Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann denies using vibrating sex toy to cheat - "An American grandmaster who was part of a row which rattled the world of chess has denied using a vibrating sex toy to cheat. In September 2022 Hans Niemann sat down to play Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen in chess's Sinquefield Cup St Louis, Missouri. Niemann won, but was accused by Carlsen of cheating - a claim which sparked a huge legal row between the pair. The pair settled a $100m (£79m) lawsuit last month... Online platform Chess.com was also sued by Niemann after an investigation by the firm claimed he had "likely" cheated in more than 100 games online. Niemann admitted that he had cheated twice in online matches on Chess.com aged 12 and 16, but denied he had done so in the Sinquefield Cup or any in-person game. He then filed the defamation lawsuit in October 2022 against Carlsen, Chess.com, and Hikaru Nakamura, a US grandmaster who Niemann accused of "amplifying and attempting to bolster Carlsen's false cheating allegations". That case was later dismissed, leading to out-of-court discussions to resolve the issue. Last month, Chess.com said it stood by its report on Niemann, "including that we found no determinative evidence that he has cheated in any in-person games"."
Easter Island: A Popular Theory About Its Ancient People Might Be Wrong - "Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, is a 63-square-mile spot of land in the Pacific Ocean. In 1995, science writer Jared Diamond popularized the “collapse theory” in a Discover magazine story about why the Easter Island population was so small when European explorers arrived in 1722. He later published Collapse, a book hypothesizing that infighting and an overexploiting of resources led to a societal “ecocide.” However, a growing body of evidence contradicts this popular story of a warring, wasteful culture. Scientists contend in a new study that the island’s most iconic features are also the best evidence that ancient Rapa Nui society was more sophisticated than previously thought, and the biggest clue lies in the island’s most iconic features... “In short, Rapa Nui is not a story about collapse but about survival!”"
Meme - "HOW I MADE $1 MIL IN MY 20S"
"What do you say to this"
"Cibai this is my ex-neighbour at Hillview. We used to gym together. I know what his day job is and I know that he is no richer than you or me"
Meme - "YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT GUYS WITH BIG FEET..."
"BIG DICKS."
"YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT GUYS WITH BIG CARS..."
"SMALL DICKS."
*Goofy (with big feet) arrives in small car*
Meme - Imagination:
Western Chad: "Will you marry me?"
Japanese Tradwife: "はい" (Hai - yes)
Reality:
*Fat hairy Western man with "Anime Pro" T-shirt, ugly East Asian woman*
Meme - "VAGINA TANDOORI INDIAN CUISINE"
"Was called 'Nagina Tandoori till one leg fell off"
The Roman Republic Was Teetering. Then a Volcano Erupted 6,000 Miles Away. - The New York Times - "Scientists have linked historical political instability to a number of volcanic events, the latest involving an eruption in the Aleutian Islands."
Australia: Documents Released by Police Point to 'Hindu Hand' in Temple Wall Defacement - "Australia’s Queensland state police have released documents of their investigation into graffiti that defaced a temple’s outer wall in Brisbane. The papers suggest that they are ready to close this matter after getting no more leads from the complainants and there seems a “Hindu hand” in the anti-Modi graffiti that was “done on the night of March 3 but blamed on pro-Khalistan elements”. As per The Times of India, the police said that they have no suspects in the case. The investigators proposed a theory that the Hindus defaced their own temple after shutting off the key CCTV cameras purposely and the serial offender who had done similar mischief in Victoria had then sneaked into Brisbane’s Sikh rally of March 4. Three more Australian temples have been defaced since January."
Florida woman allegedly attacked 2 people at pool for doing 'inappropriate' stretches - "Florida deputies say that a woman allegedly attacked two people at a pool for doing stretches she thought were inappropriate. Amanda Ferragamo, 41, was arrested in Sumter County, Florida, after the incident on early Sunday morning. A female victim told deputies she and the male victim were doing stretches when Ferragamo smacked and shoved them both."
Marina Abramović: Art exhibition with nude models gets mixed reviews - "Visitors to a new Royal Academy exhibition must squeeze between two nude models to enter it. The unusual installation is part of a career retrospective of Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović. There is a separate entrance for those who are uncomfortable squeezing through the nude performers. The exhibition has otherwise received mixed reviews from critics - the Guardian called it "vital" but the Times said it was "remorseless". Entering between the two naked performers forces those with tickets into a "confrontation between nakedness, and the gender, the sexuality, the desire", the Royal Academy's head of exhibitions Andrea Tarsia has said."
A McDonald's Conundrum, a Burrito Mystery - "The sausage-burrito meal on 6th Ave costs 90.56 percent more than that on 42nd St. Yes: The former costs nearly twice as much as the latter! Why the second doesn’t steal all of the consumers from the first despite zero product differentiation and a non-negligible price difference is shocking. As a student of industrial organization, I can think of only one potential explanation: Perhaps New Yorkers are so pressed for time that they would rationally trade dollars for a few extra minutes saved commuting back and forth between their office and a closer but more expensive McDonald’s. In this case, although the goods — i.e., sausage-burrito meals — being offered are exactly the same, the 6th Avenue McDonald’s succeeds in differentiating itself with its location, providing it pricing power it would otherwise lack. This is the phenomenon explained by the economist Harold Hotelling in his groundbreaking 1929 article in The Economic Journal, “Stability in Competition.”"
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "Interestingly, i had discussed about this with my Indonesia & Muslim friends. The topic was on why most try to avoid pork (which is the least sinful perceived by other non-Muslim) than alcohol, smoking & corruption. We are debating on some Indo officials and other public figures They told me that is because pork is the least “enjoyable” stuff which can be substitute with beef. It is the same. While we can’t find alcohol / smoking replacement. And for corruption, well becos of Moniess"
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "The burden comes about when there are Muslims, Jain, and the boss is on a keto diet but still wants the entire regional team to go for a nice meal during the team meet up in Singapore…."
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "LOL I had an ex boss who kept changing diet fads and he took us to a vegan place one Christmas. We were so bummed out that the entire dept left the moment the company event was over, and headed over to Macs because we were still hungry."
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "As someone who has worked for a few MNCs, I can assure you that an entire department having to compromise for one person’s dietary choice is a nightmare. Cos first and foremost company paid meals are a privilege and normally we try to maximize the budget and choose a really nice place with interesting menus. Halal food choices (even in Singapore) are largely limited. Can you imagine if one person on the team was vegetarian and now the entire team has to go to a vegetarian restaurant (paid for by the company as a privilege). Though from my experience having vegetarian team members, they have been like “eh just go anywhere you guys want, I’ll just eat the vegetarian stuff there”! In business, not being troublesome is important, especially in external facing roles. To side track a little, a few weeks back, Saudi Aramco (yes the Saudi state owned oil company) just threw a huge networking party in Singapore with free flow liquor."
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "It’s not a sin if they ate it thinking it wasn’t pork. Sometimes less strict Muslim who want to join in some office food sharing (e.g. food brought back from overseas) will say “Don’t check the ingredients list!” or “Don’t tell me what pizza topping that is!” when well-meaning people try to help them check if it’s halal."
Do you find people who eat halal a burden? : askSingapore - "I would like to believe that there is a stark difference between being accommodating (hey we’ll get you a meal that caters to your dietary needs, but the event is gonna happen at the same place) versus being restrictive (hey we’re going to shift the event to a restaurant that meets your dietary restriction and so now everyone will have food dictated by your restriction)."
Danish artist told to repay museum €67,000 after turning in blank canvasses - "A Danish artist has been ordered to return nearly 500,000 kroner ($72,000; £58,000) to a museum after giving it two blank canvasses for a project he named Take the Money and Run. The Kunsten Museum in Aalborg had intended for Jens Haaning to embed the banknotes in two pieces of art in 2021. Instead, he gave it blank canvasses and then told dr.dk: "The work is that I have taken their money." A court has now ordered him to return the cash - but keep some for expenses. The art project was intended as a statement on salaries in Denmark and Austria."
Worst experience ever - Egypt : travel - "At the end of my 14 days travel in Egypt (one week sight seeing and one week liveaboard at the red sea), and i can’t even wait until i go back to complain. i’ve read tons of posts here and got prepared for the trap, scam, unsolicited service, ridiculous high price for travelers, i’m still too naive. Here’s something make me really tired of traveling here, it’s just don’t worth it.
1. No price label in grocery stores. You can’t bargain every item with the shopkeeper, and for every item you didn’t bargain, you are charged at least twice of the price if not four times.
2. A uber driver took me to the wrong terminal although i told him right after getting in. And he asked for another 300 pounds to send me to the correct one.
3. Called a uber, a taxi stopped beside me and told me he was the uber driver. Egypt plate is in Arabic number and i could distinguish by a glance. Resulted in taking me to a wrong place and payed twice the price.
Don’t travel to Egypt by yourself, join a tour group and avoid any contact with local people if you really wanna come ."
Worst experience ever - Egypt : travel - "I spent a month in Egypt recently and I somewhat agree with the advice. Mind you, I managed to avoid most of the issues described by OP because I speak Arabic, but I still found it very annoying that people tried fleece me left and right. In terms of grocery stores, Luxor was the worst, but then I found that just walking a little bit out of the touristy areas, the attitude on the part of the shop owners and the prices changed drastically. When it comes to sightseeing, I definitely recommend getting a tour guide. It doesn’t have to be a large tour group, me and my gf had a private guide with driver and it worked out perfectly."
Worst experience ever - Egypt : travel - "lol the cab driver in Alexandria (btw what a literal wild ride) kept trying to raise the agreed upon fare as he was driving me to the train station, even to the point of yelling. When we arrived and I gave him the original amount he just smiled at me lmao. I guess that’s just how they do business with tourists?? Annoying but I enjoy telling the story."
"I have this same story in Cairo but with a different ending … he was yelling and screaming at me that I didn’t pay enough, even though we agreed on the fare beforehand. When I got inside the hotel, the clerk asked me how much I paid him. His jaw dropped … “you are the first tourist that has paid the Egyptian price to come here”. lol"
Worst experience ever - Egypt : travel - "When I was out there, say buying a shirt or whatever, I know what it costs at home. A merchant throws out his first price and it's like, 70% cheaper then at home, I didn't give a shit. Deal done don't care. Ready to move on time is money to me. Drove my German traveling companions bonkers. At the time a variable I didn't consider was the social aspect. The merchants were sorta offended I wasn't playing the game."
Apple Is Taking On Apples in a Truly Weird Trademark Battle | WIRED UK - "The Fruit Union Suisse is 111 years old. For most of its history, it has had as its symbol a red apple with a white cross—the Swiss national flag superimposed on one of its most common fruits. But the group, the oldest and largest fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland, worries it might have to change its logo, because Apple, the tech giant, is trying to gain intellectual property rights over depictions of apples, the fruit. “We have a hard time understanding this, because it’s not like they’re trying to protect their bitten apple,” Fruit Union Suisse director Jimmy Mariéthoz says, referring to the company’s iconic logo. “Their objective here is really to own the rights to an actual apple, which, for us, is something that is really almost universal … that should be free for everyone to use.” While the case has left Swiss fruit growers puzzled, it’s part of a global trend. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s records, Apple has made similar requests to dozens of IP authorities around the world, with varying degrees of success. Authorities in Japan, Turkey, Israel, and Armenia have acquiesced. Apple’s quest to own the IP rights of something as generic as a fruit speaks to the dynamics of a flourishing global IP rights industry, which encourages companies to compete obsessively over trademarks they don’t really need. Apple did not respond to requests for comment... Mariéthoz says that the Fruit Union is concerned because there is no clarity on what uses of the apple shape Apple will try to protect and because the company has been very aggressive in pursuing things that it perceives as infringements on its trademarks. “We’re concerned that any visual representation of an apple—so anything that’s audiovisual or linked to new technologies or to media—could be potentially impacted. That would be a very, very big restriction for us,” he said. “Theoretically, we could be entering slippery territory everytime we advertise with an apple.” Over the past few years, Apple has pursued a meal-prepping app with a pear logo, a singer-songwriter named Frankie Pineapple, a German cycling route, a pair of stationery makers, and a school district, among others. The company fought a decades-long battle with the Beatles’ music label, Apple Corps, which was finally resolved in 2007. An investigation in 2022 by the Tech Transparency Project, a nonprofit that researches Big Tech, found that between 2019 and 2021, Apple filed more trademark oppositions—attempts to enforce its IP over other companies—than Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and Google combined. Those companies also have trademarked common terms such as “Windows” or “Prime.”... “you know, Apple didn’t invent apples … We have been around for 111 years. And I think apples have been around for a few thousand more.”"
Overheating in iPhone 15: Apple says it's due to third-party apps like Instagram, Uber and game Asphalt 9 - "The Cupertino, California-headquartered company said that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max do not suffer from overheating due to the design, rather the new titanium shells result in improved heat dissipation compared to prior stainless steel models."
Meme - "Cheyeann, 19
I like long walks on the beach with my boyfriend, until the acid wears off and I realize I'm dragging a stolen mannequin around a McDonald's parking lot"
Meme - aismallard @aismallard: "the story telling in this graph is great
Jenga sales in the continental United Stakes
*dip in 2001, collapse in 2002, with sales not recovering by 2010*"
Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It - "In 1966, just over 50 years ago, the distinguished Canadian-born anthropologist Anthony Wallace confidently predicted the global demise of religion at the hands of an advancing science: ‘belief in supernatural powers is doomed to die out, all over the world, as a result of the increasing adequacy and diffusion of scientific knowledge’. Wallace’s vision was not exceptional. On the contrary, the modern social sciences, which took shape in 19th-century western Europe, took their own recent historical experience of secularisation as a universal model. An assumption lay at the core of the social sciences, either presuming or sometimes predicting that all cultures would eventually converge on something roughly approximating secular, Western, liberal democracy. Then something closer to the opposite happened. Not only has secularism failed to continue its steady global march but countries as varied as Iran, India, Israel, Algeria and Turkey have either had their secular governments replaced by religious ones, or have seen the rise of influential religious nationalist movements. Secularisation, as predicted by the social sciences, has failed. To be sure, this failure is not unqualified. Many Western countries continue to witness decline in religious belief and practice... Even the United States, a long-time source of embarrassment for the secularisation thesis, has seen a rise in unbelief... If we look at those societies where religion remains vibrant, their key common features are less to do with science, and more to do with feelings of existential security and protection from some of the basic uncertainties of life in the form of public goods... As the British sociologist David Martin concluded in The Future of Christianity (2011): ‘There is no consistent relation between the degree of scientific advance and a reduced profile of religious influence, belief and practice.’... much of the creationist discourse centres on moral values. In the US case too, we see anti-evolutionism motivated at least in part by the assumption that evolutionary theory is a stalking horse for secular materialism and its attendant moral commitments. As in India and Turkey, secularism is actually hurting science. In brief, global secularisation is not inevitable and, when it does happen, it is not caused by science. Further, when the attempt is made to use science to advance secularism, the results can damage science. The thesis that ‘science causes secularisation’ simply fails the empirical test, and enlisting science as an instrument of secularisation turns out to be poor strategy. The science and secularism pairing is so awkward that it raises the question: why did anyone think otherwise? Historically, two related sources advanced the idea that science would displace religion. First, 19th-century progressivist conceptions of history, particularly associated with the French philosopher Auguste Comte... The 19th century also witnessed the inception of the ‘conflict model’ of science and religion... Today, people are less confident that history moves through a series of set stages toward a single destination. Nor, despite its popular persistence, do most historians of science support the idea of an enduring conflict between science and religion. Renowned collisions, such as the Galileo affair, turned on politics and personalities, not just science and religion. Darwin had significant religious supporters and scientific detractors, as well as vice versa. Many other alleged instances of science-religion conflict have now been exposed as pure inventions. In fact, contrary to conflict, the historical norm has more often been one of mutual support between science and religion. In its formative years in the 17th century, modern science relied on religious legitimation. During the 18th and 19th centuries, natural theology helped to popularise science. The conflict model of science and religion offered a mistaken view of the past and, when combined with expectations of secularisation, led to a flawed vision of the future. Secularisation theory failed at both description and prediction. The real question is why we continue to encounter proponents of science-religion conflict. Many are prominent scientists... Historical evidence simply does not support such contentions. Indeed, it suggests that they are misguided. So why do they persist? The answers are political... Religion is not going away any time soon, and science will not destroy it. If anything, it is science that is subject to increasing threats to its authority and social legitimacy. Given this, science needs all the friends it can get. Its advocates would be well advised to stop fabricating an enemy out of religion, or insisting that the only path to a secure future lies in a marriage of science and secularism."
When a DNA Test Shatters Your Identity - "not all biological parents want to be found. In conversations and correspondence with more than two dozen people for this story, I heard of DNA tests that unearthed affairs, secret pregnancies, quietly buried incidents of rape and incest, and fertility doctors using their own sperm to inseminate patients. These secrets otherwise would have—or even did—go the grave. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep secrets in our society,” says CeCe Moore, a prominent genetic genealogist who consults for the television show Finding Your Roots. “If people haven’t come to that realization, they probably should.”"
Ultraviolet Irradiation of Blood: “The Cure That Time Forgot”? - "Ultraviolet blood irradiation (UBI) was extensively used in the 1940s and 1950s to treat many diseases including septicemia, pneumonia, tuberculosis, arthritis, asthma and even poliomyelitis. The early studies were carried out by several physicians in USA and published in the American Journal of Surgery. However with the development of antibiotics, UBI use declined and it has now been called “the cure that time forgot”. Later studies were mostly performed by Russian workers and in other Eastern countries and the modern view in Western countries is that UBI remains highly controversial. This chapter discusses the potential of UBI as an alternative approach to current methods used to treat infections, as an immune-modulating therapy and as a method for normalizing blood parameters. No resistance of microorganisms to UV irradiation has been reported, and multi- antibiotic resistant strains are as susceptible as their wild-type counterparts. Low and mild doses of UV kill microorganisms by damaging the DNA, while any DNA damage in host cells can be rapidly repaired by DNA repair enzymes. However the use of UBI to treat septicemia cannot be solely due to UV-mediated killing of bacteria in the blood-stream, as only 5–7% of blood volume needs to be treated with UV to produce the optimum benefit. UBI may enhance the phagocytic capacity of various phagocytic cells (neutrophils and dendritic cells), inhibit lymphocytes, and oxidize blood lipids. The oxidative nature of UBI may have mechanisms in common with ozone therapy and other oxygen therapies. There may be some similarities to extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) using psoralens and UVA irradiation. However there are differences between UBI and ECP in that UBI tends to stimulate the immune system, while ECP tends to be immunosuppressive. With the recent emergence of bacteria that are resistant to all known antibiotics, UBI should be more investigated as an alternative approach to infections, and as an immune-modulating therapy."
Ants use their flattened heads as doors to lock down their nests - "It’s a great way to deter uninvited guests. Just wedge your head into the entryway of your home. And if someone should come knocking, don’t budge. That’s the stubborn strategy of door head ants – they use their heads like wine corks to plug their nests. Weird as it sounds, such traits have evolved again and again, in a specialised caste of species from at least eight ant genera – including two new species just discovered in Ivory Coast and Kenya... Shaped like shields or hubcaps, Cephalotes heads are a perfect fit for the tunnels left over by wood-boring beetles in tree trunks. With such tunnels in short supply, invader ants and parasites find them attractive targets for raids, so the ants have to mount a defence. Parasites like phorid flies want to lay their eggs in the ants, while other ants merely want to steal the valuable real estate... The ants prefer this strategy to fighting since Cephalotes ants aren’t the most formidable combatants once their armoured walls are breached... In 2008, Powell found that Cephalotes heads get more and more specialised when an ant species has a specific habitat it prefers. When ants only live in one kind of hole, they can grow heads to fit it perfectly."
Meme - "Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world.." - Bill Bullard
*opinion*
More of the usual mumbo jumbo, which in this case is even self-defeating. Good luck if you empathise with "bigots"
Meme - "I got dumped for having red hair. My boyfriends Mum didn't want to risk having ginger grandchildren, so she made him dump me. He married a blonde and had two ginger kids. Karma. My Kids are blonde."
Meme - "My girlfriend pointed a firearm at me during an argument and i can't stop thinking about it"
"When you run, and you will, don't forget to zig zag"
"My girlfriend shot me after i broke up with her"
"OP didn't zig and zag"
The VERY Complicated Chinese Family Tree - "In addition to keeping track of generation and gender, other factors such as maternal vs. paternal lineage, relative age, and married vs. blood all need to be considered. In this sense, the term “cousin” can be split eight different ways based on mom’s side vs. dad’s side, gender, and relative age!... If you are getting ready for your own Chinese family reunion, or if you just want to learn more about the intricacies of the Chinese family tree – read on for a quick refresher of Chinese kinship terms."
Game of Thrones star admits he wants the 'disappointing' final season to be remade - "Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance admitted he was so disappointed by the show's ending that he would have signed the petition to get it remade if he'd known about it."
There're still people who defend the last season