Not every week makes you thankful to not be a billionaire—or, at least, not a specific, 33-year-old billionaire who still has a ways to go with his media training. Facebook had perhaps its worse week since it began to “serve” us—Mark Zuckerberg’s word, not ours—one that was so bad, the fact that an Uber self-driving car killed a woman all but disappeared from the headlines. And the shitstorm brewing over the social network may only be getting started. Get your popcorn, people.
This Time, Facebook Really Might Be Fucked
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Facebook has never faced a scandal like the one it’s currently fighting through. Revelations over the weekend about its reckless sharing of user data sent its stock price plunging on Monday, and fresh calls for regulations on the social media network are looking more real than ever.
‘Alien’ Mummy Found in Atacama Desert Is Actually a Tiny, Mutated Human
Back in 2003, a strange skeleton was discovered in a deserted Chilean town in the Atacama Desert. Featuring an elongated skull, sunken eye sockets, and an impossibly tiny body, some suggested it was of extraterrestrial origin. An updated genetic analysis confirms the skeleton as being human—but with an unprecedented variety of mutations.
At Long Last, Flat Earth Rocketeer Finally Manages to Blast Himself Into Sky at God Knows What Speed
Self-declared Flat Earth researcher and DIY steam rocket enthusiast “Mad” Mike Hughes has finally managed to prove the haters wrong about his ability to blast himself some 1,875 feet into the sky without being crushed or scalded to death, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
All the Things the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Novelization Adds to the Movie
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has finally made its way to home release this month, packed with featurettes, commentaries, and deleted scenes that enhance our understanding of the film. But this month also saw the movie enter another form: a novelization that adds more to The Last Jedi even beyond its deleted scenes.
The Best Security Camera for Most People
Now that the world is so full of uncertainty, you might consider buying a wireless security camera. They’re cheaper and easier-to-use than ever, and some even have mind-bending features like facial recognition. There are also about a million options to choose from. But worry not. Gizmodo is here to help.
Craigslist Is Shutting Down Its Personals Section
In response to the Senate passing H.R.1865, an anti-online sex trafficking bill that has the potential to seriously harm consenting, adult sex workers, Craigslist has shuttered its all of its personals sections. Even the platonic ones.
The Other Cambridge Personality Test Has Its Own Database With Millions of Facebook Profiles
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock on Mars, you’ve likely heard about a little scandal involving Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. Cambridge Analytica got its hands on millions of people’s Facebook likes in 2014 by getting an academic, Aleksander Kogan, to design an app with a personality test that hoovered up data from the 250,000 or so Facebook users that took it, as well as from their millions of friends. Cambridge Analytica supposedly used all those likes combined with the magic of big data to put Donald Trump in the White House.
Six Months After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s Famous Telescope Is Still Under Threat
The drive to the Arecibo Observatory from San Juan is breathtaking in both beauty and treachery. The hour-long journey follows a roller-coaster-like path of humps and switchbacks through the dense tropical forest on what should be, but is not, a one-way road. Houses remain covered in tarps, awaiting repairs to their storm-ravaged roofs, and at least one sported anti-FEMA graffiti. Though Puerto Rico’s huge, historic observatory survived Hurricane Maria with little damage, its future remains troubled.
Why You Should (and Shouldn’t) Be Excited About a Folding iPhone
LG, Samsung, and even Lenovo have been trying to make gadgets with foldable screens a thing for a while now. But after one tiny rumor said Apple could be working on one too, suddenly everybody is worked up in a frenzy? Please.
The Future of Rick and Morty Is in Limbo, According to Dan Harmon
In spite of the more extreme elements of Rick and Morty’s saucy fanbase, the Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland-created scifi parody remains a pretty entertaining watch. But after three stellar, wildly popular seasons, its future is uncertain. But fear not, fans.
What You Need to Know About Stephen Hawking’s Final Physics Paper
Less than two weeks before his death on March 14, beloved cosmologist Stephen Hawking put the final touches on a research paper about the origin and nature of the Universe. Some media outlets have been pouring praise onto the paper, saying it could be the most important thing he ever did. On closer inspection, however, the new study isn’t likely to shatter our conceptions of the cosmos—at least not yet.
Here’s How to Share as Little Data as Possible Without Deleting Facebook
As you may have realized by now, Facebook can’t be trusted with your data, and has been caught out time and time again letting it leak out to places it shouldn’t. If you can’t quite bring yourself to close down your account—maybe there’s a support group or family connections you’d like to keep active—then here’s how to restrict the amount of data Facebook has got on you.