Category Archives: Blog

American Girl dolls are ready for 2020. 

The Girl of the Year doll for 2020, unveiled on Dec. 31, will be the first with hearing loss. Her name is Joss Kendrick, and she’s a competitive, Southern California athlete who, according to her story, was born deaf in her left ear. 

The doll will come with a hearing aid as an accessory that helps her hear out of her right ear. 

Created in consultation with a team of experts in hearing loss, surfing, and competitive cheerleading, the new doll marks a broader shift in inclusion efforts at Mattel, the parent company of American Girl. 

More about American Girl Doll, American Girl, American Girl Dolls, Mattel, and Hearing Loss

One huge change coming in 2020 is a new data privacy law called the California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA. And its effects will be felt far beyond the Golden State.

The CCPA is basically California’s equivalent to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. The law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, grants California residents new privacy rights and consumer protections. It goes into effect at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2020. And, even if you aren’t a resident of California, it could affect you.

What is the CCPA going to do? 

Residents of California will have the right to know what personal data is being collected about them and the right to request that this information be deleted. They will also have the right to know the details of how their data is being used, who the data is sold to or shared with, and they can request that their data not be sold to third parties. In addition, Californians will have the right to request access to their personal data. Read more…

More about California, Data Privacy, Data Protection, Gdpr, and Ccpa

Greetings to you and your headache in this, the new decade! 

For many, kicking off a fresh year means funneling a mix of champagne and peppermint schnapps down your gullet, then spending the first 48 hours of January regretting it. Luckily, with the streaming wars in full swing, you won’t be alone in your bed of shame, tequila, chestnuts, ham, green bean casserole, and Twizzlers.

Here are 20 streamable movies — ranked by comforting capabilities — to keep you and your New Year’s Day hangover company in 2020. 

Now, take some ibuprofen, champ. 

20. Booksmart (2019) 

Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart has been called the Superbad of female friendships — which really undersells just how spectacularly original it is. Starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Deaver, with an exquisite performance by Billie Lourd, this coming-of-age, buddy comedy follows two high schoolers on their last night out before graduation. Perfect for that hair of the dog strategy. Read more…

More about Netflix, Hulu, Streaming Services, Hbo Now, and New Year S Day

Being horny is a political statement now.

We’re not joking, either. In 2019, public displays of thirst became not only more widely socially acceptable, but also an act of empowerment in the wake of #MeToo. As Soraya Roberts so succinctly put it in a Longreads essay, “Out of the wreckage of male toxicity, [women] used thirst to mark the men who remained worthy.”

There’s no shame in thirsting — when it’s channeled in respectful ways. So here’s a list of the 2019 moments when folks were respectfully, painfully left parched from lust.

Sara Lee Bread gets horny on main (on SNL)

Saturday Night Live might be increasingly culturally irrelevant, but they got one thing right this year: Harry Styles has left a devastating drought in the wake of his Fine Line tour. Read more…

More about Cats, Chris Evans, Thirsty, Best Worst Of 2019, and Culture

2019 definitely had its downs, but it’s important to remember that the year had some real ups, too.

In the words of actor, musician, and comedian Tom McGovern, “it’s easy to dwell on the bad stuff that happened this year.” What’s not easy, however, is taking some of the year’s best good news headlines and turning them into a hilariously catchy tune.

As 2020 approaches, McGovern — who you may recognize as the dude who played both Jim Halpert and Andy Bernard in The Office! A Musical Parody — did just that.

While you attempt to unwind from another ridiculously chaotic year, please enjoy the this refreshing song about some of 2019’s milestone achievements — from same-sex marriage being legalized around the world and a “sweet-ass train” being built in the UK, to a new royal baby, Greta Thunberg’s existence, and more. Read more…

More about Youtube, 2019, Culture, Web Culture, and Music

At least 4,000 people, for whom it was too late to evacuate, were told to prepare to jump into the ocean.  Read more…

More about Australia, Climate, Science, Mashable Video, and Environment

U.S. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has collaborated with Colgate to ensure that everyone is learning how to save water. Phelps explains that up to 4 gallons of water is wasted each time we brush with the faucet on.  Read more…

More about Olympics, Mashable Video, Michael Phelps, Water Conservation, and Colgate

One of Apple’s great virtues is its predictability. The company’s annual routine hasn’t changed all that much in the last five years or so, meaning fans can plan their purchases (and journalists can plan their coverage) weeks or months in advance, even without knowing every specific detail about every announcement.

As such, we have a decent idea of what to expect from Apple in the new year, even if we haven’t seen the fine print yet. We’ll almost certainly get some combination of new iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, and Apple Watches this year, and we can even map out when we’ll probably hear about all these things. Read more…

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The Basic Instinct actress took to Twitter to express her concerns. The dating app soon reached out to her to rectify the situation. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Celebrities, Mashable Video, Bumble, and Sharon Stone

The sun didn’t rise on New Year’s Eve. The summer morning in a small beach town on the east coast of Australia looked like a winter’s night. 

That black sky soon gave way to a blazing, eery orange as the flames approached. At least 4,000 people were told to jump into the ocean. Gas cylinders could be heard popping like fireworks as they exploded. 

The town of Mallacoota looked apocalyptic on Tuesday local time as it became the latest victim of Australia’s out-of-control bushfires.

It was too late to evacuate. 

“We are one road in, one road out. That road’s been blocked for hours and hours and hours,” Francesca Winterson from Mallacoota Community Radio told News Breakfast, a national TV broadcast.  Read more…

More about Australia, Bushfires, Science, and Climate Environment