‘Fortnite’ heads to Gotham City in new Fortnite x Batman event

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The latest Fortnite crossover event is one for the DC Comics fans.

Epic Games revealed its “Fortnite x Batman” cash farm collaboration on Saturday, an event that brings a touch of Gotham City to both the game’s map and its catalog of cosmetics. Until Oct. 6, Fortnite players who spend any time in the Tilted Towers area of the map will find Gotham City vibes and landmarks waiting for them.

The event also includes new shinies to reach for, including Batman-themed character and gadget skins. The trailer is very matter-of-fact about all of this, but the event is live now for you to check out at your leisure. Read more…

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A YouTuber and a U-Haul full of strangers: Inside the final attempt to storm Area 51

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There were more news crews than alien hunters at the second attempt to “storm” Area 51’s back gates in the predawn hours of Saturday morning. 

A guy with a plunger and a neck brace led the charge toward the secretive facility after hyping up a small group of us with a speech, but stopped short right before the gate. 

The number of campers in Rachel, Nevada, had doubled by Friday night, but only a handful of people showed up to actually Naruto-run through the military base’s gates. More than two million people RSVP’d to the viral “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All Of Us” event on Facebook. About a thousand showed up in Rachel and Hiko, two small towns in Nevada that are both hosting music festivals, to either camp in reserved sites or snag a free spot on Bureau of Land Management land. Read more…

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YouTube walks back changes to verification policy after outcry

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YouTube’s CEO is once again apologizing to the service’s top users following a massive backlash over changes to its verification policy.

One day after announcing that it was ditching the checkmarks and notifying many users that they were no longer eligible for verification, the company is walking back those changes.

“We completely missed the mark,” the company said in an updated blog post published Friday. 

“Channels that already have the verification badge will now keep it and don’t have to appeal. Just like in the past, all channels that have over 100,000 subscribers will still be eligible to apply. We’ll reopen the application process by the end of October.” Read more…

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Alphabet’s Wing drone will soon deliver Walgreens, FedEx packages

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Virginia, get ready for some air drops. 

Wing, Google’s drone spinoff company operating under parent company Alphabet, announced this week that a pilot program next month will offer Christiansburg, Virginia residents drone deliveries for FedEx, Walgreens, and local shop Sugar Magnolia.

This is Wing’s first U.S. delivery trial. It started testing its store-to-customers flight system in Australia and Finland this year The company that came out of Google’s X division says it’s completed 80,000 flights on three continents.

In April, Wing was granted Federal Aviation Administration certification to operate a drone delivery program. The Virginia trial is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program. Read more…

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Greta Thunberg, once a lone protester, just led a 4-million strong climate march

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As a throng of climate strikers crowded New York City’s Battery Park on Friday, Greta Thunberg lamented the empty promises of politicians who are ensuring a world in which the youth suffer due to their inaction. 

“No matter where you are, that burden, they leave to us teenagers, us children,” the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist said before more than 300,000 people.

Elementary to college-age students skipped school to attend the historic event, holding signs criticizing politicians with barbs like, “If you did your job we’d be in class right now.” The crowd, congesting Foley Square, had marched about 20 minutes from the park to hear several speakers, including Thunberg, whose become a leader for youth climate change activists. Several people needed medical attention during the event, with Thunberg stopping her speech twice to direct medics to help those in need as the blaring sun beat down on the crowd.  Read more…

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Watch these insanely trippy skateboard tricks in slow motion

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This absolutely mesmerizing compilation features experimental skater Matt Tomasello from the Brooklyn-based skater mag Jenkem Magazine

Tomasello is known for his Frankenstein skateboard collection comprised of different boards strung together into layers, reversible decks, or ripped pieces barely holding on to one another. Combining these moving parts into an actual style leads to something that Jenkemmag calls “Rodney Mullen on bath salts”.

Most clips are from Tomasello’s Instagram, but you won’t find them backdropped by hypnotizing vaporwave-esque beats there. Consumed back-to-back, Jenkemmag really illustrates Tomasello’s incredible footwork and technical mastery. You won’t see him pulling the hardest skateboarding tricks, but Tomasello isn’t trying to skateboard per say. He’s doing his own thing. Read more…

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