Prime Day, Amazon’s annual deals extravaganza, will run from October 13th-14th, the company announced today. Amazon says the two-day shopping event will feature “over one million deals across every category,” including brands like Panasonic, Roborock, Keurig, Under Armour, Coleman, Adidas, Lacoste, Marvel, Ticwatch, and more. Amazon is aiming to support […]
New Trailers: Resident Evil, Truth Seekers, The Queen’s Gambit and more
No spoilers, but I started Enola Holmes and I absolutely love Millie Bobby Brown in it, she’s so charming. The looking-right-at-the-camera bit which I usually dislike (except for Fleabag!) actually works really well to give us her inner thoughts. Will report back once I’ve finished, but so far, it’s a […]
The TikTok download ban ‘would be devastating,’ attorneys argue in court
Attorneys for TikTok argued Sunday morning during a dial-in hearing that a ban by the Trump administration would be “devastating,” and urged a judge to block it until the entire case can be decided. TikTok’s attorney said the ban that would prevent new downloads of TikTok from Apple and Google’s […]
Judge rejects TikTok creators’ request to delay ban, says they won’t suffer ‘irreparable harm’
A judge in Pennsylvania has rejected a request from three TikTok content creators to temporarily block a ban on the app set to go into effect Sunday night, which would bar new downloads from Google and Apple’s app stores in the US. Douglas Marland, Cosette Rinab, and Alec Chambers said […]
Go read this story about a bizarre harassment campaign by a group of ex-eBay employees
Back in June, authorities in Massachusetts announced they were charging six former eBay employees in connection with the strange harassment campaign of a couple who ran an e-commerce newsletter. The six had sent the couple, Ina and David Steiner, online threats and abuse, and mailed a bizarre collection of items […]
PSA: Google Meet to limit meetings to 60 minutes on free plans September 30th
Google said in April it would allow unlimited-length meetings in its Google Meet video chat platform for all users until September 30th, and it looks like the company is sticking with that timeline. After September 30th, free versions of Meet will be limited to meetings no longer than 60 minutes. […]
US tightens trade restrictions on Chinese chipmaker SMIC
The US Commerce Department has added China’s largest chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), to its entity list, after it determined there an “unacceptable risk” that equipment SMIC received could be used for military purposes, Reuters reported. The move blocks US computer chip companies from exporting technology to SMIC without […]
The coronavirus pandemic by the numbers
I’m dwelling on numbers because this week, the US officially counted 200,000 COVID-19 deaths. Words like “grim milestone” just don’t seem adequate in the face of that toll. Numbers are valuable. Case counts help scientists track the infection’s spread. Death tolls help policy makers figure out where things are going […]
How Duolingo designed the new characters for its Project World
Language app Duolingo is unveiling a new cast of characters that it hopes will help users better learn new languages, even during the toughest lessons. The characters will act as guides within the app, cheering you on if you get an answer correct, or reacting in a disappointed (or sassy) […]
The Polestar Precept, an electric sedan powered by Android, is going into production
In February, Chinese electric vehicle company Polestar revealed a gorgeous sedan concept called the Precept that featured a stunning design along with an interior chock-full of sustainable material. But as with most concepts, it wasn’t clear whether the Precept would ever be a real car. Today, Polestar sweeps away that […]