It happened on Medium: October 2024 roundupMuch-highlighted insight, notable new publications, and evergreen listsPublished inThe Medium Blog4 min readJust now--Image: The Travelling Companions by Augustus Leopold Egg (from Birmingham Museums Trust)Ive been thinking a lot about just sitting with things. Not in an actual physical sense, but in the emotional / psychological / existential sense.Its really easy to want to flood your brain with more more more, as fast as possible. Over the last couple of months, Ive caught myself going back to the same bad social media habits I always regress into: only reading headlines on social media, barely skimming an article before deciding I get the full gist of it, replacing deep thinking with dopamine-saturated quick content.And look, sometimes we all need a lil bit of those empty brain calories. But then I come back to Medium and get lost in a lovingly-crafted deep dive that makes me sit in whatever emotion I am feeling that day and I walk away feeling better? I read a piece that makes me sit up, read closer, go deeper than I normally would with something I encounter on the internet, and I feel more grounded once I do.Last month, nearly our entire Medium team met in North Berwick, Scotland, for one of our twice-yearly in-person off-sites (we all typically work from home), and one thing that I most appreciated about that time was the ability to sit with colleagues and actually think about what we do every day, and what we want this magical place to be.Now, does this mean Ive completely cut myself off from my other platforms? No, of course not, we all contain multitudes. But am I more likely to turn to the voices on Medium to help me sit with difficult things or emotions? Youd better believe I am.And thats because of what all of you, fair readers and writers, bring to it every day.So lets check out what we all read and wrote in October, shall we? Amy Widdowson, VP Communications5 of Octobers most-read storiesHow Old Is Your Body? Stand On One Leg and Find Out by Yale associate professor of medicine F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCEUnderstanding LLMs from Scratch Using Middle School Math by Meta GenAI data director Rohit Patel in Towards Data ScienceA day at Secret Starbucks by Jill BennettMost commented-on and opened Medium Newsletter issuesLately Ive found that the Medium Newsletter + a strong cup of coffee = the best way to start a morning off right. When I checked in with our content lead Harris Sockel on what drove the most buzz this month, he pointed me to How to make your weekends feel twice as long, which caused me to take a long, hard look at how I spend my time from Friday-Sunday. Our most-opened newsletter in October was Pursuing your passion feels like cheating, which included the straight-to-the-heart line: So, what is happiness? Its not just passion. Its purpose. Something you love that people around you actually need.We love that yall keep reading these evergreen lists from Medium staffSelf-Improvement 101: Learn how to beat insomnia, cultivate emotional intelligence, create a realistic budget, and more.General Coding Knowledge by Medium backend engineer EduardoAnd the list I personally found most helpful as well, Living Well as a Neurodivergent Person by our director of content curation Terrie SchweitzerMost-highlighted passages in OctoberI shall not quit something with great long-term potential just because I cant deal with the stress of the moment. Diana C., Im Losing My Writing MojoAI wont take your job, a person using AI will; most likely you using AI will replace yourself not using it. Alberto Romero, in 30 Things Ive Learned About AIWhen you know you are taking the wrong train, make sure to get out at the next station because the longer you stay, the more expensive the return trip will be. Meena Rohith, Write Your First 100 Articles Then StopTheres the risk of true vulnerability: uncertainty. True vulnerability requires that you dont know. You dont know how your share will be received; you dont know how others will perceive you for sharing it; you dont know if theres a happy ending yet. Ally Sprague, Fake Vulnerability is Keeping You StuckTwo notable new publicationsHave a story youve written and you cant find a Medium publication to pitch to? Check out CarolFs Square Peg publication.Interested in evidence-based strategies for fostering curiosity? Check out STEM Parenting, edited by Silvia PM, PhDAnd finally, one story that made me grateful I keep an e-reader with me at all times5 Massive Books That Are Worth Your Time by Mark Manson. Look, between us friends, I must admit that Ive started Infinite Jest more than once but stopped because the book was too heavy to carry. Mark reminded me that, since I can fit an entire library in my purse, I no longer have an excuse anymore.

The changing keys to the White HousePublished inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min read5 hours ago-- Welcome back to the Medium NewsletterIssue #207: the women who created werewolf stories and the four doors we use to determine right vs. wrongA big story last week was how historian Allan Lichtmans 13 keys to the White House a prediction model that has accurately called 90% of the past 40 years of presidential races failed. (He predicted Kamala Harris to be the winner.)Admittedly, these keys were new to me, so heres what I learned: Lichtmans whole deal is that there are 13 boolean statements (keys) that can predict whether an incumbent party will win or lose an election. I recommend reading through them all, but they include things like The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal, or The economy is not in recession during the election campaign. Because there are 13 of them, at least 7 need to be turned (or determined to be true) to accurately predict the election one way or another.So, what did Lichtman get wrong? I dont think I called any (keys) wrong, he told USA Today, before claiming the contest key was rendered problematic by what went on by the Democratic Party. Here is that key: No primary contest: There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination. He determined that statement to be true. Would you?Critics claim that the 13 keys are pretty subjective. Nate Silver, known for his own thorny political prediction history, even tweeted at Lichtman saying, At least 7 of the keys, maybe 8, clearly favor Trump. Sorry brother, but thats what the keys say. Unless youre admitting theyre totally arbitrary?On Medium, foreign policy expert Cam Silver, Ph.D. recently published an examination of an unturned key from the 1992 presidential race. Prior to George H.W. Bushs defeat, Lichtman neglected to turn the key that states: There is no sustained social unrest during the term. But Silver believes the variety of organized and potent demonstrations that ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) organized (which were also universally covered by mainstream media outlets) could certainly be categorized as significant enough:This wasnt fringe. ACT UP was a vocal and persistent part of the American political landscape, demanding accountability from those in power. By all standards of social movement theory, this kind of sustained, relentless protest more than qualifies as social unrest.Whats the future of Lichtmans keys? He elaborated in an interview this week that the unprecedented amount of disinformation that plagued this election season (and the rocket fuel of funding by the billionaire class that accelerated it) is making him consider a reevaluation of his model:The premise of the keys is that a rational and pragmatic electorate decides whether the White House party has governed well enough to get 4 more years. If the views of the White House parties are driven by those who are so rich that they have extraordinary influence beyond anyone else, then maybe the premise of the keys needs to be changed.1 sentence = 1 awesome story:The earliest stories about werewolves are thought to be written by women and date back to the 12th century. (Daley W.)As podcasts continue to dominate our modern media landscape (see below), one writer leaned in by turning her novel into one and describes her hunt for the right soundtrack to accompany it. (Hilde Festerling)Four doors shape our interpretation of right and wrong: ethics, morality, law, and religion. (Law and Ordnung)An eyebrow-raising graph:

The Garden of Death,Hugo Simberg, 1896 Jenni Nurminen / Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art MuseumIn the late 19th century, artists were going goth. Works like Vincent van Goghs Head of a Skeleton With a Burning Cigarette (1886), Edvard MunchsBy the Deathbed (1893) and Hugo SimbergsThe Garden of Death (1896) exemplified a preoccupation with mortality.However, while their works were informed by the eras troubles, these painters didnt create such motifs in a vacuum. Now, an exhibition in Helsinki, Finland, examines how they looked to medieval art for inspiration.Gothic Modern: From Darkness to Light at theAteneum Art Museum places medieval and Renaissance art beside the work of modern masters, highlighting the Gothic themes that connect them. Per astatement from the museum, all the artworks on display deal with the big questions of life in a brutal manner and with dark humor.Dance on the Quay, Hugo Simberg, 1899 Aleks Talve / Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art MuseumArt history focuses on the flourishing scene in Paris, where Impressionism became Post-Impressionism, which led to Cubism, and then the birth of abstraction, as the New York Times Nina Siegal writes. But for many Northern European artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the center of culture was Berlin, which attracted artists interested in a darker, more spiritual interpretation of lifeoften inspired by prevailing themes from the Middle Ages.What comes from a medieval Gothic worldview, as this exhibition illuminates, is the passion of pain, the passion of yearning for the spiritual, for a greater meaning of the mysteries of a world, as exhibition co-curatorAnna-Maria von Bonsdorff, Ateneums director, tells theArt Newspapers Stephen Smith.Many renowned artists took inspiration from such morbidity. For example, van Goghs Head of a Skeleton, which depicts a skeleton with a cigarette between its teeth, lends a casualness to death. The Dutch artist painted it as part of an anatomy exercise, and some experts think he was just having a laugh, per the Times.By the Deathbed,Edvard Munch, 1896 Aleks Talve / Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum, Sihtola collectionHowever, as von Bonsdorff tells the publication, the skull could also be a reference to the dance of death, the idea of deaths inevitability that was a frequent subject of European art during the late Middle Ages. Because it has a cigarette, and its grinning, it has this very modern attitude, von Bonsdorff tells the Times. Its death in a modern setting, death as the dandy.Munch, the Norwegian painter ofThe Scream, was influenced by German medieval art, while Austrian artistMarianne Stokes drew on medieval Gothic themes. These artists may have been responding to their periods industrialization, social turbulence and international tensions, with Europe inching toward World War I, as exhibition co-curatorJuliet Simpson tells the Times. According to the statement, the exhibition is unexpectedly relevant to modern crises: Curators began preparing it before the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. An installation view of Gothic Modern: From Darkness to Light," which is on display at the Ateneum Art Museum Hannu Pakarinen / Finnish National GalleryAs von Bonsdorff tells the Art Newspaper, young people today dont share the ideas of older generations of a fixed identity, belief in utopias, that the world is going to get better, or theres such a thing as heaven on earth. The modern artists featured in the exhibition were plagued with similar beliefsand they found meaning in past eras clearheaded focus on mortality.These types of images in Western art since the medieval period have served to remind the viewer of lifes brevity and of a painters skill in rendering that mournful dilemma, von Bonsdorff adds. We need rituals to guide us, to navigate the dark times, to make sense of livingnot with a view that tomorrow will always come, but in the power of the present.Gothic Modern: From Darkness to Light is on view at the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki through January 26, 2025.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Art, Art History, Artists, Arts, Death, Exhibitions, Exhibits, Finland, Gothic, Medieval Ages, Modern Art, Painters, Painting, Sculpture, Vincent Van Gogh, Visual Arts

A diver swims alongside the worlds largest coral colony, located in the Solomon Islands. Manu San Flix / National Geographic Pristine SeasResearchers have made a gargantuan discovery thats as large as two basketball courts, visible from space, at least 300 years old and brimming with marine life: Its the worlds largest coral, found in the southwest Pacific Ocean.Scientists and filmmakers spotted the massive coral in the Solomon Islands in October and announced the news this week. They had been filming near the island of Malaulalo for National Geographics Pristine Seas project, which aims to promote the creation of new marine protected areas. The team was working in partnership with the government of the Solomon Islands.Coral reefs are made up of many different, genetically distinct coral colonies. But the recently discovered organism is its own unique colony, consisting of millions of individual animals, called polyps, that are genetically identical. The polyps belong to a species called Pavona clavus.The newly identified coral is mostly made up of knobby protrusions in a drab brown colorbut it also has more vibrant areas of blues, reds and yellows. Scientists spotted fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine creatures using the coral for shelter and breeding.At about 112 feet wide, 105 feet long and 18 feet tall, the coral is enormous. Its so big that scientists initially thought it was a shipwreck. They also had to measure the organism in stages, because their underwater measuring tapes were not long enough to capture its colossal size in one go.The coral is longer than a blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. Its close to the size of a cathedral, says Manu San Flix, an underwater cinematographer and marine biologist who first spotted the coral, to CNNs Laura Paddison. Measuring the sprawling coral proved tricky. Manu San Flix / National Geographic Pristine SeasThe as-yet-unnamed coral takes the crown from the previous record-holder, an organism in American Samoa affectionately known as Big Momma thats around 21 feet tall.Based on its gargantuan size, researchers say the newly discovered coral is likely between 300 and 500 years old.When Napoleon was alive, this thing was here, San Flix tells Voxs Benji Jones. At first, the team thought the brown blob they spotted underwater might be a shipwreck. Manu San Flix / National Geographic Pristine SeasThe corals discovery was welcome news to the leaders of the Solomon Islands, who say this new claim to fame could help boost conservation efforts and funding, as well as attract the attention of tourists and scientists.We want the world to know that this is a special place and it needs to be protected, says Trevor Manemahaga, the Solomon Islands minister of environment, to BBC News Georgina Rannard.But, although it may be located in a remote, hard-to-reach part of the world, the coral is not safe from global warming and other human threats, says Enric Sala, a National Geographic explorer in residence and founder of the Pristine Seas initiative, in a statement. The coral is so big it can be seen from space. Steve Spence / National Geographic Pristine SeasThe sprawling corals discovery was officially announced one day after the International Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that 44 percent of the 892 known species of warm-water, reef-building coral are at risk of extinction. Coral face myriad threats, including rising ocean temperatures caused by climate change, overfishing, pollution and diseases.Weve known for decades that coral reefs are on the frontline of the global climate and biodiversity crises, and this new result only reconfirms this, says David Obura, a marine ecologist who co-chairs the IUCNs coral specialist group, in a statement. Without relevant decisions from those with the power to change this trajectory, we will see the further loss of reefs, and progressive disappearance of coral species at larger and larger scales.Still, the finding of this huge coral in the so-called Coral Triangle is reason for optimism. Its size and longevity suggest that some corals may be resilient to threats and adaptable to changes in their environment.The existence of large and old corals is a sign of hopethat its not too late to protect, conserve and restore the oceans while fighting against climate change, says David M. Baker, a marine scientist at the University of Hong Kong, to NBC News Peter Guo.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Endangered Species, New Research, Oceans, Pacific Ocean, Water, wildlife, World Records

Viz Pro of the Week Congratulations to Wellington Franzo (@franzao.f) for winning this week's "Viz Pro of the Week" on CGarchitect.com!His interpretation of the Beijing Daxing International Airport beautifully brings Zaha Hadid Architects design to life.https://tinyurl.com/vizpro03november2024Don't forget to check out their profile on CGarchitect.com to explore their full portfolio.#VizProOfTheWeek #CGarchitect #ArchViz #Inspiration #DesignInspiration #ArchitecturalVisualization #3Drendering #3D #Architecture #3dvisualization #render #3drender #3dmodeling #vray #coronarender #unreal #sketchup #3dsmax

FBI makes daring raid of Polymarket CEO's home...

CONTRIBUTOR CONTENT: Live commerce and the sports collectibles industries are both booming. Theres one place that sports fans are all going after work and no, its not the nearest sports bar. At night, fans are flocking to Loupe, where they can extend the game day excitement and connect with fellow sports fans for another live experience, but oneRead More

Distill Web gives users the ability to look up of 300,000-and-counting public companies and generate polished financial reports.Read More

Valve accused of "allowing the proliferation of hate" on SteamADL's Center on Extremism says it has discovered "millions of examples of extremist and hateful content"Image credit: Valve / Steam News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Nov. 14, 2024 The Anti-Defamation League has accused Valve of "allowing the proliferation of hate" on its digital platform and storefront, Steam.Analysing data on an "unprecedented, platform-wide scale", the ADL's Center on Extremism said that of the 458+ million profiles, 152+ million profile and group avatar images, and 610+ million comments on user profiles and groups, it found "millions of examples of extremist and hateful content, including explicit hate symbols."As reported by Eurogamer, in all, the analysis located 1.8m "unique pieces" of extremist or hateful content, with 1.5m million unique users - and over 70,000 groups - that used "at least one potentially extremist or hateful symbol, copypasta or keyword on the platform."Furthermore, 820,000+ avatars were identified as having extremist or hateful symbols, including swastikas and hateful reimaginings of the "Pepe" meme. The report suggests that "these numbers are likely to be conservative.""While Steam appears to be technically capable of moderating extremist and hateful content on its platform, the spread of extremist content on the platform is due in part to Valve's highly permissive approach to content policy," the organisation said."In rare notable cases, Steam has selectively removed extremist content, largely based around extremist groups publicised in reporting or in response to governmental pressure. However, this has been largely ad hoc, with Valve failing to systematically address the issue of extremism and hate on the platform."The ADL is now urging Valve to adopt policies prohibiting extremism and hate, and enforce the policies "accurately at scale."

Many Cats Studios appoints second Impact cohort to champion disabled gaming professionalsAfter a successful inaugural year, Many Cats wants to "continue this important work"Image credit: Impact / Many Cats News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Nov. 14, 2024 Many Cats Studios has announced the cohort for its second Impact campaign, an initiative dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the talents of disabled and neurodivergent UK-based games industry professionals."Bringing representation across disability and neurodiversity conditions," this year's cohort includes industry professionals bringing representation of visual impairment, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), audio processing issues, autism and ADHD, and Type 1 diabetes.The cohort - detailed below - will have access to peer support and join a network of disabled and neurodivergent individuals as "part of a supportive community."Olivia Arnell, Art Producer, Sponge HammerLauranora Swain, Junior Tools UX Developer, Frontier DevelopmentsJonas Gawe, Community & Events Lead, Into GamesBen Sightless Kombat Breen, Accessible Gaming Officer, RNIBHollie Page, Associate Programmer, Electric Square / Lively StudioiPetrichora "Chora", Content Creator, Freelance"There has been a lot of success with Impact last year so we at Many Cats really wanted to continue the important work," said Harriet Frayling, project lead for Impact at Many Cats Studios."The first year cohort really found lifelong friends in each other and supported each other through the challenges and successes of being a disabled or neurodivergent person working in the UK games industry."Many Cats have lots of plans for community engagement with Impact, bringing more chances for the cohort to find opportunities and successes with their careers. We plan to build our Discord community so any disabled or neurodivergent individual can share their voice and experiences, this includes connections across the world, not just the UK!"