
Whenever you meet someone at a networking event that you’d like to chat with again, the question arises: how?
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Whenever you meet someone at a networking event that you’d like to chat with again, the question arises: how?
This afternoon, Epic Games unveiled its latest in-game event in Fortnite: a rocket launch that appears to have opened up a dimensional rift. The launch was a one-time event that saw thousands of players logging into the game to watch what would happen. While many people took in the spectacular sight, some people missed out when they were killed mid-event.
Now in its fourth season, Fortnite has exploded in popularity, which my colleague Nick Statt chalks up to its continually updated story in its vast shared world. Epic Games has conducted big, Earth-shattering events before, and in recent weeks, teased a mysterious event with a countdown that got fans excited to take part in.
This sort of one-time event feels special, because it gives...
This week Instagram made it a lot easier to add music to your Instagram stories.
After days of teasing something big, Fortnite’s much-hyped rocket event finally arrived today. Unlike previous ceremonies, this occasion only happens once: if you weren’t in-game when it happened, you missed out on your chance to experience it. Fortunately, we strapped in and saw everything unfold first-hand.
An hour before the festivities, Fortnite’s island started gearing up for launch by animating the super villain lair near in-game location Snobby Shores that contained the rocket:
Less than an hour guys! New beam of light is coming from the rocket base #FORTNITE #fortnitebattleroyale #FortniteBR pic.twitter.com/pzwz53TLTq
— Sam (@PeateElite) June 30, 2018
As launch time drew near, the game’s players started logging-in en-masse,...
Amazon’s top-selling electric tea kettle is discounted about $15 today, bringing the price to $33 (after $3 off coupon), which is the best price we’ve ever seen.
If you were going to bet on which technology might soon do the work of a stuntman, you’d probably guess CGI. It turns out robots have a shot, too — robots built by Disney.
A new report from TechCrunch lays out the advances the company has made in the field of animatronics. These are the lifelike, usually static robots, designed to entertain the crowds at Disney theme parks and resorts. Think of the grog-swilling pirates carousing in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, or the recently unveiled Na’vi in the new Pandora: The World of Avatar attraction.
But a new breed of animatronics are pushing the limits of robot engineering. Following the company’s Stickman project, Disney’s engineers are now building humanoid robots designed to take...
On my one trip to Austin, Texas, I stuffed an unholy quantity of food and drink inside my body. But what stuck with me (psychically)—even more so than Franklin Barbecue, La Barbecue, Micklethwaith, Qui, Uchi, the half dozen migas tacos, and the blur of food trailers—was an avocado-green coffee stand on South Congress…
Drake has destroyed his own single-day streaming record on Apple Music, with his fifth album Scorpion pulling in more than 170 million streams in its first 24 hours, the company tells The Verge. More Life, Drake’s last project, held the previous record with 89.9 million streams in its first day. Apple says Scorpion now holds both the US and global streaming records for the service.
Apple Music was in full promo mode for the release, inserting Drake easter eggs into Siri, and launching a site that lets you make your own Scorpion album cover art with personal photos. The service has long dominated when it comes to first-week streams of major hip hop albums, despite having around 120 million less users than Spotify.
Apple Music is...
The second season of Westworld wrapped up last weekend, and I still find the show as infuriating and fascinating as ever. I think Vox’s Todd VanDerWerff is spot on here with how he contrasts the series to Lost — Westworld is all puzzle, no characters; so there’s a lot more riding on the puzzle being really good.
What’s frustrating is that, this season’s Ghost Nation episode “Kiksuya” showed just how strong of a show Westworld can be when it hones in on its characters and tells deeper, more complex (and coherent) stories about its world. I know it doesn’t want to do that — it’s more interested in twists and turns. And at this point, I’m not even sure that I want it to either.
The oddest thing about Westworld is that it’s so much more than...
Next Wednesday is July Fourth, one of the few summer holidays with decent sales. Whether you’re planning a huge barbecue or just taking the day to enjoy a rare weekday off from work, you may want to take some time to check out the tech deals happening around Independence Day this year.
Retailers like Amazon, eBay, HP, and more are running sales on everything from smartwatches to 4K TVs. Most Fourth of July deals run through next weekend.
Not officially a Fourth of July sale, Amazon is running discounts on several tech products including their smart speaker, the Amazon Tap.
Grab discounts on a 4K Smart TV, Philips Hue bulbs, Breda watches, and more of Saturday’s best deals.
If you’ve spent much time on Twitter, there’s a good chance you’ve been exposed to “local Twitter.” The phenomenon has existed for years, but recently, it’s been clearly branded, and as the term has become more widespread, the general concept is being ushered into larger, more mainstream awareness.
Providing a hard-stop definition of “local Twitter” is tricky; much like obscenity, you know it when you see it. Local is tweeting about how much you love pizza and Target, fawning over dogs, or posting Drake lyrics, especially with the caption “mood.” Local is having to ask whether your Twitter feed is local. Justin Belloli, a 17-year-old from California, says via DM that you’ve encountered local if you’ve ever surfed by a basic tweet that...
Over the last couple of years, Paul Tremblay has consistently written some of the scariest stories that I’ve picked up. In A Head Full of Ghosts, a blue-collar Boston family contends with the abnormal behavior of their teenage daughter, who may or may not be possessed by a demon. In Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, a boy goes missing, and his mother begins to think that she’s seeing his ghost. In his latest novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, Tremblay spins out another terrifying story, turning the standard home invasion horror plot on its head.
The Cabin at the End of the World plays out at a break-neck pace, with its events taking place over the course of one frightening day. We’re introduced to a seven-year-old girl named Wen,...
If you don’t know about Dallas-based Breda, you need to. The watch brand creates minimalist, easy-to-wear styles of watches that aren’t overworked or over priced. And we’ve got an exclusive discount for you. Use the code KINJA4TH and grab select watches for 35% off.
My friend Sara tells this story about a road trip with her dog Dakota where somewhere during a 14-hour drive her Husky-mix got car sick and vomited all over the back of the car. Then, embarrassed by the vomit, managed to pee all over the back of the vehicle as well. Her car was never the same.
A 33-year-old resident of Norwalk, California was arrested today for sending threatening emails to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai last year, according to the US Department of Justice. The threats, sent by an individual named Makara Man, were made primarily in the second of three messages sent to Pai’s official FCC email accounts in late December, just days after the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality protections.
The first email allegedly accused Pai of causing the suicide of a teenager through his actions that led to the net neutrality vote. The second email contained an explicit threat against members of Pai’s family, as well as a listing of three locations in and around Arlington, Virginia where Pai is said to...
The internet fame machine pumps out music stars on the regular — Justin Bieber, Post Malone, Cardi B — but few truly embody the internet in the way that Drake does. The man is a walking meme; our mockery or admiration of the Toronto rapper is forever buoyed to the top of our feeds. Drake is the internet — and he hates it.
For stans, this is nothing new: perennial Sad Boy that he is, Drake has always loved talking (and rapping, and singing) about how much technology and the internet only serves to alienate us from each other. It always feels a little cheesy when Drake spits it, but he can get away with it, because he usually taps into something real. If nothing else, his confessions about how technology affects his relationships are messy...
T-Mobile has started rolling out support for the RCS Universal profile — a new messaging standard that’s supposed to make traditional texting look a bit more like chatting in a modern messaging app, complete with read receipts, typing indicators, and more.
The rollout, spotted by Android Police, is starting with Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and is supposed to come to more Android devices later in the year. There are a million qualifiers here around how and when everyone will really get to use this, but this is still an important step toward improving the basic texting experience on Android.
RCS messaging has been supported between T-Mobile customers for three years now, but it isn’t until now that T-Mobile has adopted “Universal” RCS....
When I opened Instagram on my Pixel 2 XL moments ago, I noticed something different: the Stories bar remained visible as I scrolled down my main feed. Usually it stays at the top and doesn’t follow you down, but clearly the company is testing a more persistent, sticky approach to keeping Stories in front of you at all times. That seems awfully annoying to me, but some might find it convenient.
To this point, I think Instagram has developed and built onto Stories very well. They’re fun. I post and watch often. But between the obnoxious neon-orange IGTV notifications in the main app that I can’t turn off and now this, I’m not thrilled. Let people use the app how they want. I understand there’s a constant push for greater usage and better...
Comcast is currently experiencing a nationwide outage in the US, which explains why users on social media have been complaining that they were unable to connect to platforms like Sony’s PlayStation, Netflix, and Microsoft’s Xbox Live. Essentially, the outage may be causing problems for anyone using Xfinity as an ISP, regardless of what products, apps, or services they’re trying to access.
According to Down Detector, there have been over 11,000 reports of Comcast outages since 12:30PM ET. Comcast confirmed the outage on Twitter, with a spokesperson saying that the company is “working to restore service.” Microsoft has updated its status page to indicate that Xbox Live members may be experiencing connection problems.
Comcast confirmed on...
Parents no longer have to limit their kids to Amazon or iHeartRadio’s music catalogs on their Echo Dot Kids Edition. TechCrunch reports today that Amazon will soon let parents pair their kids’ devices with their Spotify account, and Spotify will automatically filter out explicit language. Parents can turn that option off in Amazon’s FreeTime dashboard.
Amazon is also adding new Disney content, like character alarms and updated “Disney Dailies,” which come from a skill that lets kids hear jokes and other content from recognizable characters. All of this will likely be appreciated by parents, especially those who add Spotify tracks to a playlist for their kids. They’ll now be able to play their favorite music without needing an adult.
The...
Tinder’s parent company Match Group publicly announced today, in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), that it is now encrypting photos sent between Tinder’s servers and its app. The changes were implemented in February, following the public disclosure of an attack that could have let hackers view people’s profile pictures and swipe actions.
Wyden wrote a letter to Tinder back in February requesting that the company encrypt photos. It had apparently already done so (the letter says they implemented the feature on February 4th), but it waited to write back to Wyden until it also adjusted a separate security feature that makes all swipe data the same size. The size of the swipe data was used by security researchers to differentiate actions...
Earther The First Awful Heat Wave of the Summer Is Here | The A.V. Club Drake comes clean about his son on the sprawling new Scorpion | The Takeout Woman sues buffet for $1 million after developing “fried rice syndrome” |
When discussing a big-screen TV, size is bound to be the primary topic of conversation, but with Hisense’s 100-inch Ultra HD Laser TV, bigness approaches a thought-terminating cliche—one I have been happy to let take over my puny mind.
We asked about your dream sheets and you answered. After reviewing all votes, these four were on the top of the pile. Head down to the bottom of this post and cast your vote for your favorite.
We’re bringing the June fitness challenge home to a glorious conclusion today. Have you done burpees every single day? (Just some days? Hey, better than nothing.) I’m using some of my newfound strength for a grand finale—you should too.
We’ve all been there—your day is going poorly and it feels like it will never end. Worst of all, it feels like you can’t do anything to make it better. But that’s not entirely true. This strategy won’t solve all of your problems, but it’s a creative way to turn a rough day into a fulfilling one.
If you’re a first-time home buyer, you probably still have a million and one questions about the process, starting, with, well, how the hell anyone manages to afford a home anymore.
If you’re booking a flight, there are a few details you’re probably mulling over: Will I have to wake up at 4 am to catch my flight? Are only middle seats available? And, of course: Will there be a long layover to contend with? Most of us dread the idea of a long layover: sitting around an airport for hours is no…
The 4th of July brings sales and deals from all corners of the web, and we’ve collected them here. Keep checking back throughout the weekend and into next week as we update with sales as they go live.
Plane flights and movies are made for each other. A flight is just enough guaranteed time for one to three films, with plenty of room for breaks. You should load a few options onto your iPad or laptop, but not so many that you’ll be faced with indecision. You don’t want to get stuck with the in-flight options; every…
Happy weekend, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. Independence Day is coming up, but recent political shenanigans have made me feel less than patriotic. As such, I’ll be celebrating with Sasha Petraske’s Cosmonaut cocktail, because we…
iOS/Android: The second everyone started talking about this crazy new smartphone feature called “augmented reality,” I thought two things: Most AR apps and games are going to be gimmicky AF, and I sure hope someone makes a great measuring app, because I keep misplacing my tape measure.
We need smaller eyedroppers, stat. As ProPublica has reported, eyedrops are so large that they contain more liquid than can possibly fit into your eye. Fortunately, an adapter may be on the way that won’t waste half of your pricey glaucoma medication.
When the NES Classic Edition was first released, we deemed the $40 8Bitdo NES30 as the best wireless controller alternative for the tiny console. But now that Nintendo is selling the NES Classic once again starting today, I’m more excited for 8Bitdo’s new gamepad that’s an even better wireless alternative with a…
When we last rounded up our staff’s Weekly Upgrades, our editors were freshening up our clothes with vodka, planning vacations large and small, and welcoming new four-legged friends into our lives.
Hot dogs are the ultimate easy crowd pleaser. They’re already cooked, so you don’t have to worry about poisoning anyone, and even the most picky youth can rarely resist a good dog. “Dirty water dogs”—the ones you get from a cart that sit in a vat of salty water—may seem like a treat you can only get on the streets of…
During WWDC 2018, Apple showed us a new trick with Siri in iOS 12: the ability to assign shortcuts. Instead of hoping Siri properly understands what you mean, you can assign a specific phrase (or even a word!) to a set of predetermined actions.
Two giant eBay sales, the sleeve your laptop deserves, an electric lawn mower, and more kick off today’s best deals.
Dear Salty, there’s a coffeeshop between my train stop and my office, and I get a black coffee there most mornings. I pay with my debit card, and the shop has a screen where I can choose the tip amount. I’m not getting a fancy latte or any food, so do I still have to tip on my $2 coffee? The lowest tip amount is a…
A night of live theatrical performance can be so much more exciting and engaging than catching the latest blockbuster, and a good cocktail before the show and during intermission can make the night even more fun. Here’s the best way to go about ordering your drinks at the theater’s bar.
Fourth of July fireworks have a way of invoking our fondest childhood summer memories. Barbecues and family time, swimming pools and lightning bugs, sparklers and staying up late. It’s natural to want to share all of this with your kids.
Get ready for strong legs and a poppin’ butt, because July’s fitness challenge is squats! This is the classic lower body exercise for a reason: squats build pretty much every muscle below the waist, and there are tons of variations for all fitness levels.
If you’ve ever suffered gastrointestinal distress after a summer barbecue, it might not have been the potato salad—it might have been someone’s terrible food safety practices. Specifically, they probably didn’t wash their hands.
Earther These Would Be the Worst Supreme Court Nominees For the Environment | The A.V. Club Confetti flies and butterflies fall on a fatal RuPaul’s Drag Race finale | The Takeout Ask The Salty Waitress: Should I tip my barista for a cup of coffee? |
Your laptop is one of the most expensive things you own, and it deserves to be treated as such. Rather than throwing it roughshod into your bag, slip it into one of PicasoLabs’ beautiful, hand-stitched leather sleeves, now back on sale just for our readers, this weekend only.
Although it feels like I’m dancing with myself, this week’s Tech 911 column—you ask tech questions, we deliver tech answers—is going to be a little inverted. Rather than fielding a question that you’ve emailed me, left in the comments, or tweeted at me (with a GIF), I’m going to solicit your help with a little issue…
Alex is the long-suffering Executive Managing Editor of the whole Gizmodo Media Group, which means he endures Jalopnik’s constant emotional abuse. As the saying goes, shit flows upwards, and everyone knows we’re full of it. He who has come to the inevitable conclusion that New York is trash if you actually want to…
The national average down payment is between six and 11 percent, with some home-buyers paying as little as three to 3.5 percent. But for some people, there’s an opportunity to put down more than the perceived-standard 20 percent. Should they do it?
The Vergecast starts off this week in a traditional fashion with a talk about dongles — Microsoft’s $80 USB-C dongle to be exact. But there’s a whole bunch of little things that also happened this week that Nilay, Dieter, and Paul discuss. We’ve got Apple acknowledging the problem with its MacBook keyboards, Google demoing demoing Duplex, and Apple releasing the Mojave public beta.
Also this week, we bring you two new rotating segments on the show. First we have transportation reporter Sean O’Kane with “This Week in Elon Musk” — a rundown of the news that happened this week in the Elon Musk canon. Second, culture reporters Megan Farokhmanesh and Bijan Stephen run though their favorite “Culture Headlines” on The Verge this week.
And of...
Animated lock screens are a cute gimmick. Your phone comes loaded with a few default options. But if you want to make your own on Android or iOS, you’ll need a third-party app.