Category Archives: Blog

An upcoming #MeToo documentary will no longer have Oprah Winfrey’s name attached when it debuts at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in January.

The as-yet-untitled documentary focuses on an unnamed former music executive who has accused Def Jam Recordings co-founder and Rush Communications CEO Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. It’s not the first time Simmons has faced such an accusation.

Winfrey was originally on board to executive produce the documentary, which comes from the filmmaking team of Kirby Dick (director) and Amy Ziering (producer). But Winfrey confirmed in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday that she’s stepping back from the project. Read more…

More about Oprah Winfrey, Metoo, Sundance 2020, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

If you purchased a iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR battery case between January and October 2019 and it sucks, good news! Apple just launched a program that will replace it for free.

It’s called the Smart Battery Replacement Program, and Apple gives it the rundown on its website. If the battery case does not charge when plugged into power or it just does not charge the iPhone at all, you can go to Apple (or an Apple-approved service provider) to get it replaced. 

“Apple has determined that some Smart Battery Cases made for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR may experience charging issues,” the site reads. “This is not a safety issue and Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will replace eligible battery cases, free of charge.”  Read more…

More about Tech, Apple, Iphone, Smart Battery Case, and Tech

It may seem like that cuttlefish is prepping to see The Rise of Skywalker but no, it’s actually part of a research experiment.

A team at the University of Minnesota put 3D glasses on cuttlefish in order to learn more about their eyes and brains, specifically how both organs work together to catch prey. Like humans, cuttlefish utilize stereopsis, the scientific term for depth perception. Unlike humans, cuttlefish still hunt their prey — and stereopsis helps them do it. The cuttlefish strikes at its prey and must correctly guess how far away it is. If it’s too close when it strikes, the prey will get spooked and move away; too far away, and it won’t reach. Read more…

More about Science, Animals, Study, Cuddlefish, and Science

In an effort to promote his new single “Yummy,” Justin Bieber shared a guide to hijacking music charts, encouraging international fans to stream it under a U.S. VPN. 

Bieber shared a slideshow guide to boosting “Yummy” to the top of pop charts on Thursday night in a now-deleted Instagram post. The guide, which was originally created by a fan edit page, instructed fans outside the U.S. to “download a VPN app, set the VPN to the U.S., and then create a Spotify account.” 

By using a VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, international fans could hide their IP addresses and appear to stream the song from within the U.SBillboard’s Hot 100 only takes sales, radio plays, and streams within the country into account when ranking the top 100 songs of the week.  Read more…

More about Justin Bieber, Cheating, Culture, and Web Culture

There’s no shortage of objects to make you bionic at CES. Medical devices, like hearing aids, have been taken to the next level, and there are even silly hats outfitted with lasers that purportedly stimulate hair growth.

But does any device you wear on your body qualify as a “wearable”? The term, which is dumb, most frequently describes activity-focused smartwatches or other wrist bands (and there were a ton of great ones this year). But at CES 2020, there were also plenty of smart objects to wear on other parts of your body that produce information about health, activity, and other functions.  Read more…

More about Ces, Wearables, Smart Devices, Smart Tech, and Tech

Boomerang lovers rejoice! Instagram released new features on Friday that should look familiar to anyone who uses TikTok. 

Users can now trim the duration of their video loops and access new effects in the “Boomerang” tab in Stories. The features are:

• SlowMo: Slows down the boomerang (duh!).

• Echo: A blurry, semi-transparent trail added to movements  — aka drunk vision.

• Duo: A digital glitch effect straight out of The Matrix.

More about Tech, Instagram, Social Media, Boomerang, and Tiktok

This year Charmin brought the potty party to CES with conceptual bathroom tech. Staff writer Jess Joho went to go see if the stuff was up to sniff snuff. Read more…

More about Ces, Mashable Video, Smart Home, Bathroom Tech, and Charmin

Painting legend, Bob Ross, died of Lymphoma in 1995. Bob Ross Challenge co-creators, Mark Stetson and Micah Sherman, created The Bob Ross Challenge to honor his legacy while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Read more…

More about Mashable Video, Comedy, Painting, Pbs, and Bob Ross

Don’t call it a comeback. Russian hackers have been preparing for the 2020 elections for years —and the U.S. still isn’t ready.

Intelligence officials are warning that foreign interference in the form of disinformation and hacking campaigns are still going to be a major factor in the coming elections. While U.S. companies and government agencies may be smarter after 2016, so are the Russian hackers and trolls.

According to The New York Times, which interviewed experts and officials preparing for foreign interference in 2020, these trolls and hackers have been developing more advanced methods to interfere with U.S. elections. Namely, they’re making it harder to track what they’re up to. Read more…

More about Russia, Hacking, Misinformation, Fake News, and 2020 Presidential Election

Bello measures belly fat, but it’s not supposed to be a dieting device. The device gives you a “health score,” while also giving workout, diet, and fitness recommendations.  Stomach fat may be an indicator of diabetes or metabolic health disorders, but there’s little evidence that smart measurements lead to behavioral change. Read more…

More about Tech, Health, Mashable Video, Future Blink, and Bello