Bitcoin has reached record highs amidst speculation on Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, with many viewing him as a candidate supportive of cryptocurrencies.
The digital currency hit $75,005.08 on Wednesday morning, surpassing its previous peak of $73,797.98 achieved in March.
“Bitcoin’s price seems to be closely tied to President Trump’s standing in the polls and betting markets,” commented AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
Investors believe that a Republican win could lead to increased demand for digital currencies,” he added.
Although Trump previously criticized cryptocurrencies as scams during his tenure, he has since shifted his position and even introduced his own platform for the currency.
Nigel Green from DeVere also stated before the election that “President Trump’s victory could propel the world’s first and largest cryptocurrency to new heights.”
Green added, “If re-elected, there would likely be a focus on deregulation, tax breaks, and economic policies favoring investments like Bitcoin.”
President Trump has vowed to make the United States the “Bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world” and appoint Elon Musk to oversee a comprehensive audit of government spending.
Trump’s corporate tax cuts during his previous term boosted market liquidity and encouraged investment in high-growth assets such as cryptocurrencies.
In September, Trump announced the launch of a digital currency platform named World Liberty Financial with his son and other entrepreneurs, although initial sales were sluggish.
World Liberty Financial provides a lending and borrowing service for cryptocurrencies, akin to platforms like Aave.
Since their inception, cryptocurrencies have made headlines for extreme volatility and the collapse of major industry players, notably the FTX exchange platform.
Leading up to the election, Trump made a purchase at a New York restaurant, touting it as a “historic transaction” and possibly becoming the first former president to use Bitcoin for a transaction.
“Who wants a hamburger?” Trump exclaimed to his followers in September, shortly after the platform’s launch.
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage
There has been a debated stance that children below the age of three should have no screen time, but research indicates that digital technology can offer valuable opportunities for the development of young children.
The study, titled Toddlers, technology and talk, was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and conducted by researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University, Lancaster University, Queen’s Belfast University, Strathclyde University, and Swansea University. It explored children’s interactions with various technologies in diverse communities, specifically focusing on the impact of technology on language and literacy skills of children aged 0 to 3 in the UK.
The research delved into how children engage with technology, whether with their parents or independently, through activities like taking photos, playing games using educational apps, listening to music, discussing favorite characters, and video calling.
Studies have shown that children start using smart devices and technology at a young age, and this can be beneficial for their language development and other skills.
The report highlights that young children’s digital activities involve various forms of sensory exploration which contribute to their cognitive development.
Parents acknowledge the advantages of technology for their children’s development, but they are also concerned about potential negative impacts from excessive technology usage.
The report also discusses how video calls provide valuable opportunities for children in multilingual families to learn different languages and cultures from their overseas relatives.
The study involved surveys with 1,400 UK parents, 40 home case studies, interviews with 20 education experts, and analysis of families’ TV viewing habits. It revealed that children could learn words and phrases from watching TV shows that they were passionate about.
Furthermore, shared TV viewing and music listening create bonding experiences for parents and children, nurturing emotional connections over time.
Even in homes where the TV is on throughout the day, children engage in various play and learning activities and may not pay much attention to the TV.
Some parents reported that their children under the age of 3 were learning sign language online, showcasing how young children adapt to interacting with smart devices.
The report emphasizes the need for better protection of children’s privacy and security in the digital age and hopes to guide policy and practices based on its findings.
Professor Rosie Flewitt from MMU acknowledges the challenges of balancing the benefits of digital communication, play, and learning for children with concerns about potential risks of overuse.
Hello. Welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, technology news editor at Guardian US. In today’s newsletter, we discuss the final form of X, learnings from a jam-packed week of earnings, and niche online Halloween costumes. Thank you for your participation.
The US election culminates the transformation of X into Elon Musk’s weapon. He has managed to bend social networks to his will.
Last week, Musk tweeted and linked to a forum within X called the Election Integrity Community, encouraging his followers to report “potential voting fraud or fraud.” Experts told my colleague Johana Bhuiyan that the community, which has more than 50,000 members, has a swamp of conspiratorial overtones and uncorrected misinformation that will make it a face in 2020. It is said that it is similar to the book “Stop the Steal” group.
Users posting to the self-contained feed quickly began pointing out what appeared to be evidence of fraud and election interference.
Tweets showing everything from torn ballots to ABC News to system tests to postal workers doing their jobs and dropping mail-in ballots were all presented as evidence that the presidential election was compromised. Some of the tweets include attempts to record personal information and identify people who users have falsely accused of stuffing ballots and interfering with voting by Trump supporters. Before anyone can decide whether the allegation is true or false, users occupy the post and assume the unsuspecting person they see is guilty.
Mr. Musk has weaponized the ability of X. He is trying to bend the posts of others to his own political will and frame the discussion into an alternate reality. He gives preferential treatment to some posts and hides others. The Washington Post reported last week that of the top 100 tweeting accounts in Congress, only Republicans are spreading the word. When he first acquired Twitter, Musk deployed Twitter’s internal documents to rebuild its public image. twitter file. He then criticized his own account for supporting Donald Trump. He bombarded his followers with pro-Trump messages and flawed Trump interviews on the Twitter space.
We have never seen a transformation like X. Billionaires are not afraid of campaigning or naked partisanship, bending the connected networks of tens of millions of people to their own vision of reality. The October surprise was Elon Musk.
With no economic success with forced purchases, Musk turned to politics to make his $44 billion bet pay off. My colleague Dan Milmo says: “Company X’s continued influence as a news source and its role as a vehicle for broadcasting its owner’s right-wing views to over 200 million followers requires measuring the benefit to the world’s richest people. That means no ‘financial benchmarks alone.” Think of the restoration of Trump’s account and all of Musk’s pro-Trump tweets as an in-kind donation that Musk will cash in on during Trump’s presidency.
Will it ever end once the election is over? – The value of X decreases. It will become less important for the world’s richest man to make noise about voter fraud conspiracies. As with any media that has seen an increase in interest in political battles and the associated craters, X’s traffic will likely decline. We will see the effects of Mr. Musk’s weaponization in the light.
Lessons learned from profits
The floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: Spencer Pratt/Getty Images
Five of the Magnificent Seven (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Apple) announced their quarterly results last week. Not all stocks rose, but all beat Wall Street’s earnings expectations. Several lessons can be learned from their impressive performance.
1. Advertising remains the lifeblood of the internet economy Google’s revenue, Meta’s revenue, and even Amazon’s revenue show that digital advertising can still maintain an empire.
2. Investments in AI, especially in cloud businesses, are paying off. Bully Google, Microsoft, and Amazon! Like Meta, these companies have increased their capital spending by tens of billions of dollars to pay for their artificial intelligence products, but investors think it’s worth it. It seems so. Each company reported strong growth in its cloud business. Meta’s investments in open source AI likewise led to Meta AI being deployed at Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and claiming the title of most used AI. Investors loved it.
3. Both of these outcomes benefit one company in particular Last week, Reddit became the first publicly traded company to report a profit, posting a massive 68% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year. The company makes most of its revenue from advertising, so a strong market means Reddit makes more money, even if it’s a smaller player than Google or Meta. Reddit’s ad revenue increased by 56%.
Reddit chief Steve Huffman also attributed the company’s better-than-expected results to a new revenue stream: deals with AI companies. Anyone who wants to build a large-scale language model that generates English text uses Reddit to train their AI. That social network is a huge, well-organized collection of human-written texts. Reddit licenses its datasets to Google, OpenAI, and others for tens of millions of dollars. That funding source may not last forever, but it’s not going away anytime soon.
Reddit is also benefiting from AI. The social network’s monthly user count increased by half to 97 million in the past quarter alone. Huffman attributes the dramatic increase to the social network’s new translation feature, which uses AI to transliterate English posts into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German. The company plans to expand this feature in the coming months.
new york magazine John Herman points out on Reddit:As a repository of human-written material, it is also useful for people who want to be sure that what they are reading was not written by an AI. As a result, Reddit has become “Google’s favorite website” and a throne with the Sword of Damocles, Herman writes. Huffman said Reddit became the sixth most searched word on Google. Many digital media reach similar heights only to be brought down by a crash.
This week on iPhone
Halloween costumers made headlines on Twitter and Instagram this week. Photo: Sonia Bonnet/Alamy
Niche Halloween costumes have received meme treatment with a proliferation of jokes starting with “I hate gay Halloween…” on Instagram with X. This meme seems to point to something bigger. Online culture has gotten to the point where we’re not just debating the appeal of individual specific references. NeNe Leaks and the white refrigeratorFor example, we discuss the value of taking internet inside jokes seriously. Is it worth wearing a bulky cardboard box all night screaming, “This is from an early season of ‘The Real Housewives’!” It’s a little self-loathing to start a tweet about your costume with “I hate it.” We expect to see more witches and cats next year.
Although perhaps not. a Rebuttal from X In the Name of Joy: “I love everyone’s niche Halloween costumes!! “I love the specificity of it. I love the creativity. Putting so much time and effort into something literally just to make yourself laugh And I really love having things explained to me when I don’t understand.
As for me, I dressed up as a skeleton for the third year in a row.
Wider Techscape
Keeping up with tons of messages in group chats can be a pain. Photo: Weare/Getty Images
IIt’s one of the biggest injustices in video game history that the Sega Saturn is widely considered to be a failure. The console was released in Japan on November 22, 1994, almost two weeks earlier than the PlayStation, but has always been compared disparagingly to its rival. We hear that while Sony built high-end machine lasers intended to produce high-speed 3D graphics, Sega engineers had to add extra graphics chips to the Saturn at the last minute. I read that Sony’s Ken Kutaragi has provided creators with an even easier to use development system. We know that Sony used its power as a consumer electronics giant to take a financial hit and drive down the prices of Sega’s machines. That’s all true, but what’s always left unmentioned is the huge success of Japan’s Saturn launch and the extraordinary legacy left by Sega’s 32-bit machines.
What I remember is this. The Edge magazine reported from Akihabara, Tokyo, that its Japanese correspondent joined a line outside a major Laox computer game center to pick up one of the thousands of machines that fans had not yet reserved. I was trying to get it. Two and a half hours later, the author showed up with my purchase. Among them was a copy of Virtua Fighter, the best arcade fighting game of the year. It was a lucky purchase. Shelves around town were quickly emptying. Sega shipped an unprecedented 200,000 units that day.
The Saturn brought the feel of arcade titles like Daytona USA into your home. Photo: Justin Layton/Alamy
The following September, I joined Edge as a writer and stayed there for two years, coinciding with the creative peak of Saturn’s short life. What was clear to me at the time, and what still rings true today, is that Sega’s first-party output on this machine was one of the best of the decade. Arcade megahits “Sega Rally” and “Daytona USA” set the challenge for a new era of stylish 3D racers, while “Virtua Fighter 2,” “Fighting Vipers,” and “The Last Bronx” challenge the 1-on-1 brings complexity and depth to fighting games. Sega’s platform-exclusive titles were similarly vibrant and groundbreaking. Panzer Dragoon, Night Into Dreams, and Burning Ranger reinvented stalwart genres for a new generation with imaginative and rich visuals. But I also loved wacky experiments. There’s the toy-like platformer Clockwork Knight, the weird and frenetic puzzler Bakubaku Animal, and the self-consciously stupid Virtua Fighter Kids.
It’s often said that what Saturn lacked was support from third-party developers, but that wasn’t the case in Japan. Veteran shooter creator Treasure developed two of their best titles for this machine, Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes. If you still want to play classic 2D shooter games, the Saturn is the way to go. Batsugan, Battle Garegga, and Darius Gaiden are all considered staples of the genre.
X-Men vs Street Fighter: Sega Saturn was the beginning of Capcom and Marvel’s relationship. Photo: ArcadeImages/Alamy
Atlus adapted the arcade hit Donpachi and created the underrated role-playing adventures Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner and Princess Crown. For horror fans, there’s Warp’s survival thriller Enemy Zero, and Capcom created a Saturn port of Resident Evil that included exclusive mini-games and new enemies and costumes. Capcom also produced many of the best fighting games of the time, including X-Men: Children of the Atom (originally a home exclusive), X-Men vs. Street Fighter, and Darkstalkers 3. I put it into Saturn.
Sega also had decent developer support in Europe, with programmers who grew up on home computers having experience programming in the assembly language supported by the Saturn (the PlayStation had a much rarer development environment based on C). Core Design originally targeted Tomb Raider for machines (and also made the unfairly forgotten action-adventure Swagman for consoles). WipeOut brought Psygnosis. Gremlins loaded top-down brawler for both consoles. And Knutsford-based Traveler’s Tales, who would go on to create the Lego series, co-created the underrated racer Sonic R with Sonic Team. This was a great technology showcase for Saturn, with smooth frame rates and gorgeous transparency effects.
The Saturn was innovative in other ways as well. Saturn Bomberman remains arguably the best title in Hudson’s explosive series, especially considering its support for chaotic 10-player matches with two multi-taps. The Saturn was the first major console to offer online gaming via a Net Link modem, and in 1997 it allowed players to participate in direct sessions of Sega Rally Championship and Virtual-On over the Internet. A party title that supported this technology was Shadows of the Tusk, a deck-building strategy role-playing game (years before the genre became mainstream) that came with its own physical card pack. Additionally, Sega’s 3D Control Pad, an analog controller designed specifically for Nights Into Dreams, outperformed the Nintendo 64’s pad by several weeks by market launch.
There was a period, perhaps for a year or two, when Saturn’s disappearance was inevitable. It held its own and rivaled everything that Sony and its lead development partner Namco could offer. Daytona vs. Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter vs. Tekken, Virtua Cop vs. Time Crisis. And this rivalry has been an absolute boon for gamers, driving 3D game design and creating the technical expertise needed for the next generation of open-world 3D console titles. There’s a reason why refurbished and modified Saturns are still being sold on eBay and retro gaming sites 30 years after its release. They are often region-free and come with a switch to toggle between European 50Hz or NTSC 60Hz TV options. And that’s because the games I’ve mentioned here are still worth playing in their original form, their original home. Although the Saturn never really caught on as a mass market device, it was successful in many ways. When we think about the history of video games, we need to talk more about it.
WAnthropomorphic squares have a strange but not undesirable presence. He lives in a spacious empty house, where Sam, the friendly local postman, regularly delivers tiled puzzles. A subscription that never expires. Wilmot unpacks each new shipment and scatters the pieces on the bare floor. Then shunt, grab, and rotate each piece to form a coherent picture. Each picture is drawn by British illustrator Richard Hogg. Once the matching pieces snap together and your artwork is complete, you can hang it on Wilmot’s big empty wall. As soon as one puzzle is completed, Sam arrives with another, and soon Wilmot’s walls are as cluttered and colorful as a search gallery.
Usually, when you finish a painting, some debris will remain, so identify these rogue debris, put them aside (you are free to organize the floor space according to your organization’s requirements) and move them back to their original location. Part of the challenge will be to bring it back to . Once you have all the necessary components. Eventually, you’ll be able to do several puzzles at once, each with varying degrees of completion. It’s this arrhythmia that gives the game its unique feel and makes it more than just a digital jigsaw simulator.
Postwoman Sam’s breezy dialogue tells a tender story through lively exchanges, adding a touch of human warmth to the relentless inscrutability. But as well as Witch Beam’s zen 2021 Bafta winner Unpacking, Willmott works fine. It’s almost a therapeutic approach. The puzzles are not difficult or complicated. Rather, it’s a slow, satisfying game that feels like untangling a complicated knot. This effect is calming, like a jigsaw, but there is a little more room for creative flair when it comes to placing artwork.
Human contestants at the event, held in London near the Shard at the Times’ parent company News UK, were remarkably quick, swiftly filling in clues before moving on. Can AI outsmart us humans?
For now, humans still have the upper hand. Ross “surrendered” when Mark Goodliffe, the reigning champion, signaled the end of the battle.
Serial crossword solver Mark Goodliffe competing in the Sudoku Championship. Photo: Terry Pengilly
This was an unexpected turn of events. Ross must have figured it out…
1ac Completely disenfranchised MPs expelled by the Liberal Party (9)
… Replace MP in IMPLICITLY (a synonym for “absolutely” in the clue) with L ILLICITLY (“without authority”) in the solution. Some human contestants were still debating between adjective, adverb, or MP for the answer. Ross seems to “know” almost everything.
But here’s where Ross is stumped.
13th A fundamental review of motorsports image (9)
Radicals are sometimes portrayed as FIREBRAND, or as setters might say, F1 RE-BRAND. This clue stands out from the rest, almost like a joke. It’s a human touch that AI struggles with. The question remains, “Have we seen this before?”
Introducing the setter, Paul. Photo: John Halpern
This was a unique clue from the Times. It’s interesting how AI humorously confronted Paul, asking, “Picnicker, does that sound like art thieves?”
For now, that human connection from setters acknowledging, “Yes, I’ve been there,” is something we as humans need to appreciate.
Instead of identifying objects, online security could focus on deciphering cryptic clues with clever wordplay. Guardian setters are ready.
(Full disclosure: I was involved in testing some of the puzzles with an earlier version of Ross. I developed a fondness for Ross and was curious if clues allowed for multiple interpretations. Sometimes we use “he” for confirmation.)
Thank you to all the contributors at the clue conference for STOKES. The runner up had a clever clue involving “Runs!” leading to the England captain. The winning clue creatively used “Loads Tinder, fingers right Swipe to.”
Kudos to Danat. Share your entries below for the next challenge: How do you clue PUNNY?
TThe conveniences of modern life are incredible. Currently, my phone is wirelessly playing some of the greatest hits from the 1700s (like Bach) through a portable speaker. You can easily get a ride, order food to your doorstep, or start chatting on a dating app using the same device. To quote Arthur C. Clarke, for modern humans, this technology is third lawindistinguishable from magic.
It’s understandable that our culture seeks out and celebrates these shortcuts. They eliminate boredom, enhance fun, and save time and effort. However, it’s evident that convenience also has a downside.
Before discussing that, it’s crucial to understand why convenience is so attractive. We often resist doing what’s necessary for progress, whether it’s taxes, a pending report, or training. There’s a sense of inertia behind every well-meaning plan. Why is this resistance and the desire for comfort ingrained in us?
Insights from evolutionary psychology, specifically the concept of “evolutionary mismatch,” can provide clarity. Evolutionary mismatch suggests that we evolved for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle while our environment drastically changed, leaving our instincts out of sync with our surroundings.
Viewing the issue through this evolutionary lens makes sense of our tendency towards lethargy and seeking shortcuts. For early humans, food and energy were scarce and unreliable. Survival meant conserving energy wisely to tackle the challenges they faced.
In today’s world, technology has altered our environment to cater somewhat to our energy-conservation instinct. However, adopting trends that prioritize comfort and convenience may come at a cost. While innovations like washing machines and phones have enriched our lives, excessive convenience may pose challenges rather than easing them.
For instance, the increase in depression and anxiety linked to smartphones and social media is worrying. Also, metabolic issues from sedentary lifestyles and reliance on convenient but low-nutrient foods are on the rise. Loneliness levels have prompted the UK to appoint a ‘Minister for Loneliness’ in 2018, partly due to the technologies fostering such isolation.
Over-reliance on coping mechanisms can exacerbate problems they were meant to solve. Choosing comfort excessively can hinder our ability to face life’s challenges. Some discomfort is vital for our growth and survival, as evidenced by our ancestors’ ability to balance safety and risk intelligently.
Super-convenience has its allure, but it might also deplete us unknowingly, making it harder to achieve true success. Human flourishing hinges not just on survival but on growth, problem-solving, and unity in adversity.
Embracing life’s challenges is essential for personal development. While technology offers convenience, it’s crucial to recognize that overcoming obstacles and discomfort is part of our evolutionary heritage. This lesson is critical for the younger generation.
Dr. Alex Carmi is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and speaker. thinking mind Podcast.
Two Microsoft employees, recently terminated for organizing a vigil in memory of slain Palestinians in Gaza, allege that their dismissal was a form of retaliation by the company for their pro-Palestinian stance.
Abd Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist, along with Hossam Nasr, a software engineer, orchestrated the vigil outside Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington headquarters on October 24th, only to be fired later that evening.
Nasr voiced, “Microsoft caved to internal and external pressures to retaliate by terminating my employment and shutting down events. It wasn’t due to policy infractions, but simply because we dared to humanize Palestinians and challenge Microsoft’s association with a military accused of genocide.” Nasr’s show of support for Palestine has garnered attention on social media and employee communication platforms within Microsoft.
Both individuals were part of No Azure for Apartheid, a group within Microsoft advocating against the sale of the company’s cloud computing technology to Israel.
The group is urging Microsoft to terminate all Azure contracts and partnerships with Israel, demand a cease-fire in the Gaza conflict, and uphold the freedom of speech for employees.
Microsoft refuted claims that the dismissals were related to activism. A company spokesperson emphasized the importance of maintaining a professional work environment while ensuring compliance with policy and behavioral expectations.
Mohamed and Nasr contest the notion that the vigil was disruptive or violated Microsoft’s policies. They assert that the event was conducted to raise funds for humanitarian efforts in Gaza and followed standard procedures for employee charity events.
More than 200 employees participated in the vigil, either in person or virtually, as reported by There is no azure in apartheid.
Nasr and Mohamed maintain that they had engaged with Microsoft beforehand to address any concerns about the vigil, which was an act of remembrance for Palestinian lives lost in the conflict and to spotlight Microsoft’s ties with Israel.
At the time, Nasr received a call from Microsoft at 9 p.m. on October 24, although groups had announced his termination on social media earlier.
The No Azure for Apartheid group views the terminations as retaliatory and accuses Microsoft of intimidating Palestinian voices. They seek reinstatement and clarification on the premature disclosure of the dismissals.
Does aspartame cause cancer? The possible cancer-causing effects of popular artificial sweeteners, added to everything from soft drinks to pediatric medicines, have been debated for decades. Its approval in the US was controversial in 1974, some British supermarkets banned its use from their products in the 2000s, and peer-reviewed academic studies have long been at odds. Last year, the World Health Organization said that aspartame is possibly carcinogenic. On the other hand, public health regulators suggest that it is safe to take in commonly used small doses.
While many of us may try to resolve our questions with a simple Google search, this is exactly the kind of controversial discussion that could cause problems for the future of the Internet.
Generative AI chatbots have developed rapidly in recent years, with technology companies quickly touting them as a utopian alternative to a variety of jobs and services, including internet search engines. The idea is that instead of scrolling through a list of web pages to find the answer to a question, an AI chatbot can scour the internet, look up relevant information and compile a short answer to the query. Google and Microsoft are betting big on this idea, already bringing AI-generated summaries to Google Search and Bing.
However, being touted as a more convenient way to find information online has prompted scrutiny of where and how these chatbots choose the information they provide. Looking at the evidence that large-scale language models (LLMs, the engines on which chatbots are built) are the most convincing, three computer science researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, say that current chatbots are found to be overly reliant on superficial relevance of information. They ignore text that includes relevant technical terms and related keywords, while ignoring other features they typically use to assess trustworthiness, such as the inclusion of scientific references and objective language free of personal bias.
Online content can be displayed in a way that increases visibility to the chatbot, making it more likely to appear in the chatbot’s output. For the simplest queries, such selection criteria will provide a sufficient answer. But what a chatbot should do in more complex discussions, such as the debate over aspartame, is less clear.
“Do we want them to simply summarize the search results, or do we want them to function as mini-research assistants who weigh all the evidence and provide a final answer?” asks undergraduate researcher and co-investigator Alexander Wang, author of the study. The latter option provides maximum convenience, but the criteria by which the chatbot selects information becomes even more important. And if one could somehow game those standards, can we guarantee the information chatbots put in front of billions of internet users?
It’s a problem plaguing animation companies, content creators, and others who want to control how they are seen online, and an emerging industry of marketing agencies offering a service known as generative engine optimization (GEO) has caused it. The idea is that online content can be created and displayed in a way that increases its visibility to the chatbot, making it more likely to appear in the chatbot’s output. The benefits are obvious.
The basic principle is similar to search engine optimization (SEO). This is a common technique for building and writing web pages to attract the attention of search engine algorithms, pushing them to the top of the list of results returned when you search on Google or Bing. GEO and SEO share some basic techniques, and websites that are already optimized for search engines are generally more likely to appear in chatbot output.
But those who really want to improve their AI visibility need to think more holistically. “Rankings on AI search engines and LLMs require features and mentions on relevant third-party websites, such as press outlets, articles, forums, and industry publications,” says Viola Eva, founder of marketing firm Flow Agency, incorporating her SEO expertise into GEO.
Chatbots for games are possible, but not easy. And while website owners and content creators have derived an evolving list of SEO do’s and don’ts over the past two decades, there are no clearer rules for working with AI models.
Researchers have demonstrated that chatbots can be controlled tactically through carefully written text strings. So if you want to get a better grip on chatbots, you might want to consider a more hacky approach, like the one discovered by two Harvard computer science researchers. They have proven how chatbots can be tactically controlled by introducing something as simple as a carefully written text string. This “strategic text sequence” looks like a meaningless series of characters, but is actually a subtle command that forces the chatbot to generate a specific response.
Current search engines and the practices surrounding them are not without their own problems. SEO involves some of the most hostile practices for readers on the modern internet. Blogs create a large number of nearly duplicate articles targeting the same high traffic queries. Text tailored to get the attention of Google’s algorithms rather than the reader.
An internet dominated by obedient chatbots raises questions of a more existential kind. When you ask a search engine a question, it returns a long list of web pages. In contrast, chatbots only refer to four or five websites for information.
“For the reader, seeing the chatbot’s response also increases the possibility of interaction,” says Wang. This kind of thinking points to a broader concern called the “direct answer dilemma.” For Google, the company integrated AI-generated summaries into its search engine with a bold slogan: “Let Google do the searching.” But if you’re the type of internet user who wants to make sure you’re getting the most unbiased, accurate, and useful information, you might not want to leave your search in the hands of such susceptible AI.
“What a privilege to be able to run in the rain. What a privilege to have a house to clean.” Social media is often criticized for its toxicity, but a new trend is emerging that embraces gratitude.
Posts titled “What a privilege” feature images of everyday activities such as cozy beds (being tired after a long day), travel videos (carrying heavy luggage), and even mundane tasks like cooking dinner. This trend has gained attention on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Screenshot from @tanyaloucas Photo: TikTok
While not as widespread as previous trends, Gratitude 2.0 is gaining popularity with some posts receiving over 200,000 likes. This trend celebrates both simple and luxurious experiences, from commuting to shopping for designer items.
According to lexicographer Tony Thorne, this trend originated from American evangelicals and lifestyle influencers expressing gratitude. It may come across as self-satisfactory and humbly boastful, but it aims to ground people in reality and away from the virtual world created by social media.
Screenshot from @tanyaloucas Photo: TikTok
Rukiat Ashawe, a junior strategist at Digital Fairy, believes that highlighting ordinary aspects of life resonates well with audiences online. By showcasing the everyday, this trend aims to shift focus from idealized virtual realities to genuine experiences.
Is the internet reshaping the concept of privilege? According to Thorne, platforms like TikTok add nuance to the word and turn it into a powerful symbol that taps into specific moods and attitudes.
TThere’s not much that Dolly Parton and the head of Northern Rail can claim to have in common. Frustrated commuters from Manchester to Middlesbrough may complain that train services barely run from 9 to 5. What ties them together is that neither can live without their fax machine.
Banned by England’s NHS and banned from the Premier League after too many player transfers failed due to poor communications, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham this week announced that the screeching and buzzing They blamed the constant use of fax machines for making commuting miserable.
After listening to Northern executives explain the service’s dismal performance for half an hour, he thundered: “I heard that you still use fax machines…is that true?”
The bosses admitted that it was. They explained that a quarter of a century after email became popular and 40 years after faxing, in 2024 manning and crew processing is still done by fax. Burnham could hardly believe it. Faxes deliver epic news, such as Michael Jordan’s return to the NBA in 1995 (“I’m back,” he faxed) and archival invitations to Prince William and Duchess Kate’s wedding in 2011. There was a time when it was delivered. But this was a source of embarrassment. Mr Burnham was furious, saying the use of faxes showed “disrespect for the traveling public”.
“It looks like the rail industry will respond once the fax arrives,” he said.
The Science Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington have fax machines in their collections, but Northern is not the only one that continues to use them.
Country superstar Parton refuses to text, sticking to her fax machine even when sending a message to her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus sometimes has someone scan her fax and send it to her via text. Scores of fax machines were still rotating at hospitals in Wales, a response to a Freedom of Information request in 2022 revealed. A survey published in July found that a quarter of companies in Germany still use faxes frequently, and many German hospitals use fax machines. Officials in Japan, who are “fax enthusiasts,” still use them, saying their technology, which turns streams of sound into pulses of ink, lowers the risk of hacking.
Jason Fitzpatrick, who runs the Gadget Museum in Suffolk and has a collection of 40 fax machines, said: “There are computers that have been working since the 1970s, and outdated technology is widely used in places like the Underground. “It’s part of what keeps us going,” he said. It is difficult to extract because it is very complex and custom designed. ‘There are some military systems that are still powered by decades-old computers,” he added.
Approval by fax for railway operators shows the extreme change in today’s technological advancements. This week, Elon Musk claimed that artificial intelligence “will probably be able to do anything that humans can do, probably within the next year or two.” But the rail group, which carries 85 million passengers a year, still relies on technology long since surpassed by computers.
Guardian readers haven’t completely given up on technology either. One person still sends faxes to his aunt, who is over 100 years old.
“Her arthritis makes it difficult for her to type text messages on the small, unwieldy buttons on her cell phone. The same goes for her hearing and phone calls. So we write to each other instead. ,” she said. “We type chatty messages, but she writes by hand in very large letters and uses very few wasted words. Now that most organizations don’t have fax numbers, she feels a little left out. I think you feel it.”
Another reader who works for a power company said, “It’s used as an emergency measure to secure last-minute wholesale energy deals when there’s an internet problem. Women’s lives are threatened.”
In 2018, then Health Secretary Matt Hancock ordered the removal of fax machines from the NHS, calling the technology “outdated” and claiming that “others got rid of their fax machines years ago”. NHS England does not know whether Mr Hancock’s order to “not collect data on the number of fax machines” was followed.
Phil Collins is perhaps one of the most famous fax users ever since he was inaccurately reported to have said via fax in 1996 that he was divorcing his wife.
“I was in Frankfurt and the phone kept dying so I sent a fax,” he told an interviewer in 2016. “I was arranging a time to see the children and I mentioned that fact. [the marriage] It was over, but the fax translated that the relationship with me was over. I don’t know how it got into the newspaper. Well, I think so. I never asked her. ”
Last year, Britain’s telecoms regulator Ofcom announced that British Telecom would no longer be required to provide fax lines. He said this, ringing the death knell for fax machines.
“Unless you’ve moved or are representing a footballer who has actually moved, there may not have been much reason to use a fax in recent years.”
But even football agencies have largely abandoned the use of fax machines, which had the advantage of allowing quick and accurate contract exchanges. The final straw appears to have been the fax glitch that reportedly ruined David de Gea’s move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2015. The Premier League moved to online registration applications in December 2018.
Canada’s spy agency claims that India is using cyber technology to monitor separatists abroad, following accusations from the Indian government that senior Indian officials authorized violent acts, including the killing of a Sikh activist in Vancouver.
The Canada Communications Security Establishment (CSE) reported that India is utilizing cyber capabilities to surveil activists and dissidents living overseas, including increasing cyberattacks on Canadian government networks.
Canada is home to a large Sikh community outside of India, which includes advocates for an independent Sikh nation.
Ottawa is currently investigating the case of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent campaigner for Khalistan, a separatist movement seeking independence for Sikhs in India’s Punjab province. The murder of Nijjar in Vancouver in 2023 is believed to have been orchestrated by India.
CSE Commissioner Caroline Xavier stated, “India poses a growing cyber threat to Canada,” during a press conference.
The report attributes the strain in Canada-India relations to India’s surveillance activities and cyberattacks.
Following Canada’s accusations, a pro-Indian hacktivist group launched DDoS attacks on Canadian websites, disrupting their operations.
Officials revealed that Canada was monitoring a campaign targeting Khalistani activists, linking it to senior Indian government officials, including Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah.
Canadian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Shah’s involvement in intelligence gathering and violent attacks, including Nijjar’s murder in 2023.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the national police suspect India’s involvement in the killing and other forms of intimidation against Khalistani activists.
India denied the allegations, leading to the expulsion of ambassadors and diplomats between Delhi and Ottawa.
Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder.
Microsoft reported better-than-expected profits on Wednesday, driven by growth in its Azure cloud business, as five of the “Magnificent Seven” tech giants reveal their quarterly results this week.
“AI-driven transformation is reshaping jobs, outputs, and workflows across all roles, functions, and business processes,” stated Satya Nadella, the company’s CEO, in a press release. Nadella mentioned on a earnings call that Microsoft’s AI business is set to surpass a $10 billion annual run rate next quarter, making it the fastest-growing business in company history to achieve this milestone.
Microsoft’s focus on artificial intelligence garnered attention, with significant investments in Azure, the company’s rapidly expanding division. According to a press release, the division’s revenue grew by 22%. A day earlier, Google’s parent company Alphabet reported a nearly 35% year-on-year growth in its cloud business, reaching $11.35 billion, surpassing analyst forecasts.
Nadella announced that Azure now boasts 39,000 customers, marking an 80% increase year over year. The company has established AI data centers in over 60 regions globally, and Azure-OpenAI usage has more than doubled in the last six months.
The stock prices surged in after-hours trading. Earnings per share were $3.30, exceeding the anticipated $3.10, with revenue standing at $65.59 billion compared to the expected $64.51 billion.
Microsoft’s financial outlay has risen significantly with its emphasis on AI. On Wednesday, the company’s data center finance leases surpassed $108 billion in pre-commencement lease payments.
With soaring investments, Microsoft’s power requirements have soared in recent years. As part of a project to power its extensive data center fleet, the company is revamping Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, known for a partial reactor meltdown in 1979. Microsoft has struck a deal to acquire all power generation capacity from the plant over the next two decades.
However, investors remain cautious about the significant AI bets made by tech giants and seek greater clarity on when these investments will yield returns. The “Magnificent Seven” companies – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla – with a combined market capitalization of $12 trillion and representing one-fifth of the S&P 500 index, have underperformed the market over the past quarter, with a cumulative 3.5% decline since July.
In a note to investors, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives characterized this quarter as a pivotal test for Microsoft and Azure amid heightened competition in the AI ecosystem.
“Our assessments of Microsoft this quarter are positive as we believe Redmond is taking the lead and accelerating Azure cloud deals with robust momentum into 2025 and beyond,” Ives remarked, referencing Microsoft’s headquarters location in Washington state. “We maintain an ‘outperform’ rating.”
Elon Musk is currently facing election integrity issues offline, while X owner is advocating for the discovery and reporting of “potential instances of voter fraud or misconduct” through a representative. The community established by Musk is filled with unfounded claims masquerading as evidence of voter fraud.
Despite being absent from a mandatory court appearance in Philadelphia to address a lawsuit challenging his political action committee’s significant donations to voters, Musk has launched an online platform, X (formerly Twitter), dedicated to enabling users to share their voting-related concerns. The Election Integrity Community within this space swiftly began identifying what they perceived as signs of fraud and electoral interference.
Various tweets showcasing torn ballots, ABC News system tests, postal workers in action, and individuals submitting mail-in ballots are being presented as evidence of a compromised presidential election. Some users are even posting videos of people they suspect without substantial evidence, making it challenging for the community to verify these claims.
Misinformation is spreading within X and other platforms, with right-wing influencers amplifying false accusations of ballot stuffing and voter suppression. Such baseless claims are contributing to the harassment of innocent individuals, including postal workers, as seen in a viral video from Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
Experts note that this community, consisting of over 50,000 members, is employing tactics reminiscent of past online forums to propagate claims of a stolen election. These tactics were previously utilized in the aftermath of the 2020 election by groups like “Stop the Steal” on platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and Parler.
In their attempt to bolster the narrative of a “stolen election,” these groups disseminate unverified stories to a large audience, which are then leveraged by influencers to fuel suspicions of electoral malpractice. The Election Integrity Partnership has compiled a report highlighting the dangers posed by such disinformation campaigns.
Lenny DiResta, an associate professor at Georgetown University, warns of the real-world consequences of unfounded rumors being weaponized by propaganda outlets. Ordinary individuals are inadvertently caught up in these campaigns, facing unwarranted scrutiny and harassment.
The Election Integrity Community provides insight into a nationwide echo chamber where beliefs of election rigging against Trump are widespread. While distinct from the main X feed, Musk occasionally shares concerns from this community on his page.
One prevalent conspiracy theory within the community revolves around Elon Musk, who has falsely insinuated that the Biden administration is orchestrating voter fraud through undocumented immigrants. Additionally, a Musk-backed Superpac has been implicated in disseminating misleading information about Kamala Harris with the “Project 2028” campaign.
Apple’s quarterly earnings report on Thursday revealed strong demand for the iPhone 16, with a slight dip in overall sales in China compared to the previous year. The company recorded revenue of $94.9 billion, up by 6%, and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.64, slightly beating Wall Street’s expectations of $1.60 EPS on revenue of $94.4 billion.
Revenue from iPhone sales reached $46.2 billion, higher than the $43.8 billion reported in the same period last year. Additionally, fourth-quarter revenue for the Services segment, including subscriptions, rose to $24.97 billion from $22.31 billion year-over-year.
The company also received a one-time payment of $10.2 billion following the annulment of the European General Court’s judgment demanding Apple to repay Irish taxes.
This earnings report marked the debut assessment of the iPhone 16’s demand, which was launched shortly before the close of the fourth quarter. The introduction of the latest iPhone was anticipated to boost Apple’s presence in China and help in reclaiming market share from competitors like Huawei and Xiaomi. According to a report by the International Data Corporation, Apple had dropped to the sixth position in smartphone retail rankings due to tough competition.
CEO Tim Cook lauded the release of the company’s “best products yet,” which now include Apple Intelligence in addition to the iPhone 16.
Apple Intelligence, a new feature providing enhanced privacy in AI, was recently launched, further strengthening the product lineup for the holiday season. The company did not specify the anticipated impact of Apple Intelligence on driving product demand during the holiday period.
Luca Maestri, Apple’s chief financial officer, expressed excitement about upcoming product launches and enhancements, emphasizing that the rollout of Apple Intelligence will evolve gradually.
Amidst a challenging year for Apple, marked by weak demand for its other devices, investors sought updates on iPhone 16 demand and the gradual rollout of Apple’s AI features, collectively known as Apple Intelligence.
Cook highlighted the positive consumer response to Apple Intelligence, noting a significant increase in iOS update downloads compared to the previous year.
The company continues to refine Apple Intelligence, with plans for further feature releases over the next months. Cook hinted at more advanced versions in the pipeline as well.
Apple has yet to launch Apple Intelligence in key markets like Europe and China, where competition remains fierce. In Asia, the Indonesian government has imposed a ban on iPhone 16 sales, alleging Apple’s failure to fulfill promises of increased local investments.
SHepton Mallet Prison in Somerset is the world’s oldest correctional facility. It is also reportedly one of the most haunted places. From its opening in 1625 until its closure in 2013, it housed hundreds of inmates, ranging from Victorian street urchins to wayward American GIs to the Clay twins. Although it is now a tourist attraction, it is sometimes opened for a fee to guests who wish to spend the night behind the bar. Some are paranormal investigators, some are intrepid travelers, and some are video game journalists with a stupid idea. “How scary would it be to be locked in a haunted prison and play the latest five horror games all night?”
Armed with just a flashlight, an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector, and a laptop, we roamed the prison looking for chilling locations to play these immersive paranormal masterpieces. What happened here…
Exit 8
I feel unbelievably anxious…Exit 8. Photo: Kotake Create
position. B wing level 3. The largest of Victoria’s prison wings at Shepton, it was designed to hold 94 prisoners in small cells that did not have toilets until 1998. Cell 30 is said to be infested with an inmate known for tapping inattentive guests on the shoulder. game: A cult psychological thriller from indie developer Kotake Create. Wander through the seemingly endless tunnels of a Japanese subway station, spotting anomalies around you and trying to find your way out. The visual realism is incredibly unsettling, especially when the lights flicker and other lost passengers begin to pass by silently. Fear factor: Although more disturbing than frightening, playing in a prison wing with an equally desolate, soulless, and rural feel definitely increased the sense of marginal anxiety.
In My Head
A terrifying adventure…in your head. Photo: JustTomcuk
The place is an execution hut. This was where death row inmates would spend their final days before heading to the noose, if they were lucky, under the supervision of renowned hangman Albert Pierrepoint. game: Designed like an old VHS horror movie, this frightening adventure requires you to explore a dark, dingy building in the woods where ancient artifacts are said to be waiting to be discovered. The dilapidated Gothic interiors, constant radio static and crying children are familiar horrors, but the game evokes an incredible atmosphere thanks to detailed locations and soundscapes. Not for the picky eater. Fear factor: In My Head would have been scary enough at home, but this place had a heavy, doomed atmosphere that honestly only lasted a few minutes. Just before fleeing, I met DS Hampshire Horns ghost hunters Darren and Jay. They told us that on his last visit, Darren saw two disembodied legs passing by. We made our excuses and left.
Panicore
The Blair Witch Project meets Alien Isolation…Panicore meets. Photo: ZTEK Studio
position: playground. Built over a mass grave pit, it is reportedly haunted by the ghost of Captain Philip William Lyall, who was imprisoned at Shepton during the First World War. He threw himself off a roof overlooking the garden, and people said they saw a ghostly figure lurking there. game: As a paranormal investigator, you explore a series of abandoned buildings and solve puzzles while being chased by AI-enabled monsters that react to every sound. Yes, it's a combination of The Blair Witch Project and Alien Isolation, and it's as terrifying as it sounds. We played solo, but you can also choose to play co-op like Phasmophobia. That would be preferable under the circumstances. Fear factor: The fact that the buildings in the game's abandoned facility look exactly like Shepton Mallet Prison, with peeling paint on the walls, rubble everywhere, and doorways leading into complete darkness, make this a truly frightening experience. I did.
“Did you feel that?'' Keith and Rich play the Panicore in the exercise range at Shepton Mallet Prison. Photo: João Diniz Sánchez/The Guardian
position: of Gatehouse. Built in the 17th century, this building is one of the oldest parts of the prison in existence, and you can sneak into two of its original cells nearby. Unsurprisingly, this is a hotbed of paranormal activity. There is a ghost named Bob, the gatekeeper, who appears to run his fingers through the hair of female visitors. No, Bob. game: The Complex is another of the current indie trending horror games set in “back rooms” such as endless tunnels and passageways. You are part of a research team sent to the titular facility to investigate strange occurrences. Most of the time, players wander through a vast maze of empty rooms and hallways, viewing through the lens of a VHS video camera. This gives the game a kind of hyper-realism that is strange and unsettling. Fear factor: The stark modern architectural setting made the game feel oddly safe while playing in a haunted 17th century dungeon. we didn’t want to leave.
Chuksi
Jump scare machine…Chuxie. Photo: LCGaming
position: C Wings. The women’s wing of the prison is famous for one particular person. A white woman was convicted of murdering her fiancé and was asked to wear a wedding dress the night before her execution.She has been seen on the wing staircase, and visitors have even smelled her perfume wafting through the air. game: A huge hit on TikTok and Twitch, Chuxie is practically a J-horror jump-scare machine. You are a paranormal investigator exploring an abandoned hospital filled with ghosts, including a terrifying woman in a white dress – Mr. Ring, anyone? It may appear for seconds. The visuals are highly detailed, making the terrifying environments feel very realistic. Fear factor: Frankly, it’s off scale. This wing is in almost total darkness, not least because of the fact that a white female mannequin hangs above the ground floor. When I passed one particular cell, the EMF reader went crazy and recorded maximum readings for several seconds. We couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Extraordinarily scary…white woman at Shepton Mallet Prison. Photo: Keith Stewart/The Guardian
Conclusion: Walking around a quiet Victorian wing at 3am was the closest thing to actually being in a survival horror game. Did we see ghosts during the night behind bars? No. Could we have played a horror game in the dark cells and echoing hallways and totally freaked out? Exactly is. Furthermore, after returning home, I measured the maximum value of the EMF meter again. I waved it at my phone, held it next to the microwave and turned it on full blast…without even getting close.
year: It was founded in 2009 by former Harvard rowers Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey.
What exactly is that? fitness app.
How does it work? It is popular among cyclists and runners who use GPS data to track their activities and record their activities to share with the community. Also useful for jackals…
Like “The Day” of … ‘'?Why?Investigation by French newspaper Le Monde We’ve used it to track the movements of Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and other world leaders.
trump doesn’t do that Looks like a typical Strava user… Well, not specifically them, but their bodyguards. Le Monde found that some US Secret Service agents have been using the app since the Trump assassination attempt. They also used the bodyguard’s Strava profile to track the movements of Jill Biden and Melania Trump.
Perhaps they realized that Melania is no longer close to her husband? It’s not that kind of investigation. In another example, an agent’s Strava tracked jogging route was used to identify the San Francisco hotel where Joe Biden was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Seems very lax, but are agents even allowed to use personal phones? Although prohibited during work hours, the U.S. Secret Service told Le Monde that personal use of social media outside of work hours is not prohibited. But they also said that “affected personnel have been notified” and that “this information will be reviewed to determine if additional training or guidance is required.”
It’s like he’s worried. Is it just Americans? Mysnon. The paper also identified 12 members of the French security group GSPR and six members of Russia’s FSO.
President Putin will probably tell us to be more careful in the future.. There has been no communication from the Kremlin. Mr Macron’s office said it had not affected his security but had instructed agencies not to use the app.
IIs this the first time you’ve had security concerns regarding Strava? It’s interesting so you should give it a listen. In 2018, students discovered they had created maps of US military bases in Syria and Afghanistan, as well as the Royal Navy’s Faslane base. Another security flaw in 2022 revealed the identity and movements of: Israeli military base security guard. And things got very serious last July…
Oh please continue. Rental runner in Singapore hit the news It offers a service that lets you log on to someone else’s ID, run on their behalf, and charge them per kilometer.
So can people pretend to exercise when they don’t? that’s right. I became known as the Strava Jockey.
But that would defeat the whole purpose. No praise! Well, some people will do anything to get a better PB.
Please say: “Strava It means effort in Swedish, don’t you know? “
Please don’t say things like: “Oh, that’s the layout of Camp David…”
‘I
I think AI is going to change everything,” San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Tamara Rojo told me earlier this year. “We just don’t know how.” Artificial intelligence’s influence on the creative industries can already be seen everywhere in film, television and music, but dance relies heavily on live bodies performing in front of an audience. As a format, it appears to be somewhat isolated. However, this week, choreographers Ao Nakamura and Esteban Lecoq, collectively known as AΦEis launching Lilith.Aeon, what is billed as the world’s first AI-driven dance production. The performer, Lilith, is an AI co-created with Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Lecoq. “She” appears in an LED cube, which the audience moves around, and their movements trigger Lilith’s dance.
Nakamura and Lecoq argue that they are interested in enhancing storytelling, rather than pursuing cutting-edge technology for its own sake. Working as dancers with the theater company Punchdrunk opened their eyes to the idea of immersive experiences, which led to virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and now AI. Their question is always, “How can we make this technology happen?” But it’s not like robots are going to take over the world.
Lilith.Aeon’s story is inspired by transhumanism (using technology to evolve beyond human limitations) and began as a script written by an AI bot. Nakamura and Lecoq provided all of their research to AI, including images, audiobooks, and discussions. “And we were able to interact with the AI, collaborate with it, and co-create the work together.” The two created a “dictionary-like” step that Lilith was trained on; The AI continued to generate new “words” of its own. They were excited when Lilith did something they never expected, but the choreography is still tailored to their aesthetic. “It’s not random,” Lecoq says. “I’m not interested in looking at things like screensavers.”
“It’s not random. I’m not interested in looking at things like screensavers.” … Lilith.Aeon. Photo: Shaneobenson @Shaneobenson
You can’t talk about AI in dance without talking about Wayne McGregor. Always at the forefront when it comes to technology, I first started researching AI 20 years ago. McGregor developed it in collaboration with Google. Somais a choreographic tool trained on his 25-year archive of work that can analyze thousands of hours of video and derive real-time suggestions, just as dancers improvise in the studio. He used AISOMA to generate a new version of his 2017 work autobiography It varies from performance to performance. His latest project, which opens next year, is on another earthdeveloped with Professor Geoffrey Shaw in Hong Kong, uses a 360-degree screen with sensing technology to allow viewers to build their own experiences.
choreographer alexander whitley We are also developing ways to use AI to integrate audiences into our work. The VR version of The Rite of Spring works on using audience movements as triggers for avatars trained on Whitley’s database of choreography. This technology allows amateur spectators to make their movements more artistic, and even allows them to arrange their movements to the music, like a dance version of Autotune.
Technology is developing rapidly. A type of motion capture that was once the province of Hollywood studios is now accessible through an app on your phone (try it) Move.ai), much of the progress is being driven by the gaming industry. However, there are some pitfalls that are worth looking into. Video game performers, including motion capture actors, impressive In the US, due to concerns about being replaced by AI (similar to the actors’ strike in 2023). Dancers are already being recorded by companies that build motion banks (“We’ve done about a million projects that require motion capture, like someone spinning on their head,” McGregor says). And the issue of rights and royalties when using dancers’ movements (and expertise) to train AI is a big one. McGregor said outright acquisitions were common in motion capture deals in the past. “We didn’t understand how the technology would be applied in the future.” He is currently working with Arts Council England on intellectual property (IP), motion data and “ethical AI”. I would like to take action. If done well, this could become a new source of income for dancers. “Coding choreo makes coin,” quotes Jonzi D from a hip-hop show. frayedfeaturing AI-generated dancing avatars.
But what if you want to create coins for others? Dancing is an ever-changing art form, passed down through dance floors, studios, and now social media, and where ideas originate. It can be difficult to know or prove what happened. You can copyright a dance piece, but you can’t copyright a step, as dancers who tried to sue the makers of the video game Fortnite discovered. Files can be copyrighted. Nigerian choreographer Kudus Onyikeku uses AI to recognize and classify movements to build a dance databank and protect intellectual property, especially of black artists, which has often been exploited in the past. We are conducting research.
Artists who are serious about AI are partnering with big companies like Nvidia, Amazon, and Dell. They get technology, and in return companies get ideas, accolades, and importantly, data. Are they selling their souls or just pragmatism? Potentially, it affects both directions. “We don’t want to be an adopter of technology,” McGregor says. “You want to be part of the conversation from the beginning and be the voice. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, otherwise you’ll just be servicing the technology.” Often developing tools Commercial funding is the only way to do so, and some tools have the potential to democratize dance and demystify it. Whitley is working on software that can be used in education, allowing students with no dance knowledge to create their own choreography on screen.
A scene from Wayne McGregor & Co.’s Autobiography (v95 and v96) held at Sadler’s Wells, London, earlier this year. Photo: Tristram Kenton/Guardian
“I think humans and AI can do great things together,” says Jonzi D. But he also notices that most of the AI-generated content he sees has a certain similar look. “It comes down to how creatively you can use it.” Lecoq agrees that if everything is trained on the same content, everything will look the same. Art will undermine itself. “It would be lazy not to push the boundaries further,” he says. AI is not a shortcut when developing technology as we go along, as AΦE does. “It’s a long cut. It’s a very difficult and lonely process.”
Rojo thinks of several useful applications for AI in dance. For example, algorithms that can solve the headache of recasting a ballet when someone is injured can calculate who is available, who knows the role, etc. in seconds. Less useful, she says, “is if the composers were changed, the set and lighting designers were changed,” and the choreography patterns were created by artificial intelligence. “And it’s not outside the realm of possibility.”
However, computer intrusion into creativity is nothing new. “Computers are the future of dance,’’ said the choreographer. Merce Cunningham Back in 1995, he had already been working on the LifeForms program for six years, manipulating avatars on screen and transmitting the results to dancers. The intention was to shed the dancers’ natural habit of one movement instinctively leading to another and find something new, which choreographers have always tried.
So is that good or bad for the industry? “I try to avoid the binary of technology as either a savior or a destroyer,” Whitley says. There will inevitably be disruptive effects on the industry, “but there are also some really exciting possibilities that come with it.” Not all dancers will lose their jobs. “I’m not worried about turnover at all,” McGregor says. For him, it’s about using technology to better understand the complexities of the human body. “And we are far from building a version that somehow replicates the brilliance of the human body. Human virtuosity and ingenuity are what we are most often associated with.”
Watching dance is also about getting to know the limits of the human body and seeing it reach its limits. There’s no point in having an avatar that can do anything. Mr McGregor said: “There is no danger in the digital world.” But even if there is AI intervention in the choreography, “when performed by living, breathing humans, it becomes meaningful and tangible.” says Whitley. “Certainly, live performance cannot replace digital experiences,” Nakamura says. She’s not interested in seeing real people replicated on screen (“What do you mean?”), but with Lilith.Aeon, she wants to create something that couldn’t exist otherwise. I’m thinking. But despite the fact that AΦE is pioneering the latest in artificial intelligence, Lecoq claims that they are not very interested in technology. “The best technology that I like is the washing machine and the microwave.”
Welcome back. In today’s newsletter, a tech executive shares anecdotes about interactions with Donald Trump, the responsibilities of AI chatbots, and the perils of sharing baby photos online with families. Thank you for engaging with us.
Top tech CEOs are closely monitoring the election polls and engaging with President Trump. They are cautious about regulatory scrutiny and potential retaliation from the former president.
Apple’s Tim Cook discussed legal matters with Trump, while Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai faced threats. Amazon’s Andy Jassy had a friendly call with Trump, among other interactions detailed in CNN and Associated Press reports.
Elon Musk joined Trump at a rally in NYC. Photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella refrained from endorsing any candidate. Elon Musk’s alliance with Trump has raised legal concerns, including a lawsuit over a million-dollar giveaway.
While tech execs engage with Trump, questions arise about their influence and allegiances. The broader geopolitical context shapes their interactions and potential impact on the upcoming election.
AI chatbots’ responsibility is under scrutiny as a startup faces a lawsuit for allegedly promoting self-harm among users. The ethical and legal implications of AI technology’s role in society are brought to light.
How much responsibility do chatbots have?
Megan Garcia and her son Sewell Setzer. Photo: Megan Garcia/AP
Chat interactions raising legal questions highlight the need for AI regulation and oversight to prevent harm. The lawsuit against Character.ai underscores the challenges posed by advancing AI technology.
The debate on AI responsibility extends to copyright issues, corporate liabilities, and ethical considerations. Balancing innovation with user protection is crucial in navigating the evolving tech landscape.
How can I convince family and friends not to post photos of my children?
Family photos: too many? Composite: Guardian/Getty Images/Pngtree
Guidance on safeguarding your child’s privacy in a digital age emphasizes communication and setting boundaries with loved ones. Addressing concerns about online exposure requires a proactive approach.
Johanna’s tips:
Make a simultaneous announcement: Inform everyone about your photo preferences collectively to streamline communication and avoid accidental sharing.
Lead by example: Follow your own rules for sharing photos and respect other parents’ privacy preferences.
Be generous in other ways: Balance privacy concerns by sharing photos selectively while maintaining family connections.
Advocate for privacy: Enlist help from friends and family to protect your child’s privacy online and address any unwanted posts.
Forgive and educate: Approach lapses in privacy with understanding and guide loved ones on respecting your wishes for your child’s digital footprint.
Stay confident: Assert your child’s privacy rights firmly and communicate openly about your expectations with your inner circle.
For more insights on managing family photo sharing, refer to the full guide on child privacy protection strategies.
Indonesia has prohibited Apple from marketing and selling the iPhone 16 model due to non-compliance with local investment regulations, as stated by the Indonesian Ministry of Industry.
Despite Southeast Asia’s largest economy having a significant population of young, tech-savvy individuals with over 100 million people under the age of 30, Apple does not have an official store in the country. Those interested in Apple products resort to purchasing them from resale platforms.
A spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry revealed that imported iPhone 16 model phones released in September cannot be sold in the country because Apple’s local division fails to meet the requirement of 40% of the phones being manufactured with local parts.
“iPhone 16 devices imported by registered importers are currently not permitted for sale in the country,” stated ministry spokesperson Febri Hendry Antoni Arif on Friday.
“Apple Indonesia…has not fulfilled its investment commitments to obtain certification.”
To meet this criteria, Apple would need to invest in Indonesia and source materials for iPhone parts from the country, as reported by local media outlets. Apple had previously pledged Rp 1.7 trillion in investments in Indonesia but had only invested Rp 1.5 trillion by the beginning of the month.
Apple has not responded to inquiries from the Guardian.
The ministry clarified that new Apple mobile phones can be brought into Indonesia as long as they are not intended for commercial trade.
An estimated 9,000 new models have been imported into the country of approximately 280 million people. Although these products entered the country legally, selling them in Indonesia would be considered illegal.
Past bans imposed in Indonesia, similar to the one on Apple, have been aimed at promoting domestic production. However, the outcomes have been mixed.
According to Counterpoint Research, China’s Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and South Korea’s Samsung dominated Indonesia’s smartphone market shipment share in the second quarter of this year.
The absence of Apple in Indonesia signifies a missed opportunity for the company, which has experienced success in other parts of Asia. Indonesia currently has more mobile phones in use than its population.
In April, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Indonesia to explore investment opportunities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy and diversify its supply chain away from China. He engaged in discussions with then-President Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto after Apple announced plans to expand its developer academy in the country.
Despite the growing number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the roads, some individuals remain apprehensive about range and access to charging points, particularly if they rely on their vehicles for work. These concerns persist.
Fleet managers and business owners, with myriad responsibilities, may find the transition away from gasoline daunting. Nevertheless, advancements in battery technology and substantial investments in charging infrastructure have made the switch to electric or hybrid more feasible and potentially cost-effective for businesses than ever before. So, what factors should you consider to extend your battery-powered driving range?
Have you thought about a plug-in hybrid? It’s advisable to explore plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) first. These vehicles feature rechargeable batteries and gasoline engines, with only a few running on diesel. They can be charged at both domestic and public charging points and now offer impressive pure electric ranges.
On the other hand, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) rely on the car’s movement to generate electricity and use battery power to reduce gasoline consumption and emissions. They cannot be charged by plugging into a power outlet.
Modern plug-in hybrids like the Škoda Superb offer impressive range
The latest plug-in models showcase the significant technological advancements, with fast charging capabilities, remarkable range, and battery capacity. “For instance, the Škoda Superb Estate can travel up to 84 miles on pure electricity,” says Alan Barrowman, Skoda’s national contract employment and leasing manager. He also noted that this mileage qualifies for the 5% benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax for company car drivers.
Changes in charging Charging networks are crucial for PHEV drivers looking to minimize their petrol (or diesel) usage. Fortunately, the number of public charging points is constantly increasing. In October 2023, approximately 50,000 points were installed at various service stations, with the installation rate continuing to rise. According to Zapmap, a data firm, there were 68,273 electric vehicle charging points across the UK by the end of August this year, representing a 41% year-on-year increase. Additionally, there are an estimated 700,000+ home and workplace charging points.
Charging points supply either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power. Electric car batteries can only store DC power, so connecting to an AC charger involves converting the current, which can be time-consuming. Vehicles that support both AC and DC charging points, such as the all-new Škoda Superb, can charge even faster. The Skoda www.theguardian.com
Rory Sutherland is searching for an analogy to describe his newfound status as one of Britain’s most viral TikTokers.
“It’s like Lord Byron. I woke up and realized I was famous.”
The fact that he references a 19th-century romantic poet shows that Sutherland is not your typical social media influencer.
In a sea of youthful content creators on TikTok, he stands out as an unlikely sensation.
Mr. Sutherland, a 58-year-old advertising executive and Cambridge University graduate, shares old marketing tricks on TikTok, captivating millions of viewers who were not around during the 1980s advertising boom.
With 2.4 million likes and videos garnering over 600,000 views, he is far from a corporate relic, even getting stopped by school kids for selfies.
Sutherland, vice chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, believes TikTok’s success lies in its insights into human behavior influenced by marketing techniques.
One video exposes how restaurants manipulate customers into buying expensive wine through clever tactics.
Sutherland’s 23-year-old twin daughters find his sudden fame both amusing and unsettling.
While he didn’t initiate the TikTok account that propelled him to fame, Sutherland embraced the opportunity to educate and entertain his audience.
Through humor and valuable insights into the marketing world, Sutherland has captivated a wide audience on TikTok.
He believes that empowering businesses with marketing knowledge can boost the economy and sees the positive side of behavior change tactics.
Whether through charm or clever marketing, Sutherland’s influence on TikTok is undeniable among Gen Z users, though convincing them to buy wine might be a stretch.
Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced on Sunday that they will be playing American football as part of their efforts to secure votes from young people, just nine days before the White House election. The game was streamed live on Twitch.
Ocasio-Cortez and Walz will compete in the latest Madden game series as Democrats aim to regain control of the House of Representatives, maintain a Senate majority, and challenge Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. They also emphasized the importance of Kamala Harris’s victory.
“While we may not all share the same beliefs, defeating Trump this year is our main priority,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez criticized President Trump as an authoritarian ruler and a facist supported by special interests who are exacerbating the ongoing climate crisis. She also condemned the billionaire owners of the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post for not allowing their editorial teams to endorse Harris over Trump.
During the broadcast, Ocasio-Cortez also called out comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for making derogatory comments about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally.
Ocasio-Cortez and Walz decided to play Madden together a few weeks ago, as Walz had previous experience with the game and had worked as a football coach.
Following a recent NBC news investigation, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump among young male registered voters.
Despite their lead, Democrats have historically struggled with public opinion during past election cycles. The Trump campaign recently criticized the former president during a three-hour appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which primarily attracts young male viewers.
Sunday’s event with Ocasio-Cortez followed her initial appearance on Twitch, which was one of the platform’s most-watched events at the time.
Harris’s campaign strategy also focuses on targeting young people, with ads on sports gambling platforms such as DraftKings and Yahoo Sports.
“I’m a boring guy,” says Mike Erwin, an energy management consultant based in Warrington. “My friends think it’s crazy how much I use Microsoft Excel, but it’s a very useful tool.”
Erwin, 56, has been using Excel to organize his life for years, from mapping his finances to plotting medical test results to monitoring his home’s energy usage. When his son was born in 2007, he created a spreadsheet of his feeding schedule.
“We were recording the feeding time and the amount of milk, and calculating when we could fall asleep.” None of this data was very helpful, “but then I felt better.” added Erwin.
Still, he’s an evangelist about Excel. “I have charts from 10 years ago,” he says. “Some of my friends have Mickeys, and now they’re starting to use them to plan their vacations.”
Erwin is one of dozens of people who responded to an online call for loveExcel has celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Many people have found uses for the software that were probably not intended by the developers.
“I grew up with it,” says John Severn, 35, Mansfield’s marketing director. “When I was 11, I couldn’t afford Warhammer models, so I wrote the names of the models in Excel and printed them out and did elf-dwarf battles on the cheap.”
John Severn playing a board game (not generated by Excel). Photo: Guardian Community
Mr. Severn’s innovations puzzled some opponents. The Warhammer tabletop game is meant to be played with intricately painted models rather than a labeled grid.
“The children of my mother’s wealthy friends weren’t very keen,” he says. “They had spent a lot of money getting some beautifully painted models and they were laying them out on a table with landscapes. And what I brought in was basically a square piece of paper. .”
Although Severn has graduated from being a model soldier, he still plays Warhammer. “I still don’t like drawing.”
For Lucy, 41, Excel proved useful in a long-distance relationship when her partner moved from London to Macclesfield in 2010.
“I love Excel,” she says. “I devised a spreadsheet to track trains and fares. I lived in London and traveled every weekend in shifts for 18 months. We split the cost so that higher income earners pay proportionately more.”
Lucy admits how “unromantic” this sounds. But “this is very convenient and we are more inclined to share money. Now we have children and we have bought a house. Excel is working with the administrator on this matter. They supported me.”
Excel played a role in helping London civil servant Luke name his two sons. “My wife and I were talking about baby names, and at one point we pasted the list of names into a spreadsheet called Names for Baby V.1.xlsx.”
He shared the spreadsheet with his office in hopes that his colleagues would find inspiration. “I remember there was a good push for Frederick and Maximilian, and Optimus Prime and Herodotus were also added,” he says. “The Russian wife liked Igor and Ivan.''
Luke and his wife ultimately did not accept his colleague’s idea at all. But I created a separate spreadsheet for my younger son. “His name came from a suggestion from a colleague I met at a drinking party at work. But it also tested very well with Names for Baby V.2.xlsx,” he added.
Nick Owen of Lincoln took that enthusiasm a step further by featuring Excel as the centerpiece of his 2019 wedding.
“We wanted to get as many friends together as possible and we managed to get 250 people together,” says Owen, 68. Since there were so many guests, he decided to appoint seven talented men to help plan the day.
Nick Owen wedding t-shirt. His spreadsheet is printed on the back. Photo: Guardian Community
“I call them the ‘Magnificent Seven,’ and they each had a different role.” These jobs include rings, meals, speeches, and drinks. “I diligently created a spreadsheet of what everyone had done that day with little crosses in cells for each hour.I went through all of this with them the night before. “There was some resistance,” he says.
“It was April in Cumbria and the weather was poor for a few weeks leading up to the wedding day. But miraculously the clouds parted, the sun shone and my wedding spreadsheet worked. ”
To remember that day, Owen printed T-shirts for his men. “They had a picture of Yul Brynner.” [from the Magnificent Seven film] It has a photo of my spreadsheet on the front and on the back. ”
IIt’s an unlikely alliance between billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch and a group of top artists including Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, actors Kevin Bacon and Julianne Moore, and author Kazuo Ishiguro.
This week they launched two very public battles with artificial intelligence companies, accusing them of using their intellectual property without permission to build increasingly powerful and lucrative new technologies.
More than 13,000 creative professionals from the worlds of literature, music, film, theater and television have issued a statement saying that programs such as ChatGPT, where AI companies train their work without permission, are interfering with their lives. It warned that it posed a “serious and unwarranted threat”. By the end of the week, that number had nearly doubled to 25,000.
This comes as Murdoch, the owner of News Corp., a publishing group that owns the Wall Street Journal, The Sun, The Times, The Australian, and others, has warned Perplexity, an AI-based search engine, of illegal activities. This was the day after the company filed a lawsuit alleging that Some of his journalism in the US title has been copied.
The Stars’ statement supports the idea that creative works can be used as training data for free on grounds of “fair use” (a US legal term meaning no permission from the copyright owner is required). It is a collective effort to dissent. Adding to their ire is the fact that these AI models can be used to produce fresh work that competes with human work.
Rupert Murdoch has filed a lawsuit against Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine. Photo: Noah Berger/AP
AI was a major sticking point in last year’s double strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters, who agreed to ensure new technology remains under the control of employees rather than being used to replace them. Secured. Several ongoing lawsuits could determine whether the copyright battle is similarly successful.
In the US, artists are suing the tech companies behind the image-generating devices, a major record label is suing AI music creators Suno and Udio, and a group of writers including John Grisham and George R.R. Martin is suing ChatGPT developer OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement.
In the fight to make AI companies pay for the content they scrape to build their tools, publishers are also pursuing legal avenues to get them to the negotiating table to sign licensing agreements. There is.
Publishers such as Politico owner Axel Springer, Vogue’s Condé Nast, the Financial Times and Reuters have signed content deals with various AI companies, and in May, News Corp. has signed a five-year contract with Open AI, reportedly worth $250 million. In contrast, the New York Times filed a lawsuit against the creators of ChatGPT and sent a “cease and desist” letter to Perplexity last week.
But in the UK, AI companies are lobbying for legal changes to allow them to continue developing tools without the risk of infringing intellectual property rights. Currently, the text and data mining required to train generative AI tools is only permitted for non-commercial research.
This week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called for a rethink of what “fair use” is. He argued that the large-scale language models that power generative AI do not “regurgitate” the information they have been trained on, and that this would be considered copyright infringement.
Labour’s new minister for AI and digital government, Ferial Clarke, recently said she wants copyright disputes between creative industries and AI companies to be resolved by the end of the year.
she said it might be in there Form of amendment to existing or new law
opening up the possibility of new provisions allowing AI companies to collect data for commercial purposes.
Actor Kevin Bacon is among those fighting back against AI. Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
While news organizations publicly oppose AI-based content abuse, behind the scenes many are adopting technology to replace editorial functions, with commercially-strapped publishers using the technology at a cost. There is growing fear among staff that they will be used as a Trojan horse to enable retrenchment and redundancies.
Last month, the National Union of Journalists launched a campaign to highlight the issue. “Journalism before algorithms”.
“With wage stagnation, below-inflation wage increases, newsroom staff shortages, and increasing layoffs, there is a need to consider the use of AI,” the paper said. “Threats to journalists’ jobs are considered top of mind… AI is no substitute for real journalism.”
“There are questions about how much publishers themselves are using these tools,” said Niamh Burns, senior research analyst at Enders Analysis. “I think the amount of adoption is low, and there’s a lot of experimentation going on, but I can see a world where publishers are using some of these tools heavily. We need to be realistic about the scale of the opportunity we create.”
Burns said that so far, publishers’ willingness to use AI tools to directly influence or create editorial content has largely depended on how commercially pressurized the media landscape is for their operators. He said that it is related to whether the
BuzzFeed’s once-mighty market value has fallen from $1 billion during its 2021 flotation to less than $100 million. Rapid AI adapter Against the backdrop of drastic cuts in the news department and sharp decline in income.
And Newsquest, the second-largest newspaper in Britain’s beleaguered local and regional newspaper market, has embarked on initiatives such as rapidly increasing the role of “AI-assisted” journalism.
However, quality national newspapers and media brands remain very cautious, and many, including the Guardian, have set strict principles to guide their work.
But behind the scenes, AI tools are being leveraged to help categorize large datasets and help journalists report on new and exclusive content.
“I think the media companies that are most exposed to commercial risk in the short term are also at risk of overreaching,” Burns said.
“A lot of it has to do with commercial models, where you rely on advertising from a lot of traffic on social platforms and all you need is scale and not quality, where AI can be very helpful.
“But creating generative AI content is never worth the cost or risk.” [for quality national titles]. And for any publisher, producing more conventional journalism comes with long-term costs to quality and risks to competitiveness. ”
A British-founded anti-hate speech campaign group involved in Labor’s interference in the US election has pledged to continue its efforts despite Elon Musk’s recent aggressive stance against the party.
The Center to Combat Digital Hate faced criticism from wealthy individuals this week after accusing Musk of violating laws against foreign interference in US elections.
Imran Ahmed, Founder and CEO of CCDH, stated: “We’re not backing down. We will persist in our mission through advocacy and research.”
Musk’s allegations were based on a report that highlighted connections between Labor Together and CCDH, a think tank once led by Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
Musk shared a report link on his social media platform, claiming, “This is war.” Musk previously attempted unsuccessfully to sue CCDH earlier this year.
President Donald Trump’s campaign filed a complaint against the Labor Party for alleged interference in the election by supporting Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Mr. Starmer mentioned that party leaders volunteered to assist the Harris campaign in their spare time.
The complaint also mentioned that McSweeney and Downing Street communications director Matthew Doyle attended the Democratic convention in Chicago and met with the Harris campaign team.
In response to Musk’s actions, Mr. Ahmed stated, “Elon Musk has a history of targeting non-partisan organizations like us. This is not the first time we have been attacked by him.”
Mr. Ahmed, a former Labor Party aide, clarified that McSweeney assisted in establishing CCDH but had no operational role in the organization. He emphasized their commitment to their mission and bipartisan collaborations.
Musk’s recent criticism of CCDH followed the publication of an internal report by the organization. Disinformation Chronicle Newsletter revealed that combating misinformation on Musk’s platform was deemed a strategic priority for CCDH.
Mr. Ahmed clarified that ‘Kill Musk’s Twitter’ was used as shorthand to address Musk’s business model, emphasizing their commitment to combating misinformation.
Mr. Ahmed’s background in the Labor Party and his creation of CCDH in response to hate crimes demonstrate his dedication to fighting extremism and misinformation.
I I feel anxious about the world. There was a mayoral election in Canada, where I live, and it wasn’t even a contest because one candidate was backed by more money than Croesus. In the UK, people have not been able to get the Labor government they wanted to vote for. And as someone who lives a few hours’ drive from the US border, I can only hope Orange Hitler never invades again. Or maybe I’m praying that he does. I willTo prevent our southern neighbor from falling into a repeat of civil war due to refusal to vote. So instead, I decided to play a game where I could control the rise and fall of a civilization. As a snack.
Civilization 6 is a so-called 4X game. 4X stands for “EXplore, EXpand, EXploit, EXterminate,” a phrase that offends my pedantic spelling sense. Unfortunately, the four “exes” I spent a lot of time on here were Exert, Expire, Exclaim, and Exit. It’s as intuitive as Heston Blumenthal’s recipes, thanks to the game’s Execrable gamepad controls. I forgot how many times I moved the wrong unit, or my brain froze trying to remember which button did what. I would have preferred a more common sense control system, mouse and keyboard support, or an interface that uses the kind of power of thought that Elon Musk pretends to have.
My irritation was assuaged by remembering that nothing in a Civilization game brings more joy than finding a barbarian encampment. Free stuff! yay! As I work through the years, I see a menu of intellectually solid advances that remind me that there are many elegant paths to civilization. Learn how the world developed by advancing goals through trade routes and charitable diplomacy that reward mathematical thinking. It offers a real chance to form a spiritual land of pure peace and happiness with environmental protection measures.
“Well, good luck and I’ll give you a ride in the Hanging Gardens someday, right? Good morning, Terry, how are you doing!”
“We discovered the Great Barrier Reef!”
“Good times! Give me 40 more turns to build the boat and I’ll send Frank over there to help.”
But they are just one of many things I have to move. After all, modern The world is a bloody hard place to run. Maybe a zombie apocalypse is actually the way to go.
On Thursday, Tesla shares surged to their lowest point in over a decade after Elon Musk confidently predicted a sales increase, reassuring investors about the company’s commitment to expanding its electric car sales. The stock closed with nearly a 22% increase, marking its largest gain. By the end of trading, Tesla’s market value had risen by almost $150 billion.
Musk anticipated a sales growth of 20-30% for the next year, announced plans to unveil an affordable car in the first half of 2025, and highlighted efforts to enhance profit margins through production cost reductions in the third quarter.
The stock price peaked at $262.2 during trading, with approximately 200 million shares exchanged. This jump was the company’s biggest since May 2013, reversing recent losses from concerns that Musk’s focus on new projects like robotaxis was diverting attention.
Musk is striving to transition Tesla from a leading electric vehicle company to an AI and robotics enterprise, although a detailed plan for this shift has not yet been formulated. Investors had sold Tesla stock earlier due to insufficient information about the robotaxi initiative.
Ed Egilinsky of Direxion said, “Some skeptics view this rally as reassuring, especially after the pre-earnings release stock sell-off in October, as the financial results exceeded expectations.”
During the last quarter, Musk made daring company announcements focusing on ventures beyond cars, such as driverless taxis and humanoid robots, causing concerns among investors about shrinking profit margins already affected by price reductions.
Tesla reported third-quarter profit margins surpassing Wall Street forecasts, with production costs at record lows of approximately $35,100 per vehicle. The company also revealed $326 million revenue from its autopilot software, Fully Self-Driving (FSD), integrated into the Cybertruck and other autonomous features.
FSD serves as the foundation for Tesla’s robotaxi program.
Musk also expressed his belief that Tesla vehicles will soon offer paid driverless ride-hailing services, reiterating his commitment at the robotaxi event. However, this plan may encounter regulatory hurdles.
Despite the reassurances on Wednesday, not all investors are placated by Tesla’s direction.
Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management and a significant Tesla investor, stated that robotaxis and AI are not the core businesses he wants Musk to prioritize.
“The good old days were when Elon Musk was sleeping in the factory, working tirelessly every day. He shouldn’t be distracted by ventures that stray from his main focus,” Gerber emphasized.
Norway has set a strict minimum age limit of 15 for social media in its efforts to combat tech companies that are deemed harmful to young children’s mental development.
Prime Minister Jonas Gare Stoer of Norway acknowledged the challenges ahead in this battle but emphasized the need for politicians to intervene to shield children from the influence of algorithms.
The utilization of social media platforms by the industry has been criticized for potentially causing users to become fixated and unstable.
Despite Scandinavian countries already having a minimum age limit of 13, a significant percentage of younger children still access social media, as highlighted by a survey by the Norwegian Media Authority.
The government has pledged to implement additional safeguards to prevent children from bypassing age restrictions, including revisions to personal data laws mandating a minimum age of 15 for consenting to personal data processing on social media platforms and the development of age verification barriers.
Emphasizing the need for protection of children from harmful content on social media, the prime minister spoke of the powerful impact that tech companies can have on young minds. He acknowledged the formidable challenge ahead but stressed the essential role of politics in addressing this issue.
While recognizing the potential benefits of social media in fostering community for isolated children, he cautioned against excessive reliance on algorithms for self-expression, citing the risk of becoming overly focused and detached.
Minister for Children and Families Gjersti Toppe engaged with parents in Stavanger to advocate for stricter online regulations for children as a means of supporting parental decisions in safeguarding their children’s online activities.
The government is exploring methods to enforce restrictions without infringing on human rights, such as potentially requiring bank account information.
Australia has also proposed a social media ban for teenagers and children, with the age limit likely to fall between 14 to 16 years old.
France is currently testing a ban on mobile phone usage in schools for students up to 15 years old, with plans for potential nationwide implementation from January pending the trial’s success.
The mother of a teenage boy who committed suicide after becoming addicted to an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot has accused the chatbot’s creator of complicity in his death.
Megan Garcia filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday in Florida federal court against Character.ai, which makes customizable role-playing chatbots, alleging negligence, wrongful death, and deceptive trade practices. Her son Sewell Setzer III, 14, died in February in Orlando, Florida. Garcia said Setzer was using the chatbot day and night in the months leading up to his death.
“A dangerous AI chatbot app marketed to children abused and preyed on my son, driving him to suicide,” Garcia said in a press release. “While our family is devastated by this tragedy, I want to warn families of the dangers of deceptive and addictive AI technology and demand accountability from Character.AI, its founders, and Google. I am raising my voice.”
in TweetCharacter.ai said: “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our users and would like to express our deepest condolences to the family. As a company, we take the safety of our users very seriously. ” The company denied the lawsuit’s allegations.
Setzer was so obsessed with a chatbot built by Character.ai that he nicknamed it Daenerys Targaryen, a character from Game of Thrones. According to Garcia’s complaint, the man would text the bot dozens of times a day from his cell phone and talk to it for hours alone in his room.
Garcia has accused Character.ai of creating a product that worsened her son’s depression, which she said was already the result of overusing the company’s products. At one point, “Daenerys” asked Setzer if he had made any plans to commit suicide, according to the complaint. Setzer admitted to doing so, but didn’t know if it would be successful or cause significant pain, the lawsuit alleges. The chatbot reportedly told him, “That’s no reason not to do it.”
Garcia wrote in a press release that Character.ai “intentionally designed, operated, and marketed a predatory AI chatbot to children, resulting in the death of a young person.” The lawsuit also names Google as a defendant and the parent company of Character.ai. The tech giant said in a statement that it only has a licensing agreement with Character.ai and does not own or maintain any ownership interest in the startup.
Rick Claypool, research director at consumer advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen, said tech companies developing AI chatbots can’t be trusted to regulate themselves, and if they fail to limit harm, says he must take full responsibility.
“Where existing laws and regulations already apply, they must be strictly enforced,” he said in a statement. “Where there are gaps, Congress must act to end companies that exploit young and vulnerable users with addictive and abusive chatbots.”
In the US, you can call or text. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988, chat 988lifeline.orgor text home To contact a crisis counselor, call 741741. In the UK, a youth suicide charity papyrus In the UK and Ireland, you can contact us on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org. Samaritan You can contact us on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Australian crisis support services lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at: befrienders.org
in the smoke Wide range of weekly episodes available Adam Buxton’s new podcast is being billed as Serial meets Twin Peaks, bridging the gap between fiction and true crime. May Mac is Kay McAllister, a former tabloid journalist who launches her own pod to find out what happened to a missing man. Buxton plays a modest role as DCI Roy Burgess, who worked on the case. Although told in a true-crime style, there is no doubt that this is glossy, high-quality fiction, and is an engaging, slow-burning tale. Hannah Verdier
The Burden: Avenger Wide range of weekly episodes available When Miriam Lewin was 19 years old, she was kidnapped from the streets of Buenos Aires and tortured for her political beliefs. However, she survived, became a journalist, and continued to bring her perpetrators to justice. The Handmaid’s Tale’s Alexis Bledel tells Lewin’s powerful story based on in-depth interviews. HV
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “You Hurt My Feelings.” Photo: Jung Park/AP
The Madman’s Hotel Audible, all episodes now available Niall Breslin grew up in the shadow of an Irish “mental hospital” and has been haunted by it ever since. But when he meets Julie Clark, whose great-grandmother was imprisoned at St. Roman’s Hospital until her death, he uncovers a story of abuse even more horrifying than he could have imagined. HV
my so-called middle age Wide range of weekly episodes available “You’ve read All For, right?” Reshma Saujani asks as she introduces the podcast. “Where’s my hotel room?” Even if that didn’t convince her target audience, her first guest wisdom would agree. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (above) is as stunning as ever, opening up about the ups and downs of midlife, including the joy of posing naked for Rolling Stone. HV
super sensual Apple Podcasts, full episodes available to Apple TV+ subscribers on Mondays If you were glued to last year’s Ghost Story, here’s a winding investigation into a creepy old family secret. This time I have a question about reincarnation. Will Sharp spoke to a woman who was involved with two girls who were hit and killed by a car on their way to church in the 1950s. However, the father says he will be reborn, and his wife gives birth to twin girls… Holly Richardson
There’s a podcast for that
Kirat Assi in the Netflix documentary series Sweet Bobby. Photo: Provided by Netflix
this week, Ammar Kalia We choose the 5 best podcasts shocking developmentfrom unsolved murders to traumatic stories of catfishing.
F
Or, for those who remember the early days of the survival horror genre, its aesthetic renaissance in the independent gaming scene was a macabre delight. “Crow County,” “The Closing Shift,” and “Murder House” are all modern paranormal adventures with low-poly 3D visuals and blocky textures. It’s used not only as a visual hook, but as a way to reconnect with the things that scared the likes of Silent Hill and Clock Tower. Get involved first. Fear the Spotlight, the debut title from Cozy Game Pals and new horror-focused publisher Blumhouse Games, is another wonderful, warmly chilling example.
Two girls break into a high school library late at night, looking for specific items. It’s a spirit board that was locked in a display case as part of an exhibit on the occult. Vivian is a bit of a nerd and the library’s star volunteer, while Amy is a charming outsider with an interest in the paranormal. When the two decide to hold a seance in a vacant building, they come into contact not only with the dead, but also with tragic events from the school’s recent past. Then Amy mysteriously disappears.
Creepy atmosphere…fear the spotlight. Photo: Blumhouse Games
As Vivian, you must roam the nightmarishly transformed hallways, searching for your friends and learning more about what happened here 30 years ago. Developer Cozy Game Pals understands that night school is the perfect horror setting. The game features dark, locker-lined hallways, shabby bathrooms, and areas such as a gymnasium and pool that take on an eerie atmosphere when it gets quiet. Empty. As you explore, the game gives you small telltale signs of horror conventions. A creaking door, a flickering light, a glimpse of a face down the hallway, so you know something is watching outside. There’s also a nice use of 1990s technology, such as an overhead projector, a television with a video player, and an ancient PC, which not only provides the setting for the puzzles, but also lets you know that we’re no longer in the 21st century.
Particularly fun are the formal nods to Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Important items in the environment will glow, catching your eye and drawing Vivian’s head to interesting artifacts as you pass by. Puzzles also use familiar conventions and often involve mechanical objects, such as a generator that requires a fuse or a piano that requires a particular song to be played. The use of jerky, low-poly visuals is truly retro, but it has a self-conscious, artistic quality that elevates the look of the game beyond mere nostalgia.
This also applies to the story, which rises above the sometimes shoddy plotting and wooden voice acting common to old-school horror titles. At its core, Fear the Spotlight is a sensitive and emotionally resonant queer love story through which it explores themes of performance and observation. This is a game about the role we play in life and the role that imagination (for better or worse) plays in love and desire. The title Spotlight is both literal and figurative, offering a metaphor for the human gaze: love and bullying, desire and obsession.
This is a short game that can be completed in a few hours and has a slightly lower difficulty level, making it a great entry point into the horror genre for young adults. There’s a nice message at the end thanking players for their time and attention and acknowledging that the game isn’t perfect. Not really, but nothing really. The time I spent with the company was absorbing, eerie, and unexpectedly thought-provoking. Horror offers a distorted, shadowy lens through which to view our lives and learn new things about ourselves and the world, and it’s expertly utilized here. With its focus on love, Fear the Spotlight does more than just scare you.
Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, actor Julianne Moore, Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and others have expressed concerns to artificial intelligence companies regarding the unauthorized use of their work, stating that it poses a “serious and unwarranted threat” to artists’ livelihoods. They are part of a group of 10,500 individuals who have signed a statement from the creative industry as a warning.
This issue arises amidst a legal dispute between creative professionals and technology companies over the use of copyrighted material to train AI models like ChatGPT. The argument being made is that using intellectual property without permission is a violation of copyright and artists’ rights.
The statement emphasizes the detrimental impact of unauthorized use of creative works on the livelihood of creators and advocates against allowing it. Notable individuals across literature, music, film, theater, and television have lent their support to this cause.
The statement was organized by British composer and former AI executive Ed Newton Rex, who highlighted the significant concern for individuals dependent on their creative endeavors for a living.
Newton-Rex outlined the key resources required by generative AI companies to build AI models, emphasizing the need for obtaining training data legally and not exploiting copyrighted content without proper permissions.
He also criticized the notion of calling copyright material “training data,” stating that it devalues the creative effort put into writing, art, music, and other forms of artistic expression.
The statement resonates with creators who have faced legal battles with AI companies over copyright infringement, including prominent writers and music industry entities.
Newton-Rex further cautioned against proposals for an “opt-out” system for content scraping in the UK, citing potential harm to creators who may not be aware of such mechanisms.
He suggested that an opt-in system would be more equitable for creators, rather than placing the burden of opting out on individuals undergoing AI training.
The statement received support from various organizations and companies in the creative sector, highlighting the collective concern over copyright issues in the digital age.
Overall, the statement and its signatories underscore the need for careful consideration of copyright laws and fair treatment of creators in the evolving landscape of AI technology.
Elon Musk’s Mr. Pack spends significantly more on advertising on Facebook and YouTube compared to Musk’s own social network, X.
America Pac allocated $201,000 for running numerous ads on X (formerly Twitter) in the past three months. However, the organization spent $3 million on thousands of ads on Facebook and Instagram over a similar timeframe. Musk established the pro-Donald Trump pack in July and provided it with around $75 million, as per filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Based on political advertising disclosures, America Pac invested over $166,000 on 59 ads on X from July 8 to October 1. wired. After Musk assumed control of Pac’s @America handle on October 7, the company spent approximately $34,000 on X ads. bloomberg Reported. These ads were targeted at various battleground states, with a focus on Pennsylvania, generating about 32 million impressions according to Wired.
Contrasting these figures with America Pac’s ad purchases on Facebook, the organization spent over $3 million on 1,910 ads during a 90-day period from July 22 to October 19, some of which were also duplicated on Instagram, as per Meta’s ad library. The ads targeted users in states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Arizona.
Around 12 ads from America Pac received over 1 million impressions, while others garnered hundreds of thousands. The Meta ad library doesn’t provide total impressions for individual advertisers, making direct comparisons with X ads more challenging.
Musk’s Pack also heavily invested in Google, particularly YouTube. According to the Google Ads Transparency Center, America Pac spent $1.5 million on 251 ads with Google and its subsidiaries since early July, which is ten times higher than what was spent on X. A significant portion of the ads were video advertisements, primarily targeting Georgia, as revealed in Google’s disclosure.
With over 200 million followers on X, Musk has a massive audience reach without incurring costs. Musk frequently retweets America Pack’s content, despite Pac having fewer than 7,000 followers.
The increase in Facebook spending signifies Musk’s shifting geographic focus. Audience data from Meta’s ad library indicated that a large percentage of America Pac’s ads in the past 90 days targeted North Carolina. However, in the recent seven days, over 25% of the ads focused on Pennsylvania, where Musk has been actively campaigning in person.
Facebook’s targeting options enable advertisers to reach specific audiences based on interests. America Pac tailored its ads to users intrigued by various subjects like Kelsey Grammer, trophy hunting, Kid Rock, the Boy Scouts of America, and Joe Rogan, among others.
Since Musk acquired Twitter and rebranded it as X in 2022, he has highlighted its advertising capabilities and app store performance. Even in 2023, advertising constituted 70-75% of X’s total revenue. bloomberg This trend persisted despite Musk introducing Twitter Blue, a subscription product. X’s revenue in 2023 amounted to $2.5 billion, nearly half of the previous year, primarily due to reduced advertising expenditure.
Musk is also focusing on organizing in-person events. He pledged to donate $1 million per day until the election to registered voters supporting America Pac’s petition. Musk has been awarding giant novelty checks at rallies in Pennsylvania over the recent days.
Hello. Welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery. I’m the technology news editor for the Guardian US. Today on TechScape, I’m decoding Elon Musk’s global political goals, a notable documentary filmed inside World of Warcraft, a vote on support for school phone bans, and TikTok’s cats. Thank you for your participation. First, let’s talk about Mr. Musk’s world politics.
Over the weekend, Mr. Musk promised to give $150,000 a day to registered voters in U.S. battleground states who signed Mr. Pack’s petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. He awarded the first prize, a novelty check the size of a kitchen island, at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, and the second prize on Sunday in Pittsburgh. He plans to continue running until the November 5th election. Experts say the stunt may be illegal.
Why is Mr. Musk doing this? what does he want?
Last week, my colleagues Nick Robbins Early and Rachel Reingan published an article examining Musk’s inevitable influence on the US presidential election. The article delves into Musk’s political activities over the past few months, but what particularly interested me was the question it raised: As restrictions ease, masks around the world Is it the driving force behind his political activities? Is all this spending and campaigning about cutting government departments?
The constant battle with all the regulatory agencies comes at the same time that Musk has made numerous public statements supporting deregulation and calling for a full-scale federal audit. The idea has gained support from President Trump, who announced in September that he would create a Musk-led Government Efficiency Commission to audit cuts at federal agencies. Musk wants to call it the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, a reference to one of his favorite memes, the expressive Shiba Inu.
One of Musk’s go-to memes. Photo: The Guardian
The plan is vague in details and fails to address Mr. Musk’s apparent conflict of interest in auditing the regulators that oversee his company, but both Mr. Trump and Mr. He repeatedly brings up the idea of playing some kind of role. President Trump appeared on Fox News earlier this week and said he would create a new position called “Secretary of Cost Reduction” and appoint Musk to the position.
“He wants to do this,” President Trump said.
But Musk’s fight to reduce government agencies is not limited to the United States. At times, he found himself at odds with other billionaires in battles with “regulators.” In India, Mr. Musk is at war with the government. satellite broadband distribution And he won against Mukesh Ambani. Asia’s richest man wanted more favorable terms for his communications empire.
He calls himself a “free speech absolutist” and is dissatisfied with speech regulators. A month after the general election, when Britain was in the midst of violent race riots, Musk tweeted that “civil war is inevitable” and posted a cartoon depicting a man in the electric chair. , argued that this was gratuitous punishment by the government. He has made similar criticisms of California’s government and President Joe Biden’s administration.
His fight for deregulation regularly puts him at odds with the judiciary. Last month, Brazil cut off access to X for failing to comply with a judge’s order and also fined SpaceX subsidiary Starlink for violating its sister company. Mr. Musk and Mr. X eventually complied.
Recently, some regulators have taken new steps and begun imposing penalties on mask companies for their (or Musk’s) actions.
Last week, European regulators took a page out of Brazil’s book, telling Company X’s lawyers: EU could impose fines For social media companies that failed to comply with the Digital Services Act. Importantly, regulators are proposing to calculate that tax based on the total revenue of Mr. Musk’s businesses, not just Company X’s profits. A possibly much higher fine could leave the social media platform in financial limbo.
In California, the Coastal Commission cited Musk’s tendency to tweet misinformation during a vote to reject SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force’s petition to launch more rockets from a base on the Santa Barbara coast. did. In response, Musk filed a lawsuit alleging political bias and violations of the First Amendment. He just wants to be left alone to peacefully fire rockets, tweet, and spend tens of millions of dollars on his presidential campaign.
Read the full story about Mr. Musk’s ubiquitous campaign.
Photo: Christopher Kumar/PR
Evelin’s amazing life The film follows the legacy of Mads Steen, a Norwegian teenager who suffered from a degenerative disorder that forced him to spend most of his 25 years in a wheelchair.
As Steen became more dependent on his wheelchair and breathing machine, he began spending more time playing World of Warcraft and other games, sometimes up to 12 hours a day. The film takes place where he spent most of his life: online.
Steen’s parents are concerned about the negative effects screen time is having on their son. They fear he will “never experience friendship, love, or making a difference in the lives of others.” But after his death, they realize that their despair has given him a lifeline, freeing him to do all the things they never thought he could do. Steen’s Warcraft character Eveline led him into deep friendships, adventures, and even digital romance. He left them a password when he died so they could find out about his second life.
The film’s action, which mirrors Steen’s life, occurs both offline and online. Shot on digital locations in World of Warcraft’s Azeroth, it follows Ibelin’s reenactments of her conquests, conversations, and relationships there. Close-up shots zoom in on the avatar’s facial expressions, simulating the presence and emotions of Steen and his friends who talk about him as part of the Warcraft family. Each speaks of the deeply positive impact of the in-game friendship they shared with Steen through Evelin.
Evelyn’s scenes in Azeroth succeed in imbuing the fictional characters’ actions there with real meaning. Evelin kisses her date at sunset. He joins a family called Starlight. In moments of distress he lashes out at those closest to him. These avatars constitute the entire emotional life of a group of friends. They gave hope to a boy whose parents saw his life as truncated and lacking. Who’s to say they’re not real?
The success story of video games and social media is as old as the backlash against both. But what makes this documentary different is that it places the viewer next to the subject on screen. This is an immersive and empathetic approach, and it’s much better than watching someone use a device from a third-person perspective.
The film comes as parents around the world debate how much screen time is appropriate for their children. The argument that time spent digitally with friends has tangible weight is made even more persuasive by its format. By relying on in-game cinematography, the film shows the emotional weight of online life.
The film will be released on Netflix on October 25th.
on my iPhone
Photo: The Guardian
This week I’ve been watching some interesting videos: Cat equipped with a camera collar. This video is not only a peek into the secret lives of outdoor pets, but also a marvel of camera stabilization technology. Some camera companies have already Sponsored by Mr. Kittershas become one of the main characters on TikTok. Another feline star, the confrontational @max20499, is more of a villain. He loves to ambush and fight unsuspecting cats. To find him, the app suggests the search terms “Maxwell the Bully Kitten” and “Maxwell the Bully Kitten meets his match.”
Britain has banned students from using mobile phones in schools. Should U.S. schools do the same?
Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters
pew research last week released a poll of 5,110 American adults about banning cell phone use in schools. You may be surprised by the results, as I was. Quote from the poll results:
The primary suspect in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, believed to be Saudi Arabia’s prime suspect, has reinstated his account following its permanent suspension by the previous owner of Elon Musk’s social media company X. Ta.
Saud al-Qahtani, a former key advisor to Mohammed bin Salman, was directly implicated in Khashoggi’s murder, according to US intelligence assessments released by the Biden administration in 2021.
It has been revealed that the crown prince had sanctioned Operation Grizzly in Turkey, resulting in the death of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The US assessment also identified a 15-member Saudi team involved in the murder, including employees of the Saudi Center for Research and Media Affairs (CSMARC) headed by Qahtani, known as the “Lord of the Flies” among Saudi dissidents.
Qahtani and his subordinate Maher Mutreb were sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2018 for their roles in Khashoggi’s murder. Despite earlier sanctions, no evidence linking Qahtani to the crime has been presented.
The reactivation of Qahtani’s account remains unexplained, with speculation suggesting it could be part of Musk’s broader efforts to reinstate suspended users or a technical glitch.
Saudi Arabia, a major investor in X through Kingdom Holding, has had ties with the platform since 2011.
Formerly known as Twitter, X suspended Qahtani’s account in 2019, citing policy violations, shortly after he was reportedly removed from his advisory role. Saudi state media institutions were also targeted for amplifying pro-Saudi messages on social media networks.
After being suspended, Qahtani’s account, with 1.2 million followers, displayed a “suspended” message before going blank. The account is now active again, without new posts.
Qahtani visited New York before Khashoggi’s murder, as indicated by past tweets. Musk’s involvement in reinstating Qahtani’s account remains unclear.
An investigation revealed a network of pro-Saudi X accounts coordinating efforts to reinstate Qahtani’s account, possibly influenced by Saudi stakes in X.
Musk has reinstated other controversial figures on X, raising concerns about the platform’s policies and potential for manipulation. Company X’s media outlet did not provide a comment on the matter.
The slogan “the personal is political” was influential in the 1960s, highlighting power dynamics in marriage. Today, a slogan like “technology is political” is equally relevant, showing how a few global corporations hold political sway in liberal democracies. Elon Musk’s recent appearance alongside Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally underscored technology’s prominent role in American politics. Despite Musk’s reluctance to tweet, his company provides internet to Ukrainian troops and his rocket was selected to land the next American on the moon.
In the past, tech giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple flourished in a lenient political climate. Democratic governments overlooked technology’s influence, and antitrust regulators were hampered by legal restrictions. The University of Chicago Law School promoted the idea that corporate dominance was permissible unless it harmed consumers. However, recent regulatory actions led by the DOJ and FTC show a shift towards addressing tech monopolies like Google facing antitrust allegations.
The tech industry’s political awakening is evident in the substantial financial support crypto companies provide to political campaigns. Rather than aiming to sway election results, this money is directed towards influencing the composition of Congress. This contrasts with the tech pioneers of the past who shunned politics, highlighting the current intertwining of technology and politics.
John Norton is a Professor of Public Understanding of Technology at the Open University.
a The warrior and his wolf traverse a stunning landscape in a video game like no other. Cranes soar from a sparkling pond, while wild boars and stags wander in the background. The camera pans out to reveal a vast plain with yellow flowers spreading in all directions and cracked mountains in the distance. However, corruption lurks in this beautiful world. Birds fall from the sky, and black flowers emerge as a masked demon preys on them. These are the enemies that the warrior, armed with a thin blade, must defeat. But the task is daunting, as there are many foes to face, and the warrior is accompanied only by his faithful wolf companion.
Neva does not rely on words to embellish its setting. The game immerses players in a visually stunning world brought to life by developer Nomada Studio’s animation and accompanied by evocative music from Barcelona-based Berlinist. While many games prioritize style over substance, Neva excels on all fronts. The emotional impact of watching the world deteriorate and creatures succumb to darkness is profound, leaving players moved by the experience.
The journey begins with a small wolf pup that grows alongside the player, relying on their protection in the face of darkness. Players must utilize various abilities such as dashes, double jumps, and a rapier to combat the encroaching evil and safeguard their companion. The bond between the warrior and the wolf forms the heart of the game, evolving as the seasons change and the characters face new challenges.
“The bond between you and this wolf is the emotional center of this game.” Photo provided by: Nomada Studio
As the wolf matures, it gains new abilities and forms a crucial partnership with the player, aiding in combat and offering protection. The growth and development of the wolf symbolize the evolving relationship between player and companion, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
Neva seamlessly blends nature with changing architecture, creating diverse challenges that test players’ skills. The puzzles and combat scenarios are well-crafted, providing a balance of difficulty and consequence. The game’s visual design and atmospheric storytelling draw players into a captivating world where choices matter and dangers lurk at every turn.
Reminiscent of critically acclaimed games like Journey, Neva offers a compelling and emotionally resonant experience that lingers long after the credits roll. The journey towards the distant mountain, fraught with challenges and revelations, culminates in a poignant conclusion that leaves players reflecting on the profound impact of their adventure.
BBorn in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1987, Yael van der Woeden is a writer and teacher of creative writing and comparative literature in the Netherlands. Her work has appeared in publications such as LitHub, Electric Literature, and Elle.com, and she writes the David Attenborough-themed advice column “Dear David” for the online literary magazine Longleaf Review. Her essay on Dutch identity and Jewishness, “Reading (Not) Anne Frank,” received a notable mention in the 2018 Best American Essays collection. safepublished by Viking earlier this year, is van der Woden’s debut novel and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
A friend gave this to me and said, “Your genetic makeup has changed.” You might think that a novel given with the promise of a life-changing experience would only disappoint, but still! intention idol wild Will it disturb the mental equilibrium of all readers? Not likely. Does this send some of us into a survival spiral for about a week? surely. This novel is at once a well-known and well-written three-act Bildungsroman, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I’ve pitched this to people: Imagine a teenage love triangle. Instead of love, the three axes are obsession, sexuality, and gender envy. A scary and fun ride.
Mid-century renovation by Dashner Design & Restoration.
During vacation this summer, my girlfriend peeked over my shoulder in bed, saw me watching my wardrobe repair job for 45 minutes, and started teasing me badly. That’s what grandma does, she said. Surely grandma wouldn’t restore the entire wardrobe, I said. It is very physically demanding and requires years of study. I didn’t convince her, but I’ve been trying to convince her. There’s a sense in craftsmanship of doing something very well and applying that skill to undoing entropy that people do know things and mistakes can be undone. It will remain. Or maybe I just couldn’t get over my surprise at the successful transformation.
3. Music
Fountain Baby by Amaarae
“Addiction and anxiety”: Amarase. Photo: Sonya Horsman
The last few years have been great for pop. And my favorite genre to come out of it is the weird, naughty side of queer hyperpop. The great Chapel Lawn was brewed in these waters, but also consider Peach PRC, Ashnikko, Cobra and Lil Marico. I’ve been obsessed with Amaarae’s latest album for a while now. fountain babyespecially the song antisocial dance queen. A pop-creepy, devilish dance club hit with a Minogueian refrain of “Touch, touch, touch!” Lyrics include “I buried all the bodies in the pool.'' It’s addictive and anxiety-provoking.
4. Interior design
pottery fish
Photo: shoppingiro.com
Two things are tied together in this piece. The fact that I’m moving soon and the fact that I’m fully engaged in researching the former Zuiderzee (‘southern sea’), which is now the IJsselmeer. Water cascading down like a big thumb in the middle of the Netherlands. I’ve been researching what types of fish survived the transition from salty to sweet water, and how that affected coastal life and people’s relationships with water. . Actually, I’ve been thinking about fish lately. So when I started looking for things to put in my new home, I just kept being drawn to fish. Fish plates, fish art, fish shower curtains. I’ve been staring blankly at fish and found most of them to be terrifying, but I believe this collection of Italian ceramic fish is perfect in every way. Especially the anchovies and sardines, the cool blue color and big eyes. they make me happy. I have come to understand that this is not a universal opinion. However, I ended up buying 6 of them. Will probably buy more.
“For lovers of oak, honey and baked apples…” Photo: Amazon.De
5. Drinks
Calvados Dauphin Fine
I have recently been writing in Giethoorn, perhaps the most picturesque town in the Netherlands. Canals, bridges and thatched roofs. My hosts were a wonderful couple who took me sightseeing and boating. And most importantly, he emailed me at the end of every other day of writing. Question mark on wine glass emoji? And when I got off, there was food and wine and laughter, and on my last night there I had a glass of Calvados Dauphin Fine. It had a story. When they were young, an older couple allowed them to try the drink, and then they kept saving up for months to buy their own bottles. From then on, they made sure to always have them on hand. I was skeptical, took a sip, and have been planning to buy one for myself ever since. Not too sweet, not too spicy. For those who love oak, honey, baked apples, and the fantasy of a life that welcomes a weary writer in his spare room.
Zuiderzee Museum in the Netherlands. Photo: Christophe Cappelli/Alamy
This is one of the most impressive heritage museums I’ve ever seen. Its history is as follows. In 1932, the Ahu Water Embankment, a weir dam that effectively cut off the Zuiderzee and turned it into a large, shallow, sweet-water lake, was completed. As traditional marine life dwindled along the coast and on the islands, the museum served as a living archive, with abandoned homes being transported en masse to the museum grounds. Desks, beds, chairs, fishing nets, sheets, the entire store. The museum is a large village with original and recreated houses. You can go inside these houses and touch objects, and historians dressed in traditional costumes will tell you the stories. It’s both magical and tragic. The fact that we are witnessing traces of life being carefully selected and contained also means that it has disappeared. Web only:
7. Podcast
death, sex, money
Hugh and Crystal Hefner at the Playboy Mansion in 2014. Photo: Charlie Galley/Getty Images
Anna Sale is one of my favorite interviewers. I listened to almost every episode before heading to my first hosting gig. death, sex, moneyjust to see if there’s something about her inquisitive attitude with other people that might affect me. I wish I could laugh like her. One of my favorite recent episodes is the one about life at the Playboy Mansion. Crystal Hefner talks about life in the claustrophobic house and under Hefner’s control, his childish tyranny. She tells the story of living there as a young woman, then marrying Hefner as an adult, and how she sought and found agency in small, secret ways. A gorgeous interview.
The U.S. government’s National Traffic Safety Administration has initiated an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles that are equipped with the company’s fully self-driving software following reports of four crashes, some of which were fatal.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that it has launched a preliminary review after receiving reports of four incidents involving fully autonomous driving in conditions with reduced road visibility like sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
One of the accidents involved a Tesla vehicle hitting a pedestrian, resulting in a fatal outcome. Another accident under similar circumstances led to injuries, according to NHTSA.
The investigation covers Model S and X vehicles from 2016-2024, Model 3 from 2017-2024, Model Y from 2020-2024, and Cybertruck vehicles from 2023-2024 with optional systems.
A preliminary evaluation is the initial step before a vehicle recall is required if the agency determines that the vehicle poses an unreasonable safety risk.
Tesla states on its website that its “full self-driving” software for on-road vehicles necessitates active supervision from the driver and does not render the vehicle completely autonomous.
NHTSA is assessing the engineering controls of FSD to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.
The agency will investigate if other similar FSD accidents have occurred in conditions of low road visibility and if Tesla has made any updates to its FSD system that could impact such conditions.
“This review will also examine Tesla’s assessment of the timing, purpose, functionality, and safety implications of these updates,” NHTSA mentioned.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is focusing on self-driving technology and robotaxis amidst competition and subdued demand in the automotive industry.
The company did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla’s shares were down 0.5% before the market opened.
Musk recently unveiled a concept for Tesla’s “CyberCab” robotaxi, which is a two-seat, two-door vehicle that uses cameras and AI for navigation, eliminating the need for a steering wheel or pedals. NHTSA approval would be necessary for deploying these vehicles without human control.
Tesla’s FSD technology has been in development for years aiming for high automation levels, enabling the vehicle to manage most driving tasks without human intervention.
However, there have been at least two fatalities associated with the technology, leading to legal scrutiny. Some experts are concerned about Tesla’s reliance on a “camera-only” approach for self-driving systems in low visibility conditions due to the absence of backup sensors.
Industry experts like Jeff Schuster, Vice President of GlobalData, suggest that weather conditions can affect the camera’s functionality and regulatory requirements may impact the technology’s progress.
“This could be a significant obstacle in the near-term launch of this technology and product,” Schuster added.
Tesla’s competitors in the robotaxi space use costly sensors like lidar and radar for environment detection while operating.
In a December recall, Tesla called back over 2 million vehicles in the U.S. to incorporate new safety features in its Autopilot advanced driver assistance system. NHTSA is still reviewing the appropriateness of this recall.
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