Category Archives: Blog

The Chinese Communist Party’s indoctrination app is absolutely crushing it. 

Study the Great Nation, available in the App Store, allows users to spend hours a day learning about their Great Leader, taking quizzes to demonstrate their devotion to said leader, and parroting back their absolute favorite leader’s quotes. And, according to mobile app analytics company SensorTower, it’s the 9th most popular app worldwide in the App Store (not including Apple apps).   

That’s right, an app that the New York Times has described as “a kind of high-tech equivalent of Mao’s Little Red Book” that is reportedly forced on employees and students by their bosses and teachers had more App Store downloads than Gmail in the first quarter of 2019. Read more…

More about Apple, Iphone, Apps, China, and App Store

Guess what? There’s a new Pokémon mobile game out, and Australians are again the first to get their hands on it.

Pokémon Rumble Rush (also known as Pokémon Scramble SP in Japan) quietly released on Android devices on Wednesday.

It’s a freemium beat ’em up game, where you’ll battle through a gauntlet of Pokémon on each level before facing a final boss. 

Much like Pokémon Go, the game controls are pretty simple: Tap your phone’s screen furiously to attack, until you beat ’em all.

More about Gaming, Pokemon, Mobile Games, Pokemon Rumble Rush, and Entertainment

Donald Trump wants you to know that he totally understands your online struggle. 

The 45th President of the United States is famous for complaining about the perceived censoring of conservatives on social media, and, in an effort to ride that wave of self-victimization toward a larger database of potential Trump voters, has launched a survey giving people to chance to gripe to their hearts’ content about losing Twitter followers or whatever. Oh, also, the site also just so happens to have an absolutely bonkers privacy policy. 

In addition to asking for respondents’ names, emails, phone numbers, zip codes, social media usernames, citizenship status, and whether or not they are over 18, the online form asks said respondents to submit screenshots of any enforcement action a company like Facebook may have taken against them. You’d be wise to make your way over to the linked user agreement before hitting “submit.” Read more…

More about Privacy, Donald Trump, Social Media, Tech, and Politics

Brands uh, really are going for it nowadays. 

Vita Coco, for one, had us all screaming when they responded to a hater who tweeted that he’d rather drink their social media manager’s pee than consume Vita Coco’s coconut water. Instead of simply moving on, the company mustered up all its BDE and had a staffer urinate in a jar, post a photo of said pee, and ask for the hater’s address.

How the hell did we get here?

While everyone on the internet was reeling from Pee Jar-gate, Vita Coco quietly launched a campaign to deal with internet hate. To promote their new product — which the company claims is “the first coconut water that tastes like coconut” and is made from pressed coconuts — Vita Coco reached out to the “most negative people on the internet” to try it out.  Read more…

More about Drama, Coconut, Brand Twitter, Culture, and Web Culture

I, Jeff Bezos, super rich adult man and definite Big Boy, like trucks! And construction equipment! And moving dirt! VROOOOOOM! BEEP BEEP!

But you already know this! I told you so! When, yesterday, I hopped into a large front loader (can you believe they let me do this stuff?!) and, in front of a bunch of cameras, picked up some dirt and then DUMPED IT right back onto the same spot!

More about Amazon, Jeff Bezos, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

Taylor Swift loves pushing people’s buttons, especially Ellen DeGeneres’. 

The “ME!” singer made a much anticipated return to The Ellen Show on Wednesday, making it her first appearance in two years. Swift commented on everything from her new kitten, Benjamin, to whether or not she washes her legs (she does). 

During the show’s “Burning Questions” segment, Swift is put on the spot plenty of times. 

When Ellen asks, “If you can’t sleep in the middle of the night, what do you do?” Swift answers, “I go downstairs and rummage through the kitchen and eat whatever I can find and it’s really less like a human being and more like a raccoon in a dumpster.” Who woulda thunk!  Read more…

More about Taylor Swift, Ellen, Ellen Degeneres, Raccoon, and Burning Questions

You can’t keep a streaming Beto down.

If you didn’t think livestreaming a dental appointment was mundane enough, wait til you see 2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke stream a haircut. All 17 minutes of it. 

O’Rourke has begun something of a “reboot” of his campaign, including an appearance on The View where he did a lot of apologizing, and now he’s back to doing what he does best: streaming average, everyday events like they’re political rallies. 

Of course, it’s not just about a haircut, not with an election to win. O’Rourke also used the opportunity to talk about all sorts of issues, like the immigration story of his barber, Manuel, who moved to El Paso from Juárez, its neighboring city in Mexico. He also took questions from viewers about things like a potential trip to Puerto Rico and higher education.  Read more…

More about Livestreaming, Beto O Rourke, 2020 Presidential Election, Culture, and Politics

Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed a new Star Wars film will be helmed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners of the HBO hit Game of Thrones. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Mashable Video, Star Wars, Game Of Thrones, and David Benioff

According to TMZ, Grande is being sued by photographer Robert Barbera. Barbera claims the “7 rings” songstress posted his photos of her on Instagram without permission.  Read more…

More about Instagram, Mashable Video, Ariana Grande, Sued, and Paparazzi

Brigadier General Jeannie Leavitt started flying fighter planes before many people believed a woman could. We talked to the general about training Brie Larson for Captain Marvel. Read more…

More about Mashable Video, Captain Marvel, Air Force, Supporting Players, and Entertainment