Technology news

The best freestyle rapper in Wakanda is clearly Letitia Wright.
Celebrating the release of the already-smash-hit Marvel superhero movie Black Panther, co-stars  Lupita Nyong'o and Letitia Wright decided to share a few impromptu bars. 
SEE ALSO: 5 reasons why ‘Black Panther’ scored big with fans and criticsThe Black Panther lives... and so does Troublemaker! Introducing MC Underbite (@LetitiaWright), best freestyler in Wakanda. All cred to my girl @RobynHoodmusic for the ori

It's been far easier for Elon Musk to send a rocket to the Mars than move a pebble in Washington, D.C.
That could be changing, according to The Washington Post. The SpaceX entrepreneur's tunnel digging company, The Boring Company, recently received vague permission to do some exploratory digging at 53 New York Avenue NE.
SEE ALSO: Watch: Even Elon Musk was starstruck during the Falcon Heavy launch
Musk is hoping to build a high speed hyperloop between New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and D.C.

PREVIEW: Microsoft is bringing back of the Age of Empires series, and it is starting with an updated version of the original game for $20 on February 20. This celebrates the 20th anniversary of the real-time strategy hit, and it also should prepare fans for the upcoming Age of Empires sequel that Microsoft has in the works.
I’ve spent some time with Age of Empires: Definitive Edition on Windows 10, and Microsoft has delivered on its promise to update the game for modern audiences without s

Facebook plans to mail out verification postcards through the US postal service to anyone purchasing ads related to US elections, according to Reuters. The postcards will contain a special code that advertisers must provide back to Facebook to prove they’re in the United States.This new verification system will be required for all advertising that mentions a specific candidate running for a federal office — such as the presidency. It will be implemented in time for the mid-term elec

Ubisoft is taking the wraps off of its Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege expansion, dubbed Operation Chimera. That could very well get the game’s 25 million fans re-engaged with the 5-versus-5 tactical shooter multiplayer game.
I got a good look at Operation Chimera this week at a preview event, and Ubisoft is showing it off at the global tournament Rainbow Six Siege Invitational in Montreal this weekend. Chimera will be available on March 6, and it is the latest thing to keep Sieg

Pubic hair is making a beautifully punk comeback, and it's long overdue.
The last time the fashion world did anything of significance with women's pubic hair was in 2015 with vajazzling. Thankfully, fashion designer KAIMIN broke the dry spell at the latest New York Fashion Week with a runway show featuring a diverse array of ... vagina wigs.
SEE ALSO: Bakery has perfect response to people who thought this cake looked like a vagina
KAIMIN says he grounded his show in diversity and tolerance. That

A federal agency has found that Google was well within its legal rights to fire James Damore in 2017.
The company dismissed its former engineer after he wrote a paper arguing that woman aren't as biologically equipped for leadership roles as men. Damore filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after his firing, but a newly released January memo from the agency sides with Google.
SEE ALSO: We need to change the way we talk about women in tech
As NLRB legal counsel Jayme L. Sophir

Actor Sally Field is not shy about landing her son a date, even if it involves completely revealing his Olympic crush to the entire world. 
"Find a way," Field told her son Sam Greisman after he revealed to her that his Olympic crush was USA figure skater and internet heartthrob Adam Rippon. But when Griesman's way wasn't enough for Field, she took things into her own hands.
SEE ALSO: Adam Rippon is an immortal witch
On Friday evening, Greisman tweeted a screenshot of a text with his mother

GUEST: The most controversial slide in every pitch deck is often the market size slide. It can set the stage for the future of the company, but too often it is overly exaggerated and not efficiently backed up. Why is this slide so important? Investors care about market size because it allows them to estimate what success could look like — they’re betting on the future market potential for a product or service.
For example, an early stage investor may seek returns in excess of 20x the

It’s no secret that voice assistants are a Trojan Horse. You “buy” a voice assistant like an Echo Dot or a Google Home, and you plug it in and give it your Wi-Fi password. But you don’t “own” it like you own a computer. The software is controlled entirely by Amazon or Google or some other company.So, I bought a Trojan Horse in December as a little self-gift for Christmas: an Echo Dot.
Amazon’s audiobooks
On the evening I set up my Echo Dot, the first th

AirPods are the best truly wireless earbuds available because they nail the essentials like ease of use, reliability, and battery life. There are alternatives that definitely sound better from Bose, B&O Play, and other. But they often cost more and all of them experience occasional audio dropouts. AirPods don’t. I’d argue they’re maybe the best first-gen product Apple has ever made. Unfortunately, I’m one of the sad souls whose ears just aren’t a match for the

Look at some of the autonomous vehicle concepts, predicting a future of us being able to treat a car as a lounge or work area when we don’t want to actually drive, and you’ll notice one thing: space. By that, I mean the space they take up on the road. Everyone seems to be designing a large, autonomous SUV because that’s what people want.
Mercedes-Benz is guilty of the same thing, with its vast F105 Concept it showed a few years ago. Sleek, spacious and lounge-like, it’s

On Friday, Twitter announced that it would be shutting down work on its Mac desktop app, to the dismay of, err, no one.
Users have 30 days, starting on Feb. 16, before the app will no longer be supported, Twitter said.
SEE ALSO: How I cleaned up my embarrassing Twitter history
"We're focusing our efforts on a great Twitter experience that's consistent across platforms," Twitter Support wrote in a tweet. "So, starting today the Twitter for Mac app will no longer be available for download, and in

One lucky pup found compassiom in a most unlikely place: The New York City subway.
Dakota, aka Loppy the dog, was playing with her dog walker at a park in Brooklyn on Friday when the pooch managed to escape. Frightened, the poor pup ran to a place that she knew — the Jay St. station — and ended up inside the dangerous subway tunnel.
SEE ALSO: How this startup is trying to bring dog toys into the 21st century
"It’s a familiar place for her, we commute together every day. She ent

GUEST: Most investors will tell you about the importance of a well-diversified portfolio and how you should never go all in on any single asset. This is good advice for most of us and makes even more sense in the unregulated cryptocurrency market, where volatility is high and most of the current projects are believed to have a short lifespan. While investing in nascent technologies like blockchain will always carry great risk, there are a couple of measures you can take to help reduce the gambli

On Friday, President Donald Trump visited Parkland, Florida in the wake of a school shooting in a high school that left 17 people dead. But Trump has faced criticism over the way he carried himself during that visit.
After an awkward meeting with first responders, the president and first lady Melania Trump stood together for a friendly photo op, which in itself seems insensitive. Trump had a huge smile on his face in the photo, and flashed his now signature thumbs up.
Trump updated his Twitter c

In light of recent events, the importance of financial privacy has become an increasingly unavoidable issue for cryptocurrency users. With the exception of anonymous cryptocurrencies, the lack of privacy measures on most leading public blockchain networks is a real cause for concern. Bitcoin, Ripple, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin — five of the biggest cryptocurrencies in terms of market valuation and user base — all lack the privacy measures that could protect users from surv

 They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but physiologically speaking, they’re windows to the brain. RightEye is a startup that looks through that window to detect common but often subtle vision issues resulting from concussions and other brain troubles. Its quick, portable eye-tracking station can tell in minutes whether you should see a doctor — or look into becoming a pro… Read More

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing out the Nano S 360-degree camera from Insta360. It’s a cute little camera that clicks into your iPhone’s Lightning port and takes 360-degree photos and videos. The camera itself is very compact and can easily be held in the palm of your hand or slipped into your pocket.
I’m fairly new to 360 cameras. I generally shoot using my Canon 7D DSLR or Fujifilm X-T10, and this is an entirely new experience altogether. Instead of concentr

Santiago de Chile is an understatedly cool city. Sure, it doesn’t have the classical buildings of Buenos Aires or the ageless allure of Rio, but what’s lacking in historic charm is made up for with a modernity that achieves being progressive yet unpretentious. This is especially true of its tech, an industry where Santiago’s innovations aren’t just making waves in South America, but are attracting some serious global attention. And the best thing about Santiago’s t

As someone that grew up playing MMOs like EverQuest, Minions of Mirth (an obscure indie one), Runescape, Guild Wars, and more, a high-quality VR MMO is one of my ultimate dream games. Anime like .hack//sign and Sword Art Online have done their part to instill the excitement around the concept and now with consumer VR finally here, it feels like the prospect is finally within reach.
Having played (and loved) Skyrim VR, it seems we’re closer than ever to that ultimate fantasy-themed VR MMO t

It's rare that blockbuster movies do anything to move culture forward besides make people really annoying on Twitter.
Ben Shapiro rants aside, Black Panther is a lovely exception. Activists Kayla Reed, Jessica Byrd and Rukia Lumumba from the Movement for Black Lives' Electoral Justice Project recently launched #WakandaTheVote to help register voters at Black Panther screenings across the country. 
SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know before watching 'Black Panther'
"This weekend we wanted

It's hard to say who among the incredible cast of characters in Black Panther reigns supreme. But if you ask this writer, there's be no question: Shuri, T'Challa's 16-year-old sister and badass princess of Wakanda, deserves to be crowned queen of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Aside from her sheer show-stealing cool factor, Shuri is the brilliant inventor ensuring Wakanda remains the most advanced nation in the world. She equips her brother and their entire people with the cutting-edge vi

I finally got around to seeing Wonder Woman last month on my flight back from CES. I know a plane isn’t the best place to watch a movie, but it was very useful for tuning out the strangers who were unfortunate enough to hit it off beside me. I was also glad the film largely ditches the drab, dark colors that fill so much of DC’s universe in favor of bright colors that popped even on the plane’s tiny screen.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the movie is how much it&rsqu

As America veers toward a Constitutional crisis, Fox News host Laura Ingraham is placing the blame not on Donald Trump but on ... LeBron James?
On Thursday, Ingraham dedicated a whole segment of her show to James, enjoining the player to "shut up and dribble" on the grounds that he wasn't "educated" enough to speak about politics. Last night, LeBron finally responded on Instagram with a pithy and forceful photo.
SEE ALSO: These LGBTQ Olympians are here to break records (and tiny queer hearts)
"#

Warner Bros.’s digital video site Machinima rebranded this week as it makes a bigger push to expand beyond its YouTube roots to all the new platforms where gamers celebrate their culture.
Since Warner Bros. bought Machinima in 2016, the division has shifted away from its traditional network and grown to more than 140 million subscribers for its various shows like Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
But competition from influencers of all types has been growing as well. I talked with

If you don’t have the day off from work or school, you could be forgiven if you have no idea when Presidents’ Day is. Well, it’s on Monday, and retailers are trying to give people a reason to remember it by offering great tech deals in a number of categories. Best Buy’s Presidents’ Day sale features markdowns on Google Home bundles, 4K TVs, and more. Dell’s deal is bringing prices down on more than 140 products and Microsoft is offering discounts on nearly 10

There are plenty of ways to impress the judges at the Winter Olympics, but using a popular TV show is pretty genius.
Channeling his best Jamie Lannister, German figure skater Paul Fentz completed his free skate routine Saturday morning during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games to some inspiring music from Game of Thrones. 
SEE ALSO: This 'Game of Thrones' fan theory may just have nailed the entire plot of Season 8A Lannister always pays his debts#WinterOlympics https://t.co/fmMl0C4Amf pic.tw

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We live our lives from Instagram story to Instagram story, and we have the ability to capture some truly stunning imagery to garner those sweet, sweet likes. With 360-technology where it is now, we can literally capture every angle around us for some truly epic pics and videos. From floating rotating camera

If you use a PC, then you know that transferring files between your phone and your computer can be a huge pain. Well, Microsoft finally has a solution.
A new app called Photos Companion lets you move photos between your phone and PC using a wireless connection. Think of it as a bit like Microsoft's answer to Apple's AirDrop, except it works with both iOS and Android devices. 
SEE ALSO: Snap gives influencers analytics as everyone else rages about Snapchat's redesign
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Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week. 
It takes something extra to stand out in a Black Panther cast filled with achingly beautiful humans. Whatever it is, Winston Duke has got it.
The actor behind M'Baku, leader of the movie's Jabari Tribe, steals just about every scene he appears in. Even his first scene, when he challenges T'Challa to ritual combat for Wakanda's throne... how many of you were quietly just cheering

For a period of 5 years, China continued to spy on all electronic communications at the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Chinese spy operation continued throughout this period without being detected until some network administrators at the AU’s headquarters discovered it in January 2017. This is according to an investigation conducted by Le Monde which has gone on to reveal how the Chinese, who donated and built the new AU headquarters in Adis Aba

A little over two years ago, before Facebook Messenger or iMessage opened to third-party bots, and before the arrival of Google Assistant, conversational AI champion Chris Messina helped coin the term “conversational commerce.”
Messina, who is perhaps best known as the creator of the hashtag, has since 2015 examined trends like chat apps surpassing social media in monthly active users, buzz among developers and investors, and unanswered questions, like how experiences created by thir

Every day we stray further from God's light. Case in point: it appears that, on this cursed Earth, there are more than zero dogs named Bitcoin.
Yes, for some reason, real humans have looked into a dog's beautiful, loving eyes and thought, "This dog should be named Bitcoin." We don't know why and we certainly can't stop it — all we can do is let you know and hope that this idea doesn't become a trend.
Here's one dog named Bitcoin, a Maltese puppy who has a very pleasant Instagram presence.

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I resisted the urge to get a decent VPN for my Android phone for years. Why bother with an extra app just to get online, now that internet connections are ubiquitous? 
Over time, however, the scenarios in which I needed a VPN became more common. I needed to check what this or that site looked like from another geolocation. Or

Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week.
As Black Panther has broken records ahead of its wide release, with critics and fans applauding everything from the casting and performances to the story and visuals, the very concept of Wakanda itself has also been elevated to its own status of celebrity. 
For the past few months, fans on social media have been sharing their wishes to go to Wakanda, with some declaring themselve

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work.Is the future broken?
Maybe not, but by many measures the present is. Over the past couple of years, the networks and devices that we've come to rely on for our information, consumption, and social interactions have had their toxic underbellies exposed: Social networks have been twisted by fake news and filter bubbles, the constant