Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Flu activity is increasing across the U.S. amid holiday travel and gatherings, according to the latest data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The CDC estimates there have been at least 4.6 million illnesses, 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths from flu this season so far, according to data updated as of Dec. 19, and experts expect these numbers will continue to rise.Public health experts previously told ABC News that many of this season’s cases are linked to a new flu strain called subclade K — a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is itself a subtype of influenza A –…
A proposed billionaire tax in California has the wealthy threatening to flee, according to a letter written by power lawyer Alex Spiro to Gov. Gavin Newsom.In a December 11 letter that was obtained by Business Insider, Spiro lays out his opposition to the proposed tax on behalf of his clients, who he calls “California residents who would be subject to the proposed Billionaire Tax Act.””It will trigger an exodus of capital and innovation from California,” Spiro wrote. “Our clients have made clear they will permanently relocate if subjected to this tax.”The measure proposes that California residents with assets exceeding $1…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gregor Konzett, a 27-year-old former Google employee based in London. It’s been edited for length and clarity.When I got relocated to work out of Google’s Mountain View headquarters in 2024, it was a dream come true.I was raised in a small village in Austria, but I always dreamed of living in Silicon Valley. As a child who was excited about tech, I wanted to be where innovation happened.My team was based in California, but I was working from London. Not even a year into my job, I was asking if I…
Money was no object for the AI industry in early 2025. A vibe check crept in the second half of the year. OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion valuation. Safe Superintelligence and Thinking Machine Labs raised individual $2 billion seed rounds before shipping a single product. Even first-time founders were raising at a scale that once belonged only to Big Tech. Such astronomical investments were followed by equally incredible spends. Meta shelled out nearly $15 billion to lock up Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang and spent countless more millions to poach talent from other AI labs. Meanwhile, AI’s…
A new definition of obesity could nearly double the prevalence of U.S. adults with the condition, according to a study published Monday.For decades, doctors have relied on body mass index (BMI) — a tool that uses height and weight to estimate body fat — to determine obesity.New report proposes redefining obesity by adding body fat and health status to BMIA team of researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Yale University and Yale New Haven Health, found that BMI alone may significantly underestimate how many U.S adults have obesity.Using a new definition that includes waist-based measurements, the team…
There has been a flurry of AI voice recording gadgets like Omi, Bee, and Friend that want to capture your voice and let you converse with an AI chatbot. While Bee was acquired by Amazon, and devices like the Stream ring by Sandbar and a new AI ring from former Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky are set to enter the market next year, the jury is still out on the success of wearable AI devices. Amid all this, Plaud is thriving by targeting professional users with a different approach: a credit card-sized recording device that slips into your wallet. The company…
A popular New Year’s resolution is to take up meditation – specifically mindfulness meditation. This is a healthy choice.Regular mindfulness practice has been linked to many positive health benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep and quicker healing after injury and illness. Mindfulness can help us to be present in a distracted world and to feel more at home in our bodies, and in our lives.There are many different types of meditation. Some mindfulness practices ask meditators simply to sit with whatever thoughts, sensations or emotions arise without immediately reacting to them. Such meditations cultivate focus, while granting more…
OpenAI offers app integrations in ChatGPT to allow you to connect your accounts directly to ChatGPT and ask the assistant to do things for you. For instance, with a Spotify integration, you can tell it to create personalized playlists that will show up right in your Spotify app. To get started, make sure you’re logged into ChatGPT. Then type the name of the app you want to use at the start of your prompt, and ChatGPT will guide you through signing in and connecting your account. If you want to set everything up at once, head over to the Settings…
Following his inauguration in January, U.S. President Donald Trump brought along a new team of advisers and a playbook for higher education. The administration unleashed a slew of demands on colleges and universities in what has been seen by higher education leaders as an “overreach” on academic freedom by the federal government. At the forefront of top political adviser Stephen Miller, Trinity ’07, and Trump’s agenda was mandating universities axe diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, limit international student enrollment and decrease their reliance on federally funded research. The administration also changed student loan policies, cut Medicaid reimbursement rates and…
When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn moreApple’s AirPods Pro 2 (second generation) come with a solid wireless charging case, but it has limitations. It can’t survive a dunk in water, it’s easy to scuff or crack if dropped, and it only comes in white. That’s why we recommend an extra layer of protection. The best AirPods Pro 2 case covers slip right over Apple’s case, helping to prevent everyday damage while also offering more style options. Most are affordable and available in designs that range from minimal to bold.One of our top…