Tag: noise

After 17 Years OS X Notifier App ‘Growl’ Retired

Growl is being retired after surviving for 17 years. Its page on GitHub explains: Growl is a notification system for OS X. Growl has been around since 2004, and was originally called Global Notifications Center. The name was changed to Growl (like the noise a dog makes) since we felt the name Notifications Center was too geeky. We were wrong about…

Indian Coding Startup WhiteHat Jr Sues Critics

Karan Bajaj, an Indian entrepreneur who teaches meditation and in his recent book invites others to live a life away from the noise, is going after the most vocal critics of his startup. From a report: Bajaj, founder of coding platform WhiteHat Jr, has filed a defamation case against Pradeep Poonia, an engineer who has publicly criticized the firm for its…

Twitch Users Protest Its DMCA Policy By Streaming Videos With Homemade Sound Effects

Wednesday Twitch warned its users to delete any videos containing copyrighted music. PC Gamer reports on what happened next: Since October, Twitch has been deleting significant quantities of videos over copyright claims, leaving the affected streamers with no way to respond or issue counter-claims. Twitch eventually explained that the number of DMCA notifications it receives from major record labels has surged,…

Google’s SoundFilter AI Separates Any Sound or Voice From Mixed-Audio Recordings

Researchers at Google claim to have developed a machine learning model that can separate a sound source from noisy, single-channel audio based on only a short sample of the target source. In a paper [PDF], they say their SoundFilter system can be tuned to filter arbitrary sound sources, even those it hasn’t seen during training. From a report: The researchers believe…

Novel quantum dots facilitate coupling to quantum memory systems

Researchers at the University of Basel and Ruhr-Universität Bochum have realized quantum dots—tiny semiconductor nanostructures—that emit light close to the red part of the spectrum with ultra-low background noise. Quantum dots might one day constitute the basis for quantum computers; the light particles, also called photons, would then serve as information carriers. Quantum dots with adequate optical properties had previously only…

MIT Team’s Cough Detector Identifies 97% of COVID-19 Cases Even In Asymptomatic People

Scientists from MIT have developed a new AI model that can detect COVID-19 from a simple forced cough. ScienceAlert reports: Evidence shows that the AI can spot differences in coughing that can’t be heard with the human ear, and if the detection system can be incorporated into a device like a smartphone, the research team thinks it could become a useful…

Apple Says Some AirPods Pro Have Sound Problems, Will Replace For Free

Apple said on Friday that it’s replacing AirPods Pro headphones that have sound problems. CNBC reports: These problems include a static or crackling sound that increases in loud environments and issues with active noise cancellation. Apple said AirPods Pro made after October 2020 don’t have the problems. Owners who experience problems can contact Apple online or make an appointment at an…

Hydrogen-Powered Train Makes Its First Trip in the UK

“Trials of a hydrogen-powered train are underway in the U.K.,” reports CNBC:
The HydroFLEX train — which has been developed by a team from the University of Birmingham and Porterbrook, a rolling stock firm — uses a fuel-cell which combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, heat and water… It’s hoped that the technology will be available to retrofit trains already in…

YouTubers Are Upscaling the Past To 4K. Historians Want Them To Stop

YouTubers are using AI to bring history to life. But historians argue the process is nonsense. From a report: The first time you see Denis Shiryaev’s videos, they feel pretty miraculous. You can walk through New York as it was in 1911, or ride on Wuppertal’s flying train at the turn of the 20th century, or witness the birth of the…