Gizmodo

With the next movie over two years away, the immediate future of Star Wars is on TV—and there’s a lot of it. But one of those shows might not be happening after all.Read more...

Android 12 is bringing a new design called Material You, and it’s the most significant design change to Android since Google introduced the original Material Design in 2014.Read more...

A lot of actors have taken on multiple roles in genre projects—sci-fi, fantasy, horror—but one stands out as possibly the most prolific in this particular area. Which actor has had the most work in geekdom? io9 is here to offer evidence that it’s one Ralph Ineson.Read more...

Cloudflare’s traffic-filtering Gateway service is meant to protect browsers from accessing malware-ridden sites or obvious scams. Until this week, it also let customers filter out sites hosting queer content—a feature the company blamed on one of its third-party partners.Read more...

The flimsy-looking but impressively tenacious Ingenuity has booked its sixth flight on Mars. Slated for sometime next week, this flight will be the first of the helicopter’s new demonstration phase, following five successful test flights that proved the feasibility of powered, controlled flight on the Red Planet.

I know we’ve had a lot of dystopian moments recently, but millionaires personally deploying their apps to hunt down houseless people falsely accused of starting wildfires spreading in a drought-stricken landscape is really up there. And that’s exactly what happened this week, according to new reporting from the Verge.Read more...

Equipped with headlights and a suite of powerful instruments, NASA’s VIPER is poised to revolutionize our understanding of lunar water, and how much of it might be available to future explorers. Here’s what you need to know about the golf cart-sized rover, which is scheduled to reach the Moon in late 2023.Read more...

If there can be only one, you can’t do much better than Henry Cavill. The Man of Steel and Witcher star is in talks to play the lead character in the long-gestating remake of the cult classic Highlander, directed by John Wick’s Chad Stahelski.Read more...

Just because Apple discontinued the original HomePod and is having a really hard time selling its remaining inventory, doesn’t mean it’s done adding updates. If you buy a new Apple TV 4K, you’ll be able to play audio from other gadgets connected to your TV—including Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and cable boxes—…Read more...

Given that superhero movies are the most reliable blockbusters of the modern age, I shouldn’t ever be surprised when some major star slips into the tights and capes of a long-time comic book character. However, I find myself oddly shaken by the announcement that Dwayne Johnson (who’s already starring in DC’s …Read more...

Doctors in Australia say an unusual welding accident left a 60-year-old man with steel lodged in his right ear. In a new case study, they detail how the metal punctured the man’s eardrum, causing him to lose some hearing and develop tinnitus. Luckily, he avoided more serious injury and his hearing was restored after…Read more...

It’s been quite a while since Netflix first announced it’d be making an anime-inspired adaptation of the action-horror comic Trese at its See What’s Next Asia event in 2018. Honestly, it’s weird that it took the series, created by writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo, that long to make a development deal…Read more...

The White House has correctly estimated that if Americans don’t want to perform a selfless act for their fellow citizens, then they might get off their butts for seeeeexxxxx. The Biden administration today announced that it’s teamed up with nine dating apps to add “vaccinated” badges and visibility boosts to user…Read more...

The third season of the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is now on Netflix and we’re celebrating with an exclusive clip showing the return of a fan favorite from the franchise. Ian Malcolm? Owen Grady? John Hammond back from the dead? No, none of those. We’re talking about Blue the Raptor.

The world consumes gargantuan quantities of sand for all kinds of things, which along with related materials like gravel and crushed rock, accounts for 85% of all mineral extraction on Earth. A new study details the massive environmental toll it takes—and how we can fix it.

Now that Google has given everyone a big preview of Android 12, everyone is wondering about the next batch of Google devices slated to run the company’s mobile OS. And based on a number of recent leaks, the Pixel 6 is shaping up to be Google’s most enticing phone in years.

If there’s one sure sign a creature isn’t of this world, but some other horrific realm, it’s a lack of a face. For the creators of the MeowEver, a cat-shaped pillow that simulates purring, a lack of a face is instead supposed to be an endearing trait, and encourage users to cuddle up with the bot, while pushing…Read more...

The Atlantic is acting up out of season. Again.

Last May, a spot suddenly appeared in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere. But as new images from the Juno spacecraft show, the once circular feature has morphed into an enigmatic splotch.Read more...

The first lesson is that you should never trust a stranger. The second is that sometimes, all Star Wars needs to get by is the help of a face you know from somewhere else in the galaxy far, far away.

Spotify users with Apple Watches can breathe a sigh of relief. You can finally, finally download playlists, albums, and podcasts onto the watch for offline use.Read more...

Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves gets some intriguing season two casting. Netflix gives details of three new animated projects. Plus updates from Pixar’s Luca, The Conjuring universe, and more. Spoilers are thrilled it’s Friday...

If you’ve dabbled in group fitness classes, at least one friend has likely tried to talk you into plunking down $34 for a SoulCycle ride. And even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard of its cultish fanbase who pedal in club-like, candlelit studios, led by buoyant instructors spouting nonsensical aphorisms that…Read more...

For most of us, occasionally switching up the desktop wallpaper is about as adventurous as we get when it comes to customizing the appearance of Windows. But there are in fact a multitude of ways to transform the operating system to perfectly customize its look—either through Windows’ own settings or with the help of…Read more...

Amazon has shut down construction at a site in Windsor, Connecticut after several ropes tied up as nooses were found hanging from beams, according to a new report from USA Today. At least seven possible nooses have been found at the construction site since April 27.

Spotify is partnering with Storytel, a Sweden-based audiobook streaming service, to integrate its library with Spotify’s platform later this year, the companies announced Thursday.

Snap continues to forge ahead with its line of techy camera glasses despite previous generations largely proving unprofitable and/or unpopular. But hey, fourth time’s the charm, right? On Thursday, Snap announced its newest Spectacles smart glasses with built-in AR displays, but don’t expect to get your hands on them…Read more...

Though Netflix’s Halston primarily focuses on the life of its titular fashion designer, who built an empire on minimalist silhouettes and Ultrasuede, the miniseries also spotlights a number of important figures who came into Halston’s orbit while they were on their own journeys to stardom. One of particular interest: …Read more...

Being the most famous and beloved Dungeons & Dragons character of all time, you’d think every summer would be the summer of Drow elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden. However, this summer, Wizards of the Coast is going out of its way to honor the savior of the Forgotten Realms, including a video biography that I simply can’t…Read more...

The European Space Agency has detailed its plan for a network of lunar satellites that will support a human presence on the Moon. The project, dubbed Moonlight, would fashion the Moon as a launchpad for deeper space exploration.

The CPU is classically considered “the brain” of a computer because, like the human head, it contains all of the circuits responsible for receiving and executing commands. However, like the rest of a machine, CPUs are not infallible. In fact, they can be fairly easy to hack. Recent years have shown egregious examples…Read more...

When Loki premieres on Disney+ June 9, the main character will not be the Loki you know and love. Yes he’s played by Tom Hiddleston, and yes the series takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But when the story starts, this Loki hasn’t been redeemed yet. He hasn’t lived through Thor: The Dark World or Thor:…Read more...

Looks like it’s once again time for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to play the role of buzzkill. In the midst of a new outbreak of Salmonella bacteria linked to pet birds, the CDC is warning feather lovers: Please don’t smooch or snuggle your backyard chickens, ducks, or other assorted poultry.Read more...

All is not well in Star Trek’s Mirror universe. Okay, things are never well in the Mirror universe—everyone’s evil there, and constantly scheming, murdering, and/or scheming about murder—but things are going to get much worse when IDW releases a new Trek comic event with the absolutely awesome title The Mirror War.

Microscopic tardigrades are among the toughest animals on Earth, capable of withstanding freezing temperatures, the vacuum of space, and intense radiation. As new research shows, they’re even able to survive high-speed impacts—but only to a point.

The FCC today unanimously voted to cut cruelly overpriced prison and jail phone call rates, imposed by telecom companies that have creatively fished for every last penny from incarcerated people and their families. In an announcement, the FCC said that interstate calls will no longer exceed $0.12 per minute for…Read more...

A team of Japanese astronomers recently peered way, way back in time using a telescope array in Chile. What they made out in the distant, early universe is a record-breaking galaxy, one that turns back the clock on when galaxies took on their classic spiral structures.Read more...

The Colonial pipeline has proven just how critical of a piece of infrastructure it is after it was shut down by a ransomware attack last week that sparked a gasoline shortage along the East Coast. But the company doesn’t want you to remember just how important it is to daily life. There’s a good reason: Anonymity has…Read more...

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing forward a privacy bill meant to offer some much-needed transparency on the data being hoovered by our digital devices. And for once, a bill like this actually has a chance of passing.Read more...

Edited by World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar, The Best of World SF: Volume 1 collects 26 new short stories from authors representing 21 countries, including France, China, Singapore, Nigeria, India, Japan, Italy, and Cuba. io9 has a first look at the entry by Tlotlo Tsamaase, who hails from Botswana.

As Earther’s resident Guy Who Has Opinions About Cars, I have taken much pride and joy talking shit about the Cybertruck (dystopian trash) and the Hummer EV (warmongering throwback nobody wants trash). With Ford officially unveiling its electric version of the F-150, I am here once again to pass judgment.Read more...

Last Halloween’s streaming Hocus Pocus reunion might have failed to, uh, put a spell on viewers (at least it was for a good cause?), but the long-awaited sequel to Disney’s beloved spooky classic finally has a release date for its Disney+ debut. And it’s official: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy…Read more...

Season one of The Wheel of Time just finished filming and Amazon likes it so much, it’s already renewed it for season two—incredibly exciting news for fans of Robert Jordan’s sprawling, best-selling fantasy series. We just wish we could see what all the fuss is about as very, very little has been released to show…Read more...

I’ve never liked bugs. I frequently have nightmares about swarms of insects. So naturally, I’ve been anxious about the Brood X cicadas re-emergence for months, concerned that they’ll ruin the experience of eating at outdoor restaurants or hanging out on my deck on weekend afternoons. I know the bugs are harmless, but…Read more...

Earlier this week, Google announced it was partnering with Samsung to create a unified Wear OS-Tizen platform. It’s a bold move that could up-end the smartwatch landscape, and the next Samsung watches may be the first to offer the new Wear-Tizen mash-up experience.Read more...

As much as the Pokémon franchise goes out of its way to explicitly tell you how much most of the creatures love their trainers—who capture and conscript them into lives of battling their own kind for glory—we all understand how messed up a premise that is when you spell it out. Nintendo’s New Pokémon Snap gives fans a…Read more...

A group of scientists fear they may have discovered another coronavirus capable of infecting humans. The virus has been spotted in patients suffering from pneumonia in Malaysia and likely originated from dogs. At this point, though, it’s not certain whether the virus is truly causing illness or if it could spread…Read more...

Precocious, adventurous kids are a dime a dozen. Tony Hale? Less so. Yet somehow, Disney+’s upcoming adaptation of The Mysterious Benedict Society children’s books features Tony Hale recruiting a quartet of precocious, adventurous kids to stop the nefarious plans of... Tony Hale?

The first public beta for Android 12 was released earlier this week, and hidden in the code are some significant clues that may have just revealed Google’s plans for all the new Pixel phones coming in 2021, including a potential foldable Pixel.Read more...

An Angelina Jolie wildfire movie is every disasterologist’s dream, but Those Who Wish Me Dead ignores our current nightmare. Instead of leaving us with a high from an action-packed Jolie film, we were left wondering why Hollywood isn’t doing more to help us through our collective anxieties in the midst of a pandemic…Read more...