Hear the Star Wars music John Williams composed for Disney’s theme park

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What is Star Wars without the iconic theme music from John Williams?

The legendary composer who’s been so essential to the life of space fantasy series has added his name to yet another big project: Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park attraction. A newly released video delivers a snippet of the main theme Williams composed for the park.

SEE ALSO: Check out Disney’s theme park-exclusive ‘Star Wars’ land merchandise

As you can see, the video also contains looks at various corners of the unfinished park. I definitely spotted an interior from the Millennium Falcon. There are also looks at the alien world of Batuu and the Black Spire trading outpost, which together make up the bulk of the themed Star Wars area. Read more…

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California cities now have the worst air pollution on Earth as smoke blows into town

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Oakland, a Northern California city with a population of over 425,000, had the worst air quality in the world Saturday morning.

Wildfire smoke wafting over from the still-growing Camp Fire — by far the deadliest wildfire in state history — had inundated many heavily-populated California cities and towns with small bits of pollution thinner than the width of a human hair, called Particulate Matter 2.5, or PM 2.5.

Berkeley Earth, a scientific climate organization, keeps tabs on air pollution around the globe. As of Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. ET, Oakland topped the global list with particle concentrations of 167 μg/m3  (meaning micrograms per cubic meter) — which are levels deemed “Very Unhealthy” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Coming in a distant second is Kanpur, India with particulate levels of 132.  Read more…

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Black Friday 2018 ads are here: Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and more

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It’s happening. The Black Friday ad scans have started to come through.

The big day is Friday, Nov. 23, which is still a few weeks away — but stores certainly have fun teasing customers as early as possible. They probably think this is funny. 

We’ve been doing our lurking via BlackFriday.com (owned by the same parent company as Mashable) and BestBlackFriday.com — both basically police scanners for Black Friday sale drops. Most of the deals we’ve found so far are on toys, but adult and tech stuff is definitely coming soon:

  • Best Buy: Sale items include the Oculus Rift VR headset, drones, Beats headphones, Samsung smart TVs, laptops, HP printers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, Legos, and more.

  • Target: Sale items include Nintendo Switch items, PlayStation consoles and games, smart TVs, Instant Pots, vacuums, free gift cards with iPhone XS or Google Pixel 3 activation, Funko Pops, Hatchimals, the Barbie Dreamhouse, and more, with a new coupon for up to 40% off every day and 25% off a single toy using Target’s cartwheel app.

  • Walmart: Sale items include smart TVs, laptops, VR headsets, gaming consoles, Nintendo Switch bundles, Bose headphones, iPads, Instant Pots, Magic Bullets, hoverboards, Hatchimals, Paw Patrol toys, Disney princess toys, Hatchimals, air mattresses, bedding, tires, and more. Read more…

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Original Tamagotchi review: The reboot of the ’90s classic is still addictive

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Original Tamagotchi
$19.99
View Product
The Good

Choose from either classic colors (Gen 1) or new colors (Gen 2) • Includes original addictive gameplay • Small size makes it super-portable

The Bad

Non-backlit display is antiquated • Battery isn’t rechargable

The Bottom Line

Other than some color updates, there isn’t much new to be had in the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Tamagotchis. But simplicity is the point: This is a fun, affordable pet-simulation toy that owners of the original will find irresistible.

Mashable Score4.0
Cool Factor4.0
Learning Curve4.0
Performance3.0
Bang for the Buck5.0

Read more…More about Gaming, Reviews, Review, Tamagotchi, and Tech

Fed-up moms respond to ‘Can I cook a turkey in the microwave?’

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The “How do you microwave a turkey?” prank is breaking our mothers’ hearts.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, young people are pranking their poor mothers by asking them for advice on one of the greatest sins against the holiday season: microwaved turkey.

SEE ALSO: 7 videos of people setting their Thanksgiving turkeys on fire

Microwaving a turkey, by the way, is totally possible — Mashable tested it, and made a surprisingly good Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. But to many mothers, who wield family recipes like a sword, microwaving a turkey is an abomination to tradition. 

Which is why people are poking fun at their moms by asking.  Read more…

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Get a 12-month PlayStation Plus membership on sale for $40 at Amazon, the cheapest we’ve seen all year

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One of the good things about shopping for a gamer on Black Friday: it’s really easy to find some stocking stuffers. This could include games, a basic headset, extra cables, or even a gift card.

One of the best stocking stuffers you can get in today’s connected world (specifically for a PS4 owner) is a PlayStation Plus membership. They’re cheaper than paying monthly and you won’t need to put in any credit card information. That may not sound like much, but at least you’ll rest easy knowing your kids aren’t racking up your credit card bill on V-Bucks.

SEE ALSO: Best gifts for gamers: What to get for the gamer in your life Read more…

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Save $50 on Apple AirPods with Apple purchases — the Black Friday deal we’ve been waiting for

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U.S. Cellular just got a nice head start on their Black Friday game, and we’re thinking it’s the perfect time to finally splurge on a new Apple device. Through Nov. 26, you can get $50 off the Apple AirPods with the purchase of any new iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.

If you haven’t yet snatched up a pair of Apple AirPods, chances are you’ve been waiting for the right deal. (As cool and innovative as they are, their normal $159 price tag is still pretty hard to swallow for a pair of wireless earbuds.) 

What you’ve probably realized is: the deals aren’t usually that great. Generally speaking, you’ll be lucky if you catch them at $15 off.  Read more…

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This self-driving billboard and vending machine is so dystopian

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If San Francisco’s robot security guards faced backlash for simply standing around, an autonomous tech company’s latest self-driving idea doesn’t stand a chance.

This week PerceptIn, a Chinese robotics company with Silicon Valley offices, introduced the DragonFly Intelligent Advertising Vehicle, a self-driving vending machine and mobile advertising unit. It’s effectively a robotic billboard that takes your money.

SEE ALSO: These robots have nailed bottle-flipping, proving not even internet challenges are safe from automation

A promo video for the device, above, shows the small robot on wheels flagging down a thirsty runner. You can also hail the robot from your phone to buy food or drinks, or other products that companies want to put on wheels.  Read more…

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Here’s how to sell your old iPad in the easiest way possible

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The new iPad Pros have been in the market for a little while, and if you’re eyeing one, you may be wondering how much you can get by reselling your current iPad.

Here’s how to get the most for that device with a trade-in.

SEE ALSO: You spent $999 on an iPhone X. Here’s how much you can get for it.

First, you’ll need to know some information about your iPad: mainly the model number, what sort of connectivity it has (WiFi only or WiFi+cellular), and storage. If you’re not sure, go to Settings>General>About to see the model number and the storage capacity. 

Gazelle

Image: Gazelle

The most well-known tech trade-in site is Gazelle. It’s one of the better places to trade in iPads, but be warned that iPads tend to depreciate more than iPhones. Gazelle will pay for the device in the form of a check, PayPal deposit, or an Amazon.com gift card.  Read more…

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Oprah’s Favorite Things list will get you through the holiday shopping mania — Mashable Deals

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It’s that time of the year again! Here are Oprah’s picks for the perfect holiday gift. Read more about the list here and shop all of the deals on Amazon here.

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable’s commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Read more…

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