This week, Sony has provided release dates for PS4 exclusives Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II, Naughty Dog decries leak of cutscene footage of TLOU Part II, satellite internet company OneWeb files for bankruptcy protection, and how you can use Twitter lists to manage the info overload. But first, how Our World in Data is covering COVID-19.

Making sense of COVID-19 data through visualizations

If you want to see the latest information about what’s happening with the pandemic, check out Our World in Data, which is regularly updating a landing page on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

The organization was founded and is run by Max Roser as a way to solve “large problems” that occur globally through research and data.

The people there are collecting data from around the world and are sharing it as well as creating visualizations to help us make sense of what’s going on.

What makes the charts and graphs from Our World in Data so valuable, though, is that they come with instructions and analysis on how to interpret what you see. There’s even an article telling people how they can embed the interactive graphics on their own pages. Like this one.

Because, they say, “Our goal is to make sure that good data is readily available for everyone in the world. We do our work so that others can build on it, use it and benefit from it. All of this work is free, open-source and provided as a public good.”

How you can use Twitter lists to manage information overload

If you’re finding that while isolating at home you’re spending more time on the social networks as a way of keeping busy, and it’s all becoming a bit overwhelming, author Warren Ellis has a good suggestion.

He’s used Twitter’s functionality to create a list that only includes local sources: local news outlets, community centres, local government, local shops. As he notes, you don’t have to follow local Twitter accounts to be able to add them to your list.

After you’ve created that list of locals, you can pin it in the Twitter smartphone app, which creates a second tab in addition to the main Twitter feed.

Now when you open Twitter, you can just swipe to the local tab you’ve created and avoid the hellish news from around the world. Focus on what’s going on in your neighbourhood instead.

Thanks, Mr Ellis, for the tip!

Satellite internet company OneWeb files for bankruptcy protection

Two years ago there were at least three companies looking to launch constellations of satellites to provide internet connectivity.

OneWeb is looking to sell itself and the 74 satellites it’s already got orbiting Earth.

In a release from late March the company indicates that financing to continue operations fell through because of COVID-19.

There are still two companies looking to surround the planet with low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite meshes:

• Elaun Musk’s SpaceX, through its Starlink subsidiary, which has 362 satellites in orbit
• Canada’s Telesat, which claims to be on schedule to “begin operations in 2022”

The Last of Us Part II arrives on June 19, Ghost of Tsushima July 17

In a post published Monday, Herman Hulst, who heads Sony Interactive’s studio program, confirmed that The Last of Us Part 2 will be available to play on June 19.

The game, from Naughty Dog, is a sequel to the post-apocalyptic, award-winning adventure from 2013, The Last of Us. The new game, exclusive to Sony’s PS4 console, is highly anticipated.

Ghost of Tsushima, from Seattle’s Sucker Punch, will follow a month later on July 17. Think Assassin’s Creed, but set in feudal Japan. This one is also exclusive to PS4.

Naughty Dog asks fans to stop sharing leaked footage of The Last of Us Part II

Over the weekend, material from upcoming game The Last of Us Part II were shared online. Sony and Naughty Dog confirmed that the cutscenes and other screenshots are authentic and in a statement expressed disappointment that “anyone would release unauthorized pre-launch footage”.

Reddit and YouTube have been removing threads and posts where cutscenes have been shared, but as with all things on the interwebs, this effort is like playing whack-a-mole.

On Twitter, the developers specifically ask that people not spoil the game for others.

A message from the studio: pic.twitter.com/f0TzIZXUIB

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) April 27, 2020

My recommendation is that you mute your social feeds and avoid having anything about the game and its story spoiled for you.

While you wait patiently for the official release, here’s 10 minutes of gameplay that Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann shared at E3 2018.