The Verge: All Posts by Grayson Blackmonhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52801/VER_Logomark_32x32..png2022-01-12T10:05:35-05:00https://www.theverge.com/authors/grayson-blackmon/rss2022-01-12T10:05:35-05:002022-01-12T10:05:35-05:00Becca’s ‘buds’ beat out other words
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<figcaption>Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon</figcaption>
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<p>Buds, buds, buds, buds!</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/20961163/becca-farsace-buds-youtube-data-language-video-host">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/20961163/becca-farsace-buds-youtube-data-language-video-hostGrayson Blackmon2020-10-21T16:23:04-04:002020-10-21T16:23:04-04:00Netflix has a not very ‘secret’ site showcasing the Mank soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
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<figcaption>Netflix</figcaption>
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<p id="xR1hbP">David Fincher’s new movie <em>Mank</em> comes out in just over a month, but if you want a sneak peek at the film, Netflix has a put out a (<a href="https://twitter.com/trent_reznor/status/1318945084151267328">not so</a>) <a href="https://www.thewhitewinecameupwiththefish.com">”secret” website</a> showcasing its soundtrack and behind-the-scenes stills.</p>
<p id="P40G3O">The soundtrack comes from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who have created a score with an old-school Hollywood vibe — a big leap from the haunting digital style they’re best known for. From the teaser, you can already hear how Reznor and Ross find ways to impart themes and motifs we know them for into a genre of music that is anything but their usual fare.</p>
<p id="V9Knvi">Alongside a nearly 11-minute sampling of the score, which plays in the background on the site, you can see over 200 photos, stills, and clips from the movie and on-set...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/21/21527236/mank-secret-websitetrent-reznor-atticus-ross-score-david-fincher-movie-netflix">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/21/21527236/mank-secret-websitetrent-reznor-atticus-ross-score-david-fincher-movie-netflixGrayson Blackmon2020-09-15T06:00:00-04:002020-09-15T06:00:00-04:00Adobe’s new 3D transform tools for After Effects look great
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<figcaption>Image: Adobe</figcaption>
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<p id="zkghBa">Adobe is updating both Premiere Pro and After Effects today with some pretty nice quality-of-life features, but the most exciting are the new 3D transform tools for After Effects.</p>
<p id="DB2Vem">The new feature will combine position, scale, and rotation into one easy-to-use tool, mimicking what other professional 3D applications like Cinema 4D, Maya, and Blender have been providing users for years. Users can also focus on one type of property for greater precision.</p>
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<cite>GIF: Adobe</cite>
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<p id="eNXqQa">As someone who has worked in After Effects for over a decade now, these updated 3D tools (aka gizmos) are long overdue and appreciated. Having all three tools directly accessible in the viewport is fantastic. Besides being easier to use and more precise,...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/15/21436871/adobe-after-effects-3d-transform-gizmos-better-ui">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/15/21436871/adobe-after-effects-3d-transform-gizmos-better-uiGrayson Blackmon2020-09-11T14:22:05-04:002020-09-11T14:22:05-04:00Behind the scenes of our Microsoft Surface Duo intro shot
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<figcaption>Grayson Blackmon / Vjeran Pavic / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p>Faking it and making it</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/21432621/microsoft-surface-duo-verge-video-intro-behind-the-scenes-3d">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/21432621/microsoft-surface-duo-verge-video-intro-behind-the-scenes-3dGrayson Blackmon2020-08-31T16:06:52-04:002020-08-31T16:06:52-04:00Microsoft Flight Simulator’s re-creations of macOS wallpapers look just as good
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<figcaption>Left: Matt Birchler’s recreation. Right: Apple’s original wallpaper. | Matt Birchler, Apple</figcaption>
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<p id="1s1SPP">Many of us are finding cool things to work on while stuck at home, and I think <a href="https://twitter.com/mattbirchler">Matt Birchler</a> takes the cake this week. He, like much of the internet, has been taking off in <em>Microsoft Flight Simulator</em>, and he used the absolutely unreal detail in the game to re-create some of the more iconic wallpapers from recent releases of macOS.</p>
<p id="8k9Ic4">To re-create these images, Matt flew to each location, then used <em>Flight Simulator</em> to position the camera, set the focal length, and adjust the time of day with in-game controls. Then, with a little post-processing magic in Adobe Lightroom, he created the images below.</p>
<p id="HOrKLP">“<em>Flight Simulator</em> is a ‘make your own fun’ game and I was looking for interesting things to do while flying around,” Birchler told <em>The Verge</em>. He...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/21405543/microsoft-flight-simulator-macos-wallpaper-recreations-matt-birchler">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/21405543/microsoft-flight-simulator-macos-wallpaper-recreations-matt-birchlerGrayson Blackmon2020-08-18T13:21:34-04:002020-08-18T13:21:34-04:00Magic: The Gathering embraces punk aesthetics for its latest limited time drop
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<figcaption>Image: Wizards of The Coast / Wizard of Barge</figcaption>
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<p id="sxKgWM"><em>Magic: The Gathering</em> has been around a long time and has experimented with a ton of art styles in the past — some serious, some silly, some realistic, some cartoon-y. But yesterday’s <a href="https://secretlair.wizards.com">Secret Lair surprise drop, “Prime Slime,”</a> takes the cake in my opinion with its extremely punk aesthetic and lighthearted chaos. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such unabashedly fun art in the game.</p>
<p id="omqnbH">Just check out these images of the five cards included. They’re incredibly gnarly:</p>
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<cite>Image: Wizards of The Coast / Wizard of Barge</cite>
<figcaption><em>Prime Slime includes five cards from Magic’s History: Acidic Slime, The Mimeoplasm, Necrotic Ooze, Scavenging Ooze, and Voidslime.</em></figcaption>
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<p id="DqdbmE">The artist, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wizardofbarge/">Wizard of Barge</a>, aka Dakota Cates, has brought a silly /...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/18/21373538/magic-prime-slime-secret-lair-amazing-punk-art">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/18/21373538/magic-prime-slime-secret-lair-amazing-punk-artGrayson Blackmon2020-03-12T10:32:02-04:002020-03-12T10:32:02-04:00A guide to the COVID-19 pandemic
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<figcaption>Illustration by Grayson Blackmon and Alex Castro / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p class="p--has-dropcap" id="5jfBg6">In December 2019, a new coronavirus appeared in Wuhan, China. It has since infected thousands across the globe, and the World Health Organization <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/11/21156325/coronavirus-pandemic-who-declares-covid-19-outbreak-global-h1n1">declared it a pandemic</a>, which refers to how far it’s spread.</p>
<p id="hSBWRp">The new coronavirus causes a disease called COVID-19, with symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. It can be deadly, particularly in people over the age of 60 or with underlying health conditions. </p>
<p id="SD19qX">In response, US tech companies have canceled events and ramped up efforts to avoid spreading misinformation. Scientists have tried to figure out exactly how the virus works, in the hopes that we can eventually develop medicine. And many people are staying at home to try to slow down the pace at which the disease goes...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/12/21175486/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-cases-outbreak-guide-information-who-cdc">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/12/21175486/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-cases-outbreak-guide-information-who-cdcThe Verge Staff2020-03-03T09:20:18-05:002020-03-03T09:20:18-05:00The Verge guide to the 2020 election
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<p id="QtYqf9">The 2020 presidential election is going to kick off a firestorm of change for our country and the networks that connect us all. The internet and information economy is at an inflection point: the disruptors are no longer upstarts, but they have become the new giants in every sense of the word. Those giants often operate in fields where there is little regulation to protect consumers, like data and advertising, or bump up against the authority of the government in uncomfortable ways, like law enforcement and encryption.</p>
<p id="wpJb1G">At <em>The Verge</em>, we’ve always paid attention to how seemingly simple things like broadband access are deeply connected to complicated tech policy debates, and we’ve been closely watching the collision between social networks...</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/3/21157830/election-2020-big-tech-issues-regulation-moderation-speech-internet-information-section-230">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/3/21157830/election-2020-big-tech-issues-regulation-moderation-speech-internet-information-section-230The Verge Staff2019-11-08T10:00:00-05:002019-11-08T10:00:00-05:00Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s Community of Microbes: a celebration of color and science
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<figcaption>Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge</figcaption>
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<p>‘There’s opportunity for people to see the wonder in science.’</p>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/8/20941937/amanda-phingbodhipakkiya-community-of-microbes-exhibit-color-science-art">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/8/20941937/amanda-phingbodhipakkiya-community-of-microbes-exhibit-color-science-artGrayson Blackmon2019-11-01T14:50:41-04:002019-11-01T14:50:41-04:00A critical analysis of scroll bars throughout history
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<p id="6U1kSd">Sébastien Matos has built <a href="https://scrollbars.matoseb.com/">a fantastic interactive trip</a> through the history of one of the most important UI elements we encounter every day: the scroll bar. He’s recreated, as faithfully as possible, 30 years of scroll bars from some of the top desktop platforms of their day, from Xerox Star to Windows 10.</p>
<p id="j4SOpl">Take a minute out of your busy day to enjoy the zen of playing with old UI design. Then come back here and read <em>The </em><em>Verge</em>’s very serious review of scroll bars through history.</p>
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<h3 id="gOgaY0">Xerox Star: 2/10 </h3>
<p id="0x9rPN">Unclear design. Arrows counterintuitively move the scroll bar’s position in the opposite direction.</p>
<h3 id="UKH2ly">Lisa OS: 6/10</h3>
<p id="AcRONm">Clear design, but a bit wide. When dragging, the ghost of the scroll position gives you great interactive feedback.</p>
<h3 id="fpk4sn">S...</h3>
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<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20943552/scroll-bar-visual-history-30-years">Continue reading…</a>
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https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20943552/scroll-bar-visual-history-30-yearsGrayson Blackmon