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Recommended Reading: Olivia Munn on why we're all nerds now
Putting on Her Game Face Connie Guglielmo, CNET Olivia Munn plays Psylocke in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse movie and CNET caught up with the actress to chat gaming, smart home tech and more. Munn says that there's no reason to continue to call folks geeks or nerds now that tech is everywhere. She also has a solid solution for how to remedy traffic jams.
Recommended Reading: The Black Panther returns
The Return of the Black Panther Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most important voices of our time, and he went to work on a new Black Panther series of comic books for Marvel. Coates previews the first issue in the series of 11 chronicling adventures of what was the first black superhero portrayed in US mainstream comics when it debuted in the 1960s. Details on the making of the new comics alongside a collection of panels for the first issue make this piece a must-read.
Recommended Reading: US Soccer uses VR to reveal new crest
US Soccer's Rebranding Gets an Assist From Virtual Reality Zach Schonbrun, New York Times When the time came to reveal its new crest, the US Soccer Federation chose a different medium to announce the new design. The Federation sent kits to all of its members with a Google Cardboard headset, 360-degree video and an updated scarf. In a move that looks to draw interest using the latest tech, it'll be interesting to see if the excitement around the rebrand and the national teams remains high. VR isn't just for medicine and gaming, it's becoming a valuable marketing tool, too.
Recommended Reading: The Super Bowl MVP is a huge nerd
Nerd Von Miller, The Players' Tribune You may not be able to tell by his on-field dominance, but Super Bowl MVP and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is a huge nerd. Miller, some fellow players and friends discussed his geekiness for The Players' Tribune recently. The stories are quite entertaining, and yes, he used to wear Rec Specs.
Recommended Reading: Twitter's identity crisis
What Everyone's Got Wrong About Twitter (Including Twitter) Ian Schafer, Recode Twitter's earnings dropped this week, followed by a number of theories on the future of the company. Deep Focus founder and chairman Ian Schafer posted an op-ed on the matter to discuss the social network's identity crisis. Is it a media company? Is it a data company? Schafer makes the case that Twitter needs to decide soon, for it's own good.
Recommended Reading: High-tech sports stadiums of the future
Introducing the Stadium of the Future, Where Technology is King Patrick Sisson, Curbed For sports fans, the experience of attending a game in person is becoming increasingly more high-tech. Levi's Stadium, home of Super Bowl 50 this weekend, touts ticketing, concessions and instant replays from a mobile app. It's also LEED certified and employs solar collection system. High-tech sports venues are becoming the norm and this piece from Curbed offers a glimpse at the near future.
Recommended Reading: Michael Jackson's music in 'Sonic 3'
The Michael Jackson Video Game Conspiracy Todd Van Luling, Huffington Post If you paid attention to the music in Sonic 3, you likely noticed some of the audio resembles Michael Jackson's tunes. While Sega admitted the King of Pop was involved with the soundtrack, it claimed to have nixed all of his work from the final version despite obvious nods to the singer. As it turns out, that's not exactly the case and Huffington Post details the a decade-spanning search for the truth from some of Sonic's biggest fans.
Recommended Reading: Will high-tech fighter jets replace pilots?
The Last Fighter Pilot Kevin Gray, Popular Science Forgive us for missing this one during the holiday rush, but Popular Science's look at what the high-tech F-35 fighter jet could mean for combat pilots is definitely worth a look. With so many automated features and sensors, how long will it be until fighter pilots are no longer required in the cockpit?
Recommended Reading: The brilliance of David Bowie
'Heroes,' Heavenly Bodies and David Bowie's Untouchable Brilliance Bomani Jones, Playboy I've followed the work of ESPN's Bomani Jones long enough to know that when he writes about music, you should pay attention. After David Bowie passed away earlier this week, he penned a piece for Playboy on music icon's body of work and how his creativity remains unrivaled. "His star was big enough to keep everyone warm, but while we orbited around him, no one could be what he was," writes Jones.
Recommended Reading: How Taylor Swift took on Apple
Taylor Swift Is the New Prince: The Artist Who Tamed the Corporate Giant Teo Bugbee, The Daily Beast It's true: Taylor Swift went toe to toe with Apple in 2015 and came out on top. If you'll recall, the singer penned a blog post to the folks in Cupertino after news broke that the company didn't plan to compensate artists during Apple Music's trial period. After promising to withhold her music from the app, Tim Cook & Co. reversed the decision and Swift's hits were available on the service from day one. However, the debate over artist compensation rages on.
Recommended Reading: The harsh realities of internet fame
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. Get Rich or Die Vlogging: The Sad Economics of Internet Fame Gaby Dunn, Fusion Just because you're famous on the internet, doesn't mean you're rolling in the dough. This piece takes a look at the harsh realities of being famous on the web and trying to survive in the real world. As it turns out, YouTube fame, for some, isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Recommended Reading: The story of 'The Father of Video Games'
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.How a WWII Refugee Became the Father of Video GamesArthur Molella, SlateIf you've read up on video game history, you know that Ralph Baer widely regarded as "The Father of Video Games." What you may not know is Baer was a World War II refugee who came to the US in 1938. He fled persecution with his family before bringing games to our television screens decades later.
Recommended Reading: Don't try to shop on Facebook or Twitter
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.I Tried Holiday Shopping on Facebook and Twitter and Got NowhereKurt Wagner, RecodeFacebook and Twitter may be testing options for buying products from ads and sponsored posts, but don't try to take care of your holiday list that way. As Recode's Kurt Wagner discovered, those buy buttons are pretty much non-existent unless you're in the test group. In fact, he didn't even stumble across a misplaced option to purchase in the News Feed.
Recommended Reading: Marvel's 'Jessica Jones' is a different kind of hero
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. Marvel's Astounding 'Jessica Jones' Rewrites the Definition of Superhuman Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times Marvel's Jessica Jones is now streaming on Netflix, and to properly prep for your marathon viewing season, take a look at a review from the Los Angeles Times. We've all heard the details about how this series differs from previous Marvel shows and movies, but it looks like what makes this show unique is also what makes it so good. Plus, we get a look at Luke Cage before he his own series.
Recommended Reading: Jony Ive tells the story of the Apple Pencil
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. Jony Ive Interview: The Story of the Apple Pencil The Telegraph The initial wave of iPad Pro reviews arrived this week, and with them the first impressions from folks using the new Apple Pencil for an extended period of time. The Telegraph spoke with Apple's design guru Sir Jony Ive to get the backstory on the accessory and why habits like sketching don't have to become obsolete.
Recommended Reading: The gadgets and cocktails of James Bond
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. The (James) Bond Index Bloomberg Business With the latest installment in the Bond collection debuting this weekend, Bloomberg Business offers a guide to the drinks, gadgets, clothes and one-liners of the secret agent. The interactive piece is not only a handy reference tool, but it's rather fun to scroll through, too. It's certainly a must-read for the Bond trivia nerds.
Recommended Reading: Who are the best horror movie monsters?
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. Happy 'Halloween': The Best Horror-Movie Monsters by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion, Grantland To get you in the proper mindset for tonight's ghoulish activities, Grantland offers a look at the best horror movie monsters of all time. Jason, Michael, Freddy and Leatherface are all considered for categories like best costume, most creative kill and more. Take a look... if you dare.
Recommended Reading: iPhone 6s in the hands of a pro photographer
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. iPhone 6s Camera Review: Switzerland by Austin Mann Still on the fence about all of those camera features on the iPhone 6s? Professional photographer Austin Mann has taken previous Apple handsets for a test-drive and he's done the same with the latest. From Live Photos to handy accessories and low-light performance, Mann details the phone's photography abilities while touring Switzerland.
Recommended Reading: Rick Moranis on the 'Ghostbusters' reboot and more
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. Rick Moranis Isn't Retired (He Just Doesn't Know How to Change His Wikipedia Page) by Ryan Parker The Hollywood Reporter When the new version of Ghostbusters arrives in theaters next year, a lot of the stars from the 1980s movies will make appearances in the film. Rick Moranis isn't one of them. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis explains that "it just makes no sense" to him and dishes on what he's been doing for the last two decades, including his iOS 9.1 woes.
Recommended Reading: Microsoft's knack for predicting NFL games
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. How Microsoft Got So Good at Predicting Who Will Win NFL Games by Tim Stenovec Tech Insider Have you been using Bing's sports predictions to make "friendly wagers" and set your fantasy lineups this football season? Microsoft's Bing Predicts team has been picking winners for NFL games, other sporting events, reality shows and elections for a while now. As it turns out, the small group of researchers employ machine learning to make the predictions and they've gotten better at it over time.
