cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/66922854

In a joint op-ed published earlier this month by Maya Schenwar, board president for Truthout and director of the Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism; Negin Owliaei, Truthout’s editor-in-chief; and Ziggy West Jeffery, Truthout’s executive director, the trio noted that Google’s AI model, Gemini, is now prioritizing summaries of news articles at the top of its searches, leading to dramatic drop-offs in viewership for independent media websites.

“We lost 15 percent of our readership overnight,” the op-ed writers said. “This was a readership we painstakingly built over decades, and it vanished because Google chose corporate greed over a healthy democracy.”

Independent media like Truthout largely rely on donations from readers, who are asked to consider donating when they visit these sites. However, when Gemini summarizes these articles (or prioritizes corporate media instead in its summaries), the loss in revenue is noticeable.

“At Truthout, we anticipate a loss of roughly $500,000 in online revenue as a result of this massive traffic plunge in the next year alone,” the op-ed said.

The Orange Boy is at least 18 years old (as near as we can figure). And the little kitten isn't quite a year old yet (she's got a couple months to go yet)

My wife has 2 other cats also and these two have been inseparable since Silly Cilla arrived at our front door on a freezing morning late last October. Kitty Kitty, the old one, has put up with her pushing her way next to him since nearly day one.

The human brain is not a single organ, but two separate systems that evolved independently before fusing together, according to groundbreaking new research. ... Armed with the knowledge of how hindbrain cells uniquely form, the team has successfully turned human stem cells into becoming functional hindbrain motor neurons in a lab for the first time.

Source (Bluesky)

For doxxing purposes I’ll keep the deets narrow. I got a lot of money just shy of 10k CAD and this is the most money I’ve had at any single time in my adult life. Me and my girlfriend were both extremely excited, none of us have ever come across this much money at any point in our lives and the most weve ever saved up was around two thousand or so. But the excitement slowly faded after I suggested I wanted to spend the money to visit China for a day or two and then head off to one of those DPRK tours. She shook her head and said “you need to grow up” which I was taken aback by. My gf hasn’t really seen eye to eye with me politically, I mean she agrees with my ideas and is on board with a lot that I believe in which is why I was so taken aback. She wants to go see her dad a plane journey away even though we had already seen him just shy of two years. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness five years ago but his doctors said he has a decade left so there's still time for him.

I think I'm ready for the trip and I'm going to do it because as a fellow comrade its a once in a lifetime opportunity and with how much fuel costs I don't think I will ever make this trip in my life but we can always drive 13 hours or so to see her dad. I annot drive to China. I do think my partner will come around on this which is why I will buy two tickets and if not ill invite my friend but I really want her to come with me.

I don't want her to leave me because I am deeply in love with her and she is like my world and ill do anything for her. She is becoming distant ever since I brought it up and even said she wishes the money never existed.

What do hexbears? Thanks and love ya

smbc-comics Zach Weinersmith

Chat Control 2.0 is back in focus as EU lawmakers prepare for another round of negotiations on September 29.

The European Parliament, Council and Commission are still divided over issues including detection measures, the scope of scanning and protections for encrypted communications. With five previous trilogues failing to reach a final agreement, the September meeting could be an important step in deciding where the legislation goes next.

Here's a breakdown the current proposal, the main disagreements and what to watch on September 29.