Autonomous delivery startup Nuro is gearing up for a comebackThe California Department of Motor Vehicles this week granted Nuro approval to test its third-generation R3 autonomous delivery vehicle in four Bay Area cities, giving the AV startup a positive boost after facing some setbacks and financial struggles. The approval gives Nuro the ability to test its driverless delivery vehicle in Mountain View, Palo Alto, […]
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A History of Internet OutagesWe heard a story that after the recent hurricane, a man noted that while the house was sweltering hot because the power was still out, his kids were more anxious for the internet to come back online. The Internet is practically a basic necessity for most people, but as you may have noticed with the recent CrowdStrike debacle, the Internet isn’t always reliable. Granted, the problem in that case wasn’t the Internet per se, but a problem with many critical hosts that provide services. [Thomas Germain] from the BBC took the opportunity to recall some of the more bizarre reasons we’ve had massive Internet outages in the past.
While teens after a hurricane might miss social media, global outages can be serious business. With 8.5 million computers dead, 911 services went down, medical surgeries were canceled, and — of course — around 46,000 flights were canceled in a single day. We have short memories for these outages, but as [Thomas] points out, this was far from the first massive outage, and many of them have very strange backstories.

How strange? Well, apparently, all of Armenia’s Internet depends on a single fiber optic cable. A 75-year-old woman in Georgia (the country, not the US state) sliced it with a spade while hunting for copper and took down the entire country. A few years later, a tractor in South Africa took out the Internet all across Zimbabwe. If those aren’t strange enough, sharks like to bite undersea cables, as you can see in the video below.
As the Internet becomes more entrenched in necessary services, we are surprised that there are not more requirements for dissimilar redundancy like those on a spacecraft or nuclear power plant. Even preventing third parties from pushing updates directly into production servers might have helped in this case. High-end data centers often have multiple network access points with different carriers. They also have generators or other means to deal with power outages. None of this helps, of course, if you depend on a group of servers that all get the same software updates and the update goes bad.
We don’t know why sharks hate undersea cables. We love them. If you want more specifics on the CrowdStrike event, our [Jonathan Bennett] has been following it for you.

Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y & Indie Music NewsIn this week’s indie music news, our tips and advice for independent, do-it-yourselfers covered album release tips from Jack White, Spotify Countdown pages, a YouTube subscriber hack, and more. D.I.Y. Continue reading
The post Getting It Done: The Week in D.I.Y & Indie Music News appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new music industry week in reviewKeep up with the latest talk of the town with the new music industry week in review. With middle-class musicians rising, a new report that shows good things for indie. Continue reading
The post REWIND: The new music industry week in review appeared first on Hypebot.

The Crow Hill Company reveal Concussion Drums The latest addition to The Crow Hill Company’s growing product range promises to deliver everything you need to create award-winning action score drums in a single plug-in.

Product Profile: Donner HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic GuitarDonner just released their new HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar. The HUSH-I Pro is meant to be a more professional version of Donner’s previously released HUSH travel guitar.

I’ve been aware of headless guitars throughout my career, but never felt the inclination to play one. Having now spent some time with the HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar, once you get used to the reverse engineering on the guitar, i.e. the tuners at the bottom and strung-through design with strings routed through the top of the guitar, it’s surprisingly easy to play, albeit the lack of a headstock affecting the guitar’s overall balance takes a bit of getting used to.

So, who is this guitar for and not for? I’ll start with who it’s not for. If you are a player who wants a regular acoustic guitar that you can hear in the room you’re playing in, you have no sound limitations, i.e. no family members or neighbors you’re concerned about disturbing, you want to record your guitar using a microphone, then this may not be for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a lightweight travel guitar or a unique gig-ready solution this could just fit the bill. 

The overall build quality of the HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar has been upgraded over the previous Donner HUSH electric acoustic guitar. Crafted from mahogany, The HUSH-I Pro is available in natural wood and white finishes, paired with laurel and maple fingerboards and medium stainless-steel frets. The design is compact, lightweight and easy to carry and store with a total weight of just under four pounds.

A new upgraded zinc alloy ergonomic quick-release stand is a welcome improvement over previous versions which required an Allen wrench and screws to install. The HUSH-I Pro electric acoustic guitar features a rechargeable lithium battery with USB-C fast charging design, and Bluetooth audio inputs add to the guitar’s flexibility.

Stored in its custom designed case, the HUSH-I Pro is about six inches wide and less than a yard long and will easily fit in an airline storage bin. Featuring a detachable neck-through mahogany solid-body with a satin finish, stainless-steel frets and a dual-action truss rod design, the guitar’s symmetrical neck is comfortable and easy to play, and the on-board USB-C charging port means you can charge the guitar virtually anywhere. 

Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar has 18 onboard factory preset tones, 20 onboard user accessible IR (Impulse Response) algorithms, eight acoustic guitar tone simulations and a versatile 5-band EQ adjustment module (the previous version had a 2-band EQ).

Donner’s advanced R & D team independently developed the new audio algorithm platform for the guitar, which features a new, upgraded H1 chip, and which supports more professional and complex sound algorithms, along with high-definition audio sampling rates. Unlike the previous version, the HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar features multiple onboard effects, including Overdrive, Compressor, Boost, Bypass, Modulation (Chorus, Phaser, Tremolo, Flanger, Auto Wah), Delay (Analog, Echo, Dual, Tremolo, LoFi), and Reverb (Room, Hall, Spring, Cloud, Shimmer). The guitar’s electronics include switchable Dynamic Air Boost and Tone Boost, upgraded tone-shaping capability and a new global volume control knob.

The 18 factory presets are user editable, and you can overwrite and then save the stock factory settings. The sample rate is 24-bit 44,100 Hz. There are no user slots to save your edited patches and as far as I can tell no provision to backup the factory sound bank. That said, the onboard selection of effects and IRs should be more than sufficient for most players to craft some highly useable tones. Multiple effects per patch can be selected and there is also an onboard tuner. The onboard screen, while a bit on the small side, is reasonable high-res and easy to see in most lighting conditions.

Donner provides an App (for Mac and Windows) to upgrade the firmware and add new features as they become available. Once plugged into your PC, you can use also the guitar to track directly into your DAW. The onboard Bluetooth audio capability makes it easy to jam with or rehearse to backing tracks. Not sure how many hours of performance time per battery charge you can get, but should be more than sufficient for the average gig. Like I said earlier the guitar can be powered from or kept plugged into any USB-C power source.

Plugging the guitar in, the basic sound you’re presented with sounds consistent with a high-end acoustic electric dreadnaught guitar. In the studio, it’s a great solution for quickly capturing ideas. On stage you can just plug it to the house PA and go, the selection of onboard IRs, tone shaping controls and effects means you should be able to get some reasonably convincing mic’ed guitar tones. Having the onboard user selectable IR’s is a great idea. I can’t think of another acoustic electric guitar currently on the market that has that capability.

Sum it up, the overall fit and finish of the guitar is solid, and the symmetrical neck makes for comfortable playing experience. The fretwork on the guitar is very well done, and the quick release top and bottom frames are a welcome improvement over the previous version. 

Just a few complaints: the screen and control buttons are too close together making them somewhat difficult (for people like me with big hands) to get to. Also, the top frame gets in the way of adjusting the controls on the fly. My biggest niggle is that the guitar’s saddle is, in my opinion, cut too low to the bridge and hence does not have enough room for adjustment. Those comments aside, Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro is a very well-built, versatile and great sounding acoustic electric guitar with a highly unique design and should appeal to a wide range of players. 

Donner’s new HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar is available now and comes with a gig bag, strap, monitoring headphones, cleaning cloth, USB cable, picks and a custom-designed carrying case.

For more details and special promotional launch pricing, check out donnermusic.com.The post Product Profile: Donner HUSH-I Pro Electric Acoustic Guitar first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

No BTC strategic reserve announcement from Sen. Lummis—Bitcoin 2024Senator Lummis recently authored a report highlighting the benefit of the Bitcoin mining industry and denouncing Biden's proposed 30% tax.

Stripe acquires payment processing startup Lemon SqueezyPayments giant Stripe has acquired a four-year-old competitor, Lemon Squeezy, the latter company announced Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. As a self-proclaimed “merchant of record,” Lemon Squeezy calculates and pays global sales tax for digital products, handling legal processing and fees in every country. It primarily serves SaaS and software businesses. In […]
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Apollo leads $700m investment into Sony Music Group partnership. (It’s a kind of magic!)Sources told MBW earlier this month that Apollo had co-funded Sony's takeover of Queen's catalog
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Electromagnetic Actuator Mimics MuscleMost electromagnetic actuators are rotating motors, or some variation on the theme, like servos. However, it’s possible to do linear actuation with electomagnetics, too. [Adrian Perez] demonstrates this with Linette, his design of a linear actuator that he was inspired to build by the structure of our own muscles.
The design uses a coil of copper wire in a 3D-printed plastic housing, surrounded by a claw full of strong magnets. When the coil is activated, the magnets are pulled towards the coil. When the coil is not energized, the magnets fall away. [Adrian] demonstrates the actuator under the control of an Arduino, which switches power to the coil to move it up and down.
He also notes that the design is similar solenoids and voice coil style actuators, though unlike most his uses discrete magnets rather than a single monolithic magnet. It’s possible to get more capacity out of the Linette design through stacking. You can parallelize the actuators to get more pulling force, with neighboring coils sharing the same magnets. Alternatively, you can stack them in series to get longer stroke lengths.
[Adrian] hasn’t put the design to a practical application yet, but we could see multiple uses for robotics or small machines. We’ve seen some other neat DIY magnetic actuators before, too. Video after the break.

Phil Dudderidge presented with honorary doctorate Focusrite Group are pleased to announce that Phil Dudderidge OBE has been made an Honorary Doctor in a graduation ceremony at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU).

Ask Hackaday: Is Shortwave on Life Support?A QSL Card from Radio Moscow probably got many 14-year-olds on government watch lists. (Public domain)
Between World War II and Y2K, shortwave listening was quite an education. With a simple receiver, you could listen to the world. Some of it, of course, was entertainment, and much of it was propaganda of one sort or another. But you could learn a lot. Kids with shortwave radios always did great in geography. Getting the news from a different perspective is often illuminating, too. Learning about other cultures and people in such a direct way is priceless. Getting a QSL card in the mail from a faraway land seemed very exciting back then.
Today, the shortwave landscape is a mere shadow of itself. According to a Wikipedia page, there are 235 active shortwave broadcasters from a list of 414, so nearly half are defunct. Not only are there many “dead” shortwave outlets, but many of the ones that are left are either not aimed at the world market or serve a niche group of listeners.
You can argue that with the Internet, you don’t need radio, and that’s probably correct in some ways but misses a few important points. Indeed, many broadcasters still exist as streaming stations or a mix of radio and streaming. I have to admit I listen to the BBC often but rarely on the air. My computer or phone plays it in crystal clarity 24 hours a day.
A future Hackaday author in front of an Eico shortwave radio
So, while a 14-year-old in 1975 might be hunched over a radio wearing headphones, straining to hear NHK World Radio, these days, they are likely surfing the popular social media site of the week. You could easily argue that content on YouTube, Instagram, and the like can come from all over the world, so what’s the problem?
The problem is information overload. Faced with a shortwave radio, there were a limited number of options available. What’s more, only a small part of the band might be “open” at any given time. It isn’t like the radio could play games or — unless you were a ham — allow you to chat with your friends. So you found radio stations from Germany to South Africa. From China and Russia, to Canada and Mexico. You knew the capital of Albania. You learned a little Dutch from Radio Nederlands.

Is there an answer? Probably not. Radio isn’t coming back, barring an apocalyptic event. Sure, you can listen to the BBC on your computer, but you probably won’t. You can even listen to a radio over the network, but that isn’t going to draw in people who aren’t already interested in radio, even if it really looks like a radio.
If you made a website with radio stations of the world, would people use it? Something like a software version of this globe or a “world service” version of RadioGarden. Probably not.
Do you listen to shortwave radio? If so, what are you listening to? Do you listen to “world services” at all? Tell us in the comments. Many careers were launched by finding a shortwave radio under the Christmas tree at just the right age. When Internet access is compromised, there’s still no substitute for real radios. If you want to listen to some of those vintage programs, they are — unsurprisingly — on the Internet.

From Universal Music’s Q2 results to Spotify’s new ‘deluxe’ tier… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Sonos CEO apologises for disastrous app rollout in open letterSonos CEO Patrick Spence has published an open letter addressing the development of the company’s new app, as well as providing updates for its users. 
The revamped Sonos app, released on 7 May, was aimed at making the audio company appear more in touch with customer needs while introducing a sleeker user experience.  

READ MORE: Daniel Ek confirms “deluxe version” of Spotify is coming soon with high-resolution audio

However, two months after its bug-laden rollout, users have faced “significant problems” due to technical issues leaving customers with malfunctioning sleep timers, issues with local music library management, and an inability to edit playlists or song queues. 
Shortly following its May release, the company doubled down on its new design overhaul stating the new app launch took “courage”, a remark described as “tone deaf” by users. 
“We’ve heard your concerns about the app update launched on May 7 and appreciate your patience as we make improvements,” Sonos’ official X account posted, before sharing a direct link to Spence’s online statement. 
The apology letter emphasises that fixing the Sonos app remains a “number one priority” for the company. 
“We developed the new app to create a better experience, with the ability to drive more innovation in the future, and with the knowledge that it would get better over time,” Spence writes. “However, since launch we have found a number of issues. Fixing these issues has delayed our prior plan to quickly incorporate missing features and functionality.”
The CEO continues outlining Sonos’ next moves to ensure customer satisfaction with the new app, giving mention of bi-weekly targeted software updates which will add features and fix bugs. 
The letter also includes a priority list aiming to address bugs with the music library by August and volume sensitivity and error handling by September. 
However, wider issues including alarm reliability and playlist editing will not be fixed until between September and October. 
The seemingly premature app rollout has resulted in an apology from the CEO and company – a move hoping to restore users’ trust in the Sonos brand. As for now, it looks like Sonos are doing as much as they can to meet the needs of their user base.
You can read Spence’s open letter in full here.
The post Sonos CEO apologises for disastrous app rollout in open letter appeared first on MusicTech.

Discrete Laboratories’ Atlas is a FREE Vintage Poly Synth Plugin for macOS
Yesterday Discrete Laboratories launched Atlas, a polyphonic virtual analog synthesizer for macOS. Atlas is inspired by the iconic synthesizers of the 1970s. The release aims to combine vintage charm with modern capabilities while including a comprehensive suite of features.  Discrete Laboratories states, “Whether you’re seeking subtle movement or bold sweeps, the intuitive interface ensures effortless [...]
View post: Discrete Laboratories’ Atlas is a FREE Vintage Poly Synth Plugin for macOS