John Oliver just got a bird crowned Bird of the Century

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The Futurist is your daily tech, cosmic, and science (both weird or otherwise) newsletter with articles and content curated just for you.

The USA appears to be experiencing the aftershocks of massive 1800s earthquakes

“In the 1800s, the USA was hit with some of the largest earthquakes in its history. According to a new study, the country is still feeling the aftershocks. In the paper, researchers from the University of Missouri and Wuhan University looked at the idea that seismic activity today near the epicenters of large earthquakes over a century ago are actually the rumbling aftershocks of those historical quakes. Aftershocks are sequences of earthquakes that follow earthquakes as the crust readjusts. We've known that aftershocks can occur for days, weeks, months, or even years after large earthquakes, with some geologists suggesting far longer timescales.”

// IFLScience »

Old cars deserve fancy touchscreen dashboards, too

Whether you’ve got an old ride or you’re buying one from Amazon (because apparently that’s a thing now), chances are, it doesn’t compare to a Tesla. There’s a lot that distinguishes the coveted and costly car from the rest, and we’re not talking about those weird door handles. If you want your ride to feel as fancy as a Tesla, all it needs is a fancy touchscreen display. And now you can add one to your dashboard for under $100. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility so you can pull up directions, play music, and take calls simply and safely. Take that, Musk. [Ad]

// Upgrade your ride »

Find electric car charging stations in Apple Maps

“Find electric car charging stations from Apple Maps while you’re on the road to figure out where you can top up your EV. Apple Maps added some powerful new features in iOS 17 to make it easy: you can see charger availability, charging speed and connector types for your vehicle.”

// Cult of Mac »

PlayStation Portal: The Kotaku review

“Admittedly, my expectations for the PlayStation Portal weren’t exactly sky-high. I wanted to be able to play Yakuza and Spider-Man 2 in bed without spending $500+ on a Steam Deck, and my chonky phone doesn’t fit the Backbone or other snap-on game controller accessories. I already have a Switch and a Switch Lite, so I’m not looking for a dedicated portable—or a whole new platform to build a library for. Sony’s odd-looking handheld closely replicates the PS5 experience and left my hands feeling limber, even after longer play sessions. So it ticks a lot of those boxes.”

// Kotaku »

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// Buy now »

Bird of Century: Pūteketeke wins NZ poll after campaign by John Oliver

“The pūteketeke has been crowned New Zealand's Bird of the Century after US talk show host John Oliver's controversial intervention in the poll. Oliver sparked a global frenzy with an ‘alarmingly aggressive’ campaign for the vulnerable crested grebe. Fewer than 3,000 of the native birds are estimated to remain in the wild. The Bird of the Year contest has run for almost two decades, but this year's special poll attracted a record number of votes. More than 350,000 ballots were cast from almost 200 countries, crashing the voting verification system, and delaying the result by two days.”

// BBC »