Hagi Old Samurai District: Yamaguchi ,Japan (UNESCO World Heritage)

gudonjin has added a photo to the pool:

Hagi Old Samurai District: Yamaguchi ,Japan (UNESCO World Heritage)

The Guardian

Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

De Zerbi’s impact at Spurs is undeniable but team’s fragile self-destruction remains | Jonathan Wilson

Mathys Tel’s stupid penalty concession underlines being Spursy is just who Spurs are to leave them still within sight of West Ham

You’re 1-0 up with 20 minutes to go. You’re about to win your first home league game in 156 days. You’re well on top and playing your best football in 18 months. If you can just see it through you’ll be four points clear of the relegation zone with two games to go, crisis all but averted. And then your left-winger attempts an overhead in the corner of your own box and kicks an opponent in the head nearly eight feet off the ground. It may have been the highest altitude penalty awarded in the Premier League this season; it was certainly the stupidest. Never underestimate the Spursiness of this Spurs.

The gap to West Ham is two points. Spurs must go to Chelsea three days after the FA Cup final then face Everton at home. West Ham have Newcastle away and Leeds at home. But perhaps the most important aspect is the sense that the momentum has shifted. The pendulum that had seemingly been swinging decisively towards Tottenham has slowed; it could easily swing back again.

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‘A consistent pattern of lying’: Musk v OpenAI trial exposes what insiders think of Sam Altman

The trial has exposed even more details about OpenAI’s fractious corporate past than previously documented

OpenAI, despite its name, is usually extremely secretive about its operations. It promotes a carefully crafted image to the world. Over the course of Elon Musk’s case against the startup and its CEO Sam Altman, however, the artificial intelligence firm has been forced to publicly contend with some of the messiest parts of its rise to power in public.

The Musk v OpenAI trial, which on Monday entered its third week, has featured a who’s who of Silicon Valley testifying about OpenAI’s past and its CEO’s contentious leadership. Musk’s attorneys have used former executives, private text messages, diary entries and internal email exchanges to portray Altman as untrustworthy. Altman, who denies Musk’s allegations, will take the stand in the coming days. OpenAI has likewise issued denials.

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Consuming fruit and a cup of coffee a day can halve risk of unhealthy cell ageing, study suggests

Eating diet rich in polyphenols can lower likelihood of shorter DNA endings linked to age-related diseases

Eating fruit and drinking a cup of coffee a day could halve the risk of cells ageing unhealthily, research suggests.

Foods rich in polyphenols such as berries, apples, coffee, cocoa and tea are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but a new study has found they are also associated with a lower risk of short telomeres, the “ends” or caps of DNA that, when shorter, increase the risk of cell death and unhealthy ageing.

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Sarah Wynn-Williams and Virginia Giuffre jointly win freedom to publish prize at British book awards

In a rare public appearance, Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams warned of ‘networks of powerful elites’ using wealth and influence to silence dissenting voices

Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams and the late Virginia Giuffre have jointly won the Freedom to Publish prize at this year’s British book awards, marking the first time the award has been shared.

Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, was recognised for Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, her bestselling memoir about her years inside Meta, formerly Facebook. The book makes allegations about the company’s internal culture and practices, including its approach to political influence, China and the wellbeing of teenagers. Meta has disputed the claims.

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Children of the Blitz review – wonderful, priceless television

The last survivors of the blitz share their stories to mark 85 years since it ended. It is a hugely moving film that is all too relevant today – but what a privilege it is to witness

Over the decades since the second world war, the “blitz spirit” has been in danger of becoming a slightly trite article of national faith. Most recently invoked during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is used to imply a uniquely British pluck; the notion of stoicism as a resource that the UK can always call upon in times of adversity.

Inevitably, the “blitz spirit” is a phrase most commonly used by people who don’t remember the blitz. This is partly because anyone who can remember the blitz is now at least in their late 80s. But it’s also because, as a lived experience, the blitz was clearly not something that lent itself to sentimental homilies. This wonderful, moving film is, for both of those reasons, a hugely important piece of social history. The voices of these witnesses to the Luftwaffe’s “lightning war” are variously lyrical, wistful, resolute and deeply regretful. We see them as they play with grandchildren, visit old haunts, attend yoga classes. Their wartime experiences are clearly a backdrop to their lives but very present all the same. They are offered up not quite as a corrective to national myths, but certainly with a harder edge than is customary; as a sobering reminder that to evoke the blitz is to evoke deep trauma.

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Extra: Stel nu je vraag over Cocaïnekoorts

Wil je weten hoe Jan Meeus en Mark Eeckhaut te werk zijn gegaan bij het maken van Cocaïnekoorts? Heb je een vraag over de nog lopende strafzaak, de geïnterviewden of wil je iets…

Slashdot

News for nerds, stuff that matters

iPhone-Android RCS Conversations Are End-To-End Encrypted In iOS 26.5

Apple says end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between iPhone and Android is now available in iOS 26.5, though the feature is still considered beta and depends on carrier support on both sides. MacRumors reports: Apple says that it worked with Google to lead a cross-industry effort to add E2EE to RCS. iOS users will need iOS 26.5, while Android users will need the latest version of Google Messages. End-to-end encryption is on by default, and there is a toggle for it in the Messages section of the Settings app. Encrypted messages are denoted with a small lock symbol. On iPhones not running iOS 26.5, RCS messages between iPhone and Android users do not have E2EE, but the new update will put Android to iPhone conversations on par with iPhone to iPhone conversations that are encrypted through iMessage.

Along with Google, Apple worked with the GSM Association to implement E2EE for RCS messages. E2EE is part of the RCS Universal Profile 3.0, published with Apple's help and built on the Messaging Layer Security protocol. RCS Universal Profile 3.0 also includes editing and deleting messages, cross-platform Tapback support, and replying to specific messages inline during cross-platform conversations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Elegant Forager (De elegante foerageerder)

BertvB posted a photo:

The Elegant Forager (De elegante foerageerder)

An Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) gracefully searching for food in the shallow waters of 'Landje van Gruijters' near Spaarnwoude. This nature reserve is a vital resting and feeding area for many meadow and water birds, offering wonderful opportunities to observe their delicate movements up close.
(Een kluut die sierlijk op zoek is naar voedsel in de ondiepe wateren van het Landje van Gruijters nabij Spaarnwoude. Dit natuurgebied is een vitale rust- en pleisterplaats voor vele weide- en watervogels en biedt prachtige kansen om hun verfijnde bewegingen van dichtbij te observeren.)

kottke.org

Jason Kottke's weblog, home of fine hypertext products

Remember Desktop Tower Defense ? I played it for a bit...

Remember Desktop Tower Defense? I played it for a bit this weekend and it’s still great fun. One of the very best games from the Flash era.