The Public Access Weekly: Time of the preacher
This week something happened on Game of Thrones, and I cannot tell you what that thing is because I am two seasons behind (and I don't give out spoilers). But I can tell you that a picture of Hodor did indeed appear in the elevator of the Engadget offices, so I look forward to finding out whatever terribleness that's all about. Personally, I'm really excited about the premiere of the Preacher on AMC last Sunday-- I've been meaning to re-read the comic series for a while, and given that I'm a big Walking Dead fan, I've got high hopes that AMC can pull this off. Did anyone else watch the pilot? What'd you think?
And, as I've mentioned previously, next week marks our official first anniversary of Public Access! That's right, our very first posts went up last year on June 1st. In the past 365 days, our community content page has published over 575 articles, with more than 500,000 page views just since January. Over 1,300 people have signed up as members and four Public Access articles have made it to the Engadget home page. That's terrific work, and we're so excited to see what you publish next! Happy birthday Public Access members!
In order to celebrate our first year, there will be special posts and activities all throughout the month of June from special assignments, to retrospective posts, to videos and more. We'll highlight everything that happens in the Public Access Weekly posts for those who want to stay in the loop. On June 1st, you can look forward to stories highlighting the twelve most-read stories from Public Access' first year, and the twelve most-prolific contributors.
To kick the festivities off, here's a fun fact you may not have realized: Every Public Access Weekly headline is actually a veiled (or not so veiled) reference to something that happened the week preceding it -- usually a pop culture/music/entertainment reference. For example, this week's headline "Time of the preacher" is a reference to the Willie Nelson song that appears in the pilot episode of AMC's Preacher.
Now here's where it gets fun: The Public Access member or reader who correctly guesses the most title references from the Public Access Weekly posts will be our next Q&A guest star! If you've ever wanted the chance to get profiled in our Q&A or answer pithy questions like "What is your worst tech habit?" then now is your chance! If you need to see all seventeen titles, just click here; we'll also pull them all together in one official post with details on June 1st. Answers can be emailed to us up until June 15th.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
In Florida, a man who hid a cellphone jammer under the passenger seat of his vehicle was hit with a hefty fine -- which provoked some strong thoughts and opinions in the comments section about driving safety, Bluetooth and OnStar and the FCC.
Amazon recently stopped offering refunds for items that dropped in price after a product had been ordered (which they used to do within seven day of the purchase); this was the general reaction:
This story about a hacker and a self-driving car in Las Vegas begins with the quote "I'm an idiot." And it gets better from there.
Looking for something to write on? Mull over:
We posted the Wirecutter's guide to the best PC gaming controller earlier today, in which the publication declared the Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller the best overall, and a lot of folks are weighing in with their objections in the comments. Can the best PC controller be a console device? What do you use for PC gaming? Write a review of your favorite PC gaming controller, or a how-to on select the right controller for PC gaming.
A lot of people had thoughts about what Microsoft is going to reveal next month at E3 -- streaming devices, new consoles, cross platform play. What do YOU think Microsoft will have to show off at E3? Write up a post and predict the future!
Blizzard released Overwatch this week and while it won't get ranked play until next month, early feedback and reviews are glowing with praise. Have you played it yet? On which platform? How do you like it? Does the current lack of ranked play inform your feelings at all? Write up a review of the game, and tell us how excited you are for the addition of ranked play to the game.
