High Schools Need to Get Over It and Embrace Esports

Do esports belong in high school? In a rapidly growing number of high schools, gamers are the new jocks. School districts are scrambling to approve esports clubs and competitive teams. Breathless articles—sometimes written by tech industry representatives—tout how popular esports has become among Gen Z, how esports drives STEM education, and how much money can…

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Make Your Own Vinyl Records With the $1,100 Phonocut

Better clear out several shelves of storage space, vinylheads, because your record collection is about to expand into infinity. Soon, you’ll be able to get absolutely anything on vinyl. Even better—you’ll be able to make it.The Phonocut is an analog vinyl lathe, the first consumer device capable of making custom records immediately, right there in…

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PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are in Your Popcorn—and Your Blood

Next time you pick up a pizza from your favorite pizzeria and toss the box in your front seat, think about why the grease doesn’t saturate through the cardboard onto your upholstery. Or when you hear popcorn bursting in a bag in your microwave, consider why the oil doesn’t ooze out and the paper doesn’t…

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Why the PG&E Blackouts Spared California’s Big Tech HQs

Huge swaths of California were without power on Wednesday after the (recently bankrupt) utility Pacific Gas & Electric—whose downed power lines caused last year’s Camp Fire—preemptively pulled the plug on hundreds of thousands of customers. The unprecedented move, intended to reduce the risk of wildfires, plunged more than 500,000 homes in 20 counties (and counting)…

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Apple Arcade’s black box

Apple Arcade is a new kind of App Store. One where eclectic, indie and original content can shine. A place where gamers can play without being hounded by ads or…

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