Thomas Ricker
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Articles by Thomas Ricker
My brief romance with an AI bird feeder
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My brief romance with an AI bird feeder
It started off promising enough. Dozens of tiny, colorful birds were drawn to my garden just a few weeks after I mounted a $350 $269 Kiwibit Bird Feeder 2 Pro. “Looks like Great Tit!” read the first AI-driven alert sent to my phone. “Looks like Eurasian Blue Tit!” read another. I chuckled, still waiting for adulthood to kick in. This went on for days. Hundreds of tiny tits came to snack on expensive sunflower seeds already husked.
Meet the people holding up the internet.
Posted Oct 9, 2026 at 11:03 AM UTC Meet the people holding up the internet. Inspired by XKCD 2347, this interactive data visualization explores how modern digital infrastructure relies on just a handful of dedicated individuals. From time zones on four billion phones to essential code libraries, discover the people quietly maintaining the crucial open-source projects that keep our connected world running.
Zuck accelerated Muse launch in response to Instinct.
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Amazon’s Starlink competitor is still launching this year.
Posted Oct 9, 2026 at 9:04 AM UTC Amazon’s Starlink competitor is still launching this year. Despite not deploying any new space-internet satellites since early July because of issues at launch partners, Amazon says it’s on track “to launch initial service in 2026” with its existing 396 Leo satellites, having already missed its revised “mid-2026” target.
Read this profile of Garmin’s CEO.
Posted Oct 8, 2026 at 8:13 AM UTC Read this profile of Garmin’s CEO. The company founded in Kansas in 1989 (and now legally based in Switzerland for tax reasons) has seen its annual revenue triple to $7.2 billion under the leadership of employee number six, Cliff Pemble. The short WSJ profile of the CEO who learned to fly in order to write better cockpit software is the antidote to Silicon Valley’s attention-seeking bootlickers.
Samsung’s chip business continues to print money.
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Samsung Wallet now unlocks some GM cars
Users of some Samsung devices in the US and Canada can now lock, unlock, and start select GM vehicles using a digital key stored in their Samsung Wallet. Support will start on select 2026 and 2027 Cadillac EVs, including the 2025-2027 Lyriq, 2026-2027 Optic, and 2027 Vistiq. GM says more models will be supported by the end of 2026. GM announced earlier this month that digital keys would also be coming to a few GMC and Chevy trucks in December.
Samsung Wallet now unlocks some GM cars
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
Samsung Wallet now unlocks some GM cars
Thomas Ricker Close Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years. Users of some Samsung devices in the US and Canada can now lock, unlock, and start select GM vehicles using a digital key stored in their Samsung Wallet.
Spotify audiobooks go (even more) global.
Posted Oct 7, 2026 at 10:44 AM UTC Spotify audiobooks go (even more) global. Premium subscribers already get 12 hours of (primarily English) audiobook streaming every month, and that perk is now expanding from 22 to over 180 countries be the end of 2026.
Dolby Atmos comes to F1 on Apple TV.
Posted Oct 7, 2026 at 8:29 AM UTC Dolby Atmos comes to F1 on Apple TV. Apple TV subscribers in the US can experience Formula 1 in the enhanced audio format for the first time starting October 23rd with the US Grand Prix in Austin. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Thomas Ricker Apple Audio Entertainment Gadgets Sports Tech TVs
This remote-controlled wagon is silly but so very useful
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
This remote-controlled wagon is silly but so very useful
Confession: When BougeRV told me about its remote-controlled wagon with animated lighting, I called it in for a laugh, expecting to eviscerate it in a review. It’s ridiculous, to be sure. But the DuneRover also proved very capable, with enough torque to flatten hills even when carrying over 200 pounds of gear. It can also traverse soft sand that defeats conventional wagons. As someone who regularly uses a variety of wagons to haul all sorts of gear, the DuneRover is an epiphany.
Everyone loves Paul Rudd who hates phones.
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This very fancy e-bike is one of the first to go semi-solid state
The Verge logo. Comments Loading comments Getting the conversation ready... News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Transportation Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Transportation Rideables Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Rideables The Lemmo 3 has more range, fewer explosions.
California is the tenth state to legalize plug-in solar.
Posted Oct 1, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC California is the tenth state to legalize plug-in solar. EcoFlow’s high-end, weatherproof, plug-in solar kit has an integrated battery. Image: EcoFlow Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Thomas Ricker Energy News Science Tech
Lemmo’s fancy e-bike is one of the first with a semi-solid state battery
The Lemmo 3 is the first cargo bike from the respected German e-bike maker. This premium, step-through longtail is a slightly less insane take on Rivian’s Also TM-B, with one major advantage: it’s one of the first electric bikes to feature a semi-solid state battery. Semi-solid state batteries are far safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Their gel-like composition offers improved energy density, with far less risk of thermal runaway.
Lemmo’s fancy e-bike is one of the first with a semi-solid state battery
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
This very fancy e-bike is one of the first to go semi-solid state
One of The World's Most Used Drugs May Lower Dementia Risk – But There's a Catch One of the most widely used drugs in the world could help reduce dementia risk when taken daily – but only for some. An analysis of a large randomized …
The struggle to make things in America.
The struggle to make things in America. The WSJ chronicles WS Game trying to build a bespoke version of the Monopoly board game using only American manufacturers. It mostly succeeded, but the result was far more expensive, of worse quality, took too long, and the dice still had to be sourced from China. In China, WS Game tells factories what it wants, and asks them to make the idea a reality. The U.S. process was reversed.
Watch SpaceX’s most ambitious launch in years.
Posted Sep 28, 2026 at 12:17 PM UTC Watch SpaceX’s most ambitious launch in years. The Starship 14 mission includes two firsts for its next generation rocket: send the Starship spacecraft into Earth orbit, and insert a few dozen of SpaceX’s larger and more capable V3 satellites into the Starlink constellation for the first time. The 26 satellites will each add 1Tbps of capacity to the constellation, boosting total network capacity by about 3 percent on just this one flight.
Sony quits CES.
Posted Sep 28, 2026 at 10:58 AM UTC Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Thomas Ricker Business Cars CES Electric Cars Gadgets Sony Tech Transportation TVs
Can an ‘eSUV’ e-bike really go from trail to town?
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Can an ‘eSUV’ e-bike really go from trail to town?
Have you ever wanted an electric bike that easily transitions from the drudgery of urban asphalt to adventures in gravel and dirt? That’s what a subclass of so-called “electric SUV” (eSUV) e-bikes claims to do, with their wide, all-terrain tires and front and rear suspension, plus practical accessories like fenders and racks.
Can an ‘eSUV’ e-bike really go from trail to town?
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Zuck wants everyone to know, he doesn’t need everyone to know he’s jacked.
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Silicon Valley’s power ranking.
Posted Sep 25, 2026 at 7:24 AM UTC Silicon Valley’s power ranking. If you want to know where the power in tech currently lies, you only need to look at this photo of the head table at Donald Trump’s state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping. I see Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su, Apple’s Tim Cook, and SpaceXaiTesla’s Elon Musk seated by the leaders of the world’s two superpowers.
The US backs Elon Musk in fight to overturn €120M EU fine.
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Elizabeth Holmes will transfer to a halfway house.
Posted Sep 24, 2026 at 6:57 AM UTC Elizabeth Holmes will transfer to a halfway house. The Theranos founder convicted of fraud in 2022 and sentenced to 11 years behind bars will be transferred from a minimum-security federal prison next year, according to a letter sent to victims of her crime. After several reductions to her sentence, her scheduled release remains February 22nd, 2030, but prisoners typically only spend a short time in halfway houses.
An endurance watch with solar on both sides.
Posted Sep 23, 2026 at 6:42 AM UTC An endurance watch with solar on both sides. Des Yap did some initial testing of the new $649.99 T-Rex Dual Solar from Amazfit — the first endurance watch with a bright and colorful OLED to be fitted with teeny-weeny solar panels.
Google fined over $450 million for location data failures.
Posted Sep 21, 2026 at 11:15 AM UTC Google fined over $450 million for location data failures. Features like Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy were found to violate GDPR privacy rules in Europe from 2018 to 2020.
The winners of Nikon’s microscopic video competition.
Posted Sep 18, 2026 at 8:10 AM UTC The winners of Nikon’s microscopic video competition. The annual Small World in Motion Competition has yielded another five bangers. The winning entry uses a 100X magnification to capture the abnormal airway cilia inside a child with a genetic disorder affecting respiratory function. Sad, but beautiful. ABC News (Australia) has a roundup. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Behold the Carhartt WIP x Omnium Mini-Max.
Posted Sep 17, 2026 at 2:44 PM UTC Behold the Carhartt WIP x Omnium Mini-Max. This cargo bike is meant to get your workman juices flowing by fitting “bear trap” pedals to a limited edition Omnium Mini-Max with a stainless-steel frame, left raw (but clear coated) to revel in the heat discoloration of its welds. There’s no motor here — if you need one, this collab isn’t for you. Just 150 units will be sold in Europe for €4500 starting September 24th.
AI is feared globally as the destroyer of jobs
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AI is feared globally as the destroyer of jobs Original
Pew Research has published a new global survey that sheds light on how people view AI, including its impact on jobs, life in general, and income inequality. The survey questioned 42,151 people across 37 countries from February 8th to May 13th — well ahead of recent apocalyptic warnings. A majority sees AI as a threat to human employment. In 34 of the 37 countries surveyed, people are more likely to believe AI will lead to job losses over the next 20 years rather than create new ones.
Tim Cook and Sam Altman are also having dinner with China’s president.
Posted Sep 17, 2026 at 6:27 AM UTC Tim Cook and Sam Altman are also having dinner with China’s president. They’ll be joining Nvidia’s Jensen Huang next week at a White House state dinner for Xi Jinping. It’s the first chance for Tim Cook to earn that $47 million pay package in his new role as Apple’s dedicated Trump whisperer: You is smart, you is strong, you is important.
Two Google Deepmind researchers lend voices to the AI apocalypse.
Posted Sep 16, 2026 at 9:57 AM UTC Two Google Deepmind researchers lend voices to the AI apocalypse. Bilal Chughtai and Josh Engels, who worked on Deepmind’s AI safety team, left to join organizations dedicated to AI safety. “I now think that there’s a terrifying chance that AI systems cause immense harm in the next five years,” said Engels. “I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all,” wrote Chughtai.
EU proposes banning kids under 13 from social media, online games, and AI chatbots.
Posted Sep 16, 2026 at 8:57 AM UTC EU proposes banning kids under 13 from social media, online games, and AI chatbots. The EU Kids Act will be formally unveiled tomorrow where it will eventually be put to a vote by the 27 nation bloc. Parent-chaperoned “mini accounts” are proposed for children 13 to 15. “I am aware that many perceive the power of Big Tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Starship set for September 22nd flight.
Posted Sep 16, 2026 at 8:30 AM UTC Starship set for September 22nd flight. The mission will include two firsts if regulators approve the launch window and the weather holds: send Starship into orbit, and insert a few dozen of SpaceX’s larger and more capable V3 satellites into the Starlink constellation for the first time. The 26 satellites on Flight 14 will each add 1 Tbps of capacity to the constellation, boosting total network capacity by about 3 percent on just this one flight.
Aqara’s do-it-all FP400 presence sensor is now available globally.
Posted Sep 16, 2026 at 7:59 AM UTC Aqara’s do-it-all FP400 presence sensor is now available globally. For $79.99 you get a sensor compatible with Thread and Zigbee networks that’s a more private alternative to cameras. It uses mmWave radar to track occupants in real time, and knows if they’re standing, sitting, or lying down. It can also detect falls and count the number of occupants, how long they’ve hung around, and the distance they’ve traveled.
Guy getting super rich off unfettered AI development says it doesn’t need regulation.
“The fact that we need new laws, new antitrust laws, or new regulations, so that these companies could do their fundamental engineering and do it properly before they release products, that is just completely unnecessary. We have plenty of laws. We have plenty of regulations that govern the reliability and the functionality of products.”
The US now has weapons in space.
The US now has weapons in space. It’s the first official confirmation, delivered by Air Force Secretary Troy E. Meink: “We are increasing readiness against existing threats, and the United States has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.” It’s like the race to build self-improving superintelligence before the other guy does, only with space guns. Meink apparently never saw Gravity.
Yes, Apple TV is the new HBO.
Posted Sep 15, 2026 at 10:47 AM UTC Yes, Apple TV is the new HBO. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Thomas Ricker Apple Entertainment News Streaming Tech
Perplexity AI search is “an unacceptable risk for kids.”
Posted Sep 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC Perplexity AI search is “an unacceptable risk for kids.” Common Sense Media says the search alternative is just as bad as Google for kids, and largely treats minors as adults. It earned the Youth AI Safety Institute’s lowest rating after failing four out of five severe-harm Red Lines and doing poorly on all eight of its AI Principles.
China: AI CEOs are “fear mongering.”
Posted Sep 14, 2026 at 10:20 AM UTC China: AI CEOs are “fear mongering.” When asked about the flurry of weekend blog posts and tweets from the CEOs of Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, SpaceX, (and Alphabet’s Hassabis) calling for a coordinated slowdown on the development of advanced AI models, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said, “Fear mongering, confrontation, competition will just disrupt [the] process of global AI governance.” Follow topics and authors from this story to see more...
Sam Altman: Let’s slow down.
Posted Sep 14, 2026 at 9:33 AM UTC Sam Altman: Let’s slow down. Last night, the OpenAI CEO lent additional support to Anthropic’s CEO urging AI companies to slow down advanced model development. “When we talk about ‘pacing,’ we do not mean ‘stopping.’ Progress has been rapid and will continue to be. But it should be slower than it otherwise could be,” said Altman. That statement seems targeted at Trump and Co who fear letting China catch up.
The first phone with a trio of 200 megapixel cameras.
Posted Sep 14, 2026 at 6:53 AM UTC The first phone with a trio of 200 megapixel cameras. Oppo is teasing a September 22nd launch of its Find X10 series in China. The Pro Max model is reliably tipped to pack three 200MP sensors into the squircle around back, while the flash and other sensors get stuffed into that raised vertical bar. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Apple addresses iPhone Duo copycats
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Apple addresses iPhone Duo copycats
Apple was far from the first company to announce a passport-shaped folding phone this year, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t copied. As my colleague Dom Preston already explained, it’s almost impossible to keep product development secret when Apple and its competitors all share the same global suppliers. Apple’s new CEO John Ternus and head of marketing Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak addressed the topic during an interview with TechRadar’s Lance Ulanoff and Mark Spoonauer of Tom’s Guide.
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