Charlie Brown

Alex, I read a headline saying Russian Cops Forced to Investigate YouTube’s Famous ‘Skibidi Toilet’ Series. As a series of words, what does that mean? Brrr Skibidi dop dop dop yes yes, Steph. Skibidi dobidi dib dib. I think that pretty much explains itself. Thanks, I hate it. But it has 135m views (!) and … Read more

(WJW) — While your smartphone might be essential, it could be consuming a lot of your time, especially if you’re constantly checking apps, texts and emails. If you’re willing to ditch your device for a bit, you could win a sweet prize. The New York-based company Siggi’s Dairy, known for its Icelandic-style yogurt, is offering … Read more

(NewsNation) — U.S.-based artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI has banned the creator of a bot that mimics Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., The Washington Post reports. The 2024 election season is in full swing with the GOP’s New Hampshire primary just days away — the banning of Dean.Bot is one of the first … Read more

It won’t be a huge shocker if the bulk of the “over 1 million” apps that Apple says the Vision Pro will launch with are mostly just existing iPad or iPhone versions. But what is a little surprising is that some of Apple’s big first-party apps will be, too, including Podcasts, News, Calendar, and Reminders, … Read more

Any university lecturer will tell you that luring students to a morning lecture is an uphill struggle. But even the most hungover fresher would surely be enticed by a physics lesson from Albert Einstein or a design masterclass from Coco Chanel. This could soon be the case for British students, with some universities starting to … Read more

Every day I rise early, like a stock trader, to start the daily business of sending and receiving adorable videos. Pigs wearing pig costumes, alien creatures spanking each other’s botties, relationship dynamics explored via gibberish, talking cats and noodly cartoons. My friends and I are in deep, but how did this happen? “Cuteness has been … Read more

Why are cars designed to be capable of going much faster than the speed limit? (Don’t tell me they’re made with the Autobahn in mind.) Andy Crosby, north Wales Send new questions to [email protected]. Readers reply Because for mechanical reasons a car that can reach 100 is going to perform better at 70 than a … Read more

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 22, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)  This week, I’ve been reading about the unbearable sameness of coffee shops and what … Read more

This past Christmas, there was a box in my stocking that held something I had half-jokingly added to my wishlist: an “ergonomic” grip that raises, widens, and adds wireless charging to Apple’s Magic Mouse 2. It’s like a little boot with a Lightning adapter tongue that plugs right into your Magic Mouse’s underbelly. Best of … Read more

As a plumbing tycoon, Patrick Racz was used to enduring a deluge. But circumstances led to a very different kind of drenching, sitting in his local park in the rain contemplating the demise of his business during the dotcom crash. “I lost everything. I had young children. I was embarrassed, upset that I’d let my … Read more