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☆ These are 2024’s top trending Halloween costumes, according to Google
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Google’s annual “Frightgeist” list has unveiled 25 costume ideas the tech giant says are “trending” in the build-up to Halloween. An attendee at this month's New York Comic Con dressed as Bob from "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." Google also looked at trending kids’ costumes (topped by Red from Disney’s “Descendants”), pet costumes (“Dogpool”) and costume pairs (Deadpool and Wolverine). Google has noted a spike in searches for “green and yellow track suit” and “green track pants" for users looking to emulate Australian breakdancer Raygun. “Frightgeist” also identified the year’s top trending party theme as “Beetlejuice,” while the “spooky foods” category was topped by “mummy hot dogs.”Here are this year’s top 25 trending costumes, according to Google Trends:

Persons: CNN —, Raygun, Playtime, Deadpool, Sabrina Carpenter, York Comic Con, Bob, Charles Sykes, Joy —, Chipotle burritos, Soulja Boy, “, Disney’s, ”, Elsa, Getty, Dolly Parton, Ron Burgundy, Frightgeist ” Organizations: CNN, Google, York Comic, Warner Bros, Warner Bros . Locations: CatNap, Tampa , Florida, Rapid City , South Dakota, Marquette , Michigan, Duluth , Minnesota, Tucson , Arizona

☆ Dolphins ‘smile’ at each other when they play and to avoid misunderstanding, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other. The study, which was published Wednesday in the journal iScience, found that dolphins make an open-mouthed expression, comparable to a “smile,” during their play. iScience Maglieri et alMuch loved – and anthropomorphized – by humans, dolphins are known for their playfulness, rich social lives, and complex communication with one another. “When dolphins play together, a mix of whistling and visual cues helps them cooperate and achieve goals, a strategy particularly useful during social play when they’re less on guard for predators,” he added.

Persons: “, ”, Heather Hill, wasn’t, extrapolating, I’m, iScience Maglieri, –, Livio Favaro, Hill Organizations: CNN, St, Mary’s University, Dolphins, “ Dolphins, University of Turin Locations: Italy, France, Rome, Planète Sauvage, San Antonio , Texas

☆ The self-driving future will look unremarkable. That's the point.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-22 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The view of the Waymo depot from Sophia Tung's apartment. To be clear, Waymo's cars are impressive. AdvertisementA surveillance company reached out to Sophia Tung to upgrade her Waymo livestream equipment. Sophia TungSince it went up on YouTube, Tung's livestream has received a few upgrades. Every hour, a digital goose will also pop up somewhere on the screen — an homage to the once-honking cars, the engineer said.

Persons: —, Sophia Tung, Tung, Sophia Tung's, Tung's, ennui, Waymo, BI's Peter Kafka, livestream, It's, Christine, John Carpenter's, Stephen King, Christine doesn't Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, Logitech, Radio, San, PACE, Plymouth, NBC Bay Area Locations: Waymos, Market, San Francisco, Tung, Sophia, German

☆ The D.M.V.’s Lessons on Equality - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Tressie Mcmillan Cottom | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Don’t Tell My Friends, But… is a seriesin which we asked Times columnistswhateveryone else is wrong about. (To the credit of those department workers’ good humor, I’ve seen a photo of that sloth posted in my local D.M.V.) I hate the way people hate the D.M.V. But that does not account for why it is cool to hate the D.M.V. We should revel in the fact that there is no express lane for beautiful, rich people to renew their licenses.

Persons: “, I’ve, revel Organizations: Corporations Locations: Target, New Jersey

☆ AI Is Set to Dominate Cannes Lions Ad Festival This Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewArtificial intelligence is expected to be the topic du jour at Cannes Lions this week, when the ad industry descends on the French Riviera for its annual shindig in the sun. Businesses are exploring how they can use AI to perform tasks like copywriting, research, and automating their ad campaigns. A Cannes Lions spokesperson said the festival is expecting 12,000 delegates, though many more ad execs and vendors forgo the official festivities to hobnob at the fringe events. Cannes Lions has set its own rules around AI. "Those who will win will figure out the right mix of AI plus the right influencers plus the right concepts," MediaLink's Wagman said.

Persons: —, there's, Klarna, Wayne Levings, Mark Wagman, Wagman, Jessica Apotheker, Apotheker, Scarlett Johansson, David Droga, Mira Murati, Vidhya Srinivasan, Alexander Chen, Greg James, Publicis, Anthony Yell, Razorfish, Yell, BCG's Apotheker, Queen Latifah, Lando Norris, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Deepak Chopra, Jason, Travis Kelce, Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monáe, MediaLink's Wagman Organizations: Service, Cannes Lions, Lions, Business, Cannes, United Talent Agency, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Boston Consulting Group, Palais, Accenture, OpenAI, Google Creative, North America, Publicis Groupe, influencers Locations: Americas, MediaLink, Cannes

☆ Mysterious remains of 3,000-year-old 'Priest of Pacopampa' found buried face down with accessories of human bone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A peculiar 3,000-year-old priestly tomb was unearthed in Peru's Pacopampa archaeological site. The remains were found face down and with legs crossed alongside an artifact made of human bone. Inside the burial chamber, the 3,000-year-old remains of an elite spiritual leader, dubbed the "Prince of Pacopampa," were found face down with legs crossed. "Burials lying on the face are often found in the Andes," the Pacopampa Archaeological Project leader Yuji Seki told Insider. A researcher from the Pacopampa Archaeological Project excavates the remains of the Prince of Pacopampa.

Persons: Pacopampa, Yuji Seki, Seki, Prince, Yuji Seki Seki Organizations: Service, National Museum of Ethnology, Peru's National University of San, of Culture, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Peru, England, Japan, Peru's National University of San Marcos, Pacopampa, of Culture of Peru

☆ Why Remedios Varo, one of the ‘three witches’ of surrealism, continues to fascinate today
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Like many of her contemporaries, Varo fled Europe as war bore down on the continent, arriving in Mexico in 1941. It took more than a decade for her to exhibit her work there, but when she did, she left her mark. Alchemy and artistryDuring her life in Mexico City, Varo bonded with fellow artist Carrington and photographer Kati Horna. Remedios Varo/ARS, New York/VEGAP, Madrid/Art Institute of ChicagoVaro’s sense of humor periodically cuts through in her work. You see that on the surface of her work, with story and material coming together into one unified composition.

Persons: CNN —, Remedios Varo —, —, los Remedios Alicia y Rodriga, Uranga —, André Breton, Varo, Juliana, Remedios Varo, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, ”, Varo’s, “ Remedios Varo, Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Caitlin Haskell, Tere Arcq, El Juglar, “, ” Haskell, Walter Gruen, Carrington, Kati Horna, George Gurdjieff, El, Rodrigo Chapa, Katrina Rush Organizations: CNN, Mexico City, Artists Rights Society, Art Institute of Chicago, Arte Moderno, York’s Museum of Modern, Art Institute Locations: Mexico, Spanish, Paris, Europe, New York, Madrid, Varo’s, Mexico —, United States, El, Mexico City, Venice, Ciencia

☆ Mattel is now trying to make Uno happen — but no one's going to watch an Uno movie, even if Margot Robbie's in it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mattel wants a "Chief Uno Player" to hype another of its brands after the "Barbie" movie's success. One can only hope this Uno hype isn't a precursor to an Uno movie. One can only hope this Uno hype isn't a precursor to an Uno movie. Either way, good luck to the Chief Uno Player-to-be. And if you get the job, please be sure to lobby Mattel to keep Uno off the big screen, for all our sakes.

Persons: Uno, Barbie, we've, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, one's, There's, anthropomorphized Uno Organizations: Mattel, UNO, Uno, anthropomorphized Locations: New York

Pepe, a coin inspired by an anthropomorphized frog popular in internet memes, leapt nearly 7,000% in the 17 days after its April 16 launch, hitting a market value of $1.8 billion by May 5, according to data tracker CoinGecko. "It's almost like, if the market is not moving up fast enough, traders find these smaller tokens to trade with." Since its launch in April, the token linked to Pepe the frog has raced up the list of meme coins in terms of market value. Binance says on its website that pepe has "no utility" or "value support mechanism". The centralized listings also opened the door for derivative trading for pepe, with leveraged exposures and volatility pushing Ethereum transaction fees higher, Devens said.

☆ A 13-year-old boy was groomed publicly on Twitter and kidnapped, despite numerous chances to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ben Goggin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

On the Hunter Fox Twitter account, the adult interacted directly with the boy's account, where he posted selfies of himself on a school bus and in other locations. Their teen son had plenty of friends, his parents said, and liked to play golf and build Legos. Heather McConney's teen son communicated with the man accused of grooming him through an Apple iPhone. The suspect's primary Twitter account appears to have been @HunterFloofyFox. After the worst day of their lives, the McConneys' son was recovered early on the morning of Dec. 28 in Nebraska.

☆ Microsoft is bringing ChatGPT technology to Word, Excel and Outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Microsoft on Thursday outlined its plans to bring artificial intelligence to its most recognizable productivity tools, including Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and Word, with the promise of changing how millions do their work every day. The new features, which are built on the same technology that underpins ChatGPT, are far more powerful (and less anthropomorphized) than its wide-eyed, paperclip-shaped predecessor. Microsoft is also introducing a concept called Business Chat, an agent that essentially rides along with the user as they work and tries to understand and make sense of their Microsoft 365 data. During a presentation to its customers on Thursday, Microsoft outlined its road map for how it plans to bring artificial intelligence to its Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Excel and Word. A Microsoft spokesperson said 365 users accessing the new AI tools should be reminded the technology is a work in progress and information will need to be double checked.

☆ M&Ms Super Bowl commercial: How ads have become weeks-long campaigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Super Bowl commercial, billed as the conclusion to weeks-long drama surrounding the status of the “spokescandies,” left some viewers scratching their heads. But if you weren’t paying attention, the final commercial might be a head scratcher -— one risk a brand takes when it uses a weeks-long campaign ahead of its Super Bowl commercial. In a change for the decades-old Super Bowl ad wars, it’s actually become a commonplace strategy to use social media to tease, preview and create buzz ahead of their Super Bowl commercials. Companies spend millions just for a Super Bowl ad slot — reportedly over $7 million for some 30-second spots — before investing into the commercials themselves. Dance contests and bettingDespite the high cost of a Super Bowl commercial, companies are eager to nab a spot.

☆ M&M’S says its taking a ‘pause’ from polarizing spokescandies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” the chocolate candy brand said in a statement Monday. The Green M&M, pre-makeover, is seen here in her go-go boots. Anthony Behar/Sipa USA/AP“[Rudolph] will serve as the brand’s new spokesperson, allowing the colorful cast of M&M’S spokescandies to step away and embrace a new path to pursue other passions,” An M&M’S spokesperson told CNN in an email. A petition to “keep the green M&M sexy” garnered over 20,000 signatures. Purple was recently deployed as part of a limited-edition pack of purple, brown and green M&M’S — the colors of the female spokescandies — in honor of International Women’s Day.

☆ Analysis: This guy made $150,000 a day, because Corporate America is out of control
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

I’m seeing the words “recession,” “crypto,” “debt ceiling,” the “M&M’s spokescandy scandals…”And yet, I am bound my duty as a journalist not to shy away from the hard candy shell news. I know, I know, you’re all tired of the media’s relentless coverage of the M&M Spokescandy Saga, aka the Culture War Battle that is shaping social discourse in the Year of Our Lord 2023. The company claims it didn’t think anyone would notice when it released the changes to the characters’ appearance. “We definitely didn’t think it would break the internet,” it said in a press release that frankly reeked of champagne and high fives. Oh you didn’t think anyone would notice, M&M marketing wizards?

☆ Tumblr Shoots for a Comeback With Users and Advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Wireless company Verizon Communications Inc., which bought Yahoo in 2017, saw Tumblr users nosedive when it banned adult content, including nudity, in 2018. Tumblr users in the past month have depicted anthropomorphized versions of the Tumblr and Twitter logos, for example, having a quasiromantic relationship. And in April, it introduced Tumblr Blaze, which offers users, including brand accounts, wider exposure for their posts. Advertisers that create custom campaigns using the parlance popular among Tumblr users to appeal to particular communities usually see the best engagement, according to Tumblr’s chief marketing officer, Matthew Ryan. Some of the most active advertisers on Tumblr are movie and television studios that create Tumblr campaigns for die-hard fans of genres or series, Mr. Ryan said.

There is no evidence that any school has deployed litter boxes for students to use because they identify as cats. The rumor of litter boxes in schools appears to have begun among parents on social media, and one of the first schools to confront the falsehood was in Canada last fall. Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. Some say litter boxes are located in “transgender bathrooms” in schools. Meanwhile on TikTok, one video claiming “kids are now requesting litter boxes at school” collected 3 million views on the platform.

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