Matter, a common language for smart home tech, faces issues with Belkin pausing adoption. Belkin’s devices don’t offer anything unique and can become commodities, making it hard to stand out. The company plans to differentiate its products, but it is unclear when.
Category: Stream
I know there is endless hype around AI. And as I’ve said previously AI chatbots are nothing more than a next-word-prediction algorithm (that loves to lie). But sometimes when you mix different AIs together, you get something really funny. Enter Reddit user SharpCartographer831 and their AI-Generated pizza commercial. This person used a series of AIs to write the script, do the voiceover, and generate the video for a 30-second ad. It’s incredibly weird, creepy, and funny because it’s so random and dumb. But in some weird way, it works. One thing that didn’t even occur to me is the time…
The NPR series “Tiny Desk” is really fun. The small space made to look like a busy cubicle is set up for big-name musical acts to perform. It’s an intimate setting and one that Bono surely isn’t used to. He and The Edge recently recorded a session of Tiny Desk and it’s amazing. The 20-minute video has the duo go through four songs, each with an incredible flair and intimacy. If you’re not a fan of U2, there’s not much here for you unless you want to view the numerous acts that have graced NPR with their presence. If this…
AI-powered voice cloning technology has advanced to the point where scammers can now easily create convincing fake audio of someone’s voice. In a proof-of-concept video, Watch how Joseph Cox from Vice demonstrates how he was able to access his bank account by simulating his voice using AI.
It’s no secret that Apple is making many inroads in the financial sector. I would guess it’s a lucrative place for them to focus now that services are fully established for the company. Apple Card allows Apple to save money in transaction fees. Now they’re able to provide another service to let people keep money with them: savings accounts. And the draw to entice people? A killer interest rate. More from Ashley Capoot at CNBC: Apple on Monday launched its Apple Card savings account with a 4.15% annual percentage yield. It requires no minimum deposit or balance, Apple said, and…
Nothing, Forever is an AI-generated stream that recreates Seinfeld, the hit 90s sitcom, with a fully-automated system. Created via machine learning and AI algorithms, the always-on show creates & delivers new content every minute on the fly.
NYC’s subway system is a blend of old and new design elements, and a century of history. Architect Michael Wyetzner explores the fascinating cues that exist in the world-renowned subway system. For a quick history lesson, check out Architectural Digest’s fun video.
In an effort to ensure sustainability and reduce costs, invisible solar panels have been installed on ancient Roman ruins in Pompeii. Created by Dyaqua, the traditional PV tiles mimic materials like terracotta, stone, wood, concrete, and brick. This upgrade not only provides sustainable energy but also blends seamlessly into the historic site’s aesthetic, preserving its authenticity for millions of annual visitors.
Jack Black, the actor loved by many, is set to voice Bowser in the new Super Mario Bros movie. But did you know that forty years ago, he starred in a commercial for Pitfall? Pitfall was a popular adventure game for Atari 2600 and featured advanced graphics for its time. Now, you can enjoy Black’s past work before seeing his new performance in 2023.
Investors demand automakers adopt in-car connected features for recurring revenue, but a survey by AutoPacific shows car buyers aren’t interested. Of 11 features, only 30% want to pay for a $15/month data plan for their car’s Internet access. Built-in feature subscriptions are a stupid idea that needs to stop.
A fun gem I found where musician Tony Ann has taken the iconic ringtone we all know from the iPhone and turned it into a complete song. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a massive amount of musical talent to write about, but this one is surely up there with the greats. The video is below and this is a direct link to view it as well.
Arcades, dominant in the 80s are something of a bygone era. While there is a resurgence in places to play video games in the modern era, no 80s arcade is as unique as this one in Los Angeles. Because its location is quite unexpected: Torrence High School. The Electronics Club of the school did something unique and opened a “pinball room”, which ironically also had arcade cabinets too. The club is the subject of the All American High documentary that was released in 1987. A piece of the footage is below which shows the pinball room in action. It’s an…
The future of delivery trucks should be electric. The USPS is finally going to head into this direction. Amazon has been part of this change too. Their 2019 deal with Rivian created an electric delivery van that looks amazing and is great for the environment. But in typical Amazon style, they’re barely living up to their end of the agreement. And as-such, Rivian wants out. Emma Roth at The Verge has more. …with Amazon reportedly only meeting the bare minimum of ordering 10,000 vehicles this year, the two are renegotiating. In 2021, The Verge reported that the terms of the original deal gave…
Over the years we’ve grown skeptical about text messages and unknown callers. Unsolicited calls informing us our car’s warranties are expiring are a joke now and it is becoming well known that Amazon and the like will not contact you to refund your money. But the scammers are always one step ahead and voice AI muddies the waters. In essence, scammers are cloning the voice of someone you know, then contacting you saying they need money. And people are falling for it. Pranshu Verma at the Washington Post has more of this fascinating way scammers are working their new angle.…
Disney has learned the hard way that milking Star Wars for everything it is worth is not a good strategy. They’ve blamed the wrong people for movie failures and generally missed the mark with the launch of the Galactic Starcruiser. Natalie Sim at Theme Park Tourist now reveals that Disney is cutting back “sailings” for the Starcruiser. The first sign that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was in trouble was at the end of 2022 when the first discount was offered of 30% off original Points Chart values on select 2-night Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser adventures for Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. In January, Disney…
Many, many gadgets may seem like a good idea, but never make it to market. Then, some do. And in even rare occasions, they never should have. Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook know that all too well. One device that needed a crowd to say “No!” was the Twitter Peek. Back in the infancy of the iPhone and the modern smartphone era, the Peek was a small single-purpose device that allowed you to access your Twitter feed without a smartphone or computer. It was one of the first standalone devices made specifically for social media, and it was supposed to be…
Last week was an… interesting one in regard to TikTok. The massively-successful social network app with 50 million daily active users is in the sights of the US House of Representatives. They feel the app should be banned but that is a real slippery slope and one that could backfire drastically. Let’s rewind a bit to see how we got here. A Chinese company called ByteDance owns TikTok. For a while the app floundered as a network that never caught on in its original incarnation Music.ly. They rebranded into TikTok and shifted from a music lipsyncing app into the video-focused…
As a music lover and record collector since the late 90s, I have loved the fact that records have made an incredible comeback. What was once thought to be a dead format has had a resurgence like no other. More exciting to me is the news that vinyl records have officially outsold CDs in the US. Jess Weatherbed from The Verge has more about this great news. According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) annual revenue report, vinyl records outsold CDs in the US last year for the first time since 1987, selling 41 million units against 33…
Google Glass is one of the higher-profile flops from Google. The augmented-reality frames were meant to be something lightweight you wore to get information at a glance. It never got out of the “limited early adopter” stage for the general public. But quietly in the business realm, Glass succeeded. Until today. Because Google is killing off the Enterprise Edition of Glass. Samuel Axon at Ars Technica has more on this product you likely didn’t even know still existed. An updated version called Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 was announced in 2019, and that’s the one that was discontinued. Sales ceased…
As a lover of all things sweet, I’ve always been intrigued by the Twinkie. Known for their yellow cake and creamy filling, Twinkies have been a go-to snack for generations. One rumor that has persisted since I was a kid is that Twinkies don’t expire. Is this really true? According to Shea Simmons over at Lifesavvy, the answer is sort of yes and no. In general, Twinkies are shelf-stable for up to 25 days. That’s markedly longer than many other snack cakes but way shorter than the infinite date cited by many. The thing that makes Twinkies last longer than others is…
It’s no secret that Facebook lacks original ideas. Their features are mostly copied from others in an attempt to elbow out the competition. Instagram was a purchase along with WhatsApp. Reels was them stealing Snapchat’s idea. Copying bad ideas is a new one for them. It has come to light thanks to Ben Mayo at 9to5Mac. Facebook will look to copy Twitter’s paid verification feature in the near future. A quick reminder: this is the paid feature that was a disastrous failure for Twitter. The subscription plan called Meta Verified will cost $11.99/month if bought on the web, and $14.99…
The roots of rap and hip hop are intertwined with past music. From the earliest releases to the latest hits, so many songs use samples of prior music. Puff Daddy made mega-hits of songs in the 90s based off 80s samples. So have Dr. Dre, The Fugees, and Eminem. The list goes on and on. Now, with the release of De La Soul’s 3 Feet High And Rising on streaming, we learn more of what needs to be addressed: the legality of sampling. Dan Charnas at Slate discusses the struggle of the legendary hip-hop group to legally release their music…
We can joke around that modern movies using 80s pop culture properties have not usually worked out: Battleship and GI Joe are two examples. If it hadn’t been milked to death, Transformers would’ve broken that trend. Now we get a drama coming soon that looks to actually do what Transformers could not. And that property is Tetris. It may sound laughable, but the story behind Tetris is fascinating for many reasons. First, the Soviet Union owned all intellectual property and that meant Tetris never belonged to creator Alexey Pajitnov. Second, Atari was thought to own the rights to the game…
Slowly but surely, electric vehicles (EVs) are breaking through into the mainstream. As much as I hate to give credit to Lord Manchild, his company has been a difference-maker in this area. Now we’re seeing the government get involved here in the US. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is making strides toward electrifying its fleet of delivery vehicles, and it’s turning to Oshkosh and Ford to help make it happen. It announced plans to purchase over 100,000 electric delivery vehicles over the next decade. Mitchell Clark at The Verge has more. In an announcement post on Tuesday, the agency said it…
We’ve learned real quick due to COVID and supply chain breakdowns that computer chips are in EVERYTHING. It stops cars from being delivered with all their features and delays products from shipping. One place with too many (as in more than zero) chips is appliances. They may be “smart” and have interesting features, but does anyone really want that? Apparently not according to Kevin Purdy at Ars Technica. Appliance makers like Whirlpool and LG just can’t understand. They added Wi-Fi antennae to their latest dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators and built apps for them—and yet only 50 percent or fewer of…
When a pet runs away it can be a traumatic experience. A small neighborhood instantly transforms into a vast landscape of places they could go. Sometimes there are happy endings. For the Manuela family and their lost tortoise, theirs did too. However, it took 30 years. Stephen Messenger at The Dodo has more. Flash forward 30 years to 2013. Almeida’s grandfather had recently passed away, and her family gathered at her mom’s childhood home to sort through his possessions. Almeida’s grandfather had left behind a very cluttered attic, and as the the room was cleared and his things moved out…
Video game music is an art form. Composers finally have their own category at the Grammy awards. But watching the music get composed for pinball in the 80s is where some real magic happens. Composer Suzanne Ciani is the main composer in this documentary video showing how she creates music and digitizes speech for Xenon. The table features her voice and original music for all aspects of play. It’s an incredible piece of archival footage; mainly because Ciani talks you through the process every step of the way. From drawings of how the table will look to enthusiastic talk about…
The collection of our personal data to then be packaged and sold is nothing new. TVs do it, websites do it, and companies all over the world do it. It’s why GDPR and CCPA exist. But what do you do if you live elsewhere? That’s where Consumer Reports comes in. A new service + app called Permission Slip is a free offering from the long-trusted review site. In a nutshell it sends data deletion requests to companies on your behalf. Those requests demand those companies comply with the law. And it is pretty seamless. For someone like me who takes…
In this ever-evolving world of AI drawing and chat and who knows what else, we find a new realm for computer-generated text-to-voice to apply its skills: audiobook narration. Leyland Cecco at The Guardian has more about how Apple is playing with fire in this experiment. The popularity of the audiobook market has exploded in recent years, with technology companies scrambling to gain a foothold. Sales last year jumped 25%, bringing in more than $1.5bn. Industry insiders believe the global market could be worth more than $35bn by 2030. Apple was due to launch the project in mid-November, but delayed it as layoffs…
YouTube has really taken over our world for entertainment in quick bites, personalities you get to know, and a wealth of knowledge on fixing and operating stuff. YouTube is everywhere and is an important archive of so much information. Now in a super interesting twist, YouTube has announced Study Hall, a collaboration with ASU to earn college credits. Sound crazy? Chase DiBenedetto at Mashable explains why it makes perfect sense. While all Study Hall videos are free to watch on YouTube, individuals can also enroll in associated courses created by Crash Course and Arizona State University educators to earn credits and build…