Wake Up Like Mario: The Ultimate Alarm Clock Experience

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 56, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reading about Bill Lawrence’s TV shows and the massively powerful crypto lobby and the wild world of plankton, listening to Ed Helms narrate the excellent Snafu podcast, playing an alarming amount of both Balatro and Retro Goal, trying to get back in the habit of making overnight oats, and taking every single one of my phone calls with the excellent mic on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

I also have for you the coolest alarm clock I can remember, a splashy new Bitcoin documentary, a new monster-taming game people love, a tiny but amazing Google Docs update, and much more. Not the busiest and most exciting week of all time, if I’m honest, but still lots of fun stuff to get to. Let’s do it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you playing / reading / watching / baking / steeping in teapots this week? What should everyone else be into, too? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)

Installer Overview

Installer is a weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe.

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The Drop: Exciting New Trends and Innovations

• Alarmo: Leave it to Nintendo to build the most charming alarm clock of all time. No, it’s not the high-tech new gadget some people were hoping for. But a super configurable sleep tracking clock that uses Mario noises and retro animations? I’m sold!
• Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery: This new documentary raises questions about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and suggests that Bitcoin’s significance cannot be ignored.
• Microsoft OneDrive: After significant improvements, OneDrive now presents a stronger competition to Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Mastodon 4.3: The update promises better usability and easier discovery of new followers, potentially elevating the platform's adoption.
• Miraibo Go: This open-world monster-taming game is capturing attention and drawing comparisons to Pokémon due to its engaging gameplay.
• Forums are Still Alive: An insightful piece discussing how forums remain a goldmine for authentic information online.
• Piece By Piece: A unique animated documentary directed by Morgan Neville, showcasing Pharrell Williams, that is sure to intrigue.
• Goodnotes: An app that brings AI enhancements to handwritten notes, improving the user experience significantly.
• Dookie Demastered: A quirky creation by Green Day, bringing nostalgia with its 30-year-old record revamped humorously.
• Google Docs Tabs: A simple yet effective update that enhances organization, making document management easier.

Barbara Krasnoff’s Tech Preferences

Barbara Krasnoff, Reviews Editor at The Verge, shares her favorite apps and why:

• Phone: Pixel 6 - a reliable choice for her.
• Wallpaper: A personal photograph of the Susquehanna River at sunset.
• Key Apps: Maps, Google Voice, Slack, Chrome, Google Photos, and more.

She also shares her current media obsessions, including traditional and contemporary shows, accentuating the diversity of her interests.

Crowdsourced Recommendations

Here are some favorite picks from the Installer community:

• "Reading I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin is a dark, funny commentary on modern culture." – Matthew
• "Strudel has worked best for live coding music compared to other frameworks." – Tom
• "GoodTask enhances Apple Reminders significantly, offering better customization and interface." – John
• "Superlocal Maps is a fun and useful app for tracking locations I’ve explored." – Harry
• "The 3-in-1 Ninja Luxe espresso machine has upped my coffee game, offering consistent quality in every brew." – Scott
• "Idle Iktah is perfect for casual gaming without getting overly involved." – Emmett

Sign Off: Embracing Spreadsheets

In conclusion, I have unexpectedly become a spreadsheet aficionado, reveling in their efficiency for project management. If you have any spreadsheet tips or tricks, feel free to share as I'm eager to enhance my skills!

See you next week!