Swapna Krishna

    Contributing Writer

    Swapna is a space, science, and tech writer. She is a contributor at Syfy Wire's Fangrrls, and has bylines at Newsweek, Gizmodo, Bustle, Paste Magazine, and more. 

  • The best gifts for space lovers in 2023

    Shop for the best gifts for space lovers this year. We've rounded up space-themed gifts for astronomy lovers, NASA lovers and more.

  • 'Picard’ is the Star Trek show we’ve been waiting for

    This article contains spoilers for the first episode of 'Star Trek: Picard'. Star Trek: Picard, a brand-new drama that brings back fan-favorite character Jean-Luc Picard in an entirely new way, premiered yesterday on CBS All Access. The show is set two decades after the end of the last The Next Generation movie, the critically panned Nemesis, and follows threads set up in that film -- the centrality of the Romulans, the marriage of Deanna Troi and William Riker and the death of Data, the beloved android played by Brent Spiner. The new series, which has already been renewed for a second season, opens with Jean-Luc Picard living a very different life than he used to. He's retired from Starfleet and returned to his family vineyards in La Barre, France. He lives a quiet life, but from the beginning, it's clear it's a little too contemplative. He has too much time to think about the past, about his regrets and the life he misses.

  • Hear me out: The case for Le Creuset's Star Wars cookware

    Force Friday has become something of a bonanza in recent years. An event born of Disney's incredible knack for merchandising, it's the ultimate product glut for Star Wars fans. It's usually on a Friday in early October (in this year of Our Dark Lord 2019 it was triple Force Friday because of the release of The Mandalorian, the video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.) During this day-long reveal of incredible merchandise (from the must-haves to the I-didn't-think-anyone-would-want-this-but-now-I-want-it), different brands reveal their tie-in products. Sure, there are the usual t-shirts, Funko Pops and Porg plushes, but this year premium brands such as Bose and Adidas got in on the game with branded The Rise of Skywalker headphones and shoes, respectively. But perhaps the most shocking -- and the most talked about -- Star Wars product to come out of Force Friday this year came from cookware company Le Creuset. The premium brand, best known for its brightly colored cast-iron dutch ovens, released a pretty incredible set of dutch ovens, roasters and mini cocottes that were straight from a galaxy far, far away. If you're planning on hosting Christmas on Coruscant, these are items you need to make your holiday celebrations a success.

  • NASA's plan to return to the Moon with Project Artemis

    On July 21, 1969, the first humans set foot on the Moon. With Neil Armstrong's simple words, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," the world changed irrevocably. For a few hours, we existed on multiple worlds. That was fifty years ago. Now, in the shadow of Apollo, we are once again looking to venture back out into the stars, past the low Earth orbit where we've been learning about space over the past few decades. We know better how to live and work in orbit thanks to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. Now NASA says it's time to return to the lunar surface. But this time, it wants to stay there. NASA's Project Artemis (aptly named as the goddess of hunting is Apollo's twin sister) aims to take humans back to the Moon by 2024. But there are many lingering questions about the destination, the goals, the motivations, the project itself, NASA's current readiness level and whether it has the support in Congress to move forward.

  • NASA's upcoming Moon mission may use commercial rockets

    Today, in a surprising move at a Senate hearing, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine proposed that Orion, NASA's upcoming crew vehicle, may fly aboard a commercial rocket. This was the first time that the possibility had been broached by the NASA administrator.

  • Elizabeth Warren pledges to break up Facebook, Google and Amazon

    Today, Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren published a post on Medium in which she detailed why she wants to break up large Internet companies such as Facebook, Amazon and Google. In her post, she accuses these companies of using their vast resources to shape the playing field and buy up potential competition.

  • Netflix plans series based on ’One Hundred Years of Solitude’

    For the first time in its history, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's seminal novel One Hundred Years of Solitude will be adapted for the screen. The author's family is allowing Netflix to produce a Spanish-language series based on the classic book, which was first published in 1967. Marquez's sons Rodrigo Garcia and Gonzalo Garcia Barcha will be executive producers, and the series will be set in and filmed mainly in Colombia.

  • 'Yakuza' spin-off 'Judgment' comes to PS4 on June 25th

    If you're a fan of the popular Yakuza game, then you've probably been eagerly anticipating the newest installment of the gangster series. Judgment will be available for PlayStation 4 on June 25th.

  • 'Star Trek: Discovery' sets a course for a third season

    Star Trek: Discovery has been a hit for CBS All Access, so it's not a huge surprise that the show has been renewed for a third season. The show will continue into 2020 and with a new co-showrunner. Michelle Paradise, who joined Discovery during the second season, will do the job along with Alex Kurtzman, who is also overseeing the expansion of the Star Trek franchise at CBS All Access.

  • Facebook Watch is getting an animated comedy starring Anna Kendrick

    Today, Facebook announced a new animated comedy series for its Watch tab called Human Discoveries. It will star Anna Kendrick and Zac Efron. It's scheduled to air later this year and will be set in prehistoric times, according to Variety. In other video news, back in October, Facebook and MTV announced that the social network would play host to new seasons of MTV's iconic reality show The Real World and that Facebook users would play a role in choosing one cast member. Now, MTV has given us more details. Facebook polling will determine the seventh and final cast member for each version of the show -- one will be set in the US, one in Mexico and one in Thailand.

  • Electron microscope can record movies at the atomic scale

    The Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory installed a new electron detector that can capture images at the atomic level at a much faster rate than ever before. One possible application of this tech is a better understanding of what happens at the smallest scales in batteries and microchip components to help control and prevent damage. An electron microscope can find defects at atomic level.

  • T-Mobile denies delaying its 5G launch (updated)

    Sprint may have committed to debuting its 5G service this May, but partner T-Mobile is a little behind. In an interview with CNET, the company's chief technology officer Neville Ray said that a 5G launch wouldn't occur until the last half of 2019. He'd previously said it would happen in the first half of the year. However, T-Mobile and Ray himself have denied this report. The company says that its plans haven't changed and that it is still on track to deliver what it originally promised.

  • Vuzix's M400 is another AR device built for enterprise, not you

    Today, augmented reality glasses company Vuzix announced the M400 Smart Glasses, which will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. They will be one of the first headsets powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform when they hit the market later this year. Vuzix will announce pricing and availability this spring.

  • ESPN's standalone streaming service is available on PS4 and Xbox One

    Today, ESPN announced that its standalone streaming service, ESPN+, is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Sports fans can access the subscription offering through the updated ESPN app on both platforms.

  • Apple is using 100 percent recycled aluminum in new Macs

    Today, at its Mac event, Apple announced that the new MacBook Air and the Mac mini are "the greenest" Macs ever. That's because the new machine bodies are made from 100 percent recycled aluminum.

  • 'Alan Wake' is back on Steam thanks to new music licenses

    Game developer Remedy Entertainment has some good news for fans of the game Alan Wake. Publisher Microsoft has renegotiated the game's music licenses, and as a result, Alan Wake is heading back to online stores, starting with Steam. The game is currently 80 percent off, priced at just $3, through November 1st.

  • Star Trek animated comedy 'Lower Decks' is coming to CBS All Access

    CBS All Access has been forging ahead with new Star Trek programming, and the streaming network has just greenlighted a new show. Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour animated comedy developed by Mike McMahan, a writer for Rick and Morty and the upcoming Short Trek "The Escape Artist." CBS All Access has ordered two seasons of the show, which will focus on the support crew on one of Starfleet's less important ships. There's no word yet about the time frame for the show.

  • Fox News will debut its subscription service on November 27th

    Earlier this year, Fox revealed that it had plans to launch a paid streaming service for fans of its conservative news channel. Fox Nation will launch on Tuesday, November 27th, and will cost $6 per month. For those interest in paying yearly, it will be priced at $65 per year.

  • Palm's tiny companion phone goes on sale next week

    If you're intrigued by the new Palm mini smartphone, then you don't have to wait much longer to pick it up. The Verizon-exclusive phone will be available from the mobile carrier starting on November 2nd. The full retail price will be $350, or you can snag it with a two-year contract at a discount for $300. If you want to pay monthly, it will cost you $14.58 per month for 24 months.

  • Coord's new app will help catalog curb rules on city streets

    How often have you stared at a curb, unable to decipher whether you're allowed to leave your car there or not because the parking signs seem completely contradictory? That's just the kind of problem Coord is looking to solve. The company announced that its Surveyor system is now available for anyone to use in the US and Canada. It's aimed at organizations that are surveying American cities; the goal is to catalog as many curbs as possible and store the information in a digital database.