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Reality TV star can no longer speak amid serious health battle
Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh fear being separated as her ALS progresses and they seek help with his U.S. visa.
Marshall teacher aboard Lake Superior science immersion vessel
Nicholas Bonde teaches research methodology to his AP Chemistry students at Marshall High each year. But over the summer, he had a chance to apply that methodology aboard an EPA
Marshall teacher aboard Lake Superior science immersion vessel
Nicholas Bonde teaches research methodology to his AP Chemistry students at Marshall High each year. But over the summer, he had a chance to apply that methodology aboard an EPA
Marshall teacher aboard Lake Superior science immersion vessel
Nicholas Bonde teaches research methodology to his AP Chemistry students at Marshall High each year. But over the summer, he had a chance to apply that methodology aboard an EPA
Reality TV star can no longer speak amid serious health battle
Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh fear being separated as her ALS progresses and they seek help with his U.S. visa.
Monaco’s Pape Cabral rejects Al-Ahli move
Pape Cabral (19) has rejected the chance to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, as per a report from Sacha Tavolieri.Cabral extended his contract at formative club AS Monaco over the summer and he was...
FSU Film alums help power some of summer movie season's blockbusters
Alumni of FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts have left their mark on some of this summer’s most prominent movies.
Marcus Rashford celebrates Man United return with special tribute
1Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has hinted at his stance on wearing the No. 9 shirt at Old Trafford. The English forward was handed the iconic shirt this summer after returning from his tem...
Young entrepreneur: Geneseo teen starts car detailing business
While most teens are soaking up the last bit of summer before returning for another long school year, one Geneseo student is making a name for himself.
Young entrepreneur: Geneseo teen starts car detailing business
While most teens are soaking up the last bit of summer before returning for another long school year, one Geneseo student is making a name for himself.
Liverpool's Iraola: A fit Isak will 'produce the numbers'
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has no doubt Liverpool's £125 million ($169 million) forward Alexander Isak will "produce the numbers" this season after a brace inside nine minutes inspired a 2-0 win at Ipswich. All eyes were on summer arrival Bradley Barcola in Suffolk, but after Iraola named the France forward on the bench, Isak showed why the Reds paid such a hefty fee to prize him away from Newcastle last summer.
GOP Lawmakers Discuss Economic Development At W.Va. Chamber Business Summit
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS – The final day of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit at the Greenbrier wrapped up Friday morning with Republican lawmakers talking about the state’s economic future. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, moderated a panel discussion with House Judiciary Committee Chairman JB Akers, R-Kanawha; state Sen. […]
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches
In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.
Labor Day weekend crowds flock to shore as families, businesses savor summer's final days
As the Labor Day weekend begins, families and businesses at the Jersey Shore are making the most of what many see as summer's final celebration before the school year gets fully underway.
Annual Summer Bazaar Underway in Utica
The annual summer bazaar at Our Lady of Lourdes-Mary, Mother of Our Savior Parish is bringing the community together.
Can Studying Heat Waves in Real Time Save Lives?
Heat drove medical emergencies across the country last summer. Tracking those changes more quickly could help doctors prepare.
High School Football Week 2: Watch Omaha Westside take on Lee’s Summit (MO) on Golden Spike Sports
Friday Night Fever returns for round two!
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.
Three Crucial Storylines for Orlando Magic this Season
Paolo Banchero’s quest for durable superstardom and Franz Wagner’s pivotal summer of recovery define a high-stakes season as Orlando’s core prepares for a grueling 82-game grind.
Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks
Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.
Matchday 24: Messi's momentum, Vancouver's test & more!
By Jonathan SigalThe MLS Secondary Transfer Window closed Wednesday night, as teams rushed to complete moves before Matchday 24 this weekend.With summertime signings settling in and the Audi 2026 MLS ...
Here's how the summer box office blew up and Hollywood got its mojo back
Hollywood has just wrapped up its best summer in a decade and its biggest vibe shift since the pandemic | 830 WCCO
Sherrill signs law expanding employee ownership programs for New Jersey businesses
TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Friday expanding state assistance for small businesses seeking to transition to employee ownership models. The legislation, S4218/A5016, authorizes the New Jersey Economic …
Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks
Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.
Baggies transfer window 'laser-focused'
Fan writer Chris Hall reflects on West Bromwich Albion's summer transfer window.
NY health insurance rate hikes approved. How much you will pay in 2027
NY's Department of Financial Services says it rejected higher rate hikes sought by insurers, saving consumers $1.6B via lower approved rate increases.
Guarded on team news; satisfied with his squad
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso appears to be genuine when discussing his satisfaction with the club's summer business.
Can AI answer your health questions? Before you trust AI with your...
Can AI answer your health questions? Before you trust AI with your health, make sure you know the pros and cons. #Sashaonyourside #consumernews #ConsumerAlert #AI #HealthTips nbc6news
Jadon Sancho encouraged to complete dramatic move to unlikely club
1Former Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho’s plans have not unfolded as expected since leaving Old Trafford this summer. The Red Devils opted against offering the Englishman a new deal, and he p...
VAST Data and CrowdStrike Take Aim at a Growing AI Security Problem
VAST Data and CrowdStrike are expanding their partnership to bring more security into the systems companies use to build and run AI. The companies are integrating CrowdStrike’s Falcon security platform with the VAST AI Operating System. The goal is to protect not just the infrastructure running AI, but also the enterprise data being fed into […]
Global Content Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss ‘Multilateralism for the Moving Image’ at France’s Lumiere Summit
Hollywood heavyweights and top players in content and exhibition from around the world will gather in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on Sept. 7 for the landmark Lumiere Summit that aims to explore the future of ...
Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks: FDA
Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.
Oregon small businesses deserve a break from steep credit card fees
Credit card companies charge businesses swipe fees, and businesses often pass them on to consumers.
Hisense Brings True-to-Life Color, Eye Comfort and Immersive Entertainment to IFA 2026
Hisense, a leading global brand in consumer electronics and home appliances, is showcasing its latest display, laser and audio innovations at IFA 2026 under the theme "Innovating a Brighter Life," bringing together vivid picture quality, viewing comfort and immersive sound for a more enjoyable home entertainment experience.
Hisense Brings True-to-Life Color, Eye Comfort and Immersive Entertainment to IFA 2026
/PRNewswire/ -- Hisense, a leading global brand in consumer electronics and home appliances, is showcasing its latest display, laser and audio innovations at...
Bumbershoot 2026: Lineup, schedule, tickets and what else to know
SEATTLE — One of Seattle’s biggest festivals of the summer, Bumbershoot, is back this Labor Day weekend at Seattle Center. Hometown indie-rock heroes Death Cab for Cutie are headlining the
What climate science tells us about the causes of the Colorado River crisis
Elected officials from across Colorado’s political spectrum continued a 68-year-old tradition last week when they took to the stage at the annual summer conference of the Colorado Water Congress in
A New Bill Would Extend Health Privacy Law to Your Phone. The Hard Part Comes Next. - Petrie-Flom Center
Most people might assume that the health information on their phone is protected the way their medical records are. It is not.
HEALTH MINUTE: LABOR DAY BEACH BACTERIA SAFETY
The heat isn’t taking a vacation for Labor Day weekend, and if you’re saying goodbye to summer by heading to the lake or beach, experts say to beware! Hot weather
'I really believe in the manager and the club'
Liam Delap says Oliver Glasner played a big part in his decision to sign for Nottingham Forest because he feels he "can really improve" under his coaching. The 23-year-old striker was made available for sale this summer by Chelsea after he scored just one Premier League goal in a 2025-26 campaign disrupted by shoulder and hamstring injuries. Delap's frustrating season was off the back of a hugely successful one at Ipswich Town in which he scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League games.
Arsenal will consider signing Premier League star in January
The summer transfer window for 2026 has just closed, but Arsenal already have their eyes on the next window and have identified Eli Junior Kroupi as one of the players they could sign, Football London...
EU and ASEAN discuss health emergency preparedness and response
The Director-General of the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), Dr Florika Fink-Hooijer, met with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, in Jakarta on 4 September 2026 to discuss health emergency preparedness and response to emerging health threats, and to explore deeper cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. Both regions face similar challenges from emerging threats such as infectious diseases, which will further increase with climate change and increased travel, requiring global and regional cooperation. Both sides acknowledged that regional partnerships are essential to prepare for the next health emergency — it's a matter of when, not if. Building close EU-ASEAN cooperation on health emergency preparedness and response is therefore critical to ensuring a collective response, as we look ahead to the Commemorative Summit in 2027 marking the 50th anniversary of EU-ASEAN Dialogue Relations. Among other topics, discussions covered future partnership in the establishment and operations of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), as well as other key avenues for deeper collaboration.
Day three of W.Va. Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit
The third day of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 90th Annual Meeting and Business summit kicked off Wednesday at The Greenbrier.
Patient preference science is changing how we define a better treatment
As we enjoy the last days of Summer and head into September, one of the clearest shifts we are seeing across life sciences is a surge in demand for patient preference science. Some of that momentum reflects the work of Kielo Health, Sanius Health’s preference science division, led by Dr Tommi Tervonen, Chief Scientist. The question behind the science is simple but increasingly important: when treatment choices involve trade-offs, what do patients actually value most today?
‘The Cardinal Countdown: 2 Days Until Kickoff’
DEMECO KENNEDY #2 Height: 6’3” Weight: 305lb Position: DL Class: Junior Hometown: Lexington, KY Summary: The Cards needed some beef in the middle of the defensive line, but instead of calling Kroger’s Alex The Butcher, they rang ‘Kennedy, the Boilermaker’. Hailing from Lexington, Kennedy correctly averted the mess in the army of Stoops Troops and […]
Blackburn transfer window frustrating
Blackburn Rovers CEO Steve Curwood defends the club's summer dealings after four new signings and three failed deals on deadline day.
Manchester City failed to sign £85.8m Bayern Munich star
Manchester City made an audacious attempt to lure Aleksandar Pavlovic away from Bayern Munich this summer.This has been a massive transfer window for Man City under Enzo Maresca, with the club complet...
Cyclosporiasis outbreak exposes a weakened US public health system
During the height of the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, Dea Lancaster set aside her usual duties as nurse coordinator at Michigan's Washtenaw County Health Department to call patients, asking about their symptoms and tracing the contaminated food they ate.
Has Chelsea's transfer strategy finally started to pay off?
Chelsea have had a few remarkable transfer summers since their forced sale from Roman Abramovich's control in May 2022. Once again they were big spenders, outlaying £349m on 11 signings such as Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Emiliano Martinez. Chelsea actually made a trading profit after selling 17 players.
The Future of Porto-Linked Juventus Man Still Uncertain
Federico Gatti has been in limbo throughout the summer, and his future continues to be uncertain, even though Juventus repelled a late attempt to lure him by Porto. The market is still open in such a ...
"The plan was different" – Freund explains Bayern’s stance on Boey
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has confirmed that Sacha Boey could stay at the club after all.The German champions were keen to offload the Frenchman this summer, but after a move fa...
Decisions needed with five players currently set to leave
Liverpool are good at a lot of things.The Reds are good at playing their part in summer-long transfer sagas - see Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola for more details. The 2024/25 Premier League champi...
Feld Entertainment CEO on prioritizing innovation, challenging assumptions
To foster innovation, Feld Entertainment, under CEO Juliette Feld Grossman, prioritizes creating an environment that allows people to take risks and challenge assumptions.
Feld Entertainment CEO on prioritizing innovation, challenging assumptions
To foster innovation, Feld Entertainment, under CEO Juliette Feld Grossman, prioritizes creating an environment that allows people to take risks and challenge assumptions.
Why Julián Álvarez’s Barcelona Dream Still Faces Atlético’s Veto
Julián Álvarez ended the summer window still on Atlético Madrid’s books, but that outcome has settled almost nothing. Barcelona spent the entire market chasing the Argentine, Atlético publicly r...
Fall porch decorating businesses capitalize on passion for pumpkins
As summertime gives up the ghost to longer shadows, cooler days and cobalt skies, many people lock on to pumpkin spice everything and dive headlong into their fall decor. While
Official: Lazio Omit Two Defenders From Serie A Squad List
Lazio have handed the Lega Serie A their squad list for the 2026/27 campaign, and it doesn’t include either Patric or Luca Pellegrini.The RulesWith the summer transfer window now behind us, Serie A ...
Why Juventus rejected late offers for Teun Koopmeiners
Teun Koopmeiners was one of the players Juventus wanted to sell this summer, with the Bianconeri doing their best to find a new home for the Dutchman.Juve considered him one of the players earning too...
Roma Evaluating a Few Free Agents to Plug Some Holes
Roma didn’t reach all their goals during the summer window, but some help could come from the players currently without a team. The Giallorossi are currently short one attacker and one wing-back.Acc...
All completed Serie A deals after the summer transfer deadline
The transfer window came to a close for the majority of European nations on September 1, but a few deals have gone through after the passing of the deadline, including returns for two Serie A veterans...
Pacific Summit Backs Concerns Over China Missile Test Despite Nauru Dissent
While China expanded its economic and political ties with Pacific island states, Palau continue to maintain formal relations with Taiwan.
Man United Women Summer 2026 Ins and Outs: Full Recap
3Manchester United Women have brought to an end an eventful transfer window.The Red Devils made a significant change at the start of August, with Marc Skinner departing his role as head coach and Eva ...
Wilfried Zaha emerges as possible free agent target for Roma
Atalanta is just around the corner, but at Trigoria, one eye remains on the transfer market. The summer transfer window ended without the arrival of the left-back requested by Gian Piero Gasperini, an...
Juventus switch 'could play to Woltemade's strengths'
Football journalist Julien Laurens believes playing in Serie A "could work and play to Nick Woltemade strengths", with the Newcastle forward having joined Juventus on a season-long loan deal. Germany international Woltemade joined the Magpies last summer but has struggled to bed into the Premier League. Juventus will pay Newcastle a £3.5m loan fee for Woltemade, but do not have the option to buy the 24-year-old.
Hull City Players Handed Clear Warning From Manager
Hull City ended a historic summer transfer window after completing 18 signings in total, with six of those players arriving on deadline day.After investing around $204.2 million, according to Transfermarkt estimates, expectations surrounding the Tigers have obviously grown. However, all of these players have already received a warning from the team’s coaching staff.Assistant manager Dean […] The post Hull City Players Handed Clear Warning From Manager appeared first on HEAVY.
Activities aplenty on holiday weekend
Labor Day is considered the unofficial end of summer, and this weekend features several events in the area to help celebrate the occasion.
Fall Events Preview: A look at what's happening in northeast Indiana
With Labor Day weekend comes the transition from summer to the fall events season. But just because the days are shorter doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of fun to
Bad moves from the past plagued Bayern Munich’s summer
FC Bayern is doing what it can to compete in a tough landscape.
‘All hell has broken loose’: College football world reacts to LSU ruling
The college football madness continued Thursday night, as a Louisiana judge ruled LSU transfers Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris are eligible to play after spending the summer in NFL training camps. Wright and Harris are among the 42 athletes currently suing the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility. Judge William Jorden’s preliminary injunction prevents…
Abode Luxury Rentals named 2026 Green Business of the Year
The Park City | Summit County Green Business Program recognized the property management company for its commitment to sustainable operations, waste reduction and visitor education.
Premier League transfer windfall a lifeline for ailing French clubs
Record spending by English Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window has served as a lifeline across the Channel in France, where cash-strapped teams are more reliant on selling their best players for big money than ever before.English clubs signed Ligue 1 players for a reported total of 800 million euros in the summer window -- meaning that of an overall Premier League spend of 4.1 billion euros, about one fifth went to France.
Veterans connect with resources at annual Fayetteville health summit
Veterans connected with organizations offering health care and other resources Thursday in Fayetteville.
Why now is the right time for Atlanta to get into the NWSL business
After a successful summer of FIFA World Cup matches, Atlanta ownership is even more confident in the future of the market as an NWSL city.
Why now is the right time for Atlanta to get into the NWSL business
After a successful summer of FIFA World Cup matches, Atlanta ownership is even more confident in the future of the market as an NWSL city.
California tire rules opposed by most Business Journal readers
More than 80% of Business Journal poll respondents oppose California's new replacement tire efficiency rules, citing concerns about consumer costs.
Watch The AMD IFA Opening Keynote Live Here – Consumer-Tech, Ryzen AI MAX 400 Launch & More
AMD's Jack Huynh to present "The Era of Personal AI" keynote at IFA 2026, highlighting Ryzen AI MAX 400 and FSR Diamond advancements.
The Woodlands Chamber announces Speakers for the 2026 Woodlands Area Business Summit
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce an impressive slate of speakers for the 2026 Woodlands Area Business Summit, presented by
New Report Finds Women Who Played Sports as Girls Are More Likely to Become Workplace Leaders
New research from e.l.f. Beauty and Parity, unveiled at the 2026 Power of Women’s Sports Summit, finds the lessons girls learn on the field can follow them into the workplace — and all the way to the C-suite
Celtic Tried to Sign Player from Scottish Rivals Before Deadline
Celtic made a failed attempt to sign a player from one of their Scottish rivals before the summer transfer deadline.
NextEra Energy makes case for MARL at state business summit
Kaitlin McCormick says West Virginians will benefit from project.
Big 10 Pick 6: Searching for Single Digits
Week 1 of the CFB season is full of non-conference matchups between P4 teams and the dregs of FBS or FCS. Few teams are taking risks this season, at least in their season opener, in order to avoid putting an L on their resume for the CFP committee later in the year. As a result, […]
Justice weighs in on data centers at 2026 Business Summit
Justice mentioned not wanting the state to be left behind and says these centers would create opportunities for energy and jobs in West Virginia.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito speaks at 2026 Business Summit, talks new bill
Bill S.5243 proposes the automatic registration for a Trump Account when newborn babies are registered for a social security number.
10 Labor Day weekend things to do in the Seattle area
From flying stunt dogs at the Washington State Fair to the last hike before summer ends, here are the latest local things to do around the Seattle area.
Deciphering black holes, problematic proteins, and ‘intelligent’ bacteria: 75 undergraduates experience Clark’s ‘Summer of Science’
Seventy-five undergraduate science majors at Clark spent the summer working closely with faculty mentors and diving deep into research. Their projects ranged from black holes in outer space to the ubiquitin protein system, whose dysregulation can lead to the development of cancer and other serious diseases.
Carney claps back at Lutnick, says Canada will resume trade talks 'when the Americans are ready'
Canada has retaliated against President Donald Trump's 50% tariffs with "dollar for dollar" duties on U.S. goods, which are set to take effect next week.
Scientists just overturned a century-old physics assumption
Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered an unexpected form of the Hall effect, overturning the long-held assumption that this electrical response only appears when a magnetic field points perpendicular to a material. Beyond expanding a century-old principle of physics, the finding could eventually lead to simpler magnetic sensors for electronics, transportation, and medical technologies.
Capito Participates in West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 90th Annual Business Summit | U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) this week attended the...
Protecting Health Before, During, and After Wildfires
Recognizing wildfires as an increasingly complex public health and health care challenge, the National Academies’ Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies convened a webinar series this summer on wildfire preparedness, response, and recovery. The series brought together experts from health care, emergency management, environmental science, engineering, academia, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and affected communities.
LW Entertainment Expands 'Phantom of the Opera' Licensing Program
LW Entertainment announces new global and regional licensing partners across fashion, accessories, stationery and collectibles.
Sony and Microsoft request dismissal of consumer lawsuits over tariff refunds
Both companies argue they are not legally required to provide refunds to those who bought price-hiked hardware
Riverside Indie Fest returns to Crescent Park Sept. 5
EAST PROVIDENCE – With Labor Day being the unofficial end of summer, there’s always plenty happening during the weekend leading up to it. These may range from backyard barbecues to
FIA declares heat hazard for F1's Italian GP in Monza
Italy's sixth heatwave of a stifling 2026 summer is set to affect this weekend's running of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix
Chinese e-commerce moves to next phase after delivery price war changes shopping habits
China's meal-delivery subsidy war may have ebbed but its biggest legacy could be a shift in consumer expectations, as electronics, flowers and even medicine can now be delivered within an hour of ordering.
Barcelona’s financial fair play situation explained after huge summer spending
Barcelona have emerged from one of their busiest transfer windows with almost the same Financial Fair Play margin they had when the summer began.According to SPORT, despite spending €182.5 million o...
Soft opening announced for new Henderson sports, entertainment complex
Henderson Sport and Social offers indoor soccer, bowling, and an arcade without requiring families to walk through a smoky casino.
Soft opening announced for new Henderson sports, entertainment complex
Henderson Sport and Social offers indoor soccer, bowling, and an arcade without requiring families to walk through a smoky casino.
W.Va. Chamber of Commerce begins 90th Annual Meeting and Business Summit
The event features presentations, talk-backs, and workshops featuring some of the most accomplished business leaders in the state.
Sony and Microsoft say they’re not obligated to pass U.S. tariff refunds to consumers, echoing Nintendo
Back in July, Sony executives told investors that the company expected to receive $508 million in refunds from the U.S. government, after tariffs that the PlayStation-maker paid were ruled mostly in 2025 were found to be illegal. “Most” of the refund would by recouped by Sony’s gaming division, its chief financial officer said. This week, Sony’s lawyers are arguing that the company is not legally obligated to pass those proceeds on to consumers who paid for recently price-hiked PlayStation consoles. That’s in the face of a lawsuit from gamers calling on them to do exactly that. “Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognizable injury in fact,” the lawyers wrote in a legal motion filed on Monday, as they asked a judge in California’s Northern District to dismiss a potential class action lawsuit over the tariff refunds. Microsoft made a similar argument two weeks ahead of Sony’s lawyers, in a similar lawsuit brought by a gamer in federal court in Washington State. As Microsoft’s legal team put it on August 21, in their request for a dismissal of that lawsuit: “There is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what he paid for—regardless of whatever theory he devised months later about Microsoft’s cost structure.” Both legal fights are set to go on for some time. How things got to this point U.S. tariffs impacting a wide range of imported goods, including game consoles, had kicked off in early 2025. In May 2025, Microsoft raised the price of its Xbox consoles, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” They raised them again that September. In August of that year, Sony raised the price of PlayStation 5 consoles, citing “a challenging economic environment.” Sony later told investors that its tariff fees for the fall quarter were nearly $200 million. in February of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 2025 tariffs illegal, prompting impacted companies to begin to request refunds. In turn, consumers began suing the likes of Sony and Microsoft to get what they said was their share. The gamers in the Microsoft and Sony lawsuits argue that the 2025 price hikes of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, which added $50 or more to their sticker price, were due to illegal tariffs and should now be returned to consumers. The Sony suit started in May, when a group of gamers sued in federal court in California, saying Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) would be unjustly enriching itself if it did not pass tariff refunds to its PS5 buyers. “Sony is poised to be paid twice for the same unlawful tariff burden: once by its customers (through elevated prices) and once by the U.S. government (through tariff refunds),” the gamers’ lawyers wrote at the time. They called for Sony to partially reimburse anyone who bought a PlayStation in the U.S. since August 1, 2025. The Microsoft suit, filed by gamer Trevor Hastings against the Xbox giant in July, made similar claims. The console makers push back In late July, Nintendo’s lawyers, facing a similar suit accusing them of double-dipping on tariffs and refunds, replied with arguments that previewed Microsoft’s and Sony’s: “Nintendo or one of its retailers set a price for each product, and consumers decided whether that price was worth paying,” they wrote. Sony has buttressed that Nintendo-style argument this week by saying that the gamers have failed to prove that tariffs were the reason for its August 2025 PS5 price hike. They call thatclaim “speculative and illogical.” Other factors, including “inflation, currency fluctuations, component costs, logistics, competitive dynamics, or demand,” could have played a role. (No, the Sony lawyers do not break down the costs and factors that officially triggered the price increases). Microsoft has also argued that there’s no proof in these lawsuits that tariffs drove all or some of the price increase, as it seeks to dismiss the tariff refund suit it’s facing: “Plaintiff provides no specific allegations that would establish any pricing differential attributable to tariffs or suggest any possibility that Microsoft applied then or could recreate now any dollar-for-dollar calculation of tariff-related pricing—any more than it could any other market factor that affects pricing.” To further skewer the gamer side’s argument in its case, Sony’s lawyers have pointed to what might be a surprising defense: yet another PlayStation 5 price hike from this past spring, after the tariffs were ruled illegal. “If the original price increase were attributable to tariffs, SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment, aka PlayStation] would have had no reason to raise prices again after the Supreme Court invalidated the IEEPA tariffs.” … “If tariffs were the cause of the price increases, one would expect SIE to lower prices once the tariffs were eliminated—not raise them again. Instead, the timeline confirms that the pricing of PlayStation consoles includes a diverse and dynamic set of input costs.” Judges have not yet ruled on the arguments made by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. Last week, Panic, the company behind the small, yellow Playdate handheld said it would be passing its tariff refunds on to consumers. It is the only gaming hardware maker to have made such a pledge. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my reporting, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: A reporter’s second Second Life Wagner James Au, who from 2003-2006 was paid by San Francisco-based tech company Linden Lab to be a full-time journalist embedded in their virtual world Second Life, is returning to the company. This time, he’ll be an editorial advisor and business development specialist, he tells Game File. The new role will involve trying to share the stories of people inhabiting Second Life’s ongoing online world with reporters and by extension the public. Au plans to continue to also chronicle some of that through his long-running blog New World Notes. I’ve known Au since the mid-2000s and featured him in a 2007 article for the Columbia Journalism Review about reporters like him opening up virtual news outlets within Second Life. As I wrote at the time: On April 22, 2003, writing as Hamlet Linden for the New World Notes blog on Second Life’s Web site, Au introduced himself. “For the next few months, Linden Lab has invited me to set aside my journalist cap, and instead, don the digital beanie of their in-house virtual correspondent.” He wasn’t paid to keep it positive. He wrote about builders and eccentrics, but then in August of that year, he reported on a tax revolt against Linden Lab (a complaint about the fees it charges users who build stuff) led by a resident whose avatar was a big cat. Second Life has always been less of a video game and more of a virtual world where people can live, hang out, make art, sell virtual items and flirt. Back in 2007, Au described touring it as “sort of like underwater lucid dreaming.” For the past two decades, Au has maintained New World Notes as an independent publication. But he said he’s been drawn back to Second Life and Linden Lab as a place to directly work. The virtual world has around 650,000 monthly active users, he said, “which is actually about what it was during the hype wave.” Au says he’s still finding rich stories in Second Life, the kind that keep him interested 20 years into the beat: “Over the last few months for instance, I wrote about an SL creator in Venezuela whose apartment was destroyed by the earthquakes, so the global SL community rallied to get him back on his feet,” he told me. “Then there’s the woman from a Middle Eastern country who explored her lesbian sexuality in SL, then earned enough from her virtual jewelry to escape her abusive family situation and country.” Au wants to beckon more reporters to give Second Life another look. He argues that it is often ahead of internet trends, noting, for example, an early backlash in the community against AI-made art. Now the platform is drawing curiosity from more of the user-generated content community who’ve grown up with the likes of Roblox, according to Au. “Second Life was too early during its hype wave in 2005-2010, but it now feels right for a new wave of interest,” he told me.