How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired 
How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired 

The brand trip is a right of passage for influencers. It’s a mark of legitimacy that a sponsor wants to invite them on an all-expenses-paid vacation, often with luxurious freebies and activities. Trips can also spur hard feelings from uninvited influencers, trigger criticism from the public, and project a certain frivolousness. Usually it is fast […]

The old internet built a museum for dying tech sounds, and it’s somehow still alive

This wonderfully dated online museum preserves dial-up modems, floppy drives, Windows startup chimes, and other sounds that quietly disappeared as our gadgets became smoother, faster, and much less talkative.

Can Partiful keep the party going?
Can Partiful keep the party going?

One hundred dollars will buy you 8 pounds of glitter; 10 Domino’s pizzas; 406 miniature disco balls from Temu; or 100 cans of Coors Light. For a friend’s birthday party one year, Ayla D’Silva spent $100 on sour candy and made a “sour candy salad.” Even sweeter was that she didn’t have to foot the […]

The fanfiction community is at war with AI — and itself
The fanfiction community is at war with AI — and itself

Over the past week, a new fanworks movement has kicked off, with the aim to root out authors using generative AI. But the detection methods being implemented are questionable, and any fanfic writer could be caught in the crossfire. Broad distaste around the use of Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools has long been a […]

The Verge’s annual summer ‘in’ and ‘out’ list
The Verge’s annual summer ‘in’ and ‘out’ list

In the AI slop-loaded, algorithm-powered modern reality, trends come and go – and the tech industry is no different. For the last few years, The Verge staff has compiled a selection of things that are IN for summer and OUT for summer – and each time there are some strong feelings. (Here are the last […]

Microsoft, like, totally gets why students are booing AI-pilled graduation speakers
Microsoft, like, totally gets why students are booing AI-pilled graduation speakers

New college graduates around the country have been booing and heckling commencement speakers who hype up AI. Microsoft would like everyone to talk it out. In a blog post running more than 3,100 words, Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith addressed the recent spate of viral clips from graduation ceremonies, like former Google CEO […]

Kill some time with these much needed distractions
Kill some time with these much needed distractions

Constantly being plugged into the news grind is mentally exhausting. Sometimes we just need to take a break, unwind, and do something fun. That’s why we’ve built up a collection of distracting time-wasters for when we need a break from being obsessively online. We figured you might enjoy these harmless rabbit holes, mildly addictive browser […]

Benn Jordan longs for the days of tech that didn’t spy on you
Benn Jordan longs for the days of tech that didn’t spy on you

Benn Jordan may have initially gained notoriety for his music as Flashbulb and later, reviewing synths and effects pedals on YouTube under Benn and Gear. But about five years ago, Benn decided to take his YouTube channel in a different direction. He didn’t stop covering music gear overnight, but as time progressed, his channel became […]

Record Club is trying to be Letterboxd for music nerds
Record Club is trying to be Letterboxd for music nerds

There isn’t really a solid equivalent to Goodreads or Letterboxd for music lovers, but Record Club is aiming to change that. Yes, we have Rate Your Music, but its interface is crowded, and it feels more geared towards longer-form reviews than cataloging your listening habits and connecting with other fans. Record Club is clean and […]

Who gets to own the Luigi Mangione story?
Who gets to own the Luigi Mangione story?

On Monday morning, a judge overseeing the New York state case on the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO ruled that some evidence collected by police could not be shown to a jury. It wasn’t the only news coming out of the hearing. Outside the courthouse, Molly Crane-Newman, a New York Daily News reporter, captured on […]