Tech

Tech Aug 30, 2026

Professor Murder Rides the Subway is a forgotten slice of dance punk perfection

I recently dug out my CDs and started reripping them all. I've found a few forgotten gems in there, but few hit harder for me than the beautifully concise Professor Murder Rides the Subway EP. There was a period of time in the mid-aughts in NYC where it seemed like every indie band wanted you […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

Enormous 12TB Steam leak includes abandoned Half-Life 2: Episode 3 assets

Over 12 terabytes of data, containing builds of every game uploaded to Steam between 2003 and 2013, has been leaked. We don't know everything in the archives yet because of its massive size. But people have already dug up assets related to the canceled Half-Life 2: Episode 3, content cut from Portal 2, and a […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches to study dark matter and dark energy

After funding struggles and a name change, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has been successfully launched. It will now make a three-month, one-million-mile journey to its orbit at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2) beyond the Moon. From this vantage point, Roman will conduct an unprecedented survey of the universe. Its field of view […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

Texas Governor Abbott blocks funding for more Flock cameras

As backlash grows over Flock's AI surveillance cameras, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen state spending on them. The move came just ahead of the publication of a Texas Tribune investigation that revealed the state spent over $30 million on Flock cameras. That money was primarily raised by tacking a $1 fee onto insurance policies, […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

Chess.com launched a poker site and is planning even more classic games

Chess.com has done one thing, and one thing very well, for almost 20 years, but now it's going beyond its domain name. The biggest name in online chess quietly launched its first companion site in beta back in May: Gambit, a free online poker website where players can learn the game without risking any real […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

China’s robots race ahead

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on falling robots and the US-China AI race, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started I've admitted my fondness for […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 30, 2026

Two new small, powerful Macs

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 142, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, how is it almost September already, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I've been remembering Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Peter Cullen, absorbing […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 29, 2026

Vicariously hike the Appalachian in the gorgeous A Trail Tale

I used to be an avid hiker and would try to go backpacking a few times a year. I always dreamed of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but life kind of got in the way. (Turns out jobs, wives, and children aren't thrilled with the idea of you disappearing for three months.) But I've been longing […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 29, 2026

Alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported

Alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos was arrested by ICE on Thursday, and today the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Reuters and the Washington Post that he had been deported to the UK. Yiannopoulos came to the US legally in 2019, but overstayed his visa. After he failed to appear in court for an immigration hearing, […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 29, 2026

Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell are suing Anthropic

Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell have filed suit against Anthropic in the US District Court for the Northern District of California seeking damages for "tens of thousands" copyrighted works. The companies are asking for up to $150,000 per work, plus up to $25,000 for each instance when identifiable copyright data was stripped. In total, […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 29, 2026

Distraction-free writing gadget BYOK is adding custom extensions

BYOK is a no-frills, single-purpose gadget that 90 percent of people will find absolutely frivolous. But for those who spend a significant chunk of their lives putting words to virtual paper, there is an obvious allure. Personally, I think it's at its best when you just stick to the bare minimum, focusing on pure text […]

The Verge Read More

Tech Aug 29, 2026

Welcome to Night Vale cocreator Joseph Fink learned storytelling from Grim Fandango

Joseph Fink is the cocreator and cowriter of Welcome to Night Vale, arguably the most important fiction podcast ever. He's also the creator of the noir podcast Unlicensed and Alice Isn't Dead, which takes some of the conspiratorial cosmic horror of Night Vale and turns it into fodder for a more serious series about relationships, […]

The Verge Read More