The final startup sound was double the length Microsoft initially requested. Credit: YouTube / Microsoft Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 The Library of Congress announced this year’s 25 selections to add into its National Recording Registry. Although often focused on music, spoken word, and field recordings, the 2025 inductees include one of the most iconic sounds in digital history: the Windows 95 “Reboot Chime.” In August 1995, personal desktop computers entered an entirely new era thanks to the release of Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system. Instead of the “point-and-click” interfaces we know today, PCs frequently relied on typing a specific set of commands into an entry log. This often resulted in a steep learning curve for users while limiting its wider adoption in homes. Windows 95 represented a dramatically different way to interact with a PC, by encompassing the majority of programs and tasks inside a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI was, in turn, accessible through icons, search bars, and the mouse cursor. During its development, Microsoft engineers hoped to also include a suite of brief audio clips attached to various aspects of the OS. One of those sounds was intended to play every time a user started up or rebooted Windows 95. In 1994, Microsoft designers Mark Malamud and Erik Gavriluk reached out to composer Brian Eno for help with the project. Already a prolific musician, Eno was also one of ambient music’s earliest pioneers. His 1978 album, Ambient 1: Music for Airports, even helped coin the genre’s name. According to the Library of Congress, Microsoft hoped for a quick chime that “conveyed the sense of welcome, hopefulness, and progress” they wished to convey with Windows 95. “The thing from the agency said, ‘We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah-blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional,’ this whole list of adjectives,” Eno said during an interview in 1996. “And then at the bottom it said, ‘And it must be 3.25 seconds long.’”  Despite Microsoft’s limitations, Eno set to work on crafting an appropriate sound.“I thought this was so funny and an amazing thought to actually try to make a little piece of music. It’s like making a tiny little jewel,” said Eno. The composer ultimately submitted 84 brief compositions to the company. In the end, however, Microsoft chose a selection double the length limit mentioned in the proposal. Soon, millions of Windows 95 users logged on everyday to Eno’s startup jingle. The Library defines its National Recording Registry collection as “audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”   This year’s picks also include another piece of digital history: the original soundcraft to the hit video game, Minecraft. While the total number of entries now stands at 675, it represents only a small slice of the Library’s collection of nearly 5 million recorded sounds. The public is annually encouraged to submit their own suggestions for inclusion—nominations for next year can be sent to the Library of Congress until October 1, 2025. Ironically, while Windows 95’s welcome chime accompanied one of the most successful computers of all time, Eno never owned one.“I wrote it on a Mac,” he confessed to the BBC in 2011. “I’ve never used a PC in my life; I don’t like them.”

Nature, Published online: 10 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01077-0Damage done to the skin can increase the risk of an allergic reaction in other organs.

A fun and affordable battery-powered toothbrush that’s sure to make brushing an enjoyable experience for little people.

Firebase Studio by Google: Is it Better than Cursor or Windsurf?Published inAI Simplified in Plain English·7 min read·Just now--Think of Firebase Studio as your co-pilot in the cloud. It’s a smart, agentic workspace where building, testing, and launching apps feels less like a chore and more like a creative flow. Whether you’re sketching your next big idea or fine-tuning a real-time database, Firebase (by Google) shows up as a reliable, intuitive partner. Interestingly, Firebase wasn’t always part of the Google universe. It was acquired by Google in 2014 and has since evolved into a core pillar of the Google Cloud ecosystem.A common question among developers: Is Firebase free?The answer: Yes, up to a point.It offers a generous free tier with usage-based upgrades as your app scales. This article explores Firebase’s capabilities and limitations and compares it with top Firebase alternatives like windsurf and Cursor Ai, which focus more on AI-assisted coding.What is Firebase?Firebase Studio is a cloud-based development environment launched by Google, designed to streamline the process of building, testing, deploying, and managing full-stack applications, particularly those incorporating artificial intelligence. It operates entirely within a web browser, eliminating the need for complex local setups and allowing access from any device with an internet connection.Key Aspects of Firebase StudioSimplify coding workflows: Create and test code with Gemini’s assistance integrated throughout Firebase. Easily handle common development tasks, including debugging, testing, refactoring, explaining, and documenting your code.Enhance existing apps: Bring in codebases from your local machine or repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket). Design and share team-wide templates for your preferred technology stacks.Create full-stack experiences: Develop and modify all application components, from AI models, agents, and RAG systems to user interfaces, business logic, and databases. Seamlessly incorporate tools like APIs and microservices into your AI applications.Work with familiar tools: To customize your workspace, import your specific configurations, including system tools, extensions, and…

Two well-known creators in the miniatures gaming space are suddenly getting way into nail art — you know, the other painting hobby enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Brent Amberger of Goobertown Hobbies fame and Casey, the creator of eBay Miniatures Rescue, showed up at this year’s AdeptiCon convention with a clever new way to paint your miniatures — and it could make one of the hobby’s most hated features a thing of the past.The hated feature in question is the humble waterslide decal, which hobbyists across dozens of different franchises have come to loathe over the years. Done well, using something like Microscale Industries’ Micro Sol and Micro Set, decals can look great. But it can be incredibly challenging to get a decal to lay flat on a curved surface — you know, stuff like shields and the shoulder pauldrons on Space Marines. Even if you’ve mastered the process, which is ably described in the Winterdyne Commission Modeling Blog guide to Waterslide Decals (included as part of our larger miniatures painting guide), it can still go pear-shaped on you if your surface isn’t properly prepared. The result? A ghostly white outline surrounding the art on the decal itself.Brent and Casey, partners in the newly formed Goblin Hobbies, recently discovered nail art stamping plates. These chemically etched metal plates can be made to feature any kind of two-dimensional art that you like. Drop a little paint on the plate, wipe it smooth, and you can pick the image up off the plate with a silicone pad. Just gently press the pad onto your miniature, and Bob’s your uncle. Their silicone pads are even transparent, so you can see your model through the handle to line things up perfectly.Image: Goblin Hobbies via YouTubeImage: Goblin Hobbies via YouTubeThe technology to do this kind of thing with ink and paint has been around for centuries. I’m sure my grandfather had something similar for his basement printing business in the 1940s. But its application to nail art is relatively new. Goblin Hobbies hopes to bring it even further, into the mainstream of hobby miniatures gaming. They even have dreams of licensed kits for your favorite factions from universes like BattleTech and Warhammer 40,000.The first batch of starter kits recently showed up at their distribution hub. They include compatible paint and two plates filled with useful designs — including that notoriously challenging checkerboard pattern common on many miniatures. Sets start at $50.See More:

ZeniMax Online Studio has unveiled its 2025 plans for Elder Scrolls Online. As you might recall, the studio announced the transition away from the yearly Chapter model toward a more seasonal content release cadence. This begins with Seasons of the Worm Cult, which marks the return of the enemy faction originally seen in the base game's main storyline. Indeed, this will be a continuation of that storyline after over ten years, with many fan-favorite characters like Razum-dar, Skordo, Gabrielle, and Vanus Galerion making a comeback for the occasion. Elder Scrolls Online will also be updated with a new zone called Solstice, a tropical island where Argonians and High Elves live together. The main city is called Sunport, and it's run by Corelanya Elves and Tideborn Argonians, mostly outcasts from the respective races. The latter are actually a new Argonian tribe that hasn't been seen before in Elder Scrolls Online, though there are also new Argonian Behemoths and Stone Argonians on Solstice that players will encounter as foes. It's here that players will face off against the Worm Cult once again. Initially, though, they'll only be able to access half of the island. One of the twists is that there will be a server-wide event to take down the so-called Writhing Wall erected by the necromancers and access the rest of the island. The whole community will participate in this event (which is set to begin in late Summer), even those who do not purchase the new content pass, which is essentially the equivalent of the old Chapter. It reminds me of something like The Gates of Ahn'Quiraj, a server-wide event in vanilla World of Warcraft where individual player contributions determined exactly when any given server would get access to the raid. Of course, whereas World of Warcraft had many servers in each region, the same is not true for Elder Scrolls Online, which employs a megaserver structure where there is only a single server per region (and platform). In this case, players will aid the Fellowship of Stirk in taking down the Writhing Wall. Anyway, the biggest addition to the game is actually something else entirely: the developers are introducing full-fledged subclassing. That's right, once you have at least a character at level 50, you'll be able to access skill lines from other classes, although you will always have to maintain at least one skill line from the original class that you picked during character creation. This means that a Templar character could add one skill line from Dragon Knight and another from Sorcerer, and this is just one of many possible examples. According to the developers, there are now over three thousand combinations of skill lines. Critically, there will be an account-wide progression for all skill lines. This means that if you have already unlocked a skill line with one character, you can use that skill line on any other of your characters through subclassing. As for Season of the Worm Cult, a Prologue Quest is available today, but the first real part of the new story will be delivered in June, with the rest coming throughout 2025, starting with a second update in late Summer. With the June patch (Update 46), ZeniMax is also adding the new 12-player Trial called Ossein Cage, a gigantic vault located in Coldharbour, Molag Bal's Daedric realm. Ossein Cage holds a powerful relic called Dolorous Cista that absorbs pain and transforms it into power; it's up to the players to prevent Molag Bal and his Daedric servants from getting their hands on it. ZeniMax Online also stressed that work continues on a variety of other aspects, from PvP (especially RvR, following the Cyrodiil Champions test) to revamping the new player experience, the returning player experience, the graphics look of the game, and the combat feel, and the user interface on PC. For a lot more on subclassing, Season of the Worm Cult, and everything else coming to Elder Scrolls Online, check out this interview with Studio Director Matt Firor, Game Director Rich Lambert, and Executive Producer Susan Kath. As a side note, the game has now reached over 26 million players since launch, up from the 25-million milestone of a few months ago.

مصرع 6 أشخاص في تحطم هليكوبتر بنيويوركجسم شوهد يطفو على نهر هدسون في الموقع الذي تحطمت فيه المروحية (رويترز)11/4/2025لقي 6 أشخاص مصرعهم، الخميس، في تحطم مروحية هليكوبتر سياحية في نهر هدسون بمدينة نيويورك الأميركية. وقد غرقت المروحية في المياه مما استدعى استجابة كبيرة من أفراد الطوارئ. وأعلن عمدة نيويورك مقتل 6 أشخاص بينهم 3 أطفال كانوا على متن المروحية. وذكرت شبكة (سي.بي.إس) أن الهليكوبتر حلّقت فوق جزيرة ثم بالقرب من تمثال الحرية. وقال مصدر لرويترز إنها كانت الرحلة الثالثة للهليكوبتر اليوم. وحتى الحين، لم تعلن السلطات تفاصيل سبب الحادث. ومن المقرر أن تُجري إدارة الطيران الاتحادية والمجلس الوطني لسلامة النقل تحقيقا في الحادث. المصدر : الجزيرة + رويترز

وسّعت مؤسسة مطارات دبي برنامجها التدريبي ليشمل 45 ألف موظف من كوادرها وشركائها الاستراتيجيين العاملين في مطار دبي الدولي ومطار دبي «ورلد سنترال - آل مكتوم الدولي»، في خطوة تهدف لتعزيز تجربة السفر الميسّر. وأفادت المؤسسة في بيان، أمس، بأن البرنامج يركز على كيفية التعامل الأمثل مع المسافرين من ذوي طيف التوحد، وذلك تماشياً مع رؤية دبي الرامية إلى توفير بيئة سفر شاملة وسهلة الوصول لجميع المسافرين، بمن فيهم أصحاب الهمم والأفراد ذوو التحديات غير المرئية. ويعد مطار دبي أول مطار دولي في العالم يحصل على شهادة البيئة الصديقة لذوي التوحد، من المجلس الدولي لمعايير الاعتماد والتعليم المستمر «IBCCES»، كما حصل على شهادة البيئة الصديقة لذوي التوحد من مركز دبي للتوحد. ويأتي هذا البرنامج التدريبي الموسع كجزء من استراتيجية «مطارات دبي» الشاملة التي تهدف إلى توفير تجربة سفر سلسة وشاملة تلبي احتياجات المسافرين من أصحاب الهمم. وقال الرئيس التنفيذي للعمليات في «مطارات دبي»، ماجد الجوكر، إن «السفر الميسّر يبدأ بالفهم والتقبل الإنساني، وليس فقط بتوفير البنية التحتية»، مشيراً إلى أن «تحقيق الشمولية يبدأ بالعنصر البشري، ومن خلال الاستثمار في برامج التدريب المتخصصة، التي شهدت ارتفاعاً بنسبة 36% عن العام الماضي». وأضاف أن «مطاري دبي و(دبي ورلد سنترال - آل مكتوم) الدوليين، يمثلان أكثر من مجرد مطارين، فهما بوابة دبي إلى العالم، ويشكلان الانطباع الأول والأخير عن مدينتنا في أذهان ملايين المقيمين والزوار، وهذا يلقي على عاتقنا مسؤولية كبرى لضمان شعور كل ضيف بالدعم والترحيب، مهما اختلفت احتياجاته الفردية». وجرى دمج برنامج التدريب الشامل والمعتمد من المجلس الدولي لمعايير الاعتماد والتعليم المستمر، بسلاسة في عمليات جميع أقسام المطارين. وقد تبنت فرق الخطوط الأمامية من «مطارات دبي» وشركائها الاستراتيجيين، بما في ذلك شرطة دبي، والإدارة العامة للهوية وشؤون الأجانب، و«جمارك دبي»، و«دناتا»، وسوق دبي الحرة، و«إسعاف دبي»، و«تاكسي دبي»، و«طيران الإمارات»، و«فلاي دبي»، إضافة إلى شركات الطيران والمتاجر والمطاعم الأخرى، هذا التدريب كجزء أساسي من عملهم اليومي، بهدف توفير تجربة سفر سلسة ومتكاملة للمسافرين عبر جميع مراحل السفر. ويركز البرنامج التدريبي على تزويد الموظفين بأدوات تواصل فعالة، ما يمكنهم من فهم ودعم الأفراد ذوي التنوع العصبي، والتواصل معهم بثقة وفعالية. ويُوجد سفراء تجربة الضيوف الذين تم تدريبهم في «مطارات دبي»، ويتم تمييزهم بدبابيس عباد الشمس، في النقاط الرئيسة بأنحاء مطار دبي الدولي ومطار آل مكتوم الدولي لتقديم المساعدة والدعم المتخصص للضيوف من ذوي التوحد وعائلاتهم. وخلال شهر التوعية بالتوحد، تضاء البوابات الذكية التابعة للإدارة العامة للإقامة وشؤون الأجانب في مطار دبي الدولي باللون الأزرق، تضامناً مع مجتمع التوحد، كما تُزين زهور عباد الشمس، الرمز الدولي للتحديات الخفية، مختلف مباني المطار بهدف نشر الوعي. أبرز الخدمات تشمل أبرز الخدمات الرئيسة التي تقدمها «مطارات دبي» لتلبية احتياجات المسافرين من أصحاب الهمم، مخطط الرحلة في مطار دبي الدولي، و«شريط عباد الشمس» كعلامة تعريف سرية للأفراد ذوي التحديات الخفية، ومواقف مجانية للسيارات لمدة ساعتين، وسيارات أجرة مخصصة، وخدمات الكراسي المتحركة، فضلاً عن صالة السفر الميسر الموجودة في مبنى المسافرين (2). • «دبي الدولي» أول مطار في العالم يحصل على شهادة البيئة الصديقة لذوي التوحد.

يتميز اللوحي Oppo Pad 4 Pro بشاشة LCD مقاس 13.2 بوصة بدقة 3392 × 2400 بكسل (نسبة 7:5) ومعدل تحديث 144 هرتز. يوفر الجهاز عرض ألوان بـ 12 بت (لوحة 8 بت + 4 بت FRC) وتغطية 98% من نطاق DCI-P3. يصل السطوع عادةً إلى 600 شمعة، لكنه يرتفع إلى 900 شمعة في وضع السطوع العالي، مع دعم التعتيم DC.يعد هذا الجهاز اللوحي رائدًا بفضل معالج Snapdragon 8 Elite، مع خيارات تخزين UFS 4.0 بسعة 256 أو 512 جيجابايت. الذاكرة العشوائية تأتي بتقنية LPDDR5X (4266 ميجاهرتز) لطرازي 8 و12 جيجابايت، أو LPDDR5T (4800 ميجاهرتز) للطراز 16 جيجابايت.يعمل الجهاز ببطارية سعة 12140 مللي أمبير/ساعة مع شحن سريع بقوة 67 واط عبر USB-C (منفذ USB 3.2 Gen 1 بسرعة 5 جيجابت/ثانية). يتضمن الاتصال Wi-Fi 7 (be) وBluetooth 5.4.الهيكل نحيف بسمك 5.97 مم ووزن 675 جرامًا، مزود بأربع مكبرات صوت لتجربة بث الفيديو والألعاب. للعمل، يتوفر لوحة مفاتيح اختيارية مع لوحة تتبع تتناسب مع قدرات تعدد المهام في ColorOS 15 على الشاشة المقسمة.يبدأ سعر الطراز الأساسي 8/256 جيجابايت من 3300 يوان صيني (450 دولارًا/350 جنيهًا إسترلينيًا/405 يورو/38750 روبية)، مع خيارات أخرى: 12/256 جيجابايت بـ 3600 يوان، 12/512 جيجابايت بـ 3900 يوان، و16/512 جيجابايت بـ 4100 يوان. العروض المبكرة تقلل سعر 8/256 جيجابايت إلى 2800 يوان و16/512 جيجابايت إلى 3600 يوان.بدأت الطلبات المسبقة في الصين اليوم مع قلم مجاني بقيمة 500 يوان وهدايا أخرى. تكلفة غطاء لوحة المفاتيح 700 يوان، بينما الغطاء العادي 200 يوان.المصدر

كيفية تثبيت n8n على نظامي Windows وMac في 5 دقائق – الدليل الأبسط للمبتدئين