Goto

Collaborating Authors

 sea lion


This sea lion can keep a beat better than some humans

Popular Science

While humans may have cornered the market on writing songs (including public safety inspired bangers), rhythm itself is more widespread across the animal kingdom. And some animals could have better rhythm than us Homo sapiens. One trained California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) named Ronan can keep a beat better than some people, according to a new study published May 1 in the journal Scientific Reports. In lab settings, other non-human animals have shown some ability to move in time to a range of regular rhythms. Some bird species can be very precise, but do not necessarily maintain that persistence over time.


Lenovo's newest Smart Clock Essential has Alexa and some cute docks

Engadget

CES might look a little different this year, but that hasn't stopped Lenovo from doing what it does best: using the industry to event to launch many, many new products. In addition to the usual laptops, the company is showing off a new smart clock, the Smart Clock Essential with Alexa. Aside from a minimalist cloth design that clearly borrows from last year's Smart Clock 2, the new Essential improves on the old by adding a pogo docking pin at the bottom and, well, support for Amazon Alexa. The original Essential clock only worked with Google Assistant, and while I was hoping this new device could handle both, the new Essential with Alexa truly is Alexa-only, while the original remains available as a Google smart clock. As an object that's meant to sit on your bedside table, there really isn't much to the new Essential. The fabric comes in either a muted "Clay Red" or pale "Misty Blue," with the entire front face given over to the 4-inch LED display.