Tile Slim tries to keep your wallet from getting lost

52842_TileSlimWallet1There was a time when item trackers, not the activity or fitness trackers like Fitbit, were the rage among the tech savvy. While that has somewhat died down, things still get lost, from umbrellas to, worse, wallets. Tile, a company that has given “lost and found” a new and modern face, is reviving that market with Tile Slim, which does … Continue reading

DJI's new OSMO Mobile captures pro-level selfies

Shaky cam shots are great for indie horror films and Jason Bourne-esque action sequences, but less than ideal for filming your family’s holiday. With DJI’s latest addition to its popular line of handheld gimbals, you’ll be able to perform pans and ti…

HTC One A9s dons a familiar metallic design and cheaper tag

Last year we were left impressed with HTC’s premium mid-range One A9 smartphone: It was a good-looking phone with great build quality and great battery life, plus it was one of the first to ship with Android Marshmallow. It was apparently so “well re…

Get ready for simple USB-C to HDMI cables

More devices are starting to ship with USB-C connectors built-in, and today groups behind HDMI and USB announced another way to take advantage of it. That method is HDMI Alt Mode, which means cable manufacturers can build a connector that plugs direc…

Mark Ruffalo Responds To Uproar About Matt Bomer Casting: 'I Am Glad We Are Having This Conversation'

Actor/producer Mark Ruffalo took to Twitter to respond to the barrage of criticism over a newly announced film set to feature actor Matt Bomer as a transgender sex worker.

In a series of tweets sent on Wednesday evening, Ruffalo, an executive producer of the upcoming movie “Anything,” said he understood the ire such casting had drawn from the transgender community. But he was also “glad” to be having the conversation.

Ruffalo’s comments came after many in the queer community lambasted the film’s announcement. According to Variety, “Anything” will star Bomer as a trans sex worker who begins an “intense friendship” with a suicidal man, played by actor John Carroll Lynch.

The “White Collar” and “American Horror Story” star, who is openly gay, joined the ranks of other cisgender actors, including Jared Leto and Eddie Redmayne, who’ve played trans characters. Leto won an Academy Award for his performance in “The Dallas Buyers Club” in 2014, and Redmayne received an Academy Award nomination in 2016 for his work in “The Danish Girl.”

LGBT rights advocates have long argued such casting deprives trans actors of roles they’re overwhelmingly qualified for while perpetuating stereotypes about the community.

“There are many qualified trans actors and writers who could have played in and advised on the construction of the scenes you’re about to edit into a motion picture. They will lose more work because of this,” Mya Byrne, a trans musician and poet wrote on HuffPost. “We know you have good intentions. But those intentions have far-reaching after-effects that you, as cis men, don’t experience.”

Others have echoed Bryne’s sentiments, including “Orange Is The New Black” star Laverne Cox and actress Jamie Clayton from Netflix’s “Sense8.” Clayton said she was temporarily blocked from following Bomer on Twitter after expressing her anger, although she regained access shortly thereafter.

Richards, who said she auditioned for a separate role in the film, thanked Ruffalo for his comments and said she’d welcome the chance to chat with the actor about how to “move forward positively.”

Some called for Bomer’s role to be recast, but Ruffalo noted the film had already wrapped.

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815 Pounds Of Cocaine Found At Coca-Cola Plant In France

It’s the real thing

Workers at a Coca-Cola plant in France found about 815 pounds of cocaine in a shipping container last week. 

The shipment, from Costa Rica, was supposed to contain orange juice extract. Instead, it had about $55 million in cocaine.

Local prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux told the BBC the discovery was “a very bad surprise.”

The plant, located in Signes, creates concentrates to use in different Coke products, The Independent reported.

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola France said the workers who found the drug immediately reported it and are not considered suspects, according to The Telegraph.

Coke at a Coke plant might seem like the company going back to its roots ― although Coca-Cola insists that cocaine was never “an added ingredient” in the soft drink.

Early versions are believed to have contained the drug because of the use of coca-leaf extract, although the exact levels are not known and much of it was removed from the drink by the late 19th century, according to Snopes.

The myth-busting website reports that Coke contained only trace levels of cocaine by 1902, and was completely cocaine-free in 1929.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Women in Business Q&A: Jen Rubio and Steph Korey, Founders, Away

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Jen Rubio and Steph Korey/Away

Jen Rubio and Steph Korey established premium travel brand Away to design and make products with the needs of the modern traveler in mind. Jen previously served as the Head of Social Media at Warby Parker, spearheading content and partnership efforts before becoming Global Director of Innovation at fashion powerhouse AllSaints. Steph was the Head of Supply Chain at Warby Parker, where she was responsible for building and leading the team in product development, manufacturing and fulfillment before consulting on supply chain and merchandise strategy with Casper.

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
J: I have a deep-seeded love for the world and my constantly changing place in it. I’ve lived in 7 cities on 3 continents and from a young age it was ingrained in me that to go anywhere in the world was a journey to be appreciated, and more importantly, to be taken. This has made me more adaptable, open to new ideas, constantly seeking diversity in ideas and ways of thinking, and has shaped the way we think and talk about travel at Away.

How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at Away?
S: My time at Warby Parker and Casper allowed me to experience first hand how new companies can innovate in big and small ways to transform an entire dated industry. At both companies I led supply chain, which is a key area of the new direct-to-consumer e-commerce movement, essentially that through vertical integration and cutting out the middlemen you can deliver unprecedented consumer experiences and value that are much more compelling than the status quo.

What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at Away?
S: The biggest highlight has been growing the team, we’ve gone from two to fifteen in less than a year, and it’s been really magical watching what a group of smart, innovative people can accomplish when they put their minds together. The biggest challenge has been the exact same thing — growing the team — because there is so much that is constantly new, it takes a lot of careful planning to make sure the right infrastructure and values are in place to facilitate team growth that’s productive and fun and not hectic.

What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
S: My best advice for someone who wants to work in the startup space is that heart, hard work, and flexibility will be the keys to your success. In startups, you’re going up against the odds, and you need that passion and work ethic to really take on an industry. And flexibility because needs and realities constantly change, and if you’re very rigid in how you approach your work, you won’t be able to keep up.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
S: Doing the right thing is never ambiguous. Whether it’s speaking up when you see something that seems off, looking for every opportunity to accept accountability, or going out of your way to help a colleague out, it is always good for business to vigorously seek out the right thing.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?
J: I try to own at least the first 2 hours of every day — whether it’s meditating and working out or planning initiatives and catching up on emails, I do it at my pace, sans push notifications and distractions, and in whatever environment I feel most productive and creative in. I’m an early bird now and am up at sunrise, but these 2 hours can also happen in the middle or at the end of the day and be equally balancing.

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
J: I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been able to work for people who have created a work environment predominantly free of these issues — where they’ve treated every employee based on their contribution, not gender. However, I know that’s not the case for all women in the workplace and issues like double standards, wage gaps, and unfair treatment are abundant. My advice for women in those positions today is to take opportunities — even if you feel you’re not quite ready — and know how to articulate your value. You can accomplish anything through passion and hard work; it just takes a little confidence.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
J: Being both a mentor and mentee reminds me of two important things: (1) that it’s important to be a good listener and to be vulnerable, and (2) that success and leadership isn’t a linear path. Being on both sides of the table has also forced me to find ways to clearly communicate a situation and my assessment of it, which can bring out solutions that don’t exist when internalizing things.

Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
J: I’ve always looked at strong, fearless leaders like Angela Ahrendts and Shonda Rimes as far-off examples of women I admire, but my day-to-day inspiration comes from the women close to me who teach me how to be a better and more compassionate leader everyday: Steph Korey (my co-founder at Away), Nina Faulhaber (co-founder of ADAY), Kate Unsworth (founder of VINAYA), Avery Bang (CEO of Bridges of Prosperity), Jaclyn Johnson (founder of Create & Cultivate), Farryn Weiner (VP of Marketing at Sweetgreen), and Tyler Haney (founder of Outdoor Voices). I’m so fortunate to be close to so many admirable women entrepreneurs.

What do you want Away to accomplish in the next year?
S: Ultimately, our mission at Away is to make travel as seamless and joyful as possible. We believe that travel has the ability to enhance your life and make the world a better place through new experiences and cultural understanding, and we want to do what we can to minimize the parts that can be frustrating so that our customers can focus on the great parts. In the next year, we’re looking forward to continuing to build out our travel product offering and continuing to empower more and more travelers to explore the world more seamlessly.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

HTC One A9s unleashed: a perplexing successor

htc-one-a9s-1HTC is finally breaking its IFA 2016 silence, but the noise it is making might not fall on receptive ears. As speculated before, the Taiwanese manufacturer has unveiled the HTC One A9s, the follow-up to one of last year’s most notorious smartphones, the One A9. While by no means a terrible smartphone, the HTC One A9 was primarily seen as … Continue reading

Logi Circle security cam gets premium video subscription service

Logitech has announced the launch of a premium video subscription service for Circle security camera owners called Circle Safe. With Circle Safe, users can both store their security footage and access it whenever they want. Unlike the 24-hour replay events limitation that comes with the free version, Circle Safe subscribers can access their replay events an entire month, among other … Continue reading

Libratone Q Adapat earbuds go Lightning all the way

Libra_headphones23393-LOWIn just a week’s time, Apple will be revealing the true for of the iPhone 7, which is expected, among other things, to ditch the 3.5 mm headphone jack for a do-everything Lightning connector. Whether that comes to pass or not, some accessory makers have already prepared for the inevitable. Take for example Libratone’s new Q Adapt in-ear earbuds, which … Continue reading