FTC Plans to Add Child Psychologists to Address Internet's Impact on Kid's Mental Health

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will look to add child psychologists to its staff to advise its efforts on regulating the internet. Democratic Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya said the FTC plans to add a psychologist to its staff by next fall, if not sooner, and said he is embarrassed he hasn’t previously focused on how…

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Tips and Tricks for Taking Pictures, Pictures of Marvel's Spider-Man 2

From the earliest days of his career as a superhero, Peter Parker has made taking pictures—pictures of Spider-Man—as vital as webslinging and crimefighting. Photojournalism is as important a part of Spider-Man’s legacy as any other aspect, and with the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, there’s plenty of opportunities…

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Universal Audio’s new pedal recreates that classic 1960s Marshall Plexi sound

Universal Audio has gone all-in on the amp-in-a-pedal concept and just announced its latest entry, the UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead. This pedal digitally recreates a trio of classic 100-watt Marshall Plexi setups from the 1960s. You get the titular Super Lead based on the classic tube amp, the Super Bass inspired by the 1967 low-end icon and the Brown, which emulates the sound of a 100-watt Marshall Plexi heading into a Variac to recreate Eddie Van Halen’s infamous guitar tone.

This is a modern pedal with high-tech features, however, so it goes well beyond simple amp recreations. The onboard IR includes recreations of different classic microphones and speaker cabinets to adjust the sound. There’s also built-in reverb, volume boost, presence and a variety of assignable preset switches that are customized by using a smartphone app. There are also plenty of artist presets to select from if you’ve grown weary of fiddling with knobs.

All of the speaker models derive from the company’s OX Stomp pedal. There’s six in total at launch, with more to be added at a later date. Updating is easy, as there’s a USB-C port on the back, in addition to mono/stereo jack connectors.

You can even bypass the cabinet and mic emulations entirely if you would rather rely on your actual amp. UA says these features combine to create “the most authentic late ‘60s British 100-watt tube sound ever placed into a stompbox.” The UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead is available now for the usual high-end price tag of $400.

Accompanying today’s release is a new tremolo pedal, a chorus/vibrato pedal and a compressor pedal based on the classic Teletronix LA-2A. This is not the company’s first foray of amp recreations. Universal Audio cut its teeth making plugins, including many based on classic amps. More recently, it released a trio of amp emulation pedals based on the Fender Deluxe Reverb, the Fender Tweed Deluxe and the Vox AC30. We reviewed all three and said that they sounded amazing, despite the hefty $400 price tag.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/universal-audios-new-pedal-recreates-that-classic-1960s-marshall-plexi-sound-190608962.html?src=rss

Woman Accused Of Abducting 8 Kids In Arkansas Arrested In California

A concerned citizen called for a welfare check after seeing Trista Fullerton “displaying bizarre behavior,” police said.

Quantum Leap's Next Mission Uncovers an Unsolved Hollywood Mystery

Now in his second season as Quantum Leap’s fast-thinking time-traveler, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) has found himself in lots of high-stakes situations; last week’s X-Files-ish episode was a particularly hairy one. This week, however, could be his wildest adventure yet, peeking behind the curtain of Hollywood circa…

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Apple Called Out for ‘Scientifically Inaccurate’ Greenwashing

Amid announcing one of its biggest iPhone releases of the last few years, Apple dedicated a big part of last month’s Wonderlust product announcement to its supposedly sweeping environmental initiatives. The company even included a cringey featurette with actor Octavia Spencer talking down to CEO Tim Cook. Europe’s…

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Hell House LLC Finds Life After Death in a New Origin Story

Ever wondered where the creepy clowns—the most unsettling part of Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC found-footage horror series—came from? Enter Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor, the fourth film in the series, which follows an internet sleuth whose cold-case digging unearths fresh frights.

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California DMV suspends Cruise’s driverless permits

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced Tuesday that it has suspended GM-owned Cruise’s permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state — effective immediately. The suspension was based on several safety-related issues. It isn’t yet clear if the move is related to an incident earlier this month when a Cruise robotaxi pinned a pedestrian under its tire after another car’s hit-and-run.

According to an emailed statement the California DMV supplied to Engadget, the suspension was based on safety-related regulations. These include:

  • 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (6) – Based upon the performance of the vehicles, the Department determines the manufacturer’s vehicles are not safe for the public’s operation.

  • 13 CCR §228.20 (b) (3) – The manufacturer has misrepresented any information related to safety of the autonomous technology of its vehicles.

  • 13 CCR §227.42 (b)(5) – Any act or omission of the manufacturer or one of its agents, employees, contractors, or designees which the department finds makes the conduct of autonomous vehicle testing on public roads by the manufacturer an unreasonable risk to the public.

  • 13 CCR §227.42 (c)- The department shall immediately suspend or revoke the Manufacturer’s Testing Permit or a Manufacturer’s Testing Permit – Driverless Vehicles if a manufacturer is engaging in a practice in such a manner that immediate suspension is required for the safety of persons on a public road.

The CA DMV says it has supplied Cruise with a path back to driverless operation in the state. “The DMV has provided Cruise with the steps needed to apply to reinstate its suspended permits, which the DMV will not approve until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction,” the statement reads. The agency added that the suspension doesn’t affect Cruise’s ability to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/california-dmv-suspends-cruises-driverless-permits-181110566.html?src=rss

Tesla Receives DoJ Subpoena for Information About Its Self-Driving Features

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) issued a subpoena to Tesla in relation to its Autopilot and FSD (full self-driving) features, the company revealed in an SEC filing on Monday. The subpoena follows the DoJ’s request for documents and additional information about Tesla’s driver assistance systems earlier this year.

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Making the Freddy Fazbear Pizza Band Come to Life for Five Nights at Freddy’s

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