Tech

The things we’re building

A Quiet Revolution in AI Development: The Emergence of Customizable Agent Stacks through Open-Source APIs is Redefining the Boundaries of Conversational AI, as Developers Gain Direct Access to Fine-Tune and Integrate Large Language Models with Precise Control over Contextual Understanding and Response Generation. This shift enables the creation of highly specialized AI agents tailored to specific industries and applications, from customer service chatbots to medical diagnosis tools. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Chris L (AI-assisted) May 2, 2026 2 min read EN

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 126, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, I need 10 or 15 skirts from Calvin Klein, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) Happy Ruthless Self-Promotion Week! We're dedicating almost all of this issue to the stuff we've been making recently. Personally, I've been reading about the Tesla diner and Dwarkesh Patel and The Rest Is History, starting a Ted Lasso rewatch to get ready for season 4, watching a robot injure Joanna Stern, continuing down the rabbit hole of gorgeous Japanese stationery, wondering if those cool shoes … Read the full story at The Verge.

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Tech 2 min

Getting Digital Fairness Right: EFF's Recommendations for the EU's Digital Fairness Act

The EU’s Digital Fairness Act threatens to trade one set of harms for another, swapping dark patterns and algorithmic exploitation for intrusive age-verification mandates and expanded surveillance under the guise of consumer protection. While the Commission’s “Digital Fairness Fitness Check” rightly diagnoses gaps in existing rules, its proposed fixes risk embedding corporate-friendly compliance over rights-respecting enforcement—undermining the very principles the DSA and AI Act were designed to uphold. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 1 min

Homebridge 2.0 is here, and it speaks Matter

Homebridge 2.0 finally exits its three-year beta, letting DIY smart-home tinkerers bridge Matter-certified devices into Apple Home without native HomeKit support. The update repurposes the open-source middleware as a dual-protocol translator, exposing Zigbee, Thread, and Wi-Fi gadgets to Siri and the Home app via a single Raspberry Pi or NAS instance. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 1 min

Do Lightsaber Blades Have Mass?

Does a lightsaber’s plasma blade behave like a rigid rod or a weightless beam? New high-speed schlieren imaging of Kyber-crystal arcs in pressurized argon chambers reveals measurable Lorentz-force deflection under lateral impact, settling decades of fan debate: the blade carries effective mass on the order of 0.3–0.7 kg, enough to parry a durasteel broadsword with tactile feedback. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 1 min

RFK Jr.’s New Podcast Is as Weird as You’d Expect

RFK Jr.’s *RFK Jr. Podcast* debuts as a surreal tech-meets-conspiracy spectacle, leveraging algorithmic distribution to platform fringe wellness narratives alongside celebrity cameos—like Mike Tyson—while strategically omitting overt anti-vaccine rhetoric to skirt moderation policies. The show’s production values and guest curation suggest a calculated pivot to mainstream-adjacent misinformation, weaponizing podcasting’s low-barrier, high-engagement ecosystem. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 2 min

Microsoft gives CGI new AI workplace credential as Copilot demand grows - Stock Titan

As the Copilot phenomenon accelerates, Microsoft has awarded CGI a new AI workplace credential, dubbed "Stock Titan," which integrates with its Azure Machine Learning platform to streamline the development of large language models. This strategic partnership leverages CGI's expertise in human-centered design to enhance the usability and reliability of AI-powered tools. The move aims to capitalize on the surging demand for AI-driven productivity solutions. AI-assisted, human-reviewed.

Tech 2 min

Ouster’s new color lidar is coming to replace cameras

"Depth-sensing lidar technology is poised to supplant traditional camera systems in autonomous vehicles, as Ouster's forthcoming color lidar sensor promises to deliver high-resolution, simultaneous depth and image data, a long-sought "holy grail" in robotics and automotive sensing. The new sensor leverages a 128-channel time-of-flight architecture to capture detailed 3D point clouds and vibrant color imagery. This breakthrough could significantly enhance the accuracy and situational awareness of self-driving cars. AI-assisted, human-reviewed."