In order to legally comply with new state legislation, a school district in Iowa is using ChatGPT to decide which titles should be removed from school libraries. The AI was used for textual analysis, and flagged books include "The Color Purple," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Friday Night Lights." All of these have been taken out of Mason City's 7-12th grade collections and stored as educators “await further guidance or clarity.”
#Books #Bookstodon #Libraries #AI
Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose life was depicted in Oscar-winning "The Blind Side," has filed a petition alleging he was never adopted. He claims that the central storyline of the movie was a lie concocted by his "adoptive parents," Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, to enrich their family at his expense. ESPN has the full story.
#Sports #Movies #Celebrity
Child soldiers have patrolled Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens since 1844, protecting people from...what, exactly? Fodor's tells us more: https://flip.it/RzRx1V
#Culture #Travel #Copenhagen #Europe
Robertson leaves behind a massive body of work. nostr:npub1szzwzg2qx07u977tu4fcz6e0y5jgpuv5dg87wrfa5xy0l044xywskxg5lr has listed 20 essential songs here.
#RobbieRobertson #Music #Entertainment #RIP
Since its release last year, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” has been celebrated as a love letter to Black queer dance culture. But O’Shae Sibley’s killing is a poignant reminder of the ways that Black queer lives remain in jeopardy. Here’s more from 19thnews.org: https://flip.it/gVGeZ_
#Culture #Queer #Beyonce #Music #OShaeSibley
“Once you have a Disney wedding, you’re just addicted and you want another one,” says Shellie, who calls herself “The Serial Bride” online. Shellie and her husband have had four such weddings. To some, these decisions are confusing, but that won’t stop them from having from planning their fifth and sixth Disney ceremonies. NBC News tells us more: https://flip.it/1qH_dY
#Culture #Wedding #Disney #DisneyWorld
These indigenous tour guides are showing travelers how to protect the Amazon. “We want to end the circus of predatory tourism.” Here’s more from The Thrillist.
#Culture #Travel #AmazonForest
As the week draws to a close, here's a story about the practice of "dusking" — mindful observation of the transition from day to night, meant to help us reconnect to nature, appreciate the subtlety of twilight, and enjoy stillness.
#Mindfulness #Meditation #MentalHealth #DigitalDetox
Hollywood has already been scanning the bodies and faces of background actors, who now worry that this technology will be used to create digital avatars that will replace them. NPR talked to actors about the process, and took a look at how generative AI makes this different from the digital crowd creation that's been done by studios for years.
#Hollywood #Entertainment #HollywoodStrikes #SAGAFTRA
Hollywood has already been scanning the bodies and faces of background actors, who now worry that this technology will be used to create digital avatars that will replace them. NPR talked to
actors about the process, and took a look at how generative AI makes this different from the digital crowd creation that's been done by studios for years.
#Hollywood #Entertainment #HollywoodStrikes #SAGAFTRA
Black zoologist and comparative psychologist Charles Henry Turner died 100 years ago. He did important, extensive research into the cognitive abilities of spiders and bees, yet his career was constrained and achievements largely forgotten because of racism. Now, his work is beginning to regain recognition. nostr:npub1wugzrsdsedpljlzz2rj852j06llvxcsdzg87w0e8h33yemg7j48sm7zl6t takes a look at his legacy.
#History #Culture #BlackMastodon #Science
nostr:npub10pr5enentc8mqgewf82cjfzyf3ztxz4c0f76rxtp6kxt3u78fy6qqgqn7d The cast may be wearing Star Trek uniforms but this is not my Star Trek.
nostr:npub1l9sd5x6xxfhaxghmp8ej0wwryp75m0ny0uu3ds7q32d2qcykw5ysejseca There was a big dollop of skepticism when we first posted about this. It seems to have been well reviewed though.
The musical episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" landed yesterday. Showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers talked to IndieWire about how it got made, and the challenges of working with a cast of varied vocal skill, from the polish of Rebecca Romijn (First Officer Una Chin-Riley) to Anson Mount (Capt. Pike), whose most notable on-screen singing was in a car with Britney Spears in 2002’s “Crossroads."
#Entertainment #TV #StarTrek #StrangeNewWorlds
The Booker Prize longlist for 2023 has been announced. It comprises 13 titles, including four debut novels. Here's who made the cut, and how the judging panel, helmed by novelist Esi Edugyan, made their selection. “All 13 novels cast new light on what it means to exist in our time, and they do so in original and thrilling ways," Edugyan says.
#Books #Bookstodon #BookerPrize #Culture