Unpacking Peter Thiel’s big bet on solar-powered cow collarsWhy did Founders Fund invest $220 million in cattle management startup Halter?

Scrap Vintage Camera Goes Digital with Scanner PartsEvery collector ends up with items that are worthless, usually because they are broken or incomplete. When [Graindead] found a 1920s glass-plate reflex camera for pennies with plenty of missing parts, it was obvious that what he had was a piece of junk. Throw it away? No, he turned it digital with the aid of a small document scanner.
A reflex camera like this one is the ancestor of the 35mm single-lens reflex cameras we may still be familiar with today, in that is has a flip-up mirror inside to bounce the light onto a ground glass screen. The photographer can see what the lens sees to set up the shot, before flipping the mirror out of the way and exposing the glass plate film by pulling out a dark slide. This one was missing the ground glass and the lens, so he has to grind a replacement, and bodge in a similar-age Carl Zeiss Tessar lens.
In the video below you can see the build, and a range of pictures including some trichrome colour shots. It gives an imperfect result even compared to the same camera with its period film, but the point here is the art rather than the clarity. We’d take this one out with us, if it were ours.
For more vintage digital fun, have a look at a similar adaptation that shoots video.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov says Iranian government's ban backfiredThousands of software developers are currently developing virtual private networks to circumvent state control of the internet, Durov said.

Wavsen Wavsenhttps://youtu.be/o49b-njkQ7E Wavsen is a purpose-built platform that simplifies the way music producers and engineers deliver mixes and gather client approvals. Instead of juggling multiple file-sharing services, email chains, and scattered feedback, Wavsen centralizes the entire process in one intuitive workflow: upload your mix, share a secure client link, and get approved. Clients can listen, provide time-stamped feedback, and sign off—all without needing to create an account. Designed with real-world studio workflows in mind, Wavsen offers automatic, non-destructive watermarking, side-by-side version tracking, and download controls that protect your final files until approval or payment. Every project is presented professionally, helping you maintain a polished, client-ready experience. Whether you're a solo producer or running a busy studio, Wavsen speeds up approvals, keeps revisions organized, and ensures your mixes reach clients safely and efficiently. Key Features: • Centralized Mix Delivery – Upload, share, and track client approvals in a single platform. • Secure Client Portals – Watermarked playback protects your raw files. • No Client Accounts Required – Clients can review and approve without signing up. • Time-Stamped Feedback – Keep all comments tied to the correct project version. • Side-by-Side Version Tracking – Easily compare and manage revisions. • Download Control – Final WAV files only available after approval or payment. • Professional Presentation – Client-ready portals that enhance your workflow. • Automatic Watermarking – Non-destructive previews protect your mixes without extra exports. Read More

Yale Law School scholars back UMG in Drake’s ‘Not Like Us’ defamation fight, arguing rapper ‘consented’ to Kendrick Lamar’s lyricsTwo amicus briefs filed on Friday (April 3) in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit have backed UMG Recordings in its defense against Drake’s defamation appeal over Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us. Both briefs support the dismissal of Drake’s lawsuit and urge the appeals court to affirm the October 2025 ruling … Continued
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Flock Audio’s latest Patch App DX update Version 1.1.6 of Patch App DX focuses on updating the software’s Active Routing Grid, delivering three new features that provide users with greater control, better organisation and a more streamlined experience.

Ethereum Foundation nearly reaches 70,000 staked ETH goalThe non-profit foundation has staked 69,500 ETH, nearly reaching the goal it unveiled at the end of February, less than two months ago.

Tesla’s Texas factory workforce reportedly shrunk 22% in 2025Tesla's headcount fell from 21,191 workers to 16,506 workers in 2025, according to a report, as it grappled with its second straight year of declining sales.

Burning Wood to Brew Wood to Preserve Wood : Pine TarBefore there was pressure-treated wood, before modern paints, there was pine tar. Everything from tool handles to wagons to ships were made of wood preserved with pine tar, once upon a time, and [woodbrew] wants to show you how to make it, how to use it, and why you might put it on your skin.
It starts with, you guessed it, pine! In the first part of the video, [woodbrew] creates a skin salve with pine resin and food-safe oil. The pine resin–which is the sticky goop that dries around wounds on evergreen trees–is highly antiseptic and has been used in wound salves since the stone age. The process is easy: melt it in a double boiler, then mix with equal parts oil. [woodbrew] also adds a touch of beeswax to firm it up, an a little eucalyptus extract for extra germ-killing power, and a nice smell to boot.
That’ll preserve your hands, but what about preserving wood?  That starts at about 9 minutes in, and for that you’re going to need a lot more resin, so picking it off wounded trees like he does at the start of the video won’t work. [woodbrew] suggests starting with dead-or-dying pines, and harvesting the crooks of their branches for “fatwood” — wood with the highest resin content. He also suggests the center of stumps, again of trees that died or were severely injured before being cut down. Then it’s a matter of cooking those fine organic molecules out. This is where we burn the wood to save the wood. Well, to save other wood. Wood we didn’t burn, obviously.
The distillation process [woodbrew] uses it fairly traditional, and consists of a couple of buckets. One bucket is buried and collects the pine tar; the other, with holes in the bottom to allow the tar to drip out, is filled with fatwood and covered tightly before being surrounded by firewood which is set alight. You could use an alternate source of heat here, but if you just cut down a pine tree for its fatwood, well, you’d have the rest of the tree to work with. Inside the fatwood bucket, the heat of the fire cooks off the volatile compounds that make pine tar, while the lack of oxygen from being closed up keeps it from burning. Burying the collection bucket keeps it from getting so hot the volatiles all boil off.
If this sounds like the process for making charcoal or woodgas, that’s because it is! He’s letting the gas fraction flare off here, but you could probably capture it– though a true gasifier brakes the tar down into gaseous compounds as well. The charcoal of course stays in the bucket as a bonus.
To make it usable as a wood finish, [woodbrew] mixes his homemade pine tar 50:50 with linseed oil, thining it to a spreadable consistency that helps it penetrate deep into the wood. By filling the voids in the wood, this mixture will help keep moisture out, and the antiseptic properties of the organic soup that is pine tar will help keep fungi at bay for potentially decades to come.
Thanks to [Keith Olson] for the tip!

Ear Candy: Get Up and Go!Happiest of Fridays, my frequency friends!

If the snooze button has been winning recently, this week's Ear Candy is here to rescue you. It's Get Up and Go! Think of it as your personal soundtrack to shake off the grogginess, stretch out the yawns, and actually step out the door with a little spring in your step.

Whether you’re heading out for work, squeezing in a quick morning run, or just trying to get yourself moving after a night that didn’t go quite as planned, this playlist is the soundtrack that refuses to let inertia win. It’s energy you can’t help but catch, a spark that spreads from your headphones to your toes, and before you know it—you’re up, you’re moving, and you’re ready for whatever the day throws at you.

So go ahead and take your sonic shot of espresso.

Click HERE to access this week's Ear Candy.

While you're there, please "Like" the playlist and "Follow" Music Connection's profile so you'll never miss the chance to listen along with MC!The post Ear Candy: Get Up and Go! first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Triple Spiral Audio OrganismEvery living system is built from layers, each with its own function, each inseparable from the whole. Organism works the same way. The library is built around 100 Master presets. Each of these patches makes full use of all four oscillators in Omnisphere 3 and the new Quadzone feature, which organises sound across four zones, letting it move, breathe, and shift over time. The result is complex, atmospheric textures with depth and motion. But each Master preset also carries four subpresets within it: A, B, C and D. Each one is a standalone patch, built around a single oscillator from its parent master, giving it an individual and independent character. From soft keys to wide pads, from organic motion to clear synths with 500 presets in total. The inspiration behind Organism comes from modern pop and electronica from artists like Billie Eilish, Deadmau5, Jon Hopkins, Lady Gaga, Aphex Twins and Daft Punk. Stylewise you will find modern, experimental, retro, lofi, cinematic, pop and ambient presets. It is a library with a contemporary character. Read More

UMG and Believe settle lawsuit that alleged ‘industrial-scale’ copyright infringement of Universal’s musicUniversal Music Group and Believe have settled the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the Paris-headquartered music company and its distribution platform TuneCore in late 2024. A Joint Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice was filed today (April 3) in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, confirming that all claims in the … Continued
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Iconic Instruments release Model 350 Tube Preamp One of the latest arrivals to the Iconic Instruments range delivers a new tube preamp plug-in inspired by the circuitry employed in the Ampex 350 tape machine.

Introducing the Splice Sounds Plugin (now in beta)
We’re excited to introduce the Splice Sounds Plugin, now available in public beta—bringing Splice’s entire sound library (and additional brand-new features) directly into any DAW.

Free Amorph AI-driven text-to-DSP plugin gets a major visual update
Artists in DSP have updated the free Amorph text-to-DSP plugin, which now lets you create custom user interfaces. We looked at Amorph earlier this year, and as with many things AI-related, it comes with seemingly limitless potential and just as many divided opinions. If you missed Amorph on its initial release, here’s a quick recap. [...]
View post: Free Amorph AI-driven text-to-DSP plugin gets a major visual update