This week we're totally blowing up our site: we've given our reporters and editors the entire week to play with new tools and experiment with new storytelling ideas, while members of our amazing product team have gathered in New York to help build all sorts of interesting new things. We've also invited people from across Vox Media to write us editorials about the future — look for pieces from Vox.com editor-in-chief Ezra Klein, Eater editor-in-chief Amanda Kludt, Racked national editor Leslie Price, senior product manager (and former Editorially CEO) Mandy Brown, Vox Media editorial director Lockhart Steele, and many, many others. It's going to be crazy.
Aug 23, 2014, 6:00 PM UTCMike Case
Our future government will work more like Amazon
There is a lot of government in the United States. Several hundred federal agencies, 535 voting members in two houses of Congress, more than 90,000 state and local governments, and over 20 million Americans involved in public service.We say we...
Aug 22, 2014, 6:46 PM UTCRyan Gantz
The future of self-driving cars: welcome to Autocon 2035
Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and fellow Sentients! Welcome to the 20th annual Autocon, presented by Google Motors and Lockheed-Uber. I know you’re all excited for new product demos, and to learn what the pending merger of our two companies...
Aug 22, 2014, 6:21 PM UTCDan Rubenstein
In the future, we'll all be like my grandfather
As essentially impossible as it is to be completely encouraged about the future of media or technology, there may be nothing that drives my optimism and ability to (hopefully) put things in their proper perspective than my grandfather Ben, who passed
Aug 22, 2014, 3:34 PM UTCKatie Drummond and Carl Franzen
These are the 23 most viral cats of all time
We're pawsitive you'll love this...
Aug 22, 2014, 3:20 PM UTCRuss Frushtick
Will owning a FitBit finally make me cool?
In the early 1990s, the power of the slap bracelet was unquestioned. It was a dangerous tool, wielded by the most popular and fashionable members of my second grade class. Wannabes would cluster around, ogling the latest acquisition, be it a...
Aug 22, 2014, 2:55 PM UTCMichael Zelenko
Check out the first generation of your favorite websites
What did the hompages of the NBA, McDonald's, Yahoo! and more look like in 1996?
Aug 22, 2014, 2:35 PM UTCThomas Houston
It's all in the details: these miniatures changed movies
Perhaps it’s having grown up in the ’80s and a hearty dose of nostalgia in the face of overwrought visual effects in modern movies, but there’s something indescribably powerful about the special effects in films like Blade Runner
Aug 22, 2014, 2:29 PM UTCSean O'Kane
The best vines from space (so far)
The first tweet from space was sent in 2009 — but considering how rapidly social media platforms grow, it's kind of amazing how long it's taken for astronauts to start using other...
Aug 22, 2014, 2:21 PM UTCRoss Miller
Every Simpsons episode ever, as reviewed by you (a work in progress)
We've asked The Verge community to help us review every episode of The Simpsons during its 12-day FXX marathon — that's 552 episodes
Aug 22, 2014, 2:06 PM UTCLeslie Price
Screw perfection: the new normal on social media is just normal
Aesthetically driven, the fashion, beauty, and health industries have glommed on to Instagram and other visual-sharing platforms, with users uploading streams of inspirational, FOMO-inducing photos. Whether it's hot dog legs on the beach; a pretty...
Aug 22, 2014, 11:45 AM UTCSam Byford
How does the iPhone hold up against a serious camera?
It’s true that the iPhone 5S takes better pictures than just about any other smartphone, but how does it compare against a "real" camera? We put it up against the Fujifilm's X-T1 to find out.
Aug 21, 2014, 7:19 PM UTCChristopher Grant
Why 'P.T.' is more exciting than 'Silent Hills,' and the future of the video game demo
A mysterious new horror game for PlayStation 4 — simply titled P.T. — was revealed last week during Sony's Gamescom press conference in Germany. Not only that, it was in development by the wholly unknown 7780s Studio... and a demo was available...
Aug 21, 2014, 6:56 PM UTCNathan Cykiert
The Hollywood stars who should play your favorite tech executives
When a group of San Francisco residents unite to turn Silicon Valley into a locally run farmers market, tech titans Steve Ballmer, Marissa Mayer, Tim Cook, and Larry Page must put their differences aside in order save their beloved town.
Aug 21, 2014, 5:33 PM UTCRoss Miller
See the world's magazine covers from the day 'The Simpsons' premiered
In honor of the marathon, which kicked off this morning, here's what your newsstand probably looked on the day of the premiere. Just remember: we once lived in a world where Sean Connery was People's Sexiest Man Alive.
Aug 21, 2014, 4:56 PM UTCAmanda Kludt
Can the restaurants of the future be good to people?
The future of the restaurant industry — if all the startups and venture firms have their way — will be devoid of inefficiencies. Apps like Foursquare, Yelp, and many others aim to improve discovery, getting diners to the food they want when and...
Aug 21, 2014, 1:51 PM UTCDavid Pierce
Messenger warfare: I put same-day delivery to the test
Twenty years ago last week, Phil Brandenberger paid $12.48 plus shipping for Sting's album "Ten Summoners' Tales." He was the first person to buy something on the internet. In his honor, I fired up Spotify and searched for the album. Before you ca
Aug 21, 2014, 1:28 PM UTCJoe Alicata
The future of the home screen isn't about apps
"Have you seen this?""This" could be anything; a song, a video clip, a great gallery of photos. Regardless, if that seemingly innocuous question leads me to an app store where I search for 10 minutes through 50 variations of the same name and...
Aug 20, 2014, 8:56 PM UTCJosh Lowensohn
Quiz: can you pick the tech product from its obscure codename?
As a human, you're unlikely to get a codename unless you're an important person with a security detail, but products get them all the time. We've rounded up some of the best and worst. Come test your knowledge.
Aug 20, 2014, 7:38 PM UTCCory Williams
I'm the victim of a Spotify bully
Spencer Hall has been been laughing at me for weeks.Spencer qualifies highly on my list of coworkers that I am genuinely excited to see in the Vox Media office. Having not seen him in months, I spotted him rummaging through our snack bin in...
Aug 20, 2014, 6:30 PM UTCLockhart Steele
The retro-futuristic future of blogging
I've been thinking about ecosystems lately. As we're digging deeper into YouTube at Vox Media, I'm coming to appreciate the ways YouTube personalities interact with each other, recommending each other's work with in-video shout-outs. It feels a...
Aug 20, 2014, 3:20 PM UTCMichael Zelenko and Katie Drummond
The zodiac is the key to unlocking tech's greatest feuds
The tech industry is plagued by disharmony. Astrology help us understand its most epic feuds.
Aug 20, 2014, 2:36 PM UTCRoss Miller
Watch 50 years of 'Doctor Who' deaths and regenerations
A new season of Doctor Who premieres this Saturday, August 23rd, starring a brand new, somewhat older Doctor (Peter Capaldi). The show has been around for more than 50 years and 800 episodes, but while that may seem daunting, surprisingly little...
Aug 20, 2014, 1:47 PM UTCEzra Klein
The future is awesome, unless you're following politics
The future looks good when I read The Verge. The watches are smarter, the televisions are curvier, and the buckets of ice are icier.But honestly, the future looks less good from where I sit in Washington.
Aug 20, 2014, 1:42 PM UTCVlad Savov
Which is the most memorable tech ad of the past decade?
With Apple collecting an Emmy for its 2013 iPhone ad depicting a misunderstood youngster, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the other prominent ads the tech industry has produced in recent years.