David Lidsky's Blog, page 183

‘The truth is even more bizarre than you think’: The Hawk Tuah girl is getting her own documentary

The 22-year-old influencer will be the subject of an upcoming documentary from Emmy-winning production company Bungalow Media + Entertainment.

There’s a reason Haliey Welch seemingly vanished from the internet overnight: She’s the focus of an upcoming documentary exploring her meteoric rise—and dramatic fall—from viral fame.

FCC to investigate Disney and ABC over DEI policies

Brendan Carr, who was designated FCC chair by President Donald Trump on January 20, has been aggressively investigating media companies.

The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday said he is opening an investigation into the diversity practices of Walt Disney and its ABC unit, saying they may violate U.S. equal employment opportunity regulations.

Trump pardons Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who defrauded investors

Trevor Milton and his wife donated more than $1.8 million to a Trump reelection campaign fund less than a month before the November election.

Trevor Milton, the founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola who was sentenced to prison last year for fraud, was pardoned by President Donald Trump, the White House confirmed Friday.

If chemical plants want to emit toxic chemicals, they just have to email Trump and ask

Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency has set up an electronic mailbox allowing regulated companies to request a presidential exemption to a host of Biden-era rules under the Clean Air Act.

As part of a push to roll back dozens of environmental regulations, the Trump administration is offering coal-fired power plants and other industrial polluters a chance for exemptions from requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.

OpenAI’s Studio Ghibli-style images renew the debate over AI and copyright

The internet’s latest obsession reveals both the magic and the murk of machine-made art.

This week, the internet had a rare opportunity to transform its selfies and family photos into stunning Studio Ghibli “portraits.” What started as a lighthearted trend quickly took a darker turn. Soon after “Images for ChatGPT” was unveiled on Tuesday, a tsunami of images generated in the distinctive Studio Ghibli style flooded social media. X users posted Ghibli-fied versions of their personal photos, popular memes, and public figures like President Donald Trump.

As Trump threatens to take over Greenland, its melting ice caps could hold a solution to our clean energy future

Modern society, and the clean energy revolution, depend on rare earth elements. Can Greenland help break China’s stranglehold on the market?

Greenland’s massive cap of ice, containing enough fresh water to raise sea levels by 23 feet, is in serious trouble. Between 2002 and 2023, Greenland lost 270 billion tons of frozen water each year as winter snowfall failed to compensate for ever-fiercer summer temperatures. That’s a significant contributor of sea level rise globally, which is now at a quarter of an inch a year.

But underneath all that melting ice is something the whole world wants: the rare earth elements that make modern society—and the clean energy revolution—possible. That could soon turn Greenland, which has a population size similar to that of Casper, Wyoming, into a mining mecca. 

300 student visas pulled in wake of pro-Palestinian protests

Secretary Rubio says protesting on campus can cost international students their visas.

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio attempted to clarify the Trump administration’s “right” to rescind student visas and deport international students who are critical of Israel’s U.S.-backed war on Palestine. However, his bold assertions may have led to even more confusion around what immigration experts say are illegal new procedures. 

These 5 new AI tools can help you do everything from managing tasks to improving your public speaking

Realistic AI voices, smart job coaching, automatic task runners—these tools are free, powerful, and ready to help.

This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.

‘Setting boundaries with your partner. That’s what’s up!’: This TikTok account is teaching Gen Z men all about positive masculinity

These Colby College students are reimagining sex ed with humor, skits, and viral punch lines—tackling toxic masculinity and consent in a way classrooms never have.

Many schools and colleges are underperforming when it comes to sex education. Going beyond the classroom condoms-and-bananas approach, a group of students have taken it upon themselves to deliver sex ed, TikTok-style. 

3 things haven’t changed in software engineering

As a software engineer for 30 years, I see that AI coding is changing a lot, but not everything.

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