The best UK deals for Thursday: Amazon devices, Lagavulin whisky, NESCAFÉ coffee machines, and more

In case you hadn't noticed, we are now officially living in the future. Cars are driving themselves, drones are flying overhead, and we are making frankly terrifying advancements in AI.

The home is also being fast-tracked into the future. We can now control the lighting and heating when we're at work, we can blast some tunes just by talking to a speaker, and you can see who's knocking on your door from the comfort of the beach.

We have put together a selection of great deals on technology for the home, transporting you into the future and saving you money all at once. You can pick up a Hive Active smart plug for just £25.99, and a Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10-inch tablet for £214.99, down from £269.99. Read more...

More about Amazon, Amazon Echo, Amazon Fire, Nescafe, and Whisky

from Mashable https://mashable.com/uk/shopping/best-uk-deals-nescafe-amazon-lagavulin/
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Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has tiny bezels and 10GB of RAM

Xiaomi, the company that started the no-bezel smartphone craze with its futuristic Mi Mix in 2016, has a new iteration out, and once again it's breaking through boundaries. 

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, announced early Thursday, has a near-bezel-less screen with a slide-out selfie camera on top, as well as up to 10GB of RAM, which isn't unheard of but is still pretty rare. 

SEE ALSO: The Pocophone F1 is the best smartphone for the buck right now

The phone has a 6.39-inch, 2,340x1,080 pixel, AMOLED screen with just the tiniest of bezels on top and bottom. Xiaomi pioneered the all-screen look with the original Mi Mix, but there are now numerous similar phones, like Oppo's excellent Find X, for example.  Read more...

More about Xiaomi, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, Tech, and Smartphones

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/xiaomi-mi-mix-3/
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'Red Dead Redemption 2' review: Great art at great cost

Before we dive in with this review, a word about development crunch. In recent weeks, Rockstar Games has been mired in controversy after studio co-head Dan Houser suggested in an interview that the final sprint to Red Dead Redemption 2's release sometimes involved 100-hour work weeks.

Houser later clarified his quote, noting that the "100-hour work week" comment applied only to the four guys on the senior writing team and adding that "we obviously don’t expect anyone else to work this way" at Rockstar.

On the Tuesday before RDR2's release, Houser's assertion fell into doubt after Kotaku published an investigation into the work-life balance and corporate culture at Rockstar. The in-depth feature paints a nuanced picture of a company filled with passionate artists who, yes, often do work above and beyond their weekly hours, at times because they want to and at times because of pressure from the company leadership — all the way up to Houser. Read more...

More about Entertainment, Gaming, Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Entertainment

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/red-dead-redemption-2-review/
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Jimmy Kimmel asks people about their favourite novel, everyone has the exact same response

Ever wondered what most people say when asked what their favourite novel is?

Well, now you know. The answer isn't To Kill a Mockingbird, or The Great Gatsby, or any of the other classics. The answer, at least according to the (admittedly very small) sample size in the video above, is that people simply don't read all that much.

Shoutout to the guy at the end though, and here's hoping he enjoys Moby Dick. Read more...

More about Jimmy Kimmel, Novels, Culture, Talk Show, and Books

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/jimmy-kimmel-whats-your-favourite-novel/
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Facebook fined £500K for 'serious breaches' of data protection law

Facebook has been fined half a million pounds by the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO fined Facebook £500,000 ($645,175) for "serious breaches of the data protection law," per the penalty notice. 

The figure — which is the maximum fine that the ICO is able to impose — is still rather paltry compared to Facebook's net worth of £445bn. 

SEE ALSO: Facebook given maximum fine by UK watchdog over Cambridge Analytica fiasco

An investigation by the ICO revealed that between 2007 and 2014, Facebook "processed the personal information of users unfairly by allowing application developers access to their information without sufficiently clear and informed consent." Facebook also allowed "access even if users had not downloaded the app but were simply 'friends' with people who had."  Read more...

More about Facebook, Uk, Cambridge Analytica, Tech, and Big Tech Companies

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/facebook-fine-cambridge-analytica/
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Gerard Butler explains how getting fired kick-started his acting career

Getting your dream job isn't necessarily about years of hard work. In Gerard Butler's case, it all happened because he got fired.

In the clip above, Butler tells Stephen Colbert how he studied law for five years when he was younger, before eventually getting sacked while he was still a trainee.

"I ended up becoming — I"m very proud of this — the first trainee lawyer ever in the history of the Scottish legal system to be fired before he qualified," he says, before describing how he missed 32 days of work (mostly Fridays) over a two year period.

Still, it seems to have worked out okay for him in the end. Read more...

More about Gerard Butler, Culture, Talk Show, and Celebrities

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/gerard-butler-lawyer-fired/
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7 of the best Wi-Fi extenders for increasing your wireless range

If you’re trying to stream a show or update your social feeds, and you’re a ways away from your router, you might find the connection slow or spoty. A Wi-Fi extender, or range extender, can help to pick up your router's Wi-Fi signal, amplify it, and rebroadcast the boosted signal. Not only are they easy to install, they can help provide Wi-Fi coverage in otherwise tricky spaces — such as homes with multiple floors or those made of brick, concrete, plaster, and metal.  

Whether you’re looking for a no-frills, basic plug-in Wi-Fi extender or a full-fledged desktop extender to really boost your signal, we’ve got the seven best Wi-Fi extender options to fit your needs. Read more...

More about Wi Fi, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Amazon, Tech, and Consumer Tech

from Mashable https://mashable.com/roundup/best-wi-fi-extenders/
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7 of the best home security cameras to bring you peace of mind

We all want homes that are safe and secure. Yet, according to the real estate listings we definitely skimmed, fortress inventory is at an all-time low. Additionally, the landscape architect we totally interviewed informed us that moats haven’t been en vogue since the Middle Ages. Fortunately, we remembered that we live in the 21st century and have access to some remarkable technology including home security cameras. 

If you’re looking to protect your home, security cameras are the way to go. They are a great deterrent for break-ins and an excellent way to monitor what’s happening in and around your house. They’ve also become increasingly popular, as evidenced by the numerous options available on the market today. So how do you know which home security camera is the best for you and your family? Well, unless you love rolling the dice when you shop, you’ll want to think about these factors prior to making your purchase: Read more...

More about Camera, Smart Home, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Tech

from Mashable https://mashable.com/roundup/best-home-security-cameras/
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Is 'don't feed the trolls' actually good advice? It's complicated.

It's Troll Week on Mashable. Join us as we explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of internet trolling.

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The conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't respond to people who send you hate mail onlineDon't feed the trolls, the adage goesThey're doing this to get attention, so don't give them what they want. 

But is this advice truly sound, or is it just something people keep saying because they've been hearing it forever?

According to Lauren Hoffman, a clinical psychologist and instructor at Columbia University, the advice is solid from a psychological standpoint. But that's only part of the story. Read more...

More about Twitter, Social Media, Trolls, Troll Week, and Culture

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/should-i-respond-to-trolls/
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New top story on Hacker News: Why Democracies Are Turning Against Chinese Influence

Why Democracies Are Turning Against Chinese Influence
4 by rumcajz | 0 comments on Hacker News.


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Apple pulls watchOS 5.1 updates after bricking reports

Apple released watchOS 5.1 on Tuesday alongside a major software update for iOS, but it's already been pulled.

The decision came following a handful of reports of bricked Apple Watches on Twitter and reddit, with users reporting that their devices were stuck on the Apple logo while booting up.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iOS 12.1 update is coming Oct. 30, with Group FaceTime

Apple confirmed the issue, and said that it's working on a fix in a statement provided to CNET.

Add me to the list… Bricked Apple Watch Series 4 from WatchOS 5.1 update #AppleWatch #WatchOS @AppleSupport pic.twitter.com/63rgilF4aI

— Ryan O'Shea (@ryancoshea) October 31, 2018 Read more...

More about Tech, Apple, Apple Watch, Watchos, and Big Tech Companies

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/apple-watchos-update-bricking/
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Ariana Grande and James Corden survive a terrifying escape room

Ariana Grande is super into Halloween, haunted houses, and escape rooms, so James Corden invited the pop star to a combination of the three.

As an addition to The Late Late Show's "Carpool Karaoke" segment with Grande, Corden decided to book a session at 60OUT Escape Rooms in Los Angeles, picking the horror themed room.

It looks downright terrifying, and Grande spends the entire time being understandably beside herself. 

“That’s not an escape room, that’s one of the seven gates to hell,” she said.

At least know we know how she injured her hand — running away from whatever the hell that is in the clip. Read more...

More about James Corden, Ariana Grande, The Late Late Show, The Late Late Show With James Corden, and Escape Room

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/ariana-grande-james-corden-escape-room/
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Original 'Sabrina' cast watch Netflix's new series: 'This is not our Sabrina'

What do the original cast of Sabrina the Teenage Witch think of Netflix's new series? You're about to find out.

For a new series promo video by Netflix, Melissa Joan Hart, who played our heroine Sabrina in the '90s TV series, is joined by the delightful Nate Richert, who played Harvey, to watch Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for the first time. 

Meanwhile, Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick, boss aunts Hilda and Zelda respectively, also tuned in. And they had quite a few things to say.

"This is not our Sabrina!" said Rhea. "We would have never allowed Sabrina to behave that way," added Broderick, although Rhea says she likes the new "political ... empowered" Sabrina. Read more...

More about Netflix, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Melissa Joan Hart, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, and Entertainment

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/original-sabrina-cast-watch-netflix-series/
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Jimmy Kimmel asks our elders if they're on Cardi B or Nicki Minaj's side

You've likely been flooded with information about the newest rap feud brewing between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.

The beef hit a flashpoint in September when Cardi B threw a shoe at Nicki Minaj during New York Fashion Week, and tempers have been hot ever since.

But what do our elders have to say about it all? Jimmy Kimmel went down to a farmer's market to ask our most experienced for advice. The response is suitably less than enthusiastic, which is fair enough TBH. Read more...

More about Entertainment, Tv, Music, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/jimmy-kimmel-cardi-b-nicki-minaj/
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Jimmy Fallon, uh, we mean Trump has a special Halloween message

Donald Trump has a special Halloween message, and it's not the frightening things he blurts at rallies and onto Twitter every day.

Jimmy Fallon donned his Trump get-up for The Tonight Show on Tuesday night, dressing the president up in a Dracula costume.

"I'd like to talk about my costume, isn't it fantastic?" Trump says. "My vampire costume has been a huge success. All day long, people have been yelling at me, 'You suck!'" Read more...

More about Halloween, Donald Trump, Jimmy Fallon, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/jimmy-fallon-trump-halloween/
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Facebook bans far-right group Proud Boys and founder Gavin McInnes

Far-right group Proud Boys and its founder Gavin McInnes have been banned from Facebook and Instagram.

The thinly-veiled white nationalist group used Facebook as a recruiting tool, with numerous groups and pages to organise and attract members.

SEE ALSO: Milo Yiannopoulos' Facebook rant shows that de-platforming actually works

Business Insider first reported the ban, which comes after violence between the group and anti-fascist protesters in New York City earlier this month, resulting in five arrests of Proud Boys members. 

It seems Facebook has finally deemed McInnes and the group to be a hate organization or figure. Read more...

More about Facebook, Social Media, White Supremacy, White Nationalist, and Social Media Companies

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/facebook-proud-boys-ban/
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Waymo gets the OK to test fully driverless cars in California

California has handed Waymo the first permit to test fully driverless cars in the state. 

While Waymo, part of Google's parent company Alphabet, has been allowed to test autonomous vehicles with a driver since 2014, the new permit allows the company to test cars without drivers.

SEE ALSO: Volkswagen and Intel team up for Israel's first self-driving car service

Waymo will be allowed to test its three dozen driverless cars on public roads, including freeways, highways and streets. 

Testing will take place near Waymo headquarters, with permission to drive in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, and Sunnyvale, in Santa Clara County. Read more...

More about Tech, California, Autonomous Vehicles, Self Driving Cars, and Waymo

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/waymo-driverless-cars-permit/
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Electric car startup Faraday Future doesn't have much of a future

That Faraday Future 91 electric vehicle that seemed so promising just a few years ago will probably never get made for the masses — and definitely not by 2019.

The California-based would-be Tesla rival has suffered many setbacks, but none as severe as those announced this week.

In a statement sent Tuesday, Faraday Future confirmed that two execs, Pete Savagian and Nick Sampson, have left the company. "We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors," the statement read. 

SEE ALSO: Faraday Future is the ultimate CES cautionary tale

But it gets worse from there. 

All employees who joined the electric car startup after May 1 must take a furlough (an unpaid leave of absence) for November and December. Those hired before can opt for the furlough or continue working regularly but at lower pay. Health benefits will continue. It's also not guaranteed that the furlough will end by December. Read more...

More about Electric Vehicles, Faraday Future, Tech, and Transportation

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/faraday-future-electric-car-furloughs/
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