Google didn’t waste time integrating Gemini into its popular Workspace apps, but those AI features are now getting an overhaul. The company says its new Gemini features for Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides will save you from the tyranny of the blank page by doing the hard work for you. Gemini will be able to create and refine drafts, stylize slides, and gather context from across your Google account. At this rate, you’ll soon never have to use that squishy human brain of yours again, and won’t that be a relief?

If you go to create a new Google Doc right now, you’ll see an assortment of AI-powered tools at the top of the page. Google is refining and expanding these options under the new system. The new AI editing features will appear at the bottom of a fresh document with a text box similar to your typical chatbot interface. From there, you can describe the document you want and get a first draft in a snap. When generating a new document, you can rope in content from sources like Gmail, other documents, Google Chat, and the web.

This also comes with expanded AI editing capabilities. You can use further prompts to reformat and change the document or simply highlight specific sections and ask for changes. Docs will also support AI-assisted style matching, which might come in handy if you have multiple people editing the text. Google notes that all Gemini suggestions are private until you approve them for use.

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A carnival thrill-ride that manages to evoke America’s radical revolutionary history while referencing and responding to decades of cinematic rebellion, One Movie After Another is one of writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s richest films, and somehow maybe even his most fun. Its 13 Oscar nominations put it in line with the most-honored movies ever, alongside the likes of From Here to Eternity, Mary Poppins, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Fellowship of the Ring. Of course, One Battle has the slight misfortune to be running against Sinners, with its all-time high of 16 nominations. Still: not bad.

With a variety of tones and styles, these 10 other movies approach radical activism and the aftermath thereof from multiple perspectives. Some of them even directly inspired Anderson in the making of One Battle.

Running on Empty (1988)

I’m letting Paul Thomas Anderson himself do some of the work here, as he’s already suggested this one is a good match while serving as a guest programmer on TCM. No surprise, really, as this 1988 film also follows one-time members of a radical anti-war guerrilla group (played by Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti) who’ve been on the run since the 1970s, sure that the past isn’t done with them. Having relocated to yet another new town and with new identities, their teenage son Danny (River Phoenix) is hoping to make a life for himself, particularly when he’s recognized for his musical talent by a teacher who wants to know more about him and his family. Though there’s none of the action and little of the satire of One Battle, the themes are definitely similar. Rent Running on Empty from Prime Video.

Running on Empty (1988)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022)

Turning a non-fiction work into an action-thriller, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows eight individuals committed to bombing an oil pipeline in two separate locations. The movie, like the book it is based on, makes the case that property damage isn’t the worst thing in the face of environmental catastrophe; still, the level of commitment required to carry out such an act takes a deeply personal toll. Stream How to Blow Up a Pipeline on Hulu.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

at Hulu

at Hulu

BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017)

Set amidst the AIDS crisis in the early 1990s, BPM focuses, to some extent, on HIV-positive ACT UP activist Sean (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) and his developing relationship with newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois), though the film is very much an ensemble piece in the aggregate, a fact that ties into its meaning and messaging. It explores the evolving nature of ACT UP’s activism and its messy internal battles over strategy, and the how-far-is-too-far considerations that are part and parcel of every movement. Writer-director Robin Campillo and co-writer Philippe Mangeot brought their own ACT UP experiences to the film, offering up a bit of verisimilitude to the more fictional activism of One Battle. Rent BPM from Prime Video.

BPM (Beats per Minute)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

Up Tight (1968)

Stars Ruby Dee and Julian Mayfield co-wrote and starred in this film from blacklisted director Jules Dassin, adapting a 1925 novel about an informer in the wake of the Irish Civil War. The setting is Cleveland in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The narrative revolves around Tank (Mayfield), representing the complexities of Black political struggle in an era in which the non-violent Civil Rights Movement had both succeeded and failed spectacularly. Tank supported King’s movement but lost his job and went to prison for defending his Black co-workers. Now released, jobless, and rootless, he sees his friends questioning his commitment to the cause—in spite of his sacrifices, a more radical, revolutionary movement is in the offing. The distrust of Tank becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in this appropriately angry thriller. Rent Up Tight from Prime Video.

Up Tight (1968)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

V for Vendetta (2005)

Though its politics are more muddled than those in the Alan Moore/David Lloyd graphic novel it’s based on, V for Vendetta works as a superhero film with more going on under the hood than most (not for nothing that it popularized the Guy Fawkes mask as a kind of all-purpose anti-establishment symbol). Hugo Weaving gives a fine lead performance, despite mostly working from behind that iconic mask, as the terrorist and/or freedom fighter working against a fascist, totalitarian regime. As much as the British original was heavily influenced by Margaret Thatcher, this 2005 film speaks to the George W. Bush era, which we currently seem to be reliving. (Fun!) Natalie Portman co-stars as Evey Hammond, an ordinary citizen radicalized by an attempted sexual assault by the police. Stream V for Vendetta on HBO Max.

V for Vendetta (2005)

at HBO Max

at HBO Max

The Company You Keep (2012)

Late national treasure Robert Redford directs and stars (alongside the somewhat less-beloved Shia Shia LaBeouf) as a defense attorney with a past: for decades, “Jim Grant” has evaded the FBI for a bank robbery and murder that occurred while he was a Weather Underground militant. LaBeouf is Ben Shepard, a reporter anxious for a big story who’s very willing to blow up Jim’s life, but things get more complicated when he tracks down the original arresting officer (Brendan Gleeson), as well as another former Underground member (Julie Christie) who might be able to clear Jim’s name. This one’s about the persistence of our past choices, much like One Battle, but it also deals with the activism of the Vietnam generation, interrogating the extent to which that idealism has served any purpose. Rent The Company You Keep from Prime Video.

The Company You Keep (2012)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

The Battle of Algiers (1966)

A shockingly relevant film about the tensions between Algerian nationalists and French forces in North Africa, a conflict that erupted into a three-year war, director Gillo Pontecorvo’s hyper-realistic film is thrilling on one level, but also deeply challenging. While the its morality leans slightly toward the Algerians trying to reclaim their home from the French, it’s also clear that the shocking acts of violence perpetrated by the guerrilla fighters render any discussion of heroes or villains ridiculous. (Bob is seen watching Battle of Algiers at one point during One Battle, so it works on a meta level, as well.) Stream The Battle of Algiers on HBO Max or rent it from Prime Video.

The Battle of Algiers (1966)

at HBO Max

at HBO Max

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Al Pacino and the late, great John Cazale (who was never in a bad movie) play Sonny and Sal, first-time bank robbers is this crime thriller based on a true story. Sonny is desperate for money to pay for his trans partner’s gender-reassignment surgery, so he plans the heist with friend Sal. The result is a violent debacle that leads to a standoff with police. With an eye on queer liberation, the movie tackles the failures of the counterculture while gleefully thumbing its nose at the cops. It’s a fabulous heist movie, and one of the best movies of its era, period,. Notably, it doesn’t look down on its lead character’s bisexuality, nor his marriage to a trans woman—Sonny might not be a genius, but he’s a good guy. Stream Dog Day Afternoon on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

at Tubi

at Tubi

Born in Flames (1983)

I’m going furthest afield suggesting this no-budget, radical feminist faux-documentary, but it works as a bit of counter-programming. One Battle finds Bob adrift in the wake of his period of radical activism, while Born in Flames imagines that socialist idealism of previous decades bore fruit—but that there are still plenty of battles to be fought. Adele Bertei plays Isabel, who runs the pirate radio collective Radio Ragazza in an alternate, socialist United States, while Honey (just “Honey”) plays Honey, the voice of the competing Phoenix Radio. In the face of increasing government oppression, the two women and the factions they represent come to see that liberation, ultimately, requires more than just talk. Stream Born in Flames on the Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.

Born in Flames (1983)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

Repo Man (1984)

A Paul Thomas Anderson favorite, Repo Man matches One Battle a bit less in story terms than many of these others, but it might be the best match in terms of anarchic tone. A pitch-perfect Regan-era satire (timely, given that I’m not sure we’ve ever really left the Reagan era), Alex Cox’s film finds the great Harry Dean Stanton recruiting Emilio Estevez’s Otto Maddox into the unexpectedly wild world of automobile repossession in 1980s LA. Otto’s absconding with an unusual 1964 Chevrolet Malibu puts him on the run from pretty much everyone: the government has placed a $10,000 bounty on the car, which sends every repossessor in the city after him (the Feds have a very particular reason for wanting it, and it has to do aliens—but not the usual immigrant kind). A cult essential. Rent Repo Man from Prime Video.

Repo Man (1984)

at Prime Video

at Prime Video

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Push-ups are a great exercise, and almost everyone can find a starting point to train them. But if you’re running into problems because of discomfort in your wrists, here are some things you can try. I’ll suggest quick fixes for positioning, drills that can make your wrists more comfortable, and stretches that can help you to have an easier time with this wrist position in the future.

For a quick fix: use push-up handles, or do push-ups on your knuckles

In a standard floor push-up, our hands are at a 90-degree angle to our forearms. This is a position that most of us will eventually be comfortable in, but it’s OK if you want a different way to do push-ups. Enter the push-up handle, which allows your wrist to be in a more neutral position. 

Redipo Push Up Bars

$9.99
at Amazon

$13.99
Save $4.00

$9.99
at Amazon

$13.99
Save $4.00

Dumbbells or kettlebells can stand in for push-up handles in a pinch. (If you’re using kettlebells, pick heavy ones that won’t topple over.) Another option is to make a fist, and do the push-ups that way, so that your knuckles rather than your palms are on the floor. You may want some padding, like a folded towel or yoga mat, underneath.

Warm up with wrist CARs

Another quick fix, but this time using your own body, is the wrist CAR. A CAR is a controlled articular rotation, and it just means that you slowly move a joint through its full range of motion. There are shoulder CARs, hip CARs, and, of course, wrist CARs.

To do a wrist CAR, firmly grasp your wrist (let’s say your left) with your other (right) hand. Straighten out your hand with your fingers all pointing the same direction, and move your hand in circles at the wrist. After a few rotations, do the opposite direction.

This video should give you the idea. I like to do my wrist CARs with my forearm vertical, fingers pointed toward the ceiling, but this type with a horizontal forearm is fine, too. After doing the wrist CARs, you may find that your push-up problems have disappeared. If so, great! You’ve discovered a powerful tool to add to your warm-up on push-up days. 

Adjust your positioning with towels

If you still have some discomfort and you think it’s because your wrists just can’t quite stretch to 90 degrees, grab a pair of small gym towels (or anything similar) and prop your palms up on them. 

This works the same way as elevating your heels for squats. By changing the angle of your hands, you no longer need to bend your wrists as much, and so you can keep the heels of your palms on the ground (or towel) without stretching. 

Anchor your hands into the ground

Another positioning tip that can help is to make sure your hands are directly below your forearms, and that you’re spreading your hand out to distribute the weight of your upper body. You don’t want to lean into the heels of your hand, but rather, to use your fingers, thumbs, and your whole palm to grab the ground and support your body. If you don’t feel like this is happening, think about holding jar lids in your palms, and screw them both outward (away from your body). This can help to get some supportive tension in your hands, which often relieves wrist pain. 

Perform some gentle wrist stretches

Before or after your workout, do some gentle stretches to get your wrists used to operating in that more-stretched position. (Here’s one follow-along video that includes several great stretches.) This type of stretch shouldn’t hurt. Just apply pressure until you feel a gentle stretching sensation. That’s enough to do the job. If you want to be really thorough, four minutes of stretching in a given warmup, or ten minutes total per week, should be enough to see results. 

Every year, we have a blast covering a fresh crop of winners of the Ig Nobel prizes. After 35 years in Boston, the annual prize ceremony will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, this year and will continue to be held in a European city for the foreseeable future. The reason: concerns about the safety of international travelers, who are increasingly reluctant to travel to the US to participate.

“During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country,” Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of The Annals of Improbable Research magazine, told The Associated Press. “We cannot in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who cover the event, to travel to the US this year.”

Established in 1991, the Ig Nobels are a good-natured parody of the Nobel Prizes; they honor “achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think.” As the motto implies, the research being honored might seem ridiculous at first glance, but that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of scientific merit. The unapologetically campy awards ceremony features miniature operas, scientific demos, and the 24/7 lectures, in which experts must explain their work twice: once in 24 seconds and again in just seven words.

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If you’re seeking the signature noise cancellation, sleek look, and premium sound of a pair of Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones but don’t want to pay full price, today is your day: Right now, you can grab a “grade A” refurbished pair for $129.99 from Woot. That’s $220 off the original $349.99 price and $20 less than you’ll pay for a renewed pair on Amazon. These durable, comfortable headphones are a great choice is you’re an Apple user, as Apple owns Beats, but they work well with Android devices too. In any case, a pair of Studio Pros for under $150 is a pretty rare find.

Grade A Refurbished Beats Studio Pro Headphones

$129.99
at Woot

$349.99
Save $220.00

$129.99
at Woot

$349.99
Save $220.00

PCMag’s review praises these headphones for their signature Beats audio quality, highlighting their “boosted low and sculpted highs.” They have three preset EQ modes, though there’s no manual EQ option, and those presets only work when connected via USB-C—not over Bluetooth. There are also some codec support limitations, which means Android users miss out on higher-quality options like AptX or LDAC. And while the ANC reliably blocks out low-frequency noise, it may not block out all sound in very noisy and crowded environments as well as competitors like Bose and Sony, with some faint hissing sounds happening in the background, according to PCMag.

Those tradeoffs aside, the headphones’ build is sturdy, with plenty of padding to keep them comfortable even after you’ve been wearing them for a few hours. Expect around 24 hours of battery life with noise-cancellation on, or up to 40 hours with it off. 

Although these refurbished headphones may show minimal signs of wear and tear, they’re covered by a one-year eReplacements Limited Warranty. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, these headphones will cost $6 to ship. If you want better audio customization and ANC, you may need to step up to a more premium brand, but if you’re an everyday listener (and especially if you’re in the Apple ecosystem), the Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones are a solid choice at 63% off.