Forget the seafood and steak! Brits are pairing wine with pizza... and beans on toast
A new report involving 2000 participants shows almost a third (27 percent) pair theirs with pizza, while a fifth (20percent) have cheese on toast with their favourite plonk.
Footage of Oasis on stage in Glasgow before the band made it big sells for £28,000 at auction
Never before seen footage of Oasis performing in Glasgow on the night they were discovered has sold for more than £28,000 at auction.
Can YouTube Replace 'Traditional' TV?
Can YouTube capture the hours people spending watching "traditional" TV? YouTube's CEO recently said its viewership on TV sets has "surpassed mobile and is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S.," writes The Hollywood Reporter. And YouTube is shelling out big money to stay on top:
It's come a long way since the 19-second "me at the zoo" video was uploaded in April 2005. Now, per a KPMG report released Sept. 23, YouTube is second only to Comcast in terms of annual content spend, inclusive of payments to creators and media companies, paying out as much as Netflix and Paramount combined, $32 billion... The only question is what genres it will take over next, and how quickly it will do so. From talk shows to scripted dramas to, yes, live sports, there are signs that the platform's ambitions will collide with the traditional TV business sooner rather than later...
YouTube has slowly, then all at once, become the de facto home for what had been late night, not only for the shows on linear TV, but for an emerging crop of new talent born on the platform. As it happens, late night itself transformed YouTube when the Saturday Night Live skit "Lazy Sunday" went viral 20 years ago on the platform, which had only been live for a few months... As consumer preferences collide with a burgeoning ecosystem of video podcasts (YouTube now claims more than 1 billion podcast users monthly), the world of late night, and for that matter TV talk shows more generally, increasingly revolves around the platform. One current late night producer says that almost every A-list booking now includes some sort of sketch or bit that they think will play well on YouTube, but booking those guests in the first place has become less of a sure thing. A veteran Hollywood publicist says that for many of their clients, they are now recommending that YouTube podcasts or shows become the first stop, or at least a major stop, on press tours...
Nielsen has been tracking the streaming platforms that consumers watch on their TV screens ever since it launched what it calls The Gauge in 2021. But over the past year, YouTube's domination of The Gauge has unnerved executives at some competitors. The most recent Gauge report showed that YouTube was by far the most watched video platform, holding 13.1 percent share. Netflix, in second place, was at 8.7 percent.
The article suggests YouTube's last challenge may be "scripted" entertainment — where their business model is different than Netflix or HBO.
"On YouTube, it is up to the creator to finance and produce their content, and while the platform regularly releases new tools to help them (including AI-enabled tech that suggests video ideas and can create short background videos for use in Shorts), scripted entertainment is a particularly tricky challenge, requiring writers, directors, sets, costumes, lighting, editing, special effects and other production requirements that may go beyond the typical creator-led show."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Our courageous paramedic son was killed by a single punch. This is how forgiving the man who did it has saved us all
David Hodgkinson prefers old-fashioned methods of communication. He likes a 'good old chat' on the phone with his friend Jacob Dunne.
The sleepy Irish 'village' housing 2,300 migrants in a luxury hotel tearing itself apart after a 'failed African asylum seeker - waiting to be deported - raped a 10-year-old girl'
Riots have convulsed quiet Saggart for the past two nights after the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old Irish girl by a 26-year-old African migrant due to be deported outside the Citywest Hotel.
The Essex seaside town ‘that looks like it’s stuck in the 70s’ where people ‘come to retire’
It gets some hate - but has plenty to rave about
Tyler West 'suffered the most traumatic birthday of his life' with 'breakdown' on Celebrity Race Across The World - comparing show to 'a long panic attack'
The young couple dared to cross some of the most dangerous countries in Central America with no phone and very little money for the new series of Celebrity Race Across The World.
Posh and Becks' new multimillionaire neighbours! Meet the Australian self-made tanning moguls who have snapped up the £16.5M plot of land next to the Beckhams' Cotswolds home
It looks like there are some new neighbours Posh and Becks can mingle with during their time in their country escape.
Motorcycle champion's horror crash - before race had even started - sparks helicopter ambulance evacuation
World champion rider Jose Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler were embroiled in the brutal accident during a sighting lap ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Bill Gates-Backed 345 MWe Advanced Nuclear Reactor Secures Crucial US Approval
Long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 shares this article from Interesting Engineering:
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower's innovative Natrium reactor project in Wyoming has cleared a critical federal regulatory hurdle. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has successfully completed its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project, known as Kemmerer Unit 1, and found no adverse impacts that would block its construction.
The commission officially recommended that a construction permit be issued to TerraPower subsidiary USO for the facility in Lincoln County.
This announcement marks a significant milestone, making the Natrium project the first-ever advanced commercial nuclear power plant in the country to successfully complete this rigorous environmental review process... The first-of-a-kind design utilizes an 840 MW (thermal) pool-type reactor connected to a molten salt-based energy storage system. This storage technology is the plant's most unique feature. It is designed to keep the base output steady, ensuring constant reliability, but it also allows the plant to function like a massive battery. The system can store heat and boost the plant's output to 500 MWe when demand peaks, allowing it to ramp up power quickly to support the grid. TerraPower says it is the only advanced reactor design with this unique capability. The Natrium plant is strategically designed to replace electricity generation capacity following the planned retirement of existing coal-fired facilities in the region.
While the regulatory process for the nuclear components continues, construction on the non-nuclear portions of the site already began in June 2024. When completed, the Natrium plant is poised to be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States.
The next step for the construction permit application is a final safety evaluation, which is anticipated by December 31, 2025, according to announcement from TerraPower, which notes that the project is being developed through a public-private partnership with the U.S. Energy Department.
"When completed, the Natrium plant will be the first utility-scale advanced nuclear power plant in the United States."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Epping sex offender migrant will be forced on a plane this week for deportation after being recaptured, as Lammy shamelessly tries to blame Tories from 16 months ago
Hadush Kebatu was arrested by four officers inside Finsbury Park, north London, at around 8.30am on Sunday.
The Essex village people flock to for its peacefulness that once had a dark secret history
The village in the heart of Essex is also home to some dark secrets
Social media businessman declares 'no face, no case' as he sells £5 balaclavas to 'Muslim brothers' before appearing on stage at London counter-protest
UKIP was banned from staging a demonstration in Tower Hamlets, east London , which has the largest percentage of Muslim residents anywhere in the UK.
How we look this good over 50 - and you can too: 20 of the biggest beauty names share their surprising but simple tricks to revive skin, hide wrinkles and reveal the everyday habit making your hair thinner
From face pinching to udder cream! YOU's favourite contributors share their advice on how to look your best.
Is AI Responsible for Job Cuts - Or Just a Good Excuse?
Has AI just become an easy excuse for firms looking to downsize, asks CNBC:
Fabian Stephany, assistant professor of AI and work at the Oxford Internet Institute, said there might be more to job cuts than meets the eye. Previously there may have been some stigma attached to using AI, but now companies are "scapegoating" the technology to take the fall for challenging business moves such as layoffs. "I'm really skeptical whether the layoffs that we see currently are really due to true efficiency gains. It's rather really a projection into AI in the sense of 'We can use AI to make good excuses,'" Stephany said in an interview with CNBC. Companies can essentially position themselves at the frontier of AI technology to appear innovative and competitive, and simultaneously conceal the real reasons for layoffs, according to Stephany... Some companies that flourished during the pandemic "significantly overhired" and the recent layoffs might just be a "market clearance...."
One founder, Jean-Christophe Bouglé even said in a popular LinkedIn post that AI adoption is at a "much slower pace" than is being claimed and in large corporations "there's not much happening" with AI projects even being rolled back due to cost or security concerns. "At the same time there are announcements of big layoff plans 'because of AI.' It looks like a big excuse, in a context where the economy in many countries is slowing down..."
The Budget Lab, a non-partisan policy research center at Yale University, released a report on Wednesday which showed that U.S. labor has actually been little disrupted by AI automation since the release of ChatGPT in 2022... Additionally, New York Fed economists released research in early September which showed that AI use amongst firms "do not point to significant reductions in employment" across the services and manufacturing industry in the New York-Northern New Jersey region.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Two of Ben Kinsella's killers 'bid for freedom' after murdering teenager whose ex-EastEnders actress sister Brooke set up charity in his honour
Juress Kika, 35, from Islington, north London , and Jade Braithwaite, 36, from Bow, east London, could walk free in a matter of weeks despite murdering the 16-year-old (pictured).
Rival protesters clash as anti-immigration march comes face to face with counter demonstration as police efforts to keep them apart crumble
A large right wing protest, led by Tommy Robinson and has taken to the streets in the city to voice their concerns about illegal migration.
Grooming gangs DO exist in London. I know, because my daughter was a victim': Grieving mother tears apart Sadiq Khan's claims Asian men don't prey on young girls - as Daily Mail investigation exposes scale of sexual exploitation on mayor's doorstep
When Sadiq Khan claimed that his city does not have the same grooming gang culture seen in other cities and towns across the UK, it caused anger and incredulity.
Heidi Klum drops NSFW hint about her Halloween costume ahead of star-studded party
Heidi Klum dropped a NSFW hint about this year's Halloween costume ahead of hosting her annual star-studded bash.
Jimmy Carr backs 'cancelled' Graham Linehan on anti-trans tweets which saw him arrested - as comic tells US audience 'You've got the first amendment. Cherish it'
The Irish writer, 57, was arrested by armed police when he touched down at Heathrow Airport last month from Arizona in the US and detained on suspicion of inciting violence.