Terrence obrien – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Terrence O'Brien

Terrence O'Brien

Weekend Editor

Weekend Editor

Terrence O’Brien is a journalist, editor and producer from New York City with over 18 years of experience and is The Verge’s weekend editor. In addition to spending 10 years as managing editor at Engadget, his work has appeared on Wired, MusicTech, Guitar.com, Refinery 29 and more. He has also composed music for podcasts and feature films. In his spare time Terrence collects hobbies at an alarming rate.

More From Terrence O'Brien

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
It’s not just music, AI is threatening to overtake human podcasters, too.

Bloomberg recently reported that 39 percent of podcasts over a nine-day period were likely AI-generated, according to data from Podcast Index. Inception Point AI is at the forefront, reportedly publishing 3,000 episodes a week, flooding podcasting apps with low-quality trash. According to Bloomberg:

And the Inception Point team isn’t the only one who’s executing on this type of strategy. In the past nine days or so, 10,871 new podcast feeds have been created; approximately 4,243, or 39%, might have been AI-generated, according to the Podcast Index, an open-source platform that tracks the ecosystem.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Only data center hate can bridge the political divide.

There are over a dozen planned in Michigan alone, and it could be the issue that swings the midterm elections in a decidedly purple state. Almost no one is thrilled about the surge in energy prices or environmental impacts, but neither party has convincingly owned the issue.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Two Bluetooth voice actors get paired.

Chances are, at some point, you’ve had Kristen DiMercurio or Tawny Platis in your ears saying phrases like “battery low” and “Bluetooth paired.” The two voice actors sat down on Tawny’s show, String and Tell, to talk about voice matching, interactive voice responses, and, of course, Bluetooth.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
“I am confirming now, I am wearing his skin. I’ve been wearing his skin now for about two weeks.”

Tim Heidecker made his Infowars debut with an uncanny and painful-sounding Alex Jones impression. While he acknowledged that there were still some legal hurdles to overcome, Heidecker, the site’s new creative director, was adamant that the Onion’s takeover would be finalized soon, and this was all just a distraction.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
SAG-AFTRA reaches a four-year deal with the studios with new AI guardrails.

A month after the Writers Guild struck a longer-term deal than normal with the studios, the Screen Actors Guild has followed suit. While it hasn’t been made official yet, the deal reportedly includes a sizable contribution to the union’s pension fund, increased streaming residuals, and new AI protections.

AI music is flooding streaming services — but who wants it?

They won’t ban it. They won’t embrace it either.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
A Waymo drove off with someone’s luggage.

Di Jin says the robo taxi took off with his luggage still in the trunk. But the real issue is how the company handled the issue. First, it told him the cab couldn’t be turned around to return his items, then it tried to charge him for shipping.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Gizmoplex, the dedicated MST3K streaming service, is shutting down.

If you’ve backed any of the recent Mystery Science Theater 3000 Kickstarters, you probably have access to a bunch of episodes via the Gizmoplex. Unfortunately, an email went out today informing users that the site is shutting down and they have until September 30th to download any episodes they’ve purchased.

Dear Gizmoplex members: Unfortunately, on June 30, 2026 the Gizmoplex apps on platforms such as Roku, AppleTV, Android, and FireTV will cease operations, with the Gizmoplex website shutting down on September 30, 2026. We know this platform has meant a lot to many of you - it was built for and by this community - so we don’t share this news lightly. What this means is that if you’d like to continue to have access to content you may have purchased on the Gizmoplex, you should download it to a personal drive well in ad- vance of the September 30th website closure. We have significantly reduced the prices on Season 13 and past livestream events, so if you haven’t had a chance to purchase them, now is the time to add them to your collection. The good news is that while the Gizmoplex may be no more, MST3K isn’t going anywhere. The show remains widely accessible, with its own 24/7 channel, on-demand epi- sodes across many streaming platforms, as well as on the FilmRise app (free with ads), and via Shout! TV on Prime Video and Roku for ad-free viewing. If you need further assistance, you may send us a message via the contact form at shout-tv.com/contact. MSTies have always been the heart of this show. You’ve kept it alive across decades, formats, and platforms, and that means everything to us. We’re grateful for each one of you. Thank you as always for your support. To stay up to date on all things MST3K, you can follow us on YouTube, Twitch, Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
Screenshot: Gizmoplex.com
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
No, I don’t think it’s absurd to spend $1,000 on a guitar pedal with automated faders.

Chase Bliss is one of the most innovative companies in the pedal scene. Its newest, Big Time, is a collab with Electronic Audio Experiments. It’s a hybrid analog / digital delay in its high-end Automatone series. But it’s also a looper, a sequencer, a modulation pedal… You know what, just watch the walk-through.