Monthly Archives: May 2022

Scientist Say They Might Be Able to Reverse Binge Drinking With Gene Editing – Futurism

Posted: May 20, 2022 at 2:08 am

Image by Getty / Futurism

Everybody makes mistakes, and people who struggled with binge drinking in their teen years may soon have the choice to hit a factory reset button on their brains, according to scientists who released a new study on alcohol and how it affects our brains.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago released a new study in the journal ScienceAdvances earlier this month. The team used CRISPR to edit genes in adult mice. The team first studied animals equivalent to 10 to 18 human years old, according to a press release the universitys media site published in early May.

Early binge drinking can have long-lasting and significant effects on the brain and the results of this study offer evidence that gene editing is a potential antidote to these effects, offering a kind of factory reset for the brain, if you will, study senior author Subhash Pandey said in the statement.

When studying mice exposed to drinking in their teenage rodent years, those whod undergone the gene editing technique didnt seem to exhibit quite as much anxiety while completing mazes, nor as much desire to drink.

Just how much we can learn about human health and medicine from mice has been called into question in the past because our species are very different, but Pandey and his team have been studying alcohol abuse for years. Back in 2019 Pandey worked on a study that illustrated how alcohol changes our amygdala, the core part of the brain thats responsible for a lot of emotional regulation. People who started binge drinking before 21 were more likely to have related problems, according to that study.

Its also pretty heartening to see that the governments own National National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funded the newest study, so heres hoping people whove struggled with addiction in the past can find new relief.

Well toast to that with non-alcoholic beer, of course.

More on anti-aging news: Injecting Spinal Fluid From Younger Mice Improves Memory in Elders, Scientists Say

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African youth urged to lead change on continent – BusinessGhana

Posted: at 2:08 am

A futurist, Kwame Antwi Agyei Opoku, has charged the youth in Africa to lead the change that they want to see on the continent.

With the continents population highly dominated by the youth, he said it was time for the youth to take up leadership positions and help provide solutions for the numerous challenges on the continent.

Mr Opoku said this at the maiden Income, Impact and Influence conference held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), under the auspices of Access Bank Limited.

He reiterated that the continent needed, at this moment, opportunities not aid, therefore, urging those in power to create windows of opportunities.

The Futurist also called on the youth to also position themselves to take advantage of these opportunities.

Those in places of power need to stop playing political games and begin to appoint people for their competencies and not necessarily their political affiliation.

We need to open doors for people who do not have a step in those doors but deserve it. We need to start listening to people for the content of their heads and not how they appear, he said.

Youth Innovation

Mr Opoku said it was about time the African youth prepared for a new era of innovation-robotics and economics, saying that these offered more potential to make an impact.

He said the youth must desist from giving excuses; move on, while using their time, particularly on social media, for profitable ventures.

The excuses won't matter. Forget about your background and get up and strap up. If you are not part of the solution, then you are absolutely part of the problem, he said.

Access Bank support

Speaking on behalf of the Managing Director of Access Bank, Olumide Olatunji, the Executive Director of Retail and Digital Banking, Pearl Nkrumah, said the bank was passionate about the youth in Africa and sought to create entrepreneurship in the youth, enable and empower them to impact their generation and also help them to influence their world.

She advised participants to use the occasion to network and access finance they would need to move forward.

I believe if we present them opportunities for their voices to be heard, provide them guidance to nurture their dreams, develop their talents and give them access to funding, most of their problems will be solved, she said.

She said that since 2014, Access Bank had provided such opportunities and empowered the youth through solo ambassador initiatives in schools, which placed the youth in organisations to help them create income they expect.

Again, she said that through the banks financial literacy programme the youth, especially women, are given the opportunity to influence their society.

Need for knowledge

Taking his turn, Mr Robert Burale from Kenya deduced that Africans tend to avoid the processes to the prize and only seek the prize.

He said that although the process to success was not the easiest, when the right knowledge is sought after, the prize could be realised.

Seek the right knowledge, work towards your purpose and harness your gift to be able to have influence.

You can never recover time but you can redeem time, he said.

For his part, Mr Thembekway reiterated the need for individuals to get helpers along the journey to success, noting that the quality of people individuals surrounded themselves with determined their future.He urged the youth to collaborate and build good relationship with people who matter.

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Apecoin is the futuristic Dogecoin of NFTs – Travel Daily News International

Posted: at 2:08 am

Apecoin has been introduced as a token of culture for gaming and other commercial industries, empowering a decentralized community on the web front. Cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin and bitcoin were at all-time highs on the rise in 2021. The year also marked the cryptos as non-interchangeable tokens. The last year's expenditure shows around $25 billion spent on NFTs, and the impressive figure stigmatizes NFTs. People are confused about the growing flex at prices and are quite convinced about its collapse, presuming it has been a hoax.

However, 2022 has seen some radical transformation in the NFTs' survival. It has been growing lately and has evolved for the better. Last Tuesday saw a reflective shift in the domain. Creators of BAYC, NFT Collection, and Yuga Labs declared a new valuation in the prices of $4 billion, followed by a rise of $450 million to creating a metaverse. If this had been said a year ago, it would sound incoherent, but now it is the proceeding harbinger of the allotted phase in NFT.

March reflected how BAYC owners could claim around 10,000 Ape coins each, and the next scenario poses the next 1 billion ape coins to be released soon and distributed among different parties. The launch of Apecoin was also a potential launch for the investors in Bored Ape yacht Club (BAYC) and other NFT collections. Considering what the ApeCoin website of DAO says, 62% of the entire supply is added to the ecosystem fund. In comparison, 14% would be lent to launching contributors, a mere percent of 9.75 tokens is expected to be organized by the creators and designers of BAYC, 8 percent of the tokens worth will reach the Yuga Labs' founders directly, and the leftover 6.25 percent is anticipated to be given as a charity to the Jane Goodall Foundation dedicating to the preservation of the habitats of chimpanzees.

Technically, the token remains separated from the area, and it is all set to get into the realm of ApeCoin entirely. It is always advisable to buy Dogecoin due to its trending demand in the financial sphere lately, but Apecoin is expected to be the future Dogecoin of NFTs. It is considered the greatest value for all trending products that emerge from none other than Yuga Labs. The Yuga Labs includes a different play-to-get crypto blockchain game according to teams at Labs plans that is to be released later in the year with the gaming developer nWay. The ApeCoin website points to Ape as a token to support the following steps controlled and built-in by the community. This will be acting as a decentralized protocol layer based on community-led initiatives, driving the culture towards the new metaverse.

The futuristic crypto, Apecoin, has been available for trading on certain exchanges such as KuCoin, Binance, Coinbase, Huobi, FTX, and many more. Apecoin is built specifically on the Ethereum blockchain and is a token of ERC-20. A total of 1 billion such tokens are circulated for the trade market, with each of them minded proceeding on the go. The market cap of Apecoin is estimated to be 2.93 billion dollars, it is one of the newest cryptos that has been established on the block, yet it stands at rank 47 on the market capitalization leader board.

Crypto boosters have already shifted to the verge of calling iterations to the future. The internet, blockchain-integrated techniques, or social media revolution have constantly dominated financial decisions and landmarks. One can get into the layers of the web and own the data already created and understand the content properly allowed. NFTs, come into action when such a thing happens. However, NFTs are quite synonymous with digital art. Its major function revolves around certifying ownership of any virtually acclaimed asset. That asset might be any miscellaneous - a song, a game-specific, etc. These digital assets can be traded with value or money with the assistance of cryptocurrencies.

Also, metaverse serves as a tool to provide space for this usage, and the world is open to many users at one time. The NFT culture has mostly adapted to the crypto world, and Yuga Labs is a brand that has transcended the NFT culture to a great extent and legitimately possesses tools to construct the metaverse. It manages to build a cryptocurrency with a massive market cap and enough money to recruit a team of advanced-level game designers. NFTs have always been a big win in the headlines. Apecoins are mastering their transferable and fungible nature too much larger audiences.

Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash

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Austin Rotter on Why Good Content Must Be Forward-Thinking and Futuristic – The Ritz Herald

Posted: at 2:08 am

Recently, we sat down with Austin Rotter to discuss why good content has to be futurist and forward-thinking. Austin is a digital marketing strategist with over a decade of experience helping brands and entrepreneurs thrive in media relations and online branding.

Hi, Austin. Were glad to have you with us today. As you might imagine, Im quite excited to unfold this topic with you. Please tell us why you think content marketing needs an overhaul.

Austin Rotter: The main reason is that the landscape has evolved dramatically over the years. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we know many small businesses sprouted up online, and many closed their doors permanently. As an aftereffect, consumer behaviors altered a lot, affecting marketing strategies and tactics in tandem.

Now, roughly two years into the pandemic, the way people consume content has completely changed. The way brands produce content has evolved alongside, but the marketing sector hasnt been able to keep up the pace.

You hit the nail on the head there. How do you think the landscape has changed?

Austin Rotter: There are a few reasons for this. First, the way we interact with content has changed. We now have much more control over when, where, and how we want to consume some information. We can block adverts, skip TV commercials, unsubscribe from emails, download and customize the content, and much more.

The way brands produce content has also changed significantly. With the rise of social media and self-publishing platforms, anyone can be a publisher. That means theres much more noise out there, and its harder for brands to cut through the clutter.

Finally, I think the way we define content marketing has changed. Initially, it was more inclined towards creating and distributing information to attract and retain customers. Now, its gravitating towards creating and distributing content that drives conversions and sales. In this regard, many emerging brands go overboard with their claims, so thats not going to be a sustainable model in the long run.

What can we do to make our content more interactive?

Austin Rotter: One of the most crucial aspects is to ensure that our content is mobile-friendly. If youre expecting an enormous viewership that converts, this element is integral. Besides this, brands need to share information that directly answers their prospects concerns, not reams of pointless text, which they must sift through to get to what theyre looking for. When I say this, infographics, how-to guides, carousels, and videos can all prove to be a seed of success.

How can a business ascertain if its customers are happy, angry, or even hostile in response to its content?

Austin Rotter: Numbers play a pivotal role in determining the success of your content. There are a number of engagement metrics businesses can keep track of to assess how engaged their audience is. The most critical metrics include the time users spend on a page or website, their scroll depth, and social shares. If theres a sharp drop-off in any of these numbers, it could be an indication that the audience is not happy with the content.

Do you believe that harnessing technology to power content marketing is a viable strategy?

Austin Rotter: It definitely is! Technology can help you jump on the bandwagon and ensure that your content is always up-to-date. It can also help you automate many tedious processes, such as data collection and analysis.

Lastly, what would you advise folks who still rely on mass-produced content?

Austin Rotter: You direly need to rethink your strategy! Mass-produced content is no longer effective. People nowadays are looking for more personalized and targeted content. Try to understand what they want to learn about and what challenges theyre facing. Provide them with solutions that match their emotional needs. Thanks!

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your incredible insights with us, Austin. Ideally, it will help businesses realize why their content needs to be both futurist and forward-thinking.

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Elon Musk Warns That Humankind Will "End Up in Adult Diapers" – Futurism

Posted: at 2:08 am

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has rehashed one of his favorite talking points yet again, warning of the dangers of having fewer children, something that he says could lead to the collapse of human civilization.

At least maintain our numbers, he said during a conference in Miami earlier this week, as quoted by Insider. We dont necessarily need to grow dramatically, but least lets not gradually dwindle away until civilization ends with all of us in adult diapers, in a whimper.

He also opined that having fewer kids is better for the environment is total nonsense.

The environment is going to be fine, he said, even if we doubled the size of the humans. (We can only assume he meant doubling the size of the human population, rather than doubling the size of every individual human.)

In other words, the kids will be alright, so have more of them before we run out.

Musk provided no evidence to back up his rather controversial claims. But, in his defense, there may be at least some credibility to his predictions.

On one hand, research has shown that fewer people could drastically cut carbon emissions. According to a 2017 study, having just one fewer child had the greatest effect, compared to other lifestyle changes, to reduce annual personal emissions, cutting on average 58 tons of CO2 emissions. Ditching the car came in second,cutting 2.4 annual tons of CO2.

On the other hand, though, experts have found that living a climate-friendly lifestyle could actually outweigh the effects of having more children. Besides, carbon emissions range massively depending on where the person lives or how much they travel internationally, complicating the picture significantly.

The disparity in per person emissions is most stark between rich and poor countries, with the average Indian emitting less than a tenth of the average American or Canadian, a 2020 report by Founders Pledge, a London-based charity and think tank, concluded. Monthly emissions per person in rich countries are usually higher than yearly emissions per person in the poorest countries.

And it is true that most researchers now agreethat Earth is headed for an astonishing population decline, which could have several knock on effects. Some argue that with fewer babies being born, the carbon footprint offsets may actually be a moot point, considering well be dealing with a rapidly aging population.

In short, human-driven climate change is rapidly deteriorating the environment, and without drastic changes to our behavior, our carbon footprint will likely only rise in the short term if the global population keeps growing.

But with several countries, notably Japan and China, entering periods of natural population decline, those effects become harder to grasp.

Will humanity truly end in a whimper, as Musk has repeatedly warned, if we have fewer kids? Its might bea scenario we wont even get to see play out if we dont take drastic action to ensure that a rapidly warming planet doesnt put an end to us first.

READ MORE: Elon Musk says we cant let humankind end in adult diapers and that the environment would be fine if we doubled our population [Insider]

More on population collapse: Chinas Population Projected to Fall by Half Within 30 Years

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Q&A With Cathy Hackl, AKA ‘The Godmother Of The Metaverse’ – The Drum

Posted: at 2:08 am

The metaverse could transform commerce, fashion, social media, and almost everything in between. Its been framed as a utopian dreamworld and a dystopian nightmare. To help get a clearer idea of what the metaverse is and where it might be leading us, The Drum recently spoke with tech futurist, author and strategist Cathy Hackl.

There are few people in the world today who spend as much time thinking about the metaverse as Cathy Hackl. A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School, Hackl has quickly become one of the most influential voices in the tech world. She was recently listed by BigThink as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Tech Right Now, and shes been featured in major media outlets including 60 Minutes+, Wired and The Wall Street Journal. Shes published two books, which explore various impacts of emergent technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Shes also the author of a newsletter called Metaverse Weekly and the host of two podcasts, one of which is focused on the intersection between marketing and the burgeoning metaverse.

All of this has earned her a sobriquet: The Godmother of the Metaverse.

The Drum recently spoke with Hackl via Zoom to learn more about the current state of the metaverse and what the future may have in store.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did the nickname the Godmother of the Metaverse come into being?

[Reddit co-founder] Alexis Ohanian tweeted last year, asking which women and folks he should be following in web3. My friend Andrew Schwartz, who works at Nikes metaverse team, listed a few people and then he tweeted: Oh, and dont forget about Cathy Hackl, shes the Godmother of the Metaverse. So [that was] the first time anyone ever used that. And someone took a screenshot, they sent it to me, and people started using the term. I wear it as a badge of honor, to be honest.

Youve described VR as being a single point of entry into the metaverse. Looking five to 10 years out, how pervasive do you think the metaverse will be in the life of the ordinary person, and what do you think the most popular point of entry into that metaverse will be?

Whatever comes after the mobile phone. For many of us, that vision is glasses AR or spatial computing. But not necessarily VR. So I think whatever comes after the mobile phone and occupies our time will be the most important entry point.

Because theres Ready Player One, and people see the movie or read the book, they feel like thats the metaverse thats the vision that theyve been sold. Thats a pretty dystopian view. Thats the whole point of a sci-fi novel like that one ... its presenting a dystopian view of the future. We dont want that kind of world. Right? I always say: I think the future is less Ready Player One, and more seamlessly blending virtual and physical.

So for me, VR is one of the enabling technologies. Its an entry point into how were going to experience the future of the internet. Its not the only one ... So [in] five to 10 years, depending on on how fast things are built ... what I envision is glasses that replace our phones. And maybe eventually those glasses are able to go between VR and AR ... eventually the idea is that one device will do both. But that is a very hard thing to solve. I think people underestimate how hard it is to put a supercomputer on someones face. Thats extremely hard to do, from the battery life, to the optics, to the field of view, to the weight, [to] the ergonomics, the design of it.

So when is that? Im not sure. Well have to see.

So is it fair to say that youre not envisioning a future in which were all walking around wearing giant, uncomfortable VR headsets, and that well eventually have wearable technologies that are sleeker, less cumbersome and more fashionable?

I call it the Ray-Ban moment when we have glasses that we actually want to put on because they look great [and] we like them ... Are we gonna be walking around with bulky VR headsets? No.

There appears to be a dichotomy emerging between the corporations that are working to build the metaverse, such as Meta, and the dyed-in-the-wool web3 idealists mostly coders and creators who are working to build the metaverse in the name of of decentralization. In other words, to take the power to control the flow of information out of the hands of big tech companies.

How do you see that dichotomy evolving over time? Is there room in the world of web3 for both camps?

One of the reasons that Meta might be spending so much money at Reality Labs [and] obviously, theyre backtracking a little bit is because, I believe, that they understand that the ad revenue model that made them what they are in web2 is probably not going to be an effective [model] as we head forward ... When I envision the future, I am working toward an open, decentralized metaverse. That is the ultimate goal. Thats what I think is going to be really wonderful and great.

That being said, is the future all open and decentralized? I dont know. There possibly is going to be some walled gardens over here that people might want to go into for some reason or another ... Are we all wanting to work toward an open and decentralized metaverse where theres more transparency, where you own your data through the blockchain? Yeah, I hope so. Is it all going to be open and decentralized? Im not sure ... So thats what I would envision.

When we talk about specifically Meta ... theyre gonna have to, in some ways, play nice with the web3 community in the open and decentralized space if they want to move away from those ad revenue models that theyve been so focused on in web2. Web3 and the metaverse are not the same thing. Theyre intrinsically linked, but theyre not interchangeable. For me, web3 is how people ... are connected in this future of the internet. [The] metaverse for me is how you experience it. So from a hardware perspective, I feel like Metas playing more on the experience side than they are over here, but theyre gonna have to play in web3 [where] things are connected, and theyre gonna have to play nice there.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the overall impacts that the metaverse will have on society?

Im neither utopian or dystopian. Im in the middle. I believe that technology will make society better, but there will be a lot of challenges ... I dont think this is going to slow down ... We need to have hard conversations today about where were heading, so we can start getting ahead of the game.

Will there be challenges that we didnt foresee? Yes. Im sure therell be horrible things potentially that we dont even know are gonna happen, because theres no way for us to get ahead of that. But we can have some conversations right now around data, around privacy, around biometric data, around keeping kids safe in these spaces. There are things that we can [do] now to have those very uncomfortable conversations and to try to [figure out how we can] solve for something thats not even here.

Whats one point of confusion related to the metaverse that you frequently encounter?

Theres so many differing opinions on it. Is it one metaverse? Or is it multiple metaverses?

This is how I explained it to myself: [theres] the capital M Metaverse, like that greater vision of the metaverse, and then within that greater vision theres metaverse platforms [those are] metaverses [with a] lowercase m. Thats, I think, still up for debate.

The big thing for me is moving away from the hype of words such as metaverse and NFTs ... and having people just sit down and think about this [as] the future of the internet. How did the internet change your life in web1? How did social media and the connectivity of everything that came with that change it? Where are we heading? Hows [that] going to change as we head into this new iteration of whats coming?

[We need to step] away from the terms because ... they carry some baggage at times. I think a lot about things like virtual air rights. If things are within eyesight and earshot of me, who owns that, who can post there, what can I hear, what can I see? Right? In the future that were heading into, the internets gonna be all around me, so I think therell be a lot of considerations and a lot of things to think about.

Another misconception and oh my gosh, this drives me nuts is when I hear someone talk about the real world versus this other part. Its the physical world and the virtual world. Because if you ask any kid what theyre doing in Roblox and Fortnight, [theyll say] theyre playing with their friends. And those are real friends, even though theyre gaming. My sons first concert was Lil Nas X in Roblox its very real to him. He talks about it in first-person. Right? During the pandemic, you had Zoom Hanukkah or Zoom Christmas. And just because it happened on Zoom didnt make it less real. You werent there physically, but you still have those memories.

[We need to change] how we sometimes talk about where were heading; its not [the] world versus the virtual world, its [the] physical world and [the] virtual world. Its not a versus.

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Best Fathers Day Gifts of 2022 – Futurism

Posted: at 2:08 am

Dads: As old as the hills, rustic as the smell of gasoline or maybe just that guy who taught you 782 different ways to make spaghetti with butter and parmesan. When Fathers Day rolls around and its time to honor your dad, you may find yourself thumbing through the gift rack at the mall, vacantly searching for another printed tie. But never fear: whatever sort of father youve got, we have the gift picks that will get your dad as excited as the day he got his first bicycle.

Because no father is the same, we included a wide variety of gifts on this list. We have gifts for the artistic, the outdoorsy, the techy, and the tabletop gamer. We made sure that every item on this list is something we can stand behind. Many are items we own and love, and others weve thoroughly vetted. Whatever your pick, youll be sure to land something special.

Best for the Outdoorsy Dad: Black Diamond Storm 400 Best for the Tabletop Gamer Dad: Wingspan Best for the American-Made Dad: 118 Products: Hikers Backpack Best for the Artistic Dad: Grovemade Pencil Kit Best for the Musical Dad: Orba by Artiphon Best for the Beach-Loving: Rumpl Everywhere Towel Best for the Dad Who Commutes: Troubadour Bag Best for the New Father: Panasonic Baby Monitor Best for the Handy Dad: Arrow Shed Best to Keep Tabs on Dad: ElliQ Best for the Diver Dad: Garmin Marine Quatix 7 Series

Key Selling Point: Black Diamond makes headlamps that are reliable enough for years of use, and bright enough to justify leaving the Maglight at home.

When I bought my Black Diamond, the salesperson told me that theyd worn theirs around the world; flash to now and I can say the same thing. Ive traveled with mine on multiple backpacking trips and relied on it for endless nights of camping.

This simple headlamp is made right. Running on four AAA batteries, the Black Diamond features a bright LED lamp that emits up to 400 lumens on its highest setting. Brightness is easily adjusted by holding the on/off button. The stretchy band keeps the light consistently fastened onto your forehead, where it angles with a clicking mechanism. The Storm series comes with strong IP67 water and dust proofing that ensures it will keep glowing, even if your dad takes a spill from the kayak. This is a great gift for any dad who loves solid camping gear, or outdoors adventuring, but also distinguishes itself as a great headlamp for any hobbyist who works on precise projects and could use some extra illumination such as car mechanics or model-train builders.

Key Selling Point: The runaway-hit tabletop board game that will have your dad spotting grebes and purple gallinules everywhere he goes bird up.

Can you distinguish a cormorant from a merganser? Perhaps you wouldnt think youd care to; but thats subject to change with Wingspan. Wingspan is the sensational tabletop board game that has you collect birds and pair them to create the most productive habitat. With 170 lavishly illustrated bird cards that each include game mechanics and powers related to that birds real-world traits, Wingspan is both a birders dream game, and one of the most compelling and addictive engine-building strategy games out there. Play birds in the forest, grasslands, or wetlands, collect food, lay eggs, and accumulate a flock. The game usually takes one to three hours, and can be played with up to five people, or alone. Theres also an app version, for those whod rather bird on their tablet or computer. It should be stated that I am completely addicted, as are my dad and mom so this one comes with the highest personal recommendation.

Key Selling Point: From their home in North Carolina, this all-American-made store delivers exceptional-quality niche goods.

Perhaps most famous for their line of handmade raw selvedge denim created in the original home of Levis denim, White Oak Mill in North Carolina, Hudsons Hill delivers exceptional American-made goods. This Hikers Backpack is a classic Americana piece thats as reliable as the aesthetics it was modeled on. Made of original 1940s U.S. Army tent duck fabric, the backpack is durable and classic. Its finished with leather, metal hardware, and cotton military webbing. Its a perfect daypack for a dad who likes to get away into the hills for the afternoon, but makes just as good of a gift for a father who totes their sketch pad and watercolors wherever they go.

Key Selling Point: This pencil kit is as distinguished as it is high quality.

The shine of light on compressed graphite theres something ineffable about a pencil drawing. Any artist will appreciate a great pencil set, whether theyre sketching from Caravaggios at the National Gallery, or doodling in the margins of memos at work. The Grovemade Pencil Kit is a statement piece. The collection features 12 top-quality cedar Blackwing pencils, a beautiful walnut stand, and an aluminum sharpener outfitted with a German steel blade. Even after dad gets through the 12 included pencils, the sharpener and pencil stand makes for a striking addition to their desk that will last them a lifetime.

Key Selling Point: This electronic instrument looks like a miniaturized Hang drum, but functions as a highly capable midi controller thats as fun as it is powerful.

Electronic instruments are getting more and more varied. The Orba by Artiphon is one of the most fun digital midi controllers weve seen on the market. This small spherical controller interacts with your computers electronic music software in novel ways, working as a synth, looper, and midi controller that pairs touch buttons, with tilts, shakes, and bumps, for a truly reactive musical device. Pairing with the Orba app, its intuitive enough to make a good gift, yet powerful enough to make a strong addition to any serious musicians arsenal.

This is a great novelty piece for a musical dad that already seems to have everything in their collection, thats fun enough for a casual musician, and portable enough for a musician on the road. All in all its a great electronic music piece for anyone whos musically inclined.

Key Selling Point: This bright microfiber towel is just as good for beach days in the sun as it is for packing into your dads next camping trip.

A splash of color for the beach paired with hyper-absorbent microfiber that folds down to a tiny size: the Rumpl Everywhere Towel is the perfect accompaniment to days by the water. Designed to nod to the aesthetics of the 1960s and 1970s, this is a towel you cant miss. Because microfiber is so absorptive, these towels also make great outdoor products for backpackers, and fold up to slip into a daypacks side pocket. The Rumpl is a great gift for any dad gearing up for a summer spent on the beach or messing about on boats.

Key Selling Point: This vegan leather travel bag is understated and elegant; its laptop pocket will make sure he keeps his things protected.

Sometimes the best gifts are those for travel. The Troubadour Bag is a deeply stylish travel bag with a European sensibility. The bag is designed with clean lines, excellent quality materials, and all the right pockets. It nails the elements needed in a bag meant for travel. Even the name Troubadour denotes the intended use, this is a bag for those on the move. If youre looking for gifts for him, you cant get classier than the Troubadour.

Key Selling Point: This baby monitor is a wonderful tool for any new parent who wants to keep tabs on their newborn.

Good tech gear can make your life as a parent so much easier. Need a movie night but want to keep tabs while the baby sleeps? The Panasonic Baby Monitor is a powerful and secure baby monitor system that ensures you can keep an eye on your sleeping infant from anywhere in the home. This discreet camera comes with multiple points of control, allowing you to pan, zoom, and tilt. It also streams night vision, and sends you alerts if the baby wakes or calls out. Unlike so many home camera systems, Panasonic uses a secure DECT network to transfer video, so that no one can connect to the camera without the included screen. The system also has the capability to expand to four cameras for growing families.

Key Selling Point: This steel outdoor tool shed makes a perfect workshop or storage space for the handy dad who likes to keep his tools and equipment close.

Ready for mechanics, carpenters, gardeners, wood workers, or even perhaps fletchers the Arrow Shed is an easily assembled steel shed thats perfect for your handy dad. Shipping with a gable roof that ensures water will roll off, a finished rust-resistant exterior, and 43 square feet of storage, the shed is further accessorized with numerous add-ons, including various shelving kits. The 8 x 6 foot shed ships at 189 pounds, so be sure that you have the space and power to assemble it before you buy.

Key Selling Point: An excellent tool for aging parents, ElliQ keeps parents connected to family with photos, enables them to easily book appointments and interact with the web, and interacts with them throughout the day in a friendly way.

Part motivational tool, part interactive digital personality, part connectivity hub, ElliQ is a great tool for the aging parent. Filling many of the roles of an iPad and Alexa, ElliQ is a home companion that helps older adults who might live alone navigate their days and the wider world. ElliQ can be used to book rides, schedule appointments, upload photos, send messages, and video call. It also interacts, telling jokes, spinning trivia, and engaging in small talk. If your dad is living alone this fathers day consider ElliQ as a means to help him navigate his world and keep him company.

Key Selling Point: This admiral-grade smartwatch is equipped with all the features a boat enthusiast needs.

If youre after unique gifts for your seafaring dad, then look no further than the Garmin Marine Quatix 7 Series. This admiral-grade smartwatch is decked out with all the features hell need for fooling around on boats. With a silicone band and a crystal face, the watch is sturdy, and is rated for 10 atmospheres of pressure (100 meters). The watch has a battery life of 6 days in always-on mode, and up to 16 days in normal mode.

The Garmins controls are easy to operate, and youll want them to be with such a host of digital features. The watch is capable of standard smartwatch tasks, such as sending and receiving texts, as well as heart rate monitoring, however, it shines on the water. The watch uses multi-band frequency support that allows it to sync with multiple navigation satellite systems beyond GPS, such as Galileo, keeping dad on track in isolated areas where GPS doesnt penetrate. This feature syncs beautifully with the Quatixs stunning array of maps, including freshwater maps of the United States, global coastal maps, topography, ski slopes, and golf course maps. Beyond maps, the watch connects to multiple systems on your boat, allowing you to monitor wind, and water depth, set waypoints, and even operate autopilot.

With so many features the Garmin Marine will be a beloved tool for any water enthusiast, whether a surfer pairing it with digital surf gear, a diver checking maps underwater, or a captain steering their boat across the Sargasso Sea.

Fathers Day is a great chance to honor our dads with something special. Whatever you choose, personalized gifts are sure to be a hit: that might be a gift to augment their musical chest of curiosities, such as the Orba by Artiphon. A Hikers Backpack made of classic American-made materials is a great choice for those who appreciate quality craftsmanship. We recommend Wingspan for the father who has an interest in games or birds; we think its a great gift for anyone who wants to bring the whole family together. The Black Diamond is an excellent choice for a gift for a dad who likes to spend his time outdoors, while the pricey Garmin Marine Quatix 7 Series is the best gift for the dad whos dedicated to boating. Whatever you choose, make sure its something that youre excited about giving, it doesnt have to be expensive to be good, it just needs to be special, in the end thats the most important part of fathers day building your relationship with your dad.

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurisms owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Stranger Things to Obi-Wan Kenobi: the seven best shows to stream this week – The Guardian

Posted: at 2:08 am

Pick of the weekStranger ThingsNatalia Dyer and Maya Hawke in Stranger Things. Photograph: Netflix

A gruesome flashback to Dr Brenners lab cuts to sunny guitar pop and a teenage diary entry. Straight away, were back in the universe of Stranger Things, where the fantastical and the commonplace bleed into each other. This ordinariness has always been one of the shows strengths but, at times, it has felt as if were simply watching a likable, slightly aimless teen drama with the supernatural elements spread thinly. Still, the characters remain nicely realised: the messiness of adolescence is causing Jane/Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to lose friends and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) to think of finding some new ones. But, as always, the Upside Down is waiting for a likely conduit. Netflix, from Friday 27 May

The Jedi code is like an itch. We cannot help it. This long-awaited series a prequel to the original films but set in the aftermath of the later trilogy fills another gap in the elastic time frame of the Star Wars universe, positing Jedi status as more of a curse than a blessing. It finds Ewan McGregors Obi in a more vulnerable place, broken by his experience of Order 66 and living in hiding after the fall of the Republic. Furthermore, Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) hasnt finished with our hero hunting down the Jedi because they represent both opposition to his rule and a hated part of himself. Disney+, from Friday 27 May

We are used to David Attenborough explaining natural history to us, but can the nonagenarian explain prehistory? This series exploits a combination of the gravitas conferred by Attenboroughs voice and some stupendous visuals to present a startling vision of the Cretaceous period. With an episode every day this week, this collaboration between the BBCs Natural History Unit and The Lion Kings photorealist effects team MPC is essentially a classic BBC-style nature epic, transferred to a new menagerie of biting, roaring and scampering creatures. Apple TV+, from Monday 23 May

The first season proved divisive, thanks mainly to the design of its animation, which abandoned the classical manga aesthetic of the original comics for a flashy but more generic-looking CGI style. The same gripes remain albeit with an added layer of irony in a series where the narrative now explores the implications of out-of-control AI leading to a homogenised, posthuman condition. However, the story is developed in complex and interesting ways, dealing with the Orwellian concept of sustainable war and the possible end point of evolution. Netflix, from Monday 23 May

That was irony. Theres going to be a bit of that throughout the show. Thats when I say something I dont really mean, for comic effect. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Stewart Lee will be thrilled at having been such a source of inspiration for Gervaiss new hour-long standup special. Or maybe he wont; in Gervaiss hands, irony often seems the default mode of a man simply wanting to have his cake and eat it railing against the notion of taboos while relying on them for laughs. Still, hes undeniably a gifted comic brain, albeit often on autopilot. Netflix, from Tuesday 24 May

A fifth season of vicarious travel and food adventures in the company of Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal. The shows secret is Rosenthals evident delight throughout, not just in the food he tastes but also the people he meets and the regional and national identities he explores. This will be Rosenthals first post-Covid series (The world is opening up again and so is my mouth) and hes evidently happy to be back on the road, sampling, among other things, the best sausages in Lisbon and a classic Mexican cantina. Netflix, from Wednesday 25 May

The propulsive, multidimensional Nigerian musical phenomenon has long gone global, with Grammy nominations for several of its leading lights. But this success has been years in the making and film-maker Ayo Shonaiya has been there from the start. Beginning in 1999, this series tracks the emergence of scene pioneers such as Burna Boy and DBanj, and tells a wider story of Nigerian growth, development and national self-actualisation. Shonaiya accurately describes this labour of love as a history lesson with a musical soundtrack. Netflix, from Friday 27 May

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New COVID-19 mystery: Some are getting coronavirus again even after taking Paxlovid – Press Herald

Posted: at 2:06 am

Some coronavirus-positive patients who have completed treatment of the anti-COVID drug Paxlovid are rebounding into illness, and experts are urging people to be cautious if they develop COVID-like symptoms again and become infectious.

Its unclear how often post-Paxlovid rebound occurs, but University of California, San Francisco Department of Medicine chair Dr. Robert Wachter said he knows of at least one person who completed Paxlovid treatment and then became infectious again, spreading the virus to other family members.

It can happen, Wachter tweeted. If you develop recurrent symptoms and have a (positive) rapid test, you are infectious. Please act accordingly.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said post-Paxlovid COVID-19 relapses are real.

Theyve happened in a significant enough number that theyve been noticed by lots of folks in lots of different places, she said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of Mercks molnupiravir pill for treating COVID-19. The molnupiravir pill is cleared for use by adults 18 and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at high risk of being hospitalized or dying.

In a statement on its website, the U.S Food and Drug Administration said it is aware of reports of COVID-19 symptoms returning following the completion of Paxlovid treatment. In some of these cases, patients tested negative on a direct SARS-CoV-2 viral test and then tested positive again, the FDA said.

The agency said that in the Paxlovid clinical trial, there have been some patients about 1% to 2% who tested negative and then became positive. The finding wasnt only in people who took Paxlovid; it also occurred in those who took the placebo.

Yet, judging by all the anecdotes, rebound sure seems more common than that were waiting for good data, Wachter tweeted. Wachter suggested that a person who has completed a course of Paxlovid and then tests positive again should be considered infectious.

Paxlovids clinical trial data were collected when the Delta variant of the coronavirus dominated nationwide, before the rise of the far-more-transmissible Omicron family thats circulating now.

The question is, Is this more common with omicron? Were actually doing a lot of work right now to try to sort that out. Were talking to health systems, getting real world experience data, said Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator.

But even if the rebound rate has remained unchanged, the number of people affected could seem far larger now based on wider use of the drug.

If you have 20,000 people getting Paxlovid every day even if it was only still 2%, that would mean 400 people are having rebound every day. So it is hard to know exactly how often it happens, Jha said during a briefing Wednesday.

However, he also noted that the people who have that rebound are not getting particularly sick, are not ending up in the hospital.

If the goal of this treatment, which it was, was to prevent hospitalizations and deaths, it is doing that incredibly well, he said.

Those who wish to be especially careful about the risk of infecting others may should consider wearing a mask in all indoor settings, even around family members of the same household, for a few more days or perhaps a week once the Paxlovid treatment is complete, Wachter said.

And Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said her agency would recommend putting your mask back on should symptoms recur.

Even a rapid negative test after completing the five-day course of Paxlovid might provide false assurance that a person is not contagious. A negative rapid test result suggests a person is probably not infectious, but theres still a slight chance perhaps 1% that a person can test negative and still be contagious, Wachter wrote.

Wearing masks for a few more days seems reasonable if youre being careful, he said.

Post-Paxlovid COVID-19 rebound still seems to be unusual, Wachter said, and is not harmful to the recovering patient. Wachter said news about the rebound should not discourage people from taking Paxlovid, given its high rate of efficacy against severe illness and death.

Data has shown that Paxlovid, manufactured by Pfizer, reduces the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 by 89% among higher-risk adults who have not been hospitalized.

In addition, its plausible, but not proven, that lowering viral load quickly (which Paxlovid does) might lower the risk of long COVID, and make people less infectious, Wachter wrote.

The FDA agreed that the reports of post-Paxlovid COVID-19 rebound dont change scientists overall view of the drug being highly effective.

Most importantly, there was no increased occurrence of hospitalization or death or development of drug resistance, the FDA said. These reports, then, do not change the conclusions from the Paxlovid clinical trial which demonstrated a marked reduction in hospitalization and death.

The FDA said patients should wear a mask and stay home and isolate if they have any symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of whether they have been given an antiviral drug such as Paxlovid.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday that the National Institutes of Health also are looking to study whether a longer course of Paxlovid is needed.

A positive result of rapid antigen test and a negative result of the test in the background

A report by scientists at the University of California, San Diego posted online Wednesday analyzed the case history of a traveler who returned to the U.S. following a trip to South Africa and had recurrent COVID-19 after completing a Paxlovid course. The scientists said the most likely possibility for the recurrent symptoms was insufficient drug exposure.

Among those observing the rebound was Dr. Paul Sax, an infectious disease expert at Harvard Medical School, who recounted in a recent blog post how a patient with COVID-19 rapidly recovered after taking Paxlovid but a week later called him back saying shed relapsed. Although the symptoms werent as bad as her initial illness, rapid test results showed she was clearly positive again.

Her biggest concern was getting back out in the world without infecting someone. She really wasnt that sick; she just wanted advice about when she could return to work and start socializing again, Sax wrote. Avoid close contact with others until that test clears, I said.

The patient completely recovered, and she began testing negative a few days later, Sax wrote.

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You will be exposed to the coronavirus, Oregon health officials say, though COVID-19 wave relatively mild – OregonLive

Posted: at 2:06 am

Oregons chief disease specialist threaded a fine line Wednesday between cautioning Oregonians to protect themselves amid a surge in coronavirus infections while not ordering or even recommending statewide measures to prevent infection.

The current bump in identified COVID-19 infections, with a daily average of more than 1,400 reported cases per day, may be reaching its peak, Dr. Dean Sidelinger said at a now-monthly COVID-19 media update Wednesday. But the sustained growth in cases and hospitalizations means the pandemic is not yet over.

If youre in a gathering of people outside your home, sooner or later you will be exposed to the virus, Sidelinger said. The risk of exposure and infection exists in every Oregon community.

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In the more than two years since the pandemic began, Oregon has reported an average daily case load higher than 1,400 for only about four months. And underscoring how widespread the disease is likely to be, the epidemiologist said most cases now are not reported to the state, because some people get their results through an at-home test, which doesnt have to be reported, or simply dont get tested at all.

Everyone in a county where the federally-determined risk level is medium should consider wearing a mask, Sidelinger said. Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties are at that risk level, as are Deschutes, Columbia and Benton counties. He also encouraged people who are unvaccinated, older, immunocompromised, at risk of severe disease or who live with anyone in those categories, to wear a mask.

The key marker of the severity of the current pandemic bump, hospitalizations, remains far below the peaks reached in either the omicron or delta waves. Thats expected to remain true through the peak, projected to hit 321 occupied beds by June 10. Hospitalizations approached 1,200 at the height of the delta wave. As of Tuesday, 255 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Oregon Health Authority data.

OHA is optimistic that the overall number of Oregons hospitalized patients with COVID-19 will not exceed our hospital systems ability to care for them, Sidelinger said.

As for what happens after this wave is over, Sidelinger said he expects Oregon wont see sustained case growth through the summer thanks to immunity from recent infections and vaccinations and because people will be spending time outdoors.

But if new variants develop in Oregon, in other states or countries that come to Oregon, that could change as we move inside in the fall, Sidelinger said.

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You will be exposed to the coronavirus, Oregon health officials say, though COVID-19 wave relatively mild - OregonLive

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