With last month’s Katsucon in Washington D.C., the cosplay year is officially begun. As ever, Kotaku’s roving photographer Mineralblu was at the event to capture the most impressive fits, as well as make an always-entertaining video of the event.
The bizarre move came as the franchise made its fully animated theatrical debut with The Day the Earth Blew Up this past weekend.
A .htpasswd file typically creates and updates stored usernames and passwords for HTTP users using HTTP authentication. You must create a .htpasswd file to secure the website’s content, whether the primary URL or some subdirectory. Only authorized users will be able to access the website’s source. The username and password in the file are inline, separated by a colon. The username is stored in plain text, and the password is hashed, usually with MD5 encryption.
The post How to Create and Use .htpasswd appeared first on Linux Today.
Things might get wild, so better make sure your bags and your other valuables have an ultra-reliable tracker attached.
Shave 20% off the price of the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for a limited time at Amazon.
I don’t blame you if you believe all M. Night Shyamalan movies are just 90-minute setups for a twist you never saw coming (and probably didn’t want to see). I wouldn’t blame you because the man has revealed a child’s closest confidant was actually dead the entire time, the old couple watching a young brother and…
Teslas were once a green status symbol. Donald Trump’s second term is changing that.
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As you embark on this year’s spring cleaning, take it seriously. Upgrade your supplies and tools so you can do the best possible job. Some of the tools I’ve featured here save you time, some of these get your stuff even cleaner, and some of them will save you money by reducing the single-use products you rely on. When it’s time for spring cleaning, these are a good jumping-off point to get your home in order and keep it in order.
Around your kitchen, it might be time to replace the tools that will help you clean everything from the floor to the countertops. In this room, everything gets dirty way faster than you expect it, so it’s important to have the tools to help you keep the mess at bay. Regular old brooms and mops are fine, but a little upgrade can make a big difference as you’re following my room-by-room cleaning checklist.
It’s time to invest in a mop bucket with a wringing attachment, but as it turns out, it’s not a huge investment at all: The O-Cedar set is reasonably priced (and includes a cloth mop and refill head, too). You can also use the wringer on washcloths before you clean with them so you’re not getting your granite or hardwood too wet.
Or check out this mop option that combines old-school techniques with a modern, eco-friendly approach: The Joymoop mop and bucket set features a flat head similar to the Swiffer, but you put reusable fabric pads on it and wring them out in the accompanying bucket. The bucket has a wet and dry chamber so you can squeeze dirty water out away from the clean stuff.
While you’re at it, upgrade your Swiffer, too. I recommend the WetJet over the PowerMop, but take your time considering the two options, both of which include built-in bottles of spray solution that make mopping absurdly easy.
If you’re using a Swiffer, this is the perfect time to invest in some reusable Swiffer pads so you have something dependable for spring cleaning and are set up all year. There are a few third-party options on the market, but your best bet is this set of four microfiber mop heads with an elastic band that helps them stay snug around the head of the device.
Another superior broom swap is the silicone sweeper set from Helio Air. You get a long-handled and handheld broom, but instead of bristles, these have silicone wipers similar to squeegees, making it easy to sweep up everything from debris to liquid.
If you really want to upgrade your cleaning—not only in the kitchen, but everywhere in your home—I can’t say enough good things about the Bissell CrossWave OmniForce, a multi-surface wet/dry vacuum that has revolutionized how I clean my floors. You can use it just as a powerful vacuum or with the mop function, which also still features suction, and with its decently long-lasting charge of half an hour or so, it speeds up the process of managing carpets, rugs, and hardwood tremendously. I always get all my surfaces done in well under the 30 minutes.
The living room presents its own set of cleaning challenges, ones that require all kinds of cleaning tools and techniques to keep it looking presentable. Your spring cleaning here is going to involve a lot of vacuuming, dusting, and refreshing of upholstery, which is all pretty basic, but to kick it up a notch, try these:
Pick up a blinds cleaner to easily clean between individual blinds on your window. You can also use tongs with microfiber cloths rubberbanded around the sides, but isn’t having a specific device a little more elegant?
Upgrade your lint roller to the Chom Chom roller, which captures hair and lint in an internal chamber, making it easy to clean out like a vacuum. It never needs refills and can be used over and over again.
This is also where I’m going to make yet another vacuum suggestion: If you don’t have a robot vacuum, get one now in honor of spring cleaning. You have a lot of options here that run across a spectrum of prices well into $1,000+ territory, but I’ve had an OKP robot vacuum for two years and love it. The brand usually charges between $125 and $150 for its devices, they connect to your phone with an app, and they work just right. I let mine roam around while I clean other things and it makes life a lot simpler by capturing dirt and dust and minimizing the effort I need to use when I pull out my Bissell.
Bathrooms are the dirtiest rooms in the home, so they require the most work to clean. You have plenty of tools for the task, but some could probably use a little update.
Stop using an old toothbrush to scrub nooks and crannies when you could be using a special gap-cleaning brush, like this one from Rienar. Unlike the poor old toothbrush that’s become your go-to scrubber, the handle on this is actually designed for you to scrub things, plus the bristles are really long, so you can get into cracks more easily.
Upgrade how you clean the shower altogether with a cordless spin scrubber that revolves 500 times per minute and features a long pole that will stop you from ever needing to crouch down and try to scrub the inside of your shower again. It has brush heads to clean everything from tile to windows.
Leave streaky glass cleaner behind with the cordless window vacuum from Sharper Image. You fill it with water, spray that water onto your glass, then suck it into a separate reservoir for dirty water. It comes with a removable, washable filter and an extension handle for larger surfaces.
Since upgrading my regular old melamine sponge to the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy, I’ve been consistently impressed with how much faster and more efficiently I can scrub. I use it to remove sticky adhesive, tub rings, and basically any mess I come across. Obviously, it’s ideal for the bathroom, but works well in kitchen situations, too, so it’s a lucky thing you get five in a pack.
Finally, consider some double-concentrated cleaner. I love my 2x-concentrated Pine Sol and Fabuloso because they reduce the effort I need to use when I’m scrubbing. I’ve tested them out on all kinds of grime, comparing them to the standard versions (which don’t actually cost significantly less!) and can say with confidence they really do bust through messes quicker.
Alphabet is spinning out laser-based Internet company Taara from its “moonshot” incubator, hoping to turbocharge the start-up that provides high-bandwidth services to hard-to-reach areas in competition with Elon Musk’s Starlink network of satellites.
Taara is the latest project to spring from X—Alphabet’s experimental hub that produced AI lab Google Brain and Waymo’s self-driving cars—and has its origins in a concept called Loon. That envisaged shooting beams of light between thousands of balloons floating on the edge of space to provide phone and Internet services across remote areas.
Loon was wound up in 2021 due to the political and regulatory hurdles to flying the balloons and the difficulty of servicing the 20-mile-high equipment. However, its lasers found a second life on Taara’s towers under engineer Mahesh Krishnaswamy.
Qualcomm unveiled its next generation of processors for gaming handhelds at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Monday. Fortunately, it isn’t all just dry specs; the chip-maker also previewed some of its partners’ portable consoles that the new silicon will power. These include new models from Ayaneo, OneXSugar and Retroid Pocket.
The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 (the flagship processor) has 30 percent faster CPU performance and 28 percent faster graphics than its Gen 2 predecessor. The new silicon supports up to QHD+ 144Hz displays, Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen lighting tech and Wi-Fi 7.
Meanwhile, the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 may be the mid-range option, but it has the biggest performance jump of the trio: 2.3 times faster CPU and 3.8 times faster GPU speeds than the G2 Gen 1. It, too, supports up to 144Hz on QHD+ displays.
Finally, the G1 Gen 2 is the entry-level processor — not something you’d want in a hardcore portable but ideal for strictly cloud-streaming (devices like the Logitech G Cloud) or emulation handhelds. It supports up to 120Hz on FHD+ screens.
Now for the fun part: Qualcomm’s hardware partners are teasing upcoming devices powered by the new silicon. On the other hand, we don’t yet have pricing info or firm shipping dates for any of these models.
Ayaneo’s Pocket S2 uses the high-end chip (G3 Gen 3) and has a 6.3-inch, 2K “ultra-clear” display. It has a higher battery capacity than the Pocket S and a better cooling system. You won’t have to wait long for this one because it arrives this month.
The OneXSugar Sugar 1 is a dual-screen (Nintendo DS-style) foldable console. But it also transforms: You can detach its smaller screen and (from the looks of it) reattach the controller to the larger display for a more Switch-like form factor. It’s an interesting setup, to say the least. It will be available for pre-order in May also runs the high-end Qualcomm processor.
Meanwhile, the Ayaneo Gaming Pad will also run on the flagship Snapdragon G3 Gen silicon. This device looks like an iPad mini with controllers gripped onto each side and has an 8.3-inch LCD with 2K resolution at 120Hz. It also includes an “esports-grade turbo fan” and a “high-capacity battery.” It launches in May.
Finally, the Retroid Pocket PR Classic uses the G1 Gen 2 silicon. This Game Boy-esque retro emulation portable has a 1080 x 1240 AMOLED screen (up to 500 nits brightness), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 5,000mAh battery and active cooling. You can pre-order it this month.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/next-gen-snapdragon-g-series-chips-will-power-handhelds-from-ayaneo-onexsugar-and-retroid-pocket-131733930.html?src=rss
Snap’s subscription-based AR glasses have additional capabilities for developers to use in making new kinds of experiences.
Software running on Snap’s Spectacles can now detect a held phone as well as use GPS and compass headings. The latest version of the glasses released six months ago with a $100 per month subscription program for developers (and now $50 for educators), and lens-makers have shown interesting ideas for the 5th generation eyewear, like Peridot virtual pets and a piano learning app.
Snap’s latest updates for the device include a sample project called NavigatAR from Utopia Labs that demonstrates how the new features can be used for navigation software. Meanwhile, Peridot is beginning to add promised multiplayer features which allow glasses owners to get their pet together with a friend’s pet in the same session.
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“This update also connects Spectacles and the Peridot mobile game, allowing progression within the AR glasses experience to reward you on mobile,” Snap announced.
Other new features include an AR keyboard for text input, leaderboards, the recognition of a grab gesture and “refinements to targeting intent to reduce false positives while typing.”
Snap calls apps for the glasses lenses, and a new one called Doggo Quest from Wabisabi “gamifies the dog walking experience, using SnapML to recognize your pup and overlay visual effects.”
Snap also revealed it would be teaming with a group called Lenslist to distribute “over” $20,000 monthly to the developers of “10 different projects, including the top 5 new Lenses, top 5 updated Lenses, and top open source Lens.” Snap says developers can submit starting in April for May prizes, with winners announced on the first business day following the 15th of each month.
Last week, the maker of Peridot separated from the development group behind Pokemon Go. The newly formed Niantic Spatial is owned by existing investors and led by John Hanke with $250 million in startup funds, and they’re also the group now developing Peridot. Essentially, the separation frees Niantic Spatial to focus on adding new features to the tiny creatures as a “best-in-class” application for limited field of view AR glasses, built on top of the group’s spatial technology, which includes a “proprietary database of 30 billion posed images”.
I called the creatures a “perfect fit” for the Spectacles at release because I could imagine an entire operating system growing out of peridots and your interactions with them. Imagine, for instance, telling your tiny friend on the ground where you want to go next and then just following him to his destination.
Meta continues to hit the accelerator on technology to pack into socially acceptable AR glasses. Meanwhile, Snap and partners like Niantic Spatial continue to develop complementary ideas toward the same end goal, with today’s latest updates illustrating steady progress.
Brink Traveler’s latest update takes you to Lake Tahoe and showcases a new foliage rendering system.
The post My favorite Quest travel app gets an impressive foliage rendering system appeared first on MIXED Reality News.
Pine64 has launched an updated version of the PineTab-V RISC-V tablet with the same StarFive JH7110 SoC, 8GB RAM, and 128GB eMMC flash, but a few small hardware changes, and a Debian-based Linux image maintained by StarFive themselves.
Plus, how Avengers: Doomsday will be a ‘new beginning’ for the MCU.
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In addition to checklists, tips, and tricks that can elevate your tidying game this spring, you’re going to need products. It’s a good idea to stock up so that once you get going, you know you won’t have to take any breaks to gather missing reinforcements.
The products can help you do more than clean, though—they can even make cleaning easier and more fun, which is good news for those of us who don’t love cleaning up. If you’re like me and find cleaning more monotonous than fulfilling, why not use some tools that can make the endeavor easier?
Cleaning the kitchen can be more daunting than other spots around the house because not doing it well it can have real effects on your health. That doesn’t mean, however, that it has to be a slog. There are some creative tools out there that can help you whip your kitchen into shape in no time.
Kick off the entire spring cleaning season by upgrading your vacuum, which will come in handy around the kitchen, yes, but the whole house, too. I have two suggestions: First, you can’t go wrong with a robot vacuum, which can end up doing a huge chunk of the floor-cleaning work for you while you focus on other things. I have one from OKP that works just fine, but you also have the option to really level up with automatic devices that can both vacuum and mop, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra.
That leads me to your second option, which costs significantly less than the $1,700 you’d spend on the above. The Bissell CrossWave OmniForce is a dual vacuum/mop that, yes, you have to operate yourself, but it will clean the hell out of your floor. This is what I use when I’m cleaning my own home and since I started being able to mop and vacuum at the same time, I’ll never go back to the old way. Devices like this might cost more than your standard broom or Swiffer, but they’re innovative, easy to use, and more effective, too—which is what you need for spring cleaning.
For more innovation, ease of use, and efficiency in your kitchen, consider these other tools and gadgets:
The Topist Angry Mama microwave cleaner is a fun device that steams your microwave for you. Just fill it with vinegar and water and nuke it for seven minutes to let it do the dirty work on your behalf. It’s shaped like an angry lady, which is whimsical, and handles the job of getting stuck-on gunk un-stuck while you work on something else.
The EyeVac Home touchless stationary vacuum is like a dust pan, but way cooler. You sweep all your crumbs, dirt, debris, and junk over to the suction device and it sucks it up with 1,000 watts of power. Check out this video for a review and to see it in action. Keep in mind that you do need to clean the filters pretty regularly. An investment like this can be helpful in a garage or storage space, too, making it an all-around spring cleaning win.
To use the above, you’ll need a good broom, but you should get a cool, multifunction one, like the TikTok-famous, fan-favorite Broombi, a long-handled squeegee that makes quick work of pet hair, dust, and grime in a way traditional bristles can’t. This is a better option than bulkier brooms on the market because it can serve more purposes: It can more effectively corral wet or gooey messes on hard floors, in addition to dry ones, and can also fit more easily under appliances.
The bathroom can get truly filthy, so it’s also where you’ll really need to get creative. No worries: There are plenty of cool tools out there to help you get this done.
Stop hand-scrubbing everything—you have better options. For one, you can get a 20-pack of these drill brush attachments, which attach directly to your electric drill and can buff, brush, scour, and polish using the drill’s power instead of your own.
Or try a designated electric scrubber brush, a long-handled scrubber that is always going viral on TikTok for its ease of use in getting the grime out of grout, tile, and more.
Another popular tool on TikTok is the robot window-cleaning vacuum, which sticks to windows and mirrors and mimics the motions of a human hand. Your shower doors, mirrors, and windows all around the house will thank you. Try the FMART T9pro as a cheaper gateway to the world of robot glass cleaning, but know you may eventually love it so much you level up to more expensive ones, like the EVOVACS Winbot W1 Pro, which has quick cleaning, deep cleaning, and spot-stain removal modes.
Make cleaning your toilet quicker and, if you can believe it, cuter with this stamp-on deodorizing gel. Stick a flower-shaped stamp to the side of the toilet bowl and every time you flush, it’ll clean a little bit and release a nice scent. You can even put stamps in your sinks to keep them smelling fresh, too. I’ve used these a few times and find them helpful, but for what it’s worth, ahead of my spring cleaning, I’m waiting on some dissolvable toilet-cleaning sheets to see if I like them better. Again, they’re a lot easier to use than a big scrubbing brush. All you have to do is flush.
Cleaning the living room might be the most fulfilling, since you get to chill there and enjoy the fruits of your labor afterward. Double that fulfillment by making it fun with these tools.
The FURemover pet hair broom is described by its fans as a “life changer” and if you watch some demos, you’ll see why: It acts like an indoor rake, easily pulling pet fur and human hair out of carpets and upholstery so you can finally get rid of it.
To quickly clean hard floors and have some fun doing it (or at least more fun than you do with your regular mop), try mopping slippers that allow you to glide or shuffle around, using the microfiber soles to scrub and dry your floor as you go.
Your kids can get in on the action (and stay distracted while you clean) with the KIDSCLEANCAR, a little go-kart that uses paper towels to mop or dry as kids scoot around. I don’t have any kids, but if I did, I’d put them to work like this. In demos, reviewers call it “genius.”
To tackle your window blinds, grab the Hiware duster brush, a zany-looking device that uses multiple prongs and speciallydesigned microfiber covers to get into all the cracks that normally take forever to clear out by hand.
There are some innovative cleaning products out there that are just, well, cleaning products. They’re not necessarily as amusing to look at or use as the Angry Mama, nor are they as genius as a go-kart that puts your kids to work, but they work better, faster, or harder than other products, which can cut down the time you have to devote to this whole endeavor. After some rigorous testing, I recommend all-purpose cleaner that is labeled “2x concentrated,” especially Pine Sol and Fabuloso. These cut through dirt a lot faster than the regular formulations, smell just as good, and, typically don’t cost much more (if any more) money.
If you read enough of my cleaning content, you’ll also soon come to find I am a big fan of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy, which is a melamine sponge like the regular Magic Eraser, except it has pods of soap inside. I use this for everything. I have used it to power through adhesive and goo, clean under my appliances, and so much more.
Snap, the company behind Snapchat, introduced its fifth-gen Spectacles AR glasses six months ago, and now the company is releasing a number of new features that aim to improve geo-located AR experiences.
Released in September 2024, Spectacles are still very much a developer kit—the AR glasses only have 45 minutes of standalone battery power—although Snap is one of the few companies out there actively engaging developers to build the sort of mainstay content you might find on the all-day consumer AR glasses of the near future.
While we’re not there yet, Snap announced that developers can start building Lenses (apps) integrating data from GPS, GNSS, compass heading, and custom locations, essentially giving devs access to geo-location data for better outdoor AR experiences.
Snap has highlighted a few sample Lenses to show off the integration, including Utopia Labs’ NavigatAR, which guide users with Snap Map Tiles, and Path Pioneer, which lets users create AR walking courses.
Geo-location data also helped Niantic bring multiplayer to Peridot Beyond, its AR pet simulator exclusively for Spectacles. The recent update also connects Spectacles with the mobile version of Peridot, allowing progression within the AR glasses experience to carry over to mobile.
Similarly, Snap has also worked with Wabisabi to integrate its machine learning model SnapML into Doggo Quest, the gamified dog-walking AR app, letting you overlay digital effects on your pooch as it tracks metrics such as routes and step counts.
Today’s update comes with a few more platform features too, including the ability to easily add leaderboards to Lenses, an AR keyboard for hand-tracked text input, and improved ability to open Lens links from messaging threads.
The update also features three new hand-tracking capabilities—phone detector to identify when a user has a phone in their hands, grab gesture, and refinements to targeting intent to reduce false positives while typing.
Additionally, Snap is kicking off a ‘Spectacles Community Challenges’ on April 1st that lets teams win cash prizes for submitting new or updating existing Lenses, which are judged on engagement, technical excellence, and Lens quality. The company says that each month it’s going to give out over $20,000 to the top five new Lenses, the top five updated Lenses, and top open source Lens.
This follows Snap’s recent bid to bring Spectacles to more than just developers. In January, Snap announced it was making the the fifth-gen device more affordable to students and teachers, bringing the price down to $594 for 12 months of subscription-free access, then $49.50 per month afterward for continued use of the headset.
While Snap’s Spectacles remain a developer-focused device, these updates signal the company’s long-term ambition for mainstream AR adoption, where it will notably be competing with companies like Meta, Apple and Google. Better geo-located experiences are undoubtedly a vital piece of the puzzle to making AR glasses a daily necessity rather than a niche tool.
The post Snap Spectacles Offer a Peek into All-day AR with New Geo-location Platform Update appeared first on Road to VR.
Raspberry Pi last year announced the RP2350 second-generation micro-controller that debuted within their $5 Raspberry Pi Pico 2 single board computer. Today they announced the RP2350 micro-controller is now available to purchase for your own micro-controller needs…