Richard Lawler

3D-converted movies could be in for another big push, as Deadline reports the arrangement between Meta and Lionsgate will start with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. After their theatrical run, the plan is for the movies to become available on Meta’s $1,300 VR headsets, along with games and other content. [Link: 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' To Play on Meta VR Glasses | https://deadline.com/2026/11/hunger-games-sunrise-on-the-reaping-meta-vr-glasses-1237211422/ | Deadline]

Along with fellow Belleville Three members Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May, he created the Detroit techno sound, releasing music under aliases including Cybotron and Model 500. Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room Saturday ahead of a planned performance in Mexico City, and May said, “He never mentioned how sick he was, for years. He just went out and did his job the best way he could. Respect his legacy. Respect the effort. Respect the work. Respect the accomplishments.” Saunderson w

Now that Apple’s touchscreen MBP is here, let’s roll back to what Steve Jobs had to say about touch on laptops. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu2Mt1JQxdY]

Antonio walks us through Apple’s PROLED laptop; check out our full first impressions right here. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grzqcRJfre0]

OpenAI says its models have produced three new discoveries including proving the Exponential Time Hypothesis is false.

After Nikita Bier’s one-year stint in the role, Peter Sellis, formerly of Ustream, Snap, Discord and Microsoft, is leading the app formerly known as Twitter. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/peter-sell-x-product-tweet.png?quality=90&strip=all]

The NBA announced a new integrity framework, along with prediction market deals for Polymarket, Kalshi, and DraftKings.

Semafor reports that, along with other investors like board member Laurene Powell Jobs, “Elon Musk has invested roughly $1 billion in Skydance, according to people familiar with the matter, providing a much needed financial injection as the company looks to cut costs and bolster its stock price. Sound familiar? [Link: Exclusive: Elon Musk makes $1 billion investment in Ellison’s Skydance | https://www.semafor.com/article/10/22/2026/elon-musk-makes-1-billion-investment-in-ellisons-skydance | Sema

Cyberpunk 2077’s 2.5 update starts rolling out on October 22nd, with new content tied to Edgerunners season two and access to player-created mods on consoles.

A lawsuit accusing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of sexual abuse against his sister, Ann Altman, during her childhood has been dismissed.

After Ukraine said a Starshield slowdown had interrupted its military operations, Elon Musk claimed any limits “are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Then the president told reporters, “It wasn’t me... and I don’t think it was Elon.” Now WSJ sources are pointing the finger back at Musk, with some claiming “Musk acted unilaterally.” [Link: Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine | https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-starlink-elon-musk-trump-dbc49193 | Wall Street Jour

Searches for certain peptides suddenly show no results in TikTok searches, while claims of a wholesale ban are unsupported.

According to the NYT’s sources, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is out after just five days in the role, or, by our count, less than half of a Scaramucci. Her time in the role included prediction market intrigue and claims she may have misrepresented herself as an attorney despite failing the bar exam. [Media: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/katie-zacharia-fired-press-secretary.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JFE.Dyo9.9yMtG7LosLS6&smid=url-share]

With public opinion broadly against AI data centers, the Today, Explained podcast from Vox brought on Nicole Thomas, a marketing and PR exec who represents data center companies. The “for” arguments are familiar (tax dollars, not all data centers are XXL-sized hyperscaler AI projects, and that what is needed is more transparency), and they also look at some of the attempts to make data centers friendlier, like Microsoft’s biomimicry camouflage. [Media: https://megaphone.link/VMP8675260688]

A suspected gas cylinder explosion at Intel’s Kiryat Gat facility in southern Israel, where it makes its most advanced chips, has killed two workers and injured a third. JPost and CTech report that police believe a gas cylinder malfunctioned while trucks were loading material into tanks, causing serious burns to the victims and a leak of nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃). We’ve written about the risks fab workers face, including the death of a truck driver in 2024 while transporting sulfuric acid waste

Yesterday, the DOJ and OpenAI revealed that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and former Facebook employee working for OpenAI, has been arrested and charged with installing a recording device behind a TV in an executive conference room. Now Bloomberg points out court documents showing that the day before he was arrested, prosecutors asked to seal the information, arguing that “the defendant has the means—and will have an incentive—to flee the United States sooner if he learns abo

Even if Russian or other bots continue to post on social media unabated, the head of Threads, Connor Hayes, mentioned that “We recently made a change that could increase the posts you see from those you follow. For creators, this should mean you see on average more reach to your followers.” He didn’t specify when the algorithm change took effect, but I have an idea. [Media: https://www.threads.com/@conno_r/post/DeceP6wmc5E]

We’ll have hands-on impressions shortly, but take a look at Apple’s smart display hub on table and wall-mount setups. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_0308.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_0256_633c28.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/IMG_0253.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/up

This one is from Brian Tong, taking a quick look at the HomeView display units from all sides. How does it look to you? [Media: https://www.threads.com/@nostratongus/post/Deb5vU_DWRi]

Check out this in-person look at Apple’s new hub device, complete with a hand for scale. “It’s tiny and cute!” [Media: https://twitter.com/JoannaStern/status/2109996955841552597?s=20]