There can be few better feelings in life than riding an e-bike around town on a sun-drenched summer weekend. Yeah sex is cool, but have you tried coasting almost effortlessly at the perfect speed past shops and cafes and parks and sweltering sidewalks, natural AC blasting your body, tunes in your open earbuds, smartphone strapped on the handlebars, barely pedaling, no particular place to go, anywhere in a 60-mile radius your oyster?

I had this sensation testing the $1,900 Aventon Aventure, one of 2021’s most hotly-anticipated e-bikes, and the feeling has been a long time coming. The Aventure is the first e-bike I’ve ridden at length since I spent a whole year doing a full experiential review of the $4,000 Gazelle CityZen. That review ended right before the pandemic, during which I focused on running. Which is also cool, but tends to limit your world to the surrounding 10 miles or so.

Locked down for so long, I hadn’t experienced the miles of sexy green protected bike lanes my neighboring city of Oakland has installed (and some of which its DOT is now threatening to rip out). This was now e-bike heaven: All the vibrant culture and food of what we affectionately call Oaktown, starting to open up again after a tough year, and you’re rolling past it faster than a lot of the traffic, but in the open air, where you can make eye contact, and smile, and stop at a sidewalk BBQ place, and chat with the flirty counter person about the Aventure’s eye-grabbing fat tire design.

I’m not alone in enjoying what you could call Hot Cycle Summer. E-bike sales spiked to record highs in 2020, with imports doubling and the U.S.’ largest independent e-bike retailer selling out multiple times. In the UK, where e-bikes are hotter than EVs, one sells every three minutes. In the U.S., it’s more than one per minute. And though America is lagging in its bike infrastructure, cities around the world are turning into cycle-friendly utopias that put even Oaktown to shame — most notably Paris, through which you can now take a dedicated cycleway along the Seine all the way to the Normandy coast.

The Aventon Aventure presented some issues we’ll get into, not least the dumb name that had me saying “no, no, Ah-venture” to multiple curious passers-by. But while I wouldn’t buy one myself — same as I concluded with the pricier CityZen — it’s going to be great for some people in some circumstances. And the point is this: We should all be joining the e-bike revolution ASAP. It’s one of the best things individuals can buy for a warming planet with increasing climate emergencies, as well as the best way to see the reopening world. It doesn’t matter which one you choose; it matters that you choose, and then that you lobby your government hard for more places to ride on it.

As a record heatwave hit the west coast, the Aventure at least encouraged to start shopping for my perfect e-bike now. Here, from my casual rider’s experience with polar-opposite types, are the main points I’ll be bearing in mind.

1. It really is a seasonal thing.

I can hear the outrage from extreme cyclists now: What are you talking about? We commute every weekday and hit the trails every weekend, rain or shine! Pipe down Lycra, I’m not talking about you. I speak for the bike-curious, the trepidatious majority. In a survey for Oakland’s bike lane master plan, 56 percent of people wanted to bike but only 11 percent were “strong and fearless” or “excited and confident.” The rest of us are “interested but concerned.” We’re the ones who might buy an e-bike but stick it in the garage when colder weather arrives. Even in the supremely temperate Bay Area, I feel no need to get on two wheels when the thermometer dips below 60 Fahrenheit.

And is that such a bad thing? So long as you budget for a bike you’re only going to use half the year (or join one of the increasingly cool e-bike sharing schemes), there’s no shame in getting back into your car in the winter. One of the most potent promises of e-bike world is that it can help cure our addiction to emissions-spiking summer AC. This I discovered on the hottest day of 2019 with the CityZen: Even my swamp cooler at full tilt was no match for the cooling relief of going outside and hurtling down hills at 25 MPH (then using electric power to get back up them: wash, rinse, repeat).

Don’t be sad when Hot Cycle Summer is over. Be happy it happened, and will again, and that it can help save the world while raising our smile quotas.

2. You don’t need that much power.

There is a fine line between e-bicycle and e-motorbike, and the Aventon Aventure sidles right up to it. There’s a throttle on the handlebar, like a demon on your shoulder, offering you the opportunity to go up to 20 MPH without pedaling. My advice: Don’t touch it. The sudden lurch isn’t worth it, especially in a bike lane situation where there might be a car door opening in your future. Save it for emergencies, like if you’re out on the open road, or tired on your final uphill.

Same advice goes for pedal assist levels 3 through 5, pretty much. I didn’t like the way they made the bike lurch after a four-way stop, or the motor noise they made, or the exercise they took away. According to my Apple Watch, the average heart rate on my summer rides so far hasn’t exceeded 100. Which is fine — all workouts are good but I never slipped into the effortless cardio-boosting feeling from my CityZen year that I described as “my heart is beating happy.”

3. Fat tires feel great. But the weight!

Credit to the Aventon Aventure: its fat tires made Oakland feel like all the streets had been repaved instead of just optimized for bikes. I love me some good road bike, but it’s hard to ignore the bone-rattling sensation you get from the average city street on thin tires. There are pot holes in the Bay Area that feel like tiny concussions.

In theory, the Aventure’s fat tires should have made them great for bike trails too. In practice … well, as I discovered minutes before leaving on a vacation to the bike-trail-filled land of California’s High Sierras, they were literally too fat for my car’s bike rack. So “in practice” will have to wait until I find some other way of transporting them up there. Amtrak, maybe?

In 2019 I complained about the CityZen’s unwieldy 50-pound weight, which made it a pain to take on and off public transit. The Aventure weighs a CityZen and a half at 75 pounds. Even walking it across a street can feel like a haul. Sure, there are plenty of situations where the weight won’t matter: if you live on the ground floor next to a long stretch of beach road, I can imagine this being the perfect boardwalk e-bike. In the city, its heft is kind of a nightmare.

Your mileage may vary. My mileage has me shunning the weight-means-power tradeoff, and looking at the lighter end of the spectrum. Probably not the 19 pound HPS Domestique, 2021’s lightest production e-bike, or Trek’s lightest-ever mountain bike at 34 pounds, both of which just launched for a cool $12,000 apiece. But hopefully something closer to them than to the scales-tilting Aventure.

4. Consider your ass.

Having just slammed some tires for being too fat to fit, let me proudly stand up for the rights of people like myself with larger-than-average posteriors. The Aventure’s saddle feels our pain; it’s heavy but cozy. The upright posture you get from its handlebars is more pleasant, too. I was okay with leaning forward on the CityZen more, but there was no way I was riding on its regular seat, and immediately had it swapped out for the widest thing in the store.

Maybe one day, bike manufacturers will realize that few humans have the tiny butts required for the so-called “standard” road bike saddle.

5. Color screen no, saddlebags yes.

The Aventon Aventure arrived with a color display for your battery percentage and mileage information built in. I do not know why it would do such a thing. In the direct sunlight of Hot Cycle Summer, this screen is harder to read than a regular LCD. The screen caused the only really messy part of my confusing construction process (the Aventure ships partially built to save on costs), as its two tiny screws were missing. And it’s the main thing I worry about when leaving the bike locked up: Some opportunistic asshole with a hex key is going to mistake that for a smartphone.

Same goes for the Aventon app that connects to the bike via Bluetooth. It mostly records rides, something my watch and phone are quite happily doing already.

When thinking about the bells and whistles of the bike, consider what you’ll actually be doing with it. I got used to carrying saddlebags all the time with the CityZen; even if you only plan to ride, you will invariably pass a cool shop, or remember some grocery item you needed, or change plans to something that involves beach towels. The Aventure boasts a a front basket, which I haven’t needed once. Saddlebags are like a bag of holding or a TARDIS; each seems to have infinite internal room and are great for any random side quest.

6. E-bike security varies wildly.

The CityZen had a key that had to be stuck in the bike in order to turn it on, and to eject the battery. The Aventure has a key that has to be stuck in the bike in order to … eject the battery. In theory, a wily thief (who’d gotten past my D-lock) could turn on the bike and ride away for the length of the battery charge (which, given the Aventure’s impressive 720 Wh battery, would likely take them many miles away).

That is, if the wily thief had done what I had to do repeatedly, and Googled the manual to remember which buttons to press in which order and for how many seconds. That’s probably the bike’s best security feature: An annoying user interface.

7. Manufacturers still don’t know their market.

We are still in the very early years of the e-bike revolution. The vast majority of potential buyers are still untapped. For all those can’t-keep-them-in-stock sales, there is not one groundbreaking innovative design that matches the medium and the moment. No Model T Ford, no Tesla of e-bikes has yet taken hold of the market. I like to think that somewhere in some garage an inventor is tinkering with a design that is light and secure with moderately wide tires, a super-cozy newbie-friendly seat and handlebar setup, and plenty of options for low-level pedal assist.

Maybe this combination is impossible to manufacture at scale; maybe we just haven’t thrown enough R&D money at the problem yet. Either way, we have to live in the real and rapidly-warming world. Your e-bike purchase or rideshare subscription isn’t going to be perfect, but it is urgent — especially as we’re nearly halfway through summer already. And who knows: by the end of it, maybe you’ll be filled with the desire to buy lycra and keep going.

The ability to record your iPhone’s screen is super-useful built-in functionality that Apple introduced with iOS 11. Anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running this iOS or later can quickly and easily make a recording of what’s happening on their device’s screen — with or without sound from the microphone — and just as quickly and easily save it to their Camera Roll.

Whether you’re recording your iDevice’s screen for work, fun, or to demonstrate how to do something to a technically challenged friend or family member, here’s the how to on recording your screen for iOS 14, as well as for iOS 13 and earlier.

Setting up screen recording on iOS 13, 12, and 11

As with most iOS adventures, your journey starts in your Settings app. Head there and scroll down to see “Control Center.” Tap this to open the sub-menu.

In the next screen, tap on “Customize Controls.”

The next screen will show you two lists. The first section includes the tools and shortcuts that are currently included in your Control Center set-up; the second list is made up of tools and shortcuts you have the option to add.

If “Screen Recording” is not currently in your “Include” list, scroll down to find it in the second list and tap on the green plus sign icon to the left of it.

You have now added the Screen Recording tool to your iDevice’s Control Center.

Setting up screen recording on iOS 14

To set up Screen Recording on your device running iOS 14 or later, go to your Settings app and tap on the Control Center section. Then tap on “More Controls.” Tap the plus icon add button next to Screen Recording.

Screen Recording on your iDevice

Now that you’ve ensured the Screen Recording functionality has been added to your iDevice’s Control Center, you are good to go with capturing all the action on your screen.

Open your device’s Control Center (which you access by swiping down on the right-hand side of your screen for iOS 14 users or swiping up depending on what iOS you’re running). Tap and hold the round record button.

This brings up a Screen Recording mini menu that gives you some extra options, including the ability to broadcast your Screen Recording to others.

By default your microphone will be set to off, but if you want the microphone to record audio as you’re recording the screen, tap the screen to turn the microphone on. Do be aware that some apps may not allow you to record audio.

Once you hit the “Start Recording” option, everything that happens on your screen will be recorded. This includes notifications, so you may want to consider putting your device into airplane mode if you don’t want anything to pop up during your recording session.

We all love settling down for a marathon streaming session, right? Lining up all your favourite snacks and drinks, surrounding yourself with cushions and blankets, and then spending hours in front of a screen can be a truly therapeutic experience, but there is one big problem with this hobby: There is only a limited amount of content out there to keep you satisfied.

Regular streamers can quickly get to a point when it feels like there’s nothing left to watch, and what are you supposed to do then? Don’t panic, because there is a simple solution to this problem.

If you’ve reached this seemingly hopeless point, you should consider investing in a VPN.

What is a VPN?

VPNs are security tools that provide protection for your information by creating a private network that hides your real IP address. All of your activity is untraceable and secure, because all of your online traffic passes through an encrypted tunnel. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like hackers, viruses, and malware.

The act of hiding your real IP address is what can trick leading streaming sites into thinking you are based in another country.

Why should you consider investing in a VPN?

First and foremost, VPNs are used to provide protection for your sensitive information. This is obviously important, but there’s another reason that VPNs are so popular. These tools can be also be used to watch content that is normally blocked in your location.

By hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in another country, you can watch all your favourite content from that location. For example, you could watch all the extra films and shows on American Netflix that are not usually accessible outside of the U.S. There is so much content out there that can be accessed with the help of a VPN.

We’re all in need of something that can bypass geo-restrictions to access all of this blocked entertainment, and that something is a VPN. These services are kind of like keys to the online world, granting you access to more of the shows and films you love.

How do you use a VPN to unblock Netflix?

If you think the process of accessing American Netflix is going to be tricky with a VPN, think again. It’s actually a really simple process that absolutely everyone can understand.

All you need to do is open up your preferred VPN, select an American server in order to spoof your IP to a U.S. address, and then head to Netflix. This quick and easy action makes Netflix think you’re in the U.S. when you’re actually in the UK, so you can watch all that great content that is normally unavailable. Not too complicated, right?

If you’re worried that this whole thing sounds a bit illegal, then maybe we can reassure you. It’s currently legal to watch Netflix while using a VPN, although we should point out that Netflix states in its terms of service that it may restrict your account without compensation or notice if you are engaged in “improper” use. We’re not entirely sure what that means, but consider yourself warned.

We should make it very clear that you still need to be subscribed to Netflix for this trick to work. A VPN is not going to grant access to the streaming site for free. A VPN provides access to more libraries from around the world, once you’re subscribed.

What is the best VPN for Netflix?

There are a lot of VPN services out there that can effectively unblock American Netflix, but which is the best? There are plenty of strong options for you to consider, but we wouldn’t want you wasting your time checking everything out. To save you time, we’ve handpicked your best options. Each service has a different set of features that will suit some users better than others, and it’s all about finding something that works for you.

It’s difficult to pick the best VPN for accessing American Netflix, but ExpressVPN does stand out from the competition for a number of reasons. It has a streaming-friendly interface, security focused features, and strong connection speeds. All of this provides users with a straightforward and speedy streaming experience. Speed is probably the most important feature to consider when it comes to picking a VPN for streaming. Using a VPN to connect to another country often affects your download speed, which can be devastating when you are trying to binge on your favourite show. We found that using ExpressVPN consistently results in the lowest buffering time when streaming Netflix in 4K. It is however one of the most expensive VPNs.

ExpressVPN is at the top of this list because it combines essential features with impressive results, but it isn’t the only option available to you. We have lined up all the best VPNs for unblocking Netflix, with something for everyone on this list. We’ve highlighted the best deals on the likes of PureVPN, CyberGhost VPN, NordVPN, and ZenMateVPN.

These are the best VPNs for Netflix in 2021.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I love you. It’ll pass.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

It’s been a rough year so far, OK?