TL;DR: Get five years of flowkey Classic for $59.97 (reg. $899), including interactive piano lessons, real-time note feedback, and more than 1,000 classical and public-domain songs.

A piano teacher can tell you when you've hit the wrong note, but scheduling regular lessons isn't always convenient. — Read the rest

The post Your piano-playing ambitions could use this $60 learning app appeared first on Boing Boing.

A stolen painting was identified at Parma's annual antiquity fair by cops using AI software trained on photos of missing works.

the police system flagged one of the snapshots with an alert signal: a painting of a young, fair-skinned woman wearing aquamarine and red, holding up a half-unravelled parchment scroll.

— Read the rest

The post Italian police use AI to identify stolen painting at antiquities fair appeared first on Boing Boing.

Trillium Asset Management wants Microsoft to explain how it will meet its 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets, and is backing a shareholder proposal to request this information at the firm's next shareholder meeting.

The cloud and software biz set itself lofty environmental goals back in 2020, aiming to be become "carbon-negative" by 2030, and to have removed the equivalent of all the carbon it has ever emitted by 2050.

But since the start of the decade, an explosion in AI development and demand for ever more complex models has seen a boom in demand for high-performance compute infrastructure and a construction wave to deliver new datacenters to house it all in.

Microsoft is one of the firms to profit from this huge demand, with its cloud division making $214.4 billion in revenue for the fiscal year 2026 ended June 30, a 27 percent year-on-year increase.

This has also caused Microsoft's emissions to head in the wrong direction, with figures from the company's most recent Environmental Sustainability Report showing that these have increased from 13 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 2020 to 20 million tons in 2025.

However, Microsoft estimates that without the carbon reduction initiatives it has already put in place, emissions would now be much higher, somewhere near 34 million tons.

The increase is largely accounted for by indirect emissions (Scope 3) from the construction and provisioning of datacenters to meet that demand for cloud services and AI training. But as The Register pointed out, 2025 saw a growing contribution from Scope 2, due to generation of energy the company purchased. This represents 13 percent of total emissions - up from 2 percent in 2024.

Now Trillium Asset Management, financial advisors specializing in sustainable and responsible investing, is urging Microsoft shareholders to vote for Proposal 4 during their annual meeting scheduled for December 8.

In an SEC filing, the proposal asks Microsoft to disclose additional information illustrating how it will manage climate commitments. This disclosure should go beyond existing disclosures, at reasonable cost, omitting proprietary information, and be made annually.

The proposal notes that when Microsoft first announced its carbon negative goal, it said progress required "not just a bold goal but a detailed plan," and that transparency was one of the guiding principles for this climate plan.

It states that emissions are now 62 percent above the 2020 baseline, and simply asks Microsoft to apply the principles it articulated in 2020; show the plan, be candid about the math, and explain how it will adapt.

In the filing, Trillium warns that falling short of its climate targets may create risk to Microsoft's credibility, which can influence investor trust. If Microsoft is in danger of failing to meet its 2030 commitments, it could suffer reputational harm, and the filing claims it is already the subject of legal action by investors alleging insufficient disclosure of its AI and cloud spending.

On the flip side, it says that disclosure of a climate transition plan will likely prove valuable to large institutional investors who view climate change as a systemic risk to future economic growth.

We asked Microsoft for comment, but it already recommended in another SEC filing that shareholders vote against the proposal, arguing it fails to show that Microsoft's existing disclosures are insufficient for investors to assess its climate-related strategy and performance.

Instead, the firm says that the proposal requests a collection of new disclosures that go beyond not just legal and regulatory requirements, but also established voluntary climate-reporting frameworks.

The proposal seeks hypothetical scenarios, contingency plans and other forward-looking information that is inherently uncertain and subject to change, Microsoft states, saying it will remain focused on its Sustainability Report and other environmental reporting while meeting any new disclosure mandates that may arise globally. ®

Anna Gomez is the only Democrat at the current FCC because Republicans simply refuse to seat any new ones (or even formally renew her term, which technically was supposed to end over the summer). And while Gomez may not have much voting authority, she's done a good job criticizing the Brendan Carr-run agency for its endless First Amendment-trampling censorship efforts.

As we've all seen in vivid detail, America's corporate media giants have been utterly feckless cowards during America's dance with authoritarianism. Most media giants are far more interested in tax cuts, deregulation, and getting their giant and pointless mergers approved than they are in pesky things like human lives, public safety, civil rights, and democratic norms.

But as Trump's health and political power have begun to fade, you'll occasionally see media giants show some backbone (see: ABC's lawsuit against the FCC for repeated First Amendment violations).

Last week, Brendan Carr began threatening media outlets with costly investigations should they simply report on polls the thin-skinned president doesn't like. In response, Gomez has sent a letter to the National Association of Broadcasters' (NAB) president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt, urging him to find his spine:

News coverage of a poll that doesn't favor a political party is not an invitation to meddle in an election through intimidation.I'm urging the National Association of Broadcasters to stand up to this pressure and make sure every station knows what the law actually requires.

By Ken Hill: 

Hot on the heels of my most recent post about using artificial intelligence as a motorsports coach, I wanted to take a step back and look at how to lap faster using a tried-and-true tool: a simple GPS speed graph. Specifically, my own speed graph.

• Situation

I recently picked up a 2026 BMW S 1000 R, the detuned, more upright sibling of the S 1000 RR. Given my affection for unfaired, higher-handlebar bikes and familiarity with the platform, I was excited to learn if the single-R model could earn a place among my favorites.

I shook down the S 1000 R during a few "Riders Club" days at New Jersey Motorsports Park, hopping on it for a few sessions whenever I could. At the end of the last day, I finally had time for a proper time attack.

Despite the fact that I was still getting familiar with the bike, I met my goal of a sub-1:30 lap: 1:29.63, slightly less than 10 seconds off the overall motorcycle track record. Promising, but I felt more was available. I needed to figure out where the next improvement would come from.

I downloaded the data collected by my AIM Solo DL and started going through it at home in preparation for riding again the following week. Let's pause here, because this is where "I think I can go even quicker" needs to become more focused and specific.

• Evaluation

I compared my 1:29.63 on the S 1000 R with my best lap on the S 1000 RR, which had the same basic setup. That comparison helped identify three likely areas worthy of improvement. Here is the GPS speed graph comparing those laps:

The time delta at the bottom of the graph shows where I gained or lost time on the S 1000 R relative to the S 1000 RR. For this evaluation, I focused on three sections where the gap in time increased significantly:

• Turns 3B-4
• Turns 4-5
• Turns 10-12

There were other differences at various places around the course, but these three sections accounted for the greatest combined loss of time.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: the differences in top speeds. The R produces 45 fewer peak horsepower than the RR, so I couldn't treat every difference in the graph as something to fix with my riding. The bikes are similar, but they highlight opportunities I could act on.

This is key: I didn't need to go faster everywhere. I just needed to keep doing what I was doing where the loss was minimal and concentrate on the aforementioned three sections. Now, with the evaluation complete, I had to determine what to change.

• Methodology

So, why was I losing time in those areas? Cue the racer's excuses. There were a few reasons, but the bottom line was that my exits were lacking in key acceleration areas. I wasn't fully committed to using something the bike did well: leaping off a corner.

I needed that end of day time-attack session. It helped me shift from test rider to racer and push the bike hard enough to see if it was holding me back or if I was holding it back. And yes, I looked through the other available AIM channels.

Those channels reinforced what I needed to work on: me. I needed deliberate exit segments with no pauses in throttle application. That gave me an objective. But "get a better exit" is an outcome. I needed a method I could take back to the track—"how" to do it.

• Process

Looking over the individual laps, the graph highlighted inconsistencies in my slow-point location, especially segments where I was losing the most time. In some corners, I reached the slow point too early and overslowed. In others, I carried it too far and compromised my drive.

Fix: Commit to the proper slow-point locations, setting myself up for stronger overall exits without sacrificing time on entries. Report card: 1) quick but smooth initial throttle, with little or no transition to drive throttle; and 2) getting to wide-open throttle without having to roll out.

• Outcome

Facing the same situation as before, I expected to get one session at the end of the day to make it happen. No changes to the bike, only the rider; I even had the same fuel in the tank. So, how did it go? Pretty darn well: 1:28.46—a 1.2-second drop.

Focusing on those three segments paid off more than I expected. I probably overdid it in a few places, but the results speak for themselves. Plus, there was organic improvement in other sections of the track stemming from that focus.

• Conclusion

Fundamentals over incrementals. With my own data, I identified where I was losing the most time, made a plan, and used real-time report cards for my execution. It wasn't complicated. It wasn't hopeful. It was deliberate technique.

I had prior data from the S 1000 RR to compare with that of the S 1000 R, which most certainly shortened the process. But even without that data, I had other metrics that ultimately could have guided me to the same conclusions.

AI and other forms of detailed analysis can be useful. But before digging into the smallest details, ask yourself, how well am I executing the fundamentals? Keeping it simple can still lead to massive improvements.

About Ken Hill:

Ken Hill is considered the top motorcycle riding coach in the U.S. He bought his first motorcycle at age 30 and began road racing the very same year. Despite the late start, Ken went on to set track records and win class championships before making his professional debut in the AMA Superbike class, where he finished in the top 10 at age 41. Ken's passion for learning and, ultimately, bettering the sport, led him to retire from racing in 2007 and devote himself full-time to coaching. Learn more at khcoaching.com.

The post Ken Hill Coaching: Using Data to Improve Lap Times appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Philip Dizard, who owns Tin's Shanghai Diner with his wife Mercury Tin, has always thought of the Daiquiri as "the bartender's omelette." It's "an incredibly simple thing to make, but a remarkably difficult thing to perfect," says Dizard. "I love that kind of simplicity because it invites an almost endless pursuit of refinement."

That pursuit led Dizard to a process called "densing," which he'd been following online. The technique was developed by Iain McPherson, founder of the lauded Panda & Sons in Edinburgh, Scotland. McPherson is known for his mad-science tinkering and innovation; in his bar lab, dubbed the "Brain Melting Society," he has invented influential techniques like "sous pression," "switching" and "cryo concentration."  

Using a vacuum blender to integrate oils into liquids, densing boosts the texture of drinks. McPherson likens the process to emulsification, but without the need for binders or thickeners, and its effects to fat-washing, though this method captures and retains more aromas. 

"When you express citrus oils over [a Martini or Old-Fashioned], that beautiful orange or lemon aroma is incredibly vibrant at first, but it gradually fades as you drink," he explains. "With densing, we can integrate those oils directly into the spirit, meaning the aroma remains consistent from the first step to the last." There are also visual results from densing: The process creates "that beautiful louche effect you see when adding water to absinthe or non-chill-filtered whisky," he says. Incorporating fats like olive oil plays with color, too, softening a bright red Negroni to a pastel peachy pink, for example. It's an unexpected, but welcome look in a sea of clarified cocktails. 

Here's how it works: Everything goes into the vacuum blender, which is essentially a blender that removes air while blending; this is typically used to prevent oxidation and create smoother, more consistent textures. McPherson says it's important to keep all liquids, fat and spirit, around the same temperature—he suggests between 40 and 60 degrees centigrade, or 104 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit—and that using about 0.5 to 2.5 percent fat is the optimal proportion. After a run (or two or three) of the blender, the fat becomes so wholly absorbed into the spirit that they become one inseparable liquid.

McPherson has been an open book with his techniques. "When I saw some of the videos Iain uploaded online," Dizard recalls, "I sent one to [Tin's bar director Bowen Kirkwood] and said, 'What is a vacuum blender and how fast can we get one?' By the time he responded to my text, I'd already found and bought it."

The Dako-Ri at Tin's.

The Dako-Ri is an ode to Dako Tea, a tea shop that Dizard and Tin visited on their honeymoon in Yunnan, China. It specializes in a drink he calls "remarkable" with tea, honey, lemongrass and aromatic local citrus. To capture the memory of that drink in a Daiquiri, Tin's taps fresh lemongrass in a rum infusion, a syrup made with Mao Jian tea, fresh lime juice and—thanks to densing—olive oil.

Though the Dako-Ri uses a cutting-edge technique, it was important to Dizard to maintain the familiar format of the classic: rum, lime, sugar. "Anything else, and it can be a great drink, but not a Daiquiri," says Dizard. While he did "take a little bit of liberty," he stuck close to the script. The lemongrass infusion brings grassiness and extra brightness, and the tea contributes a toasted sticky rice flavor with a hint of savoriness in the finish. The olive oil provides a beautifully rounded texture.

"Some of the best versions of Daiquiris I've had skew a little sweeter than they technically should be" in order to get the right mouthfeel, says Dizard. On the other hand, "a lot of contemporary interpretations take it really lean, really acidic, often with an ounce of lime to three-quarters of an ounce of sweeter proportions. We flip that… and in combination with the olive oil emulsion, you get both the upfront [and] the acidity."

For the Dako-Ri, Dizard pours all the ingredients into the vacuum blender, then reduces the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber, allowing the oil and other ingredients to emulsify. Dizard uses a one-percent olive oil proportion, by weight, in relation to the infused rum. In the vacuum blender, he sets the mix to have three-minute agitations with 30-second rests in between.

Why not just fat-wash the drink? For one, this method maintains the Daiquiri's acidity. For another, "a fat-wash technique might take 12 to 14 hours, and might leave subtle residue," Dizard says. Densing, meanwhile, "takes about 15 minutes." The team can also produce larger batches of cocktails because the vacuum-blender emulsion creates a more stable, not separated, liquid. "I have a pint-glass tester of dense rum that's been sitting for six months at ambient temperature," says Dizard. "It hasn't changed at all."

A vacuum blender can cost anywhere from $350 to $2,000, but for Dizard, it's a worthy investment. He says the tool could transform prep for other bar teams. Tin's not only uses the blender for its densed Dako-Ri, but also to infuse olive oil into mezcal for its El Popular cocktail. "The prep time, refrigerator time and space and labor time saved is remarkable," says Dizard.

Here are some of our writers' best ways to stay toasty and occupied, even during cold weather, from teas to pajamas

• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

When the weather starts to take a turn for the brisk, the impulse to stay inside and hibernate is nothing new - but there are ways to optimize your time spent inside for maximum coziness and pleasure.

From a limited-edition candle to a plush, furry comforter that does double duty, here are some of the ways our writers stay toasty even when the weather outside turns frightful.

In wet weather, garden snails can seek shelter in letterboxes - and find a feast there waiting for them

We've all heard of snail mail - a term popularised since the advent of electronic mail - but who knew that snails eat mail? It might sound far-fetched but it's true.

We have it on good authority from the ecologist Simon Mustoe, who said snails ate his letter from Sir David Attenborough, a BBC report announcing the closure of a Northumberland Royal Mail postbox because of snails "munching the mail", and desperate people on the forums of the Australian hardware chain Bunnings claiming snails have "a real appetite for postal letters" and can "eat a whole letter in two days".

Melvin West, 70, cut a rare map from a 17th-century atlas at the Caird Library in Greenwich, London, and was sentenced to three years in jail for the theft. But the 1684 map, cut out with a utility knife, has not been recovered, and the presiding judge at Woolwich Crown Court said West had led authorities on a "merry dance" over where it was. — Read the rest

The post Map thief jailed after refusing to show the way appeared first on Boing Boing.

The Atlanta Falcons declined to comment after being contacted regarding its "New PFP" ("new profile picture") on social media, other than to deny that it is an official logo. The design has the same design as the Nazi variant of the German Reichskriegsflagge ("imperial war flag"), but it seems unlikely we'll ever find out how intentional the error was; all we can do is trust that their heart goes out to us all. — Read the rest

The post Atlanta Falcons debuts new profile pic resembling Nazi war flag appeared first on Boing Boing.

China's secretive spaceplane has been spotted in orbit by a US commercial satellite, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

The DIA's report [PDF] warns of developments by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea that allegedly threaten space security, at least from a US perspective. Most of the report details systems still under development, but one image on page 53 stands out: China's spaceplane, snapped in orbit in 2024 by Maxar Technologies.

The image has been seen before; a low-resolution snap from an industry symposium was shared by Bluesky user @dutchspace almost two years ago. However, the higher-resolution image in the DIA report shows more detail. The spaceplane also bears a distinct resemblance to the US Space Force's X-37B.

The uncrewed X-37 began as a NASA project in 1999 before the US Department of Defense took over. After several atmospheric tests with an X-37A variant, the X-37B was launched in 2010. The reusable spaceplane can spend years in orbit, conducting classified activities. So far, it has launched eight times.

According to the DIA's report, China's first spaceplane mission launched in 2020 and remained in orbit for two days. A second, launched in 2022, spent 276 days in orbit, and a third, launched in December 2023, spent 268 days in oribt. The last two missions appeared to include approach and rendezvous tests of objects in orbit.

Russia, memorably, had a spaceplane in the ill-fated Buran, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the US Space Shuttle (although the two were very different beasts from a technical perspective - not least, Buran's orbiter did not carry the engines used to launch it to space).

However, according to the DIA's report, Russia "has made little progress since."

The US recently confirmed that it has weapons in space, and it would be naive not to assume rivals would have their own, whether kinetic or some form of jamming technology.

Earlier this month, Russia's Kosmos-2612 sidled up to the US ICEYE-X36 satellite before retreating. It's unclear whether the intention was an entirely innocent look at a fellow spacecraft or a bit of saber-rattling; it certainly worried US lawmakers. ®

NGOs, civil society and industry call on the European Commission to refrain from reopening the RED legislative framework during the negotiation of the post-2030 energy architecture. Ahead of the Energy Council of 29 October, a group of NGOs, civil society actors and companies are calling on the European Commission and Member ... [continued]

The post The Need for Maintaining Renewable Energy Directive Stability in the Post-2030 Energy Framework appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Canadian prime minister's reckoning with Trumpism in Davos clashes with his attacks on environmental, Indigenous and labour rights

The Canadian prime minister is a hero around the world for his Davos speech that reckoned with a reconfiguration of power in the shadow of Donald Trump.

But at home, Mark Carney is mirroring the US president by radically centralizing power within his office and cabinet and taking a hatchet to dozens of laws protecting environmental, Indigenous and labour rights, all in order to enact his economic agenda.

Shiri Pasternak is an associate professor in criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University and a member of the Infrastructure Beyond Extractivism research team, a collaboration between critical scholars and Indigenous land defenders across North America

Intel has become the latest target for Good Jobs First, which questions why the chipmaker continues to receive tax breaks from key states, long after setting up shop there, and laying off thousands of workers in those regions.

The non-profit organization, which promotes accountability in economic development, says the chipmaker promised billions of dollars in investment and thousands of high-tech jobs for the areas surrounding its manufacturing plants in Hillsboro, Oregon, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Its report, The Bleeding Edge: How the Public Pays the Costs of Intel's Semiconductor Manufacturing, claims that Intel's property tax breaks cost these communities more than $1.2 billion in lost revenue since 2015, and the brunt of the shortfall has largely fallen on schools funded by those local governments.

For Oregon, Good Jobs First says that property tax abatements from Intel's use of the Strategic Investment Program (SIP) exempted it from at least $1.14 billion, while Hillsboro schools lost $891 million in revenue from 2017 through 2025.

During the same timeframe, Intel paid Oregon $552.4 million in fees, or less than a third of the value of its tax breaks.

In New Mexico, the figures are lower, but still significant. The report puts Chipzilla's property tax exemptions from Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) at $99.6 million in foregone revenue since 2017, while Rio Rancho's Public Schools lost an estimated $43.4 million over the same nine-year period. Here, the company paid $41.6 million in required payments in lieu of taxes from 2017 through 2025, shared among affected local governments.

Good Jobs First also notes that despite these subsidies, Intel was awarded billions under the CHIPS Act funding from the US federal government.

However, the situation with that is somewhat complex, as the company secured an initial $7.86 billion under the Biden administration, of which $2.2 billion is believed to have been paid out.

The incoming Trump administration, however, decided to rethink the scheme, and ended up making an $8.9 billion deal for 10 percent of Intel's common stock, made up of the remaining $5.7 billion of the CHIPS Act cash plus an additional $3.2 billion under the Secure Enclave program to make semiconductors for the military.

At the same time, the chipmaker is estimated by Good Jobs First to have laid off more than 4,700 workers at its facilities in Oregon and New Mexico over the past three years, as the company wrestled with restructuring efforts and dramatic losses.

(These are just a fraction of Intel's total layoffs during the period.)

The issue, according to the non-profit, is that these sites are established Intel facilities which the company has operated for decades. They already have the facilities, infrastructure, skilled workers, and other necessities that a new site might require investment for. Are continued tax breaks truly necessary, Good Jobs First asks, or are they just subsidizing business decisions Intel would make anyway?

It says Intel's track record in Oregon and New Mexico should be taken as important lessons for other communities considering becoming a home to semiconductor manufacturing, and recommends questioning whether state and local tax breaks are even necessary.

"Tax incentives are supposed to encourage investment, not provide companies with an ongoing stream of public support for decades," said Good Jobs First Research Analyst and report author Kristan Wong Karinen.

"Intel has received tax breaks at these campuses for generations, and local leaders should be asking hard questions about why those subsidies are still necessary, especially with the billions of dollars in federal grants and tax credits they receive from the CHIPS Act."

We asked Intel for a statement regarding these claims by Good Jobs First, and in response it told us: "Intel works closely with governments in the regions where we operate to leverage incentives that support leading-edge semiconductor R&D and manufacturing. We are not providing additional details beyond what's available in our annual reports."

Recent targets for the non-profit have been datacenters, and the states offering tax incentives for developers and operators to build within their jurisdiction. Some states were losing billions in lost revenue to server farm projects, while others were failing to disclose their tax shortfall. ®

These are easily the most comfortable headphones I've worn. I've literally had them clipped around my ears all day without noticing them.

The good folks at SoundPEATS have sent me their latest cans to wrap around my lugs. I'm a big fan of these new-style "clip on" headphones. Rather than encasing your ears, or sticking way down into the wax-mines, these clip over your ear. It isn't a tight grip like a paperclip - more like the gentle caress of a tender but firm lover who wants only to delicately pinch your ears.

Look - it's hard writing about this stuff, OK?! Grab a pair and try them; you'll see what I mean. Here's a picture of an attractive model to give you an idea.

All the usual things you'd expect from headphones. AAC and SBC audio codecs are standard, it'll also do LDAC - which will get you higher quality but at the expense of battery life and the ability to connect to multiple devices at once.

The case recharges via USB-C, the battery seems fairly chunky and will quick-charges the headphones. 10 minutes in the case will give them 3 hours of playback.

Each clip has a button - you can change what they do in the supplied app.

IPX6 should be good for wearing in the rain, but you can't go swimming in them.

We all know what headphones can do - play audio, provide a microphone, and let you control the audio coming from your device. The CC3 Pro also have a few other smart features.

Like most decent battery-powered headphones, they will automatically switch off after a predetermined period without use.

There's a privacy mode which adds an EQ filter to reduce sound leakage. It works, but does make the sound slightly murkier.

There's a button on each one - you can use the app to set actions for tap, double-tap, triple-tap, and long press.

The case supports wireless charging, so you can chuck it on any charging puck for a quick top-up.

Outstanding. After a few minutes you will genuinely forget that you're wearing them. Shake your head as hard as you like and they will not fall off. Here's a genuine photo of me doing some manly exercises while wearing them.

Excellent - with a couple of caveats. These are open-ear devices. You can hear the world around you. That is by design and is extremely useful if you need to be aware of your surroundings. You can't block out the world or do active noise cancelling. I was not a fan of the default EQ. The bass wasn't bassy enough for me. It's easy enough to change in the app - but that does require a login.

Voice quality when speaking on the phone was also good. The people I spoke to could hear me clearly and with minimal background noise.

Piece of cake. Open the case, press the button on the back, they're ready to pair.

Sound quality was great, my voice transmitted just fine, and I could easily play/pause and adjust the volume.

Again, dead easy. Ubuntu detected and paired with them instantly.

I've complained to SoundPEATS before about their lousy app. The best thing I can say about it is that you don't have to use it. It's handy for downloading the occasional firmware update and fiddling with the setting. But that's about it.

It obnoxiously insists on needing an Internet connection to change some settings. Stuck on a train in the middle of nowhere and want to adjust your EQ? Tough. Similarly, some functionality is gated behind a login wall - such as the custom EQ and custom sound effects.

Thankfully, the rest of the app is fairly simple to use and will work offline. You can adjust what the buttons do, for example:

Weirdly, you can also download other people's EQ settings.

There's also a firmware update and a bunch of other things to flick on and off.

Other than the app, there are a few niggles which are only slightly annoying.

Firstly, they don't pause when you take them out of your ear. That's a feature which was on the first set of SoundPeats I had and is sorely missed.

Secondly, the default sound profile wasn't very bass heavy. A bit of fiddling in the app and they sounded much better.

While they do charge in either slot within the case, they're incompatible with previous SoundPeats cases. The risk with smaller manufacturers like this is that you won't be able to find a cheap replacement case if you need it.

Launch price is about £75 / €80. That's getting towards the upper end of what I think is acceptable for headphones like this.

Readers of this blog can use code PRCC3PRO for an extra 10% off at Amazon UK or other international Amazon stores. The code should work from today until 30th November 2026.

Ultimately, these are ridiculously comfortable headphones. They won't block out the noise of the environment around you - but that's their selling point. You use these while cycling, wandering through the city, or any other time you need to be aware of your surrounding. If you can put up with the slightly shonky app, these are well worth the price.

Many thanks to SoundPeats for the review pair.

Hundreds of spiders decided to hang out on a power line in Indonesia. They wove their webs around the power lines, creating a giant invisible wall where they all stand guard. This scene is an arachnophobe's nightmare.

Seeing this in the daytime would be one thing. — Read the rest

The post Hundreds of spiders turned a power line in Indonesia into a giant web wall appeared first on Boing Boing.

A kind man named John wanted to help the squirrels in his neighborhood feel safe and comfortable. He built squirrel boxes around his neighborhood to serve as homes and shelters for local squirrels. The squirrel boxes are simple wood shelters that the squirrels can freely enter and exit as they wish. — Read the rest

The post A man built cozy squirrel boxes with cameras inside, and the squirrels love them appeared first on Boing Boing.

The series of photos shows what a particularly cold district in Vorkuta, Russia looks like in the dead of winter. The images at the beginning of the series show a town covered in a heavy blanket of snow, with only slivers of cars and buildings visible. — Read the rest

The post Photos show bedrooms in an Arctic Russian town filled with icicles appeared first on Boing Boing.