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Netflix's 'No Good Deeds' teaser has a stacked cast and a murderous house sale

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 12:00
Netflix has dropped its teaser for "No Good Deed", Liz Feldman's new dark comedy about a couple trying to sell their LA home.

All the best iPad deals ahead of October Prime Day

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 11:52
Best iPad deals ahead of October Prime Day Best deal for most people Apple iPad (10th generation, WiFi, 64GB) $299 at Amazon (Save $50) Get Deal Best upgraded pick Apple iPad Air (11-inch, WiFi, 128GB) $549 at Amazon (Save $50) Get Deal Best for portability Apple iPad Mini (WiFi, 64GB) $389 at Amazon (Save $110) Get Deal

We're closing in on being just one week away from the start of Prime Day yet again, but as is Amazon's style, early deals are cropping up ahead of the sale's official start.

Among the many items marked down already, you'll find a decent variety of iPads, from M2 Airs to the ninth generation iPad. Although the retailer hasn't deemed any of the below official deals from the member-exclusive Prime Big Deal Days sale (aka the official name for this October Prime Day), we still think they're worth checking out ahead of time.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Amazon's October Prime Day sale: Official dates, the competition, and more

As always, we'll be updating this post with the best iPad deals throughout this Prime Day season, so make sure to check back often.

Best iPad deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad (10th generation, WiFi, 64GB) $299.00 at Amazon
$349.00 Save $50.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Even at full price, the 10th generation iPad is our pick for the best Apple tablet if you're on a budget. Marked down $50, this iPad becomes about half the price of the iPad Air at full price. Sure, it isn't powered by an M2 chip, and it may not be the tablet we recommend for artists or designers, but for most people, the 10th generation will more than power you through note taking, browsing the web, and streaming video for a fraction of the cost of other options.

More iPad deals ahead of Prime Day

These early Roomba deals are worth checking out ahead of October Prime Day

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 11:47
Best early October Prime Day robot vacuum deals Best budget pick iRobot Roomba Q011 robot vacuum $139.99 at Amazon (save $110) Get Deal Best combo pick iRobot Roomba j5+ self-emptying robot vacuum and mop $450 at Amazon (save $279.99) Get Deal

Roomba is one of the more popular robot vacuum models, and honestly, it's for a good reason: They make really great products. Ahead of October's Prime Day event next week, a bunch of different Roomba models are on sale at pretty steep discounts. There will probably be more during the actual event when it begins on Oct. 8, but they're still worth checking out ahead of time. If you're interested in one of the more premium Roomba companions, we're actually hoping to see better deals on those during the Prime event now that the new Combo 10 Max is out.

If you hate doing chores as much as we do, check out our top Roomba deals ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, including price cuts on regular vacuums, mop combos, and more.

SEE ALSO: The best Dyson vacuums: A guide to the latest versions of stick, ball, and handheld cleaners Best budget pick Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot iRobot Roomba Q011 robot vacuum $139.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $110.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you've never had a robot vacuum and don't want to blow a ton of money on one before you even know if you like it, this budget Roomba vac is only $139.99 ahead of Prime Big Deal Days ($110 in savings). It's got all of the basics you need: Powerful suction, smart navigation, smartphone app controls, self-recharging, and Alexa support. It's easy to clean, too.

Best combo pick Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot iRobot Roomba j5+ self-emptying robot vacuum and mop $450.00 at Amazon
$729.99 Save $279.99 Get Deal Why we like it

Combo robot vacuums are much more well-rounded devices compared to their vacuum-only counterparts. The Roomba j5+, for example, is also a mop and can clean itself. It's also $279.99 off ahead of October Prime Day, just $450. The j5+ features more powerful suction over Roomba's more budget-friendly options, smart mapping, and a sensor that'll help the vacuum steer clear of any pet-related accidents. If you want to knock three items off your chore list with one device (vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning the machine), you'll want to consider picking up this Roomba model.

More early October Prime Day robot vacuum deals

Verizon Mobile Outages Reported Across the U.S.

NYT Technology - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 11:47
More than 100,000 cases of Verizon outages have been reported across the country, according to the website Downdetector.

Tons of drones are on sale at Amazon ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 11:15
Early Prime Day drone deals: Best drone deal overall Holy Stone GPS drone HS175D RC Quadcopter $159.99 at Amazon (save $70) Get Deal Best runner-up deal Potensic Atom SE GPS Drone $229.99 at Amazon (save $70) Get Deal Best budget pick Velcase Quadcopter $49.99 at Amazon (save $200 ) Get Deal

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days doesn’t officially kick off until October 8, but we’ve been seeing deals on everything from pet tech to smart home gadgets for at least three weeks. And it looks like the deals just keep coming — right now, you can find tons of drone models for $200+ off at Amazon.

You don’t have to be a tech nerd or hobbyist to appreciate a good drone deal. These little things aren’t just fun to fly; they can be used for everything from aerial photography to inspecting hard-to-reach areas to monitoring crop health.

Whether you’re shopping for your first drone, looking to upgrade your current setup, or trying to find a holiday gift that doesn’t suck, you'll want to check out these Prime Day drone deals.

Here are our top picks:

Best drone deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Holy Stone Our pick: Holy Stone GPS drone HS175D RC Quadcopter $169.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $60.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you’re really into drones, the name Holy Stone should be on your radar. This brand is known for making high-end drones that are feature-packed and, at times, super affordable.

The Holy Stone GPS drone HS175D RC Quadcopter is currently $159.99 at Amazon, which is 25% off the listing price. It’s a solid mid-range drone option that shoots 4K videos, has a 46-minute flight time, and a special flight mode where you can direct its movement — whether you want it to follow you or fly along a specific path.

Best runner-up deal Opens in a new window Credit: Potensic Our pick: Potensic Atom SE GPS Drone $229.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Potensic Atom SE GPS Drone is $229.99 at Amazon right now. That’s a $70 discount and, according to our price hunting tool CamelCamelCamel, its record-low price.

This budget-friendly drone is lightweight (less than 249g) and features level-5 wind resistance. It’s so small that you can fold it up and pop it into your jacket pocket. The 4K EIS camera (with Sony CMOS sensor) can capture 12mp stills and 30fps HD video. Plus, the ShakeVanish technology makes for a smooth shot even when there’s a lot of movement.

The Potensic Atom SE has four flight modes, including a beginner mode that adjusts the drone’s speed and stability for newbies. It can last for up to 62 minutes on a single charge and has an auto-fly back function in case you lose sight of it (or if it loses signal or is about to run out of juice).

Best budget pick Opens in a new window Credit: Velcase Our pick: Velcase Quadcopter $49.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $200.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you’re a beginner or shopping for a kid, the Velcase Quadcopter is 80% off and priced at just $49.99. That’s a pretty sweet deal for a drone with a 4.3-star rating and more than 1K reviews.

While it might not be as impressive as a Holy Stone or Potensic model, this budget-friendly drone has some cool features, including three speed modes, voice control, and one-key take-off and landing. It can also do flips and rolls, which is fun.

More drone deals

Why does the alt-right love interracial porn so much?

Mashable - Mon, 09/30/2024 - 11:01

On the far-right, some have developed an obsessive fixation on two things: interracial relationships and pornography.

If you've ventured into the conspiracy-laden world of X (formerly Twitter), you'll find disturbingly prevalent discussions of the Great Replacement Theory. This white supremacist conspiracy theory — pushed on the site by owner Elon Musk himself — suggests that an ominous "they" (an antisemitic euphemism for Jewish people) is secretly bringing people of color into the country to vote for Democrats and ultimately "replace" the white population.

When it comes to pornography, this conspiracy takes a twisted turn. The belief is that the same ominous group "importing immigrants to vote for Democrats" (re: Jewish people) is using interracial cuckold pornography as a tool to emasculate white men and manipulate them into accepting interracial relationships. It sounds absurd and it is.

SEE ALSO: How Big Tech is approaching explicit, nonconsensual deepfakes

Meanwhile, statistics reveal that Americans are consuming cuckold porn — a scenario where a man watches his wife engage in sexual activity with another man — in staggering numbers. According to a spokesperson from the adult video site Clips4Sale, sales of cuckold content have skyrocketed — up 191 percent since 2020 and 75 percent in just the past year. Meanwhile, Blacked, a site known for its high-definition interracial content, has become Pornhub's second most popular channel according to its Channels page, boasting three million subscribers and 2.6 billion views.

The reality is that interracial porn, particularly featuring Black men and white women, is one of the most popular porn genres and stands at the center of one of the alt-right's most contradictory kinks.

The origins of racist tropes in porn

While cuckold pornography doesn't necessarily have to involve race, it often does, sex worker advocate Mike Stabile told Mashable. "The underlying idea is that you're being humiliated by your wife having sex with a Black man, who, according to the stereotype, is more well-endowed and more sexual," he explained.

This stereotype, which portrays Black men as hypersexual and possessing larger genitalia, is rooted in racism and can be traced back to the Elizabethan era. European colonizers spread these racist tropes in travel books, blending fact and fiction in their depictions of African people. According to accounts from this time, Black men were often described as having "enormous" penises, with one writer claiming that African men were "furnisht with such members as are after a sort burthensome unto them," as detailed in a Guardian article by Afua Hirsch.

The alt-right's obsession with Black men's bodies isn't new — it's a modern twist on an old fear that twentieth-century psychoanalyst Frantz Fanon called "Negrophobia." In his 1952 work Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon dissected how racism is driven by a toxic mix of fear and sexual desire, where Black men are reduced to hypersexual threats. This fixation is linked to the "Mandingo" stereotype, born from post-abolition anxieties that painted Black men as dangerously virile. White men feared not just their political and economic power but also their perceived sexual threat to white women. This fear fueled anti-interracial marriage laws and an obsession with maintaining "racial purity," often leading to brutal acts of violence.

As Mashable Features Editor Rachel Thompson explains in Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom and What We Can Do About It, these anxieties date back to slavery when rape was considered a crime only if it involved a white woman. Under the chattel slavery system, particularly in Louisiana, the rape of a Black woman — whether enslaved or free — was not considered a crime. In stark contrast, the rape or attempted rape of a white woman by an enslaved Black man could result in capital punishment.

Films like The Birth of a Nation (1915) later revived and mainstreamed these racist stereotypes, helping to rekindle the Ku Klux Klan and perpetuate the dangerous myth of the hypersexual Black man.

This same fear was at the heart of tragic events like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, where a false accusation of sexual assault by a Black man against a white woman sparked one of the deadliest outbreaks of racial violence in American history. Similarly, in 1955, the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched for allegedly flirting with a white woman, became a powerful symbol of the deadly consequences of these racist fears and the systemic violence they perpetuated.

Even today, these fears manifest in phrases like "white women tears," in which white women use their perceived hierarchical status in situations against people of color that would be advantageous for them. For example, the Amy Cooper incident in Central Park, where Cooper falsely claimed she was being threatened by an "African-American man," despite no actual threat being present.

Given the historical context, interracial cuckold porn taps into these old anxieties, turning them into a modern spectacle of sexual racism. What might seem like a simple act of humiliation — a husband watching his wife with another man — is laden with the weight of these deep-seated fears.

Content produced by sites like Blacked perpetuates the narrative that white women are "betraying their race" by engaging in sexual relationships with Black men, a dynamic rooted in the racist fear of interracial mixing. The implication is that by choosing a Black partner, these women are rejecting white men and, by extension, undermining the so-called "purity" of the white race.

Given the historical context, interracial cuckold porn taps into these old anxieties, turning them into a modern spectacle of sexual racism.

According to Stabile, "At that point, the husband represents the entire white race," reinforcing the idea that this act of "betrayal" goes beyond personal relationships and taps into long-standing racial anxieties about power, sexuality, and dominance.

Donald Trump and the "cuckservative"

The term "cuck," a shorthand for cuckold, was aggressively co-opted by the alt-right during Trump's first presidential run in 2016 and then picked up steam within the manosphere, evolving from its 13th-century origins as "the husband of an adulterous wife." When used by the alt-right, the word becomes a pejorative — a weaponized insult for anyone perceived as weak, emasculated, or insufficiently committed to the cause of white supremacy. As Maureen Kosse, a PhD candidate in linguistics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, explained, "What [the far-right] is actually saying when they use the term 'cuck' is that white men are being humiliated or undermined by Black and brown men, who are taking what is rightfully theirs — namely, white women."

This narrative gained traction during the 2016 election, a period that saw the rise of former President Donald Trump. Trump's ascension to the Republican presidential nomination and eventual win, with his aggressive rhetoric and rejection of political correctness, provided the perfect backdrop for these terms to flourish.

Thus, "cuck" became a litmus test within right-wing circles, used to measure one's dedication to the preservation of white male dominance. The use of "cuckservative" — a portmanteau of "cuckold" and "conservative" — further cemented this insult within the political lexicon, specifically targeting those on the right who were perceived as betraying their race or conservative values.

Kosse notes that figures like Jeb Bush, who faced the insult frequently due to his marriage to Columba Bush, born in Mexico, and his relatively moderate stance on immigration, became prime targets. For the far-right, interracial relationships symbolize the ultimate threat to white male supremacy. To a lesser extent, the same problem has been happening to current Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and his wife Usha, who is of Indian descent.

"Control over white women is as central to white supremacy as whiteness itself," argued Kosse. "White men have always been obsessed with the idea of Black men having sex with white women because it inverts their entire worldview, creating a kind of erotic charge that they both fear and fetishize."

The dichotomy between fear and fetishization is common within the alt-right, where public postures of strength mask private insecurities. As explained by Kosse, by indulging in these fantasies, they both confront and reinforce their fears. The scenario of a white man being humiliated by a Black man serves as both a nightmare and a confirmation of their twisted worldview.

"The fear of humiliation is a big reason that they watch [interracial porn]. But also because it does, in their own weird way, prove their own worldview," Kosse said.

Let's clear something up: Not every white guy who clicks on interracial porn is some alt-right, neo-Nazi incel. But if you've been following the lawsuits, think pieces, Reddit threads, and academic deep dives about this content, it's pretty obvious that it's not exactly made with Black men or white women in mind as the primary viewers.

The anti-porn party's porn habits

As the manosphere and its influencers like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson have gained traction in recent years since COVID, a perpetual line between them all is their anti-porn and anti-masturbation stance.

The manosphere's disdain for pornography and masturbation is deeply rooted in its obsession with power, dominance, and traditional gender roles. Within these communities, porn is viewed as a tool that weakens men, both physically and psychologically, by promoting a passive, pleasure-seeking behavior that is seen as antithetical to the ideals of masculinity.

The manosphere's anti-masturbation stance intersects with broader right-wing ideologies, such as those championed by initiatives like Project 2025, which aims to eliminate pornography on moral and cultural grounds. Both the manosphere and these right-wing groups view pornography, especially interracial porn, as a threat to the social fabric, believing it undermines traditional values and weakens male dominance.

Despite the moral outrage conservatives often express about pornography, however, data consistently shows that interest in porn is higher in conservative states. While limited, research suggests that residents of these areas are among the most avid consumers of adult content, particularly in regions with strong religious and political conservatism.

As one study noted, while individual religiosity and political conservatism generally predict lower rates of pornography consumption, evangelicals living in more politically conservative states actually report higher rates of porn use.

"When you're obsessed with power, you're also going to be obsessed with dominance," noted Stabile. "But often, our sexual fantasies and fetishes articulate our anxieties. So while publicly they may speak of dominance, privately, they may be exploring fantasies of submission."

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