Amazon Prime Gaming drops August free games: Lost Horizon 2, Battlefield V, Indiana Jones

A new collection of games was revealed in Amazon Prime’s “Free Games with Prime” for August of 2021. Games are available for claim by Amazon Prime members for a limited time, then remain available for use from that time thereafter. The turnover from one month to the other ushers out the game Battlefield 1 and in Battlefield V, making July … Continue reading

Airbnb adds built-in speed test to help hosts include WiFi info in listings

While Airbnb has for a long time allowed hosts to list how fast the WiFi connection is at their rentals, it’s not something you see detailed with every home, condo and apartment on the service. As the company continues to try to attract remote workers, it’s introducing a speed test tool hosts can access within the Airbnb app.

The tool itself is fairly simple. Provided you’ve switched to a host account, you’ll find it under the “Amenities” section of a listing, and it will only estimate your download speeds. When you complete a speed test, the app will share that information with Airbnb and M-Lab, the organization that provided Airbnb the open-source software the company used to build the tool.

According to a support document from the company, M-Lab will include your test results in a publicly available database it provides for internet researchers. More importantly, those who want to stay at your home or accommodation will see if your WiFi connection is suited to their needs. It should also help ensure listings have accurate estimates.

Airbnb considers anything above a consistent 7 Mbps as a “snappy” connection. “Guests can hang with family and friends on a video call or gather together to stream a rom-com,” the company says on its website. Airbnb has started rolling out the WiFi tool to hosts in the US, with global availability to follow in the coming weeks.

GarageBand can teach you how to remix songs from Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga

GarageBand creators have a bunch more tools at their disposal as of today, including sound packs from Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga. You can learn how to remix Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart” and Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman” in the app.

Along with videos of the artists telling the stories behind those songs, the Remix Sessions include step-by-step tutorials, which you can play picture-in-picture. An Apple Retail Creative Pro will give some pointers on how to remix the tunes using a GarageBand Live Loops version of each song. You can play around with isolated vocals, instrumental tracks and beats to create completely different versions of the hits.

Apple says these Remix Sessions build on the Today at Apple workshops that take place at its stores (and online over the past year or so). Big names like Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift have previously been featured at in-store Music Labs.

There are also seven new GarageBand producer packs created by Boys Noize, Mark Lettieri, Oak Felder, Soulection, Take A Daytrip, Tom Misch and Trakgirl. Each contains royalty-free loops, samples, instruments, drum kits and more that aim to encapsulate the feel of each producer’s work. The packs also include videos from the producers, in which they provide words of encouragement and info about their creative process.

Oak Felder said he hopes his pack can help even the playing field and make it easier for newcomers to start producing music. “There is a possibility that you, picking around and making beats on your iPad, can actually turn it into a side hustle,” he said.

There’s another producer pack which acts as a companion piece to Apple TV+ docuseries Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson. You’ll be able to play around with GarageBand versions of samples, drum machines, vocal effects and other elements featured in the show, which premieres on Friday. All of these free downloads are now available from the Sound Library.

Robinhood CEO's plan for the future sounds a lot like a bank

Newly public Robinhood has ambitions to be much more than just a stock-trading app, according to its CEO. In an interview with the AP, CEO Vlad Tenev said that, eventually, he wants to turn Robinhood into “the single money app” his users need.

Though Tenev didn’t use the word “bank,” his description certainly sounds more like a bank than the current iteration of Robinhood.

Over time, we want to be the single money app, the most trusted and most culturally relevant money app worldwide. So, everything that you use your money for, you should be able to do through Robinhood.

Anytime you receive a paycheck direct deposit, we’d like you to do that through Robinhood. Your emergency fund, your bill pay, your day-to-day spending, we’d like for customers to use us for that. And of course, all types of investing ranging from more discretionary investing to long-term retirement savings as well.

Tenev didn’t elaborate on exactly how these plans could take shape. And though it’s not necessarily surprising the company would want to expand the types of services it offers, the CEO’s comments will likely raise more than a few eyebrows.

The app, which became popular for its simple interface and commission-free trading, has also drawn criticism for many of its practices. The SEC fined the company $65 million last year, for misleading users about how it executes trades. It was also hit with a class action lawsuit earlier this year after it restricted trading on GameStop and other “meme stocks.” The company has also been accused of making the stock market feel too much like a casino, particularly for younger and less-savvy investors.

John McAfee Virus Infects QAnon

The late John McAfee was a lot of things: a rumored rapist, murderer, and speed-fiend who somehow escaped prosecution, but also a libertarian cryptocurrency shark facing a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint and, of course, the founder of the security company bearing his name. Now, the Daily Beast reports, …

Read more…

How to Make a Discord Bot

Once you’ve been on Discord long enough, you’ll encounter a Discord bot. Perhaps it welcomed you to a new server, or booted someone who violated the rules. Maybe it spouted off quotes from Zero Wing whenever anyone typed the word “base.” Some powerful variants of Discord bots have kept users in a given chat…

Read more…

Vivo's First Trailer Is About the Power of Music (and Adorable Honey Bears)

We’ve known for years that the idea behind Vivo—and its Lin-Manuel Miranda-created original soundtrack—laid dormant until Sony Pictures quietly picked up the project five years ago. Now, we’ve finally got a glimpse of it, and perhaps a cute Kinkajou was worth the wait.

Read more…

Jodie Whittaker Is Leaving ‘Doctor Who’

Whitaker, the first woman to play the iconic Doctor since the show began in 1963, will wrap up in 2022.

Olympic Skateboarder Says He Won The Bronze Medal On A Broken Ankle

Jagger Eaton was briefly concerned the injury would derail his Olympic dreams. “I just had to dig deep,” he said.

Florida Mayors Defy Ron DeSantis With Mask & Vaccine Mandates

All 67 of Florida’s counties are considered areas of high transmission.