Category Archives: Blog

NFTs have already felt the wrath of gamers. 

Now, comic book lovers, superhero movie fans, and Marvel aficionados alike are lashing out against NFTs, too.

On Tuesday morning, the late Stan Lee’s Twitter account sent out a tweet promoting NFTs of the Indian superhero Chakra the Invincible that will be sold in the coming weeks. The link in the tweet, “chakraverse.io,” sends users to a website belonging to Orange Comet, a company that creates NFTs for brands and sports teams.

Tweet may have been deleted

​​”From championing diversity to embracing new tech, Stan was 1 step ahead of the curve,” reads the tweet. “To honor his innovative spirit, Stan’s 1st Indian hero, Chakra The Invincible, debuts in his own NFT (digital art) collection from 7:30pm PT 12/27-12pm PT 12/29! Sign up: http://chakraverse.io”

The backlash to this promotional tweet being sent from Stan Lee’s Twitter account was swift and unforgiving.

Tweet may have been deleted

“Can’t believe Stan Lee came back from the dead just to promote an NFT,” replied popular YouTuber Dolan Dark.

Tweet may have been deleted

“Using Stan Lee’s twitter account to promote an NFT gets you sent straight to hell,” tweeted Twitter user @Ter0me.

“The fact they never retired his Twitter after his passing is one thing, but using him to promote something like NFTs is absolutely disrespectful…” said @SuperiorArtemis while sharing a meme quoting Stan Lee’s line from his cameo in Spider-man: Homecoming.

“Don’t make me come down there, you punk,” reads the meme.

Tweet may have been deleted

Even the official Dictionary.com Twitter account got in on the NFT dunking.

Tweet may have been deleted

What makes this particular advertisement more distasteful is that it’s being promoted as something being done in memory of Stan Lee.

“Honoring what would have been Stan Lee’s 99th birthday on December 28th, we are inviting all of Stan’s fans to celebrate his amazing legacy with us by sharing ownership in a limited NFT collectible around one of his first international superheroes,” reads the Orange Comet website.

Stan Lee was the mastermind behind some of Marvel Comics’ most beloved superheroes, such as Spider-man, Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and X-Men, among many others. He was such a beloved figure in the comic book world that he made cameos in every Marvel Universe film from Iron Man all the way up until Avengers: Endgame.

Sadly, Stan Lee passed away in November 2018 at the age of 95.

NFTs, or non fungible tokens, are basically digital collectibles, usually in the form of digital art. When buyers purchase an NFT, they aren’t actually purchasing the actual art but the token that’s connected to the art, which gets recorded to the blockchain, basically to prove they “own” the piece on the blockchain.

The NFT market has exploded over the past year along with the rest of thee cryptocurrency industry as buyers look to invest in speculative assets. The digital artist Beeple, for example, sold an NFT of his work at auction in May 2021 for $69 million.

However, NFTs are gradually experiencing more of a pushback from the average internet user.

Critics complain that much of the art made for the purpose of NFTs are quite ugly. Many NFT projects consist of just a few original art assets which are then combined via computer generation to automatically create thousands of “unique” pieces. Some critics find NFTs to be exploitative – basically, NFT advocates are looking to commodify anything and turn everything into a speculative asset like a stock. NFTs are also incredibly bad for the environment, as the majority of the industry is based on the energy-wasting Ethereum network.

According to Orange Comet’s website, the Chakra NFT drop will include 6,880 different NFTs at a yet to be determined price. The NFTs will be released on the Polygon network, which is more energy efficient than the incredibly wasteful Ethereum network.

It should be noted that Marvel is not involved with this NFT project. Stan Lee did create Chakra the Invincible, but Marvel was not involved with this particular character.

As NFTs spread into different internet cultures, they seem to meet heavy resistance at every turn. However, just like with the rest of cryptocurrency, there’s big money in the form of venture capitalists, brand marketers, and other wealthy techies who will continue to push NFTs where they’re generally not wanted.

So, hang in there, true believers. You’ll likely be seeing a lot more of NFTs invading your favorite fandoms.

Succession Season 3 delivered an explosive finale on Sunday, with a betrayal-laden shit storm that saw Shiv, Kendall, and Roman defeated by Logan.

But while some fans wring their hands over board seats, a contingent of theorizers suspects the biggest bomb of the episode went undropped. Is Shiv Roy pregnant?

Pregnancy planning throughout the season

The politically-minded heiress discussed her fertility at length this season, with her underhanded husband Tom showing an almost unnerving enthusiasm for procreation. 

The subject is first broached in episode 5 “Retired Janitors of Idaho.” With Tom worried his role in the cruises scandal will end in prison time, Tom tells Shiv he wants to conceive before being sent away. He subsequently reveals that he has been tracking Shiv’s menstrual cycle on his iCalendar — “It’s not creepy,” he assures her — before suggesting the couple aim to sync her gestation period up with his detention sentence.

Shiv is predictably mortified, saying, “I don’t want to be your fucking incubator for when you’re in prison doing chin-ups and reading Knausgård.” But the conversation begins a critical discussion for the couple that’s raised again later.

If you had just been nice to him ONE TIME…
Credit: Screenshot: HBO

Fast forward to the penultimate episode 8 “Chiantishire.” Shiv has a dicy conversation with Caroline about how “some people just aren’t made to be mothers,” which leads to her telling Tom she now does want to have a baby. The pair proceed to have a brutally misguided boink, with Shiv telling her husband she doesn’t love him mid-foreplay and Tom taking that (understandably) personally.

The following day, Tom confronts Shiv about their crumbling marriage — and the all-important baby. Shiv hand waves the relationship issues away as a misunderstanding, before retooling her promises on the baby front. She lays out a multi-year plan to freeze a collection of her and Tom’s embryos, to which he says, “So we could be looking at like ten years? Ten years is like two-and-a-half Olympics.” Shiv tells him she’ll think about it.

Parallels in Tom’s telling of the Nero myth 

OK, Nero.
Credit: Graeme Hunter/HBO

All this marital discord lays essential groundwork for Tom to betray Shiv during the finale. 

In episode 9 “All the Bells Say,” Tom sabotages Shiv, Kendall, and Roman’s plan to stop the sale of WayStar RoyCo, effectively aligning himself with Logan and Greg. This satisfies the foreshadowing told to Greg in episode 4 “Lion in the Meadow,” during which Tom offers an abbreviated version of the Roman myth of Nero. 

“Sporus was a young slave boy, and he was Nero’s favorite,” Tom explains. “Nero pushed his wife down the stairs, and then he had Sporus castrated and he married him instead. And he gave him a ring and made him dress up like his dead wife…I’d murder and marry you in a heartbeat.”

Tom’s telling of the myth doesn’t account for the wealth of confusion that comes with ancient stories, but it does seem to closely parallel the death of Neros’ second wife Poppaea Sabina. Critically, Poppaea was pregnant at the time of her death. So, was Shiv also with child at the time of her metaphoric slaying?

Pregnancy symptoms from the finale

There are two clues central to the “Shiv is pregnant” fan theory from the finale. They’re a bit flimsy, admittedly. But with a baby Roy on the brain (and Season 4 so far off), it’s easy to see everything as proof of pregnancy.

First, Shiv drinks water at the Collingwood-Munion wedding reception. More importantly, she toasts with water — a major faux pas someone like Shiv would know to avoid. 

Theoretically, this implies that Shiv already knows she is pregnant and is consciously avoiding alcohol. But that bumps against the implication that she and Tom had not been having sex up until their fateful night in episode 8, seemingly the night before. (She’s seen drinking wine immediately before that scene, FWIW.) So it’s unlikely Shiv would know she was pregnant if they conceived then.

Credit: Screenshot: HBO

Credit: Screenshot: HBO

Second, the final shot sees Shiv grab at her belly. Fans who think she’s pregnant (from episode 8 or earlier) argue that’s an instinctive move, reflecting of a subconscious need for Shiv to protect her womb. Fans who don’t think she’s pregnant say it’s just a well-acted reaction, conveying the “gut punch” feeling she would be getting when what Tom did to her starts to sink in. 

Someone get this woman a stick to pee on!
Credit: Screenshot: HBO

An additional dangler in the pregnancy symptoms mess comes from the top of episode 8, in which Shiv is seen wallowing in bed instead of making it to a board meeting. Was she making a point or experiencing morning sickness?

Maybe!
Credit: Screenshot: HBO

Of course, we won’t know if Tom and Shiv’s baby is for real until Season 4 next year. But with so much suggesting they’ll soon be a family of three — and the way a pregnant Shiv would give the character a small bit of much-needed, narratively rich leverage over that traitorous Tom — it’s probably best to go ahead and save the date for a Succession baby shower. Maybe put it in your iCal?

Succession is now streaming on HBOMax.

What a scene.

For the first time, a spacecraft has entered the sun’s hostile outer atmosphere, called the corona, and captured scintillating imagery of the scenery inside. NASA announced the momentous event, achieved by the space agency’s pioneering Parker Solar Probe mission, on Dec. 14.

NASA’s probe has a 4.5-inch-thick shield to protect its cameras and other instruments from temperatures that reach some 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The speeding craft snapped the unprecedented images below in April 2021, when it swung 6.5 million miles from the Sun’s surface. Inside the corona, we can see structures called “pseudostreamers,” which are long, radiant beams shooting out from the sun. The probe passed above, below, and around the streamers.

In the top row of images, NASA explained the pseudostreamers are seen moving upward, and in the bottom row they’re angled downward.

Pseudostreamers captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe.
Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins APL / Naval Research Laboratory

An artist’s conception of the Parker Solar Probe travelling through the sun’s atmosphere
Credit: NASA

The Parker Solar Probe is doing much more than capturing wild solar scenes. The greater mission intends to dramatically improve scientists’ understanding of the sun’s intense, dynamic activity, particularly its powerful solar wind. The solar wind is a stream of energized particles constantly traveling out of the sun’s atmosphere that, during space weather storms, can “disrupt everything from our satellites in space, to ship communications on our oceans, to power grids on land,” writes NASA.

Space weather experts and solar scientists want to better grasp solar winds and even predict when hugely damaging storm events might occur.

“Parker’s measurements of the solar wind, just a few million miles from the Sun’s surface, will reveal new details that should help shed light on the processes that send it speeding out into space,” NASA explains.

For much of the Parker Solar Probe’s travels around the sun (and in the solar wind), it barrelled through a “busy barrage of particles.” But things changed dramatically once the spacecraft entered the corona, though it was only there for a few hours. Everything calmed down.

“Passing through the pseudostreamer was like flying into the eye of a storm.”

“Passing through the pseudostreamer was like flying into the eye of a storm,” NASA reported. In the corona, the sun’s dominant magnetic fields control the movement of particles emanating from the sun, so there’s more organization and less chaos.

In the coming years, the space probe’s journey around the sun will bring it swooping within 3.8 million miles of our star’s surface. Expect more intense imagery, and discovery.

“I’m excited to see what Parker finds as it repeatedly passes through the corona in the years to come,” Nicola Fox, the director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, said in a statement. “The opportunity for new discoveries is boundless.”

It’s not every day that a TV fan falls in love with a new workplace comedy, but there’s a high chance that the ones you hold near and dear had something to do with Justin Spitzer. Spitzer has over 15 years of TV experience, including creating Superstore and writing for another scrappy little comedy called The Office. His latest project, American Auto premiered Monday on NBC. 

The show begins at Payne Motors, where a new CEO (Ana Gasteyer) has taken the reins after years of working in pharmaceuticals. This might just be another job on the resume, but she quickly finds that creating and selling cars is hardly the breezy joy ride she expected. 

“Superstore was so much about these people whose lives and jobs are at the winds of this giant corporation and it can seem from that perspective, like they’re making these sort of arbitrary or even mean-spirited decisions,” Spitzer tells Mashable in a Zoom interview. “So it’s a lot of fun now to jump to the other side of things and try to understand why those decisions get made, and how reasonable people who don’t view themselves as bad — who really aren’t — sometimes find themselves forced to make them.”

Mayo as Dori, Tye White as Jack, Jon Barinholtz as Wesley
Credit: Greg Gayne / NBC

Spitzer actually conceived of American Auto after The Office, but it didn’t move forward. When Superstore got the greenlight, he turned back to his dead pilot about the motor industry and “took it for parts” — like Superstore‘s beloved central romance between Jonah (Ben Feldman) and Amy (Ferrera). The bones for those characters are the same as American Auto‘s Jack (Tye White) and Sadie (Harriet Dyer). Themes like professionalism, power dynamics, and relationships outside of work all carried from The Office through Superstore to American Auto.

“What I like about workplace comedies is you have people that don’t necessarily want to be together, that have very different backgrounds, very different interests, and they’re forced to spend lots of time together in often not the most ideal space,” Spitzer says. “That’s every element you want for conflict, which is what you want as a storyteller.”

And it’s distinct — at least at first — from ensemble shows about friends or family, who choose each other’s company. There’s a drive to workplace comedies, Spitzer says; goals, deadlines, bosses, and more. His shows aren’t about everyone loving each other and getting along because that’s not the reality of most workplaces. It’s like in The Matrix, he says: If everything is great all the time, humans won’t accept it.

“You find those moments and like, one nice moment is enough to sustain you for six more episodes,” he says. “And then when you have like, one really great moment of kindness or a really up ending, it feels like ‘Oh my god.’ You feel really excited. If you do that every single week, it’s like, yeah, they’re following the formula.”

Sadie (Harriet Dyer) and Jack (Tye White) are TV’s next will-they/won’t-they.
Credit: Ron Batzdorff/NBC

While The Office regularly dipped into characters’ personal lives and Superstore stayed largely contained, American Auto branches out to mirror its executives’ lives. They go to press conferences and presentations, important meetings, and even take a private jet. At least three episodes significantly depart from the office setting, leading Spitzer to compare the show to Veep more than his previous work. It also lacks — or at least alters — one crucial element: The bumbling boss.

“It’s great to have a boss who’s kind of dumb or making mistakes because then even if the other characters are smart, they have to go along with it,” Spitzer says. “And then that generates story and comedy. In this show, Catherine [Gasteyer] is smart and competent. She still makes mistakes — and and that’s where I think it was helpful to have her come from a very different industry — but that’s something that presents its own challenges.”

After all these years, Spitzer isn’t sure he’s cracked the perfect workplace comedy formula, but he’s learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t, and how he himself can benefit from the creative process.

“Superstore, those first seasons, I approached everything with fear,” he says. “And now I think I approach everything with dread.”

That sounds bleak, but he elaborates: In the early days of Superstore, Spitzer simply didn’t know if things would work out, if he’d even have the right budget or script or anything resembling a show at the end of the day. These days, he knows everything will be done, but the road to getting it there could still be rocky. 

“Also, I think I trust myself more to say we’ll figure this out,” he adds. “Like not everything needs to always be moving the story forward. Let’s make sure we have time for — whether it’s a break room meeting in Superstore or conference room meeting in American Auto — to just let the characters be funny and interact, and we’ll find elements of it as we go.”

The first two episodes of American Auto are now streaming on NBC and Hulu. The show returns Jan. 4.

UPDATE: Dec. 14, 2021, 3:05 p.m. EST We’ve gathered up some of the best deals from across the Apple universe, including the biggest markdown ever on the Apple Watch Series 7 and an enticing price slash on the MacBook Air.

• BEST MAC DEAL: The MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is a great choice for portability matched with processing power that won’t break the bank — $799.99 $999.99 (save $200)

• BEST REFURBISHED DEAL: iPhone 11 (64GB) — no matter your carrier or plan, you can score a good deal on this iPhone — $492.00 $569.00 (save $77)

• BEST IPAD DEAL: 2021 12.9″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB), a tablet with the right power and screen size for creatives — $999.00 $1,099.00 (save $100)

• BEST IPHONE DEAL: The iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon is a mini phone with plenty of storage space and a battery life worth bragging about — $0 with select trade-ins or BOGO with any unlimited plan $699.99 (save up to $699.99)

• BEST APPLE WATCH DEAL: The Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) is Apple’s newest smartwatch available for its lowest price ever — $349 $399 (save $50)

• BEST ACCESSORIES DEAL: The AirPods Pro are the perfect earbuds for staying focused — $179 $249 (save $70)

You could really kill some time trying to dissect the iron grasp Apple has on the general population, but when it comes down to it, its products look good, work well, and stay cutting-edge — of course people like them. Whether your favorite day of the year is its annual September reveal event or you just want a solid computer no matter the brand, Apple’s got you covered. Sure, it is a little notorious for its higher prices, but we’ve rounded up the best deals on iPads, AirPods, and more to help you out. Check them out below.

Mac and MacBook deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the MacBook Air.

While we’ve seen the MacBook Air have some pretty decent markdowns in the latter half of the year, this $200-off deal is one of the best we’ve ever seen on a laptop that boasts top-notch portability, 18-hours of battery life, and M1 power. Best Buy’s deal only lasts until the end of Dec. 14 and Amazon is sold out of this laptop as of the time of writing, so if you’re looking to upgrade, you’ll want to act quick.

More Mac and MacBook deals

2020 MacBook Pro, 13-inch

• MacBook Pro (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $1,099 $1,299 (save $199.01 with on-page coupon)

• MacBook Pro (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,249.99 $1,499 (save $249.01 with on-page coupon)

• MacBook Pro (Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299.99 $1,799 (save $500)

2020 MacBook Pro, 16-inch

• MacBook Pro (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,399.99 (save $500)

• MacBook Pro (Intel Core i9, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,299.99 $2,799.99 (save $500)

2020 MacBook Air, 13-inch

• MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) at Best Buy $799.99 $999.99 (save $200)

• MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) at Amazon — $1,049.99 $1,249.00 (save $199.01)

• MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) at Best Buy — $1,049.99 $1,249.99 (save $200)

More Macs

• 2021 24″ iMac (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $1,399 $1,499 (save $100)

• 2020 Mac Mini (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $569.99 $699 (save $129.01)

• 2020 Mac Mini (M1, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $749.99 $899.00 (save $149.01)

• 2020 21.5″ iMac with Retina 4K (Intel Core i5, 256GB) — $1,199.99 $1,499.99 (save $300)

Refurbished Macs and MacBooks

• Renewed 2019 21.5″ iMac (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $669.99 $1,099.99 (save $430)

• Refurbished 2019 21.5″ iMac (Intel Core i3 3.6GHz, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD) — $869.99 $1,299 (save $429.01)

• Refurbished 2019 MacBook Pro (Intel Core i5, 256GB) — $1,070.99 $1,699.99 (save $629)

• Refurbished 2017 MacBook Air (Intel Core i5, 128GB) — $414.99 $999 (save $584.01)

iPad deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the 2021 iPad Pro.

This iPad comes loaded with an M1 chip, meaning it’s up to more intense tasks like editing high quality video footage or rendering 3D models. Basically, it’s your best bet for an iPad that could feasibly be used as a laptop. While it might not be the best option for the casual user, for creatives that need their tablet to handle a little heft, this tablet is definitely worth a second look. If you are shopping for the holidays, it is important to note that this iPad is not expected to arrive until after Christmas, but hey, sometimes the best things are worth waiting for, right?

More iPad deals

• 2020 11″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) — $749.99 $899.99 (save $150)

• 2020 12.9″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) — $949.99 $1,099.99 (save $150)

• 2021 11″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 512GB) — $979 $1,099 (save $120)

• 2021 12.9″ iPad Pro (WiFi, 128GB) at Amazon — $999 $1,099 (save $100)

iPhone deals

Why we like it

Check out Mashable’s official review of the iPhone 13 Mini.

If you’re picking up some new phones for more than one person this holiday, it’ll be difficult to find a better deal than this buy one, get one on the iPhone 13 Mini at Verizon. Though this model looks quite similar to its predecessor, the starting storage of 128GB and improved battery life definitely justifies the upgrade.

More iPhone deals

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at AT&T — $1 per month for 36 months on an unlimited plan, then receive up to $594 in bill credits

• iPhone 12 (64GB) at AT&T — $15 per month for 36 months on an unlimited plan, then receive up to $190 in bill credits

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in and unlimited plan $799.99 (save up to $799.99)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at AT&T — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan, with installed payment plan $999.99 (save up to $999.99)

• iPhone 12 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — $0 with a new line on an unlimited plan $599.99 (save $599.99)

• iPhone 13 Mini (64GB) at Verizon — $0 with select trade-ins or BOGO with any unlimited plan $699.99 (save up to $699.99)

• iPhone 13 (128GB) at Verizon — $0 with an eligible trade-in on an unlimited plan or BOGO with any unlimited plan $799.99 (save $800)

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) at Verizon — $0 with select trade-ins $999.99 (save up to $999.99)

Apple Watch deals

Why we like it

As if we didn’t have enough evidence of this “unprecedented” holiday shopping season, Apple’s latest smartwatch is down to its lowest price ever at both Walmart and Amazon, beating its Cyber Week price by about $30. You can grab the watch with a higher charging speed, bigger watch face, and increased workout support at both retailers and it should arrive in time for Christmas. At the time of writing, Amazon had sold out of the midnight color.

More Apple Watch deals

Series 7

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS) at Amazon — $349 $399 (save $50)

Series 6

• Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm, GPS) — $349 $399 (save $50)

• Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, GPS) — $349 $429.99 (save $80.99)

SE

• Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS) at Amazon — $229 $279 (save $50)

• Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS) at Amazon — $259 $309 (save $50)

Series 3

• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) at Walmart — $169 $199 (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) at Walmart — $199 $229.00 (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm, GPS) at Best Buy — $169 $199.00 (save $30 and get six months of Apple Fitness+ free)

• Apple Watch Series 3 (42mm, GPS) — $199 $229.00 (save $30 and get six months of Apple Fitness+ free)

Refurbished

• Refurbished Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm, GPS + Cellular) — $399.95 $499 (save $99.05)

• Renewed Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm, GPS) — $287.99 $429 (save $141.01)

Apple accessories deals

Why we like it

Check out the official Mashable review of the AirPods Pro.

While they are a bit pricier than they were during Black Friday, $70 off some of the best noise-canceling earbuds out there is a pretty stellar deal, especially if you’re already deep in the Apple ecosystem. We anticipate that just like years past, these will be a hot holiday pick, so if you catch them out of stock, they’re also available at Walmart for a mere 99 cents more.

More Apple accessories deals

• AirPods (3rd gen) — $149.99 $179 (save $29.01)

• AirPods Pro at Walmart — $179.99 $249 (save $69.01)

• AirPods (2nd gen) — $89.99 $159 (save $69.01)

• AirPods with Wireless Charging Case at Best Buy — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• AirPods Max— $479 $549 (save $70)

• Beats Studio 3 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $199.99 $349.99 (save $150)

• Beats Solo Pro — $129 $299.95 (save $170.95)

• Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones — $149.95 $249.95 (save $100)

• Apple TV 4K 32GB — $169.99 $179 (save $9.01)

• Apple TV 4K 32GB (first generation) — $119.99 $159.99 (save $40)

• Apple Pencil 2 at Amazon— $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple Pencil 2 at Best Buy — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple Pencil (first gen) at Walmart — $79.99 $99 (save $19.01)

• Apple Pencil (first gen) at Best Buy — $79.99 $99.99 (save $20)

• Apple HomePod Mini — $79.99 $99.99 (save $20) ✨

More related content:

• 8 monitors to take your MacBook Pro to the next level

• MacBooks aren’t the only great laptops — and this list proves it

• Best headphones for iPhone owners: Think outside the (AirPods) box

Apple’s latest iOS brings more than just a dubious Voice Plan to the table.

The company behind the iPhone released its latest operating system, iOS 15.2, Monday, and hot damn is it a doozy. The update includes 38 (thirty-eight!) separate privacy and security fixes in addition to its more flashy and hyped components — and you should really go ahead and download it.

Notably, these patches are for the iPhone 6s or later, meaning unless you have a pre-2015 Apple smartphone this message is very much for you.

And just what, exactly, does this latest version of iOS fix? Here’s a partial, and by no means exhaustive, list:

• “Playing a malicious audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution”

• “A user in a FaceTime call may unexpectedly leak sensitive user information through Live Photos metadata”

• “Processing a maliciously crafted image may lead to arbitrary code execution”

• “A malicious application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges”

• “Processing a maliciously crafted file may disclose user information”

• “A person with physical access to an iOS device may be able to access contacts from the lock screen”

• “A person with physical access to an iOS device may be able to access stored passwords without authentication”

• “A malicious application may be able to bypass certain Privacy preferences”

• “An application may be able to access a user’s files”

Now, to be clear, it’s a good thing that Apple has disclosed these vulnerabilities and issued patches for them. Operating systems, whether they be from Apple or Google or anyone else, have problems. Whether or not, and how quickly, those problems are resolved is the real question.

Thankfully, when it comes to the latter, you can do your part and update today. To do so:

1. Plug your iPhone in, and go to Settings

2. Tap General

3. Go into Software Update

4. Select Download and Install

5. Enter your passcode and hit Done

6. Agree to Apple’s Terms and Conditions

7. Sit back and relax as your iPhone downloads iOS 15.2

It may not be as flashy as upgrading to an iPhone 13, but the security updates in iOS 15.2 are a lot more important — and won’t cost you a penny.

Save $45: Stop searching for your remote in the couch cushions with an upgrade to the Amazon Fire TV Cube streaming device, the second-gen edition of which is on sale for $74.99 as of Dec. 14.

Streaming devices are supposed to make life easier, but those tiny Fire TV or Roku remotes are easy to misplace. If you prefer hands-free convenience and appreciate a solid deal, then the Fire TV Cube from Amazon — which is on sale at Amazon for the lowest price we’ve seen — deserves a spot next to your TV.

The Fire TV Cube supports 1080p Full HD and 4K Ultra HD resolutions, depending on what your TV supports. It also provides images in Dolby Vision HDR and the latest HDR10+ for more vivid picture quality.

Most importantly, you can control everything with the Alexa voice remote, which has eight built-in microphones to hear your commands from any direction. That way you can always control volume or change channels with compatible soundbars and your cable or satellite provider. It also includes other Alexa features such as weather updates or controls for other Alexa-enabled devices.

Explore related content:

• The best 4K TVs: For gamers, Netflix binge-watchers, and everyone else

• Your TV needs a soundbar. Here are our faves.

• Bundle a documentary streaming service and VPN and score a huge discount

A series of devastating December tornadoes have destroyed homes and killed dozens of people across midwest and southern states, including Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri. Kentucky residents have been hit the hardest, with at least 88 deaths and 109 people still unaccounted for. Many have found themselves homeless or without utilities as the state heads into winter. 

At least 44 tornadoes raged across the region between Friday and Sunday, shocking emergency systems and causing severe damage to infrastructure across the state. President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency on Dec.11 and ordered federal aid to the area. 

Kentucky state officials said many households could be without heat, water, or electricity for weeks as rescue efforts continue, the Associated Press reported on Monday. As of Monday morning, 30,000 homes were without power, according to Kentucky governor Andy Beshear. 

National Guard troops are on the ground to assist in recovering missing residents, and relief organizations are providing needed resources like food, water, and clothes. Locals and people from surrounding areas are traveling to provide aid to Kentuckians, like Jim Finch, who set up a makeshift food station in the center of Mayfield, Kentucky, one of the hardest hit towns. 

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We’ve compiled the following list of ways to help aid workers and residents in Kentucky, one of the worst affected states, while officials respond to those in need, fix infrastructure and locate the missing. There are more ways to help tornado victims across the region, however. Consider donating to the Midwest U.S. Tornado Relief Fund by the nonprofit fundraising platform Global Giving. You can also check out GoFundMe’s verified list of tornado relief fundraisers and find more resources here.

Donate to relief organizations on the ground 

State and federal response teams have been joined by local and national organizations in getting needed resources to households, operating shelters and blood drives, and collecting funds for emergency use by families.  

• Team Western Kentucky Relief Fund was established by Gov. Andy Beshear to assist residents after the Dec. 11 tornado. All donations go toward state-led efforts to rescue and assist those affected, including burial costs for families. 

• The Red Cross has members on the ground operating 12 emergency shelters and numerous blood drives. Online donations go towards the organization’s general work. To ensure your donation goes specifically to tornado relief, the Red Cross asks donors to mail a donation form and check with “southern and midwest tornadoes” written in the subject line. 

• CARE, an international nonprofit that provides assistance to impoverished communities, set up a Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund. Donations go toward the immediate needs of Kentucky families, including food, water, and emergency cash. 

• The Salvation Army is collecting donations of money or items to local relief efforts and you can choose to donate by region. All money donated online goes directly to emergency services including food and drinks, and baby, hygiene, cleaning, or other supplies, the organization states.

• The Community Foundation of Kentucky, a local organization that manages and fundraises for charities and local nonprofits in the area, is accepting PayPal donations to a disaster relief fund that will assists families affected by the tornadoes. 

• The Kentucky Chamber Foundation partnered with regional radio station Kentucky Sports Radio to create the Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, which will go to rebuilding efforts with local community organizations. Donate to the fundraiser on GoFundMe. 

• The University of Kentucky is donating all funds given to its Basic Needs and Persistence Fund to university students affected by the tornadoes. 

• The Global Empowerment Mission, a natural disaster relief organization, is collecting donations to transport $2 million in food and supplies and $100,000 in cash cards for residents of Kentucky. The organization, partnered with local community organizations, is transporting the goods in two semi trucks and will distribute the first shipment of supplies on Thursday. Donate here. 

• The LEE Initiative, a Louisville nonprofit that provides restaurant training and job opportunities to underrepresented communities, has pledged $15,000 in food to help tornado victims. The organization will be operating food trucks around the area this week. Donate to expand the organization’s efforts on its website. 

Donate in kind

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and governor’s office is also accepting donations of physical items, including:

• Water

• Flash Lights

• Head Lamps

• Batteries

• Work/Utility Gloves

• New Socks

• New Undergarments

• Blankets

• Coats

• Warm clothes

• Shoes

• Toiletry Items

Items can be mailed to or dropped off at:

Mayfield-Graves County Fairground

1004 KY-121

Mayfield, KY 42066

Other local organizations, including animal rescues, are also accepting physical donations, both by mail and in person. Check out a non-exhaustive list here. 

If you live in the area…

Consider donating blood to a nearby blood bank to help with emergency blood shortages. You can find one in your area on the Red Cross’s website or the organization’s blood donor app. Or check online for blood drives by the Kentucky Blood Center or Blood Assurance, a regional network specifically seeking donations for Tennessee and Kentucky tornado relief.

Take tornado safety seriously. Don’t enter damaged buildings unless they’ve been inspected, and look out for downed power lines or broken gas lines. Report these to utility companies as soon as possible. Call Crisis Clean Up, a disaster clean up organization partnered with FEMA, to find assistance removing debris. 

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For those battling power outages, the Red Cross also suggests these precautions to keep you and your family safe:

• Use flashlights to light your home, rather than candles.

• Don’t drive unless necessary, as roads could be dangerous.

• Turn off and unplug all appliances to prevent them from being damaged during power surges.

• Keep food covered, in a dry, cool spot. Don’t eat perishable food that’s been stored at a temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

• If using a generator, keep it dry and plug appliances into it directly. Don’t plug a generator into a wall outlet. 

We will continue to update this story with more resources as they become available.

Apple has released a new Android app allowing users to detect whether there’s an unfamiliar AirTag following them. It’s a useful safety tool for any non-iPhone users concerned they may be a victim of high-tech stalking.

“Tracker Detect looks for item trackers that are separated from their owner and that are compatible with Apple’s Find My network,” the app’s Google Play store description reads. “These item trackers include AirTag and compatible devices from other companies. If you think someone is using AirTag or another device to track your location, you can scan to try to find it.”

When Apple announced its new Bluetooth AirTag trackers in April, they were quickly met with privacy and security concerns. Using these handy 1.26-inch tags to electronically keep track of your keys and wallet is pretty convenient. Being potentially tracked by a stalker without your knowledge is less great.

Apple indicated it was aware of this issue, and implemented a few features to help prevent AirTag abuse. This included automatic detection of any unknown AirTags following you, the ability to deactivate said AirTags, and having AirTags emit a noise if they’re separated from their paired iPhone for three days. The audio alert was later updated in June to activate at a random time between 8 and 24 hours.

However, aside from the AirTags’ sound, these features were only available for iPhone users. Now, Apple’s Tracker Detect app will finally allow Android users to check whether they’re being shadowed by any maliciously-intended AirTags, hopefully catching them early.

Though Tracker Detect appears to be a handy safety tool, it isn’t without flaws. Users have already started leaving negative reviews on the Google Play store, criticizing Apple’s app for requiring manual activation of its scan. This means you’d have to already know someone might have planted an AirTag on you recently, otherwise you probably wouldn’t bother opening the app and scanning. On the other hand, Tracker Detect could potentially drain your phone’s battery if it was automatically scanning all the time.

“Tracker Detect gives Android users the ability to scan for an AirTag or supported Find My enabled item trackers that might be travelling with them without their knowledge,” an Apple spokesperson told Mashable. “We are raising the bar on privacy for our users and the industry, and hope others will follow.”

UPDATE: Dec. 14, 2021, 12:26 p.m. This article has been updated with comment from Apple and to note the update to the AirTag’s audio alert feature.

Apple has released the latest version of iOS 15, which includes the Apple Music Voice Plan the company first teased at its October event.

Apple iOS 15.2—along with iPadOS 15.2, tvOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3—are now available for compatible devices. The standout features of iOS 15.2 include the introduction of the Apple Music Voice Plan, which drops the music subscription’s cost to $5 per month but also restricts users to accessing the service with Siri, the addition of a dedicated App Privacy Report in the Settings app, and the debut of new parental control features.

Apple has also added Legacy Contacts—friends or family members of the user’s choice—to Apple ID as part of its Digital Legacy program. The company says in a support article that Legacy Contacts will be able to access the deceased’s “photos, messages, notes, files, apps they downloaded, device backups, and more” via the program.

9to5Mac reports that other changes debuting with iOS 15.2 include the ability to use Apple’s privacy-focused Hide My Email feature with the built-in Mail app; an “enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities” with CarPlay, and a streamlined TV app.

Apple notes that “streaming in the Music app could result in higher CPU usage, causing faster battery drain in some scenarios,” and other bugs will probably be reported as the update reaches more devices. But it’s generally a good idea to update as soon as possible anyway to defend against vulnerabilities found in previous versions of iOS.