Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 1790

Gummy Pickles Are a Thing Now, But Should We Be Sweet or Sour on Them?

You know what’s great? Pickles. Also fantastic? Gummy bears. These are not controversial opinions. But like a mad scientist with a god complex, the folks at Vat19 have taken those two wonderful foods and combined them into one strange hybrid. And we don’t know if we should be sweet or sour about it, because what in the name of Dr. Frankenstein should we make of a gummy pickle that actually tastes like a pickle?



This new unusual treat from Vat19 and The Gummy Bear Guy, that we first learned about at Geekologie, isn’t just a gummy dessert in pickle form. We wouldn’t be confused about how to feel about that, because as gummy enthusiasts we’d be excited for a gelatinous candy we could really bite into it. The issue is this is not a sweet-tasting treat.

“This all-gummy ‘vegetable’ is flavored like a sour dill pickle with the chewy texture of gummy. While still slightly sweet, the predominantly pickle flavor and realistic appearance will trick your taste buds into thinking you plucked it right from the jar.”

I hope my tastes buds aren’t that stupid, especially because they say this also has a hint of green apple flavor, something I’ve never tasted when eating any sort of pickle. But just because this is weird doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good, or that I wouldn’t enjoy it; just that I don’t know. Fortunately, if you’re also curious, you can order one of these gummy gherkins from Vat19 for $5.99.

In fairness to them and their creation, Frankenstein’s monster was actually pretty sweet. Although things on Doctor Moreau’s island turned sour, so who knows what to expect from a gummy pickle.

Are you excited to eat a gummy pickle, or is this one creation you wish had never been brought to life? Take a bite out of our comments section and let us know why.

Images: Vat19

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TRANSFORMERS Generation 1 Opening Credits Get a Stop-Motion Remake

The Transformers have come a long way over the last three decades. The original animated series may have started as a way for Hasbro to sell more Transformers toys, but it also helped create a mythology which has withstood the test of time and led to several blockbuster films. While the live-action movies are overdue for a reboot, we still have a lot of affection for the show that started it all. So does this pair of Transformers fans who debuted their tribute to the franchise by recreating the original opening sequence in stop motion animation.



Via Game Informer, Lazy Eyebrow Reviewer shared this video on his YouTube channel; it’s the result of an eight month collaboration with Richard Sargent from Masterpiece Reanimated. Together, they used Hasbro and Takara’s Transformers Masterpiece figures to stand in for the Generation 1 Autobots and Decepticons. The results speak for themselves, and serve as a reminder of the show’s terrific character designs.

On his channel, Sargent previously posted re-animated clips which appeared in the closing credits of the first season, including glimpses of the Transformers on Cybertron. There are even some shots of Jetfire, the Autobot’s first member who could change into a large plane.



The Lazy Eyebrow Reviewer also recreated several of the commercial interstitials, which are also fun to watch.



For more information about the collaboration, you can visit Sargent’s Patreon page.

What did you think about these stop motion recreations? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: The Lazy Eyebrow Reviewer/Richard Sargent

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The Newest GAME OF THRONES Beer Bends the Knee to Queen Cersei

Cersei Lannister‘s choice of beverage might be a glass (or 30) of wine, but you will soon be able to drink to the Queen’s health–or demise–with a brew inspired by the Seven Kingdom’s ruthless monarch, thanks to Ommegang‘s newest Game of Thrones beer.

The next addition to the brewery’s new Royal Reserve Collection is Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and it bends the knee to the mad ruler who currently sits on the Iron Thrones. Ommegang says it wanted a beer that “emulated” one of the show’s most “complex” characters, so they combined a Belgian sour with a Belgian-style blonde ale “fitting for the fair-haired ruler who is as acerbic as they come.”

“Queen of the Seven Kingdoms pours a pale gold color with a brilliant white head. Aromas of melon, citrus, and lactic acidity meld together with fruity esters from the Belgian yeast. Tart citrus flavors soften to sweet malt flavors with notes of apricots. The finish is dry and crisp with a subtle citrus bite from the lemon peel. Queen of the Seven Kingdoms pairs well with sharp aged cheeses and salty cured meats, red meat or dark poultry, and spiced desserts like pumpkin pie or apple tarts.”

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms will be available on draft and in 750ml bottles starting on June 29th. This is the second beer in The Royal Reserve Collection. Hand of the Queen, a barleywine inspired by Tyrion Lannister, is already in stores, and there will be two more releases later this year in October and December.

We don’t know whether Cersei will survive the show’s final season or not, but now we have the perfect drink to toast her, win or lose.

What character do you hope inspires their next brew? We want to drink in your best ideas, so share them with us in the comments below.

Images: Ommegang, HBO

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Hydraulic Press Makes a Working Frying Pan Entirely From Aluminum Foil

Whether it’s keeping us safe from a creepy Furby, or transforming a wrench into a sweet-looking knife, or making a big ole mess just because it looks awesome, the Hydraulic Press Channel has proven that a giant crushing machine can bring us joy in so many diverse ways. But it turns out it’s even more versatile than we realized, because it can even help us prepare breakfast, by molding a whole bunch of aluminum foil into a working frying pan.

In the latest video from our favorite Finn Lauri Vuohensilta, he put his hydraulic press to work flattening giant balls of aluminum foil. That alone would have made for a satisfying video all on its own, but he did it to shape it into cookware. He also created a handle and rivets out of aluminum foil too, using the press to connect them. Then when it was all done he tossed it on an electric grill and cooked up a pretty delicious-looking fried egg.

Mmmm…aluminum foil fried egg.

And even though this isn’t a practical option if you are ever desperately in need of a frying pan (it’s not like you’ll ever be lost in the woods with only a powerful machine), it’s still nice to know it can do it. Because at this point the question is, what can’t a hydraulic press do?

What other household item would you love to see made by a hydraulic press? What other material could be used? We want to hear your best ideas, so we’d be crushed if you didn’t share them with us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Hydraulic Press Channel

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Who Will Die in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR?

War is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe–an Infinity War, to be precise–and with it will come countless casualties. This time around, it’s not just going to be minor characters dying in order to impel our heroes to action; rather, as directors Joe and Anthony Russo have indicated, Avengers: Infinity War is going to feature the permanent deaths of some major players in the MCU. While your inner comic book fan may be raising an eyebrow (because no one stays dead in comics for very long), the Grim Reaper is coming to collect in Infinity War and will be taking some poor, unfortunate souls with him. We have our own office deadpool going to determine who’s going to live and who’s going to die, and given our sterling track record with theories coming to pass, we’re feeling pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good about these odds. On today’s episode of Nerdist News Edition, senior news producer Jesse B. Gill and I put our heads together to reveal who is going to die in Avengers: Infinity War.

Captain America – 100%

 

Let’s start with the guy that we all pretty much know is dead meat. In his mustache-tacular interview with The New York Times, Chris Evans revealed that after the still-untitled Avengers 4, he is going to hang up the shield and will officially retire from playing Captain America. Now that detail of Steve Rogers appearing in Avengers 4 might make you think that he’s going to survive, but we have a distinct feeling that Cap is going to shuffle off this mortal coil when he goes toe-to-toe with Thanos in Infinity War. It’ll probably be a nice recreation of this scene from the comics.

As for the Captain America we see in Avengers 4, that will be due to surviving Avengers traveling back in time to confer with a past version of Cap or it will be a digital recreation from Tony Stark’s B.A.R.F. Box (which he debuted in Civil War). One thing’s for certain: Cap’s a goner.

Hawkeye – 100%

It’s not a great sign that Clint Barton is conspicuously absent from all of the Avengers: Infinity War marketing so far. Maybe the suits at Marvel don’t think we care about archery anymore. Or maybe it’s because his days are definitely numbered. Of course, this could be one of the reddest herrings of them all; there’s a chance that Hawkeye could fake his death in Infinity War and come back as Ronin, much like he did in the comics, which would be the perfect way to make Hawkeye the next Agent Coulson.

Loki – 99%

Losing Marvel’s best villain is going to hurt, but you’d better brace yourself because it’s almost assuredly going to happen. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has something that Thanos wants: the Tesseract, which contains the Space Stone. However, even that probably won’t save him from Thanos or the Black Order, who will lie, cheat, steal, and murder to get those cosmic mancala beads. While Loki may break bad at first, we think that coming into contact with Thanos and getting the full breadth of his sinister plan is going to give Marvel a way to give Hiddles McGriddles a graceful exit. And what better way to end Loki’s saga than hving him die while doing something somewhat noble and saying something unnecessarily cutting to Thor in the process?

Nebula – 85%

 

The Guardians of the Galaxy are going to be major players in Infinity War, and none of them have more beef with Thanos than their newest ally, Nebula. After showing off a slightly more heroic side in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Nebula could go out in a blaze of antiheroic glory as she tries to take glorious vengeance on the worst dad in the universe. After all, we know from the Infinity Gauntlet mini-series that she looks great wearing a golden glove.

 

The Vision – 75%

The evidence for the Vision biting the bullet is pretty compelling considering that the Mind Stone is basically his forehead, and he seemingly needs that to, you know, live. And Thanos rips it out. It’s right there in the trailer. Now, this could be a fake-out and maybe they’ll take the Vision to Wakanda so Shuri can figure out a way to save the synthezoid’s life, but it’s gonna take an awful lot of paprikash to recover from Thanos-induced injuries.

 

Gamora – 75%

The Guardians’ resident sword-wielding badass also has her fair share of daddy issues that could lead to her doing something reckless and deadly, especially after her sister gets killed. Gamora wouldn’t go down without a fight, but she seems like a strong candidate to go down swinging against Marvel’s Mad Titan.

Drax the Destroyer – 75%

And speaking of reckless and deadly, Drax the Destroyer stands a pretty decent chance of dying during his mission to take vengeance on Thanos. To defeat Thanos, our heroes are going to have to be smart. They’re going to have to carefully plot out their attack if they hope to survive this battle. So basically, the exact opposite of how Drax operates.

War Machine – 60%

After his brutal injury in Captain America: Civil War, killing War Machine might seem cruel and unusual, but let’s be honest — he is one of the most expendable Avengers on the roster. Heck, they’ve already replaced him once in the MCU. Plus, Tony keeps upgrading his own armor and never offers to share with Rhodey. I thought you guys were friends, Tony Stank!

Falcon – 40%

 

Falcon’s death would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the team. Who would look after poor Redwing? That being said, Sam Wilson has exponentially higher odds of becoming the next Captain America compared to dying at Thanos’ hands.

Star-Lord – 40%

While he might seem untouchable, Star-Lord is way likelier to die than you might expect. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Who? Peter Quill is our sleeper pick for sleeping with the fishes because of a clue on the Infinity War poster. Why is Chris Pratt billed last? Maybe because he gets…murdered…and thus doesn’t get a lot of screen time. Sure, there’s at least one more Guardians movie coming out, but considering that they’ve already killed Groot and Yondu…why not Star-Lord too?

Scarlet Witch – 40%

Unlike her brother, Scarlet Witch stands a great chance of making it out of this movie in one piece. With her powerful magic powers, she will likely prove instrumental in Avengers 4 in helping the survivors undo all the damage done in Infinity War. Plus, she’ll have to mourn the loss of Vision. And what do you do when you lose your Vision? You raise your glasses! Get it? Okay, I’m sorry.

Iron Man – 25%

Iron Man is almost definitely going to survive Infinity War, and he’ll probably feel pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty bad that Cap doesn’t. He has to lead the way in Avengers 4 and find some sort of redemption in the face of his allies’ deaths, and then maybe he can die. Or he can retire. Or have a buddy movie with Elon Musk. I mean, what else does Tony really have left to accomplish, anyway?

Black Widow – 25%

Although Black Widow is always putting herself in potentially deadly situations, she has a new solo movie in the works that will in no way be anything like Red Sparrow, so we think she’ll make it through Infinity War intact. If not, there’s always Lucy 2?

Spider-Man – 25%

Spider-Man is Marvel’s newly reacquired, motor-mouthed moneymaker, and after the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker is safe until there is another sequel or two at least. However, if he did get Uncle Ben’d, we already know that Miles Morales exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so we’d have a new web-slinger ready to go.

Doctor Strange – 25%

Doctor Strange is gonna…be just fine. Think about it: Brandywine Scootersnatch is just getting started in the MCU and he has way too many movies left on his presumed six-movie contract to die now. The same goes for Wong.

Hulk – 15%

I mean, come on. Thanos can’t kill Hulk. Hulk can’t even kill Hulk.

Rocket Raccoon and Mantis – 15%

Rocket Raccoon and Mantis are pretty safe because killing either of them would lack the emotional impact of offing some of the bigger players. They might get grievously wounded, for sure, but something tells me they will be a-okay.

Groot – 0%

Groot won’t die…because Groot is already dead. James Gunn confirmed it! Baby Groot is now Teen Groot, and I guess that Thanos could kill him too, but then we’d be right back to Baby Groot. Then again, maybe this should happen because Baby Groot is objectively, the best Groot

The Winter Soldier – 0%

Come on, guys, Bucky can’t die! Because he’s actually going to become the next Captain America. No, seriously, he told us so himself.

Thor – 0%

Everyone’s favorite shirtless Asgardian isn’t shuffling off this mortal coil anytime soon. Marvel finally figured out how to make a rad Thor movie with Ragnarok, and they’re gonna make more, so Thor will survive.

Ant-Man – 0%

 

Speaking of more Marvel movies, Ant-Man has a film coming out in July, so something tells me he’s safe keeping secrets from Baskin-Robbins in the meantime.

Black Panther – 0%

We can think of roughly 1.2 billion reasons why Black Panther has a zero percent chance of death. His solo movie is the most successful superhero movie in U.S. history; there’s no way Marvel is letting Thanos do anything to their newly minted cash cat. Now we just hope he doesn’t freeze when it really counts.

Thanos – 0%

 

Last and definitely the least chance of dying is that giant purple meanie himself, Thanos. There is zero chance he’ll be dead by the end of Infinity War because the Avengers are going to need a whole other movie to figure out a way to defeat him.

And there you have it, true believers! Do you agree with our statistics? Who do you think will bite it in Infinity War? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Disney/Marvel Studios

Additional reporting by Jesse B. Gill.

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SPIDER-MAN Is Getting His Black Costume Back

Spider-Man‘s famous red and blue costume is almost as iconic as the hero himself, but one of Spidey’s other outfits is making a comeback. At C2E2, Marvel revealed the black costume is returning in Amazing Spider-Man #800, and it will be sticking around for the relaunch later this summer.

Via Newsarama, Marvel showed off a few of Stuart Immonen’s pages from Amazing Spider-Man #800, which features Peter Parker in his black costume while facing Red Goblin. As readers of this week’s Amazing Spider-Man #798 know, Spidey’s red and blue costume was destroyed during his first battle with the enhanced Green Goblin. However, it’s unclear if Spidey’s black costume will be his new symbiote from the Venomized miniseries, or if it will simply be a regular outfit.

The black costume dates back to 1984, as Spider-Man returned from the original Secret War with an alien symbiote which joined with him. However, Peter Parker freaked out when he learned the bonding process might be permanent, and he rejected it. The symbiote soon found Eddie Brock, and together they became Venom, one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes.

While Spider-Man abandoned his black costume after Venom made his debut, he briefly wore it again after the Civil War event. It was meant to reflect Peter’s darker outlook after his identity was exposed and his Aunt May was nearly killed.

Speaking of Aunt May, it looks like she and Mary Jane are being freed from the Carnage symbiote by Flash Thompson/Agent Anti-Venom in the second preview page from Amazing Spider-Man #800.  That issue will be released on Wednesday, May 30. The new Amazing Spider-Man #1 will follow in July.

Are you excited about the return of Spidey’s black suit? Spin a web for us in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Comics

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With HOWARDS END, Hayley Atwell Continues to Subvert Female Characterizations

The days of the one-dimensional female character are, hopefully, falling to the wayside. After collectively reaching our limit as one half of the current dominant species on this planet, the demand for moving beyond long-held female tropes has resulted in a new crop of women being portrayed on-screen. And that is largely thanks to the likes of Hayley Atwell and other actresses like her who simply demand more. The woman who brought Peggy Carter to life in the Marvel universe has consistently looked for roles where the women aren’t simply damsels in distress or Strong Female Characters (SFC), living in the much more nuanced in-between, and her latest role—playing Margaret Schlegel in Starz and Kenneth Lonergan’s adaptation of the classic E. M. Forster novel Howards End—is exactly that.

For Atwell, it’s all about looking for more. It’s something she and the original Margaret (from the 1992 adaptation), her mentor Emma Thompson, discuss regularly. “Emma Thompson still remains a mentor to me—we worked together ten years ago—and she’s so great, so real, so whole and individuated as a person,” Atwell relayed to us giddily in conversation back in July. “She’s very bright and we were talking the other day about a female-led play about suicide. I emailed her and I was like ‘it’s really good, it’s really, really good, but why—when I think about all the parts I really want to play on the English stage—in the canon of great parts, why do pretty much all of them involve women who are either suicidal, having a nervous breakdown, or hysterical in some way? Or a villain?’ And she replied, ‘Yes, and all these finding myself stories—I mean for fucks’ sake I’m right here!’ And it’s so true.”



There’s more to women than our victimhood or ability to rise above such, and it’s something vitally important to Atwell and her career.

“People say to me, ‘you play such strong women,'” Atwell explained, clearly annoyed at the backhandedness of the compliment in 2018. “Well, why would you say that as if women aren’t strong? It’s really reductive, because it gives more credence to strength and tells us that vulnerability is therefore a weakness or something to be ignored or bring shame. That women have to be masculine and male to be considered strong.”

For generations, the “damsel in distress” model was the de-facto way to represent women on screen. In the late ’90s and early aughts, however, things began to shift to the polar opposite: the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense Strong Female Character—think Ripley in Alien or Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. It’s an idea as toxic as the damsel: forcing women, again, to exist in relation to the male interpretation of what it means to be “strong” or “weak,” making women either devoid of or hyper-emotional. Which isn’t to say there aren’t women that are more masculine Ripley or Brienne types, but it’s just as harmful as portraying them as only weak and in need of rescue. One looks at a woman purely as heart (damsel), the other as mind (SFC), and both limit the realities of what it means to exist as a woman.

And Atwell agrees. “There’s actually a bigger conversation to be had there about strength as just another way to categorize or reduce women to one thing or another.”

The women of Howards End are a bit of an anomaly to their time. They are, for lack of a better word, getting woke to the injustices thrust upon the experiences of the lower classes and trying to figure out how to live in a world where “what’s proper” is being questioned and redefined. Atwell’s character, Margaret, is a woman who leads with her heart and mind together—an idealist seated comfortably in the upper middle class, alongside her sister Helen (played by Philippa Coulthard), the more brash and, arguably, less grounded of the two.

Both women, however, revel in the fire in their bellies, which isn’t exactly what one would expect from a period piece set in this time. That fire sets this Edwardian piece apart from its predecessors; the women don’t merely exist, they question, they reconsider, and fight for something more. “That’s really sort of unusual, to have women of that class at that time, checking their own privilege and realizing that they are indirectly responsible for” the things that happened to others in lower classes, Atwell relayed.

In “archive footage and images of Edwardian women, when you see them they seem very stilted and ghostlike–and it’s almost like a lot of period dramas acted like that, quite stilted and mannered,” explained Atwell. “One of the reasons they looked like that is because it just took a long time for a photograph to be taken.” So when the team creating the film happened upon a bunch of street photography, everything opened up and became more three dimensional and real. “We found these action shots of these women—smoking cigarettes, carrying books, laughing with friends, walking through the streets—and we thought ‘let’s use all of that in our performances; let’s make it feel like it’s real.'”

And just like that, women once considered far more tempered and mannered are rocketed into fully realized life, whole and complicated, idealized and the idealizers, existing in more than one dimensional realms—leaping forth from the images of the time. It’s a similar feel to another Atwell character: Agent Peggy Carter. And like Margaret, Peggy, too, was shaped by Atwell’s desire to bring more of the reality of the female experience to the screen.

“It was so important to me. Like, can we make it so that her and Angie have a nice relationship? Can we see two women who like each other? Can we see Peggy as a woman who likes other women?” Atwell posited. “Because that’s my experience. Let’s see more of what it’s really like, without the reductive cattiness.”

Though Howards End is, according to Atwell, “ultimately about Helen and Margaret,” it’s also about how Margaret, who is “aware of her hypocrisy and her privilege, wants to know, she wants to understand, she wants to connect” beyond that, and the cost of such awareness in that era. “There’s a cost to being awake: when we realize our own hypocrisy, or we discover we got something really wrong, the emotional sobriety or feelings of shame and guilt that might come through that can also be too scary for people to want to live a conscious life.”

Thankfully, “Margaret is very modern [in that regard], but she also reminds me of the celebrities that think they’re now experts in how people should live their lives. They become lifestyle brands and inspirational speakers. And it’s really all about manipulating people to fuel one’s own narcissism. That power can be abused.”

And it’s something that translates into her real life. Atwell explained to me she regularly considers, “What’s my part in terms of my public voice? And am I checking my privilege here? How can I live a life that’s acceptable and tolerable to me but keeps me in touch? Well, it comes from doing work like Howards End, which encourages these types of conversations. This is who we are.”

Howards End premieres on Sunday, April 8 on Starz. Are you going to be tuning in? Let us know in the comments below!

Images: Starz; ABC/Marvel

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor, creator/host of Fangirling, and resident Khaleesi of House Nerdist. Find her on Twitter!

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INFINITY WAR’s IMAX Poster Easter Eggs Has Fans Going Too Far

It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for Avengers: Infinity War to arrive. The wait is almost over, and fans have been hanging on every available clue to decipher who’s in the movie, who’s going to die, and other hidden secrets. Marvel dropped a new IMAX poster for Infinity War this week, and fans are going out of their minds about Easter eggs which may or may not even be there. Today’s Nerdist News uses the Time Stone to slow your roll and explain what’s going on.

Join guest host and the man who makes Thanos smile, Hector Navarro, as he shows off the cool IMAX poster. If the poster was simply designed to look good, there would be no problem. Unfortunately, fans were told the IMAX logo was hidden in the poster four times. Once they heard that, they rushed to find other Easter eggs in there. Inevitably, this led to a potential Ant-Man sighting on Thanos’ knuckle.

Sure, that’s totally Ant-Man. And if you magnify the view to include the Quantum Realm, then you’re gonna see the original Wasp in there too. Do you begin to see the absurdity of it? At this point, we could say the Fantastic Four are hidden in the poster’s stars behind the Avengers and someone would believe it.

So far, Ant-Man has been completely absent from Infinity War‘s promotional campaign. If he’s in the movie, it’s probably a cameo at best. The good news is we do know both Ant-Man and the Wasp will be around for Avengers 4. It’s just going to be another year until we see that movie.

What do you think about the IMAX Easter egg hunt? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel Studios

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Elon Musk Wants You to Watch This Documentary About the Dangers of A.I.

For years, Elon Musk has offered dire warnings about the potential dark future of artificial intelligence. Now, Musk is turning up the volume of his message by sponsoring Do You Trust This Computer?, a new documentary that thoroughly explores the implications of A.I. for humanity. Musk participated in the film, and he’s paying to have it streamed online for free through this weekend.



Do You Trust This Computer? was directed by Chris Paine and engages with the many ways technology has become so pervasive in our daily lives. As the trailer demonstrates, the vast majority of people don’t even think about how much information they’ve shared on their computers. It’s scary to think how that can be used against us for targeted ads, social media, and even identity theft.

But the most alarming aspect about A.I. is the way it could grow far beyond its creators. Killer robots and A.I. are a sci-fi trope, but there may be very real dangers involved in creating an artificial life that doesn’t really need us around. We’ve given computers control of almost everything. Now imagine if the computers could think for themselves. This could become a life and death issue for all of us.

You can watch Do You Trust This Computer? through Sunday, April 8 on the film’s official site.

Will you be catching Do You Trust This Computer? this weekend? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image: Papercut Films

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Meet Fribo, the Cat-Like Robot Designed For When You’re Feeling Lonely

Have you ever wished for a way to connect with your friends beyond social media? Even when keeping tabs on each other through Facebook and Twitter accounts, there’s still a tendency for some people to remain isolated from those close to them. Loneliness is not a new problem, but it is an increasingly relevant one. The desire for human connection is part of the reason societies were formed in the first place.

Now, researchers in Korea have come up with Fribo, a cat-like robot that is designed to encourage people to reach out to each other in new ways. You don’t even have to leave the house or login to social media to get started. And as you can see in the following video, Fribo lets ordinary activities become conversation starters.



According to the Verge, Fribo resembles a Studio Ghibli creation, and we’re inclined to agree. Unlike other virtual pets, Fribo doesn’t exist to form a relationship with its users. Instead, it is meant to bolster existing friendships and connections by encouraging people to talk to each other. And unlike social media, Fribo doesn’t require potentially invasive information and it is only targeted to a few select individuals.

For now, Fribo is being designed and tested for users in Korea. But perhaps it may make its way to America in the near future. It’s an intriguing device, and if it works as intended, it could be very helpful for an increasingly lonely population.

What do you think about Fribo? Would you invite it into your home? Let us know in the comment section below!

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