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Small Empires: finding love with 1s, 0s, and OkCupid

13,477 views 1 week ago

Small Empires is back! Join Alexis Ohanian as we give you a never-before-seen look at the world of New York startups.

This week, we check out OkCupid, the dating site with a propensity for data research. Alexis sits with Christian Rudder about how he and the SparkNotes founders went from study guides to an online dating network — and from there, how the startup functions after being purchased by Match.com owners IAC.

Next week? A software company that's helping you make better sketches — online and off.

Verge Detours Play

This summer we traveled around the United States to see how science and technology are driving the next generation of American innovation, looking beyond just apps and gadgets. We're bringing you stories from Pittsburgh, Detroit, Kansas City, and New Orleans that explore how communities and companies are changing in our own backyards. This is the road less traveled.

This is Verge Detours.

Check back for new dispatches each Wednesday.

7:24
Detours: Pittsburgh's recovery from 20th century pollution
- by The Verge
- 4,832 views
6:38
Disney researchers turn houseplants into theremin
- by The Verge
- 14,477 views
13:46
A city in flames: Detroit-area firefighters battle a plague of burning buildings
- by The Verge
- 15,438 views
7:12
Detours: makers, mind-fire, and grassroots engineering in Detroit
- by The Verge
- 9,337 views
4:54
Detours: Shinola brings watch-making to Motor City
- by The Verge
- 6,974 views
9:02
Detours: Google Fiber and Kansas City's grassroots broadband revolution
- by The Verge
- 15,280 views
6:30
Detours: Hallmark, Kansas City, and the decline of the greeting card industry
- by The Verge
- 8,432 views
6:22
Detours: meat and ethics in Kansas City
- by The Verge
- 7,689 views
0:55
Introducing Verge Detours
- by The Verge
- 10,237 views

Reviews: In-depth reviews of the best gadgets Play

The Verge video reviews.

4:30
Surface 2 review
- by The Verge
- 25,126 views
4:09
Surface Pro 2 review
- by The Verge
- 27,579 views
3:44
Review: HP Chromebook 11 - a hands-on look at the 'Chromebook for everyone'
- by The Verge
- 42,890 views
5:26
Kindle Fire HDX 7 review: way more than an ebook reader
- by The Verge
- 24,615 views
3:01
Galaxy Note 10.1 review: improved note-taking with questionable performance
- by The Verge
- 23,350 views
2:43
Galaxy Note 3 review: Samsung refines the productivity smartphone
- by The Verge
- 30,873 views
3:50
Galaxy Gear review: Samsung's awkward entry into the smartwatch market
- by The Verge
- 25,607 views
4:00
Sony QX10 and QX100 review: rethinking the smartphone camera
- by The Verge
- 19,254 views
2:30
iPhone 5C hands-on review
- by The Verge
- 64,263 views
3:51
iPhone 5S review
- by The Verge
- 94,279 views
6:20
iOS 7 review: Apple's new direction
- by The Verge
- 391,421 views
6:02
Moto X hands-on review
- by The Verge
- 51,676 views
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The Verge Features Play

In-depth video reporting from The Verge.

10:27
Inside Nuance: the art and science of how Siri speaks
- by The Verge
- 1 month ago
- 333,159 views
Read the full feature here: http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/17/4596374/machine-languag...

Clarification: Allison Dufty is not the voice of Siri, and neither she nor The Verge...
8:38
Fighting depression in the holy land
- by The Verge
- 2 months ago
- 10,625 views
The West Bank has virtually no medical infrastructure for treating mental illness. That's a tragedy — and an opportunity. Here's how a group of idealistic Palestinians brought neuroscience to their...
6:46
Could a lab-grown burger save the world?
- by The Verge
- 2 months ago
- 18,480 views
We're facing a global food crisis, and livestock farming is environmentally damaging. But Dr. Mark Post thinks he might be able to solve both problems by growing beef in a laboratory.

Be sure to r...
14:29
The two deaths of John Wilkes Booth
- by The Verge
- 2 months ago
- 17,551 views
For almost 150 years, people have claimed after killing Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth didn't die the way history tells us. With DNA testing, amateur sleuths may be closer than ever to the trut...
5:37
Victor Oladipo wears Google Glass to NBA draft
- by The Verge
- 3 months ago
- 118,432 views
The No. 2 overall pick — now playing for Orlando Magic — borrowed our pair of Google Glass to give a first-hand experience of the NBA draft.

To find out more, be sure to read our full article on T...
18:39
Beyond recognition: the incredible story of a face transplant
- by The Verge
- 4 months ago
- 22,383 views
Since 2005, an estimated 30 patients worldwide have undergone experimental face transplant surgeries - extensive procedures that replace one's skin, muscle, nerve and bone with that of a donor. Car...