Spotify is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SoundCloud

Those rumors that SoundCloud is shopping itself around ? They just got more substantial. Financial Times sources understand that Spotify is in “advanced talks” to buy SoundCloud. Details of the terms are still scarce at the moment, but it won’t surprise you to hear that Spotify is declining to comment. We’ve asked SoundCloud for its take as well. A buyout would be expensive for Spotify, which is seeing a surge of paying customers but still isn’t turning a profit . However, it would definitely make a sense from a strategic perspective. Spotify has been expanding to include more than just albums — this would give it a wider catalog of DJ sets, demos and other rough tracks. That, in turn, would give it leverage over Apple Music, Tidal and other services that try to lure you away with artist exclusives . You could listen to an in-development song and check out that artist’s commercially available music immediately afterward. And SoundCloud… well, it may not have much of a choice. Its paid SoundCloud Go service hasn’t exactly taken off, and it can’t really make money from those unofficial mashups and remixes. There’s no saying whether or not SoundCloud as you know it would survive under Spotify, but it would at least have a financial cushion. Source: Financial Times

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Spotify is in ‘advanced talks’ to buy SoundCloud

Siri cheat sheet shows how you can talk to your iPhone

Sure, iOS will give you a quick hint as to what you can ask Siri , but there’s a lot more the voice control system will recognize. How do you know whether or not your command will work? You don’t have to guess. Sandro Roth’s recently launched Hey-Siri.io outlines a whopping 489 Siri actions for both iOS and the Mac , all of it neatly divided into categories with practical examples. If you want to know how to talk to your smart home devices or create a grocery list, the answer is likely just a few taps away. This probably won’t cover absolutely every command (certainly not those for third-party apps ), but it could save you a lot of guesswork… not to mention embarrassment. Source: Hey Siri

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Siri cheat sheet shows how you can talk to your iPhone

Bitcoin mining just became more difficult, on purpose

If you have computers chugging away as bitcoin mining machines , don’t be surprised if your output just fell through the floor. Reuters notes that code built into the digital currency system has cut the mining reward in half as of July 9th. Where there were previously 25 bitcoins (roughly $16, 000) to be mined every 10 minutes, you now have to fight over 12.5. The measure automatically kicks in every four years as part of an attempt to curb inflation that would come from both a growing number of miners and ever-faster computers. To no one’s surprise, reducing the reward could have serious consequences for dedicated miners. As you have to work twice as hard to get the same money, companies with not-so-efficient operations may have no choice but to restructure or even close shop entirely. KnCMiner , for instance, declared bankruptcy in May after warning about the impending profit loss. Those miners most likely to survive are the ones that keep costs to a minimum through lower-power computers and minimal staff. You’d think that the industry would have anticipated the halving given that it will happen every four years like clockwork, but that’s not necessarily the case. Although bitcoin isn’t quite as celebrated as it was a while back, it’s still far more mainstream than it was in 2012. There are many more people mining than there were four years ago, and not all of them realize that they’ll have to factor in those reward cuts. The bigger question is whether or not the bitcoin business will be better-prepared when 2020 rolls around. Miners will either have to trim costs yet again or hope that they can make money from transaction fees. Source: Reuters

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Bitcoin mining just became more difficult, on purpose

Microsoft’s Play Anywhere reaches PC and Xbox on September 13th

You won’t have to wait too long to see how well Xbox Play Anywhere works in practice. Microsoft has confirmed to Polygon that the cross-purchase, cross-play feature will go live on both Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs on September 13th. You’ll still need games that support it, of course, but you can count on at least strong first-party support. Microsoft informs MCV that all the games it publishes from now onward will use Play Anywhere — in theory, that means the next Halo will be a PC title. The real unknown is whether or not many third-party games will follow suit. Source: Polygon , MCV

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Microsoft’s Play Anywhere reaches PC and Xbox on September 13th

Solar road technology comes to Route 66

Solar Roadways’ dreams of sunlight-gathering paths are one step closer to taking shape. Missouri’s Department of Transportation is aiming to install a test version of the startup’s solar road tiles in a sidewalk at the Historic Route 66 Welcome Center in Conway. Okay, it won’t be on Route 66 just yet, but that’s not the point — the goal is to see whether or not the technology is viable enough that it could safely be used on regular streets. You should see it in action toward the end of the year. The tiles will be familiar if you’ve followed Solar Roadways before. Each one combines a solar cell with LED lighting, a heating element and tempered glass that’s strong enough to support the weight of a semi-trailer truck. If successful, the panels will feed the electrical grid (ideally paying for themselves) and make the roads safer by both lighting the way as well as keeping the roads free of rain and snow. They should be easier to repair than asphalt, too, since you don’t need to take out whole patches of road to fix small cracks. Of course, “if successful” is the operative term here. The real litmus test comes if and when Solar Roadways subjects the tiles to the legions of cars traveling on Route 66 and beyond. Missouri has a strong incentive to make that happen, though. As the Transportation Department’s Tom Blair observes , it would be odd to push self-driving cars in the state’s Road to Tomorrow initiative when the streets aren’t as smart as the vehicles using them. Via: Inhabitat , CleanTechnica , The Verge Source: Kansas City Star , News Tribune

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Solar road technology comes to Route 66