Category Archives: Blog

Melissa McCarthy is hosting Saturday Night Live once again and she could not be more excited to put the oh-so-attractive Sean Spicer hair piece back on her head.

In a delightful song-and-dance rendition of “I Feel Pretty,” McCarthy twirls herself into the makeup chair to be hilariously transformed into White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The image of McCarthy-as-Spicer and the beautiful words of the West Side Story classic are a perfect juxtaposition.

Considering what happened this week in U.S. politics, this should be quite the appearance. Read more…

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Tesla is not content with just a spot in your driveway. 

The company today began accepting orders for the latest product in its arsenal, the long-awaited Solar Roof. Installation of the energy-generating tiles are set to begin this summer in the U.S., and in 2018 for areas outside of the country. 

Notably, Tesla says that a Solar Roof will be cheaper than a traditional non-solar roof. How is this possible? Let’s let Tesla explain. 

“Although the cost of our solar tiles is more expensive up front, it can be more than offset by the value of energy the tiles produce,” notes the press release. “In many cases, the reduction in a home’s electricity bill over time will be greater than the cost of the roof.” Read more…

More about Tesla, Elon Musk, Powerwall, Solar Roof, and Tech

Back in March, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned electronics on planes coming to the U.S. from eight Middle Eastern and African countries. Now, the ban is expected to be expanded to some European countries, based on reports from Reuters and The Daily Beast.

That would mean electronics bigger than smartphones, like laptops, e-readers, and tablets, wouldn’t be allowed on board and would have to be checked. Airlines like Emirates, Royal Jordanian, Qatar Airways, and others that fly between the U.S. and the eight countries initially included in the ban have been dealing with the new rules for almost two months. Read more…

More about Europe, Airlines, Air Travel, Dhs, and Electronics Ban

She loves fashion and coding. So when prom season came around, she had the perfect idea for a DIY dress.  

Last year, the world was awed by Zac Posen’s light-up Met Gala dress for Claire Danes. Among its fans was 17-year-old Claire Smith, a homeschooled high school senior and budding engineer from Maryland. Smith was inspired by Posen’s dress and decided to try to make her own version.

More about Diy, Dress, Teens, Prom, and Adafruit

The idea that Google, the web’s biggest advertising company, is reportedly preparing to launch an ad blocker sounds absurd on its face. It’s a bit like a jewelry store hiring a ring of diamond thieves or the postal service unleashing a pack of roving neighborhood dogs.

But it’s more understandable when you consider one fundamental truth about ad blocking companies: They don’t exist to block ads — they exist to serve as middlemen between ads and consumers. The biggest ad blockers charge the biggest advertising vendors to let their ads pass through their software. They’re better described as ad filters than ad blockers. Read more…

More about Google, Ad Blocking, Business, and Advertising

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It was supposed to be everything a player at one of the nation’s top college rugby programs dreams of — a shot at the national championship. 

But the dream ended in tragedy for University of California sophomore Robert Paylor. He was paralyzed after a hit in the first minutes of a game that Cal went on to win. 

Now an online crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise money for Paylor’s medical treatment, while his teammates and coaches say they won’t leave his side. 

Details about Paylor’s injury and the hit that caused it have not yet been revealed. But his family released a statement offering some information on Tuesday, three days after Saturday’s national title game.  Read more…

More about Sports, Crowdfunding, Entertainment, and Sports

Apple is once again the king of the global smartphone market, even after a dip in iPhone sales.

When Apple released its Q2 2017 earnings report, one of the few points of concern — other than what exactly the company might do with its massive wealth — was the noticeable drop in sales for its signature product.  

Tim Cook & Co. are clearly focused on competing with their own records, because Apple appears to face little challenge from anyone else in the popularity department. A Strategy Analytics research report on global smartphone sales crowned the iPhone the undisputed leader in the market, as Apple absolutely dominated all comers.   Read more…

More about Apple, Iphone 7, Market, Iphone 7 Plus, and Iphone 8

Snapchat found more friends and made some money — but far far fewer and far less than analysts had hoped. It’s not good.

How bad? Really bad. Snapchat shares dropped 25 percent after the earnings were first released.

The biggest concern is with user growth. Snapchat needs to get bigger in hopes of one day becoming a platform big enough to command major ad buys. It’s now at 166 million daily active users, but that’s only 5 million more than it had when it filed to go public. Expectations were for more. 

What’s the explanation? Well, Snapchat gave none in writing. Earnings releases usually come with some text explaining what happened and where the company is going. Snap decided to skip that part, as analyst Jan Dawson noted.  Read more…

More about Snapchat, Earnings, Evan Spiegel, Snap Inc, and Business

Celebrated lifestyle blogger Martha Stewart knows a thing or two about being consistently delightful, and she was kind enough to offer a few tips to someone who does not — the president.

 “[Twitter]’s used by the president so strangely,” she told Buzzfeed. “I don’t think it’s a tool for that kind of information. It was so good for news breaking and for, again, taking the temperature of a conundrum or a challenge or something. I still use it for that.”

Trump’s version of “taking the temperature” is recapping Fox News and broadcasting his own temper tantrums, which Stewart finds incredibly unbecoming. She previously made her feelings towards Trump known on her Instagram account, which has gotten a lot better since her days of posting poorly lit food photos.  Read more…

More about Twitter, Politics, Celebrities, Social Media, and Trump