Nobody was surprised that Pope Leo XIV cited well-known saints and previous pontiffs in his first encyclical, or papal letter of spiritual guidance, “Magnifica humanitas,” released Monday.But the name that immediately jumped out to many readers is one synonymous with high fantasy literature: J.R.R. Tolkien, the Catholic author of The Lord of the Rings.Leo’s letter is concerned with “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence,” a major theme of his first year as leader of the Catholic Church. Drawing from his predecessor, Pope Francis, he warns of “the growing dominance of a technocratic paradigm,” one capable of…
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In today’s book news, John Grisham rails against AI slop audiobooks, painted book covers make a comeback, lawsuits reveal the messiness of copyright, and more. John Grisham Would Prefer if You Didn’t Listen to AI Slop Versions of his Audiobooks If you want to listen to John Grisham’s audiobooks, you have a few options. You could buy the official audiobook with a professional human narrator or borrow it from the library. Alternatively, you could listen to an AI voice drone through it on YouTube, accompanied by unsettling AI-generated visuals. Unsurprisingly, John Grisham would prefer if you didn’t choose the latter…
If the eastern red-backed salamander has an equivalent of Usain Bolt, Sophia Zaslow is determined to find it. Since her undergraduate years, the Binghamton University doctoral student in biological sciences has conducted sprint trials on the common salamander species, to determine aspects of its physiological fitness. Zaslow’s article on her undergraduate research titled “Intra-morph body coloration may correlate with performance in the eastern red-backed salamander” appears in the Canadian Journal of Zoology. View Original Source Here
CBS Whenever a long-running show films a finale, emotions are bound to run high as cast and crew members prepare to say goodbye to one another. And when you’re talking about one of the most legendary series finales in television history, it’s no surprise the goodbyes were pretty legendary as well. When “M*A*S*H” (one of the best sitcoms of all time) aired its final episode, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” it not only shattered viewership records but also shattered the hearts of those that made the show great. There were real tears during filming, and emotional…
Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas star in the new film from the director of ‘Once’ and ‘Sing Street.’ Continue reading… View Original Source Here
What did some of rock’s biggest bands do after scoring the biggest-selling album of their careers in the 1990s? With this list, we’re taking a closer look at the albums that followed these career-making records and ranking them on how well they performed in terms of furthering the band’s career.In this list, we have 20 acts who scored their biggest-selling albums between 1990-1999, but the real interesting part comes when you look at how each band chose to approach recording again after enjoying the biggest success of their career to date. Some kept the momentum going and even issued albums…
Julie Bort / TechCrunch: Atlanta-based e-commerce logistics company Stord raised a $250M Series F led by Strike at a $3B valuation, up from $1.5B after a $200M Series E in May 2025 — E-commerce logistics company Stord has raised a $250 million round at a $3 billion valuation, it announced Tuesday. View Original Source Here
The Overprivileged, Underqualified Manifesto by Giovi “”The Overprivileged, Underqualified Manifesto” is essential reading for anyone navigating corporate life — whether you are the one holding power or the one watching it be misused.” Drawing on more than two decades working across digital transformation initiatives spanning Latin America, Europe and the United States, Giovi, author of The Overprivileged, Underqualified Manifesto, brings to the page something most leadership books lack: the credibility of someone who has lived inside the dysfunction they describe. This is written by someone who gave the system the benefit of the doubt for long enough to know it…
Researchers have developed a system that uses short videos of the eye to estimate a person’s levels of red blood cells — no needles required.The technology, described in a paper published April 8 in the journal npj Digital Medicine, correctly identified anemia more than 80% of the time in a trial involving 224 participants.This technology isn’t ready to replace standard blood draws, the researchers behind the study cautioned. But they think it could potentially serve as a screening tool to flag people who may need a full blood test. This could be especially useful in low-income countries where access to…
Bravo Every day, TVLine’s What to Watch column spotlights new and returning English-language shows (and select movies) premiering or airing fresh episodes across broadcast, cable and streaming — organized below by release time and alphabetically within each slot. On TV this Tuesday: “Summer House” addresses scandal, Bear Grylls is “Running Wild” with Elizabeth Banks, and “Farmer Wants a Wife” delivers a shocking elimination. If you’d like a recommended watch-list like this delivered to your inbox each morning, you can sign up for our free What to Watch newsletter here! Showtimes…
The end of the war does not produce liberation, but merely transforms one unstable political condition into another. The final film in Wajda’s trilogy, Ashes and Diamonds, would move to the post-war years and the ongoing difficulties of Polish resistance amid an overwhelmingly bleak 1940s Poland. In 1945, Poland was taken over by the communists, who enacted new forms of repression, leaving little room for hopes of independence. The film follows a former Home Army soldier, Maciek Chełmicki (Zbigniew Cybulski) who joins the anti-communist underground and is ordered to assassinate the local secretary of the Polish Workers’ Party. The action occurs on…
In the four years since BTS’s previous Las Vegas showing, both everything and nothing has changed. In the final moments of their last performance at Allegiant Stadium in April of 2022 on their “Permission to Dance Tour,” RM, the group’s leader, cut into the party-like send-off with a stunning gesture of humility and gratitude. Before a crowd of thousands, he came to the kneeling position of keunjeol, the Korean traditional “full bow,” head as low as possible with hands placed in front. It’s a sign of profound respect and gratitude usually reserved for solemn moments and for many in attendance —…
Given that it’s almost June, the last thing you likely want to be thinking about is sweaters. But that’s exactly what in-the-know fashion people are shopping for. I’m not referring to the heavy wool and cashmere sweaters we live in during winter, though. I’m referring to the sweater trend one of L.A.’s chicest residents, Elsa Hosk, just wore with shorts.Elsa Hosk isn’t the only one who’s caught on to the appeal of the effortlessly chic style I’m referring to. Breezy, open-weave sweaters that are typically made of cotton or linen are *the* It basic to wear with shorts right now.…
We have been waiting for the Ferrari Luce for eight years.It was January 2018 when, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, former Ferrari chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne first hinted at a “prancing horse” EV to compete with Tesla.“If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari will be the first,” Marchionne said. “People are amazed at what Tesla did with a supercar: I’m not trying to minimize what Elon, did but I think it’s doable by all of us.”Well, Ferrari has not been the first. But it has certainly taken the award for most…
These fresh fantasy and sci-fi releases combine epic storytelling, imaginative worldbuilding, dangerous quests, and nonstop tension for an unforgettable reading experience. Perfect for readers searching for bold, high-stakes genre fiction. A Thread of Secrets by Anna S. Hawthorne Release Date: May 19, 2026 A massacre. A missing truth. A girl the Spiders are still hunting. When Envyre follows the dead into the Markerna, she finds grief, vengeance, and secrets terrible enough to kill for. A Thread of Secrets, a dark fantasy of survival, betrayal, and corrupted power, launches May 19th. Buy on Amazon Managing the Vampire’s Mansion: Magiford Supernatural City…
Sometimes, you work tirelessly on a problem, only to realise you have been going about it all backwards. Imagine trying to fit a massive antique piano through a tiny doorway. You have tried everything – rotating it, removing the legs, forceful shoving – but you just can’t get it to fit. Eventually, you realise it is easier to construct a room to house the piano where it already sits. Now, some physicists are grappling with a similar rethink. For decades, the accepted route to an ultimate theory of everything has involved taking our best theory of gravity and squeezing it into the frame of quantum mechanics. Given that quantum theory is wildly successful in describing the other three…
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images In 1998, the same year she made her television acting debut in an episode of “ER,” Eva Mendes found herself under threat from a masked video game ninja famous for screaming, “Get over here!” That character is Scorpion, the kunai-flinging Shirai Ryu warrior of “Mortal Kombat” fame. Early in her career — her fourth television or film credit, to be exact — Mendes had a guest spot as an original character on the cult-classic, all-but-forgotten prequel series “Mortal Kombat: Conquest.” Following the success of 1995’s “Mortal Kombat”…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to include a risky and most experimental episode yet. Season 4 is upping the ante after dipping its toes into the musical genre and a fully animated episode. One of Season 4’s episodes will feature Captain Christopher Pike as a puppet, created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 producers call puppet episode a ‘delight’ In an interview with Polygon, series showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman expressed their excitement for the particular episode. The puppet episode was teased last year with a glimpse of a puppet version…
Earlier this month, Drake turned a long-teased album drop into a three album bonanza, releasing the new LPs Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour at once on May 15. Now, Billboard reports that he has become the first artist to hold the No. 1, 2, and 3 spots on its Billboard 200 chart in the same week since it began publishing on a consistent weekly schedule in 1956.The feat does, in a sense, arrive on the back of a technicality. In 2009, Michael Jackson—whose iconic bejeweled glove Drake wears on his Iceman cover—should have occupied the top three spots on…
Featured Podcasts Lenny’s Podcast: The AI paradox: More automation, more humans, more work | Dan Shipper Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product. Subscribe to Lenny’s Podcast. Big Technology Podcast: Is OpenAI Ready To IPO?, The Datacenters in Space Myth, The Kids Boo AI The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators. Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast. Access: Substack’s CEO on AI slop, free speech, and taking on YouTube A show about…
Today’s Featured Book Deals $2.99The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation by Anna Malaika TubbsGet This Deal $1.99I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillanGet This Deal $1.99The Woman Destroyed by Simone De Beauvoir, translated by Patrick O’BrianGet This Deal $1.99Omerta by Mario PuzoGet This Deal $3.99The South by Tash AwGet This Deal $1.99Strong Female Character by Fern BradyGet This Deal $1.99Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManusGet This Deal $1.99Never Seduce a Scot by Maya BanksGet This Deal View Original Source Here
You’re on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you’ve been tasked with establishing the first self-sustaining food crop on a Martian settlement. You’re nervous because you’re using a new type of fungi called beneficial fungi, which you’re told will help enhance the Martian regolith, enabling it to be used for growing crops. View Original Source Here
CBS Every day, TVLine’s What to Watch column spotlights new and returning English-language shows (and select movies) premiering or airing fresh episodes across broadcast, cable and streaming — organized below by release time and alphabetically within each slot. On TV this Monday: Queen Latifah emcees the American Music Awards, Tom Hanks revisits World War II, and Nicolas Cage headlines “Spider-Noir.” If you’d like a recommended watch-list like this delivered to your inbox each morning, you can sign up for our free What to Watch newsletter here! Showtimes for May 25,…
The Mandalorian and Grogu is not off to a massive start in theaters.According to Deadline, the film earned $12 million from Thursday night previews ahead of its official opening day in theaters on Friday, May 22.While $12 million is not nothing, it’s also not up to the standards of most mega-blockbusters on their first Thursday in multiplexes. In fact, that number comes in behind the previous lowest-grossing movie in Star Wars history, 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.Solo, a prequel about the young Han Solo starring Alden Ehrenreich, grossed $14.1 million in Thursday previews. It went on to earn $103 million over its opening weekend,…
Neil Young made his first live appearance of 2026 on Friday (May 22), delivering a surprise acoustic set at a benefit concert in Vancouver honouring the 90th birthday of his friend, Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Young performed two solo acoustic songs at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre — strumming “Heart of Gold” before moving to the piano for a rendition of “After the Gold Rush” with added harmonica. It marked his first performance since the Painted Turtle benefit show on Oct. 25, 2025, and comes months after the 80-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of…
As a shopping editor, I’m always fascinated to see a color trend start to take over not only on Instagram and TikTok but also in the new-arrivals sections of our favorite retailers. I recently covered how brown is still going strong into spring and summer 2026, but there is one piece, in particular, that I am seeing more than the rest: brown dresses. It is to the point that, in many cases, I have noticed that when a chic brown dress hits a site like Zara or Nordstrom, it quickly sells outs, even when there is a black or white…
Memorial DaY brings discounts to the mattress models we test all year long, and the sales are going strong. As a seasoned deal hunter, I know that mattresses go on sale pretty often, but whenever someone asks me the best time to buy, I tell them to wait until Memorial Day or Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you’ve been in the market for a new mattress, now’s the time to act.The WIRED Reviews team thoroughly tests the best mattresses long-term. We don’t conduct “nap tests” or base recommendations on first impressions. Our top picks are tried-and-true, and they’re on…
Fast and Fastidious by R. M. Caldwell “Set in 1810 Regency England amid the Napoleonic Wars and rich with atmosphere and authentic period detail, it’s a unique blending of romance amid illicit carriage races and grand story involving highwaymen, espionage, murder and the treasonous theft of national secrets.” Fast and Fastidious is an absolutely smashing and highly entertaining genre-defying first novel by R.M. Caldwell, a pseudonym for New Zealand theater director and escape room puzzle designer. The author has described it as a “mash-up of Pride and Prejudice and Fast and the Furious.” Set in 1810 Regency…
Hochosterwitz Castle in southern Austria(Image credit: INTERFOTO via Alamy)Castles were a common sight in the Middle Ages, which lasted from roughly 500 to 1500. Most castles were built to be the fortified residences of local nobility during this politically tumultuous period, but they also functioned as territorial defenses.Giant stone castles were challenging to take but were not unconquerable. Many fell through sieges, through direct assaults or by bribing the defenders to abandon their posts. But some castles withstood the slings and arrows of their times.Here are six medieval castles that were never conquered, including one that may have been saved…
Netflix “Outer Banks” was exactly what we needed in the spring of 2020. Netflix’s pandemic drop offers up what we’ve come to expect from teen dramas — constant partying, endless bullying … buried treasure? Okay, so maybe it switches things up a bit. Set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the series follows a group of working-class friends known as the Pogues. They are John B. (Chase Stokes), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow), and honorary Pogue, Kiara (Madison Bailey). The gang gets caught up in a mystery involving…