cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
I managed to finish this yesterday. I don't like the final result (I'd show you, but I'll keep my shame to myself this time), but the kiddo seems to. I nearly botched it at the end trying to mount it to some cardboard I had around with whatever adhesive I had around. Not the greatest job, but it'll get tossed after the party anyway. Onwards and upwards or some such.
Reblogged by cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen"):
Jgbird@mas.to ("Jerome G") wrote:
Attachments:
Reblogged by rmrenner ("The Old Gay Gristle Fest"):
murder!, manual, dos (1991) https://www.mobygames.com/game/10585/murder/cover/group-11788/cover-732411/
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Switzerland's Nemo wins Eurovision 2024 in a year of protests
The Swiss singer and rapper was one of two nonbinary artists in the finals at this year's event held in Malmo, Sweden. Meanwhile, protesters called for Israel's disqualification from the contest.
Game stores are refunding Ghost of Tsushima pre-orders in non-PSN countries
Screenshot: Ghost of Tsushima
Steam is refunding preorders of the director’s cut of Ghost of Tsushima for buyers who live in countries without PlayStation Network access. That’s despite the fact that arguably the most important part of the game is still playable without PlayStation Network account linking. The news comes after Valve abruptly delisted the game yesterday.
Ghost of Tsushima only requires PSN account linking for its Legends multiplayer mode, a requirement the single player campaign is exempt from, the game’s developer went out of its way to say in a recent post. Steam, Green Man Gaming, and Epic Games Store each have disclaimers noting the same thing. In theory, that would mean if you don’t care about multiplayer modes, you could still play, but in...
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
The new Minnesota flag is official. Good.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/05/11/the-new-state-flag-is-official/
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bcantrill ("Bryan Cantrill") wrote:
Are you still finishing @philipcball's extraordinary How Life Works in preparation for our Oxide and Friends discussion? Good news: you have an extension on the assignment! We need to move our discussion to May 20th, when @ahl and I will be joined by molecular biologist Greg Cost to discuss the book. Read it and bring your comments and questions -- or join just to listen to the discussion! On Discord on May 20th at 5p Pacific:
Reblogged by fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤"):
fromjason ("fromjason.xyz 🖤") wrote:
Here's a family you can help escape Gaza. This GoFundMe has been vetted by Operation Olive Branch.
If you can't donate now, bookmark this link. Or, if they hit their goal by then, visit the Operation Olive Branch link (in comments). I'll also try my best to have at least once active campaign on the homepage of my blog.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-young-muhammad-rebuild-a-life
OpenAI could debut a multimodal AI digital assistant soon
Illustration: The Verge
OpenAI has been showing some of its customers a new multimodal AI model that can both talk to you and recognize objects, according to a new report from The Information. Citing unnamed sources who’ve seen it, the outlet says this could be part of what the company plans to show on Monday.
The new model reportedly offers faster, more accurate interpretation of images and audio than what its existing separate transcription and text-to-speech models can do_._ It would apparently be able to help customer service agents “better understand the intonation of callers’ voices or whether they’re being sarcastic,” and “theoretically,” the model can help students with math or translate real-world signs, writes The Information.
The outlet’s sources say...
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
Purple & yellow weeds are commencing along with the Class of 2024 today.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/05/11/commencing/
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The Buck Stops With Phil Spencer, 1000xRESIST Is A Must-Play, And More Gaming Opinions For The Week
People had strong feelings, to put it mildly, after Xbox shuttered Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and other studios, and we share some of our own. Also,PlayStation finally relented on a requirement that PC players maintain a PSN account, but not before colossal fan uproar, and as the dust started to settle, we had…
collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth") wrote:
A touch more acerbic than I think it needs to be, but still an interesting point to be made.
Complicated Sticks – Faster and Worse
https://fasterandworse.com/complicated-sticks/
Xbox Shutters Studios, Switch 2 Specs May Have Leaked, And More Of The Week's Gaming News
This past week started with a shock, as Microsoft announced it was closing a number of studios including Tango Gameworks, responsible for the very well-liked Hi-Fi Rush, leading many to wonder just what a studio has to achieve in this day and age to be deemed successful enough to exist. Also, one of the most…
iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is on sale for just $60
iFixit’s step-up toolkit has all sorts of bits and bobs, all of which slot nicely in the case and included fabric roll. | Image: iFixit
The right-to-repair movement has logged some serious wins over the past several years, with states like California, New York, and Minnesota having recently passed laws that make it easier for consumers to repair their own devices. But being able to obtain parts and manuals is only part of the process — you also need the tools. Luckily, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and iFixit for $59.96 ($15 off), matching the lowest price we’ve seen on the versatile tool set.
Chances are you know iFixit for its in-depth teardowns of various gadgets and gizmos, including iPhone 15 Pro Max, headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, and the confounding mess that is the Humane AI Pin (sorry not sorry). That said, the company also...
A federal judge temporarily halts U.S. plan to lower credit card late fees to $8
The temporary injunction imposed by Judge Mark Pittman in the Northern District of Texas is a win for the big banks and major credit card companies. The plan was set to go into effect next week.
Google I/O 2024 will be all about AI again
Image: Google
Google is preparing to hold its annual Google I/O developer conference next week, and naturally, it will be all about AI. The company has made no secret of that. Since last year’s I/O, it has debuted Gemini, its new, more powerful model meant to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and has been deep in testing new features for Search, Google Maps, and Android. Expect to hear a lot about that stuff this year.
When Google I/O will happen and where you can watch
Google I/O kicks off on Tuesday, May 14th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET with a keynote talk. You can catch that on Google’s site or its YouTube channel, via the livestream link that’s also embedded at the top of this page. (There’s also a version with an American Sign Language interpreter.) Set a...
Justice Thomas decries 'nastiness' and 'lies' against him
The Supreme Court justice told attendees at a judicial conference that he and his wife have faced "nastiness" and "lies" over the last several years and decried Washington as a "hideous place."
Reblogged by keul@fosstodon.org ("Luca Fabbri"):
toxi@mastodon.thi.ng ("Karsten Schmidt") wrote:
Just been checking some of my fave webcams in the Alps for the aurora. Some highlights:
Konkordia (Jungfraujoch/Aletsch glacier):
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/konkordiahuette/2024/05/11/0030Zugspitze (w/ Höllental):
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/zugspitze-ost/2024/05/11/0030Zugspitze summit:
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/bzb-gipfel/2024/05/11/0030Nebelhorn:
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/nebelhorn/2024/05/10/2230All images by https://www.foto-webcam.eu
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- Nighttime view of the Konkordiahütte on the edge of the Aletsch glacier with the entire scene tinted pink by the light of the aurora. (remote)
- Nighttime view from the Zugspitze summit north over the dark Höllental and Garmisch-Partenkirchen with the entire scene tinted pink by the light of the aurora. (remote)
- Nighttime view of the Zugspitze cablecar station near the summit with the entire scene tinted pink by the light of the aurora. (remote)
- Nighttime view from the Nebelhorn summit over the still largely snow covered High Allgäu Alps (the ridge just north of Oytal) towards the Hochvogel pyramid. The entire scene tinted pink by the light of the aurora. (remote)
Reblogged by collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth"):
yogthos@mas.to ("Yogthos") wrote:
how innovation works under capitalism 👇
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Crow Country is a gloriously grimy revival of ’90s survival horror
Image: SFB Games
Even as modern horror games become unnervingly immersive, there’s still a place for the particular mood of old-school survival horror. Through a combo of grimy visuals, cryptic puzzles, slow pacing, and clunky controls, PlayStation-era games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill were able to create a distinct kind of tension and terror. Crow Country is what would happen if that kind of game never went out of style. It has the look and feel of the classics but with just the right amount of modern flourish. It’s a perfect bite of classic horror.
Crow Country comes from indie studio SFB Games — led by brothers Tom and Adam Vian — which has so far managed to create quite the eclectic library of releases. There was the playful Switch launch...
Flash floods have killed more than 300 people in Afghanistan
Floods from heavy seasonal rains have destroyed over 1,000 houses, the U.N. food agency said. A U.N. official said the floods are a reminder of Afghanistan's vulnerability to the climate crisis.
Israel expands evacuation orders in Rafah as aid groups struggle to prepare
Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate on Saturday ahead of a likely expanded ground operation there.
Android in the time of AI
Google’s annual developer conference kicks off on Tuesday. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The past few months have made one thing crystal clear: phones remain undefeated.
The AI gadgets that were supposed to save us from our phones have arrived woefully underbaked — whatever illusions we might have held that the Humane AI pin or the Rabbit R1 were going to offer any kind of salve for the constant rug burn of dealing with our personal tech is gone. Hot Gadget Spring is over and developer season is upon us, starting with Google I/O this coming Tuesday.
It also happens to be a pivotal time for Android. I/O comes on the heels of a major re-org that put the Android team together with Google’s hardware team for the first time. The directive is clear: to run full speed ahead and put more AI in more things. Not preferring Google’s...
The Garmin Lily 2 was the tracker I needed on vacation
The Lily 2 is a small, unassuming tracker that suits casual users. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Its limitations made it fall short in daily life but ended up being a plus while trying to disconnect from the world.
Israel Orders New Rafah Evacuations
Israel on Saturday ordered hundreds of thousands in Rafah to evacuate immediately as Israeli military forces prepared to expand further into Gaza’s southernmost city amid a devastating humanitarian crisis. The warning, which arrived in the form of dropped leaflets, came despite a rare threat from President Biden this week that he would withhold certain weapons […]
Melania Trump Says Hell No to Barron Serving as a GOP Delegate
Barron Trump’s political debut has been shelved—for now—after his mother, Melania Trump, effectively rebuffed an invitation for her 18-year-old son to serve as a delegate at the GOP convention this summer. “While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior […]
'Women and Children First' is a tale about how actions and choices affect others
The puzzle of a girl's death propels Alina Grabowski's debut novel but, really, it's less about the mystery and more about how our actions impact each other, especially when we think we lack agency.
What did Trump say? Explaining the former president's favorite talking points
Former President Donald Trump continues to ratchet up his rhetoric on the campaign trail, but if someone doesn't follow Trump all the time, decoding his meaning can get confusing. We're here to help.
Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning
Researchers are learning that handwriting engages the brain in ways typing can't match, raising questions about the costs of ditching this age-old practice, especially for kids.
The Founder of Mother’s Day Mostly Cared About Her Own Mother
It seems like such a simple idea: a day to honor the women who bring life into the world. But how do we square the ideal of celebrating and supporting mothers with the reality of how lawmakers and courts have acted to undermine maternal health and rights in the post-Dobbs era? Or make sense of […]
Why RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm and Other Parasites Deserve Your Respect
This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When Chelsea Wood was a child, she would often collect Periwinkle snails on the shores of Long Island. “I used to pluck them off the rocks and put them in buckets and keep them as pets and then re-release them,” Wood said. […]
Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
ct_bergstrom@fediscience.org ("Carl T. Bergstrom") wrote:
I've seen the Northern Lights before, but never like this.
Snoqualmie Summit, WA
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Reblogged by jsonstein@masto.deoan.org ("Jeff Sonstein"):
damonyoung@mas.to ("Damon Young") wrote:
Wow. Just wow.
The aurora borealis over Hobart, Tasmania.
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The Met Gala has fueled backlash against stars who are silent about the Gaza conflict
A fast-growing social media campaign to block stars for not speaking out escalated this week after the star-studded New York event.
pzmyers@octodon.social ("pzmyers 🦑") wrote:
I'm not very good at photographing the northern lights. I'm more accustomed to shooting very tiny things that are very close.
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2024/05/11/aurora-time-2/
Attachments:
Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
scottjehl@mstdn.social ("Scott Jehl") wrote:
🥳 ANNOUNCEMENT! 🥳
I just launched a campaign to crowdfund my next online course:
**Web Components Demystified**. Coming this Summer! Build fast, dynamic, resilient apps for the next phase of the web!The campaign has 29 days left. Please help make this project happen and help me spread the word! Thank you so much.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scott-jehl/web-components-demystified
Reblogged by slightlyoff@toot.cafe ("Alex Russell"):
morganm@subdued.social ("airbr") wrote:
I am immensely happy to pledge to support @scottjehl with his Kickstarter for Web Components Demystified! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scott-jehl/web-components-demystified?ref=thanks-copy
His last course that I took was Lightning Fast Web Performance and it helped me get a job!
Biden will keep Trump's China tariffs, and add new ones on electric vehicles
The Biden administration is finally wrapping up its review of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports. It will keep those tariffs, and add more on things like electric vehicles.
Reblogged by isagalaev ("Ivan Sagalaev :flag_wbw:"):
extretemps@toot.community ("Extreme Temperatures") wrote:
HISTORIC EVENT
Unbelievable 51.1C/124F at Gallinas MEXICO yesterday, HOTTEST DAY IN MAY IN NORTH AMERICA HISTORY.
By far,the worst heat wave ever recorded in North America and there is no end in sight to it in any foreseeable future.
From SMN/Conagua:
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Gaze upon Dell’s leaked Qualcomm X Elite-powered laptops
That’s a skinny XPS. | Image: Windows Report
Want a look at Dell’s new notebook lineup that’s apparently powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processors? Courtesy of Windows Report, these leaked images come ahead of Microsoft’s May 20th event where new Surfaces (and other laptops) are expected to sport the same chips.
They unsurprisingly look like laptops — albeit with overall slimmer profiles.
The most interesting model is Dell’s new XPS 13 9345, which seems to be a sleeker rebirth of the XPS 13 Plus from 2022. It’s got the same touchy touch-bar on the top row and comes with only two USB-C ports for I/O.
Image: Windows Report
Dell XPS 9345
Image: Windows Report
Dell Inspiron 14 7441 Plus
There’s also a leaked...
U.S. report says it's 'reasonable to assess' that Israel has violated humanitarian law
The State Department finds it likely that the Israeli military has committed abuses, but stops short of reaching any sweeping or definitive conclusions.
Photos: Campus protests continue, police make arrests and clear encampments
Photojournalists at NPR member stations documented protests at college and university campuses nationwide this week.
Critics hated 'The Phantom Menace.' It might be time to reconsider
When Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit screens across the country in 1999, Return of the Jedi felt like ancient history to Star Wars fans. But after 16 long years, the movie let down fans and critics alike. Twenty-five years have changed how a lot of people feel. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Zombie 2nd mortgages are coming back to life
Karen MacDonough of Quincy, Mass., was enjoying her tea one morning in the dining room when she sees something odd outside of her window: A group of people gathering on her lawn. A man with a clipboard tells her that her home no longer belongs to her. It didn't matter that she'd been paying her mortgage for 17 years, and was current on it. She was a nurse with a good job and had raised her kids here. But this was a foreclosure sale, and she was going to lose her house. Karen had fallen victim to what's called a zombie second mortgage. Homeowners think these loans are long dead. But then the loans come back to life because they get bought up, sometimes for pennies on the dollar, by debt collectors who then move to collect and foreclose on people's homes. On today's episode: An NPR investigation reveals the practice to be widespread. Also, what are zombie mortgages? Is all this legal? And is there any way for homeowners to fight the zombies? This episode was hosted by Chris Arnold and Robert Smith. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang with help from Bob Little. And it was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Robert Rodriguez with an assist from Patrick Murray. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Best gaming laptop in 2023: seven laptops to get your game on
From midsized and midrange stars to big, beefy monsters, these are the best technically portable gaming rigs you can get.
The best laptops you can buy
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
The best laptops for you, from ultraportables to gaming machines, MacBooks to Chromebooks.
From pandemic to protests, the Class of 2024 has been through a lot
Pomp and circumstance again fall victim to circumstance for some students in the graduating class of 2024, as protests over the war in Gaza threaten to disrupt commencement ceremonies.
GameStop will buy and sell rare Pokémon cards — but it doesn’t want to catch ‘em all
Photo by IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
GameStop, the used video game retailer that’s become increasingly associated with other kinds of speculative investments, wants to cash in on the resurgent card collecting craze — staffers have told Pokébeach, Polygon, and The Verge that stores will begin buying and selling rare Pokémon cards, and possibly other cards, as soon as next week.
GameStop apparently doesn’t want just any cards, though: employees across multiple states say they’ll only be buying cards that have already been graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) at an 8, 9, or 10, meaning they’re in near-mint condition or better with only slight imperfections. And yet, GameStop won’t accept the rarest cards valued at over $500, either, Pokébeach and Polygon report....
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile’s ‘unlimited’ plans just got a $10M slap on the wrist
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile will pay a combined $10.22 million to a group of states to settle claims that the carriers lied to customers about their “unlimited” plans and “free” phone offers. The settlement, which follows an investigation from a coalition of 50 attorneys general, requires the three companies to make their advertisements more transparent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T can only advertise their plans as “unlimited” if there are no limits on how much data someone can use during a billing cycle. The ads must “clearly and conspicuously” say that restrictions on speed may apply, as well as specify the amount of data customers can use before triggering the slowdown.
Additionally, the attorneys...
GameStop Wants You To Start Trading In Your Valuable Pokémon Cards
The market for high-end collectibles like rare Pokémon cards has exploded in recent years, and GameStop seems to want a piece of it. The gaming retailer told some store managers this week that it would begin testing buying Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) graded trading cards later this month as it flails…
Amazon’s Matter Casting is shaping up so nicely, I want to use it everywhere
Matter Casting is now rolling out to all Fire TVs on FireOS 6 or higher. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
If the Fire TV is your streaming stick of choice, I have good news. There’s now an easy way to cast content from your phone or tablet to your TV — as long as you’re watching Prime Video. Matter Casting, a new protocol for casting content from an app on your phone to an app on a TV or display, is rolling out now to compatible Fire TVs and could one day be available on more screens in our homes.
Unlike Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast, Matter Casting is an open standard with no requirement for proprietary hardware. I got some hands-on time with the feature on a Fire TV at Amazon’s Day 1 HQ in Seattle last week and, according to Amazon spokesperson Connor Rice, Matter Casting will be arriving on all Fire TVs running FireOS 6 or higher “over...
Destiny 2: The Final Shape Is Changing How Some Of Its Bounties Work
Bungie has made it abundantly clear that Destiny 2’s upcoming expansion, The Final Shape, is a pretty big deal. It’s not only ending the 10-year story that began with Destiny in 2014, but it’s ushering in a new era of the game, dramatically changing how classes and perks will work, introducing a new content model, reve…
Election in Indonesia Presents a Challenge for the U.S.
Prabowo Subianto will become the president of Indonesia in the Fall. Critics worry that the former general under a previous authoritarian government will roll back democracy. That presents a challenge for the U.S., which once trained and supported Prabowo, then subsequently banned him from entering the U.S. for twenty years. And a TV song contest in Venezuela in which every song is about the authoritarian president.
U.S. medical volunteers in Rafah hospital say they've never seen a worse health crisis
Because of the Israeli operation, hospitals lack basic supplies. And doctors must face the heartbreaking decision whether to let one patient die so they can use available resources to save another.
The best deals on MacBooks right now
Some of the latest M3 MacBooks are on sale, and you can find great discounts on older models, too. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. It recently discontinued the M1 MacBook Air to make room for the M3 Air, but some retailers are still selling the last-gen laptop starting at $699 — a far cry from the $2,499 starting price of the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro. Purchasing a new MacBook can certainly be a pricey endeavor, but thankfully, finding a deal on a current M3-based model is actually not that difficult.
Although Macs may not experience perpetual discounts, it’s not uncommon to see various models discounted by as much as $400. Alternatively, purchasing refurbished options directly from Apple is another way to save money without waiting for the changing deal...
The Verge’s 2024 graduation gift guide
Illustration by Aaron Fernandez for The Verge
We found all sorts of gadgets and goodies to celebrate the class of 2024, from the practical to the poignant.
Kotaku's Weekend Guide: 9 Incredible Games We Can’t Stop Thinking About
Whether you have a bunch of free time or hardly any at all, whether you’re playing on console or PC, there are plenty of great games to obsess over right now. Our recommendations for what to play this weekend include everything from sci-fi thrillers and loot-driven action-RPGs to esoteric puzzle games and action…
A Virginia county board votes to restore Confederates' names to schools
The school board meeting stretched into early Friday. During the debate, a Black student athlete told the board, "I would have to represent a man that fought for my ancestors to be slaves."
5 takeaways from NPR's reporting on the purported Matamoros flyer
Here's a summary of NPR's reporting about a purported flyer that was found in a portable toilet at a migrant encampment in Matamoros, Mexico that urged migrants to vote illegally for President Biden.
Steve Bannon Still Isn’t in Prison, but He’s a Little Closer
Steve Bannon’s odds of going to prison ticked up on Friday when DC’s Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal of his 2022 conviction for contempt of Congress. But more than 18 months after a federal district court judge sentenced the former Donald Trump adviser to four months behind bars for blowing off subpoenas from […]
Virginia Board Votes to Rename Schools Back to Honoring Confederate Military Leaders
After the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, dozens of schools bearing names that honored Confederate figures renamed themselves. The move came against a flood of similar efforts aimed at addressing the nation’s stark racial disparities—at least on paper. But nearly four years to the day of Floyd’s death, a Virginia school board appears to […]
People Watched More Fallout Than Bluey And Grey's Anatomy Combined
Amazon’s Fallout TV show, which premiered last month, was a big success and has already been greenlit for a second season. However, new data reveals that it is likely Amazon’s biggest show ever and was also one of the most watched things in April, beating out shows like Bluey, Grey’s Anatomy, and NCIS.
Helldivers 2’s Latest Major Order Suggests Player Choices May Not Really Matter
Helldivers 2’s major orders are supposed to be objectives that unite the community to work toward a common goal, one that often paves the way for momentous beats in its ongoing galactic war. Past major orders have led to incredible player-led stories like the liberation of Malevelon Creek and the securing of mechs on…
The Xbox Fallout: Breaking Down Microsoft's Worst Gaming Week In Years
It has been a very bad week for Xbox Game Studios. On Tuesday, May 7, Microsoft announced it would shut down three studios: Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush creators Tango Gameworks, and Mighty Doom studio Alpha Dog Games. On top of this, Roadhouse Games is being absorbed into Elder Scrolls Online developer…
Bungie’s classic sci-fi shooter Marathon is now free on Steam
Image: Bungie
Before there was Halo and Destiny, there was Marathon — and now Steam users can check out the classic sci-fi shooter for themselves. Bungie just announced that the first game in the original trilogy has surprise-dropped on Steam, and it’s available on both Mac and PC. Even better, you can play it for free.
The game is actually credited to Aleph One Developers, which is described as an “open source continuation of Bungie’s Marathon 2 game engine.” In fact, the group has already made the entire trilogy available to download right here with support for Mac, PC, and Linux. But the Steam launch opens up the games to a big new audience of gamers, and Bungie says the plan is to bring both sequels — Marathon 2: Durandal and Marathon Infinity —...
Tax revenue jumps 22% in April, but U.S. deficit still looms large
The U.S. Treasury ran a surplus last month, thanks in part to the April 15th tax deadline. But the federal government is still expected to end the year more than $1.5 trillion in the red.
Biden really, really doesn’t want China to flood the US with cheap EVs
Photo by Zhang Dagang / VCG via Getty Images
Who’s afraid of China’s electric vehicles? President Joe Biden.
The president is preparing to announce higher tariffs on imported Chinese EVs, effectively closing out the possibility that the country will be able to afford to import its much cheaper and, in many cases, more desirable plug-in vehicles to the United States.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration will announce plans to roughly quadruple tariffs, to 100 percent from the current 25 percent, as well as tack on an additional 2.5 percent duty.
Who’s afraid of China’s electric vehicles? Joe Biden
So far, the current tariffs have been effective at preventing Chinese companies from importing their EVs to the US. But officials are reportedly nervous about...
The U.N. General Assembly backs the Palestinians' membership bid
The assembly voted by a wide margin to grant new "rights and privileges" to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider the Palestinians' request to become a U.N. member.
EA is prototyping in-game ads even as we speak
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge
Electronic Arts has a long, storied history of trying to wring more money out of gamers after they’ve purchased a game — now, it appears, the company’s hard at work on its next generation of in-game ads.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson admitted as much on the company’s Q4 earnings call: when an analyst asked about “the market opportunity for more dynamic ad insertion across more traditional AAA games,” he said the company’s already working on it.
“We have teams internally in the company right now looking at how do we do very thoughtful implementations inside of our game experiences,” said Wilson.
I don’t want to take Wilson out of context. If you read the full question and answer (page 12), you’ll see that in-game ads aren’t the thing he’s most...
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys is being placed under a legal conservatorship
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the conservatorship Thursday, noting that Brian Wilson suffers from "a major cognitive disorder." Wilson has agreed to the conservatorship.
Classic Sci-Fi Shooter Marathon From The Makers Of Halo Now Free
Marathon is now available on Steam! But wait, I don’t mean the Marathon revival that Bungie is currently working on. I mean the original Marathon from 1994. The studio announced the shadow drop on X (formerly Twitter) on May 10 with one extra bit of good news—It’s free!
Kobo’s Elipsa 2E, our favorite e-reader for taking notes, is down to its best price yet
The Kobo Elipsa 2E is a better value than Amazon’s less capable Kindle Scribe. | Image: Kobo
I’ll be honest: every model in Amazon’s discounted Kindle lineup is fantastic for those embedded in the Amazon ecosystem, but it’s Kobo that makes my absolute favorite e-readers. If you don’t mind buying ebooks outside of Amazon, Kobo’s e-readers offer fantastic value for the money, which is why I’m excited by today’s sale. The Kobo Sage and Kobo Clara 2E are up to $30 off at Target, but it’s the Kobo Elipsa 2E, which is matching its all-time low of $349.99 ($50 off) at Target and Rakuten Kobo, that stands out the most. Even better, Rakuten Kobo is throwing in a $10 credit when you buy a $50 gift card, which can be used toward an ebook or audiobook from the Kobo store.
Kobo’s ad-free Elipsa 2E is my favorite e-reader for taking notes,...
Reblogged by teller ("Siim Teller"):
I'm a bit intrigued by the Italian-made Seabike concept. Seems like an obvious thing in retrospect so curious why there haven't been things like it before.
Anyone tried it already?
https://www.seabike.fr
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Modern-Day Lessons From Hiroshima
Editor’s note: The below article first appeared in David Corn’s newsletter, Our Land. The newsletter comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a month—but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Our Land here. For four decades, I’ve had a recurring nightmare in […]
10 most popular baby names in US— Liam and Olivia dominate. Mateo rising
Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names in the U.S. for the fifth consecutive year, according to an annual tally by the Social Security Administration.
Sam Altman shoots down reports of search engine launch ahead of Google I/O
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shot down a Reuters report that claims OpenAI is launching a search product next Monday, the day before Google’s flagship conference, Google I/O.
Altman posted on X that while there is an OpenAI announcement set for Monday morning, it’s “not gpt-5, not a search engine,” but whatever it is, he says it “feels like magic.” The only details provided by the official OpenAI post are that the launch will have updates on ChatGPT and its latest model, GPT-4.
not gpt-5, not a search engine, but we’ve been hard at work on some new stuff we think people will love! feels like magic to me.
monday 10am PT. https://t.co/nqftf6lRL1
— Sam Altman (@sama) May 10, 2024
The Verge reported on Monday that sources say OpenAI has been...
Biden's new asylum rule would have 'minimal' impact on unauthorized border crossings
The new rule allows immigration oficials to speed up the asylum-petitioning process by assessing the person's criminal background within days, instead of months or even years.
How to watch the possible aurora borealis this weekend
A smartphone camera will provide better views than your own eyes if you’re lucky enough to witness the aurora this weekend. | Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images
Those of you looking to the skies this weekend may bear witness to a cosmic visual experience typically reserved for regions near the Arctic Circle. Various global weather agencies are reporting that the aurora borealis could be visible as far south as Alabama and Northern California over the coming days thanks to unusually strong solar flares.
On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a G4 geomagnetic storm watch — the first to be declared in almost 20 years. G4 geomagnetic storms (which are the second-strongest variety and considered “severe”) can potentially interfere with power infrastructure and navigation systems, but they can also trigger the aurora borealis. That means parts of the world could...
A rare geomagnetic storm is heading to Earth — here’s what it means for critical infrastructure
An aurora borealis glows a faint purple in the night sky in the district of Märkisch-Oderland in East Brandenburg. | Photo: Getty Images
The National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a rare “severe” geomagnetic storm watch for the US for Friday night. The Met Office weather service also issued a similar watch for the UK for Friday and Saturday. They’re worried about coronal mass ejections (CMEs), explosions of plasma and magnetized particles coming from the Sun, that could potentially impact critical infrastructure, including the power grid, internet cables, and satellites.
This is the first time since 2005 that the SWPC has issued a watch for a storm rated as G4, which is the scale’s second-highest rating. Critical infrastructure operators have been notified so they can take precautions, the center says.
Worst-case scenario, all those...
Directly adjacent on my timeline. @lmorchard @ranjit
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A huge solar storm is hurtling toward the Earth. Scientists say you should look up
An aurora could be visible as far south as Northern California. Experts say the storm could disrupt some communications and navigation systems like GPS.
13 Nintendo Ports, Remasters, And Remakes We’d Love While We're Waiting For The Switch 2
Fans have been waiting for Nintendo to launch a Switch 2 for years now. It was reportedly due out sometime in 2024 before getting delayed to next year. And while the company recently hinted that the Switch successor will be revealed later this year, it could still be a longtime before it actually comes out. What games…
In Kenya's flooded slums, people mourn their losses and slam their leaders
The government has declared May 10 a day of mourning to mark the deaths from disastrous floods and pledged to help. But some say the authorities aren't doing enough. And the rains keep falling.
The Emperor Had Very Few Clothes
At the hush-money trial of former president Donald Trump in Manhattan, Stormy Daniels’ story is, in a sense, a proxy battle for the actual debate about bookkeeping: If you believe Daniels’s accounting of the affair she alleges they had, then you must find Trump—who denies any such encounter—unbelievable. If you don’t believe Daniels, then it […]
collinsworth@hachyderm.io ("Josh Collinsworth") wrote:
I realized yesterday I've been writing code for ten years.
That put me in a (perhaps self-indulgently) introspective mood on the web in general and my strange, lucky career path.
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
Oh c'mon! His recently added video introducing patriarchy through the lens of the recent Barbie movie is currently being blocked by Warner Bros. on copyright grounds. Not surprising considering, but still 🙄 .
(I'm watching it on NewPipe, which appears to have buffered a bunch of it before this happened?)
Moms for Liberty Accuses Schools of Antisemitism. The Irony is Rich.
Moms for Liberty, the most prominent group in the rightwing movement against “woke” public schools, is well known for its crusades against LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum and anti-racism initiatives in classrooms. Since 2021, the group, which counts 130,000 members, across 48 states, has claimed—at school board meetings, conferences, and on social media—that left-wing teachers are turning students […]
The best wireless earbuds to buy right now
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
The best from Apple, Bose, Samsung, Sony, Beats, Google, and more.
Bethesda Promises New Fallout 4 Update To Fix The Last Big Update
Last month’s disastrous Fallout 4 update was intended to fix and improve the old RPG, but instead broke a lot of stuff and angered fans. Now Bethesda is patching the patch with a just-announced upcoming update to Fallout 4.
Prince of Persia roguelike postponed because ‘everyone and their mum’ is playing Hades II
Image: Ubisoft
Sometimes you gotta know when to hold ‘em, and that’s exactly what Evil Empire, developer on The Rogue Prince of Persia, has done. Today, the studio announced that it would postpone the release of its Prince of Persia-themed roguelike to give players more time with another roguelike that released earlier this week... *checks notes* Hades II.
“Seeing as everyone and their mum is playing that game (including our entire team... and their mums), we have decided to let people have their fun with it before we release The Rogue Prince of Persia,” the studio explained in a statement.
So we've got a little bit of news about The Rogue Prince of Persia, it's all in the big yellow box https://t.co/S3FiyGFfrY pic.twitter.com/9PXlw4J2MZ
— Evil Empire...
Steve Bannon loses his appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction
A three-judge panel upheld the former Trump adviser's conviction for criminal contempt of Congress. The case is related to Bannon's refusal to cooperate with a House panel probe of the Jan. 6 riot.
9 Demos You Need To Play During Steam’s LudoNarraCon 2024
It’s that time of year again, LudoNarraCon! The annual Steam festival organized by indie publisher Fellow Traveller (known for games like Citizen Sleeper) is back as of May 9 and will run until May 13. Like previous years, the festival brings with it sales, panels with interesting developers, and exciting demos for…
The best smartphone you can buy for under $500
You can get a great device for less than $500 these days if you know how to pick your priorities. | Image: The Verge
You can’t have everything at this price, but you can get a great smartphone. Whether you want an iPhone, a 120Hz screen, or water resistance, you’ve got options.
Metal Gear Solid VR Missions: The Kotaku Retro Review
After stealthily sneaking past a series of guards in the cold, digital halls of endless data, I’m brought to a new environment, now with a gun in hand and a series of explosive gems floating before me. I have to take all of these objects out as fast as I possibly can. And then, once I’m done, I’ll do it over again,…
Apple might bring AI transcription to Voice Memos and Notes
Illustration: The Verge
Apple’s plans for AI on the iPhone could bring real-time transcription to its Voice Memos and Notes apps, according to a report from AppleInsider. The new feature is expected to arrive with iOS 18 and will reportedly let you see a running transcription of your audio recordings in either app.
While Notes currently doesn’t let you record audio, a separate rumor from AppleInsider suggests Apple plans on adding this capability in iOS 18 as well. Audio transcription in either app sounds especially handy for students or journalists, who can save time transcribing a lengthy lecture or interview. It should also be helpful for anyone who just wants to take a quick look at their Voice Memos without having to listen to their recordings.
As for...
cstanhope@social.coop ("Your friendly 'net denizen") wrote:
I've seen a couple of youtube channels now that have the whiff of SALAMI ("AI") generation of music. "Novelty" channels stuffed with recently produced videos with almost plausible music. I'm not a musician, but the songs contain strange transitions and other audio artifacts and uncanny valley lyrical delivery. The lyrics may have been written by a human, but I haven't spent too much time analyzing that. Best to stick to my trusted outlets for music and ignore the algorithm.
Popular D&D Group Critical Role Asks Fans To Pay Because YouTube And Twitch Suck
Critical Role is going independent-er. After splitting from Geek & Sundry (and its parent company, Legendary Entertainment) some years ago, the wildly popular actual-play webseries has grown significantly from a singular show into its own network and company. Now it is taking the logical next step and launching its…
How to document your JavaScript package
Writing good JSDocs for your JavaScript package is critical to its success. Here are some best practices for creating docs that helps your users be successful.