Using social media platforms for long periods has little to no association with mental health indicators like depression, anxiety and stress, according to new research. However, another recently published study found that men risk developing unhealthy obsessions with physique if they place too much importance on likes and comments.

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Category: Wellness & Healthy Living, Body & Mind

Tags: mental health, Social media, Psychology, Curtin University, University of South Australia

Ever been caught in the crossfire of a wet dog firing droplets of water away from their fur with a mad shake? Well, they can't help it. Scientists have discovered the underlying mechanism that drives dogs – and many other hairy mammals – to vigorously shake water out of their fur, in a fascinating look at the genetics that trigger this involuntary behavior.

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Category: Biology, Science

Tags: Harvard, Neural Network, Neuroscience, Genetics, Evolution, Dogs, Animal science

Wenn ein europäisches Telekommunikationsunternehmen ein anderes kaufen will, ist das nicht so einfach. Swisscom hat weitere Genehmigungen für den Kauf von Vodafone Italia erhalten.

Even before Israel finished the task of ethnically cleansing the Palestinian people during the Nakba, the nascent country almost immediately entered into a civil war.

APCR is pleased to announce the acquittal of Nazmuddin alias Bhola and Mohd Ajeej, who were arrested in February 2020 in connection with the North-East Delhi riots. They faced charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 2,000-year-old temple off the coast of the city of Pozzuoli, Italy, which has remained untouched for centuries.

Google is planning to introduce digital wallets for children's accounts, allowing parents to manage their kids' allowance through Google Wallet.

PC manufacturers often load new computers with extra software, or "bloatware," which can bog down system performance. Clearing out these unwanted apps can free up storage space and boost speed.

(Telecompaper) Amdocs has announced a five-year extension of its contract with Vodafone Italia to update the operator's IT systems...

(Telecompaper) The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) in India has launched its first round of support...

(Telecompaper) Zain Group subsidiary ZainTech has agreed a deal for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to integrate Tencent Cloud's Digital Twin technology...

(Telecompaper) Telia Estonia has opened its new shop and service centre in the commercial centre Viru Keskus in the city of Tallinn...

(Telecompaper) New Ugandan operator Talkio Mobile has launched a festive campaign giving over 10,000 customers who book a Talkio SIM online automatic entry to a...

(Telecompaper) Italy has become the cheapest country for postpaid mobile services in Western Europe, following the launch of Iliad there as the fourth operator, according to the latest research by Telecompaper. The market researcher's annual comparison of mobile prices across 16 European countries also shows that...

Spotify heeft er in het derde kwartaal 14 miljoen maandelijks actieve gebruikers bijgekregen, waarmee het totale aantal luisteraars wereldwijd op 640 miljoen kwam, een stijging van 11 procent ten opzichte van een jaar eerder...

(Telecompaper) Swisscom has submitted a second set of remedies with a view to securing the approval of the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) for its intended...

(Telecompaper) France's leading TV channel TF1 said that viewers of its TF1+ streaming service can now access over 2,000 hours of additional content following a distribution partnership with Franco-German TV network Arte. As part of the agreement, the entire offering within the Arte.tv platform will be available...

(Telecompaper) Satellite broadcaster Sky Italia has launched new Black Friday offers for its 'Sky Wifi' fixed broadband plus pay-TV plans. There are no activation fees and the promos are available online until Cyber Monday (02 December).

To our readers outside of Mumbai, we apologise. Let there be no doubt, we had an absolute blast last month letting a Lamborghini V10 sing its greatest hits through the acoustic chamber that is India’s first undersea tunnel – part of Mumbai’s Coastal Road project. But we concede that some of you who don’t live here, engineering feat aside, might have wondered what all the fuss was about. Allow us to explain.

In other big metros, huge road infra is not unusual; heck, the average service road in Delhi is wider than parts of our Western Express Highway. For us Mumbaikars, then, a big new road is nothing short of a revelation. The reason is simple – Mumbai is a collection of islands, conjoined artificially, that snakes southward in a roughly peninsular shape parallel to mainland India. And it’s narrow, dense and heavily built up, which is why we can’t have wide roads or endless flyovers. The Coastal Road project posits the solution of transplanting the highway alongside the city, in the Arabian Sea no less; and for the 2km stretch we drove last month, underneath it.

For now, the only part of this ambitious new project open to the public is the southernmost section, connecting the hub suburb of Worli to the Princess Street junction at Marine Drive, just before the busy business district of Nariman Point. Eventually, the Coastal Road will join up to the northern suburbs as well, but even this small patch is said to have eased up congestion considerably on this final leg of the officegoer’s commute. But just how much has it eased up?

It’s Nikhil’s first time on the new road and suffice it to say, the sheer magnitude makes it a little distracting. The two-lane on-ramp takes a cautiously wide and gentle curve, and moments later comes a sight none of us have ever seen before. It’s our familiar city from an entirely different angle and perspective, and not since the Bandra-Worli Sea Link opened 14 years ago have we been hit with such a sense of novelty. He’s also having to remind himself that the speed limit has gone up to 80kph, which was thus far unheard of in the heart of the city, and possible thanks to the 3-lane width of this new road.

Moments later, he’s soaring past the NSCI stadium and Mahalaxmi Race Course on his left, and water-locked Haji Ali Dargah is below him on the right. This is proving to be less a race, and more an exercise in time travel. All around, one can see new on-and-off ramps ribboning into view and joining up with the main road, the impact of which is only amplified by the sea all around. Even at this early stage of development, you can see the new walking promenade and parks being built alongside, which should add some greenery to this monument in concrete.

Next thing you know, the final off-ramp to Breach Candy (and several other affluent SoBo neighbourhoods) flits by, and in the distance, the mouth of the tunnel appears. That can’t be right. Nikhil checks his watch in disbelief, and indeed, it’s only 9:55am. Five minutes from Worli to Breach Candy! Yes, there’s a bit of traffic now as all the tributaries have joined the river, but it’s hardly what you’d call bumper-to-bumper.

The speed limit drop from 80 to 60 in the tunnel feels agonising, especially when we saw what a Lambo unleashed felt like just last month. But then, as they hop onto Marine Drive where the old and new roads meet, the traffic is back! The final 2km is the same as it ever was – a crawl past Wankhede and Brabourne stadiums into the crowded business district and our destination. Still, it must be better than the classic route, right?

Well, no actually. Having broken off from the Tucson at Worli, the Comet and I are buzzing down past the Nehru Science Centre, with only a few meandering cabbies slowing us down. I drive past the second on-ramp to the new road that I’m tempted to take, but of course, I can’t. From this angle, too, seeing the ‘spaghetti junction’ of ramps over the bay is an astonishing sight; the horizon I’ve grown up with is altered forever. But even amidst the wonder, I can’t help but realise, I’m making good time. It’s at the popular Heera Panna shopping centre junction that I realise my biggest downfall will be stop lights, and every moment sitting still reminds me that the new road is signal free.

Instead, I find him still in discussion with the photographers and crew, preparing them for the money shot of my arrival – something they thought wouldn’t happen for a while longer. I see visible bewilderment as I park alongside the Tucson and step outside. “Did you also take the Coastal Road?” Nikhil asks. Surely it wasn’t that close; 15 minutes apart? 12?

Also see:

Howling through the Mumbai Coastal Road Tunnel in a Lamborghini Huracan Video

Driving on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link video

How Indian designers are using the flexible rattan to design art installations, furniture, and decor accessories

Crafted using underwater coastal wood and other nautical elements, The Billy O’Tea House in Tuticorin is an ode to the coastal town

The restaurant has a tropical-inspired ambience and plush velvet-clad sofas, serving dishes from the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

Millet Magic Meal, a recently launched restaurant in Chennai, presents millets in myriad interesting ways, be it pizzas, fried rice or sizzling brownies along side traditional meal combos and South Indian tiffin items such as idli and dosa

Circars Bistro, Visakhapatnam’s newest American and continental dining space, offers a smorgasbord of offerings for the palate

1. Booker Prize Is Awarded to Samantha Harvey’s ‘Orbital’  The New York Times
2. Samantha Harvey wins the Booker prize for “Orbital”  The Economist
3. ‘This is a book we need now’: Sara Collins on choosing this year’s Booker winner  The Guardian
4. Orbital by Samantha Harvey: the Booker prize-winner set to go 'stratospheric'  The Week
5. The inconvenient truth about this year’s Booker Prize winner  The Independent

Bengaluru’s rental housing market saw an average price correction of 5-10% during the April-June quarter of the current calendar year, according to local brokers who spoke with HT.com. This news should cheer up tenants in the city. The primary reasons … Continue reading →

In Delhi, Dwarka is a possibility for investors who want to earn a lot of money from their investments but can’t find the perfect neighborhood. Its abundance of residential options attracts tenants and end users, and it is supported by … Continue reading →

Summary: Until we value freedom and independence in the digital world, we will yield up control of our digital lives to others who will act in their own interests, not ours.

In response to a post on X about China's social credit system, Paul Conlon said:

Digital ID is ultimately about access control where those who impose the system are the ones determining what you are required to be and do.

Provision of resources and liberties become conditional upon the whims of the affluent. Doesn't sound safe or convenient to me.

From X
Referenced 2024-08-28T08:10:31-0400

How Paul said this struck me because I've been thinking a lot about access control lately. I believe that we build identity systems to manage relationships, but, as Paul points out, in many cases the ultimately utility of identity systems is access control.

This isn't, by itself, a bad thing. I'm glad that Google controls access to my GMail account so that only I can use it. But it doesn't stop there. If I use my Google account to log into other things, then Google ultimately controls my access to everything I've used it for. This is federation's original sin¹.

Paul's comment points out the primary problem with how we build identity systems today: when access control is centralized, it inherently shifts power towards those who manage the system. This dynamic can lead to a situation where individuals must conform to the expectations or demands of those in control, just to maintain their access to essential services or resources. While we often accept this trade-off for convenience—like using Google to manage multiple logins—the broader implications are troubling.

The more we rely on federated identity systems, with their tendency to centralization, the more we risk ceding control over our digital lives, reducing our autonomy, and increasing our dependence on entities whose goals may not align with our own. This is why the principles of self-sovereign identity (SSI) are so compelling. SSI proposes a model where individuals maintain control over their own identity, reducing the risks associated with centralized access control and enhancing personal freedom in the digital realm.

Critics of SSI will claim that giving people control over their identity means we have to accept their self assertions. Nothing could be further from the truth. When someone wants me to prove I'm over 18, I use a driver's license. The state is asserting my age, not me. But I'm in control of who I show that to and where. Sovereignty is about borders and imposes a system of relationships.

Now, China could use decentralized identity technology to build their social credit system. One credential, controlled by the state, that is used to access everything. Technology alone can't solve this problem. As a society, we have to want a digital world, modeled on the physical one, where individuals are the locus of control and use information and assertions from a variety of credentials to build and interact in authentic peer-to-peer relationships. Until we value freedom and independence in the digital world, we will yield up control of our digital lives to others who will act in their own interests, not ours.

Notes

1. For similar reasons, I think federated social media systems are a bad idea too, but that's another blog post.

Photo Credit: Papers Please from DALL-E (public domain). Prompt: Draw a rectangular picture of police checking identity papers of people on the street

Tags: identity access+control ssi

Vinay K. Chaudhri, The Hechinger Report, Nov 13, 2024

This is an idea straight from the 50s but expect to see more of the same as companies wrestle with how to make their publications relevant in the age of AI. Vinay K. Chaudhri beghins with a reaffirmation of the importance of textbooks (as "a carefully curated body of knowledge... nearly 100 percent accurate... (and) the view of an expert educator"). Needed now, though, is "authoring textbooks so that their concepts can be read as computer code." How? Back to the 50s - a controlled vocabulary. "Textbooks, using the discipline of knowledge engineering, can support the curation, preservation and learning of all forms of human knowledge." Next up? I guess it would have to be the unification of the sciences.

Paul Sawers, TechCrunch, Nov 13, 2024

According to this article, "Meta has launched a new partnership with a slew of universities in the U.S. and U.K., as it looks to ingrain VR across the education system." I guess it's a big deal (per Mixed, Upload, Social Media Today, Technopedia, ReadWrite, etc etc) but it's hard for me to stifle a yawn. It's not simply that I was here for the Second Life hype, it's that their product is a "digital twin" of the university - "environments that directly replicate their real-world campus counterparts" - the least imaginative use of any media ever. I think there's a lot of room for VR in education, but this announcement isn't it.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards are showcasing technology breakthroughs that deliver public sector...

The installed solar capacity of the global PV industry is poised for another round of rapid growth, with or without an assist from the US.

The post Global Installed Solar Capacity To Blow Past 2 Terawatts, USA Or Not appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Vinny DelGiudice first dove into blogging to pass the time when he moved to Nevada by himself just out of grad school. Although that blog never really took off, he did learn a lot from the process. A few years…

The post How Vinny DelGiudice Grew His Italian-American Food Blog to +100k Page Views a Month appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Unlock the power of ChatGPT for advanced data analysis with our comprehensive guide. We've even included screenshots.

The post Guide: Using GPT for Digital Marketing Analytics (with examples) appeared first on Portent.

Google is replacing FID with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) as a primary Core Web Vitals metric. Understand how INP works and what it means for site owners.

The post Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – New Core Web Vitals Metric appeared first on Portent.

There is a growing trend of businesses bringing their digital marketing in-house. Discover what not to do when transitioning to an in-house digital marketing team.

The post What Not to Do When Bringing Your Digital Marketing In-House appeared first on Portent.

HBO’s latest hit, the video game adaptation The Last of Us, has been making waves even beyond the streaming universe.

El estudio que considera 13 países de la región proporcionará información valiosa para la planificación, evaluación y comercialización de publicidad en medios y plataformas digitales.

In terms of top-grossing Wednesday openers, the month of April has never been a super place to launch a movie. That is, until now with The Super Mario Bros Movie. 

Fr. Stephen looks at our role as "priests of creation" in a world understood as sacrament.

The negative voice we hear in our head. Who is it that is talking? What does it mean? Where does it come from? Fr. Stephen Freeman offers some reflection on this noise.

The post How to Revitalize Your Blog Content When You Feel You’ve Covered It All appeared first on ProBlogger.

Maintaining Momentum in Blogging Series Have you ever found yourself staring at your blog, wondering what on earth to write about next? You might think you’ve explored every angle of your topic, leaving no stone unturned. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many bloggers encounter this challenge, especially after ...more

The post How to Revitalize Your Blog Content When You Feel You’ve Covered It All appeared first on ProBlogger.

In which we kick off the new mini-series “A Time for Sabbath.” Stick around to the end for a special giveaway in honor of the church new year that starts TODAY! Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). Mentioned in this episode: What Happened to You by Oprah (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250223210) My Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleroccas/ The 2022 Little Church Planner by Parousia Press: https://www.parousiapress.com/collections/all-planners/products/little-church-planner-ns The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

In which I catch up with my former professor, Dr. Ethan Katz, a Sabbath-observant Jew and historian. I first met Dr. Katz while finishing my doctorate in the University of Cincinnati History Department, and he now teaches at the University of California Berkeley, where he specializes in modern Jewish history and the history of modern France and its empire. We reflect not only about our experiences as people of faith in academic and other secular contexts, but also what observing the Sabbath looks like in the unique contours of his life. Learn more about Dr. Ethan Katz: history.berkeley.edu/ethan-katz Also mentioned in this episode: The Enacting the Kingdom Livestream: youtube.com/watch?v=gNrMS-hFrvk&t;=1094s Nicole's appearance on the Prying Priest podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-nicole-roccas/id1527008418?i=1000536712952 Don't forget to rate and review this podcast! Connect with Nicole on Instagram or Twitter (@NicoleRoccas). The outro of this podcast is the song "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel, available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Bill welcomes Jerry Minetos to the show! Jerry’s experience in the field of fund raising and church development has included lead roles in managing capital campaigns, and conducting feasibility studies for over 20 years, throughout the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He has brought leading-edge business development and technology skills into the Orthodox Church environment. He is currently the Development Director with Ancient Faith Ministries!