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The Stars My Destination is classic proto-cyberpunk

Gully Foyle is my name… | Image: Brick Tower Press This might feel like a somewhat obvious recommendation to some, but it flew under my radar until now. Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (originally published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK) is a 1956 sci-fi novel that some have cited as a precursor to cyberpunk . It's a work I admit I have some conflicted feelings about, but one I think is well worth reading if you consider yourself a fan of sci-fi. It's also well worth seeking out a physical copy, something I wish I had known before I started reading it in the objectively inferior e-book form that can't capture the ergodic elements of the climax. It's hard to explain the plot of The Star … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/8zBb5gO
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The future of local TV news has taken a Trumpian turn

This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more stories on Big Tech versus politics in Washington, DC, follow Tina Nguyen and read Regulator . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started A long time ago, in 2004, the Federal Communications Commission laid down a rule designed to prevent a monopoly: No one company could broadcast to more than 39 percent of all the TV households in the United States. But then Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Brendan Carr became FCC chairman and immediately kicked off a deregu … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AgXK7rW

Cheap stuff that doesn’t suck, take 3

From  fancy OLED TVs  to  robot vacuums with arms , we tend to cover a lot of cool stuff here at  The Verge  that, unfortunately, often costs as much as a month’s rent (or more). But with the ongoing tariff situation in the US and a global memory shortage pushing up the cost of, well, everything, we’re well aware that not everyone can spend that kind of money right now. So, as we did last year , we asked The Verge staff to share some of their favorite gadgets under $50. These are the gizmos that don’t fall apart after a few weeks, as cheap stuff often does, and quietly improve our lives. Some are practical purchases, like portable power banks and backup bulbs , while the rest are useful in other ways. After all, who doesn’t want a dirt-cheap Bluetooth speaker , a feature-packed pair of earbuds , or a fitness tracker that punches well above its weight? If you’re curious, you can check out our favorites below. GameSir Pocket Taco mobile controller Gam...

Dyson’s handheld fan is more powerful and louder than I expected

Two years ago I attended a picturesque outdoor wedding in August where the hot and humid weather had guests occasionally ducking into their cars to enjoy a blast of AC. Dyson’s new $99.99 handheld fan would have provided some much-needed relief then, although I’m not sure I would have been comfortable powering it up during the service or reception. The HushJet Mini Cool is as slim and sleek as Dyson’s recent thin vacuum and hair dryer , but it’s not quiet enough to earn the name “Hush.” That’s unfortunate because the HushJet Mini Cool is yet another product Dyson has redesigned to look and perform better than what’s already on the market. All of its components — including the motor, 5,000mAh rechargeable battery, and spinning blades — are safely contained inside a cylindrical body 38mm in diameter that’s easy to slip into a pocket. Many handheld fans use flexible or folding blades that are left exposed and not ideal for kids, or they stuff the moving parts into a bulbous section on ...

The AI apps are coming for your PC

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 124, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, send me your Coachella fits, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been reading about restaurant bread and GLP-1s and Lenny Rachitsky and Artemis II fashion , watching the new boy band doc because I will always watch a boy band doc, also watching every clip I can find from Justin Bieber's Coachella set, filling the Schitt's Creek -shaped hole in my heart with Big Mistakes , getting increasingly excited about The Mandalorian and Grogu , and watering my new lawn so it … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Igd9u2y

Peloton, stay in your lane

People keep trying to make Peloton more than what it is, when the product itself is enough. This is Optimizer , a weekly newsletter sent every Friday 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 . The camera zooms in on two well-formed cheeks clad in white shorts. These buns of steel belong to one Hudson Williams, star of the steamy hockey romance Heated Rivalry . As the camera pans up, a bead of sweat drips down his chin toward his clavicle. Sweaty abs are shown. The music swells. Hollywood's mega-hunk of the moment is swaying his chiseled visage back and forth, semi-gyrating on… a Peloton treadmill. A $6,695 … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/o4Ga7uN

The creative software industry has declared war on Adobe

All empires eventually fall, and it seems the creative software industry has collectively decided that Adobe's time has come. The Creative Cloud provider's suite of design tools have been considered the industry standard for decades - despite unpopular decisions to fully embrace generative AI and abandon software licenses in favor of expensive, complicated subscriptions . Pricing in particular has given competitors an opening to attack. Some of the best alternatives aren't just undercutting Adobe's price - they're available for free . People love free. One example that was announced this week is Autograph , motion design software akin to Ado … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/SsoDO9w