My love for the Virtual DJ carried over to college, and I used to be the resident DJ for all parties in my hostel. I knew jack shit about actual DJing back then, but the app allowed me to earn some street cred. I’ve always been fascinated by apps that let fools like me play around with tabs and still produce something that roughly resembles a tune. So, I thought I’d list some stuff you can use to amuse (or annoy) your friends and family during this lockdown:...

With this goal in mind, it is taking on 99Designs — which has been based in San Francisco since 2010. Interestingly enough, 99Designs was also founded in Australia. To stand out from the competition presented by the incumbent in the online design services space, DesignCrowd employs a slightly different model of crowdsourcing. For example, instead of only paying the chosen design, DesignCrowd pays participation payments to more designers, rewarding more of the crowd....

Well, they should be able to. Unfortunately, the launch is already in trouble. Specifically, many of the first adopters are running into error messages upon launch. According to DownDetector, the problems range from the streams not working to login issues. The service refuses to work on some devices, but does work on others — but not always the same devices. Needless to say, potential users aren’t happy, and they’re expressing their discontent quite loudly....

Those behind Twitter-based transaction monitor @whale_alert have noted that an apparently dormant Bitcoin address houses almost 80,000 BTC ($750 million), and if the owner decides to sell them all, it could spell utter devastation for the industry. “That address alone — if that is actually a whale who’s been holding their coins for so long without doing anything with them — if they decide, ‘Okay, let’s go sell them,’ it would crush the market completely,” Whale Alert told crypto prime dealer SFOX in a recent interview....

Making music in the 21st century probably doesn’t mean grabbing a guitar, learning some chords, then talking your friends into forming a band in your garage. No, the way modern music comes together is just as technologically driven as everything else right now. Since most artists can upload directly to the web and get sampled on Soundcloud or another service, their music needs to be professional-grade from Day 1. For these DIY music makers, a DAW (digital audio workstation) is their most trusted tool for recording and producing tracks that can catch attention....

In real terms, the implementation will depend on the airline, but the FAA says it expects that “many” carriers will demonstrate that their passengers will be able to use their devices in airplane mode by the end of 2013. Caveats It’s worth noting that last bit, in that this doesn’t clear the way for travelers to use their connected (cellular) devices as usual, it just means they can continue reading their ebooks, watching movies and any other non-cellular activity as the plane takes off and lands....

As a result, the automaker has consistently drawn the attention of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). But has it made it easy for the agency to investigate the company’s reported safety issues? No, it hasn’t. In an intriguing piece, The Washington Post’s Faiz Siddiqui details how US auto regulators have had to employ unconventional strategies to circumvent a big part of the problem: Musk’s ego and stubbornness....

The team plan to use a zero emission rocket powered by concentrated hydrogen peroxide, all that will be emitted is water and oxygen Motoring Research reports. [Read: New hydrogen trains could put an end to diesel] But how does it work? I hear you ask. According to the Bloodhound team, the rocket will use hydrogen peroxide, water with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2), which will be pumped at very high pressures through silver gauze....

Micromobility operator Voi is rolling out a new app feature to encourage escooter users in the UK to park correctly or risk a £25 (US$35) fine. The ‘end of ride photo’ feature requires users to submit a photo of their scooter after each ride, to ensure they are parked in a safe and appropriate manner. Those who leave e-scooters lying on the ground or parked obstructing the pavement will receive an email containing a warning and an educational message....

European astrophysicist Sunny Vagnozzi, of the University of Trento and Cambridge University, alongside Israeli-American researcher Avi Loeb, of Harvard University, today published a (potentially) landmark research paper indicating that everything we think we know about the universe’s origins could be completely wrong. According to their work, the Big Bang was more of a Big Bounce. Their paper details a scenario wherein our universe, as we observe it, is merely the result of a previous cosmological phase ending, and a new one beginning....

For this reason, automakers such Tesla, Kia, and Hyundai have removed them from their EVs’ design, keeping a small grille space beneath the bumper instead. Others, like BMW, have kept loyal to radiator grilles as part of their brand identity. And automotive parts suppliers like Hella are seeing a new market opportunity. The German-based company has developed an intriguing alternative to traditional radiator grilles: integrated multifunctional panels. First up, Hella’s offering a fully-customizable panel design to enhance a brand’s design identity....

As states across the U.S. start to reopen, Americans are more than ready to shake off the cobwebs and get out of the house again. Of course, there’s still nobody exactly excited to join up with big crowds or put themselves in a position to spread germs, so maybe those outdoor plans should be true outdoor plans. Plans like finding a brilliant nature spot somewhere and drinking in the beauty of our world’s majesty....

Naturally, we took our own potshots here at TNW when we saw this thing. My colleague Callum Booth coined the lovely phrase “fascist Toblerone” to describe the shape, which isn’t that far off. My other colleague Napier Lopez compared it to the Batmobile, also apt. I’d say it looks a bit like Back to the Future‘s Delorean. But of course the internet pulled out all the stops, posting photoshop jobs and side-by-side comparisons for just about every futuristic fictional car under the sun....

We know that there are going to be two devices: the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. This year, Google tried to control leaks by giving out an early glimpse of the device in June. The photo posted by Google confirmed that the upcoming flagship is going to host a dual-camera setup on the rear. — Made by Google (@madebygoogle) June 12, 2019 In July, Google revealed the Pixel 4 won’t have a fingerprint sensor; it’ll use sensors hidden in bezels to implement iPhone-like face unlock....

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Why is this a big deal? Because Facebook has been trying to block this case for five years, and winning a ruling against one of the richest companies in the world is huge news. The case dates back to 2015, when Schrems famously filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 25,000 Facebook users. He was seeking a ‘token level’ reward of €500 per plaintiff for violations of privacy — for a total of €12....

In August, the Wall Street Journal reported that the public policy chief intervened more than once to keep BJP leaders’ posts on Facebook that contained provocative comments against Rohingya Muslims and alleged the Muslim community was spreading the coronavirus, separately. On the company’s internal forum, Das posted that the mission of connecting India has been largely fulfilled: In a statement, Ajit Mohan, Facebook India’s head, thanked the outgoing executive for her services and wished her the best for the future....

1/ Social distancing means we have to be apart, but games can still bring us together. So today we’re opening early access to Facebook Gaming tournaments, a feature to help people stay connected through games. pic.twitter.com/rYOIXBcIHS — Facebook Gaming #playaparttogether (@FacebookGaming) April 7, 2020 While still apparently in early access, Tournaments are open for anyone to use. You can organize one from the “Create tournament event” option in Facebook Gaming....

As reported by TechCrunch, Hotline was developed by Facebook’s NPE (New Product Experiment) division, which regularly doles out apps with new ideas (or, in this case, not so new). That said, Hotline does have a few features to differentiate itself from Clubhouse and Twitter’s Spaces. Most notably, it supports video and will allow participants to toggle video when asking a question, although that feature isn’t live yet. Video appears to play a secondary role to audio though, as streams are presented in small circles the size of a profile image, rather than taking up a big chunk of the screen a la Twitch....

The humanoid’s maker, Japan’s SoftBank Group, has reportedly stopped producing Pepper due to weak demand. Pepper had been touted as the harbinger of a robotics revolution, but the droid’s early demise shows it couldn’t live up to the hype. [Read: Why entrepreneurship in emerging markets matters] Pepper nonetheless made a mark on the public during the android’s six-year run. Here are our fondest memories of the robot “with a heart....