theverge--2020-12-18--US plans major expansion of facial recognition authority at airports

US Customs and Border Protection has filed for a significant expansion in its authority to conduct facial recognition at airports .
On November 19th , the agency submitted a filing to the Federal Register seeking to expand the ongoing biometric exit program , broadening the program ’ s scope to include all air and land ports .
The filing also shifts the program ’ s focus entirely to facial recognition , at the expense of alternate methods like fingerprinting .
The filing is subject to public comment for a brief time after its submission .
That comment period will end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All aliens may be required to be photographed upon entry ” First deployed in 2017 , biometric exit has operated as a pilot program , limited to a handful of ports in order to assess its viability , although customs officials spoke openly about plans to expand it .
As part of the pilot authorization , Customs officials could only collect data from select ports and travelers — but this new proposal would allow border agencies to expand the program at their own discretion .
“ If this proposed rule is adopted as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to expand testing as necessary , ” the filing reads .
In particular , that will mean a blanket authorization to collect photographs of the faces of non-citizens .
Under the new rule , anyone going through customs on the way in or out of the country should expect to have their face photographed and run through a facial recognition program .
The system may also be used to identify US citizens , although they retain the option to opt out .
“ This proposed rule provides that all aliens may be required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the filing explains .
“ The use of facial recognition technology upon entry and departure will make the process for verifying an alien ’ s identity more efficient and accurate.
” Initially proposed as a means to verify travelers ’ identities and prevent visa fraud , the biometric exit program has expanded to include new measures to identify suspects of unrelated crimes .
As the privacy assessment explains , the database that matches visa photographs to travelers “ will also match those available photographs against available photographs associated with derogatory records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Terrorist Screening Data Base ( TSDB ) records , and outstanding wants and warrants.
” Travelers with outstanding warrants will be flagged for further review by customs agents .
It remains unclear how President-elect Biden will handle the expanding system when he takes office on January 20th .
Biden was largely silent on facial recognition throughout his campaign and has not committed to a stance on the program .
Earlier this month , a coalition of civil rights groups pushed the incoming president for stricter regulation of the technology in an open letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill to ban facial recognition at the federal level , but the proposal has not moved forward .

US Customs and Border Protection has filed for a significant expansion in its authority to conduct facial recognition at airports. On November 19th, the agency submitted a filing to the Federal Register seeking to expand the ongoing biometric exit program, broadening the program’s scope to include all air and land ports. The filing also shifts the program’s focus entirely to facial recognition, at the expense of alternate methods like fingerprinting.
The filing is subject to public comment for a brief time after its submission. That comment period will end on Monday, December 21st.
“All aliens may be required to be photographed upon entry”
First deployed in 2017, biometric exit has operated as a pilot program, limited to a handful of ports in order to assess its viability, although customs officials spoke openly about plans to expand it. As part of the pilot authorization, Customs officials could only collect data from select ports and travelers — but this new proposal would allow border agencies to expand the program at their own discretion.
“If this proposed rule is adopted as a final rule, CBP would continue to expand testing as necessary,” the filing reads.
In particular, that will mean a blanket authorization to collect photographs of the faces of non-citizens. Under the new rule, anyone going through customs on the way in or out of the country should expect to have their face photographed and run through a facial recognition program. The system may also be used to identify US citizens, although they retain the option to opt out.
“This proposed rule provides that all aliens may be required to be photographed upon entry and/or departure,” the filing explains. “The use of facial recognition technology upon entry and departure will make the process for verifying an alien’s identity more efficient and accurate.”
Initially proposed as a means to verify travelers’ identities and prevent visa fraud, the biometric exit program has expanded to include new measures to identify suspects of unrelated crimes. As the privacy assessment explains, the database that matches visa photographs to travelers “will also match those available photographs against available photographs associated with derogatory records, such as TECS lookout records, Terrorist Screening Data Base (TSDB) records, and outstanding wants and warrants.” Travelers with outstanding warrants will be flagged for further review by customs agents.
It remains unclear how President-elect Biden will handle the expanding system when he takes office on January 20th. Biden was largely silent on facial recognition throughout his campaign and has not committed to a stance on the program. Earlier this month, a coalition of civil rights groups pushed the incoming president for stricter regulation of the technology in an open letter.


theverge--2020-12-18--Why Final Fantasy VII Remake is my game of the year

I spent a lot of time in Final Fantasy VII Remake looking up .
In Midgar , the sky is obstructed by metal plates , physical barriers that separate downtrodden citizens from their wealthy counterparts .
It ’ s a quiet reminder that in this place , no one is free .
People ’ s paths are already written .
Final Fantasy VII Remake is just that : a retelling of the iconic 1997 Japanese roleplaying game that made Final Fantasy a household name .
Cloud Strife , a brooding mercenary with a spotty past , becomes entangled with Avalanche @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evil corporation with aspirations that are destroying the planet .
It ’ s a journey from Midgar , the bustling metropolis in which the game is initially set , to a globe-trotting adventure that winds through characters ’ pasts as much as it does their troubled futures .
Oh , and there ’ s an evil guy with gravity-defying bangs and a sword bigger than his body .
It ’ s kind of a theme .
It makes the original game look like a blueprint But FFVII Remake is not the complete story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s barely the first act .
The game is set entirely in Midgar , with Square Enix opting to blow out an experience that was previously a few hours long into a full game — an episodic take that shouldn ’ t work and yet… does .
FFVII Remake is not just a big-budget paint job ; it ’ s an entirely new retelling that feels lovingly made .
It makes the original game look like a blueprint of what its story was always meant to be .
There is so much to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s running requests for oddly named intern Chadley , rescuing cats , learning how to dance in drag , motorcycle fights , or just spending time with the game ’ s endearing cast .
The city feels alive in a way the original game could never achieve .
Characters who were barely given any screentime two decades ago , like the eternally thirsty Avalanche member Jessie , now feel like carefully considered personalities .
FFVII Remake breathes new life into its crew , whether it ’ s Cloud hurriedly admitting he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game ’ s sweet flower girl Aerith swearing .
But Square Enix is interested in more than just the story it originally created .
Final Fantasy VII Remake ’ s final act twists the narrative fans have always known in a strange , yet thrilling metatextual way .
Cloud and his friends aren ’ t just fighting against fate ; they ’ re battling the preconceived notions of the very fans who ’ ve idolized them .
In the game ’ s final moments , it focuses on an unobstructed sky .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in decades , unknown .

I spent a lot of time in Final Fantasy VII Remake looking up. In Midgar, the sky is obstructed by metal plates, physical barriers that separate downtrodden citizens from their wealthy counterparts. It’s a quiet reminder that in this place, no one is free. People’s paths are already written.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is just that: a retelling of the iconic 1997 Japanese roleplaying game that made Final Fantasy a household name. Cloud Strife, a brooding mercenary with a spotty past, becomes entangled with Avalanche, a radical group fighting against an evil corporation with aspirations that are destroying the planet. It’s a journey from Midgar, the bustling metropolis in which the game is initially set, to a globe-trotting adventure that winds through characters’ pasts as much as it does their troubled futures. Oh, and there’s an evil guy with gravity-defying bangs and a sword bigger than his body. It’s kind of a theme.
It makes the original game look like a blueprint
But FFVII Remake is not the complete story of the original game. It’s barely the first act. The game is set entirely in Midgar, with Square Enix opting to blow out an experience that was previously a few hours long into a full game — an episodic take that shouldn’t work and yet… does. FFVII Remake is not just a big-budget paint job; it’s an entirely new retelling that feels lovingly made. It makes the original game look like a blueprint of what its story was always meant to be.
There is so much to see and do in Midgar, whether it’s running requests for oddly named intern Chadley, rescuing cats, learning how to dance in drag, motorcycle fights, or just spending time with the game’s endearing cast. The city feels alive in a way the original game could never achieve. Characters who were barely given any screentime two decades ago, like the eternally thirsty Avalanche member Jessie, now feel like carefully considered personalities. FFVII Remake breathes new life into its crew, whether it’s Cloud hurriedly admitting he looks great in a dress or the game’s sweet flower girl Aerith swearing.


theverge--2020-12-18--In 2020, live product launches turned into infomercials

In a year when the spread of COVID-19 made bringing large crowds together impossible , companies around the world had to reevaluate their love affair with the live product launch .
Packing hundreds of attendees into extravagant venues to hang on every word of company executives was never going to be possible in an era of social distancing .
Instead , events moved online , and many changed completely in the process as companies dropped risky product demonstrations in favor of slick prerecorded video segments .
These events effectively turned from live launches into infomercials , and it makes me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon , Google , Sony , or Microsoft will be able to go back .
It ’ s a striking change , thanks in part to how consistent the format for most launches has stayed over the last three decades .
In 1984 , Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off the Macintosh ’ s features through onstage demonstrations , a slideshow presentation , and video segments like the famous Ridley Scott-directed ad .
Decades later , in 2019 , the format had barely changed .
When Apple CEO Tim Cook launched the iPhone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year , the budgets may have been bigger , the product list longer , and the demos more polished , but the whole event followed the same playbook .
The format for products launches has been consistent for years One day after Samsung held a similarly traditional in-person event in February to unveil its Galaxy S20 smartphones , the GSM Association canceled Mobile World Congress , an annual trade show that was due to take place in Barcelona .
The announcement didn ’ t come out of the blue — multiple companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Vivo , Sony , and Amazon , had already dropped out — but it made it clear to the industry that the days of business as usual were over .
But even in a pandemic year , especially a year where many needed new equipment to adapt to new ways of working , gadgets still needed to come out .
The question became how to launch them .
Early on , many companies appeared to simply take the presentations they would have otherwise done in person and move them online .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Huawei ’ s P40 series launch event in March wasn ’ t happening in a typical room full of journalists , while OnePlus was more upfront about the empty auditorium in which it launched its 8 series .
Sony didn ’ t even bother with a big empty room for its PS5 Game Developers Conference presentation .
Instead , it opted to have the console ’ s lead system architect , Mark Cerny , outline its capabilities in front of what appeared to be a green screen .
Before long , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have never been possible with an in-person audience .
Samsung , for example , had giant augmented reality versions of its devices appear during its August Unpacked event live stream for its onstage presenters to pretend to gawp at .
The presentation may have been happening live , but these elements wouldn ’ t have been possible with a regular audience present .
No one shifted quicker or more completely to a new presentation style than Apple .
Its live product launches gave way to streamlined prerecorded presentations filled with computer-generated graphs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s monolithic donut-shaped headquarters ( often nicknamed “ the spaceship ” ) .
The first of these was its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote in June , but it used similar formats for its trio of hardware launches later in the year .
Other companies , like Google and Amazon , followed suit .
They may have changed their launches primarily for health and safety , but they gained a lot from their new approach .
Presentations could be more dynamic and densely packed with information as they were honed to their essential elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reliant on the often-shaky onstage charisma of company executives .
But most importantly , these presentations removed the possibility of anything going wrong .
Prerecording a presentation removes the possibility of things going wrong The tech world has a long and illustrious history of onstage mishaps — whether it ’ s an LG robot that repeatedly fails to respond to commands , the Tesla Cybertruck ’ s supposedly bulletproof glass that smashed not once but twice after being hit by a ball bearing , Apple ’ s new facial recognition security failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech recognition technology failing to recognize speech .
Live demonstrations always carry the risk of things going sideways .
Sometimes nothing goes wrong onstage at all , but an audience ’ s laughter will shatter the illusion that $ 999 is a reasonable price to pay for a monitor stand .
But the risk of failure means a live demonstration is that much more impressive when it goes right , like Google ’ s demonstration of its Glass eyewear at its I/O developer conference back in 2012 .
“ This can go wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was how Google co-founder Sergey Brin introduced the demo , which saw a group live-stream their skydive down to San Francisco ’ s Moscone Center using Google Glass .
It was an excessive , over-the-top display , but it left little doubt that the device was capable of what Google showed .
Few launches are as over-the-top as this , but everything from a demonstration of a voice assistant to new augmented reality developer tools is made that little bit more believable by watching it happen live .
And yet , a live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Take the presenters who played Kinect Star Wars at Microsoft ’ s E3 press conference in 2010 , who appeared to be miming along with the on-screen action rather than controlling it directly .
Other showcases give unfinished products a bit of a helping hand , like when the original iPhone ’ s antennas had to be connected to wires running offstage during its 2007 unveiling to make up for its unstable Wi-Fi radio software .
In some cases , we ’ re so conditioned to expect trickery that an onstage hiccup can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealing that it ’ s being done for real , like when Uncharted 4 co-director Bruce Straley found himself onstage without the controller to actually play the game at Sony ’ s E3 presentation .
The resulting 30 seconds of idle animation was enough to prove that the subsequent gameplay was definitely being played live .
Live demos don ’ t prove that what you ’ re seeing is real , but they ’ re still a lot more believable than something prepared ahead of time .
A prerecorded infomercial just doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , every presentation went off without a hitch , but it was hard not to doubt what we were being shown .
Apple attempted to re-create some of the impact of a live event during its WWDC 2020 presentation when Craig Federighi revealed that a previous macOS Big Sur demonstration had actually taken place on Macs running Apple Silicon rather than Intel chips .
But considering any crashes or hitches could have been easily edited out , the revelation didn ’ t have the same impact as it would have .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims until they were actually able to use the laptops for themselves months later .
2020 ’ s shift in product launches saw companies trade risky live demonstrations for tightly scripted videos .
The question now is how quickly they ’ ll want to go back when it ’ s safe to do so .
For some , I suspect the control they ’ ve had this year will be hard to give up .
They ’ ll have seen how consistent and reliable a virtual launch can be , and the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things live won ’ t seem worth the effort .
Personally , I hope most companies avoid the temptation .
Live launches might be fraught , logistical nightmares , but they ’ re also an opportunity to have a real impact and show why a new device , service , or game is actually worth paying attention to .
Journalists will always exist to eventually separate reality from marketing , but a show-stopping event can be the thing that gets people interested enough to read a review in the first place .

In a year when the spread of COVID-19 made bringing large crowds together impossible, companies around the world had to reevaluate their love affair with the live product launch. Packing hundreds of attendees into extravagant venues to hang on every word of company executives was never going to be possible in an era of social distancing. Instead, events moved online, and many changed completely in the process as companies dropped risky product demonstrations in favor of slick prerecorded video segments. These events effectively turned from live launches into infomercials, and it makes me wonder how the likes of Apple, Amazon, Google, Sony, or Microsoft will be able to go back.
It’s a striking change, thanks in part to how consistent the format for most launches has stayed over the last three decades. In 1984, Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off the Macintosh’s features through onstage demonstrations, a slideshow presentation, and video segments like the famous Ridley Scott-directed ad. Decades later, in 2019, the format had barely changed. When Apple CEO Tim Cook launched the iPhone 11 alongside a host of other devices last year, the budgets may have been bigger, the product list longer, and the demos more polished, but the whole event followed the same playbook.
The format for products launches has been consistent for years
One day after Samsung held a similarly traditional in-person event in February to unveil its Galaxy S20 smartphones, the GSM Association canceled Mobile World Congress, an annual trade show that was due to take place in Barcelona. The announcement didn’t come out of the blue — multiple companies, including LG, Nvidia, Intel, Vivo, Sony, and Amazon, had already dropped out — but it made it clear to the industry that the days of business as usual were over.
But even in a pandemic year, especially a year where many needed new equipment to adapt to new ways of working, gadgets still needed to come out. The question became how to launch them. Early on, many companies appeared to simply take the presentations they would have otherwise done in person and move them online. The reduced audience noise was the only hint that Huawei’s P40 series launch event in March wasn’t happening in a typical room full of journalists, while OnePlus was more upfront about the empty auditorium in which it launched its 8 series. Sony didn’t even bother with a big empty room for its PS5 Game Developers Conference presentation. Instead, it opted to have the console’s lead system architect, Mark Cerny, outline its capabilities in front of what appeared to be a green screen.
Before long, however, companies were experimenting with formats that would have never been possible with an in-person audience. Samsung, for example, had giant augmented reality versions of its devices appear during its August Unpacked event live stream for its onstage presenters to pretend to gawp at. The presentation may have been happening live, but these elements wouldn’t have been possible with a regular audience present.
Visual flourishes like this would be impossible during an in-person event. Image: Samsung
No one shifted quicker or more completely to a new presentation style than Apple. Its live product launches gave way to streamlined prerecorded presentations filled with computer-generated graphs and sweeping transitions around the firm’s monolithic donut-shaped headquarters (often nicknamed “the spaceship”). The first of these was its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote in June, but it used similar formats for its trio of hardware launches later in the year. Other companies, like Google and Amazon, followed suit.
They may have changed their launches primarily for health and safety, but they gained a lot from their new approach. Presentations could be more dynamic and densely packed with information as they were honed to their essential elements. These new launches were also less reliant on the often-shaky onstage charisma of company executives. But most importantly, these presentations removed the possibility of anything going wrong.
Prerecording a presentation removes the possibility of things going wrong
But the risk of failure means a live demonstration is that much more impressive when it goes right, like Google’s demonstration of its Glass eyewear at its I/O developer conference back in 2012. “This can go wrong in about 500 different ways,” was how Google co-founder Sergey Brin introduced the demo, which saw a group live-stream their skydive down to San Francisco’s Moscone Center using Google Glass. It was an excessive, over-the-top display, but it left little doubt that the device was capable of what Google showed.
Few launches are as over-the-top as this, but everything from a demonstration of a voice assistant to new augmented reality developer tools is made that little bit more believable by watching it happen live.
“Live” doesn’t guarantee “real,” but it helps
And yet, a live demonstration is no guarantee of authenticity. Take the presenters who played Kinect Star Wars at Microsoft’s E3 press conference in 2010, who appeared to be miming along with the on-screen action rather than controlling it directly. Other showcases give unfinished products a bit of a helping hand, like when the original iPhone’s antennas had to be connected to wires running offstage during its 2007 unveiling to make up for its unstable Wi-Fi radio software. In some cases, we’re so conditioned to expect trickery that an onstage hiccup can actually make a presentation more impressive by revealing that it’s being done for real, like when Uncharted 4 co-director Bruce Straley found himself onstage without the controller to actually play the game at Sony’s E3 presentation. The resulting 30 seconds of idle animation was enough to prove that the subsequent gameplay was definitely being played live.
Live demos don’t prove that what you’re seeing is real, but they’re still a lot more believable than something prepared ahead of time. A prerecorded infomercial just doesn’t have the same stakes.
It was harder to believe Apple’s performance claims based on a prerecorded presentation. Image: Apple
In 2020, every presentation went off without a hitch, but it was hard not to doubt what we were being shown. Apple attempted to re-create some of the impact of a live event during its WWDC 2020 presentation when Craig Federighi revealed that a previous macOS Big Sur demonstration had actually taken place on Macs running Apple Silicon rather than Intel chips. But considering any crashes or hitches could have been easily edited out, the revelation didn’t have the same impact as it would have. Most remained skeptical of the company’s claims until they were actually able to use the laptops for themselves months later.
2020’s shift in product launches saw companies trade risky live demonstrations for tightly scripted videos. The question now is how quickly they’ll want to go back when it’s safe to do so. For some, I suspect the control they’ve had this year will be hard to give up. They’ll have seen how consistent and reliable a virtual launch can be, and the idea of returning to the unpredictability of doing things live won’t seem worth the effort.


theverge--2020-12-18--Creating visual metaphors: Alex Castro’s illustration tools

While The Verge is a place where stories are told , they wouldn ’ t be nearly as interesting if it weren ’ t for the artwork that accompanies them .
Alex Castro is the illustrator for The Verge , and he is the best person to describe how his work complements our reporting .
What follows are Alex ’ s thoughts about the tools he prefers to use .
I ’ ve heard illustrations described as “ visual metaphors ” that reflect the meaning of the words .
I create artwork for Verge articles that communicates the sentiments of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s eye .
Sometimes , it ’ s creating batches of simple graphics that could be used for a number of stories .
Other times , it ’ s reading and rereading reports and features trying to dissect what the main takeaways of the stories are and creating visuals specifically for them .
Often the hardest part of a project is the initial brainstorming when I ’ m extracting themes and attempting to translate them into visuals .
What you need An illustration setup can be as simple as a laptop or as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled with art supplies and tools .
It really depends on the style of work .
Many digital artists make use of drawing tablets and displays in order to draw directly into their computer software of choice .
I do most of my work on the computer , so I tend to not have too much around me .
I like to keep a sketchbook and pen handy in order to sketch ideas down quickly or take quick notes .
When we were in the office , I worked on a 27-inch iMac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since I ’ ve been working from home , I ’ ve switched to my Alienware Aurora R7 system and purchased a 19.5-inch Huion Kamvas Pro drawing tablet , which I don ’ t love as much as the Cintiq , but it ’ s a great budget option .
I also have used a Wacom Intuos tablet , and sometimes I prefer its workflow over the display tablets since I don ’ t have to be hunched over the display to draw .
Regardless of what computer I ’ m using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sketchbook handy .
It ’ s much easier for me to brainstorm when I ’ m able to scribble all of my ideas freely .
Photoshop is my go-to for all of my artwork , as I ’ ve been using it since I was nine years old .
It serves as the main hub for my work .
Then I bring in assets from other software like Cinema 4D , where I create 3D objects , and Illustrator , where I can design high-res logos and icons .
When animating or compositing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Effects , which allows me to put together layers of video .
I also use Photoshop plugins such as Topaz Studio and the Nik Collection to apply effects like AI-generated paint strokes , lens distortion , and double exposure .
I usually paint these effects in using a layer mask in order to use them more as finishing touches rather than large overall effects .
When working on user interface designs , I usually use Figma , a web-based design software specifically made for interactive design .
I really love its vector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Illustrator .
For projects that could use some 3D work , I ’ ll occasionally use Blender instead of Cinema 4D .
I personally prefer it to Cinema 4D , but since our team here doesn ’ t use it , I have to be proficient in both .
If you ’ re just starting out , I think the cheaper Wacom tablets are a great start for any beginner digital artist .
As far as software tools are concerned , I think Photoshop is a must-learn .
GIMP or Krita are said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I admit I ’ m not very familiar with them .

While The Verge is a place where stories are told, they wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it weren’t for the artwork that accompanies them. Alex Castro is the illustrator for The Verge, and he is the best person to describe how his work complements our reporting.
What follows are Alex’s thoughts about the tools he prefers to use.
Illustration
I’ve heard illustrations described as “visual metaphors” that reflect the meaning of the words. I create artwork for Verge articles that communicates the sentiments of a story and catches the reader’s eye. Sometimes, it’s creating batches of simple graphics that could be used for a number of stories. Other times, it’s reading and rereading reports and features trying to dissect what the main takeaways of the stories are and creating visuals specifically for them. Often the hardest part of a project is the initial brainstorming when I’m extracting themes and attempting to translate them into visuals.
Alex Castro started out as a designer and creative director at a church in Florida, working on everything from video promotions to campus signage. He began at The Verge as an intern and joined the staff as a full-time illustrator shortly after.
What you need
An illustration setup can be as simple as a laptop or as elaborate as an independent art studio, filled with art supplies and tools. It really depends on the style of work. Many digital artists make use of drawing tablets and displays in order to draw directly into their computer software of choice. I do most of my work on the computer, so I tend to not have too much around me. I like to keep a sketchbook and pen handy in order to sketch ideas down quickly or take quick notes.
Computer, tablet, and sketchbook
When we were in the office, I worked on a 27-inch iMac and a 22-inch Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet. Since I’ve been working from home, I’ve switched to my Alienware Aurora R7 system and purchased a 19.5-inch Huion Kamvas Pro drawing tablet, which I don’t love as much as the Cintiq, but it’s a great budget option. I also have used a Wacom Intuos tablet, and sometimes I prefer its workflow over the display tablets since I don’t have to be hunched over the display to draw.
Regardless of what computer I’m using, I always have a pen and sketchbook handy. It’s much easier for me to brainstorm when I’m able to scribble all of my ideas freely.
Photoshop and added apps
Photoshop is my go-to for all of my artwork, as I’ve been using it since I was nine years old. It serves as the main hub for my work. Then I bring in assets from other software like Cinema 4D, where I create 3D objects, and Illustrator, where I can design high-res logos and icons. When animating or compositing video, I’ll jump into After Effects, which allows me to put together layers of video. I also use Photoshop plugins such as Topaz Studio and the Nik Collection to apply effects like AI-generated paint strokes, lens distortion, and double exposure. I usually paint these effects in using a layer mask in order to use them more as finishing touches rather than large overall effects.
Sometimes Alex will create the foundation of an image in Cinema 4D, then layer on top of it in Photoshop. A good example is this Verge illustration for a feature on a lost Stranger Things game. Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Other times, Alex will create images in Photoshop then build 3D assets around it, trying to match depth and perspective. This is what he did for this single cover for rapper KB, using a photo of him performing on tour as a base. Illustration by Alex Castro
When working on user interface designs, I usually use Figma, a web-based design software specifically made for interactive design. I really love its vector editing features, sometimes preferring it to Illustrator. For projects that could use some 3D work, I’ll occasionally use Blender instead of Cinema 4D. I personally prefer it to Cinema 4D, but since our team here doesn’t use it, I have to be proficient in both.
Photoshop $ 21 This is the standard software for photo editing, compositing, digital painting, animation, graphic design, and other image production. Monthly subscription. $21 at Adobe
For beginners


theverge--2020-12-18--Amazon launches group video and audio calling for Echo devices

Amazon is launching a new group video or audio calling feature for Echo devices today , just in time for the holidays .
Originally announced back in September , group calling will allow up to seven participants to join an audio or video call on supported Echo devices like the Echo , Echo Dot , and Echo Show .
Echo owners will be able to create and name groups using the Alexa app , and Amazon is also planning to support group calling through its Alexa app soon .
You ’ ll be able to add adult contacts into groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to opt in to be part of group calling .
This new feature also supports Alexa commands like “ Alexa , call my family ” to connect to a group you ’ ve created .
Echo group calling could be a good alternative to Zoom and other video calling services .
There are no limits on call times , allowing Echo owners to make or receive voice and video calls freely .
Without the Alexa app supporting group calling , it ’ s limited to requiring hardware for now , though .
Zoom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for several upcoming holidays , and rivals like Microsoft Teams have also made all-day video calling free without limits via the web .
Google also offering unlimited Meet calls until March 2021 .
Amazon is launching its group calling feature today in Austria , Australia , Brazil , Canada , France , Germany , India , Ireland , Italy , Mexico , New Zealand , Spain , the US , and the UK .

Amazon is launching a new group video or audio calling feature for Echo devices today, just in time for the holidays. Originally announced back in September, group calling will allow up to seven participants to join an audio or video call on supported Echo devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. Amazon is launching its group calling feature today in Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the US, and the UK.
Echo owners will be able to create and name groups using the Alexa app, and Amazon is also planning to support group calling through its Alexa app soon. You’ll be able to add adult contacts into groups, and friends and family will have to opt in to be part of group calling. This new feature also supports Alexa commands like “Alexa, call my family” to connect to a group you’ve created.
Echo group calling could be a good alternative to Zoom and other video calling services. There are no limits on call times, allowing Echo owners to make or receive voice and video calls freely. Without the Alexa app supporting group calling, it’s limited to requiring hardware for now, though. Zoom has started lifting its 40-minute meeting limit for several upcoming holidays, and rivals like Microsoft Teams have also made all-day video calling free without limits via the web. Google also offering unlimited Meet calls until March 2021.
Alongside the group calling feature, Amazon is also introducing some US-specific Alexa features. Echo Show 8 devices in the US now support joining video calls on Zoom and Amazon Chime using Alexa, and you can simply say “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting” to jump on calls. Call captioning is also available today on Echo Show devices, with near real-time captioning for US English video, audio, and drop in calls.


theverge--2020-12-18--The weirdest pop culture of 2020

The weirdest pop culture of 2020

2020 has been a strange year , by nearly any metric you choose to use .
And that weirdness has bled over to pop culture , as the seemingly endless news cycles of disasters , the ongoing global pandemic , the turmoil of the US elections , the rise of TikTok , the dearth of traditional releases of big movies , and just so many memes resulted in a year of cultural moments that awed , amazed , and just straight-up confused us .
It was a year that seemed almost determined to constantly one-up itself on nonsensical events , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And faced with all that frightening reality , is it any wonder that the weirdness of 2020 ’ s culture became almost a mirror reflection of the year itself ?
When the world gets strange , sometimes the only answer is to seek out things that are even stranger — if only to reassure ourselves that we ’ re not quite at rock bottom just yet .
Here are some of our favorites : Class Action Park — This is a documentary about a penny-stock-mogul-funded New Jersey theme park called Action Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a laissez-faire regulatory enforcement and a teen workforce — particularly bizarre and at times , deadly .
To get to the go-karts , for instance , you had to go through the beer tent .
( One of the highlights of the documentary is discovering Action Park was too weird for Donald Trump to invest in . )
The rides were designed by amateurs and tested by the park ’ s workforce .
Stories of lost teeth , bloodied knees , and other battle scars abound .
Eventually , the park had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ride-by-ride story of the park , as told by people who went there , starts as a lark , but as the movie progresses , the viewer begins to realize they are in fact watching a horror film .
The documentary itself isn ’ t that weird — it ’ s brilliantly done — but the subject matter is so strange it can only possibly have existed in America .
Specifically , in the part of America that is New Jersey .
— Liz Lopatto The Ratatouille TikTok musical — Broadway has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic , but TikTok has found a way to fill that void with its glorious , crowd-developed Ratatouille musical adaptation of the 2007 Pixar film .
It started when just one lone TikToker , Emily Jacobsen , posted a video singing an ode to the cooking rat .
It quickly exploded after another TikTok user , Daniel Mertzlufft , remixed that song into a full Broadway number , and it now has dozens of videos across the internet with additional musical numbers , set designs , playbill programs , elaborately choreographed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rat costumes , and more .
The whole thing has even broken free of TikTok into a one-night-only benefit concert .
It ’ s a bizarre , wonderful culmination of how the internet can come together to make something beautiful — even if it ’ s just a made-up musical .
— Chaim Gartenberg “ I hope this email finds you well in these strange times.
” — It ’ s reassuring that even when normal life all but disappears , you can still count on a daily deluge of emails in your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a message when the person on the other end of it could be experiencing anything from feeling a little cooped up from working from home for too long to being in any number of far worse professional or personal situations .
The solution , of course , is the ever-reliable “ I hope this email finds you well in these X times ” opener .
Just replace X depending on your mood , whether it ’ s “ unprecedented , ” “ difficult , ” or just plain “ strange.
” — Jon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started as a series of incredulous tweets from political reporters in Pennsylvania covering President Trump ’ s legal efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — “ Is Donald Trump convening the world ’ s press at a small landscaping company on the outskirts of Philadelphia ?
” — and it ended as one of the strangest , uncomfortable , and most meme-worthy turns in an already unorthodox election season .
The Trump team ’ s unexplained decision to hold an off-the-rails press conference declaring election fraud at a nondescript landscaping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sex shop and a crematorium has since spawned Zoom backgrounds , a VR hangout for furries , and , naturally , a whole bunch of merch .
Whether or not Trump thought he was actually booking the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia hardly seems to matter anymore .
And since Rudy Giuliani and others graced it with their smarmy presence , the landscaping company has become a tourist attraction , a curiosity in a year already replete with strange goings-on .
To their credit , Four Seasons Total Landscaping is doing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their newfound infamy for good by selling official merch and retweeting the best quotes to show they ’ re in on the joke .
The conspiracy theorists , though , are doing their best to slander the company as DNC money launderers , or worse , vote stealers .
( Seriously . )
Let ’ s hope the company can ignore the threats and get back to blowing leaves in the near future .
— Andrew J. Hawkins How To with John Wilson — Maybe it ’ s my nostalgia for being able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but HBO ’ s How To with John Wilson is the closest thing that comes to the joys of real-life people-watching .
The show is largely footage of strangers around Manhattan , chopped up into short clips —glimpses , really— and strung together by awkward voiceover meditations from Wilson himself .
The concept might resemble a bad student film uploaded to Vimeo ( actually , his early work was on Vimeo ) , but the vignettes escalate to something unexpected and , at times , profound .
An episode about improving memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he attends a conference of narcissistic believers of the Mandela effect .
One episode , the fourth , titled “ How to Cover Your Furniture , ” was about exactly that .
Then I looked away for a moment , and when my eyes returned to the screen , there was Wilson , interviewing a man attempting to elongate the foreskin of his penis with a weighted contraption in his pants .
A normal stroll through a city isn ’ t as eventful or cohesive an experience as the one John Wilson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To .
But watching the show will leave you with the comforting feeling that New York is bustling , big , and full of strange people and possibilities .
At any point , you might catch Kyle MacLachlan at the subway station , struggling to swipe his MetroCard .
— Kevin Nguyen Baby Yoda eating Frog Lady ’ s babies — ( This entry includes spoilers for the current season of The Mandalorian . )
We know space is a cold , empty vacuum where no one can hear you scream , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visage of Baby Yoda to make it slightly less awful .
So the sight of the beloved green creature — official name Grogu — slurping down the eggs of a desperate Frog Lady hit fans of the show hard .
She was trying to take the last of her brood to her home planet to avoid the extinction of her species .
The backlash was swift : He ’ s a murderer !
He killed her babies !
It ’ s genocide !
One Lucasfilm exec tweeted that the eggs were unfertilized “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enjoy , ” and that Baby Yoda eating them was “ intentionally disturbing for comedic effect.
” Yes , but , the show introduced the unfertilized eggs as the last hope for the Frog species , the whole purpose of the two-part mission that nearly got Mando and the Razor Crest eaten by frost spiders .
They were important and probably shouldn ’ t have been used as props for “ comedic effect.
” To be perfectly honest , it raised more questions ( for me , at least ) about the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hungry baby who ate them .
Wouldn ’ t Frog Lady notice there were eggs missing ?
Shouldn ’ t there have been some kind of child-proof lock on the egg container ?
And doesn ’ t Mando ever feed the poor kid ?
We find out in subsequent episodes that he does , but he should think about packing some string cheese and crackers for the kid next time .
Because for parents of small children on a long road trip , this is the way ( to avoid a cranky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tom Felton ’ s DracoTok obsession is also my obsession — I ’ ve pretty much done nothing other than have an endless stream of Netflix running on my TV and TikTok running on my phone .
TikTok goes through rapid waves of trends .
Something is hot for a minute and then it disappears , as is life on the internet .
One thing that stuck around , however , and I can ’ t peel my eyes away from is DracoTok .
DracoTok is this beautiful wholesome world that my 12-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over .
Tom Felton , who played Slytherin prince Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films , joined TikTok at the height of 20- and 30-somethings rekindling their obsession with the series through cringe-inducing posts about being in love with Draco Malfoy .
Most actors would ignore these types of sentiments that people post without really understanding the concept of going viral ( no one ever thinks they ’ re going to go viral , and I imagine most people instantly regret it the second it happens ) , but Felton has jumped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s kick-started contests looking for the best version of Malfoy ’ s “ Potter !
” bark .
He duets with TikTok creators roleplaying their love for Draco .
From thousands of miles away , he cheers on people ’ s deepest obsession with his Harry Potter character — and it ’ s positively charming .
Everything about it is so inherently dumb , but it ’ s the heartwarming , fluffy , absurdly adorable type of dumb that I really needed this year .
If you were a Harry Potter kid or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend tuning into Felton ’ s ongoing saga of trying to hype up his fans while also being a dork himself .
Guaranteed smile .
— Julia Alexander

2020 has been a strange year, by nearly any metric you choose to use. And that weirdness has bled over to pop culture, as the seemingly endless news cycles of disasters, the ongoing global pandemic, the turmoil of the US elections, the rise of TikTok, the dearth of traditional releases of big movies, and just so many memes resulted in a year of cultural moments that awed, amazed, and just straight-up confused us.
It was a year that seemed almost determined to constantly one-up itself on nonsensical events, each headline more impossible than the last. And faced with all that frightening reality, is it any wonder that the weirdness of 2020’s culture became almost a mirror reflection of the year itself? When the world gets strange, sometimes the only answer is to seek out things that are even stranger — if only to reassure ourselves that we’re not quite at rock bottom just yet.
Here are some of our favorites:
Class Action Park — This is a documentary about a penny-stock-mogul-funded New Jersey theme park called Action Park which was — due to a combination of a laissez-faire regulatory enforcement and a teen workforce — particularly bizarre and at times, deadly. To get to the go-karts, for instance, you had to go through the beer tent. (One of the highlights of the documentary is discovering Action Park was too weird for Donald Trump to invest in.) The rides were designed by amateurs and tested by the park’s workforce. Stories of lost teeth, bloodied knees, and other battle scars abound. Eventually, the park had to buy its own ambulances. The ride-by-ride story of the park, as told by people who went there, starts as a lark, but as the movie progresses, the viewer begins to realize they are in fact watching a horror film. The documentary itself isn’t that weird — it’s brilliantly done — but the subject matter is so strange it can only possibly have existed in America. Specifically, in the part of America that is New Jersey. — Liz Lopatto
The Ratatouille TikTok musical — Broadway has been shuttered for almost the entire year thanks to the pandemic, but TikTok has found a way to fill that void with its glorious, crowd-developed Ratatouille musical adaptation of the 2007 Pixar film. It started when just one lone TikToker, Emily Jacobsen, posted a video singing an ode to the cooking rat. It quickly exploded after another TikTok user, Daniel Mertzlufft, remixed that song into a full Broadway number, and it now has dozens of videos across the internet with additional musical numbers, set designs, playbill programs, elaborately choreographed dance numbers, stage directions, giant rat costumes, and more. The whole thing has even broken free of TikTok into a one-night-only benefit concert. It’s a bizarre, wonderful culmination of how the internet can come together to make something beautiful — even if it’s just a made-up musical. — Chaim Gartenberg
“I hope this email finds you well in these strange times.” — It’s reassuring that even when normal life all but disappears, you can still count on a daily deluge of emails in your inbox. But how do you start a message when the person on the other end of it could be experiencing anything from feeling a little cooped up from working from home for too long to being in any number of far worse professional or personal situations. The solution, of course, is the ever-reliable “I hope this email finds you well in these X times” opener. Just replace X depending on your mood, whether it’s “unprecedented,” “difficult,” or just plain “strange.” — Jon Porter
Four Seasons Total Landscaping — It started as a series of incredulous tweets from political reporters in Pennsylvania covering President Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — “Is Donald Trump convening the world’s press at a small landscaping company on the outskirts of Philadelphia?” — and it ended as one of the strangest, uncomfortable, and most meme-worthy turns in an already unorthodox election season. The Trump team’s unexplained decision to hold an off-the-rails press conference declaring election fraud at a nondescript landscaping company located on a highway in between a sex shop and a crematorium has since spawned Zoom backgrounds, a VR hangout for furries, and, naturally, a whole bunch of merch.
Photo by Chris McGrath / Getty Images
Whether or not Trump thought he was actually booking the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia hardly seems to matter anymore. And since Rudy Giuliani and others graced it with their smarmy presence, the landscaping company has become a tourist attraction, a curiosity in a year already replete with strange goings-on. To their credit, Four Seasons Total Landscaping is doing their best to ride it out, leveraging their newfound infamy for good by selling official merch and retweeting the best quotes to show they’re in on the joke. The conspiracy theorists, though, are doing their best to slander the company as DNC money launderers, or worse, vote stealers. (Seriously.) Let’s hope the company can ignore the threats and get back to blowing leaves in the near future. — Andrew J. Hawkins
How To with John Wilson — Maybe it’s my nostalgia for being able to freely walk around New York City, but HBO’s How To with John Wilson is the closest thing that comes to the joys of real-life people-watching. The show is largely footage of strangers around Manhattan, chopped up into short clips —glimpses, really— and strung together by awkward voiceover meditations from Wilson himself. The concept might resemble a bad student film uploaded to Vimeo (actually, his early work was on Vimeo), but the vignettes escalate to something unexpected and, at times, profound.
An episode about improving memory ends up taking Wilson to Idaho, where he attends a conference of narcissistic believers of the Mandela effect. One episode, the fourth, titled “How to Cover Your Furniture,” was about exactly that. Then I looked away for a moment, and when my eyes returned to the screen, there was Wilson, interviewing a man attempting to elongate the foreskin of his penis with a weighted contraption in his pants.
A normal stroll through a city isn’t as eventful or cohesive an experience as the one John Wilson delivers in any given episode of How To. But watching the show will leave you with the comforting feeling that New York is bustling, big, and full of strange people and possibilities. At any point, you might catch Kyle MacLachlan at the subway station, struggling to swipe his MetroCard. — Kevin Nguyen
Baby Yoda eating Frog Lady’s babies — (This entry includes spoilers for the current season of The Mandalorian.)
We know space is a cold, empty vacuum where no one can hear you scream, but then The Mandalorian brought us the wide-eyed visage of Baby Yoda to make it slightly less awful. So the sight of the beloved green creature — official name Grogu — slurping down the eggs of a desperate Frog Lady hit fans of the show hard. She was trying to take the last of her brood to her home planet to avoid the extinction of her species. The backlash was swift: He’s a murderer! He killed her babies! It’s genocide! One Lucasfilm exec tweeted that the eggs were unfertilized “like the chicken eggs many of us enjoy,” and that Baby Yoda eating them was “intentionally disturbing for comedic effect.”
Yes, but, the show introduced the unfertilized eggs as the last hope for the Frog species, the whole purpose of the two-part mission that nearly got Mando and the Razor Crest eaten by frost spiders. They were important and probably shouldn’t have been used as props for “comedic effect.”
To be perfectly honest, it raised more questions (for me, at least) about the people in charge of watching the eggs than the hungry baby who ate them. Wouldn’t Frog Lady notice there were eggs missing? Shouldn’t there have been some kind of child-proof lock on the egg container? And doesn’t Mando ever feed the poor kid? We find out in subsequent episodes that he does, but he should think about packing some string cheese and crackers for the kid next time. Because for parents of small children on a long road trip, this is the way (to avoid a cranky kid meltdown). — Kim Lyons
Tom Felton’s DracoTok obsession is also my obsession — I’ve pretty much done nothing other than have an endless stream of Netflix running on my TV and TikTok running on my phone. TikTok goes through rapid waves of trends. Something is hot for a minute and then it disappears, as is life on the internet. One thing that stuck around, however, and I can’t peel my eyes away from is DracoTok.
DracoTok is this beautiful wholesome world that my 12-year-old, Harry Potter-fanfiction-writing self would likely cry over. Tom Felton, who played Slytherin prince Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, joined TikTok at the height of 20- and 30-somethings rekindling their obsession with the series through cringe-inducing posts about being in love with Draco Malfoy. Most actors would ignore these types of sentiments that people post without really understanding the concept of going viral (no one ever thinks they’re going to go viral, and I imagine most people instantly regret it the second it happens), but Felton has jumped in and embraced it! He’s kick-started contests looking for the best version of Malfoy’s “Potter!” bark. He duets with TikTok creators roleplaying their love for Draco. From thousands of miles away, he cheers on people’s deepest obsession with his Harry Potter character — and it’s positively charming.


theverge--2020-12-18--Sarah Cooper reflects on her whirlwind 2020 of Trump impressions

If you were on social media — any social media — in 2020 , you probably saw a video of Sarah Cooper lip-syncing to President Donald Trump ’ s public appearances .
And while her early videos were made using TikTok , they migrated to Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .
As the year ends , Cooper has a Netflix special called Everything ’ s Fine under her belt and is developing TV shows .
Before all that , though , there was TikTok , perhaps best thought of as a video editing tool with a distribution network conveniently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with stupendous results .
Though she ’ d previously written two books , 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings and How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men ’ s Feelings , it was her madcap take on Trump — the president as bad boss — that launched her into celebrity status .
Cooper brought the observational style she honed working at companies like Google and Flickr to her study of Trump .
“ Trump is a prime example of how the people at the top influence everyone beneath them.
” “ Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people at the top influence everyone beneath them , ” Cooper says .
” And that ’ s kind of true for companies .
You see how the CEO acts .
You see how leadership acts , and everybody imitates that.
” Unlike many other product designers , Cooper now finds herself on the other end of products — as a creator .
It ’ s hard to monetize on TikTok and virtually impossible on Twitter , where Cooper feels her community is .
Of all the platforms , YouTube was the one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she posted her videos .
“ It was really more like an afterthought , but in terms of monetization , it ’ s the only place really to make money with videos , ” Cooper says .
Moving to Netflix was similarly surreal — Cooper remembers when Netflix was just a DVD-by-mail startup .
Now , of course , the company produces original content , including her own , which was produced by Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph and full of celebrity cameos .
“ I completely clammed up with Jon Hamm because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mad Men , like twice , ” Cooper says .
Also , she regrets not asking Winona Ryder what filming Edward Scissorhands was like .
But , of course , the production was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic , with on-set tests , a virus scare , and Zoom meetings .
“ Everything was on Zoom , which is sad because I think Google Hangouts is a pretty good tool , ” Cooper says .
“ I was on Hangouts at Google all the time.
” We asked her to reflect on her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condensed and edited for clarity .
You had a big 2020 .
How are you thinking about it ?
It ’ s been the biggest year of my career .
I ’ m actually working on things , for the first time in my life , that I ’ m so excited to be working on .
I ’ m doing right now , what I ’ ve always , always wanted to do .
And so it ’ s just weird to feel that way about this year , but then also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t wait until it ’ s over .
“ Work is just this fascinating place.
” Work seems like your most important subject .
From How to Appear Smart in Meetings , there ’ s a through-line to Trump .
How did your interest in workplace dynamics play a role in what you ’ ve created ?
I fought it for a long time because I thought it wasn ’ t cool to talk about work .
But work is just this fascinating place .
At first , when I started making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t really know how they fit in with everything else I was doing .
Then looking back , it was like , “ Oh yeah , everything he does is this performance that he ’ s putting on.
” That ’ s the through-line of everything that I do .
We ’ re all sort of putting on a show .
I had this idea when I was like 21 that I was going to make a blog called My Life on Stage , because I always felt like I was performing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s like a prime place for that kind of thing .
Especially in tech , because you ’ re there because you ’ re being paid , because it ’ s a job .
But in tech , you ’ re also supposed to be very passionate and excited about everything , constantly .
That was kind of what led to me leaving Google really .
I felt like I was living this double life .
I was so much more passionate about writing than I was about what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had to be a manager , which means being a cheerleader , which means talking about how this is the greatest thing we ’ re doing ...
The project we ’ re working on right now is so important and it ’ s going to change the world and all of these things .
And I just didn ’ t feel that way .
I ’ m really curious about how your background as a designer informed your approach to social media platforms .
How did you think about trying to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noticed from creating blogs is that it ’ s really hard to create an audience from scratch.
” Well , I ’ ve been trying to build an audience for a very long time .
It ’ s just been a process of like , building an audience and kind of getting bored with something and then rebuilding and rebuilding and rebuilding .
I was always just trying new platforms , new video platforms , new ways to share ideas online .
I just tried everything .
I had my own blog for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I noticed from creating blogs is that it ’ s really hard to create an audience from scratch , even when the blog went viral .
A lot of these social platforms just have built-in ways of sharing and built-in ways of creating audiences .
So I realized it was a lot easier to try to build an audience through Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter .
That ’ s kind of why I tried TikTok .
Everybody was doing it and I had nothing better to do .
You moved away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did that happen and why ?
TikTok ’ s [ editing tool is ] very chronological .
I have different characters in my videos and it ’ s not like I could shoot all of one character , all of the other character , and then edit them together .
It was really like me sequentially , like , now I ’ m Trump , now I ’ m the person responding to Trump , now I ’ m Trump again .
But when I wanted to do anything that was longer than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complicated .
I think the first one I did , on my own , without TikTok , was Don Jr. interviewing his dad for Father ’ s Day .
Then I did “ person , woman , two man camera ” and that was just a longer video , almost two minutes .
You can ’ t make anything over 60 seconds on TikTok , so I just had my own little hacky way of lip-syncing and recording myself and then editing it in Final Cut .
How did you think about moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
A long time ago , I wanted to make a video making fun of how Gary Vaynerchuk is on YouTube telling people to follow him on Twitter .
And he ’ s on Twitter telling people to follow his Facebook .
And then he ’ s on Facebook telling people to follow ...
So , he ’ s just like trying to get people to follow him .
“ I had a photographer teach me how to use a feature in Flickr that I designed.
” I just don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to meet people where they are and if people are on YouTube , bring your stuff to YouTube , and let them view it on YouTube .
With Netflix , it was just funny because I ’ d be on a call with Netflix marketing , and they ’ d be telling me about personalization and how their platform works and stuff like that .
When I worked in tech , I used to design personalization features .
It ’ s really interesting , being on these different sides of it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I left Flickr to do acting .
I was doing a little bit of modeling and I had a photographer teach me how to use a feature in Flickr that I designed .
It ’ s kind of cool , seeing the other side of it , coming from a perspective of like , first I was designing these experiences , and now I ’ m creating content for these experiences .
It gives me a better understanding of how things work .
Like , how to caption things so that people will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t give it away , but you pique their interest .
And all of these things , I feel like I ’ ve honed over the decades I ’ ve wasted in social media .
This is the most extreme example of dogfooding I think I ’ ve ever heard of .
Cut to doing the Netflix special , where I was doing the Access Hollywood bus scene with Dame Helen Mirren and trying to teach her how to TikTok .
I would kill to be Dame Helen Mirren !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ How do I lip sync ?
And I ’ m like , “ Why am I teaching you how to lip-sync ?
You should not be lip-syncing .
You ’ re Shakespearean-trained.
” The Netflix special would have been a time crunch in any year .
But we also have a pandemic .
How did that affect filming ?
How did that affect the collaboration ?
Not only was it my first special ; it was my first COVID production .
It was a lot of people ’ s first COVID production .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was a COVID specialist on set .
There was a lot of like , “ Hey , you guys are too close.
” Or , “ Do you need some hand sanitizer ?
” Constant COVID tests .
The last day , I walked onto set , and they took my temperature .
I had a temperature , and I was like , “ Oh my God , I ’ m trying so hard not to get sick , ” because I didn ’ t want to shut down this whole production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I have a temperature !
But it turned out I was just standing in the sun .
Are you focusing on television , or will we still see you on social media ?
I ’ ll always be on Twitter .
I can never get away , for some reason .
For the foreseeable future , I ’ m going to be focused on TV .
But I don ’ t think I ’ ll ever be able to get away from social media .
Plus , I think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be releasing all their films , simultaneously , online as well as in theaters .
And so , all these big movie stars are all internet stars now .
We ’ re just all on the internet now .

If you were on social media — any social media — in 2020, you probably saw a video of Sarah Cooper lip-syncing to President Donald Trump’s public appearances. And while her early videos were made using TikTok, they migrated to Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. As the year ends, Cooper has a Netflix special called Everything’s Fine under her belt and is developing TV shows.
Before all that, though, there was TikTok, perhaps best thought of as a video editing tool with a distribution network conveniently attached. Cooper tried it out, with stupendous results. Though she’d previously written two books, 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings and How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings, it was her madcap take on Trump — the president as bad boss — that launched her into celebrity status. Cooper brought the observational style she honed working at companies like Google and Flickr to her study of Trump.
“Trump is a prime example of how the people at the top influence everyone beneath them.”
“Trump is a prime example of how the people at the top influence everyone beneath them,” Cooper says. ”And that’s kind of true for companies. You see how the CEO acts. You see how leadership acts, and everybody imitates that.”
Unlike many other product designers, Cooper now finds herself on the other end of products — as a creator. It’s hard to monetize on TikTok and virtually impossible on Twitter, where Cooper feels her community is. Of all the platforms, YouTube was the one that gave her a financial windfall when she posted her videos. “It was really more like an afterthought, but in terms of monetization, it’s the only place really to make money with videos,” Cooper says.
Moving to Netflix was similarly surreal — Cooper remembers when Netflix was just a DVD-by-mail startup. Now, of course, the company produces original content, including her own, which was produced by Natasha Lyonne and Maya Rudolph and full of celebrity cameos. “I completely clammed up with Jon Hamm because I’ve watched every season of Mad Men, like twice,” Cooper says. Also, she regrets not asking Winona Ryder what filming Edward Scissorhands was like.
But, of course, the production was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic, with on-set tests, a virus scare, and Zoom meetings. “Everything was on Zoom, which is sad because I think Google Hangouts is a pretty good tool,” Cooper says. “I was on Hangouts at Google all the time.” We asked her to reflect on her whirlwind year.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
You had a big 2020. How are you thinking about it?
It’s been the biggest year of my career. I’m actually working on things, for the first time in my life, that I’m so excited to be working on. I’m doing right now, what I’ve always, always wanted to do. And so it’s just weird to feel that way about this year, but then also feel like, fuck 2020. Can’t wait until it’s over.
“Work is just this fascinating place.”
Work seems like your most important subject. From How to Appear Smart in Meetings, there’s a through-line to Trump. How did your interest in workplace dynamics play a role in what you’ve created?
I fought it for a long time because I thought it wasn’t cool to talk about work. But work is just this fascinating place. At first, when I started making the Trump videos, I didn’t really know how they fit in with everything else I was doing. Then looking back, it was like, “Oh yeah, everything he does is this performance that he’s putting on.” That’s the through-line of everything that I do. We’re all sort of putting on a show.
I had this idea when I was like 21 that I was going to make a blog called My Life on Stage, because I always felt like I was performing, wherever I went. Work is just, it’s like a prime place for that kind of thing. Especially in tech, because you’re there because you’re being paid, because it’s a job. But in tech, you’re also supposed to be very passionate and excited about everything, constantly.
That was kind of what led to me leaving Google really. I felt like I was living this double life. I was so much more passionate about writing than I was about what I was doing at work. And yet I had to be a manager, which means being a cheerleader, which means talking about how this is the greatest thing we’re doing... The project we’re working on right now is so important and it’s going to change the world and all of these things. And I just didn’t feel that way.
I’m really curious about how your background as a designer informed your approach to social media platforms. How did you think about trying to build an audience?
“One thing I noticed from creating blogs is that it’s really hard to create an audience from scratch.”
Well, I’ve been trying to build an audience for a very long time. It’s just been a process of like, building an audience and kind of getting bored with something and then rebuilding and rebuilding and rebuilding. I was always just trying new platforms, new video platforms, new ways to share ideas online. I just tried everything.
I had my own blog for a while, thecooperreview.com. One thing I noticed from creating blogs is that it’s really hard to create an audience from scratch, even when the blog went viral. A lot of these social platforms just have built-in ways of sharing and built-in ways of creating audiences. So I realized it was a lot easier to try to build an audience through Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
That’s kind of why I tried TikTok. Everybody was doing it and I had nothing better to do.
You moved away from using the TikTok editing tool. When did that happen and why?
TikTok’s [editing tool is] very chronological. I have different characters in my videos and it’s not like I could shoot all of one character, all of the other character, and then edit them together. It was really like me sequentially, like, now I’m Trump, now I’m the person responding to Trump, now I’m Trump again.
But when I wanted to do anything that was longer than 60 seconds, it was just more complicated. I think the first one I did, on my own, without TikTok, was Don Jr. interviewing his dad for Father’s Day. Then I did “person, woman, two man camera” and that was just a longer video, almost two minutes. You can’t make anything over 60 seconds on TikTok, so I just had my own little hacky way of lip-syncing and recording myself and then editing it in Final Cut.
How did you think about moving your audience from social networks to Netflix?
A long time ago, I wanted to make a video making fun of how Gary Vaynerchuk is on YouTube telling people to follow him on Twitter. And he’s on Twitter telling people to follow his Facebook. And then he’s on Facebook telling people to follow... So, he’s just like trying to get people to follow him.
“I had a photographer teach me how to use a feature in Flickr that I designed.”
I just don’t think that works. I feel like you need to meet people where they are and if people are on YouTube, bring your stuff to YouTube, and let them view it on YouTube.
With Netflix, it was just funny because I’d be on a call with Netflix marketing, and they’d be telling me about personalization and how their platform works and stuff like that. When I worked in tech, I used to design personalization features. It’s really interesting, being on these different sides of it.
I’d worked at Flickr and I left Flickr to do acting. I was doing a little bit of modeling and I had a photographer teach me how to use a feature in Flickr that I designed. It’s kind of cool, seeing the other side of it, coming from a perspective of like, first I was designing these experiences, and now I’m creating content for these experiences.
It gives me a better understanding of how things work. Like, how to caption things so that people will be intrigued by them — so that you don’t give it away, but you pique their interest. And all of these things, I feel like I’ve honed over the decades I’ve wasted in social media.
This is the most extreme example of dogfooding I think I’ve ever heard of.
Cut to doing the Netflix special, where I was doing the Access Hollywood bus scene with Dame Helen Mirren and trying to teach her how to TikTok. I would kill to be Dame Helen Mirren! And she’s like, “How do I lip sync? And I’m like, “Why am I teaching you how to lip-sync? You should not be lip-syncing. You’re Shakespearean-trained.”
The Netflix special would have been a time crunch in any year. But we also have a pandemic. How did that affect filming? How did that affect the collaboration?
Not only was it my first special; it was my first COVID production. It was a lot of people’s first COVID production. There were a lot of masks. There was a COVID specialist on set. There was a lot of like, “Hey, you guys are too close.” Or, “Do you need some hand sanitizer?” Constant COVID tests.
The last day, I walked onto set, and they took my temperature. I had a temperature, and I was like, “Oh my God, I’m trying so hard not to get sick,” because I didn’t want to shut down this whole production. And now on the last day, I have a temperature! But it turned out I was just standing in the sun.
Are you focusing on television, or will we still see you on social media?


theverge--2020-12-18--Boba Fett show heading to Disney Plus in 2021

After years of speculation about whether Boba Fett would get his own spinoff of some kind , The Mandalorian ’ s season 2 finale confirmed that a Boba Fett series will hit Disney Plus in December 2021 .
The show , The Book of Boba Fett , was not included as an announcement during Disney ’ s big investor day last week .
Several other Star Wars projects , including two Mandalorian spinoffs — an Ahsoka Tano show and Rangers of the New Republic — a Lando Calrissian show , and a Star Wars anime , were announced last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoilers for The Mandalorian ’ s second season finale .
The announcement comes during a post-credits scene ( ah , yes , the post-credits scenes ) , which finds Boba Fett and Fennec Shand in Jabba the Hutt ’ s palace .
Fans will recall this is where Boba Fett was thrown into the sarlacc pit a few years before .
Now , Boba Fett is back — and after blasting away Bib Fortuna , the pasty-faced employee of Jabba the Hutt who gave me nightmares as a child — Boba Fett takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We ’ re operating under the assumption that this is a spinoff series , but it could theoretically be the name of The Mandalorian ’ s third season .
The “ Mandalorian ” could refer to any of the armored warriors , like Boba Fett or even Bo-Katan .
Still , the scene announcing the assumed spinoff series will come as a nice surprise for anyone who held out hope for a Boba Fett movie years ago when Rogue One and Solo were being released .
Now , there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a smart move for Disney and Lucasfilm .
A series is less of a risk than a movie , and it helps keep customers subscribed to the platform .
Plus , tying everything together is a pretty good way to get people to stay on Disney Plus to watch other shows when they ’ re done with the most recent Mandalorian episode ; it ’ s already happening with Clone Wars .
While this season of The Mandalorian is over , it ’ s clear that fans have a ton of Star Wars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Can there be too much Star Wars ?
Former CEO Bob Iger certainly thought Star Wars fatigue took over at the box office , but maybe Disney Plus is a different story .

After years of speculation about whether Boba Fett would get his own spinoff of some kind, The Mandalorian’s season 2 finale confirmed that a new Boba Fett series, titled The Book of Boba Fett, will hit Disney Plus in December 2021.
Executive producer Jon Favreau appeared on Good Morning America on December 21st to confirm The Book of Boba Fett as a new series (following some speculation that Book of Boba Fett was some sort of subtitle for The Mandalorian’s third season.) The new show will be an original series set within the world of The Mandalorian, with Favreau, Dave Filoni, and Robert Rodriguez set to produce the series. Favreau and Filoni already produce The Mandalorian, while Rodriguez directed the Boba Fett-centric season two episode, “The Tragedy.” Production on The Mandalorian’s third season will take place right after The Book of Boba Fett.
The show was not included as an announcement during Disney’s big investor day last week. Several other Star Wars projects, including two other Mandalorian spinoffs — an Ahsoka Tano show and Rangers of the New Republic — a Lando Calrissian show, and a Star Wars anime series, were announced then.
Warning: The following contains light spoilers for The Mandalorian’s second season finale.
The announcement comes during a post-credits scene (ah, yes, the post-credits scenes), which finds Boba Fett and Fennec Shand in Jabba the Hutt’s palace. Fans will recall this is where Boba Fett was thrown into the sarlacc pit a few years before. Now, Boba Fett is back — and after blasting away Bib Fortuna, the pasty-faced employee of Jabba the Hutt who gave me nightmares as a child — Boba Fett takes his place on Jabba’s throne.
Wild!
The scene announcing the spinoff series will come as a nice surprise for anyone who held out hope for a Boba Fett movie years ago when Rogue One and Solo were being released. Now, there’s a TV show instead. It’s a smart move for Disney and Lucasfilm. A series is less of a risk than a movie, and it helps keep customers subscribed to the platform. Plus, tying everything together is a pretty good way to get people to stay on Disney Plus to watch other shows when they’re done with the most recent Mandalorian episode; it’s already happening with Clone Wars.
While this season of The Mandalorian is over, it’s clear that fans have a ton of Star Wars to look forward to in 2021. Can there be too much Star Wars? Former CEO Bob Iger certainly thought Star Wars fatigue took over at the box office, but maybe Disney Plus is a different story.
Update (December 21st, 8:40am ET): The story has been updated to include new information about the series.


theverge--2020-12-18--Cyberpunk 2077’s Microsoft store listing now has a warning for bugs

Cyberpunk 2077 ’ s listing on Microsoft ’ s digital games store now includes a label warning of potential performance issues on Xbox One .
“ Users may experience performance issues when playing this game on Xbox One consoles until this game is updated , ” the warning reads .
Players have observed numerous bugs and performance issues with Cyberpunk 2077 since its launch last week , especially on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 .
The dissatisfaction led the company to quickly issue a statement suggesting that unhappy players try to get refunds for the game .
Many players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , given Sony and Microsoft ’ s typically strict policies for issuing refunds of digital games .
Since Thursday evening , though , that has changed .
Sony began offering full refunds of Cyberpunk 2077 and yanked the game entirely from the PlayStation Store Thursday night .
Microsoft ’ s response , issued Friday morning , wasn ’ t as drastic : the company also began offering full refunds of digital sales , but the game remains on the Microsoft Store .
At some point Friday , though , a warning label appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s unclear if Microsoft or CD Projekt Red applied the label .
Neither company immediately replied to a request for comment .
CD Projekt Red has so far released two post-launch hotfixes ( with one of those hitting Friday evening ) to help improve the game ’ s performance .
There are also two larger patches in the works for January and February that will fix “ the most prominent problems ” players are seeing on older consoles , according to the studio .

Cyberpunk 2077’s listing on Microsoft’s digital games store now includes a label warning of potential performance issues on Xbox One. “Users may experience performance issues when playing this game on Xbox One consoles until this game is updated,” the warning reads.
Players have observed numerous bugs and performance issues with Cyberpunk 2077 since its launch last week, especially on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The dissatisfaction led the company to quickly issue a statement suggesting that unhappy players try to get refunds for the game. Many players had trouble actually getting refunds, though, given Sony and Microsoft’s typically strict policies for issuing refunds of digital games.
Since Thursday evening, though, that has changed. Sony began offering full refunds of Cyberpunk 2077 and yanked the game entirely from the PlayStation Store Thursday night. Microsoft’s response, issued Friday morning, wasn’t as drastic: the company also began offering full refunds of digital sales, but the game remains on the Microsoft Store. At some point Friday, though, a warning label appeared on the game’s listing.
It’s unclear if Microsoft or CD Projekt Red applied the label. Neither company immediately replied to a request for comment.


theverge--2020-12-18--Cyberpunk 2077’s 1.05 update addresses a laundry list of bugs

Cyberpunk 2077 ’ s second promised hotfix is out for Xbox and PlayStation platforms .
The PC version will follow “ soon , ” according to developer CD Projekt Red .
You can read the extensive list of fixes here .
While there doesn ’ t seem to be anything quite as significant as the changes to reduce epilepsy risk made in last week ’ s 1.04 hotfix , hopefully this new update will make what has been a very buggy game have a few less issues .
The game has been out for a little more than a week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ game for its numerous bugs and performance issues , particularly on older consoles .
The outcry led to Sony offering full refunds of digital copies of the game and taking the unprecedented step of yanking the game from the PlayStation Store Thursday night .
As of this writing , the game has not returned to Sony ’ s storefront .
Microsoft is also offering refunds for digital versions , though the game remains available for digital purchase .
CD Projekt Red has also vowed to pay for refunds for retail purchases of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if necessary ” if players submit refund requests by December 21st .
CD Projekt Red has committed to releasing two larger patches to help the game run better in January and February .
“ Together these should fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles , ” according to the studio .
”

Cyberpunk 2077’s second promised hotfix is out for Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia. You can read the extensive list of fixes here.
While there doesn’t seem to be anything quite as significant as the changes to reduce epilepsy risk made in last week’s 1.04 hotfix, hopefully this new update will make what has been a very buggy game have a few less issues.
The game has been out for a little more than a week, and players have been criticizing the game for its numerous bugs and performance issues, particularly on older consoles. The outcry led to Sony offering full refunds of digital copies of the game and taking the unprecedented step of yanking the game from the PlayStation Store Thursday night. As of this writing, the game has not returned to Sony’s storefront.
Microsoft is also offering refunds for digital versions, though the game remains available for digital purchase. CD Projekt Red has also vowed to pay for refunds for retail purchases of the game “out of our own pocket if necessary” if players submit refund requests by December 21st.
CD Projekt Red has committed to releasing two larger patches to help the game run better in January and February. “Together these should fix the most prominent problems gamers are facing on last-gen consoles,” according to the studio.”


theverge--2020-12-18--Members of the US Space Force will now be called ‘Guardians’

Members of the United States Space Force will officially be called “ Guardians ” , according to an announcement Vice President Mike Pence made at an event celebrating the military branch ’ s one year anniversary .
The organization traces the name “ Guardians ” back to an old Air Force Space Command motto from 1983 , “ Guardians of the High Frontier , ” according to a short post on the US Space Force website .
While a distinct entity , Space Force is part of the Air Force per its establishment with the National Defense Authorization Act .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is mostly a rebrand of Air Force Space Command , but with the authority to make decisions independent from the Air Force .
Space Force personnel also mostly come from the Air Force , but there ’ s been notable transfers — like astronaut Mike Hopkins — who ’ ve joined from other government organizations .
Unlike Hopkins ’ former employer NASA , Space Force is less concerned with exploring space , than it is controlling it and protecting American assets like satellites .
Choosing “ Guardians ” as an official name comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) pop culture associations .
There ’ s Disney ’ s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise , which introduced Marvel film fans to the “ cosmic ” side of the Marvel universe .
And from the world of video games , Guardians also show up again in Destiny 2 as undead warriors charged with defending the Last City on Earth from alien enemies .
This wouldn ’ t be the first time that Space Force appeared to be cribbing from pop culture , either .
When the organization revealed the official logo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Starfleet emblem used in the television show Star Trek .
The US Space Force later attempted to clarify that it was inspired by older Air Force Space Command logos rather than the hit series .
Whatever the source of the name , you can count on Space Force being a lot more mundane than any of the pop culture we associate with it .
It may be a bit of a branding exercise to satisfy the President , but the Biden administration appears to have no plans to change course .
With Space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moon , the US is focusing even more on space heading into the next decade .

Members of the United States Space Force will officially be called “Guardians”, according to an announcement Vice President Mike Pence made at an event celebrating the military branch’s one year anniversary.
The organization traces the name “Guardians” back to an old Air Force Space Command motto from 1983, “Guardians of the High Frontier,” according to a short post on the US Space Force website. While a distinct entity, Space Force is part of the Air Force per its establishment with the National Defense Authorization Act.
As it exists today, Space Force is mostly a rebrand of Air Force Space Command, but with the authority to make decisions independent from the Air Force. Space Force personnel also mostly come from the Air Force, but there’s been notable transfers — like astronaut Mike Hopkins — who’ve joined from other government organizations. Unlike Hopkins’ former employer NASA, Space Force is less concerned with exploring space, than it is controlling it and protecting American assets like satellites.
Choosing “Guardians” as an official name comes with some unavoidable (and maybe intended) pop culture associations. There’s Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, which introduced Marvel film fans to the “cosmic” side of the Marvel universe. And from the world of video games, Guardians also show up again in Destiny 2 as undead warriors charged with defending the Last City on Earth from alien enemies.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Space Force appeared to be cribbing from pop culture, either. When the organization revealed the official logo, many pointed out its similarities to the Starfleet emblem used in the television show Star Trek. The US Space Force later attempted to clarify that it was inspired by older Air Force Space Command logos rather than the hit series.


theverge--2020-12-18--Moderna COVID-19 vaccine second to get FDA sign-off in US

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna , which joins the Pfizer and BioNTech product as the second shot available for use in the United States .
The vaccine can now be given to adults 18 years of age and older in the US .
It was 94 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in clinical trials .
The Moderna vaccine also protects against cases of severe disease : there were 30 cases of severe disease among trial participants , and all were in the placebo group .
Initial data on the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe disease , but data was too limited to reach a definite conclusion .
“ With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19 , the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day , ” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a press release .
Data presented by Moderna also hints that the vaccine might be able to prevent asymptomatic infection with COVID-19 , not just symptomatic disease .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested every participant for the coronavirus between the first dose and second dose of the vaccine .
There were 38 cases without symptoms in the placebo group and 14 in the vaccination group .
The Moderna vaccine has less onerous storage requirements than the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine Like the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine , the Moderna vaccine was made using a gene-based technology .
It contains a snippet of the genetic material for the coronavirus spike protein .
The snippet instructs the body to build copies of that protein and use those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recognize and attack the actual virus .
Also like the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine , the Moderna vaccine will be available under an Emergency Use Authorization , a designation that lets the FDA sign off on products faster than the normal review process during an emergency like a pandemic .
The Moderna vaccine has less onerous storage requirements than the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine , which has to be kept at ultracold temperatures — covered in dry ice or in specialized freezers — until it ’ s ready to be used .
Moderna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refrigerator for up to 30 days , making it easier to distribute to places without the infrastructure to maintain an ultracold environment .
“ We remain focused on scaling up manufacturing to help us protect as many people as we can from this terrible disease , ” Stéphane Bancel , chief executive officer of Moderna , said in a press release .
The United States ordered 200 million doses of the Moderna vaccine , enough to vaccinate 100 million people .
The first doses will be distributed to health care workers and residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna, which joins the Pfizer and BioNTech product as the second shot available for use in the United States.
The vaccine can now be given to adults 18 years of age and older in the US. It was 94 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in clinical trials. The Moderna vaccine also protects against cases of severe disease: there were 30 cases of severe disease among trial participants, and all were in the placebo group. Initial data on the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine also indicated that it could protect against severe disease, but data was too limited to reach a definite conclusion.
“With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a press release.
Data presented by Moderna also hints that the vaccine might be able to prevent asymptomatic infection with COVID-19, not just symptomatic disease. In the clinical trial, the company tested every participant for the coronavirus between the first dose and second dose of the vaccine. There were 38 cases without symptoms in the placebo group and 14 in the vaccination group.
The Moderna vaccine has less onerous storage requirements than the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine
Like the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine was made using a gene-based technology. It contains a snippet of the genetic material for the coronavirus spike protein. The snippet instructs the body to build copies of that protein and use those copies to train the immune system to recognize and attack the actual virus.
Also like the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine will be available under an Emergency Use Authorization, a designation that lets the FDA sign off on products faster than the normal review process during an emergency like a pandemic.
The Moderna vaccine has less onerous storage requirements than the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, which has to be kept at ultracold temperatures — covered in dry ice or in specialized freezers — until it’s ready to be used. Moderna’s can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 30 days, making it easier to distribute to places without the infrastructure to maintain an ultracold environment.
“We remain focused on scaling up manufacturing to help us protect as many people as we can from this terrible disease,” Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said in a press release.


theverge--2020-12-18--Google now offers weekly COVID-19 tests to every US employee

90,000 Google employees have just received access to free weekly COVID tests .
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news that every US Google employee ( and its subsidiaries , including YouTube ) will be eligible to sign up for a free at-home test .
This differs from other companies , like Amazon , which are only offering tests to employees who still have to work in a physical location , like a retail location or warehouse .
This is apparently something Google employees are interested in , as the vendor ’ s website crashed after going live .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive the test within two to four days of requesting one , and that they ’ ll get the results back within two days of the lab receiving it .
According to the Wall Street Journal report , Google is paying its partner , BioIQ , $ 50 per test .
That comes out to $ 4.5 million per week when multiplied by 90,000 employees .
Of course , the $ 4.5 million figure is assuming that every employee takes advantage of the offer , though a Google spokesperson said the company is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a very small cost relative to Google ’ s profit margins .
Google ’ s spokesperson also told The Verge that interns will be eligible for the program as well , and that it should be expanding to international employees in 2021 .
The company is hoping that the testing will help reduce the number of asymptomatic spreaders should any of its employees become infected .
In the early days of the pandemic , President Trump claimed that Google would create a website and nationwide system for getting access to COVID tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Alphabet division did briefly offer testing in some regions .
Google has done other work for the public like creating a contact tracing system with Apple and improving the information it shows on its search results .
Correction : The original version of this story said that it was a Google site that crashed under the load .
It was BioIQ ’ s site .
We regret the errors .

90,000 Google employees have just received access to free weekly COVID tests. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news that every US Google employee (and its subsidiaries, including YouTube) will be eligible to sign up for a free at-home test. This differs from other companies, like Amazon, which are only offering tests to employees who still have to work in a physical location, like a retail location or warehouse.
This is apparently something Google employees are interested in, as the vendor’s website crashed after going live. Employees are promised that they’ll receive the test within two to four days of requesting one, and that they’ll get the results back within two days of the lab receiving it.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, Google is paying its partner, BioIQ, $50 per test. That comes out to $4.5 million per week when multiplied by 90,000 employees.
Of course, the $4.5 million figure is assuming that every employee takes advantage of the offer, though a Google spokesperson said the company is recommending they do. It’s also a very small cost relative to Google’s profit margins.
Google’s spokesperson also told The Verge that interns will be eligible for the program as well, and that it should be expanding to international employees in 2021. The company is hoping that the testing will help reduce the number of asymptomatic spreaders should any of its employees become infected.
In the early days of the pandemic, President Trump claimed that Google would create a website and nationwide system for getting access to COVID tests. That was not true, although an Alphabet division did briefly offer testing in some regions. Google has done other work for the public like creating a contact tracing system with Apple and improving the information it shows on its search results.