News

Why Blackout Tuesday matters and how you can help

What happened last Tuesday?

Published

June 3, 2020

Luigi Leonardo

I thought Instagram was glitching at first. At midnight on Tuesday, my Instagram feed started flooding with nondescript black squares. At first, none of the posts had any caption or any explanation whatsoever. I was confused. However, as the hour grew longer, the hashtag finally made its long-awaited debut: #BlackoutTuesday.

On every social media possible, everyone participated in the growing online trend. Celebrities. Personalities. Streamers. Creators. Organizations. Companies. African Americans. Asians. Caucasians. Everyone participated in Blackout Tuesday.

What is it? What did it mean? Was it a true way to support the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement? Or was it a PR move designed for those who don’t want to participate in demonstrations?

The black square

By now, the black square (or circle for Facebook) is no stranger to the online world. During tense political upheavals, the iconic image makes an appearance, heralding everyone’s support or opposition towards a specific political stance or event.

Remember the controversial Marcos burial a few years ago? Opposers posted black profile photos with the caption: Marcos is not a hero. It was also used to protest the cybercrime law years ago. Regardless of what it specifically protested, the black image is always a political statement.

In this case, the black square is a symbol of protest against the wrongful murder of George Floyd, an African American man, under the custody of a white police officer in Minnesota, sparking a new #BlackLivesMatter movement. Since the incident, peaceful protests and violent riots have erupted all over the US. In the online world, famous personalities with a platform have used their audiences to spread awareness on the issue. For days, social media was dominated by the #BlackLivesMatter conversation.

On Tuesday, social media took a different direction. Rather than spreading more awareness and furthering the conversation, everyone posted the black square, marking the return of the iconic image. However, this time, the image wasn’t just a political statement. Rather, the online activity had a deeper function.

After flooding social media with the nondescript black squares, the posters ceased all activity on social media for the day. The #BlackoutTuesday movement intended to allow more important voices to be heard. By silencing their voices, they allowed black people more control over the conversation for the day.

In similar fashion, some companies have postponed their long-awaited events to allow the protest to dominate social media. Music streaming services have also reduced their services in a similar #TheShowMustBePaused movement.

It was more than a political statement. It was a call for others to keep quiet and listen to those who had a stronger authority to speak on trauma, racism, and discrimination.

#BlackoutTuesday versus #BlackLivesMatter

Unfortunately, the movement had its drawbacks. At first, participants conjoined both #BlackoutTuesday and #BlackLivesMatter into the same post, creating a strange problem for the protest.

Now, hashtags aren’t just a clever way to add a quirky subtitle for a social media post. They can also help users follow a certain trend. When they search #BlackLivesMatter on Twitter, for example, they can see other posts with the same hashtag.

Naturally, when people searched for #BlackLivesMatter posts on Tuesday, they ran into a strange sight: an overwhelming wall of black. Ironically, in Blackout Tuesday’s attempt to silence all unimportant voices, it flooded social media in a downpour of posts without a voice. Others have also called it a desperate attempt at virtue signaling, a PR move.

Halfway through the day, #BlackLivesMatter protestors urged #BlackoutTuesday posters to stop incorporating both hashtags into the same post. However, it wasn’t to dissociate the movement from Blackout Tuesday, Rather, the guidance was to steer the movement in the right direction.

For all the good intentions that the black squares had, it was truly just a good-natured post. Besides telling posters to stop using both hashtags, Black Lives Matter supporters shared different ways to help the movement beyond the black square or the hashtag.

Beyond the hashtag

Blackout Tuesday is just one part of the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter protests. As the black squares end their one-day effectivity, the call for further action rises to the fore. How can we help the protests from miles away?

First of all, the easiest way is to keep the conversation alive. Blackout Tuesday (or even Black Lives Matter) is not just a one-day event. Neither is it just a purely American concern. The conversation will always be as relevant as it is today and as it is in the US. It is not just a racial war. Wherever discrimination is present, whether it’s race or class, the spirit of Black Lives Matter should always prevail.

Secondly, if you have means to do so, you can always donate to relevant, anti-discrimination foundations or funds. Naturally, donating to a cause in another continent might be too much to ask. However, discrimination happens everywhere. You can still donate or help various causes in your own backyard.

If you don’t have the money or would rather stay at home, YouTube creators have found a revolutionary way to help the cause from afar. Posted first by YouTuber Zoe Amira, these hour-long videos contain art and performances from black artists. However, rather than just an awareness tool, these videos are jampacked with ads. The creators will donate all of the ad revenue to Black Lives Matter funds and foundations. Of course, you’ll have to turn off ad blocker for the duration of the entire video. At the very least, you can mute the browser tab; however, be careful not to mute the YouTube player itself as it nullifies ad revenue.

If you can’t do any of these, the least you can do is to just listen. Everyone has a responsibility to hear out and understand different voices in the racial debate. At this point, either from miles away or right on your backyard, listening is our only way to understand the plights of other people suffering worse things than us.

Related Topics:Black Lives Matter featured

Gaming

Nintendo officially announces Ocarina of Time remake

Coming in 2026.

Published

June 10, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

There are a few titles that an overwheling majority of gamers consider as an absolute must-play for other gamers. One of those titles is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally launched for the Nintendo 64, it’s not easy to play the iconic game today. But, later this year, the game is about to get much more accessible. Nintendo has officially announced a remake of Ocarina of Time.

Modern gamers might not realize the effect of the original Ocarina of Time on the RPG genre. Besides adding a third dimension to the then-fledgling Legend of Zelda series, the 1998 game also revolutionized the gaming world by popularizing targeting systems. That, and the refining of the formula in Majora’s Mask, makes Ocarina an essential in gaming history.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, the company capped off the hour-long presentations by announcing a remake of the game. Though the short, short trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, it did confirm that the remake will retain the original’s more whimsical art style, as opposed to the realism put forth by the Breath of the Wild duology.

It’s not the first re-release for the game, though. In the past, Nintendo released remastered versions of the game for the GameCube and the 3DS. This is, however, the first official remake of the title for a much more modern system.

We didn’t know when the remake will officially launch, but it’s coming out within this year.

News

Apple has essentially confirmed the launch of the iPhone Fold

Some hidden references were not hidden enough.

Published

June 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

No, Apple did not officially launch the iPhone Fold yet.

However, WWDC 2026 had a few surprises for those attentive enough to go deeper into the event’s announcements. And it all revolves around iOS 27.

Of course, the main event of WWDC 2026 is the first peek into the upcoming mobile operating system. Though we already covered everything that Apple visibly announced, something hidden has essentially confirmed the band’s first foldable phone.

On X, Sam Henri Gold, an engineer, spotted a few crucial references to a foldable form factor. Hidden underneath the recently released iOS 27 beta are mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” The code also includes references to the number of displays a single device has.

Notably, iOS 26 did not include such mentions. It can’t be purely coincidental. Unless Apple is suddenly shipping iOS 27 out to foldables from other brands (highly unlikely), this is the prelude to an iPhone Fold coming later this year.

Now, rumors of an iPhone Fold have been making the rounds for a while now. But they haven’t been as strong as this year. There’s heavy speculation that the brand’s first foldable phone is coming later this fall.

There’s still a nonzero chance that it makes an appearance during WWDC 2026, but don’t put all your eggs in this basket. Apple traditionally reserves the conference for software developments. Fall is the usual playing ground for Apple’s hardware.

News

Apple Intelligence gets smarter across apps

Beyond Siri AI

Published

June 9, 2026

GadgetMatch

Alongside the debut of Siri AI at WWDC26, Apple also unveiled the next generation of Apple Intelligence, bringing new AI-powered features to Photos, Safari, Messages, Shortcuts, Home, and other apps across its ecosystem.

Powered by a new privacy-focused architecture, Apple Intelligence now integrates more deeply across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. The company says the update makes everyday tasks easier with smarter editing tools, improved web browsing, more capable communication features, and expanded automation options.

New AI editing tools come to Photos

Apple is introducing several new editing features to Photos.

Spatial Reframing lets users adjust the composition of a photo after it has been taken. The feature uses AI to generate only the parts of an image needed to accommodate the new perspective while keeping the original scene intact.

The Photos app is also gaining an upgraded Extend tool, which can expand images, straighten horizons, and adjust aspect ratios without cropping out important elements. Meanwhile, the Clean Up tool now delivers more realistic results when removing unwanted objects from photos. Apple says AI-edited images will automatically include a hidden SynthID watermark.

Safari gets smarter browsing features

Apple Intelligence is also changing how Safari works.

A new feature automatically organizes tabs into topics, making it easier to manage research, trip planning, and other projects spread across multiple pages. Safari can continue grouping new tabs into existing topics as users browse.

Another feature called Notify Me can monitor webpages for changes, such as product restocks or price drops, and send notifications when updates occur. Safari can also generate custom browser extensions through a new Describe an Extension tool that builds extensions based on a user’s written instructions.

Apple is also expanding the capabilities of the Passwords app. Eligible accounts can now be automatically upgraded to stronger passwords, with Apple Intelligence handling the process on a user’s behalf.

Messages, Calendar, and Shortcuts gain AI assistance

Messages and Mail are becoming more proactive with contextual suggestions.

Users can receive one-tap recommendations to create reminders or notes based on conversations. Messages can also help locate specific photos by recognizing people, locations, and keywords mentioned in chats. Smart Reply can now adapt responses based on a user’s writing style.

Apple is also bringing AI assistance to Calendar and Shortcuts. Users can create calendar events simply by describing them, while a new Describe a Shortcut feature can automatically build automations based on natural language instructions.

The Phone app is gaining Call Context, which can surface information such as reservation numbers and confirmation codes when users contact a business. Apple says the feature runs entirely on-device and does not share information with the company.

New features for Home and accessibility

The Home app is becoming smarter with AI-generated video descriptions and improved search tools for HomeKit Secure Video cameras.

Users can search security camera footage using natural language and review automatically highlighted noteworthy events. Apple Intelligence can also group related notifications into a single activity to reduce clutter.

Accessibility features are also receiving upgrades. VoiceOver can provide richer image descriptions, while Voice Control allows users to describe onscreen controls instead of memorizing exact button names. Accessibility Reader now supports more complex documents and can provide summaries and translations on demand.

Availability

The new Apple Intelligence features are available for developer testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program. A public beta will launch next month through the Apple Beta Software Program.

Apple plans to release the features this fall as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 for supported Apple Intelligence-compatible devices.