This new VR controller solves the metaverse's most obvious issue

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This new VR controller solves the metaverse's most obvious issue FlipVR is a wearable controller that lets use your hands without having to take off your VR controller. Shiftall is hoping to solve one of VR’s simplest but most annoying problems at CES 2023: having to unstrap and put down your VR controller to use your hands. Continued here

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'The Bad Batch' Season 2 review: Star Wars canon is bent to its breaking point The more we learn about Stormtroopers and Clones, the less clear Star Wars history seems to be. In the ever-evolving story of Star Wars, it’s the little things that count. In The Book of Boba Fett, fans wondered about how the heck Luke even had Yoda’s small lightsaber. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ben broke tiny buttons on Darth Vader’s chest plate. Andor even gave us cogs that literally added up to the Death Star. But The Bad Batch chips away at our preconceived notions of Star Wars history, more than any of the other contemporary shows. And in the newly released second season, it does so in a small way that is actually bigger than it seems. Continued here

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L’Oréal’s makeup device could be a game changer for people with limited mobility The Hapta uses stabilizing technology that helps those with mobility issues apply makeup easily. L’Oréal debuted its handheld smart makeup applicator targeted specifically at those with limited hand and arm mobility. The Hapta makeup tool was designed by L’Oréal’s team of scientists and engineers and made its debut at CES 2023. Continued here

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Full Moon calendar 2023: When to see our nearest celestial neighbor 2023 is going to be a busy year for Earth’s satellite. One mission — the Japanese firm ispace’s Hakuto-R lander, named for the rabbit in the Moon in Japanese mythology – is already on its way, after launching on December 19. It should arrive, after a long, low-energy loop past the Moon, in time for the Flower Moon on May 5. The Indian Space Research Organization plans to join them with the Chandrayaan-3 lander in the summer, and Roscosmos’ Luna-25 probe, which has been in planning for over a quarter-century, should arrive at the crater Boguslawsky a little later. But from here on the ground, 2023 will also be a busy year for the Moon. There will be plenty of superMoons, eclipses, and the return of a Blue Moon — in 2022, the lunar cycles of 29.5 days matched up with the calendar, but 2023 (like 2021) sees an extra Full Moon sneak into August. Continued here

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The clitoris - a brief history “What’s the difference between a bar and clitoris? Most men have no trouble finding a bar.” In the world of humour, the clitoris remains a mystery: supposedly small, and so inevitably difficult to locate. “Which dinosaur will never be discovered? The Clitaurus.” O’Connell has described how her initial medical training used textbooks that never mentioned the clitoris and which regarded female genitalia as a “failure”. So she made it her mission to better understand this part of a woman’s body. Continued here

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3 Things Southwest Airlines Has to Do Right Now to Save Its Brand The airline sent out an email to customers, but still has a lot of work to do. Continued here

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How tracking technology is transforming our understanding of animal behaviour Biologging is the practice of attaching devices to animals so that scientific data can be collected. For decades, basic biologgers have been used to relay physiological data including an animal’s heart rate or body temperature. But now, new technologies are affording scientists a more advanced insight into the behaviour of animals as they move through their natural environment undisturbed. The tracking of individual animals also provides access to remote locations that are difficult to study. In particular, science has only a limited knowledge of marine environments – the surface of the moon has been mapped and studied more extensively than our own ocean floor. Continued here

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Northern Ireland reconciliation bill highlights complicated role of Catholic Church during the Troubles It has now been more than two decades since the signing of the Good Friday agreement in 1998, formally ending the Troubles in Northern Ireland. But the most recent attempt by the British government to “deal with the past” – the legacy and reconciliation bill – is itself provoking conflict. The bill, currently going through the House of Lords, seeks to “promote reconciliation” by establishing an Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. It plans to limit criminal investigations, legal proceedings, inquests and police complaints, extend the prisoner release scheme, and provide for experiences to be recorded and preserved and for events to be studied and memorialised. Continued here

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'Game of Thrones' spinoffs have been "shelved" — but there’s still hope Per George R.R. Martin, the Warner Bros. Discovery merger has shaken up the fantasy franchise’s plans. “What is dead may never die,” a phrase used by followers of the Drowned God on the Iron Islands, has found new meaning on the blog of A Song of Ice and Fire author and House of the Dragon co-creator George R.R. Martin. Continued here

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Putting the bones of giant, extinct 'thunderbirds' under the microscope reveals how they grew The largest flightless bird found anywhere in the world today is the ostrich. It stands about 2.5 metres tall and can weigh up to 240kg. But millions of years ago ostriches would have been dwarfed by several other flightless bird species. One was Dromornis stirtoni, nicknamed the thunderbird. It lived in the late Miocene period of Australia, about 8 million years ago. Another, Vorombe titan, lived far more recently in Madagascar, off the coast of southern Africa. It is thought to have gone extinct in the 17th century after encountering humans. Fossil finds suggest that both species stood about 3 metres tall and were more than double the mass of ostriches. Continued here

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This transforming moped is CES vaporware at its best Sometimes vaporware just hits home. Take, for example, the Tatamel Bike from Japanese startup, Icoma. This everything-moped, which we ogled for ourselves at CES 2023, is a lot of things. It’s customizable; it’s vaguely cyberpunk; it’s transformable; it’s a boatload of ideas that will probably never fully come to fruition. And you know what? that’s perfectly okay. Continued here

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Your ultimate 'Persona 3 Portable' quiz and exam cheat sheet With Persona 3 coming to Xbox Game Pass and Nintendo Switch, more people than ever will be able to play one of the franchise's most underrated entries. Just like the rest of the franchise, Persona 3 lets players live out an escapist video game fantasy of going to school, having a lot of anxiety about saying the right thing to people in hopes of becoming their friends, and answering a lot of questions over multiple pop quizzes and exams — Fun! Doing well on exams and answering surprise questions from teachers during school days will increase the protagonist’s charm and you the player will learn some fun facts along the way as a bonus. From April through January Persona 3 Portable will ask you to answer numerous questions. Here is your cheat sheet to get through the academic year without tanking your grade. Continued here

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L'organisation du Mondial de football apporte des avantages mais pas autant que les politiciens le pr La Coupe du monde de football a débuté le 20 novembre, avec comme match d'ouverture Qatar-Pays Bas. Elle s'achèvera le 18 décembre, avec la finale prévue au stade Lusail Iconic, d'une capacité de 80 000 places. Dans les semaines qui suivront, l'attention du monde entier se portera sur le Qatar, le plus petit pays en termes de superficie à accueillir l'événement. Ayant fait l'objet de nombreuses critiques depuis qu'il a remporté l'appel à candidature, il est probable que le Qatar veuille impressionner. Attendez-vous à du spectaculaire. Mais le Qatar n'est pas seulement présent sur tous les écrans de télévision ou de téléphone portable du monde. On s'attend à ce que plus d'un million de touristes fassent le voyage, soit une source d'injection bien nécessaire dans l'économie. En fait, le directeur de l'exploitation de Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, a clairement indiqué que l'objectif du Qatar était d'impressionner les visiteurs avec bien plus que du football. Au cours des derniers mois, de nouvelles plages, des parcs à thème et des hôtels de sports nautiques ont ouvert leurs portes. Et le 1er novembre a été ouvert le très attendu Lusail Winter Wonderland, une île pleine d'attractions touristiques qui, selon son site web, offre “l'ultime divertissement et célébration du style de vie”. Continued here

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Noise pollution: how the sounds of the city were redefined as 'urban music' in 1920s Japan Cash machines, elevators and escalators that talk. Jingles in department stores, train stations, supermarkets and shopping arcades. Loud speaker warnings about the dangers of riding on the bus or train, overlayed by sirens, car horns, traffic and pedestrians. “For a culture that places a high value on quiet,” US journalist Daniel Krieger once wrote, “Japan can get pretty noisy sometimes.” Japanese anti-noise campaigner Yoshimichi Nakajima talks about people being “pickled in noise”. He argues that at the core of his nation’s relationship with noise pollution lies passivity and ignorance. People in Japan pay no mind to the noise, he says – they barely notice it. Continued here

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Dell’s controller concept reimagines gaming with touchpads and scroll wheels The Concept Nyx controller introduces a fingerprint sensor, shift buttons, and scroll wheels. It may just be a concept, but Dell’s Concept Nyx controller does make us realize how much better gaming controllers could be. At CES 2023, Dell revealed its latest addition to its Concept Nyx line that teases all the next-gen concepts it’s working on. As the name suggests, these products are all conceptual but that can’t stop Dell or Alienware from introducing some of these designs into actual products. Continued here

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'1899's cancellation proves a sad truth about Netflix Back in 2017, Baran Bo Odar and Jantje Friese changed streaming audiences’ perception of international TV with Dark, the mind-bending German time travel series. After three successful seasons, it seemed like its creators would have a blank check to create a new franchise. Their follow-up was 1899, a multi-language maritime thriller and one of Netflix’s most anticipated shows. Like Dark, it was a slow-burn “mystery box” show, ending with a shocking reveal that was practically begging for a Season 2 renewal. But now the series has been unceremoniously canceled. What happened to prompt a flop from such proven talent? The issue isn’t the show itself, but the environment it was released into. Continued here

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The Instagram Reels Gold Rush When Christian Koch and Aren Andersen began making pop songs together, in early 2020, most everyone in Nashville gave them the same advice: coming up with quality songs was great, but if they wanted traction for their band, they needed to post on TikTok and Instagram. The content was less important than the frequency; the gold standard was four posts a day. Though the advice didn’t exactly testify to music’s transcendent power, it made some sense to Koch. Koch, who is twenty-five, had been promoting his solo music on Instagram for years. By October of 2021, he had more than twenty thousand followers, an audience that was large enough for Instagram to select him for the Reels Play Bonus, a new program that paid creators for the views they got on short-form videos known as Reels. Koch ignored the offer at first, but changed his mind and looked at what others were posting on Reels. The answer, in large part, was face-filter videos. Countless clips of people gazing at the camera as a question floated above their heads: “What Disney princess are you?” “How many children will you have?” “What astrological sign is your true love?” A few seconds later, the filter reveals a randomly generated answer (“Snow White!” “Twelve!” “Sagittarius!”) and those in front of the camera react as if they had won the lottery or sprained an ankle. Continued here

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One feral 'Marvel Snap' Zabu deck is the key to dominating the Savage Land The new Savage Land season of Marvel Snap is live, and it focuses on unleashing your inner beast. As part of Savage Land, the game has introduced Zabu, a card featuring the semi-popular sabretooth tiger from the comics. When mixed into the right deck, Zabu is invaluable and can easily catch your opponents off guard thanks to its unique ability. But how does Zabu work, which cards are the best alongside it, and what are some strategies to ensure victory? Here’s the best Zabu Marvel Snap deck and how to use it. As always, we’ve got a list of recommended cards to use alongside Zabu. Keep in mind, there’s plenty of room for experimentation here, so feel free to swap out other cards based on what you’ve unlocked so far. Continued here

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You need to play the best Star Wars game on PS Plus ASAP As a kid, I wanted to be a Jedi. As a fan of Star Wars, why wouldn’t I? I wasn’t alone — I had many friends who also bought toy lightsabers and rewatched the movies ad nauseam. But as a gamer, the hit-and-miss quality of Star Wars games made me dream of something better. That dream was realized in Respawn Entertainment’s 2019 title Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The Star Wars Soulslike is the best Jedi game ever made. Better still, and during the month of January, it is free for PlayStation Plus subscribers. I am one with the force — Before Disney bought Star Wars, the canon of the universe was a mess, to put it kindly. Stretched out over decades of films, books, comics, and video games, nothing was quite clear or set in stone. It felt like each story took place in the creator's own little imagination of the Star Wars universe without making larger connections that tied everything together. Continued here

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“Theater of the Mind” Invites Audiences to Revisit—and Rethink—Their Past On a recent Friday evening, in Denver, I joined a small gathering of mourners in an elegantly furnished funeral parlor. My name for the evening was Emma—at least according to the nametag I had selected at random from a basket in an anonymous anteroom before walking into the chapel. A bald gentleman in a yellow hoodie whose nametag read "Ophelia" nodded at me solemnly as I sat down in front of a shiny casket. But who was inside? And what, exactly, were we there to mourn? "Theater of the Mind," a new theatrical production—co-created by the musician, producer, and polymath artist David Byrne and the author, investment manager, and philanthropist Mala Gaonkar—opened last September, in north Denver's York Street Yards, after a lengthy delay owing to COVID-19. It's an ambitious addition to the crowded and increasingly popular genre of immersive art. Aimed at dissolving conventional boundaries between art work and spectator, thus indulging a through-the-looking-glass fantasy that many of us haven't entirely outgrown, these high-concept interactive experiences can include everything from elaborate sculptural installations (e.g., Yayoi Kusama's infinity rooms, Carsten Höller's giant slides) to high-tech digital projections, augmented-reality technology, and interactive performances. Currently, in Denver, one can wander among van Gogh's sunflowers ("Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit"), navigate a Jungian dreamscape (Spectra Art Space's "Spookadelia: The Wakening"), or join a pilgrimage through a psychedelic-art multiverse (Meow Wolf Denver's "Convergence Station"), all on a single Saturday. Whatever the framing device, the effect is one of disorientation, of being removed from our usual bearings in order to shift our perception of reality—or at least to take some excellent selfies. Continued here

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Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Says 1 Fundamental Choice Separates Those Who Achieve From Those Who Only Dream According to Bezos, gifts are great, but your choices define you. Continued here

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Kevin McCarthy Fails Math for First Time Since High School WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a historic setback, Representative Kevin McCarthy has failed a math test for the first time since high school. Witnesses in Congress said that the California lawmaker sat ashen-faced as it appeared that, once again, he was no match for arithmetic. Continued here

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'GTA 6' release date, locations, and rumors for Rockstar's next crime epic The GTA 6 rumor mill never stops churning. Rockstar finally announced the next installment of its blockbuster Grand Theft Auto series in 2022 (kinda), but with few solid details about gameplay or the faintest whiff of a release date, speculation still runs rampant. Despite the lack of official comment, a good deal about what GTA 6 might be has been revealed in bombshell leaks and reports in the past few years. With the ten-year anniversary of GTA 5 quickly approaching, 2023 might be the year we finally learn more about the next entry in the series. Rockstar has not announced a GTA 6 release date, or even a tentative release window. However, the anticipated launch is one of the biggest sources of speculation around the game. Continued here

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Kaleidoscope's non-linear "ending," explained Kaleidoscope is an experimental show. By changing the order episodes appear in viewers’ profiles, Netflix can give different viewers wildly different experiences. However, every Netflix account still ends on the same episode, “White,” which covers the actual heist the series circles around. But while “White” is the last episode in your account, it’s not the last episode chronologically. Here’s everything you need to know about Kaleidoscope’s ending, from where we saw the characters last to what happens in the show’s final moments. Continued here

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Disabled young people have less upward social mobility than their peers - and class background makes this worse Intergenerational social mobility compares the social position of an individual with that of their parents. It tells us who gets ahead and who is held back. As such, it is widely regarded as a measure of societal “fairness” and “openness”. This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life. Continued here

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'Black Panther 2's Disney Plus release date revealed — and it’s worse than expected Update: Disney has officially revealed that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be streaming on Disney+ starting on February 1. That’s a lot later than originally projected since Disney’s theatrical window would have allowed the Marvel movie to arrive on streaming in late December. While we don’t know why February 1 was selected, it likely means that the movie is still making enough money in theaters to push back its Disney+ debut by an extra month. When will Black Panther: Wakanda Forever be on Disney+? The new Marvel movie is currently in theaters, but if you’re still avoiding crowded indoor spaces and just prefer watching movies from the comfort of your couch, you’ll probably want to wait until Black Panther 2 arrives on streaming. Continued here

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In defence of rodents - why healthy ecosystems need them Programme Officer, SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, International Union for the Conservation of Nature Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, International Union for the Conservation of Nature Continued here

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Why Fusion Energy Is a Game Changer for Every Business Our way of life depends on energy supply. Here's why fusion energy will change everything. Continued here

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An Action Plan for Cyber Resilience The NotPetya malware attack of 2017 encrypted the systems and disrupted the operations of global businesses, starting in Ukraine and spreading rapidly to over 60 countries around the world. Global shipping company Maersk, one of the worst hit, ultimately needed to rebuild its entire IT infrastructure. In the nine days it took to get its systems back online, the company struggled to continue operations using manual workarounds that teams came up with on the fly. In the end, the incident cost Maersk nearly $300 million. A more recent ransomware attack shut down the operations of JBS USA, the largest U.S. meatpacker, and other attacks have affected hundreds more companies. In late 2021, for instance, the Log4j vulnerability allowed adversaries to embed malware and take control of millions of Java applications developed over the past decade. These widespread incidents have proved that successful cyberattacks are inevitable. Given that it’s impossible to protect against all new cyberattacks, it has become critical for companies to reduce the impact of cyber breaches by focusing on cyber resilience. Cyber resilience requires a systematic, structured, adaptive approach and cannot be relegated to the office of the CIO or chief information security officer. Because it potentially involves all parts of the business, it must be led by the C-suite and board. Continued here

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The Warm Glow of the Blog-Rock Era On the band Voxtrot’s recent reunion tour, the experience of the audience members was shaped, more than usual, by age. Because the band hasn’t toured or released new music for the past twelve years, younger fans got the thrill of watching an act they’ve only ever known in the past tense. For the older folks in the crowds––the demographic in which, at thirty-eight, I am forced to count myself––the thrill came from seeing history resurrected. The music carried us back to 2007: to our twenties, to college, to crushes and heartbreak, and, perhaps most of all, to the desire to have those tumultuous feelings captured, stoked, and soothed by song. For some of us, the nostalgia had another layer: Voxtrot’s songs summoned memories of an online musical ecosystem, a way of finding and relating to bands online, that vanished long ago. I caught the tour in Chicago, on a Friday in October. Stepping onto the stage, the band’s front man, singer, and songwriter, Ramesh Srivastava, peered out into the crowd. “We’ve been away for a long time!” he said, sounding happy and slightly mystified. Voxtrot formed in 2002, while its members were still in college. In 2005 and 2006, the band, based out of Austin, released two five-song EPs on its own record label; Srivastava’s dad lent them money for some of their earliest recordings. These early releases sounded as if they’d been made by eager students of the Smiths and Belle and Sebastian who were bursting with ideas––lyrics, hooks, buildups, climaxes––and eager to use them, quickly. A typical Voxtrot song held several normal pop tunes’ worth of ingredients, smushed together by enthusiasm, dense but simultaneously jaunty. The recordings had a rough-and-ready patina that evoked the experience of hearing the band next door playing in the basement but having the best rehearsal of all time. Continued here

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You need to watch the best class-warfare thriller on HBO Max ASAP Few subjects excite filmmakers like a chance to take a shot at the rich. That’s been true since Hollywood’s earliest days, and not much has changed over a century later. It’s an understandable obsession, because there’s not much that audiences seem to love more than sitting back and laughing at the misfortunes of the world’s elite. Few recent movies have taken such specific shots at the rich and oblivious as The Menu. The Mark Mylod-directed thriller is set in the costly world of high-end dining, and features everything from monologues about Taco Tuesday knife fights to jokes about the suffocating weight of student debt. And at its center is an unforgettable performance from Ralph Fiennes, in a strange and compelling role you can now witness on HBO Max. Continued here

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27 years later, the most important strategy RPG got the remake it deserves Every once in a while, there’s a game that comes to define an entire genre, like Super Metroid and Metroidvania or Dark Souls the Soulslike. For tactical RPGs, that same idea applies to Tactics Ogre, a seminal title that would influence the genre for decades to come. Even modern releases like Triangle Strategy build upon the foundation set by the original Tactics Ogre. It’s a daunting task to think about changing that kind of nostalgic experience, but somehow, Square Enix managed to not only capture the spirit of the original but also create an integrally new experience with Tactics Ogre Reborn. “Since there are various systems and elements, we tried to keep it simple while maintaining or even increasing the depth of the game,” lead game designer Naoyuki Takahashi tells Inverse. Continued here

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4 Tests To Get Your Work Right Be a passionate leader in your field and seek out colleagues and clients you like and respect. The money will follow. Continued here

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Global economy 2023: Why central banks face an epic battle against inflation amid political obstacles Where is the global economy heading in 2023? After all the challenges of last year, it’s a question we ask with trepidation. Just as the economy was dealing with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February ramped up inflation. Significant rises in the cost of vital items such as food and energy created a cost of living crisis that has engulfed households and businesses. Central banks reacted with a raft of interest-rate hikes, while a wave of industrial action saw workers in many countries fighting for pay and conditions to keep pace with this new economic era. Continued here

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A record-breaking number of women were elected governor in 2022 - here are 7 things to know about how that happened Twelve women won a governor’s office in the November 2022 midterm election. Those 12 represent a record number of women governors, more than one-quarter of the 46 women who have ever served as governor since 1974. A governor heads a state’s executive branch. While their powers vary, governors are essential in writing and passing a state’s budget, shaping legislative priorities, signing bills into law and appointing top officials in the executive branch. Continued here

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The crucial link between motivation and self-awareness At the start of a new year, many of us are naturally thinking of our goals for the months ahead. And as we do so, it’s worth paying attention not just about the challenges themselves, but also the reasons we are taking them on.  If you plan to write a novel, for example, are you doing it for the sheer pleasure of creating a fictional world inhabited by curious characters? Or are you doing it because you love literature, and want to make a valuable contribution to your culture? Perhaps you simply want to prove to yourself that you are capable of being published, or maybe you yearn for fame, and writing a best-seller feels like a great path to recognition? Continued here

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Wahine of the waves: how women broke down the boys' club barriers to surf lifesaving in NZ Hanging out at the beach, body surfing, boogie boarding or just cooling off in frothy waves under a hot sun are all part of a typical Kiwi summer. But with an extensive coastline, plenty of hazardous surf and a poor water safety record, swimming between red and yellow flags under the watchful gaze of surf lifesavers is a reassuring part of the experience. Over the years, brave and capable lifeguards have saved thousands of lives. Continued here

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What's taking Canada's Armed Forces so long to tackle sexual misconduct? Sexual violence in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is a common, dominant and serious issue that has severe consequences for victims — not to mention its impact on unit cohesion and morale. Workplace violence is an ever present issue in Canadian society, impacting nearly three-quarters of Canada’s workers. Measures must be taken to treat any workplace violence as a public health issue. Continued here

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New Hubble image reveals a glittering starburst exploding deep within the Milky Way These New Year’s Day fireworks, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope, are a little late ‚ but in their defense, they had to travel 50,000 light years to get here. Globular cluster NGC 6355 contains millions of stars, bound together by their mutual gravity. The universe loves a good sphere, and densely-packed star clusters like NGC 6355 are no exception. Whether you’re talking about a small planet or a gigantic star cluster, gravity causes all the mass in an object to fall toward the center; when all the mass is trying to get as close to the middle as possible, it ends up in the most compact shape possible, with every point on its surface at an equal distance from the center: a sphere. And in this case, the result is a blazing ball of light, recently imaged in dazzling detail by Hubble. Continued here

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Love and sex in 2022: The five biggest lessons of the year The ways we think about sex and love are always evolving, constantly influenced by cultural, political and global happenings.  This year was no different. Much of that influence particularly spread online, especially in communities by and for those who identify across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Meanwhile, ripple effects from the self-reflection undertaken throughout the Covid-19 pandemic continued to rock the wider dating world, resulting in more intentional practices. People thought more about who they wanted to date, and how they wanted to do it.  Continued here

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Who is and isn't suited to barefoot running? And if I want to try, how do I start? Kathryn Mills has received in-kind support from the New Balance Global Scientific Award. She is the current chair of the International Footwear Biomechanics Group, which is a volunteer role. You might have noticed a buzz on social media about barefoot running, with many proponents breathlessly describing it as the most natural way to run. Continued here

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Speaker of the House faces political peril from member deaths and resignations - especially with a narrow majority The arm-twisting, dealmaking and vote hunting around Kevin McCarthy’s quest to be named House speaker have put on full display the fact that razor-thin majorities in both the House and the Senate are becoming a fact of life at the federal level. In multiple ballots conducted on Jan. 3, 2023 to elect the speaker of the House, McCarthy failed to get the required number of votes. Additional balloting is expected in the race for speaker. Continued here

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Americans are taking more control over their work lives - because they have to One thing that’s become clear in the past few tumultuous – and for many, traumatic – years is that it’s easy to feel like there is no control in our lives. Control is a basic psychological need that helps people feel like they have agency, from how they live to where they work. One area where people have tried to wrestle back control is around work. The pandemic accelerated a development that began years ago when workers realized they needed to take on more responsibility for directing their careers. This major shift reflects a potentially exciting but also unnerving reality for millions of workers. Continued here

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Many Turkish people who migrated to European countries are worse off than those who stayed at home Even if there are some non-monetary benefits of staying in the destination country, such as living in a more orderly environment, this raises fundamental questions. Primarily, why are 79% of the first-generation men who contributed to the growth of Europe by taking on some of the dirtiest, riskiest manual jobs – like working in asbestos processing and sewage canals – still living in income poverty? There is a strong indication that the European labour markets and welfare states are failing migrants and their descendants. In my recent book, Poverty and International Migration, I examined the poverty status of three generations of migrants from Turkey to multiple European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. I compared them with the “returnees” who moved back to Turkey and the “stayers” who have never left the country. Continued here

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The 18th-Century clothing that reveals hidden truths The history of colonial Latin America is one with which the world is unfamiliar – yet a new exhibition at the Blanton Museum of Art uses the visual representation of clothing and textiles in an attempt to rectify that. Painted Cloth: Fashion and Ritual in Colonial Latin America focuses on the 1700s, a time when Spain was tightening its grip on its territories in the face of increasing French influence. The Casta paintings featured in the exhibition, which take their name from the casta system that the Spanish authorities invented to define a hierarchy of race, are particularly eye-opening. The genre emerged in what is now Mexico, and to a lesser extent Peru, in the 18th Century. Created in series, with an occasional multi-image single panel, the paintings were intended to illustrate the diversity of ethnicities living in the region, and the mixed races that resulted from their unions. They reveal the existence of a racially diverse and integrated population, the extent of which may well surprise contemporary audiences, while also inviting questions about modern-day attitudes to race and racism. Continued here

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How Sustainable Packaging is Building Brands Up in Consumers' Eyes Latest data underscores sustainability's influence in brand-building. Continued here

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Why you should give the gift of mindfulness this New Year The start of another year can feel magical to many of us. Even though the days remain short and dark, the flip of the calendar can make it seem new beginnings with new resolutions are possible. But a key to ensuring that resolutions stick is to choose one that will make a meaningful difference in your life. Seeing a real, tangible benefit can provide inspiration to keep going when all of life is telling us to let things go back to how they were before. Continued here

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Essential Leadership Tips from Playing Pickleball Leadership and Pickleball. They're both harder than expected and follow the same principles to win. Continued here

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Behind the Humiliation of Kevin McCarthy Robin Kelly, the Democratic representative of Illinois’s Second District, had the right idea when she headed into the House chamber early Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve got my popcorn ready,” she joked on Twitter, where she also posted a picture of herself just outside the Speaker’s lobby. No wonder Kelly and other Democrats were giddy. Not in a hundred years had it been such fun to be in the new minority party. When the voting to choose the next Speaker began, it turned out to be even more humiliating than expected for Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who had been confidently predicting a victory despite steadfast opposition from some of the ultra wingnuts in the G.O.P. conference. Until Monday, the most embarrassing moment of McCarthy’s career was when, three weeks after January 6th, he hightailed it down to Mar-a-Lago to pay homage to the disgraced instigator of a failed autogolpe. To a slave to ambition like McCarthy, though, that exercise in public self-abasement probably paled beside seeing Hakeem Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, get nine votes more than he did—even though Republicans had won a narrow majority in the new House. Continued here

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Kick up your heels - ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia Social ballroom dancing can improve cognitive functions and reduce brain atrophy in older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s the key finding of my team’s recently published study in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. In our study, we enrolled 25 adults over 65 years of age in either six months of twice-weekly ballroom dancing classes or six months of twice-weekly treadmill walking classes. None of them were engaged in formal dancing or other exercise programs. Continued here

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Samsung’s next big thing could be foldable and slidable tablets If you think phones, tablets, and laptops have reached their final form factors, think again. At CES 2023, Samsung Display is showing off a screen called the “Flex Hybrid” that can fold and slide. It looks as ridiculous as it sounds. Unlike TCL, which announced plans to make a rollable phone but never did, and LG, which had a functional rollable phone called the LG Rollable, but then dropped out of making smartphones altogether, the adventurous folks at Samsung could actually put the folding and sliding display in a device — some day. Samsung, after all, is no stranger to pushing the envelope with experimental form factors with devices like the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4. Continued here

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The 'forgettables': 5 Australian prime ministers you may not know much about PhD Candidate, School of History, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University The idea of a “forgotten prime minister” may seem laughable. For Australian historians, it is the governed rather than the governors who need rescuing “from the enormous condescension of posterity” as the English historian E. P. Thompson famously put it. Continued here

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Stiff-person syndrome: Two brain scientists explain Celine Dion’s rare diagnosis The announcement by celebrated singer Celine Dion in early December 2022 that she has stiff-person syndrome — a rare neurological condition — stunned the world and led to an outpouring of support for the French Canadian star. Until Dion’s revelation, most people had probably never heard of the condition. Worldwide, the stiff-person syndrome affects only about 1 in a million people, mostly between the ages of 20 and 50, with twice as many women as men having the condition. Continued here

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Make Your Startup Stand Out Without Spending a Fortune You don't need consultants but you do need to brush up on your problem-solving. Continued here

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Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest during 'Monday Night Football' could be commotio cordis or a more common condition - a heart doctor answers 4 questions Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, collapsed on the field during a Monday night football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. Medical staff gave Hamlin CPR and shocked him with a defibrillator, restarting his heart’s normal rhythm. News outlets immediately began speculating that Hamlin may have suffered from commotio cordis – a potentially lethal stoppage of the heart caused by a strong impact to a person’s chest. The next day, the Bills announced that Hamlin had indeed experienced “cardiac arrest” but did not confirm whether the cause was commotio cordis. Continued here

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Radicalism, feminism and family puzzles: why Wilkie Collins is so much more than a mystery writer Wilkie Collins had the longest writing career of any major mid-19th-century English novelist, writing short stories and novels from 1844 to 1889. Literary criticism, however, has traditionally seen him as only notable for his two mystery novels, The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868). While these are some of the century’s earliest, and best mysteries, praising only them ignores the social and political themes common in Collins’s work, especially his later novels. Continued here

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A stunning 'Tears of the Kingdom' Switch OLED has leaked — what to know Zelda fans might want to start saving up for a new Switch. Rumor has it that a Nintendo Switch OLED inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will launch near the same time as the game’s release. This isn’t the first special edition Nintendo Switch based on one of the company’s IPs, considering the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch and Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED in recent history. The leaks look pretty credible, considering how difficult it is to forge box art and polished custom designs like those in the photos, too. Continued here

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Cosy gaming: how curling up with Animal Crossing is changing what it means to be a gamer Where once the finishing touch for our sofa-based oasis may have been a book or a romantic comedy, consumers are increasingly reaching for their Nintendo Switch or laptops to enjoy the comforting monotony of low stakes and high rewards. “Cosy gaming”, as it has been dubbed by players, can best be understood by the games associated with it. Chief among these are Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stardew Valley, The Sims and Spiritfarer. Continued here

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GE's new neon-esque smart lights can bend into different shapes GE is expanding its smart light offerings with Cync Dynamic Effects — app-enabled bulbs with a focus on entertainment. I’m a sucker for a good smart light. Even if smart home technology hasn’t quite revolutionized our lives in the ways we thought it would, the one thing I consistently rely on at home is the ability to set a vibe (or turn said vibe off/on) with a voice assistant. Continued here

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New experiment may challenge a key principle of life on early Mars Minerals previously thought to be evidence of an oxygen-rich atmosphere, suitable for life as we know it, may actually suggest the opposite. Mars didn’t have an oxygen-rich atmosphere 3.5 billion years ago after all, according to a recent lab experiment. Continued here

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The 6 most intriguing indie games of 2023 Major publishers and first-party studios already have a huge lineup for 2023, but some of the most exciting games of the year are coming from indie developers. Continued here

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The spectacle of anonymity: how the mask became a way for celebrities to control their image Celebrity has always existed in one form or another. Across history, the likeness of kings, queens and nobility, deities, popes, and saints have been the subject of countless works of art. Painted portraits, carvings in walls, verses in songs and stanzas in poems stand as testament to our enduring fascination with the human face. Some faces, such as that belonging to Helen of Troy, were so famous they are claimed, as English poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe wrote, to have “launched a thousand ships”. Continued here

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Micro-aggressions are repeated acts that send women backwards. Here's how micro-accommodations can fight back When I was ten, I was the only female member of an all-boys sports team, and the boys liked to remind me of it, and that it would be better if I just went home. It is also how many of us used to think about racism and sexism – as involving big, conscious signals of hatred or exclusion. Continued here

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Malaysia's 15th General Election: How a less influential Islamic party becomes the largest one in parliament International Fellow, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University Malaysia’s fifteenth general election, held in late November, is arguably the most historic in the country’s history. For the first time, no coalition managed to secure a parliamentary majority, resulting in a hung federal parliament. Continued here

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Kids driving you crazy? Try these science-backed anger management tips for parents You’re running late for work, your eight-year-old can’t find the homework they were supposed to have put in their school bag last night, your four-year-old objects to the blue t-shirt you’d prepared and wants the other shade of blue, and then you step on a Lego piece that didn’t get packed away when you asked. Even if you haven’t encountered this exact situation, just thinking about it might raise your hackles. Parenting comes with many emotions. Anger and frustration are not uncommon and may have been exacerbated by the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued here

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How 19th-century Victorians' wellness resolutions were about self-help -- and playful ritual fun PhD Candidate in Victorian Literature and English Instructor, University of Toronto “I am resolved throughout the year / To lay my vices on the shelf,” begins “New Year Resolutions.” Continued here

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Are black holes time machines? Yes, but there's a catch Black holes form natural time machines that allow travel to both the past and the future. But don’t expect to be heading back to visit the dinosaurs any time soon. At present, we don’t have spacecraft that could get us anywhere near a black hole. But, even leaving that small detail aside, attempting to travel into the past using a black hole might be the last thing you ever do. Continued here

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Learn to Lead from the Inside Out First, answer this provocative question.Continued here S28 Australians pay $163 a month on average to store all the stuff we buy - how can we stop overconsuming? Many of us are drowning in “stuff”. To find space for all our possessions, we are paying off-site storage companies. Australians spend an average of A$163 per month on self-storage, one recent survey found. The number one item stored in these facilities is furniture. Other items we cannot fit in our houses include appliances and electronics, hobby items, sports equipment, collectibles, memorabilia, books and photographs, cars and wine. Continued here S30 Fears about RSV, flu and winter viruses can cause parental stress. Try these 4 expert tips to balance mental wellness and health risks Associate Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba Pediatric emergency departments and clinics have been overcrowded with the dramatic increase in child respiratory viruses, leaving many families anxious about caring for sick kids. Continued here Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Tweets Tweets follow me on Twitter Microsoft Silverlight - Change the World Connect with Me Random Hacks! - My Blog @ MSDN Loading... Where Dreamers Dare! Loading... About Me Sayan Will copy and paste later from my official biography! 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