- Tech NewsApple
iPhone Confuses ‘Syria’ for ‘Siri’ During UK Defense Secretary’s Speech
For modern smartphone owners, it’s a common enough of an occurrence. You’re just sitting there, talking about whatever, when suddenly you say something that triggers the digital assistant on your phone. Now normally, you’d probably get annoyed for a second, tap a button to dismiss the interruption, and then continue with whatever you were doing. … Continued
- Tech News
The U.S. Treasury Has a Whole Department That Rebuilds and Refunds Destroyed Cash
It doesn’t matter what ludicrous conspiracy theory is stopping you from storing your money in a bank, you’ll be happy to know that the US Department of the Treasury has an entire division dedicated to the task of trying to rebuild and recover currency should your cash-stuffed mattress get destroyed in a fire or flood. … Continued
- io9
Siri Erroneously Told People Stan Lee Was Dead
For a few brief moments, comic book fans around the world were shocked to hear some tragic news. But luckily, the panic didn’t last long. As first reported by CinemaBlend, Siri spent a little time this week telling people that Stan Lee had died on July 2. Why would a computer program falsely report a … Continued
- Tech News
It’s Time to Log Off and Kick It Like This Chill-Ass, Margarita-Drinking Bear
If you’re still trying to figure out your Fourth of July plans, consider taking a cue from this calm snuggle beast who recently took a dip in a Jacuzzi in Altadena, California shortly after scaring off the owner. Mark Hough was relaxing in his hot tub with a margarita last Friday when a bear started … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Judge Dismisses All Charges Against Former Ad Tech CEO
Zainali Jaffer, the founder and former CEO of video advertising platform Vungle, was arrested in October on a number of charges, including child abuse and “oral copulation of a person under 14.” On Monday, a judge granted the district attorney’s motion to dismiss all the charges against him citing a lack of convincing evidence. Jaffer … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Feds Debunk IT Staffer Conspiracy Theory Pushed by The Daily Caller and Trump
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday debunked a long-running conspiracy theory promoted by President Trump and right-wing blog The Daily Caller, firmly declaring a former congressional IT staffer of Pakistani birth innocent of a slew of trumped up espionage and computer related crimes. Imran Awan, a former IT specialist for Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman … Continued
By Dell Cameron - EartherEarth Science
The World May Have Just Had Its Busiest Day of Air Travel Ever
There’s no better reminder of our globalized world than an air travel map. Nearly everyone on Earth is connected in some way by the tin cans with wings hurtling at 600 mph overhead, whether it’s the sight and sound a plane overhead, the Amazon package on your doorstep, or a vacation to Rome. Now, all … Continued
By Brian Kahn - Tech News
Spiders, Poison, and Boiling Water: The Best (and Worst) Ways to Kill Cockroaches
A few weeks ago, I was enjoying one of my favorite activities: reading an enthralling piece of fiction before bed. This time it was Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Just as I was being transported to 20th-century Japan, I heard a loud, fluttering sound near my window. I saw some movement and assumed a moth … Continued
- io9Television
The BBC Is Heading to Court to Hunt Down a Doctor Who Leaker
Last week, an incomplete scene featuring Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor surreptitiously hit the web, giving fans eager for leaks and spoilers a taste of what to expect from the next season of Doctor Who. But while in the entertainment business leaks and spoilers are part and parcel of the industry, in this case, the BBC … Continued
- Tech NewsApple
How Apple’s New Software Turned My Life Upside Down
Software updates are exciting. I keep telling my friends this, and when they get behind on their updates, I’m all, “Hey, you’re missing out on good stuff!” This is part of the reason why I’m sometimes the guy who downloads beta versions of software. The bugs are annoying, but hey, the features are better. This … Continued
- SciencePhysics
Why Particle Physicists Are Excited About This Mysterious Inconsistency
Scientists haven’t conclusively spotted any new particles since the Higgs boson, and that’s got some people worried—there are a ton of other physics puzzles remaining, many of which would require the presence of a new particle to resolve. But recently, there have been some tantalizing clues of new physics, perhaps a new particle, that many … Continued
- Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
These Academics Spent the Last Year Testing Whether Your Phone Is Secretly Listening to You
It’s the smartphone conspiracy theory that just won’t go away: Many, many people are convinced that their phones are listening to their conversations to target them with ads. Vice recently fueled the paranoia with an article that declared “Your phone is listening and it’s not paranoia,” a conclusion the author reached based on a 5-day … Continued
By Kashmir Hill - ScienceSpace
Did Something Massive Smash Into Uranus?
You might be aware of one of Uranus’ complexities: It spins on its side, and its moons orbit on that same rotated plane. New evidence strengthens the case that Uranus was smashed in a giant collision, resulting in its sideways orientation to its orbital plane and perhaps explaining some of the planet’s other mysteries. A … Continued
- EartherEarth Science
This Artist Reimagined Disney Princesses as Badass Earth Scientists
Growing up, I confess I wasn’t exactly a Disney princess fan. My quirky, nature-loving childhood self could relate to the mud-wallowing jungle creatures in The Lion King, but unattainably beautiful women in spectacular dresses with castles and suitors? Not so much. Disney princesses who are also Earth and environmental scientists, though, I can totally dig. … Continued
By Maddie Stone - How To
10 Phone and Laptop Problems You Shouldn’t Ignore
If you own a phone or a computer (and we’re assuming you do) there are bugs and annoyances that you just have to learn to live with. On the flip side, there are also problems that hint at something much more serious going on with your device—issues you shouldn’t learn to live with, but should … Continued
By David Nield - Tech NewsMicrosoft
Survey: Few Microsoft Staffers See Need to Cut Ties With ICE, Despite Thousands of Caged Kids
Should Microsoft end its federal contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)? This was the question posed to tens of thousands of Microsoft employees late last month—all users of the anonymous messaging board Blind. Less than half responded, “Yes.” According to Blind, 55.68 percent of Microsoft employees believe the company should continue its work … Continued
By Dell Cameron - Tech News
Poisonous Books Discovered in Danish University Library
Something is toxic in the state of Denmark, as a pair of researchers recently discovered while archiving books at a university library. Analyzing old books doesn’t sound like particularly dangerous work, unless those books happen to be covered in deadly arsenic, as researchers Jakob Povl Holck and Kaare Lund Rasmussen from the University of Southern … Continued
- io9Movies
Ant-Man and the Wasp’s Quantum Realm Has Teases of Marvel’s Future
When you see Ant-Man and the Wasp, keep your eyes peeled on the Quantum Realm. It may hold the keys to the future. “Like the first movie there are clues in the Quantum Realm to other possibilities and things,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told io9. “I’m talking frames [of film].” In the first Ant-Man, … Continued
- Tech NewsSamsung
What Could Samsung Do to Make the Next Galaxy Tab More Exciting?
After launching last year at MWC 2017, Samsung’s current flagship tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3, is starting to feel a little outdated. So naturally, rumors have begun leaking out about Samsung’s upcoming refresh, with the most recent leaks even showing off purported renders of the Tab S4’s final design. Based on what’s been leaked so … Continued
- ScienceHealth
A Woman Lost Her Toenails After a Fish Pedicure
An unorthodox beauty treatment meant to rejuvenate the feet turned into a disturbing medical mystery for one young woman. According to a case report published by her doctor in JAMA Dermatology, the woman’s toenails stopped growing and started falling off soon after she received a so-called fish pedicure. Fish pedicures involve having small fish nibble at … Continued
By Ed Cara