This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on internet culture, follow Stevie Bonifield. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started The indie web began a few years after the end of GeoCities, […]
Streaming service Deezer ran an experiment recently, with the help of research firm Ipsos. The finding – that 97 percent of people can’t tell the difference between fully AI-generated and human-made music – was alarming. But it’s also not the whole story. In the survey, 9,000 participants listened to three tracks and were asked to […]
Have you ever looked at The Washington Post and thought, “Why is a billionaire allowed to use his massive wealth to influence and punish editorial decisions at one of the nation’s premier newspapers?” and / or “I wonder if I could do that?” Well, News Tower can help you answer at least one of those […]
Following the launch of the Chromatic Game Boy last December, ModRetro revealed its next console will be an upgraded remake of the Nintendo 64. Like the recently released Analogue 3D, it will play N64 games in 4K through the use of an FPGA. ModRetro — the company founded by the controversial figure Palmer Luckey who’s […]
Sometimes, there’s a little too much emphasis placed on buying big-ticket items during Black Friday. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with big gifts. It’s just that people might forget about the power of a compact stocking stuffer, like a movie. Ah, movies. You know you’re getting one, even when it’s wrapped, simply based on its […]
While companies like Coca-Cola turned to generative AI to create “visually jarring” holiday ads this year, Apple continues to embrace practical effects with its new festive short film called A Critter Carol featuring a forest full of tech-savvy woodland creatures. In the ad a hiker drops their iPhone 17 Pro, which is found by a […]
The holidays are a great time to see family, exchange gifts, and enjoy a good meal. It’s also the perfect time to gather around a TV and catch up on must-see shows and movies. Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus is a fantastic new sci-fi series, while Hulu is the only place you can catch the buzzy Alien: […]
It might surprise you to hear that one of this year’s awards season contenders is a Norwegian film. But it’s not the first time. In 2022, Joachim Trier’s sly, POV-shifting relationship drama The Worst Person in the World snuck into the Academy Awards with nods for Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay. His family-anchored […]
After the last two episodes of Pluribus – in which Carol (Rhea Seehorn) was involved with an exploding hand grenade and an ill-advised truth serum – I couldn’t help but wonder just how long the hive mind would tolerate her destructive ways. Well, here we are in episode 5, and I have an answer. “We […]
It has been a decade since the Stranger Things phenomenon began, and the Duffer brothers had had ample time to craft a strong finish to their breakout hit series. But the beginning of the show’s fifth and final season feels like a frantic race to the end. While Stranger Things wasn’t Netflix’s first breakout hit, […]