After bitter vote, Aave founder pitches a bigger future for DeFi lending giantFollowing a rejected governance vote, Stani Kulechov laid out a plan to expand beyond DeFi lending and reshape how tokenholders capture value.

Adding Solar Power to an Electric TractorIn my country, we have a saying: the sun is a deadly lazer. Well, it’s not so much a folk saying as a meme, and not so much in one country as “the internet”. In any case, [LiamTronix] was feeling those cancer rays this harvest season when running his electric tractor, and realized that– since he’s already charging it with ground-mounted solar panels anyway–if he’s going to build a roof for his ride, he might as well make charge the batteries.
Another bonus is safety: the old Massey-Ferguson at the heart of the electric tractor build didn’t come with any rollover protection from the factory back in the 1960s. Since having however many tons of tractor roll onto you was bad enough before it got a big hefty battery pack, we heartily approve of including a roll cage in this build. Speaking of battery packs, he’s taking this chance to upgrade to a larger LiFePo pack from the LiIon pack he installed when we first featured this conversion in 2024.
Atop the new roll cage, and above the new battery, [Liam] installed four second-hand 225 W solar panels. Since that’s under 1kW even if the panels have not degraded, the tractor isn’t going to be getting much charge as it runs. In the northern winter, [Liam] is only able to pull 80 W from the set. That’s not getting much work done, but who wants a tractor without a cab or heater when it’s below freezing? In the summer it’s a much better story, and [Liam] estimates that the roof-mounted panels should provide all of the energy needed to run the tractor for the couple hours a day he expects to use it.
If you’re wondering how practical all this is, yes, it can farm  — we covered [Liam] putting the project through its paces in early 2025.

THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring Alan WardMilwaukee-born rapper and songwriter Alan Ward joined The Jeremiah Show New Year's Eve for a candid conversation about craft, identity, and what it really means to build a career the hard way—fully independent, one record at a time. 

He’s been referred to as a torchbearer of the golden era of rap, transporting his listeners back to the glory days of backpack rap. He’s known for combining modern hip-hop with old-school heart, sharing self-discovery, independence, and perseverance in his powerful lyrical rhymes.  He explains how he hears “words as music” and why honest storytelling still matters in an algorithm-driven era. 

From growing up in Milwaukee’s sharply divided neighborhoods to his new life in Baltimore, Ward reflects on artistic integrity and the discipline of staying true to himself by avoiding shortcuts in the industry. 

The episode closes, premiering Alan Ward’s latest single, “Great Time” featuring 4 The Brotherhood—a new chapter in his evolving sound.

“Rappers like Alan Ward are carrying the torch for Milwaukee, even from outside of the city” — Radio Milwaukee.

ALAN WARD’S WEBSITE - https://www.itsjusdez.com/ 

For TJS Fans, use this exclusive code for discounts on Alan Ward Merch: AW414

INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE

LISTEN to the INTERVIEW on APPLE PODCASTS Available January 2, 2026

Listen More. Evolve.

Host | Executive Producer - Jeremiah D. Higgins 

Sound Designer - Graham Palmer, Surprise Studio

CONTACT Jeremiah D. Higgins  Evolve Entertainment Network

The Jeremiah Show Airs Monday through Friday, 10 am - 12 pm

 On RADIO EVOLVE ROCKS Santa Barbara

The post THE JEREMIAH SHOW Featuring Alan Ward first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Gooey BrighterNote, this item is a promotional gift for all purchasers of Deeper. Enter coupon code: DEEPERANDBRIGHTER at checkout. Offer expires January 25th, 2026. For questions contact, dave at gooeyaudio dot com BRIGHTER. The first single knob audio plug-in by gooey. Brighter is a timeless plug-in that works for you in a simple, fun, and acceptable way. Brighter makes dull sounds more lively through non-linear saturation, filtering, and adding just a little buzz when you want. Brighter is not the first plug-in that we've made, but it is reminiscent of the simple joy of having something to work with, when you want, and how you want. Highlights: Boutique-style interface with a single slider. Single button to eliminate unwanted interferences. Available to use when you want, with perfectly timed processing. Stable zero-delay filtering and subtle non-linearities. Enjoyable for all levels of producers. Gooey Audio has a 14-day money-back guarantee. All Gooey Audio plug-ins are Apple and Windows-certified. Read More

India orders Musk’s X to fix Grok over ‘obscene’ AI contentIndia's IT ministry has given X 72 hours to submit an action-taken report.

9 Upcoming Conferences for the Independent Music ProfessionalWhether you're an artist or you work in independent music, you need to be at these nine conferences coming up. Take a look.
The post 9 Upcoming Conferences for the Independent Music Professional appeared first on Hypebot.

Rio Kosta on LA Venues, Dancing, & Europe Touring : A Handstamp InterviewFrom Handstamp, an interview with Kosta Galanopoulos and Mike Del Rio of the band Rio Kosta, on Florida beachside music, Greek dancing, seeing ageing rockers, and more.
The post Rio Kosta on LA Venues, Dancing, & Europe Touring : A Handstamp Interview appeared first on Hypebot.

Behringer introduce the UB-1 Micro Behringer’s latest synth release promises to deliver an Oberheim-inspired sound, but only occupies a tiny enclosure that’s small enough to fit into your pocket. 

A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the open source Twitter alternativeUnless if you’re really in the know about nascent platforms, you probably didn’t know what Mastodon was until Elon Musk bought Twitter and renamed it X. In the initial aftermath of the acquisition, as users fretted over what direction Twitter would take, millions of users hopped over to Mastodon, a fellow microblogging site. As time […]

Building a Steam Loco These Days is Nothing But HacksThe Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)’s T1 class is famous for many reasons: being enormous, being a duplex, possibly having beaten Mallard’s speed record while no one was looking… and being in production in the 21st century. That last fact is down to the redoubtable work by the PRR T1 Steam Locomotive Trust, who continued their efforts to reproduce an example of these remarkable and lamentably unpreserved locomotives in the year 2025.
They say that 2025 was “the year of the frame” because the frame was finally put together. We might say that for the PRR Trust, this was the year of welding. Back when the Baldwin and Altoona works were turning out the originals, the frames for steam locomotives were cast, not welded. There might not be anywhere on Earth to get a 64′ long (19.5 m), 71,000 lbs steel casting made these days. Building it up with welded steel might not be perfectly accurate, but it’s the sort of hack that’s needed to keep the project moving.
The cylinders, too, would have been bored-out castings back the day. Getting the four (it’s a duplex, remember) assemblies cast as one piece didn’t prove practical, so T1 #5550 will have welded cylinders as well. Given modern welding, we expect no problem with holding steam pressure. The parts are mostly machined and will be welded-together next year.
The giant wheels of the locomotive have been cast, but need to be machined. It’s not impossible to believe that locomotive #5550 will be on its frame, on its wheels, in 2026. The boiler is already done and the injectors to get water into it have been reinvented, which can perhaps be considered another hack.
Right now, if donations continue to trickle in at the current rate– and prices don’t rise any faster than they have been– the Trust hopes to have the locomotive steaming in 2030. She’s now 59.8% complete. That’s up from 40% when we last checked in, back in 2022, which is great progress considering this is a volunteer-driven, crowd-funded effort.
If you don’t have the skills or geographical location to volunteer with this build, but we’ve peaked your love of steam, perhaps you could 3D print an engine to scratch the itch.

Kulshan Studios Smooth Jazz Soundset for Moog Sub 37 + Subsequent 3759 smooth Jazz presets, compatible with the Moog Sub 37 and Subsequent 37 analog hardware synths. This soundbank is 100% Jazz-oriented, which means no Trance, Dubstep, or Techno sounds. The patches in Smooth come straight out of songs by legendary artists of the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. So this soundset is designed to fully exploit the fat Moog ladder filter, expanded modulation capabilities, and multidrive to their max. Patches in Smooth are based on sounds from songs by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Parliament, George Clinton, Casiopea, Bill Bruford, Janelle Monáe, Kool & The Gang, Gorillaz, Hiromi Uehara, George Benson, Stevie Wonder, Weather Report, Seatbelts, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chick Corea, and many many more. Only FX used on these sounds outside the onboard FX was Virus TI2 reverb and delay on the leads/ plucks. Sounds in this preset pack are suitable for the Smooth Jazz, Acid Jazz, Funk, Soul, and RnB genres, and are organized by category into Leads, Plucks, Pads, and Basses, for quick reference. All patches are royalty-free and delivered instantly via email as a 24-hour download link. Requirements: Moog Sub 37, Subsequent 37, or Subsequent 37 CV synthesizer. Read More

GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Latin Rock or Alternative AlbumThe 2025 GRAMMY nominations are here and we're going to help you to untangle it all right up until the big event, continuing with the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album category.

Take a listen to the nominated albums below--who do you think will win?

See the full list of nominees in every category here.

Genes RebeldesAterciopelados

ASTROPICALBomba Estéreo, Rawayana, ASTROPICAL

PAPOTACA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso

ALGORHYTHMLos Wizzards

NovelaFito Paez

Fito Paez photo by @chinolemusThe post GRAMMY Nominations 2025: Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Here Are Your Bandcamp Friday Dates for All of 2026Here are the 8 scheduled Bandcamp Fridays for 2026. The program, which waives Bandcamp’s revenue share so artists keep 100% of sales, has become one of the most impactful ongoing artist-support initiatives in the industry.
The post Here Are Your Bandcamp Friday Dates for All of 2026 appeared first on Hypebot.

GRM Tools Atelier from INA GRM The latest addition to the GRM line-up draws on the company’s extensive experience, but rather than bringing a new effect or processor to the table, uses their technology to power a new sound-design instrument. 

'Massive' liquidity injections to boost BTC price in 2026, crypto exec saysMoney printing is a catalyst for higher risk-on asset prices, but the looming 2026 US midterm elections could throw a wrench in markets.