David Lidsky's Blog, page 362

‘Discover the rabbit hole’: Conspiracy theories about Hurricane Helene are all over TikTok

One prominent theory plays off the idea that the path of destruction is hitting Republican areas hardest.

Conspiracy theories have a habit of spiking following natural disasters, and Hurricane Helene is no exception. As the death toll topped 200 on Friday morning, the conspiracy theorists are out in full force spreading misinformation about everything from voter manipulation to a geoengineered industrial land grab.

Meta unveils Movie Gen, an AI model that can generate video with sound

Videos created by Movie Gen can be up to 16 seconds long, while audio can be up to 45 seconds long, Meta said.

Facebook owner Meta announced on Friday it had built a new AI model called Movie Gen that can create realistic-seeming video and audio clips in response to user prompts, claiming it can rival tools from leading media generation startups like OpenAI and ElevenLabs.

Elon Musk will attend Trump’s Pennsylvania rally at site of first assassination attempt

The former president has said that if reelected, he would appoint Musk to lead a government efficiency commission.

Elon Musk is set to attend Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, marking an even deeper show of the billionaire’s support for the former president and his shift to the right.

Aurora borealis watch: Where to see the northern lights this weekend and why you should bring a phone

Thanks to a geomagnetic storm, the aurora could be visible over many states from the Midwest to Oregon, with prime viewing forecast for late Saturday into Sunday.

Good news: The northern lights, or aurora borealis, could be visible this weekend in many parts across the country.

Supreme Court to determine the bar for bias lawsuits from white, straight workers

A Supreme Court ruling in favor of Ames could provide a boost to the growing number of lawsuits by white and straight workers claiming they were discriminated against under company DEI policies.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether it should be more difficult for workers from “majority backgrounds,” such as white or heterosexual people, to prove workplace discrimination claims.

‘Please don’t’: Jenna Ortega is asking TikTokers to stop messing with Wednesday Addams dolls

TikTok users are posting videos of themselves flipping the dolls’ hair inside out so the character appears bald.

Jenna Ortega has made her feelings known about a viral TikTok trend that involves a plush doll of her Wednesday Addams character.

Supreme Court allows Biden administration limits on methane and mercury emissions

The methane rule puts new requirements on the oil and gas industry, which is the largest emitter of the gas that’s a key contributor to climate change.

The Supreme Court left in place Friday two Biden administration environmental regulations aimed at reducing industry emissions of planet-warming methane and toxic mercury.

Toyota is the latest company to scale back its DEI policies

The automaker is the most recent target of an anti-DEI push spearheaded by conservative activist Robby Starbuck.

Since June, a mounting number of companies have pulled back on their corporate commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Tractor Supply and John Deere were some of the first companies to do so, reversing some of their DEI policies and pulling sponsorship of Pride events and other “social or cultural awareness” events. In the months since, several others have followed suit—including Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, and Ford—and revoked their participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which evaluates companies on how inclusive they are of LGBTQ+ employees.

U.S. jobs surged and unemployment dipped in September

The latest figures suggest that many companies are still confident enough to fill jobs despite the continued pressure of high-interest rates.

America’s employers added a surprisingly strong 254,000 jobs in September, easing concerns about a weakening labor market and suggesting that the pace of hiring is still solid enough to support a growing economy.

Mark Zuckerberg surpasses Jeff Bezos to become world’s second-richest person

Zuckerberg also got even richer this week.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has a new title: world’s second richest person. The Facebook founder has officially surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.