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Phil Berne

@philipberne.com

1.3K followers 430 following 700 posts

Senior Editor for mobile reviews and buying guides, TechRadar.com

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · Nov 21

Hi! I'm Phil, I review phones, tablets, e-readers, and everything mobile

I've been doing this a long time, but I did a stint in PR at Samsung, where I led mobile reviews and crisis management

Also: high school English teacher in Brooklyn, Boston, Dallas, and D.C., when the other jobs got boring

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Reposted by Phil Berne

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 1d

Jewish Insider just sent out an email with an article with more Platner info. And yeah, this guy is DONE done.

But according to a person who socialized with Platner when he was living in Washington, D.C., more than a decade ago, Platner had specifically acknowledged that the tattoo was a Totenkopf, the “death’s head” symbol adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit that guarded concentration camps in World War II.

“He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” the former acquaintance told Jewish Insider recently, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive issue. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 1d

"We could have been counting those stupid boxes as Windows licenses thIS WHOLE TIME!?"

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 1d

No tattoo parlor offers just one Nazi symbol

Either they don't do Nazis, or they have a whole Nazi catalog

I'm guessing Platner picked the cool looking skull that was next to the swastikas and SS

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 1d

This sounds nice, but in practice

Prices did not come down when phone companies stopped including chargers

Charging requirements changed, and now if you want 25W or higher charging you have to pay much more than before

I'm not sure we're really better off

European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 1d

Phone? Charger.
Laptop? Charger.
Tablet? Charger.
Watch? Charger.
Headphones? Charger.

You? Just waiting for your drawer and wallet to declare a cable coup.

Why pay for stuff you already have?

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 1d

And also cops

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 5d

Someone remind me to unblock the White House once the tyranny is over

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 5d

@nytwirecutter.bsky.social doesn't even try to hide its body-policing

Even with sweatpants, they don't care if top picks come in a range of sizes. Sweatpants

Why don't they say what they mean and call it "The Comfiest Sweatpants for People Who Aren't Fat?"

www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...

The 24 Comfiest Sweatpants and Sweatshirts (That You Can Totally Leave the House In)

After months of lounging around in sweatsuits, we found 24 women’s, men’s, and unisex styles that both look and feel terrific.

www.nytimes.com

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 6d

When you're too tired to sleep so you get angry at everything

(Pumpernickel Bagel Hobbs Berne, 3.5 mos)

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 6d

Wow, he really said that. What a perfect Freudian slip

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 6d

Johnson: That is not the principles of the Republican Party. You want me to articulate them? We fought the Nazis, we defended that evil ideology.

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 7d

Sexchat is the best end for ChatGPT because that's all it will be known for and then it will just relegate itself to that dark little corner and stay quiet

Reposted by Phil Berne

Lance Ulanoff @lanceulanoff.com · 7d

Apple unveils an M5-powered iPad Pro and makes the update all about AI www.techradar.com/tablets/ipad...

Apple unveils an M5-powered iPad Pro and makes the update all about AI

Everyone gets a neural accelerator

www.techradar.com

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 12d

Best MTV video of the 1980s

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 13d

Ooooooh nice, in America you don't fuck with the trains because here trains carry money and goods not people

Train people are quietly incredibly powerful. In Texas the railroad commissioner is more powerful than the Governor

Ben Goggin @bengoggin.bsky.social · 13d

Tesla's Full-Self Driving software is now under federal investigation, including its behavior at train crossings, after an NBC News investigation.

In September, NBC News found that Tesla owners repeatedly complained about Teslas failing to detect oncoming trains.

www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...

Tesla's Full Self-Driving software under investigation after railroad incidents

NBC News reported last month that Tesla vehicles using Full Self-Driving software sometimes fail to stop for train tracks.

www.nbcnews.com

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 14d

I thought my Discover feed was broken but actually I've blocked anything everybody can talk about

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 14d

Yes! Abughazaleh framing ICE as Secret Police is perfect

Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 14d

I can’t believe I have to say this, but historically, masked men who kidnap families in the middle of the night are usually not the good guys.

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 14d

Good. Do it. DO IT

The Verge @theverge.com · 14d

From May 2025: Meta’s former head of global affairs said asking for permission from rights owners to train models would “basically kill the AI industry in this country overnight.”

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

www.theverge.com

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 15d

I trust the midterms will go off without a hitch, I say

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 15d

Grijalva: The frustration for me is that it seems as if Speaker Johnson is not willing to swear me in because our politics are a little different, or because I’m going to be the 218th signer—he can just continue to drag this along with no end in sight.

That is not a foundation of our democracy.

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 16d

I saw Darren Aronofsky at Google I/O justify using AI in films because you couldn't get a baby to consent in perpetuity, and he wanted to help make a movie with a lot of baby stuff

So, yeah, AI actors are going to be used to circumvent consent issues... ie. basic humanity

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 17d

Like… it's kind of right there, no?

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 16d

I don't care that CBS News is smaller than it once was

Like many adults, I point to Fox News as the springboard for misinformation and propaganda that sent older and naive relatives headfirst into the empty pool of the right wing

CBS is now Fox News, and we need less of that, not more

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 16d

Sad but true

Reposted by Phil Berne

Lance Ulanoff @lanceulanoff.com · 16d

Tilly Norwood is no more an actress than ChatGPT is a person, and I'm tired of people getting this wrong www.techradar.com/ai-platforms...

Tilly Norwood is not an actress, she's an it – and its existence freaks me out

A beautiful fake

www.techradar.com

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 16d

I got an email pitch about a "Four-tuner DVR for the price of a two-tuner DVR" and I suddenly remembered that I believed TiVo would fix everything until I encountered CableCARDs

Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 18d

Is that Dubai chocolate?

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Phil Berne @philipberne.com · 18d

Are you using AI to generate ALT text? It’s generating inaccurate descriptions, which doesn’t really help anybody