The Platonic Ideal of conspicuous consumption never looked so shiny — and Apple really wants you to keep it that way. 

The much ballyhooed Apple Card had its official U.S.-wide launch yesterday, with eager early adopters rushing to praise the card’s titanium body and laser-etched logo. And, because this is an Apple product, the geniuses of Cupertino released an elaborate set of cleaning and care instructions for the newest addition to their family of products. 

Yes, you read that correctly. Cleaning and care instructions for a credit card. 

“Place your card in a slot in your wallet or billfold without touching another credit card,” reads the card-owning guide. “If two credit cards are placed in the same slot your card could become scratched.” Read more…

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By now, you’ve probably heard about that ridiculous, nearly decade-old privacy hoax that went viral on Instagram thanks to a bunch of clueless celebrities.

And while it’s easy to laugh at, it has some pretty serious implications for the company’s billion plus users.

That the hoax, which has been repeatedly debunked over the years, was able to spread like virtual wildfire across Instagram is concerning to say the least. It shows just how easily conspiracy theories and propaganda can spread, with Instagram doing little to stop it. The hoax incorrectly warns of a change in Instagram’s privacy policy and encourages users to copy and paste a sloppy statement in order to block the Facebook-owned company from using their photos, messages, and other information.   Read more…

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If we’ve learned anything from this video, it’s that the internet needs more turtle ASMR content. Like, yesterday.

For everyone that has ever wanted to experience the cuteness overload brought on by little turtles getting their munch on pond-side, YouTube channel The Fish Whisperer has got your back (er, your shell, in this case). 

Given a mic, a naturally picturesque background, and an assortment of fruits, veggies, and crunchy buggies, the turtles are free to casually waltz up the hill, grab a quick bite, and slip back down to the pond. The turtles have obviously mastered the art of somehow being wholesomely charming while eating. If only we could learn to do the same. Read more…

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Streaming the millionth episode of your favorite show? Play it safe and rely on a Virtual Private Network (VPN), whether you’re on your couch or at your airport gate.

What a VPN does

Normally, your computer is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address by your internet service provider (ISP). Every computer you connect to can see your IP address. But if you use an untraceable VPN provider like IPVanish, you can stay hidden. 

A VPN provider runs large server computers in multiple locations, usually on multiple continents. If you use a VPN, every time you connect to the web, your computer connects to one of the VPN servers first. It then uses the Internet connection of that server to find its way to the Internet.  Read more…

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You’re in the mood to watch a movie but need to download it before you can break out the popcorn. The problem is, a regular web download for a large file like a film could take forever. Worse, it could freeze up your computer from executing other programs smoothly. 

BitTorrent lets you download large files faster so you can get to your movie in no time. But such convenience comes at a cost. Read on to learn how to download torrents securely with a reliable, untraceable VPN service like IPVanish.  Read more…

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You’re in an airport and realize you forgot to download your favorite show to watch while waiting for your next flight. Or you’re in your favorite coffee shop and need to catch up on work. In both cases, you need WiFi. 

While connecting to WiFi on your home network is usually a secure process, public WiFi connections can be like the Wild West. When using public WiFi, you’re vulnerable both to the wireless access point (WAP) that your location is running, as well as to the people in your vicinity who can connect to your device wirelessly.  Read more…

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This week, Billie Eilish became the first artist born in the 2000s to top the Billboard Hot 100 with her goth trap anthem “Bad Guy,” finally unseating Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” from a record-breaking 19-week run. In doing so, Eilish accomplished what veteran artists, such as Ed Sheehan and Taylor Swift, could not.

But with immense popularity comes copycat responsibility. Early Wednesday morning, Reddit user u/FunkTurkey posted his Weird Al-inspired parody of Eilish’s hit, “Dad Guy,” to r/videos.

In the video, FunkTurkey replaces the lyrics of Eilish’s single with odes to dadhood. Clips of the young father riding the lawnmower, feeding his kids, and rubbing [presumably] his wife’s pregnant belly backdrop lyrics like, “You ask/ I say go ask your mom” and “Gained a couple pounds type/ eat over the sink type.” Read more…

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The news comes after Insomniac’s 25th anniversary. One of Insomniac’s games, “Spider-Man,” recently had a big uptake in sales.

Read more here. Read more…

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IBM research is developing an AI electronic tongue inspired by how humans taste things. Read more…

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Get your therapist on speed dial, because IT Chapter Two is nearly here to retraumatise you with everything from a scary clown to how harrowing growing up is — and the first reactions are in as critics and fans stream out of the first screenings.

The overall mood is: IT Chapter One, but more. If you found yourself picking holes in the first movie, you’ll probably be frustrated again; if you loved the personal stakes and the characters, there’s that in spades here, with performances from the adult Losers to rival any “serious” drama; and the ending might make you cry.

And if it made you lose sleep, you can look forward to more of that too. Read more…

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