Thomas ricker – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

Thomas’ first gadget memory was typing 7734 into his father’s inverted, HP-35 scientific calculator. Clearly fated to tech blogging, he would have to wait another 20 years before the rise of the medium. A degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering led Thomas to Silicon Valley just prior to the dot-com boom. In June of 2011, Thomas wrote his 1,362,258th word for Engadget, leaving to help launch The Verge.

More From Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
AI threatens to widen the inequality gap.

A new survey suggests that AI will only help the rich get richer. “The rhetoric out there is that the tools are going to be democratizing. But the reality is that . . . you require a certain degree of education, abstract and quantitative skills, familiarity with computers and coding in order to be using the models,” said MIT professor Daron Acemoglu, who’s also a Nobel laureate in economics. “AI is going to increase inequality between labour and capital. That is almost for sure. I would say it is setting us up for a . . . shitshow.”

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
AST SpaceMobile goes legit.

After Jeff Bezos lost one of AST’s giant space-based cell towers last weekend, the FCC has stepped up with some good news by approving its commercial license. AST can now operate a constellation of up to 248 satellites in low Earth orbit in order to deliver space-based cellular broadband to everyday smartphones. It was supposed to go live sometime later this year before the Blue Origin debacle.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Sun sets on Trump crypto alliance.

Once championed by the Trump family after heavily bankrolling their crypto ambitions, Justin Sun is now unhappy with his chosen bedfellows. Suing Trump-linked World Liberty Financial, Sun alleges in a federal lawsuit that his former allies maliciously froze his $75 million investment, denouncing the platform as “World Tyranny.”

DJI’s latest power station is proof that good things come in mini packages

8

Verge Score

The Power 1000 Mini is the smallest 1kWh power station you can buy.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
“Duuude. No. Way.”

Astronauts having very human reactions to witnessing Earthset. “Gone! It’s gone. Oh my god.”

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
White Lotus, but cheaper.

Google now lets you track price drops of your favorite hotel and receive email alerts if rates drop during your chosen dates:

To get started on desktop, head to Search and look up a specific hotel by name, then tap the new price tracking toggle. On mobile, you’ll find the price tracking option under the Prices tab after you search.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Plug-in solar gains traction in the US.

So-called balcony solar systems that feed energy back into the home over a standard AC wall jack, have already helped Europeans (Germans especially) cut their energy bills — gaining some independence at a time when prices are skyrocketing. Now the dominos are falling in the US. Utah was first, followed by Maine and Virginia, with Maryland and Colorado likely joining soon.

Here’s my review of EcoFlow’s solution from two years ago to show you what all the fuss is about with these DIY systems.

Balcony-mounted solar panels feed the sun’s energy through a microinverter and back into a battery and / or the home over a regular AC outlet.
Balcony-mounted solar panels feed the sun’s energy through a microinverter and back into a battery and / or the home over a regular AC outlet.
Image: EcoFlow