Meta Platforms will begin test launching ads on its social media platform Threads with a few brands in the U.S. and Japan, it said on Friday, as the app hits over 300 million monthly active users.During early testing starting Friday, image ads will appear in the Threads home feed, placed between content posts for a small percentage of users, Meta said in a blog.The social media giant said it will monitor the test closely before scaling it broadly, adding that businesses will be able to extend their existing Meta ad campaigns to Threads.Meta will also begin testing an inventory filter…
Author: Admin
Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Here are the stories that TIB readers were most interested in this week. It was a town’s only Black-owned bookstore. It is now a refuge for those displaced by the California fires. I was just in Pasadena over New Year’s to visit the Huntington Library and was reminded that it was Octavia Butler’s haunt. This story about Nikki High using her bookstore, Octavia’s Bookshelf, as a helping center is worth reading in full, but here is a snippet to encourage you…
Almost two centuries after the first Neanderthal was discovered, we are still learning a great deal about our ancient relatives. Neanderthals weren’t the cave-dwelling, knuckle-dragging brutes they were once made out to be; in fact, they looked and acted a lot like us. Experts continue to debate exactly what Neanderthal society looked like and when it vanished, but the picture of who the Neanderthals were is becoming increasingly clear.How much do you know about the origins and history of Neanderthals? Let’s test your knowledge of our closest human relatives.Remember to log in to put your name on the leaderboard; hints…
A fan favorite couple from MTV’s The Challenge has called it quits. Nany González and Kaycee Clark announced their breakup on Saturday, January 25, with a joint statement on Instagram. The shocking news comes more than a year after González proposed to the Big Brother veteran in September 2023. View Original Source Here
Curious about who Gio Palmieri’s real parents are on ABC’s General Hospital? The young violinist has quickly become a fan favorite, sparking intrigue with his mysterious backstory and connections to Port Charles residents. Introduced as Lois Cerullo’s cousin from Bensonhurst, Gio’s past and the identity of his mother and father hint at secrets that could reshape everything viewers know about his character. So, let’s dive into the speculation surrounding Gio’s parentage and why fans believe Brook Lynn Quartermaine may hold the key to his true identity. Who are Gio’s parents on General Hospital? General Hospital fans are eagerly discussing the…
Lizzo‘s feeling “Good as Hell” about herself after reaching her weight loss goals — or “weight release” goals, as she gently calls it. The singer shared some new selfies on Saturday (Jan. 25), showing off her figure and stats on her lowered BMI and body fat percentage. “I did it,” Lizzo wrote in a post on Instagram, where she’s been uploading fitness-related updates amid posts marketing her size-inclusive shapewear/athleisure brand Yitty. “Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal. I haven’t seen this number since 2014! Let this be a reminder you can do anything…
Nikon’s latest Z6 camera brings the camera maker’s top-end autofocus to a more reasonably priced, mainstream camera. In nearly every way that matters, the new Z6 III matches or outperforms the company’s much pricier, top-end Nikon Z8.Although it’s not perfect, the Z6 III is one of the best full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market, and it’s capable of handling pretty much any photographic situation most of us are going to encounter. Landscape and wildlife pros will probably stick with their Z8s for the higher-resolution sensor, but for everyone else, this is the Nikon to get.Leaping ForwardNikon’s new Z6 III is…
Dragged Down Deep by Michael Okon A spine-chilling story of grief, trauma, and darkness lurking beneath the surface. Twenty years ago, Logan’s father died tragically, with nobody as his witness except 9-year-old Logan. Of course, the authorities don’t believe Logan’s insistence that it was a mermaid that leaped from the water and dragged him under. So, living with a hazy memory, doubting his own mind and reality, Logan has kept that glimmer of truth buried. But with a career in Cryptozoology — hunting down creatures of myth and folklore— he’s finally searching for proof. And when reports of people going…
Firefighters in California during a prescribed burnSan Francisco Chronicle via Getty You can fight fire with fire, even in the flammable forests of the western US. According to an analysis of California’s record-breaking 2020 fire season, intentionally burning land can reduce the severity and amount of smoke from wildfires that burn those areas later on, even when accounting for smoke from the intentional fires themselves. “We show that there is a net benefit,” says Makoto Kelp at Stanford University in California. The idea of “prescribed burning” is… View Original Source Here
Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.04.5As usual, there is a lot to unpack after The Way Home Season 3 Episode 4, with enough to keep theorizers busy for the next week or so. It’s a Del-centric hour, and to keep things simple, that will be the focus of this review. I’ll touch on some of the other points, but for the first time, we’re discovering more about Del than ever before, so it deserves some attention. (©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Michael Tompkins) First thing first: Del has secrets. We’ve all been waffling with ideas about how much she knows of what, but…
It’s official: Jim Henson’s final Muppets project — Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World — will close for good in a matter of months.The news is not shocking at this point; Disney announced the beloved attraction would close to make way for a new Monsters Inc. area back in November. And the plan for this Monsters Inc. land — and the possibility that Muppet*Vision 3D may have to close to make room for it — has been publicly known since August.Which is exactly what’s happening. According to Disney Parks Blog “the Grand Avenue area [where Muppet*Vision 3D is located] will begin a phase closing in May,…
Here are the 95 rock and metal songs with over one billion streams on Spotify.Over 850 songs representing Spotify’s BILLIONS CLUB playlist, which regularly adds the latest songs that have crossed the one billion stream mark on the popular music streaming platform.What that means is that rock and metal accounts for over 10 percent of the playlist and, no, it’s not just artists from the old days. While some of these songs are over 60 years old, there’s also a healthy amount of relatively fresh ones from the 21st century’s biggest stars.It’s quite impressive that there is that at least one…
For years, we couldn’t stop talking about the Adidas Sambas—a style that took hold of the fashion set and continues to be wildly popular. I’ve collected the iconic striped, gum-soled sneakers in multiple colorways, and they remain a mainstay in my wardrobe, whether I’m dressing for a flight or a stroll through New York City. Despite my affinity for the sneakers, I’ve been interested in adding new styles to my closet. As it turns out, 2025 may be the turning point when my sneaker wardrobe expands as new trends arrive.The runways, celebrity looks, street style scene, and outfits on my…
Carl Franzen / VentureBeat: Yann LeCun says DeepSeek “profited from open research and open source” like Meta’s Llama and is proof that open source models are surpassing proprietary ones — If you hadn’t heard, there’s a new AI star in town: DeepSeek, the subsidiary of Hong Kong-based quantitative analysis … View Original Source Here
24 Jan 2025 6 New Young Adult Novels for Fans of Cassandra Clare Are you enchanted by shadowy worlds, gripping romances, and characters navigating magical destinies? If Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles holds a special place in your heart, you’ll love these six fresh young adult novels that bring their own twists to the fantasy genre. From rich world-building to complex relationships, these books promise to keep fans of Clare’s epic stories hooked from the first page to the last. Dive in and discover your next magical obsession! Terra Firma by Jessahme Wren Release Date: December 20 2024 In a galaxy…
The bacterium R. parkeri (magenta) can be seen here forming direct interkingdom contacts with the rough endoplasmic reticulum (cyan), the first known example of an intracellular pathogen interacting with a eukaryotic membrane in this way. Credit: Lamason Lab. In biology textbooks, the endoplasmic reticulum is often portrayed as a distinct, compact organelle near the nucleus, and is commonly known to be responsible for protein trafficking and secretion. In reality, the ER is vast and dynamic, spread throughout the cell and able to establish contact and communication with and between other organelles. These membrane contacts regulate processes as diverse as fat…
Jeopardy!‘s Champions Wildcard run has officially come to an end as finalists Mehal Shah, Drew Goins, and Will Yancey went head-to-head for the grand prize of $100,000 and a coveted spot in the Tournament of Champions. So, who reigned supreme? The game was Drew or Mehal’s to lose as Will trailed behind their scores for most of the competition, but despite Drew’s marginal lead at the end of Double Jeopardy, it didn’t seem to be a match for Mehal’s impressive run as he scored big with the game’s final Daily Double clue. When entering Final Jeopardy, the point breakdown was…
Presence review – an enjoyably swift chiller About Little White Lies Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies. Editorial Design View Original Source Here
Unk, the Atlanta rapper best known for his mid-2000s hit singles including “Walk It Out” and “2 Step,” has died at the age of 42. News of Unk’s passing was shared by his family on social media Friday afternoon. A cause of death was not immediately known. Born Anthony Leonard Platt and hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Unk got his start spinning records as part of a DJ crew called the Southern Style DJs. He was eventually signed to Big Oomp Records, where he found success as a solo artist. His 2006 debut album, Beat’n Down Yo Block!, boasted the snap…
A Chinese commercial space launch has achieved another milestone with the successful deployment of five satellites into orbit. The launch was conducted using the Ceres-1 rocket, a four-stage solid propellant carrier, on 20 January at 5:11 a.m. EST. The event took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, located in the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Manufactured and operated by Galactic Energy, the mission involved inserting satellites into their preplanned orbits, marking a significant step for China’s growing commercial space industry.Satellites Launched for Weather and Remote SensingAccording to a report by space.com, the payload included four Yunyao-1 commercial meteorological satellites (designated…
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Eileen’s primary literary love is comic books, but she’s always on the lookout for her next literary adventure no matter what form it takes. She has a Bachelor’s in media studies, a Master’s in digital communication, a smattering of published short stories, and a seriously cute dog. Follow her on Bluesky. View All posts by Eileen Gonzalez As Book Riot does every year, we have launched the annual Read Harder challenge to help you expand your reading horizons. We are also launching some…
Astronomers have spotted a “supersonic jetstream” on a nearby alien world, with winds reaching 20,500 mph (33,000 km/h) — the fastest planetary gusts detected anywhere in the cosmos.The record-breaking weather is raging on WASP-127b, a “puffy” gas giant around 500 light-years from Earth that is slightly larger than Jupiter but has a fraction of the mass. The exoplanet, discovered in 2016, has a large band of strong winds, or jetstream, circling its equator — similar to the winds that cause the stripes seen on the solar system’s gas giants. However, the speed of this jetstream had remained a mystery until…
Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.04.5Finally, some family “feels.” Found may have delivered one of my favorite installments of the season with Found Season 2 Episode 10, as the hour perfectly balanced both aspects of the series well. While I’ve been enthralled by the season’s focus on the fallout from a freed Sir on M&A and the public, it’s no secret that the season has brought that more to the forefront than the cases. (Matt Miller/NBC) “Missing While Outed” resembled Found Season 1 in its focus on the case of the week. Found does this in such a great way that…
From leading a historic basketball program to embracing the joys of motherhood, Kim Caldwell’s journey has taken an exciting turn. The Tennessee Lady Vols coach and her husband, Justin Caldwell, recently welcomed their first child, Conor Scott Caldwell. Balancing a stellar coaching career with this personal milestone, Caldwell’s story inspires fans and working mothers alike. Let’s explore her professional achievements, the Lady Vols’ current season, and how Caldwell is redefining success on and off the court. Kim Caldwell welcomes baby boy, misses game Tennessee women’s basketball coach Kim Caldwell recently gave birth to her first child, Conor Scott Caldwell, and…
Travis Scott has released his long-teased new song “4×4.” It’s the Houston rapper’s first solo track since the July 2023 release of his album Utopia. Check out “4×4” below.Earlier this week, Scott performed “4×4” during halftime at the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. He’s also releasing new “4×4” merchandise that will support Direct Relief’s wildfire relief efforts.Since Utopia, Scott has re-released his Days Before Rodeo mixtape and gotten himself booked to perform at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He’s also hopped on tracks with Mustard (“Parking Lot”), Ice Spice (“Oh Shhh…”), Future (“South of France”), and…
I’ll admit it—for the longest time, belts were never really on my radar. Up until recently, I saw them as purely functional, barely considering their style and avoiding them whenever possible. But lately, I’ve had a complete change of heart—a total lightbulb moment. While scrolling through Instagram for outfit inspiration, I realised that all the chicest looks I’d bookmarked had one thing in common: a low-key yet undeniably stylish belt.After spotting some impossibly chic looks I’m newly inspired to bring belts back into my wardrobe. Whether worn in the loopholes of your favourite jeans, cinched over a sleek pencil skirt…
The wheels are already beginning to turn on Donald Trump’s plan to make the US into the “crypto capital of the planet” following his return to the White House.In an executive order signed Thursday, Trump established a “working group on digital asset markets,” which will be responsible for weighing the possibility of the US forming a “strategic national digital asset stockpile,” among other things.The promise to establish a stockpile was one of numerous commitments made by Trump to the crypto industry before he was reelected. Though the idea stumped economists, it received a rapturous reception among bitcoiners. As rumors of…
Poe’s Legacy Sparks Haunting New Gothic Reads Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling tales have transcended centuries, inspiring everything from screen adaptations to Gothic novels that leave readers trembling. In honor of his 216th birthday, explore ten haunting new books that channel his legacy of terror, supernatural intrigue, and macabre brilliance — if you dare. Lit Garden: Epic Stories Worth Every Page Sweeping tales and immersive worlds offer an unmatched escape, drawing you into stories that linger far beyond their final pages. Here’s a list of unforgettable reads that prove great stories are worth the journey. In Case You Missed It: Inspiring…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at the White House in Washington DC on 21 January 2025AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock This week, OpenAI and other tech companies joined US president Donald Trump at the White House to pledge a private investment of half a trillion dollars in US data centres over the next four years. The “Stargate Project” could power an ambitious expansion of AI technology – with repercussions for the US electricity grid and the country’s energy future. The Stargate announcement comes as North America has been experiencing surging electricity demand in recent years. The grid is already straining to keep… View…
On Thursday’s (January 23) new episode of Jeopardy! three recently-crowned champions faced off for the opportunity to advance to the Tournament of Champions — namely, Will Yancey, Drew Goins, and Mehal Shah — in a Wildcard Finals match that was surprisingly marked with some near-miss answers and big backslides. Yancey in particular had a tough night. He fell victim to this game’s apparent trend of adding S’s to an answer (on a Daily Double, no less), and only got one of the three DDs he found right. Worse, he also bet a good bit on Final Jeopardy but was the…