Sam Altman firing drama detailed in new book excerptAn excerpt from the upcoming book “The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future” offers new details about why OpenAI’s board briefly fired CEO Sam Altman back in 2023. Written by Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey, the book claims the nonprofit’s board members became increasingly concerned after learning about issues […]

AMSAT-OSCAR 7: the Ham Satellite That Refused to DieWhen the AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (AO-7) amateur radio satellite was launched in 1974, its expected lifespan was about five years. The plucky little satellite made it to 1981 when a battery failure caused it to be written off as dead. Then, in 2002 it came back to life. The prevailing theory being that one of the cells in the satellites NiCd battery pack, in an extremely rare event, shorted open — thus allowing the satellite to run (intermittently) off its solar panels.
In a recent video by [Ben] on the AE4JC Amateur Radio YouTube channel goes over the construction of AO-7, its operation, death and subsequent revival are covered, as well as a recent QSO (direct contact).
The battery is made up of multiple individual cells.
The solar panels covering this satellite provided a grand total of 14 watts at maximum illumination, which later dropped to 10 watts, making for a pretty small power budget. The entire satellite was assembled in a ‘clean room’ consisting of a sectioned off part of a basement, with components produced by enthusiasts associated with AMSAT around the world. Onboard are two radio transponders: Mode A at 2 meters and Mode B at 10 meters, as well as four beacons, three of which are active due to an international treaty affecting the 13 cm beacon.
Positioned in a geocentric LEO (1,447 – 1,465 km) orbit, it’s quite amazing that after 50 years it’s still mostly operational. Most of this is due to how the satellite smartly uses the Earth’s magnetic field for alignment with magnets as well as the impact of photons to maintain its spin. This passive control combined with the relatively high altitude should allow AO-7 to function pretty much indefinitely while the PV panels keep producing enough power. All because a NiCd battery failed in a very unusual way.

Forever 89 releases FREE Topos Play tone shaping toolbox
Topos: Play is the little brother of the currently discounted Topos plugin. It is a saturation plugin based on emulations of classic gear and physical modeling. While Topos: Play has more limited functionality than the paid version, this freebie is definitely worth checking out if you want a fast and flexible tool to shape individual [...]
View post: Forever 89 releases FREE Topos Play tone shaping toolbox

Music Business News Last WeekIt was a busy week by any definition and music business news last week was no exception with MIDiA reporting on music subscribers, a look at My Seats, Crokomoko testing. Continue reading
The post Music Business News Last Week appeared first on Hypebot.

DIY and Independent Musician News Last WeekLast week, our tips, advice and independent news covered house concerts, YouTube Shorts, current music marketing trends, and more...
The post DIY and Independent Musician News Last Week appeared first on Hypebot.

NatLife Sounds Retro Dream for Waldorf BlofeldRetro Dream is a Synthwave and Cyberpunk soundset designed for both the hardware and plugin versions of Waldorf Blofeld. This collection brings 50 carefully crafted presets that capture the nostalgic... Read More

MAGIX acquired by RMEP MAGIX Software GmbH, the developer behind audio software ranges including Samplitude, Sound Forge and Sequoia Pro, have been taken over by Russmedia Equity Partners (RMEP).

BOOK STORE: "LONDON CALLING, NEW YORK NEW YORK" BY PETER SILVERTONEnglish journalist Peter Silverton sadly died in 2023. It’s a great tribute to the man, therefore, that he left us with this fascinating look at two songs about two cities—The Clash’s “London Calling” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York”—that were cut within weeks of each other. Silverton examines the impact that the two classics had on their respective namesakes while digging deep into the societal reflections in the lyrics. What may have been a coincidence of timing turned into an essential read.(Paperback) $20The post BOOK STORE: "LONDON CALLING, NEW YORK NEW YORK" BY PETER SILVERTON first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Zhao pledges BNB for Thailand, Myanmar disaster reliefBinance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao is donating 500 BNB (BNB) each to Thailand and Myanmar following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that caused severe damage to buildings and widespread flooding.Zhao plans to distribute the funds through Binance and Binance Thailand if a third-party onchain donation platform cannot be found to distribute the disaster relief funds.“I hope everyone is safe in Thailand,” the Binance founder wrote in a March 28 X post before announcing the contributions to both countries affected by the earthquake.According to The Guardian, at least 144 people are confirmed to have died as a result of the catastrophic earthquake as first responders in both countries continue rescue efforts to free people trapped under rubble.Source: CZRelated: Thailand regulator approves USDT, USDC stablecoinsDisaster strikes Myanmar and ThailandThe earthquake struck on March 28 at approximately 1:20 PM local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately 10 miles from Mandalay — the second-largest city in Myanmar.The death toll in both countries is expected to rise as relief efforts continue, with 732 individuals reportedly injured as a result of the earthquake.Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has called upon any country willing to help with the disaster relief efforts to provide any aid it can.Crypto donations amplify aid during times of crisis The cross-border efficiencies, low transaction costs, and near-instant settlement times of cryptocurrencies make digital assets an ideal medium for disaster relief funds.Following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that impacted Turkey and Syria in February 2023, philanthropist Haluk Levent began collecting crypto disaster relief donations.The Giving Block, a company that works with nonprofit organizations to facilitate crypto donations, also used crypto to raise funds for the victims of the Maui wildfires in 2023 and managed to give over $1 million to the relief effort.More recently, in January, The Giving Block started an emergency relief fundraiser for those impacted by the California wildfires in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.At the time of this writing, the organization has raised over $1 million for the California wildfire relief fund.Magazine: Crypto is changing how humanitarian agencies deliver aid and services

‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters are planning a global day of action on March 29, and things might get ugly‘Tesla Takedown’ organizers have promised their biggest day of global action this weekend, encouraging thousands to protest outside Tesla showrooms, dealerships, and even charging stations to peacefully object to Elon Musk’s role in slashing government spending.  As Tesla protests have spread, so has the backlash. Activists holding up signs are being conflated with masked vandals […]

Live Music Stocks 3.24-28.25: Another Rollercoaster WeekLast week 3.24 - 28.2025, the live music sector experienced varied performance while broader stock markets faced significant challenges influenced by inflation concerns and trade tensions.​
The post Live Music Stocks 3.24-28.25: Another Rollercoaster Week appeared first on Hypebot.

Spitfire Audio Albion NEOIntimacy and definition The next chapter in our bestselling Albion series. At the heart of this modern cinematic collection is a chamber-sized orchestra with an intimate string section,... Read More

An Artificial Sun In A Manageable SizeThe sun is our planet’s source of natural illumination, and though we’ve mastered making artificial light sources, it remains extremely difficult to copy our nearby star. As if matching the intensity wasn’t enough, its spectral quality, collimation, and atmospheric scattering make it an special challenge. [Victor Poughon] has given it a go though, using a bank of LEDs and an interesting lens system.
We’re used to lenses being something that can be bought off-the-shelf, but this design eschews that convenience by having the lenses manufactured and polished as an array, by JLC. The scattering is taken care of by a sheet of inkjet printer film, and the LEDs are mounted on a set of custom PCBs.
The result is certainly a very bright light, and one whose collimation delivers a sun-like effect of coming from a great distance. It may not be as bright as the real thing, but it’s certainly something close. If you’d like something to compare it to, it’s not the first such light we’ve featured.

Win $3,000 and get heard by Just Blaze via our beat battle with Sound Collective
Enter our beat battle with Sound Collective to win cash prizes and have the opportunity to be heard by the one-and-only Just Blaze.

Sonixinema releases FREE Whispering Woodwinds ensemble for Kontakt Player
Whispering Winds is the latest addition to Scorehub, a valuable source of free instruments, interviews, and advice for composers. It’s not long since we covered the last Scorehub freebie, Delicate Strings, and if Sonixinema continues at this rate, it’ll be a complete composers toolkit soon enough. Whispering Winds shares many things with Delicate Strings: the [...]
View post: Sonixinema releases FREE Whispering Woodwinds ensemble for Kontakt Player