Thursday, April 25

VIDEO REELS

How AI Can Help You Reduce Bottlenecks Between Life And Work
No Comments
AI, IN OTHER NEWS, TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

How AI Can Help You Reduce Bottlenecks Between Life And Work

AI could improve your life by removing bottlenecks between what you want and what you get. Artificial intelligence is poised to upend much of society, removing human limitations inherent in many systems. One such limitation is information and logistical bottlenecks in decision-making. Traditionally, people have been forced to reduce complex choices to a small handful of options that don’t do justice to their true desires. Artificial intelligence has the potential to remove that limitation. And it has the potential to drastically change how democracy functions. AI researcher Tantum Collins and I, a public-interest technology scholar, call this AI overcoming “lossy bottlenecks.” Lossy is a term from information theory that refers to imperfect communications channels – that is, channels tha...
Read More
A New Study Finds Online Stores Are Still Selling Flavored E-Cigarettes, Even To Kids — Despite California’s Ban In 2022
No Comments
HEALTH & WELLNESS, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

A New Study Finds Online Stores Are Still Selling Flavored E-Cigarettes, Even To Kids — Despite California’s Ban In 2022

California banned sales of flavored e-cigarettes in 2022 − but a new study finds online stores are still selling them, even to kids. Californians – including minors – are still able to buy flavored electronic cigarettes online, even after the state’s much-publicized ban went into effect. That’s the key finding of my team’s new study, published in JAMA Network Open. On Dec. 21, 2022, California enacted Senate Bill 793, which prohibited the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people of all ages. Hookahs, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco were exempted from the legislation. The ban was motivated, in large part, by a desire to reduce to reduce consumption of tobacco among young people – who are particularly attracted to the flavors in e-cigarettes, such as ma...
Read More
American Fiction: A Slithering Satire That Will Leave You Speechless
No Comments
VIDEO REELS

American Fiction: A Slithering Satire That Will Leave You Speechless

‘American Fiction’ is a scathing satire that challenges pop-culture stereotypes of Blackness. In this episode, Vinita sits down with two experts to break down the many layers — and Black stereotypes — in the much anticipated new film, American Fiction. The lead character of the new movie American Fiction is Monk. He’s a Black man but never feels ‘Black’ enough: he graduated from Harvard, his siblings are doctors, he doesn’t play basketball and he writes literary novels. Directed and written by former journalist Cord Jefferson, American Fiction won this year’s People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it has its much anticipated North American release in theatres this month. It’s been called an “incisive literary satire” by the Guardian. The film, star...
Read More
A Look Back At ‘Good Times’ 50 Years Later
No Comments
VIDEO REELS

A Look Back At ‘Good Times’ 50 Years Later

‘Good Times’: 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black family’s struggles and joys. I loved watching Norman Lear’s trailblazing television shows when I was growing up in Dalzell, South Carolina, in the 1970s. “Good Times,” my favorite, debuted on Feb. 8, 1974 – nearly 50 years ago. CBS aired the show about the daily struggles and triumphs of the working-class Evans family until Aug. 1, 1979. Lear, who died at 101 on Dec. 5, 2023, forever changed sitcoms. His characters were more diverse, and their predicaments included situations that had previously been out of bounds for humorous TV programs, such as child abuse, unemployment and alcoholism. As a result, they more accurately reflected modern life in America than their counterparts that predominated ...
Read More
The Holidays Can Be A Time To Reflect And Find Meaning In Loss For Those Suffering With Prolonged Grief
No Comments
HEALTH & WELLNESS, SELF, TOP FOUR, VIDEO REELS

The Holidays Can Be A Time To Reflect And Find Meaning In Loss For Those Suffering With Prolonged Grief

For many who are suffering with prolonged grief, the holidays can be a time to reflect and find meaning in loss. The holiday season is meant to be filled with joy, connection and celebration of rituals. Many people, however, are starkly reminded of their grief this time of year and of whom – or what – they have lost. The added stress of the holiday season doesn’t help. Studies show that the holidays negatively affect many people’s mental health. While COVID-19-related stressors may have lessened, the grief from change and loss that so many endured during the pandemic persists. This can cause difficult emotions to resurface when they are least expected. I am a licensed therapist and trauma-sensitive yoga instructor. For the last 12 years, I’ve helped clients and families manage grief, depr...
Read More
The Challenges Of Digital Inaccessibility For Blind And Low-Vision People
No Comments
TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

The Challenges Of Digital Inaccessibility For Blind And Low-Vision People

Digital inaccessibility: Blind and low-vision people have powerful technology but still face barriers to the digital world. Imagine that you have low vision and you’re completing an online job application using screen reader software. You get through half the form and then come to a question with drop-down options the screen reader cannot access because the online form doesn’t conform to accessibility standards. You’re stuck. You can’t submit the application, and your time has been wasted. Assistive technologies like screen readers go a long way toward closing the gap between people who are blind or have low vision and their sighted peers. But the technologies often hit roadblocks because the information they are designed to work with – documents, websites and software programs – don’t w...
Read More
The Year Of ChatGPT And Its Cousin AI Chatbot
No Comments
AI, IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

The Year Of ChatGPT And Its Cousin AI Chatbot

ChatGPT and its AI chatbot cousins ruled 2023: 4 essential reads that puncture the hype. Within four months of ChatGPT’s launch on Nov. 30, 2022, most Americans had heard of the AI chatbot. Hype about – and fear of – the technology was at a fever pitch for much of 2023. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot are among the chatbots powered by large language models to provide uncannily humanlike conversations. The experience of interacting with one of these chatbots, combined with Silicon Valley spin, can leave the impression that these technical marvels are conscious entities. But the reality is considerably less magical or glamorous. The Conversation published several articles in 2023 that dispel several key misperceptions about this latest generation...
Read More
Could Earth Have Had All The Elements Needed For Life?
No Comments
IN OTHER NEWS, VIDEO REELS

Could Earth Have Had All The Elements Needed For Life?

Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along − contrary to theories that these elements came from meteorites. For many years, scientists have predicted that many of the elements that are crucial ingredients for life, like sulfur and nitrogen, first came to Earth when asteroid-type objects carrying them crashed into our planet’s surface. But new research published by our team in Science Advances suggests that many of these elements, called volatiles, may have existed in the Earth from the beginning, while it formed into a planet. Volatiles evaporate more readily than other elements. Common examples include carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, though our research focused on a group called chalcogens. Sulfur, selenium and tellurium are all chalcogens. Understanding how...
Read More
What Are The Benefits Of North American Bird Species Getting New Names?
No Comments
ENVIRONMENT, VIDEO REELS

What Are The Benefits Of North American Bird Species Getting New Names?

Why dozens of North American bird species are getting new names: Every name tells a story. This winter, tens of thousands of birders will survey winter bird populations for the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, part of an international bird census, powered by volunteers, that has taken place every year since 1900. For many birders, participating in the count is a much-anticipated annual tradition. Tallying birds and compiling results with others connects birders to local, regional and even national birding communities. Comparing this year’s results with previous tallies links birders to past generations. And scientists use the data to assess whether bird populations are thriving or declining. But a change is coming. On Nov. 1, 2023, the American Ornithological Society anno...
Read More
The Dangers Of Disinformation And Social Media: A Social Psychologist’s Guide
No Comments
SOCIAL MEDIA, VIDEO REELS

The Dangers Of Disinformation And Social Media: A Social Psychologist’s Guide

Disinformation is rampant on social media – a social psychologist explains the tactics used against you. Information warfare abounds, and everyone online has been drafted whether they know it or not. Disinformation is deliberately generated misleading content disseminated for selfish or malicious purposes. Unlike misinformation, which may be shared unwittingly or with good intentions, disinformation aims to foment distrust, destabilize institutions, discredit good intentions, defame opponents and delegitimize sources of knowledge such as science and journalism. Many governments engage in disinformation campaigns. For instance, the Russian government has used images of celebrities to attract attention to anti-Ukraine propaganda. Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, warned on No...
Read More