Terrence O'Brien

Weekend Editor

Terrence O'BrienFeb 6

Bandcamp Friday is back.

You know the deal: Every dollar you spend on Bandcamp today goes directly to the artist, and the site forgoes its cut. I’m eyeing a few things, including the new Mandy, Indiana record, URGH. But let us know what you’re snagging in the comments.

Spotify is partnering with Bookshop.org to sell physical books

Terrence O'BrienFeb 5

Spotify’s Page Match syncs your audiobooks and your physical ones

Terrence O'BrienFeb 5

Now anyone can tap Ring doorbells to search for lost dogs

Terrence O'BrienFeb 2

Terrence O'BrienFeb 1

Upgraded MacBook Pros could be just around the corner.

Mark Gurman says in the latest edition of the Power On newsletter that the slightly spec-bumped MacBook Pros (not the touchscreen OLED models) should launch as part of the macOS 26.3 release cycle. That means he expects them to hit shelves before the end of March.

All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips. I’m told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from February through March. Another sign that an upgrade is coming: Supply of the current high-end MacBook Pro models has tightened significantly in Apple’s online store.

Bill Gates says accusations contained in Epstein files are ‘absolutely absurd’

Terrence O'BrienFeb 1

M83’s icy Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts is the perfect blizzard soundtrack

Terrence O'BrienFeb 1

X is down.

After suffering multiple issues last month, X is down again to kick off February. Downdetector and NetBlocks both confirmed the outage. Users are reporting that the most recent posts they’re able to see are from an hour ago.

User reports indicate problems at X (Twitter)

Image: Downdetector / The Verge

Terrence O'BrienFeb 1

Mamdani plans to kill off NYC’s chatbot that told businesses to break the law.

Under Eric Adams, NYC launched a chatbot to help businesses navigate government programs and regulations. Instead, reporting by The City and The Markup showed that it regularly encouraged illegal behavior, such as taking a portion of employees’ tips or refusing to accept cash payments. It apparently didn’t even know the minimum wage.

Mamdani Targets ‘Unusable’ AI Chatbot for Termination

[THE CITY - NYC News]