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Tech News‘Buttfucker 3000’ Does Not Fly in Zoom Court
Judge Jeffrey Middleton, a rising YouTube star who hosts a live chat during Zoom court, brusquely dismissed a ding dong who showed up to an arraignment with the name “Buttfucker 3000.” Thank you, Twitter, for bringing the masterful performance to our attention. Sadly, the official video was just removed, but Gizmodo viewed it this morning … Continued
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Tech NewsInternetHere’s How to Get the Government to Pay $50 Toward Your Monthly Internet Bill
The past year has proven how vital the internet is for remote learning, working from home, and staying sane during lockdowns. As part of the stimulus package passed in December, Congress also set aside $3.2 billion for emergency broadband subsidies. Starting today, if you’ve lost a job during the pandemic or are facing other financial … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets7 Gmail Browser Extensions That Are So Good They Should Be Native Features
Google is pretty regularly adds new features to Gmail, but there’s always room for improvement, and third-party developers have been quick to plug the gaps. Here are seven browser add-ons that are polished and powerful enough to be native features (and hopefully will be one day…). 1. Checker Plus for Gmail (Chrome, Edge) Checker Plus … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsPoliticsUK to Ban Big Tech Companies From ‘Discriminating’ Based on Political Views
The UK’s conservative government will ban technology companies from “discriminating” against particular political viewpoints, according to a press release about the country’s new proposed Online Safety Bill. The anti-censorship clause is just a minor part of a much larger draft bill, but will likely get attention from conservatives around the globe who believe their viewpoints … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsChicago Police Started Secret Drone Program Using Untraceable Cash: Report
The Chicago Police Department started a secret drone program using untraceable money seized in drug raids and other criminal investigations, according to a bombshell new report from the Chicago Sun-Times. The drone program is reportedly used for crime scene photos and terrorism-related issues, among other investigations, according to internal Chicago Police Department emails obtained by … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityA Hacker Gang Has Been Trying to Extort D.C. Police for $4 Million
A ransomware gang, Babuk Locker, has been attempting to extort the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington D.C. for $4 million, but negotiations between the cops and the criminals recently collapsed, leaked documents appear to show. Several weeks ago, the cybercriminal group announced that it had stolen the MPD’s data—some 250GB that included thousands of pages … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsTwitter Censors, Then Uncensors, Palestinian Journalist’s Account
Twitter said Tuesday night that the abrupt suspension of a Palestinian journalist’s account had been in error, but refused to clarify what content its system flagged as a violation of its policies. “We took enforcement action on the account you referenced in error,” a Twitter spokesperson said in an email. “That has since been reversed.” … Continued
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Tech NewsTrump Is a Low-Ratings, Computer-Blogging Loser
Did you know that former edgelord president Donald J. Trump is now an edgelord blogger? Most people do not, evidently. Operation: Blog, aka “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” launched last Tuesday. In the meantime, Trump has posted 19 times, beginning with an Armageddon-inspired trailer ending with the message “SAVE AMERICA.” America has not … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityThis Guy Designed an Android App That Deletes All Your Phone’s Data When Police Try to Crack It
These days, if you’re arrested and charged with a crime, the first thing cops will likely try to do is look at the contents of your phone. Digital forensics is increasingly a favorite way to secure a conviction, or at least gain a broader understanding of a suspect. However, the tools used to crack into … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsGadgetsThis Indoor Garden Will Feed You Greens Year-Round
Click & Grow 25 is the latest project by former orchestra conductor Mattias Lepp who felt that the idea of indoor gardens—essentially, a farmer’s market in a box—would be just the tool for staving off future food shortages. His company, founded in 2009, raised $11 million in 2018 to develop new materials and hardware technologies … Continued
By John Biggs -
Tech NewsPoliticsTrump 2020 Holdouts Stand in Line for 7 Hours to See World’s Biggest Corn Cob, Err, Mike Lindell
Hundreds of Republicans that still believe that, contrary to any and all evidence, Donald Trump actually won the 2020 elections and only didn’t get a second term in office due to mass voter fraud congregated together on the Corn Palace in South Dakota on Monday to see the World’s Biggest Corn Cob. By which we … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsGadgetsMatter Is a New Smart Home Standard to Make Apple, Google, and Amazon Devices Work Together
Apple, Amazon, and Google rarely have a reason to work together, but the companies are teaming up for a new smart home standard, now called Matter, that will make it easier for you to buy devices that work seamlessly together without thinking about it. The Matter branding, which emerged from what was formerly known as … Continued
By Florence Ion -
Tech NewsGadgetsBose’s FDA-Cleared Hearing Aids Are Cool, but You Should Still Be Skeptical
While you might expect that Bose’s latest gadget has something to do with music, it’s actually a lot closer to wearable health tech. In fact, they’re actually FDA-cleared, self-fitted hearing aids designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. The Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids are technologically intriguing. They feature a behind-the-ear, receiver-in-canal design with … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsYou Laugh, but This Smartphone Arm Mount Might Actually Be Useful
It’s hard to say how long it will take, but it seems inevitable that one day humans will develop a third hand for the sole use of holding a smartphone while keeping the other two free. For those who can’t wait for that incredibly useful mutation, Thanko’s selling a mechanical alternative that gives the wearer … Continued
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Tech NewsTikTok Wants To Be Its Own Economy
TikTok is apparently the latest platform to make the shift from social media site to a glorified digital mall. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that TikTok has started floating the idea of in-app shopping to brands over in Europe, hoping to hook young EU shoppers—and their wallets—in the process. According to the report, this e-shopping feature … Continued
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Tech NewsMerriam-Webster Is Selling the Definition of NFT as an NFT, Which Means You Can Own… Something, Sort Of
Content creator Merriam-Webster reigns in glorious relevance: the dictionary is auctioning off its definition of NFT, as an NFT, on OpenSea. The definition is objectively boring, so hell, let’s make it interesting! I’ll run a side bet on the buyer and stake my money on Farzin, the collector who snatched up Disaster Girl and Kevin … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThis Replacement Bathtub Drain Is Like a Slap Chop for Hair Clogs
The only thing worse than a bathtub or shower drain that doesn’t actually drain is having to clean out the inevitable clog. The PressDrain promises to eliminate that awful chore once and for all with a pop-up mechanism that slices and dices long hair into smaller pieces so they easily wash away. If a late-night … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle, You Should Already Know How People Feel About Wear OS
Google I/O is a little more than a week away and it appears the company is sending out surveys to Wear OS users. Why? To ask them how satisfied they are with their smartwatches. If you hear a strange sound in the distance, it’s not the sound of cicadas rising from their 17-year slumber. It’s … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsStern’s New The Mandalorian Pinball Table Includes a Ball-Controlling Baby Yoda
Despite the death of arcades, there’s apparently still enough of a demand for pinball machines for Stern to keep churning out new table designs. The company’s latest design takes inspiration from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and includes a Baby Yoda trapped inside who can use the Force to manipulate the ball’s trajectory. At CES a … Continued
