Category Archives: Blog

It’s a tale as old as time. A desiccated muppet valiantly struggles through tech fail after tech fail to eventually be anointed as Donald Trump’s cyber czar and, maybe, finally have a chance at becoming a real boy.

However, in the Grimm’s Fairy Tale that is Rudy Giuliani’s life, we are sadly deprived of that happy ending. You see, when it comes to all things technology related, Giuliani was cursed to live out his days as a moron. 

We are reminded of this fact today by the somehow unsurprising news that back in 2017, shortly after Trump named him his cybersecurity advisor, Giuliani waddled into an Apple Store to have his iPhone restored to factory settings. Why? Because he entered the incorrect password too many times in a row. Read more…

More about Twitter, Smartphones, Rudy Giuliani, Tech, and Celebrities

On Nov. 1, Russia is poised to disconnect from the internet—in theory.

That is when a long-planned internet bill will go into effect and lay the foundation for a national network whereby internet service providers are controlled by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s telecom agency. The goal is to give Russia the power to disconnect from the global internet in the event of a cyberwar and, in the interim, serve up a walled-off version of the web sanctioned by the Russians. It also gives President Vladimir Putin greater control over Russian citizens.

Details of the bill are sketchy. Russian news agency RIA-Novosti says the aim is to provide a “sustainable, secure, and fully functioning” internet. And it will reportedly do so by developing its own version of the internet’s address system so Russian web users attempting to reach international sites will instead be directed to Russian versions. Citizens hoping to visit Facebook, for example, might be redirected to Russian social network VK. Read more…

More about Russia, Firewall, Dns, Tech, and Cybersecurity

I regret to inform you that Mark Zuckerberg and Aaron Sorkin are publicly feuding over free speech And yes, the whole thing is about as dumb as you’d expect. 

It all started when the Social Network writer published an open letter to Zuckerberg in the The New York Times, saying that Facebook is “assaulting the truth.”

Hours after Sorkin’s scathing letter (if factually flawed; the Times later published a lengthy correction addressing several inaccuracies), Zuckerberg (sort of) fired back with a Facebook post of his own. 

His response? A quote defending free speech from the 1995 Sorkin-penned film American President.  Read more…

More about Tech, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Aaron Sorkin, and Social Media Companies

Malware tied to Chinese hackers has been found infecting telecommunication networks to steal SMS messages from thousands of phone numbers.

The spying effort comes from a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group called APT 41, according to the cybersecurity firm FireEye. On Thursday, the company published a report on a malware strain from the group that’s designed to infect Linux-based servers used by telecommunication carriers to route SMS messages.

Some time this year, FireEye uncovered the malicious computer code on a cluster of servers belonging to an unnamed telecommunication network provider. “During this intrusion, thousands of phone numbers were targeted, to include several high-ranking foreign individuals likely of interest to China,” the company told PCMag. Read more…

More about China, Hacking, Sms Messages, Tech, and Politics

Celebs: they’re just like us. They also like to get dressed up for Halloween and party just enough to regret it the next day. In fact, here’s some of our favorite Halloween costumes this year. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Celebrities, Halloween, Mashable Video, and Costumes

A pizza in the shape of a jack-o’-lantern sounds exciting in theory, but in reality it looks creepy AF.

Papa John’s, the pizza chain that came under fire in 2018 after its founder and former CEO John Schnatter reportedly used a racial slur during a conference call, recently tried to hype customers up for Halloween with a festive seasonal special: A pizza shaped like a jack-o’-lantern with pepperonis.

The promotional photo of the $11.00 pizza looked sort of cute and also sort of creepy, but it also looked well put together with a good-sized stem, symmetrical olive pupils, and nice, clean pepperoni crust, eyes, and mouth. Read more…

More about Halloween, Pizza, Papa John S, Culture, and Web Culture

The “Jolene” singer expressed her desires to have Cyrus play the role of her rival in Heartstrings. However, Julianne Hough was cast. Read more…

More about Entertainment, Mashable Video, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, and Tv Shows

The idea of first aid training and emergency response makes some people squeamish, and that’s understandable. Maybe you can’t stand the sight of blood, or think you’re not good in a crisis. But in case you haven’t noticed, the world is a dangerous place and there’s never a bad time to train up.

Not everyone is cut out to be a paramedic or an ER nurse. We can all play a role though, and first aid training is the best way to make sure that you’re not standing around helplessly waiting for the pros to arrive. 

It’s no secret that hospitals and emergency staff are overloaded, and there is no denying that paramedics are struggling with the increased workload. The potential for low-frequency, high-risk emergencies is greater than before, and now is the right time for all of us to play a role in ensuring the health and safety of those around us Read more…

More about Supported, Medical, First Aid, Brand X, and Lifestyle

Posting to his blog on Wednesday, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has declared he won’t write for newly announced Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon until he finishes Winds of Winter — even though he really wants to. It’s a bit like when you promise yourself delicious chocolate cake if you finish your 5K run.

“I expect to be involved in [the production of House of the Dragon] to some extent… and, who knows, if things work out, I may even be able to script a few episodes, as I did for the first four seasons of Game Of Thrones,” wrote Martin in his post.

“But… let me make this perfectly clear… I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered Winds Of Winter.  Winter is still coming, and Winds remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episodes of House” (emphasis Martin’s). Read more…

More about Game Of Thrones, A Song Of Ice And Fire, George R.R. Martin, Winds Of Winter, and House Of The Dragon

Jack Dorsey took a swing at Mark Zuckerberg, and politicians took note. 

On Wednesday the Twitter CEO announced a new policy governing political advertisements — namely, that in contrast to Facebook, his company would no longer accept them. In doing so, he specifically alluded to Zuckerberg’s defense of allowing political figures to pay to spread misinformation. Elected officials, both past and present, seized the opportunity to pile on. 

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that Twitter’s move was a “good call,” before adding that “Not allowing for paid disinformation is one of the most basic, ethical decisions a company can make.” Read more…

More about Facebook, Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez