Mulan is coming back to theaters this spring — but this isn’t the cute cartoon version you remember from the ’90s.
This live-action version looks much more majestic and action-packed than you probably remember, with Yifei Liu playing the famed warrior. Plus, there’s a witch this time, played by Gong Li.
Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, and Jet Li also starMulan hits theaters March 27. Read more…
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Give back with cuddles!
On Tuesday, Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary, a South Carolina-based volunteer organization dedicated to helping animals in need, put out an open call for volunteers. Specifically, the group is seeking participants eager to rub noses with pigs in need of socialization.
Once properly cuddled, the pigs will be one step closer to finding their forever families through adoption. According to the sanctuary’s website, pot belly/mini pigs are the most in need of placement.
Sound like the dream gig? Well, Twitter thought so. Although the original post received limited likes and retweets, one look at the volunteer calendar and you’ll see all of the “Pig Socialization” slots are full until March — and even those are going fast. Read more…
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After a wave of bad press involving police partnerships, hacking, and other privacy violations, Amazon’s Ring doorbell has released an update.
On Friday, the smart device’s mobile app rolled out a new control center that grants users more authority over their privacy and security settings. You’ll now be able to add and remove shared users on an account, restrict third-party access, view two-factor authentication settings, and (perhaps, most importantly) opt out of all video request notifications from law enforcement.
Uncovered in reporting by Motherboard and Gizmodo in 2019, the scale of Amazon’s Neighbor Portal program is much larger than originally believed — and its various affiliations with law enforcement has raised alarming ethical questions. Read more…
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It’s time to re-purpose Nintendo’s old “Now you’re playing with power!” tagline.
There’s a new custom-made add-on for the Xbox Adaptive Controller that allows people to use their power wheelchair controls to play games. This so-called “Freedom Wing Adapter” came out of a partnership between the AbleGamers charity organization and ATMakers.
That latter group, founded by a man named Bill Binko, describes itself as “an experiment in solving problems in Assistive Technology using the skills and tools of the Maker community.” AbleGamers, meanwhile, has been working since 2004 to make games more accessible for people with disabilities. Read more…
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It’s the song taking over the Tri-State Area.
On Friday, a Phineas and Ferb fan shared video of show co-creator Dan Povenmire belting out Billie Eilish’s smash hit “Bad Guy” for Twitter.
Povenmire, who voices series villain Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, rewrote the song to fit his character’s treacherous ways and later performed it at the Disney Channel Holiday Party. Fans just catching on to Doofenshmirtz’s burgeoning music career were elated.
Take a listen:
The lyrics, as Povenmire has written them, are:
Lab coat, now red my bloody nose
When you visit we come to blows
But first I get caught up in prose
I’m too vociferous. Read more…
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The other shoe is about to drop for wireless carriers that violated customer privacy.
On Friday, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai, a Donald Trump appointee, informed the House of Representatives that an investigation into the unauthorized sale of users’ real-time location data had concluded. The inquiry, which began in early 2019 following numerous investigative reports into the matter, found at least one carrier broke federal law.
“Following our longstanding calls to take action, the FCC finally informed the Committee today that one or more wireless carriers apparently violated federal privacy protections by turning a blind eye to the widespread disclosure of consumers’ real-time location data,” said Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chairman to the Energy and Commerce Committee, in a statement. Read more…
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The Fugitive is back with a modern twist. Though the trailer for Quibi’s upcoming series looks like a present-day reboot of the Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones movie (and the 1960s TV series that inspired it), stars Boyd Holbrook and Kiefer Sutherland will play all-new characters engaged in a similar game of cat-and-mouse… with a 21st century twist.
Holbrook plays Mike, a father and husband suspected of bombing the Los Angeles subway system who then has to fight for his life, family, and innocence while evading capture by Detective Clay Bryce (Sutherland).
But the real villain in Quibi’s adaptation might be more nefarious: Social media. A Dec. 2019 report from Deadline suggests that the chase at the heart of the show is fueled by social media misinformation and sloppy reporting. Read more…
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Voters struggling to get to the polls can look to Lyft.
On Friday, the ride share service announced that it would be expanding its free and discounted ride program throughout the primary calendar and general election. Part of the company’s LyftUp initiative — a charitable effort that helps in-need riders of all kinds — the Voting Access Program will start with the Iowa caucus on Monday.
“Every citizen who wants to exercise their fundamental right to vote should have reliable, affordable access to the polls — regardless of income, age, zip code, or political affiliation,” Lyft said in a statement on their company blog. “Yet in the last presidential election, it’s estimated that more than 15 million eligible voters didn’t go to the polls in large part because they lacked a way to get there.” Read more…
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Most animals might be deterred by a chain link fence, but not the scrappy dog in this new video. The pup in question comes up against a fence, and instead of turning around and heading home with his tail between his legs, our intrepid explorer scales the fence.
Not only does the dog skillfully climb all the way to the top, but he lands successfully after leaping/falling several feet (are we sure this dog isn’t part-cat?). This is either the smartest, best pup, or the beginning of some kind of dog zombie apocalypse movie.
We’ll let you decide. Read more…
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Shortly after Roku warned its customers that Fox channels would stop streaming right before Super Bowl LIV, an updated agreement has kept the deal between the two companies going. What that means for Roku users is that the Super Bowl will once again be streaming.
Roku tweeted the update Friday night:
We are delighted that we reached an agreement with FOX to distribute FOX channels on the Roku platform
Roku customers can stream the Super Bowl through FOX Now, Fox Sports and NFL in addition to other ways.
— Roku (@Roku) February 1, 2020
Roku, like AppleTV, allows users with cable or streaming subscriptions to access their favorite platforms through apps on the device. Not all TV platforms have a live viewing option, but Fox has had it for years and been a reliable streamer on a day like Super Bowl Sunday. Read more…
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