VIDEO REELS

8Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Bluesky’s Resemblance To The Old Twitter Is Drawing Millions Of New Users

Bluesky isn’t the ‘new Twitter,’ but its resemblance to the old one is drawing millions of new users. What would you say at Twitter’s funeral? That’s the question my collaborators and I asked over 1,000 people on social media as part of a broader research project on Twitter migration. Responses ranged from the profane to the poetic, but one common theme was that despite its significant flaws, Twitter at its best was truly great … until it wasn’t. “The world is a better place for it having existed, and a better place now that it’s gone.” “It takes so little to destroy so much.” “I will miss it for what it could be in its best moments, but I will be happy that we can finally move on to healthier spaces.” For many, it was time to leave in the hopes of finding greener pastures. Since El...

9Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CELEBRITY NEWS, VIDEO REELS

We Love The Talk Shows

The talk shows we love: Dignity-crushing machines? Talk shows are not just a form of harmless entertainment where social issues are discussed. The choices made in production and by the host can harm the guests appearing on the show, particularly regarding the humiliation techniques used. In the world of academic research surrounding culture, media and entertainment, the study of talk shows has a rather humble place, informed primarily by semiology (the study of signs and their meanings), journalism studies and language sciences. In such contexts, this media genre appears innocuous, using mainly discursive strategies such as interviews or debates for the purpose of informing or entertaining the public while exploiting topics of public interest. However, placed under the lens of a prac...

10Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BEAUTY, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Dove’s Anti-AI Stance

Dove’s latest ‘Real Beauty’ drive – and why AI will be harder to ditch than it thinks. Beauty brand Dove recently announced it would not use models generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in its advertising campaigns. But is this really an anti-AI stance or merely the marketing of “inclusive” and “realistic” AI-generated images? In other words, is Dove attempting to shape the beauty ideals AI shows consumers, rather than ditching its use entirely? Dove’s owner Unilever is one of the world’s largest multinational, fast-moving consumer goods companies. But the values of the brands it owns vary dramatically, as highlighted by legal action that Ben & Jerry’s brought against Unilever to object to its ice cream being “sold in the occupied Palestinian Territory”. The lawsuit was settled...

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

10Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings and reviews that will not be completed until after the presidential election in November. The news drew strong reactions from critics: 25 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting any changes to federal marijuana laws. They argued that the decision “was not properly researched … and is merely respondin...

Making Machines That Learn — Spotlights Key Breakthroughs In AI Revolution

10Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

AI, TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Making Machines That Learn — Spotlights Key Breakthroughs In AI Revolution

Nobel Prize in physics spotlights key breakthroughs in AI revolution − making machines that learn. If your jaw dropped as you watched the latest AI-generated video, your bank balance was saved from criminals by a fraud detection system, or your day was made a little easier because you were able to dictate a text message on the run, you have many scientists, mathematicians and engineers to thank. But two names stand out for foundational contributions to the deep learning technology that makes those experiences possible: Princeton University physicist John Hopfield and University of Toronto computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton. The two researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics on Oct. 8, 2024, for their pioneering work in the field of artificial neural networks. Though artificia...

10Oct

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

STYLE, VIDEO REELS

A Black Dandy In Paris

Meet Paris’ black dandies, the Sapeurs. You can spot them in the streets of Paris or at fashion events in London, Milan, Brussels or Dubai. Most are black African men with sharp outfits designed and chosen to get them noticed. Known as “Sapeurs” – the name comes from the Society for Ambience and Elegance (Sape) and from French slang “se saper”, “to dress up” – these figures stand out with their offbeat and baroque sartorial style. Genesis and evolution Research by ethnologists and historians indicates that the movement was born in Central Africa, likely at the port of Bacongo, the river that separates the two Congos, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Republic, North of the river) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, South side). The subculture got its star...

Changing The Way We Explore The Solar System “CubeSats” The Tiniest Of Satellites

30Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Changing The Way We Explore The Solar System “CubeSats” The Tiniest Of Satellites

CubeSats, the tiniest of satellites, are changing the way we explore the solar system. Most CubeSats weigh less than a bowling ball, and some are small enough to hold in your hand. But the impact these instruments are having on space exploration is gigantic. CubeSats – miniature, agile and cheap satellites – are revolutionizing how scientists study the cosmos. A standard-size CubeSat is tiny, about 4 pounds (roughly 2 kilograms). Some are larger, maybe four times the standard size, but others are no more than a pound. As a professor of electrical and computer engineering who works with new space technologies, I can tell you that CubeSats are a simpler and far less costly way to reach other worlds. Rather than carry many instruments with a vast array of purposes, these Lilliputian-siz...

Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law

30Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

Americans Get Incorrectly Billed, Especially If You’re Poor, A Person Of Color Or Don’t Have A College Degree — Although Preventive Care Is Free By Law

Preventive care is free by law, but many Americans get incorrectly billed − especially if you’re poor, a person of color or don’t have a college degree. Even though preventive care is supposed to be free by law for millions of Americans thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many don’t receive recommended preventive services, especially racial and ethnic minorities and other at-risk patient groups. The Affordable Care Act exempted preventive services from patient cost-sharing for large chunks of the population. This means that if you receive preventive screening and have private insurance, including through the ACA Marketplace, there should be no copay at time of service, and you shouldn’t get a bill later on. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Our team of health economists has shown that patient...

Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV

22Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS, VIDEO REELS

Despite Highly Effective Preventive Treatments Half Of The Black Gay Men Will Be Diagnosed With HIV

Half of Black gay men will be diagnosed with HIV, despite highly effective preventive treatments − why? At a pharmacy in Iowa, a 42-year-old Black gay man couldn’t find a medication he needed. The pharmacist, a white woman, told him they didn’t stock that medication. But while he waited to pay for his other purchases, he saw another customer place the medication he just asked for on the counter. “I felt really bad,” he said. “I think (when) people place their biases alongside their profession, it makes it difficult to access (health) services.” One of these services include PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, a highly effective prescription medication that prevents the spread of HIV. Black gay and bisexual men made up about 38% of the estimated 37,981 new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2...

22Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

James Earl Jones — The End Of An Era

What James Earl Jones can teach us about activism and art in times of crisis. The death of James Earl Jones has forced me to consider the end of an era. Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Jones were giants in my industry. They were Black performers whose ascents to stardom occurred in the tumultuous 1960s, when I was an infant. All three were politically active, although each operated in a significantly different way. In 1967, there were more than 150 riots fueled by racial tensions in U.S. cities. Many Americans worried that the nation would implode over racial conflict, and President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to study the sources of racial turmoil. At the time, Jones was an actor of growing renown on television and the theatrical stage. He had performed in ...