- Review: Spider-Noir recaptures the magic of a bygone era
ars-technica· 05-jun
Nicolas Cage was born to play 1930s PI Ben Reilly/The Spider: part Bogart, part Bugs Bunny, 100% Cage-y.
- The Fitbit Air is a good wearable weighed down by a chatty AI "coach"
ars-technica· 05-jun
The Air succeeds as a minimalist, reliable fitness tracker, but Google's AI Health Coach feels unnecessary.
- Baby botulism outbreak: FDA still doesn't know cause—or how to prevent it
ars-technica· 05-jun
In the end, the three companies involved all point the finger at each other.
- Small modular nuclear reactor reaches criticality in first test
ars-technica· 05-jun
The reactor, from a startup called Antares, isn't ready to generate power yet.
- Some ancient microbes frozen with Ötzi the Iceman are still growing
ars-technica· 06-jun
What’s the difference between a person, an artifact, and an ecosystem?
- Trump admin tries again to revive dying coal industry
ars-technica· 05-jun
Money would keep coal plants open, build the first new plants in over a decade.
- How a USB-connected speaker can infect a PC without ever being touched
ars-technica· 05-jun
Seller of the Sound Blaster Katana V2X doesn't consider the behavior a vulnerability.
- The saga of the International Space Station air leak took a worrying turn Friday
ars-technica· 05-jun
"We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks."
- S&P 500 rejects SpaceX, also blocking entry for OpenAI and Anthropic
ars-technica· 05-jun
SpaceX won’t get easy access to billions of dollars from passive investors.
- "We pissed off a lot of people": Giant data center plan cut 50% amid protests
ars-technica· 05-jun
Developer felt "beaten up," with "no choice" but to shrink data center.
- How small businesses can leverage AI
mit-tech-review· 02-jun
This article is from Making AI Work, MIT Technology Review’s limited-run newsletter examining how to apply LLMs across industries. To receive it in your inbox,sign up here. From accounting to design to market research and product development, there’s a staggering breadth of skills needed to run a business. A large company can hire experts to…
- The Download: AI can run your admin department now
mit-tech-review· 02-jun
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How small businesses can leverage AI From accounting to design to market research and product development, there’s a staggering breadth of skills needed to run a business. Large companies can hire…
- The Download: Trump’s new AI order, and smart glasses for warfare
mit-tech-review· 03-jun
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. 5 key points in Trump’s new AI order Less than two weeks after scrapping an executive order on AI, President Donald Trump signed a new one on Tuesday. Promising to promote…
- How virtual power plants could provide energy for data centers
mit-tech-review· 03-jun
Would you take a payment to ramp down your electricity use? Would it change anything if you were doing so to help power a local data center? Google just signed a new deal to help pay for a virtual power plant (VPP) in the largest power grid in the US. The agreement is with Voltus,…
- How courts are coping with a flood of AI-generated lawsuits
mit-tech-review· 04-jun
Most days in her chambers, Judge Maritza Braswell, a federal magistrate judge in Colorado, sifts through stacks of documents written by people without a lawyer. Many of them can’t afford to hire a lawyer, and others have cases too weak or too small to interest one. She reads each one carefully, mindful of how daunting…
- The Download: AI-generated lawsuits and virtual power plants for data centers
mit-tech-review· 04-jun
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. How courts are coping with a flood of AI-generated lawsuits Most days in her chambers, Judge Maritza Braswell, a federal magistrate judge in Colorado, sifts through stacks of documents written by…
- Are AI chatbots making us lose control of our brains?
mit-tech-review· 05-jun
This week I’ve been at SXSW London. There’s been music, film, and a lot—and I mean a lot—of talk about AI. I also had the opportunity to sit down with Gloria Mark, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, who has spent the last 30 years studying how people interact with digital technologies. Early…
- The Meta hack shows there’s more to AI security than Mythos
mit-tech-review· 05-jun
On June 5, 404 Media reported that attackers had been using Meta’s AI customer support agent to steal Instagram accounts. Their approach was simple: They asked the agent to link the accounts to email addresses that they controlled, and the agent complied. One attacker broke into the dormant Obama White House account and made pro-Iran…
- The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains
mit-tech-review· 05-jun
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The Meta hack shows there’s more to AI security than Mythos On Monday, reports emerged that attackers had used Meta’s AI customer support agent to steal Instagram accounts. Their approach was…
- The most interesting startups right now want to get you off your phone
techcrunch· 05-jun
While the AI fundraising machine keeps breaking its own records, some founders are building in the other direction. Mirror founder Brynn Putnam just raised money for Board, a startup focused on bringing people together through in-person games and social experiences. Cyberdeck creators are going viral crafting whimsical DIY computers that literally encourage users to touch grass. Unlike the AI-free browser crowd, this doesn’t just feel like backlash, […]
- As VC-backed e-bike startups went bankrupt, bootstrapped Lectric grew
techcrunch· 05-jun
Lectric, which says the U.S. market is ripe for competition and choice, has launched three new brands in the past six months.
- Former cyber executive turned whistleblower accuses IBM of covering up several data breaches
techcrunch· 05-jun
IBM and two of its subsidiary companies were allegedly breached during the mid-2010s — a lawsuit filed by a former cybersecurity executive accuses IBM of not disclosing and actively covering it up.
- Founders share VC horror stories, and some are naming names
techcrunch· 05-jun
A massive viral conversation sharing VC horror stories has taken place this week on X. Some are weird. Some are infuriating.
- GM’s electric future depends on a new battery — and this facility
techcrunch· 05-jun
GM wants to slash EV prices by deploying new battery tech up to a year earlier than planned. This building is key to making that happen.
- Google and FBI warn of ransomware group that sends fake IT workers to hack victims in person
techcrunch· 05-jun
Cybercriminals, part of a gang known as Silent Ransom Group, have sent people pretending to be IT support employees to law firms' offices, where the criminals have stolen data using USB drives or remote access tools.
- Google will pay SpaceX $920M per month for compute
techcrunch· 05-jun
In a statement, a Google representative described the deal as a result of unexpected demand for its recently launched AI products.
- Reid Hoffman is leaving Microsoft’s board to go ‘founder mode’ with startup Manus
techcrunch· 05-jun
After a very profitable decade on Microsoft's board, Reid Hoffman is stepping down to focus on his AI drug discovery startup Manus.
- Startup Battlefield 200 applications officially close in 3 days
techcrunch· 05-jun
Applications for Startup Battlefield 200 officially close on June 8, 11:59 p.m. PT. Don't wait any longer. Secure your shot at competing on the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 this October at San Francisco's Moscone West.
- Supabase doubles valuation to $10B in 8 months
techcrunch· 05-jun
Supabase, an example of an open source project becoming a fast-growing company, has greatly benefited from AI tools like Claude, Codex, and other vibe-coding platforms.
- Meta made its own AI-generated clickbait news feed
the-verge· 06-jun
An AI-generated image of the royal family featuring two Queen Elizabeth IIs. | Image: Meta AI Facebook has long been filled with feeds of clickbait articles. Now, Meta is making its own clickbait articles with AI. The standalone Meta AI app now has a "For You" section that populates a list of clickbait-style stories for you to read. But the topics, images, and text are all AI-generated - and as questionable as you'd expect from AI-created works. The Meta AI app first launched in April 2025 with its focus on a public "Discover" feed that showed AI-generated images and conversations from other users (who frequently seemed unaware that they were being made public). That's all disappeared. The app now has a standard chatbot interface, … Read the full story at The Verge.
- More than a decade later, the team behind N++ is back with a multiplayer sequel
the-verge· 05-jun
Back in 2015, the two-person studio Metanet released N++, a brutally hard 2D platformer that was a decade in the making, building off of previous releases dating back to the freeware Flash title N. At the time, cofounder Raigan Burns issued some famous last words: "We hope it's not another 10 years before we come up with a game." But now here we are, more than a decade later, and N is getting another sequel. And this time the focus is on multiplayer. The new game is called, absurdly, N Plus Infinity Times Two. Whereas N++ was meant to be the ultimate single-player version of the N concept, this game is described as "the ultimate virtual cou … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Kabuto Park captures the fleeting joy of summer vacation
the-verge· 06-jun
There are a lot of games that remind me of summer - hot days in the backseat with a copy of Dragon Warrior III, cooling off in the basement while grinding Gran Turismo races - but there aren't a lot of games that are actually about summer. That's part of what makes Kabuto Park so charming. It's a game that manages to not only capture the fleeting moments of a childhood summer, but also cram a Pokémon-style adventure into a game that lasts only a few hours. Kabuto Park actually launched last year on PC, but it's available now on both Xbox and the Switch, the latter being probably the ideal platform for it. It takes place over the course of a … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Grand Theft Auto VI is warping the video game release calendar
the-verge· 05-jun
Who's afraid of the next GTA? Based on the last few days of Summer Game Fest, just about everyone. Grand Theft Auto VI hasn't been present at any of the keynote events, but its presence was felt every time a release date was announced. The month of November, when GTA VI launches, is virtually empty. The rest of the fall, meanwhile, is absolutely packed. It started at Sony's State of Play showcase on Tuesday. Even before that show, we knew that Wolverine, the next big PlayStation exclusive, would be launching on September 15th. But now it's joined by a bunch of major third-party titles: Dune: Awakening (September 22nd), Control Resonant (Sep … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy will conclude with Revelation
the-verge· 05-jun
Square Enix has officially announced the third and final game in its Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy: Final Fantasy VII Revelation. It will release on multiple platforms simultaneously - PC, PS5, Xbox Series X / S, and Nintendo Switch 2 - in spring 2027. In footage shown onstage at Summer Game Fest Live, there was a lot to take in: You'll get to fly the Highwind airship, jump off it to land in the game's open world, play as Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind in battle (who weren't playable in Rebirth), challenge the gigantic Weapons, and visit places from the original game, like Wutai. You'll also get to dress up your characters with armor … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Summer Game Fest Live 2026: The biggest news, trailers, and announcements
the-verge· 05-jun
Geoff Keighley’s annual June showcase for videos games has officially happened, and it was a big one. Across a two hour event — and another hour for Day of the Devs — we got news about the third Final Fantasy VII remake game, a new look at Control Resonant, the reveal of Tupac for RGG Studio’s Stranger Than Heaven, a July 1.0 launch date for Palworld, and a whole lot of 2027 release dates as developers steer clear of GTA VI in November. Summer Game Fest Live sits squarely in the middle of a big run of video game showcases. PlayStation hosted a State of Play on Tuesday that featured more footage of September’s Wolverine and the announcement of a new God of War game, God of War Laufey. On Saturday, there are shows like the Wholesome Direct and the Future Games Show, and the Xbox Games Showc…
- Control Resonant is a sequel — and also a starting point
the-verge· 05-jun
Chronologically, Control Resonant is a sequel to 2019's Control. But in most other ways, the games aren't directly connected. To developer Remedy, they're more like two sides of the same coin. When Resonant was first revealed last year, creative director Mikael Kasurinen said you can play the games in any order. The world of Control is reality-bending in lots of ways, but the general linear progression of time isn't really one of them - how would someone start with the sequel? It didn't click until I played Resonant myself. In a two-plus-hour preview earlier this week, I played the opening act of the game, as well as a later story mission … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Congress still can’t decide what to do about warrantless surveillance
the-verge· 05-jun
The deadline to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is coming up a week from now on June 12th, and legislators seem no closer to reaching a deal. If this sounds like deja vu, it's because we've been here before. Congress reauthorized Section 702 in late April - but only for 45 days, so lawmakers could negotiate reforms to the controversial wiretapping authority. "There were no reformers in any of the conversations that happened. Full stop," Sean Vitka, the executive director of Demand Progress, said on a press call Friday afternoon, hours after the Senate voted 52 to 47 against a deal that would have renewed … Read the full story at The Verge.
- Here comes new Siri again
the-verge· 06-jun
Our first glimpse of the new AI Siri came all the way back at WWDC 2024. Apple has been on its back foot, AI-wise, for the past few years. But in a strange way, playing from behind might not be such a bad move. At WWDC on Monday, Apple appears to be getting ready to reintroduce us to the new Siri. Again. As a reminder, we met the new Siri in 2024 when Apple "launched" Apple Intelligence. Siri came with a new glowing border, different voice options, and the ability to punt questions to ChatGPT. The whole "Intelligence" bit of the Siri redesign was coming soon, Apple promised. It didn't. In fact, its promotion around Apple Intelligence was so misleading that the company is settling a class-action lawsuit and has t … Read the full story at The Verge.
- The next YouTube phenomenon hitting the big screen
the-verge· 06-jun
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 131, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy last week of productivity before the World Cup starts, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been reading about the World Cup and peptides and parasocial media, catching up on Clarkson's Farm ahead of the new season, buying literally every single new item in The Verge Shop, watching so so so many BTS concert clips on my social feeds, brainstorming ways to resurrect my old Facebook Portal, testing Spokenly to see if it's the dictation app for me, and ponying … Read the full story at The Verge.