Nick Offerman reading Tom Sawyer is just as charming as you’d hope

For seven seasons of the late NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, the mustachioed-character Ron Swanson behaved like a Mark Twain character dropped inexplicably into modern-day Indiana. The whiskey-swilling, woodworking, meat-loving Libertarian could have become a forgettable straight-man alongside a crowded ensemble cast of local government do-rights, but actor Nick Offerman gave Swanson heart and depth.

Even with the show wrapped, Offerman is still associated with Swanson’s gruff, straight-faced humor. And so it’s fitting that Offerman is the voice of the latest audio book version of Twain’s classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Recorded for Audible, the audio book is now available.

Of course, everyone should hear Offerman read Twain. So by request, the folks at Audible shared this exclusive excerpt from the beginning of Chapter 2.

HTC’s Desire 10 is a budget phone in a fancy suit

HTC’s mid-range Desire line has been the company’s bread winner for the past couple of year, while HTC has struggled to compete with Samsung and Apple on the high-end. But while the Desire line has been hugely important to HTC’s bottom line, it...

If you want the jet black iPhone, learn to love the scratches

As soon as Apple announced the new high-end jet black finish for the iPhone 7, the company warned that it’s more prone to scratching and scuffing than the alternative matte aluminum options. That warning’s even in the small print when you go to...

Apple promises fix for bug affecting Lightning headphone controls

It's been a few days since the iPhone 7 launch, and users have already discovered a potentially inconvenient bug that affects headphones plugged into the Lightning port. Early buyers are reporting that if the display is turned off for 5 minutes...

The Chevy Bolt will start at $29,995 after federal tax credit

The Chevy Bolt electric car will start at $29,995 after a federal tax credit of $7,500, GM announced today. For almost a year, GM had been saying that the car would start under $30,000, so it made that mark — just. That makes the Bolt the first...

Car hackers demonstrate wireless attack on Tesla Model S

A remote vulnerability for Tesla’s Model S has been demonstrated by researchers from Keen Security Lab, a division of the Chinese internet giant Tencent. The vulnerability was confirmed by Tesla’s product security team and has already been patched...

President Obama says self-driving cars could save tens of thousands of lives

By Rich McCormick Sep 19, 2016, 10:37p

Ahead of his administration's release of new rules for self-driving cars tomorrow, President Obama has penned an op-ed largely in support of the technology for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Self-driving cars offer "safer, more accessible driving,"...