What's Hip Right Now

By Sophie Newman, Arts and Entertainment Editor     3/18/15 5:31am

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WEBSITE: Oyster

In a phrase: “Netflix for books”

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Where to find it: Apple iOS, Android, Nook, Kindle, the Internet

Even if you cancel your Netflix account, let’s face it — the urge to procrastinate isn’t going to vanish overnight. So why not spend some of your free time reading? Oyster allows users to enjoy books on-the-go without breaking the bank. 

For $9.95 a month, Oyster boasts over 1 million titles in a variety of popular categories from Harry Potter to “Technology.” Like Netflix, Oyster also tailors its recommendations to readers’ tastes and allows browsers to pause reading, skip around and pick up where they left off. It’s businesses like these that are the death of local bookstores, but at least they encourage reading in today’s fast-paced lifestyle. 

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APP: JSwipe

In a phrase: “Tinder meets JDate”

Where to find it: iTunes app store

Swipe right and a Star of David with a happy face appears. Swipe left and you get a frown. Jews now have an answer to the modern-day dating crisis with the birth of a new dating app, JSwipe. JSwipe, like Tinder, skips the hassle of dating profiles and provides users with an efficient and convenient way to meet other members of the tribe. 

What’s more, JSwipe is super customizable — users may indicate their degree of “Jewishness” by selecting from categories like “Just Jewish,” “Orthodox” and “Willing to Convert.” With only about a quarter of a million users, Jswipe is looking to expand to about half a million before Passover. 

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TRENDING: Flyboarding

In a phrase: “Waterskiing meets a jet pack”

Where to find it: Vacation destinations

You shoot up from the surface of the water, swerving like a spastic fish, carried by the momentum of your own personal jetpack, before diving head-first back under. While it sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel or “The Jetsons,” flyboarding, as it’s called, is a real thing. 

If you haven’t heard of flyboarding, I advise you to watch a video ASAP. Originally invented in 2011, flyboarding is just now seeing a surge in popularity. In this strange sport, individuals stand on a board connected by a 12-meter hose to a watercraft. The watercraft supplies pressured water to a pair of boots that jettison you and your board up to 15 meters in the air. 

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FILM: Lady Ghostbusters

In a phrase: “All-women Ghostbusters reboot”

Where to find it: TBD in theaters

In January, Bridesmaids director Paul Feig announced the coming of a new Ghostbusters spinoff starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. In addition to scoring a stellar cast, Feig has some pretty epic plans for the film, including a convicted murderer and government conflict. 

The plot twist: Last week, Sony announced the production of their own spin-off of Ghostbusters, starring an all-male cast with potential actors Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt. Aggressive much? Needless to say, the two films have gained a lot of media attention, with critics upset at the strict gender binary and having entertainment “for men” and “for women.”

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