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A common complaint of horror movies is that sound is relied upon far too heavily. Creeping chords to build tension, a sudden burst of noise to emphasise a jump scare — these are the oldest tricks in the horror movie playbook. As the title might suggest, The Unheard is a film that relies heavily upon sound, too. But rather than wielding it as a lazy shock device, director Jeffrey A. Brown does so in a specific way that goes hand in hand with the film’s story — and creates a truly terrifying effect. SEE ALSO: The 10 scariest horror movies on Shudder to keep you up at night What's The Unheard about?Chloe (Lachlan Watson), a young woman who lost her hearing at the age of eight after contracting meningitis, travels to her home town to undertake an experimental procedure that may be able to restore it. But staying at the house she grew up in brings back memories of her mother's disappearance. These recollections worsen as Chloe's hearing returns, as she begins experiencing auditory hallucinations — her mother's voice, half-lost in static like the childhood home movies she keeps watching on the house's old VHS player. All of which is creepy enough, but then there's the lights that keep coming on in the seemingly abandoned house next door at night, plus there's the disappearance of yet another local woman who vanishes after a shift. As you might have guessed from that description, Brown's movie is a bit of a genre mish-mash. The setup sounds like a Black Mirror episode, the hallucinations and isolation are straight-up horror, and the disappearances blend it all together with a kind of mystery/crime/thriller element. It's a combination that could easily start tripping over itself, but somehow it keeps a steady, confident footing. Between Brown's perfectly unnerving direction, a tight script from Michael and Shawn Rasmussen and a well-acted story, The Unheard crackles through its two-hour runtime with scares and tension aplenty. Everything is scarier in silence. Credit: Shudder The Unheard uses sound to truly unnerving effect.Almost the entire first act of the film takes place in silence. Or rather, not so much a silence as an approximation of Chloe's near-total deafness, where sounds are muted and dampened as though we're experiencing them underwater. The effect of this, as Chloe creeps around her childhood home at night and flashes her torch between the trees that gather around the lakefront like intruders, is one of suffocation. The silence is ominous because we're constantly waiting for something to break it. This makes The Unheard's soundscape far more unnerving than a typical horror score, because everything is infused with the tension of a held breath — and when it's occasionally broken by Chloe's memories or her mother's distorted voice, the result is chilling. Featured Video For You 11 essential horror movies to stream this Halloween Are there any weaknesses?Although it's a great film, The Unheard isn't perfect. The story treads a fine line between reality and the supernatural which is effective throughout, but isn't necessarily resolved as well as I might have liked. A slight lack of resolution is present in other areas, too. There's a side plot with Dr Lynch (Shunori Ramanathan) that fizzles out towards the end, and the reveal of the true threat — and specifically, its motivations — is perhaps kept a little too foggy. But then again, maybe foggy is best. Rather than coming away fully satisfied, The Unheard left me in a similar state to Chloe as she watches her family's movies on the VHS player — with a sense of something hiding between the frames that I might have missed, and a desire to go back and watch it all again to search for clues. The Unheard is available to stream on Shudder from March 31. View the full article
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It's a palindrome day today! Well, depending on your preferred date format. But if you'd write it 3/23/23, make a wish, or whatever else you feel like doing to mark the occasion. Maybe today's Wordle? Get it right with our daily hints and tips to help you figure out the solution. If you prefer to just be told the solution, you can scroll to the end of this article for March 23's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather work through it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans have even sprung up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing. Not the day you're after? Here's the Wordle answer for March 22. What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that brings joy to your heart. But if what brings you joy is strategy, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N. What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though. Why are there two different Wordle answers some days?Though usually Wordle will only accept one correct solution per day, occasionally it will rebel against the norm and deem two different answers acceptable. This is due to changes the New York Times made to Wordle after it acquired the puzzle game. The Times has since added its own updated word list, so this should happen even less frequently than before. To avoid any confusion, it's a good idea to refresh your browser before getting stuck into a new puzzle. Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:It rhymes with a beloved indie game, a handy garden tool, and the first word of Eric B and Rakim's debut album. Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?Not today! Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter S. SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. What's the answer to Wordle today?We're finally about to reveal the answer to today's Wordle, so get your guesses in now! Are you ready? The solution to Wordle #642 is... STAID. Don't feel discouraged if you didn't get it this time. The beauty of Wordle is that there's always a new one to try the next day, and we'll be here again with more helpful clues and hints. View the full article
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TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a Tykr Stock Screener Pro Plan is on sale for £99.03, saving you 86% on list price. It’s time to start getting your finances in order. For some, that may mean collecting a year’s worth of receipts. For others, it might be time to start thinking about how your money can start making money. Investing is never a guarantee, but there are ways you can go into the stock market with a solid understanding of where your money might end up. Tykr Stock Screener is an educational app that analyses stocks for you so you can see which ones are high-risk and which ones may be a safer investment. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription to Tykr for just £99.03. Tykr can’t guarantee an investment will pay off. What it can do is give you information about 30,000 stocks so you can decide whether you should invest. For each supported stock, Tykr provides a summary, a score, and a margin of safety. The summary tells you if a stock is on sale, should be watched, or if it’s overpriced. These conclusions are reached through open-source calculations that you can check yourself. If you’re buying, then look out for stocks that are on sale. If you’re selling, you might want to wait until your stocks are overpriced so you can rake in a profit. Check out the score and the Margin of Safety if you want a more detailed breakdown of investment safety and potential earnings. With all the work analysing stocks done for you, investing might actually start to seem fun. Nothing can guarantee you huge returns on investments, but this deal is a certainty. Invest in a lifetime subscription to Tykr Stock Screener for £99.03. Opens in a new tab Credit: Tykr Tykr Stock Screener Pro Plan (Lifetime Subscription) (opens in a new tab) £99.03 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article
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10 of the best Python courses you can take for free this week
NelsonG posted a topic in General News
TL;DR: You can find a wide range of beginner-friendly Python courses for free on Udemy. Python is a massively popular programming language that reads like English, making it a beginner-friendly option for anyone looking to take their first steps towards a career in coding. If you're interested in learning all about this language, your first stop should be Udemy. You can find a wide range of beginner-friendly Python courses for free on Udemy. We've checked out the entire range of free online coding and programming courses, and lined up a selection of standout beginner-friendly options to get you started. We've always got your back. These are the best Python courses you can take for free this week: Introduction To Python Programming Learn Basics Python: ISL Interpretation Included Learn Python and Become Professional Python Developer Learn Python for Total Beginners Learn Python from Scratch Python Basics Python for Beginner Python in 3 Hours: Python Programming for Beginners Python OOP: Object Oriented Programming in Python Python 3 in 100 Minutes There must be a catch, right? Free courses do not include things like a certificate of completion or direct messaging with the instructor, but that shouldn't hold you back. You can still learn at your own pace with unlimited access to all the video content, and you don't even need a voucher code to enroll for free. If you really need a certificate to stick on your CV, you can upgrade for a fee. Find the best free online Python courses on Udemy. Opens in a new tab Credit: Udemy Online Python Courses (opens in a new tab) Free at Udemy Get Deal (opens in a new tab) View the full article -
If Quordle is a little too challenging today, you've come to the right place for hints. There aren't just hints here, but the whole Quordle solution. Scroll to the bottom of this page, and there it is. But are you sure you need all four answers? Maybe you just need a strategy guide. Either way, scroll down, and you'll get what you need. What is Quordle?Quordle is a five-letter word guessing game similar to Wordle, except each guess applies letters to four words at the same time. You get nine guesses instead of six to correctly guess all four words. It looks like playing four Wordle games at the same time, and that is essentially what it is. But it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds. Is Quordle harder than Wordle?Yes, though not diabolically so. Where did Quordle come from?Amid the Wordle boom of late 2021 and early 2022, when everyone was learning to love free, in-browser, once-a-day word guessing games, creator Freddie Meyer says he took inspiration from one of the first big Wordle variations, Dordle — the one where you essentially play two Wordles at once. He took things up a notch, and released Quordle on January 30. Meyer's creation was covered in The Guardian six days later, and now, according to Meyer, it attracts millions of daily users. Today, Meyer earns modest revenue from Patreon, where dedicated Quordle fans can donate to keep their favorite puzzle game running. How is Quordle pronounced?“Kwordle.” It should rhyme with “Wordle,” and definitely should not be pronounced exactly like "curdle.” Is Quordle strategy different from Wordle?Yes and no. Your starting strategy should be the same as with Wordle. In fact, if you have a favorite Wordle opening word, there’s no reason to change that here. We suggest something rich in vowels, featuring common letters like C, R, and N. But you do you. After your first guess, however, you’ll notice things getting out of control if you play Quordle exactly like Wordle. What should I do in Quordle that I don’t do in Wordle?Solving a Wordle puzzle can famously come down to a series of single letter-change variations. If you’ve narrowed it down to “-IGHT,” you could guess “MIGHT” “NIGHT” “LIGHT” and “SIGHT” and one of those will probably be the solution — though this is also a famous way to end up losing in Wordle, particularly if you play on “hard mode.” In Quordle, however, this sort of single-letter winnowing is a deadly trap, and it hints at the important strategic difference between Wordle and Quordle: In Quordle, you can't afford to waste guesses unless you're eliminating as many letters as possible at all times. Guessing a completely random word that you already know isn't the solution, just to eliminate three or four possible letters you haven’t tried yet, is thought of as a desperate, latch-ditch move in Wordle. In Quordle, however, it's a normal part of the player's strategic toolset. Is there a way to get the answer faster?In my experience Quordle can be a slow game, sometimes dragging out longer than it would take to play Wordle four times. But a sort of blunt-force guessing approach can speed things up. The following strategy also works with Wordle if you only want the solution, and don’t care about having the fewest possible guesses: Try starting with a series of words that puts all the vowels (including Y) on the board, along with some other common letters. We've had good luck with the three words: “NOTES,” “ACRID,” and “LUMPY.” YouTuber DougMansLand suggests four words: “CANOE,” “SKIRT,” “PLUMB,” and “FUDGY.” Most of the alphabet is now eliminated, and you’ll only have the ability to make one or two wrong guesses if you use this strategy. But in most cases you’ll have all the information you need to guess the remaining words without any wrong guesses. If strategy isn't helping, and you're still stumped, here are some hints: Are there any double or triple letters in today’s Quordle words?Two words have twice-occurring letters. One of these is a double letter. Are any rare letters being used in today’s Quordle like Q or Z?No. What do today’s Quordle words start with?C, S, D, and U. What are the answers for today’s Quordle?Are you sure you want to know? There’s still time to turn back. OK, you asked for it. The answers are: CROSS SAUCE DOING USUAL View the full article
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Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN has been at the forefront of the anti-piracy battle since the turn of the millennium. For most of this period, unauthorized sharing via BitTorrent has been a prime concern. Traditionally, BREIN focused its enforcement efforts on website operators, but in recent years there’s been a shift to uploaders as well. In late 2020, the anti-piracy group announced an elaborate program to monitor and warn some of the most active BitTorrent uploaders. The goal of this “FLU” scheme was to change the behavior of prolific pirates, without obtaining their identities. The project received government research funding but BREIN had a major obstacle to overcome. Unlike ISPs in other countries such as the United States, Dutch ISPs are not required to forward piracy notices to their subscribers. ISP Refuses to Forward Warnings BREIN hoped that Internet providers would be willing to cooperate, but that wasn’t to be the case. When BREIN approached Ziggo, the largest ISP in the Netherlands, with a request to forward piracy alerts to its subscribers, the company refused to do so. According to Ziggo, linking IP addresses to specific subscribers raises serious privacy concerns, even if personal information isn’t shared with BREIN. The anti-piracy group was unhappy with the refusal and took Ziggo to court. BREIN argued that warnings are a relatively mild measure that would help rightsholders to address the piracy problem. The system wouldn’t result in any claims for damages either, as the identities of the alleged pirates would remain private. BREIN lost the case last year. The court found that there is no legal basis to compel Ziggo to forward warnings. In addition, the ISP lacks a license to link IP-addresses to personal information. This outcome was a disappointment for BREIN which appealed the ruling, but without result. The appeals court affirmed the lower court’s ruling, noting that there is no legal basis to require Internet providers to forward the notices. No Supreme Court Challenge This was yet another setback for the anti-piracy group, which considered taking the matter to the Supreme Court. However, after weighing the available options, it chose not to do so, which effectively means the end of the original FLU program. In its most recent annual report, the group cites the ‘costs’ as the primary reason not to appeal the matter to the highest court. “In light of the costs, BREIN decided not to appeal at the Supreme Court,” BREIN writes. “We don’t rule out that the FLU project will be adapted to the conventional form of enforcement. In that case, a claim will be filed if the summons is not heeded.” Having spent years developing its piracy monitoring plan, BREIN leaving the door open for a revised warning scheme is to be expected. Aside from the technical investments, BREIN was also required to obtain a data processing license. Ideally, it would like to put that to use. Piracy Fines Are on the Table Now BREIN typically takes a pragmatic and reasonable approach. This was exemplified by its original plan to alert or warn prolific uploaders, without having to obtain their identities. Ironically, this benign approach must now be reconsidered after the court determined there is no legal basis to compel ISPs to forward warnings. “We think anonymous warnings are a form of enforcement but Ziggo didn’t want to do it,” BREIN director Tim Kuik tells TorrentFreak. “The appeal court said we need to be able to bring a claim to court if there is no compliance. So we will consider adapting the FLU protocol to that. A claim could be a cease-and-desist undertaking with a fine in case of recidivism.” In other words, BREIN is considering whether to file more concrete claims against prolific uploaders because that’s the only way they can be approached. In that case, the alleged offenders will be identified, facing a potential fine for their wrongdoing. Open Directory Case Pending At the moment it remains unclear what type of claim is sufficient. In a related case, the court previously decided that Ziggo didn’t have to forward a notice or disclose the identity of a subscriber who shared 200 pirated ebooks in an open directory. This open directory case does involve a claim, BREIN contends, and the case is currently under appeal. The decision on this matter is expected in a few weeks and could provide more clarity. BREIN will likely await the ruling in the open directory case before it takes any further decision regarding the future of the BitTorrent uploader warnings. In the meantime, its other enforcement actions will continue, of course. From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more. View the full article
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Another week, another new plague of Twitter bugs and glitches. Over the past few days, Twitter users have reported a wide variety of issues that greatly affect the platform's functionality. Here are the most pressing ones. Disappearing tweetsPerhaps the most concerning of the new bugs involves users' tweets randomly showing up as deleted. According to users who have experienced the issue, certain posts are showing up as "unavailable" or are even showing the "This tweet has been deleted" message, despite the users never having deleted them. These are not messages typically shown on tweets intentionally removed by Twitter moderators due to real or supposed rule violations. This bug seems to just be arbitrarily deleting certain users' tweets. Or, at least, making it look like the tweet has been deleted. Some users have reported that tweets affected by this bug are successfully showing up when the users' locations change, or seem to change. Twitter user @ydn1m posted a video showing that when they used a VPN to make it seem like their usually U.S.-based account was connecting from Seoul, South Korea, one of the tweets that was previously showing up as deleted had started to reappear on the platform. As Platformer previously reported last month, "Twitter has seen increased latency — the time between taking an action like refreshing the timeline and seeing new tweets populate in your feed" since it shut down one of its data centers as part of owner Elon Musk's cost-cutting initiatives. Some users have reported seeing their engagement numbers – such as likes and retweets – constantly change in a matter of seconds due to this delay. It appears that tweets disappearing depending on a users' region could possibly be related to such issues. In Mashable's own tests, quote tweet count details have been breaking too. Normally, when clicking on quote tweet counts we expect to see a list of tweets that quoted the tweet in question. Presently, even when the number of quote tweets indicated on a tweet is in the hundreds or thousands, the quote tweet page will often just appear empty as if no one had quoted the tweet. Broken integrations with Slack, iMessage, and WhatsAppUsers have also been experiencing broken Twitter integrations with third-party platforms. Perhaps the most notable platform facing issues with Twitter is the popular chat app, Slack. And, according to Slack, the company is unsure if its integration was purposefully shut off by Twitter. "We're aware that the Twitter integration is no longer publishing tweets to channels, and we're sorry for the inconvenience," Slack wrote on Twitter. "We don't have much information from the Twitter team about whether or not they'll restore that functionality unfortunately." Twitter users have also shared another major broken integration: Twitter previews have no longer been showing up in iMessage or in WhatsApp. Normally, when a tweet is shared in iMessage or WhatsApp, two of the most popular messaging apps in the world, a preview of the tweet would show up directly in the message. Over the past week or so, that has not been the case. Instead, when a tweet is posted in iMessage or WhatsApp now, a non-descriptive link shows up that just says "Twitter." Also, Mashable's Twitter account was disconnected this morning from the social media management service True Anthem. Missing photo tagsTwitter first rolled out photo tagging back in 2014. The feature allowed users to tag other users' @ handles from within the photo. When the user posted the tweet, the tagged handles would appear beneath the photo. The photo-tagged tweet would then appear in the tagged users' mentions, while freeing up space in the tweet for the original tweeter as photo tags did not count towards a tweet's character count. Numerous Twitter users are now saying that the photo tagging feature is seemingly gone. To be clear, the ability to tag users in a photo is still there when drafting a tweet. So the removal doesn't appear to be intentional. Non-advertisers ineligible to advertiseAs first reported by social media consultant Matt Navarra, Twitter has been sending out emails to some users over the past day, letting them know that their "account is ineligible to participate in Twitter Ads." One small problem: These users don't appear to have done anything to warrant the email. In fact, users that have received this email have reported that they never even signed up to run Twitter ads in the first place. One user even shared that this was their second time receiving this unsolicited email. Since Elon Musk acquired the company last October, Twitter has been experiencing numerous bugs and issues as well as more-frequent downtime. The company has a much smaller workforce in recent months, following multiple rounds of layoffs as Musk looks to cut costs. Twitter's ad revenue, which previously accounted for the bulk of its earnings, have taken a significant hit since Musk's takeover. In turn, many of these bugs, glitches and a plethora of other issues have been left to fester on the platform. Mashable reached out to Twitter for comment on any of these issues. The company's press email auto-responded with a poop emoji. View the full article
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What: Flamin' Hot Where to watch: Hulu and Disney+Premiere date: June 9, 2023 Following its wildly successful premiere at SXSW, Eva Longoria's charming directorial debut, Flamin' Hot, is scorching its path to streaming. If you're ready to munch on some Flamin' Hot Cheetos and learn about the man who claims he made them, here's everything you need to know. Where can I watch Flamin' Hot? Flamin' Hot is the first feature film to simultaneously stream on both Hulu and Disney+. What is Flamin' Hot about? Inspired by the true story of Richard Montañez (played by Jesse Garcia), Flamin' Hot follows Montañez's course from janitor to executive at Frito-Lay, thanks to his life-changing invention: Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Although Montañez did become a top executive at Frito-Lay in real life, his claim to Cheetos success was notably debunked by the Los Angeles Times in 2021; the paper revealed that no records confirmed Montañez's involvement with the spicy snack. Flamin' Hot, however, sticks to Montañez's narrative as inspired by his memoir, A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie, and dramatizes his success story. Flamin' Hot also stars Annie Gonzalez, Emilio Rivera, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Bobby Soto, and Pepe Serna. What are people saying about Flamin' Hot? On the film, Mashable's Kristy Puchko writes, "Flamin' Hot strives to celebrate Montañez's success story, whether or not it's real, and whether or not it's actually all that hopeful. The film white-knuckles its way through potentially derailing dramatic plot points — including possible prison sentences, poverty, racism, and domestic violence — to keep relentlessly upbeat. Once you push past Richard's charming sales pitch, told through voiceovers and energetic fantasy sequences where he imagines himself alternatively as the center of a 1950s sitcom, an '80s movie hero, or an avenging angel, the pluckiness of it all is thinner than Lay's flagship potato snack." SEE ALSO: 'Flamin' Hot review: Does it matter if a feel-good movie is a lie? Puchko continues, "Truth or fiction, Flamin' Hot is a charming romp that boasts a celebration of family, innovation, and moxie. However, for all its energy, the film's exploration of the American dream — and the obstacles to achieving it — is vexingly shallow. In the end, Flamin' Hot is fleeting fun that may well leave you hungry for something more substantial." To stream Flamin' Hot, hit those two buttons below to subscribe to Hulu or Disney+ for as little as $7.99/month. Opens in a new tab Credit: Disney+ 'Flamin' Hot' (opens in a new tab) Disney+ Watch here (opens in a new tab) Opens in a new tab Credit: Hulu 'Flamin' Hot' (opens in a new tab) Hulu Watch here (opens in a new tab) View the full article
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And here we go again. After a crazy first weekend, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has a lot to live up to for its next round, the Sweet 16. But something tells us we’re going to see even more great action. So here’s how you can check out Thursday’s battle between third-seeded Gonzaga and second-seeded UCLA. SEE ALSO: How to watch the NCAA Men's Sweet 16 livestreams How to stream Gonzaga vs. UCLA in NCAA March MadnessTime: 9:45 p.m. Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Quick hit: Gonzaga slipped past TCU 84-81 in the second round, with Drew Timme scoring 28 points. In the first round, the Bulldogs (30-5) beat Grand Canyon 82-70. UCLA outlasted Northwestern 68-63 as Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 24 points. The Bruins (31-5) bounced UNC Asheville in Round 1 86-53. Which channel: CBS Where to stream: CBS Sports (online), Paramount+, NCAA March Madness app, Sling TV, YouTubeTV Where to listen: SiriusXM (Channel 202); Westwood One skill on Alexa; WestwoodOne.com Sling has half off the first monthSling TV is currently offering a deal for half off the first month as March Madness begins. Users can get the service for half-price for the first month. For example, most of the channels for the tournament, including TNT, TBS and TruTV, are on Sling’s Orange tier. Normally that tier is $40 a month, but in March, it’d be $20 for new customers. To get CBS without an antenna, you can also sign up for Paramount+, which currently offers a seven-day free trial. NCAA March Madness Live app: Where to use it, featuresThe NCAA March Madness Live app is available on several devices, which we list below. In addition to being able to watch whichever game you want, you can also take advantage of a new feature and watch up to four games simultaneously. However, users will have to be signed up to an existing cable-TV service to use the March Madness app, though you do get a three-hour window to try the app out. Here’s the list of devices to which you can download NCAA March Madness Live: Roku TV (and Roku boxes) Apple TV, iPhone, iPad Xbox Google TV LG Smart TV Amazon Fire TV (and Fire devices; you can also use an Alexa skill to expand your March Madness pleasure) Android phones and tables Android TV View the full article
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And here we go again. After a crazy first weekend, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has a lot to live up to for its next round, the Sweet 16. But something tells us we’re going to see even more great action. So here’s how you can check out Thursday’s battle between ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic and fourth-seeded Tennessee. SEE ALSO: How to watch the NCAA Men's Sweet 16 livestreams How to stream FAU vs. Tennessee in NCAA March MadnessTime: 9 p.m. Location: Madison Square Garden, New York Quick hit: Florida Atlantic was able to halt the ultimate Cinderella, Fairleigh Dickinson (remember, the team that beat No. 1 seed Purdue?), 78-70 as Johnell Davis scored 29 points. FAU (33-3) knocked Memphis out in the first round, 66-65. Tennessee was able to squash Duke 65-52 behind a physical defensive game. The Volunteers (25-10) beat Louisiana 58-55 in the first round. Which channel: TBS Where to stream: CBS Sports (online), Paramount+, NCAA March Madness app, Sling TV, YouTubeTV Where to listen: SiriusXM (Channel 201); Westwood One skill on Alexa; WestwoodOne.com Sling has half off the first monthSling TV is currently offering a deal for half off the first month as March Madness begins. Users can get the service for half-price for the first month. For example, most of the channels for the tournament, including TNT, TBS and TruTV, are on Sling’s Orange tier. Normally that tier is $40 a month, but in March, it’d be $20 for new customers. To get CBS without an antenna, you can also sign up for Paramount+, which currently offers a seven-day free trial. NCAA March Madness Live app: Where to use it, featuresThe NCAA March Madness Live app is available on several devices, which we list below. In addition to being able to watch whichever game you want, you can also take advantage of a new feature and watch up to four games simultaneously. However, users will have to be signed up to an existing cable-TV service to use the March Madness app, though you do get a three-hour window to try the app out. Here’s the list of devices to which you can download NCAA March Madness Live: Roku TV (and Roku boxes) Apple TV, iPhone, iPad Xbox Google TV LG Smart TV Amazon Fire TV (and Fire devices; you can also use an Alexa skill to expand your March Madness pleasure) Android phones and tables Android TV View the full article
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And here we go again. After a crazy first weekend, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has a lot to live up to for its next round, the Sweet 16. But something tells us we’re going to see even more great action. So here’s how you can check out Thursday’s battle between eighth-seeded Arkansas and fourth-seeded Connecticut. SEE ALSO: How to watch the NCAA Men's Sweet 16 livestreams How to stream Arkansas vs. UConn in NCAA March MadnessTime: 7:15 p.m. Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Quick hit: Arkansas pulled off one of the second round’s biggest wins on Saturday by knocking off the defending NCAA champ, Kansas, 72-71. The Razorbacks (22-13) downed Illinois 73-63 in the first round. UConn handily defeated Saint Mary’s 70-55 behind a stifling defense that didn’t allow any Gaels player to score in double figures. The Huskies (27-8) crushed Iona 87-63 in the first round. Which channel: CBS Where to stream: CBS Sports (online), Paramount+, NCAA March Madness app, Sling TV, YouTubeTV Where to listen: SiriusXM (Channel 202); Westwood One skill on Alexa; WestwoodOne.com Sling has half off the first monthSling TV is currently offering a deal for half off the first month as March Madness begins. Users can get the service for half-price for the first month. For example, most of the channels for the tournament, including TNT, TBS and TruTV, are on Sling’s Orange tier. Normally that tier is $40 a month, but in March, it’d be $20 for new customers. To get CBS without an antenna, you can also sign up for Paramount+, which currently offers a seven-day free trial. NCAA March Madness Live app: Where to use it, featuresThe NCAA March Madness Live app is available on several devices, which we list below. In addition to being able to watch whichever game you want, you can also take advantage of a new feature and watch up to four games simultaneously. However, users will have to be signed up to an existing cable-TV service to use the March Madness app, though you do get a three-hour window to try the app out. Here’s the list of devices to which you can download NCAA March Madness Live: Roku TV (and Roku boxes) Apple TV, iPhone, iPad Xbox Google TV LG Smart TV Amazon Fire TV (and Fire devices; you can also use an Alexa skill to expand your March Madness pleasure) Android phones and tables Android TV View the full article
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And here we go again. After a crazy first weekend, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has a lot to live up to for its next round, the Sweet 16. But something tells us we’re going to see even more great action. So here’s how you can check out Thursday’s battle between third-seeded Kansas State and seventh-seeded Michigan State. SEE ALSO: How to watch the NCAA Men's Sweet 16 livestreams How to stream Kansas State vs. Michigan State in NCAA March MadnessTime: 6:30 p.m. Location: Madison Square Garden, New York Quick hit: Behind a 27-point night by Markquis Nowell, Kansas State knocked out Kentucky 75-69 to get into the Sweet 16 on Sunday night. In the first round, the Wildcats (25-9) beat Montana. Meanwhile, Michigan State outlasted Marquette 69-60 as Tyler Walker scored 23 points. The Spartans (21-12) beat USC in the first round. Which channel: TBS Where to stream: CBS Sports (online), Paramount+, NCAA March Madness app, Sling TV, YouTubeTV Where to listen: SiriusXM (Channel 201); Westwood One skill on Alexa; WestwoodOne.com Sling has half off the first monthSling TV is currently offering a deal for half off the first month as March Madness begins. Users can get the service for half-price for the first month. For example, most of the channels for the tournament, including TNT, TBS and TruTV, are on Sling’s Orange tier. Normally that tier is $40 a month, but in March, it’d be $20 for new customers. To get CBS without an antenna, you can also sign up for Paramount+, which currently offers a seven-day free trial. NCAA March Madness Live app: Where to use it, featuresThe NCAA March Madness Live app is available on several devices, which we list below. In addition to being able to watch whichever game you want, you can also take advantage of a new feature and watch up to four games simultaneously. However, users will have to be signed up to an existing cable-TV service to use the March Madness app, though you do get a three-hour window to try the app out. Here’s the list of devices to which you can download NCAA March Madness Live: Roku TV (and Roku boxes) Apple TV, iPhone, iPad Xbox Google TV LG Smart TV Amazon Fire TV (and Fire devices; you can also use an Alexa skill to expand your March Madness pleasure) Android phones and tables Android TV View the full article
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As I scroll through my LinkedIn, I can spot multiple people who have updated their profile photos not with an actual picture of them, but with a photo created from artificial intelligence. It looks like them, but not at all. It is as if they met blind, alien artists, described how they looked to the aliens, and then allowed the aliens to replicate them. It's all there, but it's just not right. For research, I decided to give it a go too. Today, I spent $10 to get 100 AI headshots, and they all scare the absolute shit out of me. In order to get insulted in 100 innovative ways, I used AI SuitUp, an AI-powered service that promises to generate "high-quality headshots that will take your LinkedIn profile to the next level." It's $19.95 for the shots, but I had a TikTok code a friend sent me — TIKTOK50 — and only had to pay $9.97. A steal! The next step is to upload 15 photos of myself and a selfie, which means scouring through all the photos on my phone and picking out 15 pictures of myself that actually look like me. After battling my own narcissism, I uploaded them and waited the required 40 minutes to receive them. The 100 photos can neatly fit into a few categories: Whose limbs are those? This person looks racially ambiguous. Let's change that. Me but without bangs What if we put a wig on them? Me committing tax fraud Maybe one or two of them are usable, but the grand majority of them are not. Something about them is forbidding; like M3GAN, it looks human, but is hiding something sinister. I do not trust the person in those photos and, if I was in any position to hire anyone (I am not), I would not trust the threatening AI-generated headshot, either. There are other platforms you can use to receive your very own freak show of a photo album, but, from what I've seen, they're all equally horrifying. Your LinkedIn AI headshots are freaking me out. Please stop it. View the full article
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On this day last month, Daft Punk announced a 10th anniversary edition of their final studio album, Random Access Memories, with an additional 35 minutes of unreleased music. Today, the first track has been released — we hesitate to call it a “song,” as, more than new music, it features additional commentary from collaborator Todd Edwards during the creation of the track. Todd Edwards first worked with the band on “Face To Face” from their Discovery album in 2001. As they were working on “Fragments of Time” at the legendary Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles on February 29, 2012, a tape ran for the full session, capturing the entire creative journey behind the making of the track and we hear some of these intimate moments of creation between Thomas Bangalter and Todd Edwards in the new track released today. Edited for this anniversary edition by Daft Punk sound engineer Florian Lagatta, “The Writing of Fragments of Time” is a documentary track that nods back to the RAM album track Giorgio by Moroder, in which the iconic Giorgio Moroder discusses his own creative process and come up. This newest behind the scenes track glimpses the actual humans at work with all their doubts, excitement and first draft imperfections. Random Access Memories 10th Anniversary Edition will be officially released May 12. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Daft Punk release “The Writing of Fragments of Time” from ‘RAM’ 10th Anniversary album View the full article
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Today, Jai Wolf marks a return with his first official single in three years, “Want It All” featuring rising pop sensation Evalyn. The song arrives as the first taste of Jai Wolf’s new installment of artistry, and the first single from his upcoming album. The captivating music video, directed by director Andrew Donoho (The Strokes, Joji, Janelle Monae), features an intricately choreographed dance performance. It was created with AI and ranges in visual aesthetics from oil paintings to futuristic art. “This era feels like a true rebirth by pushing my sound into new territories while still feeling grounded in my usual sonic palette,” says Jai Wolf. “While a lot of electronic music is defined by the production, I really wanted to focus on lyrics and songwriting for the new music. It’s been cathartic putting my feelings to paper and then extrapolating them even further through interpretative dance for the music video. I’m grateful for Evalyn, Andrew, Monica, Rishi and Manfred for being a part of this record and bringing the music video to life!” “Want It All” is rife with rich instrumentation, from crisp drums to warm brass notes and an underlying melody that feels like sitting next to a fire on a cold, lonely night. Watch the official music video below. Photo via Oswaldo Cepeda This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Jai Wolf shares first new single in 3 years as he prepares for new album View the full article
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It’s World Water Day and we live in a time and on a planet where access to safe drinking water is a fundamental human right. Cool, right? We also live on a planet where as many as 3.6 billion people experience water stress for at least a month each year. Leading up to the first United Nations water summit since 1977, a newly released U.N. World Water Development Report warns that humanity is walking a dangerous path toward losing its most precious resource due to "vampiric overconsumption and underdevelopment." The report states that the biggest causes for the water crisis are climate change and the increased industrial and urban demands, as well as the unsustainable management of the ever-expanding agriculture sector, which uses a staggering 70 percent of the world’s freshwater supply. The worrying report was published just days after the latest Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) report which warned that humanity is nearing its last chances to defuse "the ticking time bomb" of increasingly severe climate change, as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres put it. SEE ALSO: Yes, climate change is impacting hurricanes in big ways. Here's how. But it’s not all gloom. Despite the stark warning, the Water Development Report actually focuses on solutions. A global water crisis is only imminent if not addressed in time, and the good news is we already have a lot of the projects and initiatives we need to tackle the problem. It’s important to keep our eyes on world leaders as they’re the most responsible decision makers in the fight to preserve our water. But not all solutions come from governments. Here are a few important water conservation and flood management solutions Mashable has explored in the past. 1. Making wild rivers national parksJust a week before the release of the U.N. water report, Albania declared its Vjosa River a national park, making it the first of its kind in Europe. The decision means that the continent’s 'last wild river’ will be protected from the future construction of artificial barriers detrimental to its precious ecosystems, which were previously threatened by the Balkan nation’s plans to build hydropower stations in the area. The news also brought hope to climate organizers, as Vjosa’s preservation as a wild river would not have been possible were it not for the years-long campaigning by NGOs and environmental groups. 2. Sand damsIn the past few years, historic droughts and megadroughts were among the climate disasters that wreaked havoc in countries from Kenya to the U.S. and China. 2023 is just starting, but a dry, warm winter in Europe has already caused concerningly low water levels in Venice’s historic canals as early in the year as February. In 2022, the horn of Africa experienced extremely severe droughts which displaced a staggering 16 million people in the region. Mashable looked at how sand dams offered sustainable local relief for the community in Kenya’s Turkana County. 3. Fog collectionNear the mountains of Morocco, local communities face permanent displacement due to increasingly frequent droughts. To offer a solution, Water Foundation has collaborated with Aqualonis to install a fog collecting net called CloudFisher that captures raindrops on the hills of Mount Boutmezguida, transforming the fog into drinkable water for the local community. 4. Sustainable desalinationSome communities have scarce access to drinking water, but are surrounded by bountiful amounts of seawater. The concept of water desalination is nothing new; countries in the Middle East have been using it for years. The sustainability of the industry, however, is a relatively new concept. In 2021, Mashable explored how Dutch/British company Desolenator relies on solar power to reduce energy consumption and remove chemical byproducts. 5. Rain-collecting architectureSmall-scale and individual solutions also matter. We recently told the story of Diana Kellogg’s oval girls’ school in the Thar desert which, among other amazing features, uses ancient rain harvesting techniques to ensure water supply for the whole building. Floods are also part of the water crisisIt may sound counterintuitive, but severe droughts often lead up to severe floods, as they dry out the soil to a point where it cannot soak water anymore. Regardless of droughts, the permeability of surfaces is a main factor in whether a place floods or not. Healthy soil is a natural sponge that can easily absorb large water quantities. In modern cities, though, soil is a rarity; healthy soil — even more so. As the amount and intensity of urban flooding increases, architects and urban planners across the world work to substitute concrete with greenery, showing us that nature already has all the solutions we need for a more environmentally sustainable, equitable future. View the full article
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Does ChatGPT get Elon Musk better than Elon Musk gets Elon Musk? It sure seems like it. One Twitter user recently shared what happened when he asked OpenAI's ChatGPT AI chatbot to "compose a tweet that is statistically more likely to get a like or comment from Elon Musk." "Exciting times for space exploration! Looking forward to seeing how @SpaceX will continue pushing the boundaries and expanding our knowledge of the universe!" ChatGPT responded. The chatbot included a rocketship emoji along with the hashtags "#SpaceX #Mars #Exploration." The Twitter user felt ChatGPT "absolutely nailed" it. Elon Musk disagreed with that assessment. "It missed the mark," Musk tweeted in reply. "I hate hashtags." It's an odd opinion from the man who owns and runs Twitter, the social media platform that popularized hashtag usage online. Nonetheless, it is Elon Musk's opinion. However, Musk's opinion about hashtags doesn't mean ChatGPT didn't actually nail it. The AI-powered chatbot was asked to come up with a tweet that would get a reply or like from Musk, not come up with a tweet that Elon Musk would necessarily like. And, low and behold, there he was replying to the tweet. To anyone who has followed him even a little bit on Twitter, ChatGPT's response absolutely is the type of tweet that would get Musk's attention. It's a tweet celebrating one of Musk's companies, he regularly interacts with those! In fact, one doesn't even have to go that far back to see Musk replying to a SpaceX tweet similar to one that ChatGPT came up with. "Def me," Musk tweeted on March 20 in reply to a SpaceX-related post from a Tesla fan account that asked "who's ready for Starship Launch"? The Tesla fan account even included the rocket ship emoji and #SpaceX hashtag! And, scrolling through Elon Musk's Twitter likes, one finds the same results. Musk has liked multiple tweets about his companies, written in the same style as that ChatGPT-made tweet. Some include multiple hashtags too. Elon Musk has often missed the mark over the years, whether it be impossible SpaceX expectations, broken Tesla promises, or, well, all of the current happenings at Twitter. Musk has a propensity to underdeliver, not deliver at all, or just plain get things wrong. However, over the past few months, Musk's criticism of AI has been pretty spot on. Musk has pointed out that regulatory oversight of the technology is greatly lacking and has rightfully knocked OpenAI for shedding its original more open-source ethos. But, now, it seems like he's even losing it on AI too. #SpaceX View the full article