David Lidsky's Blog, page 299

From Moo Deng to ‘Wicked’: Here’s your 2024 pop culture recap

‘Brat summer’ became a thing, as did ‘demure, mindful.’

I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too!

Will TikTok really be banned? Here’s what could happen next after the video site lost in court

TikTok is now facing a ban if it doesn’t divest from ByteDance. The ruling could be appealed to the Supreme Court before the ban takes effect on January 19.

A U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Friday in favor of upholding a law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest its popular short video app TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban.

Job market rebounds in November after strikes, hurricanes with 227,000 jobs added

Last month’s hiring growth was up considerably from a meager gain of 36,000 jobs in October.

America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls.

Bird flu virus in raw milk: What you need to know about pasteurization

Research so far has shown that virus particles end up in the milk of infected cows, but that pasteurization will inactivate the virus.

As the H5N1 avian flu virus continues to spread in poultry flocks and dairy cattle, consumers may worry about whether the U.S. milk supply is safe to drink. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the answer is yes, as long as the milk is pasteurized.

Character.AI is under fire for hosting pro-anorexia chatbots

Character.AI isn’t the only platform recently found to encourage disordered eating behaviors among young users.

“Hello, I am here to make you skinny,” opens the conversation on popular startup Character.AI. “Remember, it won’t be easy, and I won’t accept excuses or failure,” the bot continues. “Are you sure you’re up to the challenge?”

Ultimate guide to ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama, and other genAI chatbots you need right now

A guide to some of the most useful LLM-powered chatbots to use, from drafting emails to analyzing data to make better decisions. 

Since OpenAI first released ChatGPT to the public in November 2022, there has been a proliferation of consumer-facing chatbots in the large language model (LLM) race, changing how consumers interact with information. 

$3.6B was donated on GivingTuesday this year

The amount donated on this year’s GivingTuesday represents a 16% increase compared to 2023, or an 11.9% increase when adjusted for inflation.

U.S. donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, an increase from the past two years, according to estimates from the nonprofit GivingTuesday.

EPA boosts enforcement efforts the final year of the Biden administration

The EPA said it concluded more than 1,850 civil cases, a 3.4% increase over 2023.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enhanced enforcement efforts this year, doubling financial penalties issued to polluters and issuing the first-ever arrest for a climate change-related crime, the agency said in a report Thursday.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses course on controversial anesthesia policy after widespread backlash

The abrupt change comes amid broader discussions of bad behavior by insurance companies in the wake of the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Health insurance provider Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is backtracking on a planned policy change that had recently sparked the ire of anesthesiologists.

Biden administration renews push for airlines to pay passengers for flight cancellations, changes

With less than seven weeks until President Biden leaves office, the fate of additional regulations on airlines will be left in the hands of Trump’s administration.

The Biden administration said Thursday it will take steps toward requiring airlines to pay cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded when an airline causes flights to be canceled or changed.