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How Apple Created a Custom iPhone Camera for ‘F1’
Mon, 16 Jun 2025 22:00:00 +0000
Mounted on Formula One cars and used at real events, the special module used an iPhone camera sensor and A-series chip to help capture the new movie's racing scenes.
Match ID: 0 Score: 50.00 source: www.wired.com age: 0 days
qualifiers: 30.00 new movie, 20.00 movie
Nintendo Switch 2: The Ars Technica review
Mon, 16 Jun 2025 10:30:35 +0000
Nintendo's overdue upgrade is a strong contender, even amid competition from handheld PCs.
Match ID: 1 Score: 35.00 source: arstechnica.com age: 1 day
qualifiers: 35.00 (best|good|great) (show|movie)
The 26 Best Shows on Amazon Prime Right Now (June 2025)
Sat, 14 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000
Overcompensating, Reacher, and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX are just a few of the shows you should be watching on Amazon Prime Video this week.
Match ID: 2 Score: 30.00 source: www.wired.com age: 3 days
qualifiers: 30.00 (best|good|great) (show|movie)
Witnesses describe ‘horror’ after Israeli forces fire at Palestinians waiting for aid trucks
Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:38:01 GMT
At least 51 people killed and hundreds wounded in Khan Younis as they sought food supplies, says Gaza health ministry
Witnesses have described scenes like “a horror movie” in Gaza after Israeli forces fired towards a crowd waiting for trucks loaded with flour near Khan Younis, on one of the bloodiest days for weeks in the devastated territory.
At least 51 Palestinians were reported to have been killed and many hundreds more wounded in the southern city. People at the scene and doctors described seeing injured and dead with wounds typical of those caused by artillery or tank fire. Unverified video shared on social media showed about a dozen mangled bodies lying in a street.
Continue reading...“Even if they rebuild all of Syria, Yarmouk will remain destroyed,” said one Palestinian refugee.
The post Palestinian Refugees in Syria See Little Hope — Even After Assad appeared first on The Intercept.
A buff, bloodthirsty mouse-man terrorises Mexican teens in the latest horror schlock made from newly expired copyright
It seems “public domain horror movies” are now a proper thing: a cinematic subgenre of gory, uber-schlocky fearmongering that revolves around a well-known intellectual property, usually from the realm of children’s entertainment, whose copyright has expired. That means the makers are free to turn a beloved character into a murderous man-beast psychopath, with the Winnie-the-Pooh derived Blood and Honey franchise a prime example.
Meanwhile, the moment black-and-white cartoon Steamboat Willie, the 1928 debut of Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain, almost half a dozen Mickey-themed slasher pics were born, like spores released from a fruiting body. In a very low-bar environment, I Heart Willie is perhaps a tick better than previous public domain horrors, or maybe we have reached the film critic’s equivalent of Stockholm syndrome, with our defences worn down by shoddy production values, originality deficits and lame performances.
Continue reading...An ambitious meditation on the ability of narrative to shape our perceptions of one another and our experience of home
Marina Warner begins this dazzlingly protean book with a distinctly mundane memory. It is the 1950s, she is a young teen, and the highlight of her week is going to the Saturday morning “flicks” with a neighbour’s slightly older daughter. One particular movie scene has stayed with her: it involves a man dressed in a vaguely historical costume who is fleeing for his life. Face contorted with terror, he makes it as far as the door of a cathedral, whereupon he knocks loudly and cries “Sanctuary!” The door opens a crack, the man slides inside, and the Saturday morning audience breaths a collective sigh of relief. Even if the plot points remain hazy – is Robin Hood somehow involved? – the underlying principle needs no explaining. The fugitive has invoked the ancient right by gaining entrance to a designated sacred space. As long as he stays put his pursuers can’t touch him.
From these hyper-local beginnings, Warner sets out to explore and expand what “sanctuary” means in an age when millions are on the move around the world, chased out of their homes by environmental disaster, economic collapse, war and political oppression.
Continue reading...ICE agents are arresting day laborers and raiding businesses across the country. They didn’t expect community resistance.
The post Trump’s GI Joe-Cosplaying “Goon Squads” Sow Terror — and Solidarity appeared first on The Intercept.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the most popular digital assets today, capturing the attention of cryptocurrency investors, whales and people from around the world. People find it amazing that some users spend thousands or millions of dollars on a single NFT-based image of a monkey or other token, but you can simply take a screenshot for free. So here we share some freuently asked question about NFTs.
NFT stands for non-fungible token, which is a cryptographic token on a blockchain with unique identification codes that distinguish it from other tokens. NFTs are unique and not interchangeable, which means no two NFTs are the same. NFTs can be a unique artwork, GIF, Images, videos, Audio album. in-game items, collectibles etc.
A blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that allows for the secure storage of data. By recording any kind of information—such as bank account transactions, the ownership of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), or Decentralized Finance (DeFi) smart contracts—in one place, and distributing it to many different computers, blockchains ensure that data can’t be manipulated without everyone in the system being aware.
The value of an NFT comes from its ability to be traded freely and securely on the blockchain, which is not possible with other current digital ownership solutionsThe NFT points to its location on the blockchain, but doesn’t necessarily contain the digital property. For example, if you replace one bitcoin with another, you will still have the same thing. If you buy a non-fungible item, such as a movie ticket, it is impossible to replace it with any other movie ticket because each ticket is unique to a specific time and place.
One of the unique characteristics of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is that they can be tokenised to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought, sold and traded on the blockchain.
As with crypto-currency, records of who owns what are stored on a ledger that is maintained by thousands of computers around the world. These records can’t be forged because the whole system operates on an open-source network.
NFTs also contain smart contracts—small computer programs that run on the blockchain—that give the artist, for example, a cut of any future sale of the token.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) aren't cryptocurrencies, but they do use blockchain technology. Many NFTs are based on Ethereum, where the blockchain serves as a ledger for all the transactions related to said NFT and the properties it represents.5) How to make an NFT?
Anyone can create an NFT. All you need is a digital wallet, some ethereum tokens and a connection to an NFT marketplace where you’ll be able to upload and sell your creations
When you purchase a stock in NFT, that purchase is recorded on the blockchain—the bitcoin ledger of transactions—and that entry acts as your proof of ownership.
The value of an NFT varies a lot based on the digital asset up for grabs. People use NFTs to trade and sell digital art, so when creating an NFT, you should consider the popularity of your digital artwork along with historical statistics.
In the year 2021, a digital artist called Pak created an artwork called The Merge. It was sold on the Nifty Gateway NFT market for $91.8 million.
Non-fungible tokens can be used in investment opportunities. One can purchase an NFT and resell it at a profit. Certain NFT marketplaces let sellers of NFTs keep a percentage of the profits from sales of the assets they create.
Many people want to buy NFTs because it lets them support the arts and own something cool from their favorite musicians, brands, and celebrities. NFTs also give artists an opportunity to program in continual royalties if someone buys their work. Galleries see this as a way to reach new buyers interested in art.
There are many places to buy digital assets, like opensea and their policies vary. On top shot, for instance, you sign up for a waitlist that can be thousands of people long. When a digital asset goes on sale, you are occasionally chosen to purchase it.
To mint an NFT token, you must pay some amount of gas fee to process the transaction on the Etherum blockchain, but you can mint your NFT on a different blockchain called Polygon to avoid paying gas fees. This option is available on OpenSea and this simply denotes that your NFT will only be able to trade using Polygon's blockchain and not Etherum's blockchain. Mintable allows you to mint NFTs for free without paying any gas fees.
The answer is no. Non-Fungible Tokens are minted on the blockchain using cryptocurrencies such as Etherum, Solana, Polygon, and so on. Once a Non-Fungible Token is minted, the transaction is recorded on the blockchain and the contract or license is awarded to whoever has that Non-Fungible Token in their wallet.
You can sell your work and creations by attaching a license to it on the blockchain, where its ownership can be transferred. This lets you get exposure without losing full ownership of your work. Some of the most successful projects include Cryptopunks, Bored Ape Yatch Club NFTs, SandBox, World of Women and so on. These NFT projects have gained popularity globally and are owned by celebrities and other successful entrepreneurs. Owning one of these NFTs gives you an automatic ticket to exclusive business meetings and life-changing connections.
That’s a wrap. Hope you guys found this article enlightening. I just answer some question with my limited knowledge about NFTs. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment section below. Also I have a question for you, Is bitcoin an NFTs? let me know in The comment section below
Struggling to sleep and work in the balmy months? Chill your space – and avoid energy-guzzling air con – with our pick of the best fans, from tower to desk to bladeless
• Warm weather essentials: 42 ways to make the most of the sunshine
Our world is getting hotter. Summer heatwaves are so frequent, they’re stretching the bounds of what we think of as summer. Hot-and-bothered home working and sweaty, sleepless nights are now alarmingly common.
Fans sell out when the mercury rises, so get ahead of the pack by ordering one in anticipation: there will always be another heatwave. Get a good fan, and you can also dodge the temptation of air conditioning. Air con is incredibly effective, but it uses a lot of electricity … and burning fossil fuels is how we got into this mess in the first place. Save money and carbon by opting for a great fan instead.
Best fan overall:
AirCraft Lume
£129 at AirCraft
Best budget fan and best desk fan:
Devola desk fan
£49.99 at Devola
Best tower fan:
Dreo Cruiser TF518
£89.99 at Amazon
Best travel fan:
Morphy Richards Air Flex USB fan
£39.99 at Morphy Richards
Best evaporative cooler:
Swan 5-litre Nordic air cooler
£69.99 at Swan
Fariba Vancor, former boss of Think Pink waste management company, convicted of 19 serious environmental crimes
A Swedish entrepreneur who once called herself the “queen of trash” has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally dumping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of toxic waste in the country’s biggest environmental crime case.
Fariba Vancor, previously known as Bella Nilsson and the former chief executive of waste management company Think Pink, was convicted on Tuesday of 19 counts of serious environmental crimes. Her ex-husband Thomas Nilsson was found guilty of 12 counts of serious environmental crimes and sentences to three years and six months in prison.
Continue reading...If you’ve worried that AI might take your job, deprive you of your livelihood, or maybe even replace your role in society, it probably feels good to see the latest AI tools fail spectacularly. If AI recommends glue as a pizza topping, then you’re safe for another day.
But the fact remains that AI already has definite advantages over even the most skilled humans, and knowing where these advantages arise—and where they don’t—will be key to adapting to the AI-infused workforce.
AI will often not be as effective as a human doing the same job. It won’t always know more or be more accurate. And it definitely won’t always be fairer or more reliable. But it may still be used whenever it has an advantage over humans in one of four dimensions: speed, scale, scope and sophistication. Understanding these dimensions is the key to understanding AI-human replacement...
“Even if they rebuild all of Syria, Yarmouk will remain destroyed,” said one Palestinian refugee.
The post Palestinian Refugees in Syria See Little Hope — Even After Assad appeared first on The Intercept.
They’ve broken crowdsurfing records – 901 in a single gig – but their music confronts deep, difficult subjects from mental health to toxic discourse
Malevolence insist they aren’t psychic. In late February 2020, days before Covid-19 lockdowns started being implemented around the world, the Yorkshire metalcore band released their breakthrough single, Keep Your Distance. It was a melee of growls and beatdowns that propelled them to new heights – in part thanks to a title that foresaw the next year of government messaging.
“It was completely by coincidence,” guitarist and vocalist Konan Hall tells me on a video call from his home in Sheffield. “But everyone started tagging us in signs saying ‘Keep your distance because of Covid’.” Lead singer Alex Taylor can’t help but laugh, joining the call from his place just up the road. “It was free marketing!”
Continue reading...Exclusive: Wensum and Tone found to have high concentrations of chemicals that are toxic to aquatic life
Dangerous modern pesticides used in agriculture and pet flea treatment have been detected for the first time in English rivers, research has found.
Scientists have called for stricter regulation around high-risk farming pesticides and flea treatments for pets because of the deadly effects they have on fish and other aquatic life when they make their way into rivers.
Continue reading...How do the wildly variable supermarket sourdoughs stand up to the scrutiny of someone who’s been baking their own for years?
• Everything you need to make great sourdough – and the kit you can do without
I make sourdough every week at home, so I feel that I’m a good judge of the flavour and texture of this style of baking. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of a handful of these loaves, which had good texture, good flavour and a nice crumb. It was, however, interesting to discover that none had to declare the salt content in their loaves, because this has a surprisingly large impact on overall flavour.
None of the packaging for any of these breads, save for Wildfarmed, talked about pesticides and herbicide sprays, which is one of the things I ask about whenever I do buy bread these days – surely part of the point of spending more money is to know that the loaves are made from flour without that toxic load to it? It was great to see the supermarkets becoming more engaged in making better bread, too, and that Jason’s and Wildfarmed have made it on to so many high-street shelves.
Continue reading...How to streamline your retail experience and go home with something you’ll actually wear
We all make mistakes. Mistakes are fine. The trick when shopping for clothes is to avoid making the same ones over and over again, because that can get dispiriting, and when it comes to purchases, mistakes can be expensive. Awful to spend the money and not feel the benefit. Not to mention the state of the planet. So, in the interests of not feeling like a broke, evil carbon-guzzler with nothing to wear, here are my golden rules of changing-room decision-making.
1. Wear clothes without buttons – and slip on shoes
Buying the right clothes starts with wearing the right clothes when you go shopping. You need to streamline your changing room manoeuvres. Wear shoes that you can slip off and on. If you are only looking at dresses, then wear a dress for speed; otherwise wear loose separates. You will have a better sense of whether that boho blouse works if you are trying it on with your favourite jeans, than standing there in your knickers. Also, pack a tote bag so that you aren’t buying bags and can comfortably carry any purchases on your shoulder.
SEMrush and Ahrefs are among
the most popular tools in the SEO industry. Both companies have been in
business for years and have thousands of customers per month.
If you're a professional SEO or trying to do digital
marketing on your own, at some point you'll likely consider using a tool to
help with your efforts. Ahrefs and SEMrush are two names that will likely
appear on your shortlist.
In this guide, I'm going to help you learn more about these SEO tools and how to choose the one that's best for your purposes.
What is SEMrush?
SEMrush is a popular SEO tool with a wide range of
features—it's the leading competitor research service for online marketers.
SEMrush's SEO Keyword Magic tool offers over 20 billion Google-approved
keywords, which are constantly updated and it's the largest keyword database.
The program was developed in 2007 as SeoQuake is a
small Firefox extension
Features
Ahrefs is a leading SEO platform that offers a set of
tools to grow your search traffic, research your competitors, and monitor your
niche. The company was founded in 2010, and it has become a popular choice
among SEO tools. Ahrefs has a keyword index of over 10.3 billion keywords and
offers accurate and extensive backlink data updated every 15-30 minutes and it
is the world's most extensive backlink index database.
Features
Direct Comparisons: Ahrefs vs SEMrush
Now that you know a little more about each tool, let's
take a look at how they compare. I'll analyze each tool to see how they differ
in interfaces, keyword research resources, rank tracking, and competitor
analysis.
User Interface
Ahrefs and SEMrush both offer comprehensive information
and quick metrics regarding your website's SEO performance. However, Ahrefs
takes a bit more of a hands-on approach to getting your account fully set up,
whereas SEMrush's simpler dashboard can give you access to the data you need
quickly.
In this section, we provide a brief overview of the elements
found on each dashboard and highlight the ease with which you can complete
tasks.
AHREFS
The Ahrefs dashboard is less cluttered than that of
SEMrush, and its primary menu is at the very top of the page, with a search bar
designed only for entering URLs.
Additional features of the Ahrefs platform include:
SEMRUSH
When you log into the SEMrush Tool, you will find four
main modules. These include information about your domains, organic keyword
analysis, ad keyword, and site traffic.
You'll also find some other options like
Both Ahrefs and SEMrush have user-friendly dashboards,
but Ahrefs is less cluttered and easier to navigate. On the other hand, SEMrush
offers dozens of extra tools, including access to customer support resources.
When deciding on which dashboard to use, consider what
you value in the user interface, and test out both.
If you're looking to track your website's search engine
ranking, rank tracking features can help. You can also use them to monitor your
competitors.
Let's take a look at Ahrefs vs. SEMrush to see which
tool does a better job.
The Ahrefs Rank Tracker is simpler to use. Just type in
the domain name and keywords you want to analyze, and it spits out a report
showing you the search engine results page (SERP) ranking for each keyword you
enter.
Rank Tracker looks at the ranking performance of
keywords and compares them with the top rankings for those keywords. Ahrefs
also offers:
You'll see metrics that help you understand your
visibility, traffic, average position, and keyword difficulty.
It gives you an idea of whether a keyword would be
profitable to target or not.
SEMRush offers a tool called Position Tracking. This
tool is a project tool—you must set it up as a new project. Below are a few of
the most popular features of the SEMrush Position Tracking tool:
All subscribers are given regular data updates and
mobile search rankings upon subscribing
The platform provides opportunities to track several
SERP features, including Local tracking.
Intuitive reports allow you to track statistics for the
pages on your website, as well as the keywords used in those pages.
Identify pages that may be competing with each other
using the Cannibalization report.
Ahrefs is a more user-friendly option. It takes seconds
to enter a domain name and keywords. From there, you can quickly decide whether
to proceed with that keyword or figure out how to rank better for other
keywords.
SEMrush allows you to check your mobile rankings and
ranking updates daily, which is something Ahrefs does not offer. SEMrush also
offers social media rankings, a tool you won't find within the Ahrefs platform.
Both are good which one do you like let me know in the comment.
Keyword research is closely related to rank tracking,
but it's used for deciding which keywords you plan on using for future content
rather than those you use now.
When it comes to SEO, keyword research is the most
important thing to consider when comparing the two platforms.
The Ahrefs Keyword Explorer provides you with thousands
of keyword ideas and filters search results based on the chosen search engine.
Ahrefs supports several features, including:
SEMrush's Keyword Magic Tool has over 20 billion
keywords for Google. You can type in any keyword you want, and a list of
suggested keywords will appear.
The Keyword Magic Tool also lets you to:
Both of these tools offer keyword research features and
allow users to break down complicated tasks into something that can be
understood by beginners and advanced users alike.
If you're interested in keyword suggestions, SEMrush
appears to have more keyword suggestions than Ahrefs does. It also continues to
add new features, like the Keyword Gap tool and SERP Questions recommendations.
Both platforms offer competitor analysis tools,
eliminating the need to come up with keywords off the top of your head. Each
tool is useful for finding keywords that will be useful for your competition so
you know they will be valuable to you.
Ahrefs' domain comparison tool lets you compare up to five websites (your website and four competitors) side-by-side.it also shows you how your site is ranked against others with metrics such as backlinks, domain ratings, and more.
Use the Competing Domains section to see a list of your
most direct competitors, and explore how many keywords matches your competitors
have.
To find more information about your competitor, you can
look at the Site Explorer and Content Explorer tools and type in their URL
instead of yours.
SEMrush provides a variety of insights into your
competitors' marketing tactics. The platform enables you to research your
competitors effectively. It also offers several resources for competitor
analysis including:
Traffic Analytics helps you identify where your
audience comes from, how they engage with your site, what devices visitors use
to view your site, and how your audiences overlap with other websites.
SEMrush's Organic Research examines your website's
major competitors and shows their organic search rankings, keywords they are
ranking for, and even if they are ranking for any (SERP) features and more.
The Market Explorer search field allows you to type in
a domain and lists websites or articles similar to what you entered. Market
Explorer also allows users to perform in-depth data analytics on These
companies and markets.
SEMrush wins here because it has more tools dedicated to
competitor analysis than Ahrefs. However, Ahrefs offers a lot of functionality
in this area, too. It takes a combination of both tools to gain an advantage
over your competition.
When it comes to keyword data research, you will become
confused about which one to choose.
Consider choosing Ahrefs if you
Consider SEMrush if you:
Both tools are great. Choose the one which meets your
requirements and if you have any experience using either Ahrefs or SEMrush let
me know in the comment section which works well for you.
![[desperately] Maybe this is from some country where they use commas as decimal points, and also as digit separators after the decimal, and also use random other characters for decoration???](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/reading_a_big_number.png "[desperately] Maybe this is from some country where they use commas as decimal points, and also as digit separators after the decimal, and also use random other characters for decoration???")
At least 51 people killed and hundreds wounded in Khan Younis as they sought food supplies, says Gaza health ministry
Witnesses have described scenes like “a horror movie” in Gaza after Israeli forces fired towards a crowd waiting for trucks loaded with flour near Khan Younis, on one of the bloodiest days for weeks in the devastated territory.
At least 51 Palestinians were reported to have been killed and many hundreds more wounded in the southern city. People at the scene and doctors described seeing injured and dead with wounds typical of those caused by artillery or tank fire. Unverified video shared on social media showed about a dozen mangled bodies lying in a street.
Continue reading...Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!
“Real Gs move in silence like lasagne” – Lil Wayne, 2011.
Nice contrast regarding football management IQ in yesterday’s Football Daily. The Copa Gianni had PSG and Atlético kick off on Sunday at noon under the California sun. Meanwhile, six miles away, the Angel City (AKA Immigrant City) match on Saturday sensibly started at 7pm local time. Much better for the players, the supporters, and the game in general, no?” – Mike Wilner.
Just a thought about the ongoing debate around the Club World Cup and player welfare. How about – borrowing from the format of Ryder Cup Sunday – every player has to play a certain amount of time (updated for each round)? It would be fascinating to watch each manager use their entire squad rather than rely on their first team, and ensure some rest for all” – Nick Hewat.
I’m surprised that ‘Hugh Lloris’ is a goalkeeper for LAFC (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). I would think he’d be a coach, as he is a proven experienced manager. This means that when LAFC faces the Seattle Sounders in MLS, Lloris and the opposing goalkeeper combine to offer A Bit of Frei and Lloris” – Dan Davis.
Continue reading...Give it a squish to remove the moisture, then hard-fry in a robust coating – these are among the solutions our expert culinary panel suggests to achieving addictively crisp tofu
I want to like tofu, but I don’t because of its rubbery texture. How do I make it nice and crisp?
Anne, by email
“Moisture is the enemy of crisp tofu,” says Emma Chung, author of Easy Chinese Food Anyone Can Make, so the quest for cubes of bean curd that are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside starts by getting rid of as much excess water as possible (and choosing a tofu labelled “firm” or “extra-firm” in the first place). “I usually do this by wrapping the tofu in tea towels, placing it between two large plates and putting a heavy pot or pan on top,” Chung says. After 10 minutes, you “should have a nice and firm tofu that will have a lovely texture, and it will be a lot easier to crisp up”.
Guardian columnist Ravinder Bhogal, meanwhile, pops her tofu on a wire rack set over a tray and covers it with kitchen paper or a clean cloth: “Put a weight on top and leave it for a couple of hours, and ideally overnight – that will squeeze out the excess moisture.” She then pats the tofu dry and coats it in corn, rice or potato flour before frying (or putting in an air fryer) for an “off-the-Richter crunch”. Chung is simpatico, coating her tofu pieces in a thin layer of cornflour to create a crust that “turns extra crisp when fried or baked”. Simply put the cubed tofu in a bowl, cover “generously” with cornflour and give everything a good toss. “If you’re using slices of tofu, dip them in a shallow plate of cornflour to make sure they’re evenly coated.”
Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com
Continue reading...“Even if they rebuild all of Syria, Yarmouk will remain destroyed,” said one Palestinian refugee.
The post Palestinian Refugees in Syria See Little Hope — Even After Assad appeared first on The Intercept.
PM urged to ensure £1.6bn trade agreement does not undermine industry with influx of lower-welfare meat
A trade deal with Gulf states could severely undermine British farmers by allowing the importation of low-welfare meat, the National Farmers’ Union has said in a letter to the prime minister.
The UK is close to signing a £1.6bn trade agreement with Gulf states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – amid deep dissatisfaction from farming and animal welfare groups over an expected deal for food imports.
Continue reading...Producer-director Frank Mannion follows his cordial guide to champagne with a cheerful celebration of beloved tipples of Irish origin
The always likable figure of Irish producer and film-maker Frank Mannion has, in the past, given us a cordial guide to champagne, a slightly more chaotic essay on Britishness, and its counterpart on Irishness. Now, in his cheerfully celebratory and slightly corporate-promo way, he has made a film about Irish viticulture and drink in general, which means not simply wineries, breweries and distilleries actually in Ireland, but also abroad: this is about drinks producers with an Irish background, such as Hennessy brandy, which has an obvious Irish ancestry.
It’s what this film calls “an Irish drink in a French terroir” – or, in fact, a terroir anywhere in the world, meaning places in Europe, the US and occasionally Australia and New Zealand. The film even jauntily insists that Ireland invented whiskey before Scotland. Prince Albert II of Monaco is interviewed about his love of Irish viticulture and the importance of his mother, Grace Kelly, one of the Kellys of County Mayo. The chief interviewee, however, is the amiable Oz Clarke, himself of Irish heritage, who beamingly descants on how great Irish wine is.
Continue reading...From turning out the lights to letting leaves rot, these small steps can create big changes at home or in the wild
Insects are in trouble. Around the world, scientists are reporting catastrophic declines in their numbers, even in nature reserves that are largely protected from human touch. We are also beginning to see huge drops in the populations of other animals – such as birds – that depend on insects as food.
Many of the drivers of those declines are structural, and require strong action by governments to turn around. But there are clear, easy steps that anyone can take to support the insect world. For species under such pressure, any respite is important, and we can create refuges for insects in a world increasingly hostile to their survival. In creating better habitats for insects, you can also reap the benefits: thriving gardens, more songbirds, and a healthier web of life.
Continue reading...Easy come, easy go: make the most of broad bean season with this simple dish that’s full of flavour
In Spain we say, “Habas en abril empiezan y en abril se acaban” – that is, broad beans begin in April and end in April. In the UK, the season starts a bit later, around June, so we’ve got a bit more time yet to enjoy them. Still, the season is short, so I use these wonderful beans as much as I can, while I can. This is the kind of dish I’d make on a quiet afternoon: simple, full of flavour, nothing fancy. Just a nice way to enjoy what the season gives you, before it disappears again for another year.
Continue reading...Cherrypicking | Traybakes for all | Bigger cars | To gift
Re Adrian Chiles’ article (Who could deny a hot, tired delivery driver the fruit from their cherry tree?, 12 June), as a teacher in west London in the 90s and noughties, I taught numerous recently arrived refugee children. Among these were Kosovans and Albanians, many unaccompanied. Everything was strange for them. Outside our tech block stood three tall morello cherry trees whose fruit generally lay squashed, staining the concrete with their juice. That all changed with the Kosovans. As the fruit ripened, they climbed and harvested the treasure, later coming to lesson with stained shirts and faces. It was a delight to see them happily in their element.
Tatiana Sokoloff
London
• I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the idea that traybakes are “a ‘queering’ of the meat-and-two-veg sit-down dinners associated with the traditional heterosexual British family unit” (My unexpected Pride icon: The Green Roasting Tin, a cookbook no lesbian vegetarian can be without, 12 June). So many assumptions to unpack there, but every sentence including the word “lesbian” could be rewritten to refer to “women”, “men” or just “people who like food”.
Janet Fraser
Twickenham, London
Bigger, more consequential life decisions are made without a road test. Be brave. Take a risk. Live, laugh, lick
Read more petty gripes
The customer asks for a sample, the patient server hands over a dollop of frozen dairy on the end of a stick, and the customer smacks their lips once, twice, three times then emits a vague sound of approval from Bananarama-stained lips. The ice-cream server doesn’t know where to look, or what expression to wear, as the customer gums at the glob of gelato. The customer asks for a taste of the vanilla. Then the chocolate.
This excruciating exchange happens daily in ice-cream shops and gelaterias across the world. Why many ice-cream customers – or as I call them, ice-cream cowards – feel entitled to samples before committing to a flavour, I do not know.
Continue reading...This week: hay fever cures that actually work; festival essentials; and the best SPFs, tested
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The best things in life are a … a … wait, it’s coming … a … Achoo! Ew, sorry. Where was I? The best things in life are itchy and explosively sneezy. Picnics in freshly cut grass, walks in the woods, burying your face in the cat. Full of the joys of summer, and guaranteed to send your body’s allergy responses wild.
If you’re in the 49% of British folk who suffer from seasonal hay fever, you probably envy me for being asked to test hay fever remedies for the Filter. Here was my chance to have all my symptoms blitzed by the best cures medical science and TikTok had to offer. Sadly, it didn’t quite work like that.
Continue reading...Once you’ve left them to marinate, you could be enjoying these luscious, spicy chicken skewers in just 10 or so minutes
I’ve been on a quest for the perfect tandoori marinade (without the E numbers or red food colouring) for years, and tweak my recipe on every repeat. This one is easily my favourite so far: the cloves lend a wonderful smokiness, and if you can pop the chicken in the marinade in the morning, it will have taken on an amazing depth of flavour by the evening. This would work just as well on a barbecue – just scale up the amount of chicken and the marinade ingredients as needed.
Continue reading...UN rapporteur calls for move as food deliveries are attacked and starvation becomes a weapon of war in Gaza and Sudan
UN peacekeepers should be routinely deployed to protect aid convoys from attack in places such as Gaza and Sudan, a senior United Nations expert has proposed.
With starvation increasingly used as a weapon of war, Michael Fakhri said armed UN troops were now required to ensure that food reached vulnerable populations.
Continue reading...How do the wildly variable supermarket sourdoughs stand up to the scrutiny of someone who’s been baking their own for years?
• Everything you need to make great sourdough – and the kit you can do without
I make sourdough every week at home, so I feel that I’m a good judge of the flavour and texture of this style of baking. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of a handful of these loaves, which had good texture, good flavour and a nice crumb. It was, however, interesting to discover that none had to declare the salt content in their loaves, because this has a surprisingly large impact on overall flavour.
None of the packaging for any of these breads, save for Wildfarmed, talked about pesticides and herbicide sprays, which is one of the things I ask about whenever I do buy bread these days – surely part of the point of spending more money is to know that the loaves are made from flour without that toxic load to it? It was great to see the supermarkets becoming more engaged in making better bread, too, and that Jason’s and Wildfarmed have made it on to so many high-street shelves.
Continue reading...Matthew, 48, an international English teacher, meets Emma, 40, a lecturer
What were you hoping for?
A serious-minded woman with a great backstory and fine taste in food who could share thoughts and opinions. All of those things happened.
Trying to pass laws to defend protesters’ rights is a lonely battle on Capitol Hill.
The post As 75 Democrats Vote to Praise ICE, Ilhan Omar Wants to Hold Police Accountable for Protest Abuses appeared first on The Intercept.
A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas
Each week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.
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Continue reading...The best new music, film, TV, podcasts and more direct to your inbox, plus hidden gems and reader recommendations
From Billie Eilish to Billie Piper, Succession to Spiderman and everything in between, subscribe and get exclusive arts journalism direct to your inbox. Gwilym Mumford provides an irreverent look at the goings on in pop culture every Friday, pointing you in the direction of the hot new releases and the best journalism from around the world.
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Continue reading...Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean
Scroll less, understand more: sign up to receive our news email each weekday for clarity on the top stories in the UK and across the world.
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Imagine a world in which you can do transactions and many other things without having to give your personal information. A world in which you don’t need to rely on banks or governments anymore. Sounds amazing, right? That’s exactly what blockchain technology allows us to do.
It’s like your computer’s hard drive. blockchain is a technology that lets you store data in digital blocks, which are connected together like links in a chain.
Blockchain technology was originally invented in 1991 by two mathematicians, Stuart Haber and W. Scot Stornetta. They first proposed the system to ensure that timestamps could not be tampered with.
A few years later, in 1998, software developer Nick Szabo proposed using a similar kind of technology to secure a digital payments system he called “Bit Gold.” However, this innovation was not adopted until Satoshi Nakamoto claimed to have invented the first Blockchain and Bitcoin.
A blockchain is a distributed database shared between the nodes of a computer network. It saves information in digital format. Many people first heard of blockchain technology when they started to look up information about bitcoin.
Blockchain is used in cryptocurrency systems to ensure secure, decentralized records of transactions.
Blockchain allowed people to guarantee the fidelity and security of a record of data without the need for a third party to ensure accuracy.
To understand how a blockchain works, Consider these basic steps:
Let’s get to know more about the blockchain.
Blockchain records digital information and distributes it across the network without changing it. The information is distributed among many users and stored in an immutable, permanent ledger that can't be changed or destroyed. That's why blockchain is also called "Distributed Ledger Technology" or DLT.
Here’s how it works:
And that’s the beauty of it! The process may seem complicated, but it’s done in minutes with modern technology. And because technology is advancing rapidly, I expect things to move even more quickly than ever.
Even though blockchain is integral to cryptocurrency, it has other applications. For example, blockchain can be used for storing reliable data about transactions. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum.
Blockchain already being adopted by some big-name companies, such as Walmart, AIG, Siemens, Pfizer, and Unilever. For example, IBM's Food Trust uses blockchain to track food's journey before reaching its final destination.
Although some of you may consider this practice excessive, food suppliers and manufacturers adhere to the policy of tracing their products because bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella have been found in packaged foods. In addition, there have been isolated cases where dangerous allergens such as peanuts have accidentally been introduced into certain products.
Tracing and identifying the sources of an outbreak is a challenging task that can take months or years. Thanks to the Blockchain, however, companies now know exactly where their food has been—so they can trace its location and prevent future outbreaks.
Blockchain technology allows systems to react much faster in the event of a hazard. It also has many other uses in the modern world.
Blockchain technology is safe, even if it’s public. People can access the technology using an internet connection.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your data stored at one place and that one secure place got compromised? Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to prevent your data from leaking out even when the security of your storage systems is compromised?
Blockchain technology provides a way of avoiding this situation by using multiple computers at different locations to store information about transactions. If one computer experiences problems with a transaction, it will not affect the other nodes.
Instead, other nodes will use the correct information to cross-reference your incorrect node. This is called “Decentralization,” meaning all the information is stored in multiple places.
Blockchain guarantees your data's authenticity—not just its accuracy, but also its irreversibility. It can also be used to store data that are difficult to register, like legal contracts, state identifications, or a company's product inventory.
Blockchain has many advantages and disadvantages.
I’ll answer the most frequently asked questions about blockchain in this section.
Blockchain is not a cryptocurrency but a technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. It's a digital ledger that records every transaction seamlessly.
Yes, blockchain can be theoretically hacked, but it is a complicated task to be achieved. A network of users constantly reviews it, which makes hacking the blockchain difficult.
Coinbase Global is currently the biggest blockchain company in the world. The company runs a commendable infrastructure, services, and technology for the digital currency economy.
Blockchain is a decentralized technology. It’s a chain of distributed ledgers connected with nodes. Each node can be any electronic device. Thus, one owns blockhain.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which is powered by Blockchain technology while Blockchain is a distributed ledger of cryptocurrency
Generally a database is a collection of data which can be stored and organized using a database management system. The people who have access to the database can view or edit the information stored there. The client-server network architecture is used to implement databases. whereas a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, stored in a distributed system. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, timestamp and transaction information. Modification of data is not allowed due to the design of the blockchain. The technology allows decentralized control and eliminates risks of data modification by other parties.
Blockchain has a wide spectrum of applications and, over the next 5-10 years, we will likely see it being integrated into all sorts of industries. From finance to healthcare, blockchain could revolutionize the way we store and share data. Although there is some hesitation to adopt blockchain systems right now, that won't be the case in 2022-2023 (and even less so in 2026). Once people become more comfortable with the technology and understand how it can work for them, owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs alike will be quick to leverage blockchain technology for their own gain. Hope you like this article if you have any question let me know in the comments section
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