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☆ It's comeback season for social media
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Joi-Marie Mckenzie | Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. But first: Social media is making a comeback. I'm not alone: Sharing on social media has tapered off, Business Insider reported back in 2023, but consuming content hasn't. Now social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others — are clamoring to get users to stay just a little while longer. It's clear social media isn't giving up without a fight — and right now, it seems we're OK with that.

Persons: —, Instagram, Tyler Le, edu, Mark Zuckerberg, I'm, Gen Z, Kate Middleton, BBC Studios Kate, Princess, Wales, she's, Read, Andrew Caballero, Reynold, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, Pete Ballmer, Abanti Chowdhury, Steve Ballmer's, Pete, didn't, Kristen Wiig's, Joi, Marie McKenzie, Jordan Parker Erb, Dan DeFrancesco, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Business, Dispatch Social, Facebook, BBC Studios, Aurora, Getty, Biosciences, Hulu, Netflix Locations: Finland's, Utsjoki, Lapland, New York

☆ Consumers frustrated by the economy might never get the relief they're ultimately hoping for
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-20 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at why the economy has most consumers feeling like they are stuck in place . A "trapped in place" economy is in full swing. Bad buying conditions coupled with everyday high prices means consumers can't make any major life changes , writes Business Insider's Emily Stewart. But it's not the only area of the economy that's stuck, Emily writes. So, while consumers lament being stuck in place, they should also avoid getting stuck looking to the past.

Persons: —, Rebecca Zisser, Emily Stewart, it's, Emily, gunning, It's, Jerome Powell's, Tyler Le, Steve Mnuchin, Brian Moynihan, Instagram, Jensen Huang, Chelsea Jia Feng, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Tech, Federal, Wall Street, Investors, Blackstone, JPMorgan, MLB, Bank of America, mojo, Nvidia, Astera Labs, NASDAQ Locations: It's, Chelsea, New York, London

☆ Nature is healing: the Facebook Poke is back
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta says Pokes surged after it quietly resurfaced the Poke button. Technically, the Poke never fully left, it was just hidden deep, deep, deep within a bunch of settings that you'd need a pith helmet and satellite phone to reach. (Or you'd need to type "Poke" into the Facebook search bar or somehow know the Poke page's exact URL). Meta said it made a design tweak at the start of 2024 that made the Poke button slightly more visible. The Poke is a perfect low-effort way to connect with a Facebook friend you haven't seen in a while.

Persons: Meta, —, Z, Facebook Meta Meta, millennials, Poke, haven't Organizations: Service, Facebook Meta, Facebook

☆ In Search of Spring
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When does spring begin? For some, it’s the second Sunday in March, when we turn our clocks forward by an hour in the United States. It’s only a three-hour flight from La Guardia (rainy, cold) to West Palm Beach (sunny, 81 degrees, slight breeze), and from there an hour’s drive to Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, the spring training home of the New York Mets. Here in Port St. Lucie on a Tuesday afternoon, weeks before the season’s official start, cheery fans were decked out in team merch, drinking Modelo Especial tallboys and snacking on peanuts, reeling off stats, heckling the players. Here, spring was already happening.

Persons: they’ve, Lucie Organizations: Hemisphere, La Guardia, Palm, Clover, New York Mets, Yankees, Yorker, Modelo Especial Locations: United States, La, Port St, New York

☆ Starship’s monumental third flight ends unexpectedly
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Instead, the company utilizes flight tests to gather crucial data and make improvements before the next vehicle rolls out for liftoff. Defying gravityThe SpaceX Starship spacecraft lifts off from the Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday. Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty ImagesStarship’s eventful third test flight achieved multiple milestones before ending prematurely and likely breaking apart. The spacecraft was expected to splash down in the Indian Ocean at the end of its hourlong flight, but SpaceX lost Starship’s signal shortly after the vehicle reentered Earth’s atmosphere. However, the third flight of Starship flew longer and higher than either of the previous tests.

Persons: Chandan Khanna, axolotls, Stephen Dalton, ”, Randal Voss, Jiji Press, James Webb, “, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Getty, Starship, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, NASA’s, Golden Records, Clipper, Japan Monkey, Jiji, Gorillas, James Webb Space Telescope, CNN Space, Science Locations: South Texas, Texas, Boca Chica , Texas, Turkey, Xochimilco, Inuyama, United States, Columbia , South Carolina, Panama, —, Scarborough , England

☆ Voyager 1 briefly came back to life after a 'poke' from NASA, giving scientists hope for the 46-year-old probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

NASA engineers may have found a clever trick to bring Voyager 1 back from the brink. The probe, showing its age, has been sending back garbled data since November. Engineers sent a "poke" to the ancient probe and received a surprising response. Undeterred, NASA engineers have been working to rescue the data. A "poke" sent to Voyager 1's internal systems on March 3 may have brought it back from the brink, NASA announced on Wednesday.

Persons: — Organizations: Engineers, Service, NASA, Business

☆ Voyager 1 responds to ‘poke’ sent by NASA engineers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A new signal recently received from the spacecraft suggests that the NASA mission team may be making progress in its quest to understand what Voyager 1 is experiencing. Voyager 1’s flight data system collects information from the spacecraft’s science instruments and bundles it with engineering data that reflects the current health status of Voyager 1. But since November, Voyager 1’s flight data system has been stuck in a loop. On March 3, the team noticed that activity from one part of the flight data system stood out from the rest of the garbled data. The decoded signal included a readout of the entire flight data system’s memory, according to an update NASA shared.

Persons: ”, Suzanne Dodd Organizations: CNN — Engineers, NASA, Voyager, Network, CNN

☆ The Kate Middleton photo drama is the gift that social media needed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some social media users say Twitter has become irrelevant since it was rebranded as X. But the recent flurry of memes about Kate Middleton has reignited the platform. AdvertisementSince Elon Musk took over Twitter and rebranded it to X, some users have suggested that the social media platform has become irrelevant. But the recent Kate Middleton debacle has reignited some of the old-school enjoyment on the site and app. AdvertisementSome X users are showing self-awareness of how far they've fallen down the "Katespiracy'" rabbit hole.

Persons: Kate Middleton, —, Elon Musk, Wales, Middleton, Princess Organizations: Twitter, Service, BBL Locations: Kensington, Middleton

☆ Jimmy Kimmel Explains His Run-In (Sort of) With Trump at the Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Trish Bendix | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. OscarworthyFresh from hosting the Oscars on Sunday, Jimmy Kimmel detailed on Monday night how he’d come to poke fun in real time at one viewer: Donald Trump, who posted criticism of Kimmel’s performance during the broadcast. (“Isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel asked the ex-president from the stage.) “We were backstage, the show was almost over, and one of our writers was like, ‘Hey, look at this,’ and I was like, well, to quote Al Pacino, ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,’ and I had to read it,” Kimmel said.

Persons: Jimmy Kimmel, Donald Trump, ” Kimmel, “, Al Pacino, ‘ Organizations: Netflix Locations: ’

☆ The 'Katespiracy' is officially getting out of control
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Now some people on X, formerly Twitter, have coined a catchall term for all the Kate-related conspiracy theories that have been swirling online — "Katespiracy." AdvertisementAs of press time, Kensington Palace has not publicly responded to allegations that the photos were altered. AdvertisementNone of these conspiracy theories, which range from the mildly plausible to completely outlandish, have been definitively proven. What people do know, however, is what Kensington Palace has been willing to disclose. Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Kensington, Kate Middleton, Kate, —, she's, rince, ike Organizations: Service, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France, Presse, AP

☆ Elon Musk gloats after Meta resorted to announcing an Instagram and Facebook outage on X
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta used rival platform X to announce the news. Elon Musk took the opportunity to mock the rival tech company. AdvertisementMeta suffered a significant outage on Tuesday and resorted to using rival platform X to announce the news. Musk quickly seized on the opportunity to mock the rival tech company in a series of posts. Advertisement"If you're reading this post, it's because our servers are working," Musk jibed.

Persons: Meta, Elon Musk, —, Andy Stone, Musk, Stone, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg Organizations: Facebook, Service, Elon, Meta, Business

☆ I tried Tripadvisor's free AI tool to plan trips to Maui and Montreal. It was useful in some ways, but I won't stop doing my own trip research.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

When my editor suggested having someone try out Tripadvisor's free AI trip builder, I immediately volunteered — yes, because I am a team player, but also because I thought I might personally find it useful. AdvertisementThe Maui itinerary had some good ideas, but, overall, the responses were lackingThe trip planner starts by asking some basic questions:Where do you want to go? Ultimately, the Maui itinerary gave me some good ideas but also some not-so-good ones, and missed many others. Tripadvisor's AI tool was useful for initial research on MontrealUsing the tool to plan a trip to a place I know next to nothing about made me appreciate it a bit more. The most useful aspect of Tripadvisor's AI tool was that the itinerary came with a map that marked all of the attractions and restaurants it recommended.

Persons: —, Tripadvisor, Hana, Hana —, Amir Eylon Organizations: Service, Business, Swiet, Maui Fish, Downtown, Longwoods International, Longwoods Locations: Maui, Montreal, Hawaii, Hana, Lahaina, Downtown Montreal, Canada

☆ Dexcom announces its first-ever over-the-counter CGM Stelo has been cleared by the FDA
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This means Stelo will be accessible to people who do not have insurance coverage for CGMs, Dexcom said. There are more than 25 million Type 2 diabetes patients in the U.S. that do not use insulin, according to the release from Dexcom. Dexcom shared Stelo's name, as well as the fact that the device had been submitted to the FDA for review in February. Jake Leach, chief operating officer at Dexcom, told CNBC in February that Stelo will have its own unique platform and branding. Leach said as Dexcom is able to demonstrate the benefits of Stelo, the company believes insurance companies will eventually pay for it.

Persons: Dexcom, it's, Dr, Jeff Shuren, Jake Leach, Stelo, It's, Leach Organizations: U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA's Center, Devices, Radiological, FDA, CNBC, CNBC PRO Locations: U.S

☆ A Secret Garden to Discover Before the Cruise Ships Do
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Nina Burleigh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The hiking trail to Middleham Falls on the Caribbean island of Dominica is all wet leaves, slippery black stones and steps formed by tree roots. It could be a path in Middle-earth, shrouded, shadowy and green, fit for hobbits and fairies. Where sunlight pierced the canopy, rainbows formed in the mist, almost close enough to poke. Here and there, hummingbirds drew nectar from huge blossoms. The goal on that January day: a 200-foot forest cascade filling and refilling little pools on the valley floor, where I could — as one does in the secret hot pools and isolated waterfalls of Dominica — shed my clothes, slip into water and commune with the hummingbirds like a fairy queen.

Locations: Dominica, Dominica —

☆ Biden Tries to Turn the Tables on Trump: ‘He’s About as Old as I Am’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a playful but pointed interview that was to air early Tuesday morning, Mr. Meyers sought to help the president address the age issue, which polls show is an important drawback in the minds of most voters. Mr. Meyers jokingly told the president that he had obtained classified information indicating that “you are currently 81 years old.”Mr. Biden went along with the joke. “That’s classified!”He then went on to jab Mr. Trump, who is 77, over a video in which he seems to call his wife, Melania Trump, by another name. “You got to take the other guy,” Mr. Biden said. “He’s about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name.”

Persons: Biden, Seth Meyers ”, Donald J, Trump, Meyers, Mr, ”, “, Melania Trump Organizations: NBC

☆ I've lived in 7 different countries. Here are 11 things that surprised me about living all around the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Nasha Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Since then, I've lived in places like Wales, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, and Greece. But I loved immersing myself in new cultures, forming close friendships, and discovering new delicacies in every possible city. I felt knowledgeable about my destinations from my education, books, and television, but you never truly know a country until you've lived like a local. Here are 11 things that surprised me during my travels. AdvertisementLiving in Spain can require a lot of paperworkSome parts of Spain still embrace the tradition of siesta.

Persons: —, Lucia, I've, you've, Shutterstock There's, Lucian, Nasha Smith, haven't, St, Nasha Smith Kentucky Fried Organizations: Service, Business, siesta, KFC, Barbados, Rihanna Locations: St, Wales, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Greece, Prague, Crocetta del, Venice, Bologna, Texas, New York, Kansas , Mississippi, Tennessee, Europe, Caribbean, Olympia, Skafidia, Barcelona, Llobregat, Barcelona's, Nasha Smith Kentucky, Asia, New Zealand, Detroit , Louisiana, Central Europe, Czech

☆ Navalny Is Dead, but Putin Can’t Kill His Vision of the Future - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Nadya Tolokonnikova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I hear my quiet voice join others screaming, “Russia without Putin.” We lock our arms and together push the police out of the street. He gave us something else, too: a vision he called the “beautiful Russia of the future.” This vision is immortal, unlike us humans. President Vladimir Putin may have silenced Aleksei, who died last week. But no matter how hard he tries, Mr. Putin won’t be able to kill Aleksei’s beautiful dream. For all of us in that packed room, Aleksei made it feel not only that a free Russia was possible but also that we could get there with joy, laughter and camaraderie.

Persons: Putin, Aleksei Navalny, Aleksei, Vladimir Putin, Putin won’t, Young, ” Organizations: Mr Locations: Moscow, Russia

☆ Pedro Pascal shares the 'psychotic' way he memorizes his lines, and people are comparing it to Zodiac Killer's ciphers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pedro Pascal has shared the bizarre mnemonic system he uses to memorize his lines. Users on X compared his notes to the Zodiac Killer's infamous cipher, which went unsolved for years. "I have information that could lead to the immediate arrest of Pedro Pascal. Others also saw the similarity between Pascal's page of notes and the Zodiac Killer's infamous ‘340 Cipher.' Advertisementhave we tried giving pedro pascal the zodiac killer’s letters to see if he could unencrypt them — tortured poets department intern (@thenoasletter) February 18, 2024"Have we tried giving pedro pascal the zodiac killer's letters to see if he could unencrypt them," someone else wrote.

Persons: Pedro Pascal, —, Billy Crudup, Matthew Macfadyen, Kieran Culkin, Pascal, Culkin, pedro pascal, Reed Richards, Pedro, Reed Organizations: Service, AFTRA, Marvel

The 65-minute musical film, which she self-financed, follows a hopeless romantic in search of love (Lopez) and the myriad ways she contends with repeated heartbreak, including visits to her therapist (played by Fat Joe) and sobbing through old romantic films. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesAP: It's been a decade since your last album. But this was really different because I hadn’t been inspired to really go into the studio and write a whole album for years. I did “Marry Me” a few years ago for the movie, but that was not a Jennifer Lopez album, not a J.Lo album. It’s made me doubt myself and really feel bad about myself at times.

Persons: Jennifer Lopez, Lopez, Fat Joe, Jane Fonda, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, Ben Affleck, It's, LOPEZ, Nobody, I’ve, ” —, “, They’re, It’s, Ben, they’re, you’re Organizations: ANGELES, AP Locations: Orlando , Florida

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although Vince Staples has been in the limelight for more than a decade, he still thinks fame is a weird thing. That’s what propelled the 30-year-old to make his first foray into filmmaking with “The Vince Staples Show,” a kind of autobiographical, genre-bending, dark comedy series, hitting Netflix on Thursday. As you get older, you learn about David Lynch, you learn about the Coen brothers, you learn about Roy Anderson. But I feel like, based on what you’re saying, I 100% agree that I’m a person who — I try things. So as you get older and you have this opportunity, I have a “Why not?” approach to the way that I view things.

Persons: Vince Staples, isn’t, he’s, you’ve, Oz, I’ve, David Lynch, Coen, Roy Anderson, Donnie Darko ”, it’s, who’s, —, it’ll, You've, art.I, you’re Organizations: ANGELES, Netflix, Associated Press, STAPLES Locations: Southern California, it’s

When Israel established a checkpoint near the Mousas' land a decade ago, the family converted their ancestral farm into a parking lot for Palestinian workers entering Israel. But the lot has been empty since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip, and Israel, fearing more attacks, barred Palestinian workers from the West Bank from entering Israel. Before October, over 10,000 Palestinian workers crossed the checkpoint there daily, heading to Israeli construction sites and farms. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians worked in Israel and Israeli settlements before the war, according to the Israeli workers' hotline Kav LaOved. The Palestinian economy in the West Bank contracted by over a fifth in the last quarter of 2023, according to the Palestinian economic ministry.

Persons: Mohammed Mousa’s, They've, Israel, “ I've, Mousa, “, Alaa Mousa, Ahmad Srour, ”, Srour, “ We’ve, we’ve, Nidal Khawaja, Khawaja, Israel's, Bezalel Smotrich, Khalid Al, Esseily, Khalidi, Raul Sargo, Mohammed Mousa Organizations: West Bank, —, Palestinian Authority, Bank, World Bank, Palestinian Economic Ministry, Palestinian, Associated Press, Israel, Israel's Finance Ministry, Israeli Builders Association Locations: West Bank, Nilin, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, U.S, israel

☆ To shore up Social Security, this controversial proposal calls for limiting retirement plan tax perks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But a new research proposal published by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College by experts at the opposite ends of the political spectrum has sparked considerable opposition. Together, they call for limiting current tax preferences for retirement savings plans, and instead redirecting those funds to help shore up Social Security. How retirement plan tax incentives workIn 2024, the limit for total employee and employer contributions to a defined contribution plans such as 401(k)s is $69,000 in 2024. By rolling back the tax incentives provided through defined contribution retirement plans, the money saved could be used to help fix a portion of Social Security's funding gap, the researchers argue. "We now have an industry and a policy based on 401(k)s and defined contribution plans that has been, relatively speaking, successful," Fichtner said.

Persons: Andrew Biggs, Alicia Munnell, Biggs, Munnell, Michael Wicklein, Jason Fichtner, Fichtner Organizations: Istock, Getty, Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, American Enterprise Institute, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Social Security, U.S, Mercatus, George Mason University, Cato Institute, National Association of Plan, Center, Board

☆ Lucas Ocampos: LaLiga to report fan who poked player in the backside to the juvenile prosecutor’s office
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —LaLiga, Spain’s top soccer league, says it is going to report a young Rayo Vallecano fan who poked Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos in the backside to the juvenile prosecutor’s office. “LALIGA is going to report the facts to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office as it involves a minor,” the league said in a statement to CNN. After the match, Ocampos said he hoped the league takes the incident as seriously as it takes incidents of racist abuse. Ocampos said he hopes the league takes the incident as seriously as racism. “Rayo Vallecano has always promoted the maximum respect towards referees, footballers and coaches.

Persons: CNN —, Rayo Vallecano, Lucas Ocampos, Ocampos, Valentín, “, ” Ocampos, DAZN España, Rayo, “ Rayo Vallecano, ” Sevilla, ” Rayo, Martin Presa Organizations: CNN, Sevilla, Rayo, Argentine, Isi, “, Police, Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla FC, Spanish Locations: Europe

☆ Stock futures are little changed ahead of busy week of corporate earnings: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on January 31, 2024 in New York City. Stock futures were flat on Sunday evening as Wall Street looks to build on another positive week. Futures tied to the S&P 500 dipped less than 0.1%. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial average ticked down 17 points, or less than 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.1%. This week has another full slate of earnings, including McDonald's on Monday and Ford on Tuesday.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Tony Pasquariello, Goldman Sachs, Jake Sullivan Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Stock, Dow, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Meta, Goldman, Ford, Tuesday, Traders, NBC Locations: New York City, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Iran

The segment is a faux CNN town hall with Trump in Columbia, South Carolina, which holds the next nominating contest on Feb. 24. Trump had mistakenly asserted that Haley was in charge of security at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the building. After the town hall moderators correct the stand-in Trump, Haley asks, “Are you doing OK Donald? Trump has boasted that he has “aced” cognitive tests in the past, and Johnson's Trump told Haley: “You know what I did. “I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War?” Edebiri asked Haley during the show.

Persons: “, ” Haley, “ SNL's ” Kenan Thompson, Punkie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Gayle King, James Austin Johnson, Haley, Nikki Haley, ”, it's, It's Nancy Pelosi, Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, Donald, Johnson's Trump, Edebiri, ” Edebiri, ‘ lavery ’, ’ Organizations: CNN, Trump, Democratic Rep, Capitol, U.S . Capitol Police, House, SNL Locations: Columbia , South Carolina, South Carolina, Carolina, New Hampshire, California, U.S, Trump, New York

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