This is a video of Queen’s 1975 banger of all bangers ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ being performed by the 102,974 people who attended concerts of the Australian band Pub Choir over the past 2.5 years, where the band had each audience sing a line from the song (apparently that guy in the bottom left didn’t listen to what he was singing). Put all those lines together, and this is what you get. Also, I assume 102,974 is the total number of tickets sold to all their concerts? But what if some of those people were just mouthing the words because they can’t stand the sound of their own voice? “Are you projecting?” I’m never not projecting.

A U.S. senator introduced a bill on Friday that would direct the Commerce Department to require location verification mechanisms for export-controlled AI chips, in an effort to curb China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology. From a report: Called the “Chip Security Act,” the bill calls for AI chips under export regulations, and products containing those chips, to be fitted with location-tracking systems to help detect diversion, smuggling or other unauthorized use of the product.

“With these enhanced security measures, we can continue to expand access to U.S. technology without compromising our national security,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said. The bill also calls for companies exporting the AI chips to report to the Bureau of Industry and Security if their products have been diverted away from their intended location or subject to tampering attempts.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Chrome on Android can be a bit much. It’s undeniably a heavy browser, with not that many features to boot. There’s no built-in reading mode, no ad-blocker, no tab management, no VPN, nothing. Chrome isn’t even that customizable.

If you want more from your Android browser, you’re not wrong. If you’re willing to switch to a third-party browser, you can get a browser that’s faster than Chrome, uses less resources, provides all those features I just talked about, and more.

There are many options to choose from, but here are my top 5 picks for Chrome alternatives, depending on what kind of user you are.

Vivaldi: Best for large screen devices

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Vivaldi is a fast and stable browser with desktop-style tabs that are perfect for those with large phones. With this app, you get a scrolling tab bar featuring full titles, right in the tab bar. No need to tap a button to switch to different tabs or manage them.

Instead, you’ll find a horizontally scrolling list of tabs. Though, you can turn it off as well, if you wish. And like most Android browsers, you can choose to keep the tab bar at the top, or the bottom of the screen. Vivaldi also supports this tab layout on larger screens, so if you’re using an Android tablet, or a foldable, this might be the right browser for you.

Vivaldi’s Android browser syncs with the desktop counterpart, and like the desktop app, it offers ad-blocking and tracker-blocking options by default. You also get speed dial, search engine shortcuts, reading list and themes.

Other than that Vivaldi is quite light, and the interface is also easy to use. There is no AI agent here, no free VPN, no news feed that you need to disable.

Firefox: Best for adding functionality

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Firefox is the only browser on this list that supports extensions. This instantly makes Firefox the best pick with it comes to customization.

The Firefox app for Android is quite capable by itself. It’s fast, simple, and the easy to use. Using Firefox Sync you can access all your Firefox tabs (or any other Firefox-based browser) on your Android smartphone. The same goes for passwords too.

Firefox also features Collections, which is their own feature for manually grouping tabs in the tab switcher. The tab bar supports a nice gesture, where you can swipe left or right to switch between the recently used tabs (like how you swipe between apps using the Home bar).

But, as I mentioned, the main feature, are the Extensions. The Dark Reader extension will enable dark mode for any website, uBlock Origin will bring a fast and efficient ad blocker to Firefox, Bitwarden’s extension brings in autofill passwords, and more. There are extensions for tracking prices online, downloading videos from YouTube, and more.

Though, you don’t need to worry with most of them. Just adding a couple of extensions like uBlock Origin and Dark Reader will improve your browsing experience by a noticeable margin.

Brave: Best for privacy

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Brave is known for its privacy and security, and the Android browser is no different. Brave is faster compared to Chrome, and blocks ads and trackers by default, there’s no need to enable a setting for it, or to set things up. By default, Brave uses its own Brave search engine, which is also private by default, and uses its own custom search engine instead of using third-party data.

Brave offers a lot of extra features, but they are all disabled by default. You can enable a private news feed if you want. And while Brave as its own AI bot Leo and its own paid VPN, but are tucked away in the menu, easy to ignore.

There’s an experimental Night mode that will automatically invert the colors on all website, giving them a dark background, and light text. Brave also features group tabs for easier tab management.

Via: Best for older devices

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Via is a minimalist and light browser, designed to run well on any Android device. The browser weighs just 1.5 MB, making it idea of devices with limited storage. It also works well on devices with limited amount of RAM.

Via is a barebones browser. It opens to a minimal start page, and there are no news feeds or shortcuts. It does have a really simple tab management feature, and the tab bar can be found at the bottom of the screen.

The app has built-in ad blocking, and there’s an option to edit and customize the ad blocking filters as well. There is a reader mode, and even a night mode that inverts the colors on all websites.

Overall, if you’re tired of the bloatware from Chrome, or if you have an older device where Chrome just drags on way too much, Via is the browser you should be looking into.

Opera: Best for managing tab overload

Credit: Khamosh Pathak

Opera browser for Android is all about features. There’s a built-in reader mode, an ad-blocker that’s enabled by default, a free VPN service, a customizable address bar that you can dock to the bottom of the screen.

Opera puts its Arai AI front and center, reserving a slot in the toolbar. But you can edit it out easily.

Just like Vivaldi, there’s an option to enable desktop style tabs, that you can swipe through. And tabs is what Opera really specializes in. There’s support for tab islands, where Opera automatically groups and color codes multiple web pages from the same site. When you go into the tab switcher, you’ll find three different layout options: Carousel, Grid, and List. The Carousel option lets you quickly scroll between open tab groups and tabs. You are free to drag and drop tabs between the groups to rearrange them.

If you use Opera on the desktop, the tabs from your computer can show up on Android, and you can use the Flow feature to share links, files and notes between all your devices.

Software firm 37signals is completing its migration from AWS to on-premises infrastructure, expecting to save $1.3 million annually on storage costs alone. CTO David Heinemeier Hansson announced the company has begun migrating 18 petabytes of data from Amazon S3 to Pure Storage arrays costing $1.5 million upfront but only $200,000 yearly to operate.

AWS waived $250,000 in data egress fees for the transition, which will allow 37signals to completely delete its AWS account this summer. The company has already slashed $2 million in annual costs after replacing cloud compute with $700,000 worth of Dell servers in 2024. “Cloud can be a good choice in certain circumstances, but the industry pulled a fast one convincing everyone it’s the only way,” wrote Hansson, who began the repatriation effort in 2022 after discovering their annual AWS bill exceeded $3.2 million.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Our hearts beat faster when we exercise, which is why heart rate training can be so useful. But when we aren’t doing anything, our heart rate can still be useful to know. If you have a wearable that measures your resting heart rate (RHR), here’s how to understand what it’s telling you. 

What is a normal resting heart rate? 

Medical professionals usually consider anything between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) to be a “normal” resting heart rate. But they are usually measuring resting heart rate in people who are in a healthcare setting, sitting quietly. Notably, they are awake, and some may be a bit nervous about being in a doctor’s office. 

Your smartwatch or other wearable device may be able to capture lower numbers, especially if you wear it while you’re sleeping. Oura, maker of smart rings, reports that its members tend to have a resting heart rate between 50 and 60 bpm. Whoop says that its users average 59 bpm for women, 55 for men. 

Users of Oura, Whoop, and similar devices probably have lower than average heart rates, because these platforms are popular among athletes and the health-conscious. The more typical 60 to 100 figure is meant to apply to the entire population a healthcare professional might encounter. So it’s OK if you’re not hitting those lower numbers. 

A lower resting heart rate is usually better

Athletes and people in good cardiovascular health tend to have lower resting heart rates. People who improve their cardio fitness tend to see their resting heart rate decrease over time, and that’s often considered a good sign that what you’re doing is working. 

In the short term, a heart rate a few beats higher than your usual may mean: 

• You are stressed, either mentally or physically (for example, fatigued from hard workouts)

• You’re in your follicular phase, if you’re a person with a menstrual cycle

• You’re getting sick

• You’re taking medication that affects your resting heart rate (including some stimulants and decongestants)

• Something disrupted your sleep, if your RHR is measured during sleep—for example, drinking and staying up late can both result in a higher RHR reading. 

I find resting heart rate (along with HRV, which is different) to be a useful number to track for understanding how stressed or recovered my body is. If it goes up, that’s fine, so long as it comes back down within a few days. A resting heart rate that stays elevated for weeks may indicate illness or other issues that may call for medical attention.

Why you shouldn’t compare your resting heart rate to others’

As tempting as it is to want a “good” resting heart rate, it’s not useful to treat RHR as a competition. People are built differently, and just as your friend might be taller or shorter than you, they may have a naturally higher or lower heart rate, even before you take fitness or health factors into account. 

In general, smaller people tend to have slightly higher resting heart rates, which is why the average RHR for women is a few beats higher than the average man’s. Resting heart rates can also change with age, increasing slightly in early adulthood and then leveling off. (Note that your resting heart rate doesn’t necessarily say anything about your maximum heart rate or exercise heart rate, which I discuss in more detail here.)

If you’re using a watch or wearable to tell you your resting heart rate, there’s also a difference from device to device. When I wore five different devices to track my RHR and HRV for several nights in a row, the Fitbit gave a resting heart rate number that was often 10 beats higher than the reading from Oura. The other devices—a Garmin, a Whoop, and an Apple Watch—were in between. 

Ultimately, the best way to use your RHR data is to keep an eye on long- and short-term trends. If your RHR is lowering gradually over time as you exercise a little more, that’s a good sign. And when it varies from day to day, you can use those changes as a nudge to check in on your health, stress, fatigue, and sleep. And of course, if you’re ever concerned about your heart rate being unusually high or low, check with a medical professional.

A comprehensive analysis in Science Advances reveals that humans have explored less than 0.001% of the deep seafloor — an area equivalent to merely one-tenth the size of Belgium. Oceanographer Katherine Bell and colleagues at the Ocean Discovery League compiled data from approximately 44,000 deep-sea dives conducted between 1958 and 2024, finding that expeditions have concentrated overwhelmingly around waters near the United States, Japan, and New Zealand.

The study exposes significant gaps in ocean exploration, with vast regions — particularly the Indian Ocean — remaining virtually untouched by direct observation. Much of the existing dive data remains inaccessible to scientists, locked away by private companies.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

President Donald Trump said he is killing a broadband grant program that was authorized by Congress, claiming that the Digital Equity Act of 2021 is racist and unconstitutional.

“I have spoken with my wonderful Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, and we agree that the Biden/Harris so-called ‘Digital Equity Act’ is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL. No more woke handouts based on race! The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post yesterday.

The Digital Equity Act provided $2.75 billion for three grant programs. As a National Telecommunications and Information Administration webpage says, the grants “aim to ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”

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A quick public service announcement: Mother’s Day is this Sunday. If this holiday snuck up on you again this year (I’m in the same boat), it’s not too late to grab a thoughtful gift. Here’s a list of gift ideas for the chef, baker, coffee connoisseur, and everyone in between. While you may not have time to get something engraved or monogrammed, these gifts still say “You deserve to do more of what you love.” 

The vendors listed below offer expedited shipping so your gift will arrive on time. Just make sure to check the two-day shipping option during checkout. 

Ironwood Gourmet 28218 Square Charleston End Grain Chef’s Board , Acacia Wood 14″ Square

$44.28
at Amazon

$47.98
Save $3.70

$44.28
at Amazon

$47.98
Save $3.70

Saint Germain Bakery Premium Round Bread Banneton Basket with Liner – Perfect Brotform Proofing Basket for Making Beautiful Bread (10 inch)

$12.99
at Amazon

$14.99
Save $2.00

$12.99
at Amazon

$14.99
Save $2.00

Wüsthof Gourmet 3-Piece Chef’s Knife Set, Black, Silver

$144.62
at Amazon

$144.62
at Amazon

All-Clad HA1 Hard Anodized Non Stick Fry Pan Set 3 Piece, 8, 10, 12 Inch, Induction, Oven Broiler Safe 500F, Lid Safe 350F, Skillets, Frying Pans w/ Lid, Pots and Pans Set Non Stick, Cookware, Black

$149.99
at Amazon

$149.99
at Amazon

WALDWERK Mortar and Pestle – Mortar and Pestle Set with Anti-Scratch Oak Wood Base – Mortar with Extra Large Pestle Made of Natural Granite – Large Mortar and Pestle – Ideal for Guacamole

$49.90
at Amazon

$49.90
at Amazon

Farberware Build-A-Board Bamboo Cutting Board with Built-in Compartments and Clear Locking Lid with Navy Handles, Perfect for Charcuterie, Snacks, and More

$25.99
at Amazon

$34.99
Save $9.00

$25.99
at Amazon

$34.99
Save $9.00

End-grain wood cutting block

Maybe you’ve watched your mom slowly wear down that thin plastic cutting mat, or you’ve seen her eyeing those fancy cutting blocks at Home Depot but never buying one for herself. Anyone who cooks a lot at home deserves to have great tools to work with. Hardwood cutting boards are a thoughtful way to step up from the worn out plastic ones, and the end-grain cutting blocks are a real treat for the knives. Prized among chefs for their durability without damaging a knife’s edge, end-grain wood boards are a worthwhile investment. (They’ll last a while too, if you care for them correctly.)

Bread banneton

It’s 2025 now, and anyone who hates sourdough bread-baking has long since given up, but there are some home cooks who found a new best friend (and they feed and discard it every day). For the mothers who love their “mother,” a bread banneton will be a practical gift that everyone can benefit from when the pain au levain comes out of the oven. 

A reliable meat thermometer

You’d be surprised how much easier it is to assess if a roast is finished cooking when you use a meat thermometer. Okay, maybe that’s no surprise for you, but your mother might very well be impressed by the new confidence that comes with a proper meat thermometer. I’m a big fan of the Thermapen One, which gives you a reading in one second and has a light up digital screen.

A good set of knives

My mom manages to cook up a storm with the dullest knives I’ve ever seen. While avid cooks may just need to sharpen their knives, it’s important that said knives also don’t suck. Instead of resorting to the mysterious knife block gift set—half of the set never gets touched anyway—choose a set with fewer, more useful blades. This set from Wüsthof includes only the important knives—a chef’s knife, utility knife, and a bread knife. 

Espresso machine

Coffee-loving parents who have been fussing around with the same irritable drip machine or espresso pods are long overdue for an upgrade. Having an espresso machine used to mean dealing with a noisy, bulky contraption, but they’ve since become more compact and intuitive.

New cookware

A new set of pots and pans is always a good idea. It may come as a surprise to your mom that the bald spot of scraped off non-stick coating in the middle of her pots is a sign they should be replaced. Treat her to a set of cookware that’s made to last, like this All-Clad set.

A mortar and pestle

Electronics aren’t for everyone. In fact, cooking can be a meditative way of working purposefully with your own two hands. A medium-sized mortar and pestle is a great size for small jobs like grinding popcorn spices, and making larger recipes like guacamole.

Picnic accessories

Some folks aren’t makers—they’re enjoy-ers. For parents who like to get out and enjoy good weather with some snacks, picnic accessories are just the thing. This portable charcuterie board packs up securely with a clip-on lid and has adjustable compartments so you can keep your snacks organized. Keep the lid handy between snacking sessions so you can keep away the little buggies that try to share the blanket with you. 

CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that became a household name after causing a massive global IT outage last year, has announced it will cut 5% of its workforce in part due to “AI efficiency.” From a report: In a note to staff earlier this week, released in stock market filings in the US, CrowdStrike’s chief executive, George Kurtz, announced that 500 positions, or 5% of its workforce, would be cut globally, citing AI efficiencies created in the business.

“We’re operating in a market and technology inflection point, with AI reshaping every industry, accelerating threats, and evolving customer needs,” he said. Kurtz said AI “flattens our hiring curve, and helps us innovate from idea to product faster,” adding it “drives efficiencies across both the front and back office. AI is a force multiplier throughout the business,” he said. Other reasons for the cuts included market demand for sustained growth and expanding the product offering.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.