Google Breaks Down the Millions of ‘Bad Ads’ it Removed in 2015
Google put up quite a fight to defend its users from harmful ads. The company says it dealt with thousands of fake websites and millions of "bad ads" throughout 2015.
In a Google blog post detailing the whole ordeal, the company reveals that it disabled over 780 million ads for violating the policies it put in place to determine what kinds of ads businesses can run through them. That number has only gone up over the years, but so has the amount of harmful ads it has managed to eliminate.
About 1,000 Google employees monitored and removed these ads last year. They blocked over 7,000 phishing websites; suspended over 10,000 websites attempting to sell counterfeit products, and another 10,000 sites offering "unwanted software" that did nothing but affect system performance and alter user's homepages.
NASA Achieves Gender Equality Milestone
NASA's newest class of astronauts has just graduated with a 50-50 split of men and women - four of each.
The group were selected from more than 6,300 applicants, and while the four women are far from the first female astronauts, this is NASA's most balanced astronaut class ever.
The women, who completed their training in mid-2015, are Christina Koch, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Anne C. McClain and Jessica U. Meir.
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Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella Set for The Mummy
Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service) have officially joined Universal Pictures' upcoming The Mummy reboot. The studio also announced the monster movie's release date will move from March 24, 2017 to June 9, 2017.
Cruise and Boutella were both previously rumored for the film, but their involvement wasn't confirmed until today. Cruise will star, with Boutella on board as a female version of the Mummy.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, Variety reports the reboot is expected to take place during present day -- a first for the franchise since the original films.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to Investigate Exploding Hoverboards
Hoverboards/self-balancing skateboards have started one too many fires, prompting the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce that it's now looking into these hoverboards to determine how safe (or unsafe) they really are.
The issue has become a priority investigation for the organization, which is "devoting the staff time and resources necessary to find the root causes of the fires." As part of their investigation, the CPSC will continue to test newer hoverboards, as well as those involved in any recent fire incidents.
Microsoft Explains How to Replace the Surface Pro’s Power Cord
Microsoft is finally ready to start replacing the faulty AC power cords for certain Surface Pro models.
In a blog post on the official Windows Blog, the company explains that it's starting a voluntary replacement program for the AC power cords that came with any Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 bought before March 2015 (July 2015 in other areas). Microsoft will provide one redesigned power cord for each eligible Surface Pro tablet someone owns, no proof of damage required.
Johnny Depp Could Go to the Triple Frontier
Johnny Depp is reportedly in early talks to star in a crime thriller about the dark heart of the South American drug trade.
The news comes courtesy of Variety who note that offers have also gone out to Tom Hanks and Will Smith.
Titled Triple Frontier, the movie takes place in the wild region where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet along the Iguazu and Parana rivers. The three borders makes the area very difficult to police and thus a perfect place for crime to thrive.
The movie has been in development for a long time with The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow originally tapped to direct. The movie is now being helmed by A Most Violent Year's J.C. Chandor.
Rumored Details About Cate Blanchett’s Thor 3 Role
New details on Thor: Ragnarok's rumored villainess have reportedly leaked.
Until now, the villain's identity has remained a mystery, but sources close to Geek.com have revealed new information about the role—which Cate Blanchett is expected to play (though a deal is not yet in place).
Darkwing Duck Is Not Coming Back
Sorry '90s kids, but news of a "gritty" Darkwing Duck reboot has been greatly exaggerated.
Io9 and several other websites were bamboozled earlier today when an old April Fools joke circulated around the net, promising a new Darkwing Duck series that would have both the “same energy and bumbling crime-fighting spirit” while also presumably being a dark, TDKR-style re-imagining of the character.
The show was a spin-off of Duck Tales that aired from 1991-1992. It began on the Disney Channel before moving over to ABC. It featured the adventures of mild-mannered Drake Mallard who fought crime by night as caped vigilante Darkwing Duck along with his sidekicks Gosalyn and Launchpad McQuack.
Overwatch Beta Returns in February
Overwatch's closed beta will return in mid-February, Blizzard announced today. The team-based shooter went "offline for an extended break" back in December, and the development team hoped to get it back up in late January.
"Rather than try to rush a beta patch out this month, we're going to take a few extra weeks before bringing the closed beta back," an update on the Overwatch forum reads.
Though Blizzard is happy with the progress it has made, Overwatch just isn't ready yet. The goal of the break was to "address player feedback, work on some core features, and adjust the balance of the game." While looking through the feedback, Blizzard noticed that fans wanted more game modes "in addition to Point Capture and Payload." So that's what they'll be working on in the coming weeks—polishing the new game mode and finishing up some new maps.
Star Wars Toys Sell Over $700 Million in 2015
Star Wars fever reached a new peak in 2015, as the franchise's toy sales reached over $700 million for the year, according to retail research group NPD (via Reuters).
The NPD group released a report showing the Star Wars franchise leading a strong year for the toy industry, which generated $19.4 billion overall and boasted significant marketing growth.
Star Wars toys, like the BB-8 droid and Kylo Ren lightsaber, alone contributed more to the toy industry's sales and growth than Jurassic World, Minions and Avengers combined.
The Star Wars franchise saw an extra surge on Force Friday, which NPD says attributed to their surge to the number one spot. IGN recently listed the ten best Star Wars toys around, which includes one released on last year's Force Friday.