Famed electronic instrument maker Roland is celebrating its 50th anniversary today by teaming up with boutique publisher Bjooks to announce a coffee table book that tells its story. Inspire The Music: 50 Years of Roland History is a 400-page tome that delves into the tech, people and culture behind the company.

The book includes several chapters that explore Roland products and their impact on certain music scenes. Roland and Bjooks say Inspire the Music explains the context and history of the Jupiter-8 Synthesizer, Boss guitar pedals, TR-808 Rhythm Composer and TB-303 Bass Line. The book will cover other gear, such as keytars, grooveboxes and V-Drums, as well as how the Octapad SPD-30 percussion pad became a staple of modern music in India.

In addition, Inspire the Music features dozens of interviews with artists and Roland designers. You can expect to hear from the likes of Johnny Marr of The Smiths, DJ Jazzy Jeff, guitarist Nita Strauss, Sister Bliss of Faithless, Orbital, Peaches, Swizz Beatz, Jean-Michel Jarre and Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran.

Bjooks came to prominence through Kickstarter, and has published glossy books on topics such as guitar pedals, modular synthesis and interface design. In 2020, it teamed up with Moog for a book featuring tips and tricks for the semi-modular Mother lineup.

Inspire The Music will be released this summer. Pricing has yet to be revealed.

Roland/Bjooks

Fitness trackers are a good alternative to smartwatches for those that want to keep track of daily activity and workouts, but aren't into the look and feel of digital timepieces. One of the best out there is Fitbit's Charge 5 and you can get it for $130 right now at Amazon. That's 13 percent off its regular price and, while not a record low, it's only $10 more than that.

The Charge 5 earned a score of 82 from us — while Fitbit updated its design, the tracker is quite similar to the Charge 4 that came before it. It has a full color touchscreen with an always-on mode that you can choose to enable, plus a frame that's 10 percent thinner than its predecessor and more comfortable band.

It's definitely more low-profile than a standard smartwatch, which some will appreciate, but just because it's relatively slim doesn't mean it's light on power. The Charge 5 tracks all-day heart rate, activity, sleep and more, plus it has a built-in GPS for mapping outdoor workouts. It also comes standard with Fitbit Pay, the company's contactless payment system, so you can pay for groceries or a coffee on your way back from a run without needing your wallet.

Like other trackers, the Charge 5 has a clear advantage over standard smartwatches when it comes to battery life. The device lasted about two and a half days in our testing with the screen in always-on mode, and a full five days with that feature turned off. If you're looking for an activity monitor that you won't have to worry about charging every night, this is a good option.

If you are more of a smartwatch person, Fitbit's high-end Sense device is also on sale right now for $200, or $100 off its normal price. We gave the timepiece a score of 82 for its bright, sharp display and comprehensive suite of health tracking tools, which includes EDA scanning, skin temperature monitoring, ECG measurements, high and low heart rate alerts and more.

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You'll want to act quickly if you've been looking for a frill-free tablet. Amazon is selling Apple's latest 10.2-inch iPad (that is, the 2021 model) at an all-time low price of $290 after an instant checkout coupon. This only applies to the 64GB WiFi model in silver, and you'll have to wait until early May for delivery. If those aren't obstacles, however, this is an exceptional deal that beats some of the bargains we've seen for past models.

The 10.2-inch iPad remains alluring thanks to its sheer value for money. It's fast for the price, offers a solid screen and lasts a long time on battery. On this newest model, the wide-angle camera with Center Stage is particularly useful — it's easier to fit more of your household into the frame during a video call, even if they're in the background. Toss in the upgraded base storage, a robust app ecosystem and iPadOS 15's better multitasking and you might not need more than this.

The same issues still apply, of course. This iPad design now feels old compared to newer models like the iPad Air and iPad mini. You won't get those tablets' thinner bezels, faster processors and improved cameras. There's no support for the Magic Keyboard or second-generation Pencil, for that matter. However, there's a real chance you don't need those extras — the 10.2-inch iPad is still a very capable device for gaming, reading, video viewing and many other everyday tasks.

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If you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum to get for yourself or for mom for Mother's Day, iRobot's Roomba 694 is a great option. It's our current favorite affordable robo-vac, and now you can pick it up for even less than its normal rate of $274. Amazon has the machine for $179, which is $95 off and a return to its record-low price.

Chances are you've heard of iRobot before even if you have never owned a robot vacuum because the brand is, arguably, the most well known in that space. With that recognition comes high price tags, but the Roomba 694 is a solid machine made better by this discount. It has a three-button design and app connectivity, giving you a few ways to control it, and it cleans both hard and carpeted surfaces well. It'll putter around your home, sucking up dirt, debris and even pet hair as it moves from room to room, and it'll automatically return to its charging base when it's finished.

In addition to starting cleaning jobs from the iRobot app, you can also set cleaning schedules, which make the robot even more autonomous. The Roomba 694 is also compatible with Alexa and the Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to control it as well.

iRobot estimates the Roomba 694 will run for about 90 minutes before it needs a recharge, but we found that it often ran for less time before returning home. That means that those with larger homes may have to wait longer for clean floors as the machine will have to charge up before it completes a job, but otherwise, there aren't many downsides to this robo-vac. It's an especially good pick for novices since iRobot's mobile app is quite easy to use and the machine does the cleaning basics well.

A couple of other iRobot machines are also on sale right now, and they're best for those that want to splurge on an advanced robot vacuum. Both the Roomba j7+ and the Roomba s9+ are $200 off right now, bringing them down to $599 and $799, respectively. The former is one of the company's newest devices with a pet poop detection feature (yes, you read that right), while the latter is the highest-end machine you can get from iRobot. Both also come with clean bases, so the robots will empty their dustbins into the base after every cleaning job.

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The US Department of State is making it easier for people to explore cultural heritage sites from around the world thanks to a partnership with Google Arts & Culture. Announced as part of World Heritage Day, the dedicated section will let people virtually explore heritage sites from 1,100 Ambassadors Fund projects in over 130 countries around the world.

"Cultural heritage sites, objects, and traditions are a point of pride for people the world over, but they also require care and vigilance," wrote the US Department of State's Lee Satterfield. "That’s why the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center works with governments and organizations to preserve and protect cultural heritage from both natural and man-made threats through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)."

Some of the sites on display include the Wat Chaiwatthanaram at Ayutthaya in Thailand, the al-Imam al-Shafi’i Mausoleum in Egypt and the Ancient Nabataean Flash Flood Protection System at Petra. All told, the Cultural Heritage Center added over 100 new images of sites. Along with those, there's a story about cultural heritage preservation, complete with video and images, created by the US Department of State's Cultural Heritage Center.

The Cultural Heritage Center promised to update the site with future stories down the road. And since the biggest threat to heritage sites is climate change, it also pointed folks to Google Arts & Culture's Heritage on the Edge project. 

Researchers in Beijing have set a new quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) world record of 102.2 km (64 miles), smashing the previous mark of 18 km (11 miles), The Eurasian Times reported. Transmission speeds were extremely slow at 0.54 bits per second, but still good enough for text message and phone call encryption over a distance of 30 km (19 miles), wrote research lead Long Guilu in Nature. The work could eventually lead to hack-proof communication, as any eavesdropping attempt on a quantum line can be instantly detected. 

QSDC uses the principal of entanglement to secure networks. Quantum physics dictates that entangled particles are linked, so that if you change the property of one by measuring it, the other will instantly change, too — effectively making hacking impossible. In theory, the particles stay linked even if they're light-years apart, so such systems should work over great distances. 

The same research team set the previous fiber record, and devised a "novel design of physical system with a new protocol" to achieve the longer distance. They simplified it by eliminating the "complicated active compensation subsystem" used in the previous model. "This enables an ultra-low quantum bit error rate (QBER) and the long-term stability against environmental noises." 

As a result, the system can withstand much more so-called channel loss that makes it impossible to decode encrypted messages. That in turn allowed them to extend the fiber from 28.3km to the record 102.2 km distance. "The experiment shows that intercity quantum secure direct communication through the fiber is feasible with present-day technology," the team wrote in Nature. 

Researchers in China previously made a secure quantum-enabled video call by satellite, but fiber poses a different set of challenges. "If we replace parts of the internet today, where more eavesdropping attacks happen, with quantum channels, those parts will have the added ability to sense and prevent eavesdropping, making communication even safer," said Long. 

In court documents filed late Friday, a group of Tesla shareholders said a federal judge recently ruled Elon Musk made “false and misleading” statements in 2018 when he said he was considering taking the company private at $420 per share, reports Reuters. Musk’s now-infamous “funding secured” tweet landed the executive in trouble with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, eventually leading to a $40 million settlement with the agency that he’s now trying to end.

According to those documents, US District Court Judge Edward Chen concluded at the start of the month that Musk had “recklessly made the statements with knowledge as to their falsity.” The investors involved in the class action suit have asked the court to block Musk from continuing his “public campaign to present a contradictory and false narrative” of the episode. The filing comes in the same week Musk shared his version of what went down during a widely watched appearance at the TED 2022 conference.

“The SEC knew that funding was secured but they pursued an active, public investigation nonetheless at the time,” Musk said during the interview. “I was forced to concede to the SEC unlawfully… Now it makes it look like I lied when I did not in fact lie. I was forced to admit I lied to save Tesla’s life, and that’s the only reason.” In the same segment, Musk called officials with the commission’s San Francisco office “bastards.”

On Saturday, Musk’s attorney dismissed the claims made by the investors. “Nothing will ever change the truth which is that Elon Musk was considering taking Tesla private and could have,” he told CNBC. According to the outlet, damages from the lawsuit could amount to billions of dollars that would have to be paid out by Musk and Tesla. The case is currently set to go to trial on May 31st.

Apple Store employees at the company’s flagship Grand Central Terminal location have begun collecting signatures to form a union, according to The Washington Post. In a recent update to their website, the organizers leading the effort say they voted on February 21st to affiliate themselves with Workers United. That’s the same labor union that has helped Starbucks employees across the US unionize.

“Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living in what have proven to be extraordinary times with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” the group, known as the Fruit Stand Workers United, said.

Apple declined to tell The Post whether it would support the unionization effort. Those involved in the drive accused the company of employing “union busting” tactics, including messaging that has tried to convince workers that unionization is against their best interests.

“We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple,” a spokesperson for the company told The Post. “We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full time and part time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits.”

Apple operates more than 270 stores in the US alone. According to The Post, at least three other retail locations are in the process of attempting to form a union. Organizers at the company’s Grand Central location are handing out signature cards. If at least 30 percent of the store’s workers say they’re interested in exploring unionization, Fruit Stand Workers United can petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election. 

Amid a pandemic that has had a disproportionate effect on essential workers, many workplaces across the US have begun to unionize, including, most notably, Amazon’s JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island. At the start of April, a majority of workers at the warehouse voted to form the first-ever Amazon union. The effort was successful despite the company spending $4.3 million on anti-union consultants in 2021.

After multiple attempts to complete a critical fueling test of its next-generation Space Launch System, NASA has decided to finish the rocket’s “wet dress rehearsal” at a later date. On late Saturday evening, the agency announced it would move the SLS off from its launch pad and back to the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building to give one of its gaseous nitrogen suppliers time to complete a critical upgrade. Nitrogen supply issues had delayed two previous countdown rehearsals, according to Space News.

NASA will also use the opportunity to replace a faulty helium check valve and repair a minor hydrogen leak technicians found in one of the “umbilical” fuel lines running from the rocket’s mobile launch tower. “During that time, the agency will also review schedules and options to demonstrate propellant loading operations ahead of launch,” NASA said. It promised to share more information about the decision, as well as its plans moving forward, during a press conference scheduled for April 18th.

Since April 1st, NASA has tried three times to complete a “wet dress rehearsal” of the Artemis 1 Moon mission. The test is designed to replicate the countdown procedure the SLS will undergo when the mission hopefully gets underway later this year. NASA most recently attempted to complete a modified version of the test on April 14th, but that trial was cut short after it discovered the aforementioned hydrogen leak in the rocket’s mobile launch tower. Initially, the agency left the door open for another attempt as early as April 21st but then had a change of mind.

The delay may have a domino effect on the timeline for the Artemis 1 Moon mission. NASA has yet to set a date for the flight, and won’t do so until the SLS wet dress rehearsal is complete. Despite all the issues NASA has run into with its next-generation rocket, the agency remains confident it will fly. "There's no doubt in my mind that we will finish this test campaign, and we will listen to the hardware, and the data will lead us to the next step," said Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson on Friday. "And we will take the appropriate steps, and we will launch this vehicle.”

Tesla has stopped including a complimentary Mobile Connector Bundle with new vehicle orders. The change was first spotted by Twitter user Tesla_Adri, and later confirmed by CEO Elon Musk. The accessory, currently priced at $275 on its own, allows you to connect your Tesla to a wall outlet and get about two to three miles of range after an hour of charging.

“Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in response to someone commenting on the news after it was shared more widely by investor Sawyer Merritt. “On the (minor) plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit.”

Musk later tweeted that Tesla would reduce the price of the mobile connector to $200 and make it easier to order the accessory alongside a new car. He was also quick to note you don’t need an adapter to charge your Tesla at one of the company’s Superchargers or a Tesla Wall Connector installed in your home. At the moment, the charging bundle is listed as out of stock on the Tesla website.

As Electrek notes, this isn’t the first time Tesla has removed a charging cable. the company previously shipped both Level 1 and Level 2 connectors with every new car, but later stopped bundling the latter adapter.