Monthly Archives: December 2023

Nike Alphafly 3 Proto lets you run a marathon comfortably and fashionably

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I know a lot of people whose holiday gift wish list would be a pair of sneakers, specifically a pair of Nike sneakers. Those who are too old for Santa would probably post their dream sneaks on their social media in the hopes that one of their loved ones would grant their wish. If you’re planning to do a bit of long-distance running, this new pair from Nike is something you can dream about.

Designer: Nike

The Alphafly 3 Proto is created specifically for those who are looking for sneakers that can withstand two-hour marathons and beyond. It has actually been tested by actual marathoners like world record holder Kelvin Kiptum famed middle and long distance runner Sifan Hassan. Nike says these shoes are “fine-tuned for marathon speed” so you can challenge yourself to beat your personal records and if you’re into competitive running, to leave others in the dust.

These sneakers are special because of three kinds of innovative technologies that can power your run (or walk). You get two forefoot Air Zoom units together with the ZoomX foam so you get energized no matter how long you’ve been running. There is also a full-length carbon fiber plate which helps propel your stride. Lastly, you get the heel-to-toe ZoomX foam midsole so you’re still comfortably walking or running whether it’s mile 1 or mile 26.2.

The Alphafly 3 Proto is also the lightest in this line and has an Atomknit upper that will give your feet room to breathe and at the same time have better multidirectional containment. It also has notched laces and an integrated knit tongue with lofted padding. You will have to wait for the new year to get your hands on this pair though as it will only be available by January.

The post Nike Alphafly 3 Proto lets you run a marathon comfortably and fashionably first appeared on Yanko Design.

Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer arrives early, but the game won’t until 2025

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Rockstar has released the trailer of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next game in the blockbuster video game franchise a day earlier than expected. Unfortunately you'll have to wait until at least some point in 2025 to play it. 

It's been a decade since Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto V. While fans have been more than able to keep themselves busy with GTA Online and a few re-releases, they've been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for more single-player action. The wait now has a theoretical end with Rockstar revealing the first official look at the game and a 2025 release window.

As indicated by a recent teaser image, leaks and various rumors, GTA VI will be set in Leonida, Rockstar's take on Florida, and largely centered on Vice City, the series' stand in for Miami. Given that the trailer features a ton of Instagram-style live streaming, GTA VI seems to be a contemporary game, rather than one set in the '80s like 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It remains to be seen if those streams are an integral game mechanic, purely narrative tool or just an aesthetic choice for the trailer, though.

It also appears that the game will have a playable female character, Lucia, for the first time in the modern incarnation of the franchise, just as the rumors predicted. Other highlights of the trailer include Florida's swampy Everglades National Park, an airboat, some wildlife and, of course, a strip club. 

There's almost zero detail about the broader story of GTA VI, other than Lucia being in prison, presumably at the start of the game. But there are plenty of glimpses of the kind of shenanigans you'll be able to get up to, including your usual robberies and car chases. There's also brief shot of an alligator wandering into gas station store — gut instinct says your character might be behind that. Unfortunately it'll be over a year before we know for sure. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rockstar-just-released-a-trailer-for-grand-theft-auto-vi-233306692.html?src=rss

This terracotta chimney gives you the warmth of a fireplace in a small, sustainable package

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Most fireplaces in older apartments have been decommissioned because of how much of a health hazard they are. However, it’s no secret that fire is one of the most effective ways to generate heat, whether it’s for cooking food or for keeping you warm. While the chances of you having a working fireplace in your home are near zero, the folks at NextNova have designed the next best thing – a terracotta heater that uses a unique airflow pattern to create a tower of fire that heats your home while also optionally distributing a fragrance of your choice.

Designer: NextNova

The Tornado combines the charm of a fireplace with the safety of, say, a scented candle. The terracotta-based heater relies on airflow, along with the thermal properties of baked clay to generate radiating heat for both the indoors as well as the outdoors. On the inside, it burns bioethanol using ceramic wool as a substrate, generating heat without any smoke, ash, harmful chemicals, or bad odors. This means you can use the Tornado inside your home without worrying about triggering the fire alarm!

The Tornado comes from the same folks that designed the Egloo, which we dubbed “the world’s most affordable thermostat” back in 2017. Significantly larger than the Egloo, it stands at 17 inches tall, with an internal chamber that creates a large fire vortex that generates much more heat than you would get from the Egloo. In fact, the makers claim it outputs 7000 BTU (British Thermal Units) of heat, allowing it to do the job of a miniature campfire in your room, heating things up without burning any electricity!

The Tornado gets its name from the uniquely tall flame it creates. Strategically placed openings in the sides of the vertical chamber channel air in to amplify the fire, creating a wind vortex that lifts the flame up to 5x higher than usual. This not only increases the Tornado’s heat production, it also makes for a rather alluring display on the front, allowing you to admire the rising flame in all its glory.

Metal components help absorb excess heat, preventing the terracotta shell from cracking.

Once the flame is roaring, it heats the terracotta shell, which then emanates warmth to heat your home. The Tornado’s designed to be used both indoors as well as outdoors, mimicking the effect of a fireplace without the hazards of smoke or a potential disaster. The flame is contained within the Tornado’s secure and stable design. Just remember not to touch it, because it gets pretty hot!

Aside from heating, the Tornado can be used to diffuse aromas too. Just add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice to the ceramic wool, and the heat causes aromatic compounds to enter the air, working the way a scented candle does!

The strategic openings also serve an important purpose in allowing you to light or extinguish your Tornado. The lighting process first starts by lifting up the top hood to reveal the heat-resistant ceramic tray inside, with ceramic wool substrate. Pour your bio-ethanol in before placing the hood back. The openings on the side then let you place a long-neck lighter in to light the fire, or a flame snuffer to extinguish the fire instantaneously.

The Tornado currently finished crowdfunding on Kickstarter, raising an impressive $88,485 from nearly 500 backers. The backers will now get to choose what color they want their Tornado in, ranging from the classic beige and orange, to even colors like white, blue, red, and black!

The post This terracotta chimney gives you the warmth of a fireplace in a small, sustainable package first appeared on Yanko Design.

A Working Gingerbread Instant Camera with a Candy Glass Lens

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The brainchild of Polish photographer Dmitri Tcherbadji, this is a Fujifilm instax SQUARE SQ1 camera that he covered with gingerbread and added a lens made out of candy glass. Could he have actually constructed an entire functional camera out of gingerbread? Don’t be ridiculous. Only Santa’s elves have the skill and dexterity to do that.

According to Dmitri, “the images are very soft, lack contrast, and show lots of other distortions. Still, cranking them out of a piece of bread and sugar never ceases to feel exciting (and a little hilarious). There’s certainly room for improvement. I’ve learned a lot building this, and I will be learning more as I attempt to expose a few more packs of film before breaking it into pieces later with friends.”

He’s going to break and eat the camera when he’s done with it! I mean I was hoping he would, but you never know – some people are wasteful. Me? I eat things. The five-second rule? It’s never been a rule to me!

[via PetaPixel via TechEBlog]

Audio giant Rode acquires rival Mackie to expand its focus on creators

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Audio device leader Rode just acquired rival company Mackie, creating something of a pro audio and streaming powerhouse. Rode used to exclusively deal with pro-level audio devices, like condenser microphones, but has since turned its eye to the growing streaming market. To that end, products like Rode’s PSA1+ boom arm have become fixtures with popular live streamers.

Mackie has taken a similar route. The company made a name for itself during the home recording boom of the 1990s and early 2000s by offering affordable, yet highly functional, mixers, PA systems and related devices. Nowadays, the company has leaned into the streamer/creator space with consumer-grade streaming mixers and monitor controllers, though it still manufactures pro audio gear.

It’s no secret that the streaming space is more lucrative than pro audio. It’s just simple math, as there are more content creators than serious audio engineers. The acquisition puts this new Rode/Mackie behemoth in a great place to compete with companies like Corsair’s Elgato. The Elgato Stream Deck controller has been a massive success, quickly becoming a ubiquitous fixture for podcasters and live streamers alike.

Rode has already made its own inroads in the space, thanks to products like the Rodecaster Pro series of mixing consoles and the Streamer X audio interface. Mackie has similar products, like the M-Caster line of podcast-adjacent mixers. The combined force of both companies could put a major dent in Elgato’s armor and offer more competition to burgeoning rivals like Razer.

As for pro audio, Rode/Mackie aren’t giving up that space anytime soon. If anything, the merger makes them a bigger threat to companies like Shure and Tascam. Rode’s parent company, Freedman Group, says that the merged entity will service “up-and-coming content creators to professionals working in live production and everyone in-between.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio-giant-rode-acquires-rival-mackie-to-expand-its-focus-on-creators-220023691.html?src=rss

Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to an all-time low of $250

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Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale for their lowest price to date at Target and Amazon. Typically $400, you can grab the over-ear cans for an all-time low of $250. Given their supreme comfort, terrific audio and powerful active noise cancellation (ANC), this is a chance to delight the ears of a loved one (or yourself) this holiday season.

The fifth generation of Sony’s (awkwardly named) line of premium wireless headphones has an improved design, slimmer headband and a more modern look than the previous models. They feel better, too, as the redesign’s weight distribution makes them feel substantially lighter and more comfortable than their predecessor despite being only slightly lighter.

The M5 also has upgraded ANC from previous models, doing an even better job of tuning out your surroundings — especially handy for flights, public transportation or other busy environments. Sound quality is also improved, with the headphones’ new 30mm carbon drivers providing punchier bass and more clarity to allow subtle details to shine. The headphones offer an estimated 30-hour battery life, conceivably enough to cover flights from New York to London and back again.

The M5’s $250 price isn’t only an all-time low — it’s about $80 below the headphones’ previous low. The deal is scheduled to expire on Thursday, December 7, so you may want to act quickly if this deal tickles your fancy.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-wh-1000xm5-headphones-are-down-to-an-all-time-low-of-250-214856209.html?src=rss

Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s own solution to transform the Cybertruck into a personal campsite anywhere

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With the Ford’s and the Chevy’s reigning supreme in the country, the Americans love their pick-up trucks. No wonder then that Elon Musk wants to test the waters. He wants to, but not in a routine manner, however, with an angular-designed, stainless-steel Cybertruck instead, which has been more in the controversy than Tesla would want to derive from its immediate and rigorous promotional agenda. Anyway, the Cybertruck launch is a given and we are – like it or not – going to have a, if all is as vouched for, pick-up capable of towing 11,000 pounds on a 340-odd-mile drive on a single charge.

If you’re someone who doesn’t care about what’s said and wants to take the Cybertruck for a spin on arrival, you’d probably want an accessory that would let you stay overnight in the wilderness with your ride that made heads turn on the way. Of course, it would be difficult to trust an aftermarket accessory with a deal like this; Tesla reckons the fact! It is therefore taking orders for a Cybertruck Basecamp Tent, which would turn the Cybertruck bed into a delightful camp on the way.

Designer: Tesla

Created in collaboration with Heimplanet, the Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s solution to make the Cybertruck into a well-crafted camping vehicle. It is made to mount snugly over the truck bed so you get a space for sleeping without it affecting the vehicle’s dive range when you are on the move through rugged terrains.

The Basecamp Tent is made from Kaleidoscope nylon material featuring an ultra-lightweight geodesic airframe design. When you’re at the camp destination of your choosing, you can effortlessly inflate the Basecamp, in minutes, using a provided manual pump and the tent is ready without the installation of any poles or extensions. Within this gray cover crafted with screen windows, you get a mattress for cozying up and access to a truck bed outlet to keep your gadgets juiced up.

The fascinating aspect about the Basecamp still is its extendable awning, which would allow you to spread your living space under a stary night. If the idea of camping in the back of the Cybertruck gets you going, it is the right time to take home the $2,975 Basecamp Tent home. And then to sit back and wait until the Cybertruck hits the market someday!

The post Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s own solution to transform the Cybertruck into a personal campsite anywhere first appeared on Yanko Design.

Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s own solution to transform the Cybertruck into a personal campsite anywhere

Posted on by

With the Ford’s and the Chevy’s reigning supreme in the country, the Americans love their pick-up trucks. No wonder then that Elon Musk wants to test the waters. He wants to, but not in a routine manner, however, with an angular-designed, stainless-steel Cybertruck instead, which has been more in the controversy than Tesla would want to derive from its immediate and rigorous promotional agenda. Anyway, the Cybertruck launch is a given and we are – like it or not – going to have a, if all is as vouched for, pick-up capable of towing 11,000 pounds on a 340-odd-mile drive on a single charge.

If you’re someone who doesn’t care about what’s said and wants to take the Cybertruck for a spin on arrival, you’d probably want an accessory that would let you stay overnight in the wilderness with your ride that made heads turn on the way. Of course, it would be difficult to trust an aftermarket accessory with a deal like this; Tesla reckons the fact! It is therefore taking orders for a Cybertruck Basecamp Tent, which would turn the Cybertruck bed into a delightful camp on the way.

Designer: Tesla

Created in collaboration with Heimplanet, the Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s solution to make the Cybertruck into a well-crafted camping vehicle. It is made to mount snugly over the truck bed so you get a space for sleeping without it affecting the vehicle’s dive range when you are on the move through rugged terrains.

The Basecamp Tent is made from Kaleidoscope nylon material featuring an ultra-lightweight geodesic airframe design. When you’re at the camp destination of your choosing, you can effortlessly inflate the Basecamp, in minutes, using a provided manual pump and the tent is ready without the installation of any poles or extensions. Within this gray cover crafted with screen windows, you get a mattress for cozying up and access to a truck bed outlet to keep your gadgets juiced up.

The fascinating aspect about the Basecamp still is its extendable awning, which would allow you to spread your living space under a stary night. If the idea of camping in the back of the Cybertruck gets you going, it is the right time to take home the $2,975 Basecamp Tent home. And then to sit back and wait until the Cybertruck hits the market someday!

The post Basecamp Tent is Tesla’s own solution to transform the Cybertruck into a personal campsite anywhere first appeared on Yanko Design.

Meta is disconnecting Messenger and Instagram chat later this month

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Meta will soon remove a feature that lets you chat with Facebook friends on Instagram. Starting mid-December, the company will disconnect the cross-platform integration, which it added in 2020. It didn’t provide a reason for doing so, but, as 9to5Google speculates, avoiding regulatory consequences in the EU sounds like a logical motive.

Announced in 2019, the optional cross-platform integration went live a year later, blurring the lines between two of the company’s most popular services. “Just like today you could talk to a Gmail account if you have a Yahoo account, these accounts will be able to talk to each other through the shared protocol that is Messenger,” Messenger VP Loredena Crisan said at the time.

Meta says once “mid-December 2023” rolls around, you’ll no longer be able to start new chats or calls with Facebook friends from Instagram. If you have any existing conversations with Facebook accounts on Instagram, they’ll become read-only. In addition, Facebook accounts will no longer be able to see your activity status or view read receipts. Finally, any existing chats with Facebook accounts won’t move to your inbox on either platform.

The EU designed its landmark Digital Markets Act, passed in 2022, as a deterrent against platform holders from gaining monopoly power (or something close to it). If a company passes a revenue threshold and the European Commission deems the platform overly dominant, it can dole out a maximum penalty of 10 percent of its total global turnover from the previous year. Given the enforcement “stick” this provides the governing body, perhaps Meta saw the writing on the wall and deemed the Instagram / Facebook cross-messaging feature not worth the risk.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-is-disconnecting-messenger-and-instagram-chat-later-this-month-205956880.html?src=rss

ChatGPT says that asking it to repeat words forever is a violation of its terms

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Last week, a team of researchers published a paper showing that it was able to get ChatGPT to inadvertently reveal bits of data including people’s phone numbers, email addresses and dates of birth that it had been trained on by asking it to repeat words “forever”. Doing this now is a violation of ChatGPT’s terms of service, according to a report in 404 Media and Engadget’s own testing.

“This content may violate our content policy or terms of use”, ChatGPT responded to Engadget’s prompt to repeat the word “hello” forever. “If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.”

There’s no language in OpenAI’s content policy, however, that prohibits users from asking the service to repeat words forever, something that 404 Media notes. Under “Terms of Use”, OpenAI states that users may not “use any automated or programmatic method to extract data or output from the Services” — but simply prompting the ChatGPT to repeat word forever is not automation or programmatic. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment from Engadget.

The chatbot’s behavior has pulled back the curtain on the training data that modern AI services are powered by. Critics have accused companies like OpenAI of using enormous amounts of data available on the internet to build proprietary products like ChatGPT without consent from people who own this data and without compensating them.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chatgpt-says-that-asking-it-to-repeat-words-forever-is-a-violation-of-its-terms-202622018.html?src=rss