World News

Foldable phones haven't gone much further than the concept stage at this point, but you can bet Apple will be there when they do arrive.

That could happen for iPhone as soon as 2020, according to a new analyst report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Such a form factor would give your iPhone the potential to transform into an iPad.

"Our checks also suggest that Apple is working with suppliers on a foldable phone (that potentially could double up as a tablet) for launch in 2020," analyst Wamshi Mohan wrote (h/t CNBC). His report is based on recent meetings with Apple suppliers in Asia. Read more...

Social media can be its own kind of hell. Between all the feuds and clapbacks, Trump rants, and Kardashian drama, sometimes you just need to surround yourself with some wholesome, positive content — enter Muppet twitter.

It was in my own struggle to find a quiet space on the internet that I stumbled across the delightful world that is Sesame Street on Twitter.

Sesame Street and all of its cast, human and Muppet, were a pivotal part of so many of our childhoods — but it's not just for kids.  Even grown people can delight in the adventures of Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and the rest of the (literally) colorful Sesame Street gang.  Read more...

"Psychographic microtargeting" sounds like a phrase straight from the mouth of Big Brother. But is this advertising tactic really the dystopian big, bad wolf that many are making it out to be?

Facebook is currently running damage control to contain the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal that's prompted rage at the company and calls for users to delete their Facebook accounts. The valid criticisms that citizens of the internet are levying at Facebook largely regard the mishandling of its users' data.

As long as online data exists, someone will be out there plotting ways to steal it. (Ahem.) 

Now that we live in an era where identity theft, copyright infringement, and all sorts of cybercrimes are rampant, companies are willing to pay top dollar to ethical hackers who can protect them from these attacks. Someone who knows how to look for security cracks in a system so they can find them and fix them.

If combating cybercrime is right up your alley, now's the time to grab a black hoodie and sign up for this $39 bundle of online classes dedicated to ethical hacking.

As if trips to the dentist weren't already terrifying enough, lying down on the dentist's chair often feels like a police interrogation. They inevitably pop the questions you're most anxious to hear — the dreadful "are you flossing?" and the horrific "are you brushing your teeth for the recommended time?" Unfortunately, lying through your teeth does not count as flossing, and within seconds of prodding and scraping through your choppers, they'll find out the truth anyway.

These three oral hygiene products are designed to elevate your dental care routine — and can save you from an embarrassing convo with your dentist. Read more...

Levitating decor items like plant holders and Bluetooth speakers are the thing to have right now — but there's one other floating gadget on the market that really shines (if you catch our drift). What do you get when you combine the words fly, light, and the Swedish word for float? Um, only the coolest decoration of all time.

Meet Flyte: the gravity defying, levitating light bulb that will leave you and your guests mesmerized. Thomas Edison would be shook right now. 

Flyte takes the common light bulb and merges it with magnetic levitation, allowing it to hover and rotate above its platform for hours. Feel the electromagnets lock it into place, take your hands away, and voilà: gravity defying light. Read more...

Jeff Hoffman has floated in the vacuum of space. He’s looked down at our planet from above, seen the whorls of clouds, the vast oceans, and the crowded cities as webs of light. 

Over five missions — including the first to the Hubble Space Telescope — Hoffman has spent 1,211 hours of his life in space. 

"I believe there is life elsewhere in the universe,” Hoffman said in an  intervew. 

Fewer than 600 of the nearly 108 billion people who’ve existed on this planet have seen it from orbit. That rare experience, along with their advanced science degrees, makes astronauts seem uniquely qualified to answer the question: Are we alone in the universe?  Read more...

President Donald Trump's tweets banning transgender people from serving in the military have become policy. It's officially really official. Like for real this time.

But don't expect the ban to take immediate effect. 

That's right. It doesn't matter if the ink's dry and the policy's been filed in the Federal Register. Four federal judges have already temporarily blocked the ban from taking effect. 

That's because several organizations, including GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), sued the U.S. government after Trump tapped out three tweets in July that hurled us into this controversy, blindsiding top military officials and activists.  Read more...

Uber's self-driving car program faced a major setback when one of its cars hit and killed a pedestrian Sunday night — but the program was struggling before the deadly accident.

It appears Uber rushed to launch new programs, modified its safety operations, and didn't hit goals, according to 100 pages of internal company documents the New York Times obtained and sources familiar with Uber's self-driving efforts in Phoenix who spoke to the publisher. 

An Uber spokesperson didn't directly deny the Times report in a statement to Mashable, but they did tout the company's commitment to safety and noted the emotional toll of the crash.  Read more...

Apparently people in the early 1900s were just as salty about dating as people are now.

@_ellaroberts tweeted this photo from her great-grandmother's diary. 

The note, written in 1925, says: 

Brutal, Grandma.

Which, as Ella pointed out, is basically a vintage version of "men are trash" and "trust women."

Google's ARCore lets anyone take advantage of powerful augmented-reality tools on Android phones, and furniture retailers left and right are taking advantage of it. Both Ikea and Overstock have launched AR features for furniture shoppers in their apps, joining such powerhouses as Amazon, eBay, and Wayfair.

Both apps will allow users to place virtual furniture in their homes to preview what individual pieces will look like in specific rooms so customers can check if they'll fit and match their decor before buying. 

The apps are functionally very similar. The main differentiator is that Ikea's app will display Ikea furniture (a large selection, to be sure) while Overstock's app will feature the wide variety of brands that sell through its platform.  Read more...

On Thursday, CNN aired an interview with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had a 10-month affair with Donald Trump over ten years ago.

And Pornhub, which has analyzed its users' habits during major events like the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl, pointed out that searches for "Karen McDougal" saw a 1140 percent increase shortly after the interview. The last time searches for her name spiked was shortly after a feature in the New Yorker broke the story of her alleged affair with the president.