- Tech News
Apple’s New Privacy Guidelines May Get Facebook’s Awful Onavo VPN Off the App Store
Apple’s new App Store privacy guidelines restricting apps that collect data on users’ friends—specifically, the address books of iPhone users—already seemed to be in large part a response to Facebook’s sprawling Cambridge Analytica data scandal. But the company could also be targeting Facebook’s Onavo Protect VPN service, which poses as a way to grant users … Continued
By Tom McKay - io9
It’s OK To Be Jealous of This Toddler’s Magnificent Star Wars Sandcrawler Toy Box
I always assumed I wasn’t the kind of person who’d be willing to take candy from a baby. A lollipop is easy to resist, but this epic toy box built to look like a miniature Star Wars Sandcrawler? Someone distract Matthew Regonini’s son so I can sneak this wonderful creation into my trunk. Made from … Continued
- ScienceAnimals
Someone Please Save the Raccoon [Update: It’s Climbing Down]
A raccoon scaled a skyscraper in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday, managing to climb at least 20 stories on UBS Tower as onlookers snapped photos from outside and within the structure. Per WCCO, the raccoon was “first spotted at the Town Square building, huddled in a nook above the sidewalk,” but when building workers … Continued
By Tom McKay - io9
A Quick Guide to the Sinister Six, the Villainous Team-Up Menacing Spider-Man’s New Video Game
Last night at the E3 gaming expo, Sony and Insomniac Games gave us another amazing look at the PS4 Spider-Man game dropping this September, introducing us to a few of Peter Parker’s worst enemies… six of them, in fact. In the comics, six is a rather unlucky number for Spidey, because it’s the size of … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
DOJ Blows Its Chance to Stop Disastrous Merger of AT&T and Time Warner
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that AT&T has the all clear to merge with Time Warner, paving the way for a media-gobbling merger frenzy. It didn’t have to be this way, but bizarre circumstances and inadequate arguments from the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division have, yet again, given corporations more power. U.S. District Judge … Continued
By Rhett Jones - io9
Zoe Saldana Has Already Finished Filming Avatar 2 and 3
The prospect of Avatar sequels actually existing still feels pretty foreign to fans. However, the people making them are years into the process—and one of the series’ most famous stars has already wrapped her part. In a video presentation at CineEurope this week, James Cameron revealed that Zoe Saldana has already completed her performance capture … Continued
- Tech NewsApple
Apple Will Punish Apps That Misuse Your Address Book Data
Apple quietly rolled out a new set of rules for developers last week, adding restrictions for apps that suck up the address books of iPhone users, Bloomberg reports. Developers could, for example, sell the databases filled with your friends’ contact information to boost their bottom lines. No more. Address book requests are fairly typical. Instagram … Continued
- Tech News
American Christians’ Vision of God Looks Suspiciously Like Elon Musk
If you asked 100 random strangers what God looks like, you’d probably get around 100 different responses. But if you specifically asked American Christians, and then aggregated their answers, you’d apparently end up with a face that’s so close to Tesla founder and aspiring mole man Elon Musk it’s frankly bizarre. This puzzling news comes … Continued
By Hudson Hongo - Tech NewsNews
Intel Says Its GPUs to Rival AMD and Nvidia Will Be Here By 2020
Intel has stopped dancing around the issue and confirmed in a tweet, as noted by Engadget, that it will be making discrete GPUs and that they will be here by 2020. This means the company known for making the most popular computer processors available will now be competing with AMD and graphics giant Nvidia, in … Continued
By Alex Cranz - io9Trailer Frenzy
Bobcat Goldthwait’s New TV Series, Misfits & Monsters, Looks Absolutely Bonkers
Bobcat Goldthwait is one of the most twisted filmmakers out there—and now, he’s bringing that dark, funny, off-the-wall sensibility to TV, complete with live-action and animated characters, werewolves, Satan, demons, mermaids, and more. His new show, Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits & Monsters, is coming this summer to TruTV. It’s an anthology series, so each episode tells … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Damning New Report Lays Out Science’s Sexual Harassment Problem
A landmark report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) out Tuesday details the wide extent of sexual harassment, bullying, and ostracization of women within the scientific world. It also offers a series of proactive, far-reaching recommendations to combat its further spread. Though especially poignant in the era of the #Metoo movement, … Continued
By Ed Cara - Tech NewsAmazon
Seattle Repeals ‘Head Tax’ Amid Pressure From Amazon
Less than a month after unanimously passing a contentious tax on big business, Seattle’s city council has voted to repeal the so-called “head tax.” Against the fervent protestations of residents and local coalitions—which were extended to a full hour of testimony—council members voted 7-2 to pulled the plug on what would have been a vital … Continued
By Avery Ellis - Tech NewsGoogle
Google Says Its Translate App Is Now a Lot Smarter When You’re Stuck Offline
Translation apps can be incredibly useful tools when you need quick guidance on translating a phrase or word from one language to another. But tools like Google Translate often fall short when you’re traveling and can’t get online. On Tuesday, Google announced it’s upgrading its own translation app specifically for offline use by incorporating previously … Continued
By David Turner - io9
A New Rumor Suggests Ben Affleck Is Out as Batman (Again) [UPDATED]
Yup, this again. The Batman. Ben Affleck. Matt Reeves. Will they? Won’t they? Does anyone really know? It feels like every few months there’s some kind of rumor about whether or not Reeves, the director working on a new Batman movie, will cast Ben Affleck in the role or go with a new actor. Things … Continued
- io9
Star Trek Online‘s New Expansion Is a Wonderful Love Letter to Every Bit of Deep Space Nine
When we tend to (very fondly) remember Deep Space Nine, we champion its boldness: serialized storytelling, a darker look at a utopia in crisis, the daunting dramas of the Dominion War. But it wasn’t always a bleak examination of Trek in wartime—and the latest expansion for Cryptic’s free-to-play Star Trek Online, Victory is Life, remembers … Continued
- io9
Talented Hacker Turns Amazon’s Alexa Into Lando’s Sass-Talking L3-37 Droid
One of the best parts of Solo: A Star Wars Story is Lando Calrissian’s piloting droid, L3-37, who’s been uniquely pieced together and upgraded from parts of other droids. Patrick Stefanski has essentially done the same thing to turn Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant into a desktop version of L3-37 who answers to your beck and call. The … Continued
- EartherExtreme Weather
Hurricane Bud Could Dump Some Serious Rain on the Drought-Stricken Southwest
Weather whiplash is the perfect descriptor for what’s on tap for the Southwest. Things have been hot and dry since this winter, but they could get wet and wild this weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Bud drench Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Bud is currently churning over the eastern Pacific and is expected … Continued
By Brian Kahn - ScienceHealth
Psychedelic Drugs May Help the Brain Repair Itself, Study Finds
In recent years, psychedelic party drugs such as LSD and MDMA have been studied by scientists for their potential ability to treat mental health problems like depression and anxiety—often in microdoses much smaller than the what a person would take to trip. But while the research into these drugs is promising, there’s still a lot … Continued
By Ed Cara - io9
Star Trek: Discovery‘s Best Episode Happened Because They Wanted to Save Some Cash
Star Trek: Discovery has had more downs than ups, but a couple of standout moments did remind us of the Star Trek universe we know and love. The best (so far) has to be the seventh episode of the series, “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.” Discovery’s foray into time loops wasn’t exactly … Continued
- Tech NewsApple
This USB-C iPhone Rumor Is Too Much
A post by DigiTimes that’s making the rounds cites unnamed “sources at analog IC vendors” who say that Apple could be moving the iPhone and iPad to USB-C by 2019. That move would spell the gradual demise of Apple’s proprietary Lightning port, which was introduced in 2012 and has been the connector for basically every … Continued
By Alex Cranz