GoKawiil
Tech News
Amazon Echo devices always listen for their wake word, but users can mute the microphone entirely using the mic-slash button on top of the device, which triggers a red light when active. Alternatively, users can adjust data retention settings in the Alexa app under Alexa Privacy to choose how long voice recordings and transcripts are kept, including options to delete them by voice command on supported devices.
A grieving son used his father's letters, journals and audio recordings to train an AI chatbot that mimics his father's voice and personality. The project lets him have simulated conversations with a digital recreation of his deceased parent, raising broader questions about how AI could reshape mourning and memory.
Earth Garden is a web tool that lets users spin a 3D globe and hear real-world ambient sounds tied to specific locations, from ocean waves near Atlantic islands to crickets in Tanzania and rainfall in Manhattan. The audio clips are sourced from Freesound, and the site can auto-rotate the globe, blending in new recordings as it moves, with an option to layer ambient drone sounds over the top.
Notability launched a workflow that connects to users' calendars, letting them start recording meetings or lectures directly from a scheduled event on Mac and Windows. The app then merges the recording's transcript with any typed notes into a single document tied to that calendar entry, and captures system audio instead of requiring a bot to join the call.