Mike Epstein (@bombur) header
Mike Epstein (@bombur) profile picture

Mike Epstein

@bombur

Senior Gear Editor, @Hearst Enthusiast Group. (@PopMech, @RunnersWorld, @BestProducts) Former game critic. Crotchety, but still a good time.

 New York, NY
mjepstein.com/clips
Joined April 2009
  • Tweets17.3K
  • Following885
  • Followers30.8K
1.1KMedia
Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)Photo by Mike Epstein (@bombur)
Mike Epstein retweeted
rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac) profile picture
rat king 🐀
@MikeIsaac14h
google says if you dont want AI in the classroom you wont get search either earnest Q: highlighted quote seems carefully crafted to suggest there is a technical reason google could not turn off AI in search. is there *any* truth to that? nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/go…
Image from rat king 🐀 (@MikeIsaac)
62
57
41
301
95,219
Mike Epstein retweeted
Will Oremus (@WillOremus) profile picture
Will Oremus
@WillOremus15h
That doesn't seem very not-evil
Dana Goldstein (@DanaGoldstein) profile pictureDana Goldstein@DanaGoldstein15h
Breaking: Google will turn off web search for schools that opt out of A.I. for kids. nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/go…
Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I. (Gift Article)

Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I. (Gift Article)

Google is making it easier to restrict its A.I. tools for students. But schools that block A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google’s search engine.

nytimes.com
6
30
1
232
10,158
What games will you delete next week to make room for GTA?
GameSpot (@GameSpot) profile pictureGameSpot
@GameSpotOct 27
Clear up space on your consoles, GTA 6 reportedly needs 210 GB 😵‍💫
Image from GameSpot (@GameSpot)
3
135
Mike Epstein retweeted
John Gruber (@gruber) profile picture
John Gruber
@gruberOct 16
At the old pre-June prices, you could buy a 128 GB Apple TV and a pair of HomePod Minis for $350 ($150 + $100 + $100). Four short months later, with today's new models, that combination would cost $600 ($300 + $150 + $150). daringfireball.net/2026/10/t…
Initial Thoughts on This Week’s New Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) and HomePod Mini 2

Initial Thoughts on This Week’s New Apple TV 4K (4th Generation) and HomePod Mini 2

At the old pre-June prices, you could buy a 128 GB Apple TV and a pair of HomePod Minis for $350 ($150 + $100 + $100). Four short months later, with today’s new models, that combination would cost...

daringfireball.net
27
11
2
325
35,835
Was waiting for this one
Tom Warren (@tomwarren) profile pictureTom Warren
@tomwarrenSep 9
exclusive: hands-on with the Duo
Image from Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
Image from Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
2
319
Mike Epstein retweeted
Alys Key (@alys_key) profile picture
Alys Key
@alys_keyAug 12
The URL on this story 😭
Image from Alys Key (@alys_key)
Kate Knibbs 🏄🏻‍♀️ (@Knibbs) profile pictureKate Knibbs 🏄🏻‍♀️@KnibbsAug 12
I have seen a dark vision of the future of blogging 😱 wired.com/story/ai-newsrooms…
Oh Lord, AI Reporters Are Actually Breaking Big News

Oh Lord, AI Reporters Are Actually Breaking Big News

Last week, an AI newsroom beat mainstream journalists—including WIRED—to a story about OpenAI and hacking. It’s just the beginning.

wired.com
3
156
2,376
90,054
Mike Epstein retweeted
Samuel Deats 🌕 (@SamuelDeats) profile picture
Samuel Deats 🌕@SamuelDeatsAug 6
Bro what the fuck are we doing
The New York Times (@nytimes) profile pictureThe New York Times
@nytimesAug 6
Breaking News: Scientists have used A.I. to create new viruses for the first time, raising hopes for medical advances while also raising the possibility that the technology could someday be used to invent dangerous pathogens. nyti.ms/4bxx7Wy
This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature

This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature

Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.

nytimes.com
170
2,596
38
23,046
1,636,678
Mike Epstein retweeted
Santiago Víquez (@santiviquez) profile picture
Santiago Víquez
@santiviquezJul 26
Not USB-C? Classic Apple and its proprietary adapters.
Apple TV (@AppleTV) profile pictureApple TV
@AppleTVJul 26
Jack in. #Neuromancer — January 22
A close-up shot of a port installed into someone’s skin. There is sweat dripping down. The skin around the port is pink. The Apple TV logo is at the top of the image.

ALT A close-up shot of a port installed into someone’s skin. There is sweat dripping down. The skin around the port is pink. The Apple TV logo is at the top of the image.

A close-up shot of the back of a man’s head. Behind his ear is a port installed into the skin. The skin around the port is slightly red and bloody. The Neuromancer title treatment is on the bottom of the image along with the Apple TV logo.

ALT A close-up shot of the back of a man’s head. Behind his ear is a port installed into the skin. The skin around the port is slightly red and bloody. The Neuromancer title treatment is on the bottom of the image along with the Apple TV logo.

A close-up shot of the back of a man’s head. Behind his ear is a port installed into the skin. The man holds a cord up to the port. The Neuromancer title treatment is on the bottom of the image along with the Apple TV logo.

ALT A close-up shot of the back of a man’s head. Behind his ear is a port installed into the skin. The man holds a cord up to the port. The Neuromancer title treatment is on the bottom of the image along with the Apple TV logo.

42
443
7
11,702
247,290
Mike Epstein retweeted
Tom Warren (@tomwarren) profile picture
Tom Warren
@tomwarrenJul 24
if you have an LG TV and you’re having these annoying ads you can disable them by going to the Home Screen and tapping on the notifications on the left. Then you need to untick the home hub and sports apps that generate them 👍
Tom Warren (@tomwarren) profile pictureTom Warren
@tomwarrenJul 23
honestly, fuck LG for adding these notifications at startup on their TVs. I had every option for promotions disabled in the system settings, but they added new ones through the built in apps. I’ll never ever own anything LG ever again.
Image from Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
63
56
2
994
97,983
Picture me playing Phasmophobia for the first time tonight.
Cat Tribunal (@cattribunal) profile pictureCat Tribunal
@cattribunalJul 16
Image from Cat Tribunal (@cattribunal)
2
251
I don't have trypophobia... Except for this one thing.
Katie Rife (@RifewithKatie) profile pictureKatie Rife@RifewithKatieJul 15
I sometimes walk past a deli with an AI sign advertising "nuggets" that look like this
Image from Katie Rife (@RifewithKatie)
1
3
296
Mike Epstein retweeted
Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler) profile picture
Jason Koebler@jason_koeblerJul 15
Scoop: The AI music generator Suno was hacked. Hacker shared source code that shows how the tool was made and part of the music and podcasts that were scraped to create it. Decades worth of music, lyrics, and podcasts from YouTube, Deezer, Genius & more
Image from Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler)
185
2,437
227
11,922
697,913
Mike Epstein retweeted
John Linneman (@dark1x) profile picture
John Linneman@dark1xJul 1
This year really feels like the end for traditional gaming. Consoles less affordable, layoffs galore and now physical media on PlayStation is dead. Really hard to feel any excitement for any new consoles given this - I'm sure plenty of you don't care, but it matters a lot to me.
PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) profile picturePlayStation UK
@PlayStationUKJul 1
Important updates: News on physical discs for new games - blog.playstation.com/2026/07… News on PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita - blog.playstation.com/2026/07…
Image from PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK)
766
1,845
59
15,515
436,182
These numbers are pretty staggering, but I still can't help but wonder if this is a bit shortsighted given the renewed interest in physical media among cinephiles.
Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) profile pictureStephen Totilo@stephentotiloJul 1
In 2016, less than 3 of every 10 PS4 game purchases were made digitally. By this year, it was nearly 8 of 10 for PS4/5 That shift likely showed Sony it could do this, drop the cost of making/shipping discs, improve software profit margins, maybe de-emphasize a next-gen disc drive
Image from Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo)
2
2
257
I'm not saying discs are due for a comeback, but ending production rather than scaling down and emphasizing collector's editions and box sets seems like it will cost Sony. And not just because people are going to get mad and stay mad through the rest of the generation.
1
2
59
Mike Epstein retweeted
Jake Baldino (@JakeBaldino) profile picture
Jake Baldino@JakeBaldinoJun 25
I don't want to hear a single word about PS6 or Project Helix
Image from Jake Baldino (@JakeBaldino)
149
847
55
10,529
354,570
That feeling when someone DMs to tell you that “you deserve to die” bc of a review I wrote 5-6 years ago. Once a game critic, always a game critic I guess.
58
We've got to raise the price of cocaine.
Image from headless horse child (taken out for gallops) 🫏🐀 (@BinAnimals)
4
93
13
1,258
30,047
Cat.
Image from Mike Epstein (@bombur)
67
Mike Epstein retweeted
Matthew Cole (@mattbencole) profile picture
Matthew Cole@mattbencoleMay 14
I barely survived “telling writers they have to read is gatekeeping,” I don’t think I can live through “telling writers they have to write is gatekeeping”
Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) profile pictureJosh Daws
@JoshDawsMay 13
💯A lot of AI hate is thinly veiled gatekeeping.
46
2,789
16
24,730
436,401
Load more