The wearable future is stuck in weird, experimental, existential limbo
The wearable future is stuck in weird, experimental, existential limbo

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. For the past week, I’ve been testing the Google Pixel Watch 5. In many ways, it’s a typical, modern smartwatch. […]

We reviewed the new Pixel lineup, ask us anything
We reviewed the new Pixel lineup, ask us anything

The embargo has lifted on Google’s Pixel 11 series, as well as for its Pixel Watch 5. Now we get to talk smack – just kidding, the new hardware is good. We have four reviews live on the site that you can peruse at your leisure. We’re giving subscribers a chance to engage with us […]

Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal crafted a hip-hop breakup masterpiece
Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal crafted a hip-hop breakup masterpiece

“Breakups are… tough.” It’s the opening lines of an interlude toward the end of DOOMED! Called “It Happens in Every Universe.” It’s also basically the thesis of the entire record. It’s no grand revelation, but it’s a well-trodden subject that Open Mike Eagle manages to mine for artistic gold. Eagle’s subject matter is usually personal, […]

Rogue AI aren’t science fiction anymore
Rogue AI aren’t science fiction anymore

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI safety, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started It all started in July, when one of OpenAI’s autonomous AI agents […]

No Dogs in Space is a music history podcast for true obsessives
No Dogs in Space is a music history podcast for true obsessives

Sadly, there hasn’t been a new episode of No Dogs in Space since July of 2024. Part four of the podcast’s series on Can wrapped up an abbreviated season 3, which focused on experimental rock. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seasons 1 and 2, but the show seemed to be gearing up for a […]

AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust
AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about how AI is changing our daily lives, follow Emma Roth. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Long before ChatGPT became a thing, […]

Rachika Nayar’s Heaven Come Crashing is an instrumental epic of desperate longing
Rachika Nayar’s Heaven Come Crashing is an instrumental epic of desperate longing

Two minutes and thirty seconds into the title track of Rachika Nayar’s Heaven Come Crashing, an absolutely massive drum and bass beat drops. As a fan of Nayar’s debut record Our Hands Against The Dusk, it caught me off guard. That album has no percussion on it at all. Heaven Come Crashing is almost entirely […]

Foldables are sort of boring now — and that’s great news for Apple
Foldables are sort of boring now — and that’s great news for Apple

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on smartphones and Android, follow Dominic Preston. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Believe it or not, it didn’t all start with […]

The loss of Situational Awareness
The loss of Situational Awareness

I am not by any means an expert at finance but I think I do now have some advice for people who are: Do not name your hedge fund anything that will be hilarious if it blows up. Don’t use a name like “Long-Term Capital Management” or “Amaranth Advisors” (named for the floral symbol for […]

Champagne and Bullets belongs on the Mount Rushmore of bad movies
Champagne and Bullets belongs on the Mount Rushmore of bad movies

There’s something about a movie like The Room, Troll 2, or Fateful Findings that I find irresistible. These sorts of “so bad they’re good” films are marvelous curiosities where ambition far outstrips resources, ability, and self-awareness to become something much greater than the sum of their parts. Champagne and Bullets (also released as GetEven and […]