Dear Lord, Netflix Users Have Watched…

Here is a fact: Since the release of The Ridiculous 6 in December 2015, Netflix users have spent nearly half a billion collective hours watching Adam Sandler movies. Netflix chief Ted Sarandos shared that mind-boggling statistic in a new Q1 earnings interview (embedded above); it certainly explains why Netflix’s original four-movie deal with Sandler— whom you’ll warmly remember once said that he liked Netflix because it rhymes with “wet chicks”—just got bumped up by four more films.In the interview, which also features Netflix’s own Reed Hastings and David Wells, the trio discussed the future of the streaming platform, though the notoriously cagey execs, who keep most ratings info under lock and key, declined to reveal any other streaming numbers. Revealing…
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Needle vending machines are the future…

Most vending machines are full of things — like soda and candy — that can contribute to health problems. But Las Vegas is hoping its new vending machines can help its drug using-population avoid additional ones. By the end of May, Las Vegas will have debuted three new vending machines that dispense clean needles. They hope to keep drug users who get their fix via syringe from contracting diseases by reusing needles that could carry bloodborne infections. HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases can be transmitted when needles are used repeatedly. The machines resemble an average vending machine but will instead dispense kits of clean needles and disposal containers for used ones. There will also be wound cleaning and safe…
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Las Vegas will install three clean…

Sometimes, the most effective health policy is to acknowledge that people are going to make unhealthy decisions—and try to create an environment where those choices are a little safer. Las Vegas health officials agree. They’re installing clean-needle vending machines at three locations in the city, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. These vending machines will look just like the ones that distribute snacks, except they don’t take cash. Kits with 10 new syringes, a tourniquet, and a container for used needles to be safely thrown away will be available for drug users to pick up twice a week at the end of May. These vending machines, provided by a collaboration among the South Nevada Health District, the Nevada AIDS Research…
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Samsung is blocking users from customizing…

Ahead of the phone’s commercial launch later this week, Samsung has reportedly prevented the Bixby button on its Galaxy S8 from being remapped to perform other functions. It was previously reported that a third-party app could change the button’s purpose; instead of opening Samsung’s personal assistant, perhaps some users would prefer that it trigger Google Assistant, launch the camera, or open a favorite app. According to a post at XDA Developers, a new firmware update from Samsung now shuts down the ability to remap the Bixby button. Previously, the button’s command was “intercepted” by the Accessibility Services built into Android. That allowed other apps (once granted accessibility permissions by the user) to change its default function. But the latest Galaxy…
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What Windows users should know about…

People walk past a Microsoft office in New York City in October 2015.  (Jewel Samad/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) Microsoft had already fixed a number of Windows security vulnerabilities before they were revealed last week by the Shadow Brokers — a group that has released several leaks about the inner workings of the National Security Agency. For consumers, that means you should not be at risk as long as you’ve downloaded the latest security updates. In a company blog post, Microsoft said that it had addressed all of the vulnerabilities either on or before March 14. Desktop users who allow auto-updates or who regularly check for updates on their computers should be covered. [Hackers have just dumped a treasure trove of…
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Solitary consumption: 31 percent of marijuana…

A majority of Americans think marijuana use is socially acceptable, a new Yahoo News/Marist Poll, “Weed & the American Family,” finds. According to the survey of 1,122 adults conducted March 1-7, 56 percent of Americans find pot use to be socially acceptable, including 83 percent of marijuana users and 74 percent of those who have tried marijuana. Yet when it comes to their own consumption, 31 percent of pot users prefer using marijuana alone. Forty-one percent get high with friends or other people outside their families. But while they may consider it socially acceptable, many users — four in 10 — hide their weed, for various reasons, most often to keep it from children or grandchildren. The great majority (93…
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Google Pixel, Nexus Users Face Fingerprint…

Earlier this month, the Android 7.1.2 Nougat update was made available for Pixel and select Nexus devices and brought along several bug fixes along. Now, several Pixel and Nexus owners have complained that the update also brought along an issue regarding the fingerprint sensors due to which the device fails to recognise the authentication hardware.On its support forum, Google has acknowledged that the issue was reported to the company by some users and even opened a thread to gain more feedback if other users are also experiencing the same issue post the update. Several users have since pointed out the issue.One of the users said, “I’m having the problem. After updating I got the following message in red at the…
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Nevada Will Provide Clean Needle Vending…

Image via APAfter decades of failed policy driven by the multibillion-dollar federal drug war that criminalizes drug use and addiction, some states are slowly coming around on their own with new health-based approaches.In May, Nevada will become the first U.S. state to offer clean needle exchanges through no-charge, automated vending machines, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this week. Clean needles and gear will first be made available in machines at three locations in Las Vegas.Participants in the program, which is run by the Southern Nevada Health District, the Nevada AIDS Research and Education Society, and Trac-B Exchange, will be issued cards that they can then scan in the machines. Included in the kits are 10 syringes, a tourniquet, a disposal…
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Microsoft says users are protected from…

PARIS — Up-to-date Microsoft customers are safe from the purported National Security Agency spying tools dumped online, the software company said Saturday, tamping down fears that the digital arsenal was poised to wreak havoc across the internet.In a blog post , Microsoft Corp. security manager Phillip Misner said that the software giant had already built defenses against nine of the 12 tools disclosed by TheShadowBrokers, a mysterious group that has repeatedly published NSA code. The three others affected old, unsupported products. “Most of the exploits are already patched,” Misner said.The post knocked back warnings from some researchers that the digital espionage toolkit made public by TheShadowBrokers took advantage of undisclosed vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s code. That would have been a potentially…
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Nokia 6 Users Receiving Update to…

Nokia 6 users are now receiving updates, bringing Android Nougat version 7.1.1 and April 2017 security patch to the smartphones. The update, which has the build number 00CN_3_170, is a quite hefty update at 369 MB, so downloading the update through Wi-Fi is recommended. The update contains the Android 7.1.1 software update, which adds some new features like additional emojis, directly sending GIFs from the smartphone keyboard to supported apps, and app shortcuts direct from the home screen. This update makes Nokia 6 one of the few smartphones that currently run Android 7.1.1. Nokia 6 users will also experience improved background apps management and power saving features once they download the update. There will also be improvements in the connectivity features…
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