Gizmodo

Ransomware cyber-gangs made about $456.8 million in 2022. It sounds like a lot of money until you compare it to the record estimated profits from 2021: $765 million. All told, hackers managed to extort 40% less from their victims this past year, vs. the year before, according to a new report from Chainalysis published…Read more...

Several New Jersey environmental groups are defending offshore wind development after seven dead humpback and sperm whales washed up along New York and New Jersey coasts in the past month.Read more...

Meta’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, claims the metaverse will one day become as big a part of consumers’ lives as the smartphone as the company works to create a bigger edge in the digital world.Read more...

Just because a company files a patent for a new device, feature, or random idea, doesn’t necessarily mean it plans to make it a reality. Sometimes, it’s just to prevent other companies from doing it. So it’s impossible to say what will come of this recent AR-centric patent filing by Nintendo, but the included images…Read more...

Artificial intelligence has already beaten chess. Hell, the most sophisticated AI systems have a very good chance against top players in the incredibly complicated game of Go.Read more...

To say I watched a lot of TV as a kid is an understatement. My brain is a more comprehensive resource on ‘80s and ‘90s TV shows than the Library of Congress, and while I probably couldn’t put my finger on a favorite genre when I was younger, looking back, it’s clear I endured countless shows—good, mediocre, and…Read more...

The stars have talked a big game about Scream VI, the upcoming sequel that takes the increasingly venerable horror franchise from the sleepy yet murder-filled town of Woodsboro and takes it to the big city. And if you were wondering exactly how the serial killer Ghostface—or, rather, whoever’s running around under the…Read more...

It’s no secret that humans have made big changes to Earth and its atmosphere. But as greenhouse gases have built up in the air and our planet’s average surface temperature has risen, a lesser-known phenomenon has been happening.

A floor statue featuring Twitter’s blue bird logo sold for $100,000 in a Wednesday auction of more than 600 office items the company’s new overlord, Elon Musk, decided it no longer needed.Read more...

Amazon is set to shutter its charity program AmazonSmile next month. The move comes as the company lets go of thousands of employees as the e-commerce giant looks to cut cuts.

If you haven’t seen Nope, you’ve had plenty of time to catch up—but if you want to have it explained and don’t care about spoilers, here you go.Read more...

There’s Something Wrong With the Children drops a big hint as to what it’s about with that title—but what’s wrong with the kids, as well as the adults surrounding them, not to mention how everyone got that way, are the prickly pleasures in Roxanne Benjamin’s (Creepshow, XX, Body at Brighton Rock) new film, written by…Read more...

The smart home has become a renewed priority for companies since Matter launched, soon to usher in all sorts of refreshed gadgets. Until recently, Apple was trailing behind a bit in terms of offerings, which is why we’re buzzing over the revelation of a temperature sensor not only in the brand-new HomePod but also in…Read more...

This week we got our first look at Power Rangers’ big celebration for its 30th birthday—a new special episode reuniting a mix of first and second-generation rangers from the original Mighty Morphin’ team. But a notable face was missing among them.

The word “reshoots” means different things to different people. Some assume they’re a sign of a troubled production, one that needs to fix its own mistakes. Others see them as a blessing, a rare chance to go back and make something better with added perspective. Depending on the situation both viewpoints can be true,…Read more...

Researchers combing the surface of Antarctica for space rocks hit the jackpot by finding five meteorites in the tundra, one of which weighs almost 17 pounds.

The font style used in the U.S. State Department is changing, prompting complaints from employees who find the change to be an inconvenience. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent an email to the state department, headlined “The Times (New Roman) are a-Changin,” ala Bob Dylan, saying they will be changing the font…Read more...

On Wednesday, the Wikimedia Foundation finally showed off the changes it made to the desktop version of its open online encyclopedia, an update that’s been over a decade coming and close three years in development.Read more...

The potential benefits of taking vitamin D supplements may be affected by your weight and height, new research suggests. The study found that overweight and obese people taking these supplements experienced a smaller increase of vitamin levels and other related markers relative to those with a lower body mass index.Read more...

Watch out, Chucky. There’s a new killer doll franchise in town. After a massive opening weekend, the buzz for a sequel to M3GAN began almost immediately. Now, it’s official. Titled M3GAN 2.0, the horror sequel will hit theaters on January 17, 2025. Two years from yesterday.Read more...

Tesla CEO and former world’s richest man Elon Musk began a long awaited trial this week centered around his fateful August, 2018 “funding secured” tweet where he claimed he had successfully lined up funding necessary to take Tesla private at $420 per share. Tesla investors lawyering up against the billionaire say…Read more...

James Cameron really said “the whale stays in the picture.” Avatar: The Way of Water’s MVP sea creature is confirmed to be returning to the franchise in a big way, and we couldn’t be more excited to see the fan favorite become even more integral in Avatar 3.Read more...

The Commerce Department announced Wednesday that it is launching an investigation into how widespread data collection and corporate surveillance pose an outsized risk to marginalized groups.

A U.S. government agency issued a citation to Amazon.com Inc. for reported safety hazards in the workplace. The agency said Amazon failed to keep its workers safe and found workers were exposed to ergonomic hazards after inspecting three warehouses.Read more...

In a stylishly sci-fi version of what otherwise looks like mid-century America, a salesman pitches his product—lunar time shares—to wide-eyed customers, assuring them they’ll soon be exclaiming “I love living on the moon!” But as this trailer for Billy Crudup’s new Apple TV+’s series Hello Tomorrow! suggests, all is…Read more...

Since Majel Barrett sadly passed in 2008, Star Trek has turned to a plethora of alternatives to create new voices to match her iconic role as generations of computers across the Trek franchise. But now as Picard pulls us more and more into the 25th century timeline, it’s leaving Barrett’s legacy behind.

Former President Donald Trump is upping the pressure on Meta to reinstate his Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of his 2024 Presidential election bid. Meta, which suspended Trump from its services following the January 6 attacks on the Capitol, is expected to make a decision one way or another this month on…Read more...

The hits don’t stop coming as Twitter’s change-of-hands into billionaire Elon Musk’s grasp continues. Earlier this month, third-party apps like Tweetbot were barred from Twitter’s application program interface (API) without reason. Now Twitter is giving a reason—it’s just a very, very vague reason.

A team of paleontologists in India have given 256 fossilized dinosaur eggs a close look, in hopes of better understanding how some of the largest known dinosaurs bred and hatched.Read more...

Chemical flame retardants can make us safer by preventing or slowing fires, but they’re linked to a range of unsettling health effects. To get around that concern, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have bred a new population of cotton that can self-extinguish after encountering a flame.

Guess who’s going to be one of the congresspeople making lasting decisions about science and technology in the U.S.? Why, it’s none other than George Santos, the Queens-based Long Island representative who has admitted to outright making up whole swathes of his backstory and resume.Read more...

We’re getting ever closer to besting a frequent microscopic source of misery: the respiratory syncytial virus. Late Tuesday, Moderna announced the seemingly successful Phase III trial results of its experimental RSV vaccine. In older adults, the vaccine appeared to be over 80% effective at preventing two or more…Read more...

The nominees for the 34th annual GLAAD media awards have been announced, and of course Everything Everywhere All at Once continues to dominate.Read more...

Amazon’s prime members plateaued last year according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) report released this week. The number of subscribers has been in decline since July of last year, according to the CIRP, which claimed in the first six months of the year, Amazon Prime did not add net new members…Read more...

On Wednesday, Apple announced the second-generation HomePod, six years after introducing the original. This one is a little smarter than its predecessor, making it worth considering for an upgrade. It costs $300, supports Spatial Audio, and includes extra smarts to help you control your smart home in the walled garden.

The seemingly simple, shiny, clean world associated with tech is inevitably almost always simultaneously propped up by something darker hidden just below the surface. From mentally injured content moderators sifting through torrents of vile Facebook posts to overworked child laborers mining the cobalt necessary for…Read more...

In the wake of io9's reporting on Wizards of the Coast’s plans to update Dungeons & Dragons’ long-established Open Game License—the proprietary agreement that allows creatives to develop new content and systems using the rules of the iconic RPG—the publisher’s ongoing apology to creators has lead to the announcement…Read more...

Over the years, Boston Dynamics has shared several videos demonstrating the continually improved capabilities of its ATLAS humanoid robot. We know the robot can do everything from hauling heavy goods to performing parkour-caliber backflips, but if the company really wants to convince us that ATLAS will one day be an…Read more...

For the second time in less than one month, a Colorado public library branch has temporarily closed because of methamphetamine contamination, as first reported by The Associated Press.Read more...

Last we left off with The Owl House, Luz and the other Boiling Isles kids were making the most of being stranded in the Human Realm after the end of season two. That first 45-minute special, “Thanks to Them,” ended with the kids and Luz’s mom Camilla taking a portal back to the Boiling Isles to finally stop Emperor…Read more...

This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.

I have something to admit: I’m not a fan of induction ranges.

Although Zack Snyder first announced he would be making a science fiction epic Rebel Moon back in July of 2021, it feels like we’ve been waiting a lot longer—a lot—to actually see what the damn thing looks like. Thankfully, Netflix has rolled out a preview of what’s coming to the streaming service in 2023, and it…Read more...

No one who understands tech products work will be surprised to learn that Apple collects analytics data about how you use your iPhone. But a lot of people were surprised to learn that Apple collects that data even when the company’s own privacy settings promise not to. So surprised, in fact, that they filed lawsuits. …Read more...

Amazon’s foray into drone delivery has been a bumpy road, according to a former Amazon manager who worked with the tech. Cheddi Skeete says that he was fired from the company after raising concerns over the safety of Amazon’s drone delivery program.

The FAA limits the speed of a UAS (unmanned aircraft system), or drone, to 100 MPH. But like speed limits on a road, that doesn’t actually limit how fast a drone can fly. As with any vehicle, there are enthusiasts obsessed with going faster and faster, and Ryan Lademann, a custom drone builder, now holds the Guinness…Read more...

We have more indie horror movie trailers and news than you can brandish a machete at. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania explains how Scott and the others can talk to the creatures of the Quantum Realm, and it’s gross. And the Animaniacs gear up for one final season. All that and more—spoilers, ho!Read more...

Apple is having a real hard time getting its still nonexistent AR glasses to a state of less-nonexistance. So much so, that the latest reports show Apple may even need to delay its still-unannounced AR glasses and instead focus solely on its still-unannounced mixed reality headset.Read more...

A new report from CoinDesk has found that 1 in 3 members of Congress—196 senators and representatives—received political donations from former FTX executives, including the disgraced former head of the company, Sam Bankman-Fried.Read more...

The first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had Nick Fury. The next three, at least, have Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. Played by seven-time Emmy award-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the shady character has popped up several times so far, and in her upcoming Marvel movie, Thunderbolts, the …Read more...