Mia Sato

Features Writer, The Verge

Mia SatoApr 5, 2023

The creator of Catan has died.

Klaus Teuber made one of the most popular — and at times enraging — board games played around the world. Catan (introduced as The Settlers of Catan in 1995) has sold 40 million copies, according to the New York Times. At my college it was inescapable, sprawled out in dorms and libraries.

I haven’t played it in years, but I remember hours-long sessions with friends well — along with the creeping feeling that someone was about to start a fight.

Klaus Teuber, Creator of the Board Game Catan, Dies at 70

[The New York Times]

Mia SatoApr 4, 2023

Good noodle houses? In Germany?

Düsseldorf has become a foodie hot spot, as members of the Chinese diaspora across Europe visit to find authentic cuisine.

Social media platform Xiaohongshu is at the center of this wave. Part search engine and part travel guide, restaurants in Düsseldorf get foot traffic and marketing — and users get content to post.

How China’s hottest social media app turned Düsseldorf into a foodie destination

[Rest of World]

Opulent, joyous, decadent: the Japanese decoden trend comes to America

Make Steve Jobs roll over in his grave with a custom rabbit strawberry glitter frosting iPhone case.

Mia SatoApr 3, 2023

The Wordle answer today is MONEY.

Why do publishers like Digital Trends, PCGamer, Mashable, and even NME run daily or regularly updated Wordle guides?

Google search traffic, of course. Players’ obsession with keeping their winning streak has created a Wordle-sized money machine for news outlets looking to cash in on the game’s popularity — and its SEO potential.

A Big Hint the Whole Wordle Thing Is Completely Out of Control

[Slate Magazine]

TikTok’s refresh feature is for when you’re sick of your For You page

Mia SatoMar 16, 2023

Biden administration reportedly demanding that TikTok sell or face a ban

Mia SatoMar 16, 2023

LinkedIn is adding AI tools for generating profile copy and job descriptions

Mia SatoMar 15, 2023

TikTok is adding a third feed just for science and math videos

Mia SatoMar 14, 2023

Mia SatoMar 10, 2023

Instagram is working on a decentralized Twitter alternative.

The company is in the early stages of creating a “standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” Platformer reports.

The project is codenamed P92 and details are limited. Instagram head Adam Mosseri is reportedly leading the project, which doesn’t have a release timeline yet.

Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network

[www.platformer.news]