How Elon Musk’s attempt to drag out the Twitter trial could backfire

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Content warning: I am about to do a close read while violating the principles of New Criticism.

I woke up annoying this morning, so we are going to do a close read of this internet artifact: a semi-viral tweet showing Elon Musk discussing Twitter bots in what appears to be a blurred-out conference room of some kind. There is an audience, though — you get to hear them laugh.

"Anyone who uses Twitter is well aware that the comment threads are filled with scam, spam, & lot of fake accounts. It seems beyond reasonable for Twitter to claim that the number of real unique humans is above 95%. Does anyone have that experience?" — @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/XivtjhEBu3

— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) August 6, 2022

Here is a lightly edited...

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Finding friendship and freedom on an electric skateboard

Photo by Carlos Suriel

Wanting neither a ticking time bomb of a hoverboard nor the hassle of paying for a grimy rental scooter, I worked my ass off at a minimum wage job during the summer of 2017 to afford my first electric skateboard: a Boosted Dual+ V2. Almost every weekend after I forked over my $1,500, I’d take my board out to my local boba cafe. I’d do a couple of laps around my Northern California neighborhood on the way back home, my milk tea in one hand and my remote in the other.

As a high school student on an uphill battle to get into one of California’s top universities, electric skateboarding became my go-to form of escapism. It allowed me to take a break from the books — and gave me an excuse to go outside. It offered the effortless freedom of a...

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Alleged Tornado Cash developer arrested in Amsterdam

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A 29-year-old man has been arrested in Amsterdam for his suspected involvement in the development of Tornado Cash — a crypto mixer service that was banned earlier this month by the US Department of the Treasury for its role in laundering money from large-scale hacking operations, including those linked to state-sponsored North Korean cybergangs.

News of the arrest was announced by the Netherlands’ Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), which investigates financial crime in the country. FIOD said the individual is “suspected of involvement in concealing criminal financial flows and facilitating money laundering,” and that “multiple arrests are not ruled out” as investigations into Tornado Cash continue. The suspect is due...

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Google’s Pixel 6a display can run at 90Hz if you’re willing to mod it

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Google’s mid-range Pixel 6a ships with a 6.1-inch OLED display running at 60Hz, but there’s a method to unlock a 90Hz mode. Twitter user TheLunarixus has created a mod to unlock the 90Hz mode on the Pixel 6a, and they’re working on a custom ROM to make it easy for any Pixel 6a owner to unlock the improved refresh rate.

Verge Senior Editor Sean Hollister has tested the mod on his own Pixel 6a, and has confirmed it works. What we don’t know is whether the display panel truly supports 90Hz, or whether this is effectively overclocking it to get to the faster refresh rate. We’ve reached out to Google to comment on whether 90Hz is simply software locked, or if there are indeed display panel constraints.

Screenshot by Sean...

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Samsung heir pardoned for crimes, just like his father

Samsung Electronics’ Jay Y. Lee receives presidential pardon. | Image: Getty

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong — known in the West as Jay Y. Lee — has won a presidential pardon by South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, allowing the grandson of Samsung’s founder to resume leadership of the powerful conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. The pardon will be formalized on August 15th.

The presidential pardon is reminiscent of the two given to Lee’s father, Lee Kun-hee, who was convicted of corruption and tax evasion in 1996 and 2008.

“In a bid to overcome the economic crisis by revitalizing the economy, Samsung Electronics vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong, whose suspended prison term ended recently, will be reinstated,” the South Korean government said in a statement reported by the Financial Times.

The pardon is the latest turn in a...

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MultiVersus season 1 kicks off next week following delay

Shaggy in MultiVersus_._ | Image: Warner Bros. Games

The first season of MultiVersus, Warner Bros.’ free-to-play take on a Super Smash Bros.-esque crossover fighter, will now begin on August 15th, developer Player First Games tweeted Thursday evening. The season had been scheduled to kick off on August 9th, but the studio announced last week that the launch had been delayed.

Alongside the news of the season start date, Player First Games announced that Morty from Rick and Morty will be joining the MultiVersus roster on August 23rd; his arrival had been pushed back last week as well. Player First Games also committed to adding “new modes and content” over the course of the season. Ahead of the season 1 delay, the Rick half of Rick and Morty was planned to be added sometime during the season,...

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Ring’s new TV show sounds like a dystopian America’s Funniest Home Videos

Image: Amazon

Ring, the Amazon-owned home security company that’ll sell you a camera just as swiftly as it will give law enforcement access to that same camera’s footage without a warrant, is producing a television show that sounds an invitation to participate in the surveillance state. You know, as a fun family activity.

Deadline reports that Wanda Sykes has signed on to host Ring Nation, a new America’s Funniest Home Videos-style clip show from MGM Television, Ring, and Big Fish Entertainment, the production company behind Live P.D. Described as a “daily dose of life’s unpredictable, heartwarming and hilarious viral videos” in a press release, Ring Nation will feature footage captured on people’s Ring cameras presented in a way that’s meant to be...

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Amazon finally added a good slideshow feature to the Echo Show

The new Photo Frame mode on Echo Show smart displays and Fire TVs removes ads and other clutter from your photo slideshow. | Image: Amazon

Amazon Echo Show smart displays have never been as good as Google's Nest Hub or a dedicated digital photo frame for doing one thing well: showing your pictures. This is because Amazon clutters up the screen with questionably useful info and alternates your pretty pictures with suggestions for the latest Alexa skill you might like to try, a recipe for egg salad, or a news tidbit about a tomato shaped like a duck.

But as of August 5th, you can now command your Echo Show or Fire TV to show you just your pictures and nothing else for a whole three hours.

Photo Frame mode hides all ads, calendars, and weather notifications to become a photo-only slideshow

Amazon’s digital photo frame feature, previously only available on the Echo Show 15, is...

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What’s the best student laptop? We asked students

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for high school and college students. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Shopping for a laptop can be stressful — doubly stressful if you or your children will be learning online for the first time. Kids of different ages have a range of different laptop use cases and different needs. And as the choices for best laptop and best Chromebook evolve, so do students’ needs. So I spoke to some experts on the subject: students themselves.

My recommendations here are meant to accommodate a variety of preferences and price ranges. But they’re a jumping-off point rather than an exhaustive list: every student is different. Before making a decision, you’ll want to make sure you read reviews and try out devices yourself if you can. I’ll do my best to keep this article up to date with items that are in stock.

Best laptop...

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Rivian reports more losses in the second quarter of 2022

Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

Rivian, the buzzy electric vehicle company backed by Ford and Amazon, reported a net loss of $1.71 billion in the second quarter of 2022 based on $364 million in revenue. It’s a sign that Rivian’s business is picking up speed, albeit slowly compared to the previous quarter in which Rivian reported a net loss of $1.59 billion based on $95 million in revenue.

The earnings report was a disappointing sign from the EV maker that was founded on a promise to upend the auto industry with beautifully designed, emissions-free, adventure-themed trucks and SUVs but has run into some speed bumps along the way.

The earnings report comes on the heels of a positive production update in which Rivian said it made 4,401 vehicles during the three-month...

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You can turn Meta’s chatbot against Mark Zuckerberg

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Meta’s AI thinks CEO Mark Zuckerberg is as sketchy as you might — at least, if you ask the right questions at the right time. The BBCand other outlets like Insiderhave reported on their adventures stress-testing BlenderBot 3, the artificial intelligence chat tool Meta released last week. As they note, it’s easy to make BlenderBot turn against its creator, calling him “creepy” or untrustworthy or even saying he “exploits people for money.” But that’s not precisely an indictment of BlenderBot orZuckerberg. It’s a funny reminder that most chatbots don’t have straightforward, coherent opinions — instead, they’re an interface for tapping into a vast library of online human thought.

BlenderBot is a Meta AI experiment that’s currently used...

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Go read this report on ByteDance employees with ties to Chinese state media

TikTok logo | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Hundreds of employees at TikTok’s parent company ByteDance used to work for Chinese state media outlets — and more than a dozen apparently still do, Forbes reports.

Forbes surveyed LinkedIn profiles of ByteDance and TikTok employees and found that 300 people had previously worked for state media entities, with current roles at the tech firm including content partnerships, strategy, policy, monetization, and “media cooperation.”

Of the profiles Forbes reviewed, 15 suggested that the ByteDance employees work at the tech firm and state media outlets simultaneously. It’s possible these employees simply neglected to update their profiles — employees contacted by Forbes didn’t respond. But the overlap between state media and ByteDance...

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Telegram founder blames Apple for holding back a major update

Pavel Durov had some sharp words about app stores. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

An upcoming Telegram update has been stuck in Apple’s app review for two weeks “without explanation,” according to a Telegram post from CEO and founder Pavel Durov (via MacRumors). He claims that the update is “about to revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging” but it hasn’t yet been approved.

Durov discussed the unexplained holdup as part of a broader critique of app store business models. He says that Telegram is discouraged by the “obscure” app review process that’s “imposed on all mobile apps by the tech monopolies.” He goes on to say that “If Telegram, one of the top 10 most popular apps globally, is receiving this treatment, one can only imagine the difficulties experienced by smaller app developers.”

...

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Google is letting some people launch cloud games directly from search results

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Friction is the mind-killer when it comes to cloud gaming. You can’t just click a game trailer to instantly be playing a game quite yet. But this week, Google appears to be rolling out a feature that could reduce that friction: if you simply search for the name of a game in Google search, you might be presented with a “Play” button that can instantly launch the title.

It looks like the Google search engine has a new update for cloud gaming platforms!!!

When searching for a game players can now launch a game directly from the search results utilizing @GoogleStadia. pic.twitter.com/xblOsBpF6O

— Bryant Chappel (@BryantChappel) August 11, 2022

The Nerf Report’s Bryant Chappel appears to be the one who noticed the change, and he quickly...

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The 2022 Motorola Razr is only launching in China, but we want it, too

Flip phones are so hot right now. | Image: Motorola

Motorola is finally updating its Razr foldable — but only in China. The 2022 Razr offers a larger main screen, an extra camera, and Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. There’s also a new Flex View mode so you can open the screen halfway and use the phone hands-free. Kind of reminds us of another folding phone...

The 2022 Razr includes an upgraded main camera with 50 megapixels and optical stabilization plus a new 13-megapixel ultrawide. The main screen is a 6.7-inch OLED with a 144Hz refresh rate. It outdoes the Galaxy Z Flip 4 with a bigger 2.7-inch cover screen — while the Flip’s is a much smaller 1.9 inches, making it more of an at-a-glance display. With 2.7 inches, the Razr’s screen can offer a lot...

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Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 compares to last year’s Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks a lot like its predecessor, the Z Fold 3. | Image: Samsung

After seeing incremental changes and updates to the Galaxy S22 line in February, it’s now the ultra-flagship Galaxy Z Fold’s turn. Samsung announced the new Galaxy Z Fold 4 alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro at its latest Samsung Unpacked event — all of which are set to arrive on August 26th — and, well, the new Fold definitely looks like a Galaxy Fold.

While this new iteration doesn’t set itself apart very much from last year’s model in the looks department, it does bring some new features, including improved durability and a wider outward-facing cover screen. But how does the Galaxy Z Fold 4 stack up to the Z Fold 3 when we get to the nitty-gritty on paper? Here, we’re comparing them spec for spec to...

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Opioid addiction treatment is collateral damage in online prescription backlash

Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pandemic-era rules around telemedicine have been a huge boost to efforts to prevent opioid overdoses in the US. But those rules are also how controversial startup companies like Cerebral were able to prescribe Adderall and Xanax to huge numbers of people — and efforts to stem that flood of prescriptions could sweep away overdose prevention efforts in the process.

Since 2020, doctors have been able to prescribe controlled substances after a telehealth visit without needing to see patients in person. But that’s a big umbrella: Adderall and Xanax are controlled substances. So are buprenorphine and methadone, which are used to treat people dependent on opioids. Opioid overdoses have reached epidemic proportions in the US, with tens of...

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Goku’s maybe getting a gun... in Fortnite

Image: Peter Kramer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

In the endless cavalcade of Fortnite crossovers comes a new one that I’m actually surprised hasn’t happened sooner. Goku’s potentially coming, meaning a handful of beloved Dragon Ball characters are also about to get dropped off at Tilted Towers strapped with an AK and some slurp juice. Sweet lord Jesus, that’s a sentence.

Speak. Name your wish…8.16.2022 pic.twitter.com/IloBVI07AY

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 11, 2022

The Fortnite Twitter account teased the news, hinting at an August 16th release, and players are already seeing what look to be assets from the event. One of them is a bunch of in-game furniture that looks like Master Roshi’s outdoor lounge area featuring a Capsule Corp capsule. The other is a wallpaper featuring...

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Anker’s new 24,000mAh portable battery can fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro

It’s got a smart display, too. | Image: Anker

Anker launched a new $149.99 portable PowerCore 24K GaN charger housing a big 24,000mAh battery for you to carry around, which is capable of being fast charged at 140W but can also dish out power at the same rate (via 9to5Toys). That’s powerful enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent in 40 minutes, assuming you’re using the MagSafe to USB-C cable.

The PowerCore is equipped with the new Power Delivery 3.1 specification that can pump more than the previous maximum of 100W from a single USB-C port. Anker’s new battery bank can pump 140W of power out of either of the two USB-C ports, and there’s also one USB-A port capable of 18W charging.

PowerCore also includes features from Anker’s set of new “GaNPrime” chargers introduced...

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Heat pumps: what they do and why they’re hot now

A heat pump installed outside a house on February 8th, 2018, in Cardiff, Wales. | Image: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

The humble heat pump has finally found its moment in the spotlight. The appliance can potentially save you money on your energy bills, fight climate change, and reduce Europe’s dependency on Russian gas, proponents say. One day, heat pumps might even replace air conditioning and heating systems across the world.

Sure, that sounds super ambitious, but lawmakers are scrambling to deploy heat pumps everywhere they can. President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act earlier this year to boost domestic manufacturing of the technology, and Congress crafted major climate legislation that makes it easier for Americans to afford them. Across the pond in Europe, heat pumps are part of efforts to pivot away from Russian fuels.

Lawmakers...

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Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now

Apple’s latest Apple Watch, the Series 7, boasts a larger display and faster charging than its last-gen predecessor. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Thinking about picking up a new Apple Watch? It might be tempting to order one of the Series 7 models, but newer hardware always comes at a premium. And while Apple’s latest wearable offers a slightly larger display and some improvements to durability, it is largely the same Apple Watch we’re familiar with.

Thankfully, each Apple Watch model offers ample functionality and has seen its fair share of discounts over the last year. So which ones should you consider if you’re in the market for Apple’s popular smartwatch while trying to shop smarter?

Most of the time, there are four Apple Watch models to choose from, all of which support watchOS 8. The highest-end is the Apple Watch Series 7, which starts at $399 but is often discounted. The...

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Kirby’s Dream Buffet will feast on the Nintendo Switch very soon

Image: Nintendo

Kirby’s Dream Buffet, the Kirby-flavored Mario Party-like game that will undoubtedly cure our collective depression, has a release date. On August 17th — less than a week away — you and three other friends can roll, eat, and puyo your way to becoming the fattest, happiest Kirby on the block.

Roll into this smorgasbord of fun with 3 other friends in local wireless or online! Or play with a buddy on the same system! Kirby's Dream Buffet releases on 8/17, exclusively on #NintendoSwitch

Pre-order now at: https://t.co/SOAWIfyfe5 pic.twitter.com/wCjSYMt02N

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 11, 2022

In addition to sharing the release date, Nintendo also went into a little more detail about what to expect from the game. There...

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Ethereum’s big proof-of-stake blockchain switch could happen on September 15th

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Ethereum network has been on a years-long path to switch its energy-hungry proof-of-work blockchain to a more efficient proof-of-stake system, and now its developers are suggesting a date to make the switch. It’s not final yet, but on a call streamed via the Ethereum Foundation’s YouTube page, they decided to submit this pull request proposing to make the change when the network reaches a specific difficulty mark, which should occur on September 15th or 16th.

Dubbed Terminal Total Difficulty (TTD), it specifies the mining of a particular block where the old network ends and the new one begins at 58750000000000000000000.

| Mainnet | TBD | TBD | TBD |

| Mainnet | 58750000000000000000000 | September 15, 2022 | TBD |

#### FORK NEXT...

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Acura’s first electric SUV will have one of the brightest EV grilles yet

Acura teased its first electric vehicle Thursday, and the grille alone is worth taking note of. The Acura Precision concept, which will make its public debut on August 18th during Monterey Car Week, has one of the most outlandishly bright LED grilles that I’ve ever seen on an EV (and I’ve seen a few).

The front end appears to carry over a lot of the design language from the Integra and MDX, including the five-point diamond shape and the angular headlights. But the embedded LED lights are far and away the most ostentatious grille that has been released to date.

The concept may or may not inform the actual production version of Acura’s first EV

Full caveat: the concept may or may not inform the actual production version of Acura’s first...

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Rick and Morty are getting into the podcast game in first season 6 trailer

Morty and Rick hosting a podcast. | Adult Swim

Though Rick and Morty’s fifth season tore its titular duo apart and focused on just how evil some of their multiversal counterparts could be, it ultimately brought the grandfather / grandson team even closer together to highlight how they’ve matured as people. While Rick and Morty’s new season 6 trailer doesn’t directly touch on any of the series’ dangling plot lines, like what became of the “evil” President Morty after he stepped through a golden portal, it suggests that the entire Smith family’s going to become more involved in Rick’s adventures.

After years of wanting more chances to mix it up with aliens from other worlds, Rick’s (Justin Roiland) granddaughter Summer (Spencer Grammer) seems to be finally getting what she asked for...

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Gmail is now officially allowed to spam-proof politicians’ emails

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

On Thursday, the Federal Election Commission approved a new proposal from Google to keep campaign emails from being marked as spam.

Google’s plan, first reported by Axios in June, would allow for candidates, political party committees, and leadership political action committees to apply for the program that would make their messages exempt from Gmail’s spam detection systems. While Google did not need the FEC to approve the plan before rolling it out, it sought a vote earlier this summer to ensure the program wasn’t at risk of breaking current election regulations. In its Thursday ruling, the FEC confirmed that Google’s plan was legal.

“I have a hard time getting around the fact that this is a unique benefit offered to political...

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US regulators take first step toward new data privacy rules

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new notice calling for input into how tech companies handle consumer data, a crucial first step in setting binding rules for the industry. Formally known as an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), the filing calls for public comment on data collection, algorithmic discrimination, and commercial surveillance.

The notice stops short of suggesting specific rules, which are unlikely to come this year. Still, the questions suggest the commission is focused on concrete harms caused by data collection, whether through data breaches, ad targeting, or algorithmic discrimination. There’s particular focus on how large companies use automated decision-making systems that might impact consumers...

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iRobot’s excellent Roomba i3 EVO is available refurbished for $170 off today

The Roomba i3 doesn’t feature an auto-empty base, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker. | Image: iRobot

Another Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event has come and gone, leaving behind a flurry of announcements pertaining to foldable phones, wireless earbuds, and the beastly Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Thankfully, there are still plenty of ways to take advantage of Samsung’s ongoing preorder promotions — ahem, see here, here, and here — all of which will be available until the latest batch of Galaxy devices arrive on August 26th. If flagship-level foldables and newfangled Android smartwatches aren’t your thing, though, we’ve got you covered with a smattering of deals.

First up is the iRobot Roomba i3 EVO, which is currently on sale on eBay in refurbished condition for $179.99 ($170 off) with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty from iRobot. Although the...

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Bricked Epson printers make a strong case for user repairability

Epson 2720 printer, a model known to be impacted by the ink pad error. | Image by Jess Weatherbed / The Verge

Epson gained some scrutiny on Twitter in recent weeks after the company disabled a printer that was otherwise working fine, leading to accusations of planned obsolescence. Epson knows its printers will stop working without simple maintenance at a predictable point in the future, and it knows that it won’t be cost-effective for many owners to send their home printers in for service. So why not build them to be user serviceable in the first place?

The inciting post from @marktavern mentions that his wife was unable to use her “very expensive Epson printer” after an end-of-service error message appeared.

My wife’s very expensive @EpsonAmerica printer just gave a message saying it had reached the end of its service life and proceeded to...

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How Nokia ringtones became the first viral earworms

Margaret Kimball / The Verge

One of the internet’s better-known ringtone archivists was barely alive to witness the golden age of his biggest hobby. The 20-year-old Scottish musician, who prefers to be known by his online handle Fusoxide, got hooked through an Alcatel flip phone he had as a kid. “I love the sound of old ringtones, partly due to nostalgia and partly because I think there’s genuine underlooked gems,” he says. Today, Fusoxide is behind the popular @ringtonebangers Twitter account. With others, like @OldPhonePreserv, he helps to maintain Andre Louis’ phonetones directory — a repository of phone software, sound banks, ringtones, and audio ephemera from a bygone era.

Reaching out to Fusoxide about a defining part of my lived childhood — the ’90s were a...

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