Astronomers are expecting a particularly strong meteor storm tonight visible from parts of Europe, Africa, North America, and South America that could produce meteors at a rate of 400/hour or more. The storm’s radiant will be centered right around the constellation of Monoceros (that’s the unicorn, which makes this a very 2019 event). Just find Orion in the eastern sky and look a bit down and to the left, right where the red patch is:
If you’re on the east coast of the US and the sky is clear tonight, you should head outside around 11:15pm EST. And be prompt…the storm’s peak activity will last 15-40 minutes. I’m going to see if Night Mode on my iPhone 11 Pro can capture any of the action…
Professional sushi chef and costume designer Look_I_Made_A_Hat shows how to transform a Furby into a nightmarish centipede in 16 easy steps. The designer notes that this tutorial is only for “1998 Classic Furbies and 1999 Furby Buddy only, nothing newer” and has instructions for both models.
We have two long children, Boots and Mothball, and plenty of commissions and adopts moving through our house constantly. We’ve made them from a 1998 Classic, a 1999 Furby Buddy, and a Mc Keychain. All of them are complete re-furb-ishments, where I replaced the head fabric before adding the length. In this instructable, I will show you how to this style and how to simply add more body.
Angel City Chorale (ACC) reflects the spirit and diversity of Los Angeles in its membership, its music, and its outreach activities. Equally committed to good music and good deeds, ACC is dedicated to “Building Community One Song at a Time.
by Heather Alexandra on Kotaku, shared by Virginia K. Smith to Lifehacker
A small but important change to Discord’s terms of service has big ramifications for users. The social app’s terms now include a class waiver, which would prevent participation in larger lawsuits. It’s supposedly meant to prevent frivolous lawsuits, but if you want to protect your consumer rights, a simple email will opt you out of the policy.
The change was included in Discord’s October 16 update, adding a small “class waiver” section to the terms of service. “Discord and you agree to resolve any dispute will be brought in an individual capacity, and not on behalf of, or as part of, any purported class, consolidated, or representative proceeding,” it states. The section notes that these proceedings would be handled by an arbitrator but does not specify who. In essence, this section says you agree to settle any issues with Discord one on one using that arbitrator instead of, say, suing. Since that arbitrator could be a firm hired by Discord, it might not be in your interest to adhere to the policy. And while there’s room for debate about whether or not terms of services can disempower you like that, it pays to play it safe.
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The good news is that Discord allows you to opt out by sending an email to arbitration-opt-out@discord.comsaying that you withdraw.You have 90 days to do so, and should make sure you’re using the email associated with your Discord account.
The waiver did not go unnoticed by users, who raised concerns on social media sites like Twitter and Reddit. It prompted a clarifying response from the company.
“I want to be clear that we’re not doing this to dodge responsibility for anything,” a Discord representative said on Reddit. “We believe in doing right by you, and we take feedback into account (see the recent Nitro Classic changes). The reason that there’s a arbitration agreement in our Terms of Service is that there have been a continuously increasing raft of class actions and firms that look for companies that are susceptible to class actions.”
Discord just launched the Discord Global Store beta, where users can purchase games. It is also updating its Nitro subscription service to include free games for subscribed users. The app’s expansion opens it up to greater liabilities, which may have prompted the change in terms. For now, to ensure that you have as much power as possible as a user, you should consider sending a quick opt-out email before time runs out.
Security researchers have analyzed malware samples from threat actors associated with North Korea and discovered connections with tools from older unattributed campaigns. [...]
Eric Geusz takes everyday objects like can openers, tongs, and potato peelers and turns them into spaceships that wouldn’t look out of place in Star Wars or Star Trek.
This indoor/outdoor 5-outlet adapter ($13) is the best I’ve found for dealing with multiple wall-warts. The outlets are spaced just far enough apart to allow virtually any size wall wart to fit, and you can chain together the adapters (each outlet has five outlets, so every additional one in the chain gives you four more outlets). It’s cheaper than specialty adapters like the PowerSquid, and it’s inherently more organized. If you chain a couple PowerSquids together, you’ve got a mess of extra cords on account of that model’s ‘tentacle’ design. If you daisy chain two Yellow-Jackets together, you’ve got a tidier package.
“Meme” was coined by the often controversial evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. … Dawkins was hoping that the word would be used as a unit of human cultural transmission, such as a melody, fashion, or catch-phrase, with the idea evolving as it spreads and time passes.
This is the greatest tool for removing ticks from dogs or people. We have 3 dogs and walk daily in the Oakland, California hills. During tick season, most of the year, they each pick up a couple of ticks daily. Two of the dogs, Bear and Girl, have long hair, Joey has short hair, and the tick twister works well on all of them. It also removes ticks well from the “hairless apes” in the house. It’s better than tweezers which grab skin and fur while leaving pieces of the tick behind, also there is no need to worry about poking your pet in the eye with sharp tweezers.
Ten years ago, electronic musician Burial released his second album, Untrue, which went on to be quite influential.
Where would UK dance music be without Burial’s Untrue? The South Londoner’s second album, released ten years ago this month on Hyperdub, has arguably done more than any other record in recent history to shape electronic music, presenting not only novel production techniques but the power of rooting a record in a specific time, mood and place.
This video from Resident Advisor explores that influence and how Burial’s novel production methods contributed to the album’s success. For one thing, instead of using music software that everyone else used to build and layer beats, Burial used Soundforge, which only shows the waveforms.
So I thought to myself fuckit I’m going to stick to this shitty little computer program, Soundforge. I don’t know any other programs. Once I change something, I can never un-change it. I can only see the waves. So I know when I’m happy with my drums because they look like a nice fishbone. When they look just skeletal as fuck in front of me, and so I know they’ll sound good.
Basically, he eyeballed it, which makes the whole thing feel more natural (and makes it difficult for DJs to mix). (via @pieratt)
Last week I went to see author John Green while he was on his book tour for Turtles All the Way Down. It was a fun night of emotional speeches, lectures from his brother Hank dressed as a turtle professor (really), dubious advice, and even music, but there was something Green said that really stuck with me.
At one point during the show, John and his brother Hank did a live version of their podcast Dear Hank & John. In between giving advice to teens, Green mentioned that he and his brother thought there were too many opinions on the internet; or rather, people seemed to have too many strong opinions for too many pointless things, themselves included. So, they decided to cut back. Green said that he was trying to let go of at least one useless opinion every day, and even dropped one right on stage (if you’re curious, he now has no opinion on professional wrestling).
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I admit, it sounds a little silly dropping opinions on the spot, but it actually makes a lot of sense. The more opinions you have, the more time and energy you end up wasting to defend those opinions, and the more small amounts of stress you accrue. But the less you have, the more time and energy you have to focus on the deep opinions you have. Green said something along the lines of, “You have no idea how freeing it is to not have opinions about things,” and I have to say, after trying it myself, he’s right. I’ve dropped a few pointless opinions of my own now (I no longer have an opinion on pears, Fiats, Taylor Swift, or the Assassin’s Creed series), and it feels great, like I’m gradually pruning my thought tree that’s long been weighed down by my desire to express myself or be “right.” In fact, every time I mindlessly scroll through my Twitter feed I’m actually hunting for opinions to drop, and stopping myself from screaming into the void. Eventually, all that will be left are my truest structural opinions that have shaped who I am now. Yes, all that will be left are the things that actually matter to me.
Make no mistake, I’m not saying opinions don’t matter. They do! I’m simply saying Green is onto something, and that we could all benefit from shedding a few useless opinions on which we’ve been wasting our time and energy. The internet would be a better place without them, sure, but more importantly, your life would be better off with such newfound focus. Give it a try.
This week we asked for your tips on visiting or living in Los Angeles, the Albany of the West. You delivered. (Thanks to the commenters who suggested “Don’t go to L.A.” Your usefulness cannot be understated.) Here are your best suggestions for the whole greater Los Angeles area.
For Visitors
Here’s one general itinerary to get us started:
Mercifully, L.A. is one of those places where “Hate the weather? Wait fifteen minutes” doesn’t apply:
If you go to the LA county beaches, take a wind breaker or sweater. At 2pm the sea breeze picks up and is pretty chilly. This works every day of the year except when the Santa Ana winds are blowing.
Where to Go
My favorite New York tip is “don’t walk the Brooklyn Bridge, walk the Manhattan and look at the Brooklyn Bridge.” Mixeddrinks gives the L.A. equivalent:
Griffith Observatory is probably the best view of LA on a clear day. No need to go directly to Hollywood sign, can see it from here. Also from walk of fame on an elevated bridge inside an open air mall if you intend on taking selfies of the sign.
My favorite museum in L.A. is the Norton Simon. It’s a comprehensive collection of very good pieces in a small, very walkable amount of space, like an art education compressed into a big house. It also has a lovely, secluded sculpture garden with a pond, and reportedly the largest South Asian art collection in the Western Hemisphere. It’s open on some nights, and then you can walk over to Old Pasadena for some food and shopping, or walk around Orange Grove area (at one point known as “Millionaires’ Row”) and check out the gorgeous houses that are themselves a museum of California architecture styles.
Other reader favorites include:
The Broad
The Getty
MOCA
California Science Center
Natural History Museum
Kid’s Space Museum
Peterson Auto Museum
Japanese American National Museum
Museum of Jurassic Technology
LACMA: Kids up to 17 get a free membership and one free adult guest, says Etchasketchism.
Restaurants
In general, steer toward Asian and Mexican food, especially taco trucks.
Abraheezee backs Milos up, saying Leo’s tacos even beat the ones at Mexico City’s El Huequito. He also pushes the restaurants out in Anaheim: “Shoot, on the corner of Brookhurst and Orange alone you have Sahara Falafel, Cortina’s Pizzeria, The Olive Tree (Iraqi food), Aleppo’s Kitchen (Syrian food), and In-N-Out on all 4 corners of the same street!”
More favorites:
Cheko El Rey del Sarandeado (ceviche) in Long Beach
Lunasia (dim sum) in Alhambra
Elite (dim sum) in Monterey Park
Al and Bea’s (burritos)
The taco trucks outside the Pick-a-Part junkyard in San Fernando
Neighborhoods
Commenters like Little Tokyo, Olvera Street, Chinatown, the Arts District, and the city of Anaheim. Over in Orange County, shop in Little Saigon.
Getting Around
Here’s a true hack from dchall8, starting right when you get off the plane at LAX:
If you live in Orange or Riverside counties, take the Disneyland Hotel shuttle to get out of the LAX area and have your friends/relatives pick you up at the hotel.
Set your public-transit expectations:
Shuffy has a massive list of traffic tips for locals and visitors. A summary: Plan an alternate route; trust your navigation app; don’t think you can beat traffic by avoiding the highways; try the right lane, and stay in it; get in the exit lane early; and avoid the freeway when you’re downtown.
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It helps to learn a little Spanish ahead of time, says Jelcee32, and always carry some cash, as many places don’t take credit.
For Locals
Where to Live
L.A. is big. In fact, thanks to disagreements over which parts really count as L.A., the city is technically bigger than itself. You have to consider your commute when picking a job and a home. KingMilosTeodosic helps you strategize:
Also if you live in West LA, take a job south of you - the 405 south in the morning is pretty wide open as everyone lives in the South Bay and heads north to work.
And itwsntme227 warns, “If you are going to be working in West LA (Santa Monica, Venice...) do not live on the other side of the hill.” You’ll be fighting traffic both ways.
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JayFra recommends living in Long Beach, especially if you work south of it. But “plan on routinely parking 1/4 to 1/2 mile from your apartment if you want to be near the beach.”
Long Beach is the true center of the city. You’re smack dab in the middle of LA Metro and Orange County, there is freeway access everywhere, the rent is way cheaper (live on the north end...stay away from Downtown and 2nd Street), and the vibe is undeniable. A ton of amazing food in every direction, everyone is pretty mellow, and if you’re a dude there are more cool barbershops than any other place I’ve been (check Against the Grain near Cal State Long Beach).
Parking
I don’t know which is more amazing to a New Yorker: that so many L.A. people have pools, or that they all have cars. Here are some tips on where to put yours.
Thank you for all your tips! You can read more in the comments on original post, and leave new tips over there or right here. Next week, like a 38-year-old with ten rejected spec scripts, Hack Your City moves back to the East Coast.
Looking to the future of space exploration, NASA’s priorities are sometimes subject to change. In 2004, the Bush administration released it’s “Vision for Space Exploration“, which called for the development of rockets that would return astronauts to the Moon. This policy was later replaced by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, which outlined plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s.
Earlier today, on Thursday, October 5th, Vice President Mike Pence and several members of the Trump administration announced that their priorities have shifted once again. Instead of proceeding with NASA’s proposed “Journey to Mars“, the administration has set its sights on once again mounting crewed missions to the Moon and establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface.
The announcement came during the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council, the newly-reestablished executive group that will be guiding US space policy in the coming years. Originally established in 1989 by then-president George H.W. Bush (and disbanded in 1993 by the Clinton administration), this council served the same purpose as the National Aeronautics and Space Council – which oversaw space policy between 1958 and 1973.
Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, center, along with Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States Michael Kratsios, left, and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, right. Credits: NASA
The meeting, titled “Leading the Next Frontier: An Event with the National Space Council“, took place at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The meeting was chaired by Vice President Mike Pence with the participation of NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, and was attended by Trump Administration cabinet members, senior officials, and aerospace industry leaders.
During the course of the meeting, which was live-streamed, Vice President Mike Pence laid out the administration’s plans for returning astronauts to the Moon. Emphasizing the need to restore NASA and America’s leadership in space, Pence compared the current situation to the early years of the Space Race and the crowing achievement that was the Apollo 11 mission. As he said:
“It is altogether fitting that we chose this week for the first meeting of the National Space Council. Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of Sputnik, that 184-pound satellite that changed the course of history. On that day, six decades ago yesterday, the race for space began and the then-Soviet Union took an early lead. But the sight of that light blinking across that October sky spurred America to action. We refused to accept a future in space written by the enemies of freedom, and so the United States of America vowed to claim our rightful place as the undisputed leader in the exploration of the heavens. And twelve years later, with “one giant leap for mankind”, America led in space.
Moving to the present, Pence indicated that the reestablishment of he National Space Council would put an end to the ways in which space exploration has stalled in recent decades. He also indicated how a return to the Moon – a goal which diminished in important in the post-Apollo era – would recapture the spirit of the past and reinvigorate modern space exploration.
Lunar footprint left by the Apollo astronauts. Credit: NASA
As he expressed during the course of the meeting, the way space exploration has stalled is in part due to the way in which the Moon (as a destination) has diminished in importance:
“Our struggle to define the direction and purpose of America’s space program dates back decades to the post-Apollo period. We had just won the race to the Moon and suddenly the question became, ‘What should we do? Where should we go next?’ In the debate that followed, sending Americans to the Moon was treated as a triumph to be remembered, but not repeated. Every passing year that the Moon remained squarely in the rear-view mirror further eroded our ability to return to the lunar domain and made it more likely that we would forget why we ever wanted to go in the first place.”
A renewed mission to the Moon, claimed Pence, will put an end to decades in which not a single NASA astronaut has ventured beyond Low Earth Orbit. He further indicated how after the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program, the US has been dependent on Russia to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. He also voiced criticism for the Obama administration, claiming that it chose “capitulation” when it came to the space race.
While this new policy technically represents a break from the policy of the Obama administration, and a return to the policy of the Bush administration, Pence emphasized that returning to the Moon would be a stepping stone towards an eventual crewed mission to the Red Planet. This announcement also put an end to months of ambiguity regarding the Trump administration’s space policy.
Members of the National Space Council seen during the council’s first meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
In the past, VP Pence has spoken about the need to return to the Moon and puts boots on Mars, but nothing definitive was said. This ambiguity, it is worth noting, has also been a source of anxiety for those at NASA, who were unsure about the future budget environment. And while this meeting did indicate that the Trump administration has a policy, many aspects of it were already in place before the administration took office.
After the meeting concluded, acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot spoke of the results in a NASA press statement. In reference to the direction VP Pence had indicated for the agency, he said the following:
“Specifically, NASA has been directed to develop a plan for an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system, returning humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.”
Much of the details discussed at the meeting were already established as early as last September. It was at this time that the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2016, a provisional measure that guaranteed short-term stability for the agency by allocating $19.5 billion in funding for NASA for fiscal year 2017. Intrinsic to the Act was the cancellation for the NASA’s Asteroid Robotic Redirect Missions (ARRM) in favor of a more cost-effective alternative.
Artist’s illustration of a possible astronaut mission to an asteroid. Credit: NASA Human Exploration Framework Team
As Lightfoot indicated, this would still be the case under the current administration’s plan:
“The recommendation to the president would modify the existing National Space Policy to provide focus and direction to some of NASA’s current activities and plans, and remove a previous guideline that NASA should undertake a human mission to an asteroid as the next human spaceflight milestone beyond low-Earth orbit.”
Lighfoot also reiterated what Pence said during the meeting, how renewed missions to the Moon would ultimately assist NASA’s efforts to mount crewed missions to Mars. These included the importance of cis-lunar space to the exploration of both the Moon and the Mars, as well as its use as a proving ground for future mission to Mars and beyond in the Solar System.
“Based on a number of conversations I’ve had with the council,” he said, “we have highlighted a number of initiatives underway in this important area, including a study of an orbital gateway or outpost that could support a sustained cadence of robotic and human missions, as well as ensuing human missions to the lunar and Mars surfaces, and other destinations.”
Artist illustration of the habitation module aboard the Deep Space Gateway. Credit: Lockheed Martin
While this latest announcement does confirm what many have suspected for some time – that the Trump administration would prioritize lunar exploration – much ambiguity remains. While Pence emphasized that the re-establishment of the NSC was intrinsic to restoring American leadership in space, very little appears to have changed since the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2016.
What’s more, despite Pence’s claims of “capitulation” on behalf of the Obama administration, much of the current administration’s policy represents a continuation of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. These include the use of the Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion spacecraft, and the restoration of domestic launch capability. In short, much of the Trump administration’s plans to restore American leadership in space are piggybacking on the accomplishments of the Obama administration.
Beyond that, the creation of the Deep Space Gateway appears unaffected, since its existence is central to both renewed mission to the Moon and for crewed missions to Mars. And the long-term plan for the exploration of Mars appear to still be intact. So in many ways, this latest announcement is not much in the way of news, but also good news.
When it comes to organizations like NASA and space exploration in general, continuity is not only preferable, but necessary. And in the meantime, be sure to check out the live coverage of the event:
by Leigh Anderson on Offspring, shared by Michelle Woo to Lifehacker
Sam Woolley/GMG
As a disciplinary strategy, spanking is definitely out: It not only doesn’t work, but it’s associated with the same negative outcomes, to a lesser degree, as those that result from child abuse.
Which leaves us with the time-out as the major tool in the discipline toolbox. Trouble is, a lot of parents don’t think that time-outs work—either they can’t get their kid to stay in time-out, or it doesn’t actually make the kid behave any better.
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“Whenever I hear, ‘I can’t do anything to stop her,’ I cringe,” Mike Fraser, a child psychologist in New York City, told me. “They’ve taken away all authority from themselves. They’ve resigned themselves to the fact that their six-year-old is going to run the house.”
The problem, Fraser says, is that most parents aren’t doing time-outs correctly. I spoke to him for some advice.
Ask “What Kind of Family Do We Want to Be?”
This is an important first step in creating the “culture” of your household. If you need some guidance on this, Fraser suggests this framing: In our family, we are safe, responsible, and respectful. These three words cover a lot of ground for the behavior you want to support: For example, you want your kids to speak to you and each other respectfully; you don’t want them to, say, swing their baseball bats in the house; you want them to control themselves with screen time when given some leeway. Over time, emphasizing these three policies will help your kids regulate their own behavior, because when they don’t, there’s a negative consequence. (It also requires, of course, that you and other adults in their life are also modeling safe, respectful and responsible behavior.)
Be Consistent
Consistency is the key to permanently changing behavior, even for adults. Fraser asks, “You know how when you park your car in a city, you pay close attention to the parking regulations—the time on the meter, the alternate-side parking rules? That’s because parking meter attendants are extremely consistent. You don’t gamble and think they’re not going to be there. They’re always there.” This has, broadly speaking, changed our behavior: We don’t want a ticket. We (mostly) follow the rules.
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Same goes for kids—we need to enforce the consequences like a robot if we want to see any effect.
Memorize These Three Words: Expectations, Rules, and Consequences
Time-outs, and shaping children’s behavior more generally, depend on their knowing the rules and expectations of the household. “Successful time-outs aren’t just an ‘in the moment’ thing,” says Fraser. “It’s a whole process. It’s like a workplace: People know what the expectations are. There are rules and consequences.” If your rule is that homework must be finished before screen time, make that clear. If your expectation is that children should help clear the table without being asked, that should be clear too. The consequences, both positive and negative, are directly tied to the behavior: If you cheerfully help with the grocery shopping, maybe you get to pick out a treat. If you whine the entire time we’re in the store, you lose a privilege.
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A time-out is a natural consequence for some negative behavior: hitting, screaming in the candy aisle, refusing to put on shoes, etc. Fraser outlines a four-step process for an effective time-out that will eventually shape appropriate, social behavior:
1. Look Them in the Eye
“Get down on their level and make eye contact,” says Fraser. “Explain what they’re doing wrong, and get back to the words unsafe, irresponsible, or disrespectful.” For example, “You are responsible for putting on your shoes so we can get to school on time. When you don’t put on your shoes, we are late.”
2. Give Them a Chance to Make Good by the Time You Count to Three
Tell them what rule they have broken, and give them a chance to remedy the situation: “Can you put on your shoes by the time I count to three?” and then start counting. “Don’t do two and a half, two and three-quarters—if you’re going to count to five, count to five,” says Fraser. If they can’t put on their shoes, or apologize to their brother, or stop screaming in the checkout aisle, the time-out begins in their room, or on the time-out step, or wherever.
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The language is important here: You are not “putting them” in time-out—they have earned a time-out as a consequence of their actions.
3. Start the Timer
Set them in their time-out place—either a “naughty” chair or step or a specific place in their room—and start the timer for one minute for every year of age (so three minutes for a three-year-old, four for a four-year-old, and so on). If your kid won’t stay in time out, you have to return them—neutrally, without getting angry—to the time-out spot. This is where patience comes in. “Even for parents who are willing to put in the work, [this is where] they tap out early. They fold under pressure,” says Fraser. Take a look at this video of Supernanny, in which a defiant three-year-old is placed back into time-out 67 freaking times.
Fraser says, “They will test the parent by getting up and running away from the time-out seat. You can’t give up. Eventually they will give up. If you can’t physically manage it, get a family member to help.”
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Fraser does note that there are some children for whom time-outs really don’t work—he cites children with developmental delays, and agrees with me when I ask about children with mental illnesses. “If this is something you’re really struggling with, you might want to consult a medical professional,” he says. He also notes that in extreme cases, if a child is completely out of control—e.g., destroying thing, punching holes in walls, tearing up the house—and you’re afraid for their safety or your own, “You have to be prepared to call 911.”
4. Insist They Apologize
When the timer dings, “they have to appropriately apologize. This is the moment to learn what a ‘good’ apology is—they have to say it so the person receiving the apology really feels [that they’re sincere],” Fraser says.
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None of this is easy: “You have put in the work, and it’s really hard,” says Fraser. It’s tempting to give up, to think that eventually they will “grow out of” their bad behavior. But Fraser notes that we immediately correct other mistakes our kids make—we would never think of letting the statement 2+2=5 stand, for example, “because we know that to not understand math is a severe disadvantage. It’s the same with behavior—this is ultimately a process of teaching a child how to be in the world.”
by Adam Clark Estes on Gizmodo, shared by Virginia K. Smith to Lifehacker
All photos: Adam Clark Estes
This year, Apple broke from tradition and introduced two totally new iPhones: the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X. What’s up with that? As cool as the iPhone X looks, the iPhone 8 is still a fantastic device.
That in mind, you’re probably reading this review to answer a two-part question: Should I buy an iPhone 8 now, or should I wait a couple months for the iPhone X? Here’s my answer: It’s complicated.
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The iPhone X and its edge-to-edge screen was the star of the show a couple weeks ago, but that hype shouldn’t belie the fact that the slightly redesigned iPhone 8 is an impressive piece of hardware that offers most of the same features—for a lot less money. And after spending a week with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, I realize that the cheaper phones are going to be perfect for a ton of people.
The basics
If you saw an iPhone 8 on the street, you’d probably think it was an iPhone 7. The phone’s overall design is the same, but on the outside, you’ll notice that the iPhone 8 has a glass back instead of a metal one. It almost just looks like it’s been painted with a glossy lacquer, like nail polish.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus look just like their iPhone 7 counterparts from the front.
The differences between the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8 are otherwise less visible. According to Apple, the iPhone 8 is built with “the most durable glass ever in a smartphone.” (Some stress tests suggest that the improvement is marginal, and the iPhone 8 glass can still scratch and shatter.) The Retina display itself also features something called True Tone technology which adjusts the screen’s white balance in different environments. This feature is very noticeable when looking at the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 7 side-by-side, and I believe it is easier on the eyes.
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The iPhone 8 camera is improved with a bigger 12-megapixel camera as well as a better flash and better optical image stabilization. The iPhone 8 Plus has a new software feature in beta called Portrait Lighting, a gimmick in my opinion, but a fun one.
The processor—and this is neat—is a new six-core A11 Bionic chip that’s optimized for photography and augmented reality apps.
Finally, the iPhone 8 has Qi wireless charging.
The white and silver iPhone 8 kind of looks like a ghost, but check out that fancier flash module.
The day-to-day
Most people use their phones for a lot of simple things and a handful of complex ones. You probably text a lot, check your email, and make actual phone calls. (Quick note: Apple has admitted that there’s a problem with crackling noise when taking calls through the earpiece, but a fix is on the way.) You probably use fairly basic apps for stuff like social media, banking, or reading the news. You take photos and the occasional video. And you might play some games that require some heavy-lifting on the processor’s part.
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If you’re currently using an iPhone 7 or any recent flagship Android, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in how the iPhone 8 handles these day-to-day tasks. But at certain times of day, usually when I was playing Sim City, it’s obvious that the A11 Bionic processor in the iPhone 8 is a snarling beast of a chip. The Sim City app itself loads twice as fast on the iPhone 8 than it does on my old iPhone 7. The gameplay is also smooth on the newer device, whereas I’m used to annoying stutters when moving around my sad, fictional metropolis on an iPhone 7.
The new gold color is more of peach and copper combo, but it’s a pleasing combo.
What’s really new is augmented reality, and this is where the A11 Bionic processor should really matter. Tinkering around with the limited number of AR games currently in the App Store is fun as hell on the iPhone 8. The Machines, that game we saw on stage at the iPhone event, is brilliantly complex and realistic. It transformed my living room into a futuristic battlefield almost instantaneously, and the gameplay was just as smooth as my old standby, Sim City, on the iPhone 8. Similarly, Monster Park, Giphy, and Ikea Place all offered the best AR experiences I’ve ever had with no lag at all.
The only thing is, these AR games performed pretty well on my iPhone 7 as well. This is likely due, in part, to Apple building great software in iOS 11 to offer great AR games on as many devices as possible, regardless of their specs. Generally, though, Apple says that the improved performance in the A11 Bionic chip will make AR apps more stable and render richer details. And the new A11 Bionic chip (left) did smoke the A10 Fusion chip (right) in our benchmark tests.
The camera
The curved edges on the new glass back make it seem more like a finish than a component of the phone.
Another barely noticeable upgrade on the iPhone 8 is the camera. Like the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 features a 12-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture camera. The specs for bothmodels are identical on Apple’s website. In fact, the only difference in the specs for the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus is the addition of the Portrait Lighting mode—which is still in beta, by the way—for the iPhone 8 Plus. However, the teardown from iFixit shows that Apple does include a slightly larger sensor in the iPhone 8 series. This means deeper pixels and richer colors as well as better low light performance. The teardown also revealed four magnets in the camera that go towards improved optical image stabilization. Otherwise, the new camera leans on the A11 Bionic chip for better image processing.
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While it’s nice that Apple did some hardware and software upgrades for the iPhone 8 camera, most people probably won’t notice the difference in their photos. I took a series of identical shots with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 in a variety of settings (sunny day, cloudy day, low light, total darkness), and even as someone trained to spot improved image quality, I have to squint and turn my head to see the difference between the two generations of iPhone cameras. The difference does exist. But boy, oh boy, is it specific to certain situations.
All of the photos below were taken at the same time with both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 7 cameras. In brief, the iPhone 8 does indeed produce richer colors in certain situations. The new camera also performs slightly better in low light conditions. And that new flash is a lot better.
Sunny day
Check out the wider range of blues in the sky in the iPhone 8 image. Both offer amazing detail for a smartphone image.
Low light
See how those reds pop slightly more in the iPhone 8 image. Both look pretty good, though.
Cloudy
Again, the red is just a little bit redder in the iPhone 8 image, but both are pretty similar otherwise.
Dark
It’s difficult to see, but there’s some noise in the darkest parts of the iPhone 7 Plus image that’s not there in the iPhone 8 Plus image.
Flash
Thanks to a new double exposure feature, the flash in the iPhone 8 Plus captures details in the background that the iPhone 7 Plus flash washes out.
Zoom
See earlier comment about the reds popping more. Otherwise, the optical zoom performance is the same.
Bokeh
I don’t see any evidence of Bokeh artifacts, though I do see some reds popping!
Portrait
There’s some bluer blues in the sky on the left, but the portraits otherwise look identical on both phones. The center image is taken with the Studio Lighting option in the Portrait Lighting mode.
If we’re just talking about image quality difference between the last generation of iPhone and this one—I can’t see them. I can slightly see some improvements in the flash, but the flash is the component of the camera I use the least, so I don’t really care.
Wireless charging: The unexpected winner
You ready for this? You’re about to read a series of words I didn’t think I would write. And I’m humbled to be writing them.
The best thing about the iPhone 8 is… wireless charging.
In fact, I would argue that it’s almost worth the price of an upgrade for lazy bums like me. I should also add that I expected to be thoroughly unimpressed by the newfound ability to slap an iPhone on a wireless charging pad and top up the battery. Android phones have done this for years! It’s not that hard to plug in a charger! Wireless charging is, however, incredibly convenient, if you’ve got the right set up.
Here’s a closer look at that copper tone versus the classic silver.
My charging habits are pretty routine, which is largely why I thought wireless charging would be a moot feature. I plug in my phone at bed time. I unplug it in the morning. If it gets low, I plug it in at my office. Now that overnight charge is easy: plug in the phone, unplug it when I wake up. Have I reached for my phone in the middle of the night and forgotten that it’s plugged in and knocked a glass of water onto the floor causing shattering and chaos. Yes, I have. But for the most part, that’s not the issue. Having a wireless charging pad at my office is a game changer. I can plop my iPhone on the pad while I’m at my desk, grab it to run to a meeting, come back, plop, repeat until charged.
Who should buy the iPhone 8?
By now, it should be obvious that I like the iPhone 8. I like it slightly more than my iPhone 7, and I like it a lot more than my old iPhone 6. So here’s the rundown of what I’d do if I were you and considering buying a new iPhone.
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If you want the iPhone X, wait six weeks and buy it. Good luck with that, too, because there will almost surely be shortages. It will also cost you at least $1,000.
If you have an iPhone 7, and you like it—and it works—you don’t need the iPhone 8. You might want it, and if you can’t help yourself, you might buy the iPhone 8. But you don’t need it. Aside from wireless charging, your old iPhone 7 does everything almost as well as the iPhone 8. Wait for the iPhone 9 or whatever Apple’s going to release next year.
The iPhone 8 and its glass back feel a lot like the jet black iPhone 7.
If you have an iPhone 6 or older, you should want the iPhone 8. The new design, improved camera, more powerful processor, as well as the addition of wireless charging will rock your world. Depending on how long you’ve had your old device and how much your battery has crapped out, the improved battery life will change your life, too. The iPhone 8 clocked almost 13 hours of video playback in our tests, and iPhone 8 Plus got slightly more.
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More than anything, though, the iPhone 8 is a good way to future proof your phone life for a couple years. Better devices will obviously hit the market, but the iPhone 8 is as good as they get right now. At least it is for the next six weeks, when the iPhone X starts to ship.
While travelling by bus to a game in Amsterdam, a highly encouraged Kai Lewis of Football Road Trips quite effortlessly spun a number of rather salty tales using different accents from around the world that were being randomly called out by his teammates. Amongst the accents Lewis performed were Irish, Northern Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Spanish, French, Italian, South African, Australian and New York City.
Here is our CEO, Kai, smashing the accents on the way to Amsterdam on this weekend’s trip.
Welcome to the Shirk Report where you will find 20 funny images, 10 interesting articles and 5 entertaining videos from the last 7 days of sifting. Most images found on Reddit; articles from Facebook, Twitter, and email; videos come from everywhere. Any suggestions? Send a note to submit@twistedsifter.com
THE CURRENT WAR is the epic story of the cutthroat competition between the greatest inventors of the industrial age over whose electrical system would power the new century. Backed by J.P. Morgan, Edison dazzles the world by lighting Manhattan. But Westinghouse, aided by Nikola Tesla, has seen fatal flaws in Edison’s direct current design. Igniting a war of currents, Westinghouse and Tesla bet everything on risky and dangerous alternating current.
Are you only an occasional gum chewer? If so, and you figure it can’t hurt to pick up a pack of “whitening” gum like Orbit White, you should know that your teeth won’t get any whiter unless you’re constantly chewing the stuff.
Take a look at that label—you’d need to spend a full hour of every day chewing this gum, just to notice a difference after three months.
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Orbit doesn’t link to the study anywhere I can find, so we don’t even know how much of a difference those 84 hours of gum-chewing made. Did people’s teeth go from yellow to ever-so-slightly less yellow? Or was it the kind of change you can easily see in the mirror? Looks like you’ll have to chew 420 pieces of gum to find out.
Animals are known for being particularly attuned to changes in weather and in the wake of the incoming Hurricane Harvey, a wayward, terrified hawk took refuge in William Bruso‘s taxi and refused to leave. Bruso, who obviously cares for animals, let the frightened bird commandeer his cab and gave him the name Harvey the Hurricane Hawk. When Bruso brought the hawk to relative safety, Harvey refused to fly away. Bruso and friends decided that they would let Harvey hunker down with them during the storm. Harvey took his place on the dashboard as a CabbieHawk Co-Pilot and went home with Bruso. Once arrived, Harvey perched atop Bruso’s bar and waited out the storm. He enjoyed a few treats, but mostly stood pensively still. The next day, a representative from TWRC Wildlife Center came to Bruso’s home and took Harvey to be examined and released once it was safe to do so.
It’s just before 7am and Hurricane Harvey is pouring down rain in Houston, Texas.
Harvey The Hurricane Hawk is hunkered down with us. Our resident guru Benny Booboo is hunkering down with us as well and we’re OBVIOUSLY making a hurricane party out of it! So we decided to nominate Harvey the Hurricane Hawk as our Hurricane Harvey Mascot for the duration of the storm. He has made himself at home on his own next to my liqour and wine bar for the duration of Hurricane, leading me to believe he is a very intelligent Hawk.
As the end of this oh-so-short summer looms on the horizon, the city seems to be making up for lost time and grey skies with a weekend so full of things to do. With so much going on, deciding what to do can be hard. We hope we can help you out with that in offering you this weekend’s lengthy list of highlights.
Festival Picks
House of PainT: The annual hip hop festival returns to beneath the Dunbar Bridge this weekend. Head on down and be part of a true celebration of the urban arts, including beat battles, break dancing competitions, live graffiti art, musical acts, and workshops. There will be over 200 DJs, dancers, graffiti artists, and hip hop acts in attendance.
Capital Pride Week: Capital Pride Week continues, culminating with the Capital Pride Parade this Sunday afternoon. From brunches to dinners, races to board game socials – the goings on this year at Pride are too many to list. Be sure to see here for a full list of events.
Hopped & Confused: The 2nd annual Hopped & Confused Festival is happening this Friday and Saturday at Mill St. Brew Pub. Come enjoy Mill St.’s delicious beer and a two day lineup packed full of great Canadian artists including The Trews, Tokyo Police Club, New Swears, and Said the Whale.
Thursday
Spoken word: The OG 500 – Ottawa’s Grand Slam of Spoken Word – kicks off House of PainT this Thursday at La Nouvelle Scene Gilles Desjardins (333 King Edward Ave). Grab a ticket quick and don’t miss your chance to witness 12 of Ottawa and area’s best slam poets compete for the title Grand Slam Champ and a cash prize.
Ukrainian fair: Ottawa Welcomes the World: Ukraine is happening this Thursday at the Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park. Come learn about the Ukraine through traditional dance and musical performances including a set by the electro-funk group ONUKA. A helpful hint: Ukrainian food is delicious and you can eat until you have had your fill.
Old Growth in a New Field by Sarah Fuller.
Art exhibition: This Thursday marks the opening reception of Sarah Fuller’s new show in the OAG Annex at Ottawa City Hall. Fuller uses photography, video, sound, and combines these in an installation as a eulogy to the white pine trees that were felled in the Ottawa Valley as a result of the British Navy’s rampant logging.
Friday
Boat party: TIMEKODE takes to the Ottawa River this Friday night to bring us one last summer season dance party ‘Pon The River. Join DJs Memetic, Zattar, and special guest Bear Witness (A Tribe Called Red) for what is sure to be an amazing send off, before Memetic takes off abroad. The boat sets sail at le Quai des artistes in Hull at 10pm sharp.
Punk show: Vancouver’s NEEDLES//PINS, Ottawa’s Steve Adamyk Band, and Audio Visceral (fronted by Beau’s CEO Steve Beauchesne) are all on one bill at House of TARG (1077 Bank St). Cover is $10 which benefits For Pivot’s Sake, a non-profit established in Ottawa to engage and mentor youth by refurbishing donated skateboards.
Blues: The Robert Cray Band performs at Algonquin Commons Theatre (1385 Woodroffe Ave) on Friday night. Ottawa’s own blues guitar virtuoso Lucas Haneman will open for the five time Grammy Award winner and Blues Hall of Famer.
Saturday
Kitchen party: Kitchen Party returns to Bar Robo (692 Somerset W) this Saturday night. Our favourite KP DJs Hobo & Sweetcheeks will take to the decks with another of Ottawa’s great, DJ Eric Roberts, to bring you the best funk, soul, disco and a little bit of everything in between.
Dance jams: Another longstanding dance party and Ottawa’s biggest queer jam, Ohmyjam is celebrating their 5 Year Anniversary this Saturday night at Babylon (317 Bank St). Come dance to some great hip hop, RNB and reggae, brought to you by DJs Craig Dominic, Del Pilar, and D-Luxx Brown.
Bazaar: People from all backgrounds will enjoy the Ottawa Multicultural Eid Bazaar being hosted at the SNMC Mosque in Nepean (3020 Woodroffe Ave) on Saturday. Shop for clothing, jewelry, and taste great food. Family friendly: there are indoor and outdoor games for the kids.
Sunday
Pride parade: The Capital Pride Parade wraps up Pride Week this Sunday beginning at 1:30pm. Follow its route around the block, from Bank and Gladstone to Bank and Somerset.
Block Party: CHUO 89.1FM is throwing a Block Party in the afternoon, out front of Bar Robo (692 Somerset W). There will be live music and DJs, as well as some tasty eats and libations.
Soccer: Ottawa Fury FC take on NYRB II in what pundits call a “six-point game.” Ottawa and New York are neck-and-neck in the standings and, with only eight games remaining in the regular season, are competing for a spot in the USL playoffs. 2pm at TD Place. It’s the first home game for Julian de Guzman, who was appointed head coach and GM of the club this month.
There you have it, folks, an abbreviated version of this weekend’s events (believe it or not). Take a few minutes to plan ahead and have the best time getting out there.
Despite injecting a bit more inconvenience, in some ways, classic computer accessories like a mouse or wired Ethernet cable are superior to their modern counterparts. An actual mouse gives you more granular control, while an Ethernet cable can provide a solid connection when Wi-Fi won’t do. In those cases, toting around your productivity tools is worth the weight.
Here’s what Flickr user Heystek takes around, with enough cables and accessories to set up their own full-featured workstation wherever they’re at:
We know you’ve got a cool bag with some smart ideas inside, so let us know! Share your bag in our Lifehacker Go Bag Show and Tell Flickr pool, shoot me a message through the link below, or post it to your own Kinja blog with the tag “featured bag.” The photo has to be at least 800x450, and should include information about your bag, the gear inside, and what makes it great.
LAIKA has released a new video where they give us a glorious behind the scenes look at the art, science, and imagination of their animation studio. We get a close look at breathtaking stop-motion puppets, vehicles, and environments that were sculpted and built by the hands of talented artists who want to do the best job that they can.
