Daily Headlines TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2014

This sleek case might be the only iPhone 6 accessory you’ll ever need iPhone 6 owners looking for accessories such as protective cases, battery packs and charging docks should check out the iStand 6 multipurpose case that serves all of those functions and more.  MORE → North Korea’s statement on the Sony hack is as hilariously insane as you’d expect North Korea has never been shy about using over-the-top bombast to make its views known and you’ll be unsurprised to know that its official statement on the Sony hack is just as comically insane as what we’ve come to expect from the reclusive regime.  MORE → Inside the ingeniously sneaky tricks Comcast uses to get what it wants One of the biggest mysteries in life is why a company that’s as universally hated as Comcast seems to get whatever it wants when it comes to merger approvals. Two new reports — one from Bloomberg and one from Washingtonian — give us some good insight into the bag of sneaky tricks that Comcast uses to get influential lawmakers, journalists and nonprofit organizations to stand by its side.  MORE → Dish Network doesn’t want to touch Sony’s ‘The Interview’ either Sony has reportedly been negotiating with Dish Network on a release deal for the controversial The Interview movie, which Sony decided to pull from theaters after being hit by a massive hack and further threatened by attackers. After canceling the Christmas Day launch for the movie, Sony soon changed its mind, especially after receiving harsh criticism from President Obama and people in the movie business. However, Fox Business Network reports that Dish Network doesn’t want to have anything to do with the The Interview either, at least not right now.  MORE → Apple issues first-ever automatic security update to patch critical flaw Apple on Monday issued its first-ever automatic security update for OS X computers, Reuters reports, looking to fix a critical vulnerability that was made public on Friday by the Department of Homeland Security and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute.  MORE → NASA is launching a wild project to make Venus’s atmosphere habitable The surface of Venus is not anything close to habitable, since its average surface temperature is around 864 degrees Fahrenheit. But what if we never bothered trying to walk on Venus and instead built a floating city in the clouds that would make Lando Calrissian feel right at home?  MORE → Awesome GIFs show the evolution of every major console controller The evolution of video games is pretty obvious — just look at the difference between, say, the original Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart 8 to see the insane improvements video games have made to graphics since the 1980s. But the games themselves aren’t the only things that have evolved, as console controllers have undergone some drastic changes over the years as well.  MORE → This beer claims it actually can make you smarter Although some people may see beer drinking as a sport, for others it can be a useful tool, especially creative individuals who’re stuck with writer’s block or other artistic impediments. As Engadget reports, University of Illinois Professor Jennifer Wiley discovered that a blood alcohol level of 0.075 will make a person reach their creative peak because drinking a certain amount of booze lowers the chances that they over think what they’re doing.  MORE → Leaked videos show how much you’re going to love Lollipop on the HTC One (M8) Both the HTC One (M7) and the HTC One (M8) were two of our favorite phones released over the past two years and now it looks like they’re going to get significantly better once they’re upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop. LlabTooFer has posted some exclusive screenshots and videos of what the HTC One (M8) will look like with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop installed alongside HTC’s Sense 6.0 overlay.  MORE → Wondering what to do with your old iPhone? Turn it into a home security system for free Plenty of studies have shown that iPhone users upgrade their handsets more often than other smartphone users. But what should you do with that old iPhone once you have upgraded to a new one? There are plenty of good options out there, and some of the most common ones include selling your old phone using a site like eBay or Craigslist, trading it in for credit toward the purchase of a new phone, or giving it away to a friend or loved one. But there’s another option you might not be aware of that is incredibly useful and completely free.  MORE →

To view in your browser, click here.