Gizmodo

Update 8/20/20 3:45 p.m. ET: Following Lyft’s announcement that it would cease operations in California over an order to classify its drivers as full-time employees rather than independent contractors, CNBC reports that an appeals court in the state has granted Lyft and Uber a temporary reprieve extending the time…Read more...

Are you a frontline worker dealing with new stresses or irresponsible management? Is working (or not working) from home starting to take a psychological toll? How are you coping with reopening? Submit a story using this Google form or send me an email with the subject line “My Covid Story”…Read more...

Right now, huge swaths of India and Bangladesh are underwater due to a record-setting monsoon season.Read more...

Star Trek: Lower Decks isn’t the sort of show for big, shocking reveals. But ever since I saw this week’s episode “Temporal Edict,” I have been unable to stop thing about the delightful thing that happens at the end.Read more...

Using high-resolution, 3D X-ray scans, a team of researchers has digitally unwrapped and analyzed three mummified animals from ancient Egypt.

The people of Flint are finally getting some justice. The state of Michigan is dishing out $600 million in settlement dollars for victims of the water crisis that exposed the city of nearly 100,000 to unhealthy levels of lead in their drinking water.Read more...

Given the spike in Zoom calls driven by the global pandemic, several camera-makers have released apps to help you turn your camera into a webcam. Sony is the latest. Today it released new software that lets you hook up your Sony camera to a Windows 10 computer with just a USB cable.Read more...

If I were to rank all the items in my kitchen that I thought could benefit from a smart upgrade, the faucet would be near the bottom of the list, outranking only butter knives and those plastic clips that keep bread bags closed. After spending a few weeks with the U by Moen Smart Faucet, however, I realize I was…Read more...

Yes, it can be fun when Lego’s Star Wars sets are ginormous, hyper-detailed monstrosities that vaporize our bank accounts like Death Stars vaporize Alderaanians. But there’s something to be said about the company taking one small, iconic moment, and turning it into a cool little set.Read more...

A day after announcing it’s taking formal steps to issue an initial public offering, Airbnb is doing some housekeeping. The home-sharing network decided on Thursday that it’s had enough of all these stories about irresponsible patrons throwing parties in a pandemic, and it’s implementing a worldwide ban on large…Read more...

As the Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn once said, “There’s always a bigger fish.” Or in the case of the Triassic Period, there’s always a bigger aquatic reptile, as this incredible fossil demonstrates.

Hundreds of millions of mosquitos will soon be released in Florida. On purpose. The mosquitoes are being released as a form of pest control, but they could wreak havoc on local ecosystems. And honestly, just the thought of it makes my ankles itch.Read more...

U.S. federal prosecutors announced Thursday morning that four men have been indicted for their roles in a crowdfunding scheme to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former right-hand man, was among those indicted this morning and is already in federal custody, according to …Read more...

Scream 5's cast continues to expand. Robert Eggers’ mysterious next movie has a hell of a cast. Get a glimpse of The New Mutants’ powers in a new TV spot. Warrior Nun will return for a second season. Plus, The Batman and Supernatural return to filming, and a new look at The 100's return. Spoilers, away!

Web browsers were once used simply for browsing the web. But now they can perform all kinds of tricks, including managing passwords. With new features like password suggestions and data breach warnings being added all the time, are these built-in password managers ready to take on the dedicated third-party tools?…Read more...

This article was originally published on The Markup and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.Read more...

An official with U.S. Border Patrol sent out a tweet on Tuesday, claiming the agency had arrested ten “illegal aliens” in El Centro, California after some were allegedly caught with fake Social Security numbers. Strangely, the Border Patrol official said the suspects had claimed to be firefighters who were certified…Read more...

EarFun True Wireless Earbuds | $34 | Amazon | Use Code EFREE32OFF

Hadouken! Seiko and Capcom have teamed up to bring us an entire line-up of watches inspired by the beefy players in the Street Fighter saga. The watches, now available for pre-order in the U.S., feature color schemes and clever nods to the original video game characters. Not content to just show you these timepieces…Read more...

Facebook on Wednesday announced a crackdown on a range of extremist communities on its social networks, including the increasingly mainstream QAnon and not a moment too soon.

Zoom is one of those programs that none of us are particularly fond of, but that we’re all kind of stuck with—especially if you’re one of the students or teachers that’s going to be stuck in remote-learning hell this coming semester. Now it looks like the platform’s about to become even more inescapable: earlier…Read more...

On Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives released the legislation in response to controversial administrative changes at the U.S. Postal Service. As more Americans have become concerned that the changes at the USPS pose a threat to the presidential election in November, the House has…Read more...

Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols is one of the most influential sci-fi actors of the 20th century, but the actress who played Uhura remains the focus of a legal battle over her finances, career, and well-being—one which continues to escalate, as more members of her family have stepped in to help.

The new 27-inch iMac is a very good computer. That’s not surprising: Apple upgraded its newest machine to Intel’s 10th-gen CPUs, making it adept at handling processor-intensive creative tasks. It also has a truly beautiful screen, better than any I’ve ever used (more on that on a minute).Read more...

You could make the case that stemming misinformation on social media is about as feasible as beheading a hydra, even the people running said platforms were inclined towards monster-slaying (which many decidedly aren’t). A convincing conspiracy video can become national news within a matter of hours in the midst of a…Read more...

Tuesday night, former Vice President Joe Biden officially clinched the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Big news, to be sure. But let’s be real, the biggest moment of Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention was the delightful roll call vote that took us on a tour of 57 states and territories, including…Read more...

As you are no doubt aware, Movies Have (Basically) Stopped. Almost all the movies that used to be being made are no longer being made and those of us who depend on making fun of the summer’s crappy nerdy blockbusters for their livelihoods are in a pickle. How can I, as someone who has professionally hated things for …Read more...

On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Californians had their power cut for a spurt in the evening. And more of this could be in store in the coming days as record breaking heat beats down on the state and wildfires burn out of control.Read more...

Carlie had just returned to Louisiana when she went to the movies with her girlfriend and had trouble sitting down comfortably. It was the spring of 2017 and about two weeks prior Carlie, a 34-year-old trans woman, had undergone a vaginoplasty: a surgery sometimes performed after injuries or post-cancer but most…Read more...

It’s faced a few delays, and, well, a global pandemic that could perhaps lay even an Amazon low. But at long last, Wonder Woman 1984 is ready to return Diana Prince to the DC Cinematic Universe spotlight. Her new adventure will not take her into the present but keep her in a somewhat recent past: one that will allow…Read more...

When TCL chose not to renew the license allowing it to make BlackBerry phones earlier this year, it seemed like a once-great smartphone brand might finally be put to rest. But now, a new company has pledged to take up the BlackBerry mantle with promises of releasing a new phone featuring a good ‘ol physical keyboard…Read more...

W-King Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker | $53 | Amazon | Promo Code WKINGD8BRead more...

When the Super Soaker was first released back in 1990, it sparked a huge controversy when miscreants reportedly started filling the large tanks with chemical irritants and shooting unsuspecting victims. Thirty years later, the Super Soaker is back in the news again for being dangerous, but this time it’s a result of…Read more...

Keyed locks are relatively easy to pick if you’ve spent enough time mastering the skill. But researchers at the National University of Singapore have just made it even easier. If you can use a smartphone to record a sound, you can capture all the information you need to create a working duplicate of a key.Read more...

If you haven’t already heard, California is on fire. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Tuesday for the disaster unfurling. The state is in the middle of a dramatic heat wave, which is fueling more than 30 wildfires burning across the state. The situation appears to be going from bad to worse.Read more...

With film and TV production struggling to limp along amid the covid-19 pandemic, people looking for new entertainment at home are having to do some deeper crate-digging. Now, Netflix is testing a feature that could help you out when things get really dire.

Since the Apple Watch Series 4, wearable makers have been scrambling to add electrocardiogram functions to their smartwatches. Now, leaked renders from WinFuture suggest that Fitbit is ready to introduce its own ECG-capable smartwatch, along with an updated Inspire 2 tracker and... unsurprisingly, a Versa 3.Read more...

Have we...considered the possibility...that there’s a chance...that...we are the real monsters?

On August 16, a car-sized asteroid came to within 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) of our planet, making it the closest known non-impacting asteroid on record.

For a company that started out making add-on lenses for smartphones, Moment has quickly grown into a purveyor of a wide range of camera and home office gear. But with Moment’s new line of Travelwear, Moment is taking a big step by going up against some of the biggest names in luggage.Read more...

If you recently bought Google’s flagship Pixel 4 or opted for the more value-oriented Pixel 4a, you should know that both handsets have a few tricks to show off. These are the features, tools, settings, and tips you need to know about if you want to get the most out of your Pixel 4 or Pixel 4a smartphone.

Keanu Reeves discusses what’s being done to keep cast and crew safe on the set of The Matrix 4. Patty Jenkins teases the long, tough road to designing Wonder Woman 1984's Cheetah. Jon Favreau doesn’t think Covid-19 will impact the production of The Mandalorian’s third season all that much. Plus, what’s to come on The…Read more...

Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo Headphones | $33 | Amazon

I’ve been searching for years for an Android smartwatch that I could confidently recommend as being as good as, if not better than, the Apple Watch. Well, the search is over. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is that smartwatch.Read more...

President Donald Trump congratulated anti-Muslim hatemonger Laura Loomer over Twitter last night for winning the Republican primary in Florida’s 21st congressional district. Ironically, Loomer is banned from Twitter, but she likely heard about the tweet anyway, thanks to Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican who’s endorsed…Read more...

The murder-hornet-hunting heroes at the Washington State Department of Agriculture have successfully trapped a male specimen—the first of its kind found stateside.Read more...

Google Maps is getting a colorful new update in the coming weeks, adding terrain and street-level granularity to its UI that, after 15 years, was in desperate need of a makeover.Read more...

Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PC and Stadia via early access on September 30, 2020, Larian Studios revealed today during a live stream. This isn’t the first time a major game will be released on Stadia at the same time as another major platform, but Larian Studios’ enthusiasm for Stadia as a game development platform…Read more...

Democratic presidential ticket Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both came out against fossil fuel subsidies during their respective White House primary bids. But the party they now lead removed language doing the same at the last minute from its national platform.

Apple today announced it’s adding two new offerings to its global radio portfolio: a hits station and one for country music. Somewhat confusing for fans of its existing and immensely popular Beats 1, Apple also announced the station will be renamed Apple Music 1. As with its infuriatingly frustrating Apple TV and TV+…Read more...