YouTube looks to dethrone MTV with its own music awards

YouTube is set to move into the awards business with its first ever awards ceremony. This November, the Google-owned video giant will hold the YouTube Music Awards, a live event featuring performances from across the globe. Industry stalwarts like Lady Gaga, Eminem, and Arcade Fire, along with YouTube-native stars including CDZA and Lindsey Stirling will perform in London, Seoul, Moscow, and Rio, with the main event taking place in New York City. Jason Schwartzman will host the awards, with Spike Jonze signed up as creative director.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/1/4789882/youtube-music-awards-announcement-2013

Online health insurance exchanges open up as government shuts down

The federal government may be shut down, but one of the key provisions of health care reform is going into effect as scheduled. The Health Insurance Marketplace, which will bring health care to millions of previously uninsured Americans, is now live. Individuals can begin applying for coverage under the exchanges, with benefits beginning as soon as January 1st. Under the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, individuals are required to carry health insurance, and the exchanges help make that possible. Republicans in the House of Representatives have tried to link the passage of the 2014 budget to a delay in the requirement to purchase health insurance, leading to the standoff that resulted in tonight's shutdown.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/1/4789766/health-insurance-exchanges-open-up-even-as-government-shuts-down

Sept. 30: Week Ahead in Hockeytown

DETROIT –When it comes to evaluating his own talents and what he might mean to his new team this season, 40-year-old Daniel Alfredsson is a tough judge. “I think I play a two-way game. I expect myself to contribute offensively and a player that...



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Apogee: the one-man online game publisher of 1987 - Polygon

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/9/27/4741076/apogee-shareware-1987

New hope for Do Not Track as California enacts ad disclosure law

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill requiring companies to disclose whether they abide by Do Not Track provisions, a move that could build momentum for privacy protections that have stalled at the national level. On Friday, Brown signed AB 370, which requires internet companies that collect personally identifiable information to declare how they respond to Do Not Track requests. The idea is to pressure advertising networks like Google's AdSense and Facebook's FBX to be more transparent about how they track users' activity around the web.

Brown's signature comes as Do Not Track's future has been called into question at the national level. Earlier this month, a key online advertising industry group pulled out of...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4789078/new-hope-for-do-not-track-as-california-enacts-ad-disclosure-law

DETROIT MAKES FINAL CUTS, MRAZEK AND NYQUIST RETURN

On Monday, the Red Wings finalized their roster by sending many familiar faces to Grand Rapids while recalling a few others to Detroit.



via griffinshockey.com - News Releases http://www.griffinshockey.com/news/releases/?article_id=2580

Coca-Cola, Xbox One, and 'Fargo' miniseries: 90 Seconds on The Verge

It is with great sadness that we must inform you that Ellis Hamburger has Hamburger'd. We are still examining the details surrounding the case, but it appears that while Hamburging in studio Hamburger, Ellis Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger. Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger. Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger. Hamburger. Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger Hamburger. Hamburger.

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Wings put four on IR, assign Nyquist to minors

DETROIT – The Red Wings’ roster is ready for prime time. General manager Ken Holland announced on Monday that four veterans will begin the season on injured reserve, two others have been sent down to Grand Rapids, and two rookies recalled from ...



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UK building cyber army reserve to sharpen online strikes and defense

The United Kingdom wants to build up its cyber army, and it's spending and hiring more than ever to do so, according to a Reuters report. On Monday, Britain's Defense Secretary, Philip Hammond, said at a conference held by the country's Conservative party that the government is looking to recruit hundreds into what he called a Joint Cyber Reserve. This new team of hackers, programmers, and cyber experts would be tasked not only with surveillance and spying online, but also bulking up the country's defenses against web attacks. "Last year our cyber defenses blocked around 400,000 advanced malicious cyber threats against the government's secure internet alone," Hammond said in the report. "The threat is real."

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4788226/uk-says-it-wants-to-build-up-its-cyber-army

The Libratone Loop is a beautiful, wireless speaker that's more art than gadget

Libratone has staked a claim in the speaker market thanks to high-quality speakers that contain unmistakable design language — its tube-shaped Zipp speaker is a perfect example of the unusual but functional designs that the company focuses on. There aren't any black, rectangular boxes to be found here, and Libratone is making sure that remains the case with its latest wireless speaker, the Loop. As you might expect from its name, the Loop is a circular stereo speaker, but its thin profile allows for a neat trick — it's meant to be hung on your wall. In a lot of ways, its design reminds us of the much-loathed Apple "puck" mouse of yesteryear (but since you don't have to use it to control your computer, it can just be appreciated for...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4788150/libratone-loop-is-a-beautiful-wireless-speaker-more-art-than-gadget

Just blame social media: Vanity Fair's sad and ugly teen sex panic

Technological menace and "hookup culture" are both cultural catnip, so something like Vanity Fair’s "Friends Without Benefits" is a choice coup for an author like Nancy Jo Sales, who also wrote Bling Ring.

"Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and new dating apps like Tinder, Grindr, and Blendr have increasingly become key players in social interactions, both online and IRL (in real life)," warns the lede. "Nancy Jo Sales uncovers a world where boys are taught they have the right to expect everything from social submission to outright sex from their female peers. What is this doing to America’s young women?"

The topic of teen promiscuity is old, but social media is… well, slightly less old, which means not only are we treated to...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4787990/just-blame-social-media-vanity-fair-teen-sex-panic

Inside Guardian editor's struggle to publish NSA leaks

After headlines detailing smashed hard drives and international intrigue, The New Yorker takes a long look at Alan Rusbridger's tenure as editor of The Guardian, struggling with both government intimidation and the equally forceful economics of web-era publishing. After the Snowden scoop, the site is now the third-highest trafficked newspaper website in the world, but the path has not been easy. The piece details GHCQ's particularly puzzling move to destroy Guardian hard drives containing the leaked data, along with the intercontinental backup system Rusbridger devised with the help of ProPublica and The New York Times. One particularly impressive detail: At the same time that he was grappling with the British government, Rusbridger was...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4787842/inside-guardian-editors-struggle-to-publish-nsa-leaks

Microsoft hunts for a new CEO as the Steve Ballmer era winds down

Microsoft is in one of the most challenging periods in its 38-year history, and Steve Ballmer — its CEO for the last 13 years — is on his way out. In August, Ballmer announced that he'll retire just as soon as the company finds his successor. The decision comes after a major reorganization that aims to turn Microsoft into a "devices and services" company.

The challenges the company faces are massive: Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Surface tablets have each so far failed to find the blockbuster status that the PC-dominating company was once known for. And it's taking on the phone division of struggling Nokia, with a $7.2 billion bet that it can make its own smartphones without alienating hardware partners in the process. The path...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4787734/steve-ballmer-steps-down-microsoft-search-for-new-ceo

Facebook Graph Search gets more useful with comments and statuses

Facebook is about to make Graph Search a lot more powerful. Though the service has been able to query fixtures of your social graph — including likes, personal details, and photos — until now it hasn't been able to index what you or your friends wrote in comments or status update. But Facebook is now starting to roll out an update that will allow users to search for anything that's been written about, so long as it's currently shared with them. The feature will begin appearing for some users later today, though in true Facebook fashion, it'll be a slow rollout from there.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4787268/facebook-graph-search-adds-comments-status-update-posts

Players surprise fans with business visits

DETROIT – Maria Lushima started her third week as a DTE Energy employee in style. The Russian-born hockey fan couldn’t believe the email communication that colleagues received when they arrived for the start of the work week on Monday morning. ...



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Dropbox update adds screenshot sharing and one-click import for iPhoto libraries

Dropbox will now upload any and all screenshots you take on PC or Mac to the cloud for immediate sharing. It's an extremely simple but long-awaited feature that, in lieu of official support, has largely been handled by third-party apps like puush — until today. But now you can do away with the extra software, as Dropbox's own solution is finally here. It works exactly as you'd expect: after capturing a screenshot, a link to the file is automatically copied to your clipboard. Like the company's automatic camera upload feature, screenshot sharing can be turned off at your convenience. And while backups of your recent camera photos are nice, Dropbox wants to make it easier to put your entire photo collection in the cloud. Users on OS X...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4787762/dropbox-adds-screenshot-sharing-and-iphoto-import

NSA stores all collectable browsing data for 365 days, new leak reveals

A new leak published by The Guardian reveals more details about the NSA's Marina metadata program, including the program's ability to look back at a full year of metadata for millions of web users, regardless of whether the users are the target of an investigation. The metadata can include anything from browsing history to more detailed account activity in the case of web-based email, including contact lists and potentially even account passwords.

The Marina program had been mentioned in previous leaks, but the new revelations, pulled from an NSA training document, show how the data was centrally stored and managed. Much of the data is coming from previously reported programs, like PRISM's bulk FISA orders or GHCQ's undersea...

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How the studio behind ‘Candy Crush Saga’ found success as the anti-Zynga

Time hasn't been kind to Zynga. Once the largest game developer on Facebook, the company has since endured a series of mistakes and poor decisions that have forced it to shed both jobs and users, while its profits have dwindled. This past July, Zynga revealed that its daily active user base had shrunk to 39 million players across its entire lineup of games, down from 72 million in 2012. FarmVille turned the company into a household name, but subsequent releases haven’t resonated with players in quite the same way. After filing for an IPO, shares of Zynga began trading on the NASDAQ on December 16th, 2011 -- and there's been little good news to report for the company since that time.

Candy Crush Saga developer King appears to be in a...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786202/candy-crush-developer-is-the-anti-zynga

Metallica's Kirk Hammett on how 'Through the Never' almost became a sci-fi movie

It might be hard to believe, but earlier this year Metallica’s debut album Kill ‘Em All turned 30. Since its early days, the group has evolved from a collection of thrash-metal misfits into one of the biggest bands in the world, continuing to command sold-out venues while many of its genre brethren are left simply playing festivals or reunion tours. The group’s latest project is Metallica: Through The Never.

Directed by Nimród Antal (Vacancy, Predators), the 3D IMAX film combines concert footage with a narrative storyline, following one of the band’s roadies as he travels through an urban hellscape of riot police and nightmare imagery. We had the opportunity to speak with Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett about the making...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4785820/metallica-kirk-hammett-interview-through-the-never

Windows 8.1 now searches text within photos thanks to SkyDrive

Microsoft is taking advantage of its SkyDrive optical character recognition (OCR) to let Windows 8.1 users search for text within photos. OCR is currently rolling out to SkyDrive users worldwide and it automatically processes photos to provide extracted text as a file property. Microsoft is announcing today that Windows 8.1 will be able to access this text through the built-in Bing search.

If you're a Windows 8.1 or Windows Phone user then any photos stored in the camera roll, and uploaded to SkyDrive, will be processed automatically. If you take a picture of a train timetable and want to search for it at a later date then Windows 8.1 will be able to access the text within that photo to find it and display it. It's a simple and useful...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786924/skydrive-windows-8-1-ocr-text-search

The week in Verge Video - September 30th, 2013

Welcome to another exciting week in Verge Video. Top Shelf and Small Empires are in the middle of a short, well-deserved break, but there's still plenty of video coming your way.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786324/the-week-in-verge-video-september-30th-2013

Latest version of Gmail for Android hints that ads are on the way

The days of an ad-free Gmail experience on Android may be coming to an end. According to Android Police , the latest version of Google's email app contains references to built-in advertisements. The uncovered code hints that users will be able to save ads that catch their interest as messages, but little else is known about the company's approach to mobile ads — or how intrusive they'll be. As part of Google's broad overhaul of Gmail back in May, it introduced a new Promotions tab that displays ads closely resembling regular inbox messages. At the time, Google insisted that most users would expect to find ads in a specialized Promotions section. Many users weren't happy with the change, even though it often results in fewer ads for...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786366/gmail-for-android-hints-that-ads-are-on-the-way

Xperia Z1 review: the One Sony phone has arrived

Over the past 18 months, CEO Kaz Hirai has been on a mission to unify the sprawling empire entrusted to him into a more cohesive and focused One Sony. On the mobile front, that’s resulted in Cyber-shot cameras and Bravia-branded displays appearing in handsets like the former flagship Xperia Z. Today’s Xperia Z1 continues that cross-pollination push with an even more comprehensive set of borrowed features, including its headline-grabbing 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera. The Z wasn't a phone without its flaws, however, so the more pressing issue is whether Sony can continue building on what worked and solve what didn’t.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4784014/sony-xperia-z1-review

How Twitch took over the booming market for competitive video gaming

After five grueling days of combat, it had all come down to this. With the score tied at two games apiece, Sweden’s team Alliance and the Ukraine’s team Na’Vi would battle one final time. It's the championship match of Valve Software’s annual tournament for the game DOTA 2 . At stake was first place and the lion’s share of a $2.8 million prize pool, the largest in the history of competitive video gaming.

The players massaged aching fingers and strategized with their teammates. Each team selected a group of five mythical heroes they used to try and destroy the enemy’s home base. For the first 40 minutes it was a close match, but then things took a dramatic turn.

Both teams abandoned their defensive positions and threw...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4719766/twitch-raises-20-million-esports-market-booming

Watch out, Wall Street: report says tech is now NYC's second-largest sector

New York City’s economy has traditionally been dominated by finance, real estate, and media. But tech may be taking hold as a staple of the private sector, according to a new report, "Building a Digital City: the Growth and Impact of New York City’s Tech / Information Sector," commissioned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s private foundation. The study gives some clues as to how New York pulled off what many other cities are desperately attempting to do: invent a tech startup scene.

Rapid job growth has made the city’s tech and information industry the second-largest contributor to the private sector economy by wages, according to the study. The tech sector is also booming in the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, while the...

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With latest SpaceX launch, Musk says he has 'all pieces of the puzzle' for reusable rocket

This Sunday saw a successful launch from SpaceX's latest prototype, a newly modified Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket boasts a large power advantage over previous models, thanks to a new nine-engine propulsion layout, which helped the rocket to deliver four satellites into low-earth orbit. SpaceX founder Elon Musk called particular attention to the rocket booster, which relit twice during the flight. It's also SpaceX's first launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, an important site for the early-60s space program.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786238/with-latest-spacex-launch-musk-says-he-has-all-pieces-of-the-puzzle

How Twitch took over the video game industry

After five grueling days of combat, it had all come down to this. With the score tied at two games apiece, Sweden’s team Alliance and the Ukraine’s team Na’Vi would battle one final time. It's the championship match of Valve Software’s annual tournament for the game DOTA 2 . At stake was first place and the lion’s share of a $2.8 million prize pool, the largest in the history of competitive video gaming.

The players massaged aching fingers and strategized with their teammates. Each team selected a group of five mythical heroes they used to try and destroy the enemy’s home base. For the first 40 minutes it was a close match, but then things took a dramatic turn.

Both teams abandoned their defensive positions and threw...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4719766/tktk-esports

Xbox One Kinect sensor can understand two people talking at the same time

Microsoft has revealed that the Kinect sensor it will ship with the Xbox One can detect two people talking at the same time. Speaking at the Eurogamer Expo in London, Microsoft's Phil Harrison revealed further details about the new Kinect. Coupled with the Xbox One, Kinect will now be able to hear and understand two people talking at once, even detecting whether mouths are open in a dark room.

The new capabilities work alongside improvements to Kinect that allow it to track thumbs, 25 joints of up to six people, and heart rates by scanning a face. While the multiplayer gaming applications for multiple voice processing are obvious, Microsoft is also aiming its Xbox One console firmly for TV and entertainment. The new abilities to...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/30/4786038/xbox-one-kinect-sensor-detects-two-people-talking

1.26 billion Facebook profiles become a clickable monument to humanity

"Creative Technologist" Natalia Rojas has mapped the profile photos of Facebook's 1,267,191,915 (and counting) users on just one web page. "The Faces of Facebook" is organized from top left to bottom right by the date each user joined Facebook, and in total creates a glitchy, vibrant, and awe-inspiring image. By clicking the location symbol and plugging in your Facebook credentials, you can pinpoint your place in the colorful mess, as well as the place of all your Facebook friends.

Rojas doesn't offer much of an artist statement about her latest project, aside from one observation reminiscent of Carl Sagan's thoughts on seeing "Pale Blue Dot," a famous image of Earth taken by the Voyager 1 probe. She writes, "There we are, all mixed up:...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4783702/the-faces-of-facebook-natalie-rojas

Apple dealt setback in fight against patent troll Lodsys

Back in 2011, Apple stepped up to protect iOS developers victimized by patent troll Lodsys, which asked for royalties from those utilizing in-app purchasing technology. Ars Technica reports that after two years of debate, the judge presiding over the case dismissed Apple's case to protect developers. Apple's argument was that it already paid to license Lodsys patents under their previous owner, Intellectual Ventures, and that arrangement should cover developers who used Apple APIs to implement in-app purchases.

Apple's claims in the case were dismissed because the group of iOS developers in question had already settled with Lodsys. The patent troll hadn't asked for an enormous amount of money to begin with, making the decision to settle...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4784112/apple-dealt-setback-in-fight-against-patent-troll-lodsys

Watch this: chillwave drone vacation

DJI Phantom quadcopter? Check. GoPro Hero 3 video camera? Check. Paracosm , the latest chillwave record from Washed Out? Check.

You might usually find production studio Fiction shooting promotional videos for apps or the occasional tomato farm for Publix, but its latest project is a personal experiment in shooting video with drones. "Fiction Product Test 003" is three-and-a-half minutes of stunning fields, vistas, and lakes, all experienced firsthand from the underside of a quadcopter. The vehicle's movement is exceptionally graceful and fluid, which makes for some truly breathtaking moving shots of Hawaii, Florida, Ireland, and Scotland. Grab a pina colada, your favorite drone, and enjoy.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4783888/watch-this-dji-phantom-gopro-hero-3-fiction-product-test

Scientists want to turn smartphones into earthquake sensors

For years, scientists have struggled to collect accurate real-time data on earthquakes, but a new article published today in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America may have found a better tool for the job, using the same accelerometers found in most modern smartphones. The article finds that the MEMS accelerometers in current smartphones are sensitive enough to detect earthquakes of magnitude five or higher when located near the epicenter. Because the devices are so widely used, scientists speculate future smartphone models could be used to create an "urban seismic network," transmitting real-time geological data to authorities whenever a quake takes place.

The authors pointed to Stanford's Quake-Catcher Network as an...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4783690/scientists-turn-smartphone-accelerometers-into-earthquake-sensors

Wings clear spot, place Emmerton on waivers

DETROIT – NHL teams have until Monday afternoon to submit their 23-man rosters valued at no more than $64.3 million for the start of the 2013-14 season. The Red Wings made a move today to become salary cap compliant by placing fourth-line center C...



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The best writing of the week, September 29

We all know the feeling. You're sleepless in the sad hours of the night or stumbling around early on a hazy weekend morning in need of something to read, and that pile of unread books just isn't cutting it. Why not take a break from the fire hose of Twitter and RSS and check out our weekly roundup of essential writing from around the web about technology, culture, media, and the future? Sure, it's one more thing you can feel guilty about sitting in your Instapaper queue, but it's better than pulling in vain on your Twitter list again.

Grab all of these stories as a Readlist.

On 'GTA V'

Tom Bissell struggles through relationship to GTA V with a letter to the game's Niko Bellic.

Grantland: Tom Bissell - A letter to Niko Bellic about...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4779906/the-best-writing-of-the-week-september-29

Jonathan Lethem on the subversive power of comics and science fiction

Jonathan Lethem makes no secret of his influences. His first published novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, riffed on the hard-boiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler. He’s written an academic novel in the style of Don Delillo (As She Climbed Across the Table), and crossbred E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India with John Ford’s The Searchers, transporting the Western to an alien world in Girl in Landscape. He’s even written about “the ecstasy of influence,” reminding us that no creative act arrives ex nihilo — it’s all, like his own work, a product of influences and appropriations, conscious and not.

His latest novel, Dissident Gardens, follows three generations of utopian seekers whose American dreams are thwarted by...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/29/4726868/jonathan-lethem-on-the-subversive-power-of-comics-and-science-fiction

GRIFFINS TRIUMPH OVER MONSTERS 3-2 IN SHOOTOUT VICTORY

The Grand Rapids Griffins opened preseason play on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Lake Erie Monsters.



via griffinshockey.com - News Releases http://www.griffinshockey.com/news/releases/?article_id=2577

Cheaters used infrared contact lenses and marked cards to win over 90,000 euros in poker

This tale of poker cheats has all the signs of a Hollywood movie: high-tech contact lenses, marked playing cards, corrupt casino employees, and the French Riviera. Back in 2011, an Italian man codenamed "Parmesan" racked up 70,000 euros in one day of poker winnings followed up by 21,000 more in another visit, according to The Telegraph . He and his accomplices — which included two casino employees — found a way to mark the cards with invisible ink. Parmesan, a 56-year-old man whose real name is Stefano Ampollini, then used infrared contact lenses purchased online for 2,000 euros from a Chinese company to read his competitors' hands.

Like many other card sharps, the men's downfall was their success. The casino's lawyer told The...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/28/4780914/cheaters-used-infrared-contact-lenses-and-marked-cards-to-win-over

Following 'GTA V' download woes, Sony promises better experience for PlayStation 4

Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are making a big push into digital distribution, but if Grand Theft Auto V is any indication, Sony has some work to do to smooth out its process. Many PlayStation Network users have reported errors and failed downloads of the game in the days since its launch. Perhaps that's to be expected, seeing as GTA V hit the $1 billion sales mark in just three days. But when the game weighs in at a hefty 18GB on Sony's PlayStation Store, it's easy to relate to the aggravation that accompanies a corrupted download. PlayStation UK head Fergal Gara claims that gamers will see a significant improvement when it comes to downloading those huge files on the PlayStation 4, however.

"There are big innovations in the PS4...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/28/4780340/sony-promises-improved-digital-downloads-ps4-gta-v

MLB shows us what to expect from iOS 7's new iBeacon location services

Among the lesser-touted additions to iOS 7 is iBeacon, a new feature that allows the iPhone (4S and later) to communicate with tiny, cheap Bluetooth LE sensors, enabling all kinds of location-based services. One major application is obviously indoor mapping, which has proven to be a major pain point for smartphones. In terms of accuracy, iBeacon is a massive improvement over traditional methods of monitoring a user's location like GPS — a technology that's too often off the mark when you're inside. Google has launched indoor maps to make tourist attractions and multi-floor destinations like shopping malls easier to explore, and iBeacon represents Apple's answer to the problem. But its potential extends far beyond mapping, opening up...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/28/4780120/mlb-shows-us-what-to-expect-from-ios-7-ibeacon-location-services

The Weekender: building backpacks, being 'Blue,' and betting on BlackBerry

Welcome to The Verge: Weekender edition. Every Saturday, we'll bring you some of the best and most important reads of the past seven days, from original reports, to in-depth features, to reviews and interviews. Think of it as a collection of some of our favorite pieces that you may have missed — or that you may just want to read again. You can follow along below, or keep up to date on Flipboard.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/28/4778692/the-weekender-ivory-poaching-flamethrowers-maker-faire-evernote

'Little Miss Sunshine' directors sign up for Mr. Rogers movie 'I'm Proud of You'

The beloved children's classic Mister Rogers' Neighborhood aired for 33 years, and a new film is going to take a look at what Fred Rogers was like behind the camera as well. The Wrap reports that the directing team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris will be directing I'm Proud of You. Based on Tim Madigan's autobiographical novel of the same name, it tells the story of a "jaded and distracted husband and father" whose life is changed when be becomes lifelong friends with Fred Rogers.

The script for the project was written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster. Dayton and Fair, whose feature credits include Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks, previous worked in music videos with bands like Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/28/4778680/little-miss-sunshine-directors-sign-up-for-mr-rogers-movie-im-proud

FBI targeted Snowden's email provider Lavabit a day after his identity went public

During the summer, secure email provider Lavabit — the preferred email service for PRISM leaker Edward Snowden — decided to shut down after 10 years to avoid being "complicit in crimes against the American people." It became clear pretty quickly that his service was the subject of an investigation by the US government; founder Ladar Levison said that "the government tried to bully me" and that it was "amazing the lengths they've gone to to accomplish their goals." Much of the specifics have been kept under wraps, even as his legal battle to appeal a surveillance order went underway earlier this month. Now, Wired has confirmed that the FBI targeted Lavabit immediately — it served the company with a court order the day after Snowden...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4779066/fbi-targeted-snowden-email-provider-lavabit-after-his-identity-went-public

Microsoft's One Tour gives gamers a chance to play Xbox One before it goes on sale

If you're a console gamer, you've got a tough choice ahead of you as both the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One are going on sale this November. Choosing which next-gen system to buy is no easy task — even for long time gaming diehards. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft wants you to buy its new hardware instead of a PS4, which is why the company is going to hit the road for its "One Tour." The road trip kicks off on October 1st and runs through the end of the year, allowing people to try Xbox One for themselves at each stop.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778698/xbox-one-us-tour-starts-october

Spec Sheet: Sony's new Walkman players challenge the iPod with high-quality audio

A lot of products come out each week — we don't highlight all of them, but all of them make it into The Verge Database. In Spec Sheet, a weekly series, we survey the latest product entries to keep track of the state of the art.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778492/sony-walkman-f880-zx1-android-high-quality-audio-flac-players

iMotion kickstarts motion controllers inspired by 'Minority Report' and Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift has ignited a new round of excitement in virtual reality — but a major issue with the device is that its reliance on keyboards, mice, and traditional gaming controllers holds back just how immersive the headset can be. However, a small Singapore-based company says it has an answer to Oculus' problem. Intellect Motion has developed a hand-held device called iMotion that brings motion controls to Oculus Rift — or to any camera-equipped Mac or PC. To actually get its controller into the public's hands, the startup is set to launch a $100,000 Kickstarter project this evening.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777390/intellect-motion-imotion-controller-kickstarter-gaming

Hanging up: the fall of Symbian's smartphone empire - Verge Forums

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/18/4747002/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-symbian-empire

Global warming, the FAA, and the Steam Controller: 90 Seconds on The Verge

[No description was written as the entire Verge staff left to go get pad thai after referencing it in today's episode. A description was then supposed to be written after said pad thai was eaten, but during dinner, an argument erupted over Star Trek Into Darkness. In the end, hurtful words were said and friendships were broken. Also, a table and some chairs were damaged in the altercation. We'll be back Monday with more 90 Seconds.]

via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778286/global-warming-faa-valve-steam-os-controllers-90sotv

'Super-recognizers' are Scotland Yard's new secret weapon

Scotland Yard has a new secret weapon when it comes to finding suspects: a group of psychological outliers known as "super-recognizers." They've got the ability to a far greater range of faces over much longer periods of time than the average person. The condition is still controversial, but after recent peer-reviewed studies have found evidence for it, London's police force wants to use it to their advantage, employing a squad of super-recognizers to help recognize wanted criminals captured on surveillance feeds. As detective chief inspector Mike Neville says, "When we have an image of an unidentified criminal, I know exactly who to ask."

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778376/super-recognizers-are-scotland-yards-new-secret-weapon

US officials say Iranian hackers compromised Navy computers

US officials tell the Wall Street Journal that unclassified Navy computers have been hacked by a group either "working directly for Iran's government [or] acting with the approval of Iranian leaders." Since the compromised machines were fairly low-level, there was no valuable or classified information at risk, but if the allegations are true, the attack stands as Iran's first significant aggression in the malware arena after being targeted by US-linked hacking attacks like Stuxnet and Flame.

The report leaves many unanswered questions about the nature of the threat, declining to elaborate on either the sophistication of the attack or the nature of its connection to Iran. The news arrives on the heels of President Obama's recent talks...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778400/us-officials-say-iranian-hackers-compromised-navy-computers

Microsoft received over 37,000 requests for user data during the first six months of 2013

Microsoft received 37,196 global requests for user data from law enforcement agencies during the first six months of 2013. The company revealed the figure today in its second Law Enforcement Requests Report. (Its first came in March amid controversy over the US government's comprehensive surveillance tactics.) The requests, which factor in all Microsoft services including Skype, involved a total of 66,539 accounts. "As with the 2012 report this new data shows that across our services only a tiny fraction of accounts, less that 0.01 percent are ever affected by law enforcement requests for customer data," the company says. But like last year, a vast majority of those inquiries came from the United States.

To that end, Microsoft is...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778322/microsoft-received-over-37000-requests-user-data-first-six-months-2013

Power play looks good, but must produce

DETROIT – On paper, the Red Wings’ power play seems ripe for a comeback. The special teams unit has struggled the last two seasons – though there was some improvement during the abbreviated season following the NHL lockout – but captain Henrik ...



via Red Wings Recent Headlines http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=684553&cmpid=rss-roose

Microsoft will soon let you install Windows 8 apps on up to 81 devices

Microsoft released Windows 8 nearly a year ago with the new Windows Store, and the company introduced a limit on the number of systems a single account could install apps on. Today, Microsoft is practically lifting the limit of five machines and changing it to 81 devices. You read that correctly, 81. The massive change appears to be a symbolic link to the upcoming Windows 8.1 update, but it also means that the majority of Windows Store users will no longer have to worry about what PCs they install paid apps to.

"Since we launched Windows 8, we heard growing feedback from many developers and from our most enthusiastic customers that the limit of 5 was not enough for their needs," explains a spokesperson for the Windows apps team. "In...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4778278/windows-8-app-install-limit-81-devices

Martin Freeman to star in 'Fargo' miniseries executive produced by Coen brothers

A ten-part miniseries based on Joel and Ethan Coen's 1996 thriller Fargo has its two stars. Martin Freeman will join Billy Bob Thornton — whose involvement was previously announced — in the FX series set to premier next spring, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Freeman, known from The Hobbit trilogy as well as the TV show Sherlock, will portray a man named Lester Nygaard, an insurance man put in a money bind quite similar to the position of William H Macy's character in the feature film. Thornton, meanwhile, picks up on Steve Buscemi's role in the film. He plays a troublemaker named Lorne Malvo, "a rootless, manipulative man" who sets Freeman "on a path of destruction." FX president John Landgraf earlier said that the show would...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777884/martin-freeman-to-star-in-fargo-miniseries-coen

Rdio now recommends albums, playlists, and stations based on your listening history

Rdio's partnership with the Echo Nest is yielding some useful new features for users — the company just announced that it is rolling out a new recommendation engine that will show you albums, playlists, and radio stations based on your listening history and the people you follow. It's a welcome new feature and comes on the heels of Rdio's launch of an Echo Nest-powered radio station feature that follows the same model as Pandora, iTunes Radio, and Spotify Radio. Recommendations will have their own home in Rdio's left-side navigation bar, and station recommendations will also include data stations popular near you as well as recommendations based on listening history and social network. it's a nice new feature, albeit one that Spotify...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777830/rdio-now-recommends-albums-playlists-and-stations

As finale approaches, 'Breaking Bad' composer discusses the show's 'constantly evolving' score

Aside from Breaking Bad's opening theme, you might not remember much music from the series. But often enough, that's exactly by design of the show's composer, Dave Porter. In a conversation with Rolling Stone (which you'll only want to read if you're fully caught up on the series), Porter explains the thinking behind eight of his compositions, including some of his favorites, and some that were just tough to write. "Film and TV music is often about trying to say as much as you can with very little," Porter says.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777556/breaking-bad-composer-dave-porter-explains-series-music-themes

The world will add more solar power than wind this year, for the first time ever

Today saw good news for solar power, as Bloomberg's New Energy Finance group predicted 2013 would be the first year in which the world adds more solar power capacity than wind. The service predicted that 36.7 gigawatts of new solar power capacity would be added in 2013, up 20% from 2012, compared to 35.5 gigawatts of new wind power. The service credited the speed-up to new incentives in Japan and China, combined with a dramatic reduction in the cost of solar panels.

Wind installations still contribute more than twice as much power as solar, representing 5% of global power supply compared to solar's 2%, but new installations are slowing as Chinese and American incentives lapse and windmills face greater competition from newly cheap solar...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777558/the-world-will-add-more-solar-power-than-wind-this-year-for-the-first

Taran Killam of ‘Saturday Night Live’: the new season, comic books, and ‘NBA Jam’

If you watch Saturday Night Live, you know Taran Killam. The dancing zombie Mokiki? Eddie, the jerky older brother that just loves yelling in Justin Bieber’s face? The late-night lip-sync video of Robyn’s "Call Your Girlfriend" that made the rounds a few years back? That's all Killam. SNL’s 39th season kicks off tomorrow night, and with several high-profile names having recently left the show, the stage is set for a year of fresh faces and new energy. We spoke with Killam earlier this week about his fourth year with the program, the comic project The Illegitimates, and his obsession with gaming consoles.

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4775630/taran-killam-interview-saturday-night-live-new-season-nba-jam

How 3D-Robotics is building for America's drone-filled future

According to Chris Anderson, there are three stages in the evolution of his work with drones. First came the online community, DIY Drones, where hackers and makers swapped tips on how to build and fly all types of unmanned aerial vehicles. By 2009 it was clear there was enough interest from regular people who didn’t want to build a drone from scratch, but would love to fly one if they were for sale. So Anderson and his co-founder, Jordi Munoz, created 3D Robotics to manufacture and sell affordable, consumer-grade drones to the masses. The business grew quickly, and the company was selling $5 million worth of flying robots a year by the end of 2012.

Yesterday 3D Robotics raised $30 million to power phase three. "We created the...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4776692/3d-robotics-chris-anderson-explains-the-next-step-for-his-drone-empire

Nissan takes on Tesla with free charging for new Leaf drivers in Texas

Nissan is trying to make its all-electric Leaf hatchback a more enticing option to the flashy alternatives from Tesla Motors. Under a new promotion, anyone who buys or leases a Leaf in the Houston or Dallas, Texas area between October and the end of March 2014 will be given one year of free access to NRG's eVgo's charging stations. For those who can reach one of NRG's 23 stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex or its 17 stations around greater Houston, that could mean a year of cost-free fuel for commuting. That's a fairly limited scope for the new program overall, but a Nissan spokesperson tells Bloomberg that this may be just the beginning. "It's a pilot program, so we'll want to see how it goes," Nissan's spokesperson said. "NRG...

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via The Verge - All Posts http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4777182/nissan-houston-dallas-one-year-free-leaf-charging-nrg-evgo-network