Michael Crider
@michaelcrider.bsky.social
News, reviews, and short-form videos for PCWorld.
Formerly Android Police, Review Geek, How-To Geek, Digital Trends.
Opinions are my own.
I have a personal website, almost never updated: thegumshoe.com
I write fiction: http://amazon.com/author/crider
Formerly Android Police, Review Geek, How-To Geek, Digital Trends.
Opinions are my own.
I have a personal website, almost never updated: thegumshoe.com
I write fiction: http://amazon.com/author/crider
Reposted by Michael Crider
Imagine if they just subsidized newspapers and magazines the way they’re subsidizing this slop
"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."
Analysis: OpenAI is a loss-making machine, how can it survive?
Don't call it a bubble! Loss-making monster OpenAI is on the hook for $1.4 trillion (with a T) in compute commitments. How can this go on?
www.windowscentral.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Imagine if they just subsidized newspapers and magazines the way they’re subsidizing this slop
The fact that this set almost certainly killed the BlueBrixx Star Trek line, dozens and dozens of ships with deep cuts and three different sizes/prices for most of the hero ships, is a tragedy.
BlueBrixx isn't available in the US, where Mega Blocks had Star Trek at the time. Also a tragedy.
BlueBrixx isn't available in the US, where Mega Blocks had Star Trek at the time. Also a tragedy.
Lego's 'Enterprise'-D set is great for 'Trek' fans—but it'd be even better if it heralded a whole line of 'Star Trek' models.
Lego's First 'Star Trek' Set Should Be a Sign of Great Things to Come
Lego's 'Enterprise'-D set is great for 'Trek' fans—but it'd be even better if it heralded a whole line of 'Star Trek' models.
gizmodo.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:06 PM
The fact that this set almost certainly killed the BlueBrixx Star Trek line, dozens and dozens of ships with deep cuts and three different sizes/prices for most of the hero ships, is a tragedy.
BlueBrixx isn't available in the US, where Mega Blocks had Star Trek at the time. Also a tragedy.
BlueBrixx isn't available in the US, where Mega Blocks had Star Trek at the time. Also a tragedy.
If I see generative "AI" slop in your lead image, I assume you used it to write and/or research your article. I look elsewhere.
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
November 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
If I see generative "AI" slop in your lead image, I assume you used it to write and/or research your article. I look elsewhere.
Reposted by Michael Crider
November 27, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Michael Crider
This article still gets a lot of comments about why the politics of Brave Browser matters. It's the first thing mentioned because Brave *would not exist* if Brendan Eich didn't get kicked out of Mozilla for doubling down on homophobia. That's its origin story.
November 27, 2025 at 8:50 PM
This article still gets a lot of comments about why the politics of Brave Browser matters. It's the first thing mentioned because Brave *would not exist* if Brendan Eich didn't get kicked out of Mozilla for doubling down on homophobia. That's its origin story.
Reposted by Michael Crider
Society is a construct. You can just ask someone to do a ska cover of Faith of the Heart and they'll say "$300 please" and you give it to them and then you have it.
Everyone, give
@skatunenetwork.bsky.social
your money. They deserve it.
Everyone, give
@skatunenetwork.bsky.social
your money. They deserve it.
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Society is a construct. You can just ask someone to do a ska cover of Faith of the Heart and they'll say "$300 please" and you give it to them and then you have it.
Everyone, give
@skatunenetwork.bsky.social
your money. They deserve it.
Everyone, give
@skatunenetwork.bsky.social
your money. They deserve it.
Reposted by Michael Crider
NYC 🌆 Protest at Rockstar’s NY offices next Friday, Dec 5th with us! We will be there with organizers across the industry — let’s make the fight against their illegal union-busting international ✊
🗓️ Friday, December 5th
⏰ 5PM onwards
📍 622 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
🗓️ Friday, December 5th
⏰ 5PM onwards
📍 622 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
November 26, 2025 at 7:50 PM
NYC 🌆 Protest at Rockstar’s NY offices next Friday, Dec 5th with us! We will be there with organizers across the industry — let’s make the fight against their illegal union-busting international ✊
🗓️ Friday, December 5th
⏰ 5PM onwards
📍 622 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
🗓️ Friday, December 5th
⏰ 5PM onwards
📍 622 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Got some real "we never intended our long-range, 30-round, semi-automatic rifles to be used to shoot lots of people really fast from a distance" energy here.
OpenAI claims that the 16-year-old violated ChatGPT's terms of use.
OpenAI claims teen circumvented safety features before suicide that ChatGPT helped plan | TechCrunch
OpenAI claims that the 16-year-old violated ChatGPT's terms of use.
techcrunch.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Got some real "we never intended our long-range, 30-round, semi-automatic rifles to be used to shoot lots of people really fast from a distance" energy here.
"It looks like you're wearing 2000s-era nostalgia. Would you like help with that?"
@morphingball.bsky.social gives us the review we've all been waiting for.
@morphingball.bsky.social gives us the review we've all been waiting for.
I bought Microsoft's Windows XP Crocs, and I have opinions
Are these ugly? Debatable. Do I have strong feelings about them? Oh, yes.
www.pcworld.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:17 PM
"It looks like you're wearing 2000s-era nostalgia. Would you like help with that?"
@morphingball.bsky.social gives us the review we've all been waiting for.
@morphingball.bsky.social gives us the review we've all been waiting for.
Reposted by Michael Crider
I think someone should redacted redacted redacted openai redacted sam altman redacted redacted with a redacted and anyone defending them with a redacted
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I think someone should redacted redacted redacted openai redacted sam altman redacted redacted with a redacted and anyone defending them with a redacted
When did it become the default to listen to your phone and/or make speakerphone calls, without headphones, in public, fully audible to everyone around you?
Is this my "old man yells at cloud" turning point, or am I really surrounded by jerks in this coffee shop?
Is this my "old man yells at cloud" turning point, or am I really surrounded by jerks in this coffee shop?
November 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM
When did it become the default to listen to your phone and/or make speakerphone calls, without headphones, in public, fully audible to everyone around you?
Is this my "old man yells at cloud" turning point, or am I really surrounded by jerks in this coffee shop?
Is this my "old man yells at cloud" turning point, or am I really surrounded by jerks in this coffee shop?
Reposted by Michael Crider
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
Reposted by Michael Crider
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Introduce yourself with four spaceships.
November 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Introduce yourself with four spaceships.
Turns out the real Mark of Zorro is a Dubliner swearing at their Tesla on a cold morning. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Foxes blamed after more than 40 cars have brakes damaged in late night attacks
Foxes or other wildlife could be causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to dozens of electric cars
www.independent.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Turns out the real Mark of Zorro is a Dubliner swearing at their Tesla on a cold morning. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Reposted by Michael Crider
dear men: plz find a route to self-actualization that doesn’t run through someone else’s uterus
November 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
dear men: plz find a route to self-actualization that doesn’t run through someone else’s uterus
"This $350 battery is selling for POCKET CHANGE!"
"This $200 mini PC costs just PENNIES!"
Yeah, I can see why some sites have stopped putting the prices in their deal headlines. If they did, they'd have to stop lying.
"This $200 mini PC costs just PENNIES!"
Yeah, I can see why some sites have stopped putting the prices in their deal headlines. If they did, they'd have to stop lying.
November 24, 2025 at 1:42 PM
"This $350 battery is selling for POCKET CHANGE!"
"This $200 mini PC costs just PENNIES!"
Yeah, I can see why some sites have stopped putting the prices in their deal headlines. If they did, they'd have to stop lying.
"This $200 mini PC costs just PENNIES!"
Yeah, I can see why some sites have stopped putting the prices in their deal headlines. If they did, they'd have to stop lying.
Facebook employees are afraid they'll be remembered like the tobacco executives who knew, for decades, they were killing their customers, and lied straight to their faces in courtrooms and congressional hearings.
They will. The more pertinent question is, will they ever be held accountable?
They will. The more pertinent question is, will they ever be held accountable?
“Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users’ mental health, according to unredacted filings in a lawsuit by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.”
Meta buried 'causal' evidence of social media harm, US court filings allege - The Economic Times
Meta reportedly halted internal research into the mental health impacts of Facebook and Instagram after finding causal evidence of harm. Internal documents revealed users reported lower depression and...
m.economictimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Facebook employees are afraid they'll be remembered like the tobacco executives who knew, for decades, they were killing their customers, and lied straight to their faces in courtrooms and congressional hearings.
They will. The more pertinent question is, will they ever be held accountable?
They will. The more pertinent question is, will they ever be held accountable?
Reposted by Michael Crider
17 strikes and you’re out. 💀
November 23, 2025 at 4:48 PM
17 strikes and you’re out. 💀
Reposted by Michael Crider
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
Reposted by Michael Crider
I'll just leave these here
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I'll just leave these here
Today Fortnite has knockoff John McClane from Die Hard as a sexy lady.
Alright, go off.
Alright, go off.
November 22, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Today Fortnite has knockoff John McClane from Die Hard as a sexy lady.
Alright, go off.
Alright, go off.
I reached into my rat's nest cable drawer and immediately found the exact, ancient PS/2 adapter I needed for my Model M, which I haven't touched in over three years.
Even the Christmas miracles are coming earlier and earlier every year.
Even the Christmas miracles are coming earlier and earlier every year.
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 AM
I reached into my rat's nest cable drawer and immediately found the exact, ancient PS/2 adapter I needed for my Model M, which I haven't touched in over three years.
Even the Christmas miracles are coming earlier and earlier every year.
Even the Christmas miracles are coming earlier and earlier every year.
"Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna blow billions of dollars on a chatbot that tells me and the entire planet how awesome I am (and also calls itself MechHitler)."
Damn. On my worst day I can't imagine doing this.
Damn. On my worst day I can't imagine doing this.
November 20, 2025 at 6:53 PM
"Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna blow billions of dollars on a chatbot that tells me and the entire planet how awesome I am (and also calls itself MechHitler)."
Damn. On my worst day I can't imagine doing this.
Damn. On my worst day I can't imagine doing this.