Having a dishwasher is a game changer, even if its a tiny oneit cuts down on both labor and water use. Like air conditioning, the dishwasher an all-time great that tops the list of modern inventions, excluding big ones like electricity and indoor plumbing (both of which necessarily predated the creation of the dishwasher). Still, there's one drawback: Most dishwashers are very good at washing dishes, but they arent so great at drying dishes.The viral TikTok dish-drying hackEnter this hack from Babs, the TikTok grandma everyone loves. Though shes had her hits and her misses, Babs is generally reliable, but this dish-drying maneuver is a true timesaving hack. In this old video (which has since resurfaced and gone viral a second time), Babs drapes a terrycloth dishtowel inside her dishwasher once the dishes are done (that is, after the washing and drying cycle is complete). She lets it hang out for five minutes, then opens the washer to reveal truly dry dishes. Why the hack works for drying dishesTouching wet dishes feels gross and drying dishes is boring, so this hack is a winner just because it precludes those two actions. After a quick test, it's confirmed: This works well, though its not quite as effective as the video implies. I washed my dishes, I draped and waited, and then opened my dishwasher to reveal ... mostly dry dishes. My plates were completely dry, as were most of my other dishes, but there was still some water pooled on top of a few bowls and coffee cups.Why does this work? The towel absorbs the steam thats wafting around in the washer after the washing and automatic drying is all done, and keeps it from condensing on your dishes. Of course, a dish towel, no matter how absorbent, is simply not capable of soaking up pooled water from several inches away, so this hack means far less drying, which is not the no drying Babs promises, but is still much better than drying every single dish. After this post was originally published, however, a few of you commented that opening the dishwasher to put the towel in there might actually be a key component of what makes this work. Opening the door and allowing air to flow in for a while is actually a no-brainer, old-fashioned method that is almost too obviouswhich might be why we don't think to do it (and is also why some newer models open up automatically when a rinse is over). Consider just popping open the door after a load finishes, but not unloading right away. You can do this after sticking the towel in there if you want, too, for a double whammy.

Despite the headline you see above, for the most part, I dont buy the premise that movies can be so bad, theyre actually good. If a movies good, isnt it just...good? Theres no question, however, that movies can succeed by failing.Ed Wood is an extreme but perfect example of a filmmaker who never achieved precisely what he set out to do with any of his movies, but who nonetheless made cinematic magic out of enthusiasm, shamelessness, and no small measure of self-delusion. That kind of thing is always better than a strained attempt at creating the same effect. Think Sharknadoa movie thats fun, but that works so hard to achieve silliness that you can see the flop sweat. The best so bad they're good movies get there quite by accident.Personally, Id almost always rather watch an interesting failure than a boring successsometimes because passion is contagious, and just as often because a true WTF-level debacle is a rare and glorious thing. Here are 35 of them.Jason X (2001) In the not-too-distant future (2010 AD), Jason Voorhees has been captured by the United States governmentbut they've been trying to kill him for years with no luck. So they do what America does best: pawn the problem off on a future generation. They freeze the big guy, who's then discovered nearly five centuries later by a team exploring the now uninhabitable Earth. They wake him up which, as you can imagine, is a bad ideahe goes on a killing spree. But in space! Long-derided, the movie is an awful lot of fun if you're willing to go along with the over-the-top premise. It's got all of the grisly kills you'd expect in a Friday the 13th movie (including a memorable bit involving liquid nitrogen), and, more importantly, a sense of humor about itself. That light tone and a cool Jason redesign make it a delightfully goofy bit of sci-fi horror.Where to stream: Digital rentalSkidoo (1968) Imagine a whacked-out, trippy counterculture LSD movie directed by one of the leading lights of classic Hollywood and starring mostly older actors with names like Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Mickey Rooney, and Groucho Marx (as a gangster named God who might also be God).Its about...well, OK, Ive seen it at least three times and have no idea what its about, but following some heist antics and a handful of acid trips, it culminates with Channings character (in a slightly naughty sea admirals uniform) leading a flotilla of hippies to storm Gods yacht before Harry Nilsson (the films composer) sings the entirety of the closing credits. Some would say that Anatomy of a Murder or Laura are director Otto Premingers masterpieces, but this is an all-time triumph of weirdness.Where to stream: PlexBattle Beyond the Stars (1980) Its clear that the filmmakers behind Battle were in on the joke, at least to a point. One of the movies centerpiece models is, after all, Nell, an organic spaceship which looks, very deliberately, like a pair of breasts attached to a set of ovaries.Still, the Roger Corman-produced space opera is an uneasy combination of silly and serious, with an impressive cast (Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, John Saxon, etc.) giving their all to do a take on Star Wars that the movie only partly commits to. That tension, though, is a hallmark of the so bad its good genre.Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Shout Factory TV, Prime VideoHoward the Duck (1986) This 1986 adaptation of the Steve Gerber comic was a passion project of George Lucas for over a decadeit was also the first time a Marvel character had appeared on the big screen, at least since a 1944 Captain America serial. Could Howard the Duck have jumpstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe a quarter of a century before Iron Man? Unlikely, but a tantalizing prospect given that it might have teed up a far sassier run of films. A box office bomb that earned critical derision and four Razzies, it stars Lea Thompson as the human woman who first encounters (and eventually sleeps with) the strange visitor from Duckworld. The movie's full of wild, bold, and not entirely successful choices, but committed performances from Thompson and company have given the movie a cult status.Where to stream: Prime VideoBatman & Robin (1997) Ive yet to encounter a convincing, revisionist take that Batman & Robin is some kind of misunderstood masterpiecethough thats a tempting take. The day-glo styling and notoriously pronounced nipples suggest a misunderstood queer classic in the offingbut its simultaneously too much and not enough.For everything going on, the movie still manages dull stretches, and the comic-book-inspired palette tends toward the cheap and ugly. And yet! Its a fascinating misfire, and serves as a throwback to a moment when a major studio would spend boatloads of money on something so weird and idiosyncratic. And, though it doesnt ultimately work, its the last time that big-screen Batman was anything approaching fun.Where to stream: Max, digital rentalJupiter Ascending (2015) The Wachowskis have taken some bold swings in their filmmaking careers. They haven't all panned out, but their films are never boring, and this one has their characteristically lavish visual style. Mila Kunis stars as Jupiter Jones, who cleans houses for a living before learning that she has a grander inheritance thanks to the intervention of Channing Tatum, playing a genetically engineered dog person. It's a fun, goofy hodgepodge of science fiction tropes blended with some clever ideas and a who-cares? attitude. The MVP here is surely Eddie Redmayne, whose absolutely unhinged performance as the primary villain is objectively pretty awful, but endlessly entertaining. The actor famously won an Oscar for The Theory of Everything the same week that he "won" a Worst Supporting Actor Razzie for this film. I'm not a big fan of the Razzies, but this one felt deservedin the best way.Where to stream: Prime VideoFear (1996) On a surface level, this is heavy material: gaslighting, abuse, sexual assault, and manipulation swirling around a teenage relationship. Its all done with such over-the-top style, though, that its nearly impossible to take any of it seriouslyby the movies conclusion, Mark Wahlbergs hard-to-kill David might as well be Michael Myers. Those elements, as well as the movies soon-to-be A-list cast, explain why a movie with the plot of a middling Lifetime movie has become a minor cult classic.Where to stream: Paramount+, digital rentalCats (2019) If camp can be defined as failed seriousness, then Cats stands as a shining example of the form. The array talents assembled here is extraordinary, with an Oscar-winning director in the lead of a to-die-for cast performing numbers from one of Broadways all-time most popular musicals. Clearly, everyone involved thought they were involved in a prestige film tailor-made for awards season.We werent much past the release of the first trailer before those hopes were dashed, with the suspension of disbelief accorded to costumed performers on a theater stage disappearing completely into an uncanny valley of digitally enhanced cat bodies and sets. What was meant to be charming became vaguely nightmarish, but that disconnect between what was intended and the end result is a sure indication that Cats, given just a bit more time, is guaranteed a slot in the canon of deeply trippy cult classics.Where to stream: Netflix, digital rentalMommie Dearest (1981) As with Cats, it was clear from early on that audiences werent receiving Mommie Dearest as it was intended. What was intended to be a deeply serious biopic and an exploration of child abuse was, instead, viewed as a high-camp dark comedy. Wisely, Paramount quickly shifted gears and changed the movies marketing to lean into its more outr elementsadding wire hangers to the posters and promising ...the biggest MOTHER of them all! as if to reassure audiences that they were in on the joke, which they most assuredly had not been during production.The flawless retro production design is a huge part of the appeal here, as is Faye Dunaways wildly, perfectly over-the-top performance. Her commitment to a serious performance is precisely why its so brilliantly funny.Where to stream: Paramount+, digital rentalSupergirl (1984) Speaking of Faye Dunaway, she gives another completely delicious performance in this muddled spin-off, an early attempt at creating a superheroic cinematic universe. Supergirl wisely attempts to move away from the science fiction trappings of the Superman movies and into something a bit more fantasy-inspired, but it plays like a bunch of set pieces that never really come together into anything coherent. Still, Dunaway is fun to watch and Helen Slater is perfectly cast as Kara Zor-El, even if the movie only sporadically works.Where to stream: Digital rentalMadame Web (2024) There's a reasonably effective set-up here: Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) is an awkward paramedic who develops powers of premonition following a near-death experience. When she has a vision of three young women being murdered on a train, she takes it upon herself to rescue them. Not so complicated! Until we wind up with a long-dead mother in the Amazon, three Spider-Women, a villain with inexplicable motives, flashbacks, flash forwards, and moments when the action stops dad in its tracks while characters try to explain all of this to the audience, to little avail. Add to all of that wildly unsubtle product placement that makes the movie feel like one big awkward Pepsi commercial. If anything, it's even clunkier than last year's Spider-adjacent flop, Morbius, thereby earnings its spot here as a movie best enjoyed under the influence. Where to stream: Netflix, digital rentalPiranha (1978) It feels churlish to include tongue-in-cheek movies here, but, given that contemporaneous reviews seemed to miss the point, we'll give it a spot here. A Roger Corman cheapie carefully calculated to pull in some of that sweet Jaws money, the goofy B-horror classic is all in good funa style of comedy-horror that debut director Joe Dante would go on to master. Here, genetically modified piranhas escape from a military facility with the help of some skinny dippers (of course), and proceed to eat their way through a summer camp full of unwary swimmers. John Sayles (The Brother from Another Planet, Matewan, Eight Men Out and many, many others) wrote the screenplay, a reminder that even the cheapest Corman films were mini talent factories.Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, AMC+, Crackle, Shudder Night Flight, Prime VideoPootie Tang (2001) Writer/director Louis C.K.s name doesnt carry nearly the cachet that it used to, and its entirely reasonable to be a little skeeved by him and his work. Nevertheless, movies are so thoroughly collaborative that its hard to know where to draw the line. Mileage will definitely vary. As for Pootie Tang, its goofy as hell, with a tossed-off quality, but the silliness is often inspired, parodying the blaxploitation films of the '70s and grounded by performances from some incredibly talented and reliably funny people, including Wanda Sykes, J.B. Smoove, Chris Rock, Reg E. Cathey, and Jennifer Coolidge (who, as always, steals every scene shes in). Its also wildly quotable, particularly if you saw it at a particularly impressionable and frequently stoned age.Where to stream: Tubi, digital rentalGods of Egypt (2016) Alex Proyas is responsible for The Crow and Dark City, two of the most imaginative films of the past few decades. Hes also directed...other movies. Proyas vision of an alternate ancient Egypt in which Gods walk among mortals is, ultimately, deeply sillyas well as being (with the exception of Chadwick Boseman) overwhelmingly white.Putting all that aside, though, it does manage to reflect Proyas impressive visual imagination and idiosyncrasies. In that, at least, its not bad as an antidote to our current glut of more coherent, but also far duller, superhero movies.Where to stream: Max, digital purchaseDune (1984) The arrival of the two-part Denis Villeneuve adaptation has, quite naturally, drawn attention back to the 1984 version, from popular director Alan Smithee, a pseudonym used by David Lynch by way of disavowing the film (or at least the longer TV cut). He wasnt wrong to be disappointedthe movie isnt a misunderstood masterpiece, but it is a fascinating curiosity with moments of real power that occasionally captures essential elements of Frank Herberts novel. Ultimately, Lynchs vision is probably far too distinct to ever have made him a good fit for this type of adaptation, and studio interference further compromised a project that was already going to be a tough sell.Where to stream: Netflix, digital rentalMasters of the Universe (1987) Feelings about He-Man run hot, weve recently had cause to learn, and only slightly less so in the pre-internet days of the late '80s. Moving the action from Eternia to Earth and adding some teenaged sidekicks was never going to be the way to appeal to fans of the overwhelmingly popular cartoon, leaving pretty much no one to cheer for a movie that should have been a slam dunk.Its status as an adaptation of the show is its biggest problem, as it happens. Viewed as a standalone mid-80s fantasy film, it works much better. Its still incredibly goofy, but elevated by a scenery-chewing Frank Langella and some Jack Kirby-inspired character designs that lend the movie a visual distinctiveness.Where to stream: TubiGrease 2 (1982) The virtues of the first Grease movie are debatable, but it was unquestionably a mega-hit that became an instant classic with audiences. I like Grease 2 better, honestly, even if its a far less polished film. The musical numbers are all over the place, many of them seeming as though they were just dropped into the movie at random (the ode to bowling, for instance). Lead Michelle Pfeiffers Stephanie is, on the surface, the coolest character in either of the filmsbut lacks any motivation beyond wanting a tough-guy boyfriend. Its all pretty slapdash, but the cast is clearly having fun and the whole thing is so amiable and lively that its hard to hate.Where to stream: Paramount+, digital rentalStaying Alive (1983) Staying in ill-conceived sequel territory for a moment, we rejoin John Travoltas Tony Manero as he continues the quest for dancing glory begun in the disco classic Saturday Night Fever. Theres not really a plot here to speak of, but there are some very fun dance numbers and impressive costumes, as well as a self-seriousness that runs to hilarity if youre in the right mood.Where to stream: Digital rentalXanadu (1980) A fantasy roller-disco musical staring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly? What could possibly go wrong?! Turns out, Xanadu was a failure on almost every level: The dance numbers are stale and stagy, the effects are fairly terrible (even by 1980 standards) and the acting isnt great. Given that there isnt much of a plot, it needed to work as a spectacle, and didnteven inspiring the infamous Golden Raspberry Awards.A movie can be a critical and box office flop, though, and still achieve cult status. Its utter weirdness is a draw (Gene Kelly? Really?), and it can be a ton of fun if youre willing to entertain the question what were they thinking? for 90 minutes or so.Where to stream: Digital rentalPlan 9 from Outer Space (1959) Ed Wood reigns, of course, as the patron saint of cult moviesa filmmaker with such passion and seriousness that he doesnt seem to have realized that he was making films that werent just terrible, but so terrible that they achieved immortality. In that vein, Plan 9 is his magnum opus, a movie about alien invaders that hopes we wont notice that Bela Lugosi was replaced mid-production by a much taller chiropractor. The thing is: We did notice, and we only love it that much more.Where to stream: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Mubi, digital rentalTroll 2 (1990) We have to give a mention to Troll 2, a notoriously troubled film that became the subject of a documentary (Best Worst Film) exploring the reasons for its popularity in the face of its very debatable merits as a film. Its unclear how much of the film is meant to be funny, given the language barrier between the Italian-speaking writer/director and crew and the English-speaking cast, but it certainly earns its status as a movie whose failings make it far more entertaining than it likely would have been were it a success.Oh, and dont worry if you go in cold, its not actually a sequel to anythingthe producers just wanted to capitalize on the relative popularity of the 1986 movie Troll.Where to stream: Tubi, MGM+, digital rentalThe Room (2003) An autobiographical passion project for writer/director/producer Tommy Wiseau, The Room has a spot in the bad movie hall of fame, alternating between incomprehensible monologues and sub-porn level dialogue, while throwing in a couple of truly weird sex scenes.The thing is, a successful The Room, one that resembled whatever the hell Wiseau had in mind when he conceived this thing, couldnt possibly have been more purely entertaining than the finished product. No intentional parody could ever replicate the sheer entertainment value in trying to figure out exactly whats going on in this movie from moment to moment.Where to stream: Tommy Wiseau has it posted at Archive.org.Road House (1989) Road House is my favorite Patrick Swayze movie, all the more so for its rather heightened view of life among bouncers in Missouri. Its practically operatic, including far more explosions than youd think the typical roadside bar experiences and multiple deadly fights. Its also got some truly laughable dialogue and several dead-end plots, but all the more glorious for all of that.Where to stream: Digital rentalAnaconda (1997) Anaconda walks the line here, in that its clearly intended to be a little ridiculous, but also achieves something through over-the-top acting and dodgy special effects that puts it above and beyond a more typical jungle-action monster movie. Sorry for the spoiler, but watching Jon Voight get eaten by a giant CGI snake is a pleasure all its own.Where to stream: Netflix, digital rentalShowgirls (1995) Paul Verhoeven is a complete mystery to me. While his Starship Troopers is often seen as unintentionally hilarious, I have no doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing with that one. Im not so sure with this notorious erotic dramaI made a commitment to not include intentional camp on this list, but Im honestly not sure how much of Showgirls stilted strangeness is intentional, and how much is by accident. Either way, its entertaining as hell.Where to stream: Tubi, MGM+Samurai Cop (1991) Joe Marshall (Matthew Karedas, billed here as Matt Hannon) might be a white LAPD cop, but ACTUALLY he's very into Japanese culture and practically qualifies as a samurai, given that he spent time in Japan and knows how to use a sword. Luckily he's on hand when a rogue Yakuza faction makes its presence known in Los Angeles, leading to an extravagant martial arts fight in the parking lot of a Carlos'n Charlie's. The fighting itself isn't bad, but the sound was all done as ADR after filming was complete, and most of the actors didn't returnso most of the voices are the same couple of actors, pitched differently; as a consequences, most of them sound like robots. Pick-up shots were done in a single bare office location, so reaction shots frequently don't match. It's the Plan 9 from Outer Space of '80s/'90s action movies.Where to stream: Tubi, Night FlightMoonfall (2022) This one very much depends on your tolerance for dumb action blockbusters in the style of Roland Emmerichor, in this case, literally Roland Emmerich. His latest stars Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, who have to stop the moon from crashing to Earth. Because it's hollow and filled with aliens bent on destruction. Or something? The plot's definitely not the point, nor is science accuracy: astrophysicist and professional scold Neil DeGrasse Tyson said the film "violated more laws of physics per minute than any movie I had ever seen." But it's never boring!Where to stream: USA, digital rentalThe Wicker Man (2006) Nicolas Cage insists that the comedy in this remake of the '70s cult classic was largely intentional, and the film is almost outlandish enough to make you believe him. "No, not the bees! Not the bees!" (in a scene during which Cage's character Malus is being tortured with bees, naturally) is Nicolas Cage par excellence, and has outdistanced the film as a meme. Even better, though, is when Malus, disguised in a bear suit, sucker-punches Ellen Burstyn in the face. The movie is also dedicated to Johnny Ramone, for some reason.Where to stream: Digital rentalMaximum Overdrive (1986) The Stephen King adaptation genre includes more than its share of cinematic classics, and plenty of crap. But! Among the less-loved King movies are some fascinating guilty pleasures, none more deranged than the single film that King directed himself. While one wouldn't care to make light of the author's substance-abuse issues in the 1980s, King has been pretty honest about the extent to which he was "coked out of [his] mind all through its production." The film involves a comet that turns machines on Earth evil, leading to Emilio Estevez and company being terrorized by, say, a vending machine that shoots soda projectiles. It's a thoroughly mean-spirited mess, but somehow also a lot of goofy fun, with a killer AC/DC soundtrack.Where to stream: Tubi, Prime VideoThe Ice Pirates (1984) Robert Urich (best known as Spenser: For Hire to anyone under 40) leads a very '80s cast in this sci-fi spectacular(?) that attempts to appeal to Star Wars fans with a story set in a distant future where water is scarce, but only because a group called The Templars of Mithra hoard any available, and destroy worlds with natural supplies of the stuff in order to ensure that it remains a scarce commodity (nice to know that American-style capitalism will outlive us). Intended as a blockbuster, the movie's budget was cut by more than half early in development, and so it was decided to salvage the production by turning it into a comedy, a tonal shift which makes the final product both goofier and more chaotic than it might otherwise have been. Bonus: The cast is stacked: Anjelica Huston, Ron Perlman, Bruce Vilanch(!), John Carradine, and Dallas' Mary Crosby all star.Where to stream: Digital rentalWild Mountain Thyme (2020) Writer/director John Patrick Shanley has won Oscars and Tonys; his play Doubt won a Pulitzer Prize and his screenplay for Moonstruck is both moving and memorable. The film adaptation of his well-received play Outside Mullingar is almost dumbfounding enough to overwhelm all of that goodwill. In moving the story to the screen, the film loses itself in a schmaltzy faux-Irish atmosphere both emphasized and undercut by the abysmal Irish accent put on by Christopher Walken (just try to imagine it). The rom-com setup is fairly standard, dealing with two people on adjacent farms who stay apart for no particularly good reason until they get together, also for no particularly good reason. But then there comes the absolutely batshit twist ending, which I guarantee you won't see coming.Where to stream: Max, digital rentalMac and Me (1988) This movie is definitely not ripping off Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at all. Here, "MAC" stands for "Mysterious Alien Creature," which is obviously completely different. This one also has a much lower budget and, while E.T. famously made much of some Reese's Pieces product placement, Mac and Me's commercial instincts are more finely honed: Mac is also a reference to the Big Mac, as in the hamburger from the film's primary sponsor, McDonald's, and we are not allowed to forget it. It's mostly goofy fun, with a major highlight in the form of an elaborately choreographed, but somehow impromptu, dance number inside a McDonald's that includes a cameo from Ronald himself.Where to stream: TubiThe Boy Next Door (2015) An erotic thriller in the not-entirely-venerable "hot for teacher" genre, The Boy Next Door stars Jennifer Lopez as Claire Peterson, a classics teacher in a troubled marriage who finds herself making significant eye contact with new kid on the block Noah (played by then 27-year-old Ryan Guzman). They bond over a mutual love of The Iliad, which is Noah's only discernible personality trait (other than biceps). The deal is sealed when he presents Claire with a FIRST EDITION COPY. OF THE ILIAD. The pair sleep together, but she feels bad about it, especially after school starts up and it turns out he's in her class. Stalking ensues, Kristin Chenoweth gets knocked out, and it's all very goofy as it tries to be very serious.Where to stream: Netflix, digital rentalZandalee (1991) As mentioned elsewhere, camp has sometimes been described as failed seriousness, which is why the erotic thriller so often lends itself to the form. These films are deadly serious as a rule, and yet only occasionally succeed in not leaning toward parody. Take Zandalee, a Nicolas Cage deep cut if ever there was one. It's about a young woman running a boutique store in New Orleans. She's deeply sexually frustrated by her unfulfilling marriage to Judge Reinhold, a condition alleviated by the arrival of Cage, who doesn't hold back in embodying a particular brand of machismo. And if youre cast in a largely nonsensical thriller that puts you in a love triangle with Judge Reinhold, why would you? Cage's performance aside, just try getting through the seductive (not even remotely seductive) dialogue with a straight face.Where to stream: Tubi, digital rentalSilent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) Discussions around so-bad-they're-good movies are always wildly subjectiveMany John Waters movies have all the surface indications of bad filmmaking, yet he's justifiably regarded as one of our most important artists. Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is bad in the conventional sense. Here, the brother of the killer from the first movie goes on his own murderous holiday rampage, and that earlier film is summarized via no less than 30 minutes of carryover footage. The filmmaking is amateurish, but the lead performance by Eric Freeman includes so many unexpected and deeply confusing choices that it's never not fun to watch. His wild-eyed reading of the line: "Garbage day!" even became something of a meme.Where to stream: Shudder, Tubi, AMC+, Prime Video

At this point, VLC is a staple of every Mac user's life. And it's not a bad video app. It will play virtually everything you throw at it, and it's free, and it's open-source. But at the same time, it hasn't really changed in more than a decade, and with the latest Apple Silicon MacBooks, VLC can sometimes feel quite slow. With Apple's modern design language, and the fast M chips, VLC feels quite out of place.If you've felt that too, it might be time to try out IINA. Like VLC, it's also a free, open source app that's regularly updated. But the twist is that it's modern, fast, and kind of works like if Apple made its own version of VLC. It has that trademark swiftness and polish that's evident in Apple apps. If you're considering a switch from VLC, here's why you should give IINA a shot.A swift and customizable interfaceVLC can be quite in your face, but IINA wants to get out of your way as soon as you start using it. While VLC can sometimes take a while to start playing a large 4K movie file (showing the animation in the video timeline as it loads up fully), IINA is instantaneous. You drop in a file, it starts playing, and the interface disappears in a couple of seconds. That swiftness is something that VLC just does't offer right now.Plus, the interface itself is heavily inspired by QuickTime player, but with its own spin to it. You have similar dark, translucent elements, but they do a lot more than what QuickTime offers. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Jump into the Settings and you can quickly customize the entire interface. From the General section, you can enable a feature that automatically opens your media in Full Screen as it starts playing. You can also choose to pause media when leaving full screen mode. Credit: Khamosh Pathak From the UI section, you can also enable a feature to always play media on top of every other window (no need to manually engage Picture-in-Picture mode, which the app also offers). By default, the app has a QuickTime style floating toolbar menu, but you can choose to dock it to the top or the bottom, making it less distracting. The toolbar itself is quite customizable, and you can add to it with optional extra controls for subtitles, full-screen mode, and screenshots. My only complaint here is that the buttons in the toolbar are too small, and it's easy to forget that the Playlist feature is hidden behind a small toolbar button, while it's a big focal point in VLC.A useful welcome screen Credit: Khamosh Pathak I'm generally not a fan of welcome screens in apps. Sometimes they can feel like an additional step before you can get to the task at hand. IINA's welcome screen, though, has one useful feature. It keeps a history of your recently played items, and offers to resume playback right where you left off (you only get this in VLC after opening a video file manually). And of course, the playback is instant. From the welcome screen, you can also start playback for any online stream.An elevated subtitles downloader Credit: Khamosh Pathak For years, VLC has included a subtitles downloader, but as a plugin. As a non-native speaker, one of the first things I do when I download media is to look for subtitles, and anything that can save me from spammy sites is a god send. I've had varying degree of luck with VLC, but the whole experience is much better with IINA. The subtitles downloader feature is baked-in, looks like it was designed in this century, and works quite fast.Over all, IINA's speed and polish makes it a modern option, without losing any of the performance that comes with VLC. That is, if you're on Mac. Sadly, IINA is not available for any other platform, not even iPhone or iPad.

You can get this refurbished MacBook Air on sale for $299.97 right now (reg. $599) through September 3, and while it's from 2017, people still love theirs in 2024. It has a grade A refurbished rating, meaning it's in near-mint condition with very minimal to zero amounts of cosmetic wear, and it has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 13.3" display, a 720p FaceTime HD camera, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SDXC-capable SD card slot. It obviously isn't right for you if you need a newer MacBook for video editing or other heavy tasks, but if you know your needs and can get by just fine with an older one, this is a great option. You can get this refurbished MacBook Air on sale for $299.97 right now (reg. $599) through September 3 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

Payments relating to a class action lawsuit filed in 2018 over Apples butterfly MacBook keyboards have reportedly begun to arrive. The settlement website now states that payments for approved claims will go out in August and sure enough, 9to5Macs Michael Burkhardt reports that he received two settlement checks in the mail on Saturday. Just how much eligible MacBook owners will get varies depending on the extent of the repairs their devices needed. But for some, it could mean a check (or multiple) of up to $395.After Apple introduced the butterfly keyboard in 2015, complaints arose over sticky and unresponsive keys, susceptibility to debris and other major issues. The company ultimately started phasing out the design in 2019. The lawsuit filed in 2018 accused Apple of knowing that its keyboards had problems and concealing this from consumers. While Apple denied the lawsuits allegations of defective keyboards and did not admit to any wrongdoing, it agreed to pay $50 million as part of a settlement.Per the settlement website, people who got two or more topcase replacements within four years of purchasing one of the affected MacBooks are expected to get between $300-$395. MacBook owners who got just one topcase replacement could get up to $125. Claimants who only needed keycap replacements will get a maximum of $50. Of course, to receive a payment, youd need to have filed any claims by the deadlines outlined in the settlement. And, when the settlement was first reached in 2022, Reuters reported that it will only apply to customers who bought the affected laptops in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Washington. You can find the full details in the cases FAQ.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-has-finally-started-sending-out-payments-from-its-butterfly-keyboard-settlement-210754935.html?src=rss

New releases in fiction, nonfiction and comics that caught our attention.Toward Eternity by Anton HurToward Eternity does not waste any time in getting to the drama. The novel by Anton Hur begins in the not-so-far-off future, and opens with a moment of crisis: a patient in a nanotherapy research clinic has seemingly vanished into thin air. This patient had been undergoing a new type of treatment that uses android cells (dubbed nanites) to cure cancer by replacing the bodys own cells. In doing so, however, it transforms the body entirely into a nanodroid, giving rise to nano humans that are no longer subjected to mortality.The story jumps through time and different perspectives, exploring what it means to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology. From the second I started reading this one, I did not want to put it down.Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere by Rob JacksonIt can be hard not to get swept up in the doom and gloom of climate change, especially amid reports marking Earths hottest years on record and still-rising emissions from fossil fuels. Stanford climate scientist Rob Jacksons new book Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere aims to foster a more optimistic outlook by calling attention to the courses of action that could lead us to a better future for our planet and its inhabitants.I view my book as a home repair manual for the planet, Jackson said in a recent interview published by the scientific journal ACS Central Science. It highlights the people and the ideas needed to solve the climate crisis. I want most of all to give people hope, a sense of optimism. Yes, climate change is already bad, but we can still fix this problem.Epitaphs from the Abyss #1Legendary comic book publisher EC Comics, which brought us series like Tales from the Crypt and Weird Science more than 70 years ago, is making a comeback with its first new series in decades: Epitaphs from the Abyss. The first issue of the horror series was released at the end of July and features four tales which are introduced by a ghoulish narrator dubbed The Grave-Digger.Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 has stories by Brian Azzarello, J. Holtham, Stephanie Phillips and Chris Condon, with art by Lee Bermejo, Phil Hester, Peter Krause and Jorge Forns. Theres something about those old EC Comics that just hits different, and Epitaphs faithfully slips back into that vibe to deliver spooky new stories that have a classic feel.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-read-books-existential-sci-fi-ai-technology-climate-crisis-solutions-ec-comics-horror-183058573.html?src=rss

Prison Architect 2, the sequel to the 2015 cult hit, isn't coming out this year as its creators had planned. The prison construction simulator's publisher, Paradox Interactive, has announced that its release has been delayed indefinitely. In its post, Paradox has admitted that its internal reviews and beta testing feedbacks surfaced the areas that need more attention, mainly the game's performance and content. "We need to raise the quality a bit more to meet the standards we'd like to achieve with this sequel," it wrote.This latest development comes after a series of delays. Prison Architect 2 was supposed to come out on March 26, but it was pushed back a couple of times so that its developers at Double Eleven and Kokku could resolve issues concerning memory usage and minimum spec configuration. This time, Paradox decided not to set a new release date. It says it will announce a new one once the Prison Architect 2 teams are done reworking the game's scope.Earlier this year, Paradox Interactive also had to deal with the overwhelmingly negative reception for Cities: Skylines 2's Beach Properties asset pack. Players weren't happy with the $10 DLC's contents, especially since they're still waiting for patches for the main game that was riddled with visual and mechanical bugs when it was released in 2023. Prison Architect 2's delay could prevent a repeat of what happened to Cities: Skylines.Paradox explained that improving the game will take time, because it has "deep systems that all interact with each other." If one area is fixed, other parts of the game need to be fixed or adjusted, as well. For now, the publisher and the developers will refund all pre-orders. Those who purchased from Paradox directly will automatically be reimbursed, but those who purchased from the Xbox, PlayStation or Steam stores will have to go through those platforms to get their refund. Paradox will remove the option to pre-order the game entirely and will add the supposed pre-order bonus to the base game instead.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prison-architect-2-is-delayed-indefinitely-160038125.html?src=rss

NVIDIA has discovered design flaws in its upcoming series of AI chips that may push their release back at least three months, The Information reports. The company has reportedly started notifying customers of the delay, including Microsoft. Large orders of the new Blackwell chips were initially slated to start shipping sometime this year, but sources told The Information that theyre now not expected until early 2025. In addition to Microsoft, the publication reports that Google, Meta and other major companies have placed bulk orders of the Blackwell chips that are collectively worth tens of billions of dollars.NVIDIA announced the Blackwell series chips back in March, touting performance boosts of up to 30 times whats achieved by its flagship H100, which serves as the backbone for some of todays biggest AI systems. The company at the time also said the Blackwell chips could reduce cost and energy consumption by up to 25x. But according to The Information, citing sources involved with the Blackwell chip, design problems arose unusually late in the production process.NVIDIA and its chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, are now doing test production runs to get to the bottom of the issues, according to The Information, which reports that the first big shipments may not go out until the first quarter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-blackwell-ai-chips-have-reportedly-hit-a-snag-and-may-arrive-months-late-163009474.html?src=rss

A future artificial intelligence product by Meta could have you chatting with celebrities. According to Bloomberg and The New York Times, the company is in talks with Awkwafina, Judi Dench and Keegan-Michael Key, among other celebrities from various Hollywood agencies for its AI projects. The company apparently intends to incorporate their voices into a conversational generative AI-slash-digital assistant called MetaAI, which is similar to Siri and Google Assistant.Meta plans to record their voices and to secure the right to use them for as many situations as possible across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and even the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Bloomberg says negotiations have started and stopped many times, because both sides can't seem to agree with the terms for use. For now, they seemed to have settled on a time limit, meaning any voice the company records can only be used over a set period. However, the deals with the actors could be renewed or extended by the time their contract is up.The actors' representatives are still looking to negotiate for stricter limits, though SAG-AFTRA has reportedly reached an agreement with Meta on terms. SAG-AFTRA, if you'll recall, fought for the establishment of provisions to protect actors from the threat of job loss due to AI when it went on strike last year. Under those terms, a company will have to pay actors and obtain their consent before it can use their AI-generated likeness. If Meta reaches a deal with the actors it's talking to, it could pay them millions of dollars in fees.Meta is looking to finalize deals before its Connect conference in September, The Times says, where it's expected to launch a bunch of AI products. During the same event last year, the company also introduced a chatbot platform with 28 "characters" voiced by celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Dwyane Wade and Kendall Jenner. The Information reports that Meta has just quietly scrapped that project, and the celebrity chatbots' pages on Facebook and Instagram are no longer available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-reportedly-offering-millions-to-use-hollywood-voices-in-ai-projects-121019385.html?src=rss

The Federal Communications Commission's voted to restore net neutrality protections back in April, but the process isn't as smooth-sailing as its proponents would like. According to Reuters and Fast Company, the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked the rules from taking effect because the broadband providers' legal case challenging their reinstatement will likely succeed. A group of cable, telecom and mobile internet providers sued the FCC shortly after its three Democrat commissioners voted to restore net neutrality protectionsUnder net neutrality rules, broadband services are classified as essential communications resources. That gives the FCC the power to regulate broadband internet and to prohibit providers from offering paid prioritization, which some ISPs have been using to charge bandwidth-heavy companies like Netflix additional fees. It will also prevent ISPs from blocking or slowing down traffic to specific websites.Net neutrality's opponents have long argued that the rules will put off investors. The group of providers that filed this recent case against the FCC said the rules' reinstatement would force them to "forego valuable new services, incur prohibitive compliance costs and pay more to obtain capital." In its decision, the court wrote that the "commission has failed to satisfy the high bar for imposing such regulations and that "net neutrality is likely a major question requiring clear congressional authorization."The commission originally approved net neutrality rules back in 2015, though they have been in the works for years before that. Under the Trump administration, however, the FCC had voted to roll back the rules and to reclassify broadband internet services back to Title I, which means the agency would have less oversight on the industry. The rules were supposed to take effect on July 22 after the FCC voted to reinstate them, but a court blocked them from taking effect until August 5. Now, net neutrality's proponents will have to wait even longer. The appeals court has scheduled oral arguments discussing the issue for late October or early November, before or during the 2024 US presidential election.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/court-blocks-the-fccs-efforts-to-restore-net-neutrality-again-123029311.html?src=rss