Tech Boys

He’s only owned Twitter for a couple of days, but Elon Musk has already undermined his credibility on some of social media’s most vexing problems, all while displaying a disturbing inclination toward anti-LGBTQ views. The world’s most credulous billionaire couldn’t help but respond to a tweet over the weekend from Hillary Clinton denouncing Republican support for extremist conspiracies that inspire real-world violence. “The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories,” Clinton wrote. “It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result.” Last week, a man broke into the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulted her husband with a hammer. The assailant, 42-year-old David DePape, shared anti-semitic conspiracy theories, election denialism, screeds against transgender people and violent threats to journalists in the months leading up to the break in. Musk, who now owns the platform, quickly waded in ...

Cybercriminals are already capitalizing on Twitter’s ongoing verification chaos by sending phishing emails designed to steal the passwords of unwitting users. The phishing email campaign, seen by TechCrunch , attempts to lure Twitter users into posting their username and password on an attacker’s website disguised as a Twitter help form. The email is sent from a Gmail account, links to a Google Doc with another link to a Google Site, which lets users host web content. This is likely to create several layers of obfuscation to make it more difficult for Google to detect abuse using its automatic scanning tools. But the page itself contains an embedded frame from another site, hosted on a Russian web host Beget, which asks for the user’s Twitter handle, password and phone number — enough to compromise accounts that don’t use stronger two-factor authentication . A screenshot of the phishing email designed to steal Twitter users’ credentials. Image Credits: TechCrunch. The campaign a...

You can turn read receipts on or off within the LinkedIn site or app. SOPA Images / Getty Images By default, LinkedIn displays read receipts and typing indicators to people you are chatting with.  Read receipts don't begin until you accept a message, and don't apply to InMail messages. You can control read receipts in the Communications section of the Settings menu.  Whether you're messaging for work or for social networking, everyone wants to know if and when a message has been received and read. LinkedIn makes knowing this relatively easy – the professional social network features read receipts that indicate when a message has been opened.  But you're not forced to use read receipts; if you'd rather keep private whether you've read someone's message, you can disable read receipts.  How read receipts work on LinkedIn By default read receipts are enabled on LinkedIn, meaning other people can see when you open and read ordinary direct messages. In...

Earlier this year, Immutable, a web3 gaming firm with its own layer-2 chain, Immutable X, launched a whopping $500 million fund to boost gaming on its platform. Fast forward a few months and the company says things are going according to plan. “It has been super busy,” Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, said to TechCrunch. “In the last quarter, we’ve onboarded more games than the rest of the company’s lifetime combined. As far as we know, it’s been more than any other layer-1 or layer-2 [blockchains] in the world and nearly half of those games came from competitors in migrations.” In Q3, Immutable onboarded about 50 games and has over 1,000 games being built in a “testing environment,” Ferguson said. “These are ones we’ve actively gone after.” Some games, like Delysium and Ember Sword, were initially developed for the layer-2 blockchain Polygon but switched to Immutable X, the company’s NFT platform and layer-2 scaling solution for the Ethereum blockchain. Other games, like ...

Elon Musk’s vision for Twitter may include bringing back Vine, the short-form video app the company shuttered in 2016 . According to Axios , Twitter’s new “Chief Twit” told a group of engineers to work on a reboot that could be ready by the end of the year. The Verge’s Alex Heath, who was among the first to report that Musk was considering making the company’s Twitter Blue subscription mandatory for verified users , corroborated the news. “I have also heard this, though unclear if Vine will actually be relaunched at this point,” he said . “Musk also has a lot of people telling him to just bake the experience into core Twitter.” if ur gonna revive beloved software look no further than the gold standard pic.twitter.com/firwQMzZzi — dom (@dhof) October 31, 2022 While we’re probably at the stage where Musk is contemplating any and all options, there’s certainly some evidence to suggest he is seriously considering bringing back Vine. Earlier today, he polled his 112 million Twitte...

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2022, 2:40 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to reflect air fryer pricing and availability as early Black Friday sales kick off. BEST BASKET-STYLE AIR FRYER DEAL : Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 XL 2-Basket Air Fryer (10-quart) — $129.99 $249.99 (save $120) BEST OVEN-STYLE AIR FRYER DEAL : Chefman Digital Air Fryer (6.3-quart) — $48.17 $149.99 (save $101.82) BEST MULTICOOKER DEAL : Ninja Foodi 14-in-1 XL Pressure Cooker and Steam Fryer with SmartLid (8-quart) — $149.99 $279.99 (save $130) Black Friday is no longer a day; it's an entire season. And that season is upon us. With continuing supply chain issues and our good friend inflation wreaking havoc on just about every industry, the earlier you shop, the better. That's why retailers kicked things off in mid-October with the Prime Early Access Sale and competing shopping holidays. Air fryers are a hot ticket item (just like last year), and we've already seen some hefty discounts on big b...

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2022, 3:00 p.m. EDT This list has been updated to reflect pricing and availability as of Oct. 31. BEST HYBRID MATTRESS DEAL: The Layla Hybrid Mattress is a flippable mattress that employs both firm and soft sides, making it a great option for all types of sleepers — $1,499 $1,699 (save $200) BEST BED-IN-A-BOX DEAL: The Purple Plus Mattress comes with a cushion-y, premium foam layer for added comfort — $1,499 $1,899 (save $400) Splurging while online shopping isn't always advisable — unless you're shopping for a mattress. In that case, we recommend worrying less about the price tag and more about the quality of what you're buying. That doesn't mean you should scoff at a solid discount, though, and that's exactly what we're here for. Each and every week, we'll be telling you about all the best mattress sales from across the web. Time for some sweet deals and sweet dreams. SEE ALSO: Side sleepers (and binge-watchers) shoul...

Elon Musk, Chief Twit, has refuted claims from a New York Times report this weekend that states he plans to lay off employees before Tuesday, November 1, thus cutting staff off from receiving stock grants as part of their compensation. In response to a tweet from Eric Umansky, deputy managing editor of ProPublica, that said Musk was “making sure to fire people at Twitter before part of their year-end compensation kicks in on Tuesday,” Musk said: “This is false.” He didn’t provide any clarification about what, specifically, was false. This is false — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 30, 2022 Umansky’s tweet included a screenshot of a highlighted portion of the NYT story that also noted stock grants make up a significant portion of an employee’s pay, and by laying off workers before that date, Musk may avoid paying the grants. Musk did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for clarification on whether the layoffs will affect stock compensation. He may very well have been refuting ...

It’s been a busy week for NASA in the days leading up to Halloween. In the spirit of the season, the agency recently released a new image of the Eagle Nebula captured by the James Webb Space Telescope where the Pillars of Creation look like a ghostly hand . By coincidence, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory managed to capture a similarly spooky image of the sun. Say cheese! 📸 Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun "smiling." Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space. pic.twitter.com/hVRXaN7Z31 — NASA Sun, Space & Scream 🎃 (@NASASun) October 26, 2022 On Wednesday, the agency shared a capture of the sun “smiling.” As The Guardian points out , more than a few Twitter users were quick to point out how the star looks like a carved pumpkin in NASA’s image. There’s a bit of interesting science behind the resemblance. “Seen in ultraviolet light, these ...

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson Ronna McDaniel said it was "unfair" to link GOP messaging to the attack on Paul Pelosi on Sunday. On "Fox News Sunday," McDaniel rejected any notion that Republican rhetoric had been overheated. Nancy Pelosi, who has led House Democrats since 2003, has long been a political foil for the GOP. Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said it was "unfair" to suggest that GOP messaging contributed to the violent assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband at the family's San Francisco home last week. During an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," host Shannon Bream presented McDaniel with a recently-published  Washington Post article that detailed the party's yearslong drive to demonize the veteran California Democrat, who in 2007 became the first female House speaker in United States history. McDaniel pushed back against any allegations that GOP messaging was pro...

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. Jon Cherry/Getty Images for Concordia Sununu doesn't believe there's "any need" for attack ads against Nancy Pelosi ahead of the midterms. On NBC's "Meet the Press," Sununu said the paramount goal at the moment is the speaker's safety. "Put all the politics aside. Ignore the elections. She's gonna get reelected fine," he said. New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu on Sunday said he didn't believe there was "any need" for attack ads against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of the midterms after her husband was violently attacked in California last week. Pelosi has been a longtime political foil for Republicans, especially in the current election cycle as they seek to regain a House majority this fall. But during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sununu told host Chuck Todd that the top concern at the moment should be the safety of the veteran lawmaker, who h...

Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Elon Musk. Jacquelyn Martin/AP and Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she does not trust Elon Musk as the new owner of Twitter. She called for greater content moderation on social media, where conspiracy theories run rampant. Musk has said he is a "free-speech absolutionist" who wants Twitter to be a "digital town square."  Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Sunday said she doesn't trust Elon Musk as the new owner of Twitter, noting that social-media companies have profited from misinformation, disinformation, and political-conspiracy campaigns.  The Minnesota Democrat called for stronger content moderation on social-media sites while on " Meet the Press " on NBC News on Sunday morning when host Chuck Todd asked if she trusts Musk.  "No, I do not," Klobuchar replied before rebuking social-media companies for "making money" off of amplifying "stuff that's a bunch of lies." ...

Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue/Joe Raedle/Getty Images Jack Dorsey's decentralized social-media platform, Bluesky Social, is now accepting beta users. The news coincides with Musk's takeover of Twitter, which Dorsey founded and ran for several years. Dorsey left Twitter in 2021 and named Parag Agrawal, whom Musk quickly fired, as his successor. Just as Elon Musk was finalizing his purchase of Twitter , Jack Dorsey, the company's founder and former CEO, announced a beta for a new social-media company. Dorsey's blockchain-based Bluesky Social announced last Tuesday that it's launching soon and is currently enlisting users for beta testing. The initial news drew 30,000 sign-ups within two days, company representatives said . Users can still sign up to join the app to become a beta user before the platform is publicly available. Bluesky's website said it's intended to support "a new foundatio...

Robot vacuums can be a godsend if vacuuming is one of your least favorite household chores. In recent years, new models from iRobot and Shark have become more intelligent, more powerful and, best of all, less expensive. Still, a robot vacuum is an investment, and it helps when they go on sale like iRobot’s models are right now on Amazon . To start, the retailer has discounted the Roomba 694 , one of our favorite budget picks . After a 35 percent discount, the robot vacuum is $179. The 694 is great if you want a no-frills option. It features WiFi connectivity, allowing you to connect to it through iRobot’s easy-to-use companion app. The software makes setup and creating a vacuuming schedule easy. Add a powerful motor and decent battery life, and you have a robot vacuum that meets the needs of most people. One of the few downsides of the 694 is that it doesn’t come with spare parts, so you’ll be forced to pay extra when you need a replacement filter or brush. But when you’re saving alm...

It's the end of the week, and the beginning of a new Wordle ! It's both a trick and a treat to finish your Halloween weekend, but we've got some clues and the solution to help you out, as we do every day . If you just want today's word, you can jump straight to the end of this article for October 30's Wordle solution, for puzzle #498. If you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some tips, tricks, and clues. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for October 29 Where did Wordle come from? Wordle was initially created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, though it quickly spread until it became an international phenomenon. Thousands of players across the globe tackle Wordle each day, with some fans even having created alternate versions of the daily word puzzle game . These include battle royale format Squabble , music identification game Heardle , and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess m...

Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (left), David Ramos/Getty Images (right) Meta's effort to build the metaverse is a way to wrangle back control of consumer data from Apple, experts say. The attempt to gain a competitive advantage over Apple is reminiscent of Google's effort to build Android.  Google's effort paid off, but it's likely that Mark Zuckerberg learned the wrong lessons from recent history.   Meta wants to wrangle control away from Apple . The company's multi-billion dollar effort to build the metaverse and its decision last year to rebrand from Facebook to Meta is a way to reclaim control of consumer data from Apple's clutches, experts say.  It's similar to why Google developed Android, but Mark Zuckerberg's project seems to miss one key ingredient that made Android a success.  Apple's change messed with Facebook's business model Last year, Apple changed its privacy policy, making it harder for Face...