Welcomes new agent

We have big news for listeners of The Vergecast , The Verge’ s flagship podcast. We are now publishing twice a week — on Wednesdays and Fridays! On Fridays, it’ll be the same show you know and love , with Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz hanging out and talking about tech news. On Wednesdays, we’re going to change it up a bit, and use the show to share even more of the stories The Verge team is covering. David will be joined by The Verge ’s expert staffers in a deep exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives — and which ones you should bring into yours. So, here is our first Wednesday edition of The Vergecast . David starts the show talking to Verge senior reporter Adi Robertson about the prototype VR headsets from Meta that she previewed this week. David and Adi walk through these new prototypes, the tech behind them, and what they mean for the future of Meta and the metaverse. Later in the show, David brings in Verge editor and … [Read more...] about Welcome to our new Wednesday edition of The Vergecast

The best beginner mirrorless cameras can take your creativity to the next level. While it is hard to ignore the camera technology on smartphones these days, they still haven't caught up to entry-level mirrorless cameras in terms of shooting performance, features, and image quality. To put it simply, these beginner-friendly cameras offer skills superior to any mobile or point-and-shoot, feature large sensors, manual controls and the option of switching lenses to suit different styles of photography. And, because they are mirrorless cameras , they're typically compact cameras as well. So, what's the best beginner mirrorless camera you can buy right now? That honor still goes to Fujifilm X-T200, which comes with an electronic viewfinder, intuitive touchscreen operation, a large APS-C sensor, and a fine range of lenses for dabbling with new shooting styles. Those should cover everything that a learner photographer needs to boost their skills. That doesn't mean that it's the … [Read more...] about The best beginner mirrorless camera 2022: budget stars for new photographers

Audio player loading… The executives in charge of three challenger search engines – DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Qwant - have penned an open letter (opens in new tab) expressing concerns that Big Tech firms will find ways to bypass new rules designed to loosen their stranglehold on key markets. The letter does not refer to any specific companies by name, but is clearly targeted at the likes of Google, Microsoft and Apple, all of which enjoy dominant market positions in fields such as search, browsers and operating systems. “The EU has taken an important first step by adopting the Digital Markets Act (DMA),” wrote the trio. “However, the effectiveness of the EU’s mandates and related regulatory efforts across the globe will depend on how gatekeepers implement changes to comply with these new rules.” “Without strict adherence to both clear rules and principles for fair choice screens and effective switching mechanisms, gatekeeping firms could choose to circumvent … [Read more...] about DuckDuckGo, others warn Big Tech will attempt to weasel out of new fair play rules

Audio player loading… Experts at OpenAI have trained a neural network to play Minecraft to an equally high standard as human players. The AI model was trained on 70,000 hours of miscellaneous in-game footage, supplemented with a small database of videos in which specific in-game tasks were performed, with the keyboard and mouse inputs also recorded. After fine-tuning, OpenAI found the model was able to perform all manner of skills, from swimming to hunting for animals and consuming their meat. It also grasped the “pillar jump”, a move whereby the player places a block of material below themselves in mid-air in order to gain elevation. Perhaps most impressive, the AI was able to craft diamond tools (requiring a long string of actions to be executed in sequence), which OpenAI described as an “unprecedented” achievement for a computer agent. An AI breakthrough? The significance of the Minecraft project is that it demonstrates the efficacy of … [Read more...] about AI can now play Minecraft just as well as you – here’s why that matters

Convicted Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht has made his first public statement since he was sentenced to life in prison , writing a letter addressed to PorcFest, a libertarian gathering that he has previously attended. "Unfortunately the worst case scenario has played out for me and I've been sentenced to spend the rest of my life in prison," writes Ulbricht from the New York City detention facility he's being held at while his appeal proceeds. In the handwritten letter, he goes on to say that he's an "eternal optimist," and "will never give up hope for my release." He hopes the appeals court "will recognize the errors by some and outright corruption by others in the government and give me some kind of remedy. It could be a new trial, where hopefully the whole story can be told, or the case could be dismissed altogether." Further Reading Sunk: How Ross Ulbricht ended up in prison for life "In many ways, my struggle is just getting started now," Ulbricht writes. … [Read more...] about Silk Road creator Ulbricht, an “eternal optimist,” writes a letter from prison

Beginning with 2008’s Iron Man , the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded to become the dominant force in modern blockbuster filmmaking and the definitive comic-book movie franchise. If you’re looking for superhero action, here are the best MCU movies to stream. Table of Contents Ant-Man The Avengers Black Panther Black Widow Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Doctor Strange Guardians of the Galaxy Spider-Man: Homecoming Thor: Ragnarok RELATED: The Best Pixar Movies to Stream on Disney+ in 2022 Ant-Man Play Video Director Peyton Reed helms an appealingly scaled back—both literally and cinematically—MCU adventure in Ant-Man . Small-time crook Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) steals an experimental piece of technology that allows him to shrink in size. He teams up with the suit’s inventor (Michael Douglas) to take down a rival scientist (Corey Stoll) with criminal … [Read more...] about The Best Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies to Stream Online

Audio player loading… Netflix's slate of animated series has grown a little smaller once more with the cancelation of Q-Force. Q-Force, or Queer Force to give its full title, followed a group of LGBTQ superspies – led by Steve Marywhether, better known as Agent Mary, a James Bond-esque figure – as they try to prove themselves to their colleagues and government. One day, Mary takes the decision to prove himself to his employers, the American Intelligence Agency, and presents a case for his team to solve. The agency approve, but there's one catch – Q-Force must add a new member to their team, i.e. a straight guy. The 10-episode series, which debuted in September 2021, had a starry voice cast, with Sean Hayes, best known for his role as Jack on Will and Grace, voicing Agent Mary. Stranger Things ' David Harbour, The Good Fight 's Gary Cole and Brooklyn Nine Nine 's Stephanie Beatriz among the rest of the voice cast. The news of Q-Force's cancelation … [Read more...] about Netflix cancels yet another animated show after one season

6.2 Cox Communications home internet Edit See at Cox See All Providers Like Gigabit speeds available across entire service area Reasonable data usage terms, no throttling Don't Like Plans are pricier than other cable internet providers Steep price increases after first year Cox gateway device doubles as a public hotspot by default Unlimited data bundles are a bad value Cable internet is a tried-and-true means for delivering fast download speeds to people's homes, and Cox Communications is available to more than 20 million people in the US. Billing itself as the largest private telecom provider in the country and boasting nearly $12 billion in annual revenue, Cox serves more than 6 million residential and business customers and offers cable internet in 19 states and Washington, DC. If you live within that Cox footprint, there's a good chance you've at least … [Read more...] about Cox Communications Home Internet Review: Decent Speeds, but at What Cost?

Chinese dictator Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address to the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday that urged foreign investors to “do business in China” despite growing concerns about its costly coronavirus lockdowns, unsteady economy, unfair trade practices, human rights abuses, refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and territorial aggression. BRICS is a coalition of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. (Describing China as an “emerging economy” is increasingly laughable given its hyperactive industrial development and titanic carbon footprint, but Xi’s government insists on milking its “emergent” designation for all that it’s worth). Xi sees BRICS as a vehicle for building the ruthlessly amoral post-American, China-dominated world order of his dreams — an order in which imperial powers like China and Russia can seize territory like Taiwan and Ukraine by force and regimes can abuse their people to retain power … [Read more...] about Xi Jinping Tries to Calm Skittish Investors with Rallying Cry to ‘Do Business in China’

Welcome to Edition 4.47 of the Rocket Report! It has been a big week for NASA, with the near completion of its wet-dress rehearsal test for the Space Launch System rocket. Assuming final preparations go well, this sets up a huge launch in a couple of months that we will be following with great interest. As always, we welcome reader submissions , and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. South Korea successfully launches its own rocket . The three-stage Nuri rocket, built by the government’s Korea Aerospace Research Institute with hundreds of local companies, ​blasted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung​ on Tuesday, The New York Times reports . Seventy minutes after the​ liftoff, South Korea announced that ​Nuri had … [Read more...] about Rocket Report: SpaceX steamroller rolls on; Russian rocket workers are idled