptocurrency revealed earlier this week.

Hughes takes issue with the idea that Libra will be a “decentralized” platform and argues that it will actually make Facebook (and its Libra partners) more powerful. Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Libra, Cryptocurrency, and Tech

The rainbow Pride flag means so much to so many people, regardless of their age.

On June 19, Sal Stow was outside her partner Meghan Stabler’s home in Williamson County, Texas, when she noticed a note left on the doorstep. When she opened it, she discovered a heartwarming message written in a youthful scrawl.

“Hello, you don’t know me but my name is [redacted],” the note reads. “We’re moving away today but I wanted to thank you. Seeing a Pride flag waving so proudly outside your home every day has given me the courage to come out to my family and be more comfortable with who I am.”

“Initially I thought it was a note from a local vendor, so when I opened it, I was speechless and tears started to flow,” Stow told Mashable over email. “To find a note expressing thanks to us for the simple act of flying the Pride flag was very humbling. My next thought was, I hope they are OK, that their family is being supportive, and that they have the support that they need. Coming out takes a lot of courage, as you don’t know how your family will respond. Meghan and I have had our own experiences, and that is why we both live out and proud all year round.” Read more…

More about Kids, Pride Flag, Lgbtq Rights, Culture, and Web Culture

It’s not easy to trust your gut.

I received no less than half a dozen emails about the web series Insomnia before deciding, on a lark, to attend a press screening in May. I jogged there from a dance class, hiding under scaffolding to avoid rain, and paused at one crosswalk to wonder why on Earth I was putting myself through this.

But I had a gut feeling. A part of me that I can’t even access on command knew that I needed to see this series, which I had previously heard of through word-of-mouth in the South Asian American arts community. I arrived at the event just in time to hear writer/creator Vishaal Reddy talk about how tired he is of current South Asian representation, which often tries to avoid stereotypes by doubling down on whitewashing its characters and their stories. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Youtube, Lgbtq, Web Series, and Entertainment

Indie game developer Robert Yang is a pioneer in the LGBTQ gaming space. Fighting against the gaming world norms, Yang’s work magnifies personal relationships between queer characters. Yang’s style, his place in the gaming industry, and his inspirations are all informed by his queer identity. Read more…

More about Gaming, Mashable Video, Lgbtq, Video Games, and Pride Month 2019

Instead of gas-powered ice cream vans that require generators, Nissan built a prototype with electric batteries for rechargeable, renewable soft-serve.

The e-NV200 all-electric van came out last year, but this week, for UK Clean Air Day, Nissan unveiled how it could be modified to transport, deliver, and chill ice cream.

The truck has just under a 125-mile range with a 40kWh battery powering the motor. The precious cargo from Mackie’s of Scotland is served from a soft-serve machine and a freezer, which are powered by Nissan’s new recycled battery system called Energy Roam. The drink fridge is also powered through the energy system, which goes on sale later this year.  Read more…

More about Nissan, Ice Cream, Electric Vehicles, Tech, and Energy

The car company plans to go to France and Japan. This is part of a partnership with Renault and Nissan.

Read more here.  Read more…

More about Tech, Transportation, Mashable Video, Driverless Cars, and Waymo