Listening to music is one of life’s great pleasures. But it’s more than just a pleasure, it is part of your lifestyles — an intrinsic part of both leisure, work, travel, and state of mind. It’s little wonder that everyone needs — not wants, needs — a great pair of headphones. Listening to music can be a deeply personal experience.
The modern world is a loud place — and if the incessant rumble of engines, the non-stop nattering of a coworker, or the earth-rattling bang of a nearby building site keeps you from fully immersing with your music, podcast, or call, it’s time to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones.
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Buying headphones is never simple, of course, with all the brand names, jargon, and ever-evolving tech that you need to consider. To make it easier — and to help you make an informed decision before you open your wallet — here’s the need-to-know info about noise cancelling headphones.
What is noise cancellation?
Noise cancelling headphones do what they say on the box — they block, dampen, or outright kill external noise so you can full immerse in your listening and isolate from the distractions of the outside world. There are two main kinds on noise cancellation — passive and active noise cancellation.
Passive noise cancellation works via the design and build of your headphones. They block out noise through physical features, such as large over-ear cups which create a seal and stop environmental noise leaking in.
Active noise cancellation — usually referred to as ANC — uses a system of mini microphones that listen to what’s happening in the world around you, then inverting the noise and sending it into the loudspeaker. The idea is, both the output and the input will cancel out, leaving you with near-silence — or the music you want to listen to.
What are the most important features for headphones?
There are other features to look out for when buying a set of noise cancelling headphones. This is what you should know before making any sort of purchase decision:
Adaptive noise cancellation — Noise cancellation that detects a change in the surrounding environment and automatically adapts to give you real-time ANC.
Transparency mode — This allows you to let ambient sound back in. This is handy for things such as having conversations or listening out for announcements on a train platform. Some transparency modes are adjustable, so you can choose which external sounds to let in.
Codec — A codec is a piece of software that compresses music to transmit digitally and decompresses again at the other end. For best quality wireless sounds, look out for headphones that support high bitrate codecs such as aptX.
Drivers — These are little cone-shaped gadgets in the ear cups that are responsible for your tunes. They convert electrical signals into sounds. They usually measure between 20mm and 50mm in headphones.
What are the best noise cancelling headphones?
There are lots of brands out there, from the household names — Sony, Bose, Apple — to lesser-known brands that offer surprising quality and features for lower prices. If you’re looking for a headphones bargain, such as a pair of headphones for under £100, it’s worth looking at all the alternatives. For noise canceling, the best known brands tend to deliver the very best in ANC technology — as you’ll see from the selection below.
Now that you know how it all works, we can introduce you to some of the best noise-cancelling headphones out there.
These are the best noise-cancelling headphones in 2021.
If 2020 was the year of activism, then 2021 seems to be following in its footsteps.
While many of last year’s protests took place online given the pandemic, the dam broke over the summer as people took to the streets, many in face masks, to call out police violence and systemic racism. This year, COVID-19 vaccinations have paved the way for even more people to stand up for those without privilege IRL again.
As we transition into another new normal about halfway through the year, workers’ rights, reproductive health, and racial justice are shaping up to become definitive issues. During the pandemic, the world was forced to take note of many societal inequalities that had been present, but largely ignored, all along.
The following is a look at some noteworthy moments in 2021 so far when people stood up for the afflicted. While not exhaustive, and in no particular order, these photos demonstrate what can happen when a collective is courageous enough to support the least powerful among us.
1. India’s farmers protest
Credit: RAJ K RAJ / HINDUSTAN TIMES / SHUTTERSTOCK
Indian farmers protested new laws that they said would hurt their livelihood. The protests, called some of the largest in world history, began in 2020 but continued into early 2021. In response to marches in February, the government cut off the internet at protest sites around New Delhi. Delhi police went so for as to launch a criminal investigation against the creators of an online toolkit aimed at helping the farmers’ cause. The agricultural sector employs more than half of India’s population.
2. Colombians protest tax hikes
At the end of April, protesters took to the streets in Colombia after the government decided to raise taxes as citizens complained of struggling to feed their families. COVID-19 had wreaked havoc on Colombia’s economy. The mass protests, which saw 42 deaths, led to officials rescinding the tax markups days later. Demonstrators also called for more public education funding, better jobs, and improved healthcare.
Credit: DANIEL GARZON / GETTY IMAGES
3. Amazon workers try to form a union in Alabama
In April, Amazon employees in Bessemer, Alabama tried to form a union but the effort was ultimately defeated. Prior to the unionization vote, Amazon hired a law firm with a reputation for union busting.
Credit: Elijah NouvelagE /Getty Images
4. Rep. Cori Bush explains the racism she faced while pregnant
In May, Rep. Cori Bush shared her personal experience as a Black mother during a hearing on the Black maternal mortality crisis. Black people in America are three times as likely to die during or after birth than white people. “Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don’t believe our pain,” Bush said in a tweet after the hearing.
Credit: TOM WILLIAMS / CQ-ROLL CALL / GETTY IMAGES
5. McDonald’s employees fight for a $15 minimum wage
McDonald’s employees marched for a $15 minimum wage in Fort Lauderdale in May. McDonald’s announced that month that it’d raise some hourly wages as it competes for workers. Entry level crews at corporate stores now start at $11 per hour and shift managers start at $15 per hour. The company expects average hourly wages (but crucially not the minimum) to be $15 an hour by 2024.
Credit: CHANDAN KHANNA / GETTY IMAGES
6. The one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder prompted reflection across the country
On May 25, cities across the country, and some internationally, hosted commemorative events both in person and online on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. His murderer, officer Derek Chauvin, was found guilty just weeks prior to the anniversary.
Angela Harrelson, aunt of George Floyd, and Paris Stevens, cousin of George Floyd, can be seen speaking in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, in the photo below.
Credit: BRANDON BELL / Getty Images
7. Texas valedictorian speaks out against ‘dehumanizing’ abortion law
In June, Paxton Smith, a high school valedictorian, delivered an unapproved graduation speech against Texas’ heartbeat bill, which would ban abortions after six weeks, a time when most people don’t know they’re pregnant.
“I have dreams, and hopes, and ambitions. Every girl graduating today does,” she said. “And we have spent our entire lives working towards our future, and without our input, and without our consent, our control over that future has been stripped away from us.”
8. Palestine supporters rally at Lincoln Memorial
In May, supporters of Palestine gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to call for an end to the U.S. funding Israeli weapons and providing general aid as well as to raise awareness of a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The demonstration came after 11 days of brutal fighting between Israelis and Palestinians that killed more than 200 Palestinians, about a third of whom were children, and at least 12 Israelis, including two children. The fighting also destroyed water, sewer. and electricity systems in Gaza. Israel had been widely criticized for waging a disproportionate response to rocket fire from Hamas militants before a cease-fire was set. Israeli officials defended the country’s actions, and U.S. President Joe Biden at one point said Israel wasn’t overreacting.
TOPSHOT – Supporters of Palestine hold a rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on May 29, 2021. – More than 1,000 rallied Saturday in Washington in support of Palestinians and calling for an end to US aid to Israel. The demonstration on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial came as a ceasefire that ended 11 days of intense fighting between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip has so far held. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) Credit: AFP via Getty Images
9. Tulsa Race Massacre survivors gather on 100-year anniversary
The last three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, when a white mob set a Black community ablaze and killed hundreds of residents, joined together during a rally memorializing the tragedy in June. Along with activist Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, the survivors and a crowd sang to honor the anniversary.
“Ain’t gonna let no racism turn me around,” the crowd sang. “I’m gonna keep on walking, keep on talking, walking up to freedom land.
Credit: BRANDON BELL / Getty Images
10. Activists protest oil sands pipeline
Police in riot gear arrested environmental activists at the Line 3 oil sands pipeline pumping station near the Itasca State Park in Minnesota in early June.
Environmentalists and Indigenous groups have been fighting the $4 billion Line 3 oil pipeline for years.
Credit: KEREM YUCEL / Getty Images
11. Keystone XL pipeline shuts down
In June, after Indigenous tribes, local environmentalists, and ranchers rallied together for more than a decade against the Keystone XL pipeline, the pipeline’s developer pulled the plug. The pipeline, 300 miles of which had already been built, was to transport oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
“It’s a great day for Mother Earth,” said Larry Wright Jr., chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, according to NPR.
Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images
12. Marching for trans youth
Demonstrators gathered in New York in June for the Brooklyn Liberation March in support of Black trans and gender-nonconforming youth. They carried signs that said “Protect Trans Youth,” “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Trans Youth Power.” The march was in response to a slew of state laws targeting trans youth, blocking them from healthcare access and school sports.
Marchers gather in prayer at the Brooklyn Liberation event. Credit: Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images
13. High school grad tells his coming out story
A high school valedictorian continued to tell his coming out story and talk about his struggles with mental health during his graduation speech in June even after the principal tried to stop him by crumpling up his prepared remarks. Bryce Dershem of New Jersey said he was glad to recite his speech – which he had memorized – to help people feel less alone.
We’ve got a shocker for you, dear readers: Apple’s next flagship smartphone will be called iPhone 13.
This information, which comes from Economic Daily News (via MacRumors), sounds like the most obvious piece of news ever. There was, however, some speculation that Apple might name its next flagship differently, perhaps due to the connotations of the number 13, which is considered to be an unlucky number in some cultures.
Also, we shouldn’t forget that the current iPhone naming scheme is only two generations old — before iPhone 11 there was iPhone X — so Apple straying from this path wouldn’t be as surprising as it initially may seem.
Still, it wasn’t meant to be. Supply chain sources say the naming scheme will be the same as last year, with Apple launching four new models: the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, the 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max, and the 5.4-inch iPhone mini.
The report also claims that Foxconn will be producing all of the iPhone 13 Pro Max devices, 68 percent of the iPhone 13 devices, and about 60 percent of the iPhone 13 Pro devices, with the rest being built by Luxshare, while Pegatron is exclusively building the iPhone 13 mini.
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The iPhone 13 is widely expected to be a fairly small upgrade compared to the iPhone 12, with a near-identical design, and the same screen sizes, though some of the new models are expected to feature 120Hz displays. Other potential improvements include faster processors, more storage options, a bigger battery, and an improved ultra-wide camera.
None of this is likely to be officially confirmed until the iPhone 13 launches, which will probably happen in September.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994, the first instalment of Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, based on R.L. Stine’s teen horror books, has already landed on Netflix, bringing that ’90s Scream energy back to our long-suppressed VHS nightmares.
Now, in Fear Street Part Two: 1978, to figure out why Shadyside seems to be constantly the target of horrible goings-on, we’re heading back to the late ’70s.
In this film, you’ll head back to 1978, and although Friday the 13th only came out in 1980, we’re getting major Camp Crystal Lake vibes. School’s out in Shadyside, summer has begun, and everyone’s headed for Camp Nightwing. Aaaand it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be exactly the killer summer everyone had in mind.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is now streaming on Netflix. Fear Street Part 2: 1978 premieres on Netflix July 9. Fear Street Part 3: 1666 premieres on Netflix July 16.
If you’re still not quite over hearing Fleabag and Hot Priest utter these devastating words on your TV screen, then we have some news for you.
Show creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge has collaborated with Edinburgh Gin to design a limited edition Fleabag gin bottle that tells the story of one of the best British shows of the 2010s. The bottle is emblazoned with the iconic lines of dialogue from the show’s final episode, to utter into the inevitable G&Ts you’ll be making.
What’s more, 100 percent of the profits will create financial support for emerging artists.
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The hand-draw, screen-printed bottle design was designed by Waller-Bridge and features Fleabag looking into the Edinburgh night sky. A fox represents the show’s truly moving final moments, and the words “I love you,” have been hand-written by Waller-Bridge, while the response “It’ll pass,” has been scrawled by Andrew Scott, who plays Hot Priest.
“If that isn’t incentive enough to hunt one down and hold it against your cheek, I don’t know what is,” Waller-Bridge said in a press statement.
Credit: edinburgh gin
Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, is a significant place to Waller-Bridge as she first performed Fleabag at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013, which led to her rise to fame. The chair on the label is a nod to the bare staging of the original play, which she performed as a one-woman show.
“Gin and theatre are my two great loves. We wanted this bottle to capture a glimpse of Edinburgh in all her mystery and wonder, through the eyes of Fleabag who found her first home there,” said Waller-Bridge. “I hope every purchase inspires outrageous and creative conversations over ice while bringing the beloved Fringe festival back to life.”
As any gin lover will attest, it’s about what’s inside the bottle that really counts. The covetable vessels will be filled with Edinburgh Gin’s Classic London Dry gin, with pinebuds, lavender, mulberries, and citrus botanicals.
Profits from the sales will go towards creating subsidies that will enable the “next generation of talent to return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022,” according to the press release. The distillery hopes to raise £150,000.
Gin-loving Fleabag fans can pre-register on Edinburgh Gin’s website for presale access on July 20. The gin, which is priced at £48 ($66.50) per bottle, will then go on general sale to the public in early August and will be delivered during the festival, which takes place from August 6 to 30.
Scientists are training drones to hunt people down by following the sound of their screaming.
Yes, it does sound like the beginnings of a Terminator/Quiet Place-style dystopia, but it isn’t meant that way. Rather, these drones are intended to save lives.
Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (Fraunhofer FKIE) are developing scream-seeking drones to help rescue workers quickly find people who are trapped or injured in emergency situations. Mounting an array of microphones onto a drone, the researchers can hone in on screams by using processing techniques such as beamforming, which enables the microphones to detect which of them is closest to a sound and then hone in on it.
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Speaking to Mashable via email, researcher Macarena Varela explained that she and colleagues Wulf-Dieter Wirth and Manfred Okum previously developed a similar system in 2016, but it had been too big and heavy to mount on a drone.
“In 2018, Dr Wirth was convinced that we could use MEMS [microelectromechanical system] microphones instead of the traditional condenser microphones, making the system much smaller,” said Varela. “This was the beginning of our dream to be able to mount it on a drone for the purpose of SAR (Search and Rescue).”
The research was presented at the Acoustical Society of America’s 180th meeting in June.
Credit: Macarena Varela
The researchers’ system currently utilises 32 microphones in its array, though Varela notes they haven’t yet experimented to find the minimum number it could use while still being effective. Even so, they consider that more is better in this case.
“Since MEMS microphones are so small and affordable, we are planning to double the amount of microphones in the near future instead of reducing them,” said Varela.
Increasing the number of microphones will allow researchers to more accurately estimate the angle of sounds they detect, as well as pick up audio that is further away. This will enable the drone to determine the location of the victim with increased precision.
“Ideally, to use beamforming techniques, it is practical to use an array of identical microphones delivering synchronous data,” said Varela. “We opted for a very particular array called Crow’s Nest, where all microphones are randomly positioned in a sphere. This type of array provides sound coverage in every direction and [is] equally good in all directions.”
“The data from all microphones is combined, after adding delays or phases to it, in order to achieve the maximum sensitivity for a selected direction, and thus forming a sensitivity beam,” continued Varela. “Then, by varying or scanning the direction, the search for sound sources is achieved.”
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The researchers use the monopulse radar technique to establish the exact angle of the sound. This technique compares at least two simultaneous beams received from slightly different directions, determining which signal is stronger to detect the position of a target.
Valera and her colleagues are currently developing and testing filtering methods in order to reduce noise such as the sound of the drone’s rotor. At the same time, they are also experimenting with various detection methods for picking up the sound of people in distress, including AI and neural networks. For both purposes, Fraunhofer FKIE’s researchers are using an audio database which includes “impulsive sounds…. that victims may produce, such as tapping, clapping and screaming.”
“In previous tests in the lab, we were able to detect impulsive sounds, such as clapping, having rotor noises present,” said Varela. “We are currently processing the data with the drone flying.”
Varela provided Mashable with video demonstrating their ongoing research.
Drones are already used in search and rescue efforts, capable of reaching areas that are difficult to access as well as covering a lot of ground much more quickly than humans or dogs. However, such efforts typically rely on a human monitoring a camera mounted on a drone. Locating victims of a disaster quickly is often critical to their survival, so any technology that helps first responders find them is useful.
It may be some time before we see this system in action, though. Varela says that it “depends on how many hours [she and her colleagues] can work on it.” Testing is still ongoing, and the researchers haven’t had any concrete deadlines. Still, they believe the system has significant potential.
“A big part of the work is to now transfer the methods already implemented on the big system to this smaller one,” said Varela. “Nevertheless, we also face new challenges, such as the drone noise while flying. In other words, we have the expertise in our team, so it’s a matter of time.”
There’s probably a scientific explanation for why we’ve have been so susceptible to a good old-fashioned catchy tune this year. Stripped raw by the trauma and stress of a global pandemic, reduced to a brain-in-a-jar with one hand for constant phone scrolling, unable to process the complex emotions of some of our favourite “real” music, and subjected to the infinite smorgasbord of TikTok sounds, our minds have been easy targets for these sonic remora.
It’s entirely possible that one of these ditties took up residence in your mind’s ears for such an extended period of time that it verged on the traumatic. I apologise in advance for inviting them back in. But that said, please enjoy reliving it all with our list of the most insidious, perfidious, bing-bang-bongiest earworms of 2021 so far.
“Welcome To The Internet” / “Shit” — Bo Burnham
Almost every song from Bo Burnham’s surprise quarantine special Inside could qualify here, if we’re honest. My TikTok For You Page has been riddled with Bo content for weeks now — from the straightforward, relatable lipsyncs to “Shit,” horny clips of “Problematic” and “All Eyes On Me,” and ADHDtok loops of “a little bit of everything all of the time,” to the meta-trend of people realising that not everyone’s FYP is wall-to-wall comedy songs about mental illness and maybe the algorithm is trying to tell them something. (Also, working for a website that covers the tech industry is doubly stressful when I can hear Burnham crooning “Jeffrey Bezos! Jeffrey Bezos!” every time I see a photo of the richest cueball on earth.)
But part of the genius of Burnham’s ode to our collective Year Indoors is the way it captures the manic quality of certain states we all found ourselves in throughout the year. The most devastating songs aren’t necessarily the saddest, but the deceptively perky ones that address the inevitable, mildly hysterical acknowledgement that we’re not in a good place (“Are you feeling what I’m feeling / I haven’t had a shower in the last nine days”) and the loopy, overwhelmed feeling you get around hour five of an idle browse turned solid doomscrolling session (“Here’s a tip for straining pasta / Here’s a 9-year-old who died!”).
If you have one of these stuck in your head, it could be a sign you need to shower, log off, or touch grass — or it could just be that they’re wildly catchy.
“UK, Hun?” — The United Kingdolls / RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
The second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK gave us an absolute smorgasbord of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, but it had absolutely no business dropping a camp banger like this on us when nobody was allowed to go out dancing.
Both teams in the season’s RuRuVision challenge performed the same song, with each queen contributing an original verse — but it was clear after the first performance that the United Kingdolls had delivered not only the winning act of the night, but also the best musical challenge of the franchise in years, period. (Justice for Tia Kofi’s verse from the other version, though.)
That said, everyone responsible for this sing-sang-song ought to be tried at the Hague. I woke up every morning with Lawrence Chaney demanding “Clap for the bing bang BOOOONG!” in my head and went to sleep every night fighting to ignore the constant loop of “Release the beast: BIMINI!” Fully half of the queers I follow on multiple platforms appeared to be genuinely suffering after a full week of this.
“Kiss Me More” — Doja Cat ft. SZA
There are two kinds of people: Those who mumble random noises along with the third verse of “Kiss Me More,” and those who just hear Doja Cat going, “I feel like fuckin’ something,” over and over and over. Pre-vaxed era horniness, encapsulated.
“she stole my broccoli casserole recipe” — Lubalin
Montreal producer, singer, and songwriter Lubalin is a Serious Artist in his own right, but hit the viral jackpot with a series of TikToks where he turned random internet drama — the kind shared around via screenshots on Reddit and Twitter — into The Weeknd-esque dark pop jams. Within weeks of the first (and best) two going viral in the first days of 2021, he was doing the third on The Tonight Show alongside Jimmy Fallon and Alison Brie.
With all due respect to “good evening, is this available,” which is triggered in my brain every time I use Facebook Marketplace, the best remains this ode to boomer Facebook beefs. (The fact that it’s actually from a Facebook group where people role-play as boomers does not lessen its power.)
“good 4 u” — Olivia Rodrigo
The breakout pop star of 2021 had her first big moment at the beginning of the year with “driver’s license,” but it was this Paramore-aping anthem to breakup bitterness that wormed its way into our brains. It took over TikTok as well as the charts, spawning remixes, mashups, and even a version that cuts out the negative self-talk to be a simple affirmation that you’re actually doing great, thanks.
But if you’re just feeling a bit petulant and ragey, the taunting, elliptical melody of “good 4 u” is primed to loop in your head.
“Agatha All Along” — Kathryn Hahn / WandaVision
She’s insidious! And so is her signature song. WandaVision‘s era-hopping sitcom conceit gave us a fun new theme for its show-within-a-show every week. But it was the goofy, extravagant soundtrack to the first MCU Disney+ show’s villain reveal that took over the internet and our minds’ ears. Kathryn Hahn’s series MVP deserved a better arc than she got, but at least she got to live rent-free in our heads for weeks thanks to this brassy banger.
That stomping, shimmying horn part also lent itself well to a trap remix that demands to be yanked onto a mixtape ASAP.
“Edgar’s Prayer” from Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar
The deep silliness of Barb and Star arguably reaches its peak in this emotional number inspired by Kevin Bacon’s angry-dancing scene from Footloose. (See also: “Angry Mad” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for more proof of this moment’s impact.) There’s a hint of Lonely Island’s powerful work with Michael Bolton here, too.
Jamie Dornan, playing the entire film straight as the villain’s lovesick henchman Edgar, belts lines like “Seagulls in the sand, can you hear my prayer?” with full commitment. The song quickly deteriorates into Edgar narrating his own attempts to dance, spin, and climb out his overwhelming feelings. “I’m going up a palm tree like a cat up a palm tree who’s decided to go up a palm tree” — that’s just solid storytelling, right there. Showing and telling. It’s all in good fun, but then you find yourself belting it in the shower a week later and it’s weirdly cathartic.
Let me stop you before you envision a bipedal humanoid carefully dipping a brush into a bottle and lacquering my nails. Instead, the experience felt more like inserting my hand into a 3D printer.
Cameras inside an oversized microwave-like purple box scanned each fingernail. Then a small tube of purple-gray polish that I had loaded into a front-facing compartment like a printer cartridge started “painting” my nails one by one in a circular pattern. But the tube only started painting after I clearly said, “Ready” — or hit a button on the touchscreen — with my hand in position, making sure to keep still. It wasn’t even painting as much as calculated squirting, since there wasn’t a brush.
When robots take over your beauty routine. Credit: Valentin Mahé-Duverger / mashable
After about 10 minutes of inserting and re-inserting my fingers into the machine, my fingertips were neatly and consistently polished. All for under $8.
The process reminded me of those key-copying machines at home improvement stores, where you stick in your key and after some noise and moving parts, you have a new copy. Instead, the key was my finger, and the big box was one of two robots from the robotics company Clockwork.
Clockwork’s “lab,” a storefront in San Francisco’s hip Marina District, is the first known nail salon to feature any robot nail techs. It’s something of a pop-up for at least the next few months as the company tests the machines. Appointments are booked solid into July.
This robotic experience wasn’t devoid of human contact. Far from it. Two Clockwork employees, including the recently hired director of business development and operations, Tracy Torhan, welcomed guests, helped us select from 10 color options (ranging from dark reds to bright blues and greens), and explained how everything worked. If any customers came in with old polish, these two helped remove it.
Near the two humans, the two Clockwork machines sat on tables across from each other. Even though the machines’ screens clearly explain what to do, taking you through each step on how to position your hands and fingers, some guidance from the humans helped things run more smoothly. For instance, when I sat waiting for the tube to start painting but hadn’t pushed my finger far enough into the hand slot, the humans gave a helpful nudge or suggestion: “Just a bit more until you hear the click.” The robot doesn’t have that personal touch.
With 10 fingers, you have enough time to get into the rhythm and cadence of the robotic dance. By the time I inserted my last pinky into the soft plastic strap used to keep each finger in the right spot and grabbed the hand rest that I clicked into place for each finger, I was already envisioning coming back for another manicure. I was impressed, not just with the low price but also the efficiency. It was faster, so exacting, and more consistent, with no stroke lines compared to a traditional manicure.
Eventually I would be a pro, I imagined, with no need for a human to remove the paint for a re-do like I needed on one of my smudged thumbs after the robot painted it. I’d be in and out within roughly 10 minutes, not including the time to let my nails air dry. The next time I wouldn’t be distracted by the novelty of the machine and human-free process. I’d also know how to position my hands so that my painted thumb wouldn’t nick the side of the hand rest in the future.
This is a bare-bones manicure: no pedicures, gel paint, acrylics, designs, or French tips. There’s a single coat of polish, and no nail clipping, trimming, cuticle removal, buffing, or filing. And there are no hand massages with lots of lotion. The nails you came in with will look and feel the same on the way out, just with some color on them.
Enjoy some robotic pampering.
Credit: Valentin Mahé-Duverger / mashable
Ten fingers later, I’m done.
Credit: Valentin Mahé-Duverger / mashable
But the whole thing cost just $7.99, pre-paid online or at the store through a digital wallet. No tip. No awkward money exchange. No stilted small talk. And this is where it gets uncomfortable. It was almost too easy, too fast, too efficient, too cheap. (The workers assured me that each manicure uses a high-quality, though unnamed, polish.)
You’re lucky to find a traditional manicure in a city like San Francisco for $15, not including a tip. It takes time (about an hour) and requires a person to deal with your fingers and nail clippings and the grime underneath your nails. It can be awkward to pay someone to pamper you for this purely aesthetic, unnecessary beauty ritual.
But the nail industry is also a major job source, even if it’s a dangerous workplace, especially for undocumented workers. In New York City alone, there are more than 4,000 salons, according to the New York Nail Salon Workers Association. During the COVID pandemic, as many as 80 percent of nail salon workers in the city didn’t qualify for federal assistance even though most salons shut down, permanently closed, or drastically cut hours, as Allure magazine reported.
Now salons are reopening, and there’s even more competition — from a contact-free nail technician that doesn’t want your tip and isn’t poisoned by salon fumes and chemicals. Automation is coming for more and more jobs in trucking, manufacturing, retail, and healthcare: as many as 20 million by 2030, according to a study from Oxford Economics. For the beauty industry, robots have typically been more involved in cosmetics production as opposed to providing the services. More robots interacting with customers could make nail work healthier by taking the brunt of workplace risks, and yet, what happens to human workers when their jobs are taken over by robot techs?
Clockwork’s CEO Renuka Apte, a Georgia Tech computer science alum with a background in engineering, doesn’t intend to run nail salons out of business or replace human nail workers. Instead, the Bay Area-based company views itself as complementary, for in-between appointments. In the New York Times, the CEO called her service “minicures.” Clockwork claims it could be incorporated into a salon, working alongside nail workers for touch-ups and quick re-colorings. The lab location in SF is more about proof-of-concept than a long-term salon setup.
Ideally, Clockwork wants other businesses (whether they be traditional beauty salons or apartment buildings looking to offer better amenities) to lease or buy its manicure machines.
Pick a color for the robo-manicure. Credit:
Clockwork —formerly known as Marionet AI when it first formed as a beauty tech company in 2017 — recently emerged out of stealth mode after raising its first round of $3 million from Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Initialized Capital. Now it’s anything but stealthy.
TikToks, Instagrams, YouTube videos, and selfies of robo-painted nails are peppering the internet and blowing up discussions about our inevitable robot takeover. The robotic nail salon even made it onto a recent episode of NPR’s weekend quiz show, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” as a part of a limerick clue: “When your fingers come out, they’ll look so hot…manicures done by a robot.”
Other nail tech is popping up, but that’s more focused on the at-home experience, like the ManiMe app that ships custom 3D-printed nail stickers after photographing your hands. Or the Nimble home manicure machine with a robotic arm that brushes on polish; it’s already fully backed on Kickstarter.
A steady stream of passersby stopped by during my Friday afternoon appointment to check out what was behind the sign in the window that read, “The First Robot Manicure for Unstoppable Humans.”
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The company keeps collected camera footage of your fingernails for about 24 hours, but that’s to train and improve the machine-learning algorithm. As the bot made its public debut less than two months ago, it’s still learning more about different types of nail shapes, sizes, and lengths. Each day Clockwork engineers overview what mistakes and issues came up from the “lab” appointments, like when a nail needed to be repainted because of a missing spot or uneven painting. Data from my manicure should help with future shorter nails after the machine glossed a small smudge onto my fingertips beyond the nails.
If you get a million app notifications a day, and have become numb to the important ones, iOS 15’s Notification Summary feature is about to be your new best friend.
Notification Summary will let you zero in on what you might call your “important-but-overwhelming-due-to-constant-pestering” apps, and receive a summary report of their notifications for you to review at a time of your own choosing. By default, you’ll get your report twice a day, but you can opt to see it anywhere from once to 12 times a day.
To get your personalized app updates in a format that won’t immediately induce a headache, follow this step-by-step guide.
1. Go to Settings, and tap on Notifications
Searching through the many iPhone settings can sometimes be a long haul. Luckily, the Notifications settings are right near the top of the list.
2. Tap “Scheduled Summary”
And our luck continues! The “Scheduled Summary” feature is also near the top of the Notifications settings, right under “Show Previews.”
3. Toggle on the feature
If this is your first time setting up your summary, the next screen should also be very simple: just one toggle button. Tap it, watch it go green, and an Apple pop-up instruction box should appear.
4. Follow the prompts and choose your preferred summary schedule
You’ll only see this screen the first time you set up Notification Summary.
Credit: screenshot: apple
Not sure why you would want 12 summaries a day, but this is where you could add them all.
Credit: screenshot: apple
The initial setup screen will show time options for a first and second daily summary. Choose your times, and tap on the red minus button if you only want one summary per day, or the blue plus button if you want more than two per day.
5. Choose what apps you want summarized
The next screen will show what apps can be included in the daily summaries. This will include both system apps, like Phone and Messages, and downloaded apps, like Instagram and TikTok.
If there’s an app you want included in your summary but don’t see on the list, make sure you have allowed that individual app to send notifications. To check this, go back to the general Notifications settings, and scroll down to the specific app.
6. Edit as you please
If you later decide you don’t want scheduled summaries, want different apps included in the summaries, or want them delivered at different times, you can edit all of this in the Scheduled Summary settings menu. This will now display when you tap on “Scheduled Summary,” since you have completed the initial setup.
And there you have it! You now have slightly more control over how often your phone bugs you, and you can rest easy knowing that you won’t miss anything important.
Sometimes feedback in the form of comments is welcome on Facebook posts. Other times, not so much. For those moments you may be wondering how to turn off commenting on your Facebook posts, the short answer is: You can’t. Facebook states: “Unfortunately, the functionality to disable comments on your posts is not currently available. Anyone included in the privacy setting of your post will be able to view, like, and comment on your post.”
You can, however, stop commenting on posts in a Facebook group page. Bear in mind, you must be a group admin or a moderator of the group to turn off commenting on a post in a group.
How to turn off comments on a Facebook group post
It’s a quick and simple job to turn off comments on a Facebook group post. Simply click on the three dots icon at the top right of the post.
From the options that pop up, tap on “Turn off commenting.” Comments will now be disabled.
How to hide posts from a certain person or people
While you can’t turn off comments outright in non-group posts, there are some other workarounds. If you have a particular person, or people, who regularly make annoying comments on your posts, it is possible to hide your posts from them. Here’s what to do:
When you create a post, look for the “Friends” dropdown menu underneath your name.
Limit who can see your post on your Facebook. Credit: screenshot: amy-mae turner
Click this. In the window that pops up, look for the “Friends except…” option.
Select “Friends except” to limit who can see your Facebook post. Credit: SCREENSHOT: AMY-MAE TURNER
Click this, and select the person or people you want to hide the post from.
How to hide comments containing certain words from your profile
Another thing you can do for your personal Facebook profile is to hide comments containing certain words. You can generate a personalized list of up to 1,000 words which, if someone uses one or more of them in a comment, will result in the comment automatically being hidden.
To set this up, click on the triangular icon at the top right of your Facebook and select “Settings and privacy.”
In the “Settings and privacy” menu, select “Settings.” Now look to the left of your screen and select “Profile and tagging.” In the “Viewing and sharing” section, look for the option to “Hide comments containing certain words from your profile.” Click “Edit.”
This gives you the option to “choose a list of words, phrases, or emojis that you want to hide from your profile.” Enter your undesirable words in the text box, and click “Save.”
Now, if anyone comments on any of your Facebook posts and uses one of those words or phrases, the comment will automatically be hidden from you and everyone else. Only the person who posted the comment will still be able to see it.
The obvious hack here: If you enter a ton of commonly used words as your words that mean the comment gets hidden, it’s unlikely that many comments will pass your filter.
