Technology news

Today is Free Comic Book Day, and if you can’t make it to your local comic store, there’s one book that you can find online: Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History, written by Max Brooks, the author of World War Z. The 44-page graphic novel is a free download from the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, and looks at humanity’s history with biological warfare.The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense commissioned the project, which wasillustrated by J. Nino Galenzoga and color

One of Fortnite’s most iconic locations is no more. Today, after a few weeks of teasing, the Fortnite volcano has finally erupted, and it has taken out various parts of the island. Most notably, Tilted Towers — the busiest area of Fortnite’s island — has been almost entirely destroyed.
The event started out when a mysterious spaceship-like vault located in Loot Lake opened up, transporting players to a strange new dimension. There, six previously removed items from the g

A new report from The New York Times says that the Federal Trade Commission is having trouble agreeing on a suitable punishment for Facebook’s privacy lapses, and that its members are specifically trying to determine whether or not CEO Mark Zuckerberg should be held personally responsible.Facebook is reportedly facing a huge fine from the FTC over its highly-public privacy lapses, and has said that it’s setting aside $3 billion to cover that fine, and could be required to create new

Last night, Firefox users noticed an issue with their browsers: they couldn’t install extensions, and their existing add-ons stopped working. Mozilla says that the issue is due to a certificate expiration, and that it’s working to fix the issue.
In a blog post, Mozilla says that it’s identified the issue, and it’s begun rolling out a fix for users. “The fix will be automatically applied in the background within the next few hours. No active steps need to be taken t

Nearly 10 years ago, YouTube started displaying a banner to Internet Explorer 6 users, warning that support for Microsoft’s browser would be “phasing out” soon. It was a message that appeared on all YouTube pages, at a time when IE6 users represented around 18 percent of all YouTube traffic. Frustrated by supporting the aging browser, a group of YouTube engineers had hatched a plan to kill Internet Explorer 6.
“We began collectively fantasizing about how we could exact o

The Star Wars franchise famously includes a wide range of mediums beyond just the films — numerous books, comics, and games fill in the untold corners of the galaxy, and have set up the world for the coming installments. Lucasfilm just unveiled its publishing slate that will lead to the next film, The Rise of Skywalker, and it includes a novel that will bridge the gap from The Last Jedi, written by author Rebecca Roanhorse.The new adult novel is Resistance Reborn, set to be released on No

Some weeks Netflix drives me a little nuts trying to find something worth watching, and other weeks it releases something as stunningly smart as Russian Doll. You could write essays just on the superb visuals of show, let alone the actually journey it takes you on.
It’s also one of those rare shows that allows itself to come together oh-so-perfectly. Not that everything is answered in the end — but it manages to explore the Groundhog Day-like conceit inside and out and close off key

HBO’s Game of Thrones is inching towards the end of its run, with just three episodes remaining. The network isn’t abandoning Westros just yet, though — it has a handful of additional shows in development, and on his blog, George R.R. Martin offered up a short update.In 2017, Martin revealed that there were five spinoff shows (he says he prefers to call them successors, rather than spinoffs) in the works at HBO. In his latest blog post, Martin notes that of those five, “

HBO’s Game of Thrones is inching towards the end of its run, with just three episodes remaining. The network isn’t abandoning Westros just yet, though — it has a handful of additional shows in development, and on his blog, George R.R. Martin offered up a short update.In 2017, Martin revealed that there were five spinoff shows (he says he prefers to call them successors, rather than spinoffs) in the works at HBO. In his latest blog post, Martin notes that of those five, “

It’s Star Wars Day, and Disney has unveiled the musical suite for its coming Star Wars theme park, Galaxy’s Edge, which is opening next month at Disnleyland in California, and in August in Florida’s Disney World.
The park will come with a soundtrack from composer John Williams, and from listening to this suite, it lines up nicely with the overall sound from the music that’s defined the rest of the franchise. Disney has also uploaded the track to various streaming service

Today is May 4th, also sometimes known as Star Wars Day. Several retailers are hosting deals on all things Star Wars-related, so whether you know (or are) a super fan, this could be the best opportunity of the year to get the most for your money.
ThinkGeek is taking 30 percent off of its Star Wars merchandise, which includes toys, shirts, swimsuits, R2-D2 screwdrivers, and such thoughtful products as the Stormtrooper onesie sleeping bag. If you’re hoping to get a deal on a licensed lights

It’s said that data powers today’s most profitable corporations, just like fossil fuels energized those of the past. To paraphrase: your data is being used by businesses over and over to help them make important decisions. This ostensibly makes your data much more valuable than oil ever was, but how can you take control? To me it’s obvious that in order to take control of one’s data, there must first be an ability to accurately account for ownership, and similarly accoun

The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker trailer might give you chills in any form. A new 16-bit version from John Stratman echoes the style of the classic Super Star Wars SNES game, with pixellated animation capturing the movie scenes and chiptune takes on John Williams' score.
Along with the Emperor's newly digitized cackle, multiple jaw-drop moments from the trailer hit the same dramatic tone in 16-bit animation. Our new heroes standing before the remnants of the Death Star, for instance, reinfor

The Federal Aviation Administration has released its forecast for the next two decades (via NextGov), which anticipates what’s to come for the aviation world between now and 2039. Particularly noteworthy is that the market for commercial drones is growing faster than anticipated, and could triple between now and 2023, while the market for non-commercial drones appears to be slowing.The report covers a broad view of the aviation field, including the domestic US and international airline ma

Tesla emailed its employees on Thursday to caution them against leaking company information, especially to the press. 
The email, which was leaked to the press, ostensibly pits Tesla and its employees against "outsiders" and those who will "do anything to see us fail."
SEE ALSO: Tesla's self-driving 'brain' hit with serious Trump administration tariff
"As a result of our success, we will continue to see an interest from people who will do anything to see us fail," the Tesla email reads. "Th

This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.I don't think I've ever had this much FOMO about a lunch. 
As the Avengers: Endgame hubbub continues to keep the internet ablaze, the stars of the record-breaking film are stoking the coals with even more content. Robert Downey Jr. shared a couple of photos from a very fun lunch on his Instagram earlier this week.  View this post on Instagram#tbt #throwback #flashback to t

People with depression listen to sad music because it makes them feel better, according to a small study that is one of the first to investigate why people turn to tearjerkers when they’re already down.The first part of the study, published recently in the journal Emotion, tried to repeat the findings of a 2015 study that showed that depressed people preferred listening to sad music. Researchers at the University of South Florida asked 76 female undergrads (half of them were diagnosed wit

NASA's carbon-detecting sleuth has left Earth.
SpaceX launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) to the International Space Station (ISS) at 2:48 a.m. ET on Saturday morning aboard the company's dependable Falcon 9 rocket. After NASA's cargo load arrives at the ISS, astronauts will use a long robotic arm to attach the refrigerator-sized instrument to the side of the earth-orbiting station.  
OCO-3 will peer down on Earth, keeping tabs on the planet's amassing carbon dioxide emission

Dealing with angry, sometimes petulant, and occasionally downright bigoted strangers is unfortunately an integral part of playing online video games, and the companies that operate the multiplayer platforms on which players communicate can only do so much to regulate behavior when the offenses consist mostly of real-time speech.Now, Microsoft has an updated set of guidelines that hopefully make it a bit clearer what it considers crossing the line when getting frustrated with another player. The

HP Chromebook 14
$270-329View Product
The Good
Sturdy construction •with a better keyboard than a MacBook Pro • An optimal number and variety of ports • Easy setup and basic web browsing and work tasks are just fine
The Bad
It runs hot and the battery life isn't outstanding • The screen is a little too reflective • It can get slow when things get serious
The Bottom Line
The HP Chromebook 14 is mostly fine, but very little about it stands out.
⚡ Mashable Score
2.5&

Tech conference season is in full swing. Facebook had its F8 keynote earlier this week, and now Google is following it up with its annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday.
For those not in attendance at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., you can watch the keynote live on the Google Developers YouTube channel. It's set to air Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. 
SEE ALSO: FAA approves Google's drone delivery service for commercial use in the U.S.
As always, expect plenty of

Welcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap. CHEAP! We love a good Apple Watch deal over here at TNW. Before today though, the best bargains were on the previous model, the Series 3. Well, not anymore. Amazon is slashing a solid $50 off the price of the Apple Watch Series 4, making the entry model a tasty $350. This price range makes the newest smartwatch from Apple a far more enticing buy. There are plenty of people out there who love a good discount, b

Today is May 4, also known as Star Wars Day. So why not celebrate this day and snag yourself some sweet Star Wars deals over at this page. If Star Wars isn't your thing? Not a problem, as we have gathered all the best deals around the internet.
With Mother's Day around the corner, why not spoil your mom with the latest Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch, saving $50 off the listed price. Or transform the home to a smart home with Amazon Echo Dot. For $29.99 (listed at $49.99), it's a great way to st

As a long-time Star Wars fan, you've likely celebrated countless May the Fourths with all of the binge-watching, merchandise buying, and arguing over conspiracy theories possible.
This year, take a step further into your favorite universe: Udemy offers several Star Wars-themed online courses to give hardcore fans a hands-on way to commemorate their favorite franchise. You can learn to build your own lightsaber, use Adobe to create realistic special effects, or play the Star Wars main theme on th

All Star Wars fans have done it at some point in their lives — staged a mock lightsaber tournament with their equally-nerdy friends. As you chopped and slashed at your buddies, you couldn’t help but wish that you weren’t holding a cheap contractible lightsaber that you got from the bargain bin at the nearest toy store. You wanted something more realistic — something with weight so you could feel like a true Jedi master. 
You can get one step closer to that dream, bec

Star Wars fans love to celebrate just like everyone else — with porn.
With May The Fourth — aka "Star Wars Day" — upon us, the folks at Pornhub have revealed the many ways that Star Wars fans use the adult entertainment site to mark the holiday. Searches for Star Wars on Pornhub on May 4, 2018 surged above the days surrounding it.Image:PornhubStar Wars-related searches see huge spikes over the days preceding and following May 4th every year. These are the spikes for the la

Happy May the Fourth, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherders. 
Star Wars Day is important every year, but this one seems extra special: It's the last one (for a while, at least) that we get to celebrate while looking forward to a new Star Wars movie release. After The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in December and Luke's 42-year storyline is finally complete, Lucasfilm will be taking a hiatus.
Appropriate reactions include Luke's scream after hearing who his father is or Em

Smart speakers: they're basically everywhereA study by market researchers at Canalys found that 200 million people will probably be using smart speakers by the end of this year.
Maybe it's time to join the club?
A quality waterproof shower speaker is a great place to start if you're a serial shower singer and new to the smart speaker game. You may be used to fussing with your phone just to set up your playlist and time it to your shower, but to switch songs up you have to hop out while dripping

May 4th — a.k.a. Star Wars day — is this weekend, and if you want to celebrate it right, you have no excuse to not watch the entire film saga from front to back this SaturdayOr you could play any of the multiple Star Wars video games that are currently on sale. If you’re really looking to get crazy, you could even drop some serious dough on a custom lightsaber replica. Okay, there are a lot of ways to appreciate the extended sci-fi fantasy universe that has brought so many peop

Tweet. Post. Retweet. Repost. Comment. Why spend your time doing menial social media management tasks when you could be working on broader strategies that acquire users at a greater rate?
That's the logic behind adopting social media automation or having software do things like schedule posts, auto-follow users, and write copy so you don't have to. It's a tactic that helps marketing professionals establish consistent streams of content quickly and conveniently — a huge perk if you're manag

In case you hadn't guessed it by now, May 4 is a pretty significant date in the world of Star Wars. It's on this day that fans all around the world unite to celebrate a franchise that has captured the minds of kids and adults for decades. It's also a great date to bag yourself a bargain.
LEGO has a wide range of great deals across a massive selection of products to celebrate Star Wars day, and mark 20 years of LEGO Star Wars products. There are free gifts to be claimed, new products to be captur

Coinbase,the $8 billion-valued crypto exchange, has lost its CTO after Balaji Srinivasan announced his departure from the company.
Srinivasan became the U.S. company’s first CTO one year ago after it acquired Earn.com, where he was CEO and co-founder. Given the tenure — one year and one day — it looks like Srinivasan’s departure comes after he served the minimum agreed period with Coinbase.
A high-profile figure in the crypto space who has also spent time with Coinbase an

Did you just open Firefox only to find all of your extensions disabled and/or otherwise not working?
You’re not alone, and it’s nothing you did.
Reports are pouring in of a glitch that has spontaneously disabled effectively all Firefox extensions.
Each extension is now being listed as a “legacy” extension, alongside a warning that it “could not be verified for use in Firefox and has been disabled”.
A ticket submitted to Mozilla’s Bugzilla bug tracker fir

In 2014, it looked like Apple was poised to do for sapphire what it had done for aluminum — turn an exceptionally useful but difficult-to-machine raw material into a selling point for its flagship consumer gadgets. Apple announced a new factory in Arizona where its supplier, GT Advanced Technologies, would be loaned $578 million to produce huge synthetic sapphire crystals — known as boules — to be chopped up into incredibly scratch-resistant covers for the screens of the iPhon

Look, it's been a long week, and then only thing I can think about right now is Tiny Shrek demolishing a dog obstacle course. 
Sure, the Westminster Dog Show is impressive, but can any of those pure breeds beat Tiny Shrek? The answer is no. Nothing can compete with Tiny Shrek. 
Ever since Twitter user @chanbanhi tweeted their edit of a comically small Shrek sprinting through a dog obstacle course on Thursday, my thoughts have been consumed with Tiny Shrek. I go through the daily motion

Tesla this week sent an email to employees warning about the impact of on-going press leaks. The email reminded employees that each of them signed confidentiality agreements, warning the company would take action against those it felt were in violation, including “termination of employment, claims for damages, and even criminal charges.” It appears that Tesla’s security team sent the email after reporters broke numerous unfavorable stories about the company over the past few w

Tesla employees received an email today listing firing, felony charges, and lawsuits as potential consequences for leaking information about the electric vehicle-maker to the press, CNBC reported. The email, which was sent by Tesla’s security team, listed recent actions the company had taken against employees who had leaked.
One former employee had “exfiltrated confidential business information from the Tesla domain to his personal account and threatened to disclose confidential com

Your new Windows laptop typically ships with an awful lot of bloatware you don’t need. Often, it’ll just slow down your computer a tad. But occasionally, a pre-installed piece of manufacturer cruft can pose a serious security risk — and that’s why you should probably update or uninstall Dell’s SupportAssist right away.
The app, which Dell’s support page states is preinstalled on “most of all new Dell devices running Windows” and billed as “t