Category Archives: Blog

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continues to be chill as hell.

In an interview with TMZ on Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez shared some of her thoughts on cannabis legalization, proving she’s extremely open-minded on the topic.

When asked if she’d be OK with a sitting president who smokes, the 29-year-old congresswoman said, “I don’t care. Yeah. I don’t care, it’s fine with me. You’re not hurting anybody, you know?”

“There are plenty of people who drink, they’ll go out to happy hour … how is that different from anything else?” Ocasio-Cortez questioned.

Her comments come after several politicians running for president — such as Kamala Harris — shared positions on marijuana legalization, along with past experiences. Read more…

More about Politics, Culture, Weed, Marijuana Legalization, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

In an attempt to cure his paralysis, a 42-year-old Franklin D. Roosevelt began to visit Warm Springs, Georgia in the mid-1920s, soaking his weak legs in the town’s soothing mineral waters. It was here that Roosevelt — who in less than a decade would become President of the United States — would see a part of the nation new to him.

And it was miserable.

“He saw the reality. He had never seen poverty like that. He saw a family of eight living in a tar paper shack, farming on depleted soil,” Paul Sparrow, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum, said in an interview. 

Roosevelt never could cure his late-onset paralysis. But FDR would heal many of the economic plagues of the nation with a massive government-funded work mobilization: the New Deal. By the early 1930s, the woes Roosevelt saw in the South had become pervasive after the Great Depression set in. “People were starving in the streets,” said Sparrow.  Read more…

More about Science, Global Warming, Climate Change, Green New Deal, and Science

WhatsApp is experimenting with a big change to one of its most popular features.

The messaging app is now testing an algorithm for Status that will sort updates by relevance, rather than chronological order. WhatsApp is starting to test the feature now with a small subset of iPhone users in Brazil, Spain, and India, and plans to roll it out more broadly in the future, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans.

The new algorithmic sorting will order WhatsApp’s Status updates — that’s the messaging app’s version of Stories — based on whose update is likely to be most relevant. Up until now, updates have been placed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent Status appearing first.  Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Whatsapp, Social Media Companies, and Tech

Did someone say tea party? Because this meme calls out everything and anything problematic on the internet. 

The “today’s tea” meme is essentially the bunny sign meme, repackaged in a piping hot ASCII teacup. 

From hot takes on the capitalist hell we live in to personally calling you out for neglecting your health, the meme reminds you that everyone on the internet has an opinion. Read more…

More about Twitter, Memes, Culture, and Web Culture

It was supposed to be fun. 

It was supposed to be an “experiment.” 

Instead, it was a stinking mess.

Last week, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey proposed that ReCode’s Kara Swisher interview him entirely over Twitter. The unlikely pair carried out the plan Tuesday.

Dorsey positioned the idea as a novel test of Twitter’s conversational features, which was odd to anyone who has ever held any sort of Q&A over Twitter. That’s, well, a lot of peopleWhy would the CEO need to test this out in so public a fashion?

More about Twitter, Jack Dorsey, Thread, Threaded Comments, and Kara Swisher

Netflix’s modern reboot of One Day at a Time is truly crafty. Just when you think you’ve signed up for a lighthearted family sitcom, it hits you with poignant takes on social issues. 

In its third season, which dropped on February 8, series co-developers Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce apply this winning formula to consent, toxic masculinity, sexual harassment, female and queer empowerment through the lenses of generation and gender.

With the rise of #MeToo over the last year, several television shows have chimed in to address these themes in their own way, including Younger, Will & Grace, GLOW, and BoJack Horseman. But ODAAT stands out because it offers a unique point of view, showing how a regular family can and should deal with these issues. Read more…

More about Tv, Consent, One Day At A Time, Entertainment, and Celebrities

When it comes to cryptocurrency, things can always get worse. 

Earlier this month, news broke that QuadrigaCX, a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange, lost access to $190 million worth of customer crypto after the founder died — taking sole knowledge of the account passwords to the grave. 

Now, it looks like it screwed up again. According to a preliminary report filed by Ernst and Young, which is acting as a court-appointed monitor for the company, QuadrigaCX sent a so-called cold storage wallet 103 bitcoin (worth more than $460,000) after it had been locked out. 

More about Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Tech, and Cryptocurrency Blockchain

Apple isn’t selling as many iPhones anymore, so the company is looking for new ways to make money off its software. 

Now, it looks like we’ll soon get an up-close look at a key part of those plans. Apple is planning to hold one of its signature flashy events at its headquarters on March 25, when it will show off at two new product offerings, according to a new report from  BuzzFeed.

Unlike other spring events, which tend to feature new iPads, BuzzFeed attests the event will be “subscription services focused” and that new iPads and AirPods are “unlikely.” Instead, Apple will reveal two new, long-rumored subscription services: one for news and for streaming video.  Read more…

More about Tech, Apple, Apple News, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Be honest: Can you tell the difference between the real State of the Union and the Bad Lip Reading version?

The iconic YouTube series is back with a take on Trump’s latest address to the nation. An audience member offers the president a hat, but he waves it off with an “I don’t like it.” As he makes his way to the podium, Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence bicker about her gavel and snacks. 

“Thank you, sweet prince,” Pence says when Trump hands him a folder. 

“Sup, buddy,” Trump responds, holding a hand out for a limp handshake.

Then Trump launches into incomprehensible gibberish. Literally. 

“I think Asia has a nifty wall,” Trump says.  Read more…

More about Viral Video, Trump, Bad Lip Reading, Culture, and Web Culture

Ah, the passing “C.” Also known as the white man’s “A.” 

In a live interview conducted on Twitter, ReCode’s Kara Swisher pressed Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about what grade Dorsey would give his company and himself at fulfilling “tech responsibility.” 

Dorsey replied with the oh-so-humble C. In other words, he knows he could do better, but he’s really trying, guys! So he totally deserves to keep his job.

More about Twitter, Jack Dorsey, Kara Swisher, Tech, and Social Media Companies