I don’t know if it actually ever got off the ground or if I just know a bunch of millennials who wanted to briefly re-live the glory days of AIM away messages, but my Instagram friends have pretty much all stopped posting notes within a week of launch. I don’t know about you, but I just can’t stand having to go to the DMs section to see them.
Are your buddies still using notes? Let us know in the comments.
Our Apple Watch Ultra video review just went up and it’s a must-see. This was a true team effort that put Apple’s titanium beast through the paces — across land, snow, and sea. It’s the biggest video review we’ve ever done, so be sure to let us know what you think.
Okay I don’t know if I want to do a full diary on my Dwarf Fortress shenanigans, though Verge Entertainment Editor Andrew Webster would surely commission it. Anyway, I finally built a stable colony of dwarves... which has quickly been overrun by human adventurers looking to slay monsters. You just can’t have any fun without humans meddling in affairs.
(Once again, I am recommending that you grab Dwarf Fortress — especially if you need to burrow deep into the earth and away from your family during the holidays.)
[itch.io]
We’re all for relentless optimism around here, but this soaring 2,000-word essay from Andrew Bosworth (Meta’s head of Reality Labs) — investment! innovation! America!!! — feels a little untethered from the heavy reality of a $1,499 computer on your face. It’s certainly brave to double down on a truly massive investment in the metaverse — but maybe not as brave as being an early adopter:
Tech policy nerds, please apply. I’m extremely proud of The Verge’s policy coverage over the past decade, which has led to lots of citations in Congress and real change in the tech industry. If you’re interested in leading policy coverage at The Verge, please apply:
[boards.greenhouse.io]
Well, this is a touch embarrassing. Epic Games just got hit by an... epic... $520 million fine for allegedly scummy business practices like tricking kids into making unwanted purchases. In its own press release, the company pretends like accepting the FTC’s fine puts it “at the forefront of consumer protection.” Sure.
But all Epic had to do was look at its arch-nemesis, Apple, which got hit with a similar fine way back in 2014. For those keeping score, Epic’s fine is $487.5 million higher than Apple’s was. Innovation!
Devon Palmer is hands-down one of the funniest people on TikTok and his latest skit speaks to my soul about quantified health. Enjoy your step counters, I’ll be counting pebbles.
Many of my colleagues in the industry are now quitting Twitter for some of the same reasons I did. And honestly — Elon hasn’t changed much. It has been a hive of scum and villainy for many years. I won’t say “I told you so” — I’ll just be glad for anyone who escapes its clutches.
Here’s a thing about me: I was once a huge EverQuest nerd. If you were too, you should know that there’s still a vibrant community of players who have created their own classic experience in a private server. If you were a former player who needs family at this time of year, I suggest you check it out.
[www.project1999.com]
