Spotify's AI DJ is like if ChatGPT decided to switch careers. The DJ curates a playlist of music based on Premium subscribers' previous play history, including new and old songs in the mix. Of course, the headline feature is the DJ's voice, as the AI bot announces which songs are up next, as well as some information about each. Whether you love or hate AI, it's a pretty harmless feature, and seems fun for those who pay for Spotify.While DJ feels interactive, it really isn't. Aside from skipping songs, it's mostly a passive feature. That's now changing: In a blog post on Tuesday, Spotify announced that you will now be able to make requests to the DJ with your voice. If you're enjoying the personalized playlist, but want to listen to something in particular—whether that be a song, genre, or mood—you can now ask the DJ to play it. In a video on the press release, Spotify demos a user asking, "DJ, morning motivation needed ASAP...give me some dance-pop vibes." The DJ responds in kind: "No problem. Here's some LISA." In another example, the user asks, "play me something with a Y2K vibe to celebrate." DJ decides to run with Tate McRae, "with that nostalgic sound you've had on repeat." Some other request examples Spotify highlighted include:“Surprise me with some indie tracks I’ve never heard before.”“Give me some electronic beats for a midday run.” “Play me some cry-in-the-car songs.”Spotify says that DJ requests are available in English for Premium users in over 60 markets. If you have access to the DJ, you have access to requests. How to make a DJ request on SpotifyFirst, you'll need to subscribe to Spotify Premium and live in an area where the DJ is available. If those two points are met, open Spotify and search for "DJ." Press play to launch the DJ, then press and hold the DJ button in the right-hand corner. (Listen for a beep.) Now, place your request. As usual, if you don't have a specific request but want to hear something else, you can simply skip to the next track, which will likely be something totally different than what was just playing. Source: https://lifehacker.com/tech/spotify-ai-dj-requests-feature?utm_medium=RSS #your #spotify #now #taking #verbal #requests

‘Out of Africa’ champagne picnic experience during a Masai Mara luxury safari, Kenya. All images © Zed Nelson, courtesy of Guest Editions, shared with permission In His New Book, Photographer Zed Nelson Lifts the Veil on ‘The Anthropocene Illusion’ May 13, 2025 Kate Mothes In the 1985 film Out of Africa starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, a picturesque scene highlights the pair on a romantic picnic high above the sweeping Masai Mara National Reserve. Today, tourists are invited to recreate the iconic moment in a colonial-inspired, hillside champagne picnic experience for which “local Masaai tribesman are employed to provide picturesque authenticity to the experience,” photographer Zed Nelson says. In his new book, The Anthropocene Illusion, Nelson takes us on a global journey that lifts the veil, so to speak, on what we think of as “wilderness” and our progressively uneasy relationship with the environment. “While we destroy the natural world around us, we have become masters of a stage-managed, artificial ‘experience’ of nature—a reassuring spectacle, an illusion,” he says. The Anthropocene defines the ever-evolving, rapid changes to the environment due to humans’ unyielding impact. Many scientists place the epoch’s origin during the Industrial Revolution, but some consider 1945—the year humans tested the atomic bomb—to be the true beginning. Yet others suggest that the Anthropocene was initiated even earlier, during the advent of agriculture. At that point, we entered into an increasingly uneasy relationship with the natural world, relying on ever-more extractive processes, heavy manufacturing, plastics, and advancing technology—all of which depend on the earth’s resources. Our societies’ colonialist tendencies also apply to nature just as much as other human-occupied territories. We’re depleting entire aquifurs, forever altering the composition of the land, and irretrievably damaging delicate ecosystems. All the while, Nelson shows, we subscribe to a nostalgic view of untamed wilderness while at the same time expecting it to mold to our lifestyles. In Kenyan national parks like Masai Mara, wildlife is provided sanctuary, “but the animals living within them are allowed to survive essentially for human entertainment and reassurance,” Nelson says. “These animals become, in effect, performers for paying tourists eager to see a nostalgic picture book image of the natural world.” Snow cannon producing artificial snow at Val Gardena ski resort, Dolomites, Italy Nelson’s illuminating series taps into the absurdities of the illusion that nature is still thriving as it once was. Artificial snow shot from a cannon in the Italian Dolomites, for example, nods to warmer winters. A result of the climate crisis, leading to little snow, the powder is manufactured so holidaymakers can ski. From vine-draped brutalist buildings to overcrowded national park lookouts to half-tame lions walked out like entertainers during a safari, he shares moments that feel skewed and incongruous, indicating looming and ultimately inescapable problems behind the veneer. The Anthropocene Illusion series took first place in the professional category of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards, and the book, which comes out this month, is available for pre-order in the Guest Editions shop. Ten percent of profits will be donated to Friends of the Earth, an environmental justice nonprofit. See more on Nelson’s Instagram. ‘Walk with Lions’ tourist experience, South Africa Next article Source: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/05/zed-nelson-the-anthropocene-illusion/ #his #new #book #photographer #zed #nelson #lifts #the #veil #anthropocene #illusion

The virtual pet Tamagotchi is kept alive by feeding it right and clearing its droppings, but the game has lost its luster. The egg-shaped tiny computer game that had the world in a frenzy once is rekindled from the ruins, in a bolder, bigger, and humanized format, by a YouTuber, and we are amazed at the detail and finesse Terence Grover has managed in his version of the Tamagotchi. Comprising 3D components and Raspberry Pi as the brain, Grover’s Tamagotchi is a representation of real life. The entire creation is based on the classic Tamagotchi game, but it is tied closely to Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy of needs, building up from physiological needs to safety, love and belonging, to esteem and self-actualization at the top. The game is simple: keep the virtual pet alive, catering to all possible human needs. You miss one, and the Tamagotchi is no more! Designer: Terence Grover According to Grover, the idea of the real-life simulating Tamagotchi was born from the intention to “build a parody of life simulator games,” which would combine pixel art, game design, electronics, and humor. The result is this fun game, that gets serious as you take the Tamagotchi through all the life’s hardships – Job, Debt, etc, Grover says – to earn money that you need to feed and keep the little creature alive. So instead of the cute creature and the simple feeding game, you are here negotiating the “cynical arc of human life,” going through all the levels of Maslow’s pyramid to increase your pet’s life expectancy. The entire building and rebuilding process is detailed in an interestingly edited YouTube video, which is getting one prominent reaction: Why so few views? The video that has amassed a little above 2.5k views in five days (at the time of writing) is filled with comments such as, “I don’t understand why it’s not viral. He literally did everything right.” Another commenter writes, “Great video, the storytelling is spot on. The amount of work you put into this video is crazy.” Grover has gone a tad fast with his voice over, which hasn’t gone down too well with some viewers, suggesting he go a little slower, “You have all the right content, but you are talking so fast that I have no idea what is actually going on.” Back to the real-life simulating Tamagotchi. Based on a random set of events and scenarios, it has a Raspberry Pi computer connected to a physical RGB LED matrix. It is controlled by three tactile buttons, like on the classic game device. It features a series of unlockable minigames based on “education, job, housing, socializing, hobby, rest, food” that you must toggle to keep the animated pet alive, whose life may be influenced by the choices you make. Find the logic interesting, you can head over to Grover’s Github to download. The post Real-life simulating Tamagotchi is nostalgic, challenging, and really fun first appeared on Yanko Design. Source: https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/05/13/real-life-simulating-tamagotchi-is-nostalgic-challenging-and-really-fun/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=real-life-simulating-tamagotchi-is-nostalgic-challenging-and-really-fun #reallife #simulating #tamagotchi #nostalgic #challenging #and #really #fun

Living Room - Cartoon Style A vintage-style set representing a classic 1980s living room. It includes a brown leather sofa with rounded shapes, a round wooden coffee table, a retro TV with antennas and detailed knobs, a soft light-colored rug and a red floor. The model features a toon-shaded aesthetic, perfect for stylized environments or nostalgic scenes. Ideal for games, animations, and artistic renderings. Info and Download: https://www.patreon.com/pizzaandgames/shop/living-room-cartoon-style-1054472?source=storefront #3dmodel #asset #prop #vintage #furniture #livingroom #sofa #tv #cartoon #stylized #interior #gamedev #gameready

Check out how this nostalgic indie gothic retro co-op shooter looks on a CRT screen. Godot Engine #godotengine #godot #GunmetalGothic #CRT #indiedev hashtag#gamedev #gamedevelopment #retrogaming #retrogames #games #videogames