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Sci-fi epics, soccer sims, and much more.

This week’s new entertainment releases cover a lot of ground. To start, there’s plenty on Netflix: the dark animated series Castlevania: Nocturne, the crime thriller Reptile, and Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Meanwhile, Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic The Creator is in theaters, Counter Strike 2 is out on PC, EA Sports FC 24 is available on PC and console, and a new batch of Playdate games dropped.


<em>Castlevania: Nocturne.</em>

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Castlevania: Nocturne.
Image: Netflix
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“A platform in transformation”

is X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s description of the state of her company.

CNBC interviewer Julia Boorstin had been pushing Yaccarino for hard numbers on the state of X — whether it’s growing, shrinking, turning a profit. Yaccarino said, essentially, none of that matters as long as there’s no social media equivalent to X.


AMD CEO Lisa Su on the AI revolution and competing with Nvidia

At this year’s Code Conference, the CEO of one of the world’s largest computer chip companies discusses competing with Nvidia’s leading GPU, AI regulation, and the global supply chain.

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AI antics at Paris Fashion Week.

Parisian brand Coperni can’t resist a fashion show stunt. This is the same company that orchestrated the viral Bella Hadid spray-on dress moment last year, followed by robot dogs shortly after.

This season, Coperni sent models down the runway wearing Humane’s “Ai Pin,” a buzzy and mysterious device that we don’t know much about yet. I say “stunt” because it doesn’t seem like they... used it at all?


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Don’t throw away your free at-home Covid tests from last year yet.

The government just extended the shelf life of some at-home tests in addition to announcing it’ll offer them for free again earlier this week. That means you might be able to use the tests you ordered last year, even if the kit “expired” in the past month. Just look up your kit in this table and click on the “extended expiration date” link to find out how much longer it’ll last.


At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

[U.S. Food and Drug Administration]

Mark Zuckerberg on Threads, the future of AI, and Quest 3

In a rare interview, Meta’s CEO dives into where AI is going next, the new Quest 3 headset, and his ongoing rivalry with Elon Musk.

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What does it really mean to be CEO of X?

Linda Yaccarino didn’t quite answer that question while onstage at Code, but she did pose a question that, frankly, feels easier to answer: “Who wouldn’t want Elon Musk sitting by their side running product?”


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Bard could soon remember details from your previous conversations.

Google’s AI chatbot might get a new “Memory” feature that keeps track of your personal preferences and other important details, according to an early version of Bard’s UI viewed by 9to5Google. Bard may then use this information to tailor its future responses.

As shown in a screenshot shared by 9to5Google, this may mean you won’t have to remind Bard that you avoid eating meat when asking it to find recipes, or that you have two kids when prompting it to come up with a vacation itinerary.


Today on The Vergecast: Meta’s good headsets and weird AI, the end of the writers strike, and ... that interview.

First we run through the greatest hits of the Code Conference (including Linda Yaccarino’s interview, which was ... something!). Then we catch up on all the news from Meta Connect, how Hollywood is approaching AI and data going forward, the Logitech racing chair of Nilay’s dreams, and much more. It’s The Vergecast, the flagship podcast of publishing late today.


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A very pretty restoration of a silent film is free to watch until midnight tonight.

The Signal Tower from 1924 was restored from a 16mm copy back in 2019 and got a new score in 2020. The film is a guy who changes railroad signals at the foot of a mountain. Everything is great until he and his wife reluctantly allow a fellow employee to board with them.

The film is considered one of the best of Universal’s early ones and what’s really impressive is just how goregously shot all its very real trains (and occasional train models) are. The film is a real treat and a good illustration of just how far (and in some cases not far) filmmaking has come.

It’s not embeddable but you can watch the whole film here. I’ve got it casting from my phone to my TV as we speak.


Silent Movie Day

[San Francisco Silent Film Festival]

New Ploopy alert!

From the makers of the Ploopy Classic, Ploopy Nano, Ploopy Mini, and Ploopy Headphones, it’s the Ploopy Adept! Like Ploopy’s other trackballs, it’s 3D-printed and open-source. This one is more like a Kensington Slimblade than the company’s previous designs. Trackball sickos rejoice.


Five Ploopy Adept trackballs in different colors on a yellow background. From front: Red case with an eight-ball trackball, brown with brown, blue with green, yellow with red, and purple with pink
The Ploopy Adept is an open-source 3D-printed slimblade-style DIY trackball, which is among the most beautiful phrases in the English language.
Ploopyco

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses hands-on: in pursuit of content

Unlike the original, I kind of see where Meta’s going with its second-gen smart glasses.

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Gmail’s client-side encryption now works on mobile for businesses that use Workspace.

After rolling out client-side encryption for Gmail on the web earlier this year, now Android and iOS business users can read and write encrypted messages, too.

The company announced the update on its Workspace blog and provided instructions on how to set it up. With the feature enabled, Google says “sensitive data in the email body and attachments are indecipherable to Google servers.”


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Gran Turismo Sport’s online services are shutting down.

The PlayStation 4 exclusive, first released in 2017, will stop offering online services on January 31st, 2024. From that point on, you’ll no longer be able to access Gran Turismo Sport’s community, open lobby, or sport mode.

But before that wider shutdown, developer Polyphony Digital says it will stop selling in-game add-on items, such as new vehicles and DLC, on December 1st, 2023.


A gaming chair they’ll have to peel you out of.

Secret Lab made a gaming chair that’s themed around Fortnite’s humanoid banana Peeley. Maybe this is where Peeley unwinds after a day in court.


An image of Secret Lab’s Peeley-themed chair.
Does Peeley like to eat bananas?
Image: Secret Lab
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Act fast.

Analogue’s slick, retro-styled transparent version of the Pocket handheld goes on sale very soon: you can buy it starting at 11AM ET on the company’s site. It’s a limited edition, so you’ll want to move quickly.


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Netflix sends out its final DVDs today.

It’s the end of an era: Netflix’s 25-year-old DVD service officially comes to a close today. The streamer is sending out its last round of DVDs (which may include some bonus ones, too) to its remaining subscribers, who will get to keep their last discs as a memento of the red envelope service.


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The Fisker Ocean doesn’t make you choose between a portrait or landscape infotainment screen.

Because it gives you both. You can press a button below the screen and watch it rotate between positions all by itself.

Why do you want this? I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s a reason. Verge transportation editor Andy Hawkins thinks it’s just another thing that will break, to which I say go away grandpa!