National wastewater monitoring system only has buy-in from a handful of states

Photo by Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images

Only a dozen states are regularly reporting sewage data to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, Politico reported. The system, which launched in 2020, collects data on levels of the coronavirus at sewage plants around the country. But with most states not participating, the agency isn’t able to get a clear picture of how the virus is spreading nationwide.

Wastewater is a valuable public health tool for the COVID-19 pandemic because it doesn’t rely on people showing up for testing or reporting the results from tests taken at home. Levels of the virus in sewage also tend to rise before cases start to go up, so it’s an early warning sign for increased spread. Early signs of the omicron...

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Twitter rolls back its decision to force you into the out-of-order timeline

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Last week, Twitter introduced one of its worst product decisions in a while: the service would default to showing the algorithmically served Home feed while the reverse-chronological Latest feed was accessible in a separate tab. The change, which was available first on iOS and was set to arrive “soon” on Android and the web, made it more difficult to view tweets in chronological order. Following significant pushback, Twitter announced Monday that it would be reverting things to the way they used to be.

“We heard you — some of you always want to see latest Tweets first,” Twitter said in a tweet on its support account. “We’ve switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options.”

We heard...

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The internet’s infamous fake portable GameCube has finally been brought to life

The “Nintendo GameCube Advance” is a strange piece of internet gaming history: a fanciful render of a portable version of the GameCube that has made the rounds online since 2005. But while the render has long been dismissed as a fan-made fake, YouTuber GingerOfOz has taken matters into his own hands and built a real, functional version of the concept, as spotted by Eurogamer.

Ginger didn’t just build his own real GameCube Advance, though: he also tracked down the original artist behind the 2005 mockup and got the scoop on how and why they made it in the first place.

Ginger is no stranger to making slick custom Nintendo mods, like his impressive Wii Boy Color from 2020 that somehow managed to shrink an entire Wii into the...

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The mashup of an M1 and G4 is the whimsical Apple desktop I want

The modder behind the project went all the way for the peak early 2000s aesthetic. | Image: Connor55 on MacRumors

Apple is releasing cool new desktop Macs again, but people are still doing plenty of fun projects using older Apple machines. A fun example that we spotted recently (h/t Input) was this mod by someone named Connor, who took the internals of an M1 Mac Mini and put them into one of Apple’s most iconic desktops, the iMac G4.

As Connor shows in a YouTube video, the G4 still has all of its original functionality after his mod — it can play DVDs from an internal drive (though they did have to swap out the original one, which connected using IDE) — and at first glance, it hasn’t been changed at all. But with the screen on, it’s obvious the computer is running the modern macOS Monterey, instead of OS X 10.5 Snow Leopard, the last operating...

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Here’s where you can buy a Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch OLED model boasts a vibrant, 7-inch display and slate of minor upgrades. | Image: Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch was, like most consoles during the pandemic, once in short supply. Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart now routinely stock the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and upgraded Switch OLED model in multiple color configurations, giving those who struck out ample opportunity to purchase Nintendo’s versatile console.

If you’re not sure where you can pick up a Switch as of right now, we’ve vetted stock and rounded up where you can purchase the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite, and the Nintendo Switch OLED model online and in-store. We’ve also scoured the web for any bundle that seems like a good deal, as well as discounts that might be applicable.

Where can I buy a Nintendo Switch right now?

• If...

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Lyft to add temporary fuel surcharge to fares amid spike in gas prices

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Lyft plans to add a temporary fuel surcharge to fares amid rising fuel prices around the country, the company confirmed to The Verge on Monday.

“We’ve been closely monitoring rising gas prices and their impact on our driver community,” Lyft spokesperson CJ Macklin said in a statement. “Driver earnings overall remain elevated compared to last year, but given the rapid rise in gas prices we’ll be asking riders to pay a temporary fuel surcharge, all of which will go to drivers. We’ll share more details shortly.”

Lyft follows Uber in announcing a temporary fuel surcharge as gas prices have spiked in part due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Uber’s surcharge for rides adds “either $0.45 or $0.55 on each Uber trip,” depending on a rider’s...

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How to sell or trade in your old Android phone

Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

There are a plethora of new and exciting smartphones that have just come onto the market (or are about to), and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to find out that you are planning to upgrade from your current phone. Samsung has introduced two new high-end phones, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, that our reviewer Allison Johnson says are the default Android phones to buy. Meanwhile, Google is still going strong (although with occasional glitches) with its latest flagships, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Whether you want to go with Samsung, Google, or a different manufacturer, trading in your old phone — or selling it — is a smart way to do that, especially since there are those who will decide instead to buy a lightly used phone from an older...

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Russia says it will not strand American astronaut in space despite media reports

Last week, a flurry of news reports worryingly claimed that Russia was threatening to strand an American astronaut on the International Space Station in direct response to sanctions placed on the country as it continues to invade neighboring Ukraine. But Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos is trying to putthose fears to rest, sayingthat it will bring home the astronaut as planned.

The NASA astronaut in question is Mark Vande Hei, who has been living on the International Space Station since April 2021.Vande Hei launched to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, along with two cosmonauts. While living on the ISS, his stay wasextended to a full year, and he is slatedto return home in another Soyuz capsule on March...

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iOS 15.4 now live as Universal Control comes to iPads and Macs

The iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

iOS 15.4, the latest version of Apple’s iPhone operating system, has been released and should soon be available to download ahead of the Friday release of Apple’s new third-generation iPhone SE and green iPhone 13. The update includes big new features like the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask, alongside smaller additions like a handful of new emoji. The new version of iOS launches alongside iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, which add support for Apple’s new Universal Control feature.

Universal Control allows you to use a Mac’s keyboard and mouse to control an iPad completely wirelessly, including the ability to drag and drop files from the tablet back to a computer. Universal Control requires your Mac to be running macOS Monterey...

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Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will have crossplay at launch, including on PlayStation

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands launches on March 25th. | Image: Gearbox Software

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a new spinoff in the popular Borderlands series_,_ is set to launch on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on March 25th, and when it’s available, it will support crossplay for all platforms — including PlayStation.

Sony has been famously resistant to crossplay, originally blocking support for it in some popular multiplayer games like Fortnite and Rocket League. While the company eventually enabled it for those twogames, _Borderlands 3’s_crossplay update that launched in June 2021 did not include support for PlayStation.

However, when Gearbox CEO and president Randy Pitchford revealed Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ crossplay support in a tweet on Sunday (via Kotaku), he said that PlayStation crossplay will be enabled and...

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‘Pro’ has lost all meaning, and Apple knows it

Apple is marketing its Studio products to the same people it marketed Pro products to — the creative types. | Image: Apple

Apple has a “Pro” problem — while some products bearing the label are clearly intended for _pro_fessional use (like Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro, and the Mac Pro), years of Apple and competitors slapping the name onto wireless earbuds and slightly fancier phones have made it hard to tell what “Pro” even means. Which is why my ears perked up when Apple used a different word to describe its new computer and monitor that clearly targeted its audience of creative professionals: “Studio.” I wondered if I was witnessing the start of a new brand for Apple.

From the jump, Apple made it clear who the Mac Studio and Studio Display were for. It showed them being used by musicians, 3D artists, and developers in its presentation, and the message was...

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HBO Max and Discovery Plus will merge into one app

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It really shouldn’t surprise anyone that when the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia closes, the two companies’ streaming apps will experience a merger of their own. As noted by Variety, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed the move when speaking at the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Media, Internet, & Telecom Conference (that’s a mouthful) on Monday.

This was our first real glimpse of what this new company’s content plan looks like. Wiedenfels gave a very loose roadmap for the streaming app situation post-merger. Before the two apps merge into one mega app, there will be some bundling options. (Think how Disney often bundles Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN.) Then, at some point, the two will be combined into one massive and potentially...

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This $2,900 ThunderBolt 3 dock comes with a 16TB SSD

Sabrent’s new Thunderbolt 3 dock. | Image: Sabrent

Sabrent has released a new Thunderbolt 3 dock, which includes up to 16TB of storage alongside a more typical array of dock ports. That storage doesn’t come cheap, however. Although the 2TB version of the docking station is listed for $499.99 on Sabrent’s site, opting for the full 16TB of storage sets you back an eye-watering $2,900.

That sounds like a lot, but Sabrent’s dock is combining two computer accessories that are already relatively pricey when sold individually. One of the best-regarded Thunderbolt 3 docks on the market, Caldigit’s TS3 Plus, typically retails for between $250 and $300 and doesn’t include any extra storage. And 2TB of external storage can easily cost upwards of $200 depending on the specifications you need.

...

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xScreen turns an Xbox Series S into a portable console

The $249.99 xScreen is a unique Xbox accessory

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Ford doubles down on EVs in Europe with $2 billion push

Ford announced plans to introduce seven new electric vehicles in Europe as part of a $2 billion investment. The automaker aims to sell 600,000 battery-powered vehicles on the continent by 2026, building toward a goal of all EV sales and complete carbon neutrality across its production footprint by 2035.

The news comes on the heels of Ford’s announcement that it would be splitting its business into two parts: one focuses on traditional gas-powered vehicles called Ford Blue and the other on EVs and software called Ford Model e. Ford expects half of its global sales to be electric vehicles by 2030, including all of its passenger vehicles in Europe.

Previously, the automaker had said it would spend $1 billion to convert a...

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SNL star Pete Davidson is heading to space with crew of five on next Blue Origin flight

Pete Davidson playing Chad as an astronaut on SNL | Photo By: Kyle Dubiel/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson will actually go to space this month instead of just pretending to on live television. Space tourism venture Blue Origin announced the latest crew to head to the edge of space on the company’s New Shepard rocket, and as rumored, Davidson is the latest celebrity guest to join the crew’s ranks.

This will be Blue Shepard’s fourth time sending a crew of people to space and back. The latest flight, set for March 23rd, will carry a group of six. On board with Davidson will be angel investor and former CEO of Party America Marty Allen, as well as husband and wife duo Marc and Sharon Hagle. Marc Hagle is the CEO of Tricor International, while Sharon Hagle founded a non-profit called SpaceKids Global, which...

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Walmart has PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles today at 12PM ET for paying subscribers

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Walmart is serving up another round of console restocks on this Pi Day (that’s today). The superstore giant is known for reliable console drops that don’t require buying a pricey bundle, but it does require paying for a subscription service. Once again, access to these consoles is exclusive to paying Walmart Plus members when it goes live today at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. All three major consoles will be available, including the standard PlayStation 5 equipped with a disc drive for $499, the disc-less PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for $399, and also the Xbox Series X for $499.

To get your console of choice today, you’re going to need a paid Walmart Plus account, which costs $12.95 per month or $98 per year. While free trial accounts are not...

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Ghostwire: Tokyo’s early hours are full of supernatural shooting and cute pups

It’s been a long time since I searched the streets for a phone booth — and it turns out to be an even more desperate experience when you’re being tailed by vicious spirits. But it’s something I found myself doing constantly while playing the first few hours of Ghostwire: Tokyo, the latest release from Tango Gameworks, the studio behind the unsettling horror series The Evil Within. While Ghostwire covers some similar ground, with lots of creepy folklore monsters lurking around, it’s also a clear shift from survival horror to action-adventure. And early on, I’m having a blast with the mix of tense firefights and horror-like exploration.

As the title implies, the game takes place in modern-day Tokyo, albeit a disturbingly empty one. Thanks...

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A Stream Deck Mini is the perfect little Zoom controller

The Elgato Stream Deck Mini set up with Zoom controls

One of my missions during the extended work-from-home transition of the past few years has been to find little ways to make the annoying parts of the experience slightly better and less annoying. Like many others, I’ve found a comfortable, ergonomic chair, set up a dedicated standing desk that is only used for work, and explored leveling up my video call quality by repurposing a mirrorless camera as a webcam.

But one of the most annoying things has been using Zoom itself — namely, fumbling around for the mute / unmute and leave call buttons. In two years, I’ve not been able to memorize the keyboard shortcuts for them, and since when I’m on Zoom calls, my hands are usually off my keyboard anyways. I’m always the last one to leave the call...

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The open-ear Shokz OpenRun are $20 off at Amazon

The new OpenRun are described by Shokz as “Aeropex with Quick Charge.” | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

If you do a lot of outdoor activities, be it riding a bicycle, walking, or anything else, it may be a good idea to, for safety purposes, invest in headphones that don’t completely cut you off from hearing the sounds of the world. One of the best values right now is the OpenRun from Shokz (formerly known as AfterShokz), an unconventional-looking set of headphones. Normally $129.95 at Amazon, they’re $109.95 in black, blue, grey, or red colorways.

These connect and operate like regular wireless headphones. But instead of covering your ears, the OpenRun leave them, well, open and instead deliver sound through bones near your ears — and it works surprisingly well. In case you were curious, these are the successor to the AfterShokz Aeropex, a...

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Apple’s new iPhone SE is a modern phone stuck in yesterday’s design

Yesterday’s iPhone, today

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Russia bans Instagram as promised, blocking access for 80 million users

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Russia’s promised ban on Instagram has kicked into effect today, with the social media platform inaccessible for the vast majority of the country’s population, according to internet monitoring service GlobalCheck.

The country announced plans to ban Instagram last week, in response to parent company Meta’s decision to allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russian soldiers following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been steadily restricting access to online platforms in an effort to control the flow of information about the war and has already banned Facebook and Twitter.

Last Friday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said in a tweet that “This decision will cut 80 million in Russia off...

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CD sales just rose for the first time in almost two decades

In the US, CD sales increased for the first time since 2004. | Image: RIAA

CD sales in the US for 2021 increased for the first time in almost two decades, according to data published by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Shipments rose from 31.6 million in 2020 to 46.6 million in 2021, and revenue from the format rose from $483.2 million to $584.2 million. The RIAA’s numbers corroborate a similar report from MRC Data published earlier this year.

Although CD sales are still far from their 2000 peak — when almost a billion CD albums were shipped in the US — Axios notes that the increase is another key element of the resurgence in physical music. Vinyl sales have been steadily increasing for over a decade-and-a-half now, and hit 39.7 million units in the US in 2021, bringing in $1 billion in...

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Foxconn halts production as Shenzhen goes into lockdown

Photo by Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images

Foxconn and other manufacturers are suspending operations in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen after authorities announced a partial lockdown due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. Businesses providing non-essential services have been ordered to close and everyone in the city of 17 million will be tested for COVID-19 following the reporting of 60 new infections on Sunday.

Foxconn is the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of electronics, and the most important supplier to companies including Apple and Samsung. Many Chinese tech giants like Huawei, Tencent, and Oppo are headquartered in Shenzhen, which is situated near the border with Hong Kong. Foxconn says it’s stopping production at its Longhua and Guanlan factories until further notice, N...

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Samsung’s Awesome Galaxy A event will take place on March 17th

Image by Samsung

Samsung has started sending out invites for its second event of the year, which is set to air online on Thursday, March 17th, 2022 at 10AM ET. It’s called the Awesome Galaxy A Event on the invite, and it’s dedicated to the phonemaker’s midrange A-series devices, in case you couldn’t tell.

The Galaxy A73 and A53 may both come with 5G

It’s rumored that Samsung will add two new phones to the lineup: the Galaxy A73 and A53. Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy A72 and A52 at an Unpacked event held around the same time. Both phones are due for a refresh, and it’s likely that we just might get our first glimpse at this month’s event.

Rumors and leaks indicate the Galaxy A73 and A53 may both come with 5G, which would be an upgrade for the...

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YouTube Vanced is shutting down ‘due to legal reasons’

The popular Vanced YouTube app is being discontinued. The creators of Vanced have revealed the project will be shut down in the coming days, with download links set to be removed. While the app will continue to work for anyone who currently has it installed on Android, the Vanced owners say they’ve had to discontinue the project “due to legal reasons.”

Vanced is a popular third-party YouTube app for Android, particularly because it allows YouTube users to download videos without a Premium subscription and even block all video ads on YouTube. Vanced also includes a true black theme, and customizations not offered in the official YouTube for Android app.

Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website...

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iPhone 14 Pro models may be the only devices to get the new A16 chip

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max may be the only models in the upcoming lineup to carry a new A16 chip, according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac). In a tweet, Kuo indicates that the standard iPhone 14 and 14 Max will be left with the A15 chipset that comes in all models of the iPhone 13.

Only two Pro models would upgrade to the A16 processor, while the 14 & 14 Max will remain the A15. All four new models will likely come with 6GB RAM, with the difference being LPDDR 5 (14 Pro & 14 Pro Max) vs. LPDDR 4X (14 & 14 Max). https://t.co/tHcszIz6gX

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 13, 2022

Additionally, Kuo claims every iPhone 14 model will come with 6GB of RAM, with both higher-end devices featuring the...

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10 years later, there’s still nothing like Journey’s multiplayer

The game’s multiplayer still has an effect on me. | Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

Journey turns 10 today

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Instagram is finally letting livestreamers add moderators

Moderators can remove viewers, report comments, and turn off comments for specific viewers during a Live. | Image by Instagram

Instagram is finally letting Live creators appoint moderators during their streams. Mods will have the ability to report comments, remove viewers from the stream, as well as turn off comments for a specific viewer.

Streamers + Mods = Dynamic Duo ❤️

We’re launching Live Moderator on Instagram Live, where creators can assign a mod and give them the power to:

✅ Report comments
✅ Remove viewers from Live
✅ Turn off comments for a viewer pic.twitter.com/S9j7s4dInB

— Instagram (@instagram) March 11, 2022

Instagram notes that creators can assign a moderator by tapping the three dots in the comment bar during a Live. From there, they can choose a moderator from a list of suggested accounts, or use the search bar to search for a specific account.

...

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Ford to ship and sell incomplete vehicles with missing chips

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Ford will soon start selling and shipping incomplete, but driveable vehicles that come without the chips that power certain non-safety features, according to a report from Automotive News. The automaker will instead ship the semiconductors to dealers within one year, which they will then install in customers’ vehicles after purchase.

It’s not clear which features will be affected

There still isn’t any information on the affected vehicle models or features. Ford originally had plans to ship partially-built, undrivable vehicles to dealers last year, but now, the unchipped vehicles will be both driveable and sellable.

As pointed out by Automotive News, Ford’s decision comes as an attempt to move the partially-built vehicles crowding its...

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