One of the behaviors that dooms any hobby is getting excited about hardware without any plans for making it last. I learned this the hard way with my one and only e-scooter. I was lazy about keeping the tires inflated, and sure enough, I got not one but two punctures…
Best Party Speakers (2026): JBL, Sony, Marshall, and More
Sony’s new ULT range of speakers stretches from the relatively manageable $450 ULT Tower 5 to the frankly ridiculous $1,200 ULT Tower Max. Sitting between them is the ULT Tower 7, with excellent sound, an ample selection of inputs, a combined 420 watts of output, and a 30-hour battery. Be…
What’s the Best Pet DNA Test? We Tested the Most Popular Ones
Don’t take the health or DNA test results as absolute truth, however. “This can lead to a false sense of security or false alarms,” says veterinarian Amanda Chambers. Forward your results to your veterinarian and always follow up by scheduling a visit to the vet if your pet is marked…
YouTube’s free version is almost unusable now
I’ve been on YouTube Premium Lite for several months now, and it’s been glorious, mostly because I consider it my primary streaming service. It even helps me go to sleep, despite the fact that screen time is normally a detriment. I’d drop all my other video services before ditching Premium…
The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Welcome to the latest edition of Power Play! From now until the midterms, senior writer Molly Taft will be sharing their thoughts every Sunday on this political season’s hottest issue: data centers. We welcome reader comments, and will be answering questions from the comments section in future editions. The post-lunchtime…
The Trump Administration Is Trying to Get Musk and X Out of a $137 Million EU Fine
The US government is trying to get Elon Musk and his social media platform X out of a $137 million fine by the European Union in an escalation of its criticism of the bloc’s tech rules. The US Department of Justice said it had filed an application with the help…
War Bros Didn’t Always Rule Silicon Valley
In September 2015, the Founders Fund hosted a retreat at an eco-resort in British Columbia. Most of the attendees were VCs and people from the companies the firm was backing, but they also invited a few outsiders, including computer pioneer Alan Kay, writer Neal Stephenson, and me. One morning at…
Appeals Court Lets the Pentagon Designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk
Anthropic lost a legal battle to overturn one of the supply-chain risk labels that the US Department of Defense slapped on the company, as a federal appeals court in DC on Friday refused to second-guess the Trump administration. “The department had ample support for its conclusion that the continued integration…
Thieves Stole ‘Nvidia’ Trailers. They Got 20 Tons of Sand
On Thursday morning, a top executive at self-driving truck developer PlusAI received an unexpected congratulatory text message from an acquaintance. “I have been proud of you for your adventure and success at Plus. Just saw two of your trucks near my work place! :)” the message said. But PlusAI’s trucks…
Quince Luggage Is Affordable but Doesn’t Feel Cheap (2026)
If I were buying luggage for the first time in a long time or replacing an old set, I’d choose Quince. You’re getting polished, durable suitcases with reliable features, and without paying a premium for the brand name. At $270 for both an expandable carry-on and a large checked bag,…