Watch this good dog patiently hold a hot dog in its mouth while its owner takes a picture

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This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.

Burt Reynolds died, people lit their Nike shoes on fire because they were unhappy with an ad, and Colton Underwood was named the next Bachelor. Clearly, this was a shit week.

But, before we get too overwhelmed, let us meditate on the one good thing the internet has given us: this GIF of a dog patiently sitting with a hot dog in his mouth while his owner takes his picture at a baseball game.

SEE ALSO: What happens when an animal influencer dies?

The baseball cap-sporting pup resists the urge to gobble up the stadium hot dog, only taking the most polite nibble, while his owner takes multiple photos of him. The restraint and obedience this dog has is astounding. He is truly a prince among dogs. Read more…

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The women of ‘Ozark’ redefine the male-centric crime genre

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Major spoilers for Ozark: Season 2 lie ahead. 

From Narcos to Breaking Bad, crime dramas have gained a reputation for using shallow female characters as little more than emotional fodder for male stories. Frequently minimized as damsels in distress and exasperating nags, women within the genre exist almost exclusively to portray girlfriends, wives, mothers, and victims.  

Season 2 of Netflix’s Ozark, however, champions female stories through all 10 of its episodes with an array of women that rivals the ensemble complexity of HBO’s The Sopranos.

SEE ALSO: Emotional survival dominates a blood-soaked ‘Ozark’ Season 2 Read more…

More about Netflix, Women, Female, Season 2, and Representation

‘Plaid shirt guy’ wins the internet with silly faces during a Trump rally

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Going viral and becoming a meme is pretty easy in the age of Trump: Just stand behind The Orange One at his rallies and — this part’s key — make silly faces during his speech.

Doing so will turn all eyeballs from The Donald to you. It’ll also get your removed from the rally courtesy of the Secret Service. But, worth it!

SEE ALSO: Sia’s story of meeting Donald Trump on ‘SNL’ comes with a crappy twist ending

This is exactly what happened when Tyler Linfesty attended a Trump rally in Montana on Sept. 6. He quickly became immortalized on the internet as “Plaid Shirt Guy” after he was spotted visibly reacting to the president’s words just behind his right shoulder. Read more…

More about Funny, Memes, Viral, Trump, and Culture

Apple finally bans Alex Jones’ InfoWars app from the App Store

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Alex Jones took another major blow this week.

Following bans from Twitter and Periscope, Apple has permanently banned Jones’ InfoWars app from its App Store.

SEE ALSO: What to expect from Apple’s iPhone XS event on Sept. 12

Apple confirmed the InfoWars app’s removal to Buzzfeed News after users noticed it was missing on Friday evening and no longer showed up in the App Store’s search results. 

The App Store removal shouldn’t surprise anyone. In early August, Apple removed five InfoWars podcasts, including War Room and The Alex Jones Show, from iTunes and the Podcasts app.

An Apple spokesperson told Mashable at the time the company “does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users.” Read more…

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‘Outlaw King’ is a waste of a perfectly good Chris Pine

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There are a few reasons to recommend Outlaw King, David Mackenzie’s medieval movie starring Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce.

SEE ALSO: Fall movie preview: What to watch if you’re ready for awards season

For one, it’s pretty. Like, really pretty. Mackenzie never misses an opportunity to showcase the pristine beauty of the Scottish countryside, with its rolling hills and soft mists. There’s one particular shot of a rainbow that nearly made me gasp. 

It’s also got plenty of fighting, if you’re into that sort of thing. The film rarely goes longer than 20 minutes without a battle scene, some more doomed or more epic or more violent than others, but all convincingly choreographed to look difficult and exhausting and flat-out brutal. Do you wish Game of Thrones had way less talking and way more action? Outlaw King might be for you. Read more…

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Twitter’s redesigning its website, and it’s really, really white

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Twitter’s website is about to get a big makeover.

The company’s currently testing a redesigned version of its website, which will bring bookmarks, the explore tab, and a new “data-saver” mode to its desktop website. It’s also really, really, white.

SEE ALSO: Twitter’s relationship with third-party apps is messy — but it’s not over

Officially, the redesign won’t roll out to everyone for some time, though the company showed off a brief preview in a tweet Thursday. But Twitter’s already already testing the new look with a “small number” of its users who are able to opt in to the new look. 

My account was apparently in that group because I received a pop-up Thursday asking if I wanted to try out the “new Twitter.” After using it for just over 24 hours now, I’m here to report that, yes, it’s very, very, white. But, despite the new minimalist look, Twitter has made a few nice additions as well. Read more…

More about Tech, Twitter, Social Media Companies, Tech, and Social Media Companies

BMW makes sure we can’t escape voice assistants while driving

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Another “wake word” has entered the lexicon. Instead of “OK, Google” or “Hey, Alexa,” this time it’s “Hey, BMW.”

With BMW’s new virtual assistant, coming to the German car maker in 2019, voice commands are front and center in the car. It’s a new way to interact with your vehicle.

SEE ALSO: Amazon’s Alexa will soon do your bidding through your car infotainment console

The assistant was revealed Thursday at a TechCrunch Disrupt main stage event. BMW senior vice president of digital products, Dieter May, showed it off, extolling its skills beyond “just voice commands.” He said the assistant would “live side by side with you” — which is either super helpful or super creepy. Read more…

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Apple says Trump’s proposed tariffs against China will increase the price of its gadgets

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In a letter addressed to the Office of U.S. Trade Representative, Apple says President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on China will increase the prices on many of its most popular products including the Apple Watch and AirPods.

“Our concern with these tariffs is that the U.S. will be hardest hit, and that will result in lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers,” Apple said in the letter.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new iPhones will be announced on Sept. 12

Apple spells out in clear terms which of its products would be most affected by the tariffs: The Mac Mini, Apple Pencil, HomePod, and many of its chargers and adapters would all become more expensive to produce. As a result, customers would most likely have to pay more for those gadgets. Read more…

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These nuns buy stock in gun companies to fight for gun safety

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These nuns are fighting guns with guns. Sort of. 

The Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment, a collective of about a dozen nun associations, invests in companies so they can then use their shareholder status to sway the companies into supporting human rights issues. 

SEE ALSO: Brett Kavanaugh snubs Parkland victim’s father at Senate confirmation hearing

Issues have ranged from climate change to indigenous rights, but in the last few years, the nuns have shifted their focus to gun control, specifically investing in gun manufacturers because they are the “only group that isn’t involved in the issue.”  Read more…

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Ultimate dad Barack Obama accidentally plays matchmaker at campaign event

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Barack Obama is well-known for his dad behavior, particularly in the style department. On Friday, though, he achieved his most dad accomplishment yet — accidentally assuming two people were a couple.

The incident occurred during a campaign stop with Illinois gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker. The two visited Urbana restaurant Caffe Paradiso, where they drank tea (Obama paid) and met with constituents.

SEE ALSO: Barack Obama says that ‘men have been getting on my nerves lately’

According to tweets from CNN political reporter Dan Merica, Obama asked two people he was chatting with if they were a “pair.” They reportedly did not answer right away — an ominous sign that they had perhaps not yet Defined the Relationship, or were, in fact, not dating at all. Read more…

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