Uncrowned Guard

44

Like actually singing them?

According to TechRadar, Discord is currently offering a Nitro Basic plan in the UK for $2.99 a month starting today. The plan is currently limited to UK users and is only offered on the desktop app. Discord appears to be planning to bring the plan to iOS next but overall we do not have any released windows. TL:DR: Currently only in the UK and planned for iOS next. Costs $2.99 a month (at least for now). Gives users custom and animated emojis. Also provides increased upload size, special stickers, and a special badge. The plan is geared towards daily users of Discord who do not want to spend the $9.99 a month for their full range of features and perks. The will increase a user's upload limit to 20MB per file along with allowing users to use custom and animated emoji across servers. It also offers a special Nitro Basic badge and special stickers. These features are actually very practical and useful for those who use Discord on a regular basis but are not involved enough to want server boosts and the suite of other perks offered by the full plan. The timing of this plan may have to do with the addition of Xbox and PlayStation Discord apps and the massive user base that should provide the service. Overall, $2.99 a month would be much more appealing to users not wanting to drop over $100 a year into a free chat service. However, nothing of this new service is confirmed to be the final global release of Nitro Basic. View full article

Not the fruit itself, but I have been seeing the processed sugar substitute in some of our local stores. It isn't exactly cheap, but it is slowly showing up. I always try to maintain a logic that diets help when you feel they will help. Being the proper weight is great, but feeling healthier from eating better can really change your daily life.

It does very much feel like it is has lost the small creator side of the platform. And sadly that does not make it anymore appealing to me as the push for big media means I get more recommended videos about things that are on TV or in other media outlets instead of new content.

Moderation is a major concern. It is actually the biggest reason that I would not consider making an Uncrowned Kids website or anything of the sort. The moderation would have to be both super invasive and massive in numbers to keep it safe for the kids and even then terrible things can still happen. Odds are AI will be needed for it to work correctly and I can't say that AI moderation is ready for a major product like this.

It is amazing how popular Lego is. Not only did it thrive post internet, but there are entire parts of the internet dedicated to it at this point. Even the movies, shows, etc. show just how well Lego has done in world where tech has killed off a lot of toy products.

It really feels like bragging via music. I have never found this concept appealing either.

41

The tree fell on a road during Christmas Eve and

Agreed, however we have no idea how/if it will be integrated into their other services. Pushing the streams into people's FB streams and such can really affect the viewer totals very fast.

Ya, humidity is the worst. Is it rough being next to the lakes during this weather?

According to Business Insider, Meta is testing a new livestreaming platform for influencers called “Super,”. Influencers can earn money, chat with fans, and broadcast using the platform. In exchange for using Super for 30 minutes, Meta reportedly paid influencers between $200 and $3,000. Super is currently being developed by Meta's New Product Experimentation team. It has been in development since late 2020. According to Meta, Super is an experiment being built by New Product Experimentation (NPE) and tested with a limited number of creators. It is currently being tested with a small number of creators. Meta recently reached out to multiple creators, according to Business Insider, asking them to try out the new project. The platform, which looks to have the same functionality as Twitch, is currently being tested with less than 100 creators, including tech influencer Andru Edwards and TikTok star Vienna Skye. Creators keep 100% of the tips and revenue generated through their stream and the livestream platform is operating on a tiered system where users pay to access higher levels of features. According to the report, viewers pay for features included in the stream and can tip the streamer. Although take note that revenue sharing and fees will likely be an ever-changing situation and may differ vastly from this trial. Meta quietly tested the service for about two years, according to Business Insider. Currently, the service is web only and no details seem to exist of mobile apps but it would be safe to assume they will come with time. Meta has begun testing Super prior to Facebook shutting down its live shopping feature on October 1 to focus on Reels. View full article

On a recent conference call, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed that HBO Max will be terminated in the summer of 2023, and be replaced by a new service. Zaslav was much more diplomatic than most would be when describing HBO Max, which regularly has performance and customer issues. He described the app as having a competitive feature set but also having performance and customer issues. Zaslav then announced that Discovery Plus has a more advanced tech stack and will become the foundation of a new service that will combine HBO Max content with Discovery Plus' content and technology. After assuring listeners that the company would not be canceling a flurry of HBO Max-focused products, Zaslav said during the call that he believes the product will be outstanding. This information comes after a week of frustration for users. Early in the week, the company announced that Batgirl would not be released as planned and would be sent to the vault. HBO Max films that were available only on the service were also removed. Things reportedly look grim for HBO Max and its creative development teams as reported by The Wrap. Zaslav attempted to allay those concerns during the call and guaranteed that HBO Max's content was excellent and supported by the corporation as a whole. During the Q&A portion, Zaslav stated that HBO Max had begun to develop into a distinct brand—one especially associated with quality—as a result of the new service. It is unknown what Warner Brothers Discovery will name the newly merged service, but we can anticipate more from Zaslav as he consolidates his company even more in the coming year. View full article

According to Business Insider, Meta is testing a new livestreaming platform for influencers called “Super,”. Influencers can earn money, chat with fans, and broadcast using the platform. In exchange for using Super for 30 minutes, Meta reportedly paid influencers between $200 and $3,000. Super is currently being developed by Meta's New Product Experimentation team. It has been in development since late 2020. According to Meta, Super is an experiment being built by New Product Experimentation (NPE) and tested with a limited number of creators. It is currently being tested with a small number of creators. Meta recently reached out to multiple creators, according to Business Insider, asking them to try out the new project. The platform, which looks to have the same functionality as Twitch, is currently being tested with less than 100 creators, including tech influencer Andru Edwards and TikTok star Vienna Skye. Creators keep 100% of the tips and revenue generated through their stream and the livestream platform is operating on a tiered system where users pay to access higher levels of features. According to the report, viewers pay for features included in the stream and can tip the streamer. Although take note that revenue sharing and fees will likely be an ever-changing situation and may differ vastly from this trial. Meta quietly tested the service for about two years, according to Business Insider. Currently, the service is web only and no details seem to exist of mobile apps but it would be safe to assume they will come with time. Meta has begun testing Super prior to Facebook shutting down its live shopping feature on October 1 to focus on Reels. Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

iRobot has signed an agreement with Amazon to sell the company for $61 per share, for an acquisition price of approximately $1.7 billion. According to Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices, iRobot products are popular with customers, and he looks forward to collaborating with iRobot to come up with new ways to improve people's lives. It's not immediately clear how iRobot will be integrated into Amazon following the deal's completion and approval by regulators, but Amazon will maintain Colin Angle as CEO of iRobot. iRobot has been building robotic vacuum cleaners since 2002, and the Roomba is the most well-known one. Because the robot cleaning market is growing increasingly competitive, iRobot recently launched its iRobot OS, a platform powered by AI for its vacuum and mop devices. The iRobot OS will help Roomba products stand out from the competition by providing additional software features and capabilities. View full article

On a recent conference call, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed that HBO Max will be terminated in the summer of 2023, and be replaced by a new service. Zaslav was much more diplomatic than most would be when describing HBO Max, which regularly has performance and customer issues. He described the app as having a competitive feature set but also having performance and customer issues. Zaslav then announced that Discovery Plus has a more advanced tech stack and will become the foundation of a new service that will combine HBO Max content with Discovery Plus' content and technology. After assuring listeners that the company would not be canceling a flurry of HBO Max-focused products, Zaslav said during the call that he believes the product will be outstanding. This information comes after a week of frustration for users. Early in the week, the company announced that Batgirl would not be released as planned and would be sent to the vault. HBO Max films that were available only on the service were also removed. Things reportedly look grim for HBO Max and its creative development teams as reported by The Wrap. Zaslav attempted to allay those concerns during the call and guaranteed that HBO Max's content was excellent and supported by the corporation as a whole. During the Q&A portion, Zaslav stated that HBO Max had begun to develop into a distinct brand—one especially associated with quality—as a result of the new service. It is unknown what Warner Brothers Discovery will name the newly merged service, but we can anticipate more from Zaslav as he consolidates his company even more in the coming year. Photo by Designecologist

Microsoft Teams has finally been fully optimized to run on Apple SIlicon devices, the companies revealed after a long wait. You can now natively use Teams on any Apple device, including those with Apple's own M-series chips, thanks to the production-grade universal binary version of the video conferencing service. According to a Microsoft blog post, Mac users should see a significant boost in performance, ensuring efficient resource usage and an optimized Teams experience. Multiple, high-resolution monitors will be better supported, allowing for multiple Teams windows. Microsoft, despite having a lot of hardware of its own, says that it is “committed to the Mac.” Beginning soon, macOS devices will receive an automatic upgrade to the latest version of Teams, which will offer better support and optimization across M-series computers. The new Teams app will become publicly available over the course of several months. Apple hardware users will have to continue using the Rosetta 2 translation technology until then. Although effective, Rosetta 2 has a deleterious impact on the performance of any application that requires it. The macOS version of Microsoft Teams is improving. Microsoft is striving to make Teams the best video conferencing suite available and has been releasing several updates to the app for Mac users. Last month, Yammer Communities announced that Viva Engage - a business-focused social media platform that will live inside the Teams app on any device - will grow and evolve. Mac OS users are soon going to be able to experience hybrid working routines to the fullest, and Microsoft wants to be in a good position to support them. View full article

iRobot has signed an agreement with Amazon to sell the company for $61 per share, for an acquisition price of approximately $1.7 billion. According to Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices, iRobot products are popular with customers, and he looks forward to collaborating with iRobot to come up with new ways to improve people's lives. It's not immediately clear how iRobot will be integrated into Amazon following the deal's completion and approval by regulators, but Amazon will maintain Colin Angle as CEO of iRobot. iRobot has been building robotic vacuum cleaners since 2002, and the Roomba is the most well-known one. Because the robot cleaning market is growing increasingly competitive, iRobot recently launched its iRobot OS, a platform powered by AI for its vacuum and mop devices. The iRobot OS will help Roomba products stand out from the competition by providing additional software features and capabilities. Photo by Kindel Media