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Why are teens eating Tide pods? Or, at least, pretending to eat them in videos that they’re posting online? We have some theories. But the company that makes the brightly colored laundry pods would like you to know that, whatever the reason, it’s not their fault. Procter & Gamble, the company that manufacturers Tide pods,…
Donald Trump’s administration announced on Monday it would be imposing a 30 percent tariff on foreign-made solar panels, sparking warnings that the new regulations are a blow to alternative energy adoption across the U.S. Per CNBC, the tariffs could cause a massive shift amid the next few years across the $29 billion industry, which the…
There’s now a microSD card capable of holding over half a terabyte of data. Per the Verge, Integral Memory’s new 512 gigabyte card exceeds the previous record holder, SanDisk’s 400GB card, by over a quarter more memory. It’s not quite as fast as that card—Integral Memory’s new card maxes out at 80 megabytes/second transfer, slower than…
Earlier this month, the state of Hawaii descended into a brief if existentially terrifying panic as its Emergency Management Agency dispatched a mass text message warning of an imminent “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT” after an employee pressed the wrong button. Many residents immediately scrambled for cover from what they believed was an inbound nuclear missile from North…
New documents indicate that a member of President Trump’s recently dissolved voter fraud commission tried to identify Hispanic voters specifically among 50 million voter records. The commission, disbanded earlier this month, was founded last year on the false claim of conspiracy theorists (and the president himself) that more than 3 million illegal immigrants had voted…
Earlier this month Intel released a patch for Spectre and Meltdown, the devastating vulnerabilities affecting every modern Intel processor. The patch wound up causing another problem: It led some PCs to reboot unexpectedly. Now, Intel says it’s identified a fix for its fix, according to Intel executive Navin Shenoy. Up until this point our recommendation…
For weeks, Kansas officials have been insisting that Crosscheck, an interstate program run by the state of Kansas and intended to detect illegal double voting, has never suffered a data breach—despite the fact that its voter files and the passwords to decrypt them have been repeatedly exposed. “We have never had any security breach—ever—since the…
It seems like everyone is getting into blockchain these days. After all, companies claim to like “transparency,” “security,” and anything to do with the rollercoaster ride that is bitcoin. But consider this: tuna. There are now several blockchain-based projects that aim to stop illegal tuna fishing, according to a post on The Conversation by Candice…
Google promised $20 million to the first private company that could land on the moon, roll around a few hundred meters, and then beam the achievement back to Earth. But it looks like none of the competing companies have landed on that sweet lunar surface—and Google isn’t going to give them more time. “Google does…
The leader of Chechnya, was recently hit with US sanctions over human rights abuses such as his government’s torture and “purge” of gay men.
If you were even semi-conscious during the last two years, you’ll know that social media can wreak havoc on a functioning democracy. Facebook is finally admitting that it’s part of the problem. Facebook also wants you to believe in an imaginary future, a hypothetical someday when Mark Zuckerberg figures out how to stop his social…
New risk assessment research into cryptocurrency investing has arrived at an unsurprising (if finally quantifiable) conclusion: Over 10 percent of all funds raised through initial coin offerings (ICOs) has vanished into thin air. ICOs have become a popular form of early-stage investment for companies involved in blockchain tech. Rather than shares, participants are offered a…
You’ve probably seen countless behind-the-scenes videos of visual effects wizards spending months turning boring green screen footage into amazing movie shots. But did you know that the hardware exists to fake live video in real time? Is anything real anymore? This pre-visualization setup uses a massive green screen, a motion-tracked camera, and some custom computer…
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks and just a general shit-stirrer, has been living in Ecuador’s London embassy since the summer of 2012. But it doesn’t look like the country has a plan for getting rid of Assange anytime soon. And the president of Ecuador is voicing his increased frustration with the entire saga. Lenin…
Whether you’re taking a short trip or living out of a van for years at a time, more of us now work from wherever we find ourselves, but having the right gear to hand can make the difference between a smooth remote working session and a disastrous one. Here’s the key kit you need to…
From the free-throw line—a distance of just 15 feet—I can maybe put the ball in the basket about twenty percent of the time. I’m not NBA material, but the league might consider drafting the guys from YouTube’s How Ridiculous, who just nailed a seemingly impossible 660-foot basketball shot. There isn’t a human alive who could…
Let’s say your house is on fire, or overrun by a gang of psychotic raccoons. You don’t hesitate—you take out your phone, and you call the fire department, or animal control, and then firemen/raccoon-wranglers are promptly dispatched to your home. These are well-established protocols, essential to the maintenance of a mostly not-on-fire, feral-animal-free society. But…
Prosecutors in South Korea’s capital of Seoul said on Friday that they plan to investigate allegations tech giant Apple deliberately slowed down older models of iPhone to push customers towards purchasing pricier newer versions, the Korea Herald reported. According to the Herald’s report, Seoul-based Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty filed a complaint against Apple CEO…
Amazon’s first Amazon Go, a kind of grocery store without cashiers or a checkout line, will open to the public in Seattle on Monday in the first stage of an experiment that could usher in a new era of shopping. Go uses a network of cameras and sensors to dynamically monitor customers and automatically bill…
Switching its in-flight magazine Hemisphere to a lighter variety of paper that saved an ounce a copy has saved United Airlines 170,000 gallons of fuel a year, the L.A. Times reported on Saturday, citing an “internal message to employees.” Per the paper, the 11 fewer pounds a flight save approximately 170,000 gallons or $290,000 in…
