Meta’s Yann LeCun says worries about A.I.’s existential threat are ‘complete B.S.’AI pioneer Yann LeCun doesn’t think artificial intelligence is actually on the verge of becoming intelligent. LeCun — a professor at New York University, senior researcher at Meta, and winner of the prestigious A.M. Turning Award — has been open about his skepticism before, for example tweeting that before we worry about controlling super-intelligent AI, […]
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Former President Trump leads Harris by 10 points — PolymarketAccording to Polymarket users, Vice President Kamala Harris is currently favored to win the popular vote by a staggering 72% margin.

Cockroaches in Space: Waste Processing and a Healthy Protein Source CombinedAs the current frontier of humanity in space, the International Space Station is heavily reliant on Earth not only for fresh supplies but also as a garbage disposal service for the various types of waste produced on the ISS by its human occupants. As future manned missions take humans further away from Earth, finding ways to reprocess this waste rather than chucking it out of the nearest airlock becomes a priority. One suggested solution comes from a Polish company, Astronika, with their insect bioreactor that can process organic material into useful biomass.
Interestingly, the cockroach species picked was the Madagascar hissing cockroach, one of the largest (5 – 7.5 cm) species. This is also a cockroach species which is often kept as a pet. In this closed-loop bioreactor that Astronika has developed, these cockroaches would chew their way through up to 3.6 kg of waste per week in the large version, with the adult cockroaches presumably getting turned into fresh chow and various materials at some point. Beyond the irrational ‘yuck’ factor that comes with eating insect protein, one of the biggest issues we can see with this system is that the long-duration mission crew may get attached to the cockroaches, as they are rather cute.

Joking aside, even if a final version of such a bioreactor ends up using far less cute bacteria and kin, the idea to recycle as much human biowaste as possible is a crucial step towards making remote space stations and long-duration space travel possible. A small version of this bioreactor will be sent up to the ISS, where the principle would get its first shot at showing off its space legs.
For some reason, cockroaches and NASA seem inextricably linked. We remembered that the Madagascar cockroaches apparently make pretty good robotics platforms if you are a deft hand at roach surgery.

Approximating an ADC with Successive Approximation[Igor] made a VU meter with LEDs using 8 LEDs and 8 comparators. This is a fast way to get one of 8 bits to indicate an input voltage, but that’s only the equivalent of a 3-bit analog to digital converter (ADC). To get more bits, you have to use a smarter technique, such as successive approximation. He shows a chip that uses that technique internally and then shows how you can make one without using the chip.
The idea is simple. You essentially build a specialized counter and use it to generate a voltage that will perform a binary search on an unknown input signal. For example, assuming a 5 V reference, you will guess 2.5 V first. If the voltage is lower, your next guess will be 1.25 V. If 2.5 was the low voltage, your next guess will be 3.75 V.
The process repeats until you get all the bits. You can do this with a microcontroller or, as [Igor] shows, with a shift register quite simply. Of course, you can also buy the whole function on a chip like the one he shows at the start of the video. The downside, of course, is the converter is relatively slow, requiring some amount of time for each bit. The input voltage also needs to stay stable over the conversion period. That’s not always a problem, of course.
If that explanation didn’t make sense, watch the video. An oscilloscope trace is often worth at least 1,000 words.
There are, of course, many ways to do such a conversion. Of course, when you start trying to really figure out how many bits of resolution you have or need, it gets tricky pretty fast.

Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Independent Music NewsLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to increase streams, future your fanbase, and more…
The post Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Independent Music News appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: New music industry’s last week in reviewIt was a busy week by any definition and the music industry was no exception, with TikTok’s standoff with indie labels and changing media monetization, Taylor Swift empowering artists in. Continue reading
The post REWIND: New music industry’s last week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

Subcraft from UJAM UJAM’s latest plug-in has been created with the aim of solving one of the most common challenges that music producers face: delivering powerful sub-bass tones that translate consistently across all playback systems.

Crypto-stealing malware discovered in Python Package Index — CheckmarxAccording to cybersecurity firm Hacken, financial losses from crypto hacks topped $440 million in the third quarter of 2024.

Black Lion Audio launches LS-4 as mini-format multi-purpose 4 Channel Line SelectorBlack Lion Audio has introduced its 4 Channel Line Selector-labelled LS-4 — launched as a mini-format multi-purpose device designed to allow anyone to connect a stereo source and send it to up to four different devices (with the same source signal even being able to be sent to all four destinations simultaneously, or any combination thereof), readily representing an impressive, inexpensive option for passive monitor switching, headphone distribution, parallel effects routing, and more — as of October 10…

Though the LS-4 is small and simple in its execution as a 4 Channel Line Selector, it has, however, limitless practical and creative potential, including — but not limited to — passive monitor switching with subwoofer toggle (by connecting three pairs of studio monitors to outputs A, B, and C, and connecting a subwoofer to output D); headphone distribution (by connecting the headphone output of an audio interface to an LS-4 input and connecting all LS-4 outputs to headphone amps); effects chain auditioning (by running a dry signal into the LS-4’s inputs, connecting different effects processors to outputs A through to D, and connecting the effects processor outputs to the inputs of an audio interface, then pressing buttons A through to D to audition applying different effects processors to the signal); and parallel effects routing (by connecting different effects processors in the same configuration as the aforementioned effects chain auditioning, also allowing for simultaneous recording of all four parallel processed signals into a DAW). It is worth pointing out here that LS-4’s 100%-passive design does not add any tone colouration to the signal, while a flexible ground lift is available internally per channel.

Clearly the Chicago-based boutique audio company did not let LS-4’s small size affect its build quality; like all Black Lion Audio products, it is built road-tough — think steel enclosure with an anodised black aluminium faceplate, paired with high-quality 1⁄4-inch connections to ensure maximum conductivity and secure connections. All add up to make for an impressive, inexpensive option for passive monitor switching, headphone distribution, parallel effects routing, and more. 

LS-4 should start shipping through Black Lion Audio’s growing global network of dealers/distributors (https://www.blacklionaudio.com/dealers) with a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $149.00 USD and an SSP (Suggested Selling Price) of €199.00 EUR (including 19% VAT) in late October 2024.

For more in-depth information, visit the dedicated LS-4 webpage here: https://www.blacklionaudio.com/store/essentials/ls-4/ The post Black Lion Audio launches LS-4 as mini-format multi-purpose 4 Channel Line Selector first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Crypto-stealing malware discovered in Python Package Index — CheckmarxAccording to cybersecurity firm Hacken, financial losses from crypto hacks topped $440 million in the third quarter of 2024.

Researchers question AI’s ‘reasoning’ ability as models stumble on math problems with trivial changesHow do machine learning models do what they do? And are they really “thinking” or “reasoning” the way we understand those things? This is a philosophical question as much as a practical one, but a new paper making the rounds Friday suggests that the answer is, at least for now, a pretty clear “no.” A […]
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Join us on a studio tour at the legendary Sound Factory
Join us on an intimate tour of Sound Factory, the legendary music studio where Linda Ronstadt, Marvin Gaye, and many others created some of their most iconic records.

HMMA Call for Entries | Save The DateThe 15th Annual Hollywood Music In Media Awards is accepting submissions now through October 31 for music in visual media. Eligibility, guidelines and specifics can be found at SUBMISSION INFO & VOTING

SUBMIT MUSIC HERE

The 15th AnnualHollywood Music in Media AwardsNovember 20, 2024

The Avalon Hollywood1735 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is the first award organization to honor original music (Song and Score) in all visual media from around the globe including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, and special programs. HMMA nominations have historically been representative of the nominees of key award shows that are announced months later. The HMMA main event features live music performances, celebrity and industry leaders as guest hosts, tributes to music industry icons, and award recognitions for composers, songwriters, and artists.The post HMMA Call for Entries | Save The Date first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

How To Make Conductive Tin Oxide Coatings On GlassGlass! It’s, uh, not very conductive. And sometimes we like that! But other times, we want glass to be conductive. In that case, you might want to give the glass a very fine coating of tin oxide. [Vik Olliver] has been working on just that, in hopes he can make a conductive spot on a glass printing bed in order to use it with a conductive probe.
[Vik’s] first attempt involved using tin chloride, produced by dissolving some tin in a beaker of hydrochloric acid. A droplet of this fluid was then dropped on a glass slide that was heated with a blowtorch. The result was a big ugly white splotch. Not at all tidy, but it did create a conductive layer on the glass. Just a thick, messy one. Further attempts refined the methodology, and [Vik] was eventually able to coat a 1″ square with a reasonably clear coating that measured an edge-to-edge resistance around 8 megaohms.
If you’re aware of better, easier, ways to put a conductive coating on glass, share them below! We’ve seen similar DIY attempts at this before, too. If you’ve been cooking up your own interesting home chemistry experiments (safely!?) do let us know!

C64 Gets a Graphics Upgrade Courtesy Of Your Favorite Piano ManufacturerThe Commodore 64 was quite a machine in its time, though a modern assessment would say that it’s severely lacking in the graphical department. [Vossi] has whipped up a bit of an upgrade for the C64 and C128, in the form of a graphics expansion card running Yamaha hardware.
As you might expect, the expansion is designed to fit neatly into a C64 cartridge slot. The card runs the Yamaha V9958—the video display processor known for its appearance in the MSX2+ computers. In this case, it’s paired with a healthy 128 kB of video RAM so it can really do its thing. The V9958 has an analog RGB output that can be set for PAL or NTSC operation, and can perform at resolutions up to 512×212 or even 512×424 interlaced. Naturally, it needs to be hooked directly up to a compatible screen, like a 1084, or one with SCART input. [Vossi] took the time to create some demos of the chip’s capabilities, drawing various graphics in a way that the C64 couldn’t readily achieve on its own.
It’s a build that almost feels like its from an alternate universe, where Yamaha decided to whip up a third-party graphics upgrade for the C64. That didn’t happen, but stranger team ups have occurred over the years.
[Thanks to Stephen Walters for the tip!]