Beats Archives

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

The follow-up to one of the decade’s best detective games will have you selling cursed antiques to Victorian weirdos next month

Strange Antiquities, the sequel to 2022's Strange Horticulture, is set to launch on September 17. The game allows players to sell eldritch antiques to various townsfolk in a curiosity shop located in the Lake District. The developer, Bad Viking, aims to enhance the experience by encouraging players to feel like investigators of the occult, focusing on exploration and deduction. The success of Strange Horticulture has led to similar games, such as Do No Harm, which features a doctor treating a town with unusual ailments and incorporates Lovecraftian themes.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

Warner Bros Discovery beats second-quarter revenue estimates

Warner Bros Discovery reported a second-quarter profit driven by the international rollout of HBO Max and successful film releases, including “A Minecraft Movie,” which grossed nearly billion globally. The company added 3.4 million subscribers to its streaming division, surpassing expectations. Total revenue for the quarter reached .81 billion, exceeding analyst predictions. However, shares fell approximately 7 percent due to a 9 percent revenue drop in the cable TV unit and a 12 percent decline in advertising revenue for its linear network division. The streaming unit achieved an adjusted core profit of 3 million, a turnaround from a loss of million the previous year. Warner Bros Discovery anticipates a further decline in advertising revenue in the current quarter.

AppWizard

July 24, 2025

“I can’t believe I just beat Minecraft in an Overwatch queue”: Streamer beats Minecraft while in a 2-hour wait, putting my procrastination to shame

Streamer Aspen completed a Minecraft speedrun during a lengthy queue for Overwatch 2, achieving a 9.4-hour speedrun time. Aspen shared this accomplishment on Twitter, stating, "I BEAT MINECRAFT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN OVERWATCH QUEUE LETS GOOOOOOOOOO."

AppWizard

July 16, 2025

Steve’s Lava Chicken Song Added to Minecraft, but You’ll Need to Hunt a Chicken Jockey to Find It

A new update for Minecraft, version 1.21.93, introduces a remixed music disc featuring the Lava Chicken song from A Minecraft Movie, originally performed by Jack Black and reimagined by Hyper Potions. Players can obtain this remix by defeating a Chicken Jockey, a baby Zombie riding a Chicken. The remix has been noted for its catchy dubstep beats, even more addictive than the original. The song gained popularity after the film grossed nearly 5 million and became the shortest track to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The song's lyrics include playful phrases like "la-la-la-lava ch-ch-ch-chicken," and it was created by Black in collaboration with director Jared Hess.

Tech Optimizer

July 14, 2025

The performance engineer: a detective licensed to kill… bottlenecks

A SQL query initially took fifteen hours to process, but after performance engineering adjustments by Vadim Laktushin, it was reduced to two minutes. Performance engineers (PEs) work to enhance IT system efficiency by identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in application code, database management systems, configurations, and hardware. Vadim transitioned from a developer to a performance specialist at Postgres Professional after exploring benchmarks and system tuning. Performance issues often require complex solutions rather than straightforward fixes. For example, a client migrating from Oracle to PostgreSQL faced delays due to the Write-Ahead Log (WAL), which became a bottleneck during heavy write operations. PEs adhere to principles such as proactive analysis, reliance on data, and caution against quick fixes. Essential skills for PEs include programming, Linux expertise, understanding algorithms, statistical thinking, and effective communication. The future of performance engineering may involve specialization, and while AI can assist, it cannot replace human expertise in optimization tasks.

Winsage

July 9, 2025

After 4 years, Windows 11 finally beats Windows 10

Four years after its launch, Windows 11 has surpassed Windows 10 as the most widely used version of Windows, with 52% of users on Windows 11 compared to 44.59% on Windows 10. Six months prior, Windows 11 had only 35% market share. The shift in user adoption has been influenced by Microsoft's announcement of an end date for Windows 10 support in October 2025 and the introduction of the Windows Backup for Organizations tool, which has facilitated upgrades for businesses. Despite appealing upgrades, users have expressed frustrations with certain features, such as the right-click menu, which some find less intuitive. Microsoft is rolling out updates to improve user experience, including enabling USB-C ports on certified PCs and introducing new AI features.

BetaBeacon

July 9, 2025

Grab These Free Apps for Android and iOS While They Last!

Android Apps and Games are available for free for a limited time, including apps like Unit Converter Pro, Fake Screen Call, Water Reflection Photo Effects, Stabilize Video, and Compress Video.

AppWizard

July 5, 2025

I built a PiKVM to control my PC remotely, and it’s a game-changer

The PiKVM project allows users to control a desktop or server remotely using a Raspberry Pi 4B and an HDMI-CSI bridge adapter, providing comprehensive keyboard, video, and mouse control even during reboots. It offers browser-based access to the PC's screen in real-time, enabling actions like force shutdowns, BIOS access, and operating system reinstallation, independent of the host system's operating system. The setup captures HDMI output and simulates USB input, functioning in scenarios like BIOS or crash screens. Essential components for building a PiKVM include a Raspberry Pi 4B, an HDMI-to-CSI bridge adapter, a microSD card, USB cables, an official power supply, and the latest PiKVM OS image. The setup process involves writing the OS image to the SD card, connecting the hardware, and accessing the web interface for remote control. PiKVM is beneficial for tasks such as troubleshooting boot sequences, configuring BIOS settings, and monitoring system status without physical interaction.

AppWizard

July 4, 2025

Live Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Beats ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ Now Highest Grossing Film Worldwide in 2025

The live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch" is the highest-grossing film of 2025 globally, with a worldwide gross of 7.6 million and an international take of 3.9 million. It surpassed the previous records held by "A Minecraft Movie," which grossed 4.9 million worldwide and 0.9 million internationally. "A Minecraft Movie" retains the U.S. domestic box office record for 2025, with a gross of 3.9 million. "Lilo & Stitch" is still in its sixth week of release, having debuted on May 23, and has contributed to making 2025 the most lucrative Memorial Day weekend in history for cinemas. It achieved the second-largest opening for any four-day holiday weekend, following "Black Panther" in 2018. The film ranks among the top films in markets such as Brazil and Mexico, helping Disney amass a total of 1.1 billion in 2025. Significant changes were made to the original narrative, including the omission of Captain Gantu and a twist ending where Nani relinquishes custody of Lilo. A live-action sequel, "Lilo & Stitch 2," is currently in development.

AppWizard

June 28, 2025

A Minecraft Movie 4K Blu-ray Review

A Minecraft Movie features four misfit characters who are transported to the Overworld, where they must collaborate with a skilled crafter named Steve to return home. The film has a simplistic plot but embraces a light-hearted tone, appealing to fans of the video game. It showcases vibrant visuals and high production quality, including an Ultra HD presentation with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. The film has a runtime of 101 minutes, is directed by Jared Hess, and features a cast that includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Jennifer Coolidge. Bonus features include five behind-the-scenes featurettes. The film is produced by Warner Bros. and is rated PG.