Technology

Otis, a collectibles company that provides fractional investment options, has launched a new NFT auction platform called Otis House that mints NFTs of rare physical collectibles. Launched on Wednesday, the company allows collectors to submit real-world objects valued at more than $5,000 USD to Otis House. Otis then takes ownership of the physical item, authenticating, insuring and vaulting it for safekeeping. Next, Otis mints an NFT representing ownership of the physical object, which can be auctioned off through the site. Once purchased, NFT buyers can then trade in the digital asset for the corresponding physical item at any time and Otis will destroy the NFT and ship the collectible to its new owner. The company currently has 5 NFTs up for auction including a 1971 Bob Ross painting; a 2...

NBA star Kevin Durant and his company Thirty-Five Ventures have officially entered into a strategic partnership with cryptocurrency exchange platform, Coinbase. As a part of the multiyear deal, the Brooklyn Nets‘ sharpshooter is now the face of the platform and is set to promote Coinbase across all his business ventures. Coinbase is also joining forces with Durant’s sports site, Boardroom for sponsored crypto content and digital ads. Coinbase will also be an avid supporter of Durant’s foundation in support of his youth programs. Thirty Five Ventures initially invested in Coinbase back in 2017 and since then, the relationship between the two companies has developed greatly. KD’s company is expected to work with Coinbase to grow the awareness of NFTs and the use of Coinbase as the main platf...

Dell has now introduced its Concept Luna, designed to create more sustainable, recyclable and reusable laptops that potentially boast a 50% smaller carbon footprint. Developed in partnership with Intel, the new concept completely reimagines how a conventional laptop is designed and built, pairing a more efficient layout with materials that consume less energy to produce. On the components front, the motherboard itself is a whopping 75% smaller and uses 20% less components to manufacture. Everything else in the laptop is then rearranged around this central motherboard which sits near the top for extra cooling exposure, while its battery charging unit is placed even further away now to enable fan-less passive cooling that can reduce energy consumption. With specialized component fitting, the...

Hulu has finally given us a glimpse of Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in its own take on the real-life Silicon Valley drama. The Dropout is a limited series that centers around Holmes’ fraudulent blood-testing startup, Theranos, and is based on an ABC podcast that goes by the same name. Naveen Andrews, best known for starring in Lost, will play Sunny Balwani Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon was originally supposed to take the leading role, but she reportedly dropped out of the production in February. Seyfried was confirmed to take McKinnon’s place back in March. So far, it looks like Seyfried fits the role quite nicely; she sports the same updo, red lipstick, and signature black turtleneck that Holmes is known for. Naveen Andrews, who previously starred in Lost, will play Sunny ...

Season 2 of Ted Lasso ended on something of a dark note, but everything is all nice and friendly again in a new holiday short. It’s called “The Missing Christmas Mustache,” and, like many classic holiday specials, it’s rendered in cute and charming claymation. It features voices of the main cast — including Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and definitely-not-CGI Brett Goldstein — as they search for a missing mustache. It’s only four minutes long, so I won’t spoil too much, only to say you should at least watch to learn a little more about Roy Kent’s eyebrows. If nothing else, it makes up for the poorly-timed Christmas episode of Ted Lasso that aired in August — and threw my sense of time and date even further out of whack. And it’s a nice little taste of the show’s wholesomeness while we...

A ransomware attack is disrupting operations at many major companies, and some workers are concerned that it could affect their last paychecks before the holidays — because their payroll provider, Kronos, is the one that’s dealing with the ransom. The incident has left entire cities and states trying to come up with a plan to get paychecks out to their workers, and could affect HR operations at organizations like New York City’s Metro Transit Authority, Honda, GameStop, and more. One Whole Foods worker told NBC News that there’s “a real fear about our paychecks this upcoming Friday,” saying that employees had been to to use “a paper punch sheet to keep track of our hours.” Ransomware has disrupted HR operations around the world Kronos Private Cloud is a suite of human resources software op...

Reddit announced late Wednesday that it has started the process of taking the company public, by filing a confidential S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The number of shares to be offered, and the price range for the proposed offering haven’t been determined yet, the company said, adding that it was in a quiet period and could not provide further details for regulatory reasons, which is standard practice. The company has been rumored to be considering an IPO for some time, and in August announced it had raised a $700 million round of funding at a valuation of more than $10 billion. In the August announcement, Reddit said it had made $100 million in ad revenue for the second quarter of 2021, a nearly 200 percent increase from the previous year. The company said earlier this y...

AT&T has re-imagined the classic Snake game in a new, interactive, and wholly unnecessary way in an effort to promote the capabilities of its 5G network. Called Warp Speed Worm, it’s an AR effect that can be used on Instagram and Facebook Messenger video calls. Snake was, of course, the game of choice on your early Nokia phone. Or, depending on your age and general level of apathy toward high school mathematics, you may recognize it as the game you played on your TI-83 graphing calculator while you were supposed to be learning about coefficients. Not that I know anyone who would do that. In any case, this newest contribution to the great Snake game genre is an AR filter in which the titular worm is controlled by your head movements. You can play with friends, which AT&T would like ...

Music Genius Playing Cards Music lovers will love this classic set of playing cards, with musicians like Freddie Mercury, Beyonce, Prince, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Bjork, and more. The set even splits up genres into four suits: pop; rock; folk and country; and soul, blues, and R&B. Price: $10 Amazon Uncommon Goods Google Nest Mini (second-gen) Google’s latest Nest Mini sounds far better than its predecessor, the Google Home Mini, and can even be mounted to the wall. The fabric-covered puck offers all the basic smart speaker functionality you’ve come to expect, as well as a range of attractive colors, including chalk, charcoal, coral, and sky blue. Price: $25 Best Buy Target Walmart SpaceTime Coordinates art print Using NASA data, SpaceTime Coordinates creates a picture of what spa...

DirecTV’s satellite and Stream services are getting price increases in January — hikes that the company attributed to rising programming costs as well as “higher-than-normal inflation across our suppliers.” Beginning January 23rd of next year, customers of both groups are likely to see their bills increase — though specifically by how much will depend on the service. Most of DirecTV’s satellite customers will see their monthly costs increase anywhere between $1 and 10, depending on which package they pay for. Additionally, regional sports network costs will be determined by ZIP code. While this means some customers could see a monthly increase of $2 more per month, others will see a decrease, and some customers will see no change at all when the new pricing goes into effect. (Customers can...

The Nintendo Switch was, like most consoles during the pandemic, once in short supply. Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart now routinely stock the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite in multiple color configurations and models, giving those who struck out ample opportunity to purchase Nintendo’s versatile console. We’re keeping an eye across the web to find where you can buy a Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite (the portable-only version of the console), and the new Nintendo Switch OLED model, as well as any bundles that seem like good deals. Where can I buy a Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite right now? Over at Amazon, you can buy an updated Nintendo Switch model with gray Joy-Cons, plus a 64GB SanDisk MicroSD card for $313.79. If you’re looking to upgrade, Amazon is ...

Apple has closed three of its retail stores following increased COVID-19 exposures and cases among employees, according to Bloomberg. The stores, which are located in the Brickell City Centre in Miami; Annapolis, Maryland; and downtown Ottawa, Ontario, will be closed temporarily. Right now, Apple’s website says the Miami store is closed until Friday and the Annapolis and Ottawa stores are closed until Saturday. Apple reportedly closed a store in Southlake, Texas last week due to a COVID-19 outbreak, though the company’s website currently indicates that store is open. The closures are happening as COVID-19 infections are on the rise. Though the omicron variant is beginning to spread, the delta variant “continues to be the main variant circulating in the United States,” according to the Cent...