ROLAND ZENBEATS APP via Bless This Stuff

Roland´s Zenbeats music production app is currently free! Roland is temporarily offering free downloads of this music creation app (typically costs $15) to iOS and Android users. Whatever your experience level or creative role, Roland Zenbeats is designed to keep you in an effortless artistic flow, letting you work on any device or platform. To get the free content, users should download the free Zenbeats app. From there, they can upgrade to Zenbeats Unlock.

Read ROLAND ZENBEATS APP via Bless This Stuff

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Skype rolls out 'Meet Now' calls that don't need a a sign-up or installation via Engadget

With people forced out of their offices and schools to avoid spreading coronavirus, there are more video calls going on than ever. However, a significant chunk of the action has gone to Zoom, and not Skype, Microsoft's product that has been at the center of online voice and video chats since well before smartphones were commonplace. That's mostly because Zoom has made sharing meetings and the necessary software so easy -- perhaps too easy, with some security and privacy compromises -- but Skype is finally ready to fight back with "Meet Now."

Read Skype rolls out 'Meet Now' calls that don't need a a sign-up or installation via Engadget

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Alexa has new tools for coronavirus quarantine. Here's how to use them via CNET

Adjusting to a new schedule during quarantine is tough. You're now at home, except for trips to the grocery store and other essential errands, you're missing friends and family who you usually see weekly, and your days seem to run together. To help you better adjust, Amazon has released new features for its Echo speaker to help you maintain a balance.

For example, Amazon has created two new routines specifically for staying at home that can help you schedule the day. I'm looking forward to using this one because I personally lose track of time when working from home and forget that I need to stand up and stretch. 

Read Alexa has new tools for coronavirus quarantine. Here's how to use them via CNET

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Fiber optic cables: How Do they work? via Adafruit Industries

 

Bill uses a bucket of propylene glycol to show how a fiber optic cable works and how engineers send signal across oceans. 

Read Fiber optic cables: How Do they work? via Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers!

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25 Powerful Raspberry Pi Projects: Part I — The MagPi magazine via The MagPi magazine

It’s common to do a bit of head-scratching when you get your first Raspberry Pi. Sure, it’s a cool bit of technology at an amazing price, but what to do with it?

Here at The MagPi, we work hard to stuff your imagination full of ideas that are hopefully accessible to all our readers. Still, we thought it might be fun to take a look at what happens when a maker gets ambitious and decides to go all‑out on their new project. We present some of our favourite advanced Raspberry Pi makes…

Read 25 Powerful Raspberry Pi Projects: Part I — The MagPi magazine via The MagPi magazine

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Home School: I Created a PERFECT SNAKE A.I. - CodeBullet via YouTube

 

I used math, science and tears to create a snake AI which always wins (sometimes).

Watch I Created a PERFECT SNAKE A.I. - CodeBullet via YouTube

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13 Zoom video chat tips, tricks and hidden features via CNET

The Zoom video meeting and chat app has become the wildly popular host to millions of people working and studying from home during the coronavirus outbreak. Whether you've been using Zoom for years or have only just signed up, there are a number of helpful and fun tips, tricks and hidden features you can find to upgrade your video chatting experience.

Here are 13 ways to become a Zoom master.

Read 13 Zoom video chat tips, tricks and hidden features via CNET

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How To Train Your Robot, a free kids book by an engineer and his 10-year-old daughter via Boing Boing

 My buddy Ken Goldberg, a UC Berkeley professor of robotics, his 10-year-old daughter Blooma, and science communicator Ashley Chase wrote a delightful children's book called How to Train Your Robot! Illustrated by Dave Clegg, the story, about a fourth grade robotics club, is a fun and understandable introduction to how deep learning can help robots gain new skills in the messy, unstructured human world.

Thanks to support from the National Science Foundation and UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, How to Train Your Robot is available as a free PDF online and student groups can request free hardcopies!

Read How To Train Your Robot, a free kids book by an engineer and his 10-year-old daughter via Boing Boing

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Apple makes its pro video and audio editing software free to use for 90 days via Engadget

Apple is giving people stuck at home the chance to try out two of its professional creative applications at no cost. To start with, the tech giant is extending Final Cut Pro X's free trial period from 30 days to 90 days. Users will still have to pay $300 for a license once it's over, but they'll at least have three months to master the video editing application before having to decide whether it's worth the price.
Those who want to take advantage of the offer can download the program from Apple's website. And even those still in the middle of their 30-day trial period can get the new version and use it for free for an additional 90 days.

Read Apple makes its pro video and audio editing software free to use for 90 days via Engadget

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Here are a bunch of free music apps and sample packs while we’re all stuck inside via The Verge

Life looks very different right now as the novel coronavirus has millions around the world stuck indoors. Festivals, clubs, and even house parties are banned in many cities, leaving musicians (and music lovers) housebound and searching for creative outlets. Over the past few weeks, several music companies have responded by offering freebies in order to, as Korg said, provide “a musical way to occupy your mind.”

Below, we’ve rounded up an array of apps, plug-ins, sounds, lessons, and even digital audio workstations (DAWs) that are currently free to give tools to musicians and those looking to learn musical skills during the pandemic. A few were already free, but the majority are only free for a limited time. There are tons of deals available, so get ready to hunker down with some new digital toys. Here are some of the top picks, with more to come.

Read Here are a bunch of free music apps and sample packs while we’re all stuck inside via The Verge

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