Tech Boys

A week after news broke that Google's Nest Secure system has a microphone no one knew about, Congress is seeking answers from CEO Sundar Pichai. The company's Nest Guard -- a small hub that communicates with other sensors in the Nest Secure system --... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2T2ejIX via IFTTT

Amazon's entry into the pharmacy business might not have the leader you'd expect. CNBC has learned that the online retailer has picked Nader Kabbani, an executive who helped establish the Kindle self-publishing system and has worked in Flex and logi... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2SrU5Db via IFTTT

A Dow Jones database detailing more than 2.4 million records of risky businesses and people has been exposed. A third-party company reportedly left the watchlist on a public server without password protection. from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2NxqNlR via IFTTT

The creators of TikTok are facing US penalties for allegedly doing too little to respect kids' privacy. The Federal Trade Commission has fined TikTok (aka Musical.ly) $5.7 million as part of a settlement over reported COPPA violations in its lip-syn... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Tl5SHQ via IFTTT

How do you persuade people to watch your TV shows when their phones serve as a constant distraction? By rewarding them through their phones for watching. Cartoon Network is launching an app, Cartoon Network Arcade, that will provide virtual collect... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2UiIiZm via IFTTT

Sony's original Aibo robotic dog blew the public's collective mind when it debuted in 1999, instantly becoming a cultural touchstone and commanding a rabidly loyal fan base. People still hold burials for their OG mechanical companions when they break... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2tIFKsa via IFTTT

By now, it's not much of a secret that Motorola is working on a folding phone of its own: A patent for such a device surfaced late last year, and a subsequent report in The Wall Street Journal basically confirmed the company's plans. Despite the ensu... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Vqw2GE via IFTTT

Earlier this week, rumors circulated that T-Mobile would delay its 5G launch until the second-half of this year. Today, CTO Neville Ray told PC Mag it still plans to start rolling out its 5G network in the first half of the year, and he also offered... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2tFRZWd via IFTTT

Hyundai announced today its intention to build a dedicated electric vehicle platform that will be used for a new electric car set to be released in 2020, according to CNET. The platform, part of a planned $40 billion investment into innovation, will... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2SrELXb via IFTTT

Star Trek: Discovery has been a hit for CBS All Access, so it's not a huge surprise that the show has been renewed for a third season. The show will continue into 2020 and with a new co-showrunner. Michelle Paradise, who joined Discovery during the s... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2ECVV0f via IFTTT

If you're a geek of a certain age, you probably had some kind of phone with a physical keyboard. For me, it was the BlackBerry Tour. For my younger sister, it was the magnificently chunky Motorola CLIQ. And for F(x)tec co-founder Liangchen Chen,... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Sr07ny via IFTTT

It's been two years since Horizon: Zero Dawn was released, and to mark the occasion, Guerilla Games is partnering with PUBG Corporation to bring themed outfits and weapon skins to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on PS4. You'll be able to earn or buy th... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Es5m1t via IFTTT

Honda's Urban EV concept is nearly ready to hit the road in earnest. As teased in January, the automaker has unveiled a Honda E Prototype that "previews" the production version of its city-oriented electric car. This refined version unsurprisingly in... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2BVPbca via IFTTT

Robotic lawn mowers aren't a recent development, but they're still far from common, at least in the US. This week at MWC, Husqvarna announced its first all-wheel drive (AWD) option with the 435X. In addition to some other unique features, this new "a... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2T1vPwO via IFTTT

Fox has been ordered to pay $179m to profit participants on the longrunning TV show Bones; the judgment includes $128m in punitive damages because the aribitrator that heard the case found that Fox had concealed the show's true earnings and its execs had lied under oath to keep the profit participants from getting their share of the take. The arbitrator singled out Fox execs Dana Walden, Gary Newman and Peter Rice for "giving false testimony to conceal their wrongful acts." The suit turned on Fox's "self-dealing," whereby one division would make a program and sell it to another division at well below market rates, then claim that the show hadn't earned very much money, thus denying payouts to those with a share of the profits: the show's stars, the author of the novels the show was adapted from, and the show's exec producer. Fox has vowed to appeal. Two of the Fox execs singled out by the arbitrator are set to move into executive roles at Di

After a raid in Miami, police Sgt. Manuel Regueiro approached and punched an 18-year-old cuffed suspect in the face. The victim warned the officers they were being filmed by the home security system. So officer Alex Gonzalez stole the evidence. But he had in fact taken the system's battery, and now both officers are being charged with crimes. Regueiro for misdemeanor battery ... Gonzalez with tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor petty theft. “Shameful we have to take these actions,” the department’s director, Juan Perez, said in a Tuesday tweet. “However, any officer violating the law will face the consequences, including arrest and prosecution.” Consider in silence how ignorant of modern technology you'd have to be to think that a modern surveillance camera's battery was a tape. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2NwbDgu via IFTTT

A man who took radioactive medication in his final days was cremated in 2017, a mistake that released potentially dangerous Lutetium 177 into the environment. This alarming case, reported in a new research letter this week, illustrates the collateral risks potentially posed by on average 18.6 million nuclear medicine procedures involving radiopharmaceuticals performed in the US every year. While rules regulate how these drugs are administered to living patients, the picture can become less clear when those patients die, thanks to a patchwork of different laws and standards in each state – not to mention situations like the 69-year-old man, whose radioactive status simply slipped through the cracks. "Radiopharmaceuticals present a unique and often overlooked postmortem safety challenge," researchers from the Mayo Clinic explain in a case note. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2SyKxGk via IFTTT

IMAGE: 3000 Kifer Road, a site of layoffs reported by Apple to the State of California, believed to involve Apple's self-driving car division. Google Street View via SF Chronicle. Apple confirmed today that it is laying off about 190 people from its self-driving car division. Most of the people who are losing their jobs in Santa Clara/Sunnyvale are engineers, and they'll be departing in April. From the San Francisco Chronicle : The layoffs were disclosed, along with new details, in a letter this month to the California Employment Development Department. CNBC reported last month that layoffs were occurring in the self-driving car division, known as Project Titan. Tom Neumayr, an Apple spokesman, confirmed that the letter to the state referenced the same layoffs. Most of the affected employees are engineers, including 38 engineering program managers, 33 hardware engineers, 31 product design engineers and 22 software engineers. The layoffs will take effect April 16, accordin

In China, technology firms are working with the government to push voice and facial recognition to help pigs, many of which have been dying from a swine disease that's sweeping the country. African swine fever has spread quickly through China in recent weeks, affecting the world’s top pork producer and the reliability of supply for other nations. Today, the government announced plans to divide its hog industry into five zones in an attempt to halt the swine fever's spread. More on facial and voice recognition technology in the China swine story, from Sui-Lee Wee and Elsie Chen in the New York Times : Chinese companies are pushing facial and voice recognition and other advanced technologies as ways to protect the country’s pigs. In this Year of the Pig, many Chinese hogs are dying from a deadly swine disease, threatening the country’s supply of pork, a staple of Chinese dinner tables. So China’s ebullient technology sector is applying the same techniques it has used to tr

Photo: Matt Gaetz and Donald Trump in happier times, via the congressman's Twitter . The Florida Bar is investigating Republican congressman Matt Gaetz one day after he tweeted a threat at Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen is testifying before Congress today. Separately, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) says the tweet by Gaetz (R-FL) should be referred to the Justice Department, so prosecutors may examine whether the notorious Trump supporter's tweet was foul play or witness tampering. On Tuesday night, just hours before Cohen's public testimony before the House Oversight Committee taking place today, Gaetz tweeted at Cohen, "Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot..." Gaetz later deleted the tweet and apologized. Asked on Tuesday if the Cohen tweet amounted to witness tamperin

“WHILE FACEBOOK’s scale might as well be infinite, the actual universe of people arguing about vaccinations is limited and knowable,” writes Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic in a piece that examines data about Facebook Pages and related Facebook Posts on the topic of vaccines. Excerpt : Using the web-monitoring tool CrowdTangle, I analyzed the most popular posts since 2016 that contain the word vaccine. I found that a relatively small network of pages creates most of the anti-vaccine content that is widely shared. At the same time, a small network of “pro-science” pages also experiences viral success countering the anti-vax posts. While there is no dearth of posts related to vaccines, the top 50 Facebook pages ranked by the number of public posts they made about vaccines generated nearly half (46 percent) of the top 10,000 posts for or against vaccinations, as well as 38 percent of the total likes on those posts, from January 2016 to February of this year. The distribution is heav

The Federal Trade Commission today fined Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, $5.7 million dollars for violating children’s privacy laws. The FTC press release says this means the Commission has obtained the “ largest monetary settlement in a COPPA case .” The FTC also notes there were reports of adults trying to contact children in Musical.ly Until October 2016, there was a feature that users view others within a 50-mile radius. “The operators of Musical.ly—now known as TikTok—knew many children were using the app but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons, in a statement . “This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law.” From Sarah Perez at TechCrunch : In an app update being release

I've written about melamine foam (sold as Magic Erasers) before. They're great for quickly removing mars, scuffs, and stains from almost any surface. I recommend buying 100 at a time . Latest use case: Some old stickers on my laptop that I wanted to remove. After peeling them off, the sticky, tough, adhesive remained on the laptop. Magic eraser knockoff to the rescue! It took about 90 seconds of gentle rubbing with a damp magic eraser to remove all traces. Before: After: Watch the video below to see different ways to use this wonder material. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2XpJjRr via IFTTT

On Sunday in Bensheim, Germany, two children spotted a rat stuck in the vent of a manhole cover. Animal welfare organization Berufstierrettung Rhein-Neckar sent out two rescue workers who were unable to free the rodent. From Smithsonian : That’s when things get surreal. The 8-member Auerbach volunteer fire brigade soon arrived on the scene wearing their firefighting gear and began a 25-minute rescue operation posted on YouTube. First they subdued the rat around the neck using a pole with a restraining loop at the end. Then, using large, black professional-looking wedges they popped up the heavy manhole cover and animal rescuer Michael Sehr was able to wiggle and work the portly little nibbler loose before releasing him back into the sewer... The children who first found the rat also thanked the firefighters with a handmade, rat-themed thank you card. Here's video of the operation: from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2XmZdfz via IFTTT

[Update 2/27/19 8:05pm: An Amazon spokesperson gave us the following statement: "We welcome the FTC’s work in this area. Amazon invests significant resources to protect the integrity of reviews in our store because we know customers value the insights and experiences shared by fellow shoppers. Even one inauthentic review is one too many. We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners and we suspend, ban, and take legal action on those who violate our policies."] In the first ever case of its kind, the Federal Trade Commission just reached a settlement that includes a $12.8 million fine against an herbal supplement company that paid for fake five-star reviews to boost its Amazon sales. The fraudulent company, Cure Encapsulations, contacted a site that churns out fake reviews — amazonverifiedreviews.com (now taken down) — and told them, "“Please make my product … stay a five star." They then paid the sleazy site "$1,000 for 30 r

Blue Marble 3 is Kaplamino's latest marble chain reaction video. I like the way that many parts of the track are formed as needed by the energy of rubber bands, deflating balloons, magnets, and even a firecracker. From the YouTube description: I present you my most ambitious project so far, blue marble 3 ! I'm out of my comfort zone this time because the chain reaction is taking place on two tables, and with 0 fidget spinners. It is the longest in terms of duration and the one that takes up the most space in my room. I tried to use a little bit of everything like rubber bands, magnets, and elements. I had so many failures that I stopped counting, as always only a few tricks were responsible for the majority of failures, can you guess which ones? Image: YouTube from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2H5uCNN via IFTTT

Mike Solomon, creative director at Hearst Digital Media, created Judge Fake People . Here's what he wrote about it on his website, The Cleverest : Like many internet addicts, I was blown away by NVIDEO’s demo using style-based Generative Adversarial Networks to generate faces. They seem to have crossed a threshold for generating artificial images that can genuinely fool our brains. Flash forward to last week when I saw Philip Wang’s amazing single-serving website thispersondoesosxist.com . It was fascinating to see a photo-realistic face of someone that doesn’t exist. Philip’s writeup does a great job explaining his motivations and this implications behind this groundbreaking technology. But I just wanted to turn it into hot or not. So I wrote a script to download an image from thispersondoesnotexist.com every 5 seconds and built up a collection of around two thousand fake people. Then I made a voting system with php/MySQL and some filters to show the highest and lowest rat

Chester Bolingbroke on the three elements that must be well-balanced to make a good computer role-playing game: breadth, depth and immersion . Breadth refers primarily to the physical size of the game. It can be measured in dungeon squares or tiles, or in modern games the length of time it takes to travel from one end to the other. It also refers to the length of time it takes to play and win the game ... Depth refers to the things that you find and to the things that happen within that game world. The specific elements depend on the game's genre, but for RPGs it includes things like the backstory, lore, NPCs, quests, and character development. ... Immersion deals with the game's capacity to make you feel like you are truly "occupying" its world, and it's primarily a function of graphics and sound--although we must allow for skilled developers who can engage the player's imagination in the absence of these things, as a good author does. This is a great w

Recent rains have put this 'Glory Hole' into use for the first time since 2017. California's Lake Berryessa has an awesome overflow spillway built to relive the Monticello Dam known as a 'Glory Hole' -- essentially a drain that high water levels will activate. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2Ti2bTk via IFTTT

A 76-year-old-man was carrying an original Picasso in a large shopping bag while traveling by train in Germany. He tucked it under his seat, but when he changed trains he forgot all about it, leaving it behind. The 10-inch-high piece was a ceramic vase that was part of Picasso's "Owl" series made in the South of France in 1953. It's worth at least $11,000. According to CNN : Carrying his precious cargo in a large shopping bag, the 76-year-old man was traveling from Kassel in central Germany to the western city of Dusseldorf on February 15... According to German police, the owner contacted the crew immediately after departing the train. But despite a search, the vase was nowhere to be seen. Police described the incident as a case of "monumental forgetfulness" and said the vase had been pinched by an "unknown culprit." They called on witnesses to come forward. #bpol https://t.co/9MV1W5T9tF BPOL NRW: Teure Vergesslichkeit Pablo Picassos &q

From the latest issue of Ali Griswold's Oversharing , a newsletter about the sharing economy: scooters have an average lifetime of a month or less, and the startups are losing money on every scooter they buy. Griswold used publicly available data sets from Louisville, KY to calculate how long scooters last before they stop generating revenue. At the rates calculated above, that company only recoups $65 to $75 on the cost of each scooter—in other words, it loses $295 to $285 per scooter. That doesn’t even include the $50 annual fee per dockless vehicle, the $3,000 in combined licensing fees, or the $100 fee for each designated parking area. Plug in the $551 sticker price for a scooter, and the losses are even greater. Image: bakdc/Shutterstock from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2IDlF0B via IFTTT

I can not wait to give this small LEGO Star Wars set to my daughter. The kit includes some great minifigs: R2, C3P0, and a really nice Stormtrooper, however I'm most excited about the escape pod. At 177 pieces this set will be a short activity for her, but for less than $20 delivered I can't pass it up. LEGO Star Wars: A New Hope Escape Pod vs. Dewback Microfighters 75228 Building Kit via Amazon from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2UbmW0d via IFTTT

Césares de Roma is a project to make hyperrealist sculptures of Roman emperors using existing portraits and sculptures as referencesThe latest creation is a silicone bust of Nerón Claudio César Augusto Germanicus, aka Nero, who wreaked havoc from 54 to 68 AD. and Nero: https://t.co/NgLIGISrze pic.twitter.com/aIzp79L9eW — Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) February 27, 2019 Image: YouTube from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2Vrzwc2 via IFTTT

A Chinese high schooler purchased a handwriting robot to draw Chinese characters for her homework. When her mother discovered the machine, she destroyed it. These devices are available online for about $100. From Inquisitr : In China, students are often burdened with the task of writing complex characters over and over in order to learn them. It appears that the girl digitized her handwriting and had the robot complete her work for her. Predictably, the girl finished her homework in record time. All seemed to go well for the girl. That is, until her mom found the machine while cleaning her room and promptly destroyed it. The exact model of the robot is unnamed, but known robots that can “write” look like a square box with a black arm that holds a pen or pencil. For example, there’s a U.S. company called Bond that uses robots that can write in what looks like human handwriting. Some of these machines come with handwriting that’s already loaded onto the hardware, while others allow

After a winter dump that left an area of Durango, Colorado with 80" of snow, one small dog got stuck. No matter what he did (including high jumps) he couldn't move forward. But that's what buddies are for. His bigger canine friend clears a trail for him, leading him back to his human. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2NB3kAc via IFTTT

Last week, residents of a Sammamish, Washington neighborhood woke up to racist graffiti , including swastikas and the n-word, on their homes and garages. (Video report below.) Now, it seems the perpetrators returned to spray-paint an apology. From KIRO 7 : “More graffiti was found at Klahanie Park. It was a couple different things,” King County Sheriff’s Sergeant Ryan Abbott told KIRO Radio. “First it was the word spray-painted ‘Sorry’, and then next to that there was another spray-paint — it was hard to read — that read, ‘Not hate, just’ something, and then another ‘Sorry.'” It’s in the same red spray paint as before,” Sergeant Abbott said, “and they were just trying to say that they didn’t mean any hate by their tags, which of course were offensive as you had read, but now they’re updating it to say this..." Police are continuing to investigate. They’re hoping that surveillance video will provide additional information. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2Eik0YO via IF

MGM and Mattel are developing a live-action movie based on the iconic View-Master stereo viewer. This news comes on the heels of the two companies' announcement of an American Girl film based on the insanely popular doll brand. From Hollywood Reporter : “Since the 1940s, View-Master has inspired wonder and joy in children of all ages, creating huge opportunities for storytelling,” said Brenner in a statement. “MGM Pictures has tremendous expertise and a proven track record in capturing audiences’ imagination through film, and we’re proud to be partnering with them to bring another Mattel franchise to theaters. This marks another important milestone as we transform Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company.” Stated Jonathan Glickman, MGM's motion picture group president: “View-Master was the first device that allowed families all over the world to escape their reality and take them places they never thought they could go. We couldn’t be more excited to partner wit

Intruders crept into a crypt at Dublin, Ireland's St. Michan's Church, decapitated an 800-year-old mummy and ran off with the head. The Garda Síochána (Irish police) ask that anyone with information about the missing head or those who did the decapitating, please contact them. From CNN : The mummy is thought to be a soldier who fought in the Crusades, a series of eight expeditions sanctioned by the Church between the 11th and 13th centuries, which resulted in a religious war between Christians and Muslims. Intruders turned the body over while removing its head, and also desecrated the 400-year-old remains of a nun, according to the Church. The vandalism, which is being investigated by police, was discovered on Monday as a guide was preparing to open the church. From the New York Times : St. Michan’s attracts around 28,000 paying visitors a year, who come to tour its small but historically significant interior, which includes the organ on which George Frideric Handel wro

Topher Grace, creator of the famed Star Wars: Episode III.5: The Editor Strikes Back that recut the prequels into a single film, has now released a trailer that combines material from all ten Star Wars films. I'm going to send this to the two people I know who have never seen a single Star Wars movie. Not that they will bother to watch it, of course. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2UcjNgu via IFTTT

On twitter, gravislizard takes us on a tour of the wild world of unorthodox golf putters marketed to a certain kind of player. Previously: Golf club hunts mystery man who keeps shitting in the holes from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2IGt1Aj via IFTTT

Raf Grassetti, the Sony Art Director behind God of War's look, is painting realistic portraits of characters from Smash Bros. Ultimate . Some are charming, such as Princess Peach. One the other hand, there's always Sonic... Via Metafilter . from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2Ub25Kt via IFTTT

Sandy Allen on how Marie Kondo helped them shed feminine things . I donated it all. I hung and folded the items that remained: flannel shirts, baggy jeans, t-shirts. I had kept a few dresses and heels and feminine winter coats, ones that had seemed really special when I’d bought them. I knew Marie Kondo wouldn’t have approved of my choice to keep them. Each day I passed them and they stared right back at me. During the months that followed, I steadily shed feminine things. One day, all my makeup: gone. Another day, all my earrings: gone. (My ears had been pierced when I was two!) I tried to do as Marie Kondo said and thanked these items for what they’d given me. I guiltily threw them out, and then felt wonderful. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2BV5tBQ via IFTTT

Goodwill Industries, purveyors of thrift-stores, are currently the second largest provider of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and on track to become the leader, through their GCF Global Online Portal , which provides free courses in English, Spanish and Portuguese with an emphasis on job skills: "reading, math and understanding money and personal finance to computer, email and Internet basics to digital skills and mastering widely-used tools such as Microsoft Office and QuickBooks," which then dovetail into a job-placement service the charity runs. ( via Naked Capitalism ) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2BTYvgs via IFTTT

Virtually everyone who's ever had the credit-rating system explained to them immediately understood that this was a complete scam: these companies that most of us have never heard of nonconsensually ingest gigantic mountains of data about you and your life and produce a numeric score that is nearly impossible to explain and extremely frustrating to alter, and that number is used to determine your access to work, rental accommodations, loans, mortgages and more. And that's before you factor in the history of these companies , rooted in the idea of compiling secret dossiers to destroy the lives of political dissidents, activists, queer people, and other downtrodden people. And it's also before you factor in Equifax's monumental security blunder that leaked the most sensitive and personal data of virtually every adult American, as well as millions in other countries around the world. Enter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has made an art out of using her committee time t

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's utterly breathtaking performance of "Shallow" at the Oscars really had the internet talking, but as Gaga reiterated on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, it is very much an act. "Quite frankly, social media is the toilet of the internet. What it has done to pop culture is abysmal," Gaga told the show (from 3:15). "People saw love, and guess what, that's what we wanted you to see. This is a love song, 'Shallow.' The movie, A Star Is Born , is a love story." Gaga added they both had worked on the performance all week, and Cooper as director made decisions like making sure the audience was lit throughout the song, among other details that helped with the illusion of love. Read more... More about Entertainment , Tv , Television , Lady Gaga , and Bradley Cooper from Mashable https://ift.tt/2NwQh2y via IFTTT

Finally! After months of reshoots , the latest chapter in the X-Men saga appears to be on its way.  The second trailer for Simon Kinberg's Dark Phoenix hit the web Wednesday night, providing a preview of the tense battle our favorite band of mutants will face in the complicated new chapter. (You can check out the first trailer here .)  Picking up in 1992 after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse , Dark Phoenix follows the X-Men as they attempt to defuse the rapidly growing and increasingly erratic powers of friend-turned-foe Jean Grey, played by Sophie Turner. Based on the trailer? We say... Yeah, good luck with that. Read more... More about X Men , Sophie Turner , Trailer , X Men Dark Phoenix , and Entertainment from Mashable https://ift.tt/2ElmLZg via IFTTT

Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified before Congress on Wednesday, in what Seth Meyers called "truly one of the most eventful days in the Trump presidency." The Late Night host thankfully provided a comprehensive, hilarious breakdown of Cohen's testimony, including his revelation that Trump ordered him to pay off Stormy Daniels, and that the president had spoken with longtime advisor Roger Stone about WikiLeaks ahead of the release of emails damaging to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. If you're looking for a solid, entertaining, 15-minute summary of today's bizarre events, look no further. Read more... More about Donald Trump , Late Night , Seth Meyers , Us Government , and Michael Cohen from Mashable https://ift.tt/2Vrj0J0 via IFTTT

To live a life free of macros is a life we're jealous of. You might remember Kelly Rowland getting angry with Nelly over a text message written in Microsoft Excel on a Nokia 9290 Communicator , as per the video for the 2002 hit "Dilemma." SEE ALSO: The best 'Due to personal reasons' memes to get you through the day The moment has been endlessly brought up over and over again on the internet as the years have gone by, because it's just that bizarre. remember when kelly rowland sent nelly a text using microsoft excel and got mad when he didn't reply pic.twitter.com/3i2SnnpYnB — Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) September 2, 2018 Read more... More about Culture , Kelly Rowland , Culture , Web Culture , and Music from Mashable https://ift.tt/2IETnmh via IFTTT

Brie Larson, the superhero we all need, just made a tiny Captain Marvel fan's day. Hitting the blue carpet on Wednesday at the film's European Gala held at The Curzon Mayfair in London, Larson dazzled in her royal blue gown. SEE ALSO: No, 'Captain Marvel' star Brie Larson isn't nervous about being Marvel's first solo female lead But the film's star also met a tiny version of her character Carol Danvers at the event, a young female fan dressed up as the superhero herself. Someone's had a good night.. #CaptainMarvel pic.twitter.com/o1jcc1BDpt — Marvel UK & Ireland (@MarvelUK) February 27, 2019 Read more... More about Marvel , Brie Larson , Marvel Cinematic Universe , Captain Marvel , and Entertainment from Mashable https://ift.tt/2Tj5lWV via IFTTT

Hacking a smartphone just got a whole lot cheaper.  A tool once favored by law enforcement for pulling data off locked phones is now available to the general public. We can't imagine the Israel-based company behind the Cellebrite hacking device is all that pleased with its newly expanded customer base, but here we are. There's not much it can do about it at the moment, as the sales are taking place on eBay — where a quick search shows numerous used models listed for prices as low as $50.  SEE ALSO: Apple's officially making it harder for cops to bust into your iPhone According to Forbes , which first reported the news, a brand new Cellebrite device will set law enforcement back around $6,000. Things are quite a bit cheaper on the online auction site , where one seller has what appear to be 10 used models for sale ranging in price between $50 to $70.  Read more... More about Iphone , Smartphones , Hacking , Cellebrite , and Tech from Mashable https://ift.tt/2ICJQ

Shows get renewed all the time, but it's not often we get to see the news delivered to their hardworking cast and crew. On Wednesday, NBC renewed Brooklyn Nine-Nine for a seventh season, and the news was broken during a table read with the show's cast and crew. SEE ALSO: 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Season 6 thrives in unexpected spotlight Needless to say, they were ecstatic. Dirk Blocker, who stars as Detective Hitchcock on the series, posted a video of the cast celebrating, including Terry Crews, Stephanie Beatriz, and Andy Samberg. Seven, baby! That’s right! Season 7 coming from ⁦⁦ @nbcbrooklyn99 ⁩ 77! er, I mean 99! Either way, we’re thrilled #Brooklyn99 pic.twitter.com/z4ag06zaYf — Dirk Blocker (@DirkBlocker) February 28, 2019 Read more... More about Entertainment , Tv , Television , Nbc , and Brooklyn Nine Nine from Mashable https://ift.tt/2ToludC via IFTTT

Success often comes at a price. For the company behind the video clip app TikTok , that price just so happens to be in the form of a record fine.  According to a Feb. 27 Federal Trade Commission statement , the app formerly known as Musical.ly illegally collected data from children under the age of 13, and as a result was hit with a $5.7 million civil penalty. “The operators of Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, knew children were using the app but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13,” FTC Chairman Joe Simons said in a statement.  Read more... More about Social Media , Ftc , Tiktok , Tech , and Social Media Companies from Mashable https://ift.tt/2XtApT9 via IFTTT