This Week in Sports Trivia: June 5, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6404019/2025/06/05/this-week-in-sports-trivia-june-5-2025/
VChatter: Exploring Generative Conversational Agents for Simulating Exposure Therapy to Reduce Social Anxiety
Han Zhang, KaWing Tsang, Zhenhui Peng
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03520
Direct laser ablation of 2D material films for fabricating multi-functional flexible and transparent devices
Yigit Sozen, Yu Kyoung Ryu, Javier Martinez, Andres Castellanos-Gomez
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03730
(Did you know that in the original stage version of The Sound of Music, the thing that finally breaks Captain von Trapp’s engagement to the baroness isn’t the vague, wishy-washy “noble unstated feelings” scene that’s in the movie (and which never worked in my view, despite the actors giving it their all); it’s that the baroness tries to convince him to go along with the Nazis because there’s nothing he can do, and he decides he can’t marry a woman with no convictions. They cut the song from the film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Way_to_Stop_It)
Mattel combines its film and television production units into a single unit under the direction of Mattel Films president and Barbie producer Robbie Brenner (Jeremy Fuster/The Wrap)
https://www.thewrap.com/mattel-combines-film-tv-units-under-robbie-bren…
Crossing from Pembroke #Wales to Rosslare #Ireland, I just saw dozens of #puffins flying close to the Ferry.
When we first stayed in #Pembrokeshire in 1998, we happened to stay near Martin's Haven one night and simply got a place on a boat to #Skomer Island when arriving at the harbour. I never again saw so many puffins so close.
When trying to reserve a trip for this summer already very early this year, all trips to Skomer were completely booked and even the wating list filled...
#xp
Trump’s determination to move fast could slow implementation of his tariff regime.
It also threatens to cost him credibility with businesses he’s counting on to invest in the U.S.
and world leaders whose buy-in he needs to negotiate trade deals.
Still, few expect a different posture from the famously intransigent fool or any second-guessing following the Wednesday ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade, which briefly halted most of the tariffs
This Week in Sports Trivia: July 3, 2025 https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6468843/2025/07/03/this-week-in-sports-trivia-july-3-2025/
In a filing, the Newhouse family, which owns Condé Nast, says it plans to sell 100M WBD shares worth around $1.1B total; $WBD falls 4% (Lucas Manfredi/The Wrap)
https://www.thewrap.com/warner-bros-discovery-stock-sale-newhouse-family/