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The Weekender: robotic research, Bitcoin burglary, and arcade addiction

The Weekender: robotic research, Bitcoin burglary, and arcade addiction

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The best of the week gone by

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Welcome to The Verge: Weekender edition. Every Saturday, we'll bring you some of the best and most important reads of the past seven days, from original reports, to in-depth features, to reviews and interviews. Think of it as a collection of some of our favorite pieces that you may have missed — or that you may just want to read again. You can follow along below, or keep up to date on Flipboard.

  • Feature

    The world's 13th-best Donkey Kong player has something to prove

    One night in 2012, Shaun Boyd made it to the final screen of Donkey Kong, setting a record score that he hasn't been able to match since. Now ranked 13th in the world, we joined him for the annual tournament of top Kong players to watch him fight for the throne.

  • Report

    Inside the secret robot lab that's shaking up science

    Can a Silicon Valley startup revolutionize life-science research? Transcriptic thinks it can by creating a cheap and easy way for biologists to do everything from cloning to biobanking. We visited the company's labs to see what the future of research might look like.

  • Review

    'Her' review: Spike Jonze's sci-fi love story rethinks romance

    Spike Jonze has made some of the most mind-bending and emotional movies out there, and he's back this week with Her, a look at what it's like to fall in love with AI. It may be a sci-fi conceit for now, but the future isn't all that far off.

  • Report

    How to steal Bitcoin in three easy steps

    Stealing Bitcoin is a lot like stealing any other currency: you grab it, launder it, and get away. But what extra work is involved in pulling it all off with a digital currency that leaves behind a trail of everywhere that it goes?

  • Review

    Sony Alpha A7 and A7R review

    Digital cameras are about to go through a major change. Sony's Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R may only be step one, but they're are kicking off a wave of portable, high-quality cameras with prices that the average consumer might be able to stomach.

  • Report

    Avegant Glyph: the virtual reality headset made for the mainstream

    Avegant is building a VR headset that can project 3D worlds right into your eyes. If you think they look a lot like a pair of headphones, you'd be right: the Glyph can stay on your head all day for listening to music, and then flip down into VR mode when you're ready for gaming.

  • Report

    Google and SpaceX revive the search for impractical inventions

    A Los Angeles museum wants to see wild, artistic ideas come to life, and it's giving creators thousands of dollars in funding and the help of big tech names including Google, SpaceX, and Nvidia to make it happen.

  • Interview

    Final delivery: David X. Cohen on the end of 'Futurama'

    Now that Futurama is over for good, we caught up with the show's head writer, David X. Cohen, to talk about what he learned about melding sci-fi with comedy, which episodes were his favorite, and what impact the series has had throughout its long and irregular run.

  • Review

    Sony Xperia Z Ultra and Z Ultra Google Play Edition review

    Sony's Xperia Z Ultra pushes the size limits on what it means to be a smartphone with its 6.4-inch display. It comes in two versions too: one with Sony's software, and one with Google's — and this time, Sony might actually have built the better version of Android.

  • Report

    Madagascar battles the Black Death

    One of the worst plague outbreaks in years has left dozens dead in Madagascar. Researchers know they can battle the disease with antibiotics, but getting the drugs out to the country's most remote locations won't be easy.