Culture

Videogame merch is 'diet cosplay' — fans want more fashion-forward pieces

In PC Gamer's Character Select column, Mollie Taylor argues videogame merch has become a form of "diet cosplay" and urges more clothing brands and game companies to make fashion-forward pieces. She recalls being struck by cosplayers at Final Fantasy 14's Fan Fest in 2023

Culture

Matt Mercer says Critical Role will spotlight other creators on Beacon

Matthew Mercer told Variety in a conversation reported by Polygon (Jan. 30, 2026) that Critical Role’s future is less about expanding the brand himself and more about using the platform to showcase other creators. “I got nothing,” he said, adding that he feels he has already “far exceeded” his

World

Three fraternity leaders in Arizona charged with hazing after student found dead

Three leaders of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity at Northern Arizona University were arrested and charged with hazing after an 18-year-old pledge candidate was found dead on Saturday morning following a rush event on Friday night in Flagstaff, the police said. Just before 8:45 a.m., officers responded to

Culture

The Night Agent Season 3: Peter's deal with Jacob and Rose's exit

The Night Agent returns for Season 3 on Feb. 19, 2026, when Netflix will drop all 10 episodes at once. Season 2 leaves Peter Sutherland in a precarious position that sets up the new season's central conflicts. Season 2 ends with Peter and Rose agreeing they can'

Culture

2026 Grammys: 36 behind-the-scenes photos from Crypto.com Arena

People published a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos from the 68th annual Grammys telecast on Feb. 1, capturing candid moments at Crypto.com Arena that didn’t make the broadcast. The Feb. 1 show featured major onstage moments — including Bad Bunny’s Album of the Year win and the In Memoriam

Culture

Book 'Focus On‑Off' says attention can be managed despite modern distractions

In the new book Focus On‑Off, Dutch experts Mark Tigchelaar and Oscar de Bos argue that people can better harness attention despite modern distractions; De Bos, head of the training company Focus Company, spoke to the Guardian over Zoom from Amsterdam. The article notes we may have about 50,

Crypto

Ripple unlocks 1B XRP, relocks 700M — net 300M added supply

Ripple unlocked roughly 1 billion XRP from escrow on February 1, then relocked 700 million XRP, leaving a net 300 million XRP added to circulation, according to on-chain data and Whale Alert. The unlocks were split across four transfers of 100 million, 400 million, 100 million and 400 million XRP,

Tech

Workers' confidence in AI fell even as adoption rose, studies and firms say

A January ManpowerGroup study found that for the first time in three years workers' confidence in AI declined, dropping 18% while AI adoption grew by 13% year over year, a divergence that employers and analysts say is prompting businesses to rethink how they roll out AI tools. Practitioners describe

Culture

Collider ranks the 10 most hopeless movie endings, with Threads at No. 1

Collider published a ranked list on Feb. 1, 2026 by writer Jeremy Urquhart naming the 10 most hopeless movie endings of all time. The list’s lower half includes Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964), which ends with a montage of nuclear devastation; Come and See (1985), whose final image

Culture

Popcast reacts to Grammys as Bad Bunny wins album of the year

The New York Times Popcast published a special episode, "Grammys Instant Reactions! Bad Bunny Owns the Night," on Feb. 2, 2026, at 2:15 a.m. ET. Hosts Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli recorded the episode live on Instagram immediately after the ceremony to discuss the night. On

Sports

Liverpool agree reported £60m deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, beating Chelsea

Liverpool have reportedly beaten Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signing of Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, with a £60 million package said to be in place for the 20-year-old ahead of a summer move, Sky Sports and Goal report. Terms of the agreement are reported to be £55m guaranteed plus

Culture

Miley Cyrus stays seated as Lady Gaga wins 2026 Grammy for 'Mayhem'

At Sunday’s 2026 Grammys, Miley Cyrus, 31, remained seated and did not clap when Lady Gaga, 39, went on stage to accept the award for best vocal album for "Mayhem," Page Six reported. The "Flowers" hitmaker, who was wearing a black leather jacket and matching

Culture

Best movies and shows streaming in February 2026: 'Dark Winds', 'The Muppet Show' and more

The New York Times highlights notable movies and television shows coming to streaming services in February 2026, with selections across Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu and Peacock and release dates running from Feb. 1 through Feb. 27. On Amazon Prime Video, the docuseries Soul Power:

Culture

BioShock Infinite uses modern pop covers in Columbia to drop major plot clues

A PC Gamer Soundtrack Sunday column argues that BioShock Infinite, now 13 years old, uses its soundtrack as a deliberate narrative device—especially the era-crossing covers heard around Columbia, the city in the sky. The piece highlights the Bee Sharps’ a cappella rendition of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”

Culture

On S.N.L., Pete Davidson’s Tom Homan tells I.C.E.: ‘Don’t get filmed’

“Saturday Night Live” opened its Feb. 1 broadcast with a Minneapolis-set sketch in which Pete Davidson played White House border czar Tom Homan, instructing I.C.E. agents — and warning them, “Maybe just try not to get filmed.” The New York Times review noted the episode came after criticism that

Culture

Stardew Valley creator regrets announcing Haunted Chocolatier so early

Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone said in a recent update on his Haunted Chocolatier blog that he regrets announcing the game so early, writing, “Yep, it’s taking a while to finish the game.” Barone first revealed the pixelated haunted-confectionery sim in 2021; five years later it remains in development with no

Culture

Jason Statham’s 2026 slate: Shelter Jan. 30; Mutiny Aug. 21

Jason Statham shows no signs of slowing: going into 2026 he has two films with confirmed release dates and several others in development. Shelter is due Jan. 30, 2026, and Mutiny is set for Aug. 21, 2026; other announced projects include Fast X: Part 2, The Beekeeper 2 and Guy

Health

Physician assistants seek new name and more independence amid state fights

Physician assistants are pushing to be called “physician associates” and to gain greater ability to practice independently in several states, a shift already adopted in Oregon, New Hampshire and Maine, The New York Times reported on Jan. 31, 2026. The American Academy of Physician Associates, which changed its own name

Culture

Cher fumbles Record of the Year announcement; Kendrick Lamar and SZA win

Cher had a lighthearted onstage mishap at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 1, briefly misreading the Record of the Year before correcting herself: Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA won for their song "Luther." The music icon, who had just

Crypto

Strategy hits nearly $1B paper loss after Bitcoin briefly falls below $75,000

Bitcoin’s brief drop below $75,000 on Feb. 1, 2026 pushed Strategy’s (formerly MicroStrategy) Bitcoin holdings into unrealized losses approaching $1 billion, BeInCrypto reported. Strategy holds 712,647 BTC with an average purchase cost of $76,037 per coin. At BeInCrypto’s reported trading price of $75,826

Culture

Highlander set video shows Henry Cavill and Jeremy Irons near Tower Bridge

MovieWeb reported Feb. 1, 2026 that set-leakers in London captured footage of Henry Cavill filming the Highlander reboot near Tower Bridge alongside Jeremy Irons, following Cavill’s first-look image last week. The clips and images show Cavill as Connor MacLeod riding a motorbike and standing in the rain with Irons;

World

Ice storm leaves thousands without power in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana

A widespread ice storm last week knocked out power across Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, leaving tens of thousands without electricity and heat as of Sunday and contributing to more than 30 deaths, officials said. Nashville accounts for a majority of the outages in Tennessee, with about 33,000 customers still

Culture

2026 Grammys: Cher’s presenter blunder, Bad Bunny speech and other big moments

The 2026 Grammy Awards mixed high-energy performances, awards and a handful of memorable flubs — with Trevor Noah keeping the jokes going while superstars from Sabrina Carpenter to Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber took the stage and Cher delivered one of the night’s most talked-about bloopers. Standout performances included Rosé

Culture

Guardian’s 38 thoughtful UK Valentine’s Day gift ideas for 2026

The Guardian’s Filter has published a round-up of 38 thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift ideas for UK shoppers in 2026, presented as options “to last well beyond 14 February” and ranging from romantic treats to practical and experiential presents. The guide highlights small, personal items such as the card

Crypto

Two Ethereum whales sell $371M in 48 hours to repay Aave loans

Two major Ethereum whales sold a combined $371 million in ETH over a 48-hour period (Feb. 1–2) and converted proceeds to stablecoins to repay outstanding loans on Aave, the largest decentralized lending protocol. The on-chain entity known as BitcoinOG (1011short) deposited 121,185 ETH, worth about $292 million, into