Technology news

It’s not easy getting older: Joint pain, bad knees, trouble hearing — the kinds of problems that get more challenging when there’s no one in your life to help you out. Whether your family lives far away or you’ve made the choice to not have children, not everybody out there has access to a typical support system. One woman is hoping to change that.    
Carol Marak, writer and editor for a website called SeniorCare.com, has built a community for childless or

As of this weekend, TV's answer to The Avengers is officially live: The Defenders hit Netflix with eight episodes, finally fulfilling the promise made by the Marvel deal back in 2013. 
And the show's jam-packed with developments we've been waiting for. Iron Fist and Luke Cage, together at last! Misty Knight and Colleen Wing, meeting for the very first time! The Hand storyline developed in Daredevil and Iron Fist comes to fruition, and even the literal plot hole of Daredevil Season 2 gets fi

Monday's total solar eclipse was akin to a meteorologist's Super Bowl — a fact that was certainly not lost on one Chicago weatherman.
SEE ALSO: The 2017 solar eclipse is finally here
Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist for WGN-TV, travelled to Carbondale, Ill. to view the solar eclipse in its path of totality, (his first solar eclipse, btw) and his reaction was truly precious.
Behold:TEARS OF JOY: Tom Skilling got a little emotional during his cover of the eclipse. We feel you, Tom@Skilling

Officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have met with Spotify executives to examine the company’s plans to bypass the initial public offering (IPO) market and list shares directly on the New York Stock Exchange, according to Bloomberg.
Such direct listings, rare on major stock exchanges, tend to involve small companies moving from the over-the-counter market to a national exchange. Spotify is valued at $13 billion, making its plans for a direct listing an unusual t

Well, everyone, it happened. The 2017 solar eclipse has come and gone, and it was truly a sight to behold. 
Those lucky enough to be in the path of totality witnessed a few short minutes of complete darkness in the middle of the day — something that hasn't happened since 1979 and won't happen again for another seven years.
SEE ALSO: The 2017 solar eclipse is finally here
Leading up to the big event, some set up camp in streets and lots along the eclipse's path to see the phenomenon in

Google is reportedly planning to unveil a miniaturized version of its Home smart speaker at a hardware event dedicated to the upcoming Pixel sequel, according to a report from Android Police. The event may occur in October as last year’s Pixel and Google Home launch event did, although we don’t have concrete specifics on when or where Google will host it.The mini Home speaker would likely be positioned as an Amazon Echo Dot competitor. That would allow you to hook up traditional audi

While millions of Americans were busy staking out prime eclipse-watching spots on the ground, a few lucky travelers were getting ready to view it from the air. 
Whether the routes were planned out in advance or simply happened to cross the path of totality, those who were able to witness the rare phenomenon through the windows of an aircraft are sharing captivating photos and video on social media.
SEE ALSO: 20 questions you're too embarrassed to ask about the solar eclipse
A NASA live feed

White Walkers, wights, and the blue-eyed beasts who bear them — we probably learned more about these mysterious undead creatures in Sunday night's episode of Game of Thrones than the rest of the series combined.
We've been piecing together the details of Westeros' greatest threat since the very first shot of the very first episode — and "Beyond the Wall" confirmed a lot of it while giving us plenty of new information, too. There are some zombie rules, some vampire rules and some rule

WhatsApp today began to roll out Status updates you can make by writing text on a colorful image background, a company spokesperson has informed VentureBeat. While Status debuted as a text-only feature, it grew to include photos and videos. Today’s update lets users choose a font, background color, and even add links.
Facebook first started testing colorful test status in December 2016, before rolling them out to everyone on the social network in March 2017. WhatsApp started testing its ne

The 2017 solar eclipse has come and gone! Now, it’s time to stare in awe at all the amazing images captured by NASA, the European Space Agency, their satellites, and the luckiest folks off Earth: the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Yes, while you were pinching and zooming on your phone trying to nail the perfect Instagram moment, space agencies around the world were gathering the kinds of eclipse images that we could never dream of capturing ourselves.
To wit, there are

After the August 12th hate rally in Charlottesville, online platforms that have long tolerated or ignored white supremacists are very publicly kicking them off. The crackdown spans a broad range of sites and apps, some of which are household names, like Uber, Facebook, and Spotify. But some of the most notable companies to purge their ranks are those we don’t often consider: the web hosts, domain registrars, and other services that you need to put a website on the internet. Over the past w

It's really difficult to explain what I just saw. 
I'm a space reporter. I know the science: The moon moved in front of the sun from Earth's perspective, blotting out our nearest star's light and plunging us into an eerie twilight here in Lenoir City, Tennessee. 
I get it. That's what happened. Still. The feeling of experiencing this event is something that I'm going to be parsing out for a long time to come.  
SEE ALSO: The moon literally blocked the sun on Twitter
My family and

Microsoft is making a new Age of Empires game. The publisher revealed the sequel to its real-time strategy series as part of the Gamescom fan event in Germany this week. Relic Entertainment, the development studio best known for its beloved Company of Heroes games, is producing the RTS’s return. Age of Empires IV will focus on tactical action through various eras of humanity starting in the Stone Age. It does not have a release date.
Age of Empires III debuted for the PC 12 years ago, and

They say that after the party is the after-party, but what happens after the eclipse? 
Well, that's when we all get to enjoy hours of post-eclipse hypochondria. And now, the post-eclipse hypochondriapic.twitter.com/4Za3CfLyvv
— Tom Kludt (@TomKludt) August 21, 2017Don't laugh or roll your sore little eyes — it's a real thing. According to Google Trends, right now most of America is worried they have eclipse headaches.
SEE ALSO: Neil deGrasse Tyson on all things Great Americ

In a moment you probably should have seen coming: President Donald J. Trump, despite consistent warnings to do the opposite, stared directly at the solar eclipse.
If there is one thing everyone knows about Monday's solar eclipse, it is that staring at the eclipse without proper eyewear can cause permanent eye damage.
SEE ALSO: You can damage your eyes in mere seconds during the solar eclipse
But ever one to defy warnings, Trump removed his protective eyewear and looked straight at the sun. It's

Google surprised exactly no one when it confirmed the long-rumored name for the next version of Android: Oreo.
Now we know the name will extend not just to Google's Software but to the cookies themselves — at least, if you were lucky enough to snag a few at Google's name reveal event.
SEE ALSO: It's official: Android O is now Android Oreo
Oreo made a batch of specially-branded Android cookies, which feature the robot mascot on one side, the traditional Oreo logo on the other, and green fil

For us average folk, pretty much anything a gymnast does is impressive, but this girl really has us bowing down. 
Jordan Chiles is a 16-year-old gymnast from Washington, who is competing in the senior ranks at the national championships. It's her first time ever competing, but you wouldn't be able to guess that from the super-human way she saved herself from a potential fall. 
SEE ALSO: James Corden tests out gymnastics class for his son and is instantly showed up by children
Chiles wa

Spoilers for Game of Thrones follow.
Of all the pairings on Game of Thrones, none have been as anticipated — or as heavy-handed in the execution — as the relationship between Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow. Their significance to each other has been foreshadowed in the books through Dany’s visions of blue roses, which are often associated with Jon’s mother, Lyanna Stark. His recently confirmed Targaryen blood makes them family. Also, as the priestess Melisandre explained

Back in February, American Horror Story executive producer Ryan Murphy promised that the seventh season of the show would recount the nightmare of the 2016 presidential election. In March, he walked it back a bit, saying that the series would merely be an allegory. In July, a teaser clip announcing the “cult” theme of the season featured a crew of killer clowns muttering disturbing mantras about group think. That day, Murphy posted promotional artwork to his personal Instagram accoun

Back in February, Samsung’s tech incubator C-Lab announced visual aid app Relúmĭno was coming for Gear VR, and now it’s available in the Oculus Store. The app can be downloaded for free with a verification code and works with newer models of Galaxy smartphones — including the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S8, and S8 Plus.
Relúmĭno helps people with low vision in several ways: it can magnify or minimize images, adjust brightness and sharpness, highlight objects wit

Spoilers below, obviously, for anything up to and including Season 7, episode 6 of Game of Thrones. Don't act like you haven't been warned.
Game of Thrones is not good anymore. 
Like wind erosion on an ancient Valyrian pillar, too many characters with thinning plots, ever-weakening storylines that take up too much time, and the complete inattention to travel time have all weighed me down.
But now, my main beef is that the show cares more about what fans want than telling a good story.
It's

File this under: things you definitely should NOT do.
Just about the first thing Donald Trump did when he walked out of the White House on Monday afternoon was look straight at the burning orb in the sky, no glasses, and point at it like, "y'all know that's the sun up there? Shit."
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump’s teleprompter is back from vacation to denounce racism
The thing with eclipses that you are not supposed to do, is you are not supposed to look directly at them without any protective gla

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The internet is a beautiful thing — but it can also be increasingly dangerous. That’s why web-savvy folks use VPNs to protect themselves onlineFor the uninitiated, VPN stands for virtual private network. A VPN reroutes your internet traffic through its own servers around the world, and encrypts it along the way—hiding your internet activity from anyone who might want to see it

It took Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow almost an entire season to bend the knee to Daenerys Targaryen, but he was much more agreeable when dealing with Sesame Street’s furry red monster, Elmo — or rather, the actor that plays him was. In a recent YouTube clip, Thrones star Kit Harington gladly accepted Elmo’s “Share the Laughter” challenge, a promotion that dares people tell a joke, record it, and then share it on social media. Harington’s entry: “What

In case you don't know by now, America is currently experiencing a total solar eclipse, and the internet is full of jokes. 
So it should come as no surprise that @NASAMoon and @NASASun, two of NASA's Twitter accounts, are also getting in on the fun on this monumental day. 
SEE ALSO: A space nerd's guide to the Great American Eclipse
The national space agency threw shade the best way it knows how: by blocking the sun. Yep, you read that right. HA HA HA I’ve blocked the Sun! M

Google is pushing Android Oreo, the official name of the next version of its mobile OS, out of developer preview / public beta and onto its Android Open Source Project today. The company also confirmed that builds for Pixel and Nexus 5X / 6P have entered carrier testing, meaning over-the-air rollout should be happening “soon,” including updates for Nexus Player and Pixel C devices.
As promised from Google I/O, Android Oreo brings feature updates including notification dots on app ico

After months of waiting (and a bizarre octopus Easter egg), Google finally announced that the next version of Android — previously known as Android O — will officially be going by the name of Android Oreo.The use of an existing brand makes sense for Google. There aren’t a ton of good “O” dessert foods out there, and Oreos are pretty much as universally beloved as a cookie can be. There’s also precedent for the partnership, as Google had previously teamed up wi

 Despite countless attempts and millions in venture capital, the calendar, one of the most ubiquitous work tools, has remained largely unchanged for as long as I can remember. Rather than overwrite the calendar in an effort to make it obsolete, Ahryun Moon and Jasper Sone, co-founders of GoodTime, are putting the calendar front and center — embracing it as a means of understanding people. Read More

The much-rumored (and thoroughly leaked) new BMW M5 finally got the official announcement treatment today. That debut didn’t happen at an auto show, or even a BMW event, though. Instead, BMW showed off the new performance sedan at a games conference. The M5 — which will be featured in Need for Speed Payback when the game is released this fall — was shown off during EA’s Gamescom presser in Germany.
BMW’s not the first to debut a car in a video game, but at least it&

The team behind Mass Effect Andromeda announced over the weekend it’d no longer be supporting the game, either through patches or through single-player story DLC. And while that’s a bummer — it’s also no more than we should have expected. I’m not sure exactly what everyone wanted from Bioware’s latest red-headed stepchild. The game was absolutely roasted when it was released. Most reviews that I read were, at best, lukewarm. Everyone got in sho

Facebook has made a permanent page for Safety Check, its feature for letting others know that you’re safe during an emergency.
The results are pretty eerie. A promotional photo shows the Safety Check page displaying what’s essentially a news feed of catastrophes — including a collapse, a fire, and a typhoon — and people marking themselves safe. You can even explore disasters “around the world.”
It’s a little unsettling, but Facebook seems to have built i

Bizzby is a service that lets people book tradespeople and laborers on-demand — think of it like Handy or TaskRabbit. A few hours ago, it sent an email to all of its users — tradies and general public alike — asking if they’d like to install a thermostat for Reuben, from Hartlepool, England. Can someone *urgently* get a plumber to Reuben in Hartlepool, some app has just sent his contact details to their entire database. pic.twitter.com/bUXEeXF428 — Jim Waterson (@j

Creating a free mobile app that gains serious traction these days is much harder than it was in the mid-to-late 2000’s. When the “App Boom” was in full swing (around 2008), people were downloading apps left and right and it was much easier to break into the market. Nowadays, most people are content with the current apps on their device and aren’t actively looking to download new ones. In fact, some reports even indicate that smartphone owners only use three or so apps on

AT&T's new tablet is filled with bloatware, all in the name of AT&T. The Primetime, as it's called, comes preloaded with the company's software, including DirecTV. Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Choice customers can add the tablet to their unlimited wireless plan for an extra $20 / month, so they can consume as much content as they want, whenever they want. For other plans, the tablet costs $10 a month for 20 months, or $29.99 with a two-year contract. The tablet itself sounds unextraordin

Stock photo vendors might not be all that screwed up in the end. Only a week after Google released a paper detailing how its researchers built an algorithm that automatically removes watermarks from stock photos, Shutterstock has already put together an antidote. Taking a cue from the internet giant, the popular stock photo distributor managed to reverse engineer Google’s software in order to stop copyright thieves from editing out watermarks and using their images for free. To pull this

Game of Thrones is known for juggling dozens of characters and storylines, but its seventh season has been remarkably focused in comparison to previous years. That dynamic peaked in “Beyond the Wall,” a nearly 80-minute episode that largely cut between two storylines, each with just a handful of characters. One was the suicide mission of Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Gendry, and the other men who thought it was a good idea to trek beyond the Wall, capture a wight, and use it to convince C

Before we get into what happened last night in the space of 71 minutes of prestige cable, some housekeeping: if you consult the rules of Game of Game of Thrones, you’ll see that killing a White Walker nets you 15 points, but there is no point allocation for killing a wight. The folks at Fantasizr have decided that wights will count as ordinary redshirt kills. Further — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — zombie polar bears will be scored as wights. Also, as this i

Whedonesque, a popular Joss Whedon fan site, is ending operations today, Entertainment Weekly reports. The decision comes one day after The Wrap published an essay by Whedon’s ex-wife Kai Cole accusing the director of several affairs and questioning his vocal commitment to feminism. Whedonesque founder Caroline van Oosten de Boer has not confirmed whether the decision was influenced by Cole’s essay. “I have been toying with closing down the site for various reasons for the last