- Tech NewsFacebook
The DOJ, FBI, SEC, and FTC Are All Now Investigating Facebook’s Role in Cambridge Analytica Scandal
The federal investigation into Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica data-sharing scandal—in which prior versions of Facebook’s advertising API allowed the shady election data firm to partner with an app to harvest data on at least 87 million users without their consent—has expanded to include a multi-agency inquiry into the social network’s data practices. Per the Washington Post, … Continued
By Tom McKay - io9Movies
The Original Jaws Poster Is Getting the Limited Edition Version It Rightfully Deserves
There are some great, great posters out there for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. But really, nothing can touch the original. Roger Kastel’s iconic, terrifying image of a giant shark about to eat a swimmer has captivated the world since 1975, and continues to be the most recognizable (and sought after) image of the film. And while … Continued
- io9Movies
A Father’s Day Imagines a Gruesomely Sweet Zombie Family Reunion
Most zombie tales are set just as the outbreak is happening, as desperate people—often families, as seen in recent films like Cargo and Train to Busan, but going all the way back to Night of the Living Dead—try to protect their loved ones. This short puts a refreshingly different perspective on the familiar. It’s called … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy - Tech News
Google Says It Doesn’t Go Through Your Inbox Anymore, But It Lets Other Apps Do It
Millions of people use third-party apps in conjunction with their Gmail accounts, and hundreds of millions of messages flow through the service on a regular basis. Last year, Google itself vowed to stop scanning users’ personal emails for data-driven advertising gold but it reportedly is still giving outside apps the ability to snoop through inboxes. … Continued
By Rhett Jones - io9Books
29 New Scifi and Fantasy Books to Add to Your Reading List in July
It’s the height of summer, so whether that means lazy vacation days or a desperate need to stay indoors bathed in icy air conditioning, you’re going to need some reading material. Fear not, scifi and fantasy fans—we’ve got you covered with 29 new releases to choose from. Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan The … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy - Tech News
Study: Future Teachers Are Already Biased Against Black Children
That black school children are treated more harshly than white children by teachers is no secret, as plenty of studies and painful anecdotes have repeatedly shown. But some recent research published in the journal Contemporary Educational Psychology suggests an even more discouraging reality: The incoming generation of teachers shows bias against black kids, too. Researchers … Continued
By Ed Cara - EartherConservation
Hell Yeah, No More Plastic Straws in Seattle
Here’s another reason to love Seattle if you don’t already: The gray city just became the first major one in the U.S. to ban plastic straws, utensils, and even cocktail picks. The city’s been working on this particular ban since last year though it’s been working on phasing out single-use food items since 2008. The … Continued
- ScienceAnimals
A Tit, an Owl, and Some Parakeets: Winning Pics From the 2018 Audubon Photography Awards
Photographing wildlife takes a special combination of patience and talent. Birds make the task even more difficult, since they are experts at flying away and disappearing into tall trees. Today, the National Audubon Society announced the winners of its ninth-annual Audubon Photography Awards. The judges selected the winners from more than 8,000 entries, which came … Continued
- io9Movies
A Closer Look at The Last Jedi’s Fight Scenes Could Reveal an Intriguing Link Between Rey and Kylo
They may not be of the same blood (as far as we know), but the connection is strong with Rey and Kylo Ren. Star Wars: The Last Jedi heightened the link between the new Jedi and her sometimes-shirtless nemesis, and a new image from Reddit shows a surprising way that bond may have manifested. Redditor … Continued
- EartherConservation
More Shipping in the Arctic Is Bad News for Narwhals
The Northwest Passage—the fabled maritime shortcut from the Bering Straight to the eastern Canadian Arctic—is increasingly becoming a real thing as climate change causes an Arctic meltdown. But as these icy waters become more and more navigable, the marine mammals who call them home face new threats. A study published Monday in the Proceedings of … Continued
By Maddie Stone - EartherNatural Disasters
The Explosive County Fire Is California’s Latest Climate Disaster
An enormous wildfire is roaring across the hills of Northern California, consuming land at a rate of 1,000 acres an hour, or more than 12 football fields a minute. The blaze is much larger and more out of control than the other fires that plagued the region last week, and a heat wave will only … Continued
By Brian Kahn - io9Comics
A New Firefly Prequel Comic Will Reveal the ‘Full Story’ of How Captain Mal and Zoe First Met
How did the ’Verse in Firefly get the way it was? Fans will find out this November when Boom Studios launches a new comic book series set before the events of the show, during the Unification War. “It’s high time we got to see the full story of Mal and Zoe’s meeting and mission in … Continued
- io9Television
Luke Cage‘s Showrunner Says His Harshest Critics Helped Him Make the Second Season Bulletproof
Before Black Panther and Black Lightning were bringing epic, distinctly black superhero stories to the big and small screens, Luke Cage set out to tell a poignant, timely story about just what it would mean for a black man to be gifted with near-invulnerability in a world trying to destroy him. By the end of … Continued
- EartherEnvironmental Justice
Doctor Who Exposed Flint Water Crisis Opens Up About Trust and Trauma
It’s been almost three years since Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha was tipped by a friend, at a barbecue of all places, that the city of Flint, Michigan’s drinking water could be tainted by lead. For Dr. Mona, a pediatrician at Flint’s Hurley Medical Center, the months that followed were a non-stop search for the missing piece … Continued
- Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Admits to Major Screw-Up That Silently Unblocked People Without Asking
Facebook disclosed a new “bug” on Monday that temporarily let some users who’d been blocked on the service send messages to the people who had blocked them. The bug also let some previously-blocked users view posts that were shared “to a wider audience,” such as publicly or with friends of friends, Facebook said. Facebook’s privacy … Continued
- Tech NewsSamsung
A Bug in Samsung’s Default Texting App Is Sending Random Pics to Other People
Sending pictures to others is one of the most basic functions of a smartphone, but when your phone’s texting app starts randomly pushing out photos without your knowledge, you got a problem. And unfortunately, according to a smattering of complaints on Reddit and the official Samsung forums, it seems that’s exactly what happened to a … Continued
- EartherEnvironmental Justice
Hurricane Maria ‘Climate Refugees’ Avoid Displacement for a Couple Days Longer [Updated: Extension Granted]
For those who’ve lost their homes since Hurricane Maria, the hits keep rolling. Over the weekend, more than 1,700 people displaced by the Category 4 storm nearly lost aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They were temporarily rescued when a court ruled Saturday to extend the housing assistance program until Tuesday. That means … Continued
- Tech News
How Birdwatching Got Me to Finally Log Off and Actually Go Outside
Waking up in New York City can be like a safari—all you need to do is listen rather than open your phone the second your alarm goes off. I might notice five different species from my bed: sparrows cheeping, blue jays jay-ing, mourning doves cooing, cardinals pewing, and even a chickadee, well, chicka-dee-dee-deeing. If you’re … Continued
- io9Books
The New Star Wars Canon Desperately Needs More Books Like Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina
The world of Star Wars was aflutter recently with drama about the future of Star Wars movie spinoffs that maybe-don’t-but-actually-do-oh-who-knows-anymore exist. But amid all that, one rumor of great interest focused on alleged plans for a spinoff film set in Mos Eisley Spaceport. It sounds silly, but it could’ve been a great idea. Let me … Continued
- EartherExtreme Weather
Why Atlantic Hurricane Season Is Quiet While the Eastern Pacific Is Roaring
It is a tale of two hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and the eastern Pacific. The former got off to a raging start with a late May storm that basically made it to the Great Lakes, while the latter was DOA. Now their roles have reversed, though, with the Atlantic taking a nap while the … Continued
By Brian Kahn