Installer: An AI search engine and the coolest speakers ever Image: William Joel / The VergeHi, friends! Welcome back to issue No. 2 of Installer, your guide to all the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. Thanks so much to everyone who’s been emailing, commenting, sending feedback, and telling me what you want to see in this series going forward. I love chatting with you all about what you’re building…

X glitch wipes out most pictures and links tweeted before December 2014 The VergeX, which was formerly known as Twitter until its recent rebranding, is having a problem displaying old posts that came with images attached or any hyperlinks converted through Twitter’s built-in URL shortener. It’s unclear when the problem started, but it was highlighted on Saturday afternoon in a post by Tom Coates, and a Brazilian vtu…

AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted, rules a US Federal Judge Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeUnited States District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled on Friday that AI-generated artwork can’t be copyrighted, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter. She was presiding over a lawsuit against the US Copyright Office after it refused a copyright to Stephen Thaler for an AI-generated image made with the Creat…

Tesla’s app now supports automation with Apple Shortcuts Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeTesla owners with iPhones can now use Siri to trigger Apple Shortcuts automations without turning to paid third-party apps like Tessie to do so. The Tesla app’s newest update, version 4.24.0, dropped with a release note saying “Access your vehicle controls and climate from the Apple Shortcuts app.” To use …

Striking writers have been in consistent talks with studios for over a week Image: The Writers Guild of AmericaThe Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) wrote in an update yesterday that bargaining talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are ongoing after the two resumed negotiations just over a week ago (via Deadline). The WGA also says the talks will continue next week. The guild and movie studio…

Today is the last day to save on the PS5 and its colorful DualSense controllers Multiple retailers are discounting the PS5 right now, too, meaning you don’t necessarily need to buy it from Sony. | Image: SonyDeals on the PlayStation 5 come once in a blue moon. That’s why we’re here to remind you that Sony’s excellent PS5 promo — which has been running since August 6th as part of Sony’s larger summer sale — is set to end ton…

How to set up parental controls on your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeIf you’ve treated the kids in your household to an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you’ll of course want them to have fun — but you’ll also want to put limits on what they can do on the console, especially if they’re younger children. These consoles are built with all the necessary options for adding child…

If you’re seeing glitchy audio in Madden 24, you’re not alone Madden 24 has some audio issues right now. | Image: Electronic ArtsPlayStation 5 and PC Madden 24 players are dealing with annoying popping audio and disappearing sound channels in the game right now. A post on the Madden subreddit says that, during games, the audio is cutting out on half their soundbar, then returning with some static, seemingl…

The fight over what’s real (and what’s not) on dissociative identity disorder TikTok TikTok’s dissociative identity disorder community thinks doctors don’t know what’s going on. Some doctors feel the same about them. Continue reading…

California is letting a lot more people get a digital ID Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeCalifornia has significantly expanded a pilot program allowing citizens to get a digital driver’s license / identification card that’s accessible on their mobile phones (via 9to5Mac). The digital ID, which the California DMV is calling an “mDL” (mobile driver’s license), can be used for things like gett…

Pornhub’s parent company is changing its name to total nonsense MindGeek was acquired by a private equity company earlier this year. | Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagicMindGeek, the owner of Pornhub and other adult entertainment websites, has a new name: Aylo. The company says the rebrand represents “the need for a fresh start,” as reported earlier by the New York Post. After MindGeek CEO Feras Antoon and COO…

Bored Ape Yacht Club creator to block OpenSea in fight over payments Yuga Labs owns Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, Meebits, and other NFT series. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeTwo of the biggest names in the NFT space are clashing over the future of how the tokens’ creators get paid. Yuga Labs, the company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, said today that it would block the ability to tr…

WD refused to answer our questions about its self-wiping SanDisk SSDs Don’t buy the SanDisk Extreme. | Image: Western DigitalEleven days ago, we sent these questions to Western Digital’s head of PR and published them publicly on The Verge: Why are these drives still on sale? Will you offer free data recovery services to affected customers? When? Are you proactively warning customers and retailers who have alrea…

Senators want YouTube investigated over showing targeted ads to kids, again Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeA report from ad quality transparency platform Adalytics suggests that YouTube served adult-focused ads on almost 100 videos considered “made for kids.” Some of these ads reportedly involved content inappropriate for children, such as car wrecks, medical injuries, and clips from TV-MA shows. Adalytics found…

The new Beats Studio Buds Plus are already $40 off The lauded successors to the original Beats Studio Buds launched just over three months ago. | Image: BeatsThings move quickly in the deals space — and I’m not simply referring to how fast AirPods and certain retro-fueled controllers can sell out when they become available or dip below a certain price threshold. The Beats Studio Buds Plus launch…

Elon Musk says (yet again) that X will stop letting you block users Image: The VergeElon Musk says X’s — formerly Twitter’s — block feature is on the chopping block, repeating his long-standing gripe against the basic social networking feature. “Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” Musk said in an X reply on Friday. He followed up with another post: “It makes no sense.” Musk has made his…

California gets its first tropical storm watch with Hurricane Hilary Hurricane Hilary swirls off the coast of Mexico as smoke covers the central United States. | Image: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CSU / CIRA & NOAA)The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for southern California today as Hurrican…

Lamborghini’s Lanzador EV concept has over one megawatt of peak power Image: LamborghiniThe concept, which was revealed during Monterey Car Week, is a preview of the Italian supercar company’s fourth pure EV model, coming in 2028. Continue reading…

Withings Body Smart review: a flawed but thoughtful approach to weight The scale’s Eyes-Closed Mode gives you an alternative way to interact with your weight and body composition data. Continue reading…

Target is selling the Xbox Series S with a free $70 game right now Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeThe Xbox Series S may sometimes go a little unloved, but Microsoft’s tiny white box isn’t just a QHD-capable console with 512GB of storage — it’s also a veritable deals machine. That’s because, unlike its bigger sibling, the Xbox Series X, the Series S often sees some worthwhile sales. Right now, for instance, Ta…