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Thomas Ricker

Thomas Ricker

Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor

    More From Thomas Ricker

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Take a look inside Elon Musk’s Twitter “hotel.”

    Don Draper did it long before Silicon Valley companies like Google turned sleeping at the office into a competition. Some see such dedication as misguided, others a badge of honor.

    I’d occasionally sleep in our crummy NYC office when helping to launch The Verge. Twitter 2.0 is a luxury hotel, by comparison, with slippers, alarm clock, a wardrobe, and washing machine, according to the BBC.

    Lessons learned after living in an off-grid rental

    InForest’s Swedish cabins are completely off the grid, relying on solar power, battery backup, and a limited amount of water. Living in one for a week required some compromises, but fewer than expected.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Twitter’s “Big Bang” to reinstate 62,000 suspended accounts.

    Verge alum Zoë Schiffer and Casey Newton with another Platformer scoop. It’s supposedly starting this week, according to Elon Musk.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Apple says these are the best apps and games for 2022.

    iPhone: BeReal, Apex Legends Mobile

    iPad: GoodNotes 5, Moncage

    Apple Watch: Gentler Streak

    Mac: Inscryption

    Apple TV: El Hijo

    Apple Arcade: Wylde Flowers

    Hit the link below to see the full list of 16 out of a possible 1.8 million.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Chinese television avoids showing maskless World Cup crowds.

    With protests raging across China over its zero-covid policy, Bloomberg and others have noticed that Chinese Central Television (CCTV) broadcasts from Qatar appear to be avoiding footage showing thousands of maskless fans. Here’s a good side-by-side example: CCTV on the left.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    ‘Gaslighting’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.

    No it isn’t.

    Word of the Year 2022

    [MerriamWebster]

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    999 inexpensive Vinfast electric SUVs head to the US.

    The VF 8 starts at $41,000 with a $169/mo battery subscription, allowing it to significantly undercut the purchase price of competitors like the Tesla Model Y. Bloomberg has a good two-minute overview of the Vietnamese company and its Made-in-the-USA plan which starts in 2024.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    E-bike adoption now driven by fuel prices and subsidies, not covid.

    47 percent of Europeans surveyed by Shimano now cite cost-of-living as the primary reason to use an e-bike in 2022, compared to 2021 when the primary motivator (39 percent) was avoiding covid on public transport. Government subsidies and increasing environmental concerns are also helping to spur the adoption of e-bikes, which already outsell regular bikes in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

    This credit card-sized Continuity Camera mount is clever and affordable

    The Elephant Card supports your iPhone for use as a full-featured Mac webcam. It costs less than $10 and folds up flat to easily fit into a pocket or wallet.

    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    Home in a $28,000 box.

    How badly do you want to just pack it all up and get away? What if you could unpack everything in just 10 minutes, complete with a full kitchen, double bed, and enough solar power to keep everything running? Better start saving because the BunduTRAIL doesn’t come cheap.