How a creepy Cat in the Hat meme escalated into school threats

Of all the characters you might expect to trigger school closures and police investigations, the Cat in the Hat probably would not be high on the list. Yet a creepy internet reinvention of the Dr. Seuss character is now causing very real disruptions across the United States. Over the past several weeks, AI-generated and manipulated…

What is pheromone-maxxing? The no-shower trend, explained.

Getting ready for a date usually comes with a fairly predictable checklist: Take a shower, apply deodorant, and find a shirt that has recently been through the washing machine. But one corner of the internet would like men to reconsider all three. Meet “pheromone-maxxing,” the latest “maxxing” trend circulating among some young men online. The…

Gwyneth Paltrow’s controversial Sam Altman dinner is on hold

The Hamptons’ most talked-about dinner party of the summer will have to wait a little bit longer. Gwyneth Paltrow’s closely watched dinner honoring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been postponed, according to The New York Times. The private gathering was originally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29, at Paltrow’s home in Amagansett, New York. This Tweet…

TikTok has a new question: Can your boyfriend read?

First, TikTok wanted to know whether your boyfriend would peel an orange for you. Then, whether he cared that you saw a bird. Now, users on the app have arrived at a more fundamental question: Can your boyfriend read? In the latest relationship trend spreading across TikTok, women hand their boyfriends or husbands lists of…

Bluesky will let you opt-out of going viral

Bluesky, one of the more successful alternatives to Elon Musk’s X, has just added a brand new feature that sets it apart from other social media platforms. On Thursday, the official Bluesky account on the platform announced that an opt-out option has just gone live that prevents a user’s post from being included in algorithmic recommendations.  Now…