Category Archives: Blog

FTX co-founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s prosecutors just scored a major victory by turning two of his alleged accomplices against him.

It’s amazing how much can change in just a matter of weeks. In early November, Bankman-Fried (SBF) was a cryptocurrency billionaire, and the face of one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. About seven weeks later, the three letters “SBF” are practically synonymous with malfeasance in the crypto world, and Bankman-Fried’s prospects for a light sentence — let alone an acquittal — are rapidly diminishing. 

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced that Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison pled guilty to a series of fraud charges. Alameda Research is the FTX-affiliated hedge fund where SBF allegedly funded risky investments with FTX deposits. Ellison faces up to 120 years in prison.

FTX co-founder Gary Wang also pled guilty to fraud charges and faces up to 50 years in prison.

Both Ellison and Wang have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the case against Bankman-Fried.

As for SBF, after spending the past week and a half in a Bahamian jail, the now-disgraced former crypto kingpin was extradited to the U.S. on Wednesday night. On Thursday a judge in New York approved a $250 million bond for SBF’s release.

FTX was once one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. Shortly before its collapse, FTX was valued at $32 billion. In November, reports from Coindesk and independent crypto investigator Mike Burgersberg revealed that FTX’s hedge fund, Alameda Research, appeared to be insolvent. As a result of this news, competing crypto exchange Binance sold off its holdings of FTX’s own crypto token, FTT. FTX customers followed, with billions of dollars being withdrawn from the exchange.

By Nov. 11, FTX had filed for bankruptcy and SBF had stepped down as CEO. 

On Dec. 12, SBF was arrested in the Bahamas. He faces a plethora of federal charges related to wire fraud, money laundering, and even violating campaign finance laws.

Oops, you did it again. You waited until the last minute to get a gift. You love your parents, boyfriend/girlfriend, friends, and that coworker who always has work tea — but when you’re stressing over the perfect gift for said special person, time gets away from you.

We get it and we’re not here to judge. Rather, we are here to help. Finding a last-minute gift that’s actually meaningful is hard, to be quite honest. There are still ways to get personalized or sentimental gifts even in a time crunch.

Depending on how last-minute you’re pushing it, there are actually some really neat gifts you can get. This is especially true if you’re an Amazon Prime member and get free one- and two-day shipping, plus some overnight delivery options,

The safest bets include online services, subscription services, and stuff with digital delivery. And in a year when everything is more expensive than we’re used to, a simple gift card isn’t boring — it’s a lifesaver.

Check out some unique last-minute gift options below:

SAVE $150: As of Dec. 22, this ASUS Chromebook is on sale at Best Buy for $179, down from $329. That’s a discount of 46%

You can have a working computer without all the bells and whistles. Now’s a great time to revisit your needs and consider an update that won’t break the bank. Maybe you want an everyday computer to help you with online chores, a study buddy for your child or teen, or you want to give a quality gift.

As of Dec. 22, the ASUS Chromebook, 14-inch, is on sale at Best Buy for just $179. Holiday sales mean you’re getting a 46% discount or $150 off — that’s almost enough to buy two of these. But who’s counting?

With 8 GB RAM and 64 GB SSD, this Chromebook can handle regular emails, calls, and streaming. Its low cost and study exterior make this a perfect gift for children or teens who need a scholastic companion as they navigate homework and hallways. This Chromebook’s Intel HD Graphics 5000 card can handle basic games because balance is key to a happier, healthier life.

View every possible detail in games, shows, and notes thanks to this Chromebook’s 1920×1080 pixel resolution. This ASUS isn’t a touchscreen, which can be a plus for people who don’t like to see fingerprints all over their screen.

Consider this deal if you’ve been shopping around for a Chromebook for yourself or someone else. It’s definitely tempting.

SAVE $80.99: As of Dec. 22, the Coway Airmega 200m purifier is down to $149 at Walmart. That’s a discount of 35%.

Maybe your constant sneezing makes you empty several boxes of tissues daily, or you have a family member who needs top-tier air quality. An air purifier is an underrated product that can be useful to your health and also help you to sleep better during the long winters. Fortunately, this deal can address these concerns without being too hard on your wallet.

Enter the Coway Airmega 200m purifier, which is down to $149 at Walmart on Dec. 22. That’s a discount of 35% and its lowest price since it dropped to $145 at Amazon last October.

The lightweight product arrives with a HEPA efficiency of 99.97%, which works to protect you from most of the dust, bacteria, and mold within your home. With the Auto Mode feature, the fan adjusts its speed based on the current air pollution levels. And thanks to the Eco Mode, the fan automatically turns off in case your room has clean air for 30 minutes or more and restarts once the first signs of pollution appear.

The purification radius makes this air-filtering device ideal for a large bedroom. With an operation speed of fewer than 25 decibels, you can sleep peacefully through the night without any disturbances as you recover your health.

The NFL has reached a deal with Google, granting the tech behemoth rights to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket to home viewers via two iterations of the YouTube brand starting in 2023.

The deal, which excludes commercial exhibitors like bars and restaurants, will cost Google “roughly” $2 billion per year according to the accounts of anonymous sources who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The deal is also reportedly flexible, and could cost Google more “if certain benchmarks are reached.” 

NFL Sunday Ticket is currently distributed by DIRECTV in a $1.5 billion per-year deal that covers commercial and domestic exhibition. Next year it will become an add-on feature available on YouTube TV, and on regular YouTube through a feature called Primetime Channels, which provides paid access to streaming services and other programming.

Sunday Ticket began in the ’90s as the NFL’s cable TV option for viewers seeking NFL games outside the in-market coverage provided by their local TV networks. Rather than watch whichever vying teams the local affiliates choose to show that Sunday, viewers with rooting interests or just curiosity beyond their local market could pay to watch just about any game airing that Sunday. 

YouTube TV is just one of many live TV streaming services that allow cord-cutters with no TV antennas (or no terrestrial reception) to tune into in-market NFL games online. These include Fubo TV, Sling, DIRECTV Stream, and others. Comprehensive NFL viewing means cobbling together a patchwork of options culled from these, Sunday Ticket, and Amazon Prime, which exclusively carries Thursday night games.

Somewhat confusingly, more budget-friendly services like Paramount+ and Peacock also provide limited streaming access to the NFL. There’s also mobile-focused streaming app called NFL+ that doesn’t let viewers stream regular season games on TVs. Adding to the confusion, DIRECTTV Stream and Sunday Ticket are currently two different apps, even though DIRECTTV is a rights-holder for both in-market games and Sunday Ticket.

This deal could cut down on this complexity to some degree, making it much simpler for YouTube TV viewers to tune into nearly all NFL games on a single streaming app. That in turn could help YouTube, and by extension its parent company Alphabet, Inc., become a major contender in the streaming world.

Know someone who appreciates labeling all their stuff? Check out these label-maker deals, available as of Dec. 22 on Amazon:

• OUR TOP PICK: The Niimbot B21 Inkless Label Maker is a candy-colored thermal label maker with 20+ fonts and 1000+ emoji to customize each creation — $52.79 $65.99 (save $13.20)

• BEST CUSTOMIZABLE LABELS: The Phomemo D30 Label Maker is a fun, portable option with adorable prints and borders that you can use to customize every print — $27.37 $52.85 (save $25.48)

• BEST BUDGET PICK: The Jadens Label Maker is an affordable, no-frills label printer that gets the job done quickly and efficiently — $23.99 $36.99 (save $13)

Guess what comes in cute colors now? If you’re a fan of instant cameras that come in dreamy pastels like the Fujifilm Instax line, you’re gonna want to get a load of these label makers or snap one up for a fun last-minute holiday gift.

It’s true. Candy-colored office supplies are ten times better than regular ones. (Though our guess is most people use these at home.) Sometimes, you just need a little pop to get you through your day, and if having a mint green label maker can do that for you, then you should buy that mint green label maker. Or a pink one. Or a purple one.

As of Dec. 22, you can book it to Amazon to grab several different whimsical label makers, from the Phomemo D30 Label Maker for 48% off (just $27.37), to the budget-priced Jadens Label Maker for 35% off ($23.99).

Not sure which one you should give as a last-minute gift and which you should keep for New Year’s organization resolutions? Shop our favorite picks on sale at Amazon.

Our top pick

Why we like it

The Niimbot B21 Inkless Label Maker is a color lover’s dream, with glossy black, pistachio green, and fire engine red hues to liven up any office. But it’s more than just a great-looking gadget. It comes packed with options, including over 20 fonts, 1000+ emoji, and 100+ borders to make the most fantastic labels possible. Plus, it’s quick, efficient, and syncs to a mobile app for fast label creation. It can also use a variety of different thermal label tapes, from clear to self-adhesive, so it can handle just about any job you throw at it in style.

Best customizable labels

Why we like it

The Phomemo D30 Label Maker is a perfectly portable gadget that comes in some absolutely darling colors like mint green, pink, lavender, and the other “normal” shades you’d expect, like black, gray, and white. It comes with various fun label templates, from adorable stickers that look great on your stuff to professional fare that you can use at the office. It slips into your pocket, boasts a lengthy battery life, and it comes with over 300 symbols, 60 frames, and several fonts to choose from.

Best budget pick

Why we like it

The Jadens Label Maker is a budget pick that still comes in fun colors: green, pink, white, and even a silly yellow with a duck on it. As far as options go, it also packs plenty of fonts, borders, and symbols, but it’s a no-frills option that’s more about printing quick and straightforward labels without having to spend too much time on each.

Netflix is delving into fitness, and I, dear reader, couldn’t be more…happy about it, yes, that’s it.

The streaming giant has teamed up with Nike to launch its longstanding free workout app Nike Training Club on the platform on Dec. 30 (yep, New Year’s, it’s not lost on me). Basically, alongside your gloriously slothy binge-watching stretches, you’ll be able to run up that hill physically and metaphorically and access exercise content too.

“It’s not always easy to motivate yourself to exercise, but the option to feel the burn and then directly transition into one of your favourite shows does have a certain appeal,” Netflix wrote in a blog post Thursday. “And now, that’s exactly what you can do.”

Nike Training Club’s Netflix offering will initially have five exercise programs made up of multiple episodes, released in 10 languages and made for varying fitness levels. There’s the 13-episode program “Kickstart Fitness with the Basics,” as well as programs for core, vinyasa yoga, HIT and strength, and “Feel Good Fitness.”

Netflix users will be able to search “Nike” in the app to find the workouts. If you don’t have Netflix, the Nike Training Club app is free to download for both Android and iOS.

What your Netflix home lobby will look like.
Credit: Nike

Along with its highly popular Nike Run Club app, Nike Training Club been a signature of the athletic retail company for years, offering home workouts you can bust out on your phone or tablet anytime. Nike made in-app workouts within Nike Training Club free during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, and hasn’t rolled it back since. Of course, as Reuters notes, this means the company has been able to gather a serious amount of personal data including individual exercise and buying habits. Just something to keep in mind.

This latest addition, meanwhile, is another feather in the cap of Netflix’s ventures into more interactive, holistic content, from its partnership with Headspace to its gaming vertical.

The first batch of Nike fitness classes will launch worldwide on Netflix Dec. 30 with more to come in 2023. As Mashable’s Australia Editor Caitlin Welsh correctly observed (credit where it’s due), they really missed a trick by not calling this Netflixercise.

After four years of incredible research on the red planet, NASA’s landmark InSight lander mission is officially over.

Following a final photo post (and the world’s saddest tweet) from the lander on Monday, the space agency officially announced the end of the InSight mission on Thursday, after the spacecraft’s solar batteries reportedly finally lost power. It’s been four glorious years on Mars for the defiant lander, which touched down on the planet’s surface in November 2018.

“NASA’s InSight mission has ended after more than four years of collecting unique science on Mars,” reads NASA’s press release. According to the space agency, staff at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) “were unable to contact the lander after two consecutive attempts, leading them to conclude the spacecraft’s solar-powered batteries have run out of energy.” This, NASA said, is the state known as “dead bus.”

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Akin to the fate of other NASA robots, Martian dust has been whittling down the power of NASA’s InSight lander by covering its solar panels in a thick layer of sediment. In May 2022, NASA announced the lander’s mission would be done by summer 2022 — though it defied all odds, still chugging along in October.

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

According to the space agency, the last time the InSight lander reported back to Earth was Dec. 15, and “NASA had previously decided to declare the mission over if the lander missed two communication attempts.”

NASA will continue to monitor InSight for signs of communication, but described this possibility as “unlikely.”

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Since launching from Earth on an Atlas V rocket in May 2018, then plummeting through the perilous Martian atmosphere and touching down at 2:52 p.m. ET on Nov. 26, 2018, InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) has been delving into the inner workings of Mars, helping scientists to map the planet’s geology and interior as “the first outer space robotic explorer to study in depth the ‘inner space’ of Mars: its crust, mantle, and core.”

From the plains of Mars’ Elysium Planitia, the lander sent daily weather reports, discovered the planet’s molten core, measured tectonic activity and seismology (including over 1,300 Martian quakes or “marsquakes” and the strongest temblor ever recorded on another planet), and examined the impact of meteorites on Mars’ surface. Plus, Martian ice!

InSight has also beamed back more than a few photos of the planet, including its first dusty photo on landing day — the next day’s pic was much clearer.

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, of course. InSight ran into some issues with its “mole” digger designed to drill 16 feet into the Martian surface to take its temperature. Yes, it got stuck, but was unstuck and back to work until finally the digger was declared officially dead in Jan. 2021.

Suffice to say, it’s been a busy four years for InSight and its research team, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate managed by JPL.

“InSight has more than lived up to its name. As a scientist who’s spent a career studying Mars, it’s been a thrill to see what the lander has achieved, thanks to an entire team of people across the globe who helped make this mission a success,” said JPL director Laurie Leshin in a press statement. “Yes, it’s sad to say goodbye, but InSight’s legacy will live on, informing and inspiring.”

“We’ve thought of InSight as our friend and colleague on Mars for the past four years, so it’s hard to say goodbye,” added Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator with JPL. “But it has earned its richly deserved retirement.”

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a press statement the end of the mission was both sad and celebratory. “I watched the launch and landing of this mission, and while saying goodbye to a spacecraft is always sad, the fascinating science InSight conducted is cause for celebration,” he said. “The seismic data alone from this Discovery Program mission offers tremendous insights not just into Mars but other rocky bodies, including Earth.”

Perseverance and Curiosity, it’s up to you now.

This week New York Magazine declared 2022 “the year of the nepo baby” and published a deep dive into the taxonomy of famous offspring.

For those who haven’t waded into the discourse, a “nepo baby” (short for “nepotism baby”) is a the child of a celebrity — or anyone who has power and influence in their field — who uses their parents’ influence to get a step ahead in their careers. Some archetypal examples are Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, and Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.

To clarify the term, New York Magazine categorized nepo babies into several tiers. The highest being “classic nepo babies” who inherit famous family names like Depp and Hawke. Then, there are “industry babies,” or children of people who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry who also might benefit from their parents’ connections. One example is Phoebe Bridgers, whose father is a set builder. The children of billionaires, like Paris Hilton, aren’t to be forgotten either.

New York Magazine traces the origin of “nepo baby” to a tweet posted by a Canadian tech-support worker named Meriem Derradji in February. She tweeted, “Wait I just found out that the actress that plays Lexi is a nepotism baby omg 😭 her mom is Leslie Mann and her dad is a movie director lol.” With that tweet the lexicon of the internet was forever changed.

Every time a new nepotism baby is revealed to the public, whether it be Maude Apatow in Euphoria or Hawke in Stranger Things, the internet erupts in outrage and self-righteousness over who gets opportunities in the entertainment industry. But as Buzzfeed’s Izzy Ampil points out, the conversation surrounding entertainment nepotism babies is often a superficial “pop class analysis” of a problem that permeates every industry that too often starts and ends with celebrities. Some readers urged New York Magazine to analyze the reproduction of privilege in other industries, like journalism, banking, and politics.

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

New York Magazine‘s examination of nepo babies brought the concept back to the forefront of Twitter’s hive mind, resulting in just about everyone weighing in. But at least the memes have been entertaining.

As is common when something reaches the internet masses, nepo baby quickly became democratized by the people, with users sharing their definitions of nepo babies and discussing inequality in their respective industries. For example, one Twitter user wrote, “My only contribution to the nepo baby in academia discourse is this: I’m the first and only person in my family to have a PhD. I was legitimately surprised when I started this job and learned how rare that was.”

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Shortly after the New York Magazine article was published, Twitter and TikTok users began to satirize the extremely specific and frankly nitpicky nepo-baby categorizations by sharing the advantages and qualities they inherited from their own families. The meme is a clever way of forcing us to examine our own privilege or disadvantages. TikTokker @literalwhore posted, “I’m a nepo baby at a mid-sized lake in Warsaw, Missouri (my dad sets the fishing limit and we don’t have to pay for parking.”

Twitter user @literELLY wrote, “I hope no one ever finds out that I’m a nepo baby (inherited mental illness from not just one but both of my parents).”

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

Tweet may have been deleted
(opens in a new tab)

May we use nepo baby as a jumping-off point to further scrutinize the ramifications of generational wealth and privilege across the board! Until then, the internet is going to do what it does best.

The Federal Trade Commission levied a record $520 million fine earlier this week against Epic Games, creator of the extremely popular game Fortnite. Of this, $245 million is slated to go to customers whom the FTC said were tricked into purchases they didn’t intend to make. 

The FTC called the practice “dark patterns,” or manipulative user interfaces which make it easy to spend money unintentionally. Some users lost money even on loading screens or while booting the game up. 

Could you be eligible to get your money back? The FTC has set up a website to help you find out.

Who is eligible for a Fortnite refund from the FTC?

Basically there are three main categories of eligibility. According to the FTC, refunds will be made available to: 

• Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018

• Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022

• Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.

How do I get a refund from Epic Games?

The FTC reports that if you believe you’re eligible for a payment, you don’t need to do anything right now. 

“When we have more information about the refund program, we will post updates (on the website) and send email notices to customers who paid for in-game purchases,” the website posted.

The commission added that refund seekers should be careful and watch out for those who may scam you as you seek a refund, saying the FTC never asks you to pay to file a claim or get a refund.

NPR said it may be difficult to identify who has been affected by issues with Fortnite. “The process is a little bit complicated because we are dealing with a user base of 400 million players,” FTC attorney James Doty told NPR. 

What is Epic Games doing to improve its system?

According to a statement, Epic Games said it would agree to the settlement and that it made mistakes, but laid the blame partly on obsolete laws. 

The company has improved its payment and refund systems, Epic wrote, eliminating saving payment information by default in favor of “an explicit yes or no choice to save payment information.”

In addition, to eliminate confusion when pushing a button over purchases, Epic wrote it has added a “hold-to-purchase mechanic that re-confirms a player’s intent to buy.”