This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on all things at the intersection of environment and technology, follow Justine Calma. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Some stories that I’ve worked…
A few years ago, artist Modern Biology became a viral sensation when he posted videos of himself controlling a modular synth with mushrooms on TikTok. Pocket Scion gives anyone similar capabilities, but without having to spend thousands of dollars on a Eurorack rig – and in a much more portable package. A core part of…
No Other Choice. At my second day at TIFF 2025, the longest line I saw wasn’t for a movie: it was for the Criterion Closet. The space is housed in a van so that it could make it up to Toronto, and honestly, it felt a little wrong to see the outside of it after…
The RVSolar System living its best vanlife. | Image: Bluetti It only took three years, but Bluetti is following EcoFlow’s lead with a fully integrated power system of its own to make vanlifers, off-grid cabins, and boats energy independent. The RVSolar System’s main advantage over bespoke systems is a relatively quick and easy installation, requiring just…
When I was 16 years old, I wrote my first fanfiction. It was a crossover fic where the cast from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy gave the anime dog demon Inuyasha a makeover. It was stupid and poorly written, and yet, to this very day, I remember it fondly. This is exactly what it’s…
A screenshot from Panic’s Herdling game. | Image: Panic / Okomotive Herdling is a slow game about herding fuzzy animals through a vibrant natural world. That may not sound particularly exciting, but I found it to be a perfect game to unwind with after a stressful day. In Herdling, you play as a kid who…
Showrunner — the startup that wants to “revolutionize” the entertainment industry by charging people to prompt up AI-generated videos featuring copyrighted IP — is working on a new project to restore an Orson Welles classic. On Friday, Showrunner announced that it has designed a new generative AI model that is meant to help recreate lost…
The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop is Microsoft’s closest rival to the MacBook Air, using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chipsets for exceptional battery life. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you want a great laptop, you’re going to have to fork over a ton of money, right? Not necessarily. There are dozens of good laptops…
The just-fully-announced Legion Go 2 will be the first handheld outside of Asus that’s confirmed to get the new Xbox full-screen experience (FSE). Lenovo spokesperson Jeff Witt tells me buyers will be able to manually switch the handheld to Xbox FSE after it’s ready in the spring 2026 time frame, months after the Legion Go…
Despite its slimmer frame, the Galaxy S25 Edge still offers all-day battery life. If you’ve ever wished your phone didn’t protrude so much while in your pocket, then the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge might be made for you. Samsung’s ultra-slim Android phone features the same 6.7-inch OLED display as the Galaxy S25 Plus, but the…
