IRL

Oh, the favorite rom-com question, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” It’s dramatic, thoroughly juicy, and serves a plot twist that makes for a great movie. But does anyone actually storm into the church to stop the couple from making the worst mistake of their lives?Apparently, they do, because when redditor Bowlingcabbages asked netizens if they ever witnessed a wedding objection, more than 600 people shared the unfortunate protests. From cuckoo clocks to fed-up priests, these people have seen a lot of stuff. So,…

Financial Times: Former employees at IRL, which is being sued by SoftBank for fraud, detail several problems that were apparent from the start, including inflated user metrics — Japanese group claims it was duped, founder says he was a scapegoat and ex-employees say there were problems from the start Financial Times: Former employees at IRL, which is being sued by SoftBank for fraud, detail several problems that were apparent from the start, including inflated user metrics — …

Lisa Vanderpump didn’t come to play. Hulu has released the first trailer for the newest reality show from the Real Housewives alum, Vanderpump Villa, which teases a drama-filled 10 episodes from Vanderpump’s French estate Chateau Rosabelle. “I have personally selected each of you from some of the best restaurants, bars, and kitchens,” Vanderpump says in the trailer, before walking the new employees through the rules in the first episode. The show is set to premiere in Spring 2024. The trailer sees horse-driven…

Not every startup collapse is an FTX or Theranos. They don’t all burn so brightly and explode so spectacularly. More often than not, there won’t be some high-profile court case and prison time. Amanda Seyfried isn’t going to play you in the made for Hulu movie. The story of most startup failures is far less exciting. The timing isn’t right, funding dries up, runways run out. Of late, a lot of macroeconomic factors have come into play, as well. These past few years have been especially brutal for startup land.…

Researchers found that applying gentle, non-invasive electrical stimulation to the brain during virtual reality training helped budding surgeons to more easily transfer the skills they’d learned to a real-life setting. In addition to training better future surgeons, the approach could help skill acquisition in other industries.Motor learning allows us to develop new skills, like mastering a tennis serve or, in the case of a surgeon, developing precision suturing skills. These days, surgeons are likely to learn these types…

I’ve always been pretty money-conscious, but I didn’t really get into budgeting until I was in my mid-twenties. “Budgeting” is generous — I thought I was budgeting, but really I was using a crude Google Sheet system to track my expenses every month. I didn’t truly understand the difference between those two things until I started looking into ways to upgrade. It had been working fine for me, but as I got older and wanted to grow my savings, save up for a home down payment and a wedding and generally do more “adult” things…

Engadget staffers test and review tons of gadgets every year, and we also buy a lot of things for ourselves. In 2023, some of us upgraded our at-home coffee-making setup, splurged on fancy keyboards and digital pianos and even made our homes a bit smarter with things like app-controlled litter boxes. But there are plenty of other things we've bought and loved this year that have yet to make it on the site. Here, our staff takes a look back at the things they've personally purchased this year that they want to…

Hinge wants you to get off of its app and foster platonic relationships. The dating app giant is launching a $1 million social impact fund to tackle the loneliness epidemic that’s impacting its Gen Z users. Fiscally sponsored or 501(c)3 groups in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City can apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 each to develop “fresh, free/low-cost, and recurring in-person connection opportunities” for young adults. “You could just tell people, ‘Go hang out, in person,’ but we know that doesn’t…

Casio’s instrument division has been around a long time, as anyone who got into music as a kid by making fart noises into an SK-1 knows. However, the company is mostly known for entry-level digital pianos that get the job done, but don’t offer much by way of modern conveniences. In recent years, Casio has been dipping its toes into the waters of high-end instruments like the Privia PX-S7000. The latest Privia entry is a sizable leap over most starter pianos. This is a serious instrument for serious players, with that…

Signed when she was just 13, Leicester-born singer-songwriter Mahalia Burkmar has had a meandering journey to R&B stardom. Breaking through with 2017’s head-nodding single Sober, she has gone on to develop a distinctive brand of neo-soul blended with defiant lyrics, producing hits such as I Wish I Missed My Ex from her 2019 debut album Love & Compromise, as well as lending her silken vocals to guest verses with rappers Pa Salieu, Stormzy and Ty Dolla $ign. Having won two Mobo awards and been nominated for a Grammy…