TLDR 2021-10-19

Apple has announced new MacBook Pro laptops with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a MagSafe connector, a notch cutout on the top of the screen, and 3 USB-C ports. The 14-inch MacBook Pro will start at $1,999 and the 16-inch model will start at $2,499. Third-generation AirPods were also announced, with a new design, 6 hours of battery life, and MagSafe charging. The HomePod Mini will launch in a variety of new colors. A $4.99 Voice Plan is now available for Apple Music that will allow users to access music through Siri. More details on the new products are available in the article.

Reddit and Adobe have teamed up to stream a comedy competition series called PsBattles Live. The show will stream on the r/PsBattlesLive subreddit every day this week. It will feature Photoshop edits made by the community and commentary from a panel of comedians. Users who participate will earn points, community rewards, and internet glory. The launch of the show marks the 10th anniversary of the r/photoshopbattles subreddit.

Warm gas has been observed emitting from an active black hole for the first time. The structures look like the smoke streams seen on Earth during volcanic eruptions. They were observed through the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) frequency radio telescope, the largest of its kind in the world. The activity in the supermassive black hole at the center of every galaxy directly determines the evolution of that galaxy. These expanding heat bubbles have a heavy influence on the intergalactic medium and the rate of star formation.

Scientists from the University of Southern California have regrown lizard tails with spinal columns and nerves intact. Lizards can regrow their tails, but naturally regrown lizard tails usually feature a cartilage tube instead of a spinal column and nerves. The scientists used stem cells and gene editing tools to regenerate perfect tails. The study provides scientists with a blueprint for improving healing in wounds that don't naturally regenerate.

Vizzu is a library that uses a generic dataviz engine to generate many types of charts and animate between them. It is designed for building animated data stories and interactive explorers. Vizzu features automatic data aggregation and data filtering, HTML5 canvas rendering, and it is dependency-free. A live demo is available.

Proton Player is an HTML5-based streaming music player designed to be used by developers to build their own music players. It is compatible across many devices and browsers. The project is backed by a paid development team with customers. A demo player is available.

Skellefteå is a town in the far north of Sweden with a climate-conscious focus. It runs on 100% renewable energy and recycles 120,000 tonnes of electronic waste a year. The town recently erected a 20 story wooden skyscraper. It is made up of glued laminated timber and cross-laminated timber. The nature of the wood made construction incredibly fast and there was practically zero waste on-site. Many more details about the building, including photos, are available in the article.

OnePlus will release a limited edition Harry Potter smartwatch in India on October 21. The OnePlus Watch Harry Potter Limited Edition will be sold for around $225. It features many Harry Potter-themed elements, including a leather band with Harry Potter branding and six themed watch faces. A regular version of the watch is available for around $200. Pictures of the themed watch are available in the article.