Author Archives: Carol Edwards

Discord, the Slack-like chat and streaming app that’s become a preferred gathering place for online gamers, is about to get a little less musical.

The music-streaming bot called, Rhythm, a third-party plugin for Discord servers that lets users stream in music (or really any audio) directly from YouTube, is going offline. The service will cease functioning on Sept. 15 in response to a cease and desist legal demand from Google.

“One way or another we knew this was due to happen eventually,” Rhythm creator Yoav told The Verge. “Which is why we started working on something new a year ago.” The same report also notes that the death of Rhythm comes only a few weeks after Google moved to kill off a similar music bot, called Groovy. (The fun ended for Groovy on Aug. 30.)

Yoav hinted that work is underway on something else “in the music space” that will tie to Discord in some way, but the specifics beyond that aren’t clear at this point. But the Rhythm creator also sees the death of their bot, along with Groovy, as sort of canaries in the coal mine for other cease and desist requests aimed at music bot creators.

It’s just the nature of how Discord works. Plugins like Rhythm integrate with the platform seamlessly. I’ve used Yoav’s creation extensively myself, and piping music into voice chat is as simple as pointing the bot to a list of links or even just one link to a pre-made YouTube playlist. The bot isn’t officially endorsed or supported by DIscord; the platform is just flexible enough to allow the thing to exist.

That means Discord has an easier time dodging any responsibility for how people use the platform. But it also leaves the creators of music bots and other quality-of-life features exposed to potential repercussions themselves.

Though in truth, it’s not clear exactly what Rhythm (or Groovy, or any other music bot) does that’s such a problem. Discord servers — that’s what each privately curated social space on the platform is called — can be monetized, but most of them aren’t. So the most common use for something like Rhythm is friends streaming music together while they game.

It’s possible that YouTube is making these moves because it may have a Discord-connected offering of its own in the works. At the end of 2021, Discord revealed that it’s toying with new options for partying up and playing games together on a server, and that feature appears to include a YouTube Together watch party bot. But it’s not something that just anyone can use at this point.

This is one of those natural growing pains that all social media platforms tend to endure as they grow in size and in profile. Rhythm essentially got too big for its own good; The Verge report notes that the bot lives on more than 20 million servers. There are still plenty of native options built into Discord for people who want to pipe audio or video into their group voice chats. Bots like Rhythm and Groovy simply streamlined that process and made it easier. Hopefully, Google’s eventual officially sanctioned successor will do the same, assuming it comes to fruition.

It’s cool that Instagram stories are temporary…until you want them to be permanent.

Allow us to introduce you to Instagram Highlights, which allow you to take content from your Insta Story or archive and put it in its own little “Highlight” section on your profile.

Did anything significant happen that you captured on your Story? Get engaged? Start a new job? Go to a concert? If it’s on your Story, you can turn it into a Highlight to look back on when you go to your profile. Here’s how to create one.

There are a few different ways you can start, but before we get there, the very first thing you need is an Instagram Story to get your Highlight from. Once you have that, you can access a number of ways to turn it into a Highlight.

1. Go to your profile page and, under “Story Highlights,” tap the “+” button to add a Highlight.

or

Go to your profile page and hit the “+” button in the top right corner. Then tap “Story Highlight.”

Either option will get you to this screen:

2. Select the piece(s) of your Story you want to become a Highlight, and tap “Next.”

3. Edit your cover if you want. Give your Highlight a title, and tap “Add.”

4. Your Highlight will now appear on your Instagram profile.

You can also create a Highlight directly from your Story:

1. Go to your Instagram Story.

2. When you get to the frame you want to Highlight, tap “Highlight” on the bottom right.

3. You can either create a new Highlight with it or add it to another Highlight.

4. If you create a new Highlight, give it a title and tap “Add.”

5. If you want to add it to another Highlight, just tap the Highlight you want to add it to — and you’re done! That frame will play right after the first frame in your Highlight.

You can view your Highlight collection under your name and bio on your profile page.

One other way to create a Highlight is by accessing your Story Archive.

1. Go to your profile page and tap the menu icon in the top right corner.

2. Tap “Archive” in the menu that comes up.

3. Tap a frame from your Archive that you want to turn into a Highlight.

4. See above “create a highlight directly from your Story” and repeat steps 2 through 5.

And that’s how Highlights are done. Find a special moment on your Instagram Story (or in your Archive) and Highlight it on your profile for you and your friends to look back on. Happy Highlighting!

Riz Ahmed has been promoting Mogul Mowgli since long before he wrote it.

The feature film co-written by Ahmed and director Bassam Tariq began film festival premieres in 2020, released later that year in the UK, and on Sept. 3, 2021 it finally arrived in the U.S. It is a deeply intimate portrait of Ahmed’s most prized passions: rap music, identity, and the intertwined tension of living as a minority in the oppressor’s world.

On its surface, the film shares similarities with Sound of Metal, the role that got Ahmed nominated for an acting Academy Award in 2021. In Mogul Mowgli, he plays Zed, a Pakistani-British rapper on the cusp of a major tour when his career is derailed by debilitating disease. He’s forced to go home and visit his family, reconnecting especially with his parents (Alyy Khan and Sudha Bhuchar) and parsing the struggles that made him who he is.

But unlike Sound of Metal, Mogul Mowgli is brimming with markers of Ahmed’s cultural heritage and narrated by his razor-sharp voice. The film opens with Zed’s incisive verses about the colonizers and the colonized, a subject Ahmed mines endlessly for his own music, which features in the film.

They ever ask you “Where you from?”
Like, “Where you really from?”
The question seems simple but the answer’s kinda long
I could tell ’em Wembley but I don’t think that’s what they want
But I don’t wanna tell ’em more ’cause anything I say is wrong

Britain’s where I’m born and I love a cup of tea and that
But tea ain’t from Britain, it’s from where my DNA is at
And where my genes are from
That’s where they make my jeans and that
Then send them over to NYC, that’s where they stack the P’s and that

Skinheads meant I never really liked the British flag
And I only got the shits when I went back to Pak
And my ancestors’ Indian but India was not for us
My people built the West, we even gave the skinheads swastikas

Now everybody everywhere want their country back
If you want me back to where I’m from then bruv I need a map

—Riz Ahmed, “Where Are You From?”

Mogul Mowgli‘s website allows visitors to explore the journeys of its creative team. There, Ahmed describes his hesitation to pursue film and music because so few artists looked like him. “[T]he thing that kept me going wasn’t confidence,” he wrote. “It was a need to express something, to get something off my chest…a need to find out who I was really, through performing.”

“For years I was too aware of the expectations and pressure of being one of a handful of brown and Muslim voices in this arena, and although this awareness is helpful because it means the work is about something bigger than just you, it also meant that I would let my own creative curiosity take a back seat to these bigger questions of ‘what we need’ or ‘what I wished existed when I was growing up. Now I want to just explore, and hopefully if I do that freely, people will feel free when they experience the work.”

As a first-time feature director, Tariq debuts a confident, compelling voice with or without the diaspora context. Despite Ahmed’s lyrics, the film doesn’t care to unpack Zed’s identity against white friends, lovers, or even antagonists, instead keeping its conflict close to the vest. For Zed it’s all tied up in his family, his faith, and his music. He carries but never quite untangles the generational trauma of Partition, which split colonial India into India, Pakistan, and what is now Bangladesh — an event that scars South Asians around the world to this day.

Though it connects to the actor’s personal journey, Mogul Mowgli is less autobiographical than it is an exquisite vehicle for Ahmed’s specific artistic voice. In the years since his breakout role in HBO’s The Night Of, Ahmed has garnered critical acclaim and a resume that spans from Girls to Star Wars, and then some. Yet never once was he typecast or limited, and his music and identity remained vital through solo work and Swet Shop Boys. While many South Asian actors search for the perfect role, all of Ahmed’s felt appropriate and vastly different. No one else was ever going to breath life into his story — he is, unequivocally, the best man for the job.

Mogul Mowgli is now playing in select theaters.

If you find reading long articles and features challenging, why not convert them to audio so you can listen to the content at a time and pace that suits you? Whether you’re researching something for work or study, or you just want to read for pleasure, converting the text to audio and then to an MP3 file that you can listen to on your computer or a mobile device is a great option to have.

We’ve tried and tested a very simple-to-use, free online tool that can help you create an audio version of any too-long-to-read (we’ll let you be the judge of that!) article in a matter of minutes.

Here’s how it all works.

Free TTS: An easy-to-use, free text-to-speech service

There are a plethora of text-to-voice services out there, but the option we’re highlighting is one that boasts a decent free service. Free TTS allows you to convert 6,000 characters a week into audio for free. Unlike other sites that offer a more basic free service, it also allows you to download the audio as an MP3 file.

Once you’ve copied the text you want converted, head to the site. Paste the copied text into the large text box you’ll find on the home page.

Now select from one of the 30 supported languages using the drop-down menu below the text box. Select the voice you want to hear using the same method from the “Voices” drop-down menu.

Next, simply click the blue “Convert to MP3” button. This will generate a playable audio file. Hit the play button to listen to it straight away.

You can also choose to download the audio as an MP3 file by clicking “Download MP3” and then clicking “Download” in the new tab that’s generated.

The download option will appear if you click the three dots menu icon on the right of the audio file’s box. Once you click this, the MP3 file will go into whatever your default download folder is.

Using Speech Synthesis Markup Language

Another reason we’re recommending Free TTS is that the site supports Speech Synthesis Markup Language.

SSML is a XML-based markup language that helps with customization in your audio, “telling” the site how to read the text by providing details on pauses and audio formatting for acronyms, dates, times, abbreviations, and so forth.

You don’t need to use SSML if you’re happy with the site creating a basic audio readout of your text, but if you do want to make a more polished file, the kinds of SSML code you can use is listed toward the bottom of the home page on the site.

It’s not too daunting if you want to experiment. For example, if you want the audio file to include a pause at a specific place, you’d need to enter there.

Paying for more characters

If you want to convert more than 6,000 characters in a week, Free TTS does offer paid plans.

If you pay $6 as a no-subscription, one-time payment, you can get 1,000,000 characters for 24 hours. Paying $19 gets you 2,000,000 characters over a month period. The pro-level option is $99, which gets you 10,000,000 characters for a year. Choose the one that works for you, and start listening.

Yeah, Apple’s annual September reveal event is a mere two days away at this point. But why wait for the certainty of facts when you can ponder the possibilities early?

The good news is these details come straight from Ming-Chi Kuo (h/t 9to5Mac), a top Apple analyst who is known for tipping details on the company’s upcoming products before they’re revealed. So while none of this is confirmed, it’s probably a reliable expectation-setter.

On the iPhone front, Kuo predicts three storage options for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini: 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. That means the 64 GB option — which is too small at this point for most uses, let’s be real — is gone.

The larger iPhone model is also said to be getting a storage tweak, but in the opposite direction. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Max will reportedly be available with four storage options; the same three mentioned above, plus a new 1 TB model that’s a first for iPhones.

Kuo sounded a note of caution for those hoping to score one of the new iPhones right away, however. Ongoing component shortages around the world could come for Apple as well. But the investor report suggests that this could also be more of a risk for older models only, presumably because Apple knows its latest devices are the most sought-after and therefore devoted more manufacturing to the new stuff.

There’s also some news supposedly coming on the AirPods front, with Kuo suggesting that Tuesday will bring our first look at the AirPods 3. These apparently won’t replace the AirPods 2. Instead, they’ll either arrive at a higher price than the earlier model, which retails for $159, or they’ll prompt a price drop for the AirPods 2. But either way, it sounds like both models will continue to exist for now.

The AirPods 3 are expected to feature a redesign that puts them closer in form to the AirPods Pro, released in 2019. The new model reportedly won’t offer active noise cancellation but it will feature head-tracking Spatial Audio. That’s apparently it for the AirPods, though; Kuo doesn’t expect an update for the Pro until 2022.

Add all of this to the pile of rumors and expectations that have already amassed ahead of Apple’s Sept. 14 reveal event. Answers are coming soon, just sit tight and stay tuned for the gauntlet of reveals on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Don’t come for me, but I’ve never seen The Matrix.

Well, technically I’ve seen a lot of it, but I was at a dinner party in my teen years and someone had it on with the sound criminally low and no closed captioning to speak of. So while I very much wanted to understand ~the zeitgeist, the real culprit here is whoever thought it was appropriate to introduce people to The Matrix in such a poor viewing environment.

But I digress.

As a resident of the social internet and its entertainment/pop culture corner, I’ve absorbed basic references over the years. I watched the “There is no spoon” clip to understand an inside joke. I’ve listened to “Clubbed to Death” about a thousand times because it slaps. And I’m certainly not averse to watching The Matrix, it’s just a classic “I haven’t got around to yet.” As of this week, Mashable’s own Alexis Nedd invited me over to eat salmon and watch this movie properly, and I intend to take her up on it as soon as she procures more salmon (tilapia also good).

But until then, I’m going to watch this new trailer and try to make some sense of it. Sorry in advance.

OK, so I know the basis of The Matrix is that our reality isn’t reality, but here is Keanu in a fairly normal-looking therapist’s office. (Keanu’s name is…oh, they just said it. Thomas. I know Laurence Fishburne is Orpheus — Editor’s note: LOL, nope — but didn’t Keanu have another name? M…some…I’ll come back to this.) I see we are resurrecting the Matrix itself, so was he living in our fake coded hellscape while waiting to return to the Matrix? No wait, it’s the other way round, right? We live in the Matrix! OK shut up I’m moving on, congrats Neil Patrick Harris on this gig tho.

Best shot of the trailer obv:

It’s subtle but I think Thomas is a bit sad

Carrie Ann Moss! “Have we met?” YEAH YOU HAVE don’t ask me when where or how but I know you are both in The Matrix. Blue pill sighting! Not very confident what that means. One pill lets you live the lie and one dismantles it, so has Keanu been choosing our world all these years? Really? Are you quite sure, sir?

Perhaps it is I who is a bit sad

This right here this is social commentary:

Oh, I knew Priyanka Chopra was in this but I forgot. I saw a tweet that she might be a grown-up character from the originals? I am more curious about these giant prescription-less glasses she’s wearing, and the music suggesting she is Alice in Wonderland IRL. But I digre—

YAHYAAAA

I knew he was in this but that does not make me any less excited to see him.

Red pill sighting! Still means nothing, but now the whole class is in attendance. Are the Alice in Wonderland parallels this strong in the original films? ‘Cause this is a lot….

OK, you know this fight sequence with Yahya is reminding my dumb ass of Doctor Strange and I know this is wrong and believe me I do not like Doctor Strange or take any pleasure in admitting this similarity! Clearly Doctor Strange was inspired by the visual effects and fight visualization of The Matrix.

Related: I am transfixed by all these action sequences clipped in the trailer. I believe the bullet is significant but everything else just looks objectively awesome and I want to see more of it! Except for those weird bathing (charging??) pods, I remember being very grossed out by this back at the dinner party. Maybe context will help.

Jonathan Groff is here now, is this normal? We’re letting this guy say “the Matrix”? The freaking name of the movie?

(lol I just rewatched it and forgot about Priyanka again)

The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on Dec. 25.

Comfortable seating is essential for working. If you’re unsatisfied with a traditional office chair and want something different, you might consider a kneeling chair or a saddle-style stool. Mashable tested the Tic Toc Chair, a rockable stool, and the Variable Balans, a kneeling chair. Read on for a comparison between the two options and to learn which one might be right for you.

The Tic Toc Chair sells for $249 with cushion (and trust us, you want the cushion). The Variable Balans clocks in at $349; more if you go for one of the Instagram-ready colorways from the MoMA Design Store.

Weight limits and adjustability

The Tic Toc Chair adjusts easily from 16.125” to 23.625”. These are heights that play nicely with a variety of work surfaces, and it gives a lot of flexibility for different people to use it as well. The weight limit on the stool is 220 pounds.

The Variable Balans supports up to 240 pounds. The height can’t be adjusted but the kneeling posture worked fine with my desk height. You can also sit on it backwards as more of a classic chair, or with one knee up and the other down. Some Variable Balans chairs have an option to purchase a removable backrest, making it even more versatile.

Both chairs are small enough to stash under a desk. A child can use either chair, but the Tic Toc stool will likely fit more comfortably.

Comfort

The Tic Toc Chair is not comfortable for long periods or when you’re getting fatigued. It’s definitely a chair that tells you when you’ve been sitting too long.

The Variable Balans is plusher and supports more position changes throughout the day. It is mildly annoying to have to disentangle yourself from the chair to pull it closer to the desk.

Which one should you buy?

If you’re looking for a non-traditional chair to spend your whole work day in, go with the Variable Balans. Though it’s more expensive than the Tic Toc, its greater variety of seating postures and higher weight limit make it a better overall choice. However, if you want something to take an occasional break from an office chair or a standing desk, the Tic Toc chair is a versatile option that kids can also use.

Miley Cyrus can never seem to pass up an opportunity to rock out. And when she does, we all win.

This time, the music superstar shared a stage with Metallica during a Howard Stern appearance, with Miley-tallica belting out a beautiful and chill-inducing rendition of the ’90s rockers’ hit slow jam, “Nothing Else Matters”.

The music speaks for itself. Miley’s got the perfect voice and attitude for this tune, and the collaboration turns into one of those magical moments we sometimes get in music. Just hit play and enjoy.

Facebook wants to help you get paid.

Or so the company claimed in recent days, announcing a new program which essentially turns the social media giant into a debt collector. For a small fee, of course.

Dubbed Facebook Invoice Fast Track, the program works by buying up a company’s outstanding invoices and quickly forking over the owed cash. When payment comes due, the customer with the outstanding bill then must pay Facebook directly.

“The program provides affordable, immediate cash for pay that your customers owe you,” the announcement explained. Facebook said it will take a “one-time low fee” of one percent of the invoice value. Notably, Facebook intends for the program to focus on businesses that are “majority-owned, operated and controlled by racial or ethnic minorities, women, U.S. military veterans, LGBTQ+ people or individuals with disabilities.”

We asked Facebook if it intends collects any fees other than the stated one percent. We also asked who, exactly, will be doing the collecting — is it a Facebook team, or a third party? — and what happens when a bill inevitably goes unpaid.

We received no immediate response.

Perhaps coincidentally, as of Nov. 30, 2021, debt collectors will be allowed to direct message people on social media platforms in an effort to chase down cash.

“Take control of your cash flow,” implores the Invoice Fast Track page. “Break free from waiting for payment.”

Facebook framed its latest venture as a boon to small businesses. Unsurprisingly, Facebook will be careful about which types of business are eligible for this type of financial assistance.

SEE ALSO: Google engineer who criticized company in viral comics on why he finally quit

“Generally, eligible companies must also have invoices with corporate or government customers that have an investment-grade rating,” noted Facebook, which clearly intends to get paid.

The program is set to launch Oct. 1, which is when Facebook will open up the registration process.

Google knew it had systematically underpaid thousands of its temp workers, on a mass scale and in violation of local laws, and sought to hide that fact.

So alleges a June whistleblower complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a report from the New York Times. That complaint, combined with internal emails obtained by the paper, show a company struggling to quietly remedy a problem without drawing wider attention to its actions.

At issue was the pay for temporary workers, which in some countries is required by law to match pay rates for full-time employees doing comparable work. Surprise, it allegedly didn’t. In order to bring the numbers detailed in the complaint up to snuff, the Times notes, a raise of 20 or 30 percent would have been required in some cases — and such a number, emailed a Google compliance office, was sure to turn heads.

“The cost is significant and it would give rise to a flurry of noise/frustration,” Google exec Alan Barry reportedly wrote. “I’m also not keen to invite the charge that we’ve allowed this situation to persist for so long that the correction required is significant.”

We reached out to Google for its response to these claims, but received no immediate response.

According to The Guardian, which also reviewed “internal documents and emails,” Google had been underpaying these workers for over two years. Spyro Karetsos, Google’s chief compliance officer, told the publication that the company intends to fix the mess it is alleged to have made.

“We’re doing a thorough review, and we’re committed to identifying and addressing any pay discrepancies that the team has not already addressed.”

We are talking a pretty substantial discrepancy. The Guardian writes that, according to the SEC complaint, the pay parity liabilities could be as high as $100 million.

SEE ALSO: Google engineer who criticized company in viral comics on why he finally quit

In 2019, the New York Times reported that Google had approximately 121,000 temp and contractor workers. At the time, it had roughly 102,000 full-time employees.

Hopefully, some of those temp workers end up getting what may be legally theirs.