Kodak EC35 is a dirt-cheap point-and-shoot film camera
Following the success of its $99 Kodak-branded Snapic A1, Reto Project is releasing the Kodak EC35, an even more affordable 35mm film camera for just $34.99. The EC35 certainly isn't fancy. Its 25mm acrylic lens with a fixed f/10 aperture and 1/100 shutter speed basically put it on par with a drugstore disposable. The fact that it has a manual wind and rewind only emphasizes that. And you can really lean into that disposable aesthetic thanks to its built-in automatic flash.
Unlike the A1, there's no double exposure feature here or zone focusing. The EC35 is designed to require almost no thought to use. Its one special feature is the sliding …
I hate that I don’t hate this song made with Suno
I would never go so far as to say there's no place for AI in music (I'm a fan of Holly Herndon, after all). But I generally find music made with generative AI to be offensively boring, especially the outputs of Suno. So I'm having a bit of a tough time processing the fact that I actually quite enjoy 1010Benja's "Semiramis' Dream."
Benja has been unapologetic about his use of generative AI on his latest EP, Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… The other three tracks can't quite hold a candle to what you find on 2024's Ten Total. But the opener "Semiramis' Dream" is infectious. It explodes out of the speakers with a jungle beat and Be …
The FBI reportedly won’t investigate ICE anymore
According to the New York Times, federal agents have been told that the FBI will no longer be investigating confrontations involving ICE agents. The DHS and DOJ denied the change in policy to The Times.
The reported change in guidance follows renewed scrutiny of violence by ICE agents who have killed two people in the last two weeks. The shootings in Maine and Texas were just the latest civilian deaths at the hands of ICE agents, who have attempted to intimidate witnesses following its recent spate of high-profile killings.
The new guidance would end FBI investigations of assaults against DHS agents. The government has aggressively pursu …
Orchid is a delightfully retro and approachable hipster synth
In 2017, I bought an old Magnus chord organ off Craigslist for $10. It's one of my favorite music gear purchases. Electric chord organs let you play full chords with just a press of a button, making them perfect for aspiring singer-songwriters or fooling around at home. But chord organs largely fell out of favor in the '80s, as digital keyboards like those from Casio grew in popularity.
The Telepathic Instruments Orchid attempts to recapture some of that simple parlor instrument magic. Just like those vintage electric chord organs, the Orchid allows you to play rich chord progressions without having to master a ton of theory or complex fing …
Birdfy’s solar-powered smart feeder is down to one of its best prices
Birdfy has kicked off a midyear sale, taking up to 40 percent off a range of its smart bird feeders. One of the best deals is on Netvue’s Birdfy Feeder AI-Powered Smart Bird Feeder with Camera, which has dropped to $149.99 at Birdfy and is its second-best price to date. The bundle, which includes a solar panel and lifetime AI bird identification at no extra cost, comes with a $259.99 list price, saving you $110.
The feeder features a wide-angle 1080p camera with color night vision, allowing you to watch birds in clear detail day or night. It also sends real-time motion alerts to the Birdfy app, where you can watch the livefeed or short, recorded videos, as well as learn more about the birds that visit your feeder. The included AI can identify more than 6,000 bird species without requiring a subscription, and can also recognize squirrels and other animals, helping you tell what triggered an alert.
The IP65-rated feeder features a large 1.5-liter seed container, so you won’t have to refill it as often. Meanwhile, the included solar panel means you likely won’t have to manually recharge the battery, so long as it receives enough sunlight. You also get local and cloud video storage options, with the company offering three months of free cloud storage.
US Marshals arrest the Tate brothers in Miami
The manosphere influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested Saturday in Miami by US Marshals in relation to new rape and sex trafficking charges in England. According to the Associated Press, British authorities are seeking the brothers' extradition.
The new charges facing Andrew Tate include seven counts of rape, three of sex trafficking, three counts of assault, and "19 charges relating to sexual images of children and extreme 'pornography,'" according to the New York Times. Tristan Tate faces two new charges of rape, one of sexual assault, and three of sex trafficking. This is in addition to the 21 charges already announced in 2025 …
The Clapper was a bad smart home gadget — and a viral sensation
Clap on. Clap off. Well, more like, Clap, pause for half a beat but no longer because otherwise it'll stop hearing you, clap again because you waited too long, clap louder and faster, that didn't work, clap two more times, and suddenly: on. The Clapper didn't always work - and even when it did, it might fry your gadgets in the process - but it managed to become a big hit anyway.
On this episode of Version History, we tell the story of The Clapper, from its beginnings as The Great American Turn-On to its debut alongside one of the great advertising campaigns of all time. The Verge's David Pierce and Victoria Song are joined by Allison Marsh, …
The future of physical games is not looking great
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on video games and physical media, follow Jay Peters. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
As a kid, I relished trips to Best Buy, GameStop, and the nearby mall so that I could browse video games. I loved sifting through games and chatting with my friends at the store about upcoming releases. On the lucky days I actually got a new game from the store, I treasured reading through every page of the manual on the drive home. Over the years, I built up a collecti …
The grueling, 630-mile road race where the only fuel is sunlight
On July 19th, dozens of teams of high school students will begin a five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton in Texas. But this is not your typical contest. The students design and build the cars themselves, using off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed materials. The winner is the team that accumulates the most driven miles. And the only fuel they can use to power their Frankenstein-looking vehicles comes from that mass of incandescent gas that hangs in our sky: the Sun.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the annual Solar Car Challenge, a contest that brings together high school students from around the country with the on …
Dave Eggers told OpenAI staff that ChatGPT was ‘silencing an entire generation’
Last year, Sam Altman invited author Dave Eggers to give a talk to around 200 OpenAI staffers. The man has written countless novels, screenplays, pieces of journalism, started McSweeney's, and founded multiple schools and nonprofits that support writers and the arts more broadly. So one might expect he'd roll into the company's offices and offer tips on being relentlessly prolific, or how to excel in multiple fields. Instead, he apparently laced into the company. According to the Financial Times, Eggers told the staff:
"The effect of ChatGPT on educators' lives is catastrophic. Whether you intended to do it or not, you've made every teache …