GoKawiilis editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.
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Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 120, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, get ready for Pen Opinions, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
I also have for you a must-see movie for the weekend, a couple of fun new ways to play with AI, a piece of delightfully inventive furniture, and much more. Let’s do this? Let’s do this.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / listening to / playing / sticking to the wall with thumbtacks this week? Tell me everything: [email protected]. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)
The Drop
Project Hail Mary . According to basically everyone I know and read, you need to see this movie. In a theater. As soon as humanly possible. I confess I didn’t like the book quite as much as The Martian — I loved that book and movie both — but I’m still getting tickets for this one this weekend. According to basically everyone I know and read, you need to see this movie. In a theater. As soon as humanly possible. I confess I didn’t like the book quite as much as The Martian — I loved that book and movie both — but I’m still getting tickets for this one this weekend.
The AirPods Max 2 . Honestly? It is outrageous to me that Apple updated these headphones without making them lighter or fixing that stupid charging case. But, in the sense that these are “AirPods Max only better,” they are better in a bunch of really useful ways. Just, I mean, the case. Come on. Honestly? It is outrageous to me that Apple updated these headphones without making them lighter or fixing that stupid charging case. But, in the sense that these are “AirPods Max only better,” they are better in a bunch of really useful ways. Just, I mean, the case. Come on.
Jury Duty season two . The first season was one of the sneaky delights of my recent TV history, to the point where I still kind of believe it was too good to be true. And apparently they’ve pulled it off again! The setup this time is a company retreat, and I am so ready for it. The first season was one of the sneaky delights of my recent TV history, to the point where I still kind of believe it was too good to be true. And apparently they’ve pulled it off again! The setup this time is a company retreat, and I am so ready for it.
Netlify.New . I only recently discovered Netlify, which is an astonishingly simple way to deploy web apps. The platform’s newest feature — integrating AI agents so you can also create an app with a prompt — works surprisingly well, and is a fun way to noodle with some actually functional vibe-coded software. I only recently discovered Netlify, which is an astonishingly simple way to deploy web apps. The platform’s newest feature — integrating AI agents so you can also create an app with a prompt — works surprisingly well, and is a fun way to noodle with some actually functional vibe-coded software.
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