Apple’s $549 AirPods Max 2 add better ANC and live translation

As noted by Apple, the AirPods Max 2 offer active noise-cancellation that’s 1.5 times more effective when compared to its predecessor. Transparency mode, which allows you to hear your surroundings…

This is not a fly uploaded to a computer

Last week, a few posts about a so-called virtual “embodied fly” tore through X, boosted by AI hype accounts and excited commenters who didn’t seem to understand what it was…

The classic Apple Macintosh mouse inspired Spigen’s retro AirPods case

The $29.99 case is available through Amazon and comes in two parts that attach to the bottom and hinged lid of the AirPods Pro 3’s charging case. Even wrapped in…

OpenAI’s adult mode will reportedly be smutty, not pornographic

OpenAI’s delayed “adult mode” for ChatGPT is expected to support saucy text conversations at launch, but not the chatbot’s ability to generate images, voice, or video. Speaking to The Wall…

My fitness tracker is a secret weapon against my chronic illness

One of the first major crashes I experienced as a chronically ill person happened on an unusually sunny January day in New York City. It was 2023, and I was…

Aether OS is computer in a browser built for the AT Protocol

Aether OS puts a full-fledged desktop in your browser that ties directly into the AT Protocol. That means it connects to your Bluesky account and other public records. It offers…

Sotomayor’s Wabi Sabi is the funnest record of 2026

Shout out to subscriber N_Gorski for today’s pick. They popped into the comments on last week’s recommendation to ask what I thought of the new Sotomayor record. Well, I hadn’t…

AI companies want to use improv actors to train AI on human emotion

If you’ve got strong creative instincts, the ability to authentically portray emotion, and are capable of staying true to a character’s voice throughout a scene, there’s a job listing calling…

AI Czar David Sacks wants Trump to ‘get out’ of Iran

David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto czar, has warned that a continued war in Iran could be catastrophic. On the All In podcast, Sacks said that “we should…

Live-service games are a mess

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the slow-motion disaster of live-service games, follow Andrew Webster. The Stepback…