AI creates 'Flintstones' cartoons from text descriptions

It can a long time to animate cartoons -- just ask the Rick and Morty team. But what if you could ask computers to do some of the lifting? They just might. Researchers have produced an AI system, Craft, that automatically produces The Flintstones...

Is America’s national security Facebook and Google’s problem?

Jamie Metzl Contributor Share on Twitter Jamie Metzl is a Senior Fellow for Technology and National Security at the Atlantic Council. More posts by this contributor Homo Sapiens 2.0? We need a species-wide conversation about the future of human genetic enhancement Eleonore Pauwels Contributor Share on Twitter Eleonore Pauwels is Director of the Anticipatory Intelligence […]

SpaceX will try 'giant party balloon' to recover upper rocket stages

SpaceX ultimately wants to recover every stage of a rocket, not just the first, and it may resort to some unusual tactics to make that happen. Elon Musk has claimed that his company will try to take rocket upper stages out of orbital velocity using a...

'Sea of Thieves' updates will focus on new maps, not perks

Ask a Sea of Thieves player for complaints and they'll likely have one common theme: there's not enough to do. You can only dig up so many treasures on the same islands. And Rare knows it. The developer has detailed content plans for the first sev...

The psychological impact of an $11 Facebook subscription

Would being asked to pay Facebook to remove ads make you appreciate their value or resent them even more? As Facebook considers offering an ad-free subscription option, there are deeper questions than how much money it could earn. Facebook has the opportunity to let us decide how we compensate it for social networking. But choice […]

How Facebook gives an asymmetric advantage to negative messaging

Andrew Keen Contributor Andrew Keen is the author of three books: Cult of the Amateur, Digital Vertigo and The Internet Is Not The Answer. He produces Futurecast, and is the host of Keen On. More posts by this contributor Facebook co-founder says its rise reveals the fault lines destroying the “American Dream” 2018 might be […]

What did VCs study in college?

Although some colleges may offer a major program in business or entrepreneurship, there isn’t exactly a major in venture capital or angel investment.

The G.O.A.T. may be a zebra

Silicon Valley is obsessed with unicorns, startups that reach a valuation of $1 billion valuation or more. But Aniyia Williams and her team over at Zebras Unite are more interested in zebras. Unlike unicorns, zebras are real animals. So, when applied to startups, zebras are the ones that bring in actual revenue. When we talk […]

Mutual assured dronestruction

Western airstrikes on the Middle East: déjà vu all over again. Twenty years ago, the USA attacked Sudan and Afghanistan with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Two days ago, the USA attacked Syria with … Tomahawk cruise missiles. Aside from the (de)merits of each attack, isn’t it a bit surprising that technology hasn’t really changed small-scale strategic […]

Hulu renews Sarah Silverman's talk show for a second season

Hulu might not be as committed to streaming talk shows as Netflix, but its fledgling efforts are paying off. The company has renewed Sarah Silverman's I Love You, America for a second season, with the 11-episode run beginning on September 6th. While...

Ford's self-driving car network will launch 'at scale' in 2021

Ford hasn't been shy about its plans for a self-driving car network in 2021, including its hopes of fielding a purpose-built vehicle that year. However, there have been questions about the size -- will this be like the services we've seen so far, wh...

How to spot a fake Instagram influencer

You’ve heard it works, you want in. But how do you spot the red herrings? By those, I mean the fake Instagram influencers who have bought their likes and followers and duped companies into putting their reputation into their entirely unsuitable hands. Influencer marketing on Instagram can be a huge drain on your resources and a massive waste of time – or it can be one of the best marketing tactics you’ve ever used. It’s all about who you choose. If you’re going to work with an Instagram influencer, here’s what you need to do before sealing the deal: Evaluate…

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Study finds over 3,300 Android apps improperly tracking kids

There's little doubt that mobile apps sometimes overstep their bounds by collecting more data from kids than the law allows. But how often does that happen? It might be more than you think. Researchers using an automated testing process have discover...

The best hair dryer

By Shannon Palus This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After more than 2...

Use icons to upgrade web projects — and get ‘em for as low as $29.99

Thankfully, attaching cool, graphically-pleasing icons to a web project doesn’t have to be a laborious process. You can get your hands on nearly a million of ‘em with a subscription to one of the service plans from Iconscout. Right now, you can get access to their archives for as low as $29.99 with savings up to 91 percent off.

Paul Ryan's Eventual Exit From Congress Tops This Week's Internet News

Last week, the internet was locked in heated discussions about Michael Cohen, Facebook, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

After Math: The golden age of streaming

We're winding down a freaky week of bad omens, unconvincing congressional testimony and sterling new streaming services. While most eyes were fixated on Mark Zuckerberg doing his best real boy impression, GTA IV lost most of its Russian tunes, ESPN d...

Ben Heck made a portable Raspberry Pi-based gaming device

What you're looking at here is the result of some careful tinkering: a Raspberry Pi portable MAME emulator, with no HDMI. Ben and Felix have put the finishing touches on this portable gaming device using a combination of laser cutting and 3D pr...

7 signs your app is on its way to the cemetery and how to revive it

Making users stick with your app is getting more and more challenging as their choices keep increasing. There are well over 2.8 million Android apps and 2.2 million iOS apps out there and still counting. The competition is fierce and there is little room for mistakes. In most cases, you’d never know that your mobile app is on its way to the cemetery. Even if you know it, there’s little you can do when users start losing interest in your app. It calls for proactive planning, in-depth analysis, and regular monitoring right from day one that will help you stay…

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Lyft’s Raj Kapoor joins the TechCrunch Tel Aviv conference on mobility, June 7

The TechCrunch Tel Aviv conference on mobility is in June and we’re excited to announce that Raj Kapoor, the Chief Strategy Officer for Lyft, will be joining as a speaker. TechCrunch Tel Aviv will focus on mobility and all that it implies, such as autonomous vehicles, drones, you name it. As well as being the […]

Inside Nokia’s 3310 and 8110 Feature Phone Nostalgia Trip

With the Nokia 3310 and 8110, feature phones are back and better than ever.

Trump’s Attack on Amazon Actually Has Its Precedents

From Theodore Roosevelt to John Kennedy, presidents have often taken on big business, in both word and deed.

TED 2018: Netflix Sees Itself as the Anti-Apple

Reed Hastings, CEO and founder of the streaming giant said he believes in sharing information broadly, while Apple locks everything down tight.

Exploring the Mirror Link Between Two Geometric Worlds

Decades after stumbling upon a stunning coincidence, researchers are close to understanding the link between two seemingly unrelated geometric universes.

Apple Watch code hints at future support for third-party faces

Ever since the original Apple Watch premiered in 2015, owners have been frustrated by the absence of third-party faces. And it's hard to blame them -- while Wear OS and Pebble devices have had them for years, Apple Watch owners couldn't do much more...