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Save up to 43%: TP-Link home tech gear is on sale as an Amazon Deal of the Day for Aug. 12. Save on a new mesh WiFi system, WiFi extenders, smart plugs, and more.

Reliable internet at home is crucial.

Whether that’s for school purposes as a return to in-person routines get iffy or for entertainment purposes as football and Bachelor in Paradise return, there’s no need to just deal with a spotty connection for another season.

A selection of TP-Link WiFi devices (among other items, like smart plugs and WiFi extenders) are between 20% and 43% off as an Amazon daily deal. Here are some highlights:

TP-Link Deco X20 Mesh WiFi 6 System (2-pack) — $139.99 (save $40)

One of TP-Link’s newest mesh systems provides a quick and inexpensive patch job for homes slowed down by dead zones. The 2021 X20 is a cute, compact set that replaces your router with hefty dual-band WiFi 6 coverage. An extra layer of online security and parental controls are built in and controlled by the app.

A 3-pack of the X20 system, which covers 5,800 square feet rather than 4,000, is also on sale for $199.99 ($50 off). The TP-Link Deco P9 hybrid system, which uses a built-in powerline to extend coverage up to 6,000 square feet, is less well-reviewed but on sale for $159.99.

Kasa Smart Plug Mini — $12.99 (save $10)

There’s no hub required for TP-Link’s clutch mini smart plugs. Once plugged into an open outlet, the plug can be connected to WiFi and controlled through the Kasa app. Then, whatever’s plugged into the Kasa plug (like a lamp, fan, or holiday lights) can be put on a schedule, turned on or off when you’re not home, or controlled by Alexa commands.

Explore related content:

• How to set device limits without confiscating your kid’s phone

• How to see who is lurking on your WiFi

• So many people don’t have internet — and it’s not their fault

Climate 101 is a Mashable series that answers provoking and salient questions about Earth’s warming climate.

Wildfires aren’t supposed to burn like this.

The nearly one-month-old Dixie Fire, at over half a million acres burned as of Aug. 12, is already the biggest single wildfire in California history. The mega-blaze is not nearly done burning, and an idea of when firefighters might largely contain the fire remains elusive.

Yet, crucially, it’s not just the amount of land burning that’s the problem: After all, millions of acres likely used to burn in California in prehistoric times every year, before European settlement. The problem is how the Dixie Fire is burning. In today’s Western fire regime, fires are more often burning severely, destroying ancient, fire-resistant trees; creating giant plumes of smoke; and rapidly destroying towns.

The Dixie Fire is a potent example of these unusually intense fires. Its ferocity is made possible by the mix of a century of methodical U.S. fire suppression (leading to grossly overgrown forests), a rapidly warming climate, and severe drought, among other factors.

“Everything just comes together, and once it gets going, it’s going to turn into a big event,” explained Tim Brown, a wildfire researcher and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, an environmental research program. “This is just one of those fires.”

The Dixie Fire has spawned towering thunderstorms, called pyrocumulonimbus clouds, created by the fire’s prodigious rising smoke and heat. Lightning ensues, sparking more flames. The fast-moving fire destroyed large swathes of Greenville, a historic mountain town.

These tall infernos, reaching into the crowns of trees, are often impossible to fully control because of their extreme severity. They’re not like many of the fires of centuries ago, which often cleared dead and dry vegetation from forest floors, kept forests healthy, and cracked open seed-bearing pine cones — and thus new life. (Though some past forests and trees, under certain circumstances, certainly burned intensely at times.) These past blazes were more akin to the fires set by Indigenous peoples to help keep ecosystems healthy. Insects could walk through them, explained Don Hankins, a professor of geography and planning at California State University, Chico. You could at times stand next to them, he said.

“The ideal is low-intensity fire,” said Brown. “Not destructive, high-severity events.”

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The Dixie Fire perimeter (as of Aug. 11, 2021) is circled in red.
Credit: cal fire / screenshot

Trouble ahead

The Dixie Fire, currently 30 percent contained (as of Aug. 12), has decidedly favorable fire conditions ahead. Specifically, extreme drought and forests dried out by extreme heat.

“[It’s] burning in what will likely be the hottest summer the area has seen in at least 125 years,” said John Abatzoglou, a fire scientist at the University of California, Merced. That’s compounding the drought stress left by a second terribly dry winter, he added.

This heat and dryness parch trees, grasses, and vegetation — some of which hasn’t burned in 100 years, noted Abatzoglou — which allows fire to rip through the mountains. This isn’t normal dryness: The moisture in the fuels (vegetation that can burn) “are historically low,” according to the federal government’s wildfire information page.

It’s little surprise firefighters are experiencing unprecedented flames. “We’re seeing truly frightening fire behavior, I don’t know how to overstate that,” Plumas National Forest Supervisor Chris Carlton told CNN. “We have a lot of veteran firefighters who have served for 20, 30 years and have never seen behavior like this, especially day after day, and the conditions we’re in.”

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Climate change is exacerbating what would already be extreme fire behavior. In other words, the extremes are growing more extreme. The warming climate’s greatest impact on wildfire is how it amplifies the drying of vegetation, making it more flammable — sometimes historically so.

“The warming from climate change is making a lot of difference here. It’s one of the major impacts,” said Brown. Drought naturally comes and goes in the West, he emphasized, but with increasingly warm summers (California just experienced its hottest June and July on record), the warm, dry atmosphere pulls more moisture from plants and soil.

“That increases the fuel flammability,” explained Brown. “You’re really setting up conditions for explosive fire behavior.”

“The warming from climate change is making a lot of difference here.”

Add in normal bouts of windy conditions, then all you need is a spark. And humans or human infrastructure — cars, power lines, accidents — are all around to spark some 84 percent of U.S. wildfires. Utility equipment may have sparked the Dixie Fire, though the investigation is still ongoing.

The end game

Containing a fire of Dixie’s size, under such extreme fire conditions, is a challenge for any fire agency. Widespread containment might not come until the region receives a decent cooling spell. Early this week, Cal Fire, the state’s giant wildfire protection agency, expected containment by Aug. 30. Now, the containment plans are “to be determined.”

The big picture in the years and decades ahead, however, requires blunting the intensity of modern wildfires. The West, like the world, will continue to warm for at least a few decades, as heat-trapping CO2 has skyrocketed in the atmosphere. This means more extreme, and likely worsening, fire conditions. Yet, governments and communities can significantly reduce the amount of overcrowded forest, or fuels, available to burn. This means intentional, prescribed fire (strategic burning often at cooler times of the year), and letting certain wildfires burn through forests (though this comes with controversy and risk).

“If we don’t do something to minimize the hazardous fuels, it’s going to burn big time,” said Brown.

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There’s no other alternative, according to fire experts and foresters. As John Bailey, a forestry researcher at Oregon State University, told me during the severe Western fires of 2020: A forest is a magnificent, spiritual, and providing place. “But it’s also fuel. It’s fuel and it is going to burn,” he said.

“Talk to any firefighter,” noted Brown. “They’ll say it’s not a matter of if, but when.”

The Dixie Fire, still burning strongly, is currently the largest single blaze in California history. But under the current fire regime, that’s almost certainly a tenuous record, waiting to be broken.

The crystal industry is booming. From a rose quartz water bottle to a crystal facial set, if you want a geode gizmo, the internet of things can likely spit one out for you to purchase.

This includes masturbatory crystals. When premium toy brand Le Wand dropped their Crystal Collection, I was skeptical.

For one, I don’t ascribe to the healing power of crystals. But I do trust Le Wand as they produced a cordless wand vibrator I love. Crystal sex toys have long been a “thing” as well, which brands like Chakrubs at the forefront.

Sticking a crystal up myself, though? That seemed like the final frontier. Considering the brand they’re coming from and how objectively gorgeous the wands are, however, I decided to give them a shot.

Le Wand has several offerings in their crystal collection: Crystal Wand; Crystal Slim Wand; Crystal G Wand; and Yoni Eggs. All come in two options, rose quartz and black obsidian.

For this review, I tried the rose quartz Crystal G Wand to see how it measured up on its own, and how a crystal wand compared to other internal toys.

All the toys in Le Wand’s Crystal Collection. Clockwise: Yoni eggs; G Wand; Slim Wand; Wand.
Credit: le wand

Are crystal sex toys safe?

Crystal is far from the typical sex toy material. Many stones and crystals are porous, meaning they have tiny holes or space where air or liquid can fill them. Porous materials aren’t ideal for sex toys, as they can absorb bodily fluids, lube, and whatever else the toy may touch. Because outside material can seep into the toy, cleaning the surface doesn’t help. This is why many sex toys out there are made of non-porous, body-safe silicone.

Le Wand told Mashable that the crystal collection is certified to meet California’s Prop 65 standards, which requires businesses to warn customers against significant exposure to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. These toys also meet EU and UK safety standards.

According to Gemological Institute of America (GIA) researchers that spoke with Chakrubs, rose quartz is non-porous. Other crystals may have “closed porosity,” which means that they have pores but only at the surface of the crystal, and they don’t penetrate through the center.

On its site, Le Wand said that crystals in their toys may have closed porosity, and recommended using a condom if you’re using these with a partner with whom you’d rather not share bodily fluids. I’d venture to say that if you’re nervous about using a closed porosity toy, use a condom even if you’re playing solo.

As always, clean your wand before and after each use. Due to the potential for closed porosity, it’s imperative you wash it immediately after your session.

Opening the Le Wand Crystal G Wand

The packaging matches the aesthetic of the toy: Pink with gold gem-like accents. Each toy in this line comes with a travel pouch and a 94-page guide, which details how to use these toys and the history of crystal healing.

The wand also comes with a silicone stopper designed to be placed on the toy for simultaneous external stimulation.

Le Wand and the internet as a whole, it seems, loves to clamor about the aforementioned “healing power” of crystals. These stones have been said to contain such power for eons, so it’s understandable why the trend continues — especially given that mainstream interest in crystals, as mainstream interest in astrology and other non-Western forms of spirituality, have been on the uptick in recent years.

I, however, have no authority on this matter. While I can’t say whether these wands will allow you to “experience spiritual enlightenment” or “reach sexual nirvana” as Le Wand claims on their website, I’m also not going to say that’s a complete farce. If these stones have persisted this long, there’s probably a reason.

My focus, though, was only on the physical — not spiritual — feelings the toy gave me and how the wand functions as a sex toy.

If you’re into crystals you can, as described in Le Wand’s booklet, cleanse it spiritually before first use. I only cleaned it literally.

The G Wand has a curved end to angle up and stimulate the G-spot, while the other two wands in the collection are straight. Either end of the G Wand can be used depending on the type of internal stimulation you’re after.

As Regina George would say, it’s, like, really really pretty.

Unlike silicone sex toys, you can use any type lube with this toy. If you use the silicone stopper in conjunction with the wand, though, use only water-based lube to not degrade the stopper. I didn’t use a condom but if you do, make sure not to use oil-based lubes either.

I’ll be honest, it was difficult not to just stare at this toy. As Regina George would say, it’s, like, really really pretty. I wanted to use it based on aesthetic alone — but beauty doesn’t make a great sex toy. How does the toy actually feel?

I was completely surprised at how nice this toy felt against my skin and body. I usually stick with silicone internal toys — I’ve never had a glass dildo, for example — so I wasn’t prepared for how smooth the sensation would be.

Le Wand Crystal G Wand experience

The wand felt great. I was worried it’d be too cold, but it wasn’t — and it warmed up during use, anyway. The angled edge is perfect for hitting the G-spot, and has the perfect length (178 mm) and width (34 mm at the bent curve end) for just-enough stimulation.

One frustrating aspect of this toy, though, was the silicone stopper. The internal/external combo creates the best orgasms for me, so I was excited to use it… but I couldn’t fit it over either side of the toy. I imagine this isn’t a problem for the other wands, especially given that the stopper is photographed over the regular wand, but I struggled to get mine on the G Wand before I gave up.

I also didn’t want to try too hard to pull the stopper on because this toy is made of crystal, after all. A downside of this wand, as I imagine all crystal toys, is needing to handle it with care. The toy is especially slippery when wet, and considering I recently chipped a gua sha tool after first use, I worried I’d do the same to the G Wand. In contrast, I don’t have to be precious about my silicone toys at all.

My G Wand is thankfully still intact, but my fear of dropping or cracking it may stop me from grabbing it for future sessions.

How does Le Wand Crystal G Wand compare to other internal toys?

These comparisons are for vastly different toys but could be helpful if you’ve tried one and never tried a crystal toy before.

Crystal G Wand vs. realistic six-inch dildo: The G wand wins out here. While the dildo may be more lifelike, I find that the G wand glides in a more pleasurable way. The bent angle is also a huge plus, as standard dildoes aren’t created to stimulate the G-spot like that.

Crystal G Wand vs. Soraya Wave: This depends on what experience you’re looking for. The Soraya Wave mimics a “come hither” motion with your fingers, giving similar G-spot stimulation as Le Wand’s G Wand. Both toys get the job done, but Wave does the work for you. I found that the silicone of the Wave didn’t feel as gentle on my skin as the crystal of the G Wand.

Crystal G Wand vs. Thruster: Again, this depends. The Thruster is a great option if you like a more realistic-looking toy, and if you want to lie back while the toy does the work. You won’t experience hard-and-fast thrusts with the G Wand as you do the Thruster. At the same time, the Thruster isn’t angled to hit the G-spot.

Add to cart?

While I can’t speak to the spiritual properties these toys may possess, I enjoyed the G Wand and believe it’s a good sex toy in its own right. The 94-page booklet is informative, and the travel pouch is a plus.

At the same time, there are snags. I couldn’t get the silicone stopper to work, for one, and I need to be mindful of this fragile toy while handling it. The wand feels amazing against my body, but I also wonder if glass or stainless steel wands would garner the same effect. Glass and stainless steel are also non-porous materials, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that.

If you’re “big into crystals” and have the means to spend anywhere from $110 on yoni eggs to $250 on the G Wand, these toys are for you. They’re beautiful and well-produced.

If one or both of those factors aren’t true, though, then I’d skip this collection. Le Wand does have stainless steel toys, so if you want to experience that smooth sensation, I’d consider those.

Ultimately, I had fun with the G Wand but wouldn’t purchase it for myself. Especially since porosity may be an issue, I may not use it very often even though I very much enjoyed it. The crystal sex toy didn’t push me to “sexual nirvana” — but I did orgasm, which is good enough for me.

Technically, she’s not called Captain Britain. When agent Peggy Carter becomes a Union Jack-clad, Captain America-style shield-wielding superhero right at the start of episode 1 of What if, she insists only on a new rank: “Captain Carter.”

Yet that’s exactly what you’d expect from a true Captain Britain, who would be unlikely to assume such a flashy mantle. British culture has long seen itself in opposition to the egoism of America. Its fictional heroes may be super-powered, but they also cloak themselves in modesty. Call them by their names (Harry Potter), their titles (The Doctor), or their secret number (007). But never let them presume to speak for an entire nation — least of all one containing four countries with their own complex identity.

This was something Marvel struggled to understand when it first introduced Captain Britain to a skeptical British public in 1976. After several floundering iterations, the character only came to life thanks to budding British comics genius Alan Moore. The future Watchmen and V for Vendetta author recruited this Cap into a surreal fight against fascism — and thanks to his own fight with Marvel, prevented us from seeing the story he crafted.

In short, Americans who’ve never heard of Captain Britain shouldn’t feel bad; neither have most British people. Even now, the character lives a weird kind of halfway existence in Marvel comics. There is no one true Captain Britain; the title gets passed around and is often held by female characters, making Peggy Carter’s assumption of the role less surprising than you might think. At the same time, most of Marvel’s multiple worlds contain a Captain Britain; they have banded together in a “Captain Britain Corps” to protect the multiverse.

Now, in its Phase 4, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting interested in the multiverse too — so it should come as no surprise that Captain Britain is finally getting his/her due. The What If showrunners have revealed that Captain Carter will crop up again, in this and future seasons. Meanwhile, rumors persist that a live-action Captain Britain will enter the MCU in 2022 via Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

Whether that’s true, or just another case of superfans misreading the runes, it’s high time MCU viewers familiarize themselves with the bizarre backstory of this splintered superhero.

Captain Britain 1.0

Cap vs. Cap in ‘Captain Britain’ issue 16 (1977).
Credit: marvel

Fresh from its stunning success on the U.S. comics scene in the 1960s, New York-based Marvel attempted a reverse British invasion in the 1970s. Captain Britain was the company’s attempt at a “homegrown” British superhero. His self-titled comic book was a kind of Trojan horse that also brought Fantastic Four and Nick Fury stories to a UK audience. To create Captain Britain himself, Stan Lee turned to X-Men writer Chris Claremont, an American who at least had the advantage of being born in London.

“In those Dark Ages, before anyone Over Here knew quite what was Over There, nobody was sure if there were [British] writers and artists who could handle Marvel-type characters,” Claremont explained years later, especially given that pages could not be easily faxed back and forth in 1976.

The culturally-appropriated character he created was a strange mix of British mysticism and American costumery. Brian Braddock, a research scientist, escapes a villainous invasion of a facility called Darkmoor, finds a circle of standing stones and encounters Merlyn — yeah, that Merlyn — who turns Braddock into a muscle-bound, lycra-clad superhero with a curious telescoping lance.

The Financial Times called the first issue a “farrago of illiterate nonsense.” Sales were poor. Claremont quit after issue 10. Even Braddock seemed dubious: “If only I were sure I wanted the job,” the character said after one of his earliest transformations into the superhero.

Marvel tried crossovers with Spider-Man (Braddock improbably became roommates with Peter Parker in New York) and Captain America (whose longtime opponent, the Red Skull, came to the UK). It didn’t work. Captain Britain ended at issue 39, just as its hypnotized hero attempted to kill the Queen during the biggest British event of 1977, her Silver Jubilee.

The character limped on in other comics, becoming sidekick to a character called The Black Knight in an “Otherworld” of Arthurian legend and magic. In 1981 Marvel UK tried a reboot with a new costume, given that the lion on Captain Britain’s chest looked to many Brits like a symbol printed on eggs to denote safety. (If you’re referencing England’s coat of arms, as every soccer fan knows, you need three lions on the shirt.)

Clad in the white leggings and kinky boots of Buckingham Palace guards, with British writer Dave Thorpe at the helm, Captain Britain still struggled to find his footing. Thorpe brought Braddock to an alternate universe with a dystopian UK, but he was ousted in 1982 for his political views — allegedly after he proposed a storyline where Captain Britain ended the troubles in Northern Ireland. Even his American editors could see the problem with a Union Jack-clad hero somehow winning over Irish Republicans at a time when their heroes were on hunger strike in British prisons.

Captain Britain 2.0

Alan Moore’s Captain Britain keeps it real while drinking tea with a UK family.
Credit: Marvel

Enter Thorpe’s replacement, then-unknown British comics writer Alan Moore. To explore his prescient fears of homegrown fascism, Moore used a minor character in Thorpe’s storyline, Jim Jaspers. He turned Jaspers into an extremist conservative politician who rose to power by amping up fear of mutants and superheroes.

So far, so Days of Future Past — except that Jaspers was a magical mutant himself, who could warp all of reality into one giant Mad Hatter’s tea party. After a lot of dark Lewis Carrol-style shenanigans, Jasper’s anti-superhero machine, called The Fury, hunts down and kills Braddock in a graveyard. Merlyn and his daughter Roma, now fleshed-out characters in a futuristic Otherworld, literally rebuild Captain Britain from scratch, peeking into his memories and conjuring up his soul.

Without ever knowing he’s been reconstructed, Braddock returns to regular reality — known to Marvel fans as Earth 616, a designation that first appears in the pages of Captain Britain. And there, chillingly, Jaspers’ fascist takeover happens all over again. Braddock defeats him with the help of a multiverse of similar superheroes — Captain UK, the old-timey Captain Albion (both women), the Orwellian Captain Airstrip One. This gang, later known as the Captain Britain Corps, reunites to pay their respects at Merlyn’s funeral.

Because creators had control over their Marvel UK content, Alan Moore’s wonderful work on the strip has only been seen in a handful of out-of-print editions. Moore left unhappy over unpaid invoices, but it probably didn’t help that Marvel was suing another comics company over Marvelman, an old-school, pre-Marvel character that Moore had revived (now known in the U.S., thanks to that lawsuit, as Miracleman).

Another brief attempt at a solo Captain Britain comic followed in 1985, with artist Alan Davis gradually assuming control of the writing. Braddock matched the shifting mood behind the scenes, at one point quitting the role of Captain Britain altogether; his psychic mutant sister Betsy Braddock, later an X-Men member known as Psylocke, briefly took over the role of Captain Britain for the first time (but not the last; she currently holds the title again, in Marvel’s confusing continuity). The Braddocks fight against, and then alongside, an anti-superhero police inspector called Dai Thomas. Their HQ is their late parents’ manor, then it’s a lighthouse.

Marvel wasn’t done trying to make Captain Britain happen, but it did seem to realize that he/she just didn’t work as a solo hero. From this point on, the American-style egotism was gone. Henceforth, Captain Britain would only appear as part of a team.

Excalibur and everything after

Dr. Faiza Hussain, also known as Excalibur, reclaims the Union Jack during a brief run as Captain Britain.
Credit: marvel

Judging by comic sales, the first truly successful outing for Captain Britain was in Excalibur, which lasted for an impressive 125 issues from 1988 to 1998. A superhero team formed in the UK after the supposed death of the X-Men, Excalibur included classic Marvel characters Nightcrawler, Phoenix, and Shadowcat (a.k.a. Kitty Pryde). Chris Claremont and Alan Davis united to create fun, uncomplicated romps through parallel worlds. The biggest threat to Braddock was the fact that his girlfriend Meggan, a shape-shifting werewolf, kept falling for X-Men (first Nightcrawler, then Colossus). Braddock and Meggan married in the final issue, so all’s well that ends well.

Except that it is, to use a repeating phrase from Captain Britain comics, Never The End. Braddock and Meggan ruled over Otherworld for a while, then were put in separate worlds as part of the events of House of M (the comic book that partly inspired the MCU’s first TV show, WandaVision), then were reunited when Captain Britain became part of another team, a shadowy government department called MI:13.

That series also introduced Faiza Hussain, a British Muslim doctor who works alongside Captain Britain and draws the ancient sword in the stone, Excalibur, taking that as her superhero name. In an alternate timeline where the multiverse has vanished and been replaced by something called Battleworld, Hussain takes the title of Captain Britain, even though nobody can remember what Britain is. “We all get to decide what it means,” Hussain says when a Union Jack is uncovered. Hear, hear.

A few out-of-context panels from this brief series, Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders, ignited a backlash from conservatives on Twitter who had no idea what was actually going on in the comics. Not that Marvel was avoiding taking a political stance, with Claremont insisting that Captain Britain would have voted against Brexit.

Meanwhile, rumors abounded that Brian Braddock would show up in the MCU. Simon Pegg denied that he was set to play the character. A film producer revealed that he was pitching a Captain Britain TV show to Marvel Entertainment, and MCU supremo confirmed that “we have discussed” bringing Captain Britain to the screen, but nothing seemed to have come of it prior to What If.

And that brings us up to the first tantalizing mention of the name “Braddock” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the time-traveling Avengers Endgame, S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Peggy Carter is seen in 1970 learning from one of her S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that “Braddock’s unit has been stopped by lightning strikes.”

Was that a mere easter egg for Marvel comics fans? A hint of a future appearance of the classic Captain Britain? Or a clever piece of misdirection leaving us unprepared for another alternate version of Peggy Carter herself to take on the mantle in all but name?

We may learn more in her future What If appearances, but don’t be surprised if you see more rumors leading up to the next Doctor Strange movie, where the Marvel multiverse will explode on the big screen for the first time. In the MCU, as in the long, strange story of Captain Britain, it is Never The End.

You can buy weed through apps on Apple’s App Store now — with some restrictions.

Apple, which formerly banned apps that facilitated marijuana sales, now allows weed delivery service apps on its platform. The previous policy forbade apps that “encourage the consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol,” as well as those that facilitate the sale of “controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies), marijuana, or tobacco.”

The new App Store policy, which was updated on June 7, makes an exemption for licensed pharmacies and “licensed or otherwise legal cannabis dispensaries.”

A month later, Apple approved the first cannabis delivery app on the App Store. Eaze, a delivery service with 2 million registered customers in California, launched its shoppable delivery app on July 8. Eaze facilitates cannabis product sales between users and retailers, which independently hire staff to deliver the weed and verify the buyer’s identity. A statement from Eaze described the app’s launch as a “major milestone for the legal cannabis market and consumers.” Before Apple lifted the ban on cannabis apps, customers had to complete all transactions through Eaze’s website.

“It’s hard to overstate how important this is to our company and the industry,” Eaze CEO Rogelio Choy said in a statement. “It’s deeply gratifying to launch the Apple Store’s first fully-functional cannabis delivery app.”

Since then, other cannabis delivery services joined the App Store, including Beta, Caliva, and Pineapple Express. Weedmaps, which allowed users to locate and browse local dispensary menus, updated its app on Wednesday to allow customers to purchase products directly from dispensaries through the platform.

Weedmaps already had an Apple-approved app before the updated policy, because it didn’t directly facilitate the sale of cannabis products. Before the update, it only allowed customers to peruse local dispensary options. To actually buy anything, customers had to use off-app services or visit those dispensaries in person.

“It’s encouraging to see policies and attitudes toward cannabis shift in a way that promises remarkable growth.”

“We commend companies like Apple that work with industry leaders to find solutions that drive innovation in our space,” WM Technology, Inc. chief technology officer Justin Dean said in a statement. “It’s encouraging to see policies and attitudes toward cannabis shift in a way that promises remarkable growth, and we look forward to introducing an even simpler way to order cannabis from retailers through our platform.”

There are still restrictions for cannabis apps, however. The App Store’s review guidelines state that apps providing services in “highly regulated fields” like banking, healthcare, or cannabis, or ones that require sensitive user information, must be through a “legal entity that provides the services, and not by an individual developer.” Additionally, any app that facilitates legal cannabis sales are “geo-restricted to the corresponding legal jurisdiction.” Basically, residents of states where cannabis isn’t recreationally legal, Eaze and other cannabis apps won’t be available for download. If you’re located in Idaho, for example, you won’t have luck downloading any of these apps to order weed from neighboring Oregon.

While Apple’s lifted ban is long overdue progress in shifting the public attitude toward cannabis, Google’s ban on apps that facilitate weed sales remains. As of 2019, Google Play store apps aren’t allowed to offer any “in-app shopping cart feature,” the Verge reported, that would facilitate “arranging delivery or pick up of marijuana.” Regardless of legality, the policy continues, Android apps are forbidden from facilitating the sale of any marijuana or marijuana products.

Marijuana Moment noted in 2019 that the Google Play’s policy previously didn’t mention cannabis at all. The policy change followed an FTC complaint that alleged Google Play wasn’t proactive in vetting apps in the store’s kid section. The apps that previously facilitated cannabis product sales weren’t booted from the Google Play store entirely, but a Google spokesperson told Marijuana Moment that those apps “simply need to move the shopping cart flow outside of the app itself to be complaint with this new policy.”

iPhone users in legal states, meanwhile, can order weed without ever leaving their couch.

F.A.C.E., or fire-activated canister extinguisher, is a self-activating fire extinguisher that can snuff out flames in the vicinity.

There’s an inflatable punchable clown in my online shopping cart. It’s been there since mid-June, when my therapist recommended physically (but safely) channeling my newfound anger. She also suggested screaming into a pillow. I ultimately decided the clown was one step too far, at least in terms of household clutter. I can appreciate a good scream, but enjoy it most at sporting events and concerts. I opted instead for a nightly meditation for coping with anger.

At the time, my irritability was an unexpected revelation of post-vaccine life. After months of using emotional numbness as a defense against the unpredictability of a pandemic, it finally felt safe to feel again. I was furious about losing time with loved ones and constantly having to make risk assessments to protect my two young, unvaccinated children. The meditation helped put my anger into perspective, and soon it faded.

Then the delta variant of the coronavirus began making urgent headlines. I stayed mostly calm until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in late July that vaccinated people can infect others who’ve been immunized. The desperate rage came on quick. Everything I thought was firmly in hand — unmasked visits from high-risk grandparents, relatively carefree hangouts with vaccinated friends, and a low-risk start to the school year — slipped from my grasp.

Now a new set of headlines proclaim that vaccinated people’s anger is unhelpful and will backfire. Public health experts recently told USA Today “that anger is understandable, widespread and unproductive.” But if there’s one thing my meditation on the Ten Percent Happier app taught me, it’s that anger is a messenger. It can tell you when a loved one is in danger, when your boundaries have been violated, when your needs are unmet. The trick is neither suppressing that frustration nor being carried away by it. Achieving this balance often requires exhausting mental and emotional work to recognize and check your worst impulses.

The notion that the vaccinated should remain silent or subdued to spare injury to someone else’s pride isn’t helpful either.

After 18 months of trying to follow the rules and stay positive, it’s no surprise that people who sacrificed as much as they could before vaccinations were available, then lined up for immunization, are now irate. Close to 60 percent of Americans eligible for vaccination have gotten their shots. Too many have chosen a different path. Simply put, we’d be seeing fewer infections, hospitalizations, and deaths now if more people in the U.S. were vaccinated.

The argument against letting the vaccinated express their outrage seems to hinge on the possibility that doing so will alienate people who’ve refused so far to get jabbed. Indeed, unleashing anger in the form of blame and shame can destroy relationships, erode trust, and lead to painful regret. Yet, the notion that the vaccinated should remain silent or subdued to spare injury to someone else’s pride isn’t helpful either. Delta supercharged people’s anger. Instead of telling them to temper their feelings, we should take their rage seriously.

Public health experts inclined to lecture should reconsider given how much the most responsive and cooperative Americans have been asked to shoulder. Prior to widespread vaccination, many followed safety guidelines around masking and distancing. They helped flatten the curve. They educated their children at home or quit jobs that were unsafe for their families. People willing to act responsibly during the pandemic have exercised immense physical and psychological discipline while they watched others burn masks, throw parties, and circulate conspiracy theories. Now we’re being asked to dig deeper, bottle up our anger, and find graciousness where only exasperation and grief exist.

Healthcare workers, in particular, seem increasingly distraught and furious. They’re once again confronting full intensive care units, intubating otherwise healthy 20-somethings, and trying to notify a next of kin only to realize an entire household has been brought down by COVID-19. As one ICU nurse told NPR, “I can’t explain the feeling of defeat when you pour everything into a patient and it’s not enough,” she said. “And then to know that they could’ve gotten vaccinated and it could’ve made a difference.” No burden could be greater in this fight than to watch people die avoidable deaths.

Acknowledging this reality isn’t meant to justify generalizations about who’s unvaccinated and why, lumping them all into a single maligned group. We can be angry and note that vaccine access is critical but not guaranteed for every community, that unvaccinated households are more likely to be food insecure and make less than $75,0000 a year, that historic and institutional medical racism has betrayed countless people who might otherwise leap at the chance for protection against COVID-19.

We can also say, defiantly: It didn’t have to be like this. With more widespread vaccination, we might not be nervously sending our children to school with infection rates, in some places, as high or higher than during pre-vaccination peaks. People wouldn’t be anxiously weighing whether to hold a once-postponed wedding or go on that long-planned trip to visit relatives for the first time since 2020. We wouldn’t have to watch again as our fellow Americans fall ill and die.

The anger may be selfish at times, but it’s also a normal response to the circumstances. When you snatch hope from someone and replace it with yet more grief and trauma, they will be angry. When an expert says this anger is unproductive, they’re not hearing its message. People are grieving for normalcy that was only an illusion. They know their loved ones, and themselves, are less safe. They deserve to be heard.

Hearing them means alleviating the pressure on the vaccinated to hold this fragile country together.

Hearing them means alleviating the pressure on the vaccinated to hold this fragile country together. Delta’s contagiousness has insured that the unvaccinated can no longer rely on the protection afforded to their communities by widespread immunization. Still, those who’ve avoided getting their shots must reckon with their role in slowing progress toward herd immunity. We need carefully instituted mask and vaccine mandates that push the hesitant or resistant to take meaningful responsibility for our collective health and well-being.

Recent vaccine mandates issued, planned, or recommended for U.S. military troops, federal workers, healthcare workers, teachers, and college students are a good start. Data show that mandates are effective, whether they require proof of vaccination or regular testing for someone who is unvaccinated. Mandates for the vaccines may also be less controversial once the the Food and Drug Administration fully approves them. Programs like the “Key to NYC Pass,” which will make access to indoor activities like gyms, restaurants, and performances contingent on vaccination, also puts appropriate pressure on the unvaccinated to reevaluate their choices. Similarly, we need more employers and brands, like the NFL and United Airlines, to set clear expectations for their employees: Get vaccinated or pay the price, either in financial penalties or your job.

Of course, mandates should be implemented alongside reasonable and legal exceptions and effective programs that increase access to vaccines and provide people with social and economic support. That can include setting up clinics in community and neighborhood settings, providing paid time off and childcare for workers and parents worried about severe side effects, and culturally responsive approaches to skeptics who cite medical racism as their reason for avoiding the vaccine. What’s no longer possible is expecting the vaccinated, many of whom have already given up a lot while others flouted the rules, to coddle the unvaccinated. Asking the vaccinated to patiently watch as public health officials, employers, and companies tiptoe around the unvaccinated is no longer acceptable.

While the vaccinated are probably unlikely to withhold future cooperation as punishment for being scolded or silenced, they’ll still feel resentment that could continue dividing us all. If public health officials and experts want the vaccinated to surrender their anger and keep marching forward, they need to stop expecting them to sacrifice with a smile on their face and instead start asking more of the unvaccinated.

Most trends on TikTok can be traced back to an earlier era of the internet and “outfits I would wear to very specific events” is no exception.

Usually TikTok reminds me of Tumblr during its glory days because of the oversharing and commitment to certain aesthetics, but the trend “outfits I would wear to very specific events” is reminding me of a website I had previously erased from my memory, Polyvore.

Ring any bells?
Credit: Shutterstock / Casimiro PT

For those of you who didn’t spend a ridiculous amount of time growing upon the internet in the 2000s, Polyvore is a now-extinct website where you could build and post outfit collages called “sets” from a product index on the site. Anyone could add products to the product index, so there was a huge range of clothing to choose from when making an outfit. But what separates Polyvore from most other websites from a different internet era, is that it simply doesn’t exist anymore and cannot be accessed. My Blair Waldorf-inspired outfits are lost forever.

Polyvore was founded in 2007 and by 2015 it had amassed over 20 million users. Yahoo purchased the site in 2015 for a reported $200 million, and it was eventually sold to fashion retailer Ssense in 2018, and erased from the internet. My knowledge of Polyvore is based off hazy memories of me sitting at the desktop computer in the living room of my childhood home and the Polyvore crumbs in my Gmail inbox. Like this email I sent on February 25, 2013:

At age 13 I was asking the real questions.
Credit: Screenshot: gmail

Outfits on Polyvore became a part of fan culture. One of the main uses of Polyvore was creating outfits for dates with celebrity crushes or fictional characters. These outfits were often linked in fanfiction on websites like Wattpad, so you could really visualize what the characters were wearing.

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The trend that reminds me of Polyvore, “outfits I would wear to extremely specific events” was popularized by TikTok user andoej in March of this year. For this trend, users post outfits they would wear to, well very specific events primarily with celebrities like watching the sunset at the beach with Taylor Swift, picnicking with Harry Styles, or flying on a private jet plane with Ariana Grande.

Here are two examples of the trend. On the left is TikTok user andoej dressed to take pictures with Emma Chamberlain. That video also features an outfit for “successfully crashing Bella & Gigi Hadid’s yacht party.” On the right TikTok user caroline_tuckerr shows off her outfit to make actor Timothee Chalamet fall in love with her. Her video also includes an outfit for “grabbing coffee with Taylor Swift and convincing her to have a folklore fest,” and “working on our #hottiebootcamp with megan thee stallion.”

This video is the second in andoej’s series and has over 45,000 likes and over 200,000 views.

Credit: screenshot: tiktok / @andoej

caroline_tuckerrr cites andoej as her inspiration for this video in her caption and the video has over 10,000 likes and over 27,000 views.

Credit: screenshot: tiktok / @caroline_tuckerrr

These videos elicit a full body cringe from me. They remind me of those Polyvore outfit sets from my youth which were also designed for events with celebrities, like going to Starbucks with Niall Horan. That outfit would most likely consist of a white tank top, a flannel, black skinny jeans, nerd glasses, combat boots, and a Frappuccino as an accessory.

Another outfit set on Polyvore might be titled “Meeting Justin Bieber backstage on tour” and would feature a mint green bow, a Peter Pan green tank top, skater skirt, paired with oxfords and of course, a messy bun. When posted on Polyvore, each item of clothing and accessory would be floating in space on a white background which added to the distinct Polyvore look.

I will say this next iteration of Polyvore-esque outfits on TikTok are a lot cuter.

I texted my childhood friend, Polyvore enthusiast, and receiver of the aforementioned email, Cora Shapiro, and asked her what she remembers about the website. “I remember loving being able to look at the outfit inspo other people would post and then making my own aesthetic. It was really relaxing for some reason and there’s the rush when people view your outfit sets and you get more followers. I do the same thing now, but on Pinterest,” said Shapiro, 22.

One of the reasons Polyvore first took off is because of the popularity of outfit of the day and what I wore today blogs on LiveJournal. Polyvore was an easy way to create and share outfit of the days on LiveJournal. Unlike Polyvore, you can still access what I wore today blogs on LiveJournal.

The persistence of this trend signals its value. Fashion is aspirational and a form of self creation. Young people use celebrities and characters they are fans of as a way to define themselves, so it only makes sense that fashion and fan culture are intrinsically linked.

Maybe the historians are correct. If we delete websites off the internet, we are destined to repeat them. That’s the saying, right?

I wonder what ghost of the internet will show up next on TikTok…perhaps something reminiscent of WeHeartIt.

Well that was unexpected.

The hacker responsible for one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in history made waves Wednesday by returning (at least some of) the stolen funds. That’s according to Poly Network, the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that announced the $600 million heist the day before.

Late Wednesday morning, Poly Network confirmed that $260 million of the stolen funds had been transferred back to wallets it controls.

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To be fair, $260 million is a lot of money, but it’s a far cry from the approximately $600 million in assorted cryptocurrencies reported stolen.

In a public plea for a return of the funds on Tuesday, Poly Network listed three cryptocurrency addresses it controls and asked the hacker to send the purloined assets there.

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Looking at the Binance Chain, Ethereum, and Polygon wallets believed to be controlled by the hacker, it’s possible to spot at least one large transaction moving from one of those wallets to a wallet Poly Network identified.

So why the abrupt change of heart? Why steal millions one day, only to return the bulk of it the next?

While there’s at least one famous 2017 incident where so-called white hat hackers preemptively stole, then returned, vulnerable funds, it’s not clear that’s the case this time around. Indeed, the reversal comes after SlowMist, a blockchain security company, said it had identified key details about the thief.

“The SlowMist security team has discovered the attacker’s mailbox, IP, and device fingerprints through on-chain and off-chain tracking, and is tracking possible identity clues related to the Poly Network attacker,” reads a (Google translated) post from the company.

That hasn’t stopped the hacker from claiming the moral high ground.

According to Tom Robinson, the cofounder of the blockchain analytics company Elliptic, the hacker embedded a winding statement in ether transactions (from wallets associated with the hack) that paints themself as a noble hero swooping in to save the funds.

“Q: WHY TRANSFER TOKENS?” reads the all-caps post. “A: TO KEEP IT SAFE.”

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The hacker writes that when they first spotted the bug, which Poly Network identified as a “vulnerability between contract calls,” they had a “mixed” feeling.

The message also claims that returning the money was “always the plan,” and adds that at least Poly Network got a lot of Twitter followers out of this mess.

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Much like the aforementioned 2017 white hat hack, the Poly Network hacker insists they initially stole the money to keep it safe from other potential thieves.

SEE ALSO: We spoke to the vigilante hackers who stole $85 million in ether to save it

“I prefer to stay in the dark and save the world,” they write.

Of course, legal authorities might not care what the hacker prefers.

If you’re a dedicated WhatsApp user, I have some good news for you: Soon, you’ll be able to transfer your chat history between Android and iOS.

News of the much-requested change didn’t come directly from WhatsApp. Instead, the new feature was first announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, alongside a slew of new products including the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3.

During the keynote, the company said users will be able to “securely transfer [their] WhatsApp experience including conversations and photos from [their] old iPhone to [their] new Galaxy smartphone.”

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As per Engadget, the feature will be available on Android in the “coming weeks,” hitting Samsung phones (running Android 10 or newer) first. It’ll expand to iOS as well, but the timeline for that isn’t as clear. In addition to conversations, you’ll also be able to transfer voice memos and photos.

Samsung quickly demonstrated the process using its new Z Flip 3. Basically, it’ll require connecting your current iOS device to your Android phone via a compatible Lightning-to-USB-C cable or adapter.

From there, you’ll use Samsung’s Smart Switch tool to select and install WhatsApp. It’ll then begin the process of moving your chats and multimedia to your Android device.

Prior to this, WhatsApp only had a solution if you were switching from Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone. If you were switching between mobile platforms, there was no official way to transfer your chat history. Instead, you were limited to using third-party apps. But WhatsApp temporarily or permanently bans accounts if it finds that you’re using an unsupported version of its app.

So to avoid that from happening, just wait until the feature hits your Android or iPhone.

Related Video: How to not get your social media hacked