Hasta La Gadget!

You can now use music from some Pokémon games without invoking the copyright wrath of Nintendo or The Pokémon Company — in certain circumstances. TPC has launched a Pokémon DP Sound Library that, as the name implies, lets you use audio from the original Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games in personal projects. You can slip sound effects into a social media video, for instance, or even soundtrack your wedding with a favorite theme. Background music is also allowed for any non-commercial event or personal websites.

You can also download the music for personal consumption. The library website streams music on its own if you’re just looking to reminisce with some online radio.

To say there are tight restrictions would be an understatement, however. The Pokémon Company has a strict ban on any commercial uses — you can forget about selling a Pokémon-inspired remix album or game. You can’t use the content for broadcast radio or TV, advertising purposes or anything that implies an association with TPC. And did we mention that you can’t use the media in anything that makes specific “ideological, religious, or political” claims? Add the requirement for a lengthy copyright notice (163 characters, or more than half the maximum Twitter post length) and you’ll probably only be using Diamond and Pearl content very sparingly.

This gesture is a start, though, and it suggests The Pokémon Company is aware personal audio use might help the company’s reputation more than it hurts. With that said, we wouldn’t expect a dramatic change of heart. TPC’s frequent partner Nintendo recently slapped GilvaSunner’s YouTube-based soundtrack channel with thousands of copyright blocks, effectively forcing him to shut it down. We wouldn’t expect TPC to be more lenient for commercial uses, even with the library in place.

The former Miami Dolphins coach said the team’s owner, Stephen Ross, offered him $100,000 for every game he lost in an effort to secure a better draft pick.

Texans, grab your coats and winter jackets: The state is girding up for a host of wintry conditions and chilly temperatures through the end of this week. The bad weather comes less than two weeks before the anniversary of a winter storm that caused power outages across the state amid bone-chilling conditions that…

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Channing Tatum was planning on playing Gambit for years. News of his involvement with the popular X-Men character began in 2014, and eventually it seemed all but certain the 21 Jump Street star would bring the Cajun to the big screen—until Disney bought Fox and the movie was cancelled. In a new interview, Tatum and…

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Bird is teaming up with Nashville with the aim of filling certain public transit gaps in the community with electric scooters. The company and the city’s public transit agency hope to boost adoption of public transportation and eco-friendly transit options.

The two sides will harness WeGo Public Transit’s data and expertise about transit usage patterns as well as Bird’s know-how to build their pilot program. Folks traveling to and from some areas of the city “will have consistent and reliable access” to e-scooters, according to Bird. The hope is that residents will opt for a scooter for the last-mile section of their journeys, which are often taken by car.

Bird noted in a press release that transit gaps can prevent people from having easy access to public transportation. Scooters can help those without cars get to and from bus stops and train stations. Bird didn’t say when the program will ramp up or how much the scooter rides will cost.

The agreement marks Nashville’s first private-public partnership based on expanding access to e-scooters. Bird has operated in the city since 2018. Other micromobility companies have a presence there, including Lime and Unagi.

Public-private partnerships aren’t exactly novel for Bird, though. Spain, for instance, forged its first public-private micromobility partnership with the company back in 2020.