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Sun, Jul 5, 2026, 3:16 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • Mark Zuckerberg candidly admitted that AI agents haven't met his rapid advancement expectations, signaling a potential recalibration in the industry's AI trajectory.
  • The tech world is grappling with the implications of AI's increasing integration, from Google's imagining of AI-assisted historical documents to Midjourney's plea for transparency from Hollywood studios regarding AI usage.
  • The debate around digital ownership versus physical media continues, with Sony's commitment to physical discs and PlayStation's controversial actions impacting game preservation.
  • Concerns about the real cost and potential downsides of AI are surfacing, exemplified by warnings from Google and Amazon and a politician's phone being compromised by Pegasus spyware.
  • The startup ecosystem is vibrant, with nearly 90 new unicorns minted this year and European quantum computing company IQM navigating an uncertain future, while some companies like Amazon Mechanical Turk are limiting new customer onboarding.

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The Verge

  • Mr. Lif’s Emergency Rations EP is post-9/11 hip hop at its most daring an hour ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Column, Entertainment, Music, Music Review

    First, you drop bombs, then you send aid. Totally logical. | Image: Definitive Jux There was a period in the early aughts when Definitive Jux (nee: Def Jux) seemed like it was going to be the future of hip hop. While the label featured plenty of experimental, boundary-pushing, and politically minded acts, Lif stood out as the most "conscious rapper" in the traditional sense. It was clear though, that label head El-P envisioned that as an important part of Def Jux's identity, as the first record it put out was 2000's Enter the Colossus EP, from Lif. Mr. Lif's follow-up

  • Where to preorder Grand Theft Auto VI 3 hours ago by Brad Bourque
    Gadgets, Gaming, PlayStation, Verge Shopping, Xbox

    A look at in-game cosmetics you’ll get with the Ultimate edition. | Image: Rockstar Games Rockstar's long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI is launching November 19th, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles. The game will be available digitally at launch, with physical cases containing codes, not discs , so your options for preordering are straightforward. The preloading phase for the game begins on November 12th, which should give you plenty of time to install the game. There are two versions of the game to choose from, the $79.99 Standard and $99.99 Ultimate editions. Both include the same preorder

  • Infuriating Google commercial imagines the founding fathers embracing AI 5 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, Google, News, Policy, Politics, Tech

    I call BS: the founding fathers definitely would have been Microsoft Teams users. | Image: Google "Group project, but make it 1776." That's how a new commercial for Google Workspace opens. And things only get cringier from there. The clip imagines what it would be like if the founding fathers turned to Google's collaboration tools and Gemini to help them draft the Declaration of Independence. Ben Franklin texts Thomas Jefferson to check on the status of a draft, who takes a photo and uses AI to transcribe it into a Google Doc. Franklin and Adams hop in to make edits

  • The Sourdough Sidekick automates the boring bit of baking 5 hours ago by Dominic Preston
    Reviews, Smart Home, Smart Home Reviews, Tech

    The Sourdough Sidekick was codeveloped with King Arthur Baking Company. Baking sourdough bread is inherently old-fashioned, relying on natural fermentation and wild yeast instead of the simple, predictable commercial stuff. So it might sound anathema to bring a gadget into the mix. The trick to the Sourdough Sidekick - backed and branded by King Arthur flour - is that it promises to automate the boring bit of sourdough baking: starter management. It feeds your starter flour and water on a set schedule, ready for exactly when you want to bake, leaving you to focus on kneading, shaping, and the actual

  • How Keurig saved — and ruined — your coffee 6 hours ago by David Pierce
    Gadgets, Podcasts, Smart Home, Tech, Version History

    Before Keurig, the coffee in your office was almost certainly terrible. Old, burned, made by someone who would rather poorly eyeball than properly measure. Just altogether gross. After Keurig? You could make your own coffee, a cup at a time, exactly when you needed it. The single-cup brewer was an elegant solution to an extremely common problem. At least, that's how it started. On this episode of Version History , we dig into the history of the Keurig, and the ways in which the idea got vastly bigger than anyone expected. K-Cups and Keurig machines became ubiquitous in offices all


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