Alex Cranz

Senior Consumer Tech Editor. Trained her dog to do fist bumps. Once wrote for Lifetime. Tips encouraged via Secure Drop, Proton Mail, or DM for Signal.
  • Shin Godzilla Is A Wonderfully Over-The-Top Satire Of Japan-US Relations

    Shin Godzilla Is A Wonderfully Over-The-Top Satire Of Japan-US Relations

    The best exploitation films try. Beyond slashing up coeds or destroying major metropolitan areas or engaging in some salacious torture porn, a good exploitation flick is earnestly trying to be more. The guys who made Addio Zio Tom (1971) were trying to confront America’s sustained systemic abuse of black bodies. The people behind Rape Squad…


  • No Really, Google Assistant Is Dumb

    No Really, Google Assistant Is Dumb

    Google Assistant is not intuitive. Gizmodo reporter Michael Nunez found that out the hard way when he tried to arrange a romantic date with it. I had less lofty goals when I played around with Google Assistant. I just wanted to see how well it stacked up to Apple’s Siri. While Google’s AI bot is…


  • Leaked Samsung Chromebook Is Delightful Overkill

    Leaked Samsung Chromebook Is Delightful Overkill

    Samsung may have been forced to recall the Note7, but that doesn’t mean the company is just going to roll over and let the explosion memes kill it. There are other products coming down the line, like TVs, smartwatches and the inevitable Galaxy S8. According to a leak over the weekend, there might also be…


  • This Absurd $700 Dyson Hair Dryer Is Actually Worth It

    This Absurd $700 Dyson Hair Dryer Is Actually Worth It

    No one should need or want a $699 hair dryer. The number one hair dryer on Amazon costs $50, the one under my sink cost $90 in 2003, and the one my hair dresser uses daily on clients costs between $120 and $200. A $U699 hair dryer is more than twice the price of anything…