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Western Nevada College students engage in science research, bring education to life
While many college students spend summer break away from campus, a dedicated group of Western Nevada College student researchers devoted a month advancing biomedical science through paid research experiences as […]
Sam Altman arson suspect remains in custody as mental health report filed
A mental health evaluation report found Daniel Moreno Gama eligible for mental health diversion.
McConnell’s Wife Makes Health Mystery Even Weirder
Elaine Chao tried to dispel the rumors by saying the senator’s three-week hospitalization “did not warrant” her swift return from China.
Meta wants its AI glasses to seem less creepy. Its AI strategy says otherwise.
Meta is adding a new safeguard to stop people from secretly recording others with its AI glasses. But the update comes as the company continues to expand how much personal data its AI products collect and use.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Marblehead Custom Jewelry
The following is an interview with Steven Manchini, co-owner and jeweler of Marblehead Custom Jewelry. Marblehead Custom Jewelry is a local studio located at 66 Washington St. Specializing in custom jewelry design, in-house gemstone cutting and expert repairs, the team works closely with clients to bring meaningful, personal designs to life. With everything done under one
Assessor to hold training sessions for filing business personal property declaration
Washoe County Assessor Chris Sarman reminds residents that the deadline to file business personal property declaration is July 31, 2026. The Assessor’s Office will be offering training sessions on how to properly file your declaration beginning tomorrow, July 9.
Persona 4 Revival Producer Confirms Changes to Yosuke to Fit Today's Era
In a recent interview with Anime Corner during Anime Expo 2026, Persona Team General Producer Kazuhisa Wada spoke about different changes made to Persona
The ‘leading ladies’ of Science — inside the Microbiology Girls Club
It’s part science club, part mentorship program and part launchpad for the next generation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). But what really connects the girls inside this microbiology lab is curiosity and a community built on asking (and answering) questions.
Vendelux just raised $50 million to capitalize on live B2B events
Marketers want to get back to in-person gatherings, and Vendelux, a live events information platform, just raised $50 million to capitalize.
Hungary moves to overhaul university models banned from Horizon Europe
Hungary’s new government is aiming to overhaul the governance model of the institutions and universities that lost access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ funds “in a short timeframe,” according to Péter Horváth, the new state secretary for science policy and innovation. “As of today, the two non-university foundation-controlled institutions under my remit have been transformed,” he told Science|Business. “We hope the universities will follow and that this will be enough to satisfy the EU’s demands.”Under the previous government, led by Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, many academic and scientific institutions were restructured and made into special public trust foundations, with members strongly linked to the government given lifelong mandates and significant decision-making powers with little oversight. The European Commission deemed that this undermined academic freedom and transparency in the country, leading to a ban on 34 institutions in 2022, including 21 universities, which saw academics in Hungary lose access to Horizon Europe grants. The new Hungarian government, elected in May and led by Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party, has promised to dismantle this governance model and restore the institutions to EU programmes. As a result, the European Commission has promised to return access to the Erasmus+ education mobility programme, but so far no concrete agreement has been made on the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation. Hungary has already made legislative changes in June to allow the institutions to be reformed and set a timeline for the implementation.The non-university foundations, which are mainly cultural centres such as the Foundation for Hungarian Culture or the Makovecz Campus Foundation, will all be dissolved by August 31 this year, a date tied to EU-set milestones that Hungary must meet to unlock frozen funds, with control transferred to relevant ministries. Meanwhile, the universities will have until 31 August 2027. For each university foundation, the government will set the dissolution date and the body to take over operations. There is no final decision on a permanent new model for the universities, according to Hungarian MEP Eszter Lakos, who is shadow rapporteur for the Horizon Europe specific programme, a separate piece of legislation detailing implementation rules for the EU’s next research programme, due to start in 2028. “The aim of the transition year is to settle this with [the universities], not to impose a model, and not to put them under state control,” she told Science|Business. “The goal is to give academic independence back to universities.”There are three models that are most likely to be implemented. One would be a return to a traditional, state-run model. Another could be a newer, more self-standing public institution. A third option would be a reformed version of the foundation models that meet EU standards. According to Lakos, the dismantling of the system put in place by the Orbán government is well underway and if all goes according to plan, Hungary could regain access to EU research money by the start of the next academic year in 2027. “I believe that the Hungarian government is doing the necessary changes so the universities could return as beneficiaries to Horizon from the next school year,” she said. In the meantime, “the universities, institutes and cultural assets carry on under proper public stewardship rather than a handful of unaccountable trustees,” said Lakos. The laws passed in June impose new safeguards: board terms are capped at four years and renewable only once, appointments are made through open competitions and sitting politicians cannot join joining these boards.It remains unclear whether a domestic science funding programme set up as a back-up scheme by the former government following the EU funding ban, called HU-rizon, could be continued. “This programme should never have had to have been established in the first place, but it has proven to be quite popular,” he said. “I am considering continuing this programme with a refined focus on helping international collaborations.”Re-organising the research network One of the first priorities for Horváth and his cabinet is to resolve questions over the future of the Hungarian Research Network, Hun-Ren. The network of academic institutes was taken away from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2019 and turned into a quasi-private organisation, with similarities in its governance to the public trust foundations.Horváth and his team have consulted over 5,000 representatives from the network and the conclusion is broad unhappiness with the directors of all the institutes involved. “We have presented the results to the president and the chief executive of the network and this is currently being discussed,” Horváth said. The plan is to re-integrate the network back into the Academy of Sciences but in an improved way, “learning from mistakes of the past,” he added. The government also wants to reintegrate four humanities and social science research centres into the network that the previous government had transferred to Eötvös Loránd University. The transfer brought sharp criticism from the academic community, with a group of Hungarian research heads, including European Research Council grant recipients, sending an open letter to Orbán warning that the transfer would “cause historically significant harm to the entirety of Hungarian scientific life.” The transfer was “one of the biggest shames in Hungarian research in the past 20 years,” Horváth said. “We want to immediately re-integrate them back into the research network and to regain the trust of these institutions, because the way they were treated was really unfair.”Another pressing issue is the Élvonal Excellence Research and Talent Development Foundation, led by Nobel laureate Ferenc Krausz. The foundation signed a financing agreement with the former government earlier this year for a budget of over €730 million over the next five years. The goal is to create a world-class centre to attract top talent from abroad and to develop local researchers. But there was little transparency about this foundation, and news of its huge budget, which is nearly as much as Hungary’s entire research budget, caused a stir in the media following the recent elections. Another issue is that, as with the foundation boards of the institutes banned from Horizon Europe, there was little-to-no oversight of decisions led by Krausz. “It was an excellent idea but an unacceptable execution,” Horváth said of the foundation. “The fact that this is out of the Hungarian funding scheme, mostly concentrating on one person who decides on the budget is unacceptable for us.”The government plans to merge the centre with the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, the country’s R&D funding agency, with a reduced budget. Horváth is hopeful that Krausz will still be involved. The new government’s R&D goalsA phrase that crops up regularly during the discussion with Horváth is “democratic process.” The new state secretary is determined to involve Hungary’s research community in shaping future policies. This marks a departure from the previous government’s approach, and several people in Hungary’s research community have commented on the openness of the new government. In terms of concrete goals, Horváth and his team already have plans. He wants to create a new science fund in Hungary, based on the best practices of other European countries. The fund would not be tied to annual government budgets and would provide long-term, stable financing. “If we were to succeed in creating this fund, then I think it would be one of the biggest achievements for me in this period of government,” Horváth said. On the innovation side, he is looking into how best to bring in the private sector. “We want to make sure that we are working with the private sector to support innovation,” Horváth said. One of his big aims is to introduce entrepreneurship teaching into high schools. Hungary already has a reputable national academy offering research and innovation training in the field of natural sciences, and Horváth wants to expand this to all disciplines and across the whole country. “One of the main ways to elevate our innovative businesses is to teach our children to be innovative,” he said. “This will probably need ten years to pay off, but this is what we should do. Our aim is to make Hungary strong in our region, and this is what is needed.” Related articlesHungary’s Horizon Europe performance in numbersCommission unlocks Erasmus+ cash for Hungary, Horizon could be next‘Academic Huxit.’ Hungarian researchers speak out on impact of EU ban A more difficult task will be funding. The new government is aiming to increase research spending to 2% of the GDP by 2030, and then increase it to 3% in line with EU objectives. Currently, spending sits around 1.3%. But according to Horváth, the current budget, inherited from the previous government, is “heavily in the negative,” so any plans to increase research spending will have to start next year. Achieving 2% by 2030 already needs a big push, almost doubling the research budget. “This is something we’d definitely like to reach, and something I can see us achieving,” he said. “From the 2030s, I’d like to see an innovative generation growing up that can help us reach the 3% target.” Positivity in the new governmentDespite the many challenges facing Horváth and his team, the mood is positive. “It feels a bit like a start-up right now. Everyone is working 24/7, day and night, trying to do as much as they can. There is a lot of energy,” he said. It is a big change for the state secretary who, like many in his cabinet, is coming from a background in research or business, and not in politics. “Six weeks ago, I was sitting with my microscope and my research PhDs, so it’s been a big change for me,” said the computer scientist, who was previously the director of the Institute of Biochemistry at the Hun-Ren Biological Research Centre in Hungary and worked at the Institute for AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich. But he is relishing the task to transform the country’s R&D landscape. “We feel enormous support from the Hungarian people, but also from Europe,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of letters of support from around Europe. There is big trust there, and huge responsibility on our side. We want to get everything back on track, and there’s a lot to do.”
How much and why ACA Marketplace premiums are going up in 2027 - Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker
For 2027, across 77 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from the 16 states and DC, the median proposed premium increase is 14%.
How Trump Accounts Platform reshape small business finance
I understand the immense effort required to run a business—long hours, complex supply chains, and personal sacrifices for employees and children. That’s why the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is partnering with you to ensure your hard work leads to lasting stability, supporting our region’s families by providing immediate financial relief and long-term wealth building […]
Google Voice launches two new personal plans with Workspace perks
Things are now more personal
James Cameron Turned To Science To Prove The Door In Titanic Could Only Hold One Surviving Person
Since the release of "Titanic," fans have gone back and forth about the possibility of Jack being able to survive.
Downtown Columbia business owners petition for an urban camping ordinance
KRCG offers coverage of news, sports, weather and local events in the Columbia and Jefferson City, Missouri area, including the communities of New Bloomfield, Shaw, Boonville, Ashland, Hallsville, Sturgeon, Centralia, Mexico, Auxvasse, Fulton, California, Tipton, Eldon, Wardsville, Westphalia and Sedalia, Missouri.
‘Love and Other Words’ Adaptation a Go From Magic Hour Entertainment
Max Siemers and Tanner Anderson are behind the new company, which will adapt Christina Lauren’s best-selling novel of the same of the name centered on childhood friends turned first loves who reconnect as adults.
‘Love and Other Words’ Adaptation Set With the Newly Formed Magic Hour Entertainment (Exclusive)
Max Siemers and Tanner Anderson are behind the new company, which will adapt Christina Lauren’s best-selling novel of the same of the name centered on childhood friends turned first loves who reconnec...
Google Voice now offers paid tiers with call recording & Gemini for personal accounts
Historically, Google Voice’s paid offerings were meant for enterprise customers, but Google is now letting you upgrade to a paid calling...
This Toilet Attachment Helps You Understand Your Gut Health, Hydration And More
Kohler Health's easy-to-install bathroom appliance provides key wellness metrics and personalized health insights.
2026 World Cup Odds: Books In 'Strong Position' Following USA Elimination
The fairy tale is over for the USA, putting books in a strong position when it comes to World Cup futures. Patrick Everson breaks it down.
16 Owls Selected to Athlon Sports’ Preseason All-CUSA
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State football continued to receive preseason honors as Athlon Sports announced a whopping 16 preseason all-Conference USA selections for the Owls this week.
This 10-Second Test Can Reveal a Lot About Your Longevity, Personal Trainer Says
In TODAY.com’s Expert Tip of the Day, a personal trainer reveals the overlooked skill for healthy aging and how to ace the test with a little bit of practice.
Cytokinetics Announces Three Late-Breaking Science Abstracts at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2026
Hot Line Presentation of Primary Results from ACACIA-HCM to Elaborate on Positive Topline Results in Patients with Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Company to Host In-Person and Virtual Investor Event to Discuss Results from Late-Breaking Science Presentations SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytokinetics, Incorporated (Nasdaq: CYTK) today announced three Late Breaking Science abstracts were accepted for presentation at the European Society of Cardiology
Explosive Growth Anticipated: Generative AI in Media and Entertainment Market Set to Surpass $8 Billion by 2030
Key market opportunities in generative AI for media and entertainment include integration with VR/AR, cloud-based AI services, real-time personalization, and growth in interactive gaming. Trends involve AI-powered content creation, personalization, and storytelling. The market seeks innovation to enhance user experiences and content efficiency. Generative AI in Media and Entertainment Market Generative AI in Media and Entertainment Market Dublin, July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Generative
Trump’s request for a review of Folarin Balogun’s red card has become a global test of FIFA’s political neutrality
The U.S. striker’s red-card ban was suspended after President Trump personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino for a review.
Frankie Grande suffers concussion after prop hits him on the stage during Broadway show
Frankie Grande suffered a gnarly set of injuries, including a concussion, after a prop hit him on stage during a routine performance of ‘Titaníque.” He stars with Deborah Cox and Jim Parsons in the Broadway musical.
McConnell spokesperson shares statement amid growing concerns about the Senator’s health
WAVE reached out to his team for any comments about the Senator and reports questioning his ability to serve.
Health insurer Centene to stop participating in Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion
DHS will transfer enrollees in the three Centene plans to other plans for which they are eligible, an agency spokesperson said.
Stevens courts McMorrow supporters, leans into electability pitch at small business visit
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democratic candidate in a U.S. Senate primary that is now a two-person race, drew hard lines between herself and her primary opponent, former Wayne County Health Department executive Abdul El-Sayed, in a visit to Sea Leveaux, a Cajun boil restaurant in downtown Lansing that opened on Thursday.
Ohio agency looks to ban sports bettors from using credit cards to gamble
The Ohio Casino Control Commission is finalizing its rule to ban credit card transactions for sportsbooks, an agency spokesperson said.
World Cup 2026: England's Jordan Henderson out of tournament after freak injury against Mexico
Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for the remainder of Englands World Cup campaign; Brentford midfielder landed awkwardly as he hopped over the advertising hoardings following Englands dramatic 3-2 win against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium
Extracurricular: Finding their tribe
The first clue that Monica Carson and David Lo have arrived at San Diego Comic-Con isn’t the elaborate costumes. It’s the conversations they strike up with fellow fans.
Mario Lopez responds to being labeled a Trump supporter: ‘I’m not a political person’
Mario Lopez responded to reports that he supports Donald Trump in a since-deleted Instagram comment.
It's Seattle's best sports year yet. Will Mayor Katie Wilson benefit?
Seattle sports enthusiasm has maybe never been more obvious than this year. The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl, the World Cup is he, and the SuperSonics feel closer than ever to potentially returning. None of that is due to Mayor Katie Wilson, but will she benefit from it?
Behavioral Health Art Show Celebrates Creativity and Personal Growth
County Behavioral Health Services brought creativity and community together on June 12 at the Southeastern Live Well Center for its annual Strengths Based Case Management Art Show. More than a showcase, the art show highlights how creativity can open doors to healing and give participants a chance to be seen for their talent, not their challenges.
Henderson expected to have surgery on injured wrist
Jordan Henderson is expected to have surgery on the wrist injury he sustained while celebrating England's win over Mexico on Monday.
The Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale's Stick-Shift Might Not Be 'Real' But You've Gotta Stop Freaking Out About It
In essence, it was either going to be this "fake" manual, or no manual at all, and I personally believe in the lesser of two evils. Do you not?
England star to miss rest of World Cup after getting injured celebrating win over Mexico
England soccer star Jordan Henderson suffered a "serious" injury following his team's win Sunday night.
England’s Jordan Henderson requires wrist surgery, set to miss rest of World Cup
The Brentford midfielder landed awkwardly as he slipped while climbing over the advertising hoardings after the 3-2 win over Mexico.
The Weeknd Redeems Himself By Winning Over A Baddie In Persona 3
The ‘Blinding Lights’ singer famously fumbled Tae in Persona 5
THE MAGIC OF SCIENCE | Texas A&M University Chemistry Road Show lights up the Expo Center with chemistry…not magic!
The Rusk County Library’s Summer Reading Program offered local lectiophiles (lovers of reading) a magical morning filled with ear-piercing explosions, dancing rainbow-colored flames, shattering roses, burning dollar bills that never […]
Boston Celtics sign center Neemias Queta to a 4-year extension, AP source says
The Boston Celtics have signed center Neemias Queta to a four-year extension, a person familiar with the agreement tells The Associated Press. ESPN, which first reported the deal, cited agent Bill Duffy in saying the extension was worth $56 million.
She built Kozie’s from scratch. Then she bought the building around it.
Akosua Opoku turned three jobs, personal loans and a bit of city assistance into a growing West Oak Lane business.
Evidence in action: how science helps us make better decisions
Anita Chandran reviews Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works by Helen Pearson
The Lawyers Behind Australia’s Biggest Music Stars Launch New Entertainment Firm
Two of Australia's leading entertainment lawyers have launched Hewitt Glass, a specialist Sydney firm representing major music artists, festivals, media personalities and entertainment businesses.
Personnel note: Chesapeake Utilities adds Lance Pierce to Florida team
Pierce will oversee external affairs in Jackson, Liberty, Gadsden, Calhoun, Holmes, Washington, Bay and Escambia counties
Scientists build living ‘neurobots’ that grow their own neural networks
Self-powered, entirely biological constructs injected with neural precursor cells - reveal the surprising flexibility of nervous systems.
47-44: Chart
Emerson Hancock sparkles, Mitch Garver provides big blast in 4-0 Mariners win
Douglas police arrest suspect linked to multiple business burglaries
The Douglas Police Department arrested a suspect following burglaries at two businesses, according to police. The first incident occurred July 4 at a business on South Peterson Avenue. Officers responded to an alarm after the business owner reported seeing a suspect on surveillance cameras attempting to force entry into the building.
2026 World Cup Odds: Folarin Balogun's Return Leaves Books Scrambling
The betting on USA-Belgium changed in an instant once it was announced Folarin Balogun was eligible to play. Patrick Everson has the scoop.
Mallory McMorrow ends bid for Democratic Senate nomination in Michigan
The state senator’s decision sets up a two-person Aug. 4 primary showdown between former public health official Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens.
NH's Business: Increasing energy demand in New Hampshire
Fred Kocher sits down with William Hinkle with Eversource to talk about how increasing demand for energy affects affordability for customers.
Mark Zuckerberg takes business calls on a jet ski wearing his $800 Meta glasses—and insists ‘the other person could not tell’
Zuckerberg is convinced smart glasses will replace the smartphone—and he's spending billions to prove it, even as Reality Labs posts a $19.2 billion loss.
A Nantucket dive bar is booking big name bands, bringing fans together like never before
Concertgoers from all backgrounds have packed this 375-person venue to listen to artists that might not typically go out to Nantucket.
Politics is personal for a CT attorney. She’s also a Haitian immigrant now running for Congress
After a years-long journey in search of the American Dream, she eventually received her law degree, bought a home at the age of 30, and is now raising three children with her husband.
Carson Cooper Turns Heads with Outstanding NBA Summer League Debut
The former Spartan standout stole the spotlight in Memphis, flashing explosive athleticism and a surprising perimeter game to prove his versatile skill set belongs on the professional stage.
Sky Sports: Ipswich Set To Rival Fellow Promoted Side For Ligue 1 Star
Ipswich Town Enter Emersonn Race as Premier League Newcomers Move Against Hull CityIpswich Town have moved for Emersonn, and that tells you two things straight away. First, they are not approaching th...
Mulitiple injured in Glendale shooting on Fourth of July
Several people were left injured on the Fourth of July Saturday night after a shooting at the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale, authorities said.
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper got a hilarious surprise visit from this TV legend
Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper lost it when Cheri Oteri provided a heavenly visit from late host Barbara Walters.
Studio MAPPA to Animate All Persona 4: Revival In-Game Cutscenes
Persona 4: Revival will have of the animated scenes in the game redone by studio MAPPA, as announced during Anime Expo 2026.
Health Department releases food inspection reports for week of June 21
Find out how your favorite restaurant, convenience store and other food establishments in Jefferson County are performing on Health Department inspections.
Elon Musk posted twice as often on UK race and immigration as about SpaceX in IPO run-up
Guardian analysis of X feed shows how keen world’s richest person was to air his views and ‘interfere’ in British politics
Tom Brady narrates epic sports video commemorating USA’s 250th birthday
Tom Brady’s legendary football career has been over for several years, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion continues to find new ways to remain in the spotlight. From becoming one of the biggest personalities in sports media to expanding his…
Thomas Jefferson’s Embrace of Intelligent Design
Today on Independence Day, it is appropriate to review the sources of our rights as citizens.
Sports car driver killed, several injured, including 2 children, in I-45 crash involving heavy truck
A person was killed and two children were injured in a multi-vehicle crash involving a heavy truck on I-45 Friday morning, according to officials.
KOSA, wage theft and New Britain’s finances: CT Politics news
Plus: Early childhood education funding, UConn Health expansion, free college courses for high schoolers and Eversource's storm costs.
One underrated key to UM’s success. And Mensah, Toney, Fitzgerald, Canes chatter
One person who is underrated key to UM’s success. And Canes news and notes
Long Reads for the Long Weekend
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Happy Fourth of July weekend! As has been a tradition of mine going back to the beginning of the EntStrategyGuy website, I’m sharing my favorite long reads of the last year, like I did in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025. Let’s dive right in! Subscribe “Different Prices for the Same Ride: How Uber and Lyft Use AI to Get More Money Out of You“ by Derek Kravitz in Consumer Reports I don’t think surveillance pricing, like the kind described in this brilliant Consumer Reports article, is long for the world—it’s toxically unpopular—but we’ll see if either party takes on this issue. If I ran a political party focused on affordability, I would focus on a few pro-consumer and pro-market policies: Banning non-compete agreements. Ending surveillance pricing Eliminating junk fees (read more here...) Ensuring “right to repair” for consumer (and military!) products Capping excessive app store fees Stopping digital/algorithmic price-fixing tools. Preventing automatic subscription price increases. And more. If you want to fight inflation, there are a lot of great ways to do it quickly. Speaking of higher prices... “Secret Documents Show Pepsi and Walmart Colluded to Raise Food Prices Across the Economy“ by Matt Stoller in BIG Again, I think a political party should focus on lowering prices for consumers. And deals like this—Walmart making a deal/forcing Pepsi to offer the lowest prices at its stores and nowhere else—hypothetically lower prices at Walmart...but raise them everywhere else. “15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road“ by Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler in CalMatters CalMatters does terrific reporting in California, something the Golden State desperately needs more of, and this article is a great example of that. “PugLips: The next insanely popular thing you’ve never heard of…” by Simon Carless in Game Discover Co I thought that this parody article (and yes, it’s a parody, but I was definitely unsure at first) was hilarious and totally nailed how much tech/business journalism feels these days. Actually, three of my favorite articles this year were on hype in the video game industry, including Georg Zoller’s “The Video Game Industries Very Dark Night”—which I linked to recently and wrote a follow-up here—and Owen Mahoney’s “Derek Zoolander, Videogame Exec”. In particular, I like Mahoney’s focus on user experience as a guide to what trends will actually grab hold of customers. “The Matrix Lies“ by Evan Shapiro in Media War & Peace Evan Shapiro’s first person account of his experience with AI was hilarious. I think LLMs capabilities have significantly grown from last summer, and yet...my editor/researcher just had an abysmal experience using an LLM to do a quite basic task (which our LLM normally does each week) and the LLM made a mistake on every single data entry...along with seven different mistakes affecting twelve of the twenty or so entries, including mistakes that are explicitly spelled out in the prompt. That’s a brutal failure rate. Again, if you use AI/LLM for data collection, you need to take a lot of extra steps to verify and check the data. “Ghosts in the Balcony: A Cross-Country Trip to 58 Theaters Fighting to Survive“ by Matthew Frank in The Ankler I thought Matthew Frank’s pitch to head across America to visit theaters sounded insane aggressive at the time—at least it felt that way to someone a decade older than him; man, to be in your twenties again, am I right?—but I knew the result would be great. And it was, a terrific feature by a great young writer. Also, I loved Matthew’s recent article on who’s getting the precious few entry level jobs in Hollywood. (Hint: nepotism.) “Disney erased FiveThirtyEight“ and “Did Las Vegas get too greedy?” by Nate Silver in Silver Bulletin I love media history and analysis, and there’s no one better to get the history of FiveThirtyEight than from Nate Silver, who wrote about his personal experience in one of my favorite pieces from this year. I also loved Nate’s breakdown of what’s causing Vegas’ woes, but I’ll offer one criticism, summarized as “Might I suggest antitrust?” Many centrists/center-right/libertarian thinkers (Nate is self-described as the latter) often don’t consider consolidation or antitrust as factors in policy issues like housing, America’s military readiness, or, in this case, Las Vegas. Even if libertarians want to debunk antitrust/consolidation concerns, I’d love to read that debunking. In this case, Vegas is incredibly consolidated (though it also has been for a long time) and I’d have loved to read Nate at least contending with this factor, since he addresses almost every other potential factor for Vegas’ decline. “Why Microsoft’s Carbon Removal Pullback Is Such a Big Deal“ by Robinson Meyer in Heatmap News I’m a big supporter of carbon removal efforts, but this nascent industry faces a lot of headwinds, including this big move most recently. I think it’s clear that solar panels and batteries should be able to get the world to its carbon footprint goals, but effective carbon renewal remains necessary to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. “AI is killing the cheap smartphone“ by David Oks LLMs and AI will impact the world in ways we’re not ready for, and already, third world countries are seeing the prices of cheap cellphones skyrocket due to the cost of chips skyrocketing. This article by David Oks is a terrific breakdown. “100 Days of Madness: Netflix, Paramount, Warner and the Future of Hollywood“ by Wade Major at Hollywood Heretic Wade Major dove deep into Hollywood/streaming’s financials in this must read piece. Not that I agree with everything in this article (read my take on Warner Bros./Paramount here) but the analysis is top notch. I think many people discount how quality thinking, regardless of the argument/conclusion, will make you a better thinker. “Erased by the UFC: Frank Shamrock, The MMA GOAT of the 20th Century“ by Nate Wilcox in The MMA Draw Newsletter Growing up playing the UFC fighting game on the Dreamcast, Frank Shamrock was my favorite MMA fighter, and this history/tribute to him was great. Other Fun Reads “The Hardest Part Of History To Tell Is How It Felt“ by Craig Fehrman at Defector “Unmasking the Sea Star Killer“ by Craig Welch at bioGraphic “What Could Save the Industry? Fin-Syn“ by Richard Rushfield in The Ankler Alex Rollins Berg in Underexposed on movie bumpers, pillow shots, Disney trash cinema, cult films, and Casablanca. David H. Montgomery in YouGov’s The Surveyor on punctuation marks, condiments, dinosaurs, and comic strips and kids media. “How Medium finally pivoted its way to profitability“ and “Why the best journalists on YouTube are all former Vox employees“ by Simon Owens in Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter “It’s Not Just You, Netflix Shows Have Gotten Slightly Shorter: Here’s What the Data Says“ by Kasey Moore at What’s on Netflix “Numlock Awards: How Diane Warren became the biggest loser in Oscar history“ by Nathaniel Rakich and “Numlock Awards: The Oscar Bait era is over. The Oscar Chum era is here.” by Walt Hickey & Michael Domanico at Numlock Awards
READY, FIRE, AIM: Please, No Politics on the Fourth of July
Maybe I’m not the only person confused by this approach to the July Fourth celebration?
I apologize, Cedric Mullins: Rays 5, Royals 2
If you would’ve told me the Rays would convincingly sweep a team on the road two weeks ago after what I saw in person at Dodger Stadium, I’d hedge your bet. The Rays, on their first west coast swing of the season, went 1-5 and lost three straight games in one-run fashion. and in the […]
As Mamdani pledges transparency for 9/11, lawyers say some records weren't saved
A spokesperson for Mamdani said the portal will have millions of documents.
Oregon merges psychedelic mushroom, medical marijuana regulators, proposes fee hike
The Oregon Health Authority is making administrative and personnel changes to its psychedelic mushroom and marijuana services, citing “budget shortfalls.”
Mitch McConnell’s Aides Make Bombshell Health Admission
A spokesperson for the senator made a shocking admission in a statement to the Daily Beast.
MAGA Base Stays Quiet After Trump Reports Billions in Personal Gains
A new mandatory disclosure revealed that the president has earned $2.2 billion during the first year back in the White House.
Anderson strikes tentative deal to sell forage business
Sale would allow company to pay ‘virtually’ all its creditors Anderson Hay has struck a tentative deal with an unnamed “strategic partner” to buy most of its forage business as […]
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New games sold for PlayStation consoles will only be available digitally and won’t be sold on discs effective January 2028, Sony has announced. The move applies to all PlayStation games released from that point on, including those made by Sony and those released by third parties. The PlayStation group calls the change “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” according to a PlayStation blog post reviewed by Game File in advance of its publication. As movies, TV and music have shifted from physical media to an age of downloads and streaming, Sony’s move could speed the demise of physical media in a gaming. The industry has offered consumers games via cartridges, cassettes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays across a 50-year stretch. Sony has been reporting to investors in recent years that PlayStation games have been increasingly purchased as downloads, not as discs. The most recent figures show nearly four in five purchases of full games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were purchased digitally in the past year. Stats like that may cause today’s news to carry an air of the inevitable. But Sony’s declaration for 2028 is still likely to produce a shock, as the biggest gaming platform on the planet that uses game discs leaves them behind. Discs going away, but the fate of game boxes is unknown Sony is committing to still selling games in physical retailers even after they drop discs in 2028. Just how those games will be sold—in boxes with codes inside, as cards marked with digital redemption codes—is unclear. Digital games will also continue to be sold in the online PlayStation Store. New games released for PlayStation consoles prior to January 2028 will be unaffected by the policy change, Sony says. That means the PS5 games of 2027, be they a new Madden, a new God of War, a new Call of Duty, a new Sly Cooper (one can dream?), would still potentially be offered on disc. PlayStation 6 implications Sony’s timeline for a transition to a no-disc era will also spin up more speculation about the timing and configuration of Sony’s next-generation console, the probable PlayStation 6. “This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest,” Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis tells Game File. Harding-Rolls also concludes from today’s news that “the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive,” as Sony looks to keep costs down on the device. Sony itself is saying nothing about the PS6 today: not its timing, nor how it might or might not support internal or external disc drives in order to run disc-based PS4 and PS5 games, should the console be backwards compatible. The many signs this was coming Industry support for games being released on physical media has been waning. As has consumer interest in them. PC games effectively went all-digital years ago, thanks to the popularity of playing games through Steam and other digital storefronts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that kept much of the global population home helped shift shopping patterns toward downloads. Sony’s own data shows PlayStation game downloads being an uncommon consumer choice a decade ago and now becoming the norm. On consoles, physical media has been in such decline that Sony and Microsoft both launched their current gen Xbox Series and PS5 consoles in 2020 with cheaper versions that lacked disc drives. In early 2024, Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, told me that ““[w]e ship games physically and digitally, and we’re really just following what the customers are doing.” He added that the game industry had become an outlier in still supporting disc-based entertainment, even as movies and TV have bailed on discs in favor of downloads and steaming: “Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive. And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console—and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers—the cost of the drive does have an impact.” Last year, the Nintendo’s Switch 2, which uses cartridges rather than discs, introduced the concept of game-key cards, which are physical media that contain no game, just a prompt for a download. Even disc-based games aren’t what they once were, now frequently containing just stubs of games rather than the whole thing. The website Does It Play has tested over 3000 games and found that, for example, that the disc version of this year’s hit 007: First Light, only contained the game’s first mission, with the rest needing to be downloaded. Beyond all that, last week brought the news that Grand Theft Auto VI, likely the biggest game launch this decade, will debut for PS5 and Xbox Series without a disc-based version. Today’s big news comes to you for free. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and ensure more of my work is possible, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Discs helped define PlayStation However the trends in entertainment may be going, it is still remarkable to see PlayStation ditch discs given their importance in PlayStation history: In the late 1990s, the first PlayStation’s support for games on relatively cheap CD-ROMs instead of traditional game cartridges allowed the upstart console to outmaneuver cartridge-based systems from Nintendo and Sega, as it drove down game prices down in the process. (The cheaper disc format even prompted Final Fantasy VII maker Square to taunt Nintendo in a magazine ad, saying that if the game was “available on cartridge, it’d retail for around $1200.”) PlayStation devices often doubled as machines for watching movies and TV on the latest disc-based formats. In the late 2000s, for example, Sony’s pricy PS3 gained traction as a go-to device for playing then-novel Blu-Ray discs. In 2013, Sony effectively roasted the digital game-sharing restrictions proposed by rival Microsoft for its upcoming Xbox One console by showing how games could be shared for the then-upcoming PS4. In a 21-second clip that has over 20 million views on YouTube, one PlayStation executive simply handed a game box—presumably with disc inside—to another, who said “thanks.” Sony’s possible motivations The PlayStation announcement today cites “consumer preferences” and a shift away from discs among “the broader entertainment industry,” but does not delve into the decision-making process that brought Sony to this point. Sony is not discussing the economics of this move (I asked!), but there are a number of potential factors: Abandoning discs will spare Sony the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, which analysts and industry veterans I spoke to said could account for $1 or so of a game’s retail price. For first-party games, that’s direct savings for Sony, though the amount is limited by the winnowing percentage of people who were even buying the disc-based versions. For third-party games, Sony could pass the savings on to partners or just retain the better profit margin for themselves. As the 2024 comments from Phil Spencer alluded to, leaving discs behind could mean leaving disc-drives behind, allowing Sony to produce consoles more cheaply. Switching to digital-only for games could diminish the risks of copies of new games leaking. It would also seemingly make second-hand sales of used games impossible, pushing more people to buy their own copies of games. These economic benefits for Sony could be boons for the games industry overall, Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls tells Game File. Among other things, it could free publishers and retailers from having to worry about securing an inventory of game discs when trying to sell games, he noted. “If there is a way to streamline the business of games retail, I generally think it’s a good thing for the industry as it removes unnecessary costs,” Harding-Rolls said. “This will help offset pressure on margins from other directions – development and staffing costs for example.” Should the industry shift from game boxes that contain discs to smaller, cheaper game cards, Harding-Rolls said, that reduces pressure on publishers and retailers. “The advantage of everything going digital for the industry is that sales can be tracked much more easily and there is less commercial risk for publishers wanting to continue selling via retail,” he said. The shift to no discs will also likely impact game development timelines, as developers will no longer face the same urgency to have a build ready to submit to PlayStation for the production of a disc, as industry experts noted around GTA VI’s no-disc news last week. Instead, projects may gain weeks of development time, in the event delivery deadlines for platform approval move closer to release date. Preservationists’ likely worries While millions of gamers have shifted to digital, there are still people who associate game discs—and only game discs—with actual ownership of PlayStation games. That portion of the gaming community spoke up last week about wanting to buy a version of GTA VI that they could hold in their hands, could lend to a friend and could potentially pop into a well-preserved PS5 console three decades from now and still see it run. Such gamers didn’t want to worry that they’d merely purchased a digital copy that could lose access to the game if, say, the company behind the game someday turns of the servers that transmit downloadable copies. Digital copies of games are inherently less long-lasting, because consumers aren’t actually buying a game (on a disc), just buying access to the game. The fine print in online gaming shops notes this, as does a recent law that went on the books in California in 2025. That lasw requires game publishers doing business in the state to refrain from words like “sell” when offering digital copies of games, unless they explicitly tell consumers that what’s being sold isn’t the game itself but a potentially revocable license to access it. A Sony spokesperson noted to Game File that “[w]ith all digital content, including games, movies, and music, players are purchasing a personal license for non-commercial use.” Regarding the fears of PlayStation games being lost to time in an all-digital era, the rep also noted that Sony remains “committed to delivering experiences from past generations to the new platforms our players are using.” They noted that PlayStation has used emulation and remasters to keep offering its classic games to modern gamers. It’s true that many consumers have become accustomed to not having physical copies of new music albums or movies, but the relative precariousness of digital copies of games is in fact being highlighted today by…. Sony’s other big announcement: the upcoming closure of the PS3 and PS Vita online stores Sony said today that it will be closing the online marketplaces for its PlayStation 3 console and PS Vita handheld in most countries in July 2027 (sooner elsewhere: August 2026 for the PS3 store Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua; late 2026 for PS3 in other Latin American countries and the Middle East). “We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming,” Sony said in its announcement, saying the move “was not an easy decision for us to make.” Sony said that PS3 and Vita marketplaces “are no longer able” to support modern commerce systems, prompting a “need” to close the shops and focus on more modern PlayStation platform stores. The news may spark some deja vu. Sony announced back in March 2021 that it planned to take the PS3, Vita and PlayStation Portable marketplaces offline that summer. The move would have caused some 2,000 digital-only games to become unavailable for new purchasers, according to a VGC analysis at the time. Fans complained loudly. By April 2021, Sony walked back the PS3 and Vita shop closures, with then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying “it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.” This time around, Sony is giving a longer notice period in most regions. The closure of those stores is still likely to cut off access to new purchases of digital-only PS3 and Vita games. The current PlayStation 5 marketplace sells PS5 and PS4 games, as well as a selection of PS1 and PS2 games. It does not sell PS3 games, because games for that platform can’t run on the system (some are offered via a PlayStation Plus streaming option). Vita games also aren’t sold via PS5. Sony says digitally purchased PS3 and Vita games will be downloadable after the stores’ shutdowns “for the foreseeable future.” Sony’s move contrasts with Microsoft’s Xbox platform, which continues to sell and support games from all four Xbox console generations. But it puts it in line with Nintendo, which disabled purchases in the marketplace for its Wii console (a contemporary of the PS3) in 2019. Nintendo discontinued purchases in the online shop for its 3DS portable (a contemporary of the Vita) in 2023. The big questions about Sony’s 2028 post-disc era Will Microsoft follow suit, ending support for new disc-based games on Xbox platforms and therefore all game consoles, too? Whether Microsoft does or not, will third-parties that can no longer release games on discs for PlayStation, simply ditch the disc options across the board? Given the GTA VI no-disc experiment launching this November, will more game publishers decide to forgo disc-based offerings even in 2027? How will no-disc PS5/6 games be packaged and sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores? What becomes of game sharing in an all-digital era? Will Sony modify its current set-up, which currently allows some sharing of digital games across a pair of consoles, to allow more casual lending? (See for example, Nintendo’s year-old system of letting players lend a digital game to another player in a “family group” for up to 14 days.) Will there be a version of a PS6 with a disc drive? Or will a drive be offered as an add-on? And how will gamers who want to retain access to PS4/PS5 disc-based games react to whichever configurations Sony chooses to offer? What will the final disc-based PlayStation game be?
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