‘The Rise of Skywalker’ failed to care about Finn’s story. That’s a problem.

'The Rise of Skywalker' failed to care about Finn's story. That's a problem.

“Remove everything that has no relevance to the story,” wrote Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. “It’s wrong to make promises you don’t mean to keep.” You may know this principle as Chekhov’s Gun: If you see a rifle on the wall in the first act, it should go off by the end of the play. 

Or to put it in The Rise of Skywalker terms: If Finn (John Boyega) has something to tell Rey as they sink into what seems to be a quicksand-style death on the planet of Pasaana in the first act, we should damn well know what it is by the end of the movie. 

But the silence on this front is so deafening, so antithetical to the laws of good drama, that even casual moviegoers — the ones who don’t care about the Emperor’s hyper-convenient return or Rey’s trilogy-bending Palpatine reveal — leave the theater scratching their heads. Was Finn going to say he loved her, or what? Read more…

More about John Boyega, Finn, Rise Of Skywalker, Entertainment, and Star Wars

The Moskito is like a paper airplane on steroids

The Moskito is like a paper airplane on steroids

TL;DR: Give the best gift this year with the Moskito Smartphone-Controlled Plane with Joystick for $38.24, a 23% savings. 


Got a kid or kid at heart who was hoping to find a drone under the tree? Luckily, the Moskito Smartphone-Controlled Plane is the perfect better-late-than-never gift for just such a scenario. It flies, it’s remote controled, it’s honestly kind of cool — and you can fly it indoors. Plus it will cost you a lot less than a fancy drone at just $38.24 with code HAPPYHOLIDAYS.

Check it out:

No matter the age or piloting abilities of your giftee, the Moskito Plane is extremely accessible and fun. You control it from a highly intuitive app on your phone by steering with your thumb. It has a range of about 200 feet and a durable build, meaning you can crash it into stuff and it won’t break. Probably. Read more…

More about Drones, Toys, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Drones

99 ways climate change impacted Earth in 2019

99 ways climate change impacted Earth in 2019

Earth is now the warmest it’s been in some 120,000 years. Eighteen of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record. And concentrations of carbon dioxide — a potent greenhouse gas — are the highest they’ve been in millions of years. 

The consequences of such a globally-disrupted climate are many, and it’s understandably difficult to keep track. To help, here’s a list of climate-relevant news that has transpired in 2019, from historically unprecedented disappearances of ice, to flood-ravaged cities. 

1Guess what? U.S. carbon emissions popped back up in a big way

99 ways climate change impacted Earth in 2019

Image: SHUTTERSTOCK / FRANK_PETERS
Read more…

More about Science, Global Warming, Climate Change, Science, and Climate Environment

How to start a giving circle

How to start a giving circle

Donating is something that everyone benefits from, including yourself: When you spend money on someone else, research shows you can boost your happiness. 

A giving circle is a particularly effective way to donate, and by participating in one, you ensure your donation can make a big difference. With a giving circle, people pool together their money and time to collectively decide where to spend their resources. Though it’s a simple concept, if you start a giving circle (or are part of one) you can maximize the reach of your charitable giving

In 2016, 1,087 giving circles existed in the U.S., up from 400 in 2006, according to a 2016 report from Collective Giving Research Group (CGRG), which  analyzes giving circles.  Read more…

More about Friendship, Social Good, Philanthropy, Social Good, and Identities

The most ridiculous (and dangerous) tech wellness trends of 2019

The most ridiculous (and dangerous) tech wellness trends of 2019

Have you considered tracking your poop? Do you already record your steps, your heart rate, your macros? Maybe you’ve thought about microdosing, or intermittent fasting, or ditching the birth control your doctor prescribed in favor of an “all natural” app. If so, you’re not alone: aided in part by Silicon Valley’s crunchy, holistic vision of wealth, tech-adjacent wellness trends have swept through the decade like a Kardashian-endorsed tummy tea rips through a colon.

It’s not all Jack Dorsey’s fault. The proliferation of sketchy products and information in the health and wellness industry (see: the morass of dangerous “all natural cancer cures” that flourished on Facebook) represents just one facet of society’s crumbling faith in facts and institutions — whether political, legal, and economic, or scientific and medical. As healthcare access continues to be a challenge for people in need and social media fuels the need to present a curated version of our lives, countless supplement, diet, and exercise companies have stepped directly into our Instagram feeds Read more…

More about Wellness, 2019, Best Worst Of 2019, Tech, and Health

Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick peaces out with $2.5 billion

Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick peaces out with $2.5 billion

Travis Kalanick is out at Uber — for good this time.

The former CEO and cofounder of the company announced Tuesday that he was leaving the board of directors. By this time next week, he’s outta there.

He was ousted as CEO in 2017, when former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi took over, but he remained on the board. Kalanick even testified on behalf of Uber in the 2018 Waymo v. Uber trial concerning self-driving technology trade secrets.

After Uber went public in May, Kalanick waited patiently for the time he could cash in all his Uber shares. And cash in he did as soon as the November lockup deadline lifted. Now he has a healthy $2.5 billion from Uber stock as he ventures further into new projects like his ghost kitchen startup and investment company.  Read more…

More about Uber, Ride Hailing Apps, Travis Kalanick, Tech, and Transportation

Airline to swap ‘ladies and gentlemen’ for gender-inclusive greeting

Airline to swap 'ladies and gentlemen' for gender-inclusive greeting

Buh-bye to gendered airline greetings. 

EasyJet, a low-cost European airline, has reportedly advised its in-flight crews to refrain from using the standard “ladies and gentlemen” greeting when welcoming passengers. 

The inclusive change follows a tweet from an EasyJet passenger, Twitter user @InductiveStep, who urged the airline to stop using the phrase. (EasyJet told CNN that the move was not a direct response to the tweet, which was posted in August.) 

In the tweet, @InductiveStep asked, “Are you in some kind of competition to see how many times you can reinforce gender binaries? … An organisation as huge as yours must do better.”  Read more…

More about Airlines, Gender Identity, Gender Neutral, Gender Inclusive, and Gender Free