play | Common News Update

Apr92021 by adminNo Comments

Elon Musk’s brain implant firm teaches monkey to play Pong with its mind

Technology

Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink has released a video showing how it has taught a monkey - Pager, a nine-year-old macaque - to play the video game Pong with its mind.The video follows Mr Musk's assertion in February that the company has "a monkey with a wireless implant in their skull with tiny wires" that it uses to play video games. Neuralink Corporation, which Elon Musk owns alongside his SpaceX and Tesla businesses, previously claimed to have implanted coin-sized wireless sensors inside the brains of two pigs, describing the sensors as "a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires". Image: 'He's a happy monkey,' says Elon Musk At the time of the video, Pager was six weeks on from having had the Neuralink devices installed - o...

Mar312021 by adminNo Comments

Denis Leary stays in his lane, won’t play ‘Atticus Finch’ roles

Entertainment

NEW YORK, March 31 (UPI) -- Denis Leary, an actor and comedian known for his acerbic wit, says fans shouldn't hold their breath waiting for him to play a earnest hero. "I don't think you want me playing Atticus Finch," the 63-year-old Massachusetts native told reporters in a recent Zoom call, referring to the principled protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird. Advertisement "It sure would be interesting," Leary admitted. "I don't know. I like to play the bad guys. Everybody has their acting DNA, and the guy who is sort of the straight arrow is not my thing." The star of The Ref, Rescue Me, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, and the Ice Age animated film franchise now can be seen playing the prickly patriarch of the titular Chicago family in the Fox sitcom, The Moodys. Created by Rob Gree...

Feb112021 by adminNo Comments

To keep backyard animals safe from cats, offer more meat and play

Science

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- All grains and no play makes Garfield a hangry boy -- and it turns out, hangry cats are a greater threat to local wildlife. To keep small birds, mammals and reptiles safe from local cats, new research suggests caretakers offer their feline friends a diet rich in meat proteins and plenty of playtime. Advertisement According to the new study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, play that mimics the act of hunting is especially helpful in quieting the predatory instincts of domestic cats. "While keeping cats indoors is the only sure-fire way to prevent hunting, some owners are worried about the welfare implications of restricting their cat's outdoor access," study co-author Robbie McDonald said in a news release. "Our study shows that -- using entirely non-in...

Feb12021 by adminNo Comments

Elon Musk says he has wired up a monkey’s brain to play video games

Technology

Elon Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, claims another of his companies has wired up a monkey's brain to " play video games with his mind".Neuralink Corporation, which Mr Musk owns, previously claimed to have implanted coin-sized wireless sensors inside the brains of two pigs, describing the sensors as "a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires". In a speech on the private social app Clubhouse on Sunday evening, the entrepreneur said Neuralink has "a monkey with a wireless implant in their skull with tiny wires" which it is testing its technology on. Image: Neuralink had previously unveiled a pig with a computer chip in its brain. Pic: Neuralink "You can't see where the implant is and he's a happy monkey," Mr Musk...

Jan312021 by adminNo Comments

Google halts Play Store ‘review bombing’ by GameStop traders

Technology

Getty ImagesGoogle has removed a wave of negative reviews of popular stock-market trading apps targeted by furious investors.Platforms such as Robinhood have been hit after preventing independent traders buying GameStop and AMC shares.Users of a Reddit message board had managed to upset the market by buying the shares and inflating their value, hitting established hedge funds.Many online traders, feeling betrayed by Robinhood's restrictions, have hit back with critical reviews of the app.Google has removed tens of thousands of one-star reviews for the widely-used trading app - which had previously had a four-star average.It says it takes action when it sees "fake ratings", designed to manipulate a product's average score.But more one-star ratings - the minimum possible - have continued to ...