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Recommended Reading: The (second) rise of virtual reality

Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

Unless you've been under a rock the last couple of years, you've read some collection of words about the return of virtual reality at the hands of Oculus and others. Thanks to a multifaceted interactive piece from the folks at The Verge, you can get caught up on the technology's history, its current state of affairs, VR in pop culture and more. Heck, there's even a look at a step-by-step process for building a simple, 3D-printed headset for an iPhone.

What Happened to Motorola
by Ted C. Fishman, Chicago Magazine

Wondering how Motorola went from a formidable tech company to its Motorola Mobility sector losing $198 million during the first quarter of 2014? This piece for Chicago Magazine takes a look at the history of the company that dates back to 1928 through present day -- a few months after Lenovo snatched up its smartphone business from Google for a cool $3 billion.

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Why Top Tech CEOs Want Employees with Liberal Arts Degrees
by Elizabeth Segran
, Fast Company

While you might think you'll need a degree in science, engineering, math or computer science to nab a career in tech, industry CEOs are saying not so fast. Company heads are holding fast to the idea that folks with liberal arts degrees can make an impact based on education in disciplines like philosophy, religion and other humanities.

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Metro Redux: What it's Really Like to Develop for PS4 and Xbox One
by Richard Leadbetter, Eurogamer

We've placed selections that examined the challenges of developing games for both the Xbox One and PS4 in this roundup before, but here, 4A Games' Oles Shishkovstov gets pretty detailed about the process in a Q&A with Eurogamer.

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How Steve Ballmer Became a Rookie Basketball Mogul
by Monica Langley
, The Wall Street Journal

By this point, you've likely read one or two headlines about former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer snatching the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers for a cool $2 billion. Now, The Wall Street Journal has a look at the events leading up to the new owner closing the deal.

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