calm
Latest
Let AI Jimmy Stewart put you to sleep with a new Calm bedtime story
Calm has released a new bedtime story, featuring an AI-generated version of Jimmy Stewart's voice.
Calm is bringing sleep, meditation and relaxation shows to Spotify
The partnership comes through Spotify Open Access.
Xbox thinks its game soundscapes can lull you to sleep
Listening to 'Sea of Thieves' and 'Halo Infinite' soundtracks can help you relax, apparently.
Google's improved Nest sleep features include audio meditations
Google is upgrading the sleep aids on Nest Hubs with better tracking and even meditation.
Our favorite shows, audiobooks and music to fall asleep to
Here's a list of Engadget's favorite media to fall asleep to.
Diplo previews his new album in the meditation app Calm
This year has been a roller coaster of emotions for a variety of reasons, and as such apps for mental well-being have been in the spotlight quite a bit. Calm, one of the most popular meditation and sleep apps out there, scored a somewhat unexpected bit of exclusive content — massive electronic musician and producer Diplo is previewing his new album through the app right now. The album, titled MMXX, is the “only music” Diplo made and plans to release this year.
HBO Max is making a TV series based on relaxation app Calm
HBO Max is adapting Calm's Sleep Stories into 30-minute episodes with narration from celebrities like Idris Alba and Oscar Isaac.
Samsung brings six fitness apps to its smart TVs
Samsung is adding fitness apps from Barre3, Calm, Jillian Michaels and others to its TVs as it helps people stay fit while in quarantine.
Samsung Health adds Calm's sleep and relaxation tools
Samsung had a surprise in store at Unpacked last month, when it revealed its Galaxy S10 camera app will include an Instagram mode. The company is adding another, more laidback third-party integration as Samsung Health users can access content from mindfulness service Calm as of today.
Bob Ross can mellow you out through a mobile app
Be honest: if you've watched Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting, it was probably more for his ultra-relaxing voice than his artistic advice. More than a few people have admitted to nodding off to his episodes. If so, you'll be glad to hear that his dulcet tones are available on-demand through your phone. Calm has released an officially approved Bob Ross Sleep Story recording for its mobile app (simply titled Painting With Bob Ross) that, as you might guess, uses snippets from the artist's PBS show to help your slumber. You no longer have to leave a YouTube video open or find a way to grab the raw audio.
'Gravity Ghost,' a game that heals, heads to PlayStation 4
Gravity Ghost is currently in development for PlayStation 4, but it's already a success. It launched on Steam in January, offering physics-based platforming tucked inside of soothing, spiraling gameplay and wrapped in a touching story. Ivy Games founder Erin Robinson Swink of course hoped that people would enjoy Gravity Ghost, but reception to the game still surprises her five months after its release. She's mostly touched by the emotional reaction many players describe on the game's Steam forums. Gravity Ghost helps people deal with loss in a visceral way. "It's not a forum where I usually see people sharing personal details from their lives, but there are multiple posts like this," Robinson Swink says. "One reviewer said the game changed how he felt about his reaction to losing his grandfather.... Another ended their review with this: 'My mom died last year, and in some weird way, this helped me deal with that? I can't explain it, but it... well, did.' My jaw just dropped when I read those."
Loud TV commercials will get quieter starting next June
Binging on Mad Men via Netflix or Blu-ray has a few advantages over watching the show when it broadcasts. Namely, not having to sit through commercials that jump higher in volume than anything heard in the halls of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. As spotted by The Hill, the FCC is hoping to change that last bit with an update to 2011's Commercial Advertisement Litigation Mitigation (CALM) Act; the outfit recently ruled for further volume-fluctuation restrictions for certain TV ads. Starting June 4th next year, an improved loudness measurement algorithm will be implemented that should make watching TV a bit more pleasant. How? It won't count the silent parts of an ad that can offset the commercial's average volume measurement, thus bringing the overall audio level down -- something that apparently hasn't been done before. We can't imagine that Harry Crane would be pleased by any of this. [Image credit: Associated Press]
The Daily Grind: How do you relax in-game?
It's no secret that I'm kind of big on roleplaying. So you might think that when I log in to Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft or whatever I'm playing on a given day that roleplaying is how I chill out... but you'd be wrong. Roleplaying is just as high-intensity for me as challenging content. How do I relax? Dailies. Repeatable quests. Just slowly working up to better gear or more money or otherwise zoning out and enjoying myself. Yes, it's all automatic and a little boring, but it's the equivalent of sitting in front of the television and spacing out. I'm not forced to think about it too much, and next thing I know it's time for something else and I've got a pile of money and stuff. Everyone has their own ways of relaxing. For some people, roleplaying is that way. Some people find high-level dungeon relaxing. Some people craft or just chat with others. So how do you relax in-game? What's your low-stress way of just derping around? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
CALM act goes into effect today, should keep TV commercial breaks quieter
After waiting a year so broadcasters could get ready, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act is officially in effect. That means ads and promos are required to remain on par with the average audio levels of scheduled programming, hopefully bringing an end to jolting transitions in the middle of the reality TV drama you were enjoying. At the time it enacted the measure, the FCC said complaints about loud ads had "diminished" since 2009 (R.I.P. Billy Mays) when it was originally proposed, hopefully this will eliminate them entirely. The only problem now? Finding a new wake-up reminder for those times you happen to doze off in front of the TV.
FCC tells advertisers to CALM down, lowers the volume on commercial breaks
Pretty soon, you won't have to scramble to lower the volume during noisy commercial breaks -- that's if you even watch live TV. After making its way through Capitol Hill, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (or CALM) -- which aims to keep the sounds coming out of your flat panel even-keeled -- has just been adopted in a ruling by the FCC. Starting next December, ads and promos will have to remain in-step with the audio levels of scheduled programming. While the affected parties have a full year to get their acts together, the main burden of enforcement lies with broadcasters and MVPDs like Comcast and Verizon FiOS. So, come next holiday season, you'll be able to tune in and tune out without being blown away.
CALM Act approved by Congress, should make TV commercials slightly less obnoxious
We did say it'd take an Act of Congress to lower the volume on televisual commercials and, shockingly enough, that's exactly what we've got now. The House of Representatives has given its nod of approval to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which, having already cleared the Senate, is now on its way to President Obama's desk for final validation. Once signed into effect, the new legislation will require that all advertisers modulate their volume down so it's no higher than that of the program you're watching, and it'll be the FCC's duty to ensure that they all adhere to the new rule. A year's leniency will be allowed for all those who struggle with figuring out how to turn it down from 11, but after that we should all be able to watch the dying medium that is live television without dreading the commercial breaks.
Ready Check: Zen and the art of precognition
Ready Check focuses on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Icecrown Citadel or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses. Your regular host, Mr. Michael Gray, is still trying to fight his way out of Tyler's fever dreams, so Ready Check this week has fallen to me. I had to check in the blackened heart and the mage-hate on the way in, so if you want that stuff, you'll have to read Blood Pact. I toyed with the idea of doing some hardcore theorycrafting post or the like, but instead I want to talk about one of the raiding "soft skills." Hamlet said, "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god!" Today, we look at angelic actions through godlike apprehension.
The Daily Grind: Gone fishing?
If you came from an alien world and had to evaluate our culture based solely on our MMOs... well, you'd probably conclude unpleasant things about our culture, but that's not the point. You would certainly come away with the impression that one of the most important hobbies we possess is fishing, considering how many games it shows up in. Nearly any fantasy game (and several others) will give you the opportunity to stand next to a body of water with a rod, cast your line, and wait for a while until a fish bites. Or until you realize that you're paying $15 a month to play a game that accurately simulates how mind-numbingly tedious fishing can actually be. Do you like fishing in MMOs? For some of us, yes, it's the sort of thing we look at once or twice and swiftly conclude isn't what we'd like to spend our time doing. For others, however, the calm and tranquility of just standing by the water, taking a look at the virtual landscape, and relaxing a bit is a welcome change from the pace of the game as a whole. Do you prefer when it's there, do you miss it if it's not, or are you completely uninterested in fishing?
Anti-loud commercial law passes the House
We first heard about the CALM (Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation) Act a few months ago, and while at the same time the ATSC has released a standard in the effort to reduce the problem, we're afraid that this is one law that does make sense. Unlike the new standard volume level, the CALM Act that passed in the House dictates the relative volume level of ads compared to the programming. Assuming the Act passes the Senate as well, advertisers will have one year to adopt industry technology that'll level out the volume of the ad. While the idea seems to make sense, you'll have to forgive us if we wait to send a thank you email until after we see how this actually works.
Breakfast topic: The calm before the storm
The expansion draws ever nearer, and many folks are working away at the last important bits of Burning Crusade content. We're looking to see Wrath by the end of this year. I've been spending a lot of time leveling alts to get ready for Wrath of the Lich king. I've noticed that this has been surprisingly easy compared to my previous leveling experiences. In the last week or so I've leveled my Warrior from 40 to 56 with very little resistance. I've probably only been ganked a total of ten or so times. I'm beginning to think either most people have shifted their priorities from hunting lowbies to preparations for the level 70 to 80 grind. Or could it be that many of the folks who would ordinarily be giving me grief have been preoccupied playing in the beta test? It reminds me of the unofficial truce between factions immediately following the release of BC.Has your gaming experience changed recently?
