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Showing posts from June, 2024

'Bridgerton' author Julia Quinn defends the show giving Francesca a queer romance amid fan backlash

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Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton in the season three finale of "Bridgerton." Netflix The "Bridgerton" season three finale introduces a queer plot twist for Francesca Bridgerton. Masali Baduza plays a gender-swapped version of John Stirling's cousin from the book series.  Showrunner Jess Brownell got "Bridgerton" author Julia Quinn's blessing to make the change. Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season three, part two of "Bridgerton," and "When He Was Wicked," the sixth Bridgerton book. The season three finale of " Bridgerton " sets up a major change in Francesca Bridgerton 's ( Hannah Dodd ) love story by introducing a gender-swapped character, and book series author Julia Quinn gave her seal of approval. "The fact of the matter is, the fan base is not a monolith, and you're never going to please every single side of the fan base," showrunner Jess Brownell told Teen Vogue in a recent

ElevenLabs debuts its first iOS app, which turns any English-language text, including from PDFs and ePubs, into narrations by one of its "human-like voices" (Carl Franzen/VentureBeat)

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Carl Franzen / VentureBeat : ElevenLabs debuts its first iOS app, which turns any English-language text, including from PDFs and ePubs, into narrations by one of its “human-like voices”   —  If you've ever started reading an article on your iPhone only to have to drive somewhere, walk, bike, do chores … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/j7JRQU9

A complete timeline of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship

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Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been dating since the summer of 2023. The pop star and the athlete, both 34, have been open about their affection for each other. Kelce recently joined Swift onstage in London during her performance on The Eras Tour. We'll take a wild guess and say that Travis Kelce's favorite track from Taylor Swift's "Midnights"  might be "Mastermind." Shortly after he turned up to The Eras Tour with a friendship bracelet and a dream, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end began dating the multi-Grammy-winning superstar . Kelce, 34, laid the groundwork last July. He made his feelings known for Swift, 34, after he failed to get some one-on-one time when she performed on his home turf in Missouri. Soon, all the dominoes cascaded in a line: Swift began attending NFL games, openly cheering for the Chiefs, and stepping out with Kelce for date nights in New York City.  Keep rea

Nvidia stock is down ~15% from June 20, losing ~$500B in market cap, after becoming the most valuable company on June 18; its CEO recently sold ~$95M in shares (Financial Times)

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Financial Times : Nvidia stock is down ~15% from June 20, losing ~$500B in market cap, after becoming the most valuable company on June 18; its CEO recently sold ~$95M in shares   —  Chipmaker's shares have fallen 15% since Thursday, ending brief stint as world's most valuable company last week from Techmeme https://ift.tt/8sBgpaM

Interviews with ~12 media executives, including Brian Roberts, John Malone, Barry Diller, and Ted Sarandos, about the future of streaming, bundling, ads, more (New York Times)

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New York Times : Interviews with ~12 media executives, including Brian Roberts, John Malone, Barry Diller, and Ted Sarandos, about the future of streaming, bundling, ads, more   —  When the media titans Brian Roberts, John Malone and Barry Diller cast off in early February on Mr. Diller's 156-foot … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/9DlqRgr

The unregulated multibillion-dollar life coaching industry can be a haven for discredited therapists

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simon2579/Getty Images Some therapists who have lost their licenses have rebranded themselves as "life coaches." The life coaching industry generated $4.5 billion in revenue in 2022. Life coaching is an unregulated industry, so prospective patients should tread carefully. When therapists lose their licenses, even for serious offenses, they don't always have to change careers. They can try "life coaching" instead. Life coaches are wellness professionals who offer clients advice on improving their lives. Unlike therapists, they're not required to be trained or held to ethical guidelines, and they are not regulated by the state or federal government. This loosely defined group of professionals generated $4.5 billion in revenue in 2022, according to The International Coaching Federation . While many people credit life coaches with positively changing their lives or careers, anyone can call themselves a life coach, and therein lies the problem. Jo

How to watch USA vs. Bolivia: Live stream Copa America

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When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah of the United States during USMNT Training. Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF The United States will face off against Bolivia in the CONMEBOL Copa America on Sunday, and we've combed through all of the viewing options so that you don't have to. Keep reading to learn how to watch USA vs. Bolivia, including cable and global live streaming options. Bolivia is a one-time Copa America champion, with a 1963 win under its belt. The USA, which only began participating in the tournament through CONCACAF in 1993, has yet to make it to the finals. The tournament kicked off on Thursday, and today's game marks the first match for both teams. The USA and Bolivia will each go on to play two more teams in the group stages before potentially advancing to the quarterfinals. Whether you're rooting for Bolivia or the USA, we'll show you how to live s

Apple's big AI rollout is looking a lot smaller

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Apple Intelligence Apple Apple went big with its reveal of Apple Intelligence, its AI offering, earlier this month. But Apple Intelligence is only available on the latest iPhone models. And it likely won't be available in some of the company's largest markets anytime soon. At one of its splashiest product reveals in recent history, Apple unveiled its new AI push, called Apple Intelligence , with great enthusiasm earlier this month. But the new tech's big rollout is turning out to be a lot more limited than that fanfare implied. Apple Intelligence is only available on the company's newest and most expensive phones. And it might not even make it to some of Apple's biggest markets. Apple Intelligence will be "built into your iPhone, iPad, and Mac to help you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly," Apple boasts . But the tech, which will arrive in beta form this fall, will debut only on the "iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Ma

An interview with Netflix's senior encoding technology director Anne Aaron about the company's cutting-edge codecs, preparing for livestreaming, and more (Janko Roettgers/The Verge)

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Janko Roettgers / The Verge : An interview with Netflix's senior encoding technology director Anne Aaron about the company's cutting-edge codecs, preparing for livestreaming, and more   —  How cutting-edge codecs and obsessive tweaks have helped Netflix to stay ahead of the curve — until now. … Anne Aaron just can't help herself. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/aRfkwx9

Ted Cruz says Biden is breaking the law by taking credit for infrastructure projects

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President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd in Kentucky about his economic and infrastructure plans. Michael Swensen/Getty Images Sen. Ted Cruz has an issue with signage touting projects funded by the 2021 infrastructure law. Construction sites across the US note that projects were made possible by the Biden-signed law. "These displays are nothing more than campaign yard signs," Cruz argues. Across the United States, scores of construction sites are emblazoned with signs that read: "Project Funded By President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law." For many people, it's an innocuous notation of the thousands of projects financed by the sweeping $1.2 trillion infrastructure law Biden signed into law in 2021 and was backed by both Democrats and a sizable contingent of Republicans. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was not one of them. Cruz is now pushing for a government probe into whether the Biden administration has run afoul of the Hatch Act by using taxpaye

Despite a $3T+ valuation, Nvidia remains a little-known brand outside gaming and tech industries due to the speed of its ascent and lack of consumer contact (Kif Leswing/CNBC)

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Kif Leswing / CNBC : Despite a $3T+ valuation, Nvidia remains a little-known brand outside gaming and tech industries due to the speed of its ascent and lack of consumer contact   —  Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google were the four leading global brands at the end of 2023, according to consulting firm Interbrand. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/MWi49TA

The best budget Android phones in 2024: Our top picks under $500

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When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more The best budget Android phones close the gap with premium phones. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider The best budget Android phones have closed the gap between budget and premium significantly in the last few years, and there's no better time to buy one, whether you've always bought phones in the budget category or even if you're used to more expensive flagship devices. These days, the best budget Android phones come with performance, camera quality, features, displays, and designs that surprise us for their price tags — in a very good way. When we say "budget" Android phones, we're referring to models that cost less than $500, with sub-$400 prices preferable. We're hesitant to recommend phones around $200, as phone performance, camera quality, and the general experience with the phone starts to suffer beyond reasonable expectations. With that in mind, Go