Welcome to Night Vale host Cecil Baldwin shares his tech pet peeves | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyNotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.NotificationsNotificationsHamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Welcome to Night Vale host Cecil Baldwin shares his tech pet peevesNotificationsNotificationsComments DrawerNotificationsCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...EntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentColumnCloseColumnPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ColumnReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportWelcome to Night Vale host Cecil Baldwin shares his tech pet peevesJust let the man watch movie credits in peace!by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienMay 30, 2026, 4:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftCecil Baldwin is a busy man with some dope boots. | Image: Cecil BaldwinEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentColumnCloseColumnPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ColumnReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportWelcome to Night Vale host Cecil Baldwin shares his tech pet peevesJust let the man watch movie credits in peace!by Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienMay 30, 2026, 4:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftTerrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.Cecil Baldwin’s résumé includes appearances on Gravity Falls, narrating the documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, and performing as part of the New York Neo-Futurists theater company. But he is best known as the host of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, a long-running fiction show that blends macabre Lovecraftian horror with absurdist comedy. As Cecil Palmer, the voice of Night Vale Community Radio, Baldwin keeps the people of the titular town abreast of all the goings ons with the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home and offers tips on how to best maintain their Bloodstone circles.He also cohosts Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9 with Night Vale cocreator Jeffrey Cranor, recently directed the play As Sylvia and raises awareness for LGBTQ+ issues and HIV. In short — he’s a busy man. So we’re excited that he found some time to tell us about his tech pet peeves.What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?I wish it were impossible to manually text and drive a vehicle at the same time. We are collectively way worse at it than we think.What is your happy place online?Adding books to my Favorite list on Amazon so I remember titles/authors, and then taking that list to my local new and/or used bookstore and buying them there.Which tech trend do you wish would go away?Please, I’m begging you, let me watch the credits of the film or television show in peace. I just finished a movie, you don’t need to roll me right into a whole new one. Let me digest for just a second.What creation are you most proud of?It would have to be the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, right? It was the acting role that changed the trajectory of my life.What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?I will literally say to myself “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…. Walk away.” It’s like an unbinding, spoken out loud when I don’t know how to move forward with a project or I’m stuck in a social media scroll-frenzy that is giving no pleasure. Put it down. Walk away. Focus on something else for a while.What’s the last piece of physical media you bought?Picked up a few albums at my local record store: Marianne Faithfull À la Télévision 1965-1967, Jorge Ben Jor Jorge Ben, and Dr John Gris-Gris.What would the tagline for your biopic be?Performing authenticity… for real.What’s the last GIF or meme you used?Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O'BrienCloseTerrence O'BrienWeekend EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Terrence O'BrienColumnCloseColumnPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ColumnEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentInterviewCloseInterviewPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All InterviewReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportMost PopularMost PopularHow Ferrari bungled the design of its first EVNvidia, Microsoft, and Arm are all teasing Nvidia’s new N1X laptop processorsThis is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldKia’s flagship EV has a battery problemThis AI startup will clean your home for free to train future robotsThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in EntertainmentSometimes, a short game hits the spotMicrosoft delays Fable (again) to avoid GTA VIBackrooms is at the forefront of horror’s YouTube waveThis is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldNintendo’s newest WarioWare is a weirdo smartphone appThe line between games and movies keeps getting blurrierSometimes, a short game hits the spotJay Peters12:00 PM UTCMicrosoft delays Fable (again) to avoid GTA VIJay PetersMay 29Backrooms is at the forefront of horror’s YouTube waveCharles Pulliam-MooreMay 29This is MSI’s new Claw 8 EX AI Plus gaming handheldJess WeatherbedMay 29Nintendo’s newest WarioWare is a weirdo smartphone appAndrew WebsterMay 28The line between games and movies keeps getting blurrierAndrew WebsterMay 28Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop Stories1:00 PM UTCAI grifters are creating fake Black people to sell Shein junk1:00 PM UTCHow one founder’s bet on ‘the old school web’ is paying off12:00 PM UTCThe SpaceX IPO is great for Elon Musk and terrible for you12:00 PM UTCSometimes, a short game hits the spotMay 29Trump’s mass deportations are only possible with racial profiling41 minutes agoMicrosoft is threatening legal action for disclosing exploitsThe VergeThe Verge logo.FacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSContactTip UsCommunity GuidelinesArchivesAboutEthics StatementHow We Rate and Review ProductsCookie SettingsTerms of UsePrivacy NoticeCookie PolicyLicensing FAQAccessibilityPlatform Status© 2026 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights ReservedNotifications DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Sign in to see your notifications or create an account to join the conversation.Sign in

Cecil Baldwin, the host of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, shared insights into his experiences and frustrations concerning technology and personal habits. Baldwin expressed a desire for technological changes, specifically wishing it were impossible to manually text and drive a vehicle simultaneously, acknowledging the collective poor execution of this activity. When discussing online preferences, he described his happy place as curating books by adding them to his Amazon favorites list and subsequently visiting local bookstores to purchase them. Regarding emerging technology, he voiced a wish for certain trends to disappear, most notably asking for the right to watch movie or television credits in peace, allowing for digestion after consuming media without immediate sequencing to the next content. Baldwin expressed great pride in his creation, the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, noting that the acting role in this project significantly altered his life trajectory. When addressing feelings of being stuck, he articulated a method of release by consciously instructing himself to count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” and then physically walking away to refocus his attention away from unproductive thought patterns. Furthermore, he shared recent acquisitions of physical media, including albums by Marianne Faithfull, Jorge Ben Jor, and Dr John Gris-Gris, obtained from local record stores. When asked to provide a tagline for his potential biopic, Baldwin suggested performing authenticity for real. His background is multifaceted, as he is known for hosting the macabre and absurdist fiction podcast Welcome to Night Vale, where he serves as the voice of Night Vale Community Radio, and cohosting the Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9. Baldwin is also noted for his extensive professional history, including roles in theater and narration, highlighting a commitment to diverse creative endeavors.