In the age of streaming services, there are a variety of ways you can watch your favorite shows, movies, and YouTube videos. Maybe you watch them all from your laptop in your bed, or your phone on the train, or from your couch in the living room. If you’re trying to binge-watch from your TV, you’ll have to connect your TV with a device that will connect you to all the streaming platforms you want — a device like a Roku or an Amazon Fire TV Stick, commonly known as the FireStick. But what is a FireStick, how does it work, and how do you set it up?
SEE ALSO: Best 4K TVs
What can you do with an Amazon Fire TV Stick?
There are a few different versions of Amazon Fire TV Stick: the classic Amazon Fire TV Stick; the Amazon Fire Stick Lite; the Amazon Fire TV Cube; and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Starting at around $35, Amazon Fire TV Stick essentially turns any TV with an HDMI input into a smart TV. Once you have the device set up, you can stream anything on it, from Netflix to Peacock TV to any video on YouTube or song on Spotify. It’s a plug-in device, which makes installing and setting it up pretty easy. It comes with voice control via Alexa Voice Remote, so you can say: “Hey, Alexa, open Netflix” from your remote. You can also stream in 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+ if those settings can work on your TV. You can also search the internet, connect to online games, and share photos on your TV.
What do I need to make my Amazon Fire TV Stick work?
An Amazon Fire TV Stick connects to a TV that has an HDMI port, which most TVs do, your internet connection, your Amazon account, and the usernames and passwords for all the streaming services you’ll want to use. You’ll need two AAA batteries for the remote, and then you can set it up.
How do you install, set up, and connect an Amazon Fire TV Stick?
It’s remarkably easy to install, set up, and connect an Amazon Fire TV Stick — it only takes three steps. First, you’ll plug your device into your TV’s HDMI port, then you’ll plug the Fire TV Stick into the wall outlet, and, finally, you’ll follow the steps on the screen to activate it. The on-screen instructions will lead you through connecting to your internet, downloading the software updates, and setting up any other equipment — like your remote control — that you might want to pair. Now all you have to do is connect your streaming services to the device, and enjoy!
Has Instagram going down again left you with nowhere to shit post? Don’t worry, you can find some like-minded, platform-less folks in… the comments section on Downdetector.
That’s right, Downdetector: The website everybody uses to confirm when Facebook and Instagram are having problems. (Full disclosure: Downdetector is owned by Mashable’s parent company, ZiffDavis.)
Feeling our feelings in unlikely places. Credit: screenshot: downdetector
You might not have realized, but the site has a comments section, powered by the popular comments hosting service Disqus. Downdetector says comments exist so people can say what they’re experiencing and share intel — and this is mostly how people use it.
“The purpose of the comments section within our website is to show the current user experience with a service,” Michelle Badrian, the communications manager at the company that runs Downdetector, Ookla, said. “We actively monitor comments displayed on Downdetector to ensure the vast majority are related to user-reported experiences with service issues.”
But often, these sections become something more. Frankly, after Instagram went down on Friday, the comments section was poppin’ off.
Any single people? Credit: screenshot: downdetector
Yes, there were tons of people promoting their websites and services and (ironically) Instagram handles. But the Instagram comments section has also just become a place where people can talk smack, show love, and get weird.
Do you think the curse has taken effect yet? Credit: screenshot: mashable
Everybody jokes that Twitter is where people turn when Instagram goes down. But real ones know that Downdetector is the place to go. There have been hundreds of new comments in the ~2 hours since Instagram began having problems Friday.
They all make a good point. Credit: screenshot; downdetector
When you can’t get horny on main, get horny on Downdetector, we guess.
UPDATE: Oct. 8, 2021, 3:24 p.m. PDT This story was updated to include comment from Ookla.
Instagram appears to be back up and running. The company tweeted that the issues had been resolved, and acknowledged oh what a week it’s been.
Tweet may have been deleted
The original story appears below.
Facebook, get your sh*t together!
Just four days after the longest outage in Facebook history, it appears that Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram are having issues again.
As of mid-morning Pacific Time Friday, Instagram was failing to load new content for some users. Down Detector (which is owned by Mashable’s parent company, Ziff Davis), showed spikes in user incident reports around 11 a.m. PT. Problems appeared concentrated in major U.S. cities across the country.
Instagram is having issues again. Credit: screenshot: down detector
Facebook was also loading slowly, with users on down detector reporting problems with their feeds.
What gives, Facebook?! Credit: screenshot: down detector
Users once again expressed their frustration on Twitter with all of the memes.
Tweet may have been deleted
Facebook and Instagram confirmed the outage — on Twitter, of course.
Tweet may have been deleted
Instagram even used a particularly pathetic emoji to deliver the news. Smiling tear indeed.
Grab your magnifying glass and get ready to investigate as Mashable uncovers Big/Little Mysteries.
Weeks ago, a friend came over to watch the 1992 hit Basic Instinct. We had both seen it before and, thus, chatted and joked around as the first few plot points unfolded.
Until the famous interrogation scene, that is. Then, witnessing Sharon Stone’s character Catherine wrap a room of cops around her finger, we fell silent. We were enraptured.
The moment exemplified why erotic thrillers like BasicInstinct are the perfect movie-length escape — perhaps from the pandemic, or whatever else our doomsday reality throws at you. Erotic thrillers are sexy yet campy, melodramatic yet quiet. One scene you’re tense, the next you’re laughing, the next you’re horny.
Many of the top erotic thrillers are decades old at this point, however, and for many the age shows. Take Dressed to Kill, a 1980 fore-bearer of the genre, whose entire plot hinges on a transphobic twist. Thankfully, however, there are other erotic thrillers that remain relevant.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a primer for those who want to see the best of the category without wading through the muck of B-list bombs.
1. Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct is considered the crown jewel of erotic thriller, and with good reason. The movie is a play-by-play of what makes the genre great. The plot is a juicy mystery of whether a novelist committed a murder described in detail in her last book, with enough twists to keep the viewer guessing until the final moments. The main actors, Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, are erotic thriller royalty.
But Basic Instinct isn’t without its flaws, and they may deter some viewers. One sex scene, for instance, has dubious consent between the characters.
Secondly, actress Sharon Stone said director Paul Verhoeven tricked her into showing her vulva in the interrogation scene, which Verhoeven denied. Verhoeven did get some retribution at the time, though. As Stone wrote in her recent memoir, “I went to the projection booth, slapped Paul across the face, left, went to my car, and called my lawyer.” Regardless, her vulva made it into the final cut.
You can stream Basic Instinct on HBO Max.
2. Fatal Attraction
If there’s another paragon of the genre, it’s 1987’s Fatal Attraction. Featuring Michael Douglas and a different blonde this time — Glenn Close — this movie is an overall classic. Michael Douglas plays a husband and father named Dan who has a weekend tryst with another woman, Alex (Close), who turns out to be obsessed with him. Infidelity is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a common theme in erotic thriller.
As the movie goes on, Alex sets out to ruin Dan. The result is a high-paced cat and mouse game that’ll have you choking on your popcorn by the end.
Again, like many of these movies, Fatal Attraction reads differently in 2021. Glenn Close was never happy that critics and audiences saw Alex as a super-villain psychopath. Rather, Close believes Alex to be a deeply distressed woman. As I watch the movie today, I keep Close’s read of her character in mind.
You can rent Fatal Attraction on Prime Video for $3.99.
3. Body Heat
Like Dressed to Kill, Body Heat is an early erotic thriller — only this 1981 film isn’t nearly as problematic. Instead, Body Heat is a sexy and sweaty film about a woman who cheats on her husband and later murders him with the help of her lover.
Body Heat is the perfect watch for when you’re wistful for summer. It takes place during a Florida heat wave, and the characters can’t stop talking about how hot it is or how damp they are. Whatever the filmmakers did to make everyone look drenched worked; the thriller may as well have been filmed in our current climate disaster-ridden existence.
Watch Body Heat to see where actress Kathleen Turner launched her career, and to discover an ending that’s still satisfying four decades later.
You can stream Body Heat on HBO Max.
4. Indecent Proposal
A movie about infidelity, again! This one stars Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson as a down-on-their-luck married couple in need of cash. After bombing at a Vegas roulette table and losing all their money, a billionaire offers them his titular indecent proposal: pay one million dollars to spend a night with Moore’s character, Diana.
Diana and her husband David refuse, but the proposal nonetheless sends waves through their marriage. The billionaire, in typical billionaire fashion tries to get everything they want and doesn’t leave them alone. The premise may sound ridiculous, but the film takes it seriously and thus we, the audience, do too.
The premise also lives beyond this movie. For a gender-bent Indecent Proposal, check out season one of the Netflix show What/If.
You can stream Indecent Proposal on Starz.
5. Disclosure
Demi Moore stars in another erotic thriller with the genre’s king, Michael Douglas. In Disclosure, Douglas plays Tom, a manager expecting to receive a big promotion, but his ex-girlfriend Meredith (Moore) is hired for the role instead.
The plot unfolds into a too-familiar story of sexual harassment, but Disclosure subverts expectations: Meredith attacks Tom. The film grapples with questions about workplace harassment and gender roles that are still painfully relevant over 25 years later.
You can rent Disclosure on YouTube for $3.99.
6. Body of Evidence
Body of Evidence stars Madonna as a femme fatale embroiled in a murder trial of the millionaire she was — surprise — having an affair with. Her weapon? Her body.
Her lawyer, played by Willem Dafoe, has to manage both her advances and defending her case. In addition to a murder mystery, there’s lots of talk about cocaine and sex that’s typical of the erotic thriller genre.
Body of Evidence is easily the most camp on this list, and the least loved by critics; it was on Roger Ebert’s most hated films list, if that’s any indication. Don’t watch Body of Evidence if you’re looking for brilliant plot or acting, but in 2021 it’s still an entertaining story — with some softcore scenes to boot.
You can stream Body of Evidence for free on Pluto TV.
7. Eyes Wide Shut
The lore around this 1999 film may be as well known as the story itself. Eyes Wide Shut stars then-married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as fictional husband and wife, which in itself is reason to watch. Their characters, Bill and Alice, have such frank conversations about their sex life and fantasies one must wonder whether it was awkward on set (Cruise and Kidman divorced two years after the movie’s release).
After one of these conversations — where Alice reveals she considered having an affair before — Bill stumbles into a secret society’s masquerade/orgy. As expected, sex and murder and intrigue ensue.
The imagery of Eyes Wide Shut is so iconic that it’s actually influenced sex clubs today…though, from experience, I can say the fictional parties are much more unsettling.
You can stream Eyes Wide Shut on Showtime.
8. The Handmaiden
No, this isn’t a classic late-twentieth century thriller — but it’s a twisty, mindmeldy movie that has all the fixings for one. The Handmaiden is a 2016 Korean thriller set in 1900s Korea, when the nation was under Japanese rule. At the start, a swindler enlists the help of a pickpocket to try to seduce a Japanese heiress, trick her into marrying him, and then commit her to an asylum to steal her inheritance.
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From there, the movie sets off into a winding tale of deceit, murder, and (queer!) sex. Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz called The Handmaiden a puzzle, which is the perfect description. When all the pieces finally wedge into place by the end, it is endlessly gratifying.
You can stream The Handmaiden on Amazon Prime.
9. Gone Girl
If you’re not interested in the mid-century modern sets and soft-light aesthetic of classic erotic thrillers, I don’t get it — but nonetheless, Gone Girl may be a better pick for you. This 2014 film, based on the 2012 novel of the same name, will keep you guessing until it lets you in on its explosive secret.
The story follows a husband (played by actor and meme Ben Affleck) trying to find his wife (Rosamund Pike) who disappeared on their fifth wedding anniversary. He’s then quickly accused of her murder.
Gone Girl‘s twist undermines the often tragic story of femicide, even with its unsettling plot points and turns akin to earlier erotic thrillers.
You can stream Gone Girl on Hulu.
Whichever movie you start with, know you’re in for an emotional — and horny — rollercoaster.
We know the name: Bond. James Bond. But in 2021, we have to ask ourselves: What does the “007” moniker even mean these days?
With the lavish No Time To Diesending off Daniel Craig’s take on the legendary MI6 agent this weekend, it can be overwhelming to consider not just Craig’s influence on the role but the impressions left by so many Bonds before him. Yes, there’s the age-old debate of which handsome actor played the super spy best: Craig, Connery, Lazenby, Dalton, Brosnan, Niven, or Moore?
But the more interesting angle, it seems, can be found in the question of “best Bond” itself. More than 68 years in, how we define what makes a Bond better than other Bonds speaks to not just the character’s literal narrative but to the impact the franchise is having with movie-goers across generations. How is 007 shaping our world — and, more importantly, is it for good or evil?
Staring down the promise of a new Bond casting sometime soon, we decided to swap intelligence on our favorite Bonds, going beyond the same ol’ suspects to toss in a few wild cards.
George Lazenby as James Bond (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
“This never happened to the other fellow.” Credit: United Artist/Getty Images
Any case for George Lazenby as the best Bond is really a case for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the best Bond movie, since that was Lazenby’s only Bond movie.
Let’s review: It’s got a main theme that slaps mightily and also perhaps the best decades-later remix of said theme. It’s wall-to-wall ’60s mod culture fashion sense and trippy visuals. Telly Savalas — Kojak himself! — is the villainous Bond nemesis Blofeld, and his look in this movie was the inspiration for Austin Powers’ nemesis, Dr. Evil. There are also multiple gunfights that unfold on skis, with one where Lazenby’s Bond accidentally invents snowboarding after one of his skis gets shot and he ditches it.
It should be said that the misogyny factor is quite high in this Bond. At one point, Lazenby repeatedly slaps a woman (who admittedly has a gun pointed at him) as part of an interrogation that quickly transforms into foreplay. Later, he sleeps with two women in one night, both under false pretenses. Not great! But he also, somewhat indirectly, pays for those transgressions with one of the biggest gut-punch Bond endings in the series history. He falls in love with the woman he slapped earlier and goes off to live his happy ending in a post-MI6 life. But a vengeful Blofeld finds them and stages a surprise drive-by that leaves Bond a grieving widower. Still problematic in a few ways, obviously — but narratively speaking it remains one of the wildest Bond endings to date. — Adam Rosenberg, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Timothy Dalton as James Bond (Living Daylights thru Licence to Kill)
“In my business, you prepare for the unexpected.” Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Image
Taking on the role of Bond after 12 years of Roger Moore almost winking straight down the camera was a significant task. But Dalton’s fresh intensity paved the way for the likes of Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig to move the character back into a (slightly) darker mindset, affected by years of service to MI6, the reality of that license to kill becoming a little heavier.
Only playing Bond for two films, The Living Daylights and License to Kill, Dalton is at his best when he’s doing cool spy shit — whether yelling “We’ve nothing to declare” to a border guard while tobogganing through the Austrian border on a cello case, or getting his license to kill revoked and going completely rogue agent. Parachuting into Felix Leiter’s wedding in License to Kill is a supremely great BFF moment, but kissing his wife at the reception isn’t the best.
Unfortunately, Dalton is pretty romantically cheesy as Bond and seems genuinely uncomfortable when he’s trying to be smooth — the carnival sequence in The Living Daylights is so painful. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond (Goldeneye thru Die Another Day)
“One rises to meet a challenge.” Credit: Keith Hamshere / Getty Images
Pierce Brosnan is the Bond most millennials (and possibly Xennials) picture when they think of this iconic bit of IP, and not just because of the millions of hours lost to GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo 64. Brosnan is classically handsome, even pretty, in a way that none of his older counterparts ever achieved (with apologies to my fellow Australian, George Lazenby, and his chin dimple); when people under 50 muse about the qualities required to step into Bond’s dress brogues, I guarantee you that they’re picturing Idris Elba or Regé-Jean Page in Brosnan’s arch, sleek pose, not Daniel Craig’s lumbering gruffness.
His four-film run, from 1995’s Goldeneye to 2002’s Die Another Day, crystallises the franchise’s MO in a delicious stew of high-octane cheese, sleek set pieces, impossible gadgets, and stunning, capable women with names that hark back to the best-worst of the vintage era — from Famke Janssen’s killer-quads queen Xenia Onatopp to Denise Richards’ Dr. Christmas Jones.
Brosnan single-handedly, if belatedly, carried the Bond brand out of the stale Cold War conflicts that had powered it since the 60s, and did so with a self-effacing elegance that never cramped his smirking, efficient shoot-em-up style. The man fenced with Madonna and did a handbrake turn in a tank, for God’s sake. The last Bond before the Dark And Gritty Reboot was the perfect balance of classic and (relatively) modern, and his shadow still lingers over whatever comes next. — Caitlin Welsh, Australia Editor
Daniel Craig as James Bond (Casino Royale thru No Time To Die)
“A gun and a radio. Not exactly Christmas, is it?” Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Eon Productions
I’ve never identified much with, or aspired much to be like, any James Bond. Daniel Craig on the other hand, sold us a more relatable, gritty, visceral, action-oriented Bond. One that I think I could be closer to, realistically. Less snobby and polished and refined; someone I could maybe cross paths with.
The Craig movies also, in my opinion, like Casino Royale, Spectre, etc. are noticeably darker — visually and thematically. Daniel Craig brings to James Bond what Heath Ledger brought to the Joker. When I first saw Craig in the role, I was hooked. Like, double-O my goodness, this guy is cool.
SEE ALSO:
Everyone you need to remember before seeing ‘No Time to Die’
When it comes to aggressive, realistic action sequences, Daniel Craig also comes off as the most badass, but we owe major props to the movie magicians behind the camera for making him look so good. But yeah, he’s way more badass than the previous cheesy, snobby, old Bonds. — Matt Orsini, PR Manager
Lashana Lynch as “The New 007” aka Nomi (No Time To Die)
“It’s only a number.” Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Eon Productions
Historically speaking, James Bond is a man of excess. Too many suits, too many martinis, too many bullets, etc. So it’s no wonder that when the going gets tough, like really tough, he tends to be in dire straits for resources. Namely, 007 is always out of time.
Start up any final act of any Bond film, and you’ll find that the window for winning is closing. And what’s worse? Bond has got just one final shot to set things right. It’s under these extreme circumstances — no padding, no do-over — that Lashana Lynch brings “the new 007” Nomi to life in No Time To Die. She’s an exquisitely effective character who, even without sharing the Bond name, exudes the icon’s suave staying power. With a limited amount of screen time and no promise of a sequel to continue building her character, Lynch leaves it all out the field — delivering tight combat and a charismatic persona that scream spin-off franchise. She rules, full-stop.
But this is more than a great performance: Nomi paves the way for other actors who aren’t handsome white cis dudes to take a shot at the 007 name. As the first Black woman named 007, Lynch has broken progressive ground in a franchise riddled with problematic old-world views. Here’s hoping MGM gives her the starring 007 role she deserves, sometime soon. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
Cookie Monster as Sesame Street‘s “Double-Stuffed 7”
Did Sean Connery fend off airborne chickens? No. Would Pierce Brosnan’s eyeballs spin chaotically during action sequences? No. Was Daniel Craig’s theatrical motivation fueled by a soul-level love of cookies? Honestly I don’t know. Only a single James Bond can say yes to all of the above. And that Bond is Monster. Cookie Monster.
It feels journalistically important to admit that I have seen exactly one James Bond movie. I rented Quantum of Solace from a Redbox in Pittsburgh and fell asleep for the final 30 minutes. But I do know Muppets. So when a chance comes to claim a Muppet as the best anything, I am THERE.
And while The Spy Who Loved Cookies is not technically Bond canon, Cookie Monster as Double Stuffed Seven certainly deserved consideration as the best suave secret agent. His blue fur pops in a tux, he learns important lessons about listening to directions, and he doesn’t shy away from a pun. If I learned one thing from the 74 minutes of Quantum of Solace I watched, it’s that more puns would’ve helped.
(Please don’t yell at me on the internet for this take. All Muppets deserve their own feature films. Give me Oscar the Grouch as an Avenger already, you cowards.) — Annie Colbert, Executive Editor
Daniel Craig as Saturday Night Live‘s “Party Bond”
While Daniel Craig brings a lot of suave intensity to the role of James Bond, this Saturday Night Live sketch is where he truly shines. In a delightful turn of events, his typically hardened exterior gives way to giddy excitement when he keeps winning at a Las Vegas craps table. Soon, everyone in the room, from old ladies to bachelor party members, is rooting for 007, much to the consternation of the agent attempting to speak to him.
Sure, it’s only a 3 minute sketch, but there’s something so exciting about Bond letting loose and having fun for once. Craig fully commits to the bit, showboating for the casino crowds before declaring himself “Simba, King of the Jungle!” and singing a bit of “Circle of Life.” Heck, he even forgoes his traditional martini (shaken, not stirred, obviously), for a pint glass of vodka and Red Bull.
It’s a ridiculous subversion of Bond tropes, but Craig never loses sight of the character. It’s a perfect parody of Bond, and Craig gets major props for not being afraid to send up one of his biggest roles and knocking it out of the park. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Writer
The Office‘s Michael Scott as Threat Level Midnight‘s “Michael Scarn”
Have I seen a single James Bond movie in my 28 years of life? I don’t think so. And to be honest, I don’t really feel the need to. Why? Because I’m sure I’ve already seen the greatest Bond of them all: Steve Carell as Michael Scott as Agent Michael Scarn in his original film, Threat Level Midnight. I have no doubt that Sean Connery’s original Bond and Daniel Craig’s recent revival were great, but The Office‘s take on James Bond simply must be superior, because Michael Scott has Bond in his blood. Remember that time he effortlessly joked, “I am Bond-fire! James Bond-fire!” This man was born to play Bond.
Not only did Scott bless us with the unique action movie, Threat Level Midnight — a cinematic labor of love that took over a decade to write, cast, film, and edit — but his performance as the Bond-like Agent Scarn was full of heart and personality. It’s also worth noting that Scarn has his own song and dance (very cool!) and he was crucially sampled on a Billie Eilish track BEFORE the teen wrote and recorded the No Time To Die theme. His influence. A legendary agent. — Nicole Gallucci, Senior Editor
Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery impression for Saturday Night Live
Technically, he’s not playing James Bond, but bear with me for a minute. In this recurring Saturday Night Live sketch, Darrell Hammond plays Sean Connery as a contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy. Connery will always be considered the quintessential Bond. So Hammond as Connery is really Hammond as Bond.
And that’s kinda the point of the parody. Hammond’s impression imagines Connery with the same characteristics that made Bond so iconic, but also exaggerated as a crude potty-mouth who peaked when he left the franchise. Instead of in his comfort zone at the blackjack table, seducing (read: coercing, but we’ll leave that for another time) a femme fatale, he is on a game show in the present day (ish) that has seen several waves of feminism, and a whole bunch of other stuff that Hammond’s Connery would have learned about if he had gone to sensitivity training.
Hammond’s Connery acts as if he’s had a few too many martinis shaken-not-stirred. He jokes inappropriately about sleeping with Alex Trebek’s (played by Will Ferrell) mother. He misreads Jeopardy categories, as sexual references (saying “anal bum cover” instead of “an album cover.”) The result is a drunk uncle vibe who is trying to relive the glory days. And maybe that’s what Bond would be today. Arguably, this is the truest imagining of 007. Bond is, in many ways, a character from a bygone era. And it might be asking too much of him to get with the times. — Cecily Mauran, Tech Writer
Facebook wants you to “explore,” “play,” and “create” in its new virtual reality social platform — but whatever you do there, don’t call it Facebook.
The perpetually scandal-engulfed company made that preference clear this week when it rebranded its still-in-beta VR social platform, Facebook Horizon, to Horizon Worlds. It’s almost like the Facebook name carries some unwanted baggage, and the company is conspicuously releasing products that lack it.
Facebook officially announced the switch in a Thursday blog post, writing that the new name is meant to “better reflect the diverse spaces Horizon creators have developed over the last year[.]”
For the unaware, the invite-only Horizon Worlds (née Facebook Horizon) is a virtual reality platform where users can hang out with friends (and presumably strangers) in digital versions of ramen shops, magical fields, and old-timey town squares. The product was first announced in 2019, and is accessible via Facebook-made VR headset like the Oculus Quest 2.
Ari Grant, a product management director at Facebook Reality Labs, said in 2020 that the company hoped users would eventually use the virtual reality platform for things like “tutoring” or “worship.”
Meaghan Fitzgerald, at the time head of product marketing at Facebook Reality Labs (now the product marketing director at Oculus, according to her LinkedIn), further explained the company’s understanding of Facebook Horizon at the time.
“A great analogy for Horizon is Facebook Groups,” she said back in 2020. Which, with everything we know about Facebook Groups, maybe wasn’t the choicest comparison.
Facebook’s relationship with the virtual reality community has been, up until this point, a rocky one. After Facebook acquired Oculus in 2014, Oculus founder (and vocal Donald Trump supporter) Palmer Lucky promised that use of the virtual reality headset would never require a Facebook account. In August of 2020, Facebook announced that in the near future that would no longer be the case.
Whether by design or not, the move from Facebook Horizon to Horizon Worlds could help obfuscate the virtual reality platform’s connection to the Mark Zuckerberg-helmed behemoth the world just can’t seem to quit.
SEE ALSO: Instagram and WhatsApp are tainted by Facebook’s BS. Delete them.
In 2019, the Pew Research Center reported that most Americans didn’t realize Facebook owned WhatsApp and Instagram (it does). Perhaps with enough name changes, Facebook can pull off the same trick in the world of social virtual reality.
In which case, people might actually be excited to use its products.
After years of threats, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is finally moving the electric vehicle company out of its home state in California and deep into the heart of Texas.
At its annual shareholder meeting held at the under-construction Gigafactory in Austin, Musk announced that the EV company would officially move its headquarters to the Texas capital. Presumably, the transition will happen once the factory is ready for production.
“I’m excited to announce we’re moving our headquarters to Austin, Texas,” he said to cheers.
Tesla’s headquarters have been based in Palo Alto, California in the heart of Silicon Valley since the early 2000s, while its main production facility is in nearby Fremont, California.
Musk assured shareholders and employees that the Fremont plant’s operations would still continue and that vehicle output would increase as much as 50 percent in the coming years.
“This isn’t a matter of Tesla leaving California,” he said, stating that Model X and S production would continue at the Fremont plant.
Musk also said the Fremont factory “is jammed” and that it’s hard for employees to afford housing in the Bay Area.
Gigafactory Austin will be where the delayed Cybertruck will eventually be made. The new plant is expected to be finished by the end of this year with car production starting in 2022.
SEE ALSO:
Tesla’s Cybertruck delayed until late 2022, Elon Musk confirms
Musk spends a lot of time in Texas because of his rocket company SpaceX and claims Tesla is now building an “ecological paradise” at the Texas campus.
Musk had previously threatened to move his company out of the state as a result of pandemic restrictions that kept the Tesla Fremont factory closed. Now it’s official.
You can watch Musk make the announcement around the 1 hour mark:
Dr. Melfi would have a field day with The Many Saints of Newark.
The HBO series that pathologized the mind of a modern-day mob boss (and also launched a golden age of TV, nbd) returns now in 2021 with an HBO movie digging into the roots of those troubles. It’s got all the answers Tony Soprano’s therapist ever sought, and they’re no longer filtered through an unreliable narrator who may have lied to himself more than anyone else in his life.
The Many Saints of Newark shines a light for the first time on what Tony knew, what he didn’t, and where his truths and lies are buried. While his teenage years aren’t this story’s sole focus, everything that happens has a rippling impact on the young Tony, played with uncanny fidelity to James Gandolfini’s original performance by the late actor’s son, Michael.
Tony’s emergence is simultaneously the deepest narrative layer at play and also the entire reason this movie exists. The Many Saints tagline asks “Who made Tony Soprano?” The answer to that question is a name Sopranos fans have heard plenty of times before, and on the surface, he’s the star of this story: Dickie Moltisanti.
That surname — which notably translates from Italian to “many saints” — ought to ring a bell: Dickie’s son Christopher (or Christophuh, for the real ones) played an outsized role in adult Tony’s life. We’ve always known that Chrissy’s dad had a similar role to play in the younger Tony’s life, acting as a sort of father figure. But now we get to see it firsthand.
Fan service is a big presence in “The Many Saints of Newark”, though it gets too distracting at times. Credit: BARRY WETCHER / WARNER BROS.
In Many Saints, Dickie is a mid-level New Jersey wiseguy who finds himself caught in a racially charged blood feud with a former associate, Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom, Jr.), after Harold strikes out on his own and steps on the Italian mob’s toes in the process. But just like The Sopranos, this isn’t a singular story but rather one corner of a broad canvas that places just as much narrative weight on the everyday trials and tribulations of a mobster’s life.
In that sense, Many Saints is more of a portrait. The Sopranos had the luxury of developing its characters and their idiosyncratic personalities over six seasons. By dialing the focus down to, functionally, just one main character, this prequel manages the same for Dickie within the confines of a two-hour film.
Alessandro Nivola does a tremendous job of capturing Dickie as a complex individual who, much like Tony, finds himself regularly caught between his grim and often violent duties to an organized crime family and his surprisingly tender, if heavily calloused, heart. Dickie is a thief and a murderer with a fiery temper — a trait that runs in the family, we learn — but time and again we also see a man who’s haunted by his actions. Dickie is too self-absorbed and enmeshed in the life to alter his course, but he’s not beyond remorse.
Those swings are on clear display in Nivola’s performance. Dickie is an emotionally intelligent sociopath who also happens to be a natural leader. He broods and weeps over his dark, irreversible choices. He awkwardly reconnects with an exiled and imprisoned uncle in a misguided act of repentance that Dickie himself never seems fully sold on. But he also commands the respect of those around him, and is the person all eyes turn to when critical decisions need to be made. Nivola carries all of that gracefully, delivering a layered character who is both relatable and despicable.
The Many Saints of Newark shines a light on what Tony knew, what he didn’t, and where his truths and lies are buried.
With so much narrative scaffold built up around Dickie, however, it’s hard for any of the other characters to really stand out. If Many Saints is a gangster movie on the surface and an origin story for Tony Soprano deep down, the middle depths are more fandom-focused. The script is awash with direct and indirect references to key Sopranos moments — everything from “Gogootz!” to “He never had the makings of a varsity athlete.” — as well as younger versions of adored characters.
There’s a price to pay for all of that fan service, though: It’s downright distracting. This is a movie that’s made for the fans, but those same fans will probably need multiple viewing just to appreciate the story. It’s hard to focus on Dickie’s exploits as a wiseguy when you’re hunting every frame for a snippet of dialogue or visual cue that addresses some unanswered question from the HBO series.
Of course, all that noise doesn’t detract from the visceral delight of seeing our favorite wiseguys like Silvio Dante, Paulie Walnuts, and Big Pussy as young and hungry gangsters. These performances border on becoming caricatures at times, but that makes sense. We spent six seasons watching tics and quirks transform into layered personalities. The younger performers don’t have nearly as much time or focus in this shorter story.
The movie seems to get that, too, playing each character’s appearance for the wink-y laughs they bring to any scene. There’s likely to be lots of talk about John Magaro’s take on Silvio, which is a close-to-perfect interpretation of Steven Van Zandt’s memorably specific performance on the show. But Billy Magnussen’s Paulie and Samson Moeakiola’s Big Pussy are just as faithful to each character’s core personality and idiosyncrasies.
For those that have a central role to play in the story, we get more depth. Livia Soprano was always one of the HBO series’ most difficult-to-unwind characters, and Vera Farmiga’s take, which beautifully channels Nancy Marchand’s quirks from the show, gives us a younger Livia who is still fully in command of herself but who is also no less toxic or dysfunctional as a parent.
Farmiga gives Livia the big moments that are needed to sell the character while still leaving space in the performance to actualize the positive impacts she had on Tony in his youth. This Livia is loud, obnoxious, judgmental, and emotionally abusive, but she also has the capacity to grasp onto brief moments of sentimentality. Tony always hated his mother more than he loved her even if that love was always still, somehow, there. Farmiga shows us that somehow.
Vera Farmiga’s turn as Livia Soprano is a beautiful tribute to and natural expansion of Nancy Marchand’s captivating original performance. Credit: barry wetcher / warner bros.
Then there’s Corey Stoll, who steps into the role of a younger Corrado Soprano, aka Tony’s Uncle Junior. Stoll’s performance is great. He’s a talented actor, and he nails the character’s mannerisms and speech patterns. But as a person, Junior just isn’t as big a personality as many of the others in the Sopranos crew. Also, while he plays an absolutely pivotal role in this particular story, we don’t spend an awful lot of time getting to know the young Uncle June.
It almost feels like The Many Saints of Newark might’ve worked better as — wait for it! — a TV series. Creator David Chase brought back Sopranos veteran Lawrence Konner to co-write the script and Alan Taylor, who helmed multiple episodes, to direct. These are guys who get the show — not just what it was doing from episode to episode, but what it was about. They bring that experience here and it elevates the movie into something any fan will appreciate.
There’s too much going on, though. It’s a gangster movie. It’s an origin story for one of the 21st century’s most celebrated antiheroes. It’s a work of immaculate fan service. There’s a big, sweeping power struggle and small, deeply revealing slices of life. And then there’s Michael Gandolfini, owning every second he’s on the screen as he inhabits one of the greatest performances in the history of television.
Tony never brought this kind of honesty and transparency into Dr. Melfi’s office. Sure, The Many Saints of Newark is one more chance to live inside a world that, for all its ugliness, is also darkly funny and grounded in relatable themes. But the good doctor’s penetrating gaze would never settle for such a straightforward take. In spite of its faults as a story, Chase’s unexpected journey into the past offers a revealing picture that immediately becomes vital addition to The Sopranos family history and deepens our understanding of its most central character.
The Many Saints of Newark comes to theaters and HBO Max on Oct. 1.
And while one can still deny that reality in their YouTube content, they won’t be able to monetize or run advertisements for it.
On Thursday, YouTube updated its ads and monetization policies to prohibit the monetization of climate denialism content. The policy covers content that claims climate change is a hoax or a scam. Creators will also be unable to monetize content that denies that the global climate is warming or that humans contribute to climate change.
Advertisements for this type of content are now also prohibited on YouTube.
YouTube says the policy decision was simple: Advertisers and creators do not want to be associated with climate denialism.
“In recent years, we’ve heard directly from a growing number of our advertising and publisher partners who have expressed concerns about ads that run alongside or promote inaccurate claims about climate change,” said YouTube in its policy update notice. “Advertisers simply don’t want their ads to appear next to this content. And publishers and creators don’t want ads promoting these claims to appear on their pages or videos.”
According to YouTube, the company consulted with climate science experts who have contributed to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment reports in order to form the policy.
The Google-owned video platform says it will consider context for videos that cover climate denialism, such as a news report. The company will continue to allow ads and monetization on climate policy debates, the impacts of climate change, and new research around the topic. The policy will be enforced with a combination of human review and the platform’s automated systems.
YouTube has long been criticized for allowing misinformation on its platform. For example, its recommendation engine can send users down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and extremist content.
The company has made changes over time to deal with flat earth conspiracy and 9/11 truther content. In the past year, YouTube has banned conspiracies about the results of the 2020 presidential election and anti-vaxxer misinformation.
The new policy on climate denial goes into effect next month.
