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Constantly being plugged into the news grind is mentally exhausting. Sometimes we just need to take a break, unwind, and do something fun. That’s why we’ve built up a collection of distracting time-wasters for when we need a break from being obsessively online. We figured you might enjoy these harmless rabbit holes, mildly addictive browser games , and internet curiosities , too, so we’ve been writing about them when we find them. Can you beat our score in I’m Not a Robot or did you find a gem of an academic paper on motherhood and body horror on Horror Lex ? Tell us in the comments. The goal here isn’t to get engrossed in a game that you’ll lose hundreds of hours to, or become an expert on dialectical materialism. It’s to have a little fun on your lunch break, decompress between emails, or give you an interesting repository of art to dig through on a slow Sunday afternoon. So check back often to see the latest light-h...

Aitana Lopez, AI avatar by creative agency The Clueless. | Image: The Clueless This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI confusion, follow Robert Hart . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started At first, AI influencers were relatively easy to identify - and to ignore. Aside from the occasional bursts of hype, they didn't seem to change much about the way social media worked. The earliest virtual influencers - Lil Miquela with her blunt fringe and freckles, Imma with her bubblegum pink bob, and Shudu Gram with her flawless complexion - were obviously digital productions. Collaborations … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/vG6wg2t

The N3 Ultimate doesn’t mind being off center. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Sorry Anker: JMGO now makes my favorite flagship portable projector. The N3 Ultimate is an excellent portable 4K projector that defeats moderate ambient light at severe placement angles and can rival more expensive home theater installations at night. After a few weeks of testing, I think the raw adaptability exhibited by the JMGO's N3 Ultimate justifies its current $2,399 price ($500 off its $2,999 list). Modern all-in-one projectors built around Google TV are already super accommodating when it comes to placement. Set one down on a living room table or campsite rock and it will begin searching for a screen or blank wall while avoiding o … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/y6ReTh7

The deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is coming up a week from now on June 12th, and legislators seem no closer to reaching a deal. If this sounds like deja vu, it's because we've been here before. Congress reauthorized Section 702 in late April - but only for 45 days, so lawmakers could negotiate reforms to the controversial wiretapping authority. "There were no reformers in any of the conversations that happened. Full stop," Sean Vitka, the executive director of Demand Progress, said on a press call Friday afternoon, hours after the Senate voted 52 to 47 against a deal that would have renewed … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/U9s3Qlc

Geoff Keighley’s annual June celebration of games is here. Summer Game Fest Live, the big live show that will feature a whole bunch of gaming news and announcements, begins at 5PM ET and is set to run for two hours. The event itself will take place in person at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, but it will also be streaming live on YouTube . Summer Game Fest Live sits squarely in the middle of a big run of video game showcases; PlayStation hosted a State of Play on Tuesday , and the Xbox Games Showcase takes place on Sunday. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some big surprises, though. Last year, for example, Capcom used the show to announce Resident Evil Requiem . According to this year’s livestream’s description, expect a “live look at what’s next in video games, with new game announcements, surprise special guests and more,” and while that’s not very specific, Keighley probably has some flashy news in store. Read ...

Scott Pelley, correspondent, 60 Minutes. | Photo by Michele Crowe / CBS News via Getty Images It should have been the final straw. The new power couple of editorial failure - Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton - had fired legendary 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley. Why? Because he dared to question the fact that CBS had installed sycophants in its top ranks. Instead of standing in solidarity, correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim declared in a joint memo to staff that they'd stay on to save the program. "We don't want to see 60 Minutes die," they said. The kids in Weekend at Bernie's held a similar position. The canary in the media coal mine isn't just sick, it's a charred skeleton. The remaining trio of correspond … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/JX7Z0A9