LED Message Fidget Spinner Will Kill Teachers' Brief Tolerance of the Ubiquitous Toy. The fidget spinner is a global phenomenon that has inspired thinkpieces about cultural anxiety, the changing retail landscape, and above all, whether or not it should be allowed in the classroom. Many teachers have embraced the toy as a tool for kids with attention problems but we have some bad news: They’re evolving. What is a “weapon?” Technically, you can inflict harm on another person with just about anything,…Read more Some research has suggested that the fidget toys really do improve the performance of students with ADHD. Parents have flipped out when schools tried to ban them.
And if you need any further proof of the growing acceptance of the toys as a learning aid, just check out this classroom worksheet that’s distributed by Your Modern Family: If the worksheet’s purpose is unclear, the kid is encouraged to place their fidget spinner at the top, give it a flick, and then complete as many arithmetic problems as possible before it stops spinning. But good things don’t last long in this world. We’ve seen fidget spinners that distractingly show Mario running, we’ve seen weaponized fidget spinners, and now we have the most distracting model of all: a spinner with programmable LEDs. The Spaztix Programmable Customizable LED Long Spinning Fidget Finger Spinner (ugh) allows users to display text messages and colorful patterns on it by sending commands from an Android phone app. So teachers can deal with confiscating phones, as well as explaining why this spinner isn’t allowed, but the others are totally kosher. My favorite part of this variant is that it’s still sticking with the message that it’s good for you. It’s Amazon listing insists that you shouldn’t “be deceived by their fun looks; these spinning fidget toys are actually backed by science! By feeding your brain extra sensory information, you redirect your mental resources from whatever else you may be thinking to the task at hand.”Statistics blog Five. Thirty. Eight declared the spinner boom officially over, just yesterday. It seems safe to say this flashing, phone- connected, potential cheat machine is the final nail in the coffin.[via Motherboard]. Have you ever noticed a moment of breathlessness as you wait for Twitter to load, your email to refresh, or your Bluetooth device to connect? Your muscles seizing up. Top 1. 0 Best Small Combo Guitar Amplifiers 2. We live in an era of unprecedented choice when it comes to guitar gear. Everywhere you look, a new maker of guitars, pedals, or amps is popping up. With the boutique companies, you’re getting something distinctive, something hand- wired and special. These pieces are excellent, but they’re also expensive. Expensive is fine for your live rig (although gigging amps can be relatively inexpensive), and even for recording. You want to have the best tone when it matters, as well as enough power to cut through the band. When you’re practicing at home, though, it isn’t quite so necessary. Many guitarists have a secondary rig that they use for noodling around on. This usually takes the form of a small combo amp. Guitarists always want good tone, but we might not want to be putting a lot of milage on that multi- thousand dollar half- stack. Nevermind the simple fact that these beauties are often simply too loud for the home setting. A decent practice amp should be flexible, capable of good tones at low volumes, and small enough to drag around with ease. It wouldn’t hurt if it was possible to make it loud enough for very small venues, too, so you don’t need to drag out your showpiece for every coffee shop and bar. This usually means something under, say, 4. Small amps usually offer on- board effects or modeling so you can dial in a tone that’s close enough to your ideal sound to not be overly distracting while you practice and write. Lately, even very low wattage amps are benefiting from novel efficient speaker designs, so driving amp sounds are easier than ever to get at this level. There are certainly smaller and cheaper amps out there aimed at beginners, but this list is for that sweet spot where serviceable tone and convenience live. While you consider your amp options, you can also check out our cheap guitars for beginners and best guitars under $5. Strat a break at home, too. For practice, noodling, and writing, here’s our list of the top ten best small combo guitar amps. Fender Mustang I V2 2. Watt(Fender)Even more than the ubiquitous guitar designs, when it comes to amps, you’re usually talking about something that is Fender- like or Marshall- like. While Marshall- style amps are generally more compressed and designed to be played wide open, Fender- style amps have more clean headroom and can get shockingly loud before breaking up. This is due to the tube configuration and circuit design, but even for their solid- state offerings, this remains true for the most part. The Mustang series evolved as a response to the needs of modern guitarists, packing emulation on- board so that the home musician had access to a wide variety of tones without having to own each amp. This little thing comes with 1. If you don’t find anything you like already on the amp, the Fender FUSE software will let you tweak endlessly until you’ve crafted the perfect tone. It might take a little while, but at least you won’t be stuck with middling practice sounds. Besides that, this thing can get super loud. It’s excellent at low volumes, but if you need to push it, it will get there. There’s a 4. 0- watt version ($1. There’s also a 1. I heard a metal guitarist play this to a room of 2. If you hate the modeling and don’t want to deal with the fuss, you could also opt for the 2. Watt Champion, which is simpler and cheaper. On the other hand, if you want something even more cutting edge, they’ve just released the Fender Mustang GT, which adds wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, improved modeling, and a new display screen. For the same wattage, it’s $1. Price: $1. 19. 9. Pros: Diverse modeling presets. Companion software that lets you dial in settings exactly. On- board tuner. Modulation, reverb, and delay effects. Cons: Editing presets on amp somewhat confusing — using the software may be required to get the best tones. Lots of options means more tweaking than playing. Some rattling of parts at high volumes. Heavier drive sounds could be harsh for some tastes. Pignose 7- 2. 00 HOG- 2. Pignose)Aside from the Crate Taxi, Pignose were the first amplifiers I ever heard of being portable. There are several now, as well as a host of mini amps, but Pignose still holds a special place in the market. This little charmer is certainly among them. Like the Fender above, this is a 2. Unlike the Fender, though, this one is primarily designed to run off of the internal rechargeable batteries. This allows you to take it just about anywhere for practice session. You could even take it busking and make a few cents while you work out those covers. The Squeal overdrive knob controls the gain, and past 1. It’s not exactly the vintage Tube Screamer of your dreams, but it’ll do in a pinch. If you want something even smaller, you could opt for the 7- 1. Tweed model, which runs off AA batteries and produces only 5 watts. Price: $1. 19. 9. Pros: Rechargeable for ease of use anywhere — 6 to 1. Compact size. Squeal overdrive included. Punchy tone. Cons: Heavier than it looks — 1. Limited tonal possibilities. Can’t be used continuously while plugged in or battery damage will occur. Battery may eventually require replacement. Orange Crush 3. 5RT(Orange Amplifiers)The Crush series was created by Orange to address exactly this market. Folks who want good versatility and great tones in small packages and at reasonable volumes. There are a few options to choose from in the series, with the model names following their specs. RT” means 3. 5- watt, reverb, tuner. So, the Crush 2. 0 is just your garden- variety, no frills 2. Keep this in mind when you go shopping. This was my pick and what I use to practice with. I play with a lot of pedals, so I was looking for something with the effects loop so I could emulate my show setup when I’m at home. For under $3. 00, that’s a surprisingly hard requirement to meet at this wattage. At a slightly lower wattage and in mini- stack form, the Micro Terror Dark has a loop, but only one channel and no reverb.) It’s also dual- channel, so you get a sparkling clean with good headroom, as well as a dirty channel that can deliver pretty convincing high- gain settings. My one complaint is that the Cab. Sim on the headphone out is pretty middling. I don’t find it very appealing, but then, playing with headphones is always a bit of a drag, anyway. The effects loop is buffered and delivers crystal clear detail with low noise. Whether you opt for the dirty channel or drive it with pedals, the breakup is very satisfying. It feels to me like they tried (successfully) to fit the voice of an Orange amp into this rather than going for emulating a tube sound necessarily. You still get relatively good picking dynamics, though there’s no denying it’s a little cold compared to tubes. The Voice of the World speaker is fantastic and avoids the anemic hollow quality of other 1. Still, considering that the TH3. C tube combo goes for over $1. Price: $2. 59. 1. Pros: Buffered effects loop. Super- efficient 1. Voice of the World speaker. Built- in reverb and tuner. Nicely modeled solid state version of Orange tone. Cons: Cab. Sim on headphone jack leaves a lot to be desired. Possibly too loud for some settings. Solid state Orange amp could be a turnoff. No modeling or effects. Roland CUBE- 2. 0GX 2. W(Roland)Roland amps are known for being reliable workhorses that are versatile and made for the working musician. The latest update to the CUBE series means these little amps are packed with options, almost to the point that you could consider forgoing pedals during practice. I test drove this while on the hunt that ended in buying the Orange and I strongly considered it. The dealbreaker for me was pretty simple: I like my pedals. Having said that, this will take your pedals just fine (no loop, of course), it just seems a bit redundant with everything this has on- board. The EFX knob lets you choose and adjust chorus, flanger, phaser, and octave effects, though only one can be used at time. The delay and reverb are separate, which isn’t true if you go down to the Micro Cube. The true calling card of this amp is the JC Clean channel, which emulates Roland’s legendary JC- 1. The Lead channel gives you access to seven amp models, which seem to do best when the gain knob isn’t above halfway. The Solo channel is a fully- programmable setting, so you can dial in your chosen amp mod, gain, and effects and switch to it on- the- fly. There’s a free companion app that lets you record and jam along. Price: $1. 99. Pros: Three channels — JC Clean, Lead, Solo.
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