The US Navy recently unveiled a NASA-themed uniform which will be worn during the 123rd Army-Navy game on December 10th. It may ultimately be a military merch play, but the uniforms actually look pretty cool. The lesson for me? NASA’s mission and iconography should be way more prevalent in US society.
Mountain, the maker of the modular Everest Max gaming keyboard, is currently running a sitewide sale discounting its entire catalog. The massive Everest Max is on sale for $179.99 (normally $249.99), while the smaller Everest 60 is down to $79.99 (normally $139.99). Check out our review of the Mountain Everest Max for more details.
[MOUNTAIN]
I actually like the Truck Simulator series, but there’s something very funny about a landlocked state in the Great Plains region becoming a notable video game expansion. Even the developer, SCS, had to upsell the region in its announcement, noting the state’s “unfortunate reputation of being a rather arid place.” You won’t hear a complaint from me, though; I love any US state that has national parks. Sorry, Delaware.
[Eurogamer.net]
All I want for Christmas this year is, apparently, this off-road Porsche 911 Dakar. But I absolutely do not want to see the detailing and maintenance bill from after this incredible video was shot. Maybe I’ll just ask for an Xbox instead.
I absolutely love this story today on The Verge from Jessica Lucas, about ragebait food videos on TikTok. I’ve spent many, many hours curating my TikTok experience to show me mostly quality food content — and yet I can’t escape viral recipe trolling. If you don’t know what we’re talking about: sit back, relax, and enjoy your Thanksgiving. (But you know you want to click.)
The flagship Pixel 7 Pro is already $150 off at most retailers for Black Friday, though right now Amazon is selling the hazel version for $730.58 (an additional $18.42 lower). I guess that’s the new official lowest price, and maybe one of those Amazon pricing oddities that will soon vanish. Read our review.
Business Insider reports that an “anti-woke” bank from the likes of Peter Thiel and right-wing talking head Candace Owens has crashed and burned just 3 months after launching. At some point, you have to wonder whether these culture war business grifts will run out of gullible investors.
I hope all of you are with the human beings you care about most over the next few days. I’ve gotten at least a dozen pitches for the metaverse over the past 24 hours and it’s put a fine point on the fact that a fancy headset will never replace genuine connection. Let’s toast to a better future — which won’t require having computers strapped to our faces.
As reporters we don’t usually tell people to stop saying things in public — especially when it comes to potentially-fraudulent former billionaires. But perhaps we can all agree to offer some sympathy for defense attorneys across the world who must have incredible heartburn as they watch SBF take every opportunity to gift material to future prosecutors. Anyway, see you all at the Dealbook Summit!
You probably heard that Taylor Swift’s pre-sales event for her The Eras Tour crashed Ticketmaster, which the operator blamed on “unprecedented demand.”
But now it’s bringing renewed attention to the combined market power of Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment. The New York Times reports the DOJ has opened an antitrust investigation.
One way or another, the story isn’t over — you can keep up with the updates as they come in right here.
For This Week in Elon, Liz Lopatto investigates what Elon Musk might actually envision for Twitter 2.0.
If Musk can figure out a way to make inroads into the creator economy, that could maybe bring people to the platform in a way that’s cheaper than the $10 sign-up bonus he’s proposed.
If there’s a way to keep the most fun, prolific Twitter users on the platform — either by paying them directly or by letting their fans pay them — I can imagine a world in which that creates a revenue stream that makes Twitter less dependent on advertising.
Bad news for Ron DeSantis means good news for a First Amendment that is under siege. Chief US District Judge Mark Walker issued a withering takedown of DeSantis’ “Stop W.O.K.E. Act”, calling it “positively dystopian”, and a “cornerstone of its own Ministry of Truth.”
[The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression]
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced yesterday that his office is opening an investigation into the company after the disastrous Taylor Swift launch. Good job, Swifties.
Black Friday isn’t until next week, but we’re already seeing steep discounts on some of the best TVs of the year, including LG’s C2 OLED. As outlined in Chris Welch’s review, the gamer-friendly set offers quick performance and exceptional black levels, as well as a brighter panel than the last-gen C1.
Right now, the 42-inch model is down to just $899.99 ($400 off) at Best Buy.
The FTX apocalypse has only begun, but it’s already producing great art. The latest cover of Bloomberg Businessweek is aces. To catch up on the meaning, check out this report from our own Liz Lopatto.
I have to hand it to Elon: he just invented one of the most sinister buttons we’ve ever heard of. Twitter employees have just hours to click a button before they are fired. So hardcore.
The ‘problematic’ ethernet switch is gone, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Right now, they’re still aiming for a 1:04AM ET launch, but it’s pretty likely that will slip into the two hour window. New launch time: still tbd.
They’ve found the radar issue on the range...and it’s a “bad ethernet switch” says Derrol Nail, a launch commentator for NASA. It’s possible to fix, but might take about 70 minutes.
NASA’s Red Crew is back, and hydrogen has started flowing again. But now the range is ‘no-go’ for launch, because a radar site is down. It’s always something.
Here’s the Red Crew headed out to fix the hydrogen leak.
Well, crap. There’s a leak in the ‘core stage replenish valve’ inside the mobile launcher. NASA’s team is monitoring the situation, and making plans to potentially send in a specialized team called the ‘Red Crew’ into the launch area to make adjustments.
The latest forecast from the Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron has the probability of good weather at 90 percent. It’s always nice when they get to be the bearer of good news — they’re no strangers to calling the whole thing off.
And things seem to be going well. <Knocks wood.> There was a “little bit of leakage” of the hydrogen, but it’s still within range, according to the NASA broadcast.
The company, which sold wireless home broadband to apartment residents using neat little mmWave antennas, recently laid off half its employees. Now it’s looking to sell itself. Turns out competing with America’s entrenched, monopolistic ISPs is incredibly difficult. :(
[CEO Chet] Kanojia said potential buyers/investors have already expressed interest in Starry. He said some of the parties are financial players and others are strategic investors, meaning companies running businesses that could be synergistic with Starry’s.
[Fierce Wireless]
If $8/month gives everyone priority on the platform, does anyone have priority?
The Intercept has a big piece this morning about Homeland Security’s work reporting misinformation, which includes reporting false claims about the COVID vaccines and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan directly to Facebook for moderation.
On some level, this makes sense: the government has been public about fighting antivaxx claims, and the reported posts really were violating platform rules. Still, it’s hard not to be nervous when the US government takes an active role in limiting the spread of specific views.
Want to stick it to Elon Musk, who is already tweeting conspiracy theories just a few days into his tenure as Twitter overlord? Here’s my plan: for the rest of Twitter’s days, tweet nothing but this picture of a cat in a cowboy hat.
As expected, the paperwork to delist Twitter from the New York Stock Exchange has been filed. The bird may be free from public shareholder pressure but it now lives in a cage of private equity.
I’ve quit Twitter a couple times. I’ve also quit other social networks to better effect (see: Facebook). And while I think it’s totally legit to quit because you don’t want to enrich an uncouth billionaire, my suggestion is to quit apps for your own personal health and safety. Don’t do it to spite someone — do it to make your own life better. You can’t ruin a billionaire’s day, but you can improve your own.
If you thought “No Russian” was as unhinged as Call of Duty could get, get a load of this clip. It’s as pure as the Law of the Instrument can get: if all you have is a gun, everything (including “de-escalation”) can be solved with a gun. Press F to pay respects to this franchise.
This might be the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen in the history of shared workplace software. Thinking of making it Verge policy to build a lot in every Google doc.
Stand at attention! That means you, ensign! There’s a legend here to celebrate. Some would say she’s the best captain in Star Trek history. (It’s me. I would say that. There’s no argument, really.) Enjoy this wholesome moment.
Dota 2’s International tournament is happening right now in Singapore, and to the untrained eye it looks like a polished affair. But fans seem Big Mad about the perceived quality of this year’s show.
While I think it’s silly to be upset that TI 2022 is being held on a smaller stage, one complaint is interesting: this year the contestants are not isolated in soundproof booths. That’s leading fans to speculate that some contestants could be getting an advantage from hearing commentators broadcast their opponents’ plans in the arena.
Good morning! Have you heard that Microsoft is working on a mobile game store? Now you have.
Now that Tesla and Netflix have announced earnings this week, that leaves AT&T and Snap to provide their updates today, and at 5PM ET, GMC will reveal its electric Sierra Denali pickup.
Finally, it’s always a good day to learn this fact about Excel.
This is a screenshot I took from a cozy little game called Brotato. (It’s currently $4.99 on Steam.) The options menu lets you control “difficulty” in a guilt-free way, right next to the settings for volume and graphics. Plus, changing the difficulty doesn’t block you from getting any of the game’s achievements. I love this approach and I hope more designers take note.
It’s very funny to remember this statement after the fabrication of a fake 5G race and Google Fiber announcing this week that it’s launching 5-gig and 8-gig plans.
As always, here’s what The Verge believes: internet access ought to be a public utility whose providers compete aggressively based on speed and capacity. Dumb pipes are the smartest pipes.
Protestors from the group Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup on a Van Gogh painting in London today. In related news, here’s a Dutch guy explaining how to pronounce “Vincent Van Gogh.”
Listen: everyone else in the Verge newsroom is going to talk to you today about serious news. I want you to check out. Give in to temptation. Abandon email and business. Give yourself to... the blue ball machine.
[YTMND]
Welcome to our new Netflix With Ads era.
After thinking it over, while a $6.99 option that maxes out at 720p and doesn’t allow downloads isn’t enough for me to consider it, I can see how having that option could work for some.
Especially if all they want is an option to keep in rotation with Disney, HBO, and whatever other packages they enjoy. Anyone plan on signing up next month?
