The Minecraft movie is meh, but Jack Black’s unhinged chicken ballad, “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” shot up to # 78 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s now the shortest song ever to hit the famed list, clocking in at 34 seconds, making it both a record and maybe a cry for help for our attention spans. Listen here, you have been warned.
Face the music
▶️ Ready to hit pause on the chaos and press play on self-care? Start here.
- Try these cooling pillowcases (23% off) for a soft touch on your skin.
- Drift off to sleep to calming music with a Bluetooth headband (38% off).
- Soothe your scalp with a portable massager (10% off) to feel your best.
- This mini fridge (17% off) for skin care keeps your beauty stuff chill.
- Grab a silicone face scrubber (20% off) that’s gentle but works wonders.
💐 Mother’s Day will be here before you know it. These are the gifts I want. Guys, I couldn’t make it any easier, seriously. Speaking of, I’ve totally revamped my Amazon storefront! You’ll find picks like my favorite dermaplaning tool (32% off for a nine-pack) that I reorder all the time.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🤳 Selfie sin? Yep, it happened. Some folks actually took selfies next to Pope Francis’ body at St. Peter’s Basilica (paywall link). Blasphemy? Definitely, but the problem isn’t just tech. Phones are changing how we act in public. From loud music on buses to zombie-like sidewalk scrolling, it’s like we’re losing track of what’s OK to do in public. What do you think?
1 hour
Of screen time before bed can cut your sleep by 24 minutes and increase your risk of insomnia by 59%. And no, a blue light filter won’t save you. Bright light of any kind still messes with your body’s sleep signals and tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime. My advice? Wind down with something chill like music or an audiobook.
What’s that song’s name? The YouTube Music app can help you track it down. Just hum, sing or whistle the tune. Open the app, tap search and hit the audio wave icon (top right) and give it a try. Heads up, it works best with popular or catchy tunes, not indie ones.
🍝 Tunes al dente: Next time you boil pasta, skip the timer and hit play instead. Barilla’s Spotify playlists are perfectly timed for cooking different pasta types. When the music stops, your food’s ready to eat. Choose from Italian pop, indie or hip-hop artists to find your perfect vibe.
🖨️ Proof in the print: Need to print your text messages? For iPhone, iExplorer lets you access, view and transfer music, messages, photos and files from any iOS device to Mac or PC. On Android, you can use SMS Backup & Restore.
🚭 Parents, watch out for smart vapes! They look like colorful gadgets that play music, run games, take calls and send social media notifications. But they’re actually vapes … with up to 30,000 puffs, and some even give you points for every hit. Yep, it’s nicotine, sweet flavors and gaming all rolled into one. It’s kind of like a Tamagotchi, except instead of you keeping it alive, it’s killing you.
🤠 I’m trapped in a Waymo in Texas: No, it’s not the latest country music hit. Two women were stuck in a Waymo in Austin. The doors wouldn’t unlock but did open after they threatened to go live on TikTok. Waymo says they hit the “pull over” button. Nothing like threatening a viral video to make a robot say “my bad” and let you out.
Reel in the views: Want to go viral on Instagram? The algorithm loves Reels with trending sounds. After uploading your video, tap the Music icon on the right. Then, hit the Trending tab for the top 50 tracks right now. Pro tip: Press the Bookmark icon next to a song to save your favorites for later. You’re not basic, you’re just strategically algorithm-friendly.
▶️ Sharing is caring: Tired of ads on YouTube? Get the YouTube Premium Family Plan for $22.99 a month and split it with up to five friends. That’s $4.60 each for perks like background play, offline downloads and YouTube Music Premium.
🎶 This is the remix: Sick of the same old sounds on TikTok and Instagram Reels? Well, YouTube Shorts is rolling out a free AI “Music Assistant” to make custom instrumental tracks. Just type what you want, like “upbeat synth for travel vlog,” and it won’t trigger copyright issues. Right now, it’s only for creators in the YouTube Partner Program.
🎶 Binge-worthy tunes: Stream music from your favorite shows on Spotify and Apple Music’s hubs for Netflix, Disney+, Max and more. Just tap Search > TV & Movies (Spotify) or Film, TV & Stage (Apple Music) for playlists filled with hits from those iconic moments.
Check this out: Library Extension shows you what’s at over 5,000 libraries while you browse the web. You can borrow books, music or audiobooks without spending a dime. Best part? You don’t need to sign up. Get it on Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
▶️ TikTok, who? YouTube wants you to watch more Shorts later this spring. They’re updating its video editor to automatically sync cuts to the beat of the music and AI stickers. Plus, no more minimum watch time. Views will be counted the second you press play. Cool, but we all know TikTok’s secret sauce is its algorithm.
$13,000/month
What a guy with no college degree makes as a freelance music engineer. He mixes 30 to 40 songs a day on Fiverr for clients around the world. He works from home with a flexible schedule. It’s all about finding your niche.
$207 million
Sale price for the infamous Napster. Yep, the same one that let people pirate music before getting shut down. Its new owner wants to turn it into a virtual 3D space where fans can attend concerts and listen to music together. I’m glad I don’t have my money wrapped up in this!
🚨 Amazon privacy alert: Starting March 28, if you own an Amazon Echo speaker or smart display, all your voice commands will automatically be sent to Amazon for “processing.” They say it’s to improve their AI. Turn the option off and Voice ID is bricked. No more getting Alexa to do things like share calendar events, reminders, music and more. Wow.
🎶 DJ King Charles III: Yes, you read that right. Chucky’s hosting a show from Buckingham Palace called The King’s Music Room on Apple Music. It’s all about the tunes and artists he loves. In the premiere dropping Monday, he’ll call out Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Davido. You can bet there’s no royalty-free music on his playlist. (I groaned when I wrote that!)