Shure is one of the most respected audio brands and over the last few years, it's had gamers and content creators right in its sights, and it just launched its latest product for this audience: the Shure MV7i. Its an update to its popular line of streaming mics but thanks to its built-in audio interface, excellent recording quality, and high-quality DSP audio FX, its easily one the best mics yet. At $349, its not cheap, but with everything it offers it still might wind up saving you money.Shure MV7i Design and FeaturesThe MV7i looks virtually identical to the companys other MV7 microphones. It has a sleek black cylindrical body that's half metal and half foam pop filter. There is a bright RGB strip along the middle of it indicating whether it's live or muted and what your current levels might be, though this can be configured in the software or mobile app. The whole thing is mounted on a U-bracket that can attach to any stand or microphone arm, whether it uses the smaller 3/8-inch thread or the larger 5/8-inch.Shure MV7i - PhotosBut lets call a spade a spade. Its design is meant to evoke Shures legendary SM7B, one of the most popular broadcast and recording mics in the world.Youve probably already seen it even if you didnt know which mic it actually was as its seen on some of the most popular video podcasts. The MV7i differentiates itself with prominent Shure branding on both sides and that RGB strip, and is also a touch smaller but theres no doubting that the design is intentional.Unlike that microphone, the MV7i connects through USB Type-C. You can use it plug-and-play with Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, and theres no need for additional hardware, unlike the SM7B. This mic is designed to be used on a computer or with a smartphone, so youll find that it gets plenty loud and sounds great straight out of the box. Its claim to fame is that it features a built-in audio interface that allows it to connect to a second source. If you look at the back of the microphone, you'll find a USB Type-C port to connect to a phone, tablet, or computer and an XLR combo jack that can also accommodate a -inch instrument cable. In combination with its software, this essentially makes it a microphone, audio interface, and mixer all in one package.The majority of streaming microphones today use condenser capsules. Condensers can sound great and they have a wider frequency response which can make them sound more natural in crystalline. At the same time, they will pick up just about any sound in your room, including the clack of your keyboard, the fans on your PC, ambient reverberation, and any background noise that might exist.The MV7i, on the other hand, uses a dynamic microphone capsule, which is much less sensitive and doesn't pick up nearly as much unintended noise. If you happen to be streaming in a room with hardwood floors or f bare walls, a condenser microphone will capture almost all of that reverberation (or room noise) and send it directly into your stream. The MV7i, with its dynamic capsule, will cut that out and minimize how much makes its way to your audience.Don't mistake this lack of sensitivity for a lack of quality dynamic microphones are incredibly popular for broadcast purposes for a reason. They have a more limited frequency response range that's perfect for capturing the human voice and this bit of frequency crunch allows it to deliver a classic radio voice type of sound signature. If you want it to, that is.Within the Motiv Mix app, you're able to craft its sound profile using its built-in digital sound processing (DSP). This audio processor opens the door to a lot of different customizations and studio FX. Ill dive more into this in the software section, but for starters you can choose whether you are recording speech, singing, or an instrument, set automatic gain levels, and customize the tone to be dark, natural, or bright, ensuring it matches your voice.At $349, its not cheap, but with everything it offers it still might wind up saving you money.Being able to mix two sources is a powerful bit of functionality. For example, this is great if you want to record a two-person podcast or stream, but its also capable if you want to record an instrument. I was able to plug my guitar directly into the microphone and then send that through to my DAW of choice (which is Reaper).Its second channel also offers its own range of DSP customizations. Like the microphone itself, you can set it to either speech mode or singing mode, have it automatically adjust levels (or set them manually), adjust tone controls, reverb, a real-time de-noiser, pop filter, and more.The LED strip along the center also serves a purpose. By default, it's set to indicate the levels of both sources. If you are too quiet and your second channel is too loud, you'll be able to see that visually right away. This can also be customized within the software if you'd rather have it be a static color or act as a meter for only your voice.If you are a solo broadcaster and don't play an instrument (or don't have a need to run a second XLR or 1/4-inch source into your mix), you don't need to worry about the MV7i. If you do, however, and dont mind doing your mixing on a PC, it will save having to buy an interface and/or mixer separately (and save desk space in the process).The only thing youll need to buy is a stand. The mic only includes a U-bracket, which doesnt support the mic alone for immediate use. Given its price, I would have liked to have seen something included, but packaged stands are usually pretty poor and leave you shopping for a better one anyway. Still, out-of-the-box usability should be a more important consideration in the microphone market.Shure MV7i Software and CustomizationWhile the microphone is plug-in play across every platform, I would definitely recommend picking up the Motiv Mix software or app depending on what youre using it for. I was able to test it on both the PC and Android and the experience was straightforward for both devices. You have access to all of the customization features for both sources right on the app, but when you download the PC version, you also get the ability to mix sources and record all in one place.When you open the PC software, youre greeted with a mixing board that includes your headphones and a channel specifically for the mix coming from the software. You can view all of the sound sources connected to your computer as well as the MV7i and whatever is connected to its XLR port, and then add these individually to the mix. Every channel has its own meter and gain slider. You also have the ability to monitor your mix, so you can hear what youre sending to your stream or podcast in real time.Shure MV7i - SoftwareDespite looking similar, this doesn't have the same kind of functionality as a number of other streaming mixers like the GoXLR. While you can add different audio sources, Motiv Mix doesn't create multiple virtual devices that you can direct game audio and music toward. Instead, it only creates a single input and output for the mix that you're making. It is a mixer that can be used for streaming, but it's not necessarily a stream mixer as we've come to know them.Clicking the gear icon next to the MV7i's panel takes you to its settings menu. This is split into three parts, one that applies to all of its audio output and separate settings menus for the mic itself and whatever audio device you have running into it. The Global Settings Menu gives you a noise gate that captures everything and limits what can make it through, an audio output method (stereo, mixdown, and multi-track), adjustments for the realtime monitoring from its headphone jack, reverb settings, and customizations for its LED strip.Clicking through to the mic or secondary input settings reveals even more options which are largely mirrored between the two. Both offer the ability to designate whether you are looking at speech singing or recording an instrument. Selecting one of these can alter which options are available but doesn't change the function and characteristic of the recording.Need to upgrade your audio gear?Beyerdynamic MMX 300 ProThe Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro is a high-end wired gaming headsetSee it at AmazonCheck out our roundup of the best gaming headsets!The DSP is powerful and gives many different effects that go above and beyond what you'll find built into software like OBS. You can set the gain manually with up to 36dB of headroom or allow the microphone to adjust levels on its own. Theres a compressor with light, medium, or heavy settings to ensure you don't get too loud or quiet at any given time and a limiter which prevents clipping. Theres a real-time denoiser that removes white noise from the background and works in conjunction with a high-pass filter that catches low frequency noise like an HVAC unit humming in the background. Theres also a digital popper stopper which prevents the capsule from picking up the distortion of plosives. Lastly, there are tone settings, which I talked about before, to make sure your voice comes through with the character you would prefer it to have.The only difference between the two that's worth mentioning is that the input menu has an option for phantom power. This can be necessary for condenser microphones and allows the MV7i to interface with different types of gear, even outside of Shures product family. If youre not a fan of constantly using software, dont worry. All of your settings for both inputs are saved to the mic itself. After setting it up the first time, you dont need to use it again unless you want to make a change.Shure MV7i PerformanceThe MV7i is an excellent microphone that shouldn't come as a surprise because every MV7 so far has been very good. What does stand out, however, is that it is much more expensive than any other model in the family currently. As a flagship product at $349, it is close to perfection close, but not quite.First off, I love the versatility this mic offers. Its built-in DSP is excellent, and I find that its automatic level adjustment is better tuned than any of its previous models. The last generation of MV7 microphones were already very good, so the baseline going into this one was high. Either way, its responsive but not jarring in how it shifts, and no matter what type of content you plan on creating, a natural sound is going to be ideal and probably what youre shooting for. If youre sitting quite still and dont want to risk unintended fluctuations, however, I like that you can easily turn it off and lock the gain to your preferred level.When I first tested it, I expected it to have a dark sound signature with a wide low-end and was surprised to find that it actually sounded quite natural. That's because the tone slider defaults to its middle setting, fittingly titled natural. Adjusting this slider makes a meaningful difference in the character of your voice or the subject youre recording. For a rich broadcast style, I tipped the slider to the Dark setting and touched it up about 20% to preserve some crispness to my speech. For recording my acoustic guitar, natural or bright was a better fit. I like that these arent toggles but that you can freely slide along its range until you settle on what sounds best to you.Its noise rejection is very good, too. My clicky mechanical keyboard (with Kailh Box Navy switches, the clickiest of the clicky) barely made its way into my recordings and my air circulator was cut out entirely. Likewise, the sound of my kids playing downstairs elephantine though their little bodies sound also rarely made its way through and was quiet when it did. After testing it for a while, I did toggle the smart noise gate back on. Its default setting was effective yet remained natural and eliminated the aforementioned sounds (though did need to be tweaked depending on the situation).My favorite feature was the real-time denoiser. It works incredibly well and has almost no impact on your voice. Turning it off didnt seem to impact the overall quality of my vocal capture and immediately demonstrated how much room noise it actually removes its impressive. Think of active noise cancelling on a gaming headset and the digital, compressed, almost nasally effect it has on quality it imparts on your voice to limit background noise. Those detractors are completely absent here while also being way more effective.Taken as a whole, the MV7i feels like a broadcast mic for the masses. Unless youre recording in an echoey bathroom, it virtually eliminates the need to use sound treatment. You can worry far less about your roommate or family member making a guest (vocal) appearance on your stream; unless theyre talking at full volume in the room with you, they likely will be quiet at worst and probably not audible if you also use the noise gate. You can use a gate with a condenser mic too, sure, but even when youre speaking and the gate isnt in effect, the MV7i will simply block out far more than any condenser capsule microphone is able to.The audio quality is fantastic and the versatility provided by its software and built-in DSP is next-level.So, why isnt it perfect? The lack of a stand is one. Second, it comes with reverb enabled and way too loud by default and you have to download the software just to turn it off. The biggest reason is that there arent any onboard controls outside of muting the microphone. The original MV7 allowed you to adjust gain levels with a simple swipe, but Shure has moved away from that with each model since.While the software is fine, the mic also saves your settings to its onboard memory, so once youre configured, you dont need to use it again. But adjusting gain, thats something youll almost certainly be doing. And without any kind of onboard controls like the original MV7 had, you just have to open the software or fiddle with settings in Windows to dial in your level.Purchasing GuideThe Shure MV7i is available on Amazon for $349. It comes with a USB cable to connect with a PC and a U-bracket to mount on a stand, but a stand needs to be purchased separately, along with any cables to connect a second audio source.

The cast of new Disney+/Hulu drama A Thousand Blows dont so much introduce themselves as smash their way onto the screen almost literally in the case of Shoreditch boxers Sugar and Treacle Goodson, and Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, the two young fighters from Jamaica who take the East Enders on in the backroom boxing ring of pub The Blue Coat Boy. And then there are the shows women: not genteel, fainting Victorian ladies, but a gang of savvy pickpockets and con artists with ambitions far beyond what life has afforded them. Led by Mary Carr, The Forty Elephants were a force to be reckoned with, and like Sugar, Treacle, Hezekiah and Alec above, were a real part of late 19th century London history. Below, meet the A Thousand Blows characters and the actors including stars from The Crown, Peaky Blinders, and many more who play them.Erin Doherty as Mary CarrInspired by a real-life character of the same name, Mary Tarr is the Queen of The Forty Elephants, the all-female gang of thieves who picked the pockets of the East End and raided the new department stores of Londons West End. A Thousand Blows version of Tarr makes her a workhouse survivor whos fought her way to criminal supremacy, and made enemies and devotees along the way. Which category though, does Sugar Goodson fall into? Carr is played by Erin Doherty, who won acclaim for the role of Princess Anne in two seasons of Netflix royal drama The Crown, as the lead in 2022 BBC thriller Chloe, and in several stage roles. Doherty will soon be seen alongside A Thousand Blows Stephen Graham in Netflix drama Adolescence.Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah MoscowBased on a real Jamaican boxer who emigrated to London in the 19th century, A Thousand Blows Hezekiah Moscow comes to the East End to train as a lion tamer, but is drawn into the boxing world and into the orbit of Mary Tarr and Sugar Goodson. Hes played by Malachi Kirby, whos been acting since he was a teenager, with small roles in Silent Witness, EastEnders, Doctor Who and many more, but who won acclaim for playing civil rights activist Darcus Howe in Steve McQueens Small Axe, and for leading Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire, playing Kunta Kinte in the 2016 Roots remake, and in 2020, for the role of Oliver in Devils, and Tony in Boiling Point (with A Thousand Blows Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham). Kirby also plays the dual roles of Charlie/Spider in Prime Videos Anansi Boys adaptation, the status of which is up in the air in the wake of serious allegations made against creator Neil Gaiman.Stephen Graham as Henry Sugar GoodsonAlso inspired by a real historical person, Sugar Goodson is a vicious fighter known as The East London Gladiator. In A Thousand Blows hes the owner of The Blue Coat Boy pub, in which he and his younger brother Treacle take on chancers willing to pay for an opportunity to take a pop at the best.Hes played by an actor so well-known and beloved that he really needs no introduction. Since playing Combo in Shane Meadows This Is England film and TV continuation, and winning international acclaim as Al Capone in HBOs Boardwalk Empire, Graham has been acknowledged as one of the UKs finest. Seen recently in Boiling Point (along with his wife and co-producer Hannah Walters), Graham will soon appear in the Peaky Blinders movie and Netflixs Adolescence.James Nelson-Joyce as Edward Treacle GoodsonThough a fierce boxer himself, Sugars younger brother Treacle Goodson is also a family man, and a pragmatist. Hes played by James Nelson-Joyce, a film actor whos also appeared in multiple TV crime dramas including Innocent, The Responder, The Gold, A Town Called Malice, Strike, and Jimmy McGovern prison drama Time, as well as playing Spider in BBC comedy-drama The Outlaws. Hell soon be seen opposite Sean Bean in BBC gangster series This City Is Ours.Francis Lovehall as Alec MunroeAlec Munroe is another real figure recorded in 19th century London history, and the character inspired by him is played here by Francis Lovehall, a stage and screen actor who appeared in Kenneth Branaghs Death on the Nile Poirot movie, as well as having television roles in Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air and Criminal Record, BBC fantasy His Dark Materials, and playing Laurent in Channel 4s adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams Queenie.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Jason Tobin as Mr LaoMr Lao is a local hotelier who becomes the landlord to members of The Forty Elephants and other key players in A Thousand Blows story. Hes played by Hong-Kong British actor Jason Tobin, who has a long career on screen and is probably best known for the role of Young Jun in historical action series Warrior, and as Earl in The Fast and the Furious franchise.Hannah Walters as Eliza MoodyEliza is a member of The Forty Elephants with a fierce loyalty to Queen Mary Tarr that becomes tested as the series plays out. Shes played by actor-producer Hannah Walters, whose Matriarch Productions (founded with husband Stephen Graham) is behind A Thousand Blows. Walters appeared across the This Is England series, in Jimmy McGoverns prison drama Time, and in Boiling Point (both the film and its excellent TV continuation) and in hospital drama Malpractice.Daniel Mays as William Punch LewisWilliam Punch Lewis is another name from East End history folded into this story. He runs The Blue Coat Boy pub, the back room of which is a hub for illegal bare-knuckle boxing matches. Hes played by screen stalwart Daniel Mays, who came to fame in Mike Leighs award-winning 2004 film Vera Drake and hasnt been off screens since. Hes played coppers galore in Moonflower Murders, The Long Shadow, Des, Line of Duty, and alongside Stephen Graham in Sky comedy Code 404, to name just a few roles. Hes soon to appear in the adaptation of Richard Osmans The Thursday Murder Club and Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.ALSO APPEARING Happy Valley and Save Mes Susan Lynch plays the ruthless matriarch Jane Carr. King Gary, The Curse and Murder in Successvilles Tom Davis plays boxing MC and quack Charlie Mitchell. The Bay and The Irregulars Darci Shaw plays Forty Elephants new recruit Alice Diamond. The Terror, The Agency and The Responder actor Adam Nagaitis plays boxing enthusiast peer the Earl of Lonsdale Billy Elliot, The Bay, Vigil and Rig 45sGary Lewis plays illegal distiller Jack Mac. Fifteen Love and Black Doves Ella Lily Hyland plays Treacles wife Marianne Goodson. Sherwood, Strike and Suspicions Robert Glenister plays the fearsome Elephant gang leader Indigo Jeremy. Stage and screen actor Nadia Albina (Doctor Who, Great Expectations, The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself) plays Forty Elephants member Verity Ross. Queen Victorias goddaughter Victoria Davies (a fictionalised version of a real historical person) is played by Everything I Know About Loves Aliyah Odoffin. Actor-producer-director Ashley Walters (Top Boy, Missing You) has a cameo role as Switch in A Thousand Blows flashback scenes to Jamaica.A Thousand Blows series one is streaming now on Disney+ in the UK and on Hulu in the US.

Batman isnt just the worlds greatest detective. Hes also a master of branding, someone who understands the importance of iconography. So while hes had several different costumes throughout the years, Batman also knows that some things need to be consistent.Such is the case with the Caped Crusaders newest Batsuit, which was introduced by DC along with the announcement that the main Batman comic series will relaunch with a new issue #1 and a new creative team, writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jimnez. To celebrate the occasion, Jimnez has redesigned Batmans costume, nodding back to a classic look for the Dark Knight.Photo: DC Comics.Batmans now back in what many consider his definitive color scheme, with a bright blue cape and cowl to go along with a lighter grey bodysuit. This reverses the more recent course of giving Batman moodier tones, with black or dark blue highlights atop of the grey.However, this isnt a full throwback to the Silver Age days of Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Jimnez forgoes the yellow circle emblem often associated with the brighter costume, opting for a large bat logo, also in blue. Jimnez keeps the trunks on the outside and, of course, doesnt abandon the utility belt. But he adds piping along the torso and arms, as fitting the more realistic approach common in superhero comics today.For Fraction, Jimnezs mix of modern and classic captures the books old-school adventure spirit.Its a small shift meant to feel both classic and fresh, subtly evolving while staying true to the original design weve used in recent years, Jimnez said in an announcement from DC Comics. At the same time, Im working on Gotham Citys visual identity, giving it a fresh approach that sets it apart from my previous takes. Im aiming for a slight pop influence, something that subtly nods to classic stories while keeping the dark and ominous feel of contemporary Batman.On one hand, that pop aesthetic doesnt sound too different than the run by Fractions predecessor, his frequent collaborator Chip Zdarsky. While Zdarskys run relied too much on the common break down Bruce Wayne trope, it also introduced some wild ideas, such as the evil backup Failsafe and an Into the Spider-Verse-style adventure that saw Batman meet his Animated Series and Michael Keaton variants.But Fraction and Zdarsky want to spend less time exploring the meaning of the character and tell more straightforward stories. Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman, Fraction said. Weve got a new Batmobile, weve got a new costume, weve got new characters, and weve got a lot of old ones toogood and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all.Even then, Fraction and Jimnez know theyre just scratching the surface of Batman. Part of the reason Batman has lasted as long and has resonated as loudly as he has as a character is that hes incredibly resilient, Fraction said. He can be all kinds of things to all different people all at the same time whether thats in the comics or in animation or in movies.Its true Batman can be everything and still be Batmanresiliency is his consistency.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Batman #1 swings into comic shops in September 2025.Photo: DC Comics.Photo: DC Comics.Photo: DC Comics.Photo: DC Comics.

Apple on Friday released the long-awaited first beta of iOS 18.4. While the update focuses on expanding Apple Intelligence to more languages, it also has some other new features and secrets. Interestingly, the update seems to confirm the existence of a new category of Apple devices called Home.iOS 18.4 hints at new Apple Home deviceCode seen by 9to5Mac shows the new device category listed alongside others that already exist, such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Reality (Vision Pro). HomePods already have their own category called Audio, which suggests that Home is indeed a new type of device.According to recent rumors, Apple is gearing up to announce a new product that combines a HomePod with an iPad. Essentially, this device would be focused on controlling smart home accessories both with Siri and a touch display.The rumored HomePad was first expected to be announced in the first half of 2025, but Bloombergs Mark Gurman recently suggested that the launch may be delayed until later this year.9to5Mac last year revealed exclusive details about Apples new Home device:According to reliable sources familiar with the matter, the leaked HomeAccessory is indeed Apples new smart home accessory. Codenamed J490, the device will be powered by the A18 chip, presumably to support Apple Intelligence features (which wont be available on current HomePods).Interestingly, sources told us that the HomeAccessory in its current state has a squarish display, rather than a rectangular format like an iPad. Its unclear whether the square aspect ratio will make it into the final product. HomeAccessory also has a built-in camera that works for FaceTime and other video conferencing apps.Were updating this articleAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apple today announced that it has removed its Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK. The decision comes after the UK government ordered Apple to build a worldwide backdoor into iCloud encryption. Instead of complying with that order, Apple chose to remove the feature in the UK. Theres a huge piece of nuance getting missed in a lot of the coverage of todays announcement. Apple is not removing end-to-end encryption from the UK as some headlines have suggested. The company is removing the Advanced Data Protection feature, yes, but that feature exists separately from Apples broader end-to-end encryption efforts.By default, iCloud offers end-to-end encryption for 15 different data categories. In December 2022, Apple introduced Advanced Data Protection as a separate, opt-in way for users to protect additional categories of iCloud data. If you opt-in to Advanced Data Protection, the number of data categories protected by end-to-end encryption increases. Its those additional categories of iCloud data that are impacted by Apple pulling Advanced Data Protection from the UK.This means these iCloud data categories will no longer benefit from end-to-end encryption in the UK:iCloud BackupiCloud DrivePhotosNotesRemindersSafari BookmarksSiri ShortcutsVoice MemosWallet PassesFreeformIn the UK, those categories are instead now covered by standard data protection, just as they were before Apple introduced the optional Advanced Data Protection setting in December 2022. Heres how Apple describes standard data protection:Standard data protection is the default setting for your account. Your iCloud data is encrypted in transit and stored in an encrypted format at rest. The encryption keys from your trusted devices are secured in Apple data centers, so Apple can decrypt your data on your behalf whenever you need it, such as when you sign in on a new device, restore from a backup, or recover your data after youve forgotten your password. As long as you can successfully sign in to your Apple Account, you can access your backups, photos, documents, notes, and more.Whats still end-to-end encrypted in the UK?What is not changing as part of Apples decision to pull Advanced Data Protection from the UK is the end-to-end encryption offered for those initial 15 different iCloud data categories. This means that the following iCloud data categories are still protected by end-to-end encryption by default for all users in the UK:Passwords and KeychainHealth dataJournal dataHome dataMessages in iCloudPayment informationApple Card transactionsMapsQuickType Keyboard learned vocabularySafariScreen TimeSiri informationWi-Fi passwordsW1 and H1 Bluetooth keysMemojiYoull notice that some of the biggest and most important categories are on that list and still protected by end-to-end encryption, such as your Health data, passwords, and Messages in iCloud. Furthermore, Apples communication platforms are also still fully end-to-end encrypted, including iMessage and FaceTime. Finally, its important to remember that most Apple users in the United Kingdom likely never opted into Advanced Data Protection in the first place. The feature has always existed as an optional setting for Apple users who wanted that extra layer of security. Apple also says that users who previously opted into Advanced Data Protection will have to disable it to keep accessing their iCloud account. The company says it will provide more details on that process in the future. Follow Chance:Threads,Bluesky,Instagram, andMastodon.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Forget valleys; we're now entering veritable Grand Canyons of uncanniness.Behold the robot known as "Protoclone," built by Clone Robotics. It's supposedly the world's first bipedal, musculoskeletal android. But it's mostly just got people extremely creeped out.In a promotional video shared on X this Wednesday, the startup of which little is known makes every effort possible to subvert the industry's favored image of robots as servile little helpers there for the good of humankind.Nope. With a menacing cinematic score, we're presented with this writhing, cadaverous mass, shorn of a recognizable face, blindly grasping at the world it didn't want to be brought into. A totally unsolicited reminder that we, too, are merely the supple impedimenta playing host to a network of electrical pulses. Or something.Clearly the intent here is to shock, perhaps in lieu of sharing something more substantive. In any case, it worked: the video has gone instantly viral, spawning equal parts alarm and dark humor plus plenty of comparisons to the TV show "Westworld.""We should hook this thing up to a supercomputer miles below the surface of the earth and hang it up on meathooks and send searing hot sharp pain to every nerve ending in its body and make it handle simple computational tasks that are essential to the functioning of our society," one user joked.Jitters aside, what actually is this thing? Here's what the startup claims. "The Protoclone is a faceless, anatomically accurate synthetic human with over 200 degrees of freedom, over 1,000 Myofibers, and 500 sensors," Clone Robotics said in a followup post.According to its website, the android is equipped with the world's most sophisticated hydraulic powering system mimicking our human blood vessels. Its muscles are composed of Clone's proprietary "Myofiber" artificial muscle tech, providing an unparalleled combination of "weight, power density, speed, force-to-weight, and energy efficiency," Clone says. Underneath, the robot possesses a human-like skeleton with analogs for all 206 bones of the human body. It can also see using four cameras installed in its skull.Clone co-founder Dhanush Radhakrishna whose display name is "Necromancer" calls the robot's progress "ground zero for the age of androids."Needless to say, it's worth approaching these claims with healthy skepticism. So far, all we've seen is a video of the robot flailing around uselessly and the android industry, after all, has never been above misleading public stunts.And calling it the world's first bipedal, musculoskeletal android is also dubious, notes robotics blogger Mike Kalil. That title arguably goes to the Japanese robot Kengoro built in 2016, famed for its cooling system that lets it sweat like a humanand its ability to crank out loads of push-ups.But if you buy into the hype, there's good news. Clone Robotics says it'll start doing pre-orders for just 279 units of its "Clone Alpha" robot this year, which it advertises as capable of doing a bunch of household chores. Reserve your unnerving humanoid now!More on robots: Military Robot Deployed as Nightclub DJShare This Article

Brandon Taylor, Digital Editorial Program ManagerFebruary 21, 20255 Min ViewInvesting in substantial automation that enables agile and strategic business operations are vital to compete and grow in todays digital landscape.In this archived keynote session, Rachel Lockett, vice president of business technology solutions and operations at Surescripts, and Jason Kikta, CISO and senior vice president of product at Automox, discuss how organizations are utilizing automation to find value and regroup to meet challenges.This segment was part of our live virtual event titled, The CIO's Guide to IT Automation in 2025: Enabling Innovation & Efficiency. The event was presented by InformationWeek on February 6, 2025.A transcript of the video follows below. Minor edits have been made for clarity.Rachel Lockett: So, the outcomes and consequences of alert fatigue in all its different forms can be ignored alerts, slowed response times, and ultimately not reacting with urgency when something is due. They can also result in burnouts. Since joining the healthcare field, I have heard more now about provider burnout.There have been news stories about alert fatigue resulting in things being missed and ignored that resulted in patient deaths. So again, let's make a correlation to the technology field. What have you seen in your experience? What have been the direst consequences and costly mistakes that you've seen because of alert fatigue and lack of automation?Related:Jason Kikta: I think one of the best and easiest examples for people to orient on when they think about it, especially at the intersection of IT and security, are the number of vulnerabilities. So, this is the slide that you and I showed the audience when we met last year. This was the projection for the number of CVEs.The number of security vulnerabilities in software was growing at an alarming rate and becoming a lot to process. We talked about this, and we said by the time we get to 2025 it's going to be up to 32,000 a year, and it's going to be bad. We had 28,000 in 2023, but then in 2024 we had 40,000! It totally blew out the curve.Now, there is some nuance here, right? This is not necessarily a bad thing in terms of cybersecurity, because part of this is vendors have gotten better as well as security researchers. They've gotten better at finding these vulnerabilities, and vendors have become more disciplined in reporting these vulnerabilities.So, there is some healthiness to those numbers being high, but it still doesn't change the base condition. I spoke to a company late last year, and their security team was trying to manually read through every CVE that was released by every vendor and match it up with their environment to see if they had it somewhere in their tech stack.Related:Then, they would make a manual determination about how they were going to proceed. Were they going to patch it? If so, how quickly were they going to patch it? It was mind boggling. I thought to myself, how do you keep up? The gentleman I spoke to chuckled and said, well, we keep up poorly. Poorly is the answer.RL: Right, because first, that's intensive labor based on the cost involved. But how can you catch up on time? There's going to be a delayed response because there's just too much volume.JK: Another great example is the National Vulnerability Database where they can't even keep up. They are the ones charged with maintaining the global authoritative database, and they've had trouble keeping up. And this was as of last summer.They don't have newer numbers out, but their last announcement in November was that we've added a lot of external contractor support, and paid a lot of money to bring on this extra capacity. We are now keeping up with all the new ones, but we're still behind in the backlog. We don't have an effective way to burn that down.Related:These problems are not getting better, in fact, they're getting worse on the demand side. So, we must fix the supplies, or maybe it's backwards. Maybe it's the supply side, right? The amount that needs to be dealt with is just going to keep rising, and the ability to keep up with it manually is going to be overwhelming. So, you must fix it through better automation and thinking through these processes more holistically.RL: You brought up exactly what I wanted to talk about next. Again, always coming at these things from the human impact perspective. A common solution, which you just described, is to throw more people at the problem, right? Hire more contractors and let's just keep throwing more people at the problem.Things like rotating responsibilities between team members can help to reduce the impact of alert fatigue for a while, but it's just not a sustainable long-term solution. There's also another industry trend that's making this harder and harder to do, and that's the shortage of technology resources. We talked about this last summer.What's happened since then? Is the problem of scarce technology resources getting better? Is it getting worse? Is it remaining the same? Where are we at?Watch the archived CIO's Guide to IT Automation in 2025: Enabling Innovation & Efficiency live webinar on-demand today.About the AuthorBrandon TaylorDigital Editorial Program ManagerBrandon Taylor enables successful delivery of sponsored content programs across Enterprise IT media brands: Data Center Knowledge, InformationWeek, ITPro Today and Network Computing.See more from Brandon TaylorNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

The origin story of the McDonald's Chicken McNugget is one of the more fascinating fast food tales.The company wasn't even trying to make a Chicken McNugget when it was being developed in the 1970s. In fact, they weren't even using chicken at that time.We did some digging and found out what McDonald's originally planned for its breaded nugget along with several other random facts behind this menu staple.Do you know the original four sauces?Any idea which states supply the chicken?How many times has McDonald's introduced a new McNugget flavor?READ MORE: How To Find Rare McDonald's Restaurant With Black Arches Instead Of YellowFind out those answers and more by checking out these 13 totally random facts about McDonald's Chicken McNuggets.13 Totally Random Facts About McDonald's Chicken McNuggetsDid you know it wasn't originally supposed to be chicken in the McNugget? Do you remember the original four dipping sauces?Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll28 Vintage McDonald's Items Hidden In Super Secret Archive at Corporate HeadquartersMcDonald's world headquarters in Chicago features a massive room devoted to archiving the fast food restaurant's history. From character costumes to vintage menu items, McDonald's archives is packed with history that will have you reminiscing about your childhood.Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll7 Wild Facts About McDonald's Chicken Big Mac SandwichGallery Credit: Rob Carroll

If you've scrolled through your Facebook feed at some point over the last few years, you've probably had your eyes accosted by a fake, clearly AI-generated movie poster or two.Disney has been especially victimized by this phenomenon thanks to its signature art style that is so influentialand replicable by artificial intelligence.READ MORE: Disney Concerned About Affordability of Its Theme ParksWhile AI is certainly making it harder for many people to differentiate what's real and what's not online, some content is just too bizarre and uncanny to be fooled by.Below, delight in the absolute absurdity of some very fake Disney movie posters we've recently encountered on the internet.(P.S. We very much so advise against clicking on the links to these non-existent movies attached to the embedded posts below. You've been warned!)Frozen 3 We have a dopplelgnger in our midstHow many Elsas does a Frozen sequel actually need? Will these two snowball fight to the death to determine the Alpha Elsa? Will they sing a sweeping ballad about self-discovery as they consume each other in a terrifying mergence of ice and flesh, The Substance-style?Frozen 3 Love is an open relationshipFoot size may not matter to Anna, but she clearly likes Kristoff enough to bring in a look-alike third, even if he does appear to be part centaur if you look close enough. (Also, are Sven and Olaf, like, OK?)Frozen 3 They fly now? They fly now!Elsa appears to be ditching her Disney princess duties to save Gotham in this one. (There's a Mr. Freeze joke here somewhere but, like many parents, we've got Frozen fatigue.)Pinocchio 2 I'm literally so scared right nowThis is 100 percent scarier than the horrifying Pleasure Island donkey transformation scene. Why are their eyes all so lifeless and dead? Is that Tinker Bell? And what happened to poor Jiminy Cricket? Is he a cockroach now? Why is Cleo the fish floating in the air? For the love of God, she can't breathe!Wreck-It Ralph 3 Not-so-ready player one...Did Ralph punch himself in the face repeatedly until he transformed into an even more swole version of Popeye the Sailor? Everything is familiar but still looks so... off. We'd like to unplug this game permanently.Monsters, Inc. 3 Put that thing back where it came from or so help meThis chaotic mish-mash of a poster where Mike is all wrong and Sulley looks like he wants to eat my insides like sushi at Harryhausen's is scarier than the Scare Floor. (Bonus points for the nonsensical "English language" tagline that's mostly just letters made to look like actual words.)Monsters, Inc. 3 From Monstropolis to Tron CityMike and Sulley are definitely way off model here. And why do they look like they're in Tron? Must've opened the wrong door in the factory...Encanto 2 Wrong familyMirabel found the Manic Panic! Anyway, like Bruno, we don't talk about... whatever this hell this knock-off is.Encanto 2 What happened to the donkeys?Mirabel looks more Mirabel-eqsue here, we'll give it that, but it seems we've traded in the original movie's dancing donkeys for a clan of horned alpacas. (Alpacas don't have horns, FYI.)Moana 3 Sail away, sail away, sail awayMoana 3 has yet to be announced or produced. But if it does get made, we can safely bet it won't include the uncanny, eldritch horror that is a one-armed Moana torso fused to Maui's chest and groin.Ratatouille 2 Call the health departmentThat's obviously not Remy. We can all see that, right? But what's really creeping us out is this imposter's mangled, three-toed paw. (AI just can't get the hands right.)Coco 2 Bury itSometimes, dead is better.Brave 2 Change her fate (and her face)Brave of whoever made this to assume we wouldn't recognize that that's not Merida, and that's definitely not her horse, Angus. Brave is one of Disney-Pixar's most visually rich films, but this is just flat and lifeless like a torn tapestry.Tangled 2 A hair-raising messAside from Rapunzel's head being way too big and everything looking a little weird and off, why is her hair growing in an impossible, infinite loop? Climb back up your tower, you pretender!Finding Nemo 3 Stay out of the waterFirst of all, this fake poster is a total rip-off of the 2003 film's original theatrical poster. Second of all, why is it so terrifying? Why are the fish warped and melting? Where are Bruce's eyes?The Incredibles 3 Gone girlNot that we don't want another Incredibles sequel the clever superhero films comprise one of Disney-Pixar's most unsung franchises but we definitely don't want it if the whole family isn't in it. Seriously, where's Violet? And who are the two new kids?Toy Story 5 Counting sheepherders This one could have fooled us if it weren't for the double dose of Bo Peep. Seriously, why does AI insist on shoehorning in doppelgngers at any given chance?Beauty and the Beast 2 Human (or something) againWhile Belle and the Beast only look a little off here, every other character in the background of this poster looks to be wilting faster than a dying, enchanted rose. Uncanny valley? This is the uncanny kingdom.25 Not-So-Magical Incidents at Disney Theme ParksFrom ride malfunctions to guest outbursts and Animatronic fails, these incidents at Disney theme parks were so not Mickey Mouse-approved.Gallery Credit: Jacklyn KrolFiled Under: Disney, AICategories: Movie News, Lists

All jobs Lead Software Engineer Posted 1 hours ago Freeman's | Hindman was founded in 2023 by a team of experienced specialists who embrace tradition and innovation, creating a truly client-centric auction house.As Americas oldest auction house, Freemans has been an active part of the auction world and art market for nearly 220 years. Hindman, established in 1982, brings an expansive cross-country network, wealth of expertise, and strong relationships with fiduciaries nationwide to build a market-leading auctions and appraisals firm in Freemans | Hindman.Conducting over 140 auctions annually in all major fine art and luxury collecting categories, Freemans | Hindman offers clients an exceptional experience across multiple selling channels and price points. We truly pride ourselves in presenting impressive single-owner collections and estates plus individual items at auction, leveraging the unique narratives associated with each.Our unparalleled team of experts is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the industry. Driven by this client-first approach, Freemans | Hindman provides collectors, fiduciaries, and institutions with a comprehensive suite of services including auctions, appraisals, private sales, and art advisory.Freemans | Hindman is represented in 18 cities across the United States and operates six salerooms, more than any other auction house in the country. Our illustrious history, expertise in the market, dedicated team of specialists, and relentless focus on service have resulted in an international reputation for achieving exceptional prices and client satisfaction. Apply now Company Culture: At Freeman's|Hindman we believe that people are enriched and energized when they are surrounded with objects of significance and meaning. Freeman's|Hindman is one of the leading and fastest growing fine art auction houses in the U.S. Our values are evident in how we approach the marketplace, providing unmatched service, a focus on excellence, and holding the utmost respect for our clients and the items we steward. As a globally recognized brand, we conduct over 150 auctions each year for everything from contemporary paintings and fine jewelry to French furniture and rare books. With 6 salerooms and business offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Naples, New York, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Richmond, Scottsdale, St. Louis, and Washington, DC, we stay locally relevant while passionately catering to our global sellers and buyers. Our Engineering Team is remote-first, with teammates spanning multiple continents. We value the ability to work asynchronously, as well as opportunities to work directly with each other via pair programming and daily scrums. We consistently make room in our iterations for both tech debt paydown and those features that sometimes perpetually slip through the cracks. We are humble. Our work is in service of the wider company.Position Summary: The Lead Software Engineer is the technical leader of a small team focused on building and maintaining a software platform to manage auction business. The position is responsible for all aspects of development from database architecture to feature building to testing to continuous deployment management to team mentoring.Responsibilities:Lead and mentor a team of remote engineers.Foster a collaborative and high-performance software engineering environment.Facilitate communication and alignment across the Engineering team, Product Management, and internal stakeholders.Develop server-side logic and corresponding tests in Ruby (on Rails).Develop front end interfaces and corresponding tests with Vue.js to deliver a smooth and intuitive end user experience.Participating in and overseeing code review, helping to enforce a high level of test coverage as code changes.Participate in end-to-end quality assurance for all features and bug fixes.Identify technical bottlenecks and root causes of bugs.Manage DevOps deployments of backend and web applications.Maintain infrastructure-as-code in Terraform.Ability to adapt the roadmap and team priorities as business needs change over time.Demonstrate appreciation for art and design.Passionately support the Freeman's|Hindman brand in daily interactions with clients and Freeman's|Hindman team members.Follow the principles of client interaction guidelines in all communications.Other duties as assigned.Education & Experience:Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Engineering preferred but not required.Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to align a team towards common goals.5+ years of front and back-end development experience.Experience and solid knowledge of Ruby on Rails monolith projects and any of Vue, React or Angular.Familiarity with shepherding and growing RESTful APIs.Comfortable in a UNIX development and hosting environment.Experience with maintaining a continuous deployment web applications.Experience with SQL databases and an understanding of raw SQL queries and performance.Experience with RSpec or other testing framework.Thorough understanding of Git.Skills:Flexible; quick learner; works effectively with other engineers; collaborates with team and stakeholders on big projects; also comfortable working autonomously.Communicates with transparency as a key to success.Strong problem-solver.Competencies:Passion for Clients and Services.Effective Problem Solving.Better Together Team Focused.Initiative Self Starter Attitude.Commitment to Quality.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now Freeman's | Hindman View company Jobs posted: 1 Related Jobs Remote Full-Stack Programming jobs