Shoulder mobility is important: without it, you might have trouble reaching overhead, or performing some of your favorite upper body exercises. As you get older, limited shoulder mobility can even affect how you walk, since we need to swing our arms and we need to be able to carry and do things while were walking. So lets look at some of the best exercises to get more flexibility in our shoulders.Along with flexibility, shoulder strength is also important. I have some recommendations here for my favorite shoulder strengthening exercises, so make sure to check those out as well. Now, on to the stretches.Butchers block stretch This is a great stretch for your lats (latissimus dorsi), the muscles that run down the sides of your back, below your armpits. When these muscles are tight, its hard to reach overhead, making it difficult to get things from high shelves or, in the gym, to press a barbell overhead. Flexibility in your lats is also helpful to do exercises like power cleans and front squats.To do the butchers block stretch, youll need some kind of box, table, or bench, and ideally youll also have a stick (something light, like a broomstick) to hold. If you dont have a stick, use a towel, a resistance band, or just pretend youre holding an imaginary stick. Put your elbows on the box, palms facing up, and tuck your head down between your arms as shown in the video.If you dont have a block and a stick, and would prefer something you can do without equipment, try an overhead triceps stretch. Shrugging your shoulder upward while performing this movement can help you to get a stretch in your lats as well as your triceps.Doorway stretch This is a quick and easy way to stretch your pecs (pectoral muscles). These are your chest muscles, the same ones you work in a bench press. Since they have an attachment point on the upper arms, tight pecs can inhibit your shoulder movement. So put your elbows on either side of a door frame, and gently lean into the doorway to stretch your pecs and the front of your shoulders. If you dont have a doorway thats exactly the right width, you can do this stretch one side at a time.Thread the needle This stretch targets the upper back, and is sometimes described as being a stretch for your thoracic spine (referring to the part of your backbone that is in your upper back). To do it, start on your hands and knees, and pass your right arm through the space between your left hand and left knee. Try to keep your hips in the same position as they were when you were on all fours, while turning your upper body to let your shoulder get as close as possible to the ground.PVC pass through A quick and easy stretch you can do in the gym is the PVC pass through, also sometimes known by the grisly term shoulder dislocates. (Dont worry, you are not actually dislocating your shoulders.)A PVC pipe is just a thin, lightweight rod, named after the type of plastic its made of. You can go buy a length of PVC pipe from Home Depot for a couple bucks, or use something like a broomstick or lightweight training bar. It also works pretty well to use a resistance band or towel; just pull gently on it to keep the band or towel taut.Start with your hands on the stick, wide apart, and raise the bar over your head. Ideally youll be able to pass the bar over your head and behind your back, then bring it back to the starting position. The wider your hands are, the easier this will be. Each rep will be a little easier than the one before, and you can bring your hands in for a narrower grip if you like.

Youre probably still waiting for your corn to be ready to harvest and pumpkins to turn orange, but right about now is when you should start thinking about the long fall and winter aheada dark time when you cant get a decent tomato to save your life and peppers skyrocket to $5 a piece. While you can push the season earlier and later using crop cover like Agribon or cold frames, summer crops are still best left for summer temperatures. Which is why this year, were going inside, with indoor hydroponic grow systems. The key is to get everything going now, so when you make that transition in fall, your indoor plants are ready to pick up the slack. For hydroponic systems, I'll be using the Rise Roma, the Aerogarden Harvest, the LetPot and the Aerogarden Farm XL this year. I'll be using the Rise Roma for tomatoes; the Harvest and LetPot for herbs and tender greens; and the Farm for peppers, eggplants and other midrange-size hothouse crops. The plants from hydroponic systems are too expensiveIf youve bought into a hydro system (and there are so many) you likely understand there are three different ways youre paying. First, the system itself. Second, a subscription, if necessary (most dont require it). But heres where they get youvegetable starts. For most of these systems, the company sells seed pods or already started vegetable starts. If youre tapped into the Lettuce Grow community online, you see the frustrated posts about constantly rising prices for these starts and sometimes inconsistent quality, and its not just Lettuce Growthis is an issue across the board.Ive had decent success with seed pods from Aerogarden and Rise Gardens, but looking at the cost of these pods and the relative cost of seeds and DIYing it, it doesnt seem like theres a lot of value. Moreover, while starting seeds outside has a degree of difficulty, starting them inside is a piece of cake. Some hydro systems, like Rise Gardens, have space specifically allocated to start new seeds before you transfer them to the actual tray for full size starts. In some cases, tiny little seed growing nurseries are provided.Choose high-yield crops that make sense for limited space and short turnaroundI wont be wasting space and energy on crops like flowers (cant eat them) or broccoli (takes too long, and they can grow outside in the winter) or cucumbers (these need more support than hydro towers can offer). Instead, Im focusing on different hydro systems for full-size tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tender greens and herbs. These are crops that are generally poor tasting and expensive from stores in winter, and that I like to have close at hand to use on a whim.Look for micro or patio varieties of seedsHeres the reality: There is nothing special about the starts or seed pods you get directly from these companies. What you are receiving is a plastic basket, with a peat pellet inside that acts as a growing medium for the seeds they've put into the peat. The seeds are usually from vegetable varieties that are bred to be quite small and very fast growing, and there are plenty of companies that have patio varieties, meant for small planters. I spoke to Dave Whitinger, owner of Victory Seeds (an underrated, affordable seed source that I use every year) and they supply a hydroponic tower companies with seeds. Specifically in the tomato category, he recommended their micro tomatoes and dwarf tomatoes.If I was looking for peppers, Id be focusing on snack peppers, which means one plant grows small bell peppers prolifically, instead of a standard bell pepper plant that needs a lot of space to grow a few heavy bell peppers over the season. Id look at the Burpee Sweet Nibbler series in yellow or red, or the Confetti Hybrid. Burpee offers a wealth of patio varieties, and you can choose most peppers from this sectionthere are plenty of hot peppers, too. Remember that if you grow hot and sweet peppers close to one another, theyll all end up spicy.For eggplant, consider Burpee patio varieties like Early Midnight, or Patio Baby.The good news is that for almost all other crops were going to discuss, from tender greens like lettuce to herbs, you can grow almost any variety without much problem. These crops are already relatively small, fast and easy to grow.Lets start growingUnfortunately, there is no standard growing pod across all hydro systems. So depending on which system you are working with, youll want to buy the right plastic baskets and peat pods for that system, which can be found on the company website or on Amazon. This is usually as simple as going to the companys website. For instance, Aerogarden sells these parts directly on their website or you can source them on Amazon. Once you have the parts, youll want to assemble them together. Place a peat pod into the plastic basket, and then carefully place two to three seeds into the peat and cover with a disk of paper (seed kits often come with them). You can label the variety on the disc.From here, you need to understand some basics about growing seeds, regardless of whether it's for hydro towers or outside. Seeds need moisture and heat. They dont need light yetin fact, most seeds prefer the darkness at this stage, until they have leaves. As long as you keep those peat pods hydrated, and the water about 75 degrees, the seeds should grow. It helps to cover the seed pods to keep moisture in, so lots of seed kits also have tiny, adorable plastic domes. But you can plastic wrap the entire tray, too. And remember, you can grow the seeds in the actual tower; it doesnt need to be done elsewhere. At this stage, the water shouldnt have nutrients, and while you could fiddle with pH (most hydro systems have pH kits and treatments) unless you have a very acidic pH in your city water, it wont need treatment to grow some seeds.It should take a few weeks to see tiny sprouts, and once the sprouts have two leaves, you can remove the plastic domes. When theyre about an inch tall, get in there with clean scissors and trim all but the strongest stem (remember, you placed two to three seeds in there to hedge your bets, but you want only one plant per pod).Congratulations: You started your own seeds, at a great savings, and have the materials to keep doing it over and over.

If youre getting ready to tackle a maintenance job or a DIY project, you might be looking for some new tools. Having the right equipment can make all your DIY enterprises get done more quickly, but new tools can be expensive. Luckily, there are some deals right now on Milwaukee tools that can help you stock up your tool box without breaking the bank. Milwaukee 18V Cordless Power Tool Combo Kit $318.99 at Amazon $702.00 Save $383.01 Get Deal Get Deal $318.99 at Amazon $702.00 Save $383.01 Milwaukee 18V 1/4 Inch Lithium Ion Hex Impact Driver $67.33 at Amazon $170.00 Save $102.67 Get Deal Get Deal $67.33 at Amazon $170.00 Save $102.67 Milwaukee Compact Lithium-Ion Dual Power 4000 Lumens Corded/Cordless LED Flood LIght $97.90 at Amazon $199.99 Save $102.09 Get Deal Get Deal $97.90 at Amazon $199.99 Save $102.09 Milwaukee REDLITHIUM XC 6 Ah Lithium-Ion Battery $73.79 at Amazon $189.99 Save $116.20 Get Deal Get Deal $73.79 at Amazon $189.99 Save $116.20 Milwaukee M12 REDLITHIUM 2.0 Compact Battery Pack $30.00 at Amazon $96.99 Save $66.99 Get Deal Get Deal $30.00 at Amazon $96.99 Save $66.99 Milwaukee M12 and M18 12 Volt/18 Vold Lithium-Ion Battery Charger $39.99 at Amazon $89.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Get Deal $39.99 at Amazon $89.99 Save $50.00 Milwaukee Impact Grade Magnetizer Philips Head 2-pack $6.97 at Amazon $14.65 Save $7.68 Get Deal Get Deal $6.97 at Amazon $14.65 Save $7.68 Milwaukee 13-Piece General Purpose Hole Saw Kit $74.99 at Amazon $165.60 Save $90.61 Get Deal Get Deal $74.99 at Amazon $165.60 Save $90.61 Milwaukee Grout Removal Reciprocating Saw Blade $8.00 at Amazon $19.28 Save $11.28 Get Deal Get Deal $8.00 at Amazon $19.28 Save $11.28 SEE 6 MORE Cordless toolsCordless tools are a staple for home shops, and the available options keep expanding as battery technology improves. Here are some deals on cordless tools for your DIY adventures.The Milwaukee 18 volt hammer drill/impact driver combo kit is on sale for $318.99, 55% off its regular price. The kit comes with a hammer drill, impact driver, a reciprocating saw, work light, two batteries, a charger, and a tool bag. This kit is a good starter kit or an upgrade for if you would like to transition to heavier projects like decking.The Milwaukee 18 volt, impact driver is on sale for $72.99, 57% off its regular price. This tool is good for driving screws and other fasteners, and is a good addition to a Milwaukee drill kit. Youll need an 18 volt battery to use it, as this is a tool-only deal.The Milwaukee 18 volt, 4,000 lumen cordless work light is on sale for $99.90, 50% off its usual price. This portable work light can be aimed and mounted for getting some light where you dont have a fixture or an outlet.Batteries and chargersBatteries for your cordless kit can be pricy, so getting a deal to increase your battery collection is always helpful. If youre looking to expand the number of tools you can use at the same time, or up your charging game so you always have a fresh battery waiting, here are some deals for you.The Milwaukee 18 volt 6 amp hour high output battery is on sale for $82.89, 56% off its regular price. This battery can last longer than standard 18 volt batteries and has a higher capacity, making it great for a medium project on a single charge, or use with saws and other tools that tend to draw more power.The Milwaukee 12 voltcompact battery is on sale for $30, 69% off its usual price. This battery will fit Milwaukee 12 volt tools, which are good for smaller projects as well as getting into tight spaces with a smaller tool.The Milwaukee 18 and 12 volt rapid charger is on sale for $45.31, 50% off its regular price. This charger will work for both 12 and 18 volt batteries, making it ideal for a mixed tool kit.Bits, blades, and accessoriesSetting yourself up for success in a home shop means having all the right bits and blades for your project. While they seem small, bits and accessories can add up, driving up the cost of your DIY endeavors. Here are some deals to save you some money while youre making, building, and maintaining.The Milwaukee impact grade magnetizer Philips head two pack is on sale for $6.97, 52% off its regular price. This set includes a magnetizer that will work on impact bits to make your driver tip magnetic, helping to hold your fasteners as you work.The Milwaukee 13-piece general purpose hole saw kit is on sale for $77, 54% off its usual price. The kit comes with nine sizes of hole saws, two arbors to hold the blades, an Allen key to tighten and loosen the blades, and a case.The Milwaukee grout removal reciprocating saw blade is on sale for $8, 59% off its normal price. This tool is a game changer for removing grout from tiling because of its special shape and the texture of the blade, and will work with compatible reciprocating saws.

The death of Twitter, the brand name and not the website, was apparently not quite as final as we all once thought. It might have seemed like the final nail in the coffin was the permanent redirect from Twitter.com to X.com, but one forgotten legacy Twitter product was carrying on the fightthe old Twitter app for Mac, which was still available in the Mac App Store. Well, that is, until now. Musk's X developers have finally pulled the plug. The old Twitter Mac app has been discontinued, and now prompts users to "upgrade" to the X Mac for iPad instead.This is definitely not an upgrade. Sure, it comes with all the modern X features, including AI features and other Premium options, but it also loses what made Twitter fun in the "good old days". The Mac app was so old that it was exempt from all the ads, promotions, and community notes stuffing X today. This provided a safe haven from scams and outright weird/political ads.But even if you prefer modern X to old-school Twitter, the iPad X app also only works on Apple laptops with Apple Silicon chips, meaning M1 chips or higher. This leaves a huge population of older Intel laptops out in the dust. If you're using an older Mac, you'll need to use the website. And if you want to reduce the number of ads, you'll have to pay for Twitter Premium. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. But the trouble doesn't stop there. At least for now, it's not a good idea to use the iPad X app on Mac. Users on Reddit have reported that upgrading to the new X app and logging in instantly suspended their accounts. This will hopefully be resolved soon, as X software engineer Zach Warunek said that the team was looking into the issue.If you're a Twitter diehard who's not willing to swap to X, it might be finally time to ditch X for Mastadon or Threads. On your way out, don't forget to delete your X account.

On Wednesday, Samsung published a blog post, "The Knox Journals," highlighting two new security features: Private Sharing in Quick Share, and Enhanced Data Protection for data saved to Samsung Cloud. If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, particularly a Galaxy S24, you can try out these two new security features right now. Private Sharing in Quick ShareSamsung's Quick Share feature, which lets you send files instantly to up to five other Android devices, is gaining a privacy upgrade. "Private Sharing" works alongside Quick Share to protect your privacy when you share files to other devices in a few ways. With it, you can choose specific contacts that can actually view the files you're sending, so those contacts won't be able to share your files with anyone else. You can choose how long you'd like shared files to remain accessible to others: Once that time limit expires, access to those files expires as well. You can also choose to make these files read-only and block screenshotting, so recipients won't be able to edit or alter the files you send, and you can see when they both received and opened the file.With the feature, you can share up to 20 files in one go, as long as those files don't exceed 200MB. Samsung says all Private Sharing files are encrypted.You can use Private Sharing the same way you use Quick Share: Choose the file you want to send, then tap Share. From here, tap Quick Share, then tap the three dots to open the expanded menu, choose Turn on Private Sharing, and send away. After you send the file or files, you'll be able to edit any of the permissions. The only downside here is the feature only works with Samsung devices: While Quick Share is compatible with other Android devices, you won't be able to use Private Sharing unless the recipients are also rocking Samsung phones or tablets.Samsung has talked about Privacy Sharing in Quick Share materials before, so it isn't a brand new idea. But it does appear to be rolling out now. Enhanced Data ProtectionSamsung also announced expanded protections for data you store in the Samsung Cloudassuming you have a Galaxy S24. When Enhanced Data Protection is enabled on your Galaxy S24, the data you save in Samsung Cloud is end-to-end encrypted (E2EE), which means only you can access that data from the device in question. (Not even Samsung has access to E2EE data.)You can enable Enhanced Data Protection from the Samsung Cloud app. From here, tap the three dots to open the expanded menu, then go to Settings > Enhanced Data Protection. (You can also find the options in Security and Privacy in your Galaxy's device Settings.) Here, you can choose whether to encrypt your phone's backup data, synced data, or both.When you set up Enhanced Data Protection, Samsung will give you a recovery code to write down. Don't lose this: If you lose your device with E2EE, you will need this code to recover your data. Without it, you'll lose all encrypted data for good.

When most tech companies are challenged with a lawsuit, the expected defense is to deny wrongdoing. To give a reasonable explanation of why the business' actions were not breaking any laws. Music AI startups Udio and Suno have gone for a different approach: admit to doing exactly what you were sued for.Udio and Suno were sued in June, with music labels Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group claiming they trained their AI models by scraping copyrighted materials from the Internet. In a court filing today, Suno acknowledged that its neural networks do in fact scrape copyrighted material: "It is no secret that the tens of millions of recordings that Sunos model was trained on presumably included recordings whose rights are owned by the Plaintiffs in this case." And that's because its training data "includes essentially all music files of reasonable quality that are accessible on the open internet," which likely include millions of illegal copies of songs.But the company is taking the line that its scraping falls under the umbrella of fair use. "It is fair use under copyright law to make a copy of a protected work as part of a back-end technological process, invisible to the public, in the service of creating an ultimately non-infringing new product," the statement reads. Its argument seems to be that since the AI-generated tracks it creates don't include samples, illegally obtaining all of those tracks to train the AI model isn't a problem.Calling the defendants' actions "evading and misleading," the RIAA, which initiated the lawsuit, had an unsurprisingly harsh response to the filing. "Their industrial scale infringement does not qualify as fair use. Theres nothing fair about stealing an artists lifes work, extracting its core value, and repackaging it to compete directly with the originals," a spokesperson for the organization said. "Defendants had a ready lawful path to bring their products and tools to the market obtain consent before using their work, as many of their competitors already have. That unfair competition is directly at issue in these cases."Whatever the next phase of this litigation entails, prepare your popcorn. It should be wild.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-startup-argues-scraping-every-song-on-the-internet-is-fair-use-233132459.html?src=rss

Admit it. You kind of knew this was coming. Late last month, a new DLC pack called the Summer Road Trip bundle offered players a chance to drive the Tesla Cybertruck in games like Fortnite and Rocket League. Now a week later, several Fortnite players have posted videos of a glitch that occured when they used the Cybertruck during a match.Posts about the Cybertruck glitch appeared on Reddit and YouTube. The glitch happens when you morph a truck into Elon Musks boxy behemoth. On exiting the vehicle, a bug rendered your Nitro Fists, the melee weapon thats pretty much exactly how it sounds, completely useless.YouTube creator Tabor Hill tested out the glitch when he morphed a truck into the Cybertruck and drove it around for a few seconds. Instead of gently gliding forward into an opponents soft face with the Nitro Fists, the gelignite gauntlets caused his character to go into a loud, repetitive twitch.Of course, this glitch wouldnt be deliciously ironic if Teslas real world Cybertruck didnt have more glitches than a Max Headroom monologue. Right now, Teslas truck is under its latest recall because of issues with a windshield wiper that could reduce the drivers visibility. Thats on top of the infamous stuck accelerator pedal recall that happened back in April.We reached out to an Epic Games representative by email for a chance to comment, and they informed us that the bug was identified and fixed at around 1PM ET today.Update, July 31, 7:28PM ET: This story and its headline was updated after publish to include information from Epic Games about the fix that was pushed out earlier today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-cybertruck-is-causing-fortnite-players-to-get-cyberstuck-224015466.html?src=rss

In a crushing quarterly update, Intel disclosed that it will cut more than 15 percent of its workforce. The layoffs, which could impact over 15,000 jobs, are part of the company's $10 billion cost-reduction plan to recover financial stability. Intel posted a second-quarter net loss of $1.6 billion, plunging from the net income of $1.5 billion it reported in the same period of 2023.CEO Pat Gelsinger addressed employees with a memo acknowledging the scope of today's announcements. "This is painful news for me to share," he said. "I know it will be even more difficult for you to read. This is an incredibly hard day for Intel as we are making some of the most consequential changes in our companys history."As well as the job cuts, the cost-reduction plan includes creating separate financial reporting for Intel Products and Intel Foundry. The Intel Foundry branch saw an operating loss of $2.8 billion in Q2, even more than the $1.8 billion operating loss it saw during the second quarter last year. Intel has been in the process of overhauling its foundries to make them more competitive. In the interim, it has had to rely on other companies for some production. TSMC, the same manufacturer used by Apple, Qualcomm and AMD, is producing its new Lunar Lake chips.The company took an additional hit in the public eye when its 13th- and 14th-generation desktop CPUs began experiencing instability issues. While a fix is expected this month to prevent any further problems, any damage that the microcode errors caused to CPUs appears to be permanent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intel-will-cut-over-15000-jobs-in-a-sweeping-cost-cutting-effort-220951016.html?src=rss

If you live in Ohio and constantly forget your wallet when you head out for a drive, weve got some good news for you: The state of Ohio became the fifth US state to accept drivers licenses and official state IDs in the iPhones Apple Wallet app.Digital identification in Apples wallet app can now be used across Ohio at Traffic Safety Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoints and select businesses and apps. The state is also working on implementing a free age verification app for businesses that require checking customers ID, according to WCPO Channel 9 in Cincinnati.The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has also created an instructional video that shows you how to add your license or state ID to your Apple Wallet if youre a resident of the Buckeye State.Ohio now joins Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland as states that accept and recognize digital licenses and IDs in the iPhone wallet app. If youre not in one of those states, you may be joining that list soon since 24 other states and Washington DC and Puerto Rico are exploring or in the process of implementing mobile digital license regulations. Seven of those states are currently committed to implementing digital wallet access, according to 9to5Mac.Google Wallet is also accepted in four states including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland. Phone users with Android 8 or high can save their IDs to Google Wallet. This feature is not yet available for foldable devices, according to Googles help section.Apple added the ability to store drivers licenses in the digital wallet app with iOS 15 in 2021. Apple Wallet is also recognized as an accepted form of identification or access in other societal sectors. Residents of the UK received an update last year that allows them to see their bank account totals from the Apple Wallet App. The Apple Wallet also allows hotel guests to store their room key cards in the app starting in 2021 with the Hyatt hotel chain.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ohio-becomes-the-fifth-us-state-to-recognize-ids-in-apple-wallet-211807995.html?src=rss

The Threads app has passed the 200 million user mark, according to Meta exec Adam Mosseri. The milestone comes one day after Mark Zuckerberg said that the service was about to hit 200 million users during the companys latest earnings call.While Threads is still relatively tiny compared to Metas other apps, it has grown at a much faster clip. Zuckerberg previously announced 175 million users last month as Threads marked its one-year anniversary, and the Meta CEO has repeatedly speculated that it could be the companys next one-billion-user app.We've been building this company for 20 years, and there just are not that many opportunities that come around to grow a billion-person app, Zuckerberg said. Obviously, there's a ton of work between now and there.Continuing to grow the apps user base will be key to Metas ability to eventually monetize Threads, which currently has no ads or business model. All these new products, we ship them, and then there's a multi-year time horizon between scaling them and then scaling them into not just consumer experiences but very large businesses, Zuckerberg said.While Threads has so far been able to capitalize on the chaos and controversy surrounding X, Meta is still grappling with how to position its app thats widely viewed as an alternative to X. Mosseri and Zuckerberg have said they dont want the app to promote political content to users that dont explicitly ask for it. This policy has even raised questions among some Meta employees, The Information recently reported.Threads for you algorithm is also widely viewed as slow to keep up with breaking news and current events. Mosseri recently acknowledged the issue. Were definitely not fast enough yet, and were actively working to get better there, he wrote in a post on Threads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-threads-has-200-million-users-211656147.html?src=rss