One Company Says It Can Create Clean Water from the Sun
It’s easy to take clean water for granted — we just walk to the tap, turn it on and are rewarded with cool, clean, drinkable water. That isn’t the case for everyone in the world, though.
Pop Culture & Current Events
The Circle Is Watching You in the Latest Trailer
If you haven’t yet read Dave Egger’s “The Circle“, I highly recommend it. It’s fantastic, building a world around a company that is part Facebook, part Google, where your privacy is an obstacle to their success. When I heard there was a movie being made, I was partially excited and partially concerned. Based on the trailer, the movie will have even more bite than the book! Yes, that was Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt, and John Boyega, among many others. It’s coming out this April, and I am beyond excited. We already live in a world where…
We Stand with Journalists
Now, more than ever, we need serious investigative reporters to uncover the truth. We are proud to support the work the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post are doing in this increasingly toxic climate.
Two Dots Offers an Important Lesson in Civics and Being Inclusive
Raina and I love the game Two Dots. It is one of the best time-sucks out there with new levels appearing on a regular basis. Today, though, Two Dots stood tall for fairness and equality and celebrated the American ideals represented by the Statue of Liberty. Too many have forgotten that we are a nation of immigrants; Two Dots reminds us
The Trailer for the “Santa Clarita Diet” Shows Why Netflix Wins Streaming
Streaming video is where everyone wants to be, and the newest entry is a modern take on portraying a hungry zombie, desperate to return to its old life and consuming the living as a poor substitute for true life force. Yes, Apple Music is entering the video business. Oh, and Netflix has a cool new show with Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant!
Lyft is Out of Touch with the Suburban Driver
The cofounders of Lyft have an op-ed on Medium today suggesting that carpooling is the way to end traffic in America. They have some interesting ideas, and the plan they propose makes a great deal of sense in cities. Unfortunately, they seem to think because it might work for LA, it will work for everywhere, and that’s a terrible idea.
Buyer Beware if You’re Being Offered Private Stocks
I am on the email marketing list for a niche product. It’s out of my price range right now, but I have enjoyed learning more about the company. Tonight I received an email from them that was technically legal but morally dubious: they were offering the chance to buy private shares of their company.
Supergirl Soars in Embracing a Beautiful Coming Out Story
Just about every person who identifies as anything other than straight has their “story”. We all have that moment where the niggle in the back of our head, the one said “something is different” finally turned into a full-blown realization. It’s something I’ve personally never seen expressed well in television … until Supergirl.
Hammacher Schlemmer: Come for the Egyptian Cotton Robes, Stay for the Multimillion Dollar Amusement Park
For some odd reason, the folks at Hammacher Schlemmer seem to think my household is the ideal market for their catalog. We’re not sure why, but I look forward to the excellent insanity that arrives each year, and this year my friends at Hammacher Schlemmer have simply outdone themselves.
Astronauts In Space Can Vote, So You Have No Excuse!
It’s a very tense Election Day for America, so the Washington Post has helpfully added a bit of levity by investigating a key question: Can astronauts who are in space vote?
The Movie “Loving” and the Love Story that Made History
The movie Loving caught my eye not only because it’s a love story with a perfect title, but because it is based on the true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple in Virginia during the Jim Crow era and the early days of the Civil Rights Movement.
Star Trek’s 50th Means So Much Because Star Trek Reflects Us
Earlier today, Joel showcased the ways Star Trek has influenced technology in the last 50 years, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what Star Trek has done for pop culture. Star Trek is so much more than just science fiction; from its campy beginnings onwards, it was an examination of humanity and culture, all wrapped in a big trojan starship. First, the most obvious one is that Star Trek aired the first interracial kiss on American television. This was a big deal in and of itself, but what I really love about the story is that the…
Star Trek: Predicting Technology for the last 50 years
Today marks an important event in the world of pop culture and for many geeks. It was 50 years ago today that Star Trek premiered on TV. Ever since then Star Trek has inspired technology from the communicator to the PADD (Personal Access Display Device) Star Trek has inspired many people and much of the everyday tech we use today!
The Best Movie Trailers from San Diego’s Comic Con 2016: Which Movies Will You Want to See?
Comic Con 2016 in San Diego is over, and one of the best things to come out of it (beyond all of the amazing cosplay) are the newest previews for some of the upcoming movies and television shows. I’m probably most excited about Snowden, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Wonder Woman — oh, and King Arthur.
Board Up Your Windows, Sharknado 4 Is Coming!
Ah, summer. Long days, warm nights, and storms full of razor sharp teeth…yes, Sharknado is back again! You may recall that the last segment opened with President Mark Cuban, Vice President Anne Coulter, and Ian Ziering fighting sharks at the White House, and ended with David Hasselhoff on the moon and a shark about to land on Tara Reid. If possible, the next segment looks even crazier!
NY Times Digital Subscription Drops from $34.99 to $9.99
The latest update to the NY Times app on my Nexus 6 is now displaying a new subscription price. Previously the cost was $34.99 for the NY Times digital edition. Now the price is $9.99 though the application notes that it is for a “limited time”.
Prerecord Your Mother’s Day Greeting for the Ultimate in Laziness!
Mother’s Day is this Sunday! But don’t panic and start throwing elbows in the greeting cards aisle of your local CVS just yet; Zang has a solution that not only allows you to stay indoors, but you don’t even need to have actual human contact with Mom at all!
MRE and other Ration Reviews Are a Thing
Since the invention of YouTube Red, I’ve been sucked in to various YouTube channels and themes throughout YouTube. One that I find really interesting is MRE or Meals Ready to Eat Reviews. There are also YouTubers that review the former Meal, Combat Individual ration otherwise known as the C ration and those are by far the most interesting!
Questions About Sweden? You Can Call a Random Swede and Ask Them Anything!
I’ve always wanted to visit Sweden. The country is beautiful, socially progressive, and whether it’s just a stereotype or not — I have it in my head that the people there are generally very friendly. The Swedish Number, a new project where you can call and speak to a random Swede about anything, just reinforces that stereotype.
Drop Everything and Watch this “Orange is the New Black”/”Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
If you have a Netflix subscription and haven’t watched “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Orange is the New Black”, please head off to binge both immediately. We’ll wait here. If you’re back, keep reading, because the tribute video of your dreams was released by Netflix yesterday, where the ladies of Litchfield celebrate the upcoming Kimmy Schmidt season 2 release with “Honey Jar” (a tribute to “Peeno Noir”)
Seaworld Announces an End to Orca Shows, Calls Us All Killers for Wanting to Free Willy
Seaworld has been under a great deal of pressure since the release of the documentary “Blackfish“. The film focused on an orca at Seaworld, and why it’s a bad idea to raise and keep killer whales in captivity. It led to a groundswell of pressure on Seaworld, and they’ve finally announced an end to the orca breeding programs and shows.