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The Weekender: faking fanfiction, feeling fame, and fighting for the Arctic

The Weekender: faking fanfiction, feeling fame, and fighting for the Arctic

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The best of the week gone by

By Jacob Kastrenakes, a deputy editor who oversees tech and news coverage. Since joining The Verge in 2012, he’s published 5,000+ stories and is the founding editor of the creators desk.

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via assets.sbnation.com

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 Verge 50

    Meet the people who have changed our lives, kept us informed, entertained us, and dreamed bigger than anyone thought possible. Together, they make up The Verge 50.

  • Review

    'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' review: too much of a good thing

    How do you turn a short children's novel into a sprawling, epic adventure? The Desolation of Smaug might encapsulate exactly how Peter Jackson's The Hobbit series is making it happen: through new adventures, stunning landscapes, and plenty of action.

  • Feature

    The worst thing ever written

    Fanfiction has a bad reputation as an uncreative outlet for teenagers' unchecked emotions. But sometimes, something truly special emerges: a piece that's at once so terrible and so brilliant that it questions how we read fiction in the first place.

  • Report

    Cold wars: why Canada wants to claim the North Pole

    The Arctic could become the next big battleground for members of the UN. Countries up north are looking into ways to stake their claim, but none of the Arctic's neighbors appear eager to lose ground.

  • Review

    Qualcomm Toq review: a brief glimpse at the future of smartwatches

    Qualcomm's Toq isn't a smartwatch that you'll want to buy, but it's certainly one that you'll want to pay attention to. Here's why the Toq could be a showcase for smartwatches to come.

  • Report

    'Doom' at 20: John Carmack's hellspawn changed gaming forever

    Doom turned 20 years old this week. To celebrate, we caught up with its creator and a number of modern game designers to talk about how much of an impact it's had on first-person shooters and the game industry as a whole.

  • Report & Gallery

    'Because the Internet': online fame gives Donald Glover the feels

    Donald Glover's latest Childish Gambino release is all about the power of modern media and the web. We caught up with Glover at a party promoting the album to see how Tumblr and the internet at large play into the concerns he surfaces on his new LP.

  • Report

    Bitcoin is too cheap for its own good

    Bitcoin's wild fluctuations ought to make it a nonstarter as a legitimate currency, but some businesses and economists are starting to think otherwise. So what will it take to finally legitimize Bitcoin and stop its constant cycle of boom and bust?

  • Review

    Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus review

    Rather than toying with form factors, Samsung just wants to build the best traditional laptop that it can. And it does a pretty great job: the Ativ Book 9 Plus has an amazing display and a sleek body, and it could be among the best ultrabooks out there.

  • Report

    Dengue fever is back: why the dangerous disease is here to stay

    California officials are hoping to eradicate a disease-spreading mosquito before it returns Dengue fever to the United States. But despite their efforts, there's a good chance that it's now too late to be stopped.

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