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Recommended Reading: President Obama, Commander in Nerdiness
Obama to leave the White House a nerdier place than he found it Gardiner Harris, The New York Times President Obama has accomplished a lot of things during his eight years in office. One of the causes he's championed is science and STEM education. The New York Times takes a look at how the commander-in-chief is leaving the Oval Office a much nerdier place than he found it with science fairs, advisory committees and more.
Recommended Reading: Nintendo's NX sounds weird and that's okay
NX is different, and different is Nintendo's best option Oli Welsh, Eurogamer Based on the rumors so far, Nintendo's upcoming NX handheld console will be... unique. This piece from Eurogamer, a site that's been the source of some of the details, takes a look at why switching things up a bit may be the company's best bet. A touchscreen device with detachable controllers may sound strange, but if the reports are true, "we should savor and celebrate NX's weirdness" like Eurogamer explains here.
Recommended Reading: Social media's effect on the truth
How technology disrupted the truth Katharine Viner, The Guardian Stories spread around Facebook and Twitter before they're even confirmed to be true. By the time they are or aren't, it doesn't matter. The news already made its way around the internet. Facts are often overlooked and confirmation is something sought only after a tweet is fired off. This piece from The Guardian takes a look at how we got here.
Recommended Reading: How reliable are internet movie ratings?
'Ghostbusters' is a perfect example of how internet movie ratings are broken Walt Hickey, FiveThirtyEight The reboot of the 1984 classic hits theaters this weekend, but the criticism of the new Ghostbusters has been flying for months. FiveThirtyEight takes a close look at internet ratings for the film as a way of showing that you shouldn't always rely on those numbers when making a decision about which movie to see. "People put far too much faith in numbers that are preliminary, decontextualized and, in the end, oversimplified," Hickey concludes.
Recommended Reading: When Facebook Live replaces 911
How Facebook Live is becoming the social 911 for people who can't trust the police Salvador Rodriguez, Inc. A Facebook Live stream captured the moments after Philando Castile was shot by police in Falcon Heights, Minnesota this week. During the video, Castile's girlfriend Diamond Reynolds explains that they were pulled over for a broken taillight. She says that he told officers that he was carrying a gun and had the required concealed carry permit. When Castile reached for his wallet, the police shot him. The incident made Facebook's livestreaming tool a social 911 at a time when tensions between law enforcement and the public are high.
Recommended Reading: Life lessons from Mario
Mario is living the American dream Rob Harvilla, The Ringer This week The Ringer has been discussing that unique group of people and things that we can all agree are enduring and iconic parts of culture. We're talking the likes of Google Maps, Woz and The Rock -- all on the list, by the way. One particular selection caught my eye: Mario. Yes, the Nintendo Mario. When you stop and think about it, that plumber can teach us a lot about life.
Recommended Reading: Why is 'Orange Is the New Black' so good?
'Orange Is the New Black' is Netflix's only great drama Alison Herman, The Ringer The fourth season of the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black starts streaming this weekend, and if you haven't watched your first episode yet, now's the time to catch up. The show is widely regarded as the best on the streaming service, or at least the best drama in the library. Alison Herman from The Ringer discusses that latter point and why Netflix's other dramas just don't stack up.
Recommended Reading: Gary Numan's fascination with Moog synths
His friend electric: Gary Numan and the Moog DJ Pangburn, The Quietus The list of musicians Gary Numan has influenced is a mile long. During his three-night residency at Moogfest in May, the artist sat down with The Quietus to discuss lots of things, but in particular, his decades-long affinity for Moog synths.
Recommended Reading: The Golden State Warriors' tech training
Golden State Warriors use tech to their on-court advantage Terry Collins, CNET The Golden State Warriors set an NBA single-season record this year with 73 wins and are currently facing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the championship. Part of the reason for that success can likely be attributed the team's use of tech to track player performance and physical activity. CNET has the story on all the gadgetry and how the Warriors are using it to ensure they continue their winning ways.
Recommended Reading: Is the VR hype train grinding to a halt?
Why the virtual-reality hype is about to come crashing down Christoper Mims, Wall Street Journal While VR seems to be all the rage this year, WSJ's Christopher Mims argues that the bubble is about to burst. Mims says that it'll be the limited content that will ultimately derail the virtual reality hype train, and that it could happen sooner rather than later.
Recommended Reading: Shoes that vibrate to guide your travels
These vibrating shoes guide your steps as you play tourist Maurizio Pesce, Wired Imagine all of the things you might notice on your next weekend trip if you weren't constantly staring at your phone to guide you. EasyJet's Sneakairs vibrate to let you know when to turn or if you've arrived at your destination using Bluetooth and the Google Maps API. And yes, they were made by the UK budget airline, which makes the project even more interesting.
Recommended Reading: Snowden on the untapped power of the press
Snowden Interview: Why the Media Isn't Doing its Job Emily Bell, Columbia Journalism Review NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sat down with the Columbia Journalism Review (virtually, of course) to discuss the power of the press, using social media to fight terrorists and the concept of a global counter-terrorism task force with universal jurisdiction.
Recommended Reading: Captain America vs. Iron Man
Why the Civil War between Captain America and Iron Man Is Inevitable Tim O'Neil, AV Club The latest installment in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Civil War, hits theaters in the US this weekend. Before you head out, read up on what the comics have to say about the inevitable conflict between Captain America and Iron Man. Sure, there will be some spoilers, but if you ask me, it's worth it to know how the narrative plays out in the books. In addition to the AV Club piece, NPR examined the similarities between the new Marvel film and the hit musical Hamilton for another interesting perspective.
Recommended Reading: Why can't we stream more black TV shows?
Why Are so Many Great Black TV Shows Missing From Streaming Services? Alyssa Rosenberg, The Washington Post Streaming services are great for providing a seemingly endless supply of movies and television shows. However, there are a ton of notable black TV series missing from those subscription plans. If you're looking for The Jeffersons, Good Times, Living Single or Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, you'll be disappointed. The Washington Post's Alyssa Rosenberg set out to discover why that's the case.
Recommended Reading: Is Instagram ruining our vacations?
Instagram Is Ruining Vacation Mary Pilon, Backchannel Instagram users, myself included, share many daily activities with the social channel's filter-driven photography and videos. That habit is only amplified when we go on vacation, nabbing photos of sights, meals and more. Is our desire to snap a picture actually ruining our ability to tune out the world and relax when we're away? It sure seems like it.
Recommended Reading: A look at what music does to your brain
The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does to Our Brains Belle Beth Cooper, Fast Company You probably enjoy listening to music while you're in the office, at the gym or to relax in the evening. But did you know just how much playing some tunes affects your brain? Fast Company dives into the science behind what music does for your creativity and overall mindset.
Recommended Reading: I let my mom use Tinder to find me a date
This Is What Happened When My Mom Ran My Tinder for a Month Clay Skipper, GQ Mom knows best, right? Well, here's the story of a 26-year-old who installed Tinder on his mom's phone and let her find him a date. As you can probably guess, hilarity ensued.
Recommended Reading: Crying Jordan has taken over the internet
The Evolution of theMichael JordanCrying Face Meme Laura Wagner, NPR If you've been paying attention to Twitter over the last few months, especially sports Twitter, you've certainly noticed Michael Jordan's crying face pasted on a variety of images. Meant to visualize that "welp" moment of disappointment, the Crying Jordan meme has taken over the internet, and NPR has the story of its evolution.
Recommended Reading: Olivia Munn on why we're all nerds now
Putting on Her Game Face Connie Guglielmo, CNET Olivia Munn plays Psylocke in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie and CNET caught up with the actress to chat gaming, smart home tech and more. Munn says that there's no reason to continue to call folks geeks or nerds now that tech is everywhere. She also has a solid solution for how to remedy traffic jams.
Recommended Reading: The Black Panther returns
The Return of the Black Panther Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most important voices of our time, and he went to work on a new Black Panther series of comic books for Marvel. Coates previews the first issue in the series of 11 chronicling adventures of what was the first black superhero portrayed in US mainstream comics when it debuted in the 1960s. Details on the making of the new comics alongside a collection of panels for the first issue make this piece a must-read.
