A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‚ leaving the company’s remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his decision that Disney lacked standing in its First Amendment lawsuit against the Republican governor‚ the secretary of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and DeSantis’ appointees...

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday warned that Chinese hackers are preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to the US. “China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities‚ if or when China decides the time has come to strike‚” Wray told the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Though cyber officials have long sounded the alarm about China’s...

The U.S. central bank held rates at their current range for the fourth straight time‚ signaling that the hiking cycle may be over setting up the stage for possible rate cuts in 2024. The possible reduction of rates‚ which‚ at their current two-decade highs‚ have helped push up borrowing costs across the economy‚ could be a boost for President Joe Biden as they could reduce the cost of buying a home and business investment. Beginning in March of 2022‚ the Federal Reserve raised rates at the...

U.S. officials said on Wednesday they disrupted a sweeping Chinese cyber-spying operation that targeted critical American infrastructure entities and could be used against the United States in a future geopolitical crisis. The operation‚ conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI‚ weeded out malicious Chinese software from a network or "botnet" of hundreds of compromised U.S. routers‚ both agencies said in a statement. The U.S. and its key allies disclosed the Chinese...

After Stanley fans posted home lead test results on social media‚ the company confirmed the viral insulated tumblers do contain lead. Here’s what experts are saying. Stanley‚ the makers of the tumblers that have become a viral sensation‚ have come under scrutiny this week. Social media users‚ specifically on TikTok and Instagram‚ have been sharing videos showing at-home lead test findings‚ and the results are worrying faithful Stanley sippers. Dozens of consumers are posting videos...

Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade settled his divorce case‚ canceling a Wednesday hearing that would have featured his testimony discussing his relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The settlement also saves Willis from likely having to testify in the case and gives further insight into her relationship with Wade. The alleged affair risks jeopardizing one of the central cases against former President Donald Trump‚ which threatens to jeopardize his 2024...

A Trump administration official is critically-ill after being shot during a carjacking in crime-ridden Washington DC‚ whose perpetrator then killed another victim. Mike Gill‚ a married father of three‚ was blasted by the unnamed suspect on K Street NW around 5:45pm Monday. He was collecting his wife‚ an education lawyer‚ at the time of the incident and was inside the car when he was struck. Gill managed to get out of his car‚ but collapsed shortly afterwards. He served as chief operating...

Reading is a fundamental tool of learning for most people‚ which is why it's one of the first things kids learn in school and why nations set literacy goals.But even those of us who are able to read fluently might sometimes struggle with the act of reading itself. Perhaps we don't read as quickly as we wish we could or maybe our minds wander as our eyes move across the words. Sometimes we get to the end of a paragraph and realize we didn't retain anything we just read. People with focus or attention issues can struggle with reading‚ despite having no actual reading disabilities. It can be extremely frustrating to want to read something and have no issues with understanding the material‚ yet be unable to keep your mind engaged with the text long enough to get "into" what you're reading.But what if there were a font that could help you stay focused? That could help you not only read faster but better retain what you've just read?That's what the creators of Bionic Reading claim is possible with their font tool."Bionic Reading revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted‚" the Swiss company's website reads. "This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers previously learned words more quickly."Give it a try:The gist is that our eyes don't need to focus on the entire word because our brains can fill in the rest for us. By bolding the first part of the word‚ we're more quickly able to move from word to word. "Bionic Reading aims to play a supporting role in the absorption of volume text‚" states the website. "We see technological progress as an opportunity for all those who want to increase the pleasure of reading in a noisy and hectic world in a focused way and without distraction."While there are no studies cited on this method of reading‚ there are plenty of anecdotes about it being helpful. The example shared by @WhattheADHD on Twitter got people's attention and many people responded with enthusiasm at how much easier the bionic reading text was for them to read. "This is amazing! I have ADHD and I didn’t even realize that I was having trouble fixating when I read‚" wrote one person. "My eye latches right on to the bold face. Can’t wait to try reading a book again. It’s been all audiobooks for a while.""It's incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain‚" wrote another. However‚ not everyone was impressed or thrilled with the sample. Some people said that they had a harder time reading the bionic text or that it distracted or slowed them down. Both positive and negative responses came from a diverse pool of people. Some who described themselves as neurodivergent said that they loved it and some said it was harder. The same went for people who said they were neurotypical‚ so it's hard to say who this tool may specifically help the most. Everyone's brains work differently‚ and different people will find different things helpful. Bionic reading might be a game-changer for some‚ but it's not the only tool of its kind. There are speed-reading programs that train you to stop reading each word and allow your brain to read visually instead of auditorily. There are also various methods of making reading easier by adjusting how your eyes move across the text. For instance‚ check out this "space reading" technique:Bionic Reading has a free text converter on its website that you can use to try out its font changes. A YouTube clip from the company also shows possibilities for how the font can be adjusted to individual preferences‚ making more or less of the initial letters bolded. And again‚ if this doesn't work for you‚ then it's probably not made for you. For people who struggle with reading‚ something like Bionic Reading could make a huge difference. Three cheers for technology being used to help people overcome difficulties and make learning easier and more efficient.This article originally appeared on 5.30.22.

"OK Boomer" is a catchphrase that has come to perfectly encapsulate the generational divide in modern American politics. It has also led to some moments of pure comedy gold.But it turns out that one of the great all-time standup comedic minds was literally decades ahead of the game when it came to dragging Boomers for selfish‚ hypocritical‚ and entitled behavior. In his 1996 stand up special "Back in Town" George Carlin devoted a glorious two minutes and twenty-seven seconds to putting Boomers in their place. "A lot of these cultural crimes I'm complaining about can be blamed on the Baby Boomers‚" Carlin says‚ beginning what would become a now legendary rant. "I'm getting tired of hearing about Boomers‚" Carlin continues. "Whiny‚ narcissistic‚ self-indulgent people with a simple philosophy: 'GIMME IT‚ IT'S MINE!' 'GIMME THAT‚ IT'S MINE!' These people were given everything. Everything was handed to them. And they took it all: sex‚ drugs‚ and rock and roll‚ and they stayed loaded for 20 years and had a free ride.""But now they're staring down the barrel of middle-age burnout‚ and they don't like it. So they've turned self-righteous. They want to make things harder on younger people. They tell 'em‚ abstain from sex‚ say no to drugs; as for the rock and roll‚ they sold that for television commercials a long time ago...so they could buy pasta machines and Stairmasters and soybean futures."Or‚ as one person on Reddit commented on Carlin's video: "My feeling about baby-boomers is that they were one of the first generations to really adulate and idolize the idea of youth‚ and youth empowerment but when they themselves reach senior ages their own ideas were working against them so they changed to demonizing youth."But Carlin wasn't done there. He says the Boomers have not only become hypocrites‚ they turned their own generational shift into cutthroat‚ corporate catchphrases that guilt and shame others who don't comport to their world view."You know something? They are cold‚ bloodless people‚" Carlin says."These people went from 'Do Your Own Thing' to 'Just Say No.' They went from 'Love is All You Need' to 'Whoever Winds Up With the Most Toys‚ Wins.' And they went from cocaine to Rogaine."Carlin's bit concludes in epic fashion with an all-encompassing take down that applies to‚ well‚ literally everyone. But the next time you hear a Boomer ridiculing young people or defending their own legacy‚ just show them this clip and remind them that Boomer criticism is something that transcends age‚ gender or race. Heck‚ even if you're from the Boomer generation‚ this clip is just too good to not enjoy and share.This article originally appeared on 02.20.20

Everyone gets antsy about their jobs sometimes.Maybe you notice you're less motivated than usual. Maybe you acknowledge that you're no longer going the extra mile‚ and you're not quite sure why. Maybe professionalism is a term you've long since forgotten.For many of us‚ the struggle can be so‚ so real. That's why Willie Muse wrote these all-too-relatable comics for College Humor‚ illustrated by Karina Farek.These six funny comics perfectly illustrate what a typical first day at your job looks like versus the 101st day:1. Who doesn't look at at least one viral video a day?2. You suddenly find the time to fit in a breakfast sandwich.3. You go from wanting your boss's approval to hating his or her guts.4. All the details that were once so important become nuisances.5. Your (lack of) motivation can take you from hero to zero — quick!6. And you most certainly DO NOT want to end up like this.Let's be real: These comics are funny‚ but they also aren't ideal.In a perfect world‚ we'd all have jobs that still look and feel like Day 1 on Day 101. And one of the only ways to get there is to intentionally strive for a life that's full of work-life balance. We really do have the power to not let things play out like this.What can we do?At a most basic level‚ we can make sure we're getting enough sleep‚ eating well‚ and doing at least a little exercise. We also shouldn't underestimate the benefits of detaching from computer screens and smartphones every once in a while. Plus‚ we can also minimize our stress levels by not multitasking and instead concentrating on one task at time.The most overlooked advice for maintaining a healthy work-life balance is to actually take time off.Disconnect from your daily work routine. Make a conscious effort to recharge.Perhaps if we dedicate more time to enjoying life outside of work‚ there's more of a chance that we'll be on Day 1 for months‚ feeling grateful for our jobs rather than impatiently waiting for the clock to strike 5. Let's get to it!This article originally appeared on 10.25.16