IT General

Apple's new and AI-improved Siri that was showcased at last year's WWDC still isn't ready, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

"Significant upgrades to Siri—including the ones promised nearly a year ago—are unlikely to be discussed much and are still months away from shipping," said Gurman in an-depth report that detailed Apple leadership's reported failures to recognize the significance of generative AI for consumer tech products and subsequent issues in rolling out a smarter Siri driven by powerful LLMs and onscreen awareness.

SEE ALSO: iOS 19 rumors: Every feature we've heard of so far

At Apple's WWDC 2025, which is less than a month away on June 9, the event will reportedly instead highlight "various non-AI software upgrades" like the reported interface design overhauls to make the operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac more in the style of the Vision Pro, said Gurman.

Reports of Siri trouble have been brewing for a while now. Apple's promise of a more personalized and context-aware version of the voice assistant hasn't yet come to fruition, and instead we've seen minor updates like the ability to type to Siri and even examples of Siri getting worse. Apple even pulled a commercial with actor Bella Ramsey, featuring Siri being able answer who they had had lunch with by pulling up relevant calendar details, over accusations of false advertising.

Gurman reports that Apple is working on a Siri-specific LLM, internally dubbed "LLM Siri" which will reportedly resolve many of the underlying infrastructure issues. Until then, don't expect much from Siri at this year's WWDC.

TL;DR: Create anything, even NSFW art, with a lifetime subscription to Imagiyo for only A$62.

Digital creativity has never been more accessible, yet many of us remember the days when crafting a single image meant wrestling with layers and plugins for hours on end. Now there’s a way to generate stunning visuals in seconds simply by typing a description of what you have in mind.

Imagiyo uses Stable Diffusion AI alongside FLUX AI to turn text prompts into high-quality images ready for commercial use, and there aren’t many limits to what you can create. Here’s what that means.

What art can you make with Imagiyo

What do you want to make first? It only takes a brief description to put Imagiyo’s advanced algorithms to work, and unlike other image generators, Imagiyo actually lets you really follow your creativity. Craft stunning landscapes, visualize characters from books, or go for something a little more daring. Imagiyo supports NSFW content creation. Just set your prompts to private and let your mind run wild.

Imagiyo’s commercial-use license means you can take some of the images you generate and incorporate them into client projects, social media campaigns, or personal portfolios without fear of copyright issues.

Each month, you receive 500 image-generation credits and can submit up to two prompts at once. Unused credits roll over, so you never lose access to your creative potential. Best of all, Imagiyo delivers your purchased engine updates and feature improvements automatically, ensuring you always work with the latest AI models.

You have until June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an Imagiyo AI Image Generator lifetime subscription for A$62 (reg. A$772).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Imagiyo Imagiyo AI Image Generator: Lifetime Subscription (Standard Plan) AU$62
AU$772 Save AU$710 Get Deal

Astronomy is riddled with complex jargon that many of us will probably never need to understand. However, you're more likely to read and hear about meteors, meteoroids, meteorites, comets, and asteroids online and in the news, so here's a breakdown of exactly what they are.

Best REI Anniversary Sale deals Best camping deal REI Base Camp 4 Tent $331.79 (save $142.21) Get Deal Best water sports deal Bote Wulf Aero inflatable paddle board $475.09 (save $83.91) Get Deal

Memorial Day is just a few days away, which means it's time to think about every amazing outdoor adventure you have planned for summer of 2025. If last year's gear got put away wet and dirty, it's time to consider some upgrades. Instead of doing this the Thursday night before leaving for a weekend adventure on Friday, spend Memorial Day weekend sorting through your gear and deciding what needs a refresh.

Coincidentally, the REI Anniversary Sale is on now through May 26 and has thousands of deals that take up to 30% off outdoor gear. Snag a new paddle board, replace the cooler, finally keep in touch with a Garmin inReach, or get a cozier sleeping bag.

Plus, if you happen to be an REI member and you see something that's not on sale, use code ANNIV2025 to take 20% off. A lifetime membership to the REI Co-op costs just $30 which means joining to apply to 20% coupon could mean the membership has already paid for itself.

In terms of what's on sale during the REI Anniversary Sale expect to see 30% off tons of REI Co-op brand gear, 20% off REI bicycles, and up to 25% off tons of camping gear from Nemo, Kelty, Therm-a-Rest and more. Below are some of our favorite deals or you can spend hours browsing the entire sale selection.

Best camping deal Opens in a new window Credit: REI REI Base Camp 4 Tent $331.79 at REI
$474 Save $142.21 Get Deal Why we like it

The outdoors is a wonderful place to spend sunny weekends but it's no time to skip out on sleeping. You'll want to head out with a cozy sleeping set-up which relies on a functional tent, and that's where the REI Base Camp 4 Tent comes into play. It's part of the brand's Anniversary Sale which means you'll be saving 30% on the tent, scoring it for $331.79 instead of the normal price of $474.

In terms of function, the Base Camp 4 Tent is ready to sleep you and three friends with its durable materials that are also water repellent. The wide two door means no sleeper is trapped inside and everyone will have easy access for that inevitable 1 a.m. latrine trip. Of course, the pockets and hang loops make camp organization much easier.

More camping deals

• Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag (3 pack) — $52.39 $69.95 (save $17.56)

• GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Base Camper Cookset — $67.39 $89.95 (save $22.56)

• Kelty Low Loveseat — $97.39 $129.95 (save $32.56)

• Helinox Chair Zero — $104.89 $139.95 (save $35.06)

• Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket (two person) — $149.19 $199 (save $49.81)

• Sea to Summit Traveller 45F Down Sleeping Bag — $149.19 $199 (save $49.81)

• Coleman Cascade 222 2-Burner Camp Stove — $164.99 $220 (save $55.01)

• NEMO Dagger OSMO 2P Tent — $374.89 $499.95 (save $125.06)

Best water sports deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bote Bote Wulf Aero inflatable paddle board $475.09 at REI
$559 Save $83.91 Get Deal Why we like it

You've tried out the paddle boards from the local rental shop and decided it's a great way to get out on the water, but have you tried your own? Bote makes some impressively designed paddle boards and the Bote Wulf Aero is on sale during the REI Anniversary Sale for $475.09, down from the usual price of $559. At 10 feet 4 inches in length, the Bote Wulf means you can spend the day out on the water instead of on the crowded shoreline and the included travel bag means everything is so much easier to carry to the lake. You'll also get a three-piece adjustable SUP paddle, a hand pump, a coiled leash, and a removeable Aero center fin, and an Aero repair kit.

More outdoor gear sales at REI

• NRS Ninja PFD — $119.89 $149.95(save $30.06)

• Garmin inReach Mini 2 — $299.99 $400 (save $100.01)

• Cannondale Topstone 3 Bike — $1,119.93 $1,400 (save $280.07)

• Salsa Journeyer Sora 700c Bike — $1,169.09 $1,299 (save $129.91)

Watch all the biggest announcements from Nvidia's keynote address at Computex 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan.

In an era where most YouTubers chase growth at all costs, Outdoor Boys creator Luke Nichols is walking away at the height of his channel’s explosive rise.

In just the past 18 months, the channel has gained around 12 million subscribers. But instead of capitalizing on that momentum, Nichols is stepping back, citing the toll it's taking on his family.

"Because of people stealing my content and posting it on other platforms, my family and I have been viewed about 4 billion times, in addition to the 2.8 billion views on YouTube," Nichols says in his goodbye video. "The sheer volume of fans trying to contact me, trying to take pictures with me, or just trying to come up and talk to me in public, it can be a bit overwhelming at times."

What makes Nichols’ decision so unusual is how sharply it runs against the current of influencer culture, where visibility and virality are everything. A study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that creator jobs have grown 7.5 times in four years, making the sector the fastest-growing driver of U.S. GDP, now valued at $4.9 trillion.

However, for Nichols and his wife, the costs of that attention are becoming too high.

"My wife and I — we both have real concerns about what this will do to our family if I keep growing my YouTube channel at this pace," he explains. "And the time to stop is before this problem gets so out of hand that my family and I can’t live normal lives."

He won’t be uploading to the channel for a while, though he mentioned the possibility of "one big dump" of videos featuring unfinished projects if he finishes them. In the meantime, though, Nichols says it’s time for him to move on so he can help his kids achieve their dreams.

The fan response on social media has been overwhelming, filled with both support for his decision and sadness over his departure.

Rip outdoor boys

[image or embed]

— Adrian Campos (@friendadev.bsky.social) May 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM

Outdoor Boys is one of the goats on the platform for all time. There’s so much you can learn from the way that channel is run, the way the videos are made, and the way he approaches success. Big loss— there’s nobody else like him.

[image or embed]

— Any Austin (@anyaustin.bsky.social) May 17, 2025 at 9:56 AM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

GET 50% OFF: As of May 19th, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is currently on sale for $29.95, down from $59.95, for a savings of 50%, or $29.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset $29.95 at Amazon
$59.95 Save $30.00 Get Deal

This is a deal that your teammates will appreciate. If your co-op gaming buddies are always complaining about fans running in the background of the voice feed, or your dog snoring on the floor during Horde Night, a good gaming headset with a voice-focused mic will make all the difference. There's also the over-ear immersion element that comes with excellent sounding headphones — yeah that's a nice perk for you.

Right now, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is on sale for $29.95. Get it now and save 50%.

SEE ALSO: Get $70 off a Corsair keyboard that's made to game. The best audio deals available now

• Soundcore by Anker P20i True Wireless Earbuds — $19.98 (List Price $39.99)

• Sony WH-CH520 Wireless Headphones — $38.00 (List Price $59.99)

• JBL Flip 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $129.95)

• Bose SoundLink Flex Portable Speaker — $149.00

• Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones — $228.00 (List Price $348.00)

• JBL Bar 300 5.0ch Compact Soundbar — $249.95 (List Price $399.95)

This JBL headset is meant to envelop. The headphones rock 50mm audio drivers with 20Hz - 20kHZ response and spatial audio. Wired with a PC splitter, they'll connect to PC, Xbox, or anything that has a standard 3.5mm audio jack.

These aren't just headphones. The headset features a responsive, flip-up boom mic. The mic is directionally oriented and tuned to your voice, so it cuts background audio that would otherwise get picked up by a computer mic. This means it will emit traffic sounds from outside your apartment, or your partner knocking around in another room.

Right now, May 19th, the JBL Quantum 200 Wired Over-ear Gaming Headset is on sale for $29.95, for a savings of 50%.

Memory foam cups your ears and envelops them, insulating you from the outside world, and staying comfortable even during long gaming sessions.

If you love the Multiview feature on YouTube TV but wish it worked on more channels and content other than sports, we have good news. Over the weekend, Google announced that it's experimenting with more multiview combinations, expanding the feature beyond sports, and I couldn't be more excited.

If you want a powerful laptop and you don't want to break the bank, there are tons of options out there. This discount, however, might be one of the best we've seen so far, considering the specs it's packing.

Apple Music can now do much more than just entertain. Apple Music Therapy combines popular hits and special sound waves to help you better focus, relax, or sleep. Let's see if it's worth your time.

If you're on haircare TikTok, there's a good chance you've heard of head spas. Popular in Japan, these relaxing treatments not only involve massaging and cleaning your scalp, but can also involve a scalp analysis to provide personalised tips on caring for your hair.

Now French haircare brand Kérastase has launched the K-SCAN, an AI-powered scalp and hair analysis tool helping professionals provide such insights during your regular hair appointment. 

K-SCAN results measuring dandruff, hair diameter diversity, and dirty pores. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Offered as a complimentary add-on to any service in participating Kérastase-affiliated salons, a K-SCAN scalp analysis simply requires a hairdresser to snap a photo of your scalp using the handheld device. Taken with a microscopic camera under white LED light, cross-polarised white light, and UV light, the picture is then analysed by Kérastase's AI algorithm with results immediately displayed on a tablet. 

SEE ALSO: I tried 6 Dyson Supersonic dupes that are actually worth the hype

Kérastase states that the K-SCAN was developed by L'Oréal Groupe researchers in Paris, who tested it on hundreds of people from China, France, and Mauritius Island ranging from 18 to 60 years old. Of these trial participants, 79 percent were female and 21 percent were male. Kérastase's in-house AI algorithm was subsequently validated by training it on over 12,000 images.

Mashable checked out the K-SCAN during its trial launch, the tool being released in Spain and Australia in advance of its rollout in the U.S. and globally. There are still a few kinks to smooth out, but considering the usefulness of its insights plus the fact that an analysis costs zero dollars, I'd certainly ask for a K-SCAN the next time I visit the salon.

Kérastase's K-SCAN AI analysis vs a Japanese head spa K-SCAN results showing a scalp microbiome indicator, hair diameter, and hair density. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Going in, I was curious as to how the K-SCAN would compare to a normal, non-AI scalp analysis. I'd previously paid for a scalp assessment at a Tokyo head spa a few years ago, relying heavily on Google Translate to communicate with the very patient attendant in charge of my consultation. Taking several photos of my scalp with a microscopic camera, she informed me that my scalp was dry (I'd erroneously believed it to be oily) and that my fears of hairfall were unfounded (I remained unconvinced).

SEE ALSO: The Shark FlexStyle is still better than the Dyson Airwrap

While this was undeniably useful information, I left the session without a clear action plan. With the exception of cutting out shampoos designed for oily scalps, I largely continued my lacklustre hair care routine as usual, unsure of what to change or how. Though they told me I should be moisturising my scalp, I'd never heard of a scalp moisturiser before, and I wasn't sure what to get or how to apply it.

K-SCAN results showing a person's scalp and hair profile as well as personalised Kérastase product recommendations. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

My K-SCAN analysis was both more and less thorough, being more of a quick, practical assessment than a relaxation experience. While the Japanese service took several photos of different areas of my scalp, the K-SCAN was satisfied with working off just one image. 

However, the hairdresser operating the device did ask me a few quick questions before we began, such as how often I wash my hair; whether I've coloured or permed it; if my scalp gets itchy; and whether I wear a lot of headbands or hats. Kérastase told Mashable that hairdressers are trained in how to use the K-SCAN and decipher its results.

Once we got to the actual scan, the hairdresser used a tablet to show me the photo of my scalp under different lights and applied filters. For example, one image drew little green boxes around every follicle to calculate my hair density, while another used UV light to assess my scalp microbiome. Kérastase's AI analysed the photo to detect such information, comparing it to the scalp images it had been trained in order to evaluate what it meant.

K-SCAN results showing a live scalp view under white light, cross polarised light, and UV light. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

The K-SCAN then gave me a scalp and hair profile, which quickly confirmed the Japanese head spa's assessment. Yes, my scalp is dry, and yes, my concerns about hair loss are more based in paranoia than reality. It also indicated that my scalp's microbiome is healthy — according to the hairdresser, the UV image should be "lit up like a Christmas tree." 

Having my previous analysis corroborated was a reassuring signal regarding the K-SCAN's accuracy. It was also gratifying to see the results clearly conveyed visually, which helped me understand the analysis. The hairdresser then used the results of my K-SCAN assessment to recommend a personalised Kérastase Fusio-Dose hair treatment, choosing a concentrate and booster that would address my specific issues (Sahara-grade dryness in my case). Following the treatment they did a second K-SCAN to compare my before and after, though the only real difference was that my scalp was slightly irritated from the massage.

SEE ALSO: Is the Dyson Supersonic still worth it?

Even so, Rome wasn't built in a day, and years of frizzy hair takes more than one salon session to truly address. The real test would be whether following the K-SCAN's advice yielded noticeable results in the long term.

K-SCAN results showing before and after photos following a hair treatment under white light, cross polarised light, and UV light. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

While the Tokyo head spa gave me information about my scalp health, I wasn't sure what to do with it. In contrast, the K-SCAN recommended three specific Kérastase products for my dry hair: the Nutritive Bain Satin Riche shampoo, Nutritive Nutri-Supplement Scalp Serum, and Chronologiste Intense Regenerating Mask. The hairdresser even helpfully walked me through how to apply the serum.

Of course, these are fairly pricey products and the recommendations are contained to Kérastase's range. Yet even if you have no intention of investing in Kérastase haircare, getting the K-SCAN's recommendations is still useful in helping formulate a routine, as well as guide your search for more affordable alternatives.

K-SCAN hair analysis results sent right to your inbox An email from Kérastase showing the results of a K-SCAN. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

I was assured that the K-SCAN's results would be emailed to me after my salon appointment. However, while the information I ultimately received was still useful, I was disappointed to find it comparatively sparse. 

Though the pictures of my scalp were the most interesting part of my K-SCAN analysis, none were included in Kérastase's email. Instead, it merely consisted of several sliding scale graphs, the veracity of which was questionable. For example, while my in-salon results said that my scalp microbiome was high, the email told me it was low. The hair density slider also sat near the middle of the graph yet erroneously gave me a score of 54/200 instead of out of 100.

Further, while the email did provide the list of Kérastase products the K-SCAN recommended, it consisted only of photos and names without context. At the salon the K-SCAN had shown me the order in which they'd be applied, as well as what each one did. It's simple enough to look the products up online for a more complete picture, but I would have appreciated it if this information were provided in the email. Having a clear plan laid out would have been reassuring, especially for hair care novices.

Kérastase's K-SCAN is a small, handheld device. Credit: Kérastase

I would also have liked to have the images of my scalp for comparison if I were to return for another K-SCAN in the future. The hairdresser told me that the K-SCAN's scalp pictures are wiped at the end of each day, so it isn't as though your regular salon will keep a database documenting your hair's health.

It's a win for scalp privacy, but it does mean that repeat customers won't get to enjoy the satisfaction of tracking months of progress. If you do go to a K-SCAN, I'd recommend taking photos of the tablet screen for your own records.

Since my K-SCAN, I've certainly felt less confused and directionless when it comes to haircare. It's difficult to tell whether Kérastase's products specifically have made a difference, or whether it's my new K-SCAN-informed focus on moisturising my dry hair and scalp which has played the bigger part. Whichever the case, Kérastase's K-SCAN was invaluable in informing my new routine, which has my scalp feeling more comfortable and hydrated, and my hair slowly looking softer, healthier, and less frizzy.

You can find a participating K-SCAN salon near you via the Kérastase website.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your Android tablet, you might want to hold off for a bit. OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus Pad 3 is officially coming soon, with a launch slated for June 5th in both the US and Canada.

It turns out Apple's upcoming ultra-thin iPhone will probably be pretty light, too.

The latest leak about the rumored iPhone 17 Air comes courtesy of user "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog, as spotted by MacRumors. According to the blog, which has been correct about these sorts of things in the past, the new thin iPhone will weigh just 145g. Per MacRumors, that would put it somewhere between the 2020 iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 Mini in terms of weight.

SEE ALSO: The battle of the mid-range phones: Google Pixel 9a vs. iPhone 16e

In other words, it's pretty light. That would be almost 20g lighter than the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which is the most notable competitor to the iPhone 17 Air that exists right now.

The Naver post also indicates that the iPhone 17 Air has a 2,800mAh battery inside of it. That pales in comparison to a lot of other modern smartphones, like the budget Google Pixel 9a, which has a 5,100mAh battery. However, battery capacity isn't necessarily a "the bigger number is always better" situation, and making an ultra-thin phone requires some compromises. The leak also suggests Apple could use a high density battery, which would increase its capacity to an extent.

Most expect the iPhone 17 Air to be announced in September of this year, along with the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.

Starting on Monday, May 19, you can watch live as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicks off the company's annual developers conference, Microsoft Build 2025.

This year, Microsoft Build is being hosted in Seattle, and Nadella will join other Microsoft leaders for a series of livestreamed events. The opening keynote is scheduled to take place on May 19 from 12:05 to 2:00 p.m. EST. Nadella will be joined by Microsoft Chieft Technology Officer Kevin Scott for the opening session. According to the official description from Microsoft, "Satya Nadella and Microsoft leaders share how Microsoft is creating new opportunity across our platforms in this era of AI."

How to watch

You can register to participate in Microsoft Build virtually at the Microsoft website. But the easiest way to watch the event is to catch it live on YouTube.

We expect Microsoft Build to include new announcements about Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered AI tool, Copilot. You can also look for "the latest in Copilot, Azure, GitHub, and Windows AI innovations."

The event lineup features several highlights, including the keynote with Nadella, a Day 1 deep dive session titled "Unpacking the Tech," and a live recording of Scott and Mark Learn To...— a podcast that will explore key coding insights and takeaways from the Build event.

On the topic of code, it's worth noting that during his last public appearance, Nadella revealed that AI is now responsible for writing 30% of Microsoft’s code.

Here’s the thing about grief: it never goes away. As much as our culture would lead us to think, I’ve learned that it’s not a problem that needs solving with stages. Stages imply that you’ll eventually reach an endpoint, a resolution of some sort. Grief doesn’t allow for that. But you should allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come with grief as you learn to live with it. 

I lost both of my parents within three years  —  my father in Sept. 2021 and my mother in Aug. 2024. As an only child raised in a tight-knit family, I knew what it meant to feel a deep, undivided love (we were just the three of us). So this combined grief of losing them both close together has been devastating and cracked open a childhood fear I’ve carried for as long as I can remember.

Since then, I’ve had to navigate the chaos, numbness, and quiet revelations of grief. I’ve heard this journey described in all kinds of ways  —  and honestly, they’ve all had a point. I’ve read the books. I’ve tuned into the podcasts. I’ve gone through counseling. Each voice added something — and yet, nothing can fully capture the experience. 

Now more than ever, I find myself traveling back to relive what I thought were happier times - a period of my life when I had fewer concerns and my glasses were more rose-colored. With the tap of a button, I can stream the TV shows that defined my childhood, listen to an AI-generated playlist of songs I once put on mixtapes in high school, and rediscover the rare paperback novels I enjoyed during my bookworm days. 

I can now find a different kind of comfort in the media I consumed when I was younger. I can enjoy these pieces of pop culture through a different lens as they provide new insights into what I’ve been experiencing lately. I can appreciate them in a new way as they help me process the anxiety, sadness, anger, exhaustion, loneliness, gratitude, and every other complicated emotion that comes with grieving. 

These are my favorites:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 5, “The Body”

BTVS skillfully explored the initial moments following the (natural) death of Buffy’s mom. “Mommy,” Buffy whimpers before rushing to her, reverting to a child-like vulnerability I now know all too well. Series creator Joss Whedon captured the isolation and dullness in the minutiae of such a life-changing event, describing it on the DVD commentary as "the black-ashes-in-your-mouth numbness of death” that develops while trying to comprehend the incomprehensible. 

When I had to say my final goodbye to my mother in the hospital, my mind flashed through all the alternatives to this outcome while I was suddenly faced with a list of seemingly mundane tasks in the aftermath. Not unlike the titular heroine from one of my all-time favorite shows. 

“Mary Jane” by Alanis Morissette

This deep cut from 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, the definitive album of my adolescence, was once a seemingly wistful ballad about a friend in trouble. Now, thirty years later, it cuts even deeper, speaking to the all-consuming despair that can dominate one’s mental health. Mary Jane represents anyone who’s ever felt lost in a world that keeps moving while you remain paralyzed with your racing thoughts, stuck in an emotional state you think will never end.  

The Golden Girls, Season 6, “Ebbtide’s Revenge” 

Losing my mom was like losing a buffer that once protected me from the realities of certain family dynamics. Having no siblings, I can’t quite relate to Dorothy’s loss of her brother Phil, but this capsule episode from the iconic sitcom allowed me to recognize how the loss of my mom affected members of my extended family. 

Sophia, having lost her only son, remains stoic throughout, finally breaking down in the final scene after she realizes her disdain for Phil’s wife, Angela, was really a cover for the shame, doubt, and guilt she held onto for a child she never understood.

Other People 

Anticipatory grief is beautifully conveyed in Chris Kelly’s feature directorial debut that stars Jesse Plemons as David, a writer who returns home to care for his dying mother (an astonishing Molly Shannon). The movie eerily reflects my own relationship with this sense of dread, chronicling a year in David’s life as he learns more about his family and his issues with loneliness while coming to terms with the inevitable. The dramedy also features a running gag involving Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” as an inescapable tune popping up during inopportune times, including a scene where David breaks down in a supermarket while shopping for laxatives. Not too long ago, I had a similar experience with Sabrina Carpenter’s “Feather” inside a Dollar Tree in Florida while shopping for antacids.

Sex and the City, Season 4, “My Motherboard, My Self”

Miranda mourns the loss of her mom in Philadelphia, a hundred miles away from her friends, in this episode that taps into the isolating loneliness of grief (this was me in Florida, thousands of miles away from my friends in L.A.). This episode also demonstrates the importance of found family during times of crisis when Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha demonstrate their sisterly love by traveling to the City of Brotherly Love for their grieving friend. Though Miranda was surrounded by her family, there was nothing like the solace she found in her friends, particularly when Carrie joins a solo Miranda in the funeral procession and grabs her hand – a small moment that resonates with me more than it did twenty years ago.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Klune’s novel was published just two weeks after my father passed away. Still, it wasn’t until three years later and after my mother’s death that I read it and re-examined my relationship with death. Much like the main character in the book, a lawyer named Wallace who dies and finds himself tethered to a quaint tea shop that acts as a rest stop for souls before they enter the afterlife, I found myself confronting what it means to let go.

While Wallace reevaluates his life and finds an unexpected romance with the “ferryman” who runs the shop, reintroducing him to the concepts of kindness and empathy, I found myself doing the same (while also finding my own romance IRL). 

Klune’s mysterious and fascinating world may enchant anyone who’s dealing with loss, but for me, it has helped me accept grief as a silent passenger riding alongside me on this journey.

“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips

While this mid-tempo pop classic from 1990 was memorably used to comedic effect in the finale to 2011’s Bridesmaids, it also holds a special place in my heart. I have always associated it with my first international trip as a child. My parents and I traveled to Japan to visit my father’s homeland, and the long flight from New York felt like an eternity to a kid like me. Keeping me occupied, besides my tattered copy of John Bellairs’s The Curse of the Blue Figurine, was the airline’s rotation of songs, which included “Hold On.” I knew the lyrics by heart by the time we landed in Tokyo, but now those lyrics work as a mantra, encouraging me to embrace my grief journey, to take care of myself, and to stay present.

Nostalgia is always an alluring trip to take, and sometimes it’s difficult to leave its comforts behind and return to present-day reality. But after revisiting these particular pieces, I can feel a renewed sense of purpose, of gratitude, just like Wallace feels at the end of Under the Whispering Door. I know I will keep honoring and recognizing my grief as the state of unexpressed love that it is — because I still have so much more of it to give.

I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, and have seen firsthand how technological advances in equipment, software, and AI can impact the creative process. Throughout my career, I’ve been behind the camera, in the edit bay, and in writers’ rooms. I’ve seen how this industry works and how it’s always changing, often because of technology.

When I went to NYU for film school, I experienced firsthand how deeply tech is intertwined with the creative process. I learned to edit 16mm film on a Steenbeck, then later edited tape-to-tape on a VCR (might be aging myself with those references). These days, however, I edit TV series with powerful computers and apps, like AVID and Adobe Premiere.

Through all of it, I’ve seen how technology continues to reshape the way we create content, making the production process faster, smarter, and more accessible. I’ve always kept up with the latest innovations in gear, apps, and workflows, not just because they’re cool, but because they show us what’s possible and help us maximize our creative potential. Technology can't replace the human touch, but it might be able to help us better express ourselves to one another.

Whether it’s new, AI-driven functions in software that help to speed up post-production, or apps that let you control your whole lighting setup from your phone when creating your own content, these tools are changing the way we tell stories by helping us bring ideas to life in more efficient and inventive ways.

Maybe we should give these new technologies a try for ourselves. And if we don't like 'em, at least we now know that through firsthand experience, rather than hearsay. It's all part of cultivating your craft as a creative, because when you know how to wield skills and tools well, you can tell engaging stories and share them with the world.

In the past few years, AI has wreaked havoc on the education sector. It’s quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry, hailed by some administrators as the future of learning while other faculty scramble to address the fallout, including the rampant cheating that AI chatbots enabled almost overnight. It has felt particularly threatening to the subject I teach—writing—where many students struggle, and the temptation to turn to AI is irresistible.

But paradoxically, the AI invasion hasn’t convinced me that learning to write well is about to become obsolete. I recognize in many of my students the impulse that led me to become a writer: the human need to express oneself and, in so doing, to relate to others. In fact, confronting the possibilities and limits of AI for writing lets me explore with my students why we write in the first place, and to consider what technological tools can and can’t do to help us.

The arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 reminds me of a quote from High Fidelity, the 1995 Nick Hornby novel that later became a movie starring John Cusack and a limited series starring Zoë Kravitz. “One moment they weren’t there, not in any form that interested us, anyway, and the next you couldn’t miss them; they were everywhere, all over the place.” The quote is about how 13-year-old boys suddenly started noticing girls who, up to that point, had just been other boys’ sisters. Now they were girls, and the boys wanted… “actually, we didn’t know what we wanted,” writes Hornby.

For me, this quote could just as easily apply to the arrival of AI chatbots. Suddenly, they were everywhere — in every news article I read, in conversations with fellow faculty and other writers, and, before long, in my students’ writing. Midway through the semester, I noticed that students who had previously written clunky, awkward prose were suddenly turning in polished, if generic, five-part essays. AI was everywhere, all over the place.

You can't stop students from using AI

Right on the heels of the chatbots came tools to help teachers detect their use. First, there was GPTZero, a winter break project by Princeton University senior Edward Tian that received significant media coverage. Tian was hailed as a hero by educators, a model student who put his coding skills to use to protect academic integrity. Other copycat tools followed, like the unimaginatively-named ZeroGPT, all promising greater levels of accuracy and reliability.

TurnItIn, a widely used plagiarism detector built into many universities’ learning management systems, even had its own AI checker. It came with all kinds of disclaimers indicating that its assessment may not always be accurate, so it shouldn’t be used as the sole evidence against a student accused of cheating. In short, TurnItIn, and all the others like it, were not reliable. It turns out detecting AI is no easy task, and just as quickly as new detectors came out, new ways to get around them appeared. 

What’s worse is that the AI detectors never seem to agree with one another. Pop in a bit of text from a student essay and one website will assure you that the text was human-written (“Zero percent AI!”). But input the same text into a different site and it might tell you it is most likely AI. Both will provide convincing reasons. How can a teacher approach a student with an accusation of AI plagiarism without concrete evidence, or really any way to get that evidence?

There's also the questionable legality of feeding student writing — if that’s what it was — into a third-party website. And while many of us who teach writing defaulted to protective policing tactics at first, our colleagues in other disciplines and departments heralded the arrival of AI, encouraging students to use it and singing its praises openly in faculty meetings. Mixed messages were rampant.

A collaborative approach to AI literacy

Around this same time, I had my sights set on a new teaching position that was specifically geared toward teaching professional writing, more firmly in my wheelhouse. After I was offered the job, I openly worried to my wife about the wisdom of taking a job teaching professional writing when some commentators and pundits were announcing the end of such trivial and time-consuming pursuits as writing.

When I took the job, I approached it from the beginning as a challenge. Professional writing would change, and I could help students think through what its future might look like. Rather than dictate rules while I was still trying to understand the impacts myself, I wanted to give students a stake in their own relationship to the technology. Many of my students are English majors; like me, they feel the need to write. So what role did they want AI to play in their future careers?

In the first week of my first semester, I worked with students to create an AI policy we could all agree on. Using AI for brainstorming and pre-writing was okay. Putting assignment prompts into a chatbot and asking for a completed essay was not. I stress that college writing has never been about a finished product; writing is thinking, and I want to see them think on the page. We agreed that students should disclose if and how they used AI. This ensured that if there was AI use, my first response wouldn’t be punitive, but constructive. We could talk about how AI helped, or didn’t. This also allowed me to get a better sense of how students were fitting AI into their workflow and to determine where it could actually be helpful.

This semester, a student turned in an essay that was full of great ideas and well-crafted sentences, though, as I was grading it, I commented in the margin that it seemed to jump around a bit. So, I actually laughed out loud when I got to the AI disclosure at the end of the essay and read that the student had only used AI to help with the order of the ideas. 

What’s human about writing?

The process of figuring out AI together has led to some amazing, even existential, conversations, the kind I thought we could no longer have in an era where college education is often seen as little more than career training. It turns out that one of the best ways to begin a conversation with students about the role of AI in writing is to simply ask: why do we write?

Now we have class discussions about how writing allows us to share experiences, alter perspectives, and engender empathy. It quickly becomes clear that in all kinds of writing, a human consciousness is assumed — and desired. I ask students to imagine a scenario in which I present them a poem so moving it brings them to tears, and then I reveal that it was written by AI. How would that make them feel? Some say they’d be okay with it, but most say they’d feel cheated. They cried, in the imagined scenario, because they empathized with the experience of the human writer behind the words. No writer, no empathy.

Another discussion takeaway that assures me AI won't make writing obsolete is the surprising connections only human minds can make. It's a delight to get to know my students through their writing.

I have always found it funny that I have a difficult time memorizing students’ names until I read their first essays. I come to know my students by seeing the interesting connections their minds make. Writing is thinking, and by getting a sense of how they think, they come more fully alive.

The same goes for me. When I try to remember the early days of ChatGPT, why am I reminded of a line from a novel that was published 30 years ago, lodged in my memory by a movie released 25 years ago? I don’t know why my mind makes that connection, but I love that it does. I’m reminded that my own writing has the ability to surprise me, that writing really is thinking, and I often don’t know my own opinions until I set them down in words. AI can write, but it’s not really thinking, so teaching students to think remains as important as ever.

Finding a job is already frustrating enough — the endless applications, cover letters, and long bouts of waiting for responses that might never arrive. Now it seems jobseekers will increasingly be forced to debase themselves even further by interviewing with glitchy, inhuman AI bots.

TikToks of folks interviewing with artificial intelligence-powered "interviewers" have gone viral recently. Now, before we go any further, it's important to acknowledge that some of these TikToks are fake or labeled as some version of satire. But there are others that appear to be very real.

A detailed report from Slate over the weekend, for instance, talked with folks who said they'd been forced to interview with an AI bot. One such example was Kendiana Colin, who posted a viral TikTok showing an AI bot that couldn't stop saying "vertical-bar pilates" during an interview for a job at a stretching studio. It is genuinely creepy and darkly funny.

“It was very disrespectful and a waste of time,” Colin told Slate.

She's hardly alone in her experience. Another viral video appears to show an interview bot getting stuck in a loop of saying "when, when, when" and "let's circle back." There is something fitting about the bot getting stuck in a loop of corporate speak. That TikTokker told Newsweek this was an actual interview for a real job and not satire.

If you peruse around TikTok you'll see lots of other AI interviews of unclear veracity. But it's interesting that AI interviews have become such a thing online that now they're being parodied or faked to draw eyeballs.

This video, for instance, went viral despite being posted by an account clearly labeled as satire.

The thing is, the satire isn't far from the real thing. Despite that viral TikTok being fake, it's pretty much the same as the real pilates interview. And there are companies out there selling AI bots as hiring solutions. The Slate report noted the pilates "interviewer" was from a start-up called Apriora.

So next time you apply for a job, just know you might have to suffer through a glitchy AI bot to earn that offer.

Fear Street: Prom Queen, Netflix’s latest installment in the Fear Street film franchise, promises more slashery goodness for fans of Leigh Janiak's highly successful trilogy that kicked things off in 2021 with Fear Street Part One: 1994, Part Two: 1978, and Part Three: 1666. The new horror entry, adapted from R.L. Stine's 1992 novel,  finds the Class of 1988 in danger as a hooded killer stalks prom queen candidates throughout the halls of Shadyside High. 

The movie (premiering on Netflix on May 23) is based on the 1992 R.L. Stine novel of the same name, and judging by the trailer, images, and character posters, co-writer and director Matt Palmer may have taken some liberties with the material. Which, as a die-hard fan (the photo above is from my own collection of all 100 Fear Street books), I’m not entirely mad at. 

So, as an OG fan deeply connected to the book series that dominated shelves in the ‘90s, I have certain expectations for Prom Queen and look forward to the potential Netflix can further squeeze out of this budding horror franchise. Here’s what I’m anticipating:

Bloodiest. Prom. Ever.

Compared to 1980’s Prom Night movie — the granddaddy of prom-themed slashers that starred Jamie Lee Curtis and unrelated to R.L. Stine’s novel — Fear Street: Prom Queen is poised to take the crown when it comes to a kill count. Actually, make that: a kill count that doesn’t involve any telekinesis (gotta give Carrie her flowers). I’m expecting literal murder on the dance floor. Lots of it. 

We haven’t heard the last from Camp Nightwing

In Fear Street Part Two: 1978, we saw campers and counselors alike get brutally butchered at the doomed sleepaway camp (again, thanks to the Shadyside curse), and according to the trailer for the 1988-set Fear Street; Prom Queen, we get a shot of a bulletin board memorializing the massacre that took place 10 years earlier. Could one of the Camp Nightwing survivors make a cameo in the new movie? Is there a connection between our killers, separated by a decade?

There’s something about the faculty at Shadyside High

While the cast of Prom Queen is filled with fresh talent and rising stars, it also features a who’s who of veteran actors we’ve loved for years. Chris Klein (the American Pie franchise) and Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza, The Conjuring) play faculty members interacting with the Class of 1988, while Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) brings a parent's perspective to the growing horror as the student body count piles up. Casting these familiar faces could be reason enough to assume that some of these adults have a more peculiar role to play in the prom night mayhem. 

No matter the decade, mean girls are timeless

R.L. Stine’s book may have come out in 1992, but it tapped into the competitive nature of teen girls that still exists today, especially when it comes to winning the crown on prom night. Whatever the decade, there will always be rivalry, and Fear: Street: Prom Queen seems to demonstrate plenty of it. Why set it in 1988, though? Easy: the music and fashion were just more iconic, and the wilder the hair, the meaner the girl. Plus, back then, no one had smartphones to help them elude a serial killer. Slashing teens is just easier this way. 

Prom Queen’s killer could easily be supernatural 

As we’ve learned from Fear Street Part Three: 1666, Sarah Fier was used as a scapegoat for the curse on Shadyside, which was really a result of the Goode family’s deal with the Devil, turning residents into mass murderers throughout the centuries. So, it makes sense that the slasher stalking our teens in Fear Street: Prom Queen could be another everyday citizen possessed by the evil forces that have plagued this town. 

A playlist to die for

Speaking of the trailer, the inclusion of Belinda Carlisle’s highly repeatable “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” is a shining example of music supervision brilliance. And if Fear Street Part One: 1994 taught us anything, it’s that producers like Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping know how to set the tone of an era, even with a new creative team behind the camera. So, expect a giant wave of nostalgia in the form of a soundtrack filled with mid-to-late-80s pop hits. I’m thinking “Need You Tonight” by INXS, “Together Forever” by Rick Astley, and “Tell It To My Heart” by Taylor Dayne,  just to name a few.

After the prom ends…

With Fear Street being one of the biggest YA series in publishing history, Netflix currently has its hands on a franchise ripe with possibilities. There’s so much more material to adapt for future films. For instance, R.L. Stine’s much-beloved Cheerleaders trilogy follows a pair of sisters on Shadyside High’s cheer squad battling an evil spirit that possesses their pom-pom-shaking BFFs. And let’s not forget Fear Street’s holiday-themed horrors: Silent Night turned Christmas cheer into fear (spawning two sequels), Halloween Party trapped costumed guests inside a mansion with a killer, and long before Heart Eyes sliced and diced couples, Broken Hearts gave us a memorable Valentine’s Day slasher.

As Fear Street continues to make its mark on pop culture, there’s a special thrill in knowing the fandom is alive and well. I still keep the original paperbacks in mint condition, proudly displayed. A framed collage of my favorite cover art by Bill Schmidt hangs in my hallway, alongside a note from R.L. Stine himself — one I received after my very first fan letter. (I recently had him re-sign and personalize it when I met him for the first time at an event earlier this month.) This is my small shrine to a series that shaped my love for reading, writing, and all things horror.

Fear Street: Prom Queen premieres on Netflix May 23.

While playing music is my favorite part of what I do, you need more than just a soundtrack in today's world to tell an engaging story and build an audience. 

Music was my first passion. Growing up on 90’s hip hop, I’d listen to Hot 97 radio and make mixtapes for my friends with tracks by Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg and others. Shortly after moving to NYC for college, I quickly found myself engulfed in club culture and started DJing, eventually playing at legendary clubs like Bungalow 8, Gold Bar, Lotus, PM, Suede, Hudson Terrace and more.

Little did I know that this love for sharing music would take me around the world. Today I own and operate my own DJ and creative consultancy businesses. Technology allows me to tell my stories in beautiful and inventive ways, which is a crucial part of what I do.

I use a variety of tools to help me create content. For shooting video & photo, I use an iPhone, Canon EOS R5 Mark II and Fuji X100VI mirrorless cameras, a GoPro Hero 7 action camera, an Insta 360 camera, and sometimes a DJI Mavic Pro 2 for some epic b-roll. For clean audio, you gotta have the Rode Wireless Pro. I also find myself using various 35mm film and point-and-shoot digital cameras for fun nostalgia vibes.

For editing, I use editing apps like Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Adobe Premiere Pro interchangeably between my Macbook Pro and my Windows PC. Using apps like Stemverter and Logic Pro to help me quickly make remixes and edits for when I’m DJing live with Serato DJ or Rekordbox. And Adobe Photoshop’s generative fill feature has been an incredible creative tool eliminating boundaries for photo touch ups and canvas expansion.

Familiarity with these tools helps me collaborate with other creators effortlessly and allow me to tell more engaging stories. These tools allow me to not only create engaging content efficiently, but to also collaborate with other creators to help visually communicate the story of what I love most: sharing music with the world.