All over the country, but particularly on the West Coast, e-scooter startups are descending. From “Spinning” to “Birding,” electric scooters are all the rage these days, and it’s not hard to see why. They don’t get stuck in traffic, they’re faster than walking, they smell better than the bus, and bikes are so last century. So when I received an email asking me to try the newest “e-scooter for women,” I couldn’t help but inquire further. Read more…

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Read more…More about Movies, Marvel, The Avengers, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Mashable Reels

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been circling the moon for 9 years, taking high resolution images that NASA has used for research (and this nice virtual tour). Read more…

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As warmer weather approaches, outdoor activities, such as watering plants and walking dogs, are becoming more enjoyable. 

And sometimes, the two can collide in the best of ways. 

On Thursday, Twitter user @JabinSerene shared the “struggle” she faces when she tries to water her plants. Her enthusiastic dog, Taylor, attempts to slurp the water as soon as she turns on the hose. 

People were excited and shared their own videos of pooches going crazy for a sip of a sprinkler or some hose water.  Read more…

More about Dogs, Animals, Springtime, Doggos, and Culture

Oil spills are disastrous for the environment, but a newly developed absorbent polymer could prove a novel cleaning solution.

Developed by Australian and European researchers, with details published in the journal Advanced Sustainable Systems, the material is actually a combination of used cooking oils and sulphur — the latter of which is a waste product of the petroleum industry.

Like a sponge, the polymer sucks up crude oil, which then can be squeezed and reused again. While there have been other sponge-like solutions to oil spills mooted in the past, this new polymer solution is created from waste products, which is of additional benefit to the environment. Read more…

More about Australia, Environment, Sea, Oil Spill, and Science

Look, there’s been a lot of 4/20 stunts popping up around the joint. A lot.

Not all of them are great, but a bunch of marijuana plants hidden in plain sight, not hurting anyone? We’re in.

Australian artists installed “cannabis” plants all over Sydney’s central business district on April 20 (also known as 4/20, international marijuana day), in an effort to draw attention to the country’s debate around cannabis legalisation.

If you’re thinking of stealing some free pot, we’ve got some bad news for you. The plants aren’t real. They’re movie props, as the act of owning cannabis plants without a medicinal manufacturing license, or giving away free cannabis is, you guessed it, illegal. But it’s the thought that counts, right?  Read more…

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Recycling iPhones is a messy business. The handsets are notoriously difficult to take apart, which means recycling them for parts can easily turn into a time-consuming headache. 

But Apple thinks its new robot can help. Today the company introduced “Daisy,” its new iPhone-recycling robot, which the company says can tear apart unwanted iPhones much more efficiently than a human. 

The massive robot, which Apple says can tear apart iPhones at a rate of 200 per hour, is able to separate the various internal components of an iPhone and sort them into easy-to-access piles. Using this method, Apple say it’s able to recycle a greater volume of materials than it would if it used other methods, since more of the parts are maintained. Read more…

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Desperate to hold onto your fleeting youth? Ikea’s got your back with a new collection of skateboards, hoodies, and furniture with a streetwear model aesthetic. 

Dubbed SPÄNST, the collection is the brainchild of designers Chris Stamp and Maja Ganszyniec. SPÄNST includes a black skateboard rack, clear acrylic shoe boxes, and even a $90 skateboard. 

It’s all super Instagram-friendly, of course. 

SPÄNST, according to Ikea, isn’t just a collection of home furnishings. It’s a lifestyle.  Read more…

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Just about everything we’ve seen of the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story has been met with the same fan reaction. Uh … can we get Lando: A Donald Glover Story instead, please?

This was true of the first trailer, where the young Lando — played by actor/writer/director/rapper/comedian Donald Glover — stole the show with a single second of screen time. The rapscallion is at it again in the newly released poster for the movie, where he displays more personality than all six of the other characters taking up most of the frame combined.

More about Watercooler, Entertainment, Star Wars, Donald Glover, and Solo A Star Wars Story

Talking to Alexa is too often a one-sided affair. Certainly, the primary purpose of a digital assistant is to listen, but its responses tend to favor cold efficiency — get in and get out. If a human spoke to you the same way, you’d think they were being passive aggressive in order to get you to shut up and leave them alone.

While this dynamic makes sense from a utilitarian perspective, it runs counter to the stated goals of all digital assistants (Siri, Google Assistant, and the rest) — that being conversational language. 

To really take their usefulness to the next level, digital assistants need to understand more than just words. They have to take into account context and even the mood or personality of the speaker. Read more…

More about Microsoft, Xiaomi, Cortana, Alexa, and Google Assistant