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Authors face backlash for participation in 2022 Google AI study
Thirteen professional authors, including science-fiction writers Ken Liu and Robin Sloan, are facing online backlash after their participation in a 2022 Google research study resurfaced on social media. The Wordcraft Writers Workshop, run by Google’s DeepMind division, asked the writers to trial an AI-assisted editing tool built on the LaMDA language model, the predecessor to…
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Blur’s Graham Coxon Remembers William Orbit: ‘This Genius Tinged With Madness’
Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has paid tribute to producer William Orbit, who died last week at the age of 69, recalling him as a “genius tinged with madness” who transformed the band’s sound on their 1999 album “13”. Orbit, best known for his work with Madonna on “Ray of Light”, first worked with Blur on…
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To all the betting shops littering our high streets: people power is coming and the odds are against you | Dawn Butler
Too many shops are blighting too many communities. With the rule change I fought for now on the horizon, ordinary people can fight back How much gambling do you want in your high street? Are you happy with all the betting shops, the problems they cause, the effect on your environment? It’s worth asking because…
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Three ways to watch the solar eclipse safely without glasses
With eclipse glasses in short supply ahead of Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse over the UK, experts are advising several safe household alternatives to viewing the Sun directly. The Royal Astronomical Society warns against improvising with sunglasses or dark goggles, which do not block enough UV light and can cause serious eye damage, and instead recommends…
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Tracking extreme heat by the hour makes climate change seem even worse
Hot hours of summer could triple in the coming decades.
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California Attorney General Slams David Ellison’s Plan to Pull Paramount Out of the State as ‘Blackmail’ Attempt That ‘Won’t Work’
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has hit back at Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison’s threat to relocate the studio out of California, branding it a “blackmail” attempt that “won’t work.” Bonta leads a 12-state coalition suing to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds, and the row marks the latest escalation in…
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Mali Obomsawin Announces New Album Automatic: Hear The Title Track
Musician Mali Obomsawin has announced her new album Automatic, the follow-up to her 2022 solo debut Sweet Tooth, with the title track released alongside the news. Best known as a member of indie rock band Deerlady but also active across jazz and experimental music, Obomsawin, who belongs to the Abenaki First Nation’s Odanak community in…
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Medicaid ends funding for child sex-change procedures as Trump admin slams ‘experimental’ treatments
CMS under Mehmet Oz announces Medicaid and CHIP will no longer fund puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or sex change surgeries for children.
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Thames Water ‘flagship’ chalk stream rated as poor
The firm says it has invested in the chalk stream and water quality is “influenced by a range of factors”.
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Michigan rescuers find family stranded for 3 days after tubing trip in dramatic video
Video captures the moment Michigan State Police and DNR conservation officers locate a family stranded for days after tubing on the Muskegon River.