Facebook wants you to forget about its Clear History feature

This time, we really should know better. 

Mark Zuckerberg teed up his F8 keynote on Tuesday with a promise that Facebook has, finally, got the message. "The future is private," he told the crowd gathered at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. Going forward he insisted his company would work hard to build "a privacy-focused social platform." If only we hadn't heard it all before. 

Cast your mind back to May 1, 2018. The annual Facebook F8 developer conference was once again in full swing, the Cambridge Analytica scandal showed no sign of abating, and Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan promised that a new tool called Clear History would be built in a "few months." It's no spoiler to say that we're still waiting.   Read more...

More about Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, F8, Clear History, and Facebook F8 2019

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/facebook-f8-2019-clear-history/
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Taylor Swift says fans figured out the name of her album. Here are their best theories.

Swifties are known for their CIA-level code-cracking skills. It may have just paid off. 

In a new interview with Zach Sang and Dan Zolot of the Zach Sang Show, Taylor Swift takes 10 whole minutes to talk about her latest era in music. With the release of her seventh studio album imminent, Swifties have kicked into high gear with theories, much to Swift's delight. 

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's video for her new song 'ME!' is one very, very colourful duet

"I like to plan things out, I like to plan little fun clues for people," Swift tells Sang over the phone. The songstress goes on to describe her process for releasing lead singles. "A lot of the time I'll pick a first single because I like the feeling that it conveys, knowing that there's a lot more on the album that's very different from that first single— which is something that I think the fans have picked up on at this point."  Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-name-theories/
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'Game of Thrones' power rankings following the Battle of Winterfell

The Game of Thrones power rankings decide who is most likely to rule Westeros at the end of Season 8.

We're making these predictions based on what the showrunners are likely to think is the best possible story. You can see the previous rankings here.

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Night King, we hardly knew ye. 

For the first time since we began ranking in 2015, there's no space for ol' blue eyes. The big boss of the White Walkers could have had it all — he was rarely out of the top 3 in this list — if ruling Westeros was his goal. All he had to do was stay away from the front lines of his unstoppable army. But no, the Night King had to go Three-eyed Raven hunting, and got an icy shiv from Arya for his troubles. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/game-thrones-power-rankings-after-winterfell/
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Lyft program aims to combat 'food deserts'

In their latest push into healthcare, Lyft has expanded their grocery access program to 13 cities across the United States. The ridesharing company first launched the program in 2018 in Washington, D.C. for a six-month pilot period. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/lyft-program-aims-to-combat-food-deserts/
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Labor of Love app aims to ease women's 'mental load' by turning household chores into a game

The so-called mental load, famously the subject of a viral comic about the domestic to-do list managed almost exclusively by women, is now the inspiration for a new appLabor of Love aims to make women feel appreciated for their unseen or unrecognized household multitasking while giving male partners a tool to take on much more of that work. 

The idea for Labor of Love came to Bob Ford after one too many arguments with his wife over domestic chores and tasks. After years of taking for granted his wife's ability to run their household smoothly, he suddenly realized that her demanding new job as a lawyer meant chores didn't magically get done like they once did.  Read more...

More about Apps, Women, Gender Equality, Housework, and Social Good

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/labor-of-love-app-mental-load-household-chores/
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Spotify Premium now has 100 million global users

It is the first music streaming site to hit the mark for paid subscribers. Since this time last year, the number of people using its Premium service has jumped over 30%. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/spotify-premium-100-million-global-users/
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15 memes for when you're an anxious wreck

Anxiety, like stubbing a toe, is an unfortunate part of life that can strike at odd times. 

Many things seem to cause anxiety. Coffee, work, the political climate, and ordering a sandwich at Subway can all potentially make someone weak with worry. Oh, and chemical imbalances. Those make people anxious, too. 

Sometimes the easiest way to deal is to try to find a reason to laugh it off. No, I'm not claiming that a meme or two will help your anxiety, but a good giggle can't hurt. 

Here are some (panic-stricken) memes and tweets to help you laugh a little.  Read more...

1. Never leave your higher self on read.

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/anxiety-memes/
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Get 'Sekiro' and 'Devil May Cry 5' for $45 each at Amazon — their lowest price yet

So far in 2019, gamers have seen two major releases that contrast two completely different philosophies in game design. On one side is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a game that launched a raging online debate about difficulty and accessibility for gamers of every backgroundDevil May Cry 5, however, is almost the polar opposite in terms of gameplay and style. 

Now you can decide which game provides a better experience with the lowest prices yet on Sekiro and Devil May Cry 5 since their recent releases by shopping this Amazon deal.

SEE ALSO: Best 4K TVs for gaming: Samsung QLED, LG OLED, Sony, and more Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/deal-april-30-sekiro-devil-may-cry-amazon/
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Facebook Dating is coming to the U.S. in 2019

Nothing says love like a like button.

Facebook launched its "anti-Tinder" dating service, Facebook Dating, in 2018. Five countries, including Canada, were the first to get their hands on the Facebook love connection.

Now, Facebook has announced that Facebook Dating will be coming to the U.S. by the end of the year. At its annual developer conference, F8, on Tuesday, Facebook shared that Facebook Dating was expanding to 14 additional countries beyond the original five. It also made a surprise announcement that U.S. users would get the service  soon.

SEE ALSO: Facebook Dating wants to be the anti-Tinder Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/facebook-dating-comes-to-usa-facebook-f8-2019/
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Facebook uses Mark Zuckerberg's privacy talk as a chance to gather data on its users

YouTube will stream 13 MLB games this season

YouTube just landed a major deal with one of America's most popular sports leagues.

The video streaming service announced today a new deal with Major League Baseball to exclusively livestream 13 games for the 2019 season, according to Variety. 

The games will be broadcast live on YouTube at the MLB’s official channel page and will be free to watchYouTube TV subscribers will also be able to watch the games on that platform as well. 

MLB will produce the 13 exclusive games specifically for the YouTube audience. The games will feature pre-game and post-game shows and will include appearances from YouTube creators. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/youtube-exclusive-rights-13-mlb-games/
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YouTubers are faking trips on Instagram to make a statement about social media

The YouTubers faking trips around the world seem to be missing their own point. 

Popular influencers are tricking their followers by staging vacations around the world, often without even leaving their home countries. Through some skillful Photoshops, elaborate planning, and careful posing, influencers almost manage to convince their followers that they're really traveling to places like Italy and Japan. 

But while they claim they're calling out social media for portraying constant perfection, the criticism falls flat coming from influencers. 

As YouTuber Liraz Roxy noted in a video about her faked trip to Bora Bora, "If you have Instagram nowadays, you can pretty much fake everything, from your relationship to literally your lunch ... and it's so, so easy." Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/youtube-fake-a-vacation-instagram/
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Kim Kardashian had a CBD-themed baby shower

Kardashian's fourth child via surrogate is arriving soon. In an effort to stop "freaking out so much" before the birth, Kardashian hosted an event filled with meditation and relaxation. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/kim-kardashian-cbd-themed-baby-shower/
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Valve Index is the next extraordinarily pricey VR rig to compete for your dollars

There's a new challenger in the virtual reality scene, and it's the priciest option yet.

Valve, the company behind the online game retailer Steam, introduced the Valve Index on Tuesday. While it'll be available in multiple configurations, the full $999 bundle gets you the headset, a pair of Valve's Knuckles controllers, and two sensor-laden base stations.

SEE ALSO: Facebook announces $399 Oculus Rift S to launch in spring

If you're familiar with how the HTC Vive setup works, it's similar here. In fact, Valve's own store page notes that each individual piece of Index hardware plays nice with Vive and Vive Pro gear. Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/valve-index-vr-specs-headset-price-release-date/
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'Tolkien' explores the real life behind that fictional world

Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/tolkien-featurette/
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UnNews is a handy database that aims to keep tabs on fake news and biased sources

There's a new tool to help you refute all the fake news your aunt posts on Facebook.

It's called "UnNews" and it's the product of the International Fact-Checking Network, a wing of the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism school. As the 2020 election cycle heats up, it aims to battle fake news by educating people about websites that traffic in fake news, biased news, and even satire.

Spearheaded by Barrett Golding, the index brings together five lists about unreliable sources already "curated by established journalists or academics" and cuts any sites that are no longer active. 

Here are the lists currently being used: Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/unnews-fake-news-database-poynter/
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Does 'Avengers: Endgame' mean the Hulk can have sex now? An investigation.

This post contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. Read at your own risk. 

One of the greatest things about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is how well it blends comic book action with character development. The emotional journeys and limitations of each Avenger and Avenger-adjacent hero are a huge part of what has made Marvel’s characters so loveable, even and perhaps because some of those limitations are tied to their powers and responsibilities. 

Take, for example, the Hulk. He’s big, he’s green, he’s beefy as heck, but at the core of the strongest Avenger is a mild-mannered super genius who has been canonically incapable of having an orgasm for at least a decade. Please don’t click away. This is real and it’s serious. For almost the entirety of the MCU, Bruce Banner could not have sex.  Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/bruce-banner-hulk-endgame-sex-theory/
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Mark Zuckerberg says 'a private social platform' is the future at F8

Mark Zuckerberg knows he screwed up. 

The Facebook CEO took the stage at this year's F8 developer conference in San Jose, Calif. and wasted no time diving headfirst into the issue he told the crowd is the future: privacy. The question as to whether any of us should believe him, however, remained unanswered.

SEE ALSO: Canadian officials: Facebook broke the law and won’t accept responsibility

"Today we're going to talk about building a privacy-focused social platform," he told the cheering crowd of Facebook employees seated up front. "Privacy gives us the freedom to be ourselves," Zuckerberg continued, and "that's why I believe that the future is private." Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/keynote-facebook-f8-2019-privacy/
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