Politics

Hillary Clinton’s Plea for Silicon Valley to “Disrupt” ISIS Is Misguided Nonsense

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called on Silicon Valley companies to work at “disrupting ISIS” at a speech this Sunday. Clinton emphasized that jihadists use websites, chatroom, and social media to recruit and plan, and that their radicalism is “fueled by the internet.” “It’s time for an urgent dialogue between the government, not just our…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

According to the Internet, Aleister Crowley Was George W. Bush’s Grandfather

It’s one of the most tantalizing rumors on the internet. Aleister Crowley, one of the most famous masters of the occult ever, was secretly the father of Barbara Bush—and thus, also the grandfather of George W. Bush and Jeb Bush. Is it true? Do we care? The notion that Crowley could be the grandfather of…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The Incredibly Messed Up Origins of the Word “Taser”

Tasers remain incredibly controversial weapons in the arsenal of law enforcement, given their overuse and the risk of cardiac arrest. But let’s not forget the word “TASER” is a loose acronym for Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle, an incredibly messed-up 1911 science fiction book. The Guardian has all the details. Contact the author at…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

All the GOP Anti-Climate Change Arguments and Why They’re Wrong

From “global warming is a hoax because it’s snowing” to “maybe this is our fault but we’re not doing a damn thing about it,” the climate rhetoric of the GOP’s 2016 presidential candidates is a many-headed hydra of confusion, apathy, and straight-up delusion. The science, on the other hand, is clear: Earth’s climate is changing,…

Climate Change Maddie Stone

The UN’s New Report on Asian Teenagers and HIV Is Just Heart-Breaking

We’re making progress in the fight against HIV around the world, but it’s still very unevenly distributed. And the United Nations’ brand new report on HIV infections among teenagers in Asia is pretty upsetting. Some 50,000 Asian teens (aged 15-19) became HIV-positive in 2014 alone, and a total of 220,000 adolescents were living with HIV…

Health Charlie Jane Anders

Surprise! The NSA Is Still Spying On You

At midnight on Saturday, the National Security Agency ended one of its most notorious spying programs. This is only a tiny victory. The NSA’s sprawling, inefficient surveillance apparatus is still a privacy threat. The bulk phone records collection program was banned in the USA Freedom Act, a law that curbed some domestic spying. This program…

Privacy & Security Kate Knibbs

The NSA Will Finally Kill Its Metadata Snooping Program This Weekend

The National Security Agency is finally shutting down one of its spying programs this weekend. I do not recommend screaming I LOVE ISIS JIHAD into your phone to celebrate. The USA Freedom Act, a bill that eliminated the NSA’s bulk phone metadata collection, passed Congress in June, but the program kept going during a 180-day…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

The Most Wonderfully Alternative Families in Science Fiction and Fantasy

The holiday season has officially begun, and of course the holidays are a time for families. But science fiction and fantasy readers know that families come in all shapes and configurations. Here are 30 of the most wonderfully alternative families in science fiction and fantasy. Please suggest your own in the comments—I have a feeling…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders and Gordon M. Jackson

Disabled Fans and Creators Are Kept Out of Too Many Conventions. Now They’re Not Alone.

Science fiction and fantasy conventions exist in the venn diagram between professional networking events, marketing expos and fan celebrations. Between all three of those things, they do a lot to shape fandom and the stories we love. And for years now, conventions have been failing disabled fans and professionals. So now, at last, some professionals…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Bangladesh Bans Facebook, WhatsApp to Stop “Criminals”

Last week, the government of Bangladesh ordered ISPs to ban Facebook and other social media. In the chaos that followed, the entire country lost internet access for over an hour. Now, according to a report from Global Voices, Bangladeshi citizens little to no access to the targeted services, which include Facebook Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp.…

Tech News Annalee Newitz

The U.S. Now Has a Space Hotline With China

Next time POTUS needs to talk space with China, it’ll be a straightforward process: it turns out Washington and Beijing now have an emergency “space hotline” to ensure conflicts don’t arise. The Financial Times reports that the new phone line—which sounds an awful lot like the Red Telephone used to communicate between Moscow and Washington…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

Hillary Clinton and Anonymous Have the Same Dumb Plan to Fight ISIS On Social Media

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has a plan to fight ISIS online, and it’s only marginally less impractical than the crackpot censorship strategies suggested in Congress. Clinton talked about ways the US could be more aggressive with ISIS online in a speech Thursday. Her digital strategy has two main components. The first part makes sense:…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

This Congressman Doesn’t Understand How the Internet or the First Amendment Work

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) has a plan to stop ISIS today at a Federal Communications Committee hearing: Censor the internet. Here’s what Barton proposed today during an FCC hearing: “ISIS and the terrorist networks can’t beat us militarily, but they are really trying to use the internet and all of the social media to try…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

Unmuzzled Canadian Scientists Have Harsh Words for Conservative Regime

Canada’s new, science-friendly Liberal government has set its federal researchers free. Now unmuzzled, some Canadian scientists are speaking out. Here’s a sampling of what it was like to do science under the Harper regime. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, journalists had to go through extensive bureaucratic red tape to reach scientists, and even then, the…

Tech News George Dvorsky

A Blow-by-Blow Analysis of Donald Trump and Ben Carson’s Knife Fight

Donald Trump is accusing Ben Carson of lying in his story of attempting to stab a friend as a teenager. “How stupid do people have to be to believe that?” Asks Trump, challenging the assertion that a belt buckle could turn a knife blade. Let’s armchair quarterback this. Here’s the video clip from last night’s…

Tech News Wes Siler

Republican Plan To Sell Off Your Public Land Shaping Up To Be Major Election Issue

Republican politicians want to sell your National Forests, Wildernesses and Wildlife Refuges to private interests. And that’s particularly controversial out west, where state economies rely on outdoor recreation for billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs. New data shows this will be a hot issue in key battleground states. Back in March, nearly…

Tech News Wes Siler

Rubio’s Campaign Staffers Stole Wifi from a Pizza Place–And Got Caught

GOP presidential candidate and Florida-themed Ken doll Marco Rubio is running a campaign so thrifty that staffers have been stealing wifi. The AP has a story on the Rubio campaign’s ultra-low-budget tactics, which apparently include ruthlessly bogarting internet from a local restaurant: At one of the campaign’s Nevada offices, staffers tried to do their part…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

These Charts Will Make You Want to Throw Your Television Off a Cliff

Television has a well-documented diversity problem when it comes to writing staffs—especially when it comes to race. But if anything, the problem is even bigger when it comes to who actually directs episodes. Over in Variety, Maureen Ryan has created a devastatingly well-researched and in-depth report about diversity behind the camera on television. Anybody who…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Ted Cruz’s App Rewards Users for Turning Over Their Friends’ Contact Info

Ted Cruz’s campaign has gamified its app as a way to create dossiers on voters. Provided you have a stupid friend who has been lured by “Cruz’s Crew,” it might even have collected and analyzed your information. “Cruz’s Crew” awards points to users who help them campaign. Volunteering gets you 50 points, and donating money…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

The 7 Least Subtle Political Allegories on Doctor Who

Doctor Who is an inherently political show—it’s about a character who goes around overthrowing governments and thwarting invasions. But over its 52 years, Doctor Who has not been afraid to feature political messages—sometimes very overtly. Here are the seven least subtle messages from Doctor Who. 7) The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion Despite it being so…

Television James Whitbrook

Hillary Clinton’s Plea for Silicon Valley to “Disrupt” ISIS Is Misguided Nonsense

According to the Internet, Aleister Crowley Was George W. Bush’s Grandfather

The Incredibly Messed Up Origins of the Word “Taser”

All the GOP Anti-Climate Change Arguments and Why They’re Wrong

The UN’s New Report on Asian Teenagers and HIV Is Just Heart-Breaking

Surprise! The NSA Is Still Spying On You

The NSA Will Finally Kill Its Metadata Snooping Program This Weekend

The Most Wonderfully Alternative Families in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Disabled Fans and Creators Are Kept Out of Too Many Conventions. Now They’re Not Alone.

Bangladesh Bans Facebook, WhatsApp to Stop “Criminals”

The U.S. Now Has a Space Hotline With China

Hillary Clinton and Anonymous Have the Same Dumb Plan to Fight ISIS On Social Media

This Congressman Doesn’t Understand How the Internet or the First Amendment Work

Unmuzzled Canadian Scientists Have Harsh Words for Conservative Regime

A Blow-by-Blow Analysis of Donald Trump and Ben Carson’s Knife Fight

Republican Plan To Sell Off Your Public Land Shaping Up To Be Major Election Issue

Rubio’s Campaign Staffers Stole Wifi from a Pizza Place–And Got Caught

These Charts Will Make You Want to Throw Your Television Off a Cliff

Ted Cruz’s App Rewards Users for Turning Over Their Friends’ Contact Info

The 7 Least Subtle Political Allegories on Doctor Who

Leaked Anthropic Model Presents ‘Unprecedented Cybersecurity Risks,’ Much to Pentagon’s Pleasure

Don’t miss out: Bitdefender, One of the World’s Best Antiviruses, Is Now on Sale

The Secret to Better Sperm? It’s Probably Already on Your Schedule

Lego Is Leaning Into Your Marvel Memories With a New Helicarrier Set

Toshiba’s 65-inch Smart Fire TV Now Matches 43-Inch Pricing After 44% Drop on Amazon

Kash Patel’s Email Account Hacked, Iran-Linked Group Takes Credit

Repair Workers Accidentally Stumble Upon Lost Remains of Legendary ‘Fourth Musketeer’

Dreame Aero Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Mop Drops 20% Shortly After Launch in the Spring Cleaning Sale

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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