On-Demand Grandkids and Robot Pals to Keep Senior Loneliness at Bay
In her living room in Pittsburg, Calif., a small city not far from Silicon Valley, Sue Karp begins every day by greeting her robot companion, ElliQ. The robot greets her back. “I’ve got dogs, but they don’t exactly come up and say ‘Good morning’ in English,” says Ms. Karp, 61, who was forced to retire early by a stroke and now lives alone.
Source:Wall Street Journal
February 23, 2019 05:03 UTC
Oscar in the Age of Entertainment Overload
Hollywood studio Warner Bros. launched a research project last year, aiming to better understand where it fit in a chaotic entertainment landscape. The studio, which plans to roll out its own video-streaming service this year, wanted to know just what the influx of entertainment options was doing to consumers’ brains. As it ran tests with audiences, a counterintuitive pattern began to emerge. When presented with a dizzying array of hundreds of new movies and TV shows to watch, viewers tended to retreat to the programs that...
Source:Wall Street Journal
February 23, 2019 05:03 UTC
Amy Winehouse Hologram Tour On Hold Over 'Sensitivities'
Base Hologram, the company developing the tour, said on Twitter that it had encountered “some unique challenges and sensitivities” on the path to “remembering Amy Winehouse and her legacy in the most celebratory and respectful way possible.” It did not detail the hurdles it’s facing. And no alternative date was provided. The creator of an Amy Winehouse concert tour via hologram has suddenly put the event on hold because of “sensitivities.”The tour featuring a hologram Winehouse based on a body double with a live backup band had been scheduled to launch later this year. “Amy wasn’t treated like a human being when she was alive and this is treating her even more like a show pony,“ Maria Dobrinescu, owner of the Instagram Winehouse fan account @theamyjadewinehouse, told GQ. “It’s heartbreaking.”Winehouse’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is also opposed to the idea, which will lack the “human element” of the soulful singer, he said.
Source:Huffington Post
February 23, 2019 05:03 UTC
Carolyn Hax: Chronic illness can grow a friendship instead of simply diminish it
Dear Carolyn: I am chronically ill but work full-time and am literally able to do little else other than work and take care of my home. How does one remain social when people don't really want to be friends with someone who is ill and often housebound? — Can't SocializeCan’t Socialize: I’m sorry you’re in this position, and your friends haven’t been willing to accommodate you more. For: Can't Socialize: When I was struck with chronic migraines, I could barely keep going to work. Friends really want to help — just be really clear about how.
Source:Washington Post
February 23, 2019 04:52 UTC
Lime Scooter Software Glitch Causes Random Braking, Dozens Of Rider Injuries
Electric Scooters In Paris : Illustration Getty ImagesA software error sent Lime scooter riders flying after a glitch caused the scooters' front wheels to lock up randomly mid-ride. The sudden braking caused at least 30 injuries in 155 known incidents, Lime told Auckland, New Zealand officials. It's not the first time Lime has had to remove its scooters because of safety concerns around braking. In January, TechCrunch reported that Lime had removed its scooters from Switzerland after a similar string of random braking causing injuries to riders. It also couldn't comment on whether the fix applied to all Lime scooters or just the affected ones in New Zealand.
Source:Forbes
February 23, 2019 04:52 UTC
Birmingham, Granada Hills win City Section Division I soccer championships
El Camino Real was hurt by a red card and far more yellow cards handed out than during the regular season. And yet, the Conquistadores went up 2-1 on a goal by Zoi Lerma. But Granada Hills tied it in the 77th minute on a goal by Crystal Earl off a penalty kick.
Source:Los Angeles Times
February 23, 2019 04:22 UTC
'The Late Show' Introduces Superheroes Fighting The Science Of Climate Change
On #LSSC tonight: With the power of five special rings, Trump’s Climate Committee is fighting the science of climate change. pic.twitter.com/hZ4uOUfyQJPresident Donald Trump is appointing a special committee to study whether climate change threatens national security, and the chairman is likely to be a climate change denier, The Washington Post reported this week. That does not seem to sit well with people at “The Late Show,” hosted by Stephen Colbert. The program opened Friday night with a cartoon introducing “Trump’s climate committee,” saying the panel summoned “the power of willful ignorance.”William Happer, who is expected to chair Trump’s committee, was singled out for specific criticism. He was identified as “an unsightly climate-change denier.”The clip had him saying: “If climate change is real, how come it snows?
Source:Huffington Post
February 23, 2019 04:18 UTC
Grand Jury Reportedly Investigating If Ryan Zinke Lied To Feds On Casino Deal
A grand jury is hearing evidence from prosecutors to determine if ousted Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lied to federal investigators about a Native American casino proposed for Connecticut, The Washington Post reported Friday. Zinke’s decision to block the tribes’ operation and what he told federal investigators about the situation is now the focus of the grand jury proceeding, two sources told the Post. Interior staffers had recommended the tribes’ request to jointly operate their casino be granted, but Zinke refused. OIG investigators believe Zinke lied to them during the inquiry, and the matter was referred to the Justice Department, the Post reported. Zinke last month told the Post that he did nothing wrong concerning his rejection of the casino request.
Source:Huffington Post
February 23, 2019 03:45 UTC
Elizabeth Warren opens door to reparations for Native Americans
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday evening that Native Americans should be “part of the conversation” on reparations, showing a willingness to expand the debate over whether minority groups that have faced discrimination should be financially compensated by the federal government. So far, Warren is the only one to entertain the notion of including Native Americans. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) and former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro both have said in vague terms that they support reparations for black Americans. Self-help guru Marianne Williamson has offered a detailed plan to give black Americans $100 billion. When asked to expand on her support for reparations, Warren offered no new details.
Source:Washington Post
February 23, 2019 03:44 UTC
Timberwolves, Without Towns for First Time in 304 Games, Top Knicks
Taj Gibson did not know when he drove by an accident back in Minnesota on Thursday that Karl-Anthony Towns had been involved. Gibson greeted his teammate with a hug when he saw him in New York, relieved Towns was O.K. Then Gibson helped the Timberwolves win the first time they had to play without Towns in 304 games. Derrick Rose scored 20 points against his former team, Gibson added a season-high 19, and Minnesota overcame the first missed game of Towns’s profession career to beat the host Knicks, 115-104, on Friday night. “It’s tough, but it just shows the resiliency that this team has, the number of guys that can step up,” Gibson said.
Source:New York Times
February 23, 2019 03:37 UTC
The Top Employee Mentoring Trends For 2019
Last October, I reviewed a study that had just come out from Endeavor highlighting the importance of quality mentoring for a startup’s success. Companies Will Begin Establishing Mentoring Cultures“We’re witnessing the distinct evolution of mentoring as a business tool. “Employees find that mentoring apps give them the flexibility they need to engage effectively in a mentoring program. There is a 72% retention rate for women who have gone through company mentoring programs. Mico-Mentoring Programs Will Thrive“Watch for an evolution in 2019 and beyond of an informal mentoring culture, where people move within and between explicit mentoring programs.
Source:Forbes
February 23, 2019 03:33 UTC
Dianne Feinstein scolds kids who pushed her to back Green New Deal: 'I know what I'm doing'
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein pulled rank Friday when a group of kids tried to school her on climate change. "You know what’s interesting about this group?," Feinstein said, in an interaction that was captured on video. DEMS DIVIDED ON GREEN NEW DEAL AFTER MITCH MCCONNELL RAMPS UP PRESSUREIn response to their request, Feinstein informs them that “We have our own Green New Deal.” And then came the point where Feinstein drew the line. CORY BOOKER CALLS WARNINGS ABOUT GREEN NEW DEAL PRICE TAG A 'LIE'Feinstein then replies: “Well, you know better than I do. I have been and remain committed to doing everything I can to enact real, meaningful climate change legislation,” she wrote.
Source:Fox News
February 23, 2019 03:29 UTC
Trump's wall prototypes to come down along US-Mexico border
The eight border-wall prototypes President Donald Trump inspected during a visit to California in March are going to be torn down to make way for a second barrier separating California and Mexico, the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Protection said Friday. Construction crews have replaced one layer of fencing along a 14-mile (23-kilometer) stretch of the border separating Mexico and California. Border Patrol Agent Theron Francisco said Friday it isn't clear when the prototypes will come down. Trump declared an emergency last week to shift billions of dollars to fund border wall construction. The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is set to vote next week on whether to block that declaration.
Source:Fox News
February 23, 2019 03:26 UTC
Bolton cancels South Korea trip to focus on Venezuela
(CNN) US national security adviser John Bolton has canceled his trip to South Korea next week, even as preparations ramp up for a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "Ambassador Bolton has canceled his travel to the Republic of Korea to focus on events in Venezuela," National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said in a statement. Bolton is still planning to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, with President Trump for the North Korea summit, which starts February 27, he said. Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence is expected to travel to Colombia in an effort to pressure embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down. And Elliott Abrams, the recently appointed US Special Representative for Venezuela, arrived in the Colombian border town of Cucuta Thursday.
Source:CNN
February 23, 2019 03:22 UTC
This Is The First Mammal That Climate Change Has Officially Driven To Extinction
A tiny island rodent, the Bramble Cay melomy, is considered the first mammal to be officially driven extinct as a result of human-driven climate change. The tiny rodent was found exclusively in Bramble Cay, a sovereign Australian island in the Torres Strait near Papua New Guinea. Bramble Cay melomys were first sighted in the 1800s and estimates from the 1970s suggested that the rodent population numbered in the hundreds. Although they have never been recorded there, the Bramble Cay melomys may still exist in one location: the Fly River delta in nearby Papua New Guinea. However, as the planet continues to warm, nearly 10% of species on Earth could be driven to extinction, further endangering this hypothetical melomy population.
Source:Forbes
February 23, 2019 03:22 UTC