Israel's Startup Ecosystem Faces Two Big Challenges

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55 Percent of Americans Fail This Simple Credit Card Quiz. Just 3 Questions Indicate Your Financial IQ Suggested slug: /simple-credit-card-quiz-most-fail/ Continued here

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Twitter Finally Gave a 2 Sentence Explanation For Why it Shut Off Third-Party Apps. It Did Not Go Well If you're going to do it, at least be honest. Continued here

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New Stanford Research Confirms the 1 Style of 'Breath Work' That is Most Effective at Reducing Stress and Improving Mood The style of your breathing matters. Continued here

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How Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Embrace the 10-Second Rule to Handle Difficult Conversations Give yourself a chance to respond in a healthy way, even in challenging situations. Continued here

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Missouri Legislature Imposes New Dress Code on Women Legislators, and I Am Here for It I love dress codes, and it seems the Missouri Legislature takes this to a ridiculous level. Continued here

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Workplace Toxicity Is Not Just a Mental Health Issue The dramatic reckoning between health and social safety nets that has erupted over the past few years has by now taken a severe toll on almost everyone in the workplace. Many tired employees have identified their jobs as a draining force and are questioning the proportion of their lives that work consumes. Some employees have exited their roles under the banner of the Great Resignation, while others are reassessing how they want to live. The common thread: Workers are making meaningful shifts to prioritize their physical health and mental well-being. And it’s a gravely needed shift, especially for women. Women leaders are demanding more from their work and are switching jobs at the highest rate on record. Data continues to show that women are among the most affected groups coping with the pandemic-era challenges of managing the needs of their families. Within this group, women of color have suffered even more acutely, in many cases serving on the front lines of the pandemic in public-facing roles and bearing the brunt of new pressures from ever-transforming workplace cultures and increased workloads. Many women of color show signs of being physically sick from workplace stress. In the process of interviewing over 500 professional and executive women of color for her book The First, The Few, The Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America, Deepa was stunned to discover that 2 out of every 3 women were battling chronic stress-related conditions. The frequency of these symptoms and the similarity across hundreds of stories suggest that we may be seeing not only a pattern but a crisis. Continued here

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The workers laid off for the first time Shamari Coleman never considered herself a person who’d get laid off. But in December 2022, five months after taking a product-marketing position at multinational tech firm AvePoint, the 28-year-old found herself without a job. “I loved the team I was working with and the culture that was fostered there,” says New York City-based Coleman. “It was my first taste of working at a big tech company, and I felt like I’d be there as long as they’d have me.” Continued here

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Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's portraits that question history Some portraits offer snapshots of their era – faces frozen in time and place, petrified in their perishability. A rare few feel torn from eternity. Rembrandt could do it. Set against smouldering gloom, his serial selfies seem less a ledger of his slipping flesh than a glimpse into another realm – an elsewhere unlocked by the insertion of disjointed details that detach his countenance from its transitory nowness: a flouncy frock from a bygone century; an anachronistic hat; a plume plucked from antiquity. More like this:- A chronicler of US turbulence- How fear shaped ancient mythology - The women who redefined colour Continued here

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Paparazzi, 'blooding' and a body count: hunting and being hunted dominate Prince Harry's royally discontented memoir Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoir Spare has been published. There’s much to discover in the memoir as a whole, though its key “events” were revealed in the leaked copies that appeared in Spanish bookstores prior to the January 10 official publishing date. One of those “events” was Harry’s candid discussion with the late queen about his inability to get his father to understand that his and Meghan’s problems with the press are not the same as the way previous royal “wives” have been objectified and maligned. Continued here

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Underwater noise is a threat to marine life Oceans are full of sound. Waves, earthquakes and calving icebergs all contribute to the underwater soundscape. But so do human activities, and this can be a problem for marine life as it can seriously affect their physiology, behaviour, reproduction and even survival. Being able to produce and detect sound in an environment where light penetrates only a few hundred metres is crucial for animals to communicate, feed, avoid predators and navigate vast underwater habitats. Large whales generate low frequency communication calls that can travel thousands of kilometres. While the snapping shrimp, native to the western Atlantic, can produce a loud snapping sound capable of stunning and killing its prey. Continued here

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Twitter: how to remove Elon Musk and reinvent the company Ever since Elon Musk took Twitter private for US$44 billion (£36 billion), the debate around the social media platform has been vitriolic. There has been considerable angst about the direction Musk has been taking the company and his potential backpedalling on initial promises about free speech. Musk’s takeover appeared to do much financial damage to the company, with many advertisers walking away. Although Musk claims Twitter is no longer on the “fast lane to bankruptcy”, I would argue that neither the former nor current ownership models look capable of making much money or benefiting society. Continued here

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Neanderthals: the oldest art in the world wasn't made by Homo sapiens Their art was perhaps more abstract than the stereotypical figure and animal cave paintings Homo Sapiens made after the Neanderthals disappeared about 30,000 years ago. But archaeologists are beginning to appreciate how creative Neanderthal art was in its own right. Homo sapiens are thought to have evolved in Africa from at least 315,000 years ago. Neanderthal populations in Europe have been traced back at least 400,000 years. Continued here

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Plans for deep seabed mining pit renewable energy demand against ocean life in a largely unexplored frontier Scott Shackelford is a principal investigator on grants from the Hewlett Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, National Science Foundation, and the Microsoft Corporation supporting both the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance and the Indiana University Cybersecurity Clinic. Kerry Krutilla was the principal investigator for a World-Bank sponsored project on deep seabed mining. Continued here

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Parents in the US had alarmingly high rates of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic - and that has a direct effect on kids It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of kids and parents alike. In a 2020 survey, 71% of parents said they believed the pandemic had hurt their children’s mental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child mental health in October 2021, citing “soaring” rates of child mental health challenges. Continued here

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Moderna's experimental cancer vaccine treats but doesn't prevent melanoma - Media outlets have reported the encouraging findings of clinical trials for a new experimental vaccine developed by the biotech company Moderna to treat an aggressive type of skin cancer called melanoma. Although this is potentially very good news, it occurred to me that the headlines may be unintentionally misleading. The vaccines most people are familiar with prevent disease, whereas this experimental new skin cancer vaccine treats only patients who are already sick. Why is it called a vaccine if it does not prevent cancer? Continued here

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New Israeli power broker seeks to rewrite history to justify violence against Palestinians Executive Director, Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights, University of Nebraska Omaha I am the Executive Director of the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights. Continued here

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Allegations that the charity George Santos claims to have run was fake highlight how scams divert money from worthy causes Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican whose 2022 election to the House of Representatives flipped a seat previously held by a Democrat, faces pressure to resign for having reportedly lied extensively about his education, employment history and religious heritage. He also faces allegations that he may have participated in financial fraud. When Santos apologized for having “embellished” his resume, he also said, “We do stupid things in life.” Continued here

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50 years after Roe, many ethics questions shape the abortion debate: 4 essential reads Jan. 22, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that recognized a constitutional right to abortion. That stood for nearly half a century, until a majority of justices reversed it in June 2022’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision. People with a broad range of views on abortion often say their faith tradition helps inform their opinions. But beyond religion, many other ethical and moral questions shape Americans’ perspectives on the topic. Continued here

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Sex, drugs and alcohol are the top reasons that Texas teachers get in trouble, but overall, such cases are rare Only about 1 in 200 teachers in Texas are sanctioned for misbehavior, but the largest portion of those sanctions involve sexually related offenses. That’s according to a new study we published recently in the Journal of Education Human Resources. The study describes the reasons teachers in Texas are sanctioned for misbehavior, including the frequency and type of violation. We examined the 3,525 teacher sanctions that took place in Texas from 2007 to 2017. We found that teachers are most frequently sanctioned for sexually related offenses, which accounted for 40% of all reported violations. For sexually related offenses, we include sexual harassment, inappropriate relationships with students and sexual misconduct, whether inside or outside of schools. Examples of sexual misconduct include possession of child pornography or public lewdness. Continued here

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When universal health care falls short, French people with disabilities move to Belgium Like other European countries, France boasts a strong welfare state, which academics in migration studies tend to view as a “pull factor” for potential residents. However, we often pay less attention to the system’s limits. In fact, in recent years, holes in the French care system have led some citizens to seek care in other European countries. A “competitor” to France that may not come immediately to mind is Wallonia, a Francophone region in southern Belgium. It is estimated that about 8,233 French citizens with disabilities live in institutions located there. While this cross-border presence has a long history national media has focused on what is commonly described as a form of exile, including documented cases of abusive practices occurring in some Belgian institutions. Continued here

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Nigeria's currency redesign and withdrawal limits: questionable policy and bad timing The Central Bank of Nigeria launched new banknotes in November 2022. The new notes came into effect on 15 December 2022. The apex bank also capped withdrawal of the new banknotes at N100,000 (US$222 at the official exchange rate) per week for individuals, and N500,000 (US$1,111) for corporations. Continued here

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7 million internally displaced people live in Central Africa - they need more support University of Johannesburg provides support as an endorsing partner of The Conversation AFRICA. Central Africa is host to the largest community of internally displaced persons in Africa. The countries in this region include Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Continued here

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Technology and sustainable development: a hamlet in rural South Africa shows how one can power the other University of Johannesburg provides support as an endorsing partner of The Conversation AFRICA. It’s hard to imagine that the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the fourth industrial revolution can be part of the same conversation. Continued here

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Angola's peatlands trap carbon and clean the region's water - how we mapped this newly found landscape University of the Witwatersrand provides support as a hosting partner of The Conversation AFRICA. Ask most people what they picture when thinking about natural “carbon sinks” – ecosystems that absorb and store greenhouse gases – and they’ll probably describe a forest. Reforestation is a common feature of climate change plans. Continued here

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This lunar year will be the Year of the Rabbit or the Year of the Cat, depending on where you live On Jan. 22, 2023, more than a billion people globally will welcome the Year of the Rabbit – or the Year of Cat, depending on which cultural traditions they follow – as the start of the Lunar New Year. In the New York City public school district, Lunar New Year has been observed as a school holiday since 2015. The Lunar New Year is sometimes called the Chinese New Year, because it follows a calendar that was developed in China; but it is also celebrated in various parts of Asia, such as Korea and Vietnam. Tibetan and Mongolian cultures follow a similar calendar that will start the Year of the Rabbit about a month later, on Feb. 20. Continued here

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How large corporations make huge profits from hidden markups at the expense of consumers Inflation, followed by poverty and social inequality are the most pressing issues worrying people around the world right now. Canada has not been immune from the rising cost of living and is still fighting an inflation rate above the two per cent target preferred by the Bank of Canada. Canada’s inflation rate hit 8.1 per cent in June — the highest it had been in over 40 years. While the rate has dropped slightly afterwards, it was still 6.8 per cent in November, easing to 6.3 per cent in December. Continued here

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Creatine supplements: what the research says about how they can help you get in shape Creatine is one of the most popular nutritional supplements, widely used by bodybuilders and athletes alike. Many claim that they feel better after they include it in their diets, and believe it helps them get fit and build muscle. While some feel these supplements may be controversial, there’s quite a lot of scientific evidence behind taking creatine, especially for exercise. Studies suggest creatine can help boost your performance during workouts, which, in turn, may help you get in shape. Continued here

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Kosovo: ethnic tensions have created a political 'volcano' that could erupt anytime After US state department counsellor Derek Chollet recently visited Kosovo in a bid to calm tensions flaring in the north of the country, he said Washington’s priority was to prevent “violence metastasising” (spreading) between Serbs and Albanians. “The last thing any of us wants right now is a crisis in this part of the world given that we have the biggest crisis since the second world war not too far away,” Chollet told journalists. He added that: “We don’t want to be in a crisis diplomacy. First, licence plates, then barricades, we don’t want something else next week.” Continued here

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Matteo Messina Denaro: arrest of mafia boss after 30 years on the run is the end of an era - but not the end of the Cosa Nostra Matteo Messina Denaro, one of the leaders of the Sicilian mafia, the Cosa Nostra, has finally been detained after 30 years on the run. His arrest came as around 100 police officers surrounded the private Maddalena clinic in Palermo where they had discovered he was receiving treatment. Rumours had been rife for weeks that Denaro was ill and having chemotherapy – but it came as a surprise to the public that Italy’s most wanted man was having treatment in a Palermo clinic alongside ordinary citizens. He was in the queue for tests when a police officer approached him to ask him who he was. An associate standing with him made a run for it but he came forward and simply answered “I am Matteo Messina Denaro”. Continued here

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Davos: three ways leaders can use these summits to create a more sustainable world John Morrissey was a background author for the UNDP 2022 Special Report on Human Security, "New Threats to Human Security in the Anthropocene". Davos 2023 is the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) first in-person annual meeting since the start of the COVID pandemic. The yearly gathering sees business, political and civil society leaders convene in the Swiss mountain resort with academics, journalists and celebrities to discuss global economic agendas. Many regard it as essentially a forum for the wealthy, but the 2023 Davos summit has returned at “a critical inflection point for the world”, according to the WEF. Continued here

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Hidden women of history: how 'Lady' Williams founded a great Australian apple On Boronia Farm, just outside Donnybrook in Western Australia, stands an 80-something-year-old apple tree (Malus domestica) that’s at the heart of a global industry. This tree produced an apple no one had seen or tasted before, now called the Lady Williams. Without the Lady Williams, there could be no Sundowner®, no Pink Lady®, no Bravo® – apple varieties that, along with the Lady Williams, have made a enormous contribution to the global apple industry. Continued here

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9 in 10 landlord tax returns are wrong. Does this make landlords champion tax dodgers? Australia’s “tax gap” – the gap between what is collected and what would be collected if the law was applied properly – amounts to A$33 billion per year according to Tax Office calculations, which is 7% of what should be collected. Much of it – $12 billion – is due to incorrect filings by small businesses. But one component, worth $1 billion, relates to residential rental property owners. Continued here

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20 years ago, vast bushfires razed Canberra's suburbs - and bushfire science was never the same It has been 20 years to the day since bushfires burst out of the Brindabella Ranges and into the suburbs of our nation’s bush capital. Four lives were lost, many people were injured and more than 500 homes were destroyed. There had been big bushfires before, and there were bigger bushfires to come, but the tragic day in Canberra of January 18, 2003 marked a pivotal moment in Australian bushfire science. Continued here

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China's COVID cases may have hit 900 million. What's headed our way? Over the weekend, Peking University released a study that estimated 900 million Chinese had been infected with COVID up until January 11, representing 64% of the population. This compares with 43% of Australians testing positive, although antibody studies indicate a much higher proportion is likely. Continued here

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Video gaming can bolster classroom learning, but not without teacher support One highlight of my Grade 3 life was dying from dysentery at the hands of a video game. I was ahead on schoolwork, and allowed to use the classroom computer to pioneer a family across America in the game The Oregon Trail. It was odd that I played this in a Canadian school — rather than exploring something like the challenges of long-haul trucking in the game Crosscountry Canada. Continued here

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How workplaces can encourage diverse personalities, values and attitudes If you work for an organization that believes diversity can increase organizational performance and employee well-being, we have a secret to share with you: despite what is commonly espoused about diversity, very few organizations have actually achieved benefits through current diversity approaches. There is no question that diversity and accessibility in the workplace has value — diverse workplaces are more welcoming, more productive and have better retention of employees. Continued here

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Cryptocurrencies are in crisis, but they are not going to disappear Cryptocurrencies are experiencing their worst crisis since the arrival of the first crypto assets and virtual currencies in the 1990s and their democratization in the 2010s. Bitcoin had an unprecedented tumble in late 2020 and has yet to recover. In addition to this sharp decline, there is much discussion about the worrisome collapse of some so-called stablecoins, which are supposed to be less volatile. Continued here

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People with disabilities in group homes are suffering shocking abuse. New housing models could prevent harm Di is the CEO of the Summer Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the issue of younger people living in Residential Aged Care (RAC). The Summer Foundation developed the Housing Hub which is an online platform to help people with disability explore and find housing. Di is also a director of Summer Housing, a not-for-profit Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) provider. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to be a market-based system that would shift power from government and providers to consumers. Continued here

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'A voice like cigarettes rolled in honey': celebrating Ren Renée Geyer’s name is often in histories of Australian music. A pioneering artist, her iconic soul sound opened up the local conversation about what “sounding Australian” meant. Go-Betweens icon and industry legend Lindy Morrison simply said: “Renée Geyer was an exception to the rule”. Born Renée Rebecca Geyer in Melbourne in 1953, to migrant parents from Slovakia and Hungary, her mother was a Holocaust survivor. She began in bands Dry Red and Sun, and released her debut self-titled album at 20 years old. She appeared regularly on local television, radio and in print. Her confidence then, and for the rest of her life, was captivating, although she explained that it didn’t come easily and without sacrifice. Continued here

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From floods to fire? A climate scientist on the chances El Ni After three soggy years of La Niña in a row, Australia has endured record-breaking floods, the latest of which has inundated the Kimberley in Western Australia and across north and central Queensland. While the rains may have initially been a relief after the heat, drought and fires that came before, they have long outstayed their welcome. Thankfully, the latest update from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) points to a continuing weakening of La Niña – but it also points to the possibility of El Niño emerging by the autumn. Continued here

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The Black Death may not have been spread by rats after all The Black Death ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing millions. Plague outbreaks in Europe then continued until the 19th century. One of the most commonly recited facts about plague in Europe was that it was spread by rats. In some parts of the world, the bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, maintains a long-term presence in wild rodents and their fleas. This is called an animal “reservoir”. Continued here

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Are the fish in your aquarium happy? Five things to look out for If 1,500 captive mammals suffocated to death in a zoo, their suffering would spark an outcry. So when a Berlin hotel aquarium exploded at the end of 2022, why did so few people comment on the welfare of the fish? Aquatic species don’t seem to induce the same emotional response. And this disparity is clouding our understanding of their lives in captivity. After decades of studying sentience in fish (that is, their capacity to experience feelings and sensations), the consensus among scientists is that fish can feel pain. Pain in humans has an important emotional component, and the same appears to be true in fish, which are also capable of anxiety and fear. This, along with converging evidence that fish can carry out complex tasks involving tools and problem solving, puts them on par with other vertebrates. Continued here

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COVID may have enhanced many dads' involvement in parenting - our research shows why caregiving roles can last Recent data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics suggests the COVID pandemic may have triggered a substantial rise in the number of stay-at-home dads across the country. One in nine stay-at-home parents were fathers in 2022, compared with one in 14 in 2019. The pandemic may also have accelerated a broader shift in the share of childcare fathers are taking on. Figures suggest UK working fathers spent 65% of the time working mothers did on childcare in 2022, compared with 54% in 2014 to 2015. Continued here

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Winter of discontent: the media continuously misses Shakespeare's original meaning of the phrase Teaching Fellow in Early Modern Literature, Shakespeare, and Inclusive Pedagogy, Royal Holloway University of London From 1978 to 79, public sector workers in the UK engaged in nationally coordinated strike action. The news was full of stories of limited services at hospitals because domestic cleaners were striking and streets were strewn with rubbish because of striking binmen. Continued here

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Student sport has a drinking problem - here's what needs to be done to change it Sport is generally considered a health-enhancing lifestyle choice. It reduces depression, anxiety and emotional distress and improves self esteem. Despite this, there is strong evidence that many athletes – particularly those at university – engage in harmful levels of alcohol use. Multiple studies conducted across different UK universities over the past decade indicate that sport participation may be a risk factor for the development of alcohol use disorders. Continued here

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Welcome to Chippendales: why the Disney brand won't be harmed by provocative programming A true crime series about male strippers, arson and murder-for-hire, marketed with lines like “Women get horny!” and “Blood will spill”? It’s safe to say that Disney+ isn’t the most obvious destination for a show like Welcome to Chippendales. On the surface, the commission looks risky – a borderline negligent brand mismatch. Surely Welcome to Chippendales’ violent and sexual content threatens the wholesome, family-friendly reputation Disney has spent decades building up, exploiting and preserving? Surprisingly, no – but this isn’t anything to do with the series itself. Continued here

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How to spot a cyberbot - five tips to keep your device safe You may know nothing about it, but your phone – or your laptop or tablet – could be taken over by someone else who has found their way in through a back door. They could have infected your device with malware to make it a “bot” or a “zombie” and be using it – perhaps with hundreds of other unwitting victims’ phones – to launch a cyberattack. Bot is short for robot. But cyberbots don’t look like the robots of science fiction such as R2-D2. They are software applications that perform repetitive tasks they have been programmed to do. They only become malicious when a human operator (a “botmaster”) uses it to infect other devices. Continued here

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Is Veganuary bad for you? A nutritionist explains why plant-based diets need proper planning Veganuary is upon us again, with thousands of people around the world giving up animal products for the month of January. The movement, which encourages people to follow a vegan lifestyle, started in 2014 and has grown rapidly since, with 629,000 people from 228 countries taking part in 2022. When it comes to internet searches, figures for 2020 show that the UK had the most Google searches for veganism in the world. In 2019, there were 600,000 vegans in the UK. And, according to the Vegan Society, this number is expected to continue to rise with vegans and vegetarians predicted to make up a quarter of the British population by 2025. Continued here

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The Raucous Assault of Tala Madani’s Art For the first eight years of her life as an artist, Tala Madani, who was born in Tehran, painted only men, and not to their credit. "Caked," in 2005, shows a brawny, nearly featureless oaf in a black undershirt smashing a cake in another oaf's face. Next came a series of small paintings of men with plants growing out of their crotch—one of them tends to his foliage with a watering can. In 2011, she painted several men whose testicles hung from their chin, and a man in spirited conversation with his vital organs, which have been removed and placed in a comfortable chair. A series of 2015 paintings present men whose colossal, fire-hose penises take on lives of their own. None of these images suggest animosity toward the male species. The harmless dopes in Madani's early work gave way to middle-aged, potbellied, bearded losers, whose weird plights make us laugh. Madani is that rarity in art, a wildly imaginative innovator with a gift for caricature and visual satire, and her first great subject was the absurdity of machismo. "I do think machismo is healthy and alive everywhere, and I was having fun upending it," she told me last summer, when we began a number of conversations. "You know, you want it to grow bigger, so why not water it?" Madani, who turned forty-one in December, left Iran with her mother and moved to this country in 1994, when she was twelve, and she now lives with her husband and their two children in Los Angeles, where her first major museum show in the United States is on view (until February 19th), at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I went through the show with her in October, enjoying her candid, funny, and often self-deprecating comments on individual works and on the exhibition itself. "I wanted all these images, but I kept wondering whether the works would look better if there were fewer of them," she said. "It's supposed to be this great event, to show your work, but what does that mean? Looking is the thing, not showing." Her doubts had largely subsided by the time I arrived, and her high-spirited, ebullient personality was in full flower. She radiated energy—talking rapidly, laughing often, and using both hands to rake back her abundant, shoulder-length dark hair. I asked her about the show's title, "Biscuits," which appears, in her cursive handwriting, on the catalogue's cover and on the wall at the entrance to the exhibition. "My kids were around one day when we were installing, and they were saying 'biscuits' over and over," she said. (Her daughter, Imra, is seven; Imra's brother, Roshan, is four.) "The show's title is non-threatening in the way I want the paintings to be, and, you know—it's biscuits, everything is O.K. I'm really happy with it." Continued here

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How “Battle Royale” Took Over Video Games In the mid-nineteen-nineties, Koushun Takami was dozing on his futon on the island of Shikoku, Japan, when he was visited by an apparition: a maniacal schoolteacher addressing a group of students. "All right, class, listen up," Takami heard the teacher say. "Today, I'm going to have you all kill each other." Takami was in his twenties, and he had recently quit his job as a reporter for a local newspaper to become a novelist. As a literature student at Osaka University, he had started and abandoned several horror-infused detective stories. But the well had long since run dry; he had left his job with neither a plan nor a plot in mind. The visitation wasn't a haunting; it was an epiphany. In the novel that followed, an instructor sends forty-two junior high schoolers to a deserted island. The kids awaken to find explosive collars secured around their necks. They're ordered to collect a backpack containing a map and a random weapon: a gun or an icepick, if they're lucky, a paper fan or a shamisen banjo if they're not. The students must compete to become the last person standing. The winner will leave the island with a lifetime pension; if there is more than one survivor, the collars will detonate. Some of the students choose suicide over submission. Most, eventually, comply and fight. Continued here

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How Russia’s New Commander in Ukraine Could Change the War Last week, Russia announced that it was replacing General Sergei Surovikin—who had been put in charge of the war in Ukraine only three months earlier—with another general, Valery Gerasimov. The change surprised many observers. Surovikin was thought to have improved the Russian war effort, and Gerasimov was at least partially responsible for planning the disastrous initial invasion. But Gerasimov is close to the Kremlin, and will now get another chance. "They have taken someone who is competent and replaced him with someone who is incompetent, but who has been there a long time and who has shown that he is loyal," Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, told the Times. To talk about the reshuffling at the top of the Russian command, and the current state of the war, I spoke by phone with Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and an expert on the Russian military. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed possible reasons for the latest shakeup, where the Russian war effort has and hasn't improved, the strange role of the mercenary Wagner Group, and what has surprised Lee most about the past eleven months of fighting. Continued here

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Winter-Outfit Word Problems 1. If Sarah needs to step out into a blizzard to walk her dog in the morning, then get ready for work in an apartment where the heat just turned on, wait five minutes at a freezing subway station, and, finally, make a presentation in a conference room that’s set to eighty degrees without suffering heatstroke, how many layers does she have to discard before noon? a) One: a do-it-all parkab) Five and a half: three jackets, two pairs of shoes, and a scarfc) Too many Continued here

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The Artist Whose Book Covers Distilled the Nineteen-Eighties A suited man rides an escalator into the sky. At its top the escalator disappears into an enormous paper bag, which contains a bendy straw, a bow tie, a pint of milk, and huge kernels of popcorn. I was fifteen when I first saw that image, working my way through the fiction section of my home-town library in suburban Wisconsin. I was searching for books that felt older than I was. Nicholson Baker’s 1986 novel “The Mezzanine” looked like no other book I’d ever seen, and it read like no other book I’d ever read. I wrestled with the novel’s deceptively slow pace—it takes place on a single ride up an office escalator, but really it’s set inside the human mind, as it asks questions, produces hypotheses, and makes connections with neuronic quickness. Continued here

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Hey, Hey, It’s Me, the Photo App on Your Phone! Good morning! Photo app, here. Know what today is? Seriously? No clue? Wow, someone has a short memory! Check it out: here you are on this date four years ago. Isn't this momentous? Yes, of course that's you! It's an extreme closeup of that ingrown hair you had on your bikini line. Remember, you couldn't get a good look at it so you took a bunch of pictures to send to your dermatologist? Thought maybe you'd want to post it to social—to commemorate the anniversary and such. But if this pic isn't doing it for you, I also have the same red bump from sixteen different angles plus a couple of monster chin zits you documented for posterity. Here—I've tagged them with the search term "maybe herpes" if you want them all in one place. Speaking of, how about a stroll down memory lane with the album "Skin Conditions Over the Years?" No? O.K. I'll remind you again in twelve months or so, ideally when you're on a first date or speaking at a funeral. Psst. Are you sleeping? I know it's the middle of the night, but I wanted to bounce something major off you. Would you like to share this picture of you kissing your ex-boyfriend with your contact "Ex-Boyfriend Do Not Call"? It's just so sweet. This was at your old place in "Northwest Philadelphia," right? (Not stalking you, just tight with G.P.S.) Was this the first time you guys used that pizza stone? You look so in love. Send it to him! It's all set up to text—just press this button. I promise it's not weird to text your ex a picture at 4 A.M., or I wouldn't have suggested it. Oh . . . you want to see fewer things like this? That's fine. Northwest Philly is depressing. Why don't we pull up memories from this March, 2016, trip you took with "Ex-Boyfriend Do Not Call" to "Barcelona, Spain" instead. Wow, ¡muy caliente! This dude could really wear the hell out of a swimsuit, huh? Continued here

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You need to watch the most whimsical Gothic thriller on Netflix ASAP As great as Jenna Ortega is as the lead in Netflix’s Wednesday, her performance is just the latest iteration of a long-running character created by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938. Ortega draws on decades of portrayals of Wednesday Addams, and series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, as well as director Tim Burton, similarly draw on decades of depictions of the larger Addams family. More than any other Addams Family incarnation, Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1993 film Addams Family Values contains the roots of Wednesday, especially the conception of the character as a bold truth-teller who cuts through the pretensions of self-serving authority figures. There are homages to Addams Family Values throughout Wednesday’s first season, most notably in the characters’ trip to the pilgrim-themed attraction in the town adjacent to their secluded boarding school. Continued here

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'The Flash's final season will give the Arrowverse the sendoff it deserves Over 10 years ago, superhero TV evolved with the premiere of Arrow and the subsequent launch of the “Arrowverse” franchise on the CW. Now, the Arrowverse will end with The Flash Season 9 finale, and answer one of its biggest remaining questions... kind of. On January 4, Stephen Amell announced he’ll return to play Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, for the first time since Arrow ended in 2020. On Instagram, Amell shared a photo of himself and The Flash star Grant Gustin with the caption “When Barry calls... Oliver answers...” Continued here

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'Fire Emblem Engage' mixes incredible combat with forgettable characters We’ll live to fight again, but winning the bigger conflict now seems out of reach. As my allies line up to assure me we’ll see it through if we can only stick together, I’m left with two lingering questions. Fire Emblem’s tradition of focusing on character relationships hit a peak in Three Houses, and we all kind of assumed that would continue into Engage. Sadly, that’s not the case. Fire Emblem Engage scales its social interactions down to a bare minimum, leaving a cast of underdeveloped characters in its wake. At the same time, it features some of Fire Emblem’s best tactical combat, making the game feel as sharply divided as its protagonist’s over-discussed red-and-blue hair. Continued here

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Keychron's best mechanical keyboard finally gets Bluetooth Keychron’s wired Q1 mechanical keyboard changed the scene in a pretty big way back in 2021. Almost overnight, the 75 percent keyboard brought a premium hot-swappable mechanical keyboard to the masses starting at $150. Now, after releasing variations of the Q1 in different layouts like the Q2 and Q3, Keychron is adding wireless connectivity with the Q1 Pro. The Q1 Pro is not Keychron’s first wireless keyboard — the K-series like the K8 Pro already come with Bluetooth — but it is the company’s first all-aluminum mechanical keyboard. While the K-series keyboards are either plastic or partial aluminum, the Q1 Pro is the full Q1 gasket-mounted premium keyboard experience; the Q-series is Keychron’s very finest in build quality. Continued here

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14 years later, I still can't forget the most underrated Persona love story As a series set in high school, Persona has always tackled stories of teenagers living through moments of change and self-discovery. When struggling to know yourself, the only thing you have is to latch on to the people around you. This is why social links are a key aspect of the series — it reiterates that life is about our connections with people around us. While there are numerous memorable stories throughout the series, the social link that has had the most impact on me is the Hermit arcana in Persona 3 Portable. It is a story of figuring out your identity, forming bonds that defy categorization, and the effect even the briefest encounters in life can have on us. Continued here

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You need to play the most over-the-top action game ever on PS Plus ASAP In the late 1990s and early 2000s, “character action” games were all the rage, with countless titles that focused on fast-paced combat, like God of Wår, Ninja Gaiden, and Prince of Persia. Over the years, however, one series has had a bigger impact on the genre than any other, and in 2019 it nearly perfected the character action formula. Devil May Cry 5 is the pinnacle of an already fantastic series, and the tightest most complex version of a combat system that changed action games forever. With Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition joining Sony’s PS Plus lineup as of January 17, there’s never been a better opportunity to play one of the greatest action games of all time. Devil May Cry 5 is the most recent entry in the franchise and takes place the furthest in the story’s timeline. It sees the return of both Dante and Nero as playable characters, as well as a mysterious new character named V. There’s plenty of story and lore to dive into, for those who care, but Devil May Cry 5 isn’t too concerned with you understanding its narrative. What that means is that you don’t actually need any prior knowledge of the series to jump right into DMC 5, as it catches you up with everything you might need to know in the opening minutes. Continued here

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'Mandalorian' Season 3 trailer commits a massive mistake 'Andor' avoided The Mandalorian Season 3 trailer, released during Monday night’s NFL playoff game, introduced several new elements to the Star Wars universe and confirmed several fan theories. We will, in fact, see a huge number of Mandalorians, and Mando will head back to his home planet of Mandalore despite the mysterious and grim fate it suffered. However, what would have been one of the biggest reveals wasn’t much more than an afterthought because of the work of Andor, which recently concluded its first season. Instead, the trailer just proved that The Mandalorian didn’t learn from Andor’s greatest idea. Continued here

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'Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Adam Warlock reveal may be a big misdirect The next installment may introduce Marvel’s next big villain-turned-hero for the Multiverse Saga. An Adam bomb is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and fans might feel its effects for years to come. Continued here

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Apple's M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pros are performance monsters With up to 20 percent faster CPU and up to 30 percent faster GPU power, Apple’s 2023 MacBook Pros just destroy workloads. Apple surprise dropped new 2023 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chip, and a Mac mini configurable with an M2 or M2 Pro chip. The new laptops offer faster CPU and GPU performance and more RAM than their predecessors, longer battery life, and also faster Wi-Fi 6E and HDMI support for 8K displays. Continued here

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11 Tech Products You Need At Your Next Super Bowl Party The biggest Sunday of the year is approaching, and if you’re hosting this year’s Super Bowl party, you’ll want to ensure your space is properly outfitted for a premium viewing experience. Certain gear — like a smokeless indoor grill or air fryer — will prep all your must-have snacks and minimize cleanup, while other products are essential for actually watching the game. Whether you prefer the beautiful picture on a flat-screen TV or plan on projecting the action home-theater style, you’ll need a way for your guests to see the excitement. And with a soundbar, you can bring 3D audio into your living room, so everyone can feel the big hits and roar of the crowd. Below, we’ve selected the best tech gadgets and gear for hosting a legendary Super Bowl party, all from Walmart.com. They’ll make the big day bigger, brighter, and more delicious while allowing you to focus on your guests and the game equally. The name of this game is quality tech at a great price. Continued here

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Here's exactly how long it takes to beat 'Fire Emblem Engage' Fire Emblem Engage brings some welcome twists to combat in the long-running Nintendo strategy RPG series. This time around, you’ll be able to team up with characters from across Fire Emblem history for incredibly powerful attacks, adding a new layer of strategic depth. Like most strategy RPGs, it’s full of long, complex battles that demand patience and planning, especially on higher difficulties. So how long does it take to beat it? Fire Emblem Engage is lighter on relationship building and character development than its predecessor, but despite cutting back on the social features that dominated Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Engage is by no means a scaled-down experience. Here’s how long you can expect to spend in Fire Emblem Engage. Continued here

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'Animal Well' release window, trailer, and gameplay details for Bigmode's first game There are few video game YouTubers as well-known as Dunkey, and it was a massive surprise when the well-known reviewer and video essayist announced he was moving into the publishing business. Dunkey’s publishing label, Bigmode Games, seeks to find the most unique and imaginative indie games out there, something Dunkey says he’s always focused on. We finally know that Bigmode’s first game will be Animal Well, a Metroidvania-style puzzle game that’s been in development since 2017. With that, here’s everything you need to know about the intriguing, colorful title. Animal Well doesn’t currently have a release date or a release window, as Bigmode’s site simply says “To be announced.” The game is currently in development for PS5 and Pc, and it’s likely we’ll hear more on when to expect it sometime in 2023, especially as Bigmode starts to move forward as a publisher. Continued here

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'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' is the best Soulslike since 'Elden Ring' Developer FromSoftware’s Dark Souls games are known for their punishing combat and environmental storytelling, so much so that they’ve come to define the “Soulslike” subgenre. The upcoming Soulslike Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has plenty in common with Dark Souls and FromSoftware’s latest hit, Elden Ring, but Wo Long more closely resembles the fluidity present in the studio’s previous game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — or even the Nioh series. Ahead of the game’s spring 2023 release, Inverse got to try a lengthy preview for Wo Long, and for the most part, it’s an impressive offering — borrowing the design philosophies of FromSoftware’s best games like Elden Ring, while standing on its own and feeling more approachable. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action RPG developed by Team Ninja, the studio responsible for the Ninja Gaiden and Nioh series. It takes place in an alternate fantasy version of the Three Kingdoms period in China. Continued here

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'The Last of Us' episode 1 doesn't trust its audience enough The opening half-hour of The Last of Us is heart-wrenching. Even those who have played the original Naughty Dog game may still wince at the tragedy that protagonist Joel has to go through. It is a moment that works just as well on-screen as it did in the game, solidifying that this is a great adaptation. But when the premiere continues to revisit this moment again and again, it loses its weight and highlights the greatest flaw of HBO’s The Last of Us — it doesn’t trust its audience. Play it again — Joel’s daughter Sarah is an important figure in The Last of Us, despite dying in the opening moments. Her tragic end is the key explanation for Joel’s motivations and how he interacts with the world around him. The loss of his daughter also sets the stage for his tumultuous but transformative relationship with Ellie. Continued here

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Apple somehow made its new Mac mini faster and cheaper New year, new Mac mini. While everyone is eagerly awaiting an update on Apple’s rumored (but still very real) VR/AR headset, the company got busy announcing new M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pros and Mac minis instead. Though an upgrade to Apple’s smallest Mac device might not carry the same weight as a foray into a whole new product category, the new generation of Mac minis is worth recognizing for two significant perks: price and performance. Continued here