Animal spirits

Perhaps you were lucky enough to see Hamilton performed on Broadway or caught it on tour. But you’ve never seen–and probably never imagined–the entire first act of Hamilton performed by the cast of Animal Crossing. YouTuber Guitar_Knight14 has meticulously animated the first 70 minutes of the musical, now posted on C|NET. Act II is now in the wings, or paws or something.

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A year without libraries

One year into the pandemic Lauren Du Graf, writing for Lit Hub, misses her library. She admits that some services have resumed: reserving online, picking up books curbside and e-readers are better than nothing. But it’s just not the same as being inside the bricks-and-mortar building, she sighs.

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Show me the way

Google is updating its map app with some cool new features, including indoor navigation in certain places like airports, train stations and subways. This Verge article shows a preview of how it might work in an airport, getting you to your gate or Duty-Free shop step-by-step. Other features include prioritizing your transportation preferences (on bike, on foot, by car) and charting the most fuel-efficient route.

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Brace yourself

Speaking of travel, Lifehacker has discovered Turbli, a website that can predict turbulence up to 36 hours in advance of your flight. Why wait for the pilot to turn on the terrifying Fasten Seat Belt sign when you can start worrying before you even get on the plane? Of course, forewarned is forearmed … with an air sickness bag.

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Bake against the machine

There seems to be no end of things artificial intelligence can be programmed to do, from writing songs to playing poker. Now Google Cloud AI is competing against a Great British Bake Off winner to create a new dessert, per Engadget. Take a quiz on the Maltesers’ website and get both recipes, plus one customized just for you. Maltesers Mac & Cheese, anyone?

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Let’s get cracking

PC World knows that we’re tired of hearing how we should have better, stronger passwords. So, it’s turned the tables to show us how to crack passwords instead, with hashing and other software tools the pros employ. Maybe a touch of villainy will get our attention.

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What floats your boat

The Ever Given has finally sailed, but not before an app artist figured out how to put the behemoth cargo ship anywhere on earth that might need a honking big boat. Like the Mexican border or New York harbor, for example. You too can play inept or mischievous ship’s pilot with Ever Given Ever Ywhere, a creation of Garrett Dash Nelson.

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Trivial pursuits

Trivia lovers don’t have to wait for bars’ trivia nights or 7:30 pm weeknights to get their fix. Mashable has assembled a collection of seven of the best trivia apps. Test your knowledge of minutiae and win boasting points, if not actual cash. All are free to download though their ad-free versions may cost a bit.

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Listen up

For those who prefer hands-free reading but balk at the cost of Audible recorded books, MakeUseOf has uncovered six free or cheap sources for audiobooks. A couple of surprises on the list are Spotify and YouTube, though Libby (a.k.a. your local library) gets our vote.

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Just your type

Long gone are the days when help wanted ads for secretaries (remember those?) included the required wpm. If you’ve ever wondered just how fast you can type, Make Tech Easier claims to have found five of the best speed-typing games on the internet. Put your flying fingers to the test in training for the Ultimate Typing Championship.