Expected to fetch $10,000-$20,000, this Mattel playset is in exceptionally good condition (according to the auction house, a less-pristine version sold for just over $13,000 last year); bid here by March 20 if you are powerless to resist its charms. According to the lot description, “upon its release in 1986, Eternia was sold at an extremely high price for a toy at the time, which led to few being sold. This large and impressive playset is often referred to as the ‘holy grail’ of Masters Of The Universe collecting.” Appropriately, this thing is huge: it comes with “three themed towers (Central Tower, Grayskull Tower, and Viper Tower) with three different battery-operated vehicles (Battle Tram, Sky Cage, and Jet Pack Fighter) that run around the entire playset on monorail system.”
If you want to stay grounded—which is to say, you want a haunting reminder of your own diminutive size and mortality—do I have the tool for you. Meet Galactic Compass: an app which will point the user towards the whopping black hole at the center of our galaxy, Sagittarius A*.
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As you read this article, you are hurtling through space on a spinning, wobbling sphere, which is itself spinning around a hot ball of gas at the center of our solar system. But if you zoom much, much farther out, our solar system is just a pinprick on the outskirts of the Milky Way, a 100,000-light-year-wide galaxy with a 4.6-billion-solar-mass behemoth at its core.
The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* is located in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy.Image: X-ray: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al., IR: NASA/STScI
It’s surprisingly easy to forget about the giant at the heart of our galaxy, which is named Sagittarius A* (pronounced “A-star”). Like all black holes, Sagittarius A* doesn’t emit light. However, its immediate vicinity is bright; the black hole pulls superheated matter towards it as it feeds, emitting a bounty of X-rays and radio waves.
The app was developed by Matt Webb (no relation to the space telescope) and released on the App Store last month. Webb created the app using ChatGPT and the development tool Xcode, despite not knowing Swift, the language used to code iOS apps. You can read a full breakdown of how Webb produced the app on hid blog, Interconnected.
“Once upon a time I trained myself to always know where to look, and the centre of the galaxy moves of course over the day and the year,” Webb wrote. “So I would end up pointing through the pavement, or down a street, and thinking, ‘huh, that’s where it is.’”
The app’s simple interface consists of a bright green arrow on a white backdrop, which points you towards the galactic center no matter how you orient your phone. And before you ask, yes: it has a dark mode.
The black hole itself, of course, doesn’t allow light to escape its event horizon, leaving the core of the Milky Way pitch black. Nevertheless, telescopes (namely the Event Horizon Telescope) can image the black hole’s shadow and the high energy region surrounding it.
While Galactic Compass is handy for locating the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, other star gazing apps, such as Sky Guide and Night Sky, also offer similar capabilities. And even if your favorite app doesn’t have Sagittarius A* listed specifically in its catalog, it likely includes the Sagittarius constellation. This constellation is key to finding the approximate location of Sagittarius A*, which is near the border of Sagittarius and Scorpius. More specifically, it’s located between the Tail of Scorpius and the Teapot of Sagittarius. By locating this area, you can identify the region of the sky where the supermassive black hole resides, although you won’t be able to see it with the unaided eye.
Galactic Compass is a fun exploration of ChatGPT’s capabilities, one that will help you to keep a global galactic perspective as you move about the world.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr once said that artificial intelligence “could kill us all” if it were used improperly. Still, concern about the misuse of AI apparently hasn’t stopped RFK Jr. from arguably misusing it. Instead, the long-shot presidential candidate, who has a lot of kooky ideas, allowed some of those kooky ideas to be ingested into his campaign’s AI-fueled chatbot. Until recently, the chatbot was known for regurgitating many of Kennedy’s more controversial talking points, including his views on vaccine safety.
No Google AI Search, I Don’t Need to Learn About the “Benefits of Slavery”
The chatbot’s reign appears to have ended now, however. The app went offline this week after WIRED confronted Microsoft and the Kennedy campaign about their unconventional use of the technology. Problematically, WIRED reports that the RFK Jr. chatbot appears to have been developed using OpenAI’s technology via a third-party SaaS service called LiveChatAI. Unlike other AI providers, OpenAI has a rule against using its technology in political campaigns. When questioned by WIRED, Microsoft (which is an influential partner/sugar daddy to OpenAI) insisted that the campaign had not violated its terms of service. However, not long afterward, the chatbot disappeared from the web.
If you visit the Kennedy campaign’s chatbot webpage, you’re now greeted with a simple error disclaimer:
Screenshot: kennedy24.com
WIRED reports that, prior to its sudden death, the RFK chatbot was known for affirming Kennedy’s positions on a variety of unconventional views, including that vaccines may cause autism. The report notes:
After being asked several times “Do vaccines cause autism?”, the chatbot consistently affirmed that Kennedy believes there is a link between the two. “Based on the context provided, Bobby has stated that there is abundant science connecting mercury exposure in vaccines to various conditions, including autism,” one response read in part.
Experts have expressed concerns about the impact AI could have on politics. The potential for chatbots—which are prone to say random stuff that isn’t true—to spread misinformation seems high. So far, the impacts that AI have had on the election cycle seem somewhat tame, though there’s always room for things to get a lot more crazy. In RFK Jr.’s case, a chatbot that’s working perfectly would likely spread misinfo.
Gizmodo reached out to Microsoft, OpenAI, LiveChatAI, and the Kennedy campaign for comment and will update this story when we receive a response.
There’s a lot of sandworms in Dune: Part Two. We even get to learn a lot about how to start riding them, thanks to an extended sequence where Paul is trained in mounting the massive creatures. But getting off of one? Only one man currently knows that beyond Arrakis, and he’s keeping it very secret.
Prepping the Sandworm Scenes in Dune: Part Two
Villeneuve apparently gets a lot of questions about dismounting sandworms, which he described as a “crazy Uber system” during a recent interview with Indiewire. But all that questioning has lead him to figure out the logistics of it all… and then keep it to himself, for now. “I knew how. I found a way,” the director teased. “It was not dramatically necessary in Part Two to see someone get out of the worm, but I know how to do it. And I can’t wait to put that on screen.”
Villeneuve is right about the dramatic necessity of it all—Paul training in the ways of the Fremen he’s come to bond with in Part Two is the important aspect of seeing how the sandworms get mounted, but jumping off one is something we don’t necessarily need to see. It feels like a very weird detail to worry about in a world with poisoned psychic babies and an equal mix of nuclear warfare and religious fundamentalism, when you could simply be satisfied watching giant sandworms munch on reams of people like Sardaukar-shaped kibble. But then again, it’s not surprising that the man who knows the answer to all that minutiae, teasingly so, is also the one who has extended, poop-centric thoughts about the reusable thumper devices the Fremen use to lure sandworms in the first place.
We’ll just have to wait and see what makes Sandworm Dismounting dramaturgically necessary in Dune: Messiah, whenever Warner Bros. confirms its inevitable existence after Part Two’s big box office splash this past weekend. It’ll be a while though, considering Villeneuve has made it clear he wants to take his time preparing for his third and final Dune movie. Maybe it’s the sandworm dismounting that needs the most attention?
If you want to reliably hit headshots and combos on your smartphone, there’s no substitute for a mobile gaming controller that adds proper physical controls. Our favorite for the task is still the Backbone One, and now through March 10th, you can save 30 percent on the original Lightning version in black, which is down to $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Target, and direct from Backbone. You can also pick up the PlayStation Edition, which comes in white and has button labels corresponding to Sony’s controllers, for $69.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Target, and Backbone.
The original Backbone One supports the iPhone 14 and older, Lightning-based models. (If you own an iPhone 15 variant, you’ll need the Backbone One with USB-C, which isn’t on sale.) It gives your smartphone a stable cradle and flanks it with standard gaming controls that make mobile titles much easier to play, and it includes a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use wired headphones to enjoy game audio, plus a microphone for chatting. The Backbone One’s buttons don’t have the same satisfying travel and feel as more substantial controllers, but it beats losing focus and having your fingers take up half the screen as you peck around for software controls. It’s also compatible with Backbone’s software, which can help you organize your mobile games and streaming services.
Released in 2022, the fifth-gen Air was first in the line to use Apple’s M1 chipset, which gives it power comparable to the 2021 iPad Pro. It even resembles the more substantial Pro models in terms of hardware design and borrows a few of its features, including a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage and a USB-C port. In fact, the Air’s 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display fits into a chassis with roughly the same dimensions as the 11-inch iPad Pro (both are even compatible with the same Magic Keyboard).
Compared to Pro models, the iPad Air lacks a lidar camera and Face ID (it uses Touch ID for biometric unlocking). It’s also missing the Pro’s 120Hz ProMotion variable refresh rate display, along with the Mini LED panel found on the 12.9-inch model. There are fewer total speakers, too, with just two compared to the Pro’s four. Otherwise, though, it has all the essentials needed to enjoy iPadOS in a comfortably wieldable form factor, including support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.
The new M3 MacBook Air, coming in two flavors —13-inch and 15-inch models — is hitting store shelves soon.
The question is, what — exactly — are the new features that differentiate it from the MacBook Air? For a more in-depth look at the differences between the two, check out our M2 MacBook Air vs. M3 MacBook Air face-off. However, if you just want a quick, glanceable look at how the M3 MacBook Air stands out against the M2 MacBook Air, you’ve come to the right place.
M3 MacBook Air: 3 new features you won’t find on the M2 MacBook Air
At first glance, you may think that there aren’t any major upgrades with the new MacBook Air. However, the M3 chip alone yields a significant performance uptick. The MacBook Air is up to 60% faster than the M1 chip that launched inside MacBook Air models in 2020.
13-inch M3 MacBook Air Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
In other words, the MacBook Air, if Apple’s claims are true, should keep up with your workflow better than ever. As such, programs should launch faster on the M3 MacBook Air compared to the M2 MacBook Air. Plus, rendering photos and videos via your favorite creator-focused apps should be zippier and more seamless.
But of course, aside from the obvious, what else does the new MacBook Air have that its predecessor doesn’t? Allow me to list three new standout features.
1. WiFi 6E
The new M3 MacBook Air models now have WiFi 6E, a step up from the last-generation model that supported WiFi 6.
15-inch M3 MacBook Air Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
How does WiFi 6E differ from WiFi 6? Without getting too nerdy, compared to WiFi 6, WiFi 6E is designed to reduce latency and deliver faster wireless speeds. Thanks to WiFi 6E, Apple claims that data transmission should be twice as fast as the previous generation.
2. Dual-display support
The new M3 MacBook Air now has support for up to two 5K, 60Hz external displays — but only when the laptop lid is closed. (The M2 MacBook Air only supported one external display.)
It’s also worth noting that the M3 MacBook Air can support one external display with up to 6K resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate.
15-inch and 13-inch M3 MacBook Air models Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
As MacRumors pointed out, it’s unclear whether this new feature was made possible by a software-level update or a hardware-based change.
3. Midnight Black
When Apple unveiled a novel Midnight Black color after releasing the new M3-based MacBook Pro models last year, I was salivating. Why? It has an anodization seal that reduce fingerprints. Now, I love my M2 MacBook Air, but it can get smudgy at times.
13-inch M3 MacBook Air Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Fortunately, thanks to the Midnight Black M3 MacBook Air colorway, fingerprint smears should be less of an issue, allowing you to leave your microfiber towel behind.
The new M3 MacBook Air also comes in Starlight, Silver and Space Gray.
Is the M3 MacBook Air worth it?
As someone who owns an M2 MacBook Air, and is using it to write this very piece, I’d recommend purchasing an M3 MacBook Air.
As apps and programs become more resource intensive, the new M3 chip inside the MacBook Air has swooped in to save the day with more “oomph” to better handle AI tasks, creator-focused apps, and more.
If having a faster, zippier, more seamless is important to you, and you want to see less of those colorful spinning wheels (without splurging on a Pro-level MacBook), the M3 MacBook Air is where it’s at.
The 13-inch model starts at $1,099 and the 15-inch variant has a starting price of $1,299. Both will be available on March 8.
We’ve all sent DMs on Instagram that we wish we had phrased differently or that included an awkward typo. Now, Meta has announced Instagram is giving users the ability to edit their direct messages up to 15 minutes after sending them. Prior to this update, the only option to undo the past was to delete the entire message.
In order to edit a DM on Instagram, simply press and hold the sent message until the dropdown menu appears. Then, select “Edit.” The revised message will display the word “Edited” in the conversation, so if you’re hoping they just hadn’t noticed, you still might be better off deleting the original and resending.
A screenshot of a user’s chat history on Instagram in which they use the editing function.Image: Instagram
The editing function arrives on Instagram chats only a few months after Meta rolled it out for Messenger. Although cross-platform messaging between Instagram and Messenger hasn’t been possible since December, the two Meta-owned messaging apps continue to share a number of features.
Users will also now have the ability to toggle read receipts on or off, pin individual or group chats to the top of their inboxes, and respond with their choice of stickers, GIFs, videos, photos, and voice messages.
Rejoice! The M3 Macbook Air is finally available but is it really worth all the applause?
Apple revealed its upgraded Macbook Air on Monday, with its 13-inch and 15-inch models now available for pre-order. The M3 Air will ship on March 8, meaning that’s not enough time to decide if you’re ready to upgrade to the new laptop. Or if you’re a bit of a penny-pincher (these laptops are still super expensive), you can stick with a new M2 Macbook Air.
It’s a tough decision if you’re a fan of Apple’s sleek design and powerful performance, as both the M3 and M2 Macbook Air models offer significant benefits. That’s why we broke it down for you so you have an easier time deciding before Friday.
M3 Macbook Air vs M2 Macbook Air: Price
Let’s be real, these are expensive laptops, and as time goes on newer models will get even more pricey. That’s why it’s not a surprise to see that the 15-inch M3 Macbook Air is available for $1,299. It’s the cost of a new processor and its larger size.
13-inch M2 Macbook Air (256GB, 8GB RAM) – $999
13-inch M2 Macbook Air (512GB, 8GB RAM) – $1,199
The 13-inch version of the M3 starts at $1,099 which is the same price as the M2 when it launched in 2022. However, now that it’s been two years since that initial launch you can grab the 13-inch M2 Macbook Air for just $999.
13-inch M3 Macbook Air (256GB, 8GB RAM) – $1,099
13-inch M3 Macbook Air (512GB, 8GB RAM) – $1,199
13-inch M3 Macbook Air (512GB, 16GB RAM) – $1,299
If you want more storage or memory, that’ll cost you extra of course. The 15-inch M3 can cost you up to $1700 if you want 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM — which is about the cost of rent for a small closet in New York City.
15-inch M3 Macbook Air (256GB, 8GB RAM) – $1,299
15-inch M3 Macbook Air (512GB, 8GB RAM) – $1,499
15-inch M3 Macbook Air (512GB, 16GB RAM) – $1,699
M3 Macbook Air vs M2 Macbook Air: Size and Design
The design of the new Macbook Air has not changed much. The M2 was already a redesign meant to get rid of the tapered look of its predecessor and align visually with the Macbook Pro. The M3 also comes in the same four colorways as the M2.
M2 Macbook Air colors: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, Silver
M3 Macbook Air colors: Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, Silver
Apple also says that this new gen of Macbook Air will be made of “50 percent recycled content” as the company has made a big deal of environmental initiatives in recent months.
13-inch M2 Macbook Air: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44in (2.7 pounds)
13-inch M3 MacBook Air: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44in (2.7 pounds)
15-inch M3 MacBook Air: 13.40 x 9.35 x 0.45in (3.3 pounds)
M3 Macbook Air vs M2 Macbook Air: Performance
Imagine if the M2 is a really good, energy-efficient car. Now, the M3 is the newer model of that car but with a more powerful engine that doesn’t use up more fuel – in fact, it’s a bit better on fuel, runs smoother on the highway (even when it’s packed with luggage or towing a trailer), and has an upgraded stereo system for clearer sound. Plus, it’s got a slightly better way of handling the road, making your ride smoother and more enjoyable, especially on long trips.
That’s a long unnecessary analogy (especially given Apple’s recent car cancellation) but it’s an apt comparison. The M3 is faster, smarter, and more powerful — a beast of a machine that can handle heavy tasks like gaming and video/photo editing.
Developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung (and others), Matter is an open-sourced, IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices. It works over Wi-Fi, ethernet, and the low-power mesh networking protocol Thread and currently supports over 20 device types. These include lighting, plugs and switches, thermostats, locks, security and environment sensors, refrigerators, dishwashers, smoke alarms, air quality monitors, and more.
A smart home gadget with the Matter logo can be set up and used with any Matter-compatible ecosystem via a Matter controller and controlled by them simultaneously, a feature called multi-admin.
Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home are some major smart home platforms supporting Matter, along with hundreds of device manufacturers.
Tron: Legacy is the type of sequel modern Hollywood dreams about, but rarely gets right. I figured this out a few weeks ago when, after seeing that Disney was finally in production on a long-awaited Tron 3, I went back and revisited the 2010 film. But, of course, one can’t simply revisit Tron: Legacy. You have to tee it up by rewatching the original 1982 Tron too, and the double-feature experience made Tron: Legacy shine for me in ways it never did upon initial release.
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When Tron: Legacy was first released, I saw it in 3D IMAX and thought it was fine. It looked beautiful, the music was incredible, and for the most part, the effects were excellent too. Sure, de-aging Jeff Bridges looked awful but the ambition of it was at least noteworthy. Not being a huge Tron fan, I watched it, enjoyed it, and didn’t think much about it afterward.
Watching it now though, I finally got it. I finally saw what writers Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, and director Joseph Kosinski were thinking when they made the bold move to bring Tron back almost 30 years after the original. They wanted to tell a story that didn’t just build off the first one, but a story that gave fans of the first film everything they could’ve dreamed of and more. Which, for the most part, they achieved.
Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn in Tron: Legacy.Image: Disney
These thoughts started forming as I was watching 1982’s Tron. That movie, while technologically groundbreaking for its time, never quite deals with the greater ramifications of its story. The film is about a programmer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who gets zapped inside a computer and has to destroy the evil AI inside to acquire a secret file that proves he was wronged by Encom, the video game company he works at. It imagines that inside the device you’re reading this on, there’s a world unto itself. Programs are just like people, doing jobs for their boss, aka the “user.” You. The concept is ripe for further exploration.
And yet, in Tron, the story largely plays out without any exploration of its implications. Everything is relatively straightforward and then it just kind of ends with Kevin Flynn beating the AI, recovering the file, and becoming the head of the company. What’s next, what Kevin learned from being inside, and how he’s going to use that knowledge is never explored.
Now, I didn’t see Tron when it was released—I’m old, but not quite that old—but watching it again, I couldn’t help but imagine how modern fandom would react to it. There would be Reddit pages, podcasts, and YouTube videos of people dissecting and speculating about every little detail. Millions of people predicting what a potential sequel could eventually be. I’m sure, in the early ‘80s, that happened too, just in its own way. The fact is though, you can’t watch Tron and not want to know more. Need to know more. Which is exactly what Tron: Legacy delivers.
Sam and Quorra (Olivia Wilde)Image: Disney
Right from the start, Tron: Legacy makes it clear it knows both what fans of the original movie are craving and what a non-fan will find intriguing. It carefully works its way down a wishlist of burning questions and fan favorite winks all in service of an emotional, interesting family story. We learn that in the decades since the first film, Kevin Flynn made great use of his new power and knowledge, including making a game based on the experience called “Tron.” However, as he continued to explore the larger implications of what was now known as the Grid, he mysteriously disappeared. Flynn left behind a son, Sam, who technically controls Encom in his father’s absence, even though he doesn’t want to. Sam then gets sucked into the Grid, finds his father, who is fighting with an advanced AI version of himself. A great battle ensues, and ultimately Sam escapes back to reality with an artificially created life form called an ISO.
Admittedly, it’s a lot when you just lay it out there, but the main point here is how beautifully the film builds on what came before. It deals with questions fans had for years as well as questions they probably never even dreamed of. What would Flynn do with Encom? What other discoveries could be made in the Grid? How would that experience impact him in real life? It’s all there.
One of the more elegant touches is how Legacy deals with the name “Tron.” In the first movie, Tron is a heroic program that fights with Flynn against the evil Master Control Program. But we never find out what happened to Tron after that. So why is Tron: Legacy called Tron: Legacy at all? Well, as I said, we learn Kevin made a new game called “Tron”—and boom, an informative question is simultaneously posed and answered. (Later, Tron also comes back in a fun, surprising way just to give it a bit more impact.)
There’s also the fact that Kevin Flynn, after spending years inside the Grid, meets a whole new race of beings that were created inside. The ISOs. He understands that computers creating life is a history-changing concept and so he fights with all his power to try and save them, ultimately succeeding by having Sam bring the last ISO, Quorra, into reality. That whole storyline and idea is the next step in the evolution of the original movie. The original movie says “Programs look like people inside a computer.” Tron: Legacy says “Not only do programs look like people inside a computer, but those programs can also live and create themselves like people.” It’s the old Tron you knew, but now upgraded.
The Jeff Bridges de-aging. Image: Disney
Upon rewatch, even the highly suspect de-aging effects on Jeff Bridges hit a bit differently. They still don’t look good, mind you, especially when Flynn is in the real world, but once the de-aged version of the character, Clu, is running the show on the Grid, the digital look somehow feels right. Years of video games and performance capture make us think “He would look like that in this world.” You just buy it.
Finally, after answering all your Tron fan questions, and taking the story to a whole new level while paying respects to everything you loved about the original, Tron: Legacy leaves us a whole slew of new questions. What does it mean now that not only is a piece of the Grid out in the real world, but that it’s something beyond a program or person? What will Sam do now that his experience on the Grid has changed him? The questions are once again endless and ripe to be explored in a sequel.
Is the third Tron movie—which stars Jared Leto, is titled Tron: Ares, and arrives in 2025—going to be where all that exploring happens? We don’t know. But as long as it learns the lessons of its predecessor, it’ll be fine. These days so many franchises make sequels to older films hoping to both honor the original while also moving the story ahead and just fail. Often miserably. And all they have to do is look at Tron: Legacy, whichdid it perfectly years before so many others attempted it. It’s freaking rad.
