Category Archives: Blog

Is this the end of JUUL memes?

JUUL announced a number of new measures to try to prevent teens from using its products on Tuesday.

Notably, it will stop allowing retailers to sell flavored pods until they install advanced age verification software from JUUL. The company is also discontinuing its own Facebook and Instagram accounts, and has asked social media companies to help remove youth-oriented JUUL content from its platforms — including the prohibition of posts depicting JUULing and vaping by underage users. 

The new initiatives come days after it was reported that the FDA would prohibit convenience stores and gas stations from selling flavored pods. Rather than wait for FDA enforcement, JUUL has apparently taken proactive measures that go further than the FDA’s new policy. The FDA would have allowed tobacco and specialty vape shops to continue selling flavored pods, while JUUL’s new retailer policy will only allow this if the shops use JUUL’s Social Security number-matching age verification software. Read more…

More about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Vaping

Wilfred the Chinchilla Persian is simultaneously the most adorable and the most horrifying creature you’ll ever lay your eyes on. 

The internet fell in love with the scraggly white cat when comedian Michael Rapaport posted a video of the cat on Instagram. Horrified, he called out to his mother and warned her of the “weird fucking stray cat outside” threatening Lucy, the family pet. 

“It looks like Grandma, the fucking thing!” he said in the video. 

More about Cats, Viral Videos, An Ode To, Culture, and Web Culture

We’ve all made a typo in our time.

So has New Zealand’s Gisborne Herald, who made an almighty error on the front page of its Tuesday newspaper when it commemorated the late comic book legend Stan Lee.

While the Herald had published a photo of the Marvel great, who died at 95, the caption pointed to director Spike Lee, who is very much alive.

The mistake is very real, as per the newspaper’s website, but it’s yet to speak up about the error. Read more…

More about Culture, Spike Lee, Stan Lee, Culture, and Web Culture

When it comes to buying gifts for your mother, don’t shy away from technology, gadgets, and trends. There’s an unfortunate narrative afoot that suggests that everything your mother might want can be placed in a kitchen cupboard or encircled in an embroidery hoopWhile embroidery is rad, don’t let the standard mom gifts put your favorite lady in a box. It’s time to help your mama branch out. Make sure your gifts are actually gifts for her and don’t all have to do with serving others, an all-too-common issue with the more standard mom gifts. 

SEE ALSO: These are the best gifts for your dad

Your mom should revel in her own glory with gifts that make her feel smart, sophisticated, and valued. Consider what she does when she has no one putting demands on her time — then shop for those moments.  Read more…

More about Mom, Mashable Shopping, Gift Guide 2018, Gift Guide, and Gifts For Her

After transforming the once tranquil town of Paradise, California into charred automobiles and tales of horror, the Camp Fire takes its infamous spot as the deadliest wildfire in California history. 

At a multi-agency press conference Monday night, the Butte Country Sheriff’s Office announced that 42 have been confirmed dead. This grim statistic surpasses the 29 Los Angelenos killed by the Griffith Park Fire in 1933. While it’s unclear just how many individuals are still missing, officials said they’ve located 231 previously missing persons, who are now safe, and have received 1514 requests to check on or locate people. But, that large number may include multiple requests for the same person. Read more…

More about Science, Global Warming, Climate Change, California Wildfires, and Science

Crisis can bring people together in unprecedented ways. That’s the theme of Rising, a new short film directed by Game of Thrones’ David Nutter and written by Lena Waithe, creator of The Chi. 

The film, which is the latest installment of the popular Ad Council “Love Has No Labels” PSA campaign, imagines how a massive storm and flood affects a group of neighbors who at first glance have little in common. 

A white man stares menacingly at his neighbor, an American teen from an Indian Muslim family. Two women, who are a couple, run down the block and take note of the scene. Other residents, who are people of color, watch the white neighbor’s intimidation with disapproval. Then disaster strikes and everyone becomes essential to the block’s collective survival. The film was created pro bono by the ad agency R/GA and is designed to make viewers remember how vital people are to each other — even when political and cultural polarization threatens to tear America apart.  Read more…

More about Politics, Psa, Natural Disasters, Ad Council, and Social Good

Are you the type of person who just wants to rip the cover off your dear, sweet 2001 Xbox and see how it all ticks? Ever wanted to smash open a Game Boy? Lift the lid on an Atari 2600?

Shot by photographer and lifelong gamer Evan Amos, The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox does exactly that, as a visual history of video game hardware released by San Francisco-based publishing company No Starch Press. 

Photographed in intense, loving detail, the book quite literally unpacks 86 consoles and examines their innards, from the Magnavox Odyssey to the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Commodore 64, all the way to the Game Boy, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U. Read more…

More about Nintendo, Xbox, Video Games, Playstation, and Atari

“Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t work when cleaning out the darkest corners of social media platforms. 

That’s what the documentary The Cleaners, which airs Monday night on PBS, reveals about content moderators in the Philippines who are relentlessly bombarded with violent, graphic, and disturbing images and videos. Ahead of the TV release at a San Francisco screening, the filmmakers Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck praised the subjects in the documentary for being “brave enough to talk to us.”

Manila has become a de facto headquarters for content moderation for some of the biggest social media and content services like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, Twitter, and others. But outsourcing the harmful work doesn’t eliminate the problem. Read more…

More about Documentary, Content Moderation, Social Media Companies, Tech, and Health

ASCII bunnies are evergreen. 

Best known for holding signs with hot takes, the bunny has taken on a more wholesome character of late with this new meme.

The “u want this?” bunny took over Twitter in early November. Like a saucy Janet from The Good Place, the bunny can fulfill all of your requests, but only if you meet its conditions. 

The meme started with the bunny offering its heart, but only if you promised to give it something in return. In this case, you’d have to give it your full astrological chart to check for compatibility.  Read more…

More about Twitter, Memes, Culture, and Web Culture

The death of Stan Lee, age 95, has been felt by many, but the loss has been particularly profound for the many fans-turned-artists who were inspired by Lee’s legendary career.

In the wake of Lee’s passing, as notes of honor and remembrance have flooded social media, stunning portraits of the renowned comic-book writer have stood out. Many of the tributes are accompanied by short anecdotes noting the impact Lee has had on the lives of so many, particularly in the worlds of illustration and animation.

One post from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, a rendering of Lee he created when he was just seven years old, perfectly captures the awe so many have felt because of Lee throughout their lives. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Marvel, Jimmy Kimmel, Marvel Comics, and Entertainment