Building a Spotify playlist isn't exactly difficult, but it can be tedious, especially if you want to assemble a mix with dozens or even hundreds of songs. Spotlistr is a free tool that can do the work for youit can automatically turn any list of songs into a Spotify playlist, even if it's just in simple text format.You paste the text containing your list of songs, let the app run, check that the tool identified the right songs, and click a button. A playlist appears. Even better, Spotlistr can convert a playlist for pretty much any other music streaming service, including YouTube, Soundcloud, Reddit, and Last.fm.To get started, go to Spotlistr.com and sign in using your Spotify account. Next, pick the source for the playlist you want to create. I tend to use the Textbox option, which lets you paste in a simple list of songs. You'll want to get the formatting right: There should be one song per line. Credit: Justin Pot Click "Search" and the service will try to match each line to a specific song. Credit: Justin Pot You can scroll through the list and quickly confirm that the application found the songs you actually want. You'll see up to four options for each entry, allowing you to pick between them. When everything looks right, you can add the playlist to your Spotify account.Use Spotlistr to import playlists from another service (or even Reddit)Converting a list of songs into a playlist is just one function of Spotlistr. As noted, it can also import and convert playlists from other services. If there's a YouTube or Soundcloud playlist you want to move to Spotify, there are tools for that. There are also options for pulling in Last.fm top tracks from any user.A particularly cool use case: You can also pull in all songs from any Reddit conversation, subreddit, or collection of subreddits. For example: I was able to turn this list of 2024 song recommendations into this playlist featuring all of those songs with just a couple of clicks. It's a great way to sample a list of songs without having to manually search up each one, though note that the tool doesn't parse posts with multiple songs in the same line particularly well.You can also use the app to export any existing Spotify playlist to a CSV file. There's a "stats generator" that lets you crate a sort of "Spotify Wrapped" any time of the year. You can automatically remove duplicates from any playlist, or make playlist cover art.Basically, this site offers a bunch of tools that Spotify should already have, but doesn't. Bookmark it if you ever feel frustrated about the playlist making process.

Get enough Star Trek fans in a room and the conversation inevitably turns toward which of the series cinematic outings is the worst. The consensus view is The Final Frontier, Insurrection and Nemesis are duking it out for the unwanted trophy. Each film has a small legion of fans who will defend each entrys campy excesses, boldness and tone. (Im partial to watching The Final Frontier every five years or so, mostly to luxuriate in Jerry Goldsmiths score.) Thankfully, any and all such discussions will cease once and for all on January 24, 2024, when Star Trek: Section 31 debuts on Paramount+.It is the single worst thing to carry the Star Trek name in living memory.Spoilers follow for Star Trek: Section 31.Star Trek: Section 31 is a made for TV streaming movie focusing on Philipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) after her departure from Star Trek: Discovery. It was originally greenlit in 2019 as a series but, for a wide variety of reasons, it languished in development hell until 2022. In the interim, showrunners Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt, along with credited screenwriter Craig Sweeny, sweated the idea. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi told SFX Magazine (via TrekMovie) that Sweeny would eventually write (and re-write) the project seven different times, first as a TV series, then as a movie. Trek head honcho Alex Kurtzman was eager to get production underway to take advantage of Yeohs 2022 Academy Award win for Everything Everywhere All At Once.The result is a film that, even if youre unaware of the pre-production backstory, sure feels like a series hastily cut down to feature length. Its not incoherent, but suffers from the same issue that blighted Discovery, where youre watching a dramatized synopsis rather than a script. There are thematic and plot beats that rhyme with each other, but the meat joining them all together isnt there. Its just stuff that happens.It doesnt help that the plot (credited to Kim and Lippoldt) is very much of the and then this happens variety that they warn you about in Film School 202. So many major moments in the film are totally unearned, asking you to care about characters youve only just met and dont much like. Theres a risible scene at the end where two people who havent really given you the impression theyre into each other have to hold hands and stare into their impending doom. The pair in question have shared their backstories with each other, but theres no suggestion that they are anything more than just people working together on a job, let alone friends.Michael Gibson/Paramount+Weak material is less of an issue if you have a cast who can elevate what theyve been given but, and it pains me to say this, thats not Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh is a phenomenal performer who has given a litany of underrated performances over her long and distinguished career. But she made her name playing characters with deep interiority, not scenery-chewing high-camp villains. Even in her redemptive phase, its impossible to believe Yeoh is the sort of monster Star Trek needs Georgiou to be. Rather than shrinking the scene, and the stakes, to suit her talents, the film makes the canvas wider and expects Yeoh to fill space shes never needed.The rest of the gang is similarly underserved by the material and the sheer volume of clutter the film has little time to get past. Making the Section 31 team six people deep before they meet Georgiou means every character beyond her is a thumbnail sketch at best. Theres the broody one, the funny one, the uptight one, the robot one, the hot one and the one with the bad Oirish accent.If Section 31 was a series, youd forgive the pithy introductions, knowing youd get to fill in these characters over the coming weeks, maybe even grow attached to them. In the space of a movie, it doesnt work since the shocking twists like an early character death to raise the stakes or a sudden heel-turn in a moment of crisis, dont work. Worse still, the dialog is so often indecipherable crosstalk that feels more like woeful improv than useful characterization. That, or its just characters reminding the audience of basic story points over and over again, like the fact Georgiou used to be a baddie.Olatunde Osunsanmis direction has always made an effort to draw attention to itself, with flashy pans, tilts, moves and Dutch angles. Jarringly, all of his flair leaves him when he needs to just shoot people in a room talking those scenes invariably default to the TV standard medium. Worse still is his action direction, that loses any sense of the space were seeing or the story being told. Theres a final punchfight that requires the audiences to be aware of who has the macguffin at various points. But its all so incoherent that youll struggle to place whats going on and where, so why bother engaging with it?And thats before we get to the fact that Osunanmi chose to shoot all of Michelle Yeohs Michelle Yeohs fight scenes in close-up. When Yeoh is moving, you want to capture the full extent of her talents and allow her and her fellow performers a chance to show off, too. And yet its in these moments that the camera pulls in tight with what looks like a digital crop with a dose of digital motion blur thrown in. All of which serves to obscure Yeohs talents and sap any energy out of the action.Jan Thijs/Paramount+Before watching Section 31, I re-watched the relevant stories from Deep Space Nine and tried to interrogate their ethics. That series asked, several times over, how far someone would, could or should go to defend their ideals and their worldview. The Federation was often described as some form of paradise, but does paradise need its own extrajudicial murder squad? It wasnt a wicked cool plotline, but a thought experiment to interrogate what Starfleet and its personnel stands for when its very existence is in jeopardy. If theres one thing that Section 31 isnt, its cool, and if you think it is, then your values are at least halfway in conflict with Star Treks founding ethos.Unfortunately for us, Trek honcho Alex Kurtzman does think Starfleet having its own space murder squad is wicked cool given their repeated appearances under his watch. Kurtzman has never hidden his love of War on Terror-era narratives, which remain as unwelcome here as they were in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Sadly, Section 31 is Star Trek in its face-punching, forced-interrogation, cheek-stabbing, eye-gouging thoughtless grimdark register. Fundamentally, its not a fun thing to sit down and watch, beyond its numerous deficiencies as a piece of cinema.The biggest tell that Section 31 wasnt going to be a winner was when Rob Kasinsky, who plays Section 31's Zeph, started getting his excuses in early. He said (via ScreenRant) he was worried the film would be received poorly given all the fans want is just 1,000 more episodes of TNG. Ill admit, there is a chunk of fandom who do just want to be fed a conveyor belt of memberberries. These are the people who thought season three of Picard was good and are clamoring for Star Trek: Legacy. I, and a lot of other people, just want something thats halfway thoughtful, entertaining and well-made, and this is none of those things.I keep checking my notes for anything positive and the best I can manage is that the costumes, co-created with Balenciaga, are quite nice. Theyre a bit too Star Wars, but I like the focus on texture and tailoring in a way thats better than Treks current athleisure trend. Oh, and the CGI is competent and doesnt slip below the standards set down by Strange New Worlds. There you go, two things that are good about Section 31.Fundamentally, I dont know who this is for. Its too braindead for the people who want Star Trek in any sort of thoughtful register. Its not shot through with the fan-service onanism that would pander to please the Star Trek: Legacy crowd. Its not quite shamelessly brutal enough for the gang who want Star Trek to turn into 24. And its not high camp enough for the folks whod like to coo over Michelle Yeoh in a variety of gorgeous costumes. Remember how Warner Bros. junked several movies for the tax break? I wish Paramounts accountants had been as ruthless here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/star-trek-section-31-review-an-embarrassment-from-start-to-end-150051501.html?src=rss

Google is paying HTC $250 million in cash for a deal that will give the bigger company's plans for Android XR a boost. Under the terms of their agreement, some members of the HTC Vive engineering team will be joining Google, which describes them as an "incredibly strong technical team with a proven track record in the VR space." HTC released the consumer version of its first Vive VR headset, designed in partnership with Valve, back in 2016. Last year, it launched the Vive Focus Vision more than a year after it released its first standalone headset for consumers, the Vive XR Elite.In addition to absorbing certain Vive team members, Google will also get a non-exclusive license to use HTC'S extended reality technologies. HTC can still use its own IPs, and it vows to continue developing and supporting its XR headsets. The companies will also "explore future collaboration opportunities." Google says the deal will help "its acceleration across the headset and glasses ecosystem." The company laid out its vision for a unified Android XR ecosystem in December, which will span a range of virtual and mixed reality headsets and glasses. We're bound to see the first Android XR devices this year, including one codenamed Project Moohan from a Google-Samsung collaboration.Google's and HTC's agreement is still subject to customary closing conditions and will be finalized sometime this first quarter.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-buys-part-of-htcs-vive-vr-team-for-250-million-130046567.html?src=rss

Tramell Tillman explains why "the stakes are incredible high" for Seth Milchick in Severance season 2.

As cybercrime continues to evolve in scope, the threat posed by vulnerabilities within the IT supply chain cannot be overlooked.

Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, said Thursday that the AI race between the U.S. and China is an "AI war."

As the Los Angeles area begins the formidable task of rebuilding after the most destructive wildfires in its history, the citys artists and art collectors are mourning what could amount to billions of dollars in irreplaceable art that went up in flames.The wildfires have altogether destroyed more than 13,000 structures, with many among those located in the affluent Palisades neighborhood home to many priceless art collections and the town of Altadena, which was home to a flourishing artist community.Some of those art collectors likely lost many of their acquisitions as the fires burned out of control for weeks, while local artists have watched as their studios and homes burned, destroying their work and jeopardizing their livelihoods.Theres part of me thats numb or in shock, said Brad Eberhard, an artist who ran Altadenas Alto Beta gallery, which also housed his own studio. Both burned down in the Eaton Fire. Every half hour I remember another thing gone.Alto Beta, a 550-square-foot (51-sq-meter) space in an Altadena shopping center, hosted exhibits focused on artists who had not had a showing in Los Angeles in the past three years.Eberhard lost between 50 and 70 of his own sculptures as well as about two dozen pieces of art from his friends and colleagues.When he returned to visit the gallery, all I recognized was an aluminum door frame, he said.Just days before the gallery burned down, Alto Beta had opened a show called Quiver exhibiting paintings from Mary Anna Pomonis, a Los Angeles-based artist. Pomonis described the work in the show as female-centered paintings rooted in devotional imagery.It felt like it was an appropriately dramatic response to work that I felt dealt on that scale of an epic narrative, she said.Many in the Los Angeles area have heard the fates of their homes but have been unable to return to see whats left, as tens of thousands of Angelenos remain under evacuation orders.Kim McCarty, a watercolor painter and owner of the Michaels Santa Monica restaurant with her husband, lost her home to the Palisades fire. Like many, she has not been able to return to assess the damage in person.Through their restaurant, which opened in 1979, the McCartys became acquainted with local artists and housed many pieces in their Malibu home from friends such as Roger Herman, a German-born artist who teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Pippa Garner, an American artist who died in Los Angeles in December.(Im) sad to lose that all because its such a loving thing, said McCarty, who added she was not able to salvage any of her own artwork before she was forced to evacuate.Experts have estimated that the LA wildfires could be the most expensive disaster in U.S. history. AccuWeather has estimated at least $250 billion in losses due to the fires, although that figure could still change.It is too early to estimate much of the losses that are art-related, but there were perhaps billions of dollars worth of fine art in properties in affected areas, said Christopher Wise, vice president at Risk Strategies, an insurance broker and risk management consultancy.If you take a look at the size of the areas that are under threat or have burned, the scale of it really is staggering, he said.Still, Wise cautioned that the amount of losses remains unclear, as many collectors have yet to return to their homes.Despite the uncertainty created by the wildfires, the organizers of Frieze Los Angeles made the decision last week to go ahead with the international art fair, scheduled for late February.Frieze, which also holds annual fairs in London, New York and Seoul, has presented the Los Angeles edition since 2019, elevating the citys status as an art capital. The fair attracts galleries and collectors from around the world, especially those from the U.S. West Coast.Since the fairs founding six years ago, Frieze has been proud to support and be part of this vibrant community, said a Frieze spokesperson. The challenges the city is currently facing only strengthen our commitment to work alongside the community to rebuild and recover together.Frieze Los Angeles, in conjunction with several smaller art fairs, aims to send a message to the local art community by going forward despite the fires, said Marc Selwyn, the owner of Marc Selwyn Fine Art in Los Angeles.I think its important that people know that LA is open for business and art is something that can be a boost for people in these kinds of times, the gallery owner said.The world-famous Getty Museum, which survived the fires, led several major art organizations in standing up a $12 million LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, which is set to provide emergency relief to artists and others who work in the arts.If there is a silver lining to be found in the disaster it may lie in how the Los Angeles artistic community has pulled together to help one another, said Eberhard. He has already been able to find homes in other galleries for most of the shows that Alto Beta was set to exhibit this year.I didnt know that the artist community was this caring. I really didnt, because artists are notoriously, and accurately, independent, self-reliant, like little islands, he said.Hannah Lang, Reuters

Costco is pushing back on a shareholder proposal that urges the wholesale club operator to conduct an evaluation of any business risks posed by its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Investors were expected to vote on the recommendation during the companys annual meeting Thursday.The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in Washington, submitted the proposal, arguing that Costcos DEI initiatives hold litigation, reputational and financial risks to the company, and therefore financial risks to shareholders.The think tank has made a similar proposal to Apple, and like some American companies that already scaled back or retreated from their diversity policies, cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision in July 2023 that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.Costco officials could not be reached for comment on the DEI proposal.But Costcos board of directors voted unanimously to ask shareholders to reject the motion. The board said it believes our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. The report requested by this proposal would not provide meaningful additional information.The directors message to shareholders details how having diverse employees and suppliers has, in their view, fostered creativity and innovation in the merchandise and services that we offer and led to greater customer satisfaction among Costco members.Neil Saunders, managing director of consulting firm GlobalDatas retail division, said Costco can be confident the proposal will be rejected.I think people generally have confidence in Costcos management, and theres an attitude of Why rock the boat? Its sailing very nicely,' Saunders said.Costcos public stance in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs contrasts with the positions taken in recent months by other big consumer brands, including Walmart, McDonalds, and John Deere.Last week, more than 30 Walmart shareholders, including Amalgamated Bank and Oxfam America, asked the CEO of the nations largest retailer to explain the business impact of curbing the companys DEI policies, a move they called disheartening.Prominent technology companies, including Amazon and Metathe parent company of Facebook and Instagramalso have rolled back DEI initiatives, which are expected to face opposition from the administration of President Donald Trump.Emboldened by the Supreme Courts decision on affirmative action at colleges and universities, conservative groups have filed lawsuits making similar arguments about corporations, targeting initiatives such as employee resource groups and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups.On Monday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at terminating DEI programs within federal agencies. Conservatives have long condemned them, arguing they violate the U.S. Constitution by considering factors such as race, gender, and sexual orientation.As for Costco, the National Center for Public Policy Research alleged that at least 200,000 of the companys 300,000 employees worldwide are potentially victims of this type of illegal discrimination because they are white, Asian, male or straight. If only a fraction of those employees were to sue Costco, the legal costs could be significant, the center said.Costco has a chief diversity officer, but the companys executive ranks do not reflect the diversity of its customers. Nearly 81% of the executives Costco had in place last year were white, and 72% of them were men, according to data published on its website. Saunders said members of Costcos management team typically stay a long time given the companys solid and stable financial performance.In other ways, Costco has been a bit of a maverick in the corporate world. It doesnt have an official corporate public relations team, and it hasnt focused on building up online business as much as rivals Walmart and Target.The National Center for Public Policy Research intends to present a proposal at Apples February 25 shareholder meeting that goes beyond what the think tank wants from Costco. The centers resolution asks the tech company to abolish its inclusion and equity department, policies and goals, describing them as consistent with, if not more radical than, most corporate DEI programs.Apples board wants shareholders to vote down the proposal, saying the company strives to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work.Anne DInnocenzio, AP Retail Writer

Architecture studio Gensler has placed glass-clad volumes on an aluminium base for the mixed-use Sixth and Guadalupe skyscraper in Austin, making it the city's tallest skyscraper. Located in downtown Austin, Sixth and Guadalupe is 865 feet tall (264 metres) and has an ascending program of retail, office, and residential, with terraces and balconies dispersed at different points of the construction.Gensler has completed a mixed-use skyscraper in AustinThe skyscraper has two glass-clad volumes, stacked, that sit atop an above-ground parking block clad in an illuminated, semi-transparent aluminium skin. A large terrace sits on top of the podium and another was placed at the joint between the tower's office and residential floors.Private residential balconies line the majority of the upper levels, while planes of glass curtain wall cover the building's angeled sides and the office floors.It contains retail, office and residential floorsAccording to Gensler, its design was shaped largely by Austin's Capitol View Corridor, zoning restrictions that require a clear sightline to the Texas State Capitol in Austin.As the sightlines slice through the city, they intersect with Sixth and Guadalupe's plot, resulting in its angled, "trapezoidal shape" and low podium.Read: Gensler unveils latest renovations to Chicago's iconic Merchandise Mart"There are various view corridors from around the city that you need to be able to see the Capitol from, and that's going to be in perpetuity," Gensler project architect Andrew Kao told Dezeen."One of those cuts through this building. So that trapezoidal shape you see for the tower is because of that."The building's design was largely shaped by Austin zoning restrictions that maintain an unobstructed view of the state CapitolAdditionally, half of the building fell under the city's Downtown Density Bonus Program zone, an Austin initiative that allows builders to increase a project's height or density in exchange for a "high-quality building", improved streetscape and community benefits.For Sixth and Guadalupe, these include targeted LEED Gold certification, Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB) 3-star rating, efficient utilities and a "pedestrian-oriented" site, marked with a greenspace tucked into a corner of its lot.Shared outdoor amenity spaces are distributed along the building's towerThe building and its interior program were also shaped by "quite of bit of slope" according to project architect Tim Buckman. The slope ultimately allowed the team to separate the office levels from the residential levels internally, placing one entrance at a lower grade and the other at a higher."The office lobby is on Sixth Street, and it's actually a much lower elevation than the residential lobby," Buckman told Dezeen. "The idea is that residents never really come in contact with the office tenants."It is the tallest completed tower in AustinAdditionally, the building was designed for the outdoor lifestyle of Austonians, with the majority of its 349 apartments outfitted with a balcony, and the larger, lower greenspace acting as a shared park.Sixth and Guadalupe joins a number of skyscrapers under construction and recently completed in Austin, one of which is KPF's Waterline Tower, which will be the tallest in Texas once completed.Its design is geared towards the outdoor lifestyle of Austonians"It's kind of pointing towards where the city will probably end up going, just mixing program types on a vertical layout versus horizontally, just because land is getting more and more expensive downtown especially," said Kao."It's just the beginning of what might come. I think we're only going to keep going vertical. This is the test case for what could work."Dezeen examined the skyscraper trend and why some developers were chosing to scale back heights from initial design announcements.Other projects under construction nearby include a tower by HKS and urban renovations around the Texas State Capitol led by Page Southerland PageThe images are by Onward Group.Project creditsClient: Lincoln Property Company & Kairoi ResidentialArchitect: GenslerStructural engineer: Brockette/Davis/Drake, Inc.MEP engineer: Wylie Consulting EngineersEnvironmental engineer: Center for Maximum Potential Building SystemsLighting: Cline, Bettridge, Bernstein Lighting Design, Inc.Parking/Garage: Curtainwall Design Consulting; HWA Parking Fire/Life Safety: Jensen HughesLandscape architects: Studio DWG; Nudge DesignVertical transportation: Persohn/Hahn Associates, Inc.Additional engineering Services: RWDI; Lerch Bates, Inc.The post Gensler completes Austin's tallest skyscraper appeared first on Dezeen.

Promotion: kitchen and bath brand Kohler has unveiled its Anthem+ Digital Showering System that promises to create an immersive experience for its users. Controlled using a custom digital control, the shower system by Kohler enables its users to alter water, light, sound and steam offering the "ultimate shower control at the touch of a button", according to the brand.Kohler has unveiled its Anthem+ Digital Showering SystemThe system's intuitive digital control interface features a minimalist touch-sensitive surface equipped with a dial and buttons to eliminate the need for handles.The design is available in eight finishes: Polished Chrome, Vibrant Polished Nickel, Vibrant Brushed Nickel, Vibrant Titanium, Vibrant French Gold, Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass, Vibrant Brushed Bronze, and Matte Black.The system is controlled by a digital control interfaceCapable of controlling up to 12 water outlets, the remote allows for control over shower sprays, rainheads, shower heads, hands showers and body sprays, as well as the ability to programme up to nine pre-sets."Anthem+ is one integrated showering system controlled by one digital control interface, providing ultimate shower control at the touch of a button," said the brand.Kohler has also designed its own speakers, created to work as part of its shower system and operated through its digital controller.Kohler has its own speakers for its shower systemSettings on the device also enable users to choose individual sprays including the control of up to two temperatures and the levels of warmth.Additionally, an optimised warm-up mode works to reduce water wastage purging cold water from pipes and holding the hot water for up to two minutes until users step into the shower.The system is controllable via its Kohler Konnect app, which allows for remote control of the system and the creation of default settings, pre-sets and experiences from a mobile device.A steam generator creates a spa-like showering experienceOther notable features of the app include the use of voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Home, as well as the ability to monitor the shower duration and water usage to maximise water conservation.The system can also be paired with Kohler's steam generator and amplifier to create a spa-like showering experience that promotes wellness, along with its SoundTile speakers.Using water and steam, Kohler said the shower offers "11 experiences" which aim to "encourage preparation for the day or promote recovery and relaxation".Kohler says its shower system meets "aesthetic and functional goals""Whether you're designing for high-end residential properties, hotels, or resorts, elevate the value, appeal, and end-user experience through wellness-focused design," Kohler said."With customisable features and seamless integration, Anthem+ with steam allows you to create bespoke shower spaces that meet both aesthetic and functional goals," it added.For more information, visit the brand's global website here.The photography is courtesy of Kohler.Partnership contentThis article was written by Dezeen for Kohler as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.The post Kohler uses water, light, sound and steam for "multi-sensory" shower appeared first on Dezeen.