Describing a “once-in-a-million year event‚” an international team of paleontologists has suggested that‚ though nearly impossible‚ a herd of pony-sized duck-billed dinosaurs must have either floated or swam across to Africa up to 66 million years ago. Fossils belonging to three species of duck-billed dinosaurs were found in Morocco‚ on a proto-Africa that would have […] The post Pony-Sized Dinosaurs Swam or Floated Across Hundreds of Miles of Ocean from America to Colonize Africa appeared first on Good News Network.

The post Why I Love to Talk About My Cats: Dr. Karyn Tells Us More by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi‚ I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch‚ Cyril‚ Alex‚ Zelda‚ and Zazzles. Anyone who knows me knows not to ask me about my pets unless they have an hour or two to spare. Between stories about my five cats‚ five dogs‚ and how my five cats interact with my five dogs‚ there’s a lot to talk about! There’s Clutch‚ the vacuum-loving former stray who seems to identify as a dog‚ stealing food from the chihuahuas‚ curling up with a labrador or two‚ and acting terribly put out when he gets rounded up with the other cats. Alex and Cyril‚ who we lovingly think of as Scully &; Hitchcock from Brooklyn Nine-Nine‚ with their unfailing love of food and naps. Zelda the princess‚ who shamelessly throws herself at Bailey the lab‚ and finally Zazzles‚ who most people think we’ve made up‚ as she only appears between the hours of midnight and 7am. With this many pets living under one roof‚ there are always stories to tell‚ with the most interesting thing being that they all get along‚ most of the time. Zelda‚ Zazzles‚ and Cyril‚ working hard Having been a practising veterinary surgeon for over thirteen years‚ there’s not a lot I haven’t seen‚ but I think that the things I have learned from my own cats have given me more insight‚ knowledge‚ and experience than any course‚ conference‚ or lecture could provide. Seeing firsthand how hard it is to keep a cat quiet after surgery‚ how to help a new cat join an existing group‚ and witnessing all the little idiosyncrasies that are unique to each individual‚ has done so much more than just entertaining me and making me happy. It has made me a better vet. Being able to talk about my own cats; my stories‚ my frustrations‚ my successes‚ and my failures‚ means that I can understand my patients better‚ and advise their owners from a place of personal experience. As vets‚ we all learn the theory‚ but not all of us get to live it. Clutch and Poppy I have to admit that it also made things harder sometimes‚ seeing my own pets reflected in my patients‚ being able to picture myself in their owner’s shoes‚ especially when it comes to the tough cases‚ the sad outcomes‚ and the difficult decisions. But something happens to a person’s face when you ask them to talk about their pets‚ and I know it happens to mine as well. One of my favorite parts of my work happens during one of the saddest parts of my work. It’s when a memory‚ a story‚ or funny anecdote pops up‚ like a ray of sunshine in the darkness‚ and seeing tears turn to a smile‚ even just for a moment‚ that shows just how powerful our stories are‚ and that we should keep on telling them. Nap time with Cyril and Ned I feel so lucky to be able to share my home and my life with these fascinating furry characters. Their antics improve my world‚ my mental health‚ and my daily life‚ and the more I learn about them‚ the more I am able to share with all of you. And I will continue to share them with you‚ and I hope you’ll share your stories with me. The post Why I Love to Talk About My Cats: Dr. Karyn Tells Us More by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Book Recommendations Five A.I. Characters I’d Be Proud to Call My Friend From a stuffed tiger to a sentient music player‚ these A.I. characters would all be terrific companions. By Lorna Wallace | Published on February 23‚ 2024 Photo by Alex Knight [via Unsplash] icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Photo by Alex Knight [via Unsplash] The rapid growth and potential applications of artificial intelligence in the real-world is a constant topic of discussion and debate‚ and sometimes thinking about it too hard inspires an existential crisis—so to ward that off‚ I turn (as I so often do!) to the refuge of fiction. Sci-fi is replete with stories that imagine what the integration of AI into society could look like‚ and sometimes these imaginings offer comforting reassurance about the potential future of AI. Of course‚ there are plenty of depictions of evil AI in literature‚ from the disastrously malfunctioning HAL in Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) to the downright sadistic AM in Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth‚ and I Must Scream” (1967). But for this list‚ I’m going to focus on benevolent (or at least not gleefully murderous) characters that display friendship-worthy characteristics. These five AI characters are complex and interesting individuals—ones I would happily befriend and spend time with! Pounce from Day Zero (2021) by C. Robert Cargill C. Robert Cargill’s Day Zero is technically a prequel to his earlier novel Sea of Rust (2017)‚ but it works perfectly as a standalone story. While Sea of Rust takes place amidst the aftermath of the robot uprising‚ Day Zero sets readers down right when the revolution kicks off. We follow from the POV of Pounce‚ an artificially intelligent nanny robot designed to look like a stuffed tiger‚ whose job is to look after a young boy called Ezra. As Bender-esque “kill all humans” mania sweeps the globe‚ Pounce leaps into action to protect his ward. Think of it like Calvin and Hobbes‚ but set during Terminator’s Judgement Day. Pounce and Ezra teaming up poses a couple of problems: practically every robot is looking to spill Ezra’s blood‚ but humans aren’t exactly willing to help either‚ due to Pounce’s presence. The resulting storyline is action-packed—thankfully Pounce is as fierce a fighter as he is a friend—but Cargill still finds time to ruminate on questions of robot rights‚ agency‚ and personhood. As well as these broader philosophical questions‚ on a personal level‚ Pounce is forced to confront his own behaviour and feelings—does he actually love Ezra‚ or is it just his programming? Day Zero has it all: robots‚ edge-of-your-seat action‚ friendship‚ and philosophy. Lovelace/Sidra from the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers We first meet Lovelace in The Long Way to a Small‚ Angry Planet (2014)‚ where she serves as the onboard AI for the Wayfarer spaceship. Essentially‚ Lovelace (a.k.a. Lovey) runs the ship and she’s just as loveable a character as the crewmembers with physical bodies. Partway through the story‚ an iteration of Lovelace is transferred into a synthetic human body and leaves the ship. This branch of the character takes the name Sidra and her story is told in A Closed and Common Orbit (2016)—which is technically a sequel and a prequel to the first book‚ but it also works as a standalone.   Sidra struggles to adapt to her new body and what it means for her identity. Going from being an entity housed in an entire spaceship to being crammed into a human body is no doubt a tough adjustment. But that isn’t the only problem: Sidra is also playing a risky game because it’s illegal for AI beings to use body kits. As much as Sidra wants to experience the world‚ she has to constantly be on guard‚ which makes forging new friendships a little tricky. Despite this‚ Sidra remains open to connection‚ and her curious and kind-hearted nature makes her excellent friend material.  Murderbot from the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells An AI with a name like Murderbot might not sound like your new best buddy‚ but if you can get it onside then you’ve got a steadfast friend for life. Murderbot is a cyborg SecurityUnit—essentially a bodyguard for lease. Humans have the ability to order Murderbot around (well‚ they would‚ have if Murderbot hadn’t hacked its own system)‚ but they’re also afraid of it and its non-humanness. Although Murderbot could easily go on a human-killing rampage‚ it instead decides to fly under the radar and go along with its job‚ emotionally withdrawing and escaping into the world of streaming entertainment. It can be a tricky task to get beneath Murderbot’s emotional armor (and this is true of its physical armor‚ as well)‚ and even then‚ Murderbot is unlikely to label someone as “friend‚” but the connection is there even if the label isn’t. Murderbot will go to extreme lengths to protect its friends (sure‚ keep calling them “clients‚” Murderbot)‚ and it does it all with some seriously hilarious‚ deeply sarcastic humor. Murderbot is loyal‚ funny‚ and‚ as a delightful bonus‚ a fount of fantastic TV show recommendations. HUN from How Alike Are We by Kim Bo-young (Translated by Jihyun Park and Gord Sellar‚ 2019) With the AI characters I’ve discussed so far‚ I’ve focused on why I think they would make good friends‚ but with HUN from Kim Bo-young’s How Alike Are We‚ it’s more a case of them needing a good friend. HUN is a crisis management AI aboard a spaceship‚ and at the start of the novella they download their consciousness into an artificial human body. Unfortunately‚ the process has left some pretty crucial gaps in their memory‚ like why they even wanted to be in a body in the first place (a feeling that Sidra could relate to!). HUN is disoriented‚ confused‚ and trying to play catch-up‚ all while the human crew is facing a crisis and tearing themselves apart in attempting to figure out how to handle their plight without their AI’s expertise. But even with a faulty memory‚ HUN does everything within their power to help—a definite boon in a friend. As discussions of personhood (or lack thereof) arise and things get increasingly hostile‚ I found myself wanting to jump into the story to protect HUN. That isn’t to say that some of the crew don’t fight in HUN’s corner… but when things go wrong in deep space‚ you can never have too many friends. Monono from the Rampart Trilogy by M. R. Carey Kicking off with The Book of Koli (2020)‚ M. R. Carey’s Rampart Trilogy is set in a far-flung post-apocalyptic future where genetically modified plants are now at the top of the food chain. The pockets of humanity that have managed to carve out an existence have it hard‚ and the few pieces of technology that have survived carry the aura of magical objects. Our protagonist in this dangerous world is a teenage boy called Koli‚ who finds himself cast out of the safety of his village. [Light spoilers for the beginning of The Book of Koli follow.] I won’t say how or when‚ but at some point Koli finds himself in possession of an advanced audio player that’s home to an AI girl called Monono Aware. (As someone who grew up with Walkmans and iPods‚ I am the perfect audience for this development‚ and was instantly invested.) As the story progresses‚ Monono develops from an MP3 player with a chipper attitude into a fully-fledged character. Monono is the perfect foil for Koli. Where he’s sheltered and headstrong to the point of foolishness‚ she has the world at her metaphorical fingertips and the intelligence to work around her physical limitations. Monono can play great music‚ she’s surprisingly useful in a fight‚ and she’s always willing to provide emotional support. Anyone venturing through a post-apocalyptic world would be lucky to have Monono in their pocket. So those are the AI characters I’d like to befriend! And honestly‚ I think they’d be a pretty fun group if they all got together. Who would your picks be? Let me know in the comments below![end-mark] The post Five A.I. Characters I’d Be Proud to Call My Friend appeared first on Reactor.

One of the many features added during Early Access of Sons of the Forest was Golf Carts‚ but how can you find and drive them for yourself? If you’re looking for an easy way to get around this cannibal-filled island‚ you should check out these drivable Golf Carts. Sons of the Forest: Where to find Golf Carts The expansive island in Sons of the Forest isn’t just home to groups of cannibals. You can now find abandoned golf courses with drivable Golf Carts. How you’ll find the Golf Carts you can drive in Sons of the Forest are at golf courses on the northeast corner of the island. Screenshot by PC Invasion Once you arrive‚ you should see a large open space with the classic red flags and sand dunes. The Golf Cart I found was near one of the holes and was easily visible from a distance. Similar to the Knight V unicycle vehicle‚ the Golf Carts run on a battery. I’ve used my Knight V for pretty long distances without it seeming to run out much‚ so the Gol...

Although we come back to Diablo 4 each new season‚ we know we’re either getting something good or something bad. We’ve ranked all the Diablo 4 seasons from worst to best. With nearly every new season‚ we’ve received new features‚ updates‚ items‚ and mechanics that can get us into a fun gameplay loop until the next season arrives. But which have been the best? Diablo 4: All seasons‚ ranked Screenshot via Blizzard 3. Season of the Malignant (Season 1) For Diablo 4’s very first season‚ there wasn’t exactly anything too terrible with it. It was the first time Blizzard introduced us to Varshan‚ who now serves as a popular Uber boss. But we also got to collect Malignant Hearts and Caged Hearts‚ which we could slot into our Jewelry. I think Season 1 just wasn’t as great as the seasons we got after it. You’d explore Malignant Tunnels to get Caged Hearts and Invokers‚ just to fight Elite enemies and do it all over again. Also‚ since Ca...

It’s not uncommon for games such as Modern Warfare 3 to encounter some bugs from time to time. But‚ the latest error that players are running into is perhaps one of the worst I’ve seen in recent memory. Here’s what we know about your rank resetting in MW3. Modern Warfare 3: Why has my rank reset? The new bug surfaced Friday morning‚ as it appears the multiplayer and zombie servers have completely broken across the board for players worldwide. While this would normally be fine‚ as it would just take an hour or so before Sledgehammer resolved this issue‚ some players are noticing that their rank and class levels have been reset to one. The bug itself doesn’t affect any of the weapons and attachments that you’ve already unlocked‚ so you aren’t restricted to using the basic bare-bones classes. However‚ many players are reporting that they’ve logged in to see their class level reverted to Level 1‚ and they‚ therefore‚ cannot unlock any o...

A new error has surprised Call of Duty players today‚ but it is far from new. Here is how to fix the “Failed to request daily login” Minot Hawthorne bug in Modern Warfare 3. What is the Minot Hawthorne bug in Modern Warfare 3? The Minot Hawthorne bug is back to terrorize Call of Duty players‚ but now that it has happened amid Season 2‚ many suffer the same as beta players did back in the day. This error reads “Failed to request daily login” and it affects quite a lot of things. Many players report that this error pops out whenever they attempt to matchmake in Multiplayer‚ access a Zombies run‚ or even try to play a round of Battle Royale. In my case‚ it appeared when I attempted to play Zombies mode. This suggests there is an issue with the servers‚ therefore affecting all types of online functionality. However‚ it is particularly worrisome that this also affects player ranks by completely resetting them back to level 1. As reported back in the day‚ this i...

Picture the colorfully costumed members of the Western quartet Riders in the Sky‚ and you may catch yourself humming the melody of “Woody’s Roundup‚” from the 1999 Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2. But there’s far more to the Grammy-winning band and its founder‚ Douglas “Ranger Doug” Green. The Chicago-born musician‚ arranger‚ songwriter‚ singer and yodeler holds a master’s degree in literature from Vanderbilt University and is the author of two music histories‚ Country Roots: The Origins of Country Music (1976) and Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy (2002). (His article “Sing‚ Cowboy‚ Sing!” a history of the singing cowboy‚ appeared in the October 2018 Wild West). The tireless 78-year-old performer is also the host of the Sirius XM radio program Ranger Doug’s Classic Cowboy Corral‚ centered on vintage cowboy music. Often compared to the Sons of the Pioneers‚ albeit with a whimsical twist‚ Riders in the Sky [ridersinthesky.com] has been touring for five decades‚ released more than 40 albums‚ performed for radio and film‚ and won two Grammy Awards. Green recently spoke with Wild West from his home in Brentwood‚ a suburb of Nashville‚ Tenn.       Was the singing cowboy of the Old West a real figure or a myth? Real in the sense that any time men are stranded in isolated situations they will sing and compose. There are lumberjack songs. There are sailor shanties. So‚ yes‚ some of the cowboys did sing at the time. Some of them played the fiddle. I don’t know if they played the guitar‚ but I imagine a few did. It existed. But‚ yeah‚ it wasn’t as romantic as played on-screen. What led you to write Singing in the Saddle? My interest in singing cowboys. Nobody had ever written a book on the phenomenon. There had been a couple of articles‚ but nobody had done a detailed study. Do you have a favorite singing cowboy from the golden era of Western film? As a kid I liked Tex Ritter‚ in that he seemed just a little bit more authentic. But‚ of course‚ Gene Autry and Roy Rogers have been huge inspirations to me. The Sons of the Pioneers more than anyone. That harmony just tore me up‚ and I still love it. Do you have a favorite Western song? If I had to pick one‚ I’d say “Woody’s Roundup‚” because it’s made me so much money [laughs]! Points for honesty! What about a classic like “Streets of Laredo”? That’s an old Irish tune‚ I understand‚ and an unforgettable melody. It’s long been one of my favorites to sing.       The song I like‚ “Green Grow the Lilacs” (Ritter made a hit record of it)‚ is also based on the Irish melody “Green Grows the Laurel.” It’s very sentimental to me because my mom used to sing it. All my kids and all my grandkids have grown up with it as their lullaby song. What spurred your interest in Western music? My mother’s family were Finnish immigrants‚ and their amusement was listening to the National Barn Dance [a precursor of the Grand Ole Opry]‚ out of Chicago. My mother played a little bit of piano‚ but she sang beautifully. Two of my uncles—Hank and Arvid—played guitar‚ and I still have Hank’s guitar. First guitar I ever played. I was hoping it would be a pearly Martin‚ but it turned out to be a ’37 Montgomery Ward. Whose idea was it to form Riders in the Sky? Mine. I tried a couple of times with a couple of guys‚ but they either didn’t have the passion for this kind of music or weren’t the finest singers. But “Too Slim” [Riders in the Sky bassist Fred LaBour] and I had been friends for years and played in folk and bluegrass and junk bands that put a few dollars in our pockets and had fun. He and I started the group on Nov. 11‚ 1977. You mix old songs with new ones. Why? We didn’t want to be a historical throwback. We wanted to add to this tradition. Most of our records have two‚ three or four original songs. What’s the future for Riders in the Sky? Well‚ obviously this career is going to come to an end sometime. As long as the four of us [Green‚ LaBour‚ fiddler “Woody Paul” Chrisman and accordionist Joey “Cow-Polka King” Miskulin] stay healthy—we’re all in our 70s—we just don’t see any reason to stop. Our voices aren’t like when we were young‚ but we’re coping with that. I’m one of the most blessed guys on earth.  GET HISTORY’S GREATEST TALES—RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX Subscribe to our HistoryNet Now! newsletter for the best of the past‚ delivered every Monday and Thursday. Close Thank you for subscribing! Email Submit

Specifications Height: 6 feet 11 inches Wingspan: 55 feet 2 inches Empty weight: 1‚130 pounds Maximum takeoff weight: 2‚250 pounds Power plant: Rotax 914F 115 hp four-cylinder turbocharged engine driving a twin-blade constant-speed pusher propeller Fuel capacity: 665 pounds Cruising speed: 80–100 mph Maximum speed: 135 mph Range: 770 miles Ceiling: 25‚000 feet Armament: Two AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles; or four AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles; or six AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles Military use of remotely piloted aircraft‚ or drones‚ dates to World War I experiments with practice targets‚ and guided aerial weapons were operational by World War II. But it took advances in electronics and satellite technology to realize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of being controlled from thousands of miles away. The first operational reconnaissance drone‚ the Predator‚ went on to assume a more aggressive role.   Its inventor‚ engineer Abraham Karem‚ is an Assyrian Jew born in Baghdad—ironic‚ considering how much his invention would serve in Iraq. Karem’s family moved to Israel in 1951‚ and he built his first UAV for the Israeli Air Force during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Immigrating to the United States‚ he soon drew the attention of the CIA. Karem developed a series of prototypes‚ the Amber and Gnat 750‚ for General Atomics before test flying his ultimate design on July 3‚ 1994. A year later it entered service with the CIA and the U.S. Air Force as the RQ-1 (recon drone) Predator.   Coinciding with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11‚ 2001‚ the U.S. Department of Defense was developing an operational drone capable of toting ordnance. The RQ-1 proved adaptable to carrying an AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface antitank missile under each wing. Accepted in 2002 and promptly deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq‚ the armed Predator was designated the MQ-1 (multirole drone). On Dec. 23‚ 2002‚ over the no-fly zone in Iraq‚ an Iraqi Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 engaged an MQ-1 armed with AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles and shot it down‚ winning the first encounter between a conventional warplane and a UAV.   In 2011 the 268th and last MQ-1 left the General Atomics plant. By then it had accumulated more than 1 million flight hours and truly earned its Predator moniker. On March 9‚ 2018‚ the Air Force retired the MQ-1‚ which had been supplanted by General Atomics’ improved MQ-9 Reaper. A U.S. Air Force crew chief prepares his assigned General Atomics MQ-1 Predator drone for a live-fire training exercise at Creech Air Force Base‚ Nev.‚ on May 13‚ 2013. This story appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Military History magazine.