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io9
Woody Harrelson Confirms He’s Playing Han Solo’s Mentor in New Star Wars Film
Speaking to Variety on Sunday, Zombieland star Woody Harrelson revealed that he will play the future smuggler’s mentor in Han Solo’s upcoming standalone film, verifying a rumor first reported earlier this month. Asked if he is playing “the Han Solo mentor” Garris Shrike, Harrelson replied, “Yeah, I am,” making it unclear if he was confirming … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Donald Trump Reportedly Forced to Give Up Beloved Tweeting Machine
While rising to our nation’s highest office is an unparalleled honor, becoming President also involves many personal sacrifices. This week, Donald Trump may have made his first, reportedly “trad[ing] in” the Android phone widely believed to be his primary tweeting device for a Secret Service-approved smartphone. https://gizmodo.com/donald-trumps-bad-twitter-is-explained-by-his-bad-phone-1734858189 According to a new New York Times report, … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Uber to Pay Out $20 Million After Promising Drivers ‘Exaggerated’ Wages
On Thursday, Uber agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) $20 million over claims it misled prospective drivers, recruiting them with ads that inflated typical earnings and mischaracterized the terms of its vehicle financing program. According to the FTC, Uber posted Craigslist ads in more than a dozen cities that promised hourly rates far … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Drug Maker Who Jacked Up Cost of Baby Medicine 85,000 Percent Still Isn’t Sorry
You can lead a drug company to public shame, but you can’t make it feel remorse. On Wednesday, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay a $100 million fine over anticompetitive practices related to Acthar gel, a lifesaving medication for epileptic infants that has ballooned in price from $40 a vial to an outrageous $34,000 a vial since … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Japanese Toilet Makers Agree to Simplify Control Buttons for Confused Foreigners
On Tuesday, the Japan Restroom Industry Association announced that it had developed a new set of control panel illustrations for multifunctional “super toilets,” standardizing the symbols for the benefit of foreign visitors. “Until now, manufacturers have adopted pictograms that seem to be optimal,” wrote the association in a press release, “but when foreign tourists use … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Moth With Scaly Head and Weird Dick Named in Honor of Donald Trump
After becoming President, Barack Obama had a number of species named in his honor. Donald Trump, however, has managed to do him one better, finding an animal namesake days before his inauguration in Neopalpa donaldtrumpi, a tiny moth species distinguished by its yellow, scale-covered forehead and “unique genitalia.” According to taxonomist Vazrick Nazari, who first … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
For-Profit College Says Former Admin Demanded $200,000 to Reset School Password
According to a lawsuit by the online American College of Education (ACE), a former employee effectively held the company’s email system hostage after he was fired last spring, locking the for-profit college out and asking for $200,000 before he would help it get back in. Last year, the school says it began eliminating IT workers … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Dumbass Convicted Over Pride Parade Drone Crash That Knocked Woman Out Cold
It was supposed to be a celebration LGBT culture, but it ended up serving as a lesson in robot etiquette. On Friday, a 38-year-old man was found guilty of reckless endangerment in connection with a drone crash at Seattle’s 2015 pride parade that left an attendee unconscious. According to authorities, Paul Skinner was flying a … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
io9
Mark Hamill Returns as the Joker to Mock Donald Trump’s Tweets [Updated]
Earlier this month, Star Wars star Mark Hamill surprised Batman fans (and Donald Trump critics) with a late Christmas present when he recorded one of the President-elect’s tweets as the Joker, a character he’s voiced for almost 25 years. https://gizmodo.com/mark-hamill-is-now-dubbing-trump-tweets-as-the-joker-1790947169 The result was oddly fitting New Year’s message from the Clown Prince of Crime himself—a … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
The Real Star of Nintendo’s Big Switch Event Was a Mysterious Squid Expert
Thursday night, Nintendo revealed key details about its upcoming Switch console, including its release date (March 3) and price (a cool $300). None of that mattered, however, once the company brought out an in-house “squid researcher” to introduce Splatoon 2, a sequel to the Wii U’s 2015 team shooter coming this summer. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-watch-nintendos-big-switch-launch-event-1791137710 “I am … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
The Website of Donald Trump’s Cyber Security Advisor Is Insecure as Hell
On Thursday, Donald Trump’s transition team announced that Rudy Giuliani would be forming a cybersecurity team for the President-elect, citing the former New York City mayor’s 16 years of experience “providing security solutions in the private sector.” In all those years, however, it appears that Giuliani never checked the defenses of his own company’s website, … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
ScienceBiology
Some Vampire Bats Have Started Biting Humans (and It’s Probably Our Fault)
Feeling drained? According to a new study, a vampire bat species that typically feeds on native birds has turned to sucking the blood of humans at night, likely due to human encroachment. In the study, researchers analyzed guano from hairy-legged vampire bats in northeast Brazil’s Catimbau National Park to see how they responded to man-made … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
FCC Commissioner Vows to Ignore Staff’s ‘Serious Concerns’ About Net Neutrality and AT&T
This week, the FCC finally completed its investigation of so-called “zero-rating” schemes, finding that AT&T is likely violating net neutrality rules by charging outside video providers more for free streaming. Nevertheless, the carrier is unlikely to face punitive action—the man poised to become the new FCC chair under President Trump has promised it won’t. https://gizmodo.com/fcc-says-at-ts-directv-plan-violates-net-neutrality-1789616477 … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
11 Head-Exploding Quotes From Peter Thiel’s Bonkers New York Times Interview
On Wednesday, The New York Times published an extensive interview with PayPal cofounder and Gawker-destroying billionaire Peter Thiel, a man who, though we have never met, seems totally regular and cool. As a venture capitalist (and early Facebook investor), Thiel has long been a major player in Silicon Valley, but gained national political prominence after … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsArtificial Intelligence
Ebay’s Founder Is Giving Away $10 Million to Support AI That Is Good and Not Evil
For the most part, artificial intelligence these days is pretty sweet. Whether you want to set a timer with your voice, play a game of chess with a computer or just put a Minion’s head on Superman’s body, AI can help you achieve your goal. Of course, that same power can be used for things … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Congressman Vows to Block ‘Death With Dignity’ Law in City He Doesn’t Even Represent
After the DC council approved the bill 11 to 2 in November, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the “Death with Dignity Act” into law late last month. The legislation would allow doctors to help end the lives of terminally ill patients in the city—that is, if it weren’t subject to the approval of congressmen like … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
After More Than 100 Years, California’s Iconic Tunnel Tree Is No More
The Pioneer Cabin Tree, a giant sequoia in Calaveras Big Trees State Park that was tunneled through in the 1880s, has fallen due to severe winter weather. It was believed to be hundreds of years old. Since it was first hollowed out in imitation of Yosemite’s Wawona Tunnel Tree, thousands of tourists and vehicles have … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Iranian Porn Filter Breaks the Internet for Innocent Sex Watchers From Russia to Hong Kong
A censor is haunting Asia—the censor of superbigcocks.com. According to The Verge, overzealous Iranian officials accidentally blocked that porn site and 255 others across the continent last week by abusing a core internet protocol known as BGP. On Thursday, those pages started coming up blank for customers of major ISPs in Russia, India, Hong Kong … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsAmazon
TV Report on Accidental Amazon Orders Triggers Attempted Amazon Orders Across San Diego
In millions of homes across the country, Amazon’s voice-controlled personal assistant, Alexa, is listening. And whether you want to or not, she’s ready to play. According to San Diego’s XETV-TDT, the trouble started on Thursday, when the station aired a story about a 6-year-old girl who reportedly bought a $170 dollhouse by asking her family’s … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
B-52 Lands Fine After Engine Falls Off in the Middle of a Goddamn Flight
A B-52 Stratofortress landed safely on Wednesday after an engine “dropped out” over an unpopulated area of North Dakota, Defense News reports, holy shit. According to Air Force officials, none of the five personnel aboard the aircraft were injured. As each B-52 is powered by eight turbojets paired in four pods, the bomber still carried … Continued
By Hudson Hongo