Technology

How AI is paving the way to smoother streets using autonomous robots

Published

4 weeks ago

April 14, 2024

How AI is paving the way to smoother streets using autonomous robots

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re cruising down the road, enjoying a smooth ride, when suddenly — wham — you hit a pothole?

It jolts your car and reminds you of the never-ending battle against these road menaces.

Well, that scenario could be over very soon.

Tech firm Robotiz3d is developing three technologies as part of its Autonomous Road Repair System (ARRES).

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The pothole-preventing robot (Hertfordshire)

ARRES Eye: Detecting surface problems

The ARRES Eye technology, a pivotal component of the system, is strategically installed on various vehicles, including buses, trucks and maintenance vehicles. As these vehicles make their way through city streets and urban environments, they meticulously scan road surfaces for signs of distress.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

A pothole-preventing robot (Hertfordshire)

By leveraging advanced imaging technology, ARRES Eye identifies surface issues such as cracks, potholes and other damage. It identifies their exact location, assesses their severity and prioritizes repair tasks. The collected data is logged into a central database for management.

Pothole prevention data (Hertfordshire)

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ARRES Prevent: The pothole-preventing robot

ARRES Prevent combines artificial intelligence (AI) and an unmanned robotic vehicle to tackle potholes head-on. The compact electric robo vehicle, approximately the size of a small van, patrols roads day and night. Equipped with autonomous driving abilities, it navigates streets independently or under remote human guidance.

A waypoint navigation system guides the vehicle from one point to another. As an added safety feature, it can be remotely controlled, monitored or stopped.

When ARRES Prevent detects small cracks in road surfaces, it promptly seals them using innovative materials. By preventing water infiltration, it stops potholes from forming due to rain and frost. Real-time repair data is recorded for quality control, ensuring effective maintenance. Notably, the prototype of this system has successfully completed its inaugural live trial in the U.K.

Robotiz3d developed this autonomous robot. The University of Liverpool and Hertfordshire County Council Highways Engineers also collaborated on it.

Pothole-preventing robot (Hertfordshire)

MORE: THIS HUMANOID ROBOT IS NOW CAPABLE OF FULL CONVERSATONS

ARRES Ultra: Taking road repair to the next level

As Robotiz3d continues its mission, it’s developing the ARRES Ultra, a robust machine designed for more extensive repairs: The ARRES Ultra will address larger surface cracks and fully grown potholes. Its capabilities include site preparation, precise filling of problem areas and compacting the repaired surface for a seamless finish. Rigorous testing and refinement will pave the way for full-scale production, promising a revolution in road maintenance.

Pothole repair robot (Hertfordshire)

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How the robots promise to save time and money

Potholes impact everyone, whether cyclists or motorists. Traditional maintenance methods are costly, labor-intensive and outright dangerous for a road crew. ARRES promises efficiency and cost savings. Nipping potholes in the bud could transform road maintenance across the U.K. and beyond.

Pothole-preventing robot (Hertfordshire)

How the pothole robot went from research to reality

The University of Liverpool’s School of Engineering laid the groundwork for ARRES. After four years of dedicated research, a spinoff company, Robotiz3d, emerged in 2020, driven by the vision of AI-driven robotic maintenance. Innovate UK recognized its potential and provided funding in 2021, propelling ARRES from theory to practical application. Since then, other organizations, including Horizon Europe, CERN, the Department For Transport in the UK(DFT) and the CAM UK program, have provided funding.

A robot that prevents potholes (Hertfordshire)

Kurt’s key takeaways

As ARRES takes its first steps on the roads, we’re witnessing a leap forward in infrastructure management. With this AI-powered robot, potholes may soon become a thing of the past. Robotiz3d says this is a local innovation with global potential. So, next time you drive or cycle, remember, behind the scenes, ARRES could soon be silently working to keep our roads smooth and safe for you.

Beyond potholes, what other infrastructure challenges do you think robotic technologies could help solve? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Solar Storms are disrupting farmer GPS systems during critical planting time

Published

5 mins ago

May 12, 2024

Press Room

Solar Storms are disrupting farmer GPS systems during critical planting time

The solar storms that have been wowing people with the Northern Lights across the United States the last two nights have also been disrupting GPS satellites, crippling some Midwest farmers’ operations, reports 404 Media. The issues have forced many to stop planting just as a crucial planting deadline for corn farmers approaches.

The storms reportedly knocked “some GPS systems” offline temporarily, which messed with the accuracy of “Real-Time Kinematic” (RTK) systems. Tractors from John Deere and other brands use RTK for “centimeter-level positional accuracy” when carrying out farming work like crop-planting or fertilizing, 404 Media writes.

The “extremely compromised” systems caused “drastic shifts in the field and even some heading changes” for those who continued planting during the outages, according to a warning from Kansas and Nebraska John Deere dealer Landmark Implement over the weekend. Landmark said that planted rows won’t be where AutoPath, a tractor guidance system, thinks they are later when it’s time to tend to them, and that it could be difficult or impossible to use it in fields that were planted while GPS systems were compromised.

While the solar storms, which are some of the worst to have hit the Earth in over two decades according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are expected to subside soon, it comes at a critical time for corn crops. Willie Cade of right-to-repair advocate group Repair.org told 404 Media that May 15th “is a critical date to get corn planted,” calling it “huge” if corn farmers can’t get their crops planted by then.

Organic farmer Tom Schwarz, who was also quoted in the story, said the solar storms halted their operations, and that now the weather forecast threatens to put off planting even further. His farm and others like it use RTK systems to plant crops right up to the edge of the lanes tractors use to drive between them, and if GPS was inaccurate while planting happens, they risk destroying crops later, because human drivers “can’t steer fast enough or well enough” to keep tractors between the rows.

On a broad scale, the farming that’s done today is heavily reliant on high-tech, often heavily automated tractors and other equipment. When they fail, farmers often have no recourse because the entire life cycle of their crops is wrapped up in the tech. That reliance is part of why there’s so much momentum behind right-to-repair laws now, as farmers want to be able to fix their tractors when they break, rather than be beholden to manufacturers for it.

Geomagnetic storms like the ones affecting farmers this weekend are created when plasma and magnetized particles are flung out of the sun in what’s called coronal mass ejections. The NOAA rates them on an increasingly severe scale from G1 to G5. The storm that’s been hitting the Earth the last couple of days has reached G5.

The NOAA says “severe to extreme” solar storms of G4 or higher could occur again today. So far, the storms haven’t led to widespread reports of solar storm-related disruptions, though Starlink has experienced some “degraded performance,” as Reuters writes, while some on Reddit reported issues with flight systems or HAM radio transmissions.

Technology

How to pick the perfect laptop in 2024

Published

22 mins ago

May 12, 2024

Press Room

Buying a laptop can be a dreadful experience. With so many options and configurations available, figuring out which laptop is the best option for you can feel just about impossible.

There are many different screen sizes, processors and storage options in laptops these days, and that’s why I’ve put together this guide.

This guide will cut through the jargon and explain your best options on a practical level.

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A man on his laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Pick an operating system

Before you start looking at laptops, you’ll want to decide which operating system (OS) you plan on using. Today, there are four major OS options, each with strengths and weaknesses. You’ll want to pick an OS based on what software you use. Let’s break down the three most popular options together.

Windows

The most popular operating system on the market is Microsoft Windows. Some industry insiders believe the glory days of Windows peaked during the XP era, but Windows 11 is more than satisfactory for the vast majority of users. I personally use a Windows 11 desktop, which I use as a media center for playing the occasional game. It will be the best bet for most users, especially if you need to use Microsoft applications such as MS Office, Outlook or Excel.

NEW TECH, AI DEBUTS AT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

MacOS

MacOS features an easy learning curve and is a beginner-friendly operating system, but don’t let that fool you. MacOS is a premium operating system and one of the more powerful OS’s for creative work and programming. As a premium operating system, you have significantly fewer options when buying a laptop with MacOS, limiting you to Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops.

ChromeOS

Google’s ChromeOS is an excellent solution for anyone who can do most of their work in a web browser. Laptops running on ChromeOS, often called Chromebooks, are some of the cheapest laptops on the market, so the OS is an excellent option for students and casual users who don’t use any powerful applications such as video editing.

The catch is that since Chromebooks are typically not that powerful, there’s little support for applications like the Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office. You’ll also need a reliable, always-on internet connection to get the most out of a Chromebook.

A man working on his computer (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: BEST LAPTOPS FOR 2024

Choose your ideal size

Size matters, especially if you’ll be lugging your laptop away from home. Would you like a laptop that’s easy to take anywhere you go? Or do you need something more like a mobile workstation with a large, color-accurate display that you don’t plan on moving much?

12 inches and under

For the absolute smallest laptops on the market, Ultrabooks start at 11 inches and 2½ pounds and go up to 12 inches and three pounds. These are the smallest laptops on the market and typically aren’t the most powerful, although mobile processing has come a long way in the past two years.

13 to 15 inches

This is my favorite size when it comes to laptops, and you’ll find that most laptops available on the market are in the 13-inch to 15-inch range. These laptops focus on delivering a sweet spot between portability and processing power.

16 inches and above

These are the largest laptops on the market and often the heaviest but most powerful.

A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Understanding processors

Once you’ve decided which operating system you need and which size you prefer, it’s time to pick a processor. Unless you are buying a MacBook, you will be deciding between either Team Blue (Intel) or Team Red (AMD). Both companies offer great processors, but I’ll break down what you should look for in both Intel and AMD processors. I’ll also include a quick note on Apple’s own M-processors if you are buying a MacBook.

Intel

Intel’s main offerings when it comes to processors are the Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9. The Core i3 is going to be the least powerful processor of the bunch, while the Core i9 is the most powerful. Intel loads its processor names with a confusing string of numbers, such as the Core i7-1355U. Let’s quickly break down what this means.

Inside a computer (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The Core i7 is the second most powerful processor in the series, and the 13 represents the processor’s generation, so this is the Core i7’s 13th generation, while the third and fourth numbers represent this processor’s speed. For example, the Core i7-1355U is not as powerful as the Core i7-1555U, and so on.

The letters you see after will correspond to different standards that Intel uses. Here’s what they mean: Y series chips are optimized for battery life. If the battery is your main concern, this is what you will look for. U series chips are optimized for power efficiency, and H are optimized for performance.

Computer parts (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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AMD

Unfortunately, AMD doesn’t make things much easier when deciphering their naming conventions. Consider the AMD Ryzen 7 5600X. In 5600X, the 5 represents the generation, so this is a 5th-generation processor, and the 600 refers to power.

So, we can decipher that this is a middle-range processor, and the lettering at the end corresponds to optimization. X in this case means the processor is optimized for high performance, so this would be a good processor for gaming, video editing or other resource-intensive applications.

Apple’s processors for MacBook models

In the past, Apple utilized Intel processors in its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. However, since 2020, Apple has begun manufacturing its own processors known as Apple Silicon, which are now used in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops.

Fortunately, there are few Apple M-processors out, so you will only have to decide between the three generations of M-processors on the market. They are the M1, M2 and M3 processors, and within each of these processors, you get to choose between three options.

M — These are the base-level processors included in MacBook laptops, such as the M2 Pro, or M1 Pro.

M Pro — The ‘Pro’ series processors from Apple offer enhanced battery life, more power, and are ideal for creative professionals.

M Max —These are the second-most powerful processors offered by Apple, and they include additional cores dedicated to graphics performance. These are the ideal processors for video pros who deal with complex files.

M Ultra — The Ultra’series processors are the highest of the high and are even a bit overkill for the most professional complex work situations. This is what professionals buy if they don’t want to replace a MacBook anytime soon.

Apple processors (Apple)

Simple guide to processors

If you want to cut through all of the technical jargon, here’s a quick checklist you can think about when selecting processors. Here’s a list of popular AMD Ryzen processor prefixes you should be looking out for. There are three different M-processors available currently, and the number that immediately follows the M refers to the generation.

AMD Ryzen 3 – Very slow, often found in the cheapest laptops and AMD-based Chromebooks.
AMD Ryzen 5 – Best speed for most people overall, not too slow, with a good suite of integrated graphics for light gaming.
AMD Ryzen 7 – Better for high-performance applications and gaming, ideal for video editing, 3D programming and other resource-intensive applications.
AMD Ryzen 9 – Rocket ship level performance processing is the highest of the high that AMD offers for the consumer market.

Here’s a quick list of Intel processors you should be looking out for

Intel Core i3 – Very slow, often found in Intel-based Chromebooks
Intel Core i5 – The sweet spot for most people, these processors are great for day-to-day applications such as Microsoft Office, Excel, some light gaming and browser use.
Intel Core i7 – Better for power-intensive tasks such as gaming, video editing and programming.
Intel Core i9 – Intel’s rocket ship level performance processors, much like AMD, this is the highest of the high when it comes to consumer processor offerings from Intel.

MORE: HOW TO ORGANIZE PHOTOS SMARTLY ON YOUR PC

Graphics

All laptops come with either what’s referred to as ‘integrated’ graphics, graphics chips that are part of the CPU or their own dedicated graphics card. For most people, integrated graphics will be more than enough. Integrated graphics will allow you to watch HD videos from your favorite streaming services, view images clearly and even play some casual games easily.

If you’re a creative professional or gamer, you may want a laptop with dedicated graphics. Because these laptops have to house an actual graphics card on the motherboard, they tend to be larger, in the 15 inch and up range and often cost a premium.

A note on dedicated graphics

If you are someone who will end up needing a dedicated graphics card in your laptop, you’ll be deciding between a graphics card from Nvidia or AMD. The majority of Nvidia graphics cards you will find will be from the company’s Q-line, which are called the GeForce Max-Q. An example of a popular Nvidia graphics card in laptops for gamers is the GeForce 4070 Max-Q.

AMD’s dedicated graphics cards are called Radeon graphics cards and start at the top of the line with the Radeon Vega cards, which are used for enterprise-level video editing, down to the consumer-level Radeon RX graphics cards.

Computer parts (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How much memory is enough?

When it comes to random access memory, or RAM, there’s a wide range of options available in today’s laptops. For most people, 16GB of RAM will be enough to get the job done quickly. RAM is what your laptop uses to store data, while the processor uses that data. In essence, RAM is what stores the data your CPU uses to execute your applications, and if you run out of RAM, you won’t be able to do things such as open more browser tabs, leading to your laptop eventually freezing.

At minimum, you should get a laptop with 8GB of RAM, which will be enough for a casual Windows or Mac user, especially for anyone who is just using a laptop for daily emails and other browser-based tasks. The sweet spot is 16GB, which will make your laptop feel faster and is the minimum amount required for more intensive processes, such as gaming or editing photos.

If you’re a power user who uses a laptop for programming and building software or a creative professional who needs a laptop for editing high-resolution videos, you will want between 16GB and 32GB of RAM. I personally recommend a minimum of 32GB for high-end users, such as pro gamers, creative professionals and software developers.

Storage options

Your hard drive is where you store everything on your laptop, from the operating system itself to your favorite photos and applications. When looking for a laptop, I highly recommend picking one that comes with a solid-state drive (SSD). You may notice that some budget laptops still use hard-disk drives (HDD), but I would caution anyone against buying a laptop with an HDD in 2024.

You’ll need at least 256GB of storage space, but when it comes to storage, the more the merrier. I suggest trying to get a minimum of 512GB of storage space, and if you can afford it, it’s worthwhile to get 1TB, especially if you work with a lot of different files, photos and videos. If you’ve already got an older laptop, check to see how much space you are using to understand your future needs better

Battery life

Battery life in laptops is better than it’s ever been, largely thanks to advancements made in CPU manufacturing over the past decade. However, not all laptops are made equal when it comes to battery life, and you’ll want to do a little bit of extra leg work to ensure you are buying a laptop with a battery life that is good for your needs.

I recommend sticking to laptops that offer at least eight hours of battery on a single charge. It’s important to note, you shouldn’t trust laptop manufacturers’ battery life claims. Not that laptop manufacturers are lying, but their battery tests are under the most ideal situations, based on theoretical use, and are often higher than the average person ends up receiving. Instead, try searching the word “battery” in consumer reviews of different laptops and see what actual users are getting out of each laptop when it comes to battery.

MORE: TOP 11 HACKS TO BOOST YOUR MACBOOK’S BATTERY LIFE

Computer ports (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What ports do you need?

Ports are a necessary and often overlooked feature of purchasing a new laptop. You’re going to want at least one of the smaller USB-C ports and if possible one of the larger USB-A ports, along with a microphone/headset jack (also called 3.5mm port) and I always make sure to have a USB-C to USB-A converter cable on hand just in case.

I personally recommend any laptop that charges with USB-C, and any laptop you are looking at will say if it can charge via USB-C in the specs section. This allows you to use any high-voltage USB-C cable to charge your laptop. Oftentimes, you’ll be able to use the same cable that you charge an Android smartphone with to charge your laptop if it features USB-C charging.

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Webcams

Your laptop should have a built-in webcam, although there are still laptops that don’t have them in 2024, so be sure to check the specifications section to make sure. Lower-priced laptops will typically include a 720p webcam, which will be good enough for most users, as long as they aren’t taking video calls all day. Personally, video calls from services like Zoom or Google Meet are a pretty big part of my life as a writer, so I prefer a laptop that comes with a 1080p webcam. Also, it’s important to beware if someone is spying on you through your webcam. Check out seven red flags by clicking here.

As you make your choice, read customer reviews

Once you’ve begun to narrow down a few different laptops that are ideal for you, you’ll want to make sure you read customer reviews. Customer reviews will give you additional insight into the laptop that go beyond the specs page and answer questions such as “how does the trackpad feel” or “how long is the actual battery life”. Customer reviews are one of the best tools in your arsenal when researching laptops, make sure to use them.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Buying a laptop has gotten more complicated recently, with so many new hardware releases from companies like Intel, AMD and Nvidia. We hope this guide has been useful to you in cutting through all of the marketing and technical jargon and helping you make sense of what you’re looking for when shopping for a new laptop. Always remember to read customer reviews before committing to a purchase. A laptop is a major investment, and customer reviews will tell you what you’re truly buying before purchasing.

What are the top factors you consider when choosing a new laptop, and how do you prioritize them? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

Technology

The new iPad Pro looks like a winner

Published

7 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Press Room

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 37, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, send me links, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been writing about iPads and LinkedIn games, reading about auto shows and typewriters and treasure hunters, watching Everybody’s in LA and Sugar, looking for reasons to buy Yeti’s new French press even though I definitely don’t need more coffee gear, following almost all of Jerry Saltz’s favorite Instagram accounts, testing Capacities and Heptabase for all my note-taking needs and Plinky for all my link-saving, and playing a lot of Blind Drive.

I also have for you a thoroughly impressive new iPad, a clever new smart home hub, a Twitter documentary to watch this weekend, a sci-fi show to check out, a cheap streaming box, and much more. Let’s do it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you reading / watching / cooking / playing / building right now? What should everyone else be into as well? Email me at installer@theverge.com or find me on Signal at @davidpierce.11. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

The new iPad Pro. The new Pro is easily the most impressive piece of hardware I’ve seen in a while. It’s so thin and light, and that OLED screen… gorgeous. It’s bonkers expensive, and the iPad’s big problem continues to be its software, but this is how you build a tablet, folks.
Animal Well. Our friends over at Polygon called this “one of the most inventive games of the last decade,” which is obviously high praise! By all accounts, it’s unusual, surprising, occasionally frustrating, very smart, and incredibly engaging. Even the trailer looks like nothing I’ve seen before. (I got a lot of recommendations for this one this week — thanks to everyone who sent it in!)
Final Cut Camera. This only got a quick mention at Apple’s event this week, but it’s kind of a huge deal! It’s a first-party, pro-level camera app for iPhones and iPads that gives you lots of manual control and editing features. It’s exactly what a lot of creatives have been asking for. No word yet on exactly when it’ll be available, but I’m excited.
The Aqara Hub M3. The only way to manage your smart home is to make sure your devices can support as many assistants, protocols, and platforms as possible. This seems like a way to do it: it’s a Matter-ready device that can handle just about any smart-home gear you throw at it.
“Battle of the Clipboard Managers.” I don’t think I’ve ever linked to a Reddit thread here, but check this one out: it’s a long discussion about why a clipboard manager is a useful tool, plus a bunch of good options to choose from. (I agree with all the folks who love Raycast, but there are a lot of choices and ideas here.)
Proton Pass. My ongoing No. 1 piece of technology advice is that everyone needs a password manager. I’m a longtime 1Password fan, but Proton’s app is starting to look tempting — this week, it got a new monitoring tool for security threats, in addition to all the smart email hiding and sharing features it already has.
The Onn 4K Pro. Basically all streaming boxes are ad-riddled, slow, and bad. This Google TV box from Walmart is at least also cheap, comes with voice control and support for all the specs you’d want, and works as a smart speaker. I love a customizable button, too.
Dark Matter. I’ve mostly loved all the Blake Crouch sci-fi books I’ve read, so I have high hopes for this Apple TV Plus series about life in a parallel universe. Apple TV Plus, by the way? Really good at the whole sci-fi thing.
The Wordle archive. More than 1,000 days of Wordle, all ready to be played and replayed (because, let’s be honest, who remembers Wordle from three weeks ago?). I don’t have access to the archive yet, but you better believe I’ll be playing it all the way through as soon as it’s out.
Black Twitter: A People’s History. Based on a really fun Wired series, this is a three-part deep dive Hulu doc about the ways Black Twitter took over social media and a tour of the internet’s experience of some of the biggest events of the last decade.

Screen share

Kylie Robison, The Verge’s new senior AI reporter, tweeted a video of her old iPhone the other day that was like a perfect time capsule of a device. She had approximately 90,000 games, including a bunch that I’m 100 percent sure were scams, and that iPod logo in her dock made me feel a lot of things. Those were good days.

I messaged Kylie in Slack roughly eight minutes after she became a Verge employee, hoping I could convince her to share her current homescreen — and what she’d been up to during her funemployment time ahead of starting with us.

Sadly, she says she tamed her homescreen chaos before starting, because something something professionalism, or whatever. And now she swears she can’t even find a screenshot of her old homescreen! SURE, KYLIE. Anyway, here’s Kylie’s newly functional homescreen, plus some info on the apps she uses and why.

The phone: iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The wallpaper: A black screen because I think it’s too noisy otherwise. (My lock screen is about 20 revolving photos, though.)

The apps: Apple Maps, Notes, Spotify, Messages, FaceTime, Safari, Phone.

I need calendar and weather apps right in front of me when I unlock my phone because I’m forgetful. I use Spotify for all things music and podcasts.

Work is life so I have all those apps front and center, too (Signal, Google Drive, Okta).

Just before starting, I reorganized my phone screen because 1) I had time and 2) I knew I’d have to show it off for David. All the apps are sorted into folders now, but before, they were completely free-range because I use the search bar to find apps; I rarely scroll around. So just imagine about 25 random apps filling up all the pages: Pegasus for some international flight I booked, a random stuffed bell pepper recipe, what have you.

I also asked Kylie to share a few things she’s into right now. Here’s what she shared:

Stardew Valley took over my life during my work break.
I actually started 3 Body Problem because of an old Installer. Also, I loved Fallout and need more episodes.
My serious guilty pleasure is Love Island UK, and I’ve been watching the latest season during my break.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or hit me up on Signal — I’m @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. And if you want even more recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.

“I have always found Spotify’s recommendation algorithm and music channels to be terrible; wayyy too much fussing and tailoring required when all I want is to hit play and get a good diversity of music I will like. So I finally gave up and tried Pandora again. Its recommendation / station algorithm is so wildly better than Spotify’s (at least for me), it’s shocking how it has seemed to fade into cultural anonymity. Can’t speak for others, but if anyone out there is similarly frustrated with Spotify playlists, I highly recommend the Pandora option.” – Will

“Everything coming out of Netflix Is a Joke Fest has been 10/10.” – Mike

“Mantella mod for Skyrim (and Fallout 4). Not so much a single mod, but a mod plus a collection of apps that gives (basically) every NPC their own lives and stories. It’s like suddenly being allowed to participate in the fun and games with Woody and Buzz, rather than them having to say the words when you pull the string.” – Jonathan

“The Snipd podcast app (whose primary selling point is AI transcription of podcasts and the ability to easily capture, manage, and export text snippets from podcasts) has a new feature that shows you a name, bio, and picture for podcast guests, and allows you to find more podcasts with the same guest or even follow specific guests. Pretty cool!” – Andy

“I have recently bought a new Kindle, and I’m trying to figure out how to get news on it! My current plan is to use Omnivore as my bookmarks app, which will sync with this awesome community tool that converts those bookmarks into a Kindle-friendly website.” – David

“Turtles All the Way Down! Great depiction of OCD.” – Saad

“With all the conversation around Delta on iOS, I have recently procured and am currently enamored with my Miyoo Mini Plus. It’s customizable and perfectly sized, and in my advanced years with no love for Fortnite, PUBG, or any of the myriad of online connected games, it’s lovely to go back and play some of these ‘legally obtained’ games that I played in my childhood.” – Benjamin

“Rusty’s Retirement is a great, mostly idle farm sim that sits at the bottom or the side of your monitor for both Mac and Windows. Rusty just goes and completes little tasks of his own accord while you work or do other stuff. It rocks. Look at him go!” – Brendon

“Last week, Nicholas talked about YACReader and was asking for another great comic e-reader app for DRM-free files. After much searching myself, I settled on Panels for iPad. Great Apple-native UI, thoughtful features, and decent performance. The free version can handle a local library, but to unlock its full potential, the Pro version (sub or lifetime) supports iCloud, so you can keep all your comics in iCloud Drive, manage the files via a Mac, and only download what you’re currently reading — great for lower-end iPads with less storage.” – Diogo

Signing off

I have spent so much time over the years trying to both figure out and explain to people the basics of a camera. There are a billion metaphors for ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, and all of them fall short. That’s probably why a lot of the photographer types I know have been passing around this very fun depth of field simulator over the last few days, which lets you play with aperture, focal length, sensor size, and more in order to understand how different settings change the way you take photos. It’s a really clever, simple way to see how it all works — and to understand what becomes possible when you really start to control your camera. I’ll be sharing this link a lot, I suspect, and I’m learning a lot from it, too.