Category Archives: Blog

Leave it to Tesla to turn a mandated safety feature into a prankster’s dream.

As part of its holiday update, the automaker has rolled out a feature that turns some Teslas into megaphones. At the press of a button, anything drivers say will be emitted through external speakers. The external speakers, only available in Teslas since 2019, were originally meant to serve as a required pedestrian warning system, notes Electrek, which first reported on the update.

In a demonstration shared to Twitter, Tesla showed a driver shouting “excuse me, you dropped something” at someone dressed as Santa after a gift fell from their arms.

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But we can imagine Tesla drivers getting way more troll-y. Remember when Tesla added a “boombox” feature that let owners make their cars fart, bleat like a goat, and blast an airhorn like a ’90s DJ? The megaphone builds off that suite of pre-programmed sounds.

Here’s a video of YouTube creator Ryan Shaw testing out the megaphone, noting that it lowers his voice as it broadcasts.

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What could go wrong?

Disney+’s awesome “GroupWatch” functionality is a co-viewing feature that lets you connect with friends and families to watch movies and shows from the entire Disney+ library, even when apart. GroupWatch lets up to seven people watch together in synced playback that you can access via web, on Disney+’s mobile platforms, on connected TV devices, and through smart TVs.

Who can access Disney+ GroupWatch parties?

In order to access the Disney+ GroupWatch functionality, you need to be a subscriber, both to start a GroupWatch party and to join one via an invite. Disney+ currently costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 per year in the U.S. A subscription gives you ad-free access to all of the service’s streaming titles as well as the GroupWatch functionality.

Disney+ GroupWatch participants must all be in the same country. Kid’s profiles cannot participate in a GroupWatch.

What devices support Disney+ GroupWatch parties? 

With the exception of PS4 and selected Roku models, Disney+ GroupWatch is available across a wide range of devices and platforms, including mobile devices, web browsers, game consoles, set-top boxes, and smart TVs (click here for a full list of Disney+ supported devices).

How to begin a Disney+ GroupWatch viewing party 

As above, as long as you are a Disney+ subscriber you can get your viewing party started by selecting a title, then tapping or clicking on the GroupWatch icon found on the “Details” page of series and movies. This GroupWatch icon is represented by three figures in a circle. 

This will generate a URL link to invite up to six other people (who, again, also have to be Disney+ subscribers) to watch along. You can send people the link via text or email, or, if you’re on a mobile platform, you can share via social media. The original invitations must be generated from a mobile device, such as a phone or a tablet, or from the web. 

Once generated, hit “Start Stream,” and you and the invitees can then watch from mobile devices, connected TV devices, or a smart TV. Don’t forget the popcorn! 

During the GroupWatch, anyone can pause, fast forward, or rewind. If you haven’t hit your invite limit, the person who initiated the GroupWatch session can invite more people at any point by coming out of the player and tapping the plus-sign invite icon. 

How to activate an invite to a Disney+ GroupWatch viewing party 

You can accept a Disney+ GoupWatch invite through the Disney+ app or on DisneyPlus.com by searching for the title of the content. On the title page, select the GroupWatch icon. Select “Join Stream” and follow the prompts. 

Once you’ve accepted the invite, you can switch to a connected TV to watch on a larger screen by opening Disney+ using the profile that accepted the link and selecting “Join Stream.” 

How to react with emoticons during a Disney+ GroupWatch session

While watching, you and the other viewers can communicate in real time with six different emoji — “like,” “funny,” “sad,” “angry,” “scared,” and “surprised” — by selecting them in the Disney+ app or on the website. 

To send an emoticon for your fellow viewers to see from a mobile device, tap the screen, then tap the smiley face icon to see your six options. On desktop, put your cursor over the smiley face icon and then click on the emoticon you want to send. 

Using either method, your chosen emoticon will appear at the bottom of everyone’s screen with your Disney+ profile name next to it. 

How to end your participation in a Disney+ GroupWatch viewing party 

If you need to stop watching before the title has ended, simply select “Leave GroupWatch.” Everyone else’s stream will continue without you until the title ends or everyone clicks that button.

It’s happening.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — which will give humanity unprecedented views of the deep cosmos — is scheduled to launch into space aboard a trusty Ariane 5 rocket on Dec. 25. (A poor weather forecast slightly delayed the much anticipated Dec. 24 blast-off.) It’s one of the most momentous launches in history, the culmination of a quarter-century of work, and over $10 billion spent. Astronomers are understandably anxious.

“Everyone’s crossing their fingers,” Jason Steffen, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who researches exoplanets, told Mashable in October.

It’s easy to watch the event. NASA will stream the launch live on NASA TV.

• Coverage of the launch starts at 6 a.m. ET on Dec. 25 from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

• The launch is set for between 7:20 a.m. – 7:52 ET.

Assuming nothing goes awry during the high-stakes events of Friday — the JWST’s spectacular departure from Earth — this will just be one step in the telescope’s long journey to its viewing spot 1 million miles from home. The next steps will involve the “most complex sequence of deployments ever attempted in a single space mission,” explained NASA. For example, one hundred and seven pins must release for the telescope’s great sunshield, which is the length of a tennis court, to properly unfold. The unfurling will take about a month.

If all goes as planned, JWST — a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency — will:

• View the first galaxies and stars ever formed (some 13.7 billion years ago)

• Observe intriguing and unknown exoplanets in other solar systems

• See objects in the cosmos currently obscured by thick clouds of dust and gas

The process of building the scope and preparing it for launch has been tedious and beset with delays. But when your goal is unprecedented, ambitious cosmic science, these struggles usually come with the territory.

“The James Webb Space Telescope is the most ambitious and complex astronomical project ever built, and bringing it to life is a long, meticulous process,” European Space Agency director Günther Hasinger said in a statement announcing a delay in 2018. “The wait will be a little longer now but the breakthrough science that it will enable is absolutely worth it.”

Tune in!

It’s been a big year for everyone, including the tenacious robot that’s been traversing the rocky hills and valleys of Mars, the Perseverance rover.

Perseverance successfully landed on the Red Planet in mid-February. Its initial mission: surveillance. It was Perseverance’s job to take pictures showing what Mars looks like up close and personal. Then, in May, it pivoted to scientist mode, and began conducting science experiments — a lot of hitting rocks with lasers! — to help us earthlings gain a better understanding of our close planetary neighbor.

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Still, Perseverance continued to take photographs and send back its Martian dispatches to NASA. For the past 10 months, the public has been voting on a “picture of the week” from Perseverance’s photo dumps. NASA compiled the most-liked images into a cache of 44 snapshots.

Below are our favorites, including images of the Martian surface and of course, some Perseverance selfies. Enjoy.

We’re looking forward to more other-worldly communiqués from Perseverance in 2022.

The cast of Amazon’s comedy special Yearly Departed hilariously eulogize this dumpster fire of a year.

TikTok isn’t just about sharing creative content, it’s also about collaborating, commenting, and getting involved in a unique community. To do this effectively, you should know how to communicate in TikTik’s secret language: a set of hidden emoji you can “unlock” by using special shortname codes. Some of these emoji, emoticons, or stickers are similar to the familiar emoji you already use on other platforms — but others are unique to TikTok. 

How to insert hidden TikTok emoji

When you’re making a TikTok comment, you simply need to type the secret code word you’re using inside two square brackets. So, for example, [angel]. 

Be sure to use the square brackets rather than the curved versions. Then, your secret word will automatically turn into a secret emoji.

Why would you want to use TikTok’s hidden emoji?

There are two main advantages to using TikTok’s hidden emoji. The first is that it will make you look like a knowledgeable TikTok insider, well-versed in the secret language of the platform.

The second is that unlike the native system emoji on iOS, Android, or from Microsoft, TikTok’s hidden emoji appear in exactly the same visual style on all operating systems, and on all devices, so there is no ambiguity about their meaning. 

A complete list of all the hidden TikTok emoji

There are currently 46 hidden TikTok emoji. Here is a full list of the secret TikTok emoji you can unlock right now. 

[angel], [angry], [astonish]

[awkward], [blink], [complacent]

[cool], [cry], [cute]

[disdain], [drool], [embarrassed]

[evil], [excited], [facewithrollingeyes]

[flushed], [funnyface], [greedy]

[happy], [hehe], [joyful]

[laugh], [laughwithtears], [loveface]

[lovely], [nap], [pride]

[proud], [rage], [scream]

[shock], [shout], [slap]

[smile], [smileface], [speechless]

[stun], [sulk], [surprised]

[tears], [thinking], [weep]

[wicked], [wow], [wronged], [yummy]

We’ve all faced specific pandemic-fueled challenges in the past two years, and daters aren’t any different. Last year, we were forced to date through screens or not at all. This year, we had a hodge-podge of varying desires — and COVID mandates — as we all attempted to navigate dating through a seemingly-endless pandemic.

Given the ride the last couple years have been, what will 2022 bring us in terms of finding love? Dating experts have a few predictions, including a continued use of virtual dating, a push towards serious relationships for some and non-monogamy for others, and an emphasis on mental health and vulnerability. 

Virtual dating will stick around — and VR dating is on its heels

Video dates, a cornerstone of early pandemic romance, are likely here to stay, said Logan Ury, director of relationship science at Hinge. Even with in-person dating on the table (possible variants notwithstanding), Hinge users often use a pre-date call or video chat as a vibe check.

According to data gathered from over 5,000 global Hinge users in December 2020, more than half (65 percent) of users planned on incorporating video dates in the dating process, and Ury said Hinge has seen this expectation come to life. . 

Findings from Match’s 2021 Singles in America survey tells a similar story. Of the 5,000 Americans aged 18 to 75 surveyed, 71 percent said a video date helped determine if they wanted to meet in person, and 63 percent said they’d feel more comfortable on a first date if they video chatted before the meetup. 

Voice features have also been popular on dating apps and in the broader tech world. In addition to adding video components during those initial pandemic days, dating apps also invested in audio features. Bumble added audio messages in late 2020, and Hinge implemented voice prompts for profiles this year. 

“The pandemic really helped us all pay attention to the importance of audio and the importance of voice,” Ury said. Voice notes add an authentic, intimate dimension to a potential match’s profile in a way that text and photos can’t do alone.

Looking into more tech-advanced dating options, Match Group (which owns Tinder, Hinge, and many other dating apps) is planning a dating metaverse, or VR space, unironically called “Single Town.” Users will allegedly be able to interact with others with real-time audio and meet in virtual spaces, like a bar, explained Match Group CEO Shar Dubey in a November investor call. 

A virtual space has similar dangers as a physical space, though: People in Meta’s (Facebook’s) metaverse have already experienced sexual harassment. As such, singles should proceed with caution dating in VR just as they do with online or in-person dating. Dating coach and matchmaker Tennesha Wood urges us to remember that we’re still real people with real experiences, fears, and emotions — no matter the dating method. 

Daters are looking for their person (or their people)

As figurative or literal existential crises tend to do, the pandemic forced us to reflect on what we want out of life. This is one reason experts gave as to why so many people came out during the pandemic, but the experience also drove daters on the whole to reflect on who they want to date. They seemed to divert into two paths: Those looking for “the one,” and those looking specifically for more than one.

In terms of the former, Ury said a majority of Hinge users — 75 percent — are now looking for a relationship; this is a spike up from the 53 percent of users who said they were ready for something long-term at the end of last year. 

These users “want to find somebody to lie in bed with and talk about what [they’ve] been going through,” Ury said, “and how hard life is and how scared [they are].”

Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and Match’s chief science advisor, agrees. Most singles surveyed by Match, 65 percent, want a relationship in the next year. 

That number soars when only considering young adults: 81 percent of Gen Z and 76 percent of millennials want romantic love. This makes sense, said Fisher, as young people are usually looking for a mate, but the figures are staggering — especially compared to how many wanted the same thing in 2019: 70 percent of Gen Z and 63 percent of millennials.

Not only are people looking for their special someone, but according to Fisher they’re looking for financial and romantic stability to boot. More singles want a partner at an equal or higher income now than pre-pandemic:  86 percent in 2021 compared to 70 percent in 2019. The same is true for education level: 89 percent compared to 79 percent over the same time period.

More singles want a lifetime partner that’s emotionally mature (83 percent) than physically attractive (78 percent). “I’ve never before used the word ‘historic,’ and [this] is a historic change in dating,” Fisher said. “What people are really looking for now is emotional maturity.”

Some daters are also looking for a non-monogamous experience. “The pursuit of fulfillment will lead singles and couples to create their own definitions and structures for their relationships,” said Wood, “lending way to ethically non-monogamous relationships and the freedom to be open.”

“I’ve never before used the word ‘historic,’ and [this] is a historic change in dating.” – Helen Fisher, Match’s chief science advisor

More and more people began exploring non-monogamy before the pandemic, and this trend has continued throughout it. Feeld, a sexual exploration app for singles and couples, saw a jump in both men and women using  words describing ethical non-monogamy (ENM) or polyamory in their profiles from 2020 to 2021, according to the app’s communication manager Lyubov Sachkova. The data didn’t include non-binary users.

“The pandemic has brought our sense of ‘normal’ into question,” Wood continued, “and led many to create a new normal in ways that allow them to live more freely.”

Self-care is more important than ever

The prolonged stress of the pandemic has also engendered a focus on mental health. While there’s a burgeoning mental health crisis in the U.S., most participants in the Singles in America survey, 65 percent, told Match they got better at taking care of their mental health in the last year; 73 percent said they got better at prioritizing what’s important in their lives.

Ury predicts mental health will be increasingly important to daters in 2022. A whopping 91 percent of Hinge users would prefer to date someone who goes to therapy, according to stats gathered from over 8,000 users this November. A smidge under, 89 percent, are more likely to go on a second date with someone who mentions therapy during the first. 

This is especially interesting considering that only 8 percent of Hinge users surveyed feel comfortable mentioning therapy when meeting someone new. Given this information, Ury urges people to be open and vulnerable about how they’re caring for their mental health. 

“We are afraid to be vulnerable and bold about what’s really going on for us,” Ury explained, “but actually, when we share that information, people like us more, people feel more drawn to us, more curious about us, safer with us, [and] more likely to bring up their own mental health struggles.”

In 2022, don’t be afraid to divulge how you’re taking care of yourself. 

A whopping 91 percent of Hinge users would prefer to date someone who goes to therapy.

Throw the hardball

In keeping with being transparent, Ury also predicts daters will be more forward about what they want from dating. She called this upfront approach “hardballing.”

An example Ury gave of hardballing is saying this on the first date: “Hey, I’ve been dating for awhile and I know I want to get married and have kids eventually. What are you looking for?” 

“It’s not demanding a certain answer from someone,” she explained, “but it’s being very honest and vulnerable from the beginning about what you want, and asking the other person what they want.” 

There’s already evidence that this is what people want. In Tinder’s Future of Dating report this March, their number one prediction was that daters would be more honest and authentic moving forward. Mentions of the word “anxiety” in bios shot up 31 percent between 2020 and 2021, further punctuating the mental health discussion.

A more recent survey of over 1,000 U.S. users from the app Coffee Meets Bagel this fall said that 79 percent find themselves being more open and honest with matches now than pre-pandemic.

Moving into the new year, daters are solid about what they want and are more than willing to express it than before. While the pandemic taught us we can’t predict everything, the experts and data hint that in 2022, we’ll run towards our desires with a newfound openness.

Apple released iOS 15 on Sept. 20, 2021, adding new features such as Background Sounds, Live Text, and Focus Mode to all new iPhone models released since 2015. This update also moved Safari’s search bar to the bottom of the screen, eschewing longstanding tradition and thoroughly messing with everyone’s muscle memory.

Up until iOS 15, Safari’s search and address bar was located along the top of the internet browser, echoing a desktop configuration. This had been the way of the web since days of yore, and few of us thought to question it. 

As such, iOS 15’s sudden relocation of Safari’s address bar to the bottom of the screen felt disorienting. Placing the search bar immediately on top of the keyboard may objectively make more sense in terms of ease of use and ergonomics. However, years of Apple placing it at the top of the phone’s screen have made the vast majority of users more comfortable with it there.

Fortunately, Apple offers the option to return the address bar to the top of your screen, so you don’t have to retrain your instincts if you don’t want to.

Here’s how to move Safari’s search bar back to the top of your screen in iOS 15.

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings.

2. Scroll down to “Safari” and tap it.

3. Under “Tabs,” switch “Tab Bar” to “Single Tab.”

Alternatively, you can also move the address bar directly in Safari.

1. Open Safari.

2. Go to any website. It doesn’t matter which one you choose.

3. Tap the “ᴬA” in the left of the address bar. This will open a menu.

4. From this menu, select “Show Top Address Bar.”

Either of these methods will revert Safari back to how it operated in iOS 14, returning the browser’s search bar to the top of your screen. You can also follow these steps to put the bar at the bottom — if and when you decide you’re finally ready to embrace change.

How many times have you waited days, weeks…maybe even months for someone to respond to an email?

At some point, you wonder if they even opened it. Maybe they missed it? Or perhaps they just put it right in the trash. Whatever the case, it’d at least be nice to know if they even opened your.

SEE ALSO: 7 of the best single-serve coffee makers for your instant caffeine gratification

Popular email services like Gmail and Outlook will actually relay that info for you if you know the right buttons to push, but you have the right type of account. If not, a third party service may be needed to track your email read receipts.

If you’ve already sent that email, sorry folks, it’s too late.

Third Party Services

As we noted, some third party services will be needed in order to track your email status.

1. Yesware

Yesware, for example, lets you sign up for free and works “in the background of the email client you already use,” meaning you won’t have to navigate any new systems or software.

Yesware will notify you when a recipient reads your email, sure, but it’ll also be able to notify you when a recipient clicks one of your links or opens one of your attached files.

For full services, you’ll have to sign up for one of the site’s paid plans. For personal use, you’d probably want the Yesware Pro plan, which gives you unlimited email tracking, unlimited attachment tracking, and more for $15 a month.

2. Mailtrack

Mailtrack works with Gmail to track the status of your emails. As referenced by Oberlo, “The app adds two check marks to your Gmail account. A single check mark implies the email was sent, while the double check mark indicates that it was opened.” 

Mailtrack’s email status tracking is free to use, but you can also receive more detailed reporting if you want to pay for the pro version of the app.

3. Mixmax

Along with letting notifying you when a recipient opens your email, Mixmax also lets you know how many times it was opened. If you send a group email, the app will tell you when the email was opened and by which recipient, according to Oberlo.

Just as it is with Mailtrack, Mixmax’s basic email status tracking is free, with more detailed features being offered in the app’s paid plans.

How to see if someone opens your email in Gmail

First and foremost, to track Gmail read receipts, you need to be using either a work or school Gmail account in order to do the steps below. Using a regular Gmail account won’t allow you to see whether a recipient has opened your email or not.

1. Compose your email

2. At the bottom of the compose window, select the dotted “more” icon

3. Click “Request read receipt”

You should be notified when the recipient opens your email, though it’s important to note that they may have to approve the read receipt for you to be notified.

How to see if someone opens your email in Microsoft Outlook

1. At the top menu, select “Options”

2. In the sub-menu, select “Request a Read Receipt”

“Additionally, you can also get notifications when your message is successfully delivered by checking ‘Request a Delivery Receipt'” according to USA Today.

Every year since its launch in 2004, Google developers have made sure anyone with internet access can find out where Santa is on his toy delivery route using the Google Santa Tracker. This year, the team behind the tracker is giving users an additional surprise… and some behind-the-scenes information.

If you type “Where is Santa?” directly into the Google search bar, you’re shown a rather adorable animated short featuring some mischievous penguins and the Claus’ secret closet. After the short ends, you’ll see a couple suggestions for mini-games or other videos. But if you scroll down below the landing page, you’ll find the full gamut of available interactions – many of which helped other Google innovations later come to be.

The Santa Tracker originally launched in Dec. 2004, and has been continuously updated by Google’s team ever since. It’s gotten big features, like new coding games and voice assistant integration, and small ones, like a mask for Santa to protect himself and others during the pandemic. And according to the official Google blog, the developers behind each update have found that working on the Santa Tracker is not only a fun holiday tradition, but useful for overall Google service development, too.

“We figured out how to do so many different things because of Santa Tracker — how to build things, how to launch things, how to make things accessible, how to improve web design, how to optimize tools,” said developer Dave Holmes in the post. “I like to say that everything I’ve learned at Google, I learned from Santa.”

Google points to the Santa Tracker as the blueprint for developments within areas like Doodles and certain apps shown at Google I/O. And each year, the developers look forward to making the experience even better for Santa trackers worldwide.

The interactive Santa’s Village page runs all throughout December, featuring 30 mini-games and animated videos for some lovely holiday cheer. On December 24, that landing page will transform into the tracking experience, where Santa’s route is shown on a world map as he makes his deliveries in real time.

For adults and kids alike, nothing says holiday spirit like a good dose of Santa Claus. So gather your milk and cookies, fire up the Santa Tracker, and get on to cyberstalking Old St. Nick.