Noise Makers announce Studio Verb plug-in Studio Verb includes 53 SRIRs (Spatial Room Impulse Responses) that capture a wide range of acoustic spaces and promise to deliver accurate, enveloping spatial reverbs. 

Redemption arcs of 2024: Ripple’s victory, memecoins’ rise, RWA growthBitcoin’s 2024 returns were doubled by the XRP token, following a significant legal victory for Ripple Labs and expectations of the SEC potentially dropping the lawsuit.

When It Comes To DOS, Don’t Forget DR-DOS.Despite the latest and greatest Intel-derived computers having multi-core 64-bit processors and unimaginably fast peripherals, at heart they all still retain a compatibility that goes back  to the original 8086. This means that they can, in theory at least, still run MS-DOS. The venerable Microsoft 16-bit OS may now be long discontinued, but there is still enough need for DOS that the open-source FreeDOS remains in active development. The Register are here to remind us that there’s another open-source DOS on the block, and that it has a surprising history.
SvarDOS is an open source DOS distribution, and it’s interesting because it uses a derivative of the DR-DOS kernel, an OS which traces its roots back to Digital Research’s CP/M operating system of the 1970s. This found its way briefly into the open source domain courtesy of the notorious Caldera Inc back in the 1990s, and has continued to receive some development effort ever since. As the Reg notes, it has something FreeDOS lacks, the ability to run Windows 3.1 should you ever feel the need. They take it for a spin in the linked article, should you be curious.
It’s something which has surprised us over the years, that aside from the world of retrocomputing we still occasionally find FreeDOS being distributed, usually alongside some kind of hardware maintenance software. Even four decades or more later, it’s still of value to have the simplest of PC operating systems to hand.
It’s worth pointing out that there’s a third open-source DOS in the wild, as back in April Microsoft released MS-DOS version 4 source code. But as anyone who used it will tell you, that version was hardly the pick of the bunch.
Header: Ivan Radic, CC BY 2.0.

Elon Musk’s xAI lands $6B in new cash to fuel AI ambitionsUpdated December 25, 12:21 p.m. Pacific: Added details of xAI’s valuation and Kingdom Holdings’ contribution. xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, has raised $6 billion in a Series C financing round. The company announced this week that Andreessen Horowitz , Blackrock, Fidelity, Lightspeed, MGX, Morgan Stanley, OIA, QIA, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Nvidia, […]
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Turning Christmas samples into beats in FL Studio (free gifts included)
Watch us turn more Christmas samples into beats in FL Studio, and download our free MIDI files and templates to use in your own creative process.

Esperanto: The Language That Hoped to Unite the WorldChristmas: a good time to broach a topic of hope. We’re talking Esperanto. This language that spurred the hope it one day could hack the barriers between people, eliminating war and miscommunication. The video below unpacks the history of this linguistic marvel. Esperanto was a constructed language dreamed up in 1887 by Ludwik Zamenhof, a Polish-Russian eye doctor with a knack for linguistics and great ideals. If you’re a little into linguistics yourself, you’ll sure know the name stems from the Latin esperi: to hope.
Inspired by the chaos of multilingual strife in his hometown, Zamenhof created Esperanto to unite humanity under a single, simple, easy-to-learn tongue. With just 16 grammar rules, modular word-building, and no pesky exceptions — looking at you, English — Esperanto was a linguistic hack ahead of its time.
But Esperanto wasn’t just a novelty—it almost became the lingua franca of diplomacy. In 1920, Iran proposed Esperanto as the official language of the League of Nations, but the French vetoed it, fearing their language’s global dominance was at risk. From there, Esperanto’s journey took a darker turn as both Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia persecuted its speakers. Despite this, Esperanto persisted, surfacing in quirky corners of culture, from William Shatner’s Esperanto-only horror film Incubus to its inclusion on NASA’s Voyager Golden Record.
Fast-forward to the digital age: Esperanto is thriving on online learning platforms, where over a million learners explore its minimalist elegance. It appears at places in various editions of Grand Theft Auto. It has even inspired modern makers to create new constructed languages, like Loglan, Toki Pona, and even Klingon. Could Esperanto—or any reimagined language—rise again to unite us? For curious minds, watch the video here.

Best Christmas Playlists of 2024: Spotify, Apple Music & YouTubeWe take a pause from our regular programming to offer the Best Christmas Playlists 2024 on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube complete with links. Best Christmas Playlists of 2024 Spotify. Continue reading
The post Best Christmas Playlists of 2024: Spotify, Apple Music & YouTube appeared first on Hypebot.

Pitch Perfekt is a FREE Voice to MIDI plugin by Algoriffix
Pitch Perfekt is a new release from Algoriffix, an audio developer focused on AI technology.  Do you ever struggle with programming MIDI parts using a MIDI keyboard? Coming up with melodies using a keyboard can be difficult if it’s not your main instrument. You may have the perfect melody in your head and be able [...]
View post: Pitch Perfekt is a FREE Voice to MIDI plugin by Algoriffix

A free Thing from Acustica! Acustica's recently released Jupiter-8-inspired soft synth is now available in a third, free-to-download version.

A Twenty-Segment Display, ArtisticallyWe all know and love the humble seven-segment display, right? And if you want to make characters as well as numbers, you can do an okay job with sixteen segments off the shelf. But if you want something more art-deco, you’ll probably want to roll your own. Or at least, [Ben] did, and you can find his designs up on GitHub.
Taking inspiration from [Posy]’s epic investigation of segmented displays, [Ben] sat down with a sketchpad and created his own 20-segment font that displays numbers and letters with some strange, but frankly lovely, segment shapes. There is no center line, so letters like “T” and numbers like “1” are a little skewed, but we think it’s charming.
We’ve seen about a bazillion takes on the seven-segment idea over the years here. Most recently, we fell in love with this 21-segment beauty, but honestly the original eight(!) segment patent version is charming as well. Anyway, picking a favorite segmented display at Hackaday is like picking your favorite child, if you have a few hundred children. We love them all.

Thanks [Aaron] for the tip!

A comprehensive list of 2024 tech layoffsA complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2024.
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Keeping Track of Old Computer Manuals with the Manx CatalogAn unfortunate reality of pre-1990s computer systems is that any manuals and documentation that came with them likely only existed on paper. That’s not to say there aren’t scanned-in (PDF) copies of those documents floating around, but with few of these scans being indexable by search engines like Google and Duck Duck Go, they can be rather tricky to find. That’s where the Manx catalog website seeks to make life easier. According to its stats, it knows about 22,060 manuals (9,992 online) across 61 websites, with a focus on minicomputers and mainframes.
The code behind Manx is GPL 2.0 licensed and available on GitHub, which is where any issues can be filed too. While not a new project by any stretch of the imagination, it’s yet another useful tool to find a non-OCR-ed scan of the programming or user manual for an obscure system. As noted in a recent Hacker News thread, the ‘online’ part of the above listed statistics means that for manuals where no online copy is known, you get a placeholder message. Using the Bitsavers website along with Archive.org may still be the most pertinent way to hunt down that elusive manual, with the Manx website recommending 1000bit for microcomputer manuals.
Have you used the Manx catalog, or any of the other archiving websites? What have been your experiences with them? Let us know in the comments.

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM PLANS KING HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONThe Museum emphasizes anniversaries of key Civil Rights Movement episodesMemphis, TN, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday, January 20, the National Civil Rights Museum will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a daylong celebration inspired by the theme "Community Over Chaos," echoing the principles outlined in Dr. King’s seminal work, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Thanks to the generous sponsorship of FedEx, admission will be free for all visitors, allowing everyone to experience this day of reflection, unity, and inspiration.“King Day is a time to honor Dr. King’s profound legacy and his dream of the Beloved Community,” said Dr. Russell Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum. “The sight of thousands coming together on our campus reinforces his call for unity in the face of division. None of this would be possible without the community’s support, particularly our presenting sponsor, FedEx, and contributions from Ford Philanthropy and Dexcom.”A Day of Service and CelebrationThe museum will extend its hours, welcoming guests from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, with a full slate of programs and activities designed to inspire hope and collective action.This year’s celebration will also mark the launch of the museum’s yearlong observance themed Community Over Chaos, highlighting pivotal anniversaries in civil rights history, including:2025 is the 60th anniversary year of the Selma March and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

The museum is continuing its day of service partnerships with its annual blood drive with Vitalant to help with the critical blood shortage. Anyone donating blood will receive additional free admission for up to four people on any day in 2025.

For its food drive benefitting the Mid-South Food Bank, the museum asks guests to bring canned goods and nonperishables to help feed the growing number of hungry families in the Mid-South. “We are excited to restore the vibrancy of King Day that our community cherishes,” said Veda Ajamu, the museum’s Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community Engagment Officer. “Our partnerships with Vitalant and the Mid-South Food Bank are just a few ways we’re turning Dr. King’s vision into action through service.”KING DAY HIGHLIGHTS:Visitors can tour the museum from 8:00 am–6:00 pm. 

The Memphis-based exhibit, The Southern Heritage Classic: Celebrating 35 Years of an HBCU Memphis Tradition, continues. It features founder Fred Jones' vision of sustaining and expanding the popularity of the annual sports spectacle featuring the role HBCUs in America, their connections to the Civil Rights Movement, the rise of black athleticism, the rich culture uniquely inherent to Memphis.

A full day of activities onsite includes Main Stage performances by several local artists, including vocalist Karen Brown, Gerald Richardson and more. Live entertainment, sponsored by Ford Philanthropy, will be staged outdoors.

The Community & Family Activity Tent will feature area organizations, children’s activities, and entertainment.

At 10:00 am the museum will share an online presentation for virtual audiences to explore Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of peace and justice with a fresh perspective on his humanity.FedEx’s sponsorship exemplifies the spirit of collective action that Dr. King championed, making this celebration accessible to all. Additional support from Ford Philanthropy and Dexcom, Home Depot, and other community partners underscores the importance of collaboration in advancing Dr. King’s dream of justice and equity. Area restaurants and businesses will provide in-kind donations, and several corporations and organizations have committed volunteers to serve at the museum on King Day. About the National Civil Rights MuseumThe NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come, including more than 90,000 student visits annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to chronicle the American civil rights movement and tell the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights.  It educates and serves as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.  It is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.Connie DysonNational Civil Rights Museum901-527-1225cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.orgFor more information about King Day at the National Civil Rights Museum, visit kingday.org.The event hashtag is #KingDay2025.The post NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM PLANS KING HOLIDAY CELEBRATION first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Wire Grind Audio Releases FREE Honest Overdrive for Windows
Every day is Christmas at Wire Grind Audio! The indie dev delivered the goods yet again for the holiday season, this time with a new freebie, the Honest Overdrive plugin. Honest Overdrive is a Windows-exclusive release in VST3 format. Wire Grind describes the release as a simple, workhorse plugin for general distortion needs.  This ain’t [...]
View post: Wire Grind Audio Releases FREE Honest Overdrive for Windows

How musicians can thrive in 2025: Bruce Houghton on the Music Biz Weekly PodcastBruce Houghton joins Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert on a new Music Biz Weekly Podcast to discuss what's ahead for the music industry and how musicians can thrive in 2025. LISTEN & WATCH HERE:
The post How musicians can thrive in 2025: Bruce Houghton on the Music Biz Weekly Podcast appeared first on Hypebot.