The geek’s guide to running faster
The geek's guide to running faster One thing we talk a lot about on The Vergecast is how to engage with technology without losing your mind. One version of that discussion has to do with fitness, and the so-called quantified self: what does it take to make use of the tools and trackers available to […]
Vine walked so TikTok could run
Vine walked so TikTok could run What are thooooose? Well, they’re my Vines, the six-second videos that helped mint a generation of famous comedians and also kicked off the era of endlessly looping vertical video that has consumed us all ever since. If you weren’t there at the time, most Vines might seem utterly nonsensical. […]
AI agents are invading your PC
AI agents are invading your PC For a long, long time, Windows looked like Windows. The version numbers and features changed, but the basic structure of the computer didn’t. With Windows 8, Microsoft tried to completely change things… and we know how that went over. So Windows, by and large, went back to being Windows. […]
The DoorDash Problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon
The DoorDash Problem: How AI browsers are a huge threat to Amazon Let’s talk about AI and what I’ve been calling the “DoorDash problem.” This is about to define the next battle in AI, and it might completely transform not only how you order a sandwich — but also how the entire internet economy works […]
It’s not your job to fix the internet
It's not your job to fix the internet The concept of enshittification, as coined by the author and activist Cory Doctorow, just feels right. Whether you’re searching on Google, shopping on Amazon, or scrolling on Facebook, large platforms often feel like they’re not trying to bring us value so much as extract every bit of […]
Sir Tim Berners-Lee doesn’t think AI will destroy the web
Sir Tim Berners-Lee doesn't think AI will destroy the web Today, I’m talking with a very special guest: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web. Tim is a legend in the history of the internet. He created HTML, the standard language for creating and structuring web pages, and the HTTP protocol that […]
The tale of the Fire Phone, Amazon’s very strange smartphone
The tale of the Fire Phone, Amazon's very strange smartphone When Jeff Bezos decided Amazon needed to get in the smartphone game, he went all in. And the resulting device, the Fire Phone, wound up more densely packed with big ideas than just about any gadget you’ll find anywhere. There was just one tiny problem: […]
Bring back the iBook, you cowards
Bring back the iBook, you cowards Apple is reportedly working on a low-cost laptop powered by an iPhone chip. This could be a small deal, a decision made by supply chain economics and the fact that the M1 MacBook Air continues to sell well at Walmart. Or it could be huge, a return to form […]
How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education
How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education Here on Decoder, we’ve talked a lot about generative AI, which is a very big idea that is causing quite a few problems. One thing we keep hearing about over and over again is that generative AI is causing a lot of problems in schools. A […]
Your smart home questions, answered
Your smart home questions, answered There are a couple of universal truths about the smart home. Yes, you will come to treat your robot vacuum like a member of the family, and no, you cannot escape the fact that there will always be one light that doesn’t turn on even though there’s simply no reason […]