Brian Fagioli

In a move that is sure to make longtime PC users do a double take, the Library of Congress has added two very unexpected sounds to its National Recording Registry. No, it’s not another classic rock album or jazz staple. Believe it or not, it’s actually the “Reboot Chime” from Windows 95 (that played when the operating system started) and the soundtrack from Minecraft! I kid you not, folks. Both of these are linked to Microsoft, a company more known for software than symphonies.

If you ever booted up a Windows 95 machine, chances are you’ve heard that memorable chime. That short, ambient tone was composed by a man named Brian Eno. Microsoft asked him to create something brief, and he delivered a now-legendary 3.25-second sound that played every time the operating system came to life. And now, it’s being preserved forever as part of the nation’s sonic history -- how wild is that?

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Umm… something very strange is happening in the world of Linux Mint, folks.

You see, the developers are adding OEM support to Linux Mint Debian Edition 7 (LMDE 7) -- a version of the operating system that’s allegedly nothing more than an emergency fallback. Based on the upcoming Debian Stable release, LMDE 7 will soon be able to be pre-installed on machines sold or donated around the world. That might not sound like a big deal on the surface, but let’s cut through the bull crap -- this could be a sign of something much bigger.

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Google may be the current king of search, but thanks to competition from artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT and Grok, its continued dominance is becoming less guaranteed. In other words, Google can no longer rest on its laurels with search -- it must either evolve or dissolve.

In an effort to keep up with the times, Google is delivering its AI Mode feature to more users in the U.S. today. This essentially adds new capabilities that combine visual search with the Gemini AI model. Originally limited to Google One AI Premium subscribers, the feature is now available to millions through the Labs program, accessible in the Google app for both Android and iPhone.

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Blackmagic Design has launched the public beta for DaVinci Resolve 20, and folks… it’s a big one. This massive update to the video editing software adds more than 100 new features, and it’s available right now for folks using Windows, macOS, and Linux. And yes, there is even a Windows ARM version too!

This time around, the company is leaning into artificial intelligence pretty hard. After all, AI is all the rage these days -- it must be crammed in. All joking aside, the AI functionality actually seems useful. In other words, it shockingly doesn’t seem to be a gimmick.

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Google is once again leaning into its Gemini brand, this time with a focus on cybersecurity. You see, the search giant has announced Sec-Gemini v1, an experimental new AI model. It is designed to help security professionals fight back against cyber threats using real-time data and advanced reasoning. Because AI makes everything better, right?

Look, folks, attackers only need to get lucky once, while defenders have to be right every time. That unfortunate imbalance has made cybersecurity a nightmare for many organizations. Google is hoping AI might change that, giving defenders a slight edge.

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Oh, thank heaven. Mozilla is finally doing something about the horribly messy (and sometimes confusing) data consent experience in Firefox extensions. If you’ve ever installed a Firefox add-on and been hit with some clunky, homemade data collection prompt, you’re not alone. Now, Mozilla is stepping in to cure the insanity. You see, the organization will be adding a standardized data consent system into the installation process.

This new system, expected to arrive later this year, will thankfully eliminate the need for developers to write their own data consent screens. Instead, extension creators will just declare what data the add-on collects in the manifest file. And just like that, Firefox will handle the rest.

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Lexar has officially launched its PLAY PRO microSD Express card. This launch seems quite perfectly timed with today’s announcement of both the Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing and availability.

The PLAY PRO microSD Express card utilizes the SD 7.1 specification, which integrates both PCIe 3.0 and NVMe 1.3. The card can achieve read speeds up to 900MB/s and write speeds up to 600MB/s. These impressive speeds are particularly beneficial for gaming applications, as they can potentially reduce load times.

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Three months after officially announcing the long-rumored Switch 2, Nintendo has revealed when you'll be able to buy the follow-up to its hugely popular hybrid game system -- and the good news is you won't have long to wait.

Nintendo Switch 2 will hit store shelves in the United States on June 5, priced at $449.99, and it’s coming with a bunch of changes that might surprise longtime fans.

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Let’s be honest, folks -- when it comes to driving these days, you can never be too careful. Between reckless drivers and the growing number of scammers who try to cause accidents on purpose just to cash in on insurance payouts, having a solid dash cam is more of a necessity than a luxury.

That’s where the new Redtiger F17 Elite dash cam comes in. This isn’t some cheap, grainy camera that barely shows what’s happening. No, this is a full-blown video system with three high-quality Sony cameras, full-color night vision, and fast wireless transfer thanks to Wi-Fi 6.

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The developers behind Linux Lite have released version 7.4, and it looks awesome. If you’re stuck with aging hardware or just fed up with Windows 11, this might be the lightweight Linux distro you’ve been waiting for.

Linux Lite 7.4 is based on Ubuntu 24.04.2 and ships with Linux kernel 6.8.0-56. For users with special needs, there’s easy access to alternative kernels in the repository -- everything from 3.13 to 6.14. This makes the OS ideal for breathing new life into computers that Microsoft unfortunately left behind.

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Ubuntu 25.10 finally has a name, and it’s one that will probably leave you scratching your head. Canonical has decided to call the upcoming Linux-based operating system “Quizzical Quokka.” That’s not a joke. The announcement was made in a tweet from the official Ubuntu account, which you can see here.

The tradition of using animal-themed alliteration for Ubuntu releases is nothing new, but “Quizzical Quokka” might be one of the oddest yet. A quokka, in case you’re not familiar, is a small, marsupial from Australia -- I had to look it up. But what exactly makes Ubuntu “quizzical” this time around? That part hasn’t been explained.

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If you’ve been eyeing an Apple Watch but don’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on your wrist (especially in this economy), Amazfit may have something worth considering. The newly released Bip 6 smartwatch delivers a bunch of smart features, health tracking tools, and a bright AMOLED display -- all for just $79.99. Yeah, folks, you read that right!

This watch isn’t trying to be flashy or overcomplicated. It’s built to get the job done without becoming a nuisance to use. The Bip 6 sports a 1.97-inch AMOLED screen that hits 2,000 nits of brightness, so you won’t be squinting at it in the sun. The body is aluminum alloy, it’s water resistant up to 5 ATM, and Amazfit says you’ll get about two weeks of battery life on a charge. An Apple Watch, meanwhile, pretty much needs to be charged daily… annoying.

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Acer is giving gamers two new reasons to upgrade their setups -- the Predator X32 X2 and Predator X27U X1. These new monitors ditch the old LCD tech in favor of vibrant QD-OLED panels.

The Predator X32 X2 comes in at 31.5 inches and pushes out a crisp 3840x2160 resolution. But it’s not just about pixels -- this thing hits a wild 240Hz refresh rate with a 0.03ms response time. Thanks to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, gameplay stays smooth even when things get hectic on screen.

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CachyOS is back with a fresh March 2025 release for the Linux distribution. The development team focused heavily on hardware support this time around, and it definitely shows. There’s a ton packed into this update, with improvements aimed at both desktop and handheld users.

Let’s start with something big: Limine. CachyOS now supports this bootloader, which works with both BIOS and UEFI setups. It even offers theming, similar to Grub. On top of that, if you’re using BTRFS as your filesystem, you’ll get automatic snapshot support right out of the box. That’s huge for anyone who wants an easy rollback option without extra configuration.

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Let’s be honest, folks -- most inexpensive keyboards aren’t worth the hassle. But every now and then, one pops up that actually makes you do a double take. That’s exactly what we’ve got here with the Newmen GM611. It’s a compact USB-C mechanical keyboard with a 60 percent layout, red switches, and rainbow LED lighting. And yes, it looks a lot more expensive than it is.

This thing isn’t just small for the sake of being small. The 60 percent layout trims the fat while keeping the essentials. It’s a great choice if you’re tight on space or just want a cleaner, simpler desk. But don’t think it’s lacking in features.

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