YouTube Rolls Out Automatic Live Captions to All Channels
YouTube is rolling out a series of updates to make content more accessible, which includes bringing automatic live captions to all channels.
Previously, this feature was only available in beta for select channels with over 1,000 subscribers.
Live automatic captions enables livestreams to display dialogue on the screen as it’s being spoken.
The captions will also be available if a recording of the stream is made available as a VOD (video on demand), making it a quick and easy alternative to manually transcribing streams.
In addition, YouTube is launching an update that will make content more accessible on mobile, and introducing a way to make video transcripts searchable.
Here’s more about the changes coming to YouTube captions and transcripts.
YouTube Live Automatic Captions For All
YouTube is making live automatic captions available for all creators.
With this expansion all creators can now have access to this feature regardless of subscriber count.
While streaming, creators can go into their live control room and enable or disable live automatic captions on a per stream basis.
Auto-Translated Subtitles Coming to Mobile
Today on desktop users can auto-translate available caption tracks in their CC menu to another language.
YouTube plans to expand the auto-translated subtitles option to mobile.
Searchable Transcripts
In a mildly confusing update, YouTube is making video transcripts searchable on desktop.
Transcripts were already searchable, however, just like text on any website is searchable by hitting Ctrl+F on your keyboard.
Perhaps this is intended to expand accessibility to the less tech savvy YouTube viewers out there?
New Channel Permissions For Subtitles
YouTube is adding a new subtitle role to channel permissions subtitle role.
With this subtitles role creators will be able to delegate the ability to create captions or subtitles for the videos to someone that they trust.
Source: YouTube Rolls Out Automatic Live Captions to All Channels
Google is Developing ‘Big Moments’ Feature For Breaking News
Google is reportedly developing a new search feature called “Big Moments” to highlight important information about breaking news events in real-time.
Google wants to be peoples’ one-stop source for news whether they need information about something that happened yesterday, or they want the latest details of an event happening right now.
Big Moments will provide historical context about events when possible, and go beyond what Google typically shows in search results for news stories.
If the story is a natural disaster like a hurricane, for example, Big Moments may list authoritative facts about deaths and injury counts, as well as data about the frequency of hurricanes in the area.
Google may pull in information for Big Moments from open source data repositories such as Data Commons, which gathers data from US government agencies and is hosted by Google.
Too Ambitious For Google?
With Big Moments, Google is moving closer to making the kinds of editorial decisions news publications have to make every day.
The key difference is those decisions will be made by algorithms, while editorial decisions for news publications are made by humans.
Even with advances in machine learning, is it possible to replicate the level of critical thinking that goes on in a newsroom?
Source: Google is Developing ‘Big Moments’ Feature For Breaking News
Squid Game VR game: How to play Red Light, Green Light
Soaring Roc have wasted no time in getting a game off of the ground but we feel we should temper expectations – this is obviously not a full game like the ones we see in the show. Instead, this takes its inspiration from Red Light, Green Light.
Red Light, Green Light is a pretty simple game that does not require much knowledge to understand the rules. In the show, the Squid Game contestants are pitted against a seriously creepy mannequin and when it calls ‘green light’, the players can move. When ‘red light’ is called, they have to stop. If they don’t, they get shot and die. Lovely.
In this VR version of the game, you do the same. You pump your arms to move but when the mannequin turns to face you, you need to instantly stop or risk meeting the same fate, just, happily, it’s only virtual. You are pitted against other players, but be careful about looking around for them as if your head is seen to move… well, you know what happens.
Source: Squid Game VR game: How to play Red Light, Green Light
WPCloudDeploy Brings Site and Server Management to the WordPress Admin
WPCloudDeploy recently launched version 4.10.5 of its rapidly-maturing WordPress plugin of the same name. The project is a WordPress-native replacement for SaaS services like Cloudways, Ploi, SpinupWP, and others.
Customers still need to hook up to a cloud server provider, such as Digital Ocean, Linode, AWS, or elsewhere. However, the project seeks to cut out the middleman for developers and agencies running multiple sites. They are specifically targeting those who would routinely manage 20 or more.
“It’s a true plugin where everything you need runs on your own site (except, of course, the other servers you are provisioning and managing which reside at their respective cloud server providers),” said WPCloudDeploy owner Nigel Bahadur.
The plugin promises its customers that they can deploy unlimited WordPress-optimized servers and sites to any cloud or bare-metal server. It has direct integration with 10 of the most popular cloud server providers.
However, provider integration is limited to which pricing plan the customer decides on. The core tier, which costs $199 per year, only works with Digital Ocean. The business tier runs $499 and adds Linode, Vultr, and UpCloud to the mix. For the full range of providers, customers must upgrade to the all-access plan for $799. Both of the top tiers also have a lifetime purchase option.
Selling Subscriptions through WooCommerce
WPCloudDeploy allows agencies to sell subscriptions to cloud servers or WordPress sites through WooCommerce. Because of the feature’s recent interest, Bahadur said it will likely be a focus area next year for more enhancements.
They have their own separate service that builds on top of this called WPCloudPanel. The team created it with Beaver Builder, WooCommerce, WooCommerce Subscriptions, and Ninja Tables. The entire site required no additional custom code.
From Inception to the Future
Bahadur said his team started the project to meet their own needs. “We really liked the idea of being able to use our own servers for WordPress sites. But at the time, there were still a lot of security questions and other usability and support issues that we were running into from the usual pool of SaaS providers.”
Source: WPCloudDeploy Brings Site and Server Management to the WordPress Admin
First Look at WordPress’ Upcoming Twenty Twenty-Two Default Theme: “The Most Flexible Default Theme Ever Created for WordPress”
Twenty Twenty-Two, the new default theme coming in WordPress 5.9, was unveiled today on WordPress.org. The design goes full steam ahead in support of full site editing and new customization capabilities.
Like its predecessor, Twenty Twenty-One, the new default theme makes some bold design choices wrapped around a central theme. In this case it’s bird illustrations, complemented by Source Serif Pro for headlines, and a delicious array of patterns for limitless combinations.
The theme will be developed on GitHub until it’s ready to be merged into core. Kjell Reigstad, an Automattic sponsored full-time design contributor to WordPress.org, is leading the design with Jeff Ong leading development. In the announcement he sets expectations high for users to be able to make the theme their own.
Source: First Look at WordPress’ Upcoming Twenty Twenty-Two Default Theme: “The Most Flexible Default Theme Ever Created for WordPress”
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