Category Archives: Blog

On Dec. 22, 2018, when parts of the federal government went into shutdown mode, it caused a ripple effect that’s continued to be felt by workers and the public alike, sometimes in unexpected ways. 

Among the wide-ranging consequences of the shutdown has been the silence from the various National Park accounts on Instagram, which have amassed millions of followers across the various handles. The main National Park Service Instagram even has a whopping 1.3 million followers.

The National Park Service posted a message on its account on Dec. 21, 2018 that read, “During the federal government shutdown, we will not monitor or update social media. Some National Park Service areas are accessible, however access may change without notice, and there are no NPS-provided services. For more information, visit the park’s website … ” Read more…

More about Instagram, National Park, Federal Government Shutdown, Culture, and Web Culture

Soon, you may be able to block R. Kelly from ever appearing on your playlists.

Spotify is testing an iOS feature called “don’t play this artist,” allowing users to block particular artists from being included in playlists, libraries, charts, and radio stations on the music streaming platform, The Verge reports.

Notably, it doesn’t work for songs that the artist was featured on.

Spotify worked on the blocking feature in 2017, but decided not to roll it out “after serious consideration.” 

During 2018, the music streaming company found itself under pressure to particularly ban R. Kelly from its platform entirely in the lead-up to the release of Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which alleged he had abused and sexually assaulted women for over 25 years.  Read more…

More about Spotify, R Kelly, Culture, and Web Culture

After a fierce Sunday of back-to-back playoff games between the final four, the NFL has its Super Bowl LIII competitors — and Saints fans are furious.

They’re channelling their frustration through Bird Box memes. 

In the final moments of a sudden death overtime period, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-23, an upset many Saints fans blame on a controversial non-call from the fourth quarter. Rams defender Nickell Robey-Coleman has admitted to the alleged pass interference on Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis that effectively stopped what looked like a game winning drive by the Saints and led to overtime — where the Rams won on a long field goal.  Read more…

More about Memes, Netflix, Nfl, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints

Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ tweet honoring Martin Luther King Jr. is not going over well. 

In a tweet, the White House press secretary wrote that King “gave his life” for the civil rights movement, and that “our country is better thanks to his inspiration and sacrifice.” 

Here’s the thing: King didn’t give his life. He was assassinated four years after he was blackmailed by the FBI; his family still believes his death was a government-orchestrated conspiracy to silence the civil rights movement.  Read more…

More about Trump, Mlk Day, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Culture, and Web Culture

In the wise words of Yello, “Oooh yeah. The moon is beautiful.” 

Western hemisphere skywatchers enjoyed front row seats to a stunning celestial treat Sunday night as the only total lunar eclipse of 2019 arrived in its full glory. An eclipse of similar caliber is not due again until 2022. 

“Visible for its entirety in North and South America, this eclipse is being referred to by some as a super blood moon,” explains Lyle Tavernier, educational technology specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “‘Super’ because the moon will be closest to Earth in its orbit during the full moon … and ‘blood’ because the total lunar eclipse will turn the Moon a reddish hue.” Read more…

More about Space, Science, Moon, Lunar Eclipse, and Science

A brand new teaser for The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part dropped on Sunday, featuring the debut of a character based on Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Although the pioneering Supreme Court Justice didn’t voice the character, USA Today reports she agreed to the use of her likeness — she’ll even reportedly be released as an official Lego figurine for the film’s release.

“These movies are so full of surprises. And we were thinking, ‘Who’s the last person you would think to see in a Lego film as a minifig?’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg!” director Mike Mitchell told the publisher. “And we’re all huge fans. It made us laugh to think of having her enter this world.” Read more…

More about Trailers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The Lego Movie, The Lego Movie 2 The Second Part, and Entertainment

Your electric scooter could one day be autonomous. 

Uber is working on self-driving scooters and bikes, according to 3DRobotics CEO Chris Anderson. The company announced plans to explore electric scooters and bikes that can drive themselves to charging stations and riders. 

In a tweet on Saturday, Anderson revealed that the ride-hailing app is hiring engineers for “Micromobility Robotics” — a division under JUMP, Uber’s on-demand rideshare for bikes and scooters. Its main group, Uber Advance Technologies Group, will continue its work on self-driving cars.

More about Uber, Self Driving, Electric Scooter, Tech, and Silicon Valley

Entertainment’s most dishonorable honors are back and this time their public shaming is focused on the White House.

Mocking the worst of the worst in last year’s cinema, the 39th Annual Razzie Awards announced their nominees today with President Donald J. Trump notably front and center. Nominated for his “roles” in documentaries Fahrenheit 11/9 and Death of a Nation, Trump is in the running for 2018’s Worst Actor as well as half of 2018’s Worst Screen Combo. (The other half? “His Self Perpetuating Pettiness.”)

Also appearing in Fahrenheit 11/9, First Lady Melania Trump and Counselor for the White House Kellyanne Conway are going head-to-head for Worst Supporting Actress. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Johnny Depp, Melania Trump, Donald J. Trump, and Razzies

PSA: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is alive and well, thank you very much. 

The Fox & Friends co-hosts apologized after a graphic aired on the show appeared to announce her death. Before Ainsley Earhardt’s interview with a college professor about diverse viewpoints on Monday, the segment showed a photo of Ginsburg with “1933-2019” accompanying it.

“A technical error in the control room triggered a graphic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a date on it,” co-host Steve Doocy said in a later segment. “We don’t want to make it seem like anything other than that was a mistake, that was an accident. We believe she is still at home recovering from surgery. Big mistake in the control room.”  Read more…

More about Fox News, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mistake, Culture, and Web Culture

We’ve already spoken about Data Privacy Day, and we are probably going to continue talking about it all week, because the date has sparked a massive influx of fantastic VPN deals. 

Data Privacy Day falls on Jan. 28, and to bring attention to the signature event in a greater privacy awareness effort, StrongVPN has cut the price of its annual plan by an extra 25%. This means the total saving on list price is now a massive 56%. You can secure StrongVPN for 12 months for just £3.40 a month in this promotion, available until midnight on Jan. 28.

You’ll be billed in one lump, paying just over £40 for the whole year. That’s an extra discount of around £15 over the course of the plan. This deal is only available to new customers and comes with a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you don’t have to feel like you are taking a gamble with StrongVPN.  Read more…

More about Vpn, Data Privacy, Data Protection, Cyber Security, and Mashable Shopping