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It's a Vast, Vital Side of AI Hidden From the Public

Josh Dzieza at 'New York' explores the incredible amount of human labor needed to make artificial intelligence models work

(Newser) - Of all the stories about artificial intelligence that have emerged of late, a new one from Josh Dzieza in a collaboration for New York and the Verge is equal parts compelling and surprising. He explores a simple-sounding premise: In order for AI models to work, they need to be fed...

The Real Killer Signed the Guest Book at Her Funeral

'Texas Monthly' looks at the 1987 murder of Susan Woods, and how everyone assumed her husband did it

(Newser) - When 30-year-old Susan Woods was found in her bathtub in 1987 in Stephenville, Texas, the victim of a brutal rape and murder, "everyone in Stephenville knew who did it," writes Bryan Burrough at the Texas Monthly . That would be her husband, Michael Woods, a long-haired, motorcycle-riding non-local who...

This Unassuming Lake May Signal a New Epoch
This Unassuming Lake
May Signal a New Epoch
longform
Jun 22, 2023 2:30 PM CDT

This Unassuming Lake May Signal a New Epoch

'Washington Post': Canada's Crawford Lake may be designated 'golden spike' of Anthropocene Era

(Newser) - Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, looks like a pretty normal lake. But as the Washington Post reports, the body of water nestled in the Toronto suburbs has one-of-a-kind characteristics that might make it a sign post in human history. Or more precisely, in our planet's history. Scientists will decide...

Lara Logan&#39;s Journey to the Fringes of Media
Lara Logan's
Journey to
the Fringes
of Media
longform
Jun 18, 2023 9:02 AM CDT

Lara Logan's Journey to the Fringes of Media

'Atlantic' profiles the journalist who was once one of the most respected in her profession

(Newser) - She was once one of the biggest and most respected names in TV journalism, the subject of flattering stories herself, such as one christening her the "War Zone It Girl" by the New York Times in 2005. Today, Lara Logan is too extreme even for far-right Newsmax, after doing...

After This Famous 1967 Crash, Little Has Changed
After This Famous 1967 Crash,
Little Has Changed
longform
Jun 13, 2023 11:15 AM CDT

After This Famous 1967 Crash, Little Has Changed

ProPublica reports that the US has failed to stop underride crashes involving semis

(Newser) - It's a sad piece of Hollywood lore: In 1967, the actress Jayne Mansfield was killed when the car she was in slid under a semi on the highway. Mansfield’s three young children survived, including Mariska Hargitay, now of the Law & Order TV franchise. The accident is mentioned...

Tesla Autopilot Crashes Way More Common Than Thought
Tesla Autopilot
Crashes Way
More Common
Than Thought
investigation
Jun 11, 2023 9:35 AM CDT

Tesla Autopilot Crashes Way More Common Than Thought

'Washington Post' counts 736, including at least 17 fatalities

(Newser) - Tesla's Autopilot technology, intended to enhance driver safety and convenience, is under scrutiny due to growing concerns about the interaction between the system and drivers. In the last four years, there have been 736 car accidents in which one of the vehicles was a Tesla on Autopilot, reports the...

On Death Row, He Got a Letter That 'Brought Me to My Knees'

'Atlantic' story relays tale of forgiveness offered to a murderer from his victim's granddaughter

(Newser) - One effective way to wrangle with tough emotions is to keep a journal, but for Sarah Gregory, she channeled her rage into a letter—one sent to her grandmother's killer, now on death row in Alabama. As told to Elizabeth Bruenig in her piece for the Atlantic , Gregory recalls...

Marvel Came, Changed, Conquered Hollywood
Tone of Marvel Films Have
Changed Since Iron Man
longform
Jun 10, 2023 1:30 PM CDT

Tone of Marvel Films Have Changed Since Iron Man

They're getting nuttier. 'New Yorker' digs deep into how the MCU has taken over Hollywood

(Newser) - "Twenty years ago, few people would have bet that a struggling comic-book company would turn a bunch of second-string superheroes into movie icons—much less swallow the film industry whole," writes Michael Schulman in the New Yorker . And yet here we are in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At...

Psst, Simpsons Fans, It&#39;s Worth Watching Again
Surprise,
The Simpsons
Are Worth
Watching Again
longform
Jun 10, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

Surprise, The Simpsons Are Worth Watching Again

Jesse David Fox writes in Vulture about a resurgence over the last two seasons

(Newser) - The Simpsons have now churned out 750 episodes in 34 seasons, and Jesse David Fox is out with a tribute in Vulture . The surprise is that it's not an homage to the early "classic" years or a lament about how the show became (gasp!) irrelevant after those...

Investigation Finds Pedophile Network on Instagram

'Wall Street Journal' teams with academic researchers to show how easy it is to find

(Newser) - Instagram officially views the sexual exploitation of children as a "horrific crime," and a statement from parent company Meta insists it is "continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behavior." A new investigation by the Wall Street Journal and academic researchers suggests the company needs...

She Was Catatonic 20 Years Before a Breakthrough

Story of April Burrell raises hopes for others diagnosed with mental illness: 'Washington Post'

(Newser) - She was a straight-A accounting major with a seemingly bright future until everything changed in sudden fashion: At the age of 21, April Burrell of Baltimore was diagnosed with a severe form of schizophrenia, writes Richard Sima in the Washington Post . "The former high school valedictorian could no longer...

Meg White Hears the Critics. No, She Won't Talk About It

'Elle' profiles the former White Stripes drummer, who is happy to eschew public life

(Newser) - Earlier this year, the name Meg White was trending on Twitter because a political reporter dissed her drumming for the defunct but iconic rock band the White Stripes. As Melissa Giannini writes in Elle , the backlash arrived quickly on behalf of the "extremely introverted" White, who disappeared from public...

It's the Ultimate Sailing Adventure. It Killed Him

The 'Guardian' looks at the Clipper Round the World yacht race

(Newser) - "Simon Speirs is exactly the sort of person Robin Knox-Johnston, the veteran sailor, had in mind when he founded the Clipper Round the World yacht race more than 25 years ago," writes Sally Williams for the Guardian . Speirs is also dead, killed in 2017 while partaking in that...

Lost Wowed Viewers, but Behind the Scenes Was Turmoil

'Toxic' culture overtook ABC's hit drama, per a new book excerpt by Maureen Ryan in 'Vanity Fair'

(Newser) - In the early days of Lost, the hit ABC series directed by co-creator JJ Abrams about plane crash survivors stranded on a mysterious tropical island, the writer's room was an electric creative space that one show veteran recalls as "heaven." From an actor's view, the possibilities...

Recovering Gambling Addict Is Worried About a New Trend

In first-person essay for Maclean's, Noah Vineberg laments rise of legalized sports betting

(Newser) - Noah Vineberg started small, organizing sports pools in third grade among his friends. By the time he was a young teenager in Canada, he was gambling every day at a shopping mall where he could buy parlay-style tickets on sports events despite being underage. (The clerks never checked IDs.)...

Authorities Underestimated the &#39;Little Chapos&#39;
Authorities
Underestimated
the 'Little Chapos'
longform
May 27, 2023 5:35 PM CDT

Authorities Underestimated the 'Little Chapos'

Reuters looks at how 4 sons of drug kingpin El Chapo have built a fentanyl empire

(Newser) - They are collectively known as Los Chapitos, or the "Little Chapos"—Ivan, Jesus Alfredo, Joaquin Jr., and Ovidio Guzman. Ranging in age from 33 to 40, they are the four surviving sons of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in...

Alice Sebold's New Life Is One of Grief and 'Shame'

Bestselling author hasn't yet met with Anthony Broadwater, whom she once thought raped her

(Newser) - More than a year after the man she wrongfully accused of raping her had his conviction overturned, author Alice Sebold is still struggling to comprehend her role in what happened. "I still don't know where to go with this but to grief and to silence and to shame,...

The Case for Treating Romantic &#39;Limerence&#39;
The Case for Treating
Romantic 'Limerence'
longform
May 27, 2023 5:30 AM CDT

The Case for Treating Romantic 'Limerence'

It's like a crush, but sometimes a one-sided, debilitating fixation, as Pioneer Works explains

(Newser) - The word "limerence" has been around since 1979, when psychologist Dorothy Tennov coined it to describe a particular type of one-sided romantic attachment. She was talking about "the obsessive, all-consuming fixations we sometimes develop on people who do not feel the same, or whose feelings we cannot be...

New College Admissions Tactic: Publish a Research Paper

ProPublica reports that parents are paying to have iffy studies published in iffy journals

(Newser) - It's a new twist on the old phrase "publish or perish." It's more like, publish or don't get into your college of choice. ProPublica reports on the latest questionable method being used to puff up college admissions: Parents are paying to get their kids' names...

One Nation's Capital Is Sinking. Solution? Build a New One

Indonesia is trying to do that, and the 'New York Times' digs into the huge challenges

(Newser) - Indonesia's capital of Jakarta has a fundamental problem: To put it simply, the city of 30 million people is sinking. President Joko Widodo has tried all kinds of "Sisyphean" solutions to fix things, writes Hannah Beach in the New York Times , but it appears the rising sea will...

Stories 201 - 220 | << Prev   Next >>