30 Author Names You Might Be Mispronouncing
If you’ve been pronouncing Roald Dahl’s first name as “rolled,” you should read this.
2023-06-22 02:25
Pikmin 1 and 2 Switch Release Date
Pikmin 1 and 2 on Nintendo Switch are available now, after being announced during the Nintendo Direct on June 21.
2023-06-22 02:20
Super Mario RPG Remake Release Date
When do get to kick the Smithy Gang's butt?
2023-06-22 01:46
Elon Musk sparks outrage with threat to ban ‘cisgender’ as a ‘slur’ on Twitter
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has apparently decided that "cis" and "cisgender" will now be considered a slur on the social media platform. "Cisgender" typically refers to individuals whose gender identity matches their birth sex. If an individual is born male and has a male gender identity then they would be considered "cisgender." The proclamation was made in the replies of James Esses, an Irish right-wing media figure, who was complaining that commenters on social media were calling him a "cissy." "Yesterday, after posting a Tweet saying that I reject the word ‘cis’ and don’t wish to be called it, I receive a slew of messages from trans activists calling me ‘cissy’ and telling me that I am ‘cis’ 'whether or not I like it,'" he wrote. "Just imagine if the roles were reversed." Mr Musk responded with an announcement that "repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions." Mr Musk then took it a step further. "The words 'cis' or 'cisgender' are considered slurs on this platform," he wrote, prompting backlash on the platform. NYT bestselling author Seth Abramson doubted that Mr Musk knows what the word means. “I’m 102.3% sure Elon has no idea what ‘cis’ or ‘cisgender’ mean, either connotatively or denotatively or etymologically,” he wrote. “Threatening to suspend users on your ‘free speech’ platform because they uttered a word you don’t understand but fear emasculates you is quite the fascist flex.” Joe Walsh, a conservative commentator, criticised Mr Musk from the right. “‘Cis’ & ‘cisgender’ will be considered slurs on this platform? Look, it’s his company, he can do whatever he wants, but the truth is that @elonmusk is fundamentally a dishonest person and a coward,” Mr Walsh wrote. “He says he believes in free speech, but he doesn’t really believe in free speech. He’s pushing an agenda, a right wing agenda, but he doesn’t have the balls to admit that. Elon is too afraid to be honest with his intentions. So he lies and says he’s for free speech. But you can’t say ‘cisgender.’ No, Elon is just like most everyone else. He’s pushing an agenda. He just lacks the honesty & the courage to admit it.” It’s not the first time Mr Musk has expressed his disdain for language relating to gender identity. Last July he tweeted that “pronouns suck” — suggesting he either dislikes gender identity or just the English language in general — and later that year insisted that he was not transpohobic. “I absolutely support trans, but all these pronouns are an aesthetic nightmare,” Mr Musk, creator of the Cybertruck, argued. However, in defending his dislike of “cis” and “cisgender,” Mr Musk leaned on a decades old bigoted ideas that LGBT communities and ideas are deeply infected with pedophilia. “The contemptible creep that manufactured the term ‘cis’ has serious problems. Ignore him,” Mr Musk wrote, referencing a right-wing conspiracy theory that the term “cisgender” was coined by a paedophile doctor in the 1990s. However, cis— with “cis” being the Latin opposite to “trans” — has been used as a dichotomic descriptor since at least the early 20th century. Read More Musk vows to bring Tesla to India ‘as soon as possible’ after meeting Modi Elon Musk stays mum on Titanic submarine disappearance despite Starlink connection Elon Musk and Joe Rogan challenge Covid vaccine scientist to ‘debate’ anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr Elon Musk stays mum on Titanic submarine disappearance despite Starlink connection India’s Modi to meet Elon Musk during US state visit Vaccine scientist hounded by conspiracists after Joe Rogan targeted him on Twitter
2023-06-22 01:27
Social media influencers Kai Cenat, Alix Earle sign with UTA
UTA was established in 1991 and serves as a representative agency for artists and professionals in the entertainment industry
2023-06-21 22:28
Venezuela’s Ban on Crypto Mining Is Ruining the Industry It Once Embraced
Venezuela’s temporary ban on mining cryptocurrencies within the country is effectively killing the industry President Nicolás Maduro worked
2023-06-21 21:28
Elon Musk wants a 'cage fight' with Mark Zuckerberg
We could be about to see two of the biggest billionaire dweebs go head to head, after Elon Musk made it clear that he’s up for a cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg. It comes following speculation that Zuckerberg is going to release his own platform named "Threads", which sounds like a pretty similar concept to Twitter, and Musk doesn’t seem happy about it. In fact, he’s joked about taking the Meta founder on in a fight. Froothie founder Mario Nawfal posted about the new platform on Twitter, writing: “META, the same company that copied Snapchat, TikTok, StumbleUpon, Foursquare, BeReal, and Clubhouse, began coding ‘Project 92’ three months after Elon acquired Twitter…Rumors have been circulating about the app’s public name being Threads”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Musk replied, commenting on Meta’s grip over the social media landscape, writing: “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options. At least it will be ‘sane’. Was worried there for a moment.” Not finished there, he added: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.” In all fairness, Zuckerberg has shown that he’s no stranger to MMA fighting recently. He surprised people after turning up at a jiu-jitsu tournament, with footage appearing to show him looking a little unhappy with the result of his bout. The Meta CEO was spotted taking on a fellow competitor in Redwood City in California earlier this year and he was eventually pinned after a tussle in the ring. The referee stopped the fight and awarded it to his opponent after believing that Zuckerberg had 'tapped out', with the referee later clearing up exactly what happened. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-21 18:49
Will MrBeast join this year's Sidemen Charity match along with xQc and IShowSpeed in London?
Teams of well-known Twitch broadcasters and YouTube stars from different nations are expected to participate in the charity match
2023-06-21 15:58
Elon Musk says Tesla is coming to India 'as soon as humanly possible'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday the company is looking to invest in India "as soon as humanly possible," following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York.
2023-06-21 14:25
Singapore Defends Climate Commitment After Kempen ESG Exclusion
The government of Singapore has defended its commitment to climate action following a decision by Van Lanschot Kempen
2023-06-21 13:29
Facebook Marketplace is most complained-about online retail platforms
Facebook Marketplace is the most complained-about online retail platform for selling counterfeit, poor-quality and potentially unsafe goods, Trading Standards has reported. The online giant, which enables third-party sellers to trade goods on the platform via the marketplace, was criticised for being slow to take action against problem sellers and for enabling misleading product descriptions, counterfeit goods and potentially harmful products to reappear on its platform after being taken down. A national survey by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) found the online giant causes its officers the most concern, as well as being unresponsive or unco-operative when contacted about problem sellers. More than half (53 per cent) of respondents representing about 50 local authorities across the UK identified Facebook as the most complained-about online marketplace – more than all of the others combined. If it wants to be seen as a proper online retailer where people can buy safe and legitimate goods, it needs to start acting like one CTSI chief executive John Herriman The CTSI’s survey, the first of its kind, also found that Trading Standards teams were unable to properly address problems with online marketplaces because of a “triple whammy” of recurring issues – unco-perative businesses, unsuitable legislation and limited resources. Just 10 per cent of Trading Standards officers said they had been able to take action against online marketplaces as a result of these three obstacles. The CTSI’s survey found that 45 per cent of officers cited a lack of co-operation from online marketplaces as a recurring problem, 63 per cent said the law as it stands is not fit for purpose and 57 per cent had received no response when attempting to contact sellers on online marketplaces. Some 59 per cent said they had been unable to locate details about where third-party sellers on online marketplaces were based and 29 per cent said they wee unable to deal with complaints about online marketplaces because of a lack of time and resources. CTSI chief executive John Herriman said: “Facebook Marketplace needs to up its game. At a time when more and more people are going online to buy things, there is a real urgency for online retailers to take their responsibilities to their customers more seriously. Currently, online marketplaces like eBay and Facebook Marketplace are operating with fewer safety regulations than traditional high street retailers, eroding fair competition and allowing the sale of unsafe goods to flood the market unabated Martyn Allen, Electrical Safety First “The fact that Facebook Marketplace is an offshoot of a social media platform rather than a service that was built as an online retailer from the ground up speaks volumes. If it wants to be seen as a proper online retailer where people can buy safe and legitimate goods, it needs to start acting like one. “Failing to take action against sellers who use their platform to mislead, rip off and potentially endanger consumers just isn’t good enough. “We are calling for all online marketplaces to take action against problem sellers, for the law to be tightened up so enforcers have more tools at their disposal to protect consumers, and for more resources that enable us to do that more effectively.” A Meta spokesman said: “We take these issues seriously and when we find listings that violate our rules, we remove them. “We also work closely with external partners and respond to valid legal requests from law enforcement and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, to prevent illegal activity on our platforms.” Phil Lewis, director general of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG), said: “Criminals rely on legal e-commerce platforms, social media, maritime freight companies, express couriers, airlines, postal services and internet hosting services to set up rogue shopping sites. “ACG is calling on government to recognise the growing international threats to our families, job-providing businesses and the economy. “Appropriate enforcement resources and a policy architecture are desperately needed to ensure the companies providing these services work alongside our enforcement authorities and businesses, to combat this intensifying threat.” Martyn Allen, technical director of the charity Electrical Safety First, said: “Sadly, the high number of complaints Trading Standards officers receive regarding online purchases comes as no surprise. Online retailers like Facebook Marketplace need to be held to account just like any other type of business, otherwise consumers and legitimate businesses lose out Yvonne Fovargue, APPG on Consumer Protection “Currently, online marketplaces like eBay and Facebook Marketplace are operating with fewer safety regulations than traditional high street retailers, eroding fair competition and allowing the sale of unsafe goods to flood the market unabated. This puts UK citizens at serious risk of injury and harm. “It’s been a year and a half since the UK Government promised publication of the Product Safety Review, which is expected to include proposals to protect British consumers when they shop online. “The time for waiting is over – the Government must prioritise publishing the Review without any further delay.” Yvonne Fovargue, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Consumer Protection, said: “Since the pandemic and now, with the cost-of-living crisis, more people are buying products from online marketplaces. “These consumers deserve to be treated fairly and should be able to be confident that what they buy is safe and accurately described. “Online retailers like Facebook Marketplace need to be held to account just like any other type of business, otherwise consumers and legitimate businesses lose out.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live UKRI announces £50 million to develop trustworthy and secure AI ‘Last Beatles record’ was created using AI, says Paul McCartney Put ‘public good’ at heart of AI and new tech, Starmer to say
2023-06-21 12:15
'Don't steal our voices': dubbing artists confront AI threat
Voice actors around the globe are mobilizing against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate and clone human voices that they fear poses...
2023-06-21 10:30