Technology news

As I watched through Stranger Things over the last two weeks (I finally finished it — promise not to spoil anything here), one thing I kept thinking about was what the show would be like as a more traditional 24-episode per season series. Because in every single episode of Stranger Things, the reveals come fast — there's almost no wasted time or filler plot lines.It's a pretty wonderful shift from something like, say, Lost, where information is doled out like dog treats, gi

British actor Kenny Baker, the man who portrayed one of science fiction’s most iconic robots, R2-D2, has passed away according to the Guardian. He was 83 years old.
Baker first portrayed the character due to his height - three feet, eight inches. "I got the job right away," he told interviewers. He endured extreme temperatures inside the robotic prop during filming, but returned to play the robot again in the Empire Strikes Back Return of the Jedi, as well as the later prequel trilogy. He

A group of PhD students from the MIT Media Lab and researchers from Microsoft Research have come up with the ultimate wearable: a temporary tattoo that can turn into a touchpad, remotely control your smartphone, or share data using NFC.
The technology, which is described on MIT's website and will be presented in full at a wearables symposium next month, is called DuoSkin. The researchers say you can design a circuit using any graphic software, stamp out the tattoo in gold leaf (which is con

The first teaser for Donald Glover’s Atlanta didn’t give away much about what it would be about, as much as it gave off a neat vibe. With just a couple of weeks before the show premieres, a new trailer has dropped which has gotten us really interested in watching.
From this trailer, it certainly looks as though it’s going to be a nice blend of comedy and drama. Speaking at the Television Critics Awards, Glover noted that "The thesis with the show was kind of to show people how

Despite historic gains in visibility and equality for lesbian and gay people, youth who do not identify as straight continue to face high levels of violence, bullying and sexual assault, according to a new study. 
The findings provide an unprecedented look at the torment some lesbian, gay and bisexual youth experience compared to their straight peers. The study also marks the first time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked students about their sexual identity in its regu

DragonCon, Atlanta Georgia’s annual science fiction and fantasy convention turns 30 this year, and with the anniversary, they’ve instituted a new genre award: the Dragon Award. The convention’s organizers released the nominee ballot yesterday, and it’s an intriguing list of works that might end up being a bit of a compromise between various factions within fandom.
In 2014 and 2015, an argument had begun to brew within the science fiction community. A group of fans had beg

It's a familiar problem for podcast listener: a host vaguely references a picture or a video or something in their recording booth, but you can't see what it is this person is talking about. This happened recently on Vergecast 214. Yeah, a video would solve this problem, but you're standing on the train sandwiched between strangers or driving a car or jogging. Isn't that what you listen to podcasts for? You can't spend that time on Google, Reddit, or Tumblr, you can only rely on your e

Last month, Twitter added a night mode for Android users, hoping that it would drive people to use the app and boost its flagging user-base. The update wasn’t extended to iOS users, who were left it in the dark (no pun intended). Now, it looks like Twitter might finally be adding night mode to its iOS app soon: it’s included in the latest beta build for iOS.
The setting is only available for beta users. The feature can be found in settings, where there’s a new night mode toggle

Katie Ledecky went to sleep late the night before her 800-meter freestyle final, waiting on roommate and fellow gold medal-winner Simone Manuel to get back to their room so Ledecky could congratulate her on a 100-meter freestyle win. But the late night hardly seemed to bother the swimming star in her final gold medal race of the 2016 Olympics. She again made it clear that she is unquestionably the best 800-meter freestyler in the world. 
SEE ALSO: The moment we witnessed just how fast

If you’re looking for powerful Bluetooth headphones that stay put during your workouts, we’ve got a solution: The TOTU Bluetooth Sport Headphones. This impressive headset is now an impressive 65 percent off, courtesy of TNW Deals. Specifically designed for people with active lifestyles, the TOTU headphones work wirelessly to ensure you get your tunes in — even on the go. Comfortable to wear and easy to use, they’re ideal for workout freaks and audiophiles alike. They del

Michael Phelps' goosebump-inducing game face is now immortalized on someone's flesh.
Phelps became the meme heard 'round the world on Monday when he glared — hard — at fellow Olympian Chad le Clos, who made the bizarre choice to shadowbox in front of Phelps in the ready room before the rivals faced off in the 200-meter butterfly semifinals.
SEE ALSO: Brutally honest accounts of the most painful tattoo spotsNot smart, le Clos.
Sure enough, Phelps outswam his rival in both that race an

With such fierce gymspiration at this year's Olympics, we can't help but wonder who will be the gymnastics stars in 2020.
The future Olympic gymnasts of the next few games are already born, tumbling and falling their way around mats and beams all over the world.
SEE ALSO: The 13 fiercest photos of Simone Biles' all-around performance
Here are nine young gymnasts whose balance and grace are sure to send them to Tokyo in four years.
1. This well-dressed future gymnast is ready to somersault her wa

Obsessed with Pokémon Go? Then consider a case that will share your love of the game with the world. 
While none of these covers will up your Pokémon-catching skillz, they will definitely give your iPhone some real prestige. Once you've picked one, check out these other Pokémon-themed tech accessories to keep satisfying your Pokémania. 
1Hand-painted Pokémon cases
Image:ETSY/MintCornerStarting off with something a little special, Etsy seller MintCorne

It's considered polite to offer your seat to an elderly passenger (as subways often like to remind you). It's even more polite to take up space above the seats to make more room. 
This is the lesson taught by 68-year-old Wayne McEntire, an American currently in Rio de Janeiro with his grandson, Britton Barker. When offered a seat reserved for older passengers, McEntire turned it down with a reminder that not everyone his age needs that seat.
Which is to say, he hopped up on the subway pole

To put it lightly, Asus' latest ZenWatch has not been among our favorite Android Wear watches. But now it looks like Asus is about to give it another go, and the watch's hardware may look a lot better this time around.
Photos of what may well be the ZenWatch 3 started floating around the internet on Friday, supposedly after China's telecom regulator briefly published photos of the device taken during an inspection. While that's not always the best evidence on its own, it's backed up&nb

Before I got out of bed this morning, I scrolled through my Instagram feed – which is an endless series of pictures of women doing yoga in idyllic locations. Today’s sage advice, “Open your heart to you” featuring a woman holding the Ustrasana pose (she looks like a capital ‘D’) under what looks like a giant loom used to weave cotton. mindset is ✨everything✨#connectwithin #spirituality #selflove #createyourlife #neverregret #positivemindset #yog

JANNAH, Lebanon — At the bottom of a lush valley between rocky peaks of Mount Lebanon, strawberry farmer John Abu Akar may be the last man standing in the path of a dam project worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But he has a few tricks up his sleeve.
When a minister's motorcade of tinted-window SUVs rolled through his village in 2012 to announce the multinational project, Abu Akar sabotaged the signs directing visitors to the location of a press conference so they pointed instead down

c. 1936Image: Apic/Getty ImagesThe Landes region of southwestern France was for much of its history impoverished, with few roads and vast swaths of marshy and treacherous terrain. To navigate the soft and unsteady heathlands, shepherds developed a unique adaptation — they traveled on stilts.Locally referred to as tchangues, or “big legs,” the five-foot wooden stilts were strapped to a person’s legs and supplemented with a long staff which a shepherd used to direct his flo

(Reuters) – Airlines will likely suffer more disruptions like the one that grounded about 2,000 Delta flights this week because major carriers have not invested enough to overhaul reservations systems based on technology dating to the 1960s, airline industry and technology experts told Reuters.
Airlines have spent heavily to introduce new features such as automated check-in kiosks, real-time luggage tracking and slick mobile apps. But they have avoided the steep cost of rebuilding the

The most controversial change on the new iPhone 7 will be the removal of the headphone jack. You'll either love it or hate it. Accept dongle hell, go Bluetooth or buy new Lightning-based headphones.
In the run-up to the announcement, which is widely expected to be Sept. 7, we've been trying to make educated guesses as to why Apple will drop the jack.
SEE ALSO: The secret reason Apple might be killing the iPhone 7 headphone jack
Here are some possible reasons Apple will use to defend its choice:

It wasn't even close. 
Katie Ledecky set a world record during the 800-meter freestyle, clocking in at 8:12.86. It was her last swim in Rio and her other wins this week make her the first woman since 1968 to get gold in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter races during one Olympic bout.
SEE ALSO: Simone Biles doesn't want you to call her 'the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps'During the entire race, Ledecky was far ahead of her competitors, and she knew it. She beat the other competitors

Sweden dealt the USA a historic loss in the Olympics on Friday, eliminating the Americans and ensuring that the U.S. women's soccer team won't appear in a gold medal game for the first time in the sport's Olympics history. 
U.S. star Hope Solo didn't mince words after. The goalkeeper, who is no stranger to controversy, called Sweden a "bunch of cowards" and criticized ex-USA coach Pia Sundhage, who now helms Sweden. 
SEE ALSO: Olympics official on Rio's green diving pool: 'Chemistry is

Joseph Schooling brought home gold for his home country of Singapore Friday night, but the historic moment was made even sweeter as he beat his idol, Michael Phelps.
Phelps, who has picked up 22 gold medals so far in his career, met Schooling back in 2008 in Singapore, when the now-rival swimmer was 13 years old. Schooling led throughout the 100-meter butterfly and Phelps couldn't catch up. Schooling finished the race in 50.39 seconds.
SEE ALSO: Katie Ledecky met Michael Phelps and Michael Jorda

(Reuters) – Ride hailing company Lyft rebuffed acquisition interest from General Motors Co and will raise a new funding round instead, technology website The Information reported on Friday, citing two people familiar with the situation.
GM and Lyft representatives did not immediately comment on the report. GM invested $500 million in Lyft in January and has since said it plans to expand its alliance with the ride services company.
In a July interview with Reuters, GM President Dan Ammann d

Microsoft’s revised Xbox controller now works with the Steam Link.
Valve has updated its Steam Link in-home game-streaming device, and it has added compatibility with the Xbox One S controller. You can now use this excellent revision, which feels nicer, with a USB cable or over Bluetooth. You’ll have to update the Xbox One S controller by connecting it to your Xbox One or PC, but then it should work as wireless controller directly through your Steam Link. This fixes one of the main p

Here’s a bit of unexpected Friday news: Google is building a completely new operating system. As in, not just an upgrade to Android or Chrome OS, but instead, a new system that’s not derived from the Linux kernel. It’s called Fuschia. While Google hasn’t officially announced anything about the OS, it released details about the project on GitHub with the cryptic description “Pink + Purple == Fuschia (a new Operating System).” Android Police dove deeper in

Rio's divers have been plunging into murky green water for several days now, as pool officials struggle to deal with algae, pH levels and other things you'd normally expect pool officials to have a handle on.
Amid the jokes and the explanations, though, how has it been for the actual athletes? And how does the color of the water affect their performance?
SEE ALSO: This is why the water's green in Rio
Several divers have spoken out about the conditions, with some saying it's been a hindrance and

A judge has sentenced Gravity4 founder Gurbaksh Chahal to 12 months in a county jail. The judge granted a stay to the sentence, pending an appeal from his attorney, according to Bloomberg’s Ellen Huet.
Judge Tracie Brown found the tech CEO guilty in June of violating his probation and he was forced to turn over his passports. He also transferred ownership ofwhat remains of his ad tech company to his sister.
In October 2014, the tech entrepreneur was taken into custody for alleged

Michelle MacLaren has signed on to direct a film adaptation of The Nightingale, a 2015 novel about French sisters trying to survive World War II. This'll be MacLaren's first big-screen feature, which is something a lot of people have been waiting for.
MacLaren has primarily been working in TV until now, executive producing Breaking Bad and directing some the show's most memorable episodes; more recently, she's directed several episodes of Game of Thrones. Then in 2014, she si

In the future, your tattoos could be much more than just ink designs.
Scientists have created a new kind of high-tech temporary tattoo that can act as a controller for smartphone apps and other devices. Called DuoSkin, the tattoos were created as a joint effort between MIT researchers and Microsoft Research.
SEE ALSO: Tattoo prototype turns body art into a fitness tracker
The temporary tattoos are applied just like any other temporary tattoo. Made of gold leaf (and sometimes LEDs) the tattoos lo