People are pretending to be 'NPCs' on TikTok and it's not just weird, it's also lucrative

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People are pretending to be 'NPCs' on TikTok and it's not just weird, it's also lucrative     The one constant the internet offers us is a continual rotation of trends. Months ago, the trend was people exhibiting “main character energy”. People were imagining themselves as main characters in their own life show: they were the ones who knew everyone’s name in the coffee shop, they were having the whirlwind romance, they were only accepting the best. Non-playable characters, or NPCs, are taking TikTok by storm. NPCs originate in video games. They are the background characters, the ones with repetitive movements and sayings, and no storylines. The main, playable, character can interact with them but only in limited ways. They are tools in someone else’s story. Continued here

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'No' to the Voice takes lead in Essential poll; huge swing to Libs at WA state byelection     Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted August 2–6 from a sample of 1,150, gave “no” to the Indigenous Voice to parliament a 47–43 lead, reversing a 47–43 lead for “yes” in this poll in early July. While Newspoll and Resolve polls had given “no” a lead in June, this is the first time “no” has led in Essential. Continued here

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The EU is making overtures for a post-Brexit defence collaboration with the UK - but London isn't listening     Michel Barnier, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, has suggested that the time is now right for the UK and EU to sign a treaty on defence and foreign policy cooperation. This is the clearest indication yet that the EU is interested in cultivating a new and improved foreign affairs relationship with the UK after Brexit. The bad news, however, is that the smoke signals from Brussels are unlikely to be positively received by the present UK government. Britain simply isn’t willing to consider a formal collaboration in these areas. Continued here

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Kenya's political dialogue is a welcome sign of democracy at work - if both sides understand their roles     Since Kenya’s presidential election in August 2022, the new government has been in conflict with the opposition. In democratic systems, such conflict is healthy; it can enhance governance. But it must not interfere with the government’s ability to perform its constitutional functions. Continued here

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Catharsis, courage, a tribal media and lingering questions: two investigative journalists give their accounts of the Ben Roberts-Smith story     To trace the spectacular fall from grace of Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, VC, you may face a dilemma – which newly released book to read? Nine investigative journalist Nick McKenzie, and his mentor, veteran investigative reporter, Chris Masters, have both written rival book-length accounts of their investigation into the fallen war hero. Continued here

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The evolutionary reasons humans love pets - and nine benefits of having one     We’ve all read stories about owners’ love for their pets, but you might be taken aback to hear how some people are willing to spend thousands of pounds on vet care for small animals like guinea-pigs and hamsters. A Guardian journalist recently reported spending £2,000 on vet bills for her guinea-pig, Ruby. It really doesn’t matter what species an animal is if they meet a strong biological need. There may be deep-rooted biological reasons why we enjoy caring for pets. In fact, there are several evolutionary theories about why humans keep pets. Continued here

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A national university for regional Australia isn't necessarily a smart idea. Here's why     One of the headline ideas floated by the Universities Accord interim report is a second national university. This would be on top of the existing Australian National University in Canberra. The basic idea is regional universities could opt in to become part of the new national university. Continued here

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Ukraine war: why a ceasefire based on partition of territory won't work     Even as Ukraine’s counteroffensive pushes slowly forward, some observers are calling for the warring sides to negotiate a ceasefire. This would create a de facto demarcation line separating areas held by Ukrainian forces from those under Russian control at the moment the fighting stops. Others argue, however, that a ceasefire is unlikely to lead to a durable settlement. For Ukraine, a truce would mean giving its adversary time to regain strength for renewed aggression, while abandoning its citizens to the horrors of occupation in Russian-controlled areas. Continued here

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Internet shutdowns: here's how governments do it     Senegal’s government has shut down internet access in response to protests about the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. This is a tactic governments are increasingly used during times of political contention, such as elections or social upheaval. The shutdowns can be partial or total, temporary or prolonged. They may target specific platforms, regions, or an entire country.It’s important to understand the complex technicalities behind internet shutdowns, for at least two reasons. Continued here

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How the work of Adam Smith could help solve the UK skills gap     Tackling the UK’s productivity problem will require long-term public investment in quality education aimed at closing the skills gap and boosting equality – a plan the 18th-century economist Adam Smith would certainly have agreed with.Smith – whose tercentenary we celebrate this year – was a pioneer of economics. He was one of the greatest thinkers the world has seen and an alumnus of the University of Glasgow. He was tied to education throughout his life; first, as a student at Glasgow aged 14, and later as a teacher, professor, Praeses (unofficial vice-rector) and rector of the university. Continued here

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Film camera departments operate on a system of who you know, so what happens when you're not a member of the in-group?     Concerns about power imbalances and toxic working environments in the film and TV industries long pre-date the emergence of #metoo as a global rallying cry against sexual assault and harassment on set. Well-intentioned policymakers have made many attempts to intervene over the past 50 years or so, focusing primarily on addressing gender imbalances using a “just add women and stir” approach. Continued here

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Darwin's 'sustainable' Middle Arm project reveals Australia's huge climate policy gamble     Protesters rallied at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday, railing against Darwin’s controversial Middle Arm venture which critics say would benefit the gas industry.The project has been thrust into the headlines of late. Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles drew the ire of critics last week in a speech to the National Press Club where she insisted her government was “not for turning” on the project. Continued here

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Infanticide: vulnerable mothers who kill their babies can be granted leniency - so why is this historic law being rejected in favour of harsher punishment?     Paris Mayo gave birth to her son Stanley alone – at home, in silence, while her parents and brother were upstairs. Mayo claimed not to have known she was pregnant, and no one at her school or within her family had noticed her condition. She was 15 years old.Within an hour of his birth, Stanley was dead. Mayo claimed he had “fallen out” of her as she laboured, hit his head and hadn’t moved. She then put his body in a bin bag and asked her brother to take it out with the rubbish. Continued here

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Why the growth of AI in making art won't eliminate artists     Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been in the news, most recently concerning the Hollywood actors’ strike about the potential impact of AI in filmmaking.Another story involved AI being used to replicate the voice of the Canadian rapper Drake in a track that went viral.These stories raise questions about performers’ rights, and also lead people to wonder: will AI replace artists? Continued here

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One year to go: Will the Paris 2024 Olympics see a return to normalcy?     We haven’t had a “normal” Olympic Games since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Games and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games were both affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in significant changes and schedule disruptions.There were virtually no spectators, strict COVID-19 protocols for anyone involved in the Games, budget issues, no corporate hospitality, reduced community engagement and a lackluster atmosphere in the two host cities. Continued here

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Kamala Harris has tied the record for the most tie-breaking votes in Senate history - a brief overview of what vice presidents do     On Jan. 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first African American, the first person of South Asian descent and the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States.More recently, she made history again by casting her 31st tie-breaking vote in the Senate, matching only one other vice president’s record for such votes. John C. Calhoun, who was vice president from 1825 to 1832, needed all eight years of his term to reach that number. In contrast, Harris has only been in office for two and a half years. Continued here

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Thank God You're Here is back. Its success proves Australian TV is the perfect home for improv comedy     Stayci Taylor is affiliated with the Vancouver TheatreSports League as an alumnus, and as Artistic Director of Dunedin Improv Inc (1991) benefitted from the United Bank sponsorship of Theatre Sports in New Zealand. Improvised comedy TV show Thank God You’re Here returned last Wednesday after a 14 year hiatus, with its premiere drawing an impressive 684,000 viewers. Continued here

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Eileen Isagon Skyers: In the age of AI art, what can originality look like?     What happens when human and machine creativity meet? From an AI model trained on classic works to generate a seemingly infinite stream of portraits to a neural network that envisions otherworldly life-forms in impossible detail, media art curator Eileen Isagon Skyers showcases mind-bending art that embraces our increasingly technological future, showing how AI can stretch the scope of human imagination and help create worlds we could never design alone. Continued here

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Prostate cancer treatment is not always the best option -     “Me encontraron càncer en la pròstata,” my father told me. They found cancer in my prostate. “The urologist wants me to see the radiation oncologist to discuss ‘semillas’ [seeds],” he said. “They are recommending treatment.” Continued here

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How 25 years of education policy led us to believe we can only succeed in life with a degree     The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is putting measures in place to restrict student numbers on what he has termed “rip-off degrees”: university courses that have high drop-out rates and are unlikely to lead to highly skilled jobs. Instead, the government is promoting apprenticeships, through which young people train for a specific career while in employment. Ucas, the universities admissions service, is making it easier for applicants to compare degree options with apprenticeships. Continued here

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Is the Great Barrier Reef reviving -     The Great Barrier Reef is not dead. Nor is it in good health. The truth is complex. To understand what’s going on takes more than a headline. For the last 37 years, our organisation has monitored the health of the world’s largest reef. Each year, we add our findings to our dataset, the Reef’s longest running and largest coverage. This lets us produce annual updates for the northern, central and southern regions of the Reef. That makes us perhaps the team best qualified to answer the question many people have – how is the Reef going? Continued here

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Worldcoin is scanning eyeballs to build a global ID and finance system. Governments are not impressed     Millions of people worldwide are lining up to stare into a silver sphere about the size of a bowling ball so their irises can be scanned in exchange for online identity verification and “free” cryptocurrency. The silver spheres, known as “Orbs”, are part of the Worldcoin platform, which officially launched in July 2023 after an 18-month testing phase. Led by Sam Altman (chief executive of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT) and entrepreneur Alex Blania, Worldcoin offers users a “digital passport” known as World ID and small allocations of a cryptocurrency token also called Worldcoin (WLD), “simply for being human”. Continued here

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Older 'sandwich generation' Californians spent more time with parents and less with grandkids after paid family leave law took effect     A California law that mandates paid family leave has led to adults in their 50s, 60s and 70s spending more time taking care of their parents and less time being their grandkids’ caregivers.The law requires all employers to allow eligible workers to take up to six weeks of paid leave to care for newborns, newly adopted children or seriously ill family members. Continued here

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South African women: violence, health and money issues among 5 biggest obstacles that stand in their way     Every year on 9 August South Africa celebrates Women’s Day, marking an important moment in the country’s history. This was the day in 1956 when women marched to the seat of government, the Union Buildings in Pretoria, to protest against legislation aimed at tightening the apartheid government’s control over the movement of black women in urban areas.Today, Women’s Day is also used to draw attention to the issues women still face throughout South Africa. Continued here

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Rhyme and reason - why a university professor uses poetry to teach math     Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. I have always enjoyed writing poetry. As a high school mathematics teacher, I recall telling my students that everything is and can be connected to math, even creative writing. Then, as a graduate student, I read about people using “I am” poem templates for young people to express who they are through a series of “I am” statements, and I thought to myself, where is the “I am” math poem template? So I created one. Continued here

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Manipur violence: Why has India's government been slow to respond?     A mass burial for 35 people from the Kuki tribe killed in ethnic violence in India’s Manipur state was recently put on hold after opposition from the state’s Meitei community. The dispute over the burial site is the latest episode in an ethnic conflict that has rocked Manipur. For months, Manipur in northeastern India has seen ethno-religious violence between the majority Hindu Meitei community and the Kuki and Naga tribal communities who are predominately Christian. Continued here

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Net zero: can cities become carbon-neutral on their own? Here's what the evidence suggests     Head of Economics and Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, University of Glasgow More than two-thirds (67%) of the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change originated in cities in 2020. It is not surprising, therefore, that mayors have joined national politicians in setting targets for reducing emissions within their jurisdictions. Continued here

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Wilko is the latest shop to be edged out by competition but it doesn't have to mean the end for the budget retailer     By selling pick ‘n’ mix, stationery, garden tools and bird boxes, Wilko has spent the last 90 years transforming from a one-store business into one of the UK’s major budget retail players. It now has around 400 stores, but it has also become the latest high street shop to face serious financial troubles.The decline of Wilko has been gradual and predicted. It reported losses over the last four years, and closed 15 stores last year after attempts to restructure the business.More changes to its business will now be needed, including further store closures and job losses as the company files for administration. This doesn’t mean failure - yet. Continued here

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Ozempic is in the spotlight but it's just the latest in a long and strange history of weight-loss drugs     Losing weight conveniently, cheaply, safely. That’s been the holy grail of weight-loss ever since 19th century English undertaker and weight-loss celebrity William Banting’s 1863 Letter on Corpulence spruiked his “miraculous” method of slimming down.Since then, humans have tried many things – diet, exercise, psychotherapy, surgery – to lose weight. But time and again we return to the promise of a weight-loss drug, whether it’s a pill, injection, or tonic. A “diet drug”. Continued here

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Can physical activity boost our resilience to rising temperatures?     Chercheur postdoctoral en sciences de l'activité physique, Université de Montréal Climate change, a high prevalence of chronic diseases and alarming levels of physical inactivity are three of the central challenges we face in the 21st century. Continued here