Olympic Sprint Decided By 40,000 FPS Photo FinishAdvanced technology played a crucial role in determining the winner of the men’s 100-meter final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a historically close race, American sprinter Noah Lyles narrowly edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second. The final decision relied on an image captured by an Omega photo finish camera that shoots an astonishing 40,000 frames per second.
This cutting-edge technology, originally reported by PetaPixel, ensured the accuracy of the result in a race where both athletes recorded a time of 9.78 seconds. If SmartThings’ shot pourer from the 2012 Olympics were still around, it could once again fulfill its intended role of celebrating US medals.
Omega, the Olympics’ official timekeeper for decades, has continually innovated to enhance performance measurement. The Omega Scan ‘O’ Vision Ultimate, the camera used for this photo finish, is a significant upgrade from its 10,000 frames per second predecessor. The new system captures four times as many frames per second and offers higher resolution, providing a detailed view of the moment each runner’s torso touches the finish line. This level of detail was crucial in determining that Lyles’ torso touched the line first, securing his gold medal.
This camera is part of Omega’s broader technological advancements for the Paris 2024 Olympics, which include advanced Computer Vision systems utilizing AI and high-definition cameras to track athletes in real-time. For a closer look at how technology decided this historic race, watch the video by Eurosport that captured the event.

2024 Tiny Games Challenge: It’s 2048, But with LEDsRemember the game 2048? You slide numbered tiles around on a grid, combining them until you have one tile with a value of 2048 (although it’s possible to go higher). Legend has it that 2048 was created by a bored teenager in the space of a weekend to see if he could program a game from scratch.
It only took a couple of weekends for [David] to get Tiny2048 up and running. In this version, each RGB value represents a number value, and input comes from a rudimentary gesture detector — tilt it this way and that to move the LEDs and combine the ‘numbers’. As you might imagine, it was a bit tricky to use colors to represent numbers, so each one had to be sufficiently unique.
[David] says that the LED matrix is a string of WS2812 LEDs in a grid formation, controlled by an ESP32-S3-MINI-1. Although this may be overkill, [David] broke out a bunch of IO at the top of the board so it can be used in the future as a dev board. Be sure to check it out in blinkenlight action after the break!

Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Indie MusicFor self-sufficient artists and musicians, last week's Hypebot posts will provide insights from changes at Patreon, .music domains, a Bandcamp alternative, an open contest for young songwriters, and more.
The post Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Indie Music appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry’s last week in reviewDiscover the latest developments and trends shaping the music industry today from SXSW panel voting, a copyright comedown on deepfakes, a Bandcamp alternative, Jack White full of surprises, and more…
The post REWIND: The new music industry’s last week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

POLAR 4 interface from Blackstar Blackstar's new audio interface offers the same guitar-specific features as the POLAR 2 but with additional mic pres and line-level connectivity, along with MIDI I/O.

WIN with SOS! 
Get your hands on Everse 12 by Electro-Voice Win a weatherised, battery‑powered, active portable PA speaker with built-in Dynacord mixer and Bluetooth. Ideal for buskers and practicing.

Waves now shipping SuperRack LiveBox MADIWaves Audio is now shipping dedicated MADI-ready units as part of its new line of SuperRack LiveBox native live processing engines. Waves’ full line of SuperRack LiveBox devices, including the new MADI and the previously released Dante® units, is now fully available and shipping. Waves’ SuperRack LiveBox enables access to the power of your favorite studio-grade VST3 plugins, from Waves and all other manufacturers, all running natively in a simple and robust turn-key solution. The new SuperRack LiveBox MADI supports up to 128 channels (64 coaxial and 64 optical at 48 kHz; 32 optical and 32 coaxial at 96 kHz), and features unrivaled low latency, PSU redundancy, and the reliable industry-standard SuperRack Performer audio plugin host—all in one 2U unit. Each SuperRack LiveBox MADI purchase also comes with the Waves Live bundle, which includes over 50 must-have plugins for state-of-the-art live mixing. SuperRack LiveBox gives live sound engineers and creative artists access to their favorite VST3 plugins by diverse brands, all running natively on a turnkey device that’s quick and easy to set up in any live or broadcast setting.

The post Waves now shipping SuperRack LiveBox MADI first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Styx Stealer malware exploits Windows vulnerability to ‘clip’ cryptoStyx Stealer steals data and can reroute crypto transactions coming from an infected computer to the bad actor’s wallet.

OpenAI shuts down election influence operation that used ChatGPTOpenAI has banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation that was generating content about the U.S. presidential election, according to a blog post on Friday. The company says the operation created AI-generated articles and social media posts, though it doesn’t seem that it reached much of an audience. This is […]
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Fighting the Scourge of “Screwdriver Mange”We’ve all got our favorite hand tools, and while the selection criteria are usually pretty subjective, it usually boils down to a combination of looks and feel. In our opinion, the king of both these categories when it comes to screwdrivers is those clear, hard acetate plastic handles, which are a joy to use — at least until the plastic starts to degrade and exude a characteristically funky aroma.
But perhaps we can change that if these experiments on screwdriver “mange” hold up. That’s [357magdad]’s unappealing but accurate description of the chemical changes that eventually occur in the strong, hard, crystal-clear handles of your favorite screwdrivers. The polymer used for these handles is cellulose acetate butyrate, or CAB, which is mostly the same cellulose acetate that replaced the more explode-y cellulose nitrate in things like pool balls and movie film, except with some of the acetate groups replaced with a little butyric acid. The polymer is fine at first, but add a little UV light and over time the outer layer of CAB decomposes into a white flaky cellulose residue while the butyric acid volatilizes, creating the characteristic odor of vomitus. Lovely.
In the video below, [357magdad] takes a look at different concoctions that all allegedly cure the mange. TL, DW; it was a dunk in household ammonia that performed the best, well ahead of other common agents like vinegar and bleach. The ammonia — or more precisely, ammonium hydroxide — works very quickly on the cellulose residue, dissolving it readily and leaving the handle mange-free and looking nearly new after some light scrubbing. None of the other agents came close, although acetone did manage to clear up the mange a bit, at the cost of softening the underlying CAB in a process that’s probably similar to acetone smoothing ABS prints.
As for the funky smell, well, the results were less encouraging. Nothing really got rid of the pukey smell, even a roll in baking soda. We suspect there won’t be much for that, since humans can detect it down to 10 parts per million. Consider it the price to pay for a nice-looking screwdriver that feels so good in your hand.

Ariana Grande Partners with HeadCount to Ensure Fans Are Ready to VoteToday, Ariana Grande and HeadCount, a leading nonpartisan nonprofit working to register young voters through the organization’s Good to Vote initiative, launched an exclusive sweepstakes for her fans in an effort to increase voter registration among young people. 

The prize – flying two fans to the U.S. premiere of Wicked with a full glam experience with r.e.m. beauty products – was announced today on Grande’s Instagram, prompting fans to see if they’re “good to vote” by checking their registration status to enter for a chance to win the exclusive prize.

According to a new study from Harvard University, which references HeadCount, leveraging celebrity voices is a particularly effective way to promote civic engagement. The study shows that celebrity promotion translates to higher voter registration rates and poll worker sign-ups. Overall, of the young voters registered digitally through HeadCount in 2020, 78% went on to vote at the polls. 

Grande previously partnered with HeadCount in 2019 and registered over 30,000 fans to vote through onsite registration while on tour. During and following the pandemic, HeadCount adjusted its model to include digital engagement for celebrities to continue to engage their young fans. 

“Young voters have the power to decide the 2024 election. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Ariana Grande again to help get as many young people registered as possible - providing them with the tools they need to make their voices heard at the polls this November!” said Lucille Wenegieme, CEO of HeadCount.

Starting today, fans can enter to win an all expenses paid getaway to the U.S. premiere through HeadCount.The post Ariana Grande Partners with HeadCount to Ensure Fans Are Ready to Vote first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

2024 Tiny Games Contest: Salsa One Handheld Requires No PCBIf you’re thinking about building a single tiny game or even a platform, you might be tempted to use a single button for everything. Such is the case with [Alex]’s Salsa ONE minimalist game console, which is inspired by both the Arduboy and the ergonomics of the SanDisk Sansa music player.
With Salsa ONE, [Alex] aimed to make something that is both simple and challenging. The result is something that, awesomely enough, doesn’t need a PCB, and can be comfortably controlled with just one thumb. There isn’t much to this thing, which is essentially an RP2040, an OLED, a vibration motor, a buzzer, a button, and a CR2032 coin cell. [Alex] chose to program Salsa ONE in MicroPython. Be sure to check it out in action in the brief demo after the break.
Have you got an idea for a tiny game? Don’t hesitate to enter the 2024 Tiny Games Contest! You have until September 10th, so head on over to Hackaday.io and get started today.

Ewan Bristow Releases EB-Resonator Melodic Resonator for FREE via Plugdata
Ewan Bristow recently released the EB-Resonator, a free melodic resonator that runs in the Plugdata programming environment. Plugdata is also free and runs as a plugin or standalone app on Windows, macOS, Linux and more.  Bristow commented on his motivations for the release, saying, “A lot of free melodic resonators I’ve tried sound ringy, bell-like [...]
View post: Ewan Bristow Releases EB-Resonator Melodic Resonator for FREE via Plugdata

VSL Synchron Woodwinds: Free legato expansion The second free expansion for VSL's renowned woodwind library expands its versatility with a pair of new legato articulations.

Ibiza’s Pikes is extending its dancefloor phone ban to 7 days a weekClubbers going to Pikes Ibiza won’t be able to use their phones on the dancefloor anymore, regardless of which night they go on.
The White Isle hotel introduced a policy in April of banning phones on the dancefloor on Monday nights – “Keep your phones in your pocket and your mind on the music,” they said. This ended up being a success in terms of both the atmosphere and the publicity it brought – it “caused quite the stir around the island,” prompting a “positive shift in the way people experience parties in Ibiza”.

READ MORE: Amsterdam venue The Other Side becomes world’s first nightclub to adopt L-ISA Spatial Audio

Now, this has been extended to seven nights a week. Attendees are asked to place a sticker over their phone camera at the entrance to Pikes’ grounds, with staff on hand to remind them they’re breaking rules if they are caught trying to take photos or videos.
“We want you to dance like no one’s watching. We want the very special guests in our booth and our resident DJs alike to feel as comfortable as if they were at a friend’s house party, with the freedom to dance, sing, jump, squeal, shout and celebrate however they like,” the post continues. “We want you to find your new best friends, make memories that live in your mind, not on your phone, and experience the magic of Pikes the way it was always intended to be. After all, what happens at Pikes stays at Pikes…”

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Another popular Ibiza club, Hï Ibiza, has also brought in the policy at its Damian Lazarus Club Room residency and later the James Hype and Meduza Club Room residencies.
No-phone policies have become increasingly popular after being implemented by iconic German club Berghain. Various UK spots have followed suit, including London’s FOLD and fabric.
The post Ibiza’s Pikes is extending its dancefloor phone ban to 7 days a week appeared first on MusicTech.