Month: April 2025

Chip Gaines honors his ‘best friend’ and wife Joanna Gaines as they celebrate special occasion

Chip Gaines honors his ‘best friend’ and wife Joanna Gaines as they celebrate special occasion

Published by skeptic

Joanna Gaines turns 47 on April 19 and her beloved husband Chip is honoring the special occasion in the sweetest way possible. In a social media post shared on Instagram, Chip called his wife his “best friend” alongside a gorgeous picture of the pair. “My. Best. Friend,” he wrote, spacing each word with a period. He added: “Happy birthday, Joey.. I love you!!” © Chip GainesChip and Joanna wrap their arms around each other as they stand in the woods The snap showed the pair standing in the woods, with Chip wrapping his arm around his wife of almost 22 years. Both in their trademark baseball caps, Joanna wore cuffed jeans with a simple black tee and her sweater tied around her waist, while Chip rocked a white shirt over a white tee and dark denim jeans. Joanna commented on the post with a series of heart emojis, and she also shared a reel posted by her Magnolia business company, with her staff sharing the first word they think of Joanna. “Whimsical,” “genius,” “thoughtful,” and “generous” were …

John Lithgow Responds to Criticism of His Dumbledore Casting

John Lithgow Responds to Criticism of His Dumbledore Casting

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John Lithgow is looking forward to playing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. Lithgow recently told BBC’s The One Show that he’s “very excited” yet “very intimidated” to be the next actor to take on a role which has been played before in the Harry Potter films by Richard Harris (Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets) Michael Gambon (Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Deathly Hallows: Part 2) and by Jude Law in the Fantastic Beasts movies (Crimes of Grindelwald, Secrets of Dumbledore). “I will be following the great Michael Gambon,” Lithgow said. “I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV. I remind everyone that I did play Winston Churchill on The Crown and did just fine.” The Conclave actor continued to explain how there’s been criticism of his casting because he is an American and the previous actors are from the U.K. “It’s an enormous thrill. But I know there were plenty …

Stumbling and Overheating, Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half Marathon in Beijing

Stumbling and Overheating, Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half Marathon in Beijing

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While capabilities like dancing can be fun and eyecatching, they don’t actually show how useful humanoid robots are in real-world situations, says Fern. Even being able to run a half marathon isn’t a very useful benchmark for their skills—it’s not like there’s market demand for robots that can compete with human runners. The benchmarks that Fern says matter to him are how well they can handle diverse real-world tasks without step-by-step human instructions. “But I would expect to see China shifting this year to focusing more on doing useful things, because people are going to be bored of dancing and karate,” Fern says. The robots who participated in the race came in a variety of forms. The shortest one was only 2 feet and 5 inches tall. Sporting a blue and white tracksuit and waving to onlookers every few seconds, it was probably the crowd favorite. The tallest, at five feet nine inches, was the winner Tiangong Ultra. What all of the robots have in common is that they are bipedal instead of running on …

Scientists find overlapping dopamine activity in cannabis use disorder and psychosis

Scientists find overlapping dopamine activity in cannabis use disorder and psychosis

Published by José

People with cannabis use disorder show signs of altered dopamine activity in the brain that mirror patterns seen in psychosis, according to a new brain imaging study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Using a specialized form of magnetic resonance imaging, researchers found that individuals who used cannabis heavily over time had increased dopamine-related signals in a midbrain region previously associated with psychotic symptoms. The research aimed to understand how chronic cannabis use might influence brain systems that are also implicated in psychotic disorders. Past studies have shown a connection between frequent cannabis use and an increased risk of psychosis, but the underlying biological mechanisms have remained unclear. This study focused on the dopamine system, a network of brain structures and chemicals long linked to psychosis, particularly the positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations and delusions. “I’m personally interested in the neurobiological basis of schizophrenia, and there is a well-established link between cannabis use and psychosis; however, the mechanism of this relationship is unclear. Since both psychosis and cannabis use are linked to changes in dopamine …

The open source advantage: Faster bugs, better builds, wider buy-in

The open source advantage: Faster bugs, better builds, wider buy-in

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Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Software companies have a lot of decisions to make as they move through the stages of building a thriving business. Among the many issues to debate is whether or not to open source their technology. It’s a big decision, and the licensing around open source receives a lot of attention in tech circles.  Part of the issue is that open source comes with a lot of strong opinions. Whenever a large company decides to restrict its license, even if it’s for valid reasons, they can receive a lot of backlash (as HashiCorp and Elastic learned in recent years). On the other hand, excellent tech that’s released as open source can quickly gather a lot of support from the open-source software (OSS) community.  It’s not easy for enterprises to decide which path to take. My company chose to release our cloud native security scanner, Kubescape, as open source through the Linux Foundation’s Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), …

Collector of Chinese Art Dies at 90

Collector of Chinese Art Dies at 90

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Guy Ullens, a Belgian billionaire who built up one of the most important collections of Chinese contemporary art in the world, has died at 90. The news was announced on social media by the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, which Ullens had cofounded. The museum did not provide a cause. “As one of the earliest international collectors to champion Chinese artists, Ullens helped bring global recognition to Chinese artists and their work,” the UCCA said on Instagram. “His dedicated efforts also shaped the foundation for UCCA’s growth into the institution we are today, in China and globally. … We remember him with deep respect and gratitude. His legacy endures—in the institutions he founded, the artists he championed, and in the communities he helped build—and will continue to shape and inspire UCCA’s work and mission.” Related Articles Ullens began collecting art in the 1960s “with a focus on new territories and pioneer artists,” according to his eponymous foundation’s website. But when he first started doing business in China in 1984, his collecting interests took …

Why Harvard Defied Donald Trump | David Cole

Why Harvard Defied Donald Trump | David Cole

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Last week the Trump administration proposed what amounts to a hostile takeover of the country’s oldest and wealthiest university. In an over-the-top letter to Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, and the senior fellow of its board, Penny Pritzker, administration officials demanded the power to overhaul and oversee what the school teaches, who it hires, and who it admits. Had Harvard acceded to those demands, it would have given up not just its autonomy but the most fundamental principle of academic freedom. Instead Harvard chose to fight for that principle. As Garber put it on Monday in his letter announcing the school’s decision, “no government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” The outcome of the university’s struggle with a sitting president is likely to determine the future of academic freedom in the United States.  The decision to push back was by no means a foregone conclusion. Harvard has a lot to lose. Less than two weeks before …

There’s Something Horrifying in Your Toothpaste

There’s Something Horrifying in Your Toothpaste

Published by José

Image by Getty / Futurism Alarming new research has found that toothpastes are often contaminated with lead and other heavy metals. In tests conducted by the lead safety activist Tamara Rubin, who runs the website Lead Safe Mama, 90 percent of the 51 examined brands were found to contain the toxic metal — in some cases at levels exceeding a state safety limit, The Guardian reports. A number of household names feature unflatteringly, including Crest Regular toothpaste, Colgate Total Whitening toothpaste, and Sensodyne Extra Whitening toothpaste. But most distressing is the over two dozen brands explicitly marketed for children that were implicated by the findings: Colgate Watermelon Burst, a “Paw Patrol” branded Orajel Kids Anticavity toothpaste, and Tom’s of Maine Kid’s Natural toothpaste. Other heavy metals plagued the lineup, too. 65 percent of the brands contain arsenic, according to the tests, 47 percent contain mercury, and 35 percent contain cadmium. “It’s unconscionable — especially in 2025,” Rubin told The Guardian.  “What’s really interesting to me is that no one thought this was a concern.” The …

Grandparenting is changing – The Atlantic

Grandparenting is changing – The Atlantic

Published by José

As grandparents take on more caregiving, their relationships with both their kids and their grandkids may start to look different. Towfiqu Photography / Getty April 19, 2025, 10:28 AM ET This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning. American grandparents in earlier generations had many identities, but caregiver was not first among them. Now, “America is in an age of peak grandparenting—particularly grandmothering,” my colleague Faith Hill wrote recently. “A 2022 survey from Deseret News and Brigham Young University found that nearly 60 percent of grandmothers had provided child care for a grandkid, and more than 40 percent saw a grandchild in person at least weekly.” As grandparents take on more responsibilities of child-rearing for parents who are overextended or can’t miss work, their later years begin to change. People who planned to retire are pushed back into a more active life; grandparents’ relationships with their …

Colin Farrell takes decision to move son with rare genetic disorder into care facility

Colin Farrell takes decision to move son with rare genetic disorder into care facility

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Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Colin Farrell has said he will put his son James, who has Angelman syndrome, into a long-term care facility. The Oscar-nominated star of The Banshees of Inisherin, who recently won a Golden Globe for HBO series The Penguin, has previously opened up about his 21-year-old son’s diagnosis. Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder that affects the nervous system and causes developmental delays amongst other issues. Last year, Farrell launched a foundation to provide support for people and families with intellectual disabilities in honour of James. Now. he’s revealed that he and his ex-partner Kim Bordenave have come to the “tricky” decision to put their son into a facility due to fears he would be left alone if anything should happen to them. “It’s tricky …