VIDEO REELS

9Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Teaching AI Machines

What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog. Understanding intelligence and creating intelligent machines are grand scientific challenges of our times. The ability to learn from experience is a cornerstone of intelligence for machines and living beings alike. In a remarkably prescient 1948 report, Alan Turing – the father of modern computer science – proposed the construction of machines that display intelligent behavior. He also discussed the “education” of such machines “by means of rewards and punishments.” Turing’s ideas ultimately led to the development of reinforcement learning, a branch of artificial intelligence. Reinforcement learning designs intelligent agents by training them to maximi...

Val Kilmer Hollywood’s Leading Man Of The 1990s

9Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CELEBRITY NEWS, VIDEO REELS

Val Kilmer Hollywood’s Leading Man Of The 1990s

Val Kilmer’s macho action figures held a melancholy just below the surface. Leading man of 1990s Hollywood, Val Kilmer, has died at 65 from pneumonia. Battling cancer since 2014, he has not been a frequent presence on our film screens for most of this century. While he has recently done some interesting projects, he never recaptured his fame and box-office draw of the 1980s and ‘90s, when he appeared in iconic films such as Top Gun (1986) and Batman Forever (1995). His standout performance as Tom Cruise’s swaggering, self-assured rival Iceman in Top Gun made him a star. But the film that really cemented his reputation as a leading man was Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), in which he played Jim Morrison to astonishing effect. He is the best thing about that film. In 1993, he starred as...

Science Research Funding Cuts — Cuts American Lives Short

9Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Science Research Funding Cuts — Cuts American Lives Short

Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs. Nearly every modern medical treatment can be traced to research funded by the National Institutes of Health: from over-the-counter and prescription medications that treat high cholesterol and pain to protection from infectious diseases such as polio and smallpox. The remarkable successes of the decades-old partnership between biomedical research institutions and the federal government are so intertwined with daily life that it’s easy to take them for granted. However, the scientific work driving these medical advances and breakthroughs is in jeopardy. Federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation are terminating hundreds o...

Doctors Across Numerous Fields Are In Short Supply

9Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Doctors Across Numerous Fields Are In Short Supply

Doctor shortages have hobbled health care for decades − and the trend could be worsening. Americans are increasingly waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment to see a health care specialist. This delay comes at a time when the population of aging adults is rising dramatically. By 2050, the number of adults over 85 is expected to triple, which will intensify the strain on an already stretched health care system. We wrote about this worsening challenge and its implications for the health care workforce in a January 2025 report in the New England Journal of Medicine. We are health care scholars who are acutely aware of the severe shortfall of specialists in America’s health care system. One of us, Rochelle Walensky, witnessed the consequences of this shortage firsthand as the d...

14Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses. Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems. While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of...

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

14Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

Why do I feel better when I wake myself up instead of relying on an alarm? A neurologist explains the science of a restful night’s sleep. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma We’ve all experienced this: You’re in the middle of a lovely dream. Perhaps you’re flying. As you’re soaring through the air, you meet an eagle. The eagle looks at you, opens its beak and – BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Your alarm goes off. Dream over, time to get up. Many people – kids and adults alike – notice that when they wake up naturally from sl...

What Is The Fediverse — Social Media Without Big Tech

15Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA, VIDEO REELS

What Is The Fediverse — Social Media Without Big Tech

The Fediverse Promises Social Media Without Big Tech – If It Can Avoid Familiar pitfalls. You’ve probably noticed lately that a lot of people are trying out alternatives to the big social media networks X, Instagram and Facebook. For example, after Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and started allowing far more disinformation and hateful content on the site, renamed X, advertisers and users started backing away. More recently, Meta’s decision to roll back hate speech rules has prompted many people to consider leaving Instagram and Facebook. Some of the most popular new destinations include “federated” services like Mastodon and Pixelfed, as well as the quasi-federated Bluesky. Federated means decentralized – rather than one central service, like X, federated systems have tens of thousan...

Teenagers And AI Companions — What You Need To Know

14Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Teenagers And AI Companions — What You Need To Know

Teenagers Turning To AI Companions Are Redefining Love As Easy, Unconditional And Always There. Teenagers are falling in love with chatbots. Young people are reporting epidemic levels of loneliness, and some are turning to technology to fill the void. Recent tragedies provide a glimpse into the extent of this trend and the dangers it poses. A 14-year-old boy’s suicide following a romantic relationship with an AI companion raised national alarms about the dangers these relationships may pose to young people’s mental and emotional development. In 2021, a 19-year-old who had been in an emotional relationship with an AI companion broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow, saying that he was going to kill the queen. The chatbot gave encouraging responses when he told it of his intention to ...

A Black History Month Tribute: Paul Robeson – American Singer, Actor And Civil Rights Activist Became A Hero In China

8Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Amplification Of Voices, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

A Black History Month Tribute: Paul Robeson – American Singer, Actor And Civil Rights Activist Became A Hero In China

Chinese broadcasters have aired shows featuring Paul Robeson (1898-1976), one of the most popular African American singers and actors of his era and a well-known civil rights activist, several times in recent years. China National Radio and various channels of the widely influential China Central TV showcased Robeson on programs in 2021, 2012 and 2009 narrating China’s resistence to foreign military aggressions. This could seem like unusually frequent coverage related to an American who passed away decades ago. My book, Arise, Africa! Roar, China! Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century, unpacks the little-known yet important relationship between Paul Robeson and China, which continues to resonate powerfully today. New York City meeting Robeson is long re...

The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise

30Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Winter Vomiting Bug, Norovirus Is On The Rise

Norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug, is on the rise – an infectious disease expert explains the best ways to stay safe. The highly contagious norovirus – popularly known as “stomach flu” or the “winter vomiting bug” – is now surging through the U.S.. The number of outbreaks is up significantly over previous years, possibly due in part to a new strain of the virus. Outbreaks can occur after direct contact with someone who is infected. Food and household surfaces can also become contaminated. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, discusses the symptoms of norovirus, how best to treat it, and the populations most vulnerable to this illness. Dr. William Schaffner discusses the norovirus. The Con...