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Elon Musk is talking about the Singularity with 'Rick and Morty,' and it's amazing (TSLA)

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Rick and Morty

Elon Musk showed off his new 280-character Twitter limit on Thursday morning in the best way possible: musing about the Singularity with the official "Rick and Morty" Twitter account.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO revealed in August that he watched the sci-fi show — only after a fan asked the question on everyone's mind.

While the show disgusts him from time to time, he said, he's a fan, and it's 30 minutes he enjoys sharing with his five sons. Very sweet.

"Rick and Morty" responded by promising to disgust the entire Musk family with the third-season clincher. Also very sweet.

And "Rick and Morty" delivered on its promise! Musk said the season-three finale was "disgustingly good." That compliment quickly escalated to Musk's musings about the Singularity, as can only happen when you're in a Twitter thread with a billionaire trying to colonize Mars.

The Singularity — the theory that machine intelligence will one day surpass our own — is one of Musk's favorite topics. Musk even launched a $1 billion startup, OpenAI, to ensure that artificial intelligence doesn't ultimately pose an existential threat to humanity and turn us all into house cats.

Musk also loves to spend time debating whether we're in a simulation. He has said there's a "billion-to-one chance we're living in base reality."

So there you have it: Musk is debating whether the Singularity has already been achieved in other simulations.

That fits nicely with Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty," which explains why Musk likes it so much — the entire premise of the show is that there is an infinite number of universes with an infinite number of timelines.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk just gave us a glimpse of the wild horses that roam near Tesla's Gigafactory

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NOW WATCH: Watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's most detailed plans yet to start colonizing Mars in just 7 years


Tyrese called out The Rock for delaying the next 'Fast and Furious' movie

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Tyrese Gibson Dwayne Johnson Getty

Following the announced one-year delay by Universal of the next movie in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, the finger-pointing has now started from cast members.

On Wednesday night, Tyrese Gibson, who plays the comic-relief character Roman in the franchise, took to his Instagram account and called out his costar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for being the cause.

With the hashtag #PSA to start his post, Tyrese congratulated Johnson and Hiram Garcia — one of the producing partners of Johnson's Seven Bucks Production company — for "making the fast and the furious franchise about YOU."

Later in the post, Tyrese wrote, "#FastFamily right? Nah..... it's about #TeamDewayne." He also pondered if, after the extended wait, the movie turns out like another "Baywatch," the other summer movie Johnson was in. "Baywatch" bombed at the box office and was slaughtered by critics.

Here's Tyrese's post:

This is not the first time an actor from the "Fast and Furious" franchise has called out another cast mate. 

While wrapping up his time shooting "The Fate of the Furious," Johnson took to social media to call out male costars for being “candy a--es” and not "true professionals." It was later believed that Johnson was referring to franchise star and producer Vin Diesel. The drama got to a point where they didn't do press together in the lead-up to the movie being released. And, if you look closely, they are never in the same shot in "Fate of the Furious."

It will be interesting to see if The Rock responds. As Tyrese notes in his Instagram post: "DJ even if they call I will not be deleting this post."

The untitled ninth movie in the "Fast and Furious" franchise will be released April 2020.

SEE ALSO: Every HBO show ranked from worst to best, according to critics

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The Las Vegas gunman rented a room overlooking a festival where Chance the Rapper and Lorde performed, police confirm

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chance the rapper

On Sunday, Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured more than 520 others at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas when he opened fire from a broken window in his hotel suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino across the street.

Police have now confirmed reports that one week before the attack, Paddock rented a room overlooking another Las Vegas festival: Life Is Beautiful.

The Life Is Beautiful festival took place from September 22 to 24 and featured artists like Chance the Rapper, Lorde, Gorillaz, and the xx.

The Daily Beast first reported that Paddock might have initially targeted the Life Is Beautiful festival when he rented multiple condos at the Ogden, a luxury condominium tower with a line of sight to the concert grounds.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo confirmed the report in a press conference on Wednesday. He said it was unclear why Paddock rented a room at the Ogden.

"Was he doing pre-surveillance? We don't know yet," Lombardo said.

Paddock checked into his room at the Mandalay Bay on September 28. Three days later, he shot into the crowd of about 22,000 concertgoers during the performance of the Route 91 Harvest festival's headliner, Jason Aldean. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Police found Paddock dead in his room and recovered a total of 42 guns from his home and hotel room. His motive remains unclear.

SEE ALSO: The Las Vegas gunman may have planned to attack Chance the Rapper and Lorde concert, report says

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NOW WATCH: 'It was an act of pure evil': Watch Trump's statement about the Las Vegas shooting — the deadliest shooting in modern US history

Netflix's price hike could boost its revenue by about $650 million in 2018, according to RBC (NFLX)

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narcos daniel daza netflix

Netflix will raise prices for its US subscribers starting Thursday, and Wall Street is loving it.

Netflix stock was up around 4% in trading Thursday on the news.

The price of Netflix's lowest-tier plan will not change from $7.99 monthly. But the most popular, the "standard plan," which allows HD and two simultaneous streams, will increase to $10.99 a month from $9.99. And the highest-tier plan, which supports features like 4K video resolution and four simultaneous streams, will increase to $13.99 a month from $11.99.

If subscribers hate price hikes, as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said last year on an earnings call, why is Wall Street smiling?

The main reason seems to be that investors are confident the increase won't cause big subscriber losses, as Netflix has continued to improve the quality of its offering over the last year, and therefore has boosted its pricing power. That means the price hike will be a boon for revenue.

"We believe that this price increase will likely be a revenue growth catalyst for the company," RBC analysts led by Mark Mahaney wrote in a note Thursday.

When assessing the impact of the price hike, RBC cited a proprietary survey that found 31% of respondents were on the "basic" plan, 43% were on the "standard" plan, and 26% were on the "premium" plan. In its last earnings report, Netflix said it had 51.92 million US streaming subscribers. Crunching the numbers, RBC estimated that the price increase would lead to about $650 million more in incremental domestic revenue in 2018.

That sounds great, but what if a ton of people cancel Netflix because of the price increase? 

Though some might, one reason many won't is simple: it's still a good deal relative to cable. In a report this summer, UBS analysts found that an average pay-TV package cost over three times as much per hour of viewing as Netflix. The per-hour cost of traditional packages was about $0.42, while that of Netflix was about $0.10.

Here's a chart from UBS that shows how Netflix prices have fared relative to cable prices over time:

screenshot2017 07 12at110647am

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 5 original animated series for adults, ranked from worst to best

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Outside criticism forced YouTube to change its search results after Las Vegas shooting conspiracy theories spread (GOOG)

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mandalay bay las vegas shooting

YouTube is revamping the way its search algorithm picks videos to display on the site, after a spate of clips promoting false conspiracy theories about Sunday's Las Vegas shooting were prominently featured on its site.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, is changing the algorithm that determines the most relevant videos, a source familiar with the matter told Business Insider. Although the change to the search algorithm was already in the works, YouTube decided to roll it out sooner in response to criticism of the way it handled results when users searched for "Las Vegas Shooting."

YouTube also plans to change the "up next" video recommendation feature, the person said. That change is still under development however, and will not be introduced immediately. 

A series of news reports and criticism on social media in recent days have highlighted how YouTube promoted false and misleading videos about the deadly Las Vegas shooting.

Police have identified Stephen Craig Paddock as the man who opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, killing 58 people and injuring more than 500. Yet conspiracy theory videos that appeared near the top of YouTube's search results in recent days claimed there were multiple shooters, that the shooting was a "false flag" attack, and that the shooter was a member of the left-leaning group Antifa.

The source did not specify what changes YouTube is making to its algorithm to differentiate authoritative news videos from conspiracy theory videos. News of the change was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

YouTube is also planning to revamp the related videos its shows users after the first video finishes playing. According to a BuzzFeed report the recommendations were also replete with misleading or false videos that the report said could lead users "down an algorithm-powered conspiracy video rabbit hole."

SEE ALSO: Facebook's response to the fake Russian ads isn't going to cut it

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Why the stars of 'Fixer Upper' are leaving the reality TV juggernaut after 5 seasons and a home-improvement empire

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Chip and Joanna Gaines

  • HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines announced season five of "Fixer Upper" will be the last.
  • In his upcoming book, "Capital Gaines," Chip explained how they came to this decision.
  • Ultimately, it was a matter of priorities: The show was taking their energy away from their family and business.

HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines are leaving their hit show "Fixer Upper."

In Chip's upcoming book, "Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff," the DIY entrepreneur explains exactly why.

"It was really easy for us to feel like we could do it all when the show and the business were in the early stages," writes Chip. "But the bigger things got — and they got big fast— the less energy we had to devote to all three. So much time was being allocated to filming that the details of the business were slipping."

In short, they are tired.

The Gaineses had realized, he writes, that between the two of them, they can do two things well at a time. However, for many years they were juggling three: their home life with four children, their business, and their TV show.

"These major responsibilities affect my ability to sleep, and they steal from my peace of mind," Chip writes. "Each is important. Each is worthwhile. And each is something that that can't succeed without Joanna's and my personal involvement."

Fans of the HGTV show might not realize that Magnolia, the Gaineses' business, predates "Fixer Upper" by over a decade. For years, the couple has been buying and flipping investment properties, renovating local homes in Waco, Texas, and operating home decor stores in the area.

The latest iteration of their business is Magnolia Market, the home-improvement hub they created in 2015 from two abandoned grain silos across the street from their children's school, which attracts visitors from all over the US. They also bought a restaurant in downtown Waco and partnered with Target to produce a line of exclusive home goods. Joanna collaborated with HGTV to produce a web series, "Behind the Design."

When the couple announced season five, which begins in November, would be the last season of "Fixer Upper," it was rumored that they made the decision because of safety concerns for their children, INSIDER reported. However, the statement a Gaines representative gave Entertainment Tonight aligns with Chip's explanation, as written in "Capital Gaines."

Chip and Joanna Gaines"Chip and Jo's decision to leave Fixer Upper is truly just based on wanting to catch their breath for a minute; to rest, refresh, and spend even more time with their family and growing businesses," the representative said.

"These past several years have been such a mind-blowing season of life for us," Chip writes. "They have also been a very real struggle. I've been in this lengthy internal wrestling match, trying to understand and prioritize these three main priorities while also fending off all the other big things that compete for my time. Who deserves the best of me? Which ones get the bulk of my passion and energy? And which, in turn, gets what amounts to my leftovers?"

Their marriage and children automatically take first place, he writes, and while he "dream[s] of the day Jo and I are chairmen of the board and not actually involved in the day-to-day operations" of their business, they are both still needed on the ground.

In fact, it was a tweet from a customer who was experiencing delayed shipping in their Magnolia order that made Chip realize he couldn't do it all.

In "Capital Gaines," Chip adds: "Success is such a complicated thing. All successful people want to be able to take at least some credit for their successes. But successful people also struggle in their heart of hearts about whether it was just luck, or just being in the right place at the right time, or something else."

Most of all, he continued, "these days I find myself wondering, What comes next?"

SEE ALSO: I traveled to Waco, Texas, to see the town that has been transformed by HGTV's hit show 'Fixer Upper' — here's what it's like

DON'T MISS: HGTV's 'Fixer Upper' makes house flipping seem like a good investment — but there's a catch

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NOW WATCH: HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gaines choose the opposite of trendy when designing a home

Ashley Judd has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment as part of a bombshell NYT report

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ashley judd

Superstar film producer and studio executive Harvey Weinstein, of The Weinstein Company, now has a slew of sexual harassment accusations against him: including one from Ashley Judd.

As part of a bombshell report in The New York Times, Judd went on the record that 20 years ago, Weinstein invited her to the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what Judd thought would be a professional breakfast meeting.

Judd said she was shocked when Weinstein sent her up to his room instead. Judd said Weinstein appeared in a bathrobe, offered her a massage, and asked her if she wanted to watch him take a shower. 

Judd said she remembered thinking: “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?” 

In 2015, Judd told the story to Variety without revealing the name of the person: 

"I was sexually harassed by one of our industry’s most famous, admired-slash-rivaled bosses ... He was very stealth and expert about it. He groomed me, which is a technical term – Oh, come meet at the hotel for something to eat. Fine, I show up. Oh, he’s actually in his room. I’m like, Are you kidding me? I just worked all night. I'm just going to order cereal. It went on in these stages. It was so disgusting. He physically lured me by saying, 'Oh, help me pick out what I’m going to wear.' There was a lot that happened between the point of entry and the bargaining. There was this whole process of bargaining—'Come do this, come do this, come do this.' And I would say, 'No, no, no.'"

Judd told the Times that she felt "panicky, trapped," and said if Weinstein wanted to touch her, she would have to win an Oscar for one of his movies first.

“There’s a lot on the line, the cachet that came with Miramax," Judd told the Times. Years later, Judd appeared in two more Weinstein films, but said Weinstein didn't harass her again.

As the cofounder of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company, Weinstein has had a huge influence on Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Some of his influential movies have won the Oscar for best picture of the year, like “Shakespeare in Love“ and “The King’s Speech.” Movies he produced like “Pulp Fiction,” "Clerks," "Good Will Hunting,” and “Scream” are huge staples in popular culture that live on to this day. He’s also been an executive producer for television shows, including “Project Runway” on Lifetime.

Judd said that "women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it's simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly."

The New York Times investigation found undisclosed allegations against Weinstein spanning almost thirty years, highlighting "a common narrative."

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Rose McGowan reportedly reached a $100,000 settlement with Harvey Weinstein in 1997

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rose mcgowan

Actress Rose McGowan reached a $100,000 settlement with film mogul Harvey Weinstein in 1997, according to a bombshell New York Times report that details numerous sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein. 

McGowan was 23 years old when she reached the previously undisclosed settlement with Weinstein, following what the Times described as "an episode in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival."

The legal document, reviewed by the Times, said that the settlement was "not to be construed as an admission" of harassment by Weinstein, but rather intended to "avoid litigation and buy peace."

In the same Times report, actress Ashley Judd accused Weinstein of inviting her to his hotel room, appearing in a bathrobe, offering her a massage, and asking her if she wanted to watch him take a shower. 

In 1997, McGowan was between work on the horror film "Scream" — which was produced by Weinstein's brother, Bob Weinstein, and his Dimension Films studio — and The WB show "Charmed."

As the cofounder of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein has had a huge influence on Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Six of the films he has produced have won the Academy Award for best picture, including "Shakespeare in Love" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

McGowan declined to comment on the Times story.

Weinstein has since provided the Times with a statement, in which he said he would take a "leave of absence" from The Weinstein Company in the wake of the allegations. 

SEE ALSO: Ashley Judd has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment as part of a bombshell NYT report

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Harvey Weinstein says he's taking a leave of absence after sexual harassment allegations surface

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harvey weinstein serious

Hollywood power player Harvey Weinstein said he's planning on taking a leave of absence following a bombshell article published by The New York Times on Thursday that brought decades worth of sexual harassment allegations against the movie mogul to light.

Weinstein released a statement to the Times apologizing for the way he had "behaved with colleagues in the past," and said he's aware that his actions have "caused a lot of pain." 

According to the Times, the producer is "working with therapists and planning to take a leave of absence to 'deal with this issue head on.'"

The producer said in his statement that he knows he has a "long way to go."

In the Times piece, actress Ashley Judd said that, 20 years ago, Weinstein asked if she would watch him shower, at what she thought was supposed to be a work-related breakfast meeting in his hotel room. The Times investigation also found undisclosed allegations against Weinstein spanning almost thirty years, highlighting "a common narrative."

Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein cofounded Miramax Films in 1979, before they left to create The Weinstein Company in 2005. Together, the Weinstein brothers have produced a mass of Oscar-winning films. During their time at both Miramax and The Weinstein Company, their films have earned 341 Oscar nominations, and have won 81 Academy Awards. Some of the Weinsteins' notable Oscar winners include "Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Shakespeare in Love," "Pulp Fiction," and "Good Will Hunting."

Each brother's share of The Weinstein Company was estimated to be around $130 million each, according to a Forbes report from 2015

There's no word from Weinstein on how long he plans on taking a leave of absence at this time. 

SEE ALSO: Ashley Judd says she was sexually harassed by a movie mogul who asked her to watch him take a shower

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Netflix stock hits all-time high after price hike for US subscribers (NFLX)

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Reed Hastings

Netflix shares reached a record high on Thursday, following the company's decision to raise its prices for US subscribers. 

Netflix stock closed at $194.39 per share on Thursday, up 5.4% for the day.

The figure is an all-time high, according to Variety.

Netflix raised the price of its most popular "standard plan" service to $10.99 a month from $9.99.

Its highest-tier plan, which supports 4K video resolution and four simultaneous streams, will increase to $13.99 a month from $11.99.

The company's lowest-tier plan will not change from its current price of $7.99 per month.

The stock surge suggests investors are confident the price increase won't cause big subscriber losses, as Netflix has continued to improve the quality of its content offering over the last year, and has therefore boosted its pricing power. 

RBC analysts have estimated that Netflix's price hike will boost its revenue by about $650 million in 2018.

The price increase comes as Netflix continues to spend more money on content. The company will spend close to $7 billion next year, according to its content boss, Ted Sarandos.

SEE ALSO: Netflix is raising its prices starting this month

MORE HERE: Netflix's price hike could boost its revenue by about $650 million in 2018, according to RBC

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Harvey Weinstein plans to sue The New York Times for a reported $50 million over its bombshell sexual harassment expose

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harvey weinstein jay-z

Film producer and studio executive Harvey Weinstein is taking a leave of absence from The Weinstein Company following sexual harassment allegations made against him.

Meanwhile, his lawyer says the studio mogul is preparing to sue The New York Times.

On Thursday, The New York Times published a bombshell expose that reveals decades of alleged sexual harassment against multiple women. One accusation came from actress Ashley Judd. The Times also reported that actress Rose McGowan reached a $100,000 settlement in 1997 over an "episode in a hotel room."

Shortly after the story was published, Weinstein's attorney Charles Harder told The Hollywood Reporter that he's preparing a lawsuit against The New York Times.

"The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein," Harder told The Hollywood Reporter. "It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses. We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations."

The New York Post, citing sources, reported on Thursday that Weinstein planned to sue "for as much as $50 million."

Harder recently represented Hulk Hogan in the litigation that brought down the publication Gawker, and he also represented Melania Trump in a lawsuit against the parent company of The Daily Mail, which settled earlier this year. In 2016, Harder sent a cease and desist letter to New York Magazine after their story about the sexual harassment allegations against Roger Ailes of Fox News.  

Weinstein's work has had an undeniable influence on Hollywood and the entertainment industry over the past three decades. Some of his movies have won the Oscar for best picture of the year, like “Shakespeare in Love" and “The King’s Speech.” He also produced industry-changing movies like “Pulp Fiction,” "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," and "Clerks," which are still staples in pop culture and huge influences on modern filmmaking.

Before the announcement that Weinstein will sue the The New York Times, he sent the publication a statement that included an apology for his actions, a Jay-Z quote, and a list of accomplishments.

SEE ALSO: Ashley Judd has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment as part of a bombshell NYT report

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Google's new $50 speaker is a smarter alternative to the Amazon Echo Dot (AMZN, GOOGL, GOOG)

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google home mini

  • The Google Home Mini is a small, palm-sized $49 smart speaker powered by the Google Assistant smart voice assistant.
  • Google Home Mini is a direct competitor to Amazon Echo Dot, a very popular smart speaker that costs the same and is roughly the same size.
  • In my first tests, I like the Google Home Mini more than the Amazon Echo Dot because the Google Assistant agent is generally smarter than Amazon Alexa.

Amazon's Echo Dot is a sensation: Affordably priced at $49.99, the sleek, puck-shaped gadget seems to be leading the pack for voice-controlled smart speakers — and taking Amazon's Alexa voice assistant into new places

So it came as no surprise this week when Google announced the Google Home Mini, its own take on a smaller smart speaker, at almost the exact same price of $49. It's powered by Google Assistant, the search giant's own voice assistant, and ships on October 19th.

Not only did I get to play with a Mini after the big Google hardware event this week; I got to bring one home and try it in my own house too. And I'm here to make the case that the Google Home Mini is, indeed, better than the Amazon Echo Dot. 

Functionality-wise, the two devices are very similar. You wake them up with a magic word — "Alexa" for the Echo Dot, and "OK Google" for the Home Mini — and then ask them to do things. Both of them can play music from major streaming services, set alarms and timers, give you sports scores, and control your smart lightbulbs and other "connected" appliances. 

Amazon Echo Dot

The two devices are also very similar sizes, not much bigger than a hockey puck, though the Home Mini is a little shorter and a touch wider. The Google Home Mini sports an, ahem, unique fabric-covered aesthetic. You can get it in black or white, and Google itself will be selling an exclusive "coral red" color.

The Home Mini has touch controls on top for volume, and a switch that mutes the microphone. In my initial tests, the Google Home Mini's speaker seems both a little louder and a touch clearer than the Dot's. 

The Home Mini also supports Bluetooth, so you can connect other gadgets to it and control them with your voice. But it lacks an auxiliary port, which the Dot has. Generally speaking, though, if you really care about sound quality and don't plan on using an external speaker, you're going to want either the larger, original model Google Home ($129) or Amazon Echo ($99). 

google home miniBoth devices also carry some corporate synergies. With an Amazon Echo Dot, you can shop on Amazon, control a Fire TV streaming box and listen to Amazon Prime Music; with a Google Home Mini, you can control Chromecast streaming devices, access Google Play Music, and shop with new Google partner Walmart. It's a matter of taste.

Okay, so if the two devices are the same in so many ways, why do I like the Google Home Mini better? Well, to answer that, I'm going to have to take a big step back and explain why I like the Google Assistant better than Amazon Alexa. 

Assistant over Alexa

Before equipping my house with my first Google Home, I tried the Echo Dot, but got really frustrated at its limitations. It can answer some basic questions ("When do the Yankees play next?"). But, despite Amazon's efforts  to smarten Alexa up over the years, it tends to stumble over anything more complicated ("How do I get rid of a depleted fire extinguisher?").

You can enable Alexa "skills," or apps, that extend its knowledge and functionality — skills for recipes, for games, and trivia, and relaxation. And Amazon, to its credit, has put in a lot of work in nudging you towards the right skill, depending on your question. Not every skill is great, though, and frankly, I don't always remember which skill I need when I'm just trying to figure out a question. 

Which is why I like the Google Assistant, and thus Google Home, better. Because it taps straight into Google's base of knowledge, both global and personal, Google Assistant can answer lots of questions, even the really obscure ones. "What day was the battle of Hogwarts?" "How does Pikachu evolve into Raichu?" Even, "when is my flight on Tuesday?"

google home mini

I don't want to sound too down on Alexa. Amazon has put a lot of smarts into its assistant, and it's really convenient to be able to check on my Amazon orders or place new ones with my voice. Functionality-wise, Alexa integrates with way more third-party apps, meaning I can use it with my preferred shopping list app. And yet, Google Home is my favorite.

When we started using the Google Home in my house, we were skeptical after our experiences with the Echo Dot. However, the Google Home has won us over to a frightening degree. "Just ask Google" has become a refrain in our house, for identifying actors in movies, to figuring out what the heck an "ancient grain" is in a recipe. 

And the Google Home Mini makes it cheaper to stock our home up with that kind of intelligence, plus each individual unit is more demure and easier to stash on a bookshelf or endtable. We already love Google Assistant, so the only way Google could have messed this up for us by whiffing on the hardware. And so far, Google Home Mini is great.

SEE ALSO: Google's new $400 speaker is a room-shaking monster

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NOW WATCH: This is the Google Home Mini — Google's answer to Amazon's Echo Dot

Watch Adam Savage go undercover as Chewbacca at New York Comic Con

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Did you come across a 7-foot-tall Chewbacca at Comic Con in New York? There was a familiar face inside. Adam Savage of "Mythbusters" and Tested fame went incognito on the convention floor as the furry fan favorite "Star Wars" character Chewbacca. We watched him get ready and followed him around to see how fans reacted. Following is a transcript of the video.

Adam Savage: Hey I'm Adam Savage from Tested.com, formerly of "Mythbusters."

I'm here at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York for New York City's Comic Con.

If you didn't know this about me, I have a cosplay habit. I go to cons all year round, and I walk in costume.

Last year was my first year at New York City Comic Con, and I made a seven-foot-tall Totoro costume. Today I am doing a brand new thing. I am walking with Chewbacca as a captured prisoner of a First Order stormtrooper, who will be played by Tested.com’s own Norman Chan.

The trick to Chewie is that he's a little bit tousled. His hair is tousled. And if you tousle it right, he looks right. See? It's kind of an Empire hairdo.

There are a lot of little things to do to prep for Chewbacca. One: I have to take my glasses off and put in a single contact lens. This is how I've learned to see in cosplay. If I put in two contact lenses, I can't see my phone, and that effectively makes me useless.

I also made some Imperial cuffs out of PVC. One hour build.

I have some tall boots that I wear that make me about 7 inches taller. The shirt here and the pants are Kanekalon artificial hair latch hooked onto webbing. So it’s a very lightweight and breathable costume. And then with the top of Chewbacca’s head rising about 5 inches above mine, I am almost 7-feet tall.

Yes, I do sweat in there.

I am ready to be led around as a prisoner.

I am so energized by what it's like to walk around. Because when people see a Chewbacca in front of them, they kind of lose their minds. They never thought that they would see a Chewbacca, and many of them just come up and hug you.

Like, Chewie is such an amazing character. He’s my favorite non-human character in film. So I love bringing him around and allowing people to experience a Chewie in the wild.

"Get a picture!"

"Hurry up, he’s a prisoner!"

"Chewie!"

I wanna take pictures with everybody, and when we stop, it's just not enough time. So we take like 10 or 15, and then we have to keep moving. Otherwise we’re just going to clog up that whole portion of the con.

"Chewbacca!"

"Hey Chewie, can I get a selfie?"

I’m Adam Savage. You guys look amazing. Keep it quiet.

"Later Chewie!"

Dude!

Norman Chan: Oh my god!

Savage: How was ... hey look at you sweaty!

I'm replacing a portion of the water I just sweated out. Nathan Fillion told me that in a very hot suit, he's lost as much as 3 pounds in an hour in water weight alone. And I'm sure I have come close to the same thing.

The second best part about cosplay, aside from walking the floor, is taking the costume off.

Alright, back to the rehearsals for Mummenschanz.

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The Rock and Jason Statham's 'Fast and Furious' spinoff movie will come out in 2019

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Jason Statham and Dwayne The Rock Johnson In Fate of the Furious

News broke earlier this week that Universal had pushed back the release date of its ninth movie in the "Fast and Furious" franchise by one year, and it's now been revealed why that was done.

The first spinoff movie in the money-making franchise will come before it.

A movie that will focus on the characters played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham will be released in 2019, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That will follow with the ninth "Fast and Furious" movie in 2020.

News of a movie being developed that would focus on the popular Hobbs (Johnson) and Shaw (Statham) characters surfaced soon after the success of this summer's "The Fate of the Furious" release. The characters formed a unique bromance in the movie, which was one of its highlights.

According to THR, longtime franchise screenwriter Chris Morgan is developing a script.

The news also brings some clarification to the Instagram post Tyrese Gibson did on Wednesday. Following the news of the ninth "Fast" movie getting pushed to a 2020 release, Gibson, who plays the Roman character in the franchise, called out Johnson on Instagram congratulating the star for "making the fast and the furious franchise about YOU."

the rock fast and furious 7It's clear Gibson believes Johnson — who joined the franchise on 2011's "Fast Five" and helped rejuvenate it to become the $1 billion-plus worldwide box office giant it is today — muscled Universal into getting the Hobbs/Shaw movie made first.

However, THR claims the studio is trying to get director Justin Lin to come back to make the ninth movie (he made "Fast & Furious," "Fast 5," "Fast & Furious 6"), so the push to 2020 will hopefully help to accommodate Lin's schedule.

Regardless, it's a smart business move by Universal. The extension of one of their most prized franchises helps in competing with Disney's "Star Wars," which has now branched off to making standalone movies between the releases of the main saga. 

SEE ALSO: Conservatives and liberals love wildly different TV shows — here are the top series across the political spectrum

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Country star Eric Church broke down during a tribute to Las Vegas shooting victims: 'Those were my people'

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eric church

Country singer Eric Church held back tears as he performed a new tribute song for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival. 

Church played the song, "Why Not Me," at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, three days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

Church was a headlining performer at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, two days before a gunman opened fire on its crowd during the performance of Jason Aldean, killing 59 people and injuring more than 520 others. 

"Those were my people. Those were my fans," Church said during the performance on Wednesday.

The singer broke down as he described two seats that were left empty at the Opry and meant for a man named Sonny Melton, who died in Sunday's attack in Las Vegas, and his wife, Heather, who survived.

Watch the performance below:

SEE ALSO: The Las Vegas gunman rented a room overlooking a festival where Chance the Rapper and Lorde performed, police confirm

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Ryan Gosling's 21 most notable performances, ranked from worst to best

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Ryan Gosling Crazy Stupid Love Pizza

Ryan Gosling is the Hollywood heartthrob of his generation. 

And over Gosling's nearly three-decade career (he's been acting since he was eight), he's proven that he's also one of the best actors of his generation. 

Ryan Gosling became America's boyfriend when "The Notebook" came out in summer 2004. But Gosling had actually been around for quite some time before then, including a role in 2000's "Remember the Titans," and a chilling role as a Neo-Nazi in 2001's "The Believer." 

"The Notebook" made him a star, but his meaty roles in small, thoughtful films like "Lars and the Real Girl," showed that he's much more than a pretty face.

He's fully invested in playing the hot love interest in films like "Crazy, Stupid, Love," but he's also interested in showing off his subtle and seemingly effortless acting style in ambitious, stylish films like "Drive," "The Place Beyond the Pines," and "La La Land."

In anticipation of his next big movie, "Blade Runner 2049," in theaters Friday, we ranked our favorite major Gosling performances from worst to best. 

Here are all of Ryan Gosling's major performances, ranked:

SEE ALSO: 'Blade Runner 2049' is a stunning piece of sci-fi art, but don't compare it to the original

21. "Gangster Squad" (2013)

This stylish, violent, and unmemorable film tries so hard to be "Chinatown" meets "L.A. Confidential," that even its star-studded cast fail to sell it. Ryan Gosling isn't bad here, but he can usually save a mediocre movie and an undeveloped character with his charm. But he doesn't save the day in "Gangster Squad," perhaps due to the clunky dialogue that's ridden with cliches and impossible to sell for any actor.



20. "Song to Song" (2017)

"Song to Song," from legendary filmmaker Terrence Malick, is a beautiful-looking disaster. The pretentious love story about musicians in Austin, Texas, is so caught up in its stunning visual filmmaking that the plot is awful, the characters lazy, and the performances, including Gosling's, forgettable. We completely forgot this movie (which was released in March 2017) ever happened, and it also starred Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett, which says enough on its own. 



19. "Stay" (2005)

This straight-forward but edgy psychological thriller from director Marc Forster ("World War Z") and writer David Benioff ("Game of Thrones") follows a suicidal man played by Gosling, who taunts his psychologist (Ewan McGregor), who just survived an awful car accident. Like many of Gosling's earlier films, this isn't great, but he's good in it, playing very well against McGregor and Naomi Watts. There are other older Gosling films that are more worth your time.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what you need to do to find Nintendo's $80 mini Super Nintendo

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Getting your hands on the new $80 mini Super Nintendo isn’t easy. Chances are, if you're reading this, you didn't line up on September 29 like these fine folks.

Super NES Classic Edition line, Best Buy, September 29, 2017

But don't despair — Nintendo is restocking the console throughout the holiday season, and we've put together a comprehensive guide to how best to snag one as they become available. You'll need to stay on your toes and be prepared to pretty much drop whatever you're doing, but it is possible to find one in the wild.

Here are the best ways to keep track of SNES Classic stock at all the major retailers where it's sold.

SEE ALSO: The 19 biggest games arriving in the second half of 2017

1. Target

If you want to find an SNES Classic in stock at Target, you're going to have to do it the old-fashioned way: checking the website for availability at your local store. There's no stock-alert tool on Target's website that will email you or text you (or whatever else), so it's entirely on you.

Alternatively, you could call your local store to ask when the next shipment will come in. Or make a friend at your local Target, and maybe they'll tip you off. Perhaps you have a friend or relative who lives somewhere rural with a Target? Their chances of finding a Super Nintendo in-store are likely to be much higher than yours looking in or near a city.



2. Toys R Us

You'll have to check the Toys R Us website for updates — like Target, the company doesn't provide a service that alerts consumers when items are in stock.

However, you can also follow the toy giant on Twitter for updates on when it will next have the SNES Classic in stock. Right after the launch of the Switch, Nintendo was putting out messages like the one below — if you see one, before rushing to your local store, confirm that it will indeed be receiving a shipment.

Your store's team will also be able to tell you the best time to line up to ensure you leave with an SNES Classic.



3. Best Buy

Your best bet for making sure you find an SNES Classic in stock at Best Buy is to follow the company on social media. It regularly posts updates on Twitter and Facebook about what's in stock. Here's the one from the Switch launch.

For Best Buy, also be sure to check the weekly circular and sign up for the email newsletter, as both will say whether there will be consoles in stock that week.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A top TV producer says Amazon's TV division is 'in way over their heads' (AMZN)

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goliath amazon

Despite winning three Academy Awards earlier this year, Amazon Studios went home empty handed at the Emmys last month, and the defeat stung more since it had passed on making two of the night’s biggest winners: “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu) and “Big Little Lies” (HBO).

But that’s just the start of what a Wall Street Journal story, which came out Friday, revealed about the steaming giant.

The movie/TV division of the conglomerate has an annual spending of $4.5 billion to produce and acquire its titles, according to the Journal. However, inside its walls there seems to be a lot of low morale — and major Hollywood producers heading for the exits.

Top-flight producer David E. Kelley left the Amazon show, “Goliath,” after its first season due to creative differences. Sources told the Journal Amazon was not supportive of the multi-Emmy winner. And Kelley doesn’t hold back on what he thinks about Amazon Studios.

“I’m a huge fan of the company overall, but their entertainment division is a bit of a gong show,” Kelley told the Wall Street Journal. “They are in way over their heads.”

Known for hit shows like “The Practice” and “Ally McBeal,” Kelley took “Big Little Lies” to HBO. The show won eight Primetime Emmys.

Roy Price Getty finalShawn Ryan, creator of the award-winning “The Shield” for FX, produced the canceled Amazon drama “Mad Dogs,” and called his time there frustrating and confusing. Particularly how Amazon gives notes. Ryan said at traditional networks you get notes from executives the day after a cut of an episode. At Amazon, notes took more than a week and led to shooting delays and overages in production budget.

And the Wall Street Journal story highlighted potential conflict of interest on the part of Amazon Studio executives Joe Lewis and Roy Price.

According to the Journal, Lewis, Amazon's head of comedy and drama, pressured people working on Amazon show “The Tick” to cast his girlfriend, actress Yara Martinez. Price, the head of Amazon Studios, also encouraged his team to buy the idea for a series called “12 Parties” from his fiancée Lila Feinberg. In the story, there was a character that resembled Price: a middle-aged Harvard graduate who wears leather jackets and has a Black Flag tattoo. Amazon Studio declined to buy the script after a conflict-of-interest review was conducted, according to the Journal.

After being shut out at the Emmys, the company’s main priority is reportedly finding a massive global hit like HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

Amazon Studios was not immediately available for comment.

SEE ALSO: Every HBO show ranked from worst to best, according to critics

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Harvey Weinstein speaks out after sexual harassment claims: I'm suing NYT for 'reckless reporting'

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harvey weinstein

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has spoken out following a bombshell New York Times report that detailed decades of sexual harassment allegations against him, including from actress Ashley Judd. 

Weinstein spoke to The Wrap and Page Six, telling both outlets that his apology statement, given to the Times, was sincere — and that he's still set on suing the Times for $50 million.

"What I am saying is that I bear responsibility for my actions, but the reason I am suing is because of the Times' inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting," Weinstein told Page Six. "They told me lies. They made assumptions. ... The Times had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain." 

In the Times report, among numerous other allegations, actress Ashley Judd accused Weinstein of inviting her to his hotel room, appearing in a bathrobe, offering her a massage, and asking her if she wanted to watch him take a shower. 

One of Weinstein's lawyers, Lisa Bloom, told The Wrap that the Times did not give Weinstein and his team enough time to respond to the allegations. 

"We said, 'What is it, tell us the allegations, we will respond. Harvey is going to be admitting some stuff,'" Bloom said. "Two days ago, after begging, they gave us a couple dozen allegations that spanned 30 years and a dozen countries. They said we have until 1 pm today. We said 'Why?' They never said."

A Times spokesperson told The Wrap that they are "confident in the accuracy and fairness of our reporting" and that Weinstein had "ample time" to respond to allegations.

As the cofounder of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein has had an undeniable influence on Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Six of the films he has produced have won the Academy Award for best picture, including "Shakespeare in Love" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

In his apology statement provided to the Times on Thursday, Weinstein said he would take a "leave of absence" from The Weinstein Company in the wake of the allegations. 

SEE ALSO: Ashley Judd has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment as part of a bombshell NYT report

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Instagram star Dan Bilzerian ran up to cops during the Las Vegas shooting and asked for a gun

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A new video has emerged showing the self-described "King of Instagram" Dan Bilzerian running toward fire during the Las Vegas shooting and asking police on the scene for a gun.

"Give me a gun," Bilzerian said in the footage, showing the officers something in his wallet, very likely a gun permit. "You don't want my help?"

"No, get the f--- away from me right now," the police officer responds. "I don't know who you are."

The video, which was posted by the Instagram user F-1 Firearms, is below. Gunfire can be heard in the background.

Bilzerian was in the area where Stephen Paddock on Sunday night opened fire on a country music festival, killing 58 people and wounding over 500. The Instagram star is well known as a gun fanatic.

Bilzerian notably got into a feud with Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient who criticized him for using the tragedy as content for his viewers and for running from those in need.

"This is why children shouldn't classify heroes by their followers or their photos," Meyer wrote in a post on Instagram that tagged Bilzerian. "This is what kills me about people like you. Always playing 'operator dress up' and so so tough when the cameras are on. A woman just got shot in the head and you are running away filming that's not what operators do. Please stop trying to be someone your not. People are dying, you're running away not helping them and pretending it's worthy of a video is disgusting."

Bilzerian documented the shooting on his Instagram story on Sunday.

"F---, this girl just got shot in the f---ing head," Bilzerian told his 23 million followers in the first post, which was uploaded around 10 p.m. PDT. "So f---ing crazy."

"So I had to go grab a gun. I'm f---ing headed back. It's f---ing so crazy — some kind of mass shooting," he said in the second video, which was broadcast about an hour later. "F---ing guy had a heavy caliber or whatever.

"Saw a girl got f---ing shot in the face right next to me," he said before the clip cut out.

In the third and fourth videos, Bilzerian said he was heading home, adding: "I don't think there's much I can do."

SEE ALSO: 'People are dying, you're running': A veteran wrote a statement criticizing social media star Dan Bilzerian's actions during the Las Vegas shooting

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