Category Archives: Transhuman News

Okay, that's pretty dark.Snow Worries

The slopes around northwest Beijing are too dry and warm to create any snow for the Winter Olympics, so its all human-made for the first time in the games history. In other words, according to CNN, climate change and variability mean that were watching the first Winter Olympics with 100 percent artificial snow.

Thats not an outlier. In fact, a study published late last year in the journal Current Issues in Tourismfound that just one of the 21 cities that hosted the Winter Olympics in the last half-century will have a climate suitable for winter sports by the end of this century if we dont get fossil fuels under control.

Italian based snow-creation startup TechnoAlpin says theyre providing the required 350 snow producers, seven machine rooms, and pump stations housing 51 high-pressure pumps and nine cooling towers for the games. Theyve been working on the set up for nearly three years.

We are very proud to say that we are the only company providing the snow-making systems for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, TechnoAlpin Asia area manager Michael Mayr told CNN in an interview this week.

There are multiple problems with artificial snow, including the fact that its staggeringly energy-intensive to create. The International Olympic Committee estimated that 49 million gallons of water will be used to create all the snow, which according to CNN is a days worth of drinking water for nearly 100 million people. Thats a lot of water in world where so many are forced to go without.

Fake snow is also not as safe, according to leading athletes and a new report titled Slippery Slopes: How Climate Change is threatening the 2022 Winter Olympics, published by the Sport Ecology Group, Loughborough University London, and Protect Our Winters earlier in January.

[If] freestyle super pipes are formed from snowmaking machines in a poor season, the walls of the pipe are solid, vertical ice and the pipe floor is solid ice, Scottish freestyle skier Laura Donaldson warned in the report. This is dangerous for athletes. Some have died.

If the snow is expensive, uses valuable drinking water and isnt as safe as natural snow for the athletes its been created for, is it really worth it? Why arent we just hosting the games in places with lots of snow, or switching up which events are held at the games?

Holding private corporations accountable for climate change will be much more effective than asking individuals to make small, personal contributions like recycling. Shouldnt we hold the International Olympic Committee to the same standard?

More on manmade solutions to manmade problems: Scientists Propose Creating Mechanical Trees to Suck Up Evil Carbon Dioxide

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All the Snow at the Beijing Winter Olympics Is Artificially Made - Futurism

Image by Limor Zellermeyer / Futurism

The next time your gym bro asks you about your sick gains, you can tell em that youre only pumping iron for three seconds per day.

If it sounds too good to be true, just wait your new muscular mentorship comes courtesy of scientists who released a study last week in the Scandanavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sportsdemonstrating that even just three seconds of lifting every day is enough toincrease muscle strength and thickness.

The researchers, who come from Niigata University of Health and Welfare in Japan and Edith Cowan University in Australia, asked college students who dont normally exercise to perform one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds per day, for five days a week over four weeks, according to an Edith Cowan writeup about the study.

The study results suggest that a very small amount of exercise stimulus even 60 seconds in four weeks can increase muscle strength, lead researcher Professor Ken Nosaka said in the writeup. Many people think you have to spend a lot of time exercising, but its not the case. Short, good quality exercise can still be good for your body and every muscle contraction counts.

Of the three weight lifting techniques the researchers tried, ECU reports that lowering a weight creates an eccentric contraction and was the most effective. The group using only eccentric contractions saw overall muscle strength improved by almost 12 percent.Which is pretty good for a fraction of a minute of effort!

Although the mechanisms underpinning eccentric contractions potent effects are not clear yet, the fact only a three-second maximal eccentric contraction a day improves muscle strength in a relatively short period is important for health and fitness, Professor Nosaka said.

You can do anything for three seconds, so Nosakas right. Its a good reminder that our mental health and bodies are worth investing in, and any good gym bro will tell you its better to show up and do a short workout than never lift at home at all.

Will this study change the problematic, diet-culture loving fitness industry? Probably not, but with knowledge comes power, and you have the power to positively impact your body every day.

More on getting healthy: Experts Propose Slapping Photos of Diseased Organs On Sugary Drinks

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Scientists Find That Lifting Weights for Just Three Seconds Is Quite Good for You - Futurism

"It didnt have to be like this!"The Tea

A 24-year-old man from Bethesda, Maryland took extreme measures to get his hands on his fathers cryptocurrency holdings,which were worth $400,000 at the time.

In a shocking fit of desperation, Liam Ghershony, who was struggling with drug abuse at the time, decided to poison his father with depressants so he could gain access to daddys funds via his cellphone, The Washington Post reports.

Its a grim story that shows drug abuse and obsessing over cryptocurrencies can create a lethal mix. In fact, a number of rehab clinics are starting to offer addicts a way to control their obsession with cryptocurrencies specifically.

It didnt have to be like this! Ghershony wrote in a note he left behind, according to WaPo, after dosing his fathers tea with a benzodiazepine, a class of drugs related to tranquilizers and Xanax. Im gonna give you the best retirement.

Fortunately, first responders found his father collapsed on the floor two days later. He later recovered after a four-day stint in the hospital.

The junior Ghershony and his father were able to cash in $350,000 after tax through a crypto investment account back in 2018. But his problematic use of drugs started to take off afterward.

While ingesting copious amounts of benzodiazepines, Adderrall, and cocaine, Ghershony started to become increasingly paranoid about the joint crypto holdings. His father recalled to WaPothat Ghershony used to tell him that he needed to sell.

The 24-year-old realized far too late that his own tolerance to benzos was a whole lot higher than his fathers. He was only aiming to knock his father out to sleep not to hospitalize him, he later told the Post.

Ghershony, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault charge after reaching an agreement. He spent 125 days in jail, according to the newspaper, and two subsequent months in drug and mental health rehab.

READ MORE: He spiked his fathers tea to access $400,000 in cryptocurrency. His dad awoke two days later. [The Washington Post]

More on cryptocurrencies: Facebook Is Reportedly Trying to Sell Off Its Botched Cryptocurrency

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Man Drugs His Father's Tea to Steal $400,000 in Crypto - Futurism

Uh, what's going on, Mark?Meta-Terse

During a pivotal post-stock selloff meeting, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a very bizarre reason for looking like he was,well, about to cry on camera.

AsBloombergreports, a red-eyed Zuckerberg told employees on a company-wide video meeting responding to the companys huge stock drop that if he began crying, it was because hed scratched his cornea.

The strange claim, which may or may not have been an attempt at humor, came amid a historic drop in the companys stock value, which lost a quarter of its value this week due to both a shrinking userbase and a giant projected loss of revenue, prompting investors to sell off their holdings en mass.

Indeed, the current situation at the company formerly known as Facebook seems quite grim with the Meta stock dropping more than $250 billion or 26.4 percent in market value, which is the greatest loss the company has ever seen and the greatest single-day dive in the history of the stock market to boot.

In the face of it all, Zuckerberg implored his employees during the meeting to focus more energy on Instagram Reels to try to respond to the unprecedented level of competition posed by TikTok,Bloomberg reports per an anonymous source.

Facebook has, of course, tried and spectacularly failed to pivot to video before, and its tempting to analyze this advice from Zuckerberg as an attempt to lay blame not on the CEOs poor business decisions but instead on the people who work for him.

Those same employees are often compensated with stock options, so the quarter drop in Metas stock and the massive sell-off could lead to valuable employees leaving the company, another anonymous source toldBloomberg.

Zuckerberg himself also experienced a net worth loss of an eye-reddening $31 billion, theBBC reports though given that hes still one of the worlds richest men and worth a cool $90 billion after the drop, the situation is a lot more dire for his employees than for him personally.

We wont know exactly how bad this is for Facebook or its nascent Metaverse is until the dust settles, but given how much energy and money Zuckerbergs put into this moonshot, lets just say the optics arent great.

READ MORE: Zuckerberg Tells Staff to Focus on Video Products as Metas Stock Plunges [Bloomberg]

More on Meta:Facebooks Top VR Expert Seems Pretty Annoyed by Metaverse Push

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Mark Zuckerberg Reportedly Had Red Eyes and a Weird Excuse at Company-Wide Meeting - Futurism

No matter how great a new Nintendo console is, the first iteration can almost always be considered a beta. Upon its first release, the Game Boy Advance still ran on batteries and didnt even have a backlight. The bulky original Nintendo DS looks practically primitive when compared to the far sleeker Nintendo DS Lite. Early adopters help Nintendo in working out the kinks before a shinier option makes this years model obsolete. This brings us to the Nintendo Switch OLED model.

The third iteration of Nintendos immensely popular home console is the latest upgrade offered after the basic models release in 2017, followed by the Nintendo Switch Mini in 2019. There are a few technical enhancements but the obvious one is its big, bright OLED screen. Is this new display worth shelling out the extra gold coins for, or should gamers hold out until the next revamp? It depends on how you get your game on, of course.

Specifications: Released: October 8, 2021 Dimensions: 4 inches H x 9.5 inches L x 0.55 inches D, with Joy-Cons attached Weight: 14.88 ounces, with Joy-Cons attached Screen: 7-inch Multi-touch capacitive OLED GPU: Nvidia Custom Tegra processor Storage: 6GB, upgradeable up to 2TB with microSD cards, sold separately Wireless: WiFi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compliant)/Bluetooth 4.1 Video Output: Up to 1080p via HDMI in TV mode, Up to 720p via the built-in screen in tabletop and handheld modes Audio Output: Compatible with 5.1ch Linear PCM output, Output via HDMI connector in TV mode. Stereo speakers, 3.5mm 4-pole stereo headphone jack Sensor: Accelerometer, gyroscope, and brightness sensors Battery: Lithium-ion battery / 4310mAh Inputs: 2 USB 2.0, Wired LAN Battery Life: Runs from 4.5-9 hours, depending on settings and game Charging Time: 3 hours

The original Nintendo Switch was released in March of 2017, and since then, rumors swirled of a Nintendo Switch Pro. In July of 2021, Nintendo unveiled the third version of its hybrid portable/home console with Nintendo Switch OLED. It wasnt the technical powerhouse fans expected, but it did sport a handful of upgrades. The obvious one is the big and very bright 7-inch OLED screen. Comparably, the original Nintendo Switch screen is a simpler 6.2-inch IPS (a simpler, less-bright LED style) display.

Nintendo Switch OLEDs new stand spans the length of the back of the console and is a little sturdier when playing in tabletop mode. Its also adjustable, so you can view the console from a handful of different angles. Nintendo Switch OLEDs dock comes with a built-in Ethernet port for more secure wired connections, but it did so at the cost of one of the USB 2.0 ports. Strangely enough, both the original Nintendo Switch and the OLED upgrade work with this new dock.

Aside from the obvious screen which gives this new model its name, there are a few new changes to the console. For one, Nintendo Switch OLED comes with a whopping 64 GB of memory, which doubles the space available on the original Nintendo Switch. Its a welcome addition to anyone whos determined to go digital this generation. The consoles memory is upgradable up to 2TB via a microSD card, which slides into the console just under its stand.

Related: Best Nintendo Switch Controllers

Anytime a new version of a console is released, a dedicated user must ask themselves a question: Do I need to drop the cash on this new version? After all, the previous new Nintendo Switch offering was rather easy to pass on. Nintendo Switch Lite is built strictly for portability, is a good bit smaller, and doesnt even come with a dock to connect it to a television. But is it worth upgrading to the OLED model? Heres a peek at my first four months with the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Nintendo Switch OLED was released on October 8, 2021, alongside the celebrated and long-awaited Metroid: Dread. Samus latest romp was a perfect pairing with this new console. The game includes some spooky stealth areas where blood-thirsty AI robots chase you down narrow passages. If they get their metal mitts on you, they run a spike through your neck causing an instant Game Over that fills the player with visceral dread, hence the name. To amplify this heart-pumping action, I played Dread with all the lights off in the house, save for the light coming from the screen, which admittedly was abundant. After about an hour of play, it was clear that there was no going back to playing in handheld mode on a lesser Switch console.

For a console that doubles as a portable, giving the device an OLED screen was an easy way to bolster the visual output of the Switch OLED, which lags behind the Xbox Series X and the PS5. Both the Microsoft and Sony consoles output in 4-8K, and even have processing powers that can go toe to toe with modern gaming PCs. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, and these screens are put in everything from smartphones to cameras. The technology provides brighter screens, better contrast, wider color ranges, and even faster refresh rates, which makes them perfect for gaming applications. Its no surprise that my experience with Metroid: Dread felt all the more terrifying considering that everything including the wall-crawling death robots looked crisper than ever before. Releasing Metroid: Dread along with the new console was a seriously smart way to show off the Nintendo Switch OLEDs capabilities.

A new screen gives gamers a good excuse to dip back into games that were released ages ago, including visual masterpieces like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. While big-screen experiences are engrossing, unless your television is also an OLED TV, playing in handheld mode is almost always preferable. Light is such a game-changer when it comes to portable gaming. Even playing legacy titles via Nintendo Switch Online feels new and more immersive than before. Even in 16-bit titles, colors come in more vibrant than before. Kirby pinks, Pikachu yellows, and of course, Mario reds practically pop off the screen.

While the screen is the Nintendo Switch OLEDs main improvement, there are a few more QoL upgrades. The new Nintendo Switch OLED stand spans the length of the back of the screen and offers far more angles than the original ever did. I can say with confidence that Ive never played in tabletop mode. However, a handful of multiplayer titles could take advantage of this, including Nintendo Switch versions of popular board games like Monopoly Madness and Catan.

The Nintendo Switch OLED dock also comes with a wired LAN port. I wish I could report that this vastly improves the lackluster Nintendo Switch Online multiplayer experience. Sadly, it does not. While the dock traded one of its USB 2.0 ports for it, this sacrifice isnt one that stung too much. The inside of the dock is a little crowded, so most USB accessories had a hard time maneuvering back there anyway. And thats all she wrote, upgrades-wise. Nintendo touts better speakers in tabletop and handheld modes, but the difference between the Nintendo Switch OLED and the original model is negligible. The battery life, video output, and GPU remain unchanged. That fabled Nintendo Switch Pro with all the technical upgrades is nothing but a dreamfor now.

Q: Where can I buy Nintendo Switch OLED?You can buy the Nintendo Switch OLED in most stores where video games are sold.

Q: When will Nintendo Switch OLED be back in stock?When will the Nintendo Switch OLED be back in stock? Nintendo Switch OLED stock always moves fast, but its available on Walmart.com.

Q: Does the Nintendo Switch have an OLED screen?The newest Nintendo Switch OLED contains an OLED screen. The original Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite contain LCD screens.

For gamers looking for a console powerhouse with 4K output and faster processing speeds, the Nintendo Switch OLED feels like a smack in the face. Granted, lagging behind the competition is what Nintendo does best, and its a gamble that often pays off, especially in the current console generation. The Switch OLED packs a beautiful screen that makes experiences in new games more memorable and immersive than ever before when playing in handheld and tabletop mode. If your Switch never hardly ever leaves your dock, theres no sense in upgrading just yet. However, if youre the kind who games on the couch, in bed, in the car, and yes, even in the bathroom, the Nintendo Switch OLED may be a worthy investment for your gaming habit. This goes double for the few who have yet to dive into the Nintendo Switch craze. Theres no better place to start than with the Nintendo Switch OLED.

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurisms owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Nintendo Switch OLED Review: A Must-Have for Gamers on the Go - Futurism

"We were frankly surprised and disappointed at the overall integrity of the companies claims."Damning Report

In an incredibly predictable turn of events, a new study found that large corporations that promised to fight climate change are doing a laughably bad job at it.

The NewClimate Institute, an environmental advocacy group, released a report that looked at the climate plans of 25 corporations that promised to cut their emissions down to net zero. It found that the companies plans to reach that target would reduce emissions by roughly 40 percent on average by 2030 falling far short of net zero.

We set out to uncover as many replicable good practices as possible, but we were frankly surprised and disappointed at the overall integrity of the companies claims, Thomas Day, climate policy analyst at NewClimate Institute lead author of the study, said in a press release.

The report also analyzed each company by integrity, comparing what each said it would do and what its actually doing in terms of fighting climate change.

None of the companies with net zero pledges scored the top high integrity ranking. Just one company shipping company Maersk had its second-tier reasonable integrity ranking. Many other large corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Walmart had low integrity.

As pressure on companies to act on climate change rises, their ambitious-sounding headline claims all too often lack real substance, which can mislead both consumers and the regulators that are core to guiding their strategic direction, Day said. Even companies that are doing relatively well exaggerate their actions.

The report just underscores the need for the worlds largest corporations and the biggest contributors to anthropogenic climate change to do more to reduce carbon emissions. Virtue signaling simply isnt enough. Real action needs to occur.

READ MORE: Major companies largely fail net zero climate pledge test [NewClimate Institute]

More on climate change: Climate Change Air Conditioning Spike Will Cause Widespread Blackouts, Scientists Warn

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Surprise! Companies That Promised to Hit Net-Zero Emissions Are Failing Miserably - Futurism