The Book of Boba Fett’s second episode, “The Tribes of Tatooine,” not only shows a new side to the iconic character, but allows for a fresh perspective on the Tusken Raiders. The nomadic people of Tatooine have always been heavily influenced by Indigenous cultures, but the latest Star Wars series is taking them beyond…
A team of geneticists, archaeologists, and paleontologists believe they’ve settled the identity of an enigmatic equid from ancient Mesopotamia. That animal is a kunga, which the researchers show was a cross between a female donkey and a male Syrian wild ass.
Russia Arrests Members of REvil, One of the World's Most Wanted Ransomware Gangs
Posted in: Today's ChiliIn a surprising twist, the Russian government has announced the arrest of multiple members of REvil—the prominent ransomware gang behind numerous large-scale attacks on U.S. targets.
James Gunn’s love of pop music has become a calling card. The song choices in both of his Guardians of the Galaxy films, as well as The Suicide Squad, set Gunn’s superhero films apart from the rest. They’re irreverent, they’re funny, and, of course, it continues with his new show Peacemaker.
The University of Maryland Medical Center said the man’s eligibility was “based solely on his medical records.”
Dogecoin added to Tesla store
Posted in: Today's Chili<img width="1280" height="720" src="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/sogecoin23-1280×720.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="Hand holding Dogecoin physical token" loading="lazy" style="margin: auto;margin-bottom: 5px;max-width: 100%" data-attachment-id="707304" data-permalink="https://www.slashgear.com/dogecoin-added-to-tesla-store-14707303/sogecoin23/" data-orig-file="https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/sogecoin23.jpg" data-orig-size="1440,810" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="sogecoin23" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
Lin Xiu Xiu/Shutterstock
” data-medium-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/sogecoin23-1280×720.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/sogecoin23-1280×720.jpg” />In a surprising turn of events, you can now buy Tesla merchandise with Dogecoin. Tesla’s website has been updated to reflect this change, and there are a few items listed that now only accept the meme-like cryptocurrency as payment. That’s right — the merchandise sold for Dogecoin can no longer be bought with US dollars and requires the customer to … Continue reading
Nintendo's 'Ring Fit Adventure' falls to $55, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
Posted in: Today's ChiliThis week brought deals on Apple devices, gaming gear and more. The Mac Mini M1 remains on sale for $600 while the 3rd-generation AirPods are back down to a record low of $140. Nintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure is back in stock and $25 off, while you can still get a one-year Switch Online family membership plus a microSD card for 50 percent off. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure
The Ring Fit Adventure is back on sale for $55, or $25 off its normal price. It’s a good option for Switch owners who want to work out more in the new year but don’t want to go outside to do it. Joy-Cons strap to the included ring and leg strap so the game can record your movements as it has you doing things like squats and crunches to progress through a fantasy world, defeat enemies and more.
Buy Ring Fit Adventure at Amazon – $55
AirPods (3rd gen)
Apple’s latest AirPods are on sale for $140 right now, or 22 percent off their normal price. These are the company’s newest earbuds and we gave them a score of 88 for their improved design, better audio quality and long battery life.
Buy AirPods (3rd gen) at Amazon – $140
2020 MacBook Pro M1
The 2020 MacBook Pro M1 remains $150 off, bringing the model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage down to $1,150. It’s not the latest MacBook Pro with the higher-end CPUs that Apple recently came out with, but it’s still a viable option. We gave it a score of 84 for its speedy performance, lovely display and its long, 16.5-hour battery life.
Buy 2020 MacBook Pro M1 at Amazon – $1,150
Mac Mini M1
The base Mac Mini M1 is $100 off thanks to a sale and an additional coupon, bringing it down to $600. This model runs on the M1 chipset along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. This is Apple’s most affordable M1 machine, making it a good option if you’re in need of an upgraded desktop.
Nintendo Switch Online bundle
Amazon still has a bundle that includes a one-year Switch Online family membership and a 128GB SanDisk microSD card for $35. You’re essentially getting the microSD card for free here, and the family-plan subscription gives up to eight people access to online play, cloud data storage and a library of NES and SNES games to play whenever you want.
Buy Switch Online bundle at Amazon – $35
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
The Galaxy Buds 2 are down to $100 right now, or $50 off their normal price. We gave them a score of 84 for their improve sound quality, adjustable ambient sound mode, comfortable design and support for wireless charging.
Buy Galaxy Buds 2 at Woot – $100
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Galaxy S21 FE, is officially available and starting to ship and Amazon throws in a $100 gift card if you order the handset through the online retailer. We briefly tested the FE at CES 2022 and called it “last year’s flagship without the frills,” and it includes a 5-nanometer processor, a 120HZ display, a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, a larger battery and more.
Buy Galaxy S21 FE bundle at Amazon – $700
Google Nest Audio
The Nest Audio smart speaker is down to $75, which is $25 off its regular price. While not as good as its Black Friday price, it’s still a good discount on one of our favorite smart speakers. It earned a score of 87 from us for its excellent audio quality, stereo mode and minimalist design. You can also pick up the Nest Mini for only $25.
Buy Nest Audio at Best Buy – $75
Google News Hub (2nd gen)
The second-generation Nest Hub has been discounted to $60, or $40 off its normal price. That’s also only $10 more than it was during the holiday shopping season. We gave it a score of 89 for its nice 7-inch display, improved performance and audio quality plus its new sleep tracking feature.
Buy Nest Hub (2nd gen) at Best Buy – $60
Withings Body+ smart scale
Withings’ Body+ smart scale is 41 percent off for today only as part of a daily deal on Amazon that includes a number of other similar scales. Withings’ gadget connects to WiFi and tracks things like your weight change, body fat and water percentage, muscle and bone mass and more.
Buy Body+ smart scale at Amazon – $59
Libro.fm
Engadget readers can get a total of two free audiobooks when signing up for Libro.fm, the audiobook subscription service that supports local bookstores. Similarly to Audible, a Libro.fm membership costs $15 per month and gives you one audiobook credit per month, plus 30 percent off any audiobooks you buy á la carte.
Subscribe to Libro.fm – $15/month
New tech deals
Echo Show 5
The second-generation Echo Show 5 is on sale for $45, or 47 percent off its normal price. Not much has changed from the first to the second generation, but that’s ok. We gave the latest model a score of 85 for its good sound quality, tap-to-snooze feature and quaint design.
Buy Echo Show 5 (2nd gen) at Amazon – $45
Wyze Cam v3
The Wyze Cam v3 with spotlight kit is 32 percent off, knocking it down to $36. This is one of the easiest smart home security cameras to use, and one of the most affordable, and the spotlight kit will make it more useful as an outside cam at night.
Buy Wyze Cam v3 at Amazon – $36
HBO Max
HBO Max is having a sale through January 25th that knocks 20 percent off its monthly plans. That means you can get the service with ads for $8 per month or the ad-free tier for $12 per month, with both discounted rates lasting for one year. Current HBO Max subscribers cannot take advantage of the deal, but if you recently cancelled and wanted to come back, you should be able to get the discount.
Subscribe to HBO Max starting at $8/month
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
60 companies say Facebook unfairly rejected their ads for women's health products
Posted in: Today's ChiliFive dozen companies specializing in women’s health products and services say Facebook has frequently rejected their ads over objections they contain “adult content,” according to a report the Center for Intimacy Justice published this week. Facebook’s advertising policies prohibit reproductive health products or services that focus on sexual pleasure, but anecdotes from the companies the Center for Intimacy Justice either interviewed or surveyed paint the picture of a platform that enforces those guidelines in a way that’s seemingly arbitrary and sexist.
The 60 companies that took part in the report have all had advertisements rejected by Facebook at one point or another. About half said they’ve also had their accounts suspended by the social media giant. One such company is Joylux. It offers vFit Gold, a product women can use to strengthen their pelvic floor. “Because of the nature of our product, the look of it,” Joylux CEO Colette Courtion told The New York Times Facebook and other companies believe it’s “pornographic” in nature.
Since 2017, Joylux claims Facebook has shut down its advertising account twice. It says the company never provided a reason for those actions. It also claims Facebook has automatically denied ads that include “vagina.” That’s something Meta, Facebook’s parent company, disputes. A spokesperson for the company told Engadget it doesn’t enforce a blanket ban on keywords like “vagina” and “menopause.” Instead, it says it considers “how each ad is positioned.”
With help from an agency specializing in appealing ad rejections, Joylux has managed to get its ads up on Facebook in recent years. However, the company has had to change its copy to the point where those advertisements aren’t helpful to consumers. “We can’t show what the product looks like and we can’t say what it does,” Joylux told The New York Times.
A spokesperson for Meta told Engadget its enforcement isn’t perfect and that sometimes it makes mistakes. The company also noted it has its current policy in place in part because it strives to take into account what people from different countries and cultures will take away from ads that promote adult products.
“We welcome ads for sexual wellness products but we prohibit nudity and have specific rules about how these products can be marketed on our platform,” the spokesperson said. “We have provided detail to advertisers about what kinds of products and descriptions we allow in ads.”
What makes Facebook’s actions in these instances frustrating for the 60 companies that took part in the report is that they believe Meta hasn’t applied the same standards to ads targeting men. “Right now, it’s arbitrary where they’ll say a product is or isn’t allowed in a way that we think has really sexist undertones and a lack of understanding about health,” Jackie Rotman, the founder of the Center for Intimacy Justice, told The Times.
To that point, the organization found an ad promoting an erectile dysfunction pill that promised a “wet hot American summer.” Another, promoting a lubricant, said the lotion was “made just for men’s alone time.”
Researchers analyzing insurance claims data estimate that U.S. insurers have paid tens of millions of dollars for ivermectin as a covid-19 treatment, despite little good evidence that ivermectin does anything to treat or prevent the viral illness. During a single week in August 2021, private and Medicare insurance…
Three Santa Clause films just weren’t enough. Now, almost two decades since the release of the third one, Disney is bringing back the holiday comedy as a limited series for Disney+. Tim Allen will reprise his role as Santa in a story where he’s looking for a new Santa to pass the sleigh too.