There is plenty of reason to be skeptical when this FCC decides to do anything that isn’t a gift to the biggest telecoms in the nation. But on Thursday, it created new rules that could help upstarts like Google Fiber break into wireless and broadband markets.Read more...
No one gets a cheap phone because they want to have a sub-par experience filled with stuttering and lagging apps. People get cheap phones because they’re cheap, and usually work just enough to justify the low price point. Take the Alcatel 1X, for example. It’s neither novel nor intriguing. It’s not trying to impress…Read more...
by Kristen Lee, Patrick George, Ryan Felton, and Mich on (#3W567)
What can one person determine about the ultra-important Tesla Model 3 Performance with just an hour and a half behind the wheel? Probably not much, but this week we had the collective brain-weight of four Jalopnik writers who took turns inside the quickest and most powerful version of Tesla’s compact car. And we…Read more...
The devastating story of thalidomide—a once-popular morning sickness drug later found to cause terrible birth defects—might have a few more chapters left to it. A new study published this week in the journal eLife claims to have discovered how the drug was able to so brutally harm developing fetuses in the 1950s and…Read more...
by Matt Novak on Paleofuture, shared by Harrison Webe on (#3W4TX)
When you hear about the concept of missile defense in space, your first thought might be Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, more commonly called Star Wars. But ideas for an invisible missile shield in the sky are much older than the 1980s. As just one example, we have this Sunday comic strip from 1959,…Read more...
by James Whitbrook on io9, shared by Andrew Couts to on (#3W4Z2)
Most of the world will get to see the depressing adventures of a grown-up Christopher Robin in Disney’s Christopher Robin live-action movie this month, but China won’t—because the country’s film authorities have just denied the film a release, with rumors swirling about an old meme as the possible reason.
A leading medical university in Japan wanted more male students—so it’s reportedly been lowering the entrance exam scores of female applicants for years.Read more...
For several months, Google did not allow any ads for recovery-oriented services to appear when you searched drug addiction-related terms. But the search giant is easing up on its rehab-related restrictions, TechCrunch reports.Read more...
The aye-aye is about as ridiculous looking as a primate can get: beady yellow eyes, bat-like ears, and hands like horrible spiders. But perhaps its most interesting feature is its teeth.Read more...
If you’re not on a laptop or a phone look down at your keyboard. It’s probably the one that came with your PC. Maybe IT handed it over as they explained the no porn policy at the big company you work for. However you acquired it (and you almost certainly didn’t pay for it), there’s a very good chance it’s a hot piece…Read more...
Another day, another “leak†of what appears to be Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 smartphone. It’s natural Samsung would be more than willing to express excitement for its sequel to the Galaxy Note 8—a phone that didn’t exactly take the world by storm. But for this device to so thoroughly and steadily leak…Read more...
by David Nield on Field Guide, shared by Harrison Web on (#3W4DV)
Our phones affect our lives in all kinds of ways, from socializing to travel, but these ever-present pocket gadgets can also act as early warning devices for a host of important alerts—from life-saving notifications to convenient warnings about your commute. Here we’ll show you what’s possible, and which apps you’ll…Read more...
by James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson on io9, shared on (#3W49N)
The first set picture from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has emerged. Shane Black talks Predator reshoots. Fox says its Buffy revival is still a way off. The CW’s potential Batwoman show could start filming sooner than expected. Plus, what’s to come in Cloak & Dagger’s second season. To me, my Spoilers!
by Shep McAllister on Kinja Deals, shared by Shep McA on (#3W4DW)
Bose’s wireless QuietComfort 35 noise-cancelling over-ears are basically a mute button for the rest of the world, and you can get them for $299 on Amazon, down from the usual $329.
by Germain Lussier on io9, shared by Andrew Couts to on (#3W49P)
Remember the first time you tried alcohol? How it was gross and off-putting but eventually it got better? Later, maybe you grew to like it but you always knew something wasn’t right about it? That was the first (admittedly strange) thing I thought of after seeing Disney’s Christopher Robin, a movie that starts weird,…Read more...
The glaring divide between the U.S. intelligence community and the Oval Office on the issue of Russian election meddling was never more conspicuous than at Thursday’s White House press briefing. Gathered to set the record straight—and get bombarded with questions about President Trump’s oft-contradictory statements…Read more...
Chipotle’s years-long redemption tour might have hit a snag. Throughout this week, health officials in Ohio have reported hearing from hundreds of people in connection to an outbreak of sickness that appears to be linked to one of the chain’s locations in Delaware county.Read more...
Mobile 5G isn’t here yet. And no matter how fast or shiny the best phones available today are, they’re going to feel somewhat lacking once 5G networks finally start going live. But what if you could add 5G support to a phone months or even years after you bought it?Read more...
The ancient Maya were an innovative people. They constructed intricate cities throughout the tropical lowlands of the Yucatán Peninsula, communicated using one of the world’s first written languages, and created two calendar systems by studying the stars. But despite their achievements, the thriving Mayan civilization…Read more...
Despite a growing awareness of the dangers and risks of opioid addiction among doctors and patients, the average amount of opioids prescribed to Americans over the past decade has barely budged, suggests a new study published Wednesday in The BMJ. But it’s difficult to know just how much this reality accounts for the…Read more...
by Paola Rosa-Aquino on Earther, shared by Andrew Cou on (#3W33T)
Those who live in urban areas inhabit a radically different night-time reality than those living far from city lights. Gaze up at the night sky from a metropolis like New York City and you’re greeted with a dusty glow punctured by a few bright pin-prick stars. Do the same from a spot only 100 miles away and the Milky…Read more...
Musical.ly, the lip-syncing video creation app harnessing the heinous amounts of free time teens possess (with mixed results), has grown considerably since its 2014 launch. But just like the transition from middle to high school, sometimes it’s time for a reboot. Today, Musical.ly is being shut down, and its users are…Read more...
Next week, NASA is scheduled to send human technology closer to a star than ever before. What they learn could change our understanding of, well, the whole galaxy.Read more...
Just 21 years after facing near-bankruptcy, Apple Inc. just became the first publicly traded company in history to be worth $1 trillion. This means that Apple’s market cap is roughly the same as the nominal GDP for Mexico, the world’s 15th largest economy, according to the United Nations. It’s a meaningless milestone…Read more...
If you heard a bear roar for the first time but didn’t see the snarling beast, what would you think? Would you be scared? Maybe, but maybe not—the forest is full of strange noises. But what if, at the same time, one of your friends said, “Holy shit, I know all about that clawed monster and we need to get in the car�
by Erica Offutt on Kinja Deals, shared by Shep McAlli on (#3R9TG)
Weighted blankets can work wonders for your anxiety, and you can score an all-time-low price on this 15 pound blanket (in navy or light gray) from Amazon today. They’re just $66 or $68 after the 10% off deal, making these the best weighted blanket deals we’ve ever posted. Not to stress you out, but we wouldn’t expect…Read more...
by Brian Kahn on Earther, shared by Andrew Couts to G on (#3W2N0)
After hinting that it would roll back clean vehicle regulations last month, the Trump administration made it official on Thursday. It announced it would be putting Obama-era fuel-efficiency standards on hold and moving to replace them with watered-down regulations.Read more...
by Beth Elderkin on io9, shared by Andrew Couts to Gi on (#3W2RS)
Here at io9, we love any excuse to foster our inner children. For Gizmodo video producer Tom Caswell, that opportunity came with Lego’s new Classic Voltron Set. It’s 2,300 pieces of 1980s Lego perfection that we put together over the course of eight glorious hours. Of course, we know not everyone has the time for…Read more...
Apple is just one little bump away from being the world’s first trillion-dollar public company and following another solid earnings report, it’s announced that it will punish some of the people who helped build its success. Affiliates who’ve promoted apps and taken a small cut of the purchase price are being pushed…Read more...
Amazon was criticized earlier this year for a controversial patent application that detailed an “ultrasonic bracelet†that could be used to surveil workers. The company’s newly public application for augmented reality goggles made specifically for warehouse workers is far more alarming.Read more...
by Alex Cranz on Field Guide, shared by Alex Cranz to on (#3W270)
Between the $330 iPad and the $400 Surface Go, it seems like the budget end of the computer spectrum is finally getting some attention. And it’s about damn time. As portable computers like laptops, and some tablets, have become the primary device people turn to to get work done, the price of top machines has stayed…Read more...
Amazon is really good at making it easy to buy stuff online, however it seems the company isn’t all that great at keeping secrets. That’s because last night at an Amazon holiday press preview event, among the hundreds of products it was trying to push as we slowly approach peak gifting season, the company had one…Read more...
by David Tracy on Jalopnik, shared by Harrison Weber on (#3W2FZ)
I recently strolled through a junkyard with my friend Taylor when he asked: “What are these flaps on the rear corners of all these cars?†Realizing that he may not be the only one wondering, I decided to write this post about these devices, which act as vital pressure relief valves.Read more...
by Kinja! on Kinja Roundup, shared by Harrison Weber on (#3W23M)
Deadspin If You Think Urban Meyer’s Career Is Over, You Underestimate The Power Of Winning | The Root Barack Obama Reminds America What a Real President Looks Like, Endorses 81 Candidates | Jezebel The Nipped, Tucked, and Photoshopped Revelations of Instagram’s Celebface | The A.V. Club Spike Lee’s…Read more...
Look, $550 is a lot of money... unless you’re talking computers. Any computer you buy for that little is firmly a “budget†PC, as far as the people making them are concerned. They’re not impressive, or especially fast, or pretty. They’re purely functional—the Ford Fiesta of computers. The sheer mediocrity of the…Read more...
Streaming service Spotify has become the latest major web platform to find itself compelled to do something about oft-shirtless conspiracy theorist, lead-infused supplement peddler, and Infowars founder Alex Jones, removing several episodes of his podcast under policies against hate speech.Read more...
Boeing has delayed two critical tests of its CST-100 Starliner crew capsule following an engine failure during another test in June, setting back the timeline for its plans to use the craft to shuttle crew back and forth from the International Space Station or other possible future in-orbit destinations as part of…Read more...
by Jason Torchinsky on Jalopnik, shared by Tom McKay on (#3W17H)
I’ll admit, I feel sort of strange about this. After laying into Elon Musk pretty hard last week for that whole kids-in-caves-submarine-pedo-thing, today Elon Musk announced, over Twitter, that Tesla had an agreement with Atari to put some classic Atari games into the Tesla’s infotainment system as Easter Eggs (a…Read more...
Remember “Long Blockchain,†or rather, the company formerly known as Long Island Iced Tea Corp. that saw its stock skyrocket after it changed its name to refer to the foundational technology behind the cryptocurrency boom and made a vague pivot to “globally scalable blockchain technology solutions� Turns out that…Read more...
by Beth Elderkin on io9, shared by Tom McKay to Gizmo on (#3W1AN)
Nothing like a little father and daughter bonding time! Hold on a second—Is this before or after Thanos butchered most of his adoptive daughter Gamora’s real family? What does it matter...look how adorable they are! Bonus points: These two cosplayers are actually father and daughter.Read more...
by Cheryl Eddy on io9, shared by Tom McKay to Gizmodo on (#3W1AP)
Frequent readers of io9 may recall that periodically throughout 2017, we’d share new episodes of web series Ghost Radio, created by Argentinian filmmaker Cristian Ponce. Now, the animated show—about a late-night radio host reporting strange events from the haunted town of Kirlian—is back.Read more...