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In an effort to understand how Google search algorithms work, a Democratic congresswoman asked the tech company’s chief executive a simple question: “If you Google the word ‘idiot' under images, a picture of Donald Trump comes up. How would that happen? How does search work so that that would occur?” In the middle of a congressional hearing ostensibly about privacy and data collection, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) seemed to perform that search from the dais. As it turns out, the image results for “idiot” does reveal a page of mostly Trump photos. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, who was testifying Tuesday morning before the House Judiciary Committee, tried to explain to the roomful of mostly tech novices how the algorithms take into account some 200 factors — such as relevance, popularity, how others are using the search term — to determine how to best match a query with results. “So it’s not some little man sitting behind the curtain figuring out what we’re going to s

Linebacker Albert McClellan was a one-man wrecking crew for the Patriots Sunday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins. The veteran newcomer, a recent addition to New England’s roster this season, blocked not one but two punts in the first half. Both plays allowed quarterback Tom Brady to start the ensuing drives within the red zone, and the first resulted in a touchdown. After the second, special teams captain Matthew Slater held up two fingers and stared down the Dolphins’ sideline on his way back to the Patriots’ bench. McClellan was signed by New England in November after getting released by the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent the first seven seasons of his career. The 32-year-old won a Super Bowl ring (XLVII). Final, Dolphins 34-33: Of all the losses the New England Patriots have suffered in Miami, this was perhaps the most heartbreaking. Following multiple desperation laterals, Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake scored a game-winning 69-yard touchdown as time expired

The trailer for Avengers 4 — now officially titled Avengers: Endgame — arrived on Friday morning, offering a first look at the final chapter of the Avengers cinematic saga and raising a couple big questions in the process. Unlike Avengers trailers of the past, the Avengers: Endgame trailer does not contain snippets of giant fight scenes, nor do we see our favorite superheroes show off any of their powers. Thanos, the main villain of Avengers: Infinity War, barely makes an appearance outside of one scene where he’s walking through a field. Instead, we see characters like Captain America and Black Widow mourning their vaporized colleagues and trying to figure out a plan to save the world. There are also moments featuring Hawkeye in a new costume and Nebula looking down and out. (In its own perverse way, it would be hilarious if the fate of the universe somehow came down to Hawkeye.) But there are individual scenes involving two Avengers — one with Iron Man being lonely in space,

2018 has been rough, and there's probably plenty that's happened in the last 12 months that you may not want to dwell on. Still, it's good to take a minute to reflect on how you spent your time, or, at the very least, how much of your time you spent listening to Drake. On Thursday, Spotify made it easy to do just that with its annual Wrapped feature, which reveals a tons of info about your listening habits over the course of the year. Just as it's done in years past, Spotify launched its popular "year in review" microsite, giving you a personalized look at exactly what you listened to the most in 2018 along with some interesting trends about your tastes and habits. It also gives you a sense of how your taste in music compares to the most popular tracks, artists, and playlists of the year. Here's what you need to know, and how to see yours. What Is Spotify Wrapped? Spotify Wrapped is a sleek microsite built by the popular streaming service, which pu

When Mack Brown took a phone call Tuesday morning from Urban Meyer, he was surprised by the topic. Brown recently was hired at North Carolina, five years after retiring at Texas. He figured Meyer might be calling to offer congratulations. Instead, Meyer told him he was retiring for health reasons. And referring to Brown’s decision to return, he asked: “Are you crazy or what?” The news of Meyer’s exit sent a ripple through the lobby of the New York Hilton Midtown, the unofficial gathering place this week of many of college football’s coaches, athletic directors, conference officials and others for the National Football Foundation’s annual awards dinner. Brown, 67, who is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, seems energized after spending five years away from the grind – instead filling his time as an ESPN analyst. He said Meyer told him health issues were “the total reason he was stepping away.” The Buckeyes’ season was tumultuous, beginning last summer wh

Tumblr will permanently ban adult content from its platform on December 17th in a move that will eradicate porn-related communities on the platform and fundamentally alter how the service is used. The ban includes explicit sexual content and nudity with a few exceptions, the company tells The Verge. The new policy’s announcement comes just days after Tumblr was removed from Apple’s iOS App Store over a child pornography incident, but it extends far beyond that matter alone. “Adult content will no longer be allowed here,” the company flatly stated in a blog post published on Monday. Banned content includes photos, videos, and GIFs of human genitalia, female-presenting nipples, and any media involving sex acts, including illustrations. The exceptions include nude classical statues and political protests that feature nudity. The new guidelines exclude text, so erotica remains permitted. Illustrations and art that feature nudity are still okay — so long as sex acts aren’t depicted — a

Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy is somewhat of a team historian. Nagy hasn’t even been on the job a full season, but his appreciation for the franchise’s storied tradition is well-documented. Nagy previously paid homage to the organization by lining up the Bears' backfield in the famous "T-Formation" to begin the year, and later by personally handing out jerseys of former Bears legends to the current members of the team and coaching staff. On Sunday, Nagy offered up another tribute, calling for a handoff to 332-pound defensive lineman Akiem Hicks on the goal line against the Minnesota Vikings. It was reminiscent of William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the defensive tackle for the 1985 Bears, who scored two rushing touchdowns in the regular season and one in Super Bowl XX. "We call that play, 'freezer left,' Nagy said after the Bears’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Giants. The play worked as Hicks scored from 1-yard out, the first time he said he

It is hard to believe we’re saying this, but Oklahoma’s final argument for the College Football Playoff was made in part by its defense. Yeah, the Sooners’ offense did what it does – including a grinding drive for the clinching score. The highlights will be Kyler Murray doing what he does, or maybe tight end Grant Calcaterra’s one-handed touchdown catch with two minutes left. But that came after a sack-safety that had dramatically altered momentum, allowing the offense to forge a two-score lead. And the Sooners finished Texas off with an interception to win their fourth consecutive Big 12 championship. No one is going to suggest the Sooners’ defense is much more than substandard; but against Texas, they were better than they’d been for most of the season. “This team is still getting better,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “Our defense is playing better and better. Our best ball is still ahead of us.” Here are takeaways from No. 5 Oklahoma’s 39-27 win against No. 9 Texas: