Today is Election Day in America, and it’s probably going to be a very long night as the results come in from across the country. If you’re interested in watching the 2018 midterm election coverage there are plenty of options available online, no cable required. And we’ve got them all below.
Update November 6, 2018 10:00AM ET: This article was originally published on August 21, 2018 and has been updated to include video.
We live in a world that’s increasingly controlled by what might be called “the algorithmic gaze.” As we cede more decision-making power to machines in domains like health care, transportation, and security, the world as seen by computers becomes the dominant reality. If a facial recognition system doesn’t recognize the color of your skin, for example, it won’t acknowledge your existence. If a self-driving car can’t see you walk across the road, it’ll drive right through you. That’s the algorithmic gaze in action.
This sort of slow-burning structural change can be difficult to comprehend. But as is so often...
Whether you’re filling tires or firing pneumatic tools, this BOSTITCH electric pancake compressor is a great addition to any garage, and you can pick it up for $167 in today’s Gold Box, plus a free bundled brad nailer to use with it.
Actors on online freelance marketplace Fiverr aren’t exactly household names, but one man has become a bit of a celebrity on YouTube for his spokesperson-like abilities. VoiceoverPete, otherwise known as Presenter Pete Ace, is one of Fiverr’s most popular users, but a recent ban for suspicious behavior has resulted in YouTube’s meme community coming out to support him.
Grandayy, one of YouTube’s most prolific meme creators, was the first to raise awareness regarding Pete’s ban. Grandayy tweeted about receiving a refund after trying to hire Pete for another video, including a screenshot of a message sent to him stating that “voiceoverpete” was no longer available on the marketplace.
An email sent to Pete from Fiverr’s Trust and Safety...
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There’s no shortage of things that can go wrong when you’re traveling: You might lose your debit or credit card; your purse could get swiped; your phone could fall down a grate in front of your hostel (yes, this happened to me).
Tesla’s self-driving future is closer than ever — and probably not what we thought it would look like
There are so many different ways to be a dick: from being a schoolyard bully, to not mowing your lawn, to using plastic straws, to being a dick on the road. In this episode, we’re going to talk about some of the little ways we can be good to one another, to the environment, and by extension, to ourselves.
Facebook announced that it has blocked around 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts ahead of the 2018 midterm elections that were “engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior,” following a tip from US law enforcement agencies on Sunday night.
The news was announced just hours before the polls opened in the United States. While Facebook says that it’s still investigating the accounts (which have already been blocked), the company is releasing the news early due to the proximity to the election. Facebook hasn’t explicitly stated what these accounts did or how many people they reached, but the announcement implies it’s more political influence issues that could affect the election.
It probably doesn’t hurt, either, that Facebook...
Amazon runs Logitech Gold Box deals from time to time, but today’s has one of the best selections of products we’ve seen.
A Samsung official has reiterated that the company intends to unveil its long-awaited foldable phone this week at its developer conference, reports Reuters, with the intention of showing the phone to developers and the public to gather early feedback. Although the unnamed official admitted that this was a “different approach” to the consumer-facing launches the company has favored for its flagship handsets, they said it was necessary since “the foldable phone is a completely new concept in terms of design and user experience.”
Since the announcement is aimed at developers who’ll have to redesign their apps if they want them to make the most out of a folding display, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a consumer-ready device at the developer...
After briefly testing the feature in beta, Opera is officially rolling out the option for its Android app users to automatically block cookie dialog boxes that pop up on websites. (That type of pop-up is especially prevalent since GDPR went into effect back in May.) The company says it’s tested the blocker across 15,000 websites and hopes to support more going forward.
The technology relies on a “combination of CSS rules and JavaScript heuristics” to function, the company explains. Now, just turning off the dialog box won’t block the cookies. Users will have to choose whether they want to outright block all cookies, no cookies, or only block cookies from third parties.
Along with that major update, Opera is also shipping other...
Samsung may be just days away from taking the wraps off its very own foldable smartphone-tablet hybrid, but consumer electronics company Royole has stolen a bit of its thunder with its very own flexible display device. Called the FlexPai, the 7.8-inch hybrid device can fold 180 degrees and transform from a tablet into a phone, albeit a bulky one.
At an event in San Francisco this evening, Royole brought out a working version of the FlexPai that we actually got to hold, and the folding feature works as advertised. Granted, it feels miles away in quality from a high-end modern flagship, but it is still the first real foldable device I’ve seen in person, and not just in a concept video or prototype stage.
The FlexPai will be available as...
In a video that went viral on social media over the weekend, a bear cub struggles up a steep, snow-covered slope towards its mother. The bear climbs a few steps, slips back down, and tries again — over, and over, until it finally reaches the top. To the thousands of people who shared it, it’s an inspirational nature video. To wildlife experts, it’s an irresponsible stunt that endangered the bears.
The post had been making the rounds on Facebook when science communicator Ziya Tong first posted it on Twitter on Saturday.
We could all learn a lesson from this baby bear: Look up & don't give up. pic.twitter.com/nm0McSYeqY
— IM HIM (@ziyatong) November 3, 2018
Since then, Tong’s post has been retweeted more than 165,000 times. But the...
Ajit Pai and the FCC’s commissioners are growing as incensed and fed up with robocalls as the rest of us. Today, Pai sent a letter to over a dozen US mobile providers urging them to deploy an industry-wide method of combatting the automated nuisance calls — or else. “By this time next year, I expect that consumers will begin to see this on their phones,” Pai said in a press release.
“Carriers need to continue working together to make this happen and I am calling on those falling behind to catch up.” He added that “if it does not appear that this system is on track to get up and running next year, then we will take action to make sure that it does.”
Chairman @AjitPaiFCC demands the industry adopt a robust call authentication system to...
Theater chain AMC says its new MoviePass-style subscription service, called Stubs A-List, continues to grow at a surprising pace, with more than 500,000 members since its launch back in June. Yet because of that, AMC says it will now have to raise prices in pricier markets like California and New York to offset the higher-than-expected usage rates of subscribers. In some states, the price will increase by $4 to $23.95 a month, while in others it will increase by $2 to $21.95 a month. The pricing changes go into effect on January 9th, 2019.
As a result, AMC says it will offer A-List permanently — it was just offered in a test phase prior to today — and the company will continue to add additional benefits for subscribers. Those benefits...
Last night, The Walking Dead dealt with the heavily marketed departure of series star Andrew Lincoln in a startling, unexpected way. The way the episode handled the event didn’t make sense from a story or audience perspective, but a story from The New York Times clarifies that it did make sense from a business standpoint, because the series’ network, AMC, is preparing a trilogy of Walking Dead spin-off movies that will bring Lincoln back in his role as series star Rick Grimes.
Warning: Major spoilers for The Walking Dead season 9, episode 5 below.
As those who watched the episode “What Comes Next” discovered, Lincoln leaving The Walking Dead turned out to be the biggest bait-and-switch in the show’s history. The promotion of this season...
American trucking startup Nikola Motor Company hasn’t been around for very long, but it just announced a third version of its hydrogen-electric semi geared at the European, Asian, and Australian markets. Dubbed the Nikola Tre, the new truck has a much different look from its two North American predecessors, but still promises to deliver similar specs.
The Tre will use a hydrogen fuel cell to power electric motors that generate up to 1,000 horsepower, and it also offers torque vectoring. It will be able to travel between 500 and 1,200 kilometers on a single tank (about 310 to 750 miles) depending on how it’s configured, and can be refueled from empty in about 20 minutes. The truck will also be fitted with sensors that will enable full...
Google has confirmed that it is aware of a memory management issue causing unexpected app crashes on the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, and it plans to fix it with an upcoming software update, according to 9to5Google.
While the fix is not included in the company’s November update, which came out today, it sounds as if it should be arriving with December’s update. Google told 9to5Google that the fix should arrive “in the coming weeks” and will be designed to “keep background apps from being prematurely closed.”
a sure fire way to kill a Spotify stream on the Pixel 3 is to open the camera and snap a few shots https://t.co/9sJibz0HEQ
— dan seifert (@dcseifert) October 16, 2018
(The November update does, however, fix a wireless charging...
New photos have leaked of the Asus Zenfone 6 from Italian website HDBlog.it. This purportedly final design of the Zenfone 6 mirrors the leaks we saw of it last week. This also means Asus’ designers are convinced their flagship smartphone with a notch on the upper right corner is a good look.
Taking a closer look, you’ll notice the only factors that are affected by the offset teardrop notch are the battery indicator and cell signal indicators. It’s an unusual design choice that catches my eye (in a bad way) more than centered notches.
Other hardware features include three rear cameras and a fingerprint sensor beneath the camera cluster. It’s likely Asus will debut this phone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this coming February,...
Electric scooter-sharing company Lime announced today that it’s launching a new safety campaign called Respect the Ride, which will see the company invest $3 million to educate riders on safe scooter practices, distribute helmets, and better maintain its bikes and scooters. The announcement comes just days after the company recalled some of its Segway Ninebot scooters in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Lake Tahoe due to manufacturing defects that could result in battery explosions.
Lime is asking its riders to take the Respect the Ride pledge, and it will be distributing helmets to the first 25,000 people who sign it. In a blog post published today, the company says it will be distributing more than 250,000 free helmets to riders globally...
We’re doing something a little different this week: Since tomorrow is Election Day in the U.S., and because we here at The A.V. Club think it’s important to vote, we’re recommending 15 podcast episodes to listen to while you’re waiting to vote tomorrow. They’re organized from shortest to longest, so we’ve got…
If you are physically unable to reach the polls or face extra challenges due to a disability, there are still ways to make sure your vote is counted.
High-fee, premium credit cards give cardholders plenty of benefits, including lounge access, travel stipends and deals on flights and hotels, in some cases. But how do you know when a $500-plus annual price tag is worth it?
The weather doesn’t stop for anyone, including voters. For many folks heading to the polls this week, a big mess of rain, snow and possibly severe weather is on tap starting on Monday and stretching into Tuesday. But the impacts aren’t expected to last all day, so you should be able to find a window to go vote.
Are the midterm elections upping your stress level? I feel you. Our current political climate is causing all of us to drink more, and according to a new poll is even leading some voters to “eat their feelings,” neither of which are exactly the healthiest way to combat the issue.
If your supply of pantry staples like coffee, tea, and protein bars was running low, now’s your chance to replenish your stash. Amazon has marked down all of the above in today’s Gold Box, including a few of our favorites. Get your daily does of veggies with cans of V8, munch guilt-free on the Maple Sea Salt RXBAR…
In any given household, there is that one dish that makes Thanksgiving. I’m not talking about the turkey—that’s too obvious. I’m talking about a dish—usually a side—that is always on your table, even though its status may be less than canonical. It’s the dish you missed when you attended your first Friendsgiving or…
I think the last time I played a Windows game—as in, a Microsoft game that comes baked into the Windows operating system—was back in Windows 95. Ah, FreeCell. That’s not to say that Microsoft’s games were bad, it’s just not very often that I find myself needing to strike up some Minesweeper to kill time.
The average American eats almost a ton of food a year. This breaks down to roughly 630 of milk, cheese and ice cream, 185 pounds of meat, and an increasingly high dosage of anti-depressants. But where does human flesh fit in? Humans shed something like 500 million skin cells a day. The fact is that these literal…
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison in late August, chancellor Rebecca Blank and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou announced the largest industry research partnership in the school’s history. The Taiwanese tech giant would invest $100 million in the school and help establish a new research facility for the College of Engineering. “UW–Madison and Foxconn share a commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge through interdisciplinary research and we are deeply grateful for Chairman Gou’s support and partnership,” Blank said.
Last year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wooed Foxconn to the state with the promise of a $3 billion subsidy, which grew to $4.1 billion and included exemptions from environmental regulations, special treatment from...
Blind baking pie crusts should be so simple: line crimped, chilled pastry with parchment or foil, fill with dried beans to weigh it down, and bake until crisp. This works out okay most of the time, but for truly crisp crusts with no puffy spots, reach for the sugar.
Apple has released a new watchOS 5.1.1 update, which fixes the last update’s issues with bricking users’ Apple Watches. The latest watchOS update includes more than 70 new emoji released with iOS 12.1, new full-screen color watchfaces, and support for group FaceTime audio for up to 32 people.
watchOS 5.1 was released and quickly pulled last week, after users reported the update rendered their watches unusable during the installation. Affected users had no options other than calling Apple support and waiting for a replacement watch, as the watch can’t be plugged into a computer if something should go wrong. Apple Watch owners can rest assured that today’s update is specifically built not to brick their devices.
One of the latest fads to wash onto the shores of YouTube comes from TikTok, a grander version of Musical.ly that gives users an array of editing options to make short, Vine-like videos. In one corner of YouTube, TikTok’s biggest fans upload challenge compilations and weekly updates, each playing like a more elaborate Vine supercut — something you can watch on repeat without getting bored. Type in “TikTok compilation” into YouTube’s search bar, and thousands upon thousands of answers generate. Videos have anywhere from 500,000 to more than a million views.
Another, perhaps louder corner — one which has come to include some of YouTube’s biggest commentators, react channels, and memesters — has become obsessed with the app’s more...
The American Academy of Pediatrics is coming out strongly against the use of spanking, calling for a ban on corporal punishment. It also now says that “harsh verbal discipline,” including shaming and humiliation, is harmful to a child’s developing brain.
Today is just another day online. It’s also a day when we received news of a new Nook tablet from Barnes & Noble. The Nook 10.1” costs $129.99 and has the line’s largest display ever at — you guessed it — 10.1 inches. That IPS display is 1920 x 2000 pixels with 224 ppi. It goes on sale on November 14th. Some other specs to note:
Unlike 2017’s Nook GlowLight 3, the new Nook is a true tablet that’s not just designed for reading. It also runs Android and ships with the Play Store, so you can do everything you’d usually do with an Android tablet —...
Just a few days before the midterm elections, Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial candidate and secretary of state, Brian Kemp, accused Georgia’s Democratic Party of hacking into the state’s voter registration base. It was a controversial move that is already generating concerns regarding conflicts of interest. Kemp’s office has yet to provide any evidence in support of these claims, and with mere hours left before the final votes are cast, it’s unclear what his motives are in announcing the investigation.
It now seems like Kemp’s accusation may have referred to a legitimate cybersecurity investigation by Georgia Democrats, which uncovered real and significant flaws in the state’s voter registration system. If that research was the source...
The release of the new Apple Watch Series 4 coincided with a price drop for the still-excellent Series 3. Today though, Walmart’s taking an extra $20 off those newly reduced prices, and throwing in a free official Apple Watch band of your choice.
