Hello friends! you are welcome installer Number 64, your guide to the best and the verge-The best stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, get ready for some weird documentaries, and you can also read all the older versions here installer home page,
This week, I'm reading about raw milk And $hawk And WhatsAppWatching an inside man and new ken burns da vinci doctorfinally getting caught The Great British Bake Off (which I have a lot of feelings about), all my loyalty numbers and Airbnb codes are stored cheat SheetAnd there is a truly disturbing amount of research on pizza stones.
I've got a fun new mobile game for you, an E Ink tablet worth checking out, a cool new work-around app, and much more. It's been a strangely Netflix-centric week, which is weird for the middle of December? But that's how it goes. Let's dive in.
(As always, the best part of installer Have your thoughts and suggestions. What are you watching/reading/playing/cooking/listening to/soldering this week? tell me everything: installer@theverge.comAnd if you know anyone else who might enjoy installerforward it to them and let them know Subscribe here,
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- monument valley 3, I have thought about it, and monument Valley This is my favorite mobile game series of all time. It's gorgeous, cool without being cumbersome, and infinitely reusable. Even the soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites! It's a little weird to say “You must have a Netflix subscription to play this game on your phone,” but you do. And if you already have one, that's a big win.
- Moji, Evy Williams created Twitter, Medium, and now this – an app for making plans with your real friends and connecting with people who live across town. Strikes me as kind of…niche? But clever. And since Facebook stopped mattering, there's really nothing else like it.
- iOS 18.2, I'm including this mostly as a PSA to iPhone owners: all the Apple Intelligence stuff, but the fact remains that you can go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps and turn on keyboard, calls, emails, and whatever else you want. You can change it when you use it. More, exactly the rules. Go make it work the way you want.
- Supernote A5 X2 Manta, Silly name, really cool looking new E Ink tablet. $459 is a lot for a device like this, but I understand Supernote's emphasis in making this repairable and upgradeableI love that these digital notebooks keep getting better.
- joy planner, You probably already know this about me, but I'm a sucker for a beautiful app. And this, a combo calendar/task/habit tracker for iPhones, has one of the best-looking “days at a glance” designs I've seen. The app is so-so, and it feels like it's missing some features, but I'm aware of that.
- nickel boy, based on terrible, cruel Novel The film, of the same name, is shot almost entirely in first-person views. And it seems to work. Many people think it will win lots of awards – don't miss it.
- ,Behind the Scenes of the Simpsons Monday Night Football Game, I never totally got the appeal of these animated side broadcasts, but the technical story of how they work is extremely cool. add to that this new video How football is shot for TV, and it's like a production master class all at once.
- Keep going. I don't know if it's just my algorithm or what, but this Netflix movie has been everywhere on my feed over the past few weeks. It may also be the new record holder for telling the entire thing in a trailer. But I'll still watch it this weekend – hopefully it'll be nice, and Christmas-y, and can get into it. die Hard Holiday Canon.
screen share
did you agree The Verge As yet? You don't have to do this to get installerBut you should still do it! I'm not even remotely biased, and I think it's a very good website. And we have big plans.
esther cohen He is the person who is making all those plans, and making them come true. She's been working like crazy as our Subscriptions Director for the past few months, and so I thought now would be a good time to ask her to do more and share her homescreen with us. Do you know how many memberships the membership director has? Curious minds want to know.
Here's Esther's homescreen, along with some information about the apps she uses and why:
Wallpaper: A photo of my (much older) kids and me on my birthday this year. (This is also my lockscreen, where I can see their faces.) Apparently, I'm a masochist and I cringe whenever I see my 11-year-old son is my height.
Apps: Weather, Settings, Apple Maps, Safari, Slack, The Verge, Apple Notes, Spotify, Phone, Mail, Messages, WhatsApp.
A way to summarize my apps basicAt the top right, I keep all my useful things: things I use during my day. (I'm mostly looking for places in NYC and figuring out how to get there – don't @ me, I prefer Apple Maps!)
The bottom left corner is where I spend most of my time, mostly on work-related apps like Slack. the verge Home, and Apple Notes. I'm very bad at unplugging and feel the need to stay updated on work at all times, so having the calendar widget front and center is a lifesaver. I lose track of time when I'm deeply immersed in a project, so it's very helpful to see my upcoming meetings at a glance.
Spotify is my most used “fun” app; I use it for podcasts and music while working, working out, cooking, etc. Oh, and I recently removed social media apps from my home screen – it's been a game-changer for my stress and focus.
I also asked Esther to share some of the things she's currently involved in. Here's what he sent back:
- Watching: shrinkI'm really enjoying this show – it's one of the least bland things in entertainment right now. This is not at all scrubs level (highly recommend a re-watch!), but it's heartfelt, funny, beautifully written and shot, and never cheesy.
- play: mahjongThe kids and I play during dinner a few times a week, and it's very relaxing. I have it too real mah jongg app On my phone. Can this really be the only app I pay for?
- Hear: Molière: Le Spectacle MusicalHear me out: Last year, TikTok kept serving me clips of this French music that's like an urban-pop hamilton About the life of Moliere. I recently found out Soundtrack on SpotifyAnd this is repeated in our house. I didn't understand a single word, but the songs were absolutely amazing.
- Reading: atlanticThis may reinforce my basic girly stance, but I only recently subscribed to atlantic And – honestly? – Every story is very good. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what makes a publication worth paying for, and I love that I actually want to read almost everything on their homepage and social feeds.
crowdsourced
what's here installer Community is in this week. I also want to know what you are doing right now! email installer@theverge.com Or message me on Signal – @davidpierce.11 – with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we'll feature some of our favorites here every week. For more great recommendations, check out these answers This post on threads And This post on BlueSky,
“I'm trying to learn 3D modeling because I just got Bamboo A1.'' – Irwin
“My favorite music-to-work site is my noiseI particularly like 'Medieval Library' and 'Medieval Village' (with the sound of a rolling blacksmith). It's free to use, but if you give a few bucks to passionate French sound engineer Stéphane you get lifetime access to many more sounds as well as some cool tools. – Molly
,Caves of Qud It's a masterpiece of a game, I'm on my tenth character, I've barely seen a fraction of the world, but I'm hooked” – Jack
“I have finished reading deep work By Cal Newport. It provided useful information on how to take time out from your busy schedule to focus on deep work. It also explains how to reduce distractions and reduce shallow work.” -Ankur
“I was really fascinated by it pixel 9 pro foldI don't know why. The thickness of it, just sitting next to the 15 Pro Max and then opening it up to the screen inside… that's something. – Abhi
“game washing mouth It's getting a lot of attention right now, but I'm just letting it go Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Wash over me. It's been a very long time since we've had anything remotely good with this franchise, but this game really delivers. – Mike
“Reading the arrogant air and truth From Brandon Sanderson! This is a wonderful book.” – Jiatao
“While I waited for the AirPods Pro 3 I needed an affordable pair of earbuds. i bought it bassius bowie ma10 And they work better than I expected. They do exactly what I need them to do: play my music and podcasts.” — Alex
“I just bought one rog ally x And I'm excited to dual boot with it bazite To turn it into half Steam deck/half Windows gaming handheld, so I can get the best of both worlds. – Beanie
“Just finished excellent stories are weapons By Annalee Newitz, about the power of storytelling and world building in Propaganda and Psyops. Interesting, informative, often funny and by turns sad. A really great read that is helping me understand our increasingly polarized world.'' -Callie
“So I'm fairly new to graphic novels. Went to Reddit to see the top recommendations. came across Miles Davis and the Discovery of SoundWhat a wonderful introduction to this medium! Highly recommended for fans of Miles Davis and jazz.” —Mike
signing off
last week The VergecastI mentioned that I consistently have difficulty buying cheap, relatively universal gifts for coworkers, Secret Santa exchanges, and that kind of thing. Lots of people responded with great ideas, so I thought I'd share a few:
- Power bank. Give the gift of battery power.
- scratcherEveryone loves a fun lottery ticket!
- Local gift cards. A lot of people said I should not just do Starbucks for everyone, but help people find and try new local places. I like this idea.
- coffeeForget gift cards, just buy them a pound of good coffee.
- candlesIs a candle too intimate for an acquaintance? I don't know! Probably not! But I love a good candle.
These ideas have already made my holiday shopping easier – let's just say a lot of people in my life are getting some scratchers this year. Hope this will help you too. And if you have other ideas, keep them coming. I need all the gift-giving help I can get.