Technology news

The state of New York is weighing whether it should legalize marijuana — and a new report comes down hard in favor of the move, Bloomberg reports.Governor Andrew Cuomo asked for the report in January 2018, and today the New York State Department of Health sent the “Regulated Marijuana Report” to the governor’s office. As part of the study, New York State agencies and experts examined the peer-reviewed literature about pot, public health, public safety — and, of cou

Pinning down the exact right time to buy a flight is a complex science, or maybe it’s more like an art form: An elegant combination of planning ahead, sensing the trends, and knowing the ideal time, day, and alignment of the planets to hit “buy.” Or is it more like gambling? 
SEE ALSO: Going somewhere? These are the best websites for finding flights.
The truth is that the right time to get those tickets varies greatly depending on a number of factors. But that doesn’

Sonos is adding support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 wireless audio standard to its speakers, making them far more versatile for anyone who prefers Apple Music (or just likes using Apple’s music app for local music on an iPhone). AirPlay 2 support also means that you’ll be able to use a Sonos speaker in conjunction with Apple’s own HomePod in a multi-room audio setup — an intriguing option for anyone who can’t decide between the two companies. Here’s how to ge

There are literally thousands of different headphones, earphones, and earbuds out there to choose from. All have the same idea at heart — to provide you with music without having to play it out loud for everyone to hear. But some achieve this result so much better than others. Sure, you could just hit Amazon and buy the cheapest, but that's not always a great idea either. There's also the issue of different headphones and earphones being good for all kinds of different purposes. Are you pl

Brett Kavanaugh is bland. 
Trump's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has been condemned as an "enemy of the left," who will herald a Handmaid's Tale-type era of conservatism. A Yale publication found that he also had abhorrent eating habits in law school. 
SEE ALSO: Trump's SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh looks exactly like Glenn from 'Superstore'
Aside from being named Brett, one of the blandest possible names you could choose for an innocent baby, Kavanaugh apparen

We all know YouTube. YouTube is the biggest video platform on the planet, with about 400 hours of video uploaded to the service every second.
But YouTube, of all the current content "platforms," is arguably the most fragmented. There's no newsfeed, so there's no central place where everyone — or seemingly everyone — is gathering. As a result, communities form on their own, typically around channels or personalities, and they tend to be pretty insular.
SEE ALSO: YouTube announces swee

The new MacBook Pro keyboards are quieter.
We’ve had a top-of-the-line 15-inch MacBook Pro review unit in hand for an hour or two, and in that time, that’s the main thing I can tell you.I’ll give you a few more impressions, of course, but “pro” machines require quite a bit of testing to judge, and we intend to take our time with it. Is it fast? Of course it’s fast: it has a six-core Intel i9 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage. As shipped, this machine

Instacart is teaming up with Postmates to deliver groceries during its busiest hours, reports TechCrunch.The pilot program, which delivers groceries during the late morning and early afternoon, will launch in San Fransisco, with no immediate plans to expand them into other cities. Instacart reportedly says it’s “considering” bringing the program further to possibly include other delivery services in the launch.
This is in line with Postmates’ recent steps toward expandin

We can't stop saying goodbye to Jon Snow. First was said goodbye when he was dead. Then he wasn't. 
But now we face the prospect of the final season of Game of Thrones in 2019, and know it's for good this time. 
So does actor Kit Harington, who seems equally if not more devastated by having to say RIP to the character he played for eight years.
SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' set images could foreshadow a new ruler of Westeros
“I actually just wrapped on Thursday last week,” he

Apple has announced a new investment fund to boost clean energy in China by connecting suppliers with “renewable energy sources,” according to a press release.The company says it will work with 10 other suppliers to jointly invest $300 million over the next four years. The end result is what Apple calling “the China Clean Energy Fund,” which will “invest in and develop clean energy projects” that total more than 1 gigawatt of renewable energy in the country.

The fourth annual Amazon Prime Day doesn’t officially begin until Monday, July 16th at 3PM ET / 12PM PT, but the company is trickling out some worthwhile Prime-exclusive deals in the lead-up to the big event. Amazon is offering 30-day free trials of Prime here in case you somehow haven't signed up yet or if you let a previous subscription lapse over higher prices.A few of today’s best deals include:Kindle Oasis with special offers is $199 (usually $249)Soylent 12-pack Strawberry or

The fourth annual Amazon Prime Day doesn’t officially begin until Monday, July 16th at 3PM ET / 12PM PT, but the company is trickling out some worthwhile Prime-exclusive deals in the lead-up to the big event. Amazon is offering 30-day free trials of Prime here in case you somehow haven't signed up yet or if you let a previous subscription lapse over higher prices.A few of today’s best deals include:Kindle Oasis with special offers is $199 (usually $249)Soylent 12-pack Strawberry or

Google’s Phone app can now automatically filter out calls that it detects to be spam, sending them directly to voicemail. Your phone won’t ring, and you won’t even get a missed call notification for any calls that Google weeds out.If the spam callers leave a voicemail — you know, like the usual spiel about charges being filed against you over back-owed taxes — that will still find its way to your voicemail inbox. But again, there won’t be a notification about

What a fortnight it’s been for ScarJo! From the jump, it was off to a rocky start: it was announced that she would star as Dante “Tex” Gill, a trans man, in a new biopic about the massage parlor mogul called Rub & Tug. It was not good. There were memes. Then, earlier this week, news broke that after years of speculation, Marvel was indeed moving forward on a standalone Black Widow film. Finally, today, it ends with a denouement: Johansson released an exclusive statement to

Joss Whedon is headed back to television. Variety reports that HBO has ordered a series called The Nevers, which he will write and direct. It will be about a “gang of Victorian women who find themselves with unusual abilities,” and who will face off against “relentless enemies.”
The announcement comes as HBO is figuring out what will follow its blockbuster fantasy show Game of Thrones, which is scheduled to air its final season in 2019. The network has seen critical succ

The shrill screams of "IT'S HERE" every time the ice cream truck arrives is a staple of an American summer. Even now, as an adult, I still get that emotional rush when the truck pulls onto my block.
But as a kid, it was always the sheer number of choices that made me question my entire existence. God forbid made an awful selection, wasting A WHOLE $2.00 of my parents' cash. To avoid a crisis like this for yourself, here are the best and worst treats that your local ice cream truck has to offer.

Inverted jeans are now a thing.
Did anyone ask for them? No. But here they are, and since they are here, let's discuss.
SEE ALSO: 8 terrible jeans that prove denim has gone too farNo one asked for this.Image:Cie DenimLike an M.C. Escher illustration of the apparel world, these jeans will confuse and dumbfound you to the point of extreme mental exhaustion. You'll ask yourself questions, like: Where do they begin? Where do they end? Where is the nearest dumpster for me to jump into?What's wrong wi

Welp, it's Friday the 13th, so of course Instagram went down.
The photo-sharing service experienced an outage that took out both the app and website for close to half an hour Friday.
The source of the issue was unclear, but it appears to have started around 11:49 a.m. PT, according to the website downdetector.com. During that time, feeds were not refreshing on the mobile app and Instagram's desktop site showed an error page.When reached for comment, an Instagram spokesperson said: "We’re a

Microsoft is joining the movement for face-recognition technology regulation.
The software giant the first major tech company to make such a brazen call to the government to impose limits on this type of technology, and the company's grievances are outlined in a blog post published today by its president Brad Smith.
SEE ALSO: Microsoft says its facial recognition technology is less biased
"Facial-recognition technology raises issues that go to the heart of fundamental human rights protections li

While orbiting some 250 miles above Madagascar this week, International Space Station astronaut Ricky Arnold captured a grim picture of the island's decimated land. 
Madagascar's forests have been nearly logged to death, with nearly 90 percent of its original forests destroyed in the last century, according to NASA. 
SEE ALSO: 8 perfect astronaut selfies for when you just need some space
A striking result of this loss, captured by Arnold, is an extreme erosion of the red-tinged land in

Scarlett Johansson is rethinking some things.
The actress has dropped out of the upcoming project Rub & Tug, following heavy criticism for her casting as a trans man.
SEE ALSO: Trans actors explain why Scarlett Johansson's 'Rub & Tug' role is like a slap in the face
"Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I've learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive," she wrote to Out.
"While I wo

Apple’s True Tone technology on the new MacBook Pros will apply to some external displays. The company published a support document today that details which displays will work with True Tone. They include: Apple’s Thunderbolt Display, which uses the Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, LG’s UltraFine 5K, and LG’s UltraFine 4K.True Tone allows Apple devices to measure the light in a room to strike the proper color balance and intensity on-screen. It’s suppo

The creator of r/KotakuInAction, a GamerGate subreddit, is speaking up about creating what he calls “one of the many cancerous growths that have infiltrated Reddit.” User David-me briefly locked the subreddit, explaining in a lengthy post that the forum has become filled with racism and sexism. “I did this,” he wrote. “Now I am undoing it. This abomination should have always been aborted.” KotakuInAction has since returned, however, thanks to a Reddit adminis

Chinese authorities have arrested six suspects behind a World Cup gambling ring that was hosting more than 10 billion yuan — or $1.5 billion USD — worth of cryptocurrency bets, according to a statement released yesterday by the police department in Guangdong province.The gambling syndicate ran on the dark web, accepting bets in the form of bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin for an eight-month stretch before being apprehended. It attracted more than 300,000 players from different countr

Remember how awkward sex ed was? While it's definitely an integral part of a school's curriculum, I remember everyone in middle school squirming around in discomfort as words such as "penis" and "vagina" were casually spoken by our gym teacher. 
Times have changed. A viral tweet shows that children aren't afraid to ask the big questions about the gonads. 
SEE ALSO: Blaming dating apps for the rise of STDs is just the latest form of sex panic
Twitter user @KimYooGyeom, who posted the tw

Can you believe? In the wake of its several Emmy Award nominations, Queer Eye announced that the show has been renewed for a third season. 
SEE ALSO: 11 times 'Queer Eye' Season 2 made us so hopeful we could explode
While the previous two seasons of the hit Netflix "more than a makeover" show have taken place in Georgia, with the famous Fab 5 loft stationed in Atlanta, the new season will bring the cast to Kansas City, Missouri. 
The current cast of Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Karamo

Oscar-nominated actors tend to go for transformation — but never quite like the one Tom Hardy went through to become an alien creature that's all teeth, eyes, and goopy skin.
In an exclusive Entertainment Weekly first look at Sony's upcoming Venom, we see the former Batman villain transform into the Spider-Man equivalent of Jekyll and Hyde. And if he's being honest, Hardy knows that the repulsive, Xenomorph-on-crack appearance is part of what attracted him to the role.
SEE ALSO: Venom is h

The cast and creator of Sorry to Bother You, an absurdist comedy/sci-fi horror film set in the world of telemarketing, tried to answer some serious questions about the delightfully bizarre movie while playing with adorable (and adoptable) puppies.
Director Boots Riley and cast members Armie Hammer, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, and Steven Yeun sat down to discuss the film’s clever commentary on modern social issues. Read more...More about Film, Movies, Mashable Video, Sxsw, and Comedy

Finding a Nintendo Switch these days is nowhere near as difficult as it used to be, but deals on the console remain somewhat rare. That’s why a new bundle from Best Buy is worth taking advantage of if you’re about to buy Nintendo’s hybrid console.
Best Buy is selling the Nintendo Switch together with your choice of one of four excellent titles for a total of $329. The deal applies to both the grey and neon models of the console, and the games you can pick from are: The Legend

Twelve Russian intelligence officers have just been indicted by the Justice Department for hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign during the 2016 elections.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced on Friday that 12 foreign agents from Russia’s GRU intelligence agency attempted to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. In order to do this, the agents used spear-phishing attacks through malware. Using the “X-agent” malware, t

The worst case scenario played out on YouTube TV this week when the service went down during the England / Croatia World Cup semifinal match at the height of the game. To apologize, the company is now offering subscribers a free week of service, according to a Reddit thread. Users are reporting that the email showed up in their Spam folder, so check there if you think you might receive the discount. It’s not clear whether every YouTube TV subscriber is receiving this offer or just people

SpaceX’s specialized boat aimed at catching falling rocket parts just got a sizable upgrade. The vessel, called Mr. Steven, now boasts an even more massive net, one that’s four times the size of the one it had before. That larger surface area should help increase the chances of Mr. Steven actually making a catch, which it hasn’t been able to do.
Mr. Steven is specifically focused on catching the nose cone of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket following a launch. That’s the b