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PSA: The First Episode of Syfy’s Vagrant Queen Is on YouTube

Vagrant Queen promises an exiled ex-queen, a bunch of attitude, and one of the most vibrant space opera settings on screen. And you can check it out for free. Yesterday, Syfy posted the premiere episode of Vagrant Queen, “A Royal Ass-Kicking,” on YouTube, letting viewers enjoy it online in all its 53-minute glory. It introduces…

io9 Julie Muncy Mar 28 '20

The Battle Between the PS5 and Xbox Series X Isn’t Going to Be Decided By Specs

Last week, Sony and Microsoft set the stage for a battle that’s going to (hopefully) take place later this year with the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Both systems are poised to bring rich new experiences and high-end features to console gaming, but if you think either one is going to…

Games Sam Rutherford Mar 28 '20

BB-8 Is the Only Hero Anyone Needs in the Newest Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures Short

Who saved the day this time? It was BB-8. It’s always BB-8. The newest short in the endlessly charming Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures series of animations makes the argument that BB-8 is low key the MVP of the new Star Wars trilogy. His dashing heroics and stunning good looks get the organics out of…

Movies Julie Muncy Mar 28 '20

Google Boots InfoWars App Off Play Store Over Bogus Coronavirus Claims

Google has finally kicked the Infowars app from its Play Store, the company confirmed to multiple outlets Friday. The tech giant’s app store was one of the last major bastions for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, as his show (and all the extremist views and tainted supplements it touts) has been booted from nearly every mainstream…

Tech News Alyse Stanley Mar 28 '20

Lawmakers Demand Amazon Get Serious About Worker Safety Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

Following several alarming reports about Amazon’s meager response to the covid-19 pandemic, U.S. lawmakers are demanding answers regarding how the richest corporation in the world plans to keep its employees safe. In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Ilhan Omar pressed for details about the e-commerce giant’s…

Commerce Alyse Stanley Mar 27 '20

Onward Deleted Scene Features a Capitalist Twist on the Siren Song

Disney Pixar’s Onward brought the fantasy world into the 21st century—complete with smartphones, hoodies, and chain restaurants. But how would the legend of the siren song get a timely update? In this deleted scene shared by Entertainment Weekly, Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) finds himself tempted by an offer he can’t refuse—alongside a key character who…

Movies Beth Elderkin Mar 27 '20

io9 Came to the Present to Discuss Steven Universe Future‘s Ending

Steven Quartz Cutie Pie DeMayo Universe has spent the last five seasons of Steven Universe teaching the world just what powerful, transformative forces love and hope can be. But after saving his his galaxy, his planet, and his own mind, Steven’s journey has finally come to an end, so you know we had to talk…

io9 Charles Pulliam-Moore & James Whitbrook Mar 27 '20

Gotham High Is Sending Batman to High School for Some Teen Drama

The basic elements of Batman’s relationships with the Joker and Catwoman are so ingrained in everyone’s minds at this point that it’s much, much more fun when comics decide to veer off the beaten path a little bit. Take, for example, Gotham High, from writer Melissa de la Cruz and artist Thomas Pitilli. In this…

Books & Comics Charles Pulliam-Moore Mar 27 '20

Charter Gives Spectrum Technicians Entering Homes During Pandemic $25 Gift Cards

Charter Communications, the operator of Spectrum, has been one of the companies refusing to allow staff to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, ignoring guidelines from federal, state, and local authorities while citing its “indispensable” status as an infrastructure provider. Spectrum technicians have also been on the front line, entering homes to service cable…

Health Tom McKay Mar 27 '20

The Emissary of Hell, Spider-Man, Is the Showiest Toy of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular roundup of the latest in all things cool, shiny, and plastic. This week: Lego gets its head in the Star Wars games with some cool new collectibles. Batman and Spider-Man swing into action with Bandai’s Figuarts line. Plus, potted Pac-Men, and a deep dive into the history of…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski & James Whitbrook Mar 27 '20

Some Medical Schools Are Graduating Students Early Because of Covid-19

New York University and others are set to allow medical students to graduate and enter the medical field early—if they want to—all in an effort to shore up hospitals grappling with the covid-19 epidemic. The Grossman School of Medicine at NYU was the first to lay out its proposal, following discussions with senior students who…

Health Ed Cara Mar 27 '20

Google Sees Rise in State-Sponsored Hackers Posing as Journalists

Government-backed hackers intent on spreading malware and disinformation online are masquerading increasingly as members of the press, according to new claims by Google’s threat analysis group. The team, known as TAG, tracks state-sponsored hackers and works to uncover zero-days that could undermine its users’ security worldwide. Its latest report focuses largely on state-sponsored phishing campaigns.…

Privacy & Security Dell Cameron Mar 27 '20

Instacart Workers Preparing to Strike Amid Company’s Disastrous Response to Covid-19 Outbreak

Instacart workers are preparing to strike next week in response to the company’s lack of protections for employees who are risking their health and safety to perform their jobs amid the global coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 1,200 people in the U.S. alone. Instacart shoppers (the name Instacart uses for its delivery workers)…

Tech News Catie Keck Mar 27 '20

You’re Not Imagining Things, Your Video Game Downloads Have Gotten Slower

Last week, with the internet being strained due to surging traffic caused by everyone staying at home to avoid spreading covid-19, Netflix and YouTube decided to lower the default resolution of their streaming videos. And now, Sony, Akamai, and others are following suit by reducing the speed of game downloads on their networks. In a…

Games Sam Rutherford Mar 27 '20

The Cast of Watchmen Become the ‘Washmen’ in This Pandemic PSA

You’ve watched the Watchmen, now wash like the…washmen? The cast of HBO’s excellent reimagining of Watchmen has joined forces for a timely PSA, bringing together characters from different planets, planes of existence, and sides of the law to make a video urging fans to wash their hands. The reason, of course, is simple: Thorough hand washing…

Books & Comics Germain Lussier Mar 27 '20

These Machine Learning-Enhanced Clips Might Be Our Only Chance of Seeing HD Star Trek: Voyager Any Time Soon

The story of why we’ve yet to see high definition re-releases of Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine akin to theBlu-ray releases of The Next Generation is long known at this point. Sadly, the process is too complex and involved, and the footage is too difficult to unmesh from its CG special effects, for it…

io9 James Whitbrook Mar 27 '20

A Newly Discovered Microbe Feasts on a Particularly Problematic Plastic

Like other forms of discarded plastic, polyurethane waste threatens the environment and human health. In an encouraging new development, European scientists have stumbled upon a hardy strain of bacteria that appears to thrive off the stuff. New research published in Frontiers in Microbiology describes a newly identified strain of soil bacterium that’s capable of breaking…

Conservation George Dvorsky Mar 27 '20

Samsung’s Cheapest Flagship Is a Great Phone in A Weird Time

Samsung’s Galaxy S20 is the company’s most affordable flagship, which isn’t saying much: The 6.2-inch smartphone costs $1,000. It is a very good phone with a very good—dare I say the very best—display of almost any phone on the market (the only better panels being the S20’s larger siblings, the S20+ and S20 Ultra). In…

Smartphones Caitlin McGarry Mar 27 '20

Ten Things That Are More Expensive Than Tar Sands Oil Right Now

There really couldn’t be a better time to wean ourselves off oil. Even before the spread of covid-19, the oil industry was doing badly. Now that the pandemic is lowering worldwide demand, it’s utterly fucked. Oil prices are plummeting to record lows. On Friday, Western Canadian Select crude oil, the benchmark used to track the…

Climate Change Dharna Noor Mar 27 '20

Amazon ‘Bug’ Was Hiding Products That Would Have Shipped Faster Amid Covid-19 Delays

Amazon is now delaying the shipment of nonessential items through Prime by up to a month as the company struggles to meet the heavy demand of orders it’s experiencing amid shelter-at-home and self-isolation orders put in place to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in the United States. But following this change, Amazon has evidently been…

Tech News Catie Keck Mar 27 '20

PSA: The First Episode of Syfy’s Vagrant Queen Is on YouTube

The Battle Between the PS5 and Xbox Series X Isn’t Going to Be Decided By Specs

BB-8 Is the Only Hero Anyone Needs in the Newest Star Wars: Galaxy of Adventures Short

Google Boots InfoWars App Off Play Store Over Bogus Coronavirus Claims

Lawmakers Demand Amazon Get Serious About Worker Safety Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

Onward Deleted Scene Features a Capitalist Twist on the Siren Song

io9 Came to the Present to Discuss Steven Universe Future‘s Ending

Gotham High Is Sending Batman to High School for Some Teen Drama

Charter Gives Spectrum Technicians Entering Homes During Pandemic $25 Gift Cards

The Emissary of Hell, Spider-Man, Is the Showiest Toy of the Week

Some Medical Schools Are Graduating Students Early Because of Covid-19

Google Sees Rise in State-Sponsored Hackers Posing as Journalists

Instacart Workers Preparing to Strike Amid Company’s Disastrous Response to Covid-19 Outbreak

You’re Not Imagining Things, Your Video Game Downloads Have Gotten Slower

The Cast of Watchmen Become the ‘Washmen’ in This Pandemic PSA

These Machine Learning-Enhanced Clips Might Be Our Only Chance of Seeing HD Star Trek: Voyager Any Time Soon

A Newly Discovered Microbe Feasts on a Particularly Problematic Plastic

Samsung’s Cheapest Flagship Is a Great Phone in A Weird Time

Ten Things That Are More Expensive Than Tar Sands Oil Right Now

Amazon ‘Bug’ Was Hiding Products That Would Have Shipped Faster Amid Covid-19 Delays

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