All posts tagged: Generation

Next Generation Transit Survey reveals new Jupiter-like exoplanet

Next Generation Transit Survey reveals new Jupiter-like exoplanet

Published by Miika Tikkanen

NGTS-39b is a planet comparable to Jupiter in size, discovered by a team of astronomers at the University of Warwick. The parent star of the new exoplanet, NGTS-39, was observed multiple times between 2019 and 2024 with NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Also known as TIC-453147896, the star is believed to be around 2.2 billion years old, with an effective temperature of 6,053K and 16% bigger than our sun. The system is around 910 light-years from Earth. The findings were corroborated by a number of telescopes Led by Ioannis Apergis of the University of Warwick, the team of astronomers followed up on the original TESS findings, using NGTS; 12 robotic Newtownian telescopes to obtain further photometric observations of NGTS-39. Radial velocity measurements from La Silla Observatory’s CORALIE and HARPS spectographs confirmed a planetary presence behind the TESS single transit event, the paper confirmed. The radial velocity data suggested there is another exoplanet in the NGTS-39 system, but further data is required for confirmation. A warm, Jupiter-like planet The study reports that the new exoplanet …

As Israel divides Jewish communities, Yiddish draws a new generation

As Israel divides Jewish communities, Yiddish draws a new generation

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS and NPR) — Lindsey Bloom, a senior at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, grew up going to Hebrew school and attending a synagogue with an Israeli flag hanging near the front of the sanctuary. However, as she has sought to distance herself from Israel’s government in recent years, she said she didn’t know of other ways to engage with Jewish culture — until she learned about Yiddish. “I’ve definitely talked to quite a few people that just stopped engaging with their Judaism because they didn’t know where to go,” Bloom told RNS and NPR. “That was the case for me. And then I got into Yiddish, and I was, like, oh, this is actually a lot better. I actually align with this a lot more.”   Bloom isn’t alone. The language app Duolingo reported that as of this year, roughly 296,000 people around the world are studying the language with 10th-century European roots. An estimated 60% of them are under 25 years old.   Mindl Cohen, the academic director of the Yiddish Book Center, …

How to Use Google Flow for AI Video Generation

How to Use Google Flow for AI Video Generation

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Google Flow is an AI-powered platform designed to streamline video creation by integrating features like storyboarding, video generation and editing. In his how-to guide, Kevin Stratvert explains how to get started with Google Flow, beginning with project setup. For example, users can input text prompts to define the tone and style of their project, allowing the AI to generate visuals and assets that align with specific creative goals. This initial step helps establish a clear direction for producing cohesive and professional videos. Discover how to refine AI-generated storyboards, adjust timelines to fine-tune video sequences and customize character designs to fit your project’s narrative. Gain insight into maintaining visual consistency across scenes, such as making sure recurring elements like characters or themes remain uniform. Finally, learn how to export your finished video in multiple formats for use in presentations, social media, or other applications. Getting Started with Google Flow TL;DR Key Takeaways : Google Flow is an AI-powered filmmaking platform designed to simplify video creation with features like AI-driven storyboarding, video generation and editing tools. The …

EIA: Renewables just hit 30% of US electricity generation

EIA: Renewables just hit 30% of US electricity generation

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Renewables accounted for 30.0% of total US electrical generation during the first third of 2026, up 2.2% year over year, according to new data recently released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign. Electrical generation by renewables grew 10% y-o-y According to the EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through April 30, 2026), renewables-generated electricity during the first four months of 2026 was 10.03% greater than in the same period in 2025. The growth was led by utility-scale solar (>1 megawatt) (+21.3%), hydropower (+15.7%), small-scale solar (<1 MW) (+11.9%), and wind (+3.4%). The electrical output of US coal plants fell by 11.6%, while nuclear power grew +0.5%. Electricity generated by natural gas plants grew by 2.8%. The combination of wind and solar, including small-scale solar, accounted for 21.8% of domestic electrical production. In April alone, wind and solar each produced more electricity than US coal plants, while the combination of solar and wind produced 57.0% more electricity than nuclear power. The mix of all renewables, including …

Enterprise-grade AI image generation in 2 seconds is here: Krea 2 Raw and Turbo available as open weights under custom license

Enterprise-grade AI image generation in 2 seconds is here: Krea 2 Raw and Turbo available as open weights under custom license

Published by Miika Tikkanen

While many enterprises have already begun integrating AI-generated images, visuals, graphics and videos into their production workflows — there is also a growing pool of data and subjective commentary indicating AI imagery ultimately looks non-distinct, monotonous, and too unoriginal to ensure a brand and its assets stand out from the pack. That it’s “AI slop,” in other words. AI creative tools startup Krea is hoping to change that trend by opening up the weights to its new frontier AI image model Krea 2 as two versions, “Krea 2 Raw” and “Krea 2 Turbo,” under a custom license that requires firms with more than 50 seats to pay for Enterprise usage, and mandates all users of any size to implement technical safeguards to prevent the generation of illegal materials, non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or defamatory assets. Both models are available for public download on Hugging Face. The company says the models provide more visual variety than typical AI generators, while maintaining high prompt accuracy, fidelity, and quality. Importantly, they also offer …

Anthony Head: The soft-spoken star whose Rupert Giles enamored a generation of Buffy fans

Anthony Head: The soft-spoken star whose Rupert Giles enamored a generation of Buffy fans

Published by Daniella Wilson

In the early 2000s, British actor Anthony Head was living in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away from his family, filming for the supernatural teen drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was the role that defined his career — as the socially awkward British librarian Rupert Giles — but the pain of being apart from his family was excruciating. Head, who has died aged 72 due to complications related to pneumonia, said in a 2016 interview that being away from his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Emily and Daisy, was something he couldn’t put into words. “Even now, I feel emotional about it. It was a real test,” he told The Guardian. “I’d try to go home to them every three or four weeks. The production team would work dates around me, and every time I got the chance to have six days clear, I’d get on a plane.” As Giles, Head guided a generation of Buffy fans as the imperfect mentor of the series — playing the fiercely protective father figure to Sarah …

A Tobacco-Free Generation Is Coming—Someday

A Tobacco-Free Generation Is Coming—Someday

Published by Daniella Wilson

Since tobacco first arrived on the shores of England in the late 16th century, some Brits have wanted to eradicate it. Back in 1604, King James I was so alarmed about his country’s new smoking habit that he imposed a 4,000 percent tariff on the crop. That year, he wrote one of the world’s first anti-tobacco essays, declaring smoking “lothsome to the eye, hatefull to the Nose, harmefull to the braine, dangerous to the Lungs.” Despite the best efforts of the king and the generations of anti-tobacco activists who followed him, people in the United Kingdom still smoke. Now advocates are hoping a new law that prohibits anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, from ever buying cigarettes will finally end the habit for good. But the tobacco-free generation, at least in the short term, is unlikely to truly be tobacco free. Generational tobacco bans were first proposed in 2010 by a group of researchers in Singapore. Around that time, less extreme anti-tobacco measures—such as media campaigns, clean-air laws, and taxes—had reduced smoking in …

People Born In The 60s & 70s Do Not Get Triggered By 11 Things That Bother Younger Generations Today

People Born In The 60s & 70s Do Not Get Triggered By 11 Things That Bother Younger Generations Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

Each generation has its share of grievances that trigger them. Whether they’re observing the political positions or lifestyle choices of people who are older or younger than they are, no generation is immune to feeling frustrated or annoyed. At the same time, people born in the 60s and 70s do not get easily triggered by many of the things that bother younger generations today. Raised in a completely different era, baby boomers and Gen Xers naturally have a much different perspective on how things should and shouldn’t be than their younger millennial, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha counterparts. Given that narcissism has been shown to decline with age, it’s possible these older folks are simply less concerned with themselves and therefore less easily bothered. People born in the 60s & 70s do not get triggered by 11 things that bother younger generations today 1. Pressure to work hard stock four from Getty Images via Canva Because they prioritize time with family and friends over blind loyalty to their jobs, younger generations are typically triggered …

Seedance 2.0 : Master AI Filmmaking and Scene Generation

Seedance 2.0 : Master AI Filmmaking and Scene Generation

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Seedance 2.0 introduces a structured approach to AI filmmaking, focusing on efficiency and creative precision. One notable feature is Nano Banana, which helps filmmakers design consistent characters by generating multiple angles and specifying details like physical traits, clothing and accessories. According to Dan Kieft, this framework supports the creation of detailed character sheets, addressing challenges such as mismatched visuals or inconsistencies in props across scenes. Discover how Seedance 2.0 supports scene creation with features like timeline prompting for managing transitions and AI content recycling to refine and reuse assets. Gain insight into techniques for integrating emotion and lip-sync technology, allowing realistic character expressions and dialogue. This overview provides actionable guidance for using these features to enhance storytelling in AI-driven filmmaking. Character Creation: Designing Realistic and Engaging Personas TL;DR Key Takeaways : Seedance 2.0 revolutionizes AI filmmaking with advanced tools for creating realistic characters, refining scenes and crafting compelling narratives. Key features include Nano Banana for consistent character design, timeline prompting for seamless scene transitions and AI content recycling to enhance efficiency. Advanced capabilities like Cinema …

The Day the ‘Sandwich Generation’ Got Real

The Day the ‘Sandwich Generation’ Got Real

Published by Jenni Sidey

We are sitting here, husband and wife, on the edge of the bed. Outside the window, a babbling brook winds its way around a golf course, palm trees sway back and forth in the breeze, and the fun and fantasy of our long-awaited and much-anticipated Disney World vacation stretch as far as our eyes can see. But we are sitting here, on the edge of the bed. In the other room, the kids are waiting for us. Thousands of miles away from school and homework, they are as silly as the cartoons they are watching on TV. We hear them laughing. We hear them calling us. But we are sitting here, on the edge of the bed. There has been news from home and it is not good. The cellphone call is still ringing in our ears, its repercussions unraveling before us like a thread of a tightly-knit sweater that just a minute ago was so comfortable and now it’s coming apart. My husband’s mother has fallen down in her apartment. It’s her shoulder. It’s …