Technology news

For the third year in a row, a Star Wars movie emerged as the highest-grossing release of the year in the U.S. – which meant that for the third year in a row, the biggest film in the country was one featuring a female protagonist. 
But Rey was just the beginning.
SEE ALSO: What backlash? 'The Last Jedi' just crossed $1 billion at the box office
The second-biggest film of the year was Beauty and the Beast. The third? Wonder Woman. According to TheWrap, 2017 marks the first year since 1

One person's trash is another person's way to commemorate any holiday.
In thinking of creative ways to save money this year, Twitter user Joe Heenan came up with a few ideas on how to get the maximum use out of his Christmas cards. 
Turns out all you need to do is add a few new words, or adjust the ones that are there. Top tip.
Don’t throw away your old Christmas cards.
They can be reused throughout the yearpic.twitter.com/9QvyrnXxEg
— joe heenan (@joeheenan) January 2, 201

The Independent Games Festival is kicking off 2018 by announcing the finalists for its annual award show. It runs alongside the Game Developers Conference industry event in San Francisco, where nominees will also get to showcase their work. It will announce winners on March 21, about halfway through GDC.
In recent years, indie games events have popped up around the world, such as A Maze in Johannesburg and BitSummit in Japan. The Los Angeles-based IndieCade festival just celebrated its

If you've ever worried that you're not spending enough time outdoors, you're in luck. 
Networking hardware company Netgear has announced the new Orbi Outdoor Satellite, which will allow you to keep watching Netflix in your backyard, barn, garden, terrace, or anywhere else outdoors that you'd like.
The mesh-networking device promises to extend the range of your Wi-Fi connection by an additional 2,500 square feet, and is dust and water resistant, so it's safe from the elements (or your pool).

Google is considering selling off Zagat, the US restaurant review guide it purchased back in 2011, according to a report from Reuters today. The search giant has reportedly been in talks with multiple companies who may potentially buy the service, which is part of Google Maps and is maintained by a small team of Google employees. The rumored sale might include the Zagat brand name and its website, the report says.Google originally bought Zagat nearly a decade ago for $151 million, a move overse

It may have been a rough 2017 for Tesla, but the Palo Alto-based automaker can boast about hitting one projection it made last year: more than 100,000 of its vehicles were delivered in the year.
Tesla announced Wednesday it delivered 101,312 Model S and Model X cars in 2017, a 33 percent rise over its 2016 figures. For the fourth quarter, Tesla reported 29,870 cars delivered. The Model S led with 15,200 finding customers, followed by the Model X at 13,120. The Model 3, which only recently start

All week, the tech world has been piecing through rumors of a potentially catastrophic flaw in an entire generation of processors — but with all developers subject to a non-disclosure agreement, there were few hard facts to go on.Now, new details have emerged on how severe and far reaching the vulnerability truly is. ZDNet and the New York Times are reporting that two critical vulnerabilities — dubbed “Meltdown” and “Spectre” — affect nearly every devic

(Reuters) — Music streaming service Spotify has filed confidentially with U.S. regulators for an initial public offering and is targeting a direct listing in the first half of 2018 that would allow some longtime investors to cash out, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.
If Spotify, which was valued at as much as $19 billion last year, goes ahead with its plans, it would be the first major company to carry out a direct listing, an unconventional way to pursue an IPO without

Let's just call it the alien megastructure that wasn't.
More than 100 researchers have released a study showing that the mysterious star KIC 8462852, better known as Tabby's Star, is almost certainly not surrounded by a structure built by a technologically advanced alien civilization. 
In reality, the star's odd dimming and brightening quality has a far more natural explanation.
SEE ALSO: Remember that 'alien megastructure'? It's probably not aliens, and that's OK.
“Dust is most likel

FCC chairman Ajit Pai has canceled plans to appear at CES next week, missing the show for the first time in five years and what would have been his first appearance as head of the commission.
Pai was scheduled to appear next Tuesday, alongside the FTC’s acting chairwoman, Maureen Ohlhausen, as part of a “candid conversation” moderated by Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro. Shapiro supported Pai’s move to reverse the 2015 net neutrality rules, so it&rs

GUEST: From Microsoft’s accidentally racist bot to Inspirobot’s dark memes, AI often wanders into transgressive territories. Why does this happen, and can we stop it?
In science fiction, artificial intelligence is often characterized by amoral villainy. From 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL to the robotic agents in The Matrix, AI is a convenient and believable baddie, and it’s not hard to understand why. A machine, by design, does not feel and think like you or me and is, ther

An Alaskan baby buried 11,500 years ago has clued scientists in to a forgotten branch of the Native American family tree. This child’s DNA is more genetically ancient than the ancestors of modern Native Americans — so it must have come from a previously unknown, even earlier population, the study says.
By analyzing the infant’s genome, researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Copenhagen found that while all ancient Native Americans originated i

Karl Pilkington, star of An Idiot Abroad and collaborator on The Ricky Gervais Show, is also almost eerily in tune with the TV series Black Mirror. A YouTube video maker dug up Ricky Gervais Show clips where Pilkington closely outlines much of Black Mirror’s season 4 finale, “Black Museum” — years before the episode aired. It’s an uncanny coincidence, but also a good reminder that stories are more than just clever ideas.
“Black Museum” is a three-part m

Microsoft is issuing a rare out-of-band security update to supported versions of Windows today. The software update is part of a number of fixes that will protect against a newly-discovered processor bug in Intel, AMD, and ARM chipsets. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company will issue a Windows update that will be automatically applied to Windows 10 machines at 5PM ET / 2PM PT today.
The update will also be available for older and supported versions of Wi

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Every year, you tell yourself this is going to be the year you finally learn how to deal with your stress. Then life gets in the way and by February, you've forgotten all about your lofty resolution. Make 2018 the year you prioritize your mental health. If you need some help finding your chill side, Au

On the third (yes, only the third) day of this fresh new year, quotes taken from Michael Wolff's upcoming book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, began to surface online, sending the internet into a straight-up meltdown.
Those lines featured Steve Bannon calling Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russians "treasonous." Shortly afterward, Wolff released a giant, damning, scarily revealing excerpt with New York Magazine titled: "Donald Trump Didn’t Want to Be President."
SEE ALSO: Ba

If you live in the eastern US, from northern Florida all the way to New England, you’re in for some nasty weather: a massive winter storm called a “bomb cyclone” is hammering the coast, bringing snow, ice, flooding, and strong winds. That’s not a made-up click-bait term; it’s actually used by meteorologists to indicate a mid-latitude cyclone that intensifies rapidly — or as meteorologist Jon Martin at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says, they “just

For those who work for several gig economy platforms, like Uber, Airbnb or Turo, keeping track of earnings can be overwhelming when they are coming from so many different companies. Calculating tax rates on those earnings and filing them correctly can be even more daunting. That’s the need Savant is looking to address.
The Chicago-based online platform, which launched in beta mode in December, is designed to help gig economy workers track their earnings and efficiently file their

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There are few things more annoying than your wireless headphones dying right after you leave the house. Most headphones just aren't made for on-the-go music buffs, so they're only built to last a few hours before they crap out on you. If you want headphones you can rely on that you won't have to constantly

Intel is responding to claims that the company’s processors have a security bug, and software fixes could slow down PCs. Reports this week have suggested that a security flaw in Intel processors, and allegedly not AMD ones, has led to a redesign of Linux and Windows kernels to protect against a hardware flaw. “Recent reports that these exploits are caused by a 'bug' or a 'flaw' and are unique to Intel products are incorrect,” says a statement from Intel. “Based on the an

Faced with reports that a “major” security flaw has been discovered in millions of Intel processors sold over the past decade, Intel today responded to the claims, framing the issue as security exploits impacting “many different vendors’ processors,” and requiring an “industry-wide approach to resolve this issue promptly and constructively.” Due to the nature of the exploits, OS kernel-level patches are apparently needed, and in some cases are

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The new year is here, so it’s time for everyone’s favorite pastime: publicly declaring unrealistic resolutions. Losing 100 pounds, cleaning out the basement, writing the great American novel that’s been bouncing around your head for 15 years — you can do them all! But, in case you're

It’s January, but I’m already thinking about Fall. Last September, Nintendo released the SNES Classic Edition. The November before that, we got the NES Classic Edition. It makes sense to expect a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition this year.
It would certainly be a hit. The SNES and NES Classics were huge sellers, both managing to top monthly sales charts. As for the Nintendo 64, Nineties kids grew up with Nintendo’s third major home console. Over the holidays, retro game stores repor

We've been warning for two days now that a major storm would develop along the East Coast and intensify so rapidly that it could earn a place in the record books. We were the first to call it a "weather bomb" or "bomb cyclone," and now that that term has taken off in the broader media, it's important to understand just what it means. 
"Bomb cyclone" may seem like an obscure expression invented by meteorologists for attention, or to describe some sinister atmosphere terrorism plot, but it's

Spotify's rapid ascendance has a price: A $1.6 billion lawsuit for failing to pay some artists for their songs.
The music publisher Wixen, which represents artists like Neil Young, the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, and Tom Petty, has sued Spotify to the tune of $150,000 per song. Wixen says Spotify failed to get the necessary licenses to play over ten thousand songs.
The lawsuit underscores that while Spotify has grown quickly, it still faces issues with how it compensates artists and songwriters du

Hopeful daters, your time has come. As the folks behind dating apps will tell you, the first two months of the year are huge for finding love online. 
Dating site Match even has a name for its biggest day of the year: "Dating Sunday." This year they're projecting it will fall on January 7 at 8:55 PM ET, when the company's data analysts expect to see a 42 percent jump in activity. 
SEE ALSO: Virtual reality might save my long-distance relationship
But before you wade out into a sea of s

Lauren Singer, known for living a zero waste lifestyle in New York City, runs a store called 'Package Free Shop' in Brooklyn. Her popular blog, 'Trash is for Tossers' details how she lives a lifestyle free from sending trash to landfills. She's making the minimal environmental impact she can, and you can too by replacing everyday disposable products with reusable ones from her shop. You can shop online as well at her online store. Read more...More about Mashable Video, Environment, New York City

GUEST: If you’ve just unwrapped an Amazon Echo hub, now is the perfect time to connect it and its digital voice assistant, Alexa, to your home security system. With a two-year head start over the rest of the digital assistant market, Alexa’s repertoire of skills and compatible products is incredibly vast. There’s an almost endless selection of Alexa-compatible devices, making your Echo the perfect “brain” for a smart home security system. From smart doorbells to AI-

Happy 2018, things are already shaping up to be one of the weirdest years on record. 
Twitter is a convenient way for top officials like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to keep in touch with their constituents and the American public. Usually these tweets (with the exception of Donald Trump) are relatively tame. Sometimes, they drive home points, or start battles with other leaders, sometimes, they're creepy GIFs. 
Things got super strange on Twitter on Wednesday when the offici

It's incredible that it has come to this, but the world may now be in Jack Dorsey's hands. 
That is not hyperbole. President Donald Trump is using Twitter to lob threats of nuclear war at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Those within Trump's own orbit reportedly worry about the start of an accidental war.
Twitter's role here is undeniable. The president now rarely speaks publicly. Twitter is his only outlet. And when Trump tweets, the world responds. 
Twitter and Dorsey are the only on

Didi Chuxing, the ride-sharing giant of China and likely the most valuable startup in the world, just bought a controlling stake in 99, a leading ride-sharing app in Brazil.According to Reuters (citing a repot in Valor Economico, a leading financial newspaper in Brazil), the deal values 99 at $1 billion. Didi already had a minority stake in the startup, having invested $100 million over a year ago.“Globalization is a top strategic priority for Didi.”
“Globalization is a top st

Uber's new year isn't off to a great start.
One of the company's biggest competitors, China's Didi Chuxing, is buying another ride-hailing company from Brazil, 99.
The deal is set to make Didi even bigger and pits its services against Uber in yet another country. That's not something Uber needs as it tries to get back on track after a rough 2016.
SEE ALSO: Uber is selling off its auto-leasing business
China's Didi Chuxing confirmed the acquisition on Wednesday this morning. It was first reported

Chinese e-taxi giant Didi Chuxing has confirmed earlier reports that it’s acquiring leading Brazilian ride-hailing company 99. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal comes just weeks after Didi Chuxing announced a hefty $4 billion raise, taking its total funding to nearly $20 billion. São Paulo-based 99, which was founded in 2013, has raised around $240 million in funding with notable backers including Qualcomm, SoftBank, and none other than Didi Chuxing itself, which led it

For the last two years, astronomers all over the world have been eagerly observing what is hailed as “the most mysterious star in the Universe,” a stellar object that wildly fluctuates in brightness with no discernible pattern — and now they may finally have an answer for its weird behavior. Scientists are fairly certain that a bunch of dust surrounding the star is to blame. And that means that the more tantalizing explanation — alien involvement — is definitely no

Hair scrunchies: the latest trend declared to be "back" despite having never really left.
Or perhaps they just never left for me, a person who is devoted to the single blue scrunchie I purchased for $1 at a doomed American Apparel store. It doesn't leave a crease! 
Anyway, Women's Wear Daily thinks you'll be seeing a lot more of the puffy hair ties in the coming months. This isn't really surprising: the scrunchie is already sold at stores like Urban Outfitters, Lululemon, and Free People, a

Between Batman v Superman and Justice League, most of us have had plenty of time to process our feelings about Batfleck. 
But one person who's yet to make up his mind is the previous Batman, Christian Bale – because he hasn't actually gotten around to seeing those movies yet.
SEE ALSO: Christian Bale is almost unrecognizable
Bale admitted as much on MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast. "Yes, I'm interested [in seeing Ben Affleck's performance]," he said. "My son seemed like he was really

WhatsApp, one of the world’s most-used messaging services, hit a new milestone on New Year’s Eve: more than 75 billion messages sent by its users. The new record represents the most messages sent in a single day in the chat app’s history, a spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email. The previous record was set in 2016, also on New Year’s Eve: 63 billion messages sent.
The 75 billion number included 13 billion images and 5 billion videos, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp reveal

Black Mirror’s fourth season episode “Black Museum” is set in a tourable collection of technological artifacts with horrible backstories. As shady proprietor Rolo Haynes puts it, “if it did something bad — chances are it’s in here.” And for longtime series viewers, some of those backstories should seem very familiar. Besides the three items that play specific roles in the mini-anthology stories of “Black Museum,” there are props from episode

A vulnerability found by security researchers in Intel processors manufactured over the last ten years is poised to wreak havoc on the world of computing. And the fix? Well, it might not be pretty. 
According to The Register, who first discovered the bug, the vulnerability allows for unauthorized programs to discern the "layout or contents of protected kernel memory areas." 
What does that mean? Well, if you're running Windows, Linux, or macOS, something as simple as the JavaScript in

Despite a well-received debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and promises that iOS 11 would soon create “the largest AR platform in the world,” Apple’s ARKit framework has seen only modest uptake from developers, and growth has been slowing. Apptopia, a third-party provider of app store data, told VentureBeat today that only 825 iOS apps integrated Apple’s ARKit framework between its September debut and the end of 2017, with around half as many inte

Logan Paul's video in which he filmed the body of a suicide victim continues to live on YouTube, even though the company has attempted to purge complete re-uploads from its site. A search this morning surfaced multiple re-uploads, including a few complete videos and many stitched together reaction posts that include original clips. Most of these users have blacked out, skipped over, or censored the victim's body, which seems to have allowed their uploads to avoid being taken down.YouTube does r