theverge--2020-12-19--Apple puts another supplier on probation after exploited workers smashed up a building

For the second time in two months , Apple is putting one of the companies it hires to build the iPhone on notice for violating labor laws .
Reuters , Bloomberg and others are reporting that Apple has put Taiwanese manufacturing giant Wistron on “ probation ” — meaning it won ’ t receive any new business from Apple until it sorts things out — after the supplier was found exploiting workers at a plant in India .
The reason we ’ re hearing about this at all is rather incredible : on December 12th , some 2,000 workers decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of Wistron ’ s offices , smashing up the lobby and overturning vehicles .
There ’ s video : It now turns out that the workers ’ complaints were legitimate : Wistron is admitting as much , and the local government found serious labor violations in its preliminary investigation , according to the South China Morning Post and Reuters .
They say Wistron was indeed underpaying wages and forcing some people to work overtime .
And that ’ s just Wistron itself .
The SCMP reports police are also investigating middlemen who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The investigation also reportedly reveals that 8,500 of the Wistron factory ’ s 10,500 workers were contractors rather than full-time employees , and that the plant may have only been permitted for 5,000 workers to begin with .
( Wistron started assembling iPhones in India back in 2017 . )
Wistron issued an apology , saying that it ’ s “ enhancing its processes and restructuring our teams to ensure these issues can not happen again , ” adding that it ’ s already established “ a 24-hour grievance hotline ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company says it also sacked its VP of business in India .
Apple didn ’ t immediately reply to our request for comment .
The question now is whether Apple will do anything meaningful to keep its suppliers from exploiting workers now that they ’ re making headlines yet again .
The company has a notable history of being associated with labor violations , and a recent report suggested that Apple turns a blind eye to them even when it knows there ’ s a problem .
Did Apple know about this ?

For the second time in two months, Apple is putting one of the companies it hires to build the iPhone on notice for violating labor laws. Reuters, Bloomberg and others are reporting that Apple has put Taiwanese manufacturing giant Wistron on “probation” — meaning it won’t receive any new business from Apple until it sorts things out — after the supplier was found exploiting workers at a plant in India.
The reason we’re hearing about this at all is rather incredible: on December 12th, some 2,000 workers decided to protest unpaid wages by rioting at one of Wistron’s offices, smashing up the lobby and overturning vehicles. There’s video:
It now turns out that the workers’ complaints were legitimate: Wistron is admitting as much, and the local government found serious labor violations in its preliminary investigation, according to the South China Morning Post and Reuters. They say Wistron was indeed underpaying wages and forcing some people to work overtime. And that’s just Wistron itself. The SCMP reports police are also investigating middlemen who are targeting Apple’s contract workers:
There have also been allegations of middlemen exploiting the contract workers and skimming their wages, with police looking into the role of six contractors who acted as go-betweens for Wistron. They reportedly lured workers by promising them an additional allowance if they forewent breaks.
The investigation also reportedly reveals that 8,500 of the Wistron factory’s 10,500 workers were contractors rather than full-time employees, and that the plant may have only been permitted for 5,000 workers to begin with. (Wistron started assembling iPhones in India back in 2017.)
Wistron issued an apology, saying that it’s “enhancing its processes and restructuring our teams to ensure these issues cannot happen again,” adding that it’s already established “a 24-hour grievance hotline” and “an employee assistant program.” The company says it also sacked its VP of business in India.
Apple didn’t immediately reply to our request for comment.


theverge--2020-12-19--YouTube had the mostly unremarkable year it was looking for

YouTube started the last few years off with nothing short of catastrophic headlines about some of its creators .
2017 saw Felix “ PewDiePie ” Kjellberg receive global criticism for a video in which he displayed anti-Semitic imagery ; 2018 found Logan Paul uploading footage of a dead body to YouTube ; 2019 ushered in loot crate controversies and dangerous stunts by top personalities like Jake Paul who took part in the Bird Box challenge by driving while blindfolded , leading to fundamental policy changes at the company .
Those events were only within the first few weeks of each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quieter .
The year has gone by without a cascade of egregious misdeeds and public relations disasters .
That ’ s not to suggest YouTube had a perfect year ; the company faced ongoing misinformation plagues on its platform , faced intense scrutiny for its lack of action around governing the platform during the federal election , and is still figuring out how to handle a number of issues with videos featuring kids .
YouTube did not have a great 2020 , but it wasn ’ t driven by a never-ending whirlwind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factors brought on by the pandemic and the arrival of an enormous new rival that helped YouTube .
The pandemic made it harder for creators to get together to film ( although that didn ’ t stop some of YouTube ’ s more popular stars from throwing parties at their Los Angeles mansions ) .
Prank videos reliant on collaborations or travel diaries that can go astray were forced to transform into videos that could be filmed inside .
Members of the “ Vlog Squad , ” one of YouTube ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sketches that didn ’ t require them to be in each other ’ s space all the time , and Logan Paul mostly focused on his podcast that records in his California home .
The year has gone by without a cascade of egregious misdeeds and public relations disasters If YouTube had a quieter year , part of that is because TikTok exploded in 2020 .
YouTubers also turned to TikTok as a way to continue making videos , staying on people ’ s radars , and having fun within a new ecosystem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Dobrik , James Charles , and Cody Ko have all been posting to TikTok regularly , building big audiences and even partaking in TikTok ’ s first creators program to earn additional revenue .
Focus shifted to TikTok and a new class of creators who were experiencing meteoric rises to mainstream fame .
Addison Rae , Charli D ’ Amelio , Chase Hudson , Josh Richards , and countless others found their way into the spotlight — and it was TikTokers whose questionable behavior was highlighted throughout the year .
A pair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Los Angeles for throwing parties in a mansion , high-profile breakups and cheating scandals became part of the “ TikTokpocalypse , ” and the possibility of everything disappearing after President Trump called for TikTok to be shut down sent the creator community into a panic .
For years , YouTube has been the center of young creators doing dumb things and receiving global press for their antics .
It was a never-ending cascade of pranks gone bad , mindless stunts , and fake drama spun up to generate hundreds of millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 and 2019 , YouTubers were constantly in the news for the wrong reasons .
The heyday of weird content on YouTube that attracted comedy lovers and people who lived online was replaced by a new era of teenagers with access to a lot of cash , no boundaries , and friends all trying to generate lucrative views on every video they posted .
YouTube didn ’ t introduce a slew of new policies that suddenly made every creator on the platform start behaving .
YouTube got lucky — people weren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could before .
The company has tried over the years to mitigate poor behavior , but what helped the platform this year is the thing that , ironically , helped creators grow in the first place : making collaborations in very public , packed spaces became nearly impossible to do .
CEO Susan Wojcicki once referred to the period between early 2017 and mid-2018 as YouTube ’ s “ growing up years.
” The executive wanted to find a way to move past the endless headlines about antics performed by popular creators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a year of sensibility could do .
By happenstance , YouTube was no longer the only kid on the block people were paying attention to YouTube hasn ’ t grown up ; its stars are still bickering with each other and getting into boxing matches with Floyd Mayweather .
And YouTube creators were caught in various scandals this year .
Old videos of Shane Dawson using blackface and derogatory language resurfaced , leading to his channel being demonetized for a period of time .
Jenna Marbles left the internet altogether after racially insensitive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeffree Star found himself in a world of drama over alleged inappropriate past behavior .
Jake Paul , well , continued to be Jake Paul .
The platform ’ s culture didn ’ t change in one year — but by happenstance , YouTube was no longer the only kid on the block people were paying attention to .
In the early days of the pandemic , YouTube felt like old-school YouTube again .
Minecraft videos , always popular , seemed to soar even more as people had more time to play and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vlogging ; and lo-fi chillhop streams became hangouts for people stuck at home and trying to work .
It was a quieter period for YouTube ’ s creators and a weird moment for anyone who ’ s tracked the site ’ s culture .
For once , I ’ m not regularly talking about a severe incident to which a creator contributed .
Instead , the greatest problems YouTube faced this year were on the policy side relating to misinformation and polarizing content — in many ways , problems of YouTube ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that when YouTubers can start hanging out with each other there ’ ll be more headlines about antics .
But for the first time in a few years , a year is ending without a YouTuber ’ s cataclysmic news cycle as the story of the year within the creator community .
I genuinely didn ’ t think it was possible .

YouTube started the last few years off with nothing short of catastrophic headlines about some of its creators.
2017 saw Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg receive global criticism for a video in which he displayed anti-Semitic imagery; 2018 found Logan Paul uploading footage of a dead body to YouTube; 2019 ushered in loot crate controversies and dangerous stunts by top personalities like Jake Paul who took part in the Bird Box challenge by driving while blindfolded, leading to fundamental policy changes at the company. Those events were only within the first few weeks of each year, too.
2020 was much quieter. The year has gone by without a cascade of egregious misdeeds and public relations disasters. That’s not to suggest YouTube had a perfect year; the company faced ongoing misinformation plagues on its platform, faced intense scrutiny for its lack of action around governing the platform during the federal election, and is still figuring out how to handle a number of issues with videos featuring kids. YouTube did not have a great 2020, but it wasn’t driven by a never-ending whirlwind of creator chaos.
It may have been factors brought on by the pandemic and the arrival of an enormous new rival that helped YouTube. The pandemic made it harder for creators to get together to film (although that didn’t stop some of YouTube’s more popular stars from throwing parties at their Los Angeles mansions). Prank videos reliant on collaborations or travel diaries that can go astray were forced to transform into videos that could be filmed inside. Members of the “Vlog Squad,” one of YouTube’s most popular collaboration groups, worked on creative sketches that didn’t require them to be in each other’s space all the time, and Logan Paul mostly focused on his podcast that records in his California home.
The year has gone by without a cascade of egregious misdeeds and public relations disasters
If YouTube had a quieter year, part of that is because TikTok exploded in 2020. YouTubers also turned to TikTok as a way to continue making videos, staying on people’s radars, and having fun within a new ecosystem. Prominent YouTubers like Trisha Paytas, David Dobrik, James Charles, and Cody Ko have all been posting to TikTok regularly, building big audiences and even partaking in TikTok’s first creators program to earn additional revenue.
Focus shifted to TikTok and a new class of creators who were experiencing meteoric rises to mainstream fame. Addison Rae, Charli D’Amelio, Chase Hudson, Josh Richards, and countless others found their way into the spotlight — and it was TikTokers whose questionable behavior was highlighted throughout the year. A pair of popular TikTokers was charged by the city of Los Angeles for throwing parties in a mansion, high-profile breakups and cheating scandals became part of the “TikTokpocalypse,” and the possibility of everything disappearing after President Trump called for TikTok to be shut down sent the creator community into a panic.
For years, YouTube has been the center of young creators doing dumb things and receiving global press for their antics. It was a never-ending cascade of pranks gone bad, mindless stunts, and fake drama spun up to generate hundreds of millions of views. It worked. Between 2016 and 2019, YouTubers were constantly in the news for the wrong reasons. The heyday of weird content on YouTube that attracted comedy lovers and people who lived online was replaced by a new era of teenagers with access to a lot of cash, no boundaries, and friends all trying to generate lucrative views on every video they posted.
YouTube didn’t introduce a slew of new policies that suddenly made every creator on the platform start behaving. YouTube got lucky — people weren’t able to get into the same hijinks they could before. The company has tried over the years to mitigate poor behavior, but what helped the platform this year is the thing that, ironically, helped creators grow in the first place: making collaborations in very public, packed spaces became nearly impossible to do. CEO Susan Wojcicki once referred to the period between early 2017 and mid-2018 as YouTube’s “growing up years.” The executive wanted to find a way to move past the endless headlines about antics performed by popular creators on her platform. 2020 showed what a year of sensibility could do.
By happenstance, YouTube was no longer the only kid on the block people were paying attention to
YouTube hasn’t grown up; its stars are still bickering with each other and getting into boxing matches with Floyd Mayweather. And YouTube creators were caught in various scandals this year. Old videos of Shane Dawson using blackface and derogatory language resurfaced, leading to his channel being demonetized for a period of time. Jenna Marbles left the internet altogether after racially insensitive videos resurfaced. Beauty mogul and YouTuber Jeffree Star found himself in a world of drama over alleged inappropriate past behavior. Jake Paul, well, continued to be Jake Paul.
The platform’s culture didn’t change in one year — but by happenstance, YouTube was no longer the only kid on the block people were paying attention to. In the early days of the pandemic, YouTube felt like old-school YouTube again. Minecraft videos, always popular, seemed to soar even more as people had more time to play and make videos; people returned to daily vlogging; and lo-fi chillhop streams became hangouts for people stuck at home and trying to work. It was a quieter period for YouTube’s creators and a weird moment for anyone who’s tracked the site’s culture. For once, I’m not regularly talking about a severe incident to which a creator contributed. Instead, the greatest problems YouTube faced this year were on the policy side relating to misinformation and polarizing content — in many ways, problems of YouTube’s own making.


theverge--2020-12-19--The best deals of the week, holiday edition

The holidays can be overwhelming — even during years like this one when most of us aren ’ t actually traveling to visit family and friends .
If buying gifts is still looming on your to-do list , you certainly aren ’ t alone .
It ’ s tough to find the right kind of gift for everyone , especially people who have an affinity for tech .
That ’ s where we come in .
Below , there are a few great deals you can take advantage of now , and better , they ’ ll get where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you ’ re mailing packages yourself , we ’ ve pulled together all of the crucial shipping dates for USPS , UPS , and FedEx right here .
Sony ’ s WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds with noise cancellation slipped $ 10 below its best-ever price recently , and you can still get them for $ 158 at a few retailers , including Amazon , Best Buy , and B & H Photo .
These originally sold for $ 230 , and this is a great deal if you value excellent sound quality in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some sound .
Also discounted in Sony ’ s catalog of headphones are the newer WH-1000XM4 flagship over-ear and wireless model .
We cover them frequently because they ’ re very much worth the investment based on their superb sound quality , comfort , and battery life .
Normally $ 349 , they ’ re down to $ 278 at Amazon and Best Buy , making the purchase a little easier to swallow .
Whether you ’ ve been lucky enough to get a PS5 , or are still rocking a PS4 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both crowds this weekend on a PlayStation Plus subscription .
Normally , one year of the service that allows for online multiplayer and savings on games costs $ 60 , but you can get it for about $ 36 at digital storefront Eneba .
The price actually fluctuates , so you may , in fact , get a better deal when you click .
Target is ensuring that its exclusive bundle that combines two great Nintendo Switch games , Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Party , will arrive by Christmas ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in person if you prefer ) .
Normally $ 120 if you purchase them separately , this bundle costs just $ 80 , so it ’ s a fantastic deal if you ’ re trying to build up your ( or a loved one ’ s ) library of Switch games .
Other deals you might like The latest Mac mini desktop with Apple ’ s new M1 processor is seeing a few small price cuts .
At B & H Photo , the entry model with 8GB of RAM and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 off ) .
For more storage , the Mac mini with 512GB of storage is $ 849 ( $ 50 off ) .
Another good gift idea comes in the form of Amazon ’ s Echo Show 8 smart display .
What makes it particularly worthy of your consideration right now is that it now supports Zoom calls , as if you couldn ’ t get enough of those during work hours .
Seriously , though , this new feature makes it great for talking with family and friends during the holidays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40-minute time limit on calls .
Lastly , if your home Wi-Fi network needs a boost in terms of coverage , Eero ’ s three-pack of mesh Wi-Fi routers is a relatively inexpensive way to improve it .
Normally $ 250 during the off-season , it ’ s $ 175 right now .
You can place them around your home to ensure that it ’ s as blanketed over in Wi-Fi signal as possible .

The holidays can be overwhelming — even during years like this one when most of us aren’t actually traveling to visit family and friends. If buying gifts is still looming on your to-do list, you certainly aren’t alone. It’s tough to find the right kind of gift for everyone, especially people who have an affinity for tech. That’s where we come in.
Below, there are a few great deals you can take advantage of now, and better, they’ll get where they need to be by December 25th. If you’re mailing packages yourself, we’ve pulled together all of the crucial shipping dates for USPS, UPS, and FedEx right here.
Deals on noise-canceling headphones
Sony’s WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds with noise cancellation slipped $10 below its best-ever price recently, and you can still get them for $158 at a few retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo. These originally sold for $230, and this is a great deal if you value excellent sound quality in addition to being able to cancel out some sound.
Also discounted in Sony’s catalog of headphones are the newer WH-1000XM4 flagship over-ear and wireless model. We cover them frequently because they’re very much worth the investment based on their superb sound quality, comfort, and battery life. Normally $349, they’re down to $278 at Amazon and Best Buy, making the purchase a little easier to swallow.
Gaming deals
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Whether you’ve been lucky enough to get a PS5, or are still rocking a PS4, there’s a great deal for both crowds this weekend on a PlayStation Plus subscription. Normally, one year of the service that allows for online multiplayer and savings on games costs $60, but you can get it for about $36 at digital storefront Eneba. The price actually fluctuates, so you may, in fact, get a better deal when you click.
Target is ensuring that its exclusive bundle that combines two great Nintendo Switch games, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Party, will arrive by Christmas (of course, you can pick it up in person if you prefer). Normally $120 if you purchase them separately, this bundle costs just $80, so it’s a fantastic deal if you’re trying to build up your (or a loved one’s) library of Switch games.
Other deals you might like
The latest Mac mini desktop with Apple’s new M1 processor is seeing a few small price cuts. At B&H Photo, the entry model with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is $669 ($30 off). For more storage, the Mac mini with 512GB of storage is $849 ($50 off).
Apple Mac Mini with M1 (256GB) $ 479 $ 699 31 % off $ 479 $ 479 $ 699 31 % off Apple’s most affordable Mac desktop computer is powered by the custom M1 chip. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage in its base model but can be configured with up to 16GB RAM and 2TB of storage. $479 at B&H Photo
Another good gift idea comes in the form of Amazon’s Echo Show 8 smart display. What makes it particularly worthy of your consideration right now is that it now supports Zoom calls, as if you couldn’t get enough of those during work hours. Seriously, though, this new feature makes it great for talking with family and friends during the holidays — especially since Zoom temporarily lifted the 40-minute time limit on calls.


theverge--2020-12-19--Pokémon Go creators say COVID is ‘existential to our game’

Pokémon Go was ready to kick off a new major event in March .
Battle League — which asks players to walk in order to gain entry — was similar in spirit to many of Niantic ’ s initiatives within its game , one that encourages players to leave home and socialize .
But outside , COVID-19 was beginning to take hold .
“ I remember being like there ’ s no way that this could be , there ’ s no way that this is anything , ” says Veronica Saron , Niantic ’ s product marketing manager .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had no idea .
None of us had any idea.
” By March , companies were beginning to send their employees to work from home .
For Saron , her last day in the office included a meeting with the company ’ s CEO and a series of talking heads via video call .
She hasn ’ t been back to the office since .
Video games have thrived in the pandemic , with sales hitting all-time highs in roughly a decade .
Development , like many other jobs , has continued from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studios like Naughty Dog , Insomniac , Sucker Punch , and more have managed to successfully release their big budget games this year .
Stuck at home , audiences have been even more eager for experiences to pass the long hours .
The pandemic only makes the stakes higher Pokémon Go is not like most games .
Where titles that found popularity this year , like Animal Crossing or Among Us , are perfectly suited to sitting on the couch , Pokémon Go is about getting up , heading outside , and socializing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Niatnic ’ s focus on in-person events every year .
That won ’ t work in a pandemic .
Even outdoors , large gatherings can still pose health threats .
And though its development now proceeds through continued updates to an existing product , as opposed to the work required for a big , initial launch , Pokémon Go has a unique pressure point : a moral obligation to its players to keep them safe .
This has always been the case , as the game has a list of accidents and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic only makes the stakes higher .
It ’ s ethically dubious to encourage any of your players to get outside , when medical professionals have asked them to not .
“ The current issue [ of COVID ] is existential to our game , ” senior product manager Matt Slemon tells The Verge .
“ And if we just continue on as we ’ ve been continuing on and build features and sit on them until COVID ’ s over , that wouldn ’ t be right by our players.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — a global company with offices through the US and abroad in places like Japan and Germany — had a better picture of how the virus was spreading than most .
In late January , Slemon recalls , the team began to discuss how COVID was impacting places like South Korea , Japan , and Italy , the last of which was already in lockdown .
By pulling data from resources like Apple ’ s mobility maps , Niantic was able to track the decline in players ’ walking and get a clearer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were moving .
“ For us , walking is sort of the base thing , ” Slemon says .
“ It ’ s a good trend line to follow just to see how the world generally has responded to COVID , because that app actually doesn ’ t motivate people to do things .
It just kind of helps them do what they ’ re already doing .
It ’ s a good read on how culture is changing around walking.
” Initially , Niantic tweaked its walking requirements and changed its rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That lasted us maybe two and a half , three weeks , ” Slemon says .
More countries were experiencing a surge in cases or even locking down .
“ We realized that we didn ’ t have the expertise or staffing to keep up with the levels of changes that were happening per country around the world.
” Niantic , which weeks before had been rolling out local updates to accommodate COVID , shifted its focus to changes worldwide .
As our understanding of the virus , its impact , and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , so too have protection measures .
States shut down as hospitalizations swell .
Cases rise and fall , making different locations hotspots at different times .
The state of the world has changed at a breakneck pace , making everything more difficult .
Niantic ’ s work was no exception .
The developer created what Slemon calls strike teams , groups to quickly brainstorm and enact new ideas they could roll out in sprints .
It can take as much as nine months for some features to go into effect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t work .
“ We were first at a little bit of a loss ” “ When COVID first happened , one of the things that it necessitated — it wasn ’ t necessarily a change in day-to-day working , it was more of a strategy style change , ” Slemon says .
“ Because of the unpredictability of the situation , we found that the best way to manage things right now is to be as flexible as possible.
” Part of that involved canceling the game ’ s community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We were first at a little bit of a loss ... this is a huge component of what makes Pokémon Go unique , ” says Saron .
“ While it will never be the same as an in-person event where we activate a park , we were able to take a lot of those best elements and encourage communities to come together and have their own Go Fest , whether they needed to stay socially distanced or stayed quarantined.
” Typically an in-person event takes months to plan .
Saron says the team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Niantic has relied on features like remote raids and Team Go Rocket Balloons — air balloons that bring fights to players , rather than make them travel — to make things feel a little more normal .
“ Over time we had to go from that local approach to the global approach of ‘ let ’ s make a bunch of universal changes that will allow people to play no matter their circumstances , ’ ” she says .
“ And of course if they ’ re able to go outside , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s great — but if they ’ re in a situation where they have to quarantine , we also want to make the game accessible for them , too.
” We built [ what ] we did knowing we ’ d be in a world with the pandemic for a while These updates haven ’ t been painless or even without fair criticism .
Advocates like AbleGamers COO Steven Spohn have been asking for accessibility options since 2016 .
In March , in response to Niantic ’ s feature changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality that ‘ only a few players ’ ( 46 mil , btw ) experience is suddenly everybody ’ s reality .
Now , people are finally understanding what disabled gamers have been saying for years : Being Socially Isolated SUCKS .
Leaving your house whenever you wanted was a privilege.
” In a follow-up tweet , Spohn added , “ I ’ m sad it took a global pandemic to bring these accessibility options to life and teach this lesson.
” When asked directly why it took a pandemic to add these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not “ really how we look at some of these changes.
” “ We know the cultural norms have changed all around the world , ” Slemon says .
“ So what it means to be doing things like going outside , exercising , socializing , have all changed .
Zoom chats are common now instead of face-to-face chats , even with friends or family .
We wanted to stay responsive to those times.
” Slemon added that Niantic does “ take seriously problems with accessibility , ” pointing to issues like mobility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accessibility challenges that we do take seriously and we do want to handle .
But this set of changes is really intended to focus on the changes to basically the entire world ’ s cultural norms .
Over time , I think we probably want to have specific changes that target those types of accessibility problems.
” Niantic plans to keep many of the changes it ’ s brought to the game this year , like remote raids , permanently .
This year it celebrated its biggest Go Fest yet , despite being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the feature changes that we did knowing we ’ d be in a world with the pandemic for a while , ” Slemon says .
The game means many things to different people , whether it ’ s as a collection tool , exercise , or staying connected with friends .
“ We tried to find the path that ... whatever we meant to our players , we could continue to be that for them .
At the end of the day , we hope that regardless of how you use Pokémon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find you can do the things that you really wanted to do , regardless of the situation you ’ re in .
”

Pokémon Go was ready to kick off a new major event in March. Battle League — which asks players to walk in order to gain entry — was similar in spirit to many of Niantic’s initiatives within its game, one that encourages players to leave home and socialize. But outside, COVID-19 was beginning to take hold. “I remember being like there’s no way that this could be, there’s no way that this is anything,” says Veronica Saron, Niantic’s product marketing manager. “I was so stupid. I had no idea. None of us had any idea.”
By March, companies were beginning to send their employees to work from home. For Saron, her last day in the office included a meeting with the company’s CEO and a series of talking heads via video call. She hasn’t been back to the office since.
Video games have thrived in the pandemic, with sales hitting all-time highs in roughly a decade. Development, like many other jobs, has continued from home. Even with some delays, studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Sucker Punch, and more have managed to successfully release their big budget games this year. Stuck at home, audiences have been even more eager for experiences to pass the long hours.
The pandemic only makes the stakes higher
Pokémon Go is not like most games. Where titles that found popularity this year, like Animal Crossing or Among Us, are perfectly suited to sitting on the couch, Pokémon Go is about getting up, heading outside, and socializing in real life; look no further than Niatnic’s focus on in-person events every year. That won’t work in a pandemic. Even outdoors, large gatherings can still pose health threats. And though its development now proceeds through continued updates to an existing product, as opposed to the work required for a big, initial launch, Pokémon Go has a unique pressure point: a moral obligation to its players to keep them safe. This has always been the case, as the game has a list of accidents and tragedies tied to its name. The pandemic only makes the stakes higher. It’s ethically dubious to encourage any of your players to get outside, when medical professionals have asked them to not.
“The current issue [of COVID] is existential to our game,” senior product manager Matt Slemon tells The Verge. “And if we just continue on as we’ve been continuing on and build features and sit on them until COVID’s over, that wouldn’t be right by our players.”
In the early days of COVID, Niantic — a global company with offices through the US and abroad in places like Japan and Germany — had a better picture of how the virus was spreading than most. In late January, Slemon recalls, the team began to discuss how COVID was impacting places like South Korea, Japan, and Italy, the last of which was already in lockdown. By pulling data from resources like Apple’s mobility maps, Niantic was able to track the decline in players’ walking and get a clearer picture of just how little its players were moving. “For us, walking is sort of the base thing,” Slemon says. “It’s a good trend line to follow just to see how the world generally has responded to COVID, because that app actually doesn’t motivate people to do things. It just kind of helps them do what they’re already doing. It’s a good read on how culture is changing around walking.”
Initially, Niantic tweaked its walking requirements and changed its rules around legendary pokémon and raids. “That lasted us maybe two and a half, three weeks,” Slemon says. More countries were experiencing a surge in cases or even locking down. “We realized that we didn’t have the expertise or staffing to keep up with the levels of changes that were happening per country around the world.” Niantic, which weeks before had been rolling out local updates to accommodate COVID, shifted its focus to changes worldwide.
As our understanding of the virus, its impact, and how to best combat it has changed rapidly this year, so too have protection measures. States shut down as hospitalizations swell. Cases rise and fall, making different locations hotspots at different times. The state of the world has changed at a breakneck pace, making everything more difficult. Niantic’s work was no exception. The developer created what Slemon calls strike teams, groups to quickly brainstorm and enact new ideas they could roll out in sprints. It can take as much as nine months for some features to go into effect. During COVID, that cadence simply doesn’t work.
“We were first at a little bit of a loss”
“When COVID first happened, one of the things that it necessitated — it wasn’t necessarily a change in day-to-day working, it was more of a strategy style change,” Slemon says. “Because of the unpredictability of the situation, we found that the best way to manage things right now is to be as flexible as possible.”
Part of that involved canceling the game’s community events and embracing remote play. “We were first at a little bit of a loss ... this is a huge component of what makes Pokémon Go unique,” says Saron. “While it will never be the same as an in-person event where we activate a park, we were able to take a lot of those best elements and encourage communities to come together and have their own Go Fest, whether they needed to stay socially distanced or stayed quarantined.”
Typically an in-person event takes months to plan. Saron says the team now has weeks to execute their ideas. Niantic has relied on features like remote raids and Team Go Rocket Balloons — air balloons that bring fights to players, rather than make them travel — to make things feel a little more normal. “Over time we had to go from that local approach to the global approach of ‘let’s make a bunch of universal changes that will allow people to play no matter their circumstances,’” she says. “And of course if they’re able to go outside, go for a walk, socially distance, that’s great — but if they’re in a situation where they have to quarantine, we also want to make the game accessible for them, too.”
We built [what] we did knowing we’d be in a world with the pandemic for a while
These updates haven’t been painless or even without fair criticism. Advocates like AbleGamers COO Steven Spohn have been asking for accessibility options since 2016. In March, in response to Niantic’s feature changes, Spohn tweeted, “The fringe reality that ‘only a few players’ (46 mil, btw) experience is suddenly everybody’s reality. Now, people are finally understanding what disabled gamers have been saying for years: Being Socially Isolated SUCKS. Leaving your house whenever you wanted was a privilege.” In a follow-up tweet, Spohn added, “I’m sad it took a global pandemic to bring these accessibility options to life and teach this lesson.” When asked directly why it took a pandemic to add these features, Slemon said that’s not “really how we look at some of these changes.”
“We know the cultural norms have changed all around the world,” Slemon says. “So what it means to be doing things like going outside, exercising, socializing, have all changed. Zoom chats are common now instead of face-to-face chats, even with friends or family. We wanted to stay responsive to those times.” Slemon added that Niantic does “take seriously problems with accessibility,” pointing to issues like mobility and color blindness. “There are accessibility challenges that we do take seriously and we do want to handle. But this set of changes is really intended to focus on the changes to basically the entire world’s cultural norms. Over time, I think we probably want to have specific changes that target those types of accessibility problems.”


theverge--2020-12-20--This was a good year to listen to ambient music, whatever that is

In the early days of despair , I looked at Spotify and decided that everything sounded bad .
All songs were boring , and I was sick of everything .
What that really meant was I was sick of myself .
But by the summer , I ’ d found the solve : ambient music .
The best music I heard this year was barely music at all .
The notion of “ ambient music ” is pretentious , sure , but the concept is simple .
If most music is centered around some alchemy of melody and rhythm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : tones , moods , atmosphere .
I ’ ve listened to Peel by Nairobi-based artist KMRU roughly once a day since I first heard it in July .
Like most music in the genre , the album is concerned with timbre and texture — a lot of shapeless , ambiguous noise that slowly escalates and envelopes you .
( Or , if you are my sister , you might describe it as “ scary ” and “ ominous ” and “ please turn that off.
” ) Still , it was nice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mornings , which became as much of a ritual for me as taking coffee with oat milk and refreshing the Times ’ updated COVID maps .
Peel — and two other KMRU records released this year , Opaquer and Jar — were quiet revelations for me , especially as someone who tends to listen to the same handful of pop songs on repeat .
Though its production is often lush and maximalist , pop music is compact .
It ’ s designed to be played in many places : on AirPods , blasted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tinny laptop speakers .
It has to sound good everywhere , which is another way of saying that it has to sound the same everywhere .
Pretty depressing when you ’ re going nowhere .
Peel took on a different shape , depending on where I was listening to it — though this year , that just meant which room of the house I was in .
The Sonos in the kitchen made the record sound expansive and often distant .
In my office , where I listened to Peel passively while staring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the resonance seemed to fill every square inch of the room , making me constantly aware of the space ’ s small dimensions .
I ’ d sometimes play it through my phone after waking up — a calm and steadily escalating thrum .
Yet listening to KMRU in the bathroom was too claustrophobic , too annoying , so I ’ d put on Dua Lipa instead .
I even bought Peel on vinyl , not really so I could hear how it sounded , but because I ’ d gotten really used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things online .
And like a lot of things that went through the mail in 2020 , the record still hasn ’ t arrived .
I struggled to find any formal interviews with KMRU , but I did come across a few videos he ’ d done on YouTube .
In one video , he sampled a broken piano he came across on the street , captured on a fuzzy portable mic .
Like a lot of things on YouTube , it turned out to be an ad ( this one for Ableton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ romantic about seeing KMRU ’ s field recording — someone out in the world , collecting precious little sounds , even if the finished product obfuscated their origins too much to be identified .
At least it left something to the imagination .
Browse YouTube for long enough and you start to recognize that video titles have their own kind of SEO .
More than word choice , you see similar constructions over and over that declare what a thing is and who it ’ s for .
This likely makes it easier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recommendation service to serve .
It also allows us to reverse-engineer people ’ s intentions .
Look up footage of nature , and most of it will identify itself as a “ relaxation ” video , which is more of an intention than a genre .
A one-hour 4K video of sunsets in Seattle sells itself as perfect for “ sleep , relaxation , distress , insomnia.
” The meme equivalent is YouTube ’ s anime-inflected “ lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to , ” which has spinoffs for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s background noise by design .
It ’ s basically Muzak .
In the absence of Muzak , we just Muzak ourselves In its heyday — the better part of the 20th century — Muzak was the soundtrack of the mall : familiar , pleasing , and most importantly , inoffensive .
The company went bankrupt over a decade ago , and its assets now operate under a conglomerate called Mood Media .
But if Muzak the corporation left us , its spirit never did .
In many ways , this is what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shuffle on a playlist or let YouTube guide our listening .
Across platforms , a recommendation engine is reactive and reinforcing a suggestion that is , again , familiar , pleasing , and inoffensive .
In the absence of Muzak , we just Muzak ourselves .
Brian Eno coined the term “ ambient music ” to put his work in opposition with Muzak .
As the myth goes , stuck for several hours in a terminal in Cologne , Germany , Eno believed he could write better music for a public space — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frenzied travelers .
The result was the seminal 1978 record Music for Airports .
Not long after , in the mid- ‘ 80s , Japanese electrosynth polymath Haruomi Hosono would write a suite of dulcet songs specifically for Muji stores to set the tone for a pleasing shopping experience .
There ’ s an argument that the sound design of hospitals could save lives .
And in a year when far fewer people around the world traveled or frequented malls and more people were going to the hospital and never leaving , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for Muji and for the morgue ?
You bring it home .
In the days when escapism was fruitless and indulgences were unsatisfying , the music I listened to felt less like feeding an algorithm and more like asserting control over a nonsense year .
Like every personal revelation , it feels obvious in hindsight .
But awareness — mindfulness !
— is an active pursuit : introduce some friction , stay in the present .
I think I always knew what that looked like .
It wasn ’ t until this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Blink a Few Times to Clear Your Eyes - Grand River • Shall We Go on Sinning So That Grace May Increase ?
- The Soft Pink Truth

In the early days of despair, I looked at Spotify and decided that everything sounded bad. All songs were boring, and I was sick of everything. What that really meant was I was sick of myself. But by the summer, I’d found the solve: ambient music. The best music I heard this year was barely music at all.
The notion of “ambient music” is pretentious, sure, but the concept is simple. If most music is centered around some alchemy of melody and rhythm, ambient music eschews that for whatever else: tones, moods, atmosphere.
I’ve listened to Peel by Nairobi-based artist KMRU roughly once a day since I first heard it in July. Like most music in the genre, the album is concerned with timbre and texture — a lot of shapeless, ambiguous noise that slowly escalates and envelopes you. (Or, if you are my sister, you might describe it as “scary” and “ominous” and “please turn that off.”) Still, it was nice to put on something consistent in the mornings, which became as much of a ritual for me as taking coffee with oat milk and refreshing the Times’ updated COVID maps.
Peel — and two other KMRU records released this year, Opaquer and Jar — were quiet revelations for me, especially as someone who tends to listen to the same handful of pop songs on repeat. Though its production is often lush and maximalist, pop music is compact. It’s designed to be played in many places: on AirPods, blasted from a car radio, through your tinny laptop speakers. It has to sound good everywhere, which is another way of saying that it has to sound the same everywhere. Pretty depressing when you’re going nowhere.
Peel took on a different shape, depending on where I was listening to it — though this year, that just meant which room of the house I was in. The Sonos in the kitchen made the record sound expansive and often distant. In my office, where I listened to Peel passively while staring at Google Docs during the workday, the resonance seemed to fill every square inch of the room, making me constantly aware of the space’s small dimensions. I’d sometimes play it through my phone after waking up — a calm and steadily escalating thrum. Yet listening to KMRU in the bathroom was too claustrophobic, too annoying, so I’d put on Dua Lipa instead. I even bought Peel on vinyl, not really so I could hear how it sounded, but because I’d gotten really used to soothing boredom and anxiety by ordering things online. And like a lot of things that went through the mail in 2020, the record still hasn’t arrived.
I struggled to find any formal interviews with KMRU, but I did come across a few videos he’d done on YouTube. In one video, he sampled a broken piano he came across on the street, captured on a fuzzy portable mic. Like a lot of things on YouTube, it turned out to be an ad (this one for Ableton Live). But there was something romantic about seeing KMRU’s field recording — someone out in the world, collecting precious little sounds, even if the finished product obfuscated their origins too much to be identified. At least it left something to the imagination.
KMRU doing field recordings. Courtesy of KMRU
Browse YouTube for long enough and you start to recognize that video titles have their own kind of SEO. More than word choice, you see similar constructions over and over that declare what a thing is and who it’s for. This likely makes it easier for a robot to parse and for a recommendation service to serve.
It also allows us to reverse-engineer people’s intentions. Look up footage of nature, and most of it will identify itself as a “relaxation” video, which is more of an intention than a genre. A one-hour 4K video of sunsets in Seattle sells itself as perfect for “sleep, relaxation, distress, insomnia.” The meme equivalent is YouTube’s anime-inflected “lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to,” which has spinoffs for anxiety and even depression. It’s background noise by design. It’s basically Muzak.
In the absence of Muzak, we just Muzak ourselves
In its heyday — the better part of the 20th century — Muzak was the soundtrack of the mall: familiar, pleasing, and most importantly, inoffensive. The company went bankrupt over a decade ago, and its assets now operate under a conglomerate called Mood Media. But if Muzak the corporation left us, its spirit never did.
In many ways, this is what we do to ourselves when we hit shuffle on a playlist or let YouTube guide our listening. Across platforms, a recommendation engine is reactive and reinforcing a suggestion that is, again, familiar, pleasing, and inoffensive. In the absence of Muzak, we just Muzak ourselves.
Brian Eno coined the term “ambient music” to put his work in opposition with Muzak. As the myth goes, stuck for several hours in a terminal in Cologne, Germany, Eno believed he could write better music for a public space — something calming to ease the bustle of frenzied travelers. The result was the seminal 1978 record Music for Airports. Not long after, in the mid-‘80s, Japanese electrosynth polymath Haruomi Hosono would write a suite of dulcet songs specifically for Muji stores to set the tone for a pleasing shopping experience. There’s an argument that the sound design of hospitals could save lives.
And in a year when far fewer people around the world traveled or frequented malls and more people were going to the hospital and never leaving, what do you do with Music for Airports and for Muji and for the morgue? You bring it home.
In the days when escapism was fruitless and indulgences were unsatisfying, the music I listened to felt less like feeding an algorithm and more like asserting control over a nonsense year. Like every personal revelation, it feels obvious in hindsight. But awareness — mindfulness! — is an active pursuit: introduce some friction, stay in the present. I think I always knew what that looked like. It wasn’t until this year that I knew how it sounded.
Five ambient-ish albums for 2020


theverge--2020-12-20--The best movies of 2020

The best movies of 2020

We didn ’ t go to the movies much this year , but the movies still came to us .
While the convenience of home viewing can ’ t match the experience of watching a spectacle in the dark with others , the other joy of movies — talking about them — is easier than ever , thanks to our connected world .
And 2020 ’ s pandemic sidelined a lot of big blockbusters , leaving smaller , more interesting movies to take center stage .
As silver linings go , this one isn ’ t that bad .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ten incredible movies from a year where movies still rallied to offer experiences that were provocative , compelling , and fun .
One of the best films made in response to the crimes of Harvey Weinstein and the subsequent # MeToo movement , The Assistant follows an assistant ( Julia Garner ) who works at an unnamed movie production company in New York City for one long , miserable day .
Looming over everything is the powerful , predatory boss — never shown or heard except over the phone — whom everyone accommodates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , difficult filmmaking , and a quiet , unblinking condemnation of the ways abuse is allowed to persist .
The biggest surprise of the year was a third Bill & Ted movie , and it was a joyous one in a year short on things to feel good about .
Ironically , it starts with disappointment : Bill and Ted ( Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves ) have somehow not yet written the song that will unite the world , the one promised by Bill & Ted ’ s Excellent Adventure .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and if they don ’ t deliver , the world ’ s going to end .
So they do what they always do : travel through time and space to try to find an easy way out , only to learn that there is so much love and joy to be found if you just commit to doing things the hard way , with the people you love by your side .
The second film in Steve McQueen ’ s Small Axe collection now streaming on Amazon is perhaps its best — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single party , Lovers Rock opens a window into a whole universe via a single extended dance scene , a moment of cinematic bliss unlike any other this year .
Consider this a recommendation for all five Small Axe films , but treat this one as special : it ’ s 70 minutes of falling in love , and that ’ s the best feeling in the world .
An incredible reinvention of a classic Universal monster , The Invisible Man turns the classic ‘ 30s film of a man gone mad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portrait of toxic masculinity .
The remake portrays a woman ’ s ( Elisabeth Moss ) struggles to escape her controlling , abusive , tech-billionaire boyfriend ( Oliver Jackson-Cohen ) and survive his elaborate campaign to gaslight her with his high-tech invisibility suit .
Like the best horror , it leverages the frightening and fantastic to push on something terribly real .
The only big , traditional superhero film we got this year was also the most refreshing .
Birds of Prey is an action movie about the breakup between Harley Quinn ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unseen ) and its messy , violent fallout .
A lean , mean thrill ride with genuinely great action choreography ( a rarity for big superhero movies ! )
, Birds of Prey doubles down on something most action movies are surprisingly bad at : if you ’ re gon na have a fight scene , why not make it look really damn cool ?
While the title delivers on its premise — there is a cow , and it is featured prominently — First Cow is also one of the finest explorations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a movie this year .
A chef , Cookie ( John Magaro ) , and King-Lu , a Chinese immigrant on the run ( Orion Lee ) , form an unlikely bond over a business opportunity : stealing milk from the first and only cow in the Oregon Territory .
What starts as a partnership of convenience becomes a gradual expression of care , one that makes First Cow an irresistibly tender and warm cinematic achievement .
A horror film where the real terror is in contemplating what isn ’ t shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightmare by way of a thinly veiled fictional stand-in : the genocide of the Maya Ixil by a brutal Guatemalan dictator .
( Named Enrique Monteverde in the film , and Efraín Ríos Montt in real life . )
When the former ruler and general ( Julio Diaz ) is acquitted for his war crimes on a technicality , his mansion becomes a haunted house , as unexplainable forces cry for justice .
Masterfully crafted and deeply layered , La Llorona is cinema as remembrance , a film made to bring to light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not — forget .
If you ’ ve never heard of Boys State , let me explain .
It ’ s an annual summer program sponsored by the American Legion where high schoolers spend a week building a government from scratch .
This documentary , which follows a number of boys attending a recent one in Texas , will make you wonder why .
An ingenious subject presented by smart filmmakers , Boys State is an exercise that examines the id of our political process ; teenagers learn how to negotiate the difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about government and what actually succeeds , while they inadvertently replicate our nation ’ s many shortcomings .
Boys State won ’ t fill you with hope , but it also won ’ t fill you with dread .
It ’ s a movie about just how much work we have to do .
When filmmaker Kirsten Johnson learned that her father , Dick , was suffering from dementia , the two agreed to make the long goodbye the diagnosis left them with into a film — specifically , a film where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ die and what might be waiting for him after .
The film is less morbid than that description may seem .
Dick Johnson Is Dead is an incredibly moving work of affection , a documentary about celebrating a loved one ’ s life while they ’ re still here to appreciate it .
It ’ s about how remembering someone is a vital part of loving them .
During the Vietnam War , five soldiers nicknamed themselves Bloods and hid a chest full of gold deep in the jungles in which they fought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; they never forgot that loot or the friend they buried with it .
Da 5 Bloods is a revenge movie disguised as a treasure hunt .
As the four remaining bloods return in the present day to claim their gold , their desire for vengeance drives them .
They ’ re angry at the country that asked them to fight for freedom while denying it from them , at the Vietnamese people whose world they destroyed in the service of that war , and at the very idea of America — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new shapes in the battered name of democracy .
Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee ’ s opus about the wars we never stop fighting , even after the guns are put away .

We didn’t go to the movies much this year, but the movies still came to us. While the convenience of home viewing can’t match the experience of watching a spectacle in the dark with others, the other joy of movies — talking about them — is easier than ever, thanks to our connected world. And 2020’s pandemic sidelined a lot of big blockbusters, leaving smaller, more interesting movies to take center stage. As silver linings go, this one isn’t that bad.
Here, in no particular order, are ten incredible movies from a year where movies still rallied to offer experiences that were provocative, compelling, and fun.
The Assistant
One of the best films made in response to the crimes of Harvey Weinstein and the subsequent #MeToo movement, The Assistant follows an assistant (Julia Garner) who works at an unnamed movie production company in New York City for one long, miserable day. Looming over everything is the powerful, predatory boss — never shown or heard except over the phone — whom everyone accommodates and protects. The Assistant is essential, difficult filmmaking, and a quiet, unblinking condemnation of the ways abuse is allowed to persist.
Bill & Ted Face the Music
The biggest surprise of the year was a third Bill & Ted movie, and it was a joyous one in a year short on things to feel good about. Ironically, it starts with disappointment: Bill and Ted (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) have somehow not yet written the song that will unite the world, the one promised by Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. They’re out of time now, and if they don’t deliver, the world’s going to end.
So they do what they always do: travel through time and space to try to find an easy way out, only to learn that there is so much love and joy to be found if you just commit to doing things the hard way, with the people you love by your side.
Lovers Rock
The second film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe collection now streaming on Amazon is perhaps its best — and also its smallest. Mostly set at a single party, Lovers Rock opens a window into a whole universe via a single extended dance scene, a moment of cinematic bliss unlike any other this year. Consider this a recommendation for all five Small Axe films, but treat this one as special: it’s 70 minutes of falling in love, and that’s the best feeling in the world.
The Invisible Man
An incredible reinvention of a classic Universal monster, The Invisible Man turns the classic ‘30s film of a man gone mad with power after becoming invisible into a portrait of toxic masculinity. The remake portrays a woman’s (Elisabeth Moss) struggles to escape her controlling, abusive, tech-billionaire boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and survive his elaborate campaign to gaslight her with his high-tech invisibility suit. Like the best horror, it leverages the frightening and fantastic to push on something terribly real.
Birds of Prey
The only big, traditional superhero film we got this year was also the most refreshing. Birds of Prey is an action movie about the breakup between Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and the Joker (unseen) and its messy, violent fallout. A lean, mean thrill ride with genuinely great action choreography (a rarity for big superhero movies!), Birds of Prey doubles down on something most action movies are surprisingly bad at: if you’re gonna have a fight scene, why not make it look really damn cool?
First Cow
While the title delivers on its premise — there is a cow, and it is featured prominently — First Cow is also one of the finest explorations of a friendship you’ll see in a movie this year. A chef, Cookie (John Magaro), and King-Lu, a Chinese immigrant on the run (Orion Lee), form an unlikely bond over a business opportunity: stealing milk from the first and only cow in the Oregon Territory. What starts as a partnership of convenience becomes a gradual expression of care, one that makes First Cow an irresistibly tender and warm cinematic achievement.
La Llorona
A horror film where the real terror is in contemplating what isn’t shown, La Llorona wrestles with a real-life nightmare by way of a thinly veiled fictional stand-in: the genocide of the Maya Ixil by a brutal Guatemalan dictator. (Named Enrique Monteverde in the film, and Efraín Ríos Montt in real life.) When the former ruler and general (Julio Diaz) is acquitted for his war crimes on a technicality, his mansion becomes a haunted house, as unexplainable forces cry for justice. Masterfully crafted and deeply layered, La Llorona is cinema as remembrance, a film made to bring to light what we cannot — and should not — forget.
Boys State
If you’ve never heard of Boys State, let me explain. It’s an annual summer program sponsored by the American Legion where high schoolers spend a week building a government from scratch. This documentary, which follows a number of boys attending a recent one in Texas, will make you wonder why.
An ingenious subject presented by smart filmmakers, Boys State is an exercise that examines the id of our political process; teenagers learn how to negotiate the difference between what they’ve been told about government and what actually succeeds, while they inadvertently replicate our nation’s many shortcomings. Boys State won’t fill you with hope, but it also won’t fill you with dread. It’s a movie about just how much work we have to do.
Dick Johnson Is Dead
When filmmaker Kirsten Johnson learned that her father, Dick, was suffering from dementia, the two agreed to make the long goodbye the diagnosis left them with into a film — specifically, a film where they imagine all the ways Dick Johnson might die and what might be waiting for him after.
The film is less morbid than that description may seem. Dick Johnson Is Dead is an incredibly moving work of affection, a documentary about celebrating a loved one’s life while they’re still here to appreciate it. It’s about how remembering someone is a vital part of loving them.
Da 5 Bloods
During the Vietnam War, five soldiers nicknamed themselves Bloods and hid a chest full of gold deep in the jungles in which they fought. Only four made it back home; they never forgot that loot or the friend they buried with it. Da 5 Bloods is a revenge movie disguised as a treasure hunt. As the four remaining bloods return in the present day to claim their gold, their desire for vengeance drives them.


theverge--2020-12-20--If your Cyberpunk 2077 save file becomes too big, it might get corrupted

I can barely go anywhere on the internet without seeing yet another wild , hilarious , or downright odd bug from Cyberpunk 2077 .
It ’ s a buggy game , and developer CD Projekt Red has already released two hotfixes to try and shore up some of the problems .
One issue that ’ s starting to pop up , though , isn ’ t funny at all : some players are reporting that their Cyberpunk 2077 save files are becoming corrupted if they exceed a certain file size ( via Eurogamer ) .
If your Cyberpunk 2077 save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see this prompt when you try and load up the game : “ saved data is damaged and can not be loaded.
” Here ’ s what it looks like : While it ’ s not clear what might be causing save files to be corrupted , it seems it can happen when the saves reach 8MB in size .
Crossing that 8MB threshold is when the save file corrupted for one Redditor , in their testing .
There are also multiple people on CD Projekt Red ’ s forums reporting that their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a GOG.com support document about the corrupted saves prompt , CD Projekt Red says that “ unfortunately the save is damaged and can ’ t be recovered.
” To avoid seeing the prompt , the company recommends using an older save and to “ keep a lower amount of items and crafting materials.
” Theoretically , if your Cyberpunk 2077 save file is larger than 8MB , you ’ ve invested dozens of hours into the game and collected a lot of items .
If I had a corrupted save in part because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a game that ’ s littered with stuff to pick up ) , I know I ’ d be extremely disappointed .
CD Projekt Red says in the save file size limit “ might be increased in one of the future patches ” in the GOG.com support document .
But even if that increase happens , the save files that are currently corrupted will remain so , the document says .
If you are experiencing corrupted saves , a moderator on CD Projekt Red ’ s official Cyberpunk 2077 forums has offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saves that you can try .
The studio has promised to release two large patches for Cyberpunk 2077 next year : one in January and one in February .
Perhaps the company will make changes in those patches to help prevent files from becoming corrupted .
CD Projekt Red didn ’ t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge .

I can barely go anywhere on the internet without seeing yet another wild, hilarious, or downright odd bug from Cyberpunk 2077. It’s a buggy game, and developer CD Projekt Red has already released two hotfixes to try and shore up some of the problems. One issue that’s starting to pop up, though, isn’t funny at all: some players are reporting that their Cyberpunk 2077 save files are becoming corrupted if they exceed a certain file size (via Eurogamer).
If your Cyberpunk 2077 save is corrupted, you’ll apparently see this prompt when you try and load up the game: “saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded.” Here’s what it looks like:
The prompt shown for corrupted saves in Cyberpunk 2077. Image: GOG.com support document
While it’s not clear what might be causing save files to be corrupted, it seems it can happen when the saves reach 8MB in size. Crossing that 8MB threshold is when the save file corrupted for one Redditor, in their testing. There are also multiple people on CD Projekt Red’s forums reporting that their 8MB+ save files are corrupted.
In a GOG.com support document about the corrupted saves prompt, CD Projekt Red says that “unfortunately the save is damaged and can’t be recovered.” To avoid seeing the prompt, the company recommends using an older save and to “keep a lower amount of items and crafting materials.”
Theoretically, if your Cyberpunk 2077 save file is larger than 8MB, you’ve invested dozens of hours into the game and collected a lot of items. If I had a corrupted save in part because I picked up too much stuff (in a game that’s littered with stuff to pick up), I know I’d be extremely disappointed.
CD Projekt Red says in the save file size limit “might be increased in one of the future patches” in the GOG.com support document. But even if that increase happens, the save files that are currently corrupted will remain so, the document says. If you are experiencing corrupted saves, a moderator on CD Projekt Red’s official Cyberpunk 2077 forums has offered some suggestions on how to load backup saves that you can try.


theverge--2020-12-20--New trailers: Bridgerton, Palmer, and more

Hi , I ’ m Jay !
I ’ m subbing in for your usual trailers guide Kim Lyons while she takes a well-deserved holiday break .
I ’ ve really been looking forward to writing this post .
Trailers are fun !
They ’ re like bite-sized movies .
Unfortunately , there weren ’ t a ton of trailers to choose from this week .
I suppose studios don ’ t want to launch big trailers for upcoming blockbusters shortly before everyone takes off for the holidays .
But there were still a few good ones to watch , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Netflix later this week .
Enjoy .
Bridgerton is Shona Rhimes ’ upcoming British period drama for Netflix , the first series resulting from her mega-deal with Netflix .
It looks like it should hit a lot of the expected high points from a period drama , such as a budding relationship between two people of high society , lots of witty one-liners , and extravagant settings , dancing , and costumes .
And I ’ m sure Rhimes ’ influence will make the show all the more exciting .
Bridgerton will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Palmer stars Justin Timberlake as a man trying to rebuild his life after being in prison .
Soon after he returns home , he begins taking care of a small boy , Sam , whose mother has disappeared .
The movie looks like it will focus on how the two help each other overcome their difficulties .
The movie will be released on January 29th on Apple TV Plus .
Nomadland is about a woman , played by Frances McDormand , who hits the road in her van and becomes a nomad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directed by Chloé Zhao , who also directed Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider .
The trailer is beautiful and contemplative — the movie feels like it will be perfect for a quiet night curled up in a blanket .
Nomadland is set for a US theatrical release on February 19th .
Outside the Wire ’ s trailer has lots of athletic jumps , explosions , robots , and loud drumming , so I hope that translates to a fun and campy action movie .
( Basically , it seems like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Netflix ’ s official description for the movie makes me even more intrigued : “ Set in the future , Harp ( Damson Idris ) , a drone pilot , is sent into a deadly militarized zone where he finds himself working for Leo ( Anthony Mackie ) , an android officer , tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do.
” Sweet , I ’ m in .
Outside the Wire will hit Netflix on January 15th .
Disney has also released another short trailer for WandaVision , its upcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elizabeth Olsen stars as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany as Vision .
If you ’ ve been anticipating WandaVision , you won ’ t have to wait long until you can finally watch it — the show premieres on January 15th .

Hi, I’m Jay! I’m subbing in for your usual trailers guide Kim Lyons while she takes a well-deserved holiday break. I’ve really been looking forward to writing this post. Trailers are fun! They’re like bite-sized movies.
Unfortunately, there weren’t a ton of trailers to choose from this week. I suppose studios don’t want to launch big trailers for upcoming blockbusters shortly before everyone takes off for the holidays. But there were still a few good ones to watch, including a trailer for a series launching on Netflix later this week. Enjoy.
Bridgerton
Bridgerton is Shonda Rhimes’ upcoming British period drama for Netflix, the first series resulting from her mega-deal with Netflix. It looks like it should hit a lot of the expected high points from a period drama, such as a budding relationship between two people of high society, lots of witty one-liners, and extravagant settings, dancing, and costumes. And I’m sure Rhimes’ influence will make the show all the more exciting. Bridgerton will be released on Netflix on December 25th.
Palmer
Palmer stars Justin Timberlake as a man trying to rebuild his life after being in prison. Soon after he returns home, he begins taking care of a small boy, Sam, whose mother has disappeared. The movie looks like it will focus on how the two help each other overcome their difficulties. The movie will be released on January 29th on Apple TV Plus.
Nomadland
Nomadland is about a woman, played by Frances McDormand, who hits the road in her van and becomes a nomad. It’s the third movie directed by Chloé Zhao, who also directed Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider. The trailer is beautiful and contemplative — the movie feels like it will be perfect for a quiet night curled up in a blanket. Nomadland is set for a US theatrical release on February 19th.
Outside the Wire
Outside the Wire’s trailer has lots of athletic jumps, explosions, robots, and loud drumming, so I hope that translates to a fun and campy action movie. (Basically, it seems like the opposite of Nomadland.) And Netflix’s official description for the movie makes me even more intrigued: “Set in the future, Harp (Damson Idris), a drone pilot, is sent into a deadly militarized zone where he finds himself working for Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer, tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do.” Sweet, I’m in. Outside the Wire will hit Netflix on January 15th.
WandaVision


theverge--2020-12-20--Frontline essential workers and the elderly next in line for COVID-19 vaccinations in US

Frontline essential workers and people 75 years of age and older in the United States should get COVID-19 vaccines in the next wave of immunizations , an independent committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended .
That group includes about 49 million people .
After those groups are vaccinated , the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ( ACIP ) said doses should go to people between 65 and 74 years old , people between 16 and 65 years old with underlying health conditions , and other essential workers not in groups considered frontline .
Vaccines will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next few months .
The CDC expects that there should be doses available to vaccinate 20 million people in December , 30 million people in January , and 50 million people in February .
“ In this setting , difficult choices have to be made , ” Kathleen Dooling , medical officer at the CDC , said in a presentation to the ACIP .
States and local jurisdictions ultimately make the final decisions around the distribution and prioritization of vaccinations , but the CDC recommendations help shape their approaches .
The first phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and long term care facility residents .
Those groups started to get vaccinated last week , and over 500,000 people in the US have been vaccinated so far .
The ACIP balanced two main goals to make recommendations for the second wave of vaccinations : preventing death and disease and preserving societal function .
Older adults over 75 have the highest risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 .
Frontline essential workers — which the committee says includes firefighters , teachers , grocery store workers , manufacturing workers , and others — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often have to interact with the public , putting them at risk of exposure to the virus .
Keeping those groups healthy will help keep key services running .
“ This approach mitigates health inequities as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in many essential industries , ” Dooling said .
The third group the committee says should be vaccinated includes essential workers like people working in food service , construction , transportation , wastewater , and media .
People between 65 and 74 are also at high risk of hospitalization and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with underlying health conditions like cardiac disease or diabetes .
While the CDC has a list of workplaces that it considers frontline and essential , different states will set those designations in different ways .
Various interest groups are lobbying states to include their workers in early vaccination groups — Uber , for example , asked states to prioritize its drivers .
Distributing vaccines to the second and third wave of priority groups will be difficult .
It ’ s hard to determine eligibility , for example , and reaching essential workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take time off of work , or may live in rural areas ) is a challenge .
Committee members stressed the importance of adequate funding for vaccine distribution .
Money was funneled into vaccine development , which led to the overwhelmingly effective final products .
Local health departments need the same level of investment in vaccination programs .
The vaccines are Cadillacs , Jeffrey Duchin , a health officer in King County , Washington , said during the meeting .
“ But they ’ ve come with empty gas tanks , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed with COVID-19 in the US each day , and over 2,500 people are dying from the disease every day .

Frontline essential workers and people 75 years of age and older in the United States should get COVID-19 vaccines in the next wave of immunizations, an independent committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended. That group includes about 49 million people.
After those groups are vaccinated, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said doses should go to people between 65 and 74 years old, people between 16 and 65 years old with underlying health conditions, and other essential workers not in groups considered frontline.
Vaccines will be in limited supply through at least the next few months. The CDC expects that there should be doses available to vaccinate 20 million people in December, 30 million people in January, and 50 million people in February. “In this setting, difficult choices have to be made,” Kathleen Dooling, medical officer at the CDC, said in a presentation to the ACIP.
States and local jurisdictions ultimately make the final decisions around the distribution and prioritization of vaccinations, but the CDC recommendations help shape their approaches.
The first phase of vaccinations are going to health care workers and long term care facility residents. Those groups started to get vaccinated last week, and over 500,000 people in the US have been vaccinated so far.
The ACIP balanced two main goals to make recommendations for the second wave of vaccinations: preventing death and disease and preserving societal function. Older adults over 75 have the highest risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Frontline essential workers — which the committee says includes firefighters, teachers, grocery store workers, manufacturing workers, and others — are unable to work from home and often have to interact with the public, putting them at risk of exposure to the virus. Keeping those groups healthy will help keep key services running.
Slide from a presentation on vaccine prioritization. CDC
“This approach mitigates health inequities as racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in many essential industries,” Dooling said.
The third group the committee says should be vaccinated includes essential workers like people working in food service, construction, transportation, wastewater, and media. People between 65 and 74 are also at high risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, as are younger people with underlying health conditions like cardiac disease or diabetes.
While the CDC has a list of workplaces that it considers frontline and essential, different states will set those designations in different ways. Various interest groups are lobbying states to include their workers in early vaccination groups — Uber, for example, asked states to prioritize its drivers.
Distributing vaccines to the second and third wave of priority groups will be difficult. It’s hard to determine eligibility, for example, and reaching essential workers (who may not be able to take time off of work, or may live in rural areas) is a challenge. Committee members stressed the importance of adequate funding for vaccine distribution. Money was funneled into vaccine development, which led to the overwhelmingly effective final products. Local health departments need the same level of investment in vaccination programs. The vaccines are Cadillacs, Jeffrey Duchin, a health officer in King County, Washington, said during the meeting. “But they’ve come with empty gas tanks,” he said.


theverge--2020-12-20--Ninja’s Fall Guys skin is now available

Ninja’s Fall Guys skin is now available

Fall Guys developer Mediatonic has added a skin based on the hugely-popular streamer Tyler “ Ninja ” Blevins to the game .
The skin ’ s arrival follows a two-week charity bidding war in August to have a custom skin added to the game .
Blevins , G2 Esports , Aim Lab , and Jimmy “ MrBeast ” Donaldson pledged a combined $ 1 million to Special Effect , which helps people with physical disabilities find ways to play video games .
Here ’ s a couple photos the Ninja skin in-game , courtesy of the Fall Guys Twitter account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jelly bean-sized version of the Ninja skin that was added to Fortnite in January .
The Ninja skin isn ’ t the first crossover added to Fall Guys — Mediatonic has already offered skins like an adorable Godzilla , Gato Roboto from the game Gato Roboto , and even skins based off of iconic Valve characters .
It ’ s unclear when the skins based on G2 Esports , Aim Lab , and Donaldson will be added to the game .
Mediatonic hasn ’ t replied to a request for comment .
Fall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on December 15th .

Fall Guys developer Mediatonic has added a skin based on the hugely-popular streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins to the game. The skin’s arrival follows a two-week charity bidding war in August to have a custom skin added to the game. Blevins, G2 Esports, Aim Lab, and Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson pledged a combined $1 million to Special Effect, which helps people with physical disabilities find ways to play video games.
Here’s a couple photos the Ninja skin in-game, courtesy of the Fall Guys Twitter account. It looks kind of like a jelly bean-sized version of the Ninja skin that was added to Fortnite in January.
The Ninja skin isn’t the first crossover added to Fall Guys — Mediatonic has already offered skins like an adorable Godzilla, Gato Roboto from the game Gato Roboto, and even skins based off of iconic Valve characters.
It’s unclear when the skins based on G2 Esports, Aim Lab, and Donaldson will be added to the game. Mediatonic hasn’t replied to a request for comment.


theverge--2020-12-20--Stanford algorithm decided to vaccinate only seven of its frontline COVID-19 workers, out of 5,000 d

Stanford algorithm decided to vaccinate only seven of its frontline COVID-19 workers, out of 5,000 doses

An algorithm determining which Stanford Medicine employees would receive its 5,000 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine included just seven medical residents / fellows on the list , according to a December 17th letter sent from Stanford Medicine ’ s chief resident council .
Stanford Medicine leadership has since apologized and promised to re-evaluate the plan .
“ We take complete responsibility for the errors in the execution of our vaccine distribution plan , ” a Stanford Medicine spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge .
“ Our intent was to develop an ethical and equitable process for distribution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our entire community , including our residents , fellows , and other frontline care providers , who have performed heroically during our pandemic response .
We are immediately revising our plan to better sequence the distribution of the vaccine.
” The initial plan led to demonstrations from medical staff in addition to the letter sent by the chief resident council .
“ Stanford ’ s decision to de-prioritize residents and fellows is defenseless on the basis of science , reason , ethics , and equality , ” the letter said .
( ProPublica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
“ Many of us know senior faculty who have worked from home since the pandemic began in March 2020 , with no in-person patient responsibilities , who were selected for vaccination .
In the meantime , we residents and fellows strap on N95 masks for the tenth month of this pandemic without a transparent and clear plan for our protection in place.
” The residents ’ letter also alleges that the error in the algorithm was found on Tuesday but that leadership opted not to make changes to the plan ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s how the algorithm reportedly worked , according to NPR : According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents , Stanford ’ s leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine .
The algorithm was said to have prioritized those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections , along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital .
Residents apparently did not have an assigned location , and along with their typically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the priority list .
Stanford Medicine administration also sent an email to staff on December 18th apologizing for the initial plan and promising changes .
“ We are working quickly to address the flaws in our plan and develop a revised version , ” the email said , which was obtained by ProPublica health care reporter Caroline Chen .
“ We are optimistic that a large shipment of vaccines will arrive next week , which will allow us to vaccinate a substantial segment of our community.
” The Food and Drug Administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US .
The vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech was authorized on December 11th , and the one developed by Moderna was authorized on December 18th .

An algorithm determining which Stanford Medicine employees would receive its 5,000 initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine included just seven medical residents / fellows on the list, according to a December 17th letter sent from Stanford Medicine’s chief resident council. Stanford Medicine leadership has since apologized and promised to re-evaluate the plan.
“We take complete responsibility for the errors in the execution of our vaccine distribution plan,” a Stanford Medicine spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. “Our intent was to develop an ethical and equitable process for distribution of the vaccine. We apologize to our entire community, including our residents, fellows, and other frontline care providers, who have performed heroically during our pandemic response. We are immediately revising our plan to better sequence the distribution of the vaccine.”
The initial plan led to demonstrations from medical staff in addition to the letter sent by the chief resident council.
“Stanford’s decision to de-prioritize residents and fellows is defenseless on the basis of science, reason, ethics, and equality,” the letter said. (ProPublica has hosted the full letter on DocumentCloud.) “Many of us know senior faculty who have worked from home since the pandemic began in March 2020, with no in-person patient responsibilities, who were selected for vaccination. In the meantime, we residents and fellows strap on N95 masks for the tenth month of this pandemic without a transparent and clear plan for our protection in place.”
The residents’ letter also alleges that the error in the algorithm was found on Tuesday but that leadership opted not to make changes to the plan ahead of its December 17th release.
Here’s how the algorithm reportedly worked, according to NPR:
According to an email sent by a chief resident to other residents, Stanford’s leaders explained that an algorithm was used to assign its first allotment of the vaccine. The algorithm was said to have prioritized those health care workers at highest risk for COVID infections, along with factors like age and the location or unit where they work in the hospital. Residents apparently did not have an assigned location, and along with their typically young age, they were dropped low on the priority list.
Stanford Medicine administration also sent an email to staff on December 18th apologizing for the initial plan and promising changes. “We are working quickly to address the flaws in our plan and develop a revised version,” the email said, which was obtained by ProPublica health care reporter Caroline Chen. “We are optimistic that a large shipment of vaccines will arrive next week, which will allow us to vaccinate a substantial segment of our community.”


theverge--2020-12-20--Cooking videos were one small savior of 2020

Early one morning , a week after the pandemic started , chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt strapped a GoPro to his head and filmed himself making breakfast .
In the video , you can see López-Alt rummaging through his fridge , slicing and frying bacon , and peeling a bit of egg off a pan to give to his excited dog .
There ’ s no recipe beneath the video , no voice-over instructions detailing what we ’ re seeing — it ’ s just a guy in a kitchen making breakfast .
Videos like these became both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the pandemic , as a world of people realized they would be stuck at home indefinitely with their own ( not necessarily stunning ) cooking , and a little extra time to put into it .
Food and drink streams surged in popularity on Twitch , doubling in hours watched year over year in August , according to StreamElements and Arsenal.gg .
On YouTube , “ cook with me ” videos more than doubled in popularity starting in March and maintained that growth through October , YouTube told the Associated Press .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do stuff in the kitchen , ” said López-Alt , author of The Food Lab : Better Home Cooking Through Science .
His own videos lack the polish and perfect cuts of a professional show and include the slip-ups he makes along the way .
“ It gives them permission to make mistakes.
” Cooking shows have been around for a century , but new formats online have revitalized the genre in recent years .
On YouTube in particular , you can find step-by-step instructional lessons , personal “ cook with me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like stuffing McDonald ’ s burgers and nuggets into an oversized burrito .
On Twitch , chefs and home cooks broadcast themselves live from their kitchen as they prepare meals .
And on TikTok , you can watch videos teaching you how to make a new dish in under a minute .
Many hosts noticed a pickup in views and engagement as the pandemic went on .
“ It definitely has been skyrocket high with the views on things you can do at home , ” Zahria Harvey , whose YouTube channel XO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with me ” videos , told The Verge .
Harvey says one viewer wrote in about making an affordable date night meal featured on her channel for an anniversary dinner because she couldn ’ t go out to dinner .
“ It was like wow , these videos are actually helping a lot of people during this time , ” Harvey said .
The influx of new viewers has also meant more live interaction for hosts on Twitch .
“ I find that the community is way more vocal and involved past March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photographer and former sushi chef who runs the channel The Hunger Service , told The Verge .
L.A. ’ s streams typically run for three to four hours and show him preparing and cooking a meal , talking through his process as he ’ s working .
As he cooks , viewers ask questions about the process , like how sharp a knife needs to be or how to turn a recipe vegan .
For López-Alt , who ’ s known for his Serious Eats column , his channel became a fun outlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The format he locked into — strapping a GoPro to his head — is what made video finally click for him , and it helped him reach viewers who weren ’ t familiar with his writing .
“ The food I cook on my channel is stuff I was generally making for lunch and for dinner , ” López-Alt said .
“ I could do it consistently , people seemed to like it , [ and ] I enjoyed making it.
” Viewers told him the videos were a bright spot and were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some creators have found that the surge in interest in their channels extends beyond cooking .
Remi Cruz , a popular YouTuber who frequently features cooking on her two channels , said that people have been more interested in basically anything you can do at home .
For “ vlogmas , ” she ’ s been using cooking to fill the gap where she ’ d normally vlog about outdoor activities and holiday shopping .
“ I ’ ve just been implementing some sort of cooking-related thing every day , and people genuinely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verge .
Viewers won ’ t always end up cooking what they see , but these videos can still make their time in the kitchen a bit more fun — or at least , distract them while they think about the great meals they ’ ll eventually go back out to a restaurant and order .
“ People are looking for some sort of comfort , ” L.A. said .
“ Comfort food is a thing , and watching these shows can offer that comfort .
You may not be making it at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Early one morning, a week after the pandemic started, chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt strapped a GoPro to his head and filmed himself making breakfast. In the video, you can see López-Alt rummaging through his fridge, slicing and frying bacon, and peeling a bit of egg off a pan to give to his excited dog. There’s no recipe beneath the video, no voice-over instructions detailing what we’re seeing — it’s just a guy in a kitchen making breakfast.
Videos like these became both much-needed entertainment and valuable educational resources early in the pandemic, as a world of people realized they would be stuck at home indefinitely with their own (not necessarily stunning) cooking, and a little extra time to put into it. Food and drink streams surged in popularity on Twitch, doubling in hours watched year over year in August, according to StreamElements and Arsenal.gg. On YouTube, “cook with me” videos more than doubled in popularity starting in March and maintained that growth through October, YouTube told the Associated Press.
“It gives [viewers] confidence to do stuff in the kitchen,” said López-Alt, author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science. His own videos lack the polish and perfect cuts of a professional show and include the slip-ups he makes along the way. “It gives them permission to make mistakes.”
Cooking shows have been around for a century, but new formats online have revitalized the genre in recent years. On YouTube in particular, you can find step-by-step instructional lessons, personal “cook with me” vlogs, and stomach-churning food challenges like stuffing McDonald’s burgers and nuggets into an oversized burrito. On Twitch, chefs and home cooks broadcast themselves live from their kitchen as they prepare meals. And on TikTok, you can watch videos teaching you how to make a new dish in under a minute.
Many hosts noticed a pickup in views and engagement as the pandemic went on. “It definitely has been skyrocket high with the views on things you can do at home,” Zahria Harvey, whose YouTube channel XO. ZAHRIAAA is known for “cook with me” videos, told The Verge. Harvey says one viewer wrote in about making an affordable date night meal featured on her channel for an anniversary dinner because she couldn’t go out to dinner. “It was like wow, these videos are actually helping a lot of people during this time,” Harvey said.
The influx of new viewers has also meant more live interaction for hosts on Twitch. “I find that the community is way more vocal and involved past March this year,” L.A., a photographer and former sushi chef who runs the channel The Hunger Service, told The Verge. L.A.’s streams typically run for three to four hours and show him preparing and cooking a meal, talking through his process as he’s working. As he cooks, viewers ask questions about the process, like how sharp a knife needs to be or how to turn a recipe vegan.
For López-Alt, who’s known for his Serious Eats column, his channel became a fun outlet for both him and his viewers. The format he locked into — strapping a GoPro to his head — is what made video finally click for him, and it helped him reach viewers who weren’t familiar with his writing. “The food I cook on my channel is stuff I was generally making for lunch and for dinner,” López-Alt said. “I could do it consistently, people seemed to like it, [and] I enjoyed making it.” Viewers told him the videos were a bright spot and were helping them learn how to cook.
Some creators have found that the surge in interest in their channels extends beyond cooking. Remi Cruz, a popular YouTuber who frequently features cooking on her two channels, said that people have been more interested in basically anything you can do at home. For “vlogmas,” she’s been using cooking to fill the gap where she’d normally vlog about outdoor activities and holiday shopping. “I’ve just been implementing some sort of cooking-related thing every day, and people genuinely love it,” Cruz told The Verge.
Viewers won’t always end up cooking what they see, but these videos can still make their time in the kitchen a bit more fun — or at least, distract them while they think about the great meals they’ll eventually go back out to a restaurant and order.