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Aujourd’hui — 29 mars 2024Divers

StackSkills Unlimited Courses Are $35 Right Now

You can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited courses on sale for $34.97 right now (normally $600) until April 2. StackSkills Unlimited is an online learning platform that offers thousands of training courses. They aren’t a replacement for college courses, degrees, or certifications—instead, think of them as a way to learn about a subject you didn’t take or pay enough attention to in school. StackSkills Unlimited has courses in IT, web design, coding, language learning, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, business, marketing, and more. You’ll get instant access to over a thousand courses, with over 50 new courses added each month.

You can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited courses on sale for $34.97 right now (normally $600) until April 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

How I Cleaned My Stainless Steel Sink Without Spending Extra Money

There is a wide variety of ways to clean and buff a stainless steel sink. Some require the purchase of specialty products, and others are more reliant on household materials and DIY hacks.

While I won't dissuade you if you want to choose a ready-made, store-bought solution like Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner, I did some testing to determine whether or not the cheaper methods work—and experienced some success. It turns out all you may need to clean your stainless steel sink is a melamine sponge and regular old baking soda.

How to clean a stainless steel sink with baking soda

Because I am a renter, my sink, like everything else in my apartment, came to me "pre-loved"—and it shows. It shows some serious scratches, evidence of its long history of being used to clean up cookware messes I can only imagine. A big part of cleaning stainless steel involves scuffing out minor scratches, which is why the internet is filled with recommendations for using abrasive cleaners or other granular agents. I opted for baking soda as my cleaning agent.

I next had to choose my cleaning implement. Perennial wisdom may tell you that you can use lemon wedges to remove stains, but in my experience, lemon-based hacks are hit or miss. I split the difference by choosing a lemon-scented S.O.S. steel wool pad

A dirty stainless steel sink
Before! Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

The first step to cleaning the sink is removing any dishes and wiping away any obvious residue. Since I just did a massive dish-cleaning session, my sink was extra grimy, so I pulled out a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy and scrubbed every inch.

Next, I sprinkled plain baking soda all over the sink. It’s abrasive, but mildly, so it’s perfect for removing light scratches and polishing the steel. I scrubbed the baking soda with the Magic Eraser, then rinsed and looked for lingering, more serious scratches or stains. I then used my S.O.S. pad to lightly buff at those spots, and saw a little improvement. Obviously, it’s hard to remove deep scratches by hand, but what little polishing I did had a noticeable effect.

I then rinsed out the sink again, and dried it with a soft cloth before applying a light layer of baby oil as a cheap, efficient polish. 

A clean stainless steel sink
After! Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Overall, I was pleased with my low-cost, minimal effort results. If you're dealing with more stubborn stains, you can spring for an abrasive specialty cleaner like Bar Keepers Friend, but it's hard for me to justify the purchase when I only deep clean my sink every month or so. The baking soda worked perfectly well at buffing and shining my stainless steel sink, and I didn’t have to spend anything to do it, since I used products I already had on hand. 

Strange Tax Deductions You Might Not Know About

While most of us are familiar with the common tax deductions like mortgage interest, charitable donations, and retirement contributions, there are plenty of unexpected deductions and other little-known uses for pre-tax money.

Tax deductions you might not be aware of

Andy Phillips, Director of H&R Block’s Tax Institute, says that with the April 15 deadline fast approaching, his tax experts are getting plenty of unconventional questions from filers looking to maximize every deduction available to them. Phillips shared some of the strangest tax deductions people have claimed and actually gotten away with:

  • Gambling losses. While gambling winnings are taxable income, the IRS allows taxpayers to deduct their gambling losses up to the amount of their winnings. This deduction is often claimed by professional gamblers and those who frequent casinos.

  • Snacks. Daycares can deduct set amounts for the breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided to children in their care. 

  • Your pool or hot tub. If you are self-employed and use your backyard pool or hot tub to entertain clients or employees, you may be able to deduct a portion of your operating costs and even the initial installation. Just make sure to carefully document the business uses.

  • Tampons. Menstrual care products like tampons and pads are qualified expenses you can pay with your health savings account.

  • Pet food. For the most part, deducting medical expenses for pets is not allowed as a medical expense on your tax return. The only exception would be when an animal is a certified service animal, like a guide dog, to assist you. Service animals generally aren’t considered pets though. If you have a physical disability or are hearing or visually impaired, you can deduct medical expenses for your pets if they are certified service animals. Expenses that may be covered include purchasing, training and maintenance of the animal which includes food, grooming and medical care.

  • Some cosmetic surgeries. A taxpayer can deduct as medical expenses amounts paid for cosmetic surgery necessary to improve a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease. Breast reconstruction after cancer is an example of a deductible surgery. Vision correction surgery is another example of a deductible procedure. 

  • Clarinet lessons. Believe it or not, the IRS has allowed deductions for clarinet lessons as a medical expense in certain circumstances where the lessons were recommended by a doctor to help treat a health condition like stammering or neurological issues. You'll need a physician's letter to claim this one.

  • EV chargers. If you install an electric vehicle charger in your home, you may be eligible for a tax credit. 

  • Construction expenses. If you build a house, construction expenses you can include in the basis of your home include land, materials, architect fees, building inspection fees, and building permit fees. 

Phillips shares some more unexpected facts about deductions; for instance, people who are wrongfully incarcerated may be able to exclude settlement money they receive to compensate them. If you’re at least 65 years old or blind, you can claim an additional standard deduction on your tax return. And if you’re just starting to repay your student loans for the first time, you might not know that most taxpayers can deduct up to $2,500 of student loan interest payments each year. 

Remember to keep accurate records and consult with a tax professional if you have any questions or concerns. While the above deductions might not apply to you, there are still plenty of deductions to make sure you're taking advantage of—like home office perks or retirement contributions. And if you want to avoid the April 15 scramble, be sure to check out the best filing services for 2024.

Hier — 28 mars 2024Divers

You Can Get an Apple Vision Pro for $200 Off, If It Fits

The Apple Vision Pro, arguably the most impressive virtual reality and augmented reality headset available for public consumption, is seeing its first significant discount. Woot is selling new 256 GB Apple Vision Pros for $3,299—a $200 discount—but only in the small Solo Knit Band size and 21W Light Seal.

This sale on the Apple Vision Pro will go on until the end of February. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. (Heads up, though: Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S.)

Of course, $3,299 is still a whopping amount of money and not everyone's head will fit in the small band and 21W seal. If you have an Apple store close by, you can go and get yourself measured to see if the small band and 21W seal will fit you. If you're not that patient, you can see Apple's breakdown of what each measurement means in the screenshot below.

Apple VIsion Pro measurements
Credit: Screenshot from Apple website

The /r/VisionPro Reddit page also has a helpful breakdown of the sizes. And if you're more of a visual person, this video does a good job of giving you an idea of what to expect from the different sizes.

Le réchauffement climatique ralentit la rotation de la Terre !

Pour être plus précis : le changement climatique modifie la vitesse de rotation de la Terre, le ralentissant alors que la tendance naturelle de notre planète est d'aller en accélérant. Un phénomène qui pourrait bien avoir un impact sur la façon dont nous mesurons le temps...

Oregon Just Passed a Monumental ‘Right to Repair’ Law

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek officially signed a new "Right to Repair" law on Wednesday that will make it much easier to repair our stuff—at least in the state of Oregon.

Much of the law follows in the footsteps of Right to Repair legislation passed by New York, Minnesota, and California: Tech companies that sell their products in Oregon will need to allow customers and third-party repair stores to buy things like parts, tools, and schematics for most electronic devices. The law retroactively applies to these devices, as well: It applies to smartphones released on July 1, 2021 and newer, and most other electronic devices sold on or after July 1, 2015. That means, if you live in Oregon, Apple will need to let you buy parts for that MacBook you bought almost nine years ago.

While these impacts alone would be a welcome change, what sets this Oregon law apart from the other three states is that is bans "parts pairing," a term that describes when companies prevent unauthorized parts from functioning in their devices. Parts pairing can also brick features of your device when these unauthorized parts are installed. We saw this with Apple with the iPhone 13: If you replaced the display with an unauthorized screen, iOS would shut off Face ID. (Apple later reversed course.)

But rather than rely on public backlash to bully companies into doing the right thing, Oregon's new law will ensure no company selling electronics in the state will be able to take away functionality because a user installs a part they don't approve of. Unlike the other side of the law, however, parts pairing legislation is not retroactive: It will only apply to devices made after Jan. 1, 2025. So while your existing electronics like phones and laptops can continue employ parts pairing policies, anything you buy in Oregon in 2025 will be banned from doing so.

What does this mean for repairability?

If you live in Oregon, your ability to repair your own products is improving dramatically—especially with devices you buy next year. But what's so great about this law is that it doesn't just apply to the devices we think of when we talk about repairability: It also applies to most electronic devices you own. If your smartwatch breaks, or you can't seem to clean with your vacuum anymore, those manufacturers need to offer you the option to purchase tools that can fix your devices, rather than force you to buy new ones.

The major exceptions here are medical devices, farm equipment, devices that run on an internal combustion engine (your gas-powered car isn't covered, unfortunately), or video game consoles. So while Microsoft might not need to worry about helping you repair your Xbox, it will need to offer parts and documentation for your Surface.

Right to Repair is really all about two things: The first is empowering consumers to continue using the devices they paid for. Companies have gotten us too used to abandoning cheap products once they fall apart. If the law makes them offer ways to repair these products, not only will we be able to fix our devices more easily, but we should see companies start to make more durable products as well—at least, that's the hope.

The second part of the movement, however, tries to put the power in the hands of the consumer when it comes time to repair those devices. Sure, fixing your tech is great, but if it costs an arm and a leg because you're forced to do it the way the manufacturer wants you to, it's hardly better than buying something new. Allowing customers and third-party repair shops access to parts and documentation levels the playing field, and makes repairs more affordable for everyone.

As states pass these laws, we're seeing improvements for everyone: Apple has a self repair program that allows anyone to buy genuine Apple parts and follow instructions for fixing their own products, as does Samsung. They're far from perfect though: Apple's program in particular is expensive. Hopefully, the more Right to Repair laws that pass, the more accessible these self repairs become.

YouTube Is Testing a Feature That Uses AI to Skip to the Best Parts of a Video

YouTube is always trying out new features for its users, which they call experiments. The latest experimental feature is called Jump Ahead, which purports to skip to the best part of a YouTube video for you.

The new feature works in conjunction with the double tap feature already available in the YouTube app on Android or iOS, which lets you hop forward in a video in 10-second increments until you've reached the portion that interests you.

The Jump Ahead feature will analyze that user watch data and couple it with machine learning algorithms to automatically detect what it believes is the next "best" point in a video that a viewer may be interested in, and offer a prompt to take you to that point via an onscreen Jump Ahead button.

YouTube says the Jump Ahead feature will work for creators when watching their own videos, even if they aren't currently subscribed to YouTube Premium. Otherwise, the Jump Ahead feature is currently being tested with a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. There's no word as to when the feature could roll out more widely.

Previously, YouTube introduced similar functionality in the form of a graph integrated into a video's progress bar that shows you the "most replayed" parts of that video. Initially, the most replayed feature was similarly exclusive to YouTube Premium subscribers, so there's always a chance that, if proven popular and effective, Jump Ahead could become an all-access option in the future. Last year, the company also tested, then removed, then reintroduced the option to watch any video in double speed by pressing and holding on the video player from within the YouTube app.

Les IA savent faire les meilleures bières

L’IA a aussi du palais. Des chercheurs de la KU Leuven, en Belgique, ont développé un modèle d’apprentissage automatique qui peut générer des arômes de bière plus attrayants pour les consommateurs. L’IA sait prédire la saveur et l’appréciation du consommateur à partir de la seule composition...

The Pixel 8 Is Getting Gemini Nano AI Features After All

After citing "hardware limitations" as the main reason why Google's Gemini Nano wouldn't come to the cheaper Pixel 8, the tech giant seems to have found a way to make it work after all.

According to reports from TechCrunch, Google has announced plans to roll out on-device AI features such as recording summaries and smart replies to the Pixel 8. These features have previously been locked to the Pixel 8 Pro, as Google said it had no plans to bring those Nano-powered features to the base Pixel 8 due to differences in the hardware.

For the most part, Google has mostly relied on AI-powered features that rely on the cloud. But now that the company is bringing its features to work on-device, it's (hopefully) going to open a lot of doors for faster processing and response times.

It is interesting to see Google going back on its claims that Nano-powered features wouldn't run on the Pixel 8. It's very likely that the company didn't see a way to make it work on the lower amount of RAM that the Pixel 8 sports—it offers only 8GB of RAM compared to the 12GB of RAM found in the Pixel 8 Pro. However, after some "testing and validation," the company is ready to push it out to the Pixel 8 in the latest Android developer build.

This is good news for Pixel 8 owners, as Google will hopefully continue to bring new Nano-powered features to the base Pixel 8 series device. And, if the company can get the AI to work on that base model, it might also be able to get some things to work on the upcoming Pixel 8a, which is rumored to contain very similar specs to the mainline Pixel 8 series.

There was, of course, a lot of uproar when Google said the Pixel 8 wouldn't offer Nano-powered features. Most notably, the "hardware limitations" reasoning given made it seem like a ploy to push more Pixel 8 Pro sales on consumers.

However, with Samsung bringing Galaxy AI features to older Galaxy devices, it makes no sense for Google to claim such issues, especially since many of the same features found in Samsung's phones rely on Google's AI development to run.

No real release date for the AI features has been given, though Google has said it will begin testing them in the next PIxel 8 developer build.

Cette sonde spatiale a déjà découvert 5 000 comètes en observant le Soleil

Depuis 1996, le satellite SoHO observe le Soleil. Les données qui ne cessent de s’accumuler nous permettent ainsi de mieux comprendre la structure interne de notre Étoile, ainsi que les processus à l’origine du vent solaire et de la couronne. Mais ce n’est pas tout ! Car depuis sa position...

Bluffant : cette intelligence artificielle parle de vive voix et réagit à vos émotions

Hume vient de dévoiler Evi, sa nouvelle IA dotée d’une intelligence émotionnelle qui détecte vos émotions et y répond. Sa capacité à tenir une conversation de manière naturelle de vive voix est bluffante.

Mory Sacko, porteur d'une cuisine "qui n’existe nulle part ailleurs"

Mory Sacko a banni le mot « fusion » de son vocabulaire. « Nous ne mélangeons pas les gastronomies, il s’agit plutôt d’un dialogue entre différentes cultures », explique-t-il à propos de MoSuke, son premier restaurant qui a ouvert ses portes à Paris en 2020. Les cuisines française, africaine et japonaise y sont au menu et chaque plat est une œuvre d’art à trois volets avec ses propres ingrédients, saveurs et textures.  

« C’est une cuisine qui n’existe nulle part ailleurs, parce qu’à travers elle, je raconte ma propre histoire », poursuit Mory Sacko. Cette dernière, il l’illustre également avec sa tenue. Au travail, il porte la veste de cuisine blanche dont sont traditionnellement vêtus les chefs mais il a fait personnaliser celle-ci : elle est ornée de tissu wax africain et, au lieu d’un double boutonnage classique, elle enveloppe son corps comme un kimono japonais.

Mory Sacko est le premier d’une fratrie de huit enfants nés en France. Son père, d’origine malienne, travaillait dans le bâtiment, tandis que sa mère, élevée au Sénégal, était femme de ménage. Il a grandi en Seine-et-Marne, dans la banlieue parisienne. Ses parents parlaient deux langues à la maison, le soninké et le bambara, et cuisinaient essentiellement des plats d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Parallèlement, le jeune Mory Sacko a nourri une passion pour les mangas et les animés japonais. Des bols de ramen et des onigiris étaient constamment consommés dans les œuvres comme Naruto, Pokémon et One Piece, et il ne pouvait s’empêcher de se demander si les plats de ces programmes diffusés à la télévision étaient aussi bons dans la vraie vie qu’ils le semblaient à l’écran. 

Au milieu de son adolescence, Mory Sacko s’est inscrit dans un établissement d’enseignement secondaire spécialisé dans l’hôtellerie et la restauration, avant de commencer sa carrière en cuisine. C’est en travaillant avec le chef Hans Zahner dans un restaurant de l’hôtel cinq étoiles le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris, et en étant mis au défi de créer un nouveau plat, qu’une étincelle s’est animée en lui et qu’il a vraiment pris goût à la cuisine. « J’ai commencé à penser à la gastronomie et à m’endormir en imaginant des plats », raconte-t-il.

Inspiré par sa passion d’enfance pour le Japon, il a commencé à faire des expérimentations avec des ingrédients tels que le miso, le yuzu et le shichimi togarashi, un mélange d’épices, en complément de sa formation en cuisine française classique. Il a également puisé dans son héritage africain en tentant à plusieurs reprises, en vain, de recréer le mafé, un ragoût à base d’arachides, de sa mère. « Je me suis dit : "au lieu de rechercher cette saveur spécifique, crée ta propre recette" », se souvient-il. Mory Sacko a donc décidé d’utiliser de la pâte miso pour épicer, ce qui a permis de réinventer ce plat typique, conservant ainsi le côté réconfortant du mafé tout en l’alliant à la complexité de l’umami, la cinquième saveur japonaise. 

Désireux de consacrer plus de temps à l’expérimentation et au développement de son propre style de cuisine, Mory Sacko a ouvert MoSuke. Le nom du restaurant est une combinaison de son prénom et de Yasuke, un Africain du 16ᵉ siècle, probablement originaire du Mozambique, qui a échappé à l’esclavage en devenant samouraï dans le Japon féodal. Yasuke est estimé comme avoir été le seul samouraï noir de l’histoire. Mory Sacko a voulu intégrer ce récit historique à l’âme de son établissement pour symboliser le rapprochement des cultures africaine et japonaise. Cette vision s’est avérée très populaire : les tables sont prises d’assaut dès que les réservations sont ouvertes, des mois à l’avance.

Mory Sacko fait partie d’une nouvelle génération qui introduit la diversité culturelle dans la gastronomie française. Il est l’un des rares chefs de couleur à être sous les feux des projecteurs en France. Il a participé à l’édition 2020 de Top Chef et anime sur France 3 sa propre émission de cuisine, Cuisine ouverte. En 2022, lorsqu’il a fallu sélectionner le chef qui cuisinerait pour le président Emmanuel Macron lors d’un Sommet Afrique-France, c’est Mory Sacko qui a été choisi. 

Toute la reconnaissance qui lui est aujourd’hui montrée est bien loin de l’image que donnait la scène gastronomique française à ses débuts, lorsqu’il cherchait en vain des chefs à la peau noire comme modèles. « S’il y a une chose que je peux faire, c’est inspirer les autres et montrer qu’être un chef noir et viser une étoile Michelin n’est pas quelque chose d’extraordinaire », déclare-t-il. Le restaurant de Mory Sacko a reçu son étoile en 2021. Aujourd’hui, le chef est inspiré par ses confrères noirs tels que Marcel Ravin, dont le restaurant Blue Bay de Monte-Carlo a reçu la première de ses deux étoiles Michelin en 2015, ou encore son amie Georgiana Viou, dont le restaurant Rouge de Nîmes en a reçu une au début de l’année.

Outre la promotion de la diversité raciale, Mory Sacko s’engage également en faveur du développement durable. « Si nous voulons continuer à exercer ce métier dans les trente prochaines années, nous devons trouver des solutions », affirme-t-il. Si Mory Sacko tire son inspiration d’autres continents, celui-ci tient néanmoins à importer le moins d’ingrédients possible. Il expérimente par exemple la fabrication de son propre miso, plutôt que de le commander au Japon. Au lieu d’utiliser le traditionnel koji de haricots, son équipe travaille sur la fermentation de niébés, originaires d’Afrique. Le processus dure deux mois et fournira au restaurant suffisamment de miso pour un an. Pour les agrumes japonais tels que le yuzu et le sudachi, Mory Sacko travaille avec un agriculteur situé aux alentours de Carcassonne. Lorsque certains produits doivent être importés, il s’assure que ceux-ci sont de saison et conservés de manière à durer le plus longtemps possible. C’est le cas des piments de Côte d’Ivoire, qui sont séchés, puis fermentés.

Bien qu’il soit à la tête d’un établissement gastronomique et qu’il ait même été accueilli en résidence au restaurant de la marque de luxe Louis Vuitton à Saint-Tropez l’été dernier, Mory Sacko tient à ce que sa cuisine soit aussi accessible que possible. « Il y a vingt ans, les restaurants étoilés étaient réservés à une élite. Aujourd’hui, la bonne cuisine se partage beaucoup plus facilement », explique-t-il. « Les réseaux sociaux ont démocratisé la gastronomie. »

En effet, certains de ses followers l’ont contacté pour lui dire qu’ils désiraient goûter sa cuisine mais qu’ils n’avaient pas les moyens d’aller dîner chez MoSuke. C’est ce qui l’a incité à lancer MOSUGO, un restaurant qui propose de la street food et pour lequel des pop-up stores ont également vu le jour dans tout Paris. Le concept consiste à réimaginer de manière gastronomique la nourriture classique de fast food, comme un hamburger au poulet frit avec de la mayonnaise au miso, des pickles de concombre et de l’emmental. « Je ne veux pas être perçu comme un chef gastronomique perché dans sa tour d’ivoire proposant un menu à 200 euros », déclare Mory Sacko. « Je veux que ma cuisine soit accessible au plus grand nombre, pour que tout le monde puisse y goûter. »

Cet automne, le chef a ouvert un nouveau restaurant au centre de Paris, le Lafayette’s, qui sert des plats d’inspiration française et américaine dans un décor de brasserie. Dans le même temps, il continue à cuisiner au MoSuke, fermant même l’établissement lorsqu’il est absent. Malgré un dévouement évident à son métier, il se détache de ses plats une fois ceux-ci présentés à ses clients. « Dès que le plat est servi, il ne m’appartient plus », en convient-il. « Il appartient au client, qui y trouvera ce qui résonnera en lui. »

Cet article a initialement paru dans le magazine National Geographic Traveller en langue anglaise.

There’s a New King of the Chatbots, and It’s Not ChatGPT

If you asked the general public what the best AI model was, chances are good most people would respond with ChatGPT. While there are many players on the scene in 2024, OpenAI's LLM is the one that really broke through and introduced powerful generative AI to the masses. And as it would happen, ChatGPT's Large Language Model (LLM), GPT, has consistently ranked as the top performer among its peers, from the introduction of GPT-3.5, to GPT-4, and currently, GPT-4 Turbo.

But the tide seems to be turning: This week, Claude 3 Opus, Anthropic's LLM, overtook GPT-4 on Chatbot Arena for the first time, prompting app developer Nick Dobos to declare, "The king is dead." If you check the leaderboard as of the time of this writing, Claude still has the edge over GPT: Claude 3 Opus has an Arena Elo ranking of 1253, while GPT-4-1106-preview has a ranking of 1251, followed closely by GPT-4-0125-preview, with a ranking of 1248.

For what's it's worth, Chatbot Arena ranks all three of these LLMs in first place, but Claude 3 Opus does have the slight advantage.

Anthropic's other LLMs are performing well, too. Claude 3 Sonnet ranks fifth on the list, just below Google's Gemini Pro (both are ranked in fourth place), while Claude 3 Haiku, Anthropic's lower-end LLM for efficient processing, ranks just below a version 0613 of GPT-4, but just above version 0613 of GPT-4.

How Chatbot Arena ranks LLMs

To rank the various LLMs that currently available, Chatbot Arena asks users to enter a prompt and judge how two different, unnamed models respond. Users can continue chatting to evaluate the difference between the two, until they decide on which model they think performed better. Users don't know which models they're comparing (you could be pitting Claude vs. ChatGPT, Gemini vs. Meta's Llama, etc.), which eliminates any bias due to brand preference.

Unlike other types of benchmarking, however, there is no true rubric for users to rate their anonymous models against. Users can simply decide for themselves which LLM performs better, based on whatever metrics they themselves care about. As AI researcher Simon Willison tells Ars Technica, much of what makes LLMs perform better in the eyes of users is more about "vibes" than anything else. If you like the way Claude responds more than ChatGPT, that's all that really matters.

Above all, it's a testament to how powerful these LLMs have become. If you offered this same test years ago, you would likely be looking for more standardized data to identify which LLM was stronger, whether that was speed, accuracy, or coherence. Now, Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini are getting so good, they're almost interchangeable, at least as far as general generative AI use goes.

While it's impressive that Claude has surpassed OpenAI's LLM for the first time, it's arguably more impressive that GPT-4 held out this long. The LLM itself is a year old, minus iterative updates like GPT-4 Turbo, while Claude 3 launched this month. Who knows what will happen when OpenAI rolls out GPT-5, which, at least according to one anonymous CEO, is, "...really good, like materially better." For now, there are multiple generative AI models, each just about as effective as each other.

Chatbot Arena has amassed over 400,000 human votes to rank these LLMs. You can try out the test for yourself and add your voice to the rankings.

La Nasa dévoile les instruments qui iront sur la Lune et sème la première graine d’une agriculture lunaire

La Nasa, toujours convaincue qu'Artemis III se posera sur la Lune fin 2026, vient tout juste de révéler les premiers instruments qui seront utilisés par les astronautes lors de cette mission historique, plus de 50 ans après Apollo 17. 

Suède : ce train de nuit vous emmènera tout droit aux aurores boréales

Les voyageurs qui prennent le train de 17 heures reliant Stockholm à Abisko ont un objectif commun : voir des aurores boréales. Cette petite ville, située à 250 kilomètres au nord du cercle polaire arctique, est l'une des localités les plus septentrionales d'Europe, au ciel particulièrement dégagé, ce qui en fait une destinaion de choix pour les chasseurs d'aurores. Le microclimat unique du village produit un phénomène de « trou bleu », des courants-jets dégageant le ciel et augmentant les chances d'observer des aurores.

Installée dans mon siège côté fenêtre, je plonge mon regard dans l'obscurité. Les amateurs d'aurores boréales ont tout intérêt à se rendre à Abisko. En 2024, les experts affirment que l'activité solaire atteindra un pic (appelé « maximum solaire ») qui se produit tous les onze ans environ.

« Quand l'activité solaire est forte, les aurores envahissent le ciel nocturne, un véritable kaléidoscope de couleurs en perpétuel mouvement », décrit l'astronome John Mason

 

LUMIÈRE NATURELLE

Le train part de Stockholm à 18 heures tous les jours et arrive au petit matin, quand une douce lumière rose enveloppe les plaines enneigées de Sápmi, le territoire traditionnel du peuple sami, qui englobe le nord de la Norvège, la Suède, la Finlande et la péninsule de Kola, en Russie.

Quelques tour-opérateurs organisent des excursions de jour à partir d'Abisko, notamment pour la pêche et l'escalade sur glace, des expériences culturelles samies, l'observation des élans et des excursions photographiques dans les fjords norvégiens avoisinants.

Mais les activités proposées ne s'arrêtent pas là. La nuit, vous pouvez observer la Voie lactée et tous les autres phénomènes célestes depuis la fenêtre de votre hôtel ou vous rendre dans des zones reculées du village, comme la jetée du lac Torneträsk, pour une visite guidée. « Nous n'avons pas beaucoup de pollution lumineuse », explique Niklas Hjort, directeur de l'Abisko Mountain Lodge. « Il vous suffit d'ouvrir la porte et de regarder dehors pour voir les aurores boréales. »

En passant la porte de mon hôtel, elles étaient bien là, tels des rubans verts iridescents.

Chad Blakley, fondateur de Lights Over Lapland, explique que le phénomène du trou bleu distingue le village des autres destinations où l'on peut observer des aurores. « Le ciel d'Abisko est l'un des plus clairs de la planète », explique-t-il. 

Ce petit trou bleu quasi permanent crée un effet coupe-vent, les montagnes dispersant la couche nuageuse pour offrir des nuits claires à la ville située en contrebas. En l'absence de couverture nuageuse, il y a 88 % de chances de voir une aurore boréale lors d'une visite de trois jours à Abisko.

« C'est un exemple de ce que l'on appelle un microclimat, un ensemble de conditions atmosphériques localisées qui diffèrent de celles de la région environnante et créent un modèle météorologique propre à cet endroit », explique John Mason. « Le parc national d'Abisko, dans le nord de la Suède, bénéficie de nuits plus claires que la plupart des autres endroits situés dans l'ovale auroral nord. » Les visiteurs du parc peuvent observer le jeu de lumières au-dessus de la vallée d'Abisko et du lac Torneträsk depuis la grande terrasse extérieure de l'Aurora Sky Station (à environ 900 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer).

Ceci étant, la meilleure façon de voir les aurores est sans doute de prendre le train de retour vers Stockholm. À peine une trentaine de minutes se sont écoulées que déjà une annonce retentit dans les haut-parleurs du train : « Chers passagers, si vous observez le paysage par les fenêtres de droite, vous verrez de magnifiques aurores boréales ». La poignée de touristes présents dans le wagon se précipite près des fenêtres, pour assister à ce spectacle qui devait durer plusieurs heures.

Eibhlis Gale-Coleman est une journaliste de voyage indépendante originaire du Royaume-Uni. Suivez-la sur Instagram.

Cet article a initialement paru sur le site nationalgeographic.com en langue anglaise.

What to Do If Your Neighbor’s Tree Hangs Over Your Property

Sometimes it seems like living in a society would be much better if we didn’t have to deal with all these other people all the time. If you own a home, you know that your neighbors are both one of life’s great blessings and often the biggest pain in your ass. On the one hand, sometimes you wake up and they’ve shoveled the snow from your sidewalk, and when you go on vacation they check on your cat! On the other hand, things can get really tense when disputes crop up unexpectedly—like when your neighbor’s tree hangs over your fence.

At first glance this might not seem like a big deal, but those overhanging branches can cause problems. They mess up your property by dumping leaves everywhere; they can scrape your roof shingles, smack into windows during high winds, and get tangled in power lines. Underground, the tree's roots could be worming into your sewer and water lines. That tree might be pretty, and you might enjoy its borrowed shade on sunny days, but if it starts to be a problem, what can you do?

Tree law

America is not so much a large country as a collection of tiny countries standing on each other’s shoulders wearing a trenchcoat, so the laws governing trees and property will vary from state to state—you’ll have to do some local research if you’ve got a situation brewing with a neighbor’s tree. That said, there are three things that are almost certainly true about your neighbor’s tree:

  • It has value. Sure, it’s a tree, and apparently grows for free out of the ground as if by elven magic. But a tree on your neighbor’s property has monetary value. For one thing, your neighbor may have paid for the tree and had it planted. Then there are other benefits, like the carbon dioxide offset of that tree, the cooling effect of its shade, or fruit that it provides. The USDA Forest Service offers a free calculator that estimates the economic benefits of a tree, which isn’t definitive but gives you some idea of how someone might define its value.

  • It’s your neighbor’s property. If the tree’s trunk is entirely on your neighbor’s property, no matter how much it overhangs yours, it belongs to them just like anything else in their yard. If the trunk straddles or crosses the property line, it’s probably considered a boundary tree—community property. That means that you have as much say and responsibility for it as your neighbor, but you still can’t unilaterally make decisions about it.

  • You have the right to defend your property. If the tree’s branches cross the property line, you have the right to trim them, especially if they threaten to damage anything. But you can’t go past your property line under any circumstances.

That last bit might make this all seem very clear and simple: If the tree is causing havoc on your side of the fence, get out there and cut it back to the property line. While you have the right to do that, you should think twice for one simple reason: If you touch your neighbor’s tree and damage it, destroy its aesthetic value, or kill it outright, you could be held liable for the loss and the cost of treating or replacing it. This can run to the thousands of dollars—especially if it’s an expensive ornamental tree that’s part of a cohesive landscaping design.

How to trim

So you have to be careful if your neighbor’s tree is invading and needs trimming. Here’s your best approach:

  • Talk to your neighbor. That liability goes both ways: Since the tree is your neighbor’s property, if it damages your property you can hold them liable. Approach your neighbor and ask if they’ll help trim the tree or grant explicit permission to do the work on your side, releasing you from liability—they might be incentivized to do so if the tree is causing damage. If it’s a boundary tree, you’ll need to negotiate with your neighbor anyway to get anything done.

  • Call the power company. If the offending tree is near power lines, you can probably call your local utility and schedule a free tree trimming. Most utilities have arborists on staff, and they are more than happy to clear branches away from power lines to avoid damage. That being said, keep in mind that the utility may trim more aggressively than you want. Also, keep in mind that once alerted to trees near power lines on your (or your neighbor’s property), the utility can come and trim them any time they want without your permission. Electric utilities have an easement on all private property to allow them access for maintenance and repair.

  • Hire a professional. The more you distance yourself from the tree trimming, the less likely you’ll run into trouble. You’ll want a company that has a certified arborist on staff, because trees are living things and they come in a wide variety of species. An arborist can identify the tree and prescribe the right way to trim it without damaging it or leaving it vulnerable to disease.

A tree growing right by your property line offers a lot of free benefits—but also free problems. If the latter is starting to outweigh the former, be careful—trimming your neighbor’s tree can open up a can of worms.

Un énorme cratère d'impact vieux de 7 000 ans découvert en Inde !

Une nouvelle étude confirme que la structure de Luna, en Inde, serait bien liée à la chute d’une météorite il y a près de 7 000 ans. Il pourrait ainsi s’agir du plus grand cratère d’impact des 10 000 dernières années.

Use the 6/10 List to Take the Stress Out of Cleaning

Making a to-do list is a major step in being productive in any area of your life, from your personal pursuits to your work responsibilities, but when it comes to cleaning your home, you may not think to make one—let alone realize that some kinds of lists are better than others. You should definitely have an attack strategy before you start tidying up, which is why the 6/10 List is such a useful tool for busy people who still want their personal space to look nice.

What is the 6/10 List?

This cleaning method comes from Organized Chaos, which guides people through organizing, cleaning, meal planning, and more. The brand’s TikTok has over 800,000 followers and its video on the 6/10 List has over 3 million views, so it’s CleanTok-approved.

Basically, this method acknowledges and leaves space for the fact that you’re busy and cleaning is overwhelming. It provides an easy framework for how you should schedule and prioritize your cleaning tasks, taking the work out of figuring that out yourself and divvying the tasks across multiple days. 

The list is split into two main categories: “The Daily 6” and “The Weekly 10.” 

The Daily 6 are, roughly, these:

  1. Make beds

  2. Wash dishes

  3. Scrub sink

  4. Wipe counters

  5. Vacuum floors

  6. One load of laundry

The Weekly 10 are generally these:

  1. Wipe out fridge

  2. Wipe out microwave

  3. Tidy pantry

  4. Mop floors

  5. Clean bathrooms

  6. Clean sink drains

  7. Dust furniture

  8. Wash bedding

  9. Tidy car

  10. Clean pets’ bowls

Beyond that, there’s space for monthly tasks (scrubbing showers, deep cleaning appliances, cleaning out the garage, and vacuuming vehicles) and quarterly ones (wiping baseboards and doors, cleaning fans and lights, cleaning windows, cleaning furniture, changing your air filter, wiping down cabinets). 

How to use the 6/10 List

According to Organized Chaos, you can start small by choosing three of the six daily tasks to work on every day, then build your way up to tackling more. Those are the most necessary, basic cleaning steps that will keep your house looking nice, so it’s key to get in the habit of doing them every day. Of course, there are all kinds of other little tasks you could do on top of those—but like the 1-3-5 method of creating a to-do list, this recognizes that there really is a finite amount of things you have energy for in the day, so you should choose which ones you take on strategically. (And don’t forget the Pareto Principle, which says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort, so don’t waste your time on unnecessary tasks.)

The weekly tasks can—and should—be spaced out across the week so you don’t get overwhelmed. Once you get the hang of getting the daily and weekly chores done, reevaluate how using the list is going and feel free to swap out some tasks that might make more sense for your space. You might not have pet bowls to clean weekly, for instance, so something more specific to your life can fill that slot. The goal here isn’t to clean exactly as someone else prescribes, but to build timely habits that you can maintain and which will take the stress off of figuring out what you should even focus on in a given day. 

Une vue à couper le souffle sur Mars pour fêter les 25 000 orbites de la sonde Mars Express

Voilà de quoi donner le tournis ! Depuis qu’elle s’est positionnée autour de Mars en 2003, la sonde Mars Express a accompli plus de 25 000 orbites, les yeux toujours rivés sur la surface de la Planète rouge. Et le compteur continue de tourner, pour notre plus grand plaisir et celui, surtout, des...

You Can Get This 4K Dual-Camera Drone on Sale for $75 Right Now

You can get this dual-HD-camera drone on sale for $74.99 right now (reg. $129.99). It's a budget drone that is excellent for beginners who want to experiment with flying: it has one-key takeoff and landing, altitude hold mode, and four-channel movement with a rolling 360-degree function. You can pair with your smartphone to take pictures and videos or see a real-time feed through the drone's two 1080p cameras; the front with 90-degree views and the bottom with 120-degree views. It also comes with four spare blades and two batteries for 26 total minutes of flying time.

You can get this dual-HD-camera drone on sale for $74.99 right now (reg. $129.99), though prices can change at any time.

Ce robot humanoïde peut prédire un sourire avant qu’il ne se produise !

La tête robotisée Emo est capable d’identifier une expression faciale avant qu’elle ne soit marquée sur le visage et d’y répondre avec son équivalent. C’est un grand pas vers l’ajout de la communication non verbale aux robots humanoïdes.

The Only Four Gardening Tools You Actually Need

According to a recent study, Americans spend over $500 a year on gardening tools. That's a lot. Gardening is one of those hobbies that requires a few tools, so it's inevitable that you're going to drop some cash, but you only really need a few. You can start gardening with incredibly little overhead. 

A pretty good shovel

If you’re digging in the dirt, you’re gonna need a shovel. They come in a surprising number of shapes, all of which serve a different purpose, but the one you’ll use most often is a common garden spade. With a wide pan, flared edges and a soft point, a spade will easily slide into the earth with a lip you can stand on. The width of the pan will allow you to scoop up the dirt generously, with edges that’ll hold the dirt on the pan, and you can use the point that you can use to break up the soil. While we often think of wooden-handled garden tools, I prefer shorter handles made of steel, which are less likely to break. I’m particularly fond of the Radius line, with its easy circular handles, but the Bully long-handled shovel is also solid. 

A hand spade or hori hori

Shovels work at a distance, but to dig a hole to plant in, or work with the dirt when you’re closer to it, you’ll want a hand spade. Like shovels, these come in many shapes, but it’s best to start with a general tool. A spade that isn’t too wide or narrow, with a good sharp edge and a comfortable handle that isn’t going to wilt in the summer sun or get gross in the rain. You can also consider a hori hori, which is a longer blade with a serrated edge.  While it won’t allow you to scoop soil in the way a spade will, a hori hori is a spectacular all around hand tool that allows you to get a deep hole precisely where you need it, without disturbing nearby plants, will cut through rhizomes like butter, and get right to the roots of weeds. 

Garden gloves

You don’t really need garden gloves. Digging in the dirt with your hands is good for your soul, if not your manicure. Gloves can, however, be useful if you are working with thorny plants, or worms give you the ick. For that reason, I keep a few sets around—a workhorse pair that will stand up to the thorniest roses, and a pair of softer gloves for basic gardening work. Since I lose them often, having more than one pair at any time is always useful.

A great hose attachment

If there are plants, they’ll need to be watered. Any hose will do for now, but you’ll want a decent nozzle for that hose so you can adjust how much you’re watering and where that water goes. If you have hanging planters or beds that are a little out of reach, consider a nozzle on an extension pole. For just buzzing around the garden, a simple spray attachment will work. Be sure to bring those attachments inside for the winter. These attachments tend to leak easily, so spend a little more to get one of decent quality. 

There are legions of tools that I enjoy and use, from seeding gadgets to aprons to trellises, but you’ll figure out what you enjoy using over time. None of them are required to enjoy spending time outside or start digging in the dirt.

Profitez du week-end de Pâques pour forger votre esprit critique !

Universcience présente le Printemps de l’esprit critique 2024 et la troisième édition du Baromètre de l’esprit critique, deux manifestations qui se tiendront du 21 mars 2024 au 3 avril 2024 à la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie, aux Étincelles du Palais de la découverte et sur le blob.fr. De...

How to Recognize an AI-generated Cookbook

As I sit here eating rich, juicy dumplings made by a dedicated human chef, I’m pondering—lamenting?—AI's role in the food industry. Specifically, I’m stewing over one small, wholesome corner that AI has been butting into: cookbooks. AI-generated recipes and cookbooks aren’t new by any means, but they’re more prevalent than ever, and better at impersonating human authors than before. These AI cookbooks are sneaky, but they're not perfect, and you should be able to decide if that’s what you really want to buy. Luckily, there are a few red flags to keep an eye out for.


By the way, the dumplings were from East Wind Snack Shop. The human chef and owner, Chris Cheung, wrote a cookbook, Damn Good Chinese Food, and it’s for sale here along with some other fantastic cookbooks:


An AI-generated cookbook in the wild

A recent post on X from Matthew Kupfer shows just how creepy AI cookbooks can be. It’s mostly hilarious, but quickly becomes alarming when you realize someone used AI to generate a bio and a photo of the “author.” 

A screenshot of @Matthew_Kupfer's post on X
Credit: @Matthew_Kupfer/X

Clearly, AI-generated recipes and cookbooks are already out there. That’s fine—besides the knowledge and work that it silently scraped from all the recipes on the internet—it is what it is. Even companies like Instacart have taken a dip in AI waters to generate recipes, but at least they're up front about it. They also note that the recipes "may not be perfect" due to the nature of its creation. AI recipes are untested, likely unedited, and there’s a possibility the meal comes out weird in some way, but hopefully not inedible.

But the dubious recipe quality is just one part of the problem. Cookbooks aren’t just collections of recipes. They’re years of hard work, mistakes, successes, incredible photography, experiences, and stories. Those stories are woven into recipes that share a person’s life. Maybe I’m a little sensitive because I’m an aspiring cookbook author myself, but it’s the impersonation that is unsettling. The lengthy prose of manufactured human experience, and the faux inspiration—you’ll have to excuse me, but I’ve lost my appetite. 

Your AI is showing

Since you can’t rely on the usual tricks—checking for the author’s photo or only searching for hardcover books—you might have to dig a little deeper, and trust your gut. Here are a few things to look out for when you're vetting a cookbook.

Odd cover claims

While the title might seem harmless, like The Complete Crock Pot in the X post, the subtitle, or other quips and promises on the cover can be a dead giveaway. For example, “2000 days easy delicious recipes” sounds like an extreme amount of days, and it seems to be missing a word.

Clunky phrasing or repeats

Speaking of missing words, this tip is from our post on how to tell if you’re chatting with a bot, and it’s applicable for cookbooks too. Look out for grammatical missteps, sure, but also oddly robotic phrasing and repetition. As Jeff Somers notes in the aforementioned post, “Even the best conversational AI often has trouble with the weird complexities and contradictions of language.”

If you feel like a sentence just doesn’t sound right, like “This electrical cooking equipment is used to make meals, particularly when you want to leave your cooking uncontrolled for hours,” you’re not being judgmental. This is not how most folks would describe crockpot cooking.

Repeated phrases are also a hallmark of AI writing. I intentionally switch up vocabulary when I write because I know it’s boring to read the same words again and again, but AI doesn’t get bored. It gets even. Just kidding, it’s awful at alternate phrasing. You wouldn’t believe how many times the section “What is Crock-Pot?” has the exact, or nearly identical, phrasing for “a crock pot, or slow-cooker, is a pot made of ceramic…” It’s a lot.

Publishing houses versus self published

Many AI-generated cookbooks are sold online, and they are self published. You can probably figure out why. As of right now, most established publishing houses are interested in making deals with human authors. It’s a shame because there are a lot of self-published authors out there who write great books, and big publishers can make it difficult for even great books to be seen. In the case of cookbooks though, look for what publishing company it's from; if it's listed as "self published" or "independently published," be wary.

Errors with key ingredients

If you can, look closely at some of the recipes in the book. While AI doesn’t usually make egregious measurement mistakes, like suggesting two cups of salt, it can omit things. If a recipe is titled “Barley Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs,” and there are no herbs or barley to be found in the ingredient list, you might be dealing with an AI cookbook. Likewise, if a cookbook claims to be for special diets, like a low-glycemic cookbook or this vegan cookbook that got ripped off by AI, keep a lookout for recipes that don’t fit the diet. 

AI might hurt our human feelings when it imitates us, but this type of error is where untested, unedited recipes get dangerous. A vegan is likely to catch butter or mozzarella listed in a recipe, but beginners following a low-glycemic recipe might not catch a starch error.

Tips for cookbook shopping success

Don’t be fooled by an author picture and biography

AI generates photos with terrifying ease. Read here for tips on identifying pictures of fake humans (two words: errant earrings). If you’re not sure, you can also look up the author. AI “authors” will have no history besides the cookbook, so you won’t have to do much research.  

Check for AI-generated reviews

AI reviews look suspiciously alike—like word-for-word alike—and 20 or 30 reviews will post on the same date, or within a tight time frame. If you see that, the next step is to click on the one- or two-star reviews. Those are probably humans and they’re probably telling you the cookbook is AI generated.

Shop in a bookstore

A what? A brick and mortar bookstore. If you’re buying new, then you can rest assured that bookstores like Warwick’s and Greenlight Bookstore are buying their stock from reputable publishers. If you’re buying used, then at least you can flip through the book and thoroughly check for the red flags mentioned above. Plus, you’ll be supporting a real-life bookstore, and that’s nice too.

Révolutionnaire : un rein de porc a été greffé avec succès sur un humain !

Le Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) a récemment accompli une avancée médicale remarquable en réalisant la première transplantation réussie d'un rein de porc génétiquement modifié chez un patient humain, marquant une nouvelle ère dans le domaine de la transplantation et offrant un nouvel...

Une violente éruption du Santorin a fait basculer l’histoire il y a 1 300 ans

Longtemps supposée sur la base de récits historiques, l’éruption volcanique sous-marine qui aurait déclenché la période iconoclaste dans l’Empire Byzantin en l’an 726 aurait bien eu lieu. Une récente campagne sur la caldeira du Santorin apporte les preuves de cet événement et révèle que ce...

La bactérie « mangeuse de chair » inquiète le Japon et progresse en Europe

Le syndrome du choc toxique streptococcique (SCTS) est le plus souvent causé par le streptocoque A, surnommé « bactérie mangeuse de chair ». Depuis le 1er janvier, le Japon recense une flambée de la maladie avec 517 cas. Un chiffre qui inquiète les autorités sanitaires alors que le SCTS est...

Ces nuages fluorescents observés dans le sud de l’Europe étonnent les météorologues

En décembre dernier, il ne s'est pas passé une seule journée sans que des internautes partagent des images spectaculaires d'étonnants nuages multicolores dans le ciel d'Europe. Cette invasion de nuages polaires stratosphériques du nord au sud de l'Europe, visibles jusqu'en France, avait suscité...

Ce fruit consommé tous les jours améliorerait les performances sportives !

À l’approche des JO de Paris, les athlètes se demandent comment booster leurs performances. Nul doute qu’à ce niveau, la moindre amélioration peut faire la différence sur le podium. Et pourquoi pas avec un aliment naturel ?

Seuls 7 pays dans le monde respirent un air sain !

Le rapport annuel de IQAir sur la pollution de l'air montre les niveaux catastrophiques de contamination aux particules fines. Sans surprise, les taux enregistrés dans les pays les plus pauvres pulvérisent les recommandations de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS). Les bons élèves sont...

1 sur 7 000 : un généticien révèle des chiffres choc sur l'inceste

La France n'est pas la seule à être frappée par le fléau de l'inceste, en témoigne le généticien Jim Wilson qui a analysé le génome de plusieurs milliers de personnes. Résultat : un Américain sur 7 000 serait né d'un inceste. Un chiffre qui pointe un sujet tabou, enjeu juridique et de santé...

Gemini Finally Comes to Google Messages (for Some Users)

Google has been upfront about its plans to inject its Gemini AI into just about everything it can, save for the base Pixel 8—which it says has some hardware limitations that keep it from sporting the latest Gemini version. One of the latest ways to get the Gemini treatment is through Google Messages.

This rollout isn't surprising at all, as Google officially confirmed the addition of Gemini to Messages around a month ago. Now, though, it has finally started to become available to some Google Messages beta users, and here's what you can expect from the new integration.

For starters, it's only available for beta testers that have RCS enabled, are at least 18 years old, and own a Pixel 6 or newer, Pixel Fold, Galaxy S22 or newer, Galaxy Z Flip, or Galaxy Z Fold. Any other devices aren't eligible for Gemini in Google Messages just yet. Google also says you'll need to have your phone's language set to English in places where Gemini in Messages is available, or French if you're in Canada.

Once you're into the beta and have Gemini, though, you'll then be able to do a number of things with the AI chatbot, including talk to the bot for information. You can respond to Gemini using text or image prompts, and you'll even be able to use extensions in your chats with Gemini.

If you want help drafting messages, all you need to do is ask Gemini and it will provide an appropriate response you can edit and then send as you see fit. You'll also be able to give feedback directly in the Messages app by long-pressing and holding down on the response you want to provide feedback for and then selecting the thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate what kind of response it was.

Google hasn't said yet whether it will allow Gemini Advanced users access to their premium features in Messages, so we'll have to wait for more information about the AI feature to become available before we can say for sure. But, at least for now, you can join the beta for Google Messages and test out the feature as long as you meet the requirements outlined above.

Google Wants You to Use AI for Your Next Vacation

Google hopes you'll trust its AI-powered search enough to use it to plan your next vacation. According to a blog post released this week, Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) can now help you plan an itinerary of destinations for your next trip, including highlighting must-visit locations, restaurants, and even an overview of possible flight and hotel options.

The new system builds heavily off of Google's AI search response system, which scours the internet for different responses to your queries. Google says that using SGE will provide you with all the details you need, including photos, reviews, and other info about businesses that you might visit. Of course, that isn't taking into account the problems that SGE is already experiencing, like the fact that it is pushing scam and malware sites in SGE results. Hopefully Google has resolved some of that, but be careful which links you click on in the meantime.

Aside from SGE, Google has also highlighted how recommended lists in Google Maps can help you plan your vacation better, including showcasing lists of recommendations from sites you trust as well as locals who know all the best spots. This doesn't really build off AI, but it's likely we'll see more AI features coming to Google Maps and other Google products in the future.

It isn't all that surprising to see Google pushing more AI features across its various projects. The company has made big strides to put its Gemini AI chatbot out there, and it is likely we'll even see these trip-planning features make their way to Maps at some point, though perhaps in a different fashion. However, it will probably be a while before you can fully trust the information these AI tools are spitting out at you.

What's New on Paramount+ With Showtime in April 2024

Par : Emily Long

Paramount+ viewers can start April with the premiere of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery (April 4), which will wrap up the 65-episode series that rejuvenated the sci-fi franchise in 2017. There's also season four of The Challenge: All Stars (April 10), the reality competition show that, this time around, brings together former players to go head-to-head in South Africa. There's also CTRL+ALT+DESIRE (April 16), a three-episode docuseries about the manhunt to capture Grant Amato following the murder of his family members.

For Paramount+ With Showtime subscribers, there's Talk to Me (April 1), a supernatural horror film from A24 about a group of friends who use an embalmed hand to communicate with the spirit world.

Paramount+'s live programming kicks off with the CMT Music Awards (streaming on April 7) followed by live coverage of The Masters, which begins on April 8. There's also The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time (April 14 at 9 p.m. ET), a livestream of the artist's 100th sold-out concert of his MSG residency.

Here’s everything else coming to the service in April. Note that titles with an asterisk are exclusive to Paramount+ With Showtime; everything else is also available to subscribers on the ad-supported plan. Those with two asterisks are available to Paramount+ With Showtime users streaming live on CBS and to all subscribers the following day.

Paramount+ Originals and premieres coming in April 2024

Arriving April 1

  • Talk to Me*

Arriving April 4

  • Star Trek: Discovery, season five premiere

Arriving April 7

  • CMT Music Awards**

Arriving April 10

  • The Challenge: All Stars, season four premiere

Arriving April 12

  • DORA, premiere

Arriving April 14

  • The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time**

Arriving April 16

  • CTRL+ALT+DESIRE

Arriving April 26

  • Knuckles, premiere

TV shows coming to Paramount+ in April 2024

Arriving April 1

  • Jeff Dunham: I'm with Cupid

Arriving April 3

  • Bubble Guppies (Season 6)

  • Bubble Guppies: Bubble Puppy’s Fin-tastic Fairy Tale

  • Bubble Guppies: Guppy Style!

  • Bubble Guppies: The Puppy and the Ring

  • CMT Crossroads (Seasons 21-22)

  • CMT Presents The Judds: Love Is Alive - The Final Concert

Arriving April 8

NCISVerse: The First 1,000**

Arriving April 10

  • Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out (Seasons 19-20)

Arriving April 17

  • Mighty Planes (Seasons 1-4)

  • RENO 911! (Season 8)

  • The Last Cowboy (Season 4)

Arriving April 24

  • Air Disasters (Season 9-10)

  • How Did They Fix That? (Seasons 1-2)

Movies coming to Paramount+ in April 2024

Arriving April 1

  • Arsenal*

  • B.A.P.S.

  • Bandslam*

  • Black Lotus

  • Blades of Glory

  • Catch and Release

  • Chaplin

  • Cheech & Chong's Still Smokin'*

  • Cloud Atlas

  • Cold Mountain

  • Daddy's Home

  • Deep Impact

  • Domestic Disturbance*

  • Drive Me Crazy

  • Edge Of Darkness

  • El Dorado

  • Emma

  • Empire Records

  • Face/Off

  • First Blood

  • Galaxy Quest*

  • Get Rich or Die Tryin'

  • Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

  • Hotel for Dogs

  • I Love You, Man

  • Identity

  • Inherent Vice

  • Jacob's Ladder*

  • Juice

  • Just Like Heaven

  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

  • Last Night*

  • Life

  • Like a Boss

  • Magnolia

  • Malcolm X

  • Max Steel*

  • Mimic

  • Muriel's Wedding*

  • My Baby's Daddy

  • Nebraska

  • Nick of Time*

  • Planes, Trains and Automobiles

  • Rambo: First Blood Part II

  • Rambo III

  • Saturday Night Fever

  • Secret in Their Eyes*

  • Team America: World Police

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

  • The Crossing Guard*

  • The Evening Star*

  • The Heartbreak Kid

  • The King of Comedy

  • The Ring

  • The Ring Two

  • The Ring Two (Unrated)

  • The Score

  • The Secret Garden

  • The Station Agent

  • The Transporter Refueled*

  • The Uninvited

  • TMNT

  • Total Recall

  • Transformers

  • Up in Smoke

  • Vacancy

  • Varsity Blues

  • Whip It

  • Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

  • Wild Card*

  • Wuthering Heights*

Arriving April 11

  • School For Scoundrels*

Arriving April 12

  • Deliver Us from Evil

Arriving April 25

  • The Painter

Xbox Cloud Gaming Now Supports Mouse and Keyboard for Beta Users

Mouse and keyboard fans, rejoice: Microsoft is finally rolling out support for these peripherals for Xbox Cloud Gaming, so long as you're a selected Xbox Insider.

The company is rolling out mouse and keyboard support as part of its latest Xbox Update Preview for Alpha Skip-Ahead testers. That means general Xbox Insiders will still need to wait, but for those in the "invite only" testing program, you should be able to hook up your favorite mouse and keyboard to play games that previously required a controller.

Microsoft says mouse and keyboard support works in cloud gaming on Microsoft Edge and Chrome, as well as the Xbox App on PCs (for those enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview). If you're playing in a browser, you'll need to enable Preview features first. You'll find the option on xbox.com/play by clicking your profile picture, choosing Settings, and enabling Preview features.

The program currently supports 14 titles at this time. Not a ton, but enough to get you started with experiencing mouse and keyboard controls on Xbox Cloud Gaming:

  • Fortnite (browsers only)

  • ARK Survival Evolved

  • Sea of Thieves

  • Grounded

  • Halo Infinite

  • Atomic Heart

  • Sniper Elite 5

  • Deep Rock Galactic

  • High on Life

  • Zombie Army 4 Dead War

  • Gears Tactics

  • Pentiment

  • Doom 64

  • Age of Empires 2

Microsoft has acknowledged a known issue with Atomic Heart, as there can be issues when swapping from your controller to mouse and keyboard while streaming the game.

You'll also notice that games display controller UI elements until you start to use your mouse and keyboard to interact with the game. If you see "press A to start," for example, trying clicking or moving with WASD to adjust the UI.

Browser users should take note that the stream needs to be in full screen for your mouse and keyboard to work. If you want to exit full screen, hit the Escape key. You also need to click on a game stream element in order for the game to recognize your mouse input. You can also press F9 to exit out of mouse and keyboard controls for the game.

You Can Get OneAir Elite on Sale for $80 Right Now

You can get a lifetime subscription to OneAir Elite on sale for $79.97 right now (reg. $790) until April 2. OneAir is a deal-alert service that lets you know when great flight deals are available—it tracks millions of fares in real time, lets you set destination-specific alerts, and lets you book destinations based on your budget. You just select your preferred departure airports (up to ten of them) and wait for OneAir notifications via email and mobile notifications. A lifetime Elite Plan offers access to Business, First, Premium, and Economy flights, and the membership can easily pay for itself with one great trip deal. OneAir Elite also offers discounts for hotels, ground transportation, entertainment, and activities.

The OneAir app is available on iOS and Android, and a lifetime subscription to a OneAir Elite Plan is on sale for $79.97 right now (reg. $790) until April 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

Don't Trust These 'Reset Password' Pop-ups on Your Apple Devices

If you're minding your business on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and all of a sudden are spammed by pop-ups requesting that you reset your Apple ID password, you would understandably be a bit freaked out. The thing is, this is actually happening, and you should exercise caution—but not panic—if it happens to you.

What's behind the Apple ID password reset attack

As explained by Krebs on Security, bad actors are attacking Apple users by spamming their devices with password reset requests. These pop-ups do not go away unless you dismiss or engage with them via the Allow or Don't Allow options, which means in order to continue using your device, you need to constantly tap Don't Allow.

The pop-ups themselves aren't necessarily nefarious: This is how Apple allows you to change your Apple ID password on a non-trusted device, or on the web. Let's say you forget your Apple ID password and go through Apple's password reset website to reset it: Once you enter the appropriate amount of information, Apple will send a pop-up to your trusted, connected devices to approve the reset process. Once you approve, you can enter a new password.

What bad actors are doing, however, is exploiting some vulnerability in Apple's MFA (multi-factor authentication) process to not only send these reset pop-ups to your devices, but to truly spam you with them. You may dismiss the pop-up only to receive another almost immediately. One victim had to dismiss over 100 of these pop-ups before they finally stopped.

While we don't know exactly how attackers are spamming users with pop-ups, it's not difficult to imagine how they're targeting their victims. When you go to Apple's password reset site, you need to present your Apple ID and your phone number. If an attacker knows these two credentials of yours, they're free to trigger a reset pop-up.

Of course, you don't want to hit Allow. When you do, whoever is initializing this password request will be able to change your password on your behalf. When they do, they'll be able to log into your account on their devices and lock you out. While it's scary enough with how easy it would be to accidentally tap Allow after being spammed so many times, it's even more concerning that the pop-up appears on your Apple Watch as well. Krebs on Security reports on one victim who received the pop-up on their watch while they were sleeping: I could imagine myself accidentally tapping Allow if half-asleep, just trying to dismiss the notification.

It's not over if you hit "Don't Allow"

Even if you're able to wait out attackers and dismiss these notifications over and over again, they have another tactic at play. Since they have your phone number, they'll call you directly, spoofing their number as Apple Support. (It will literally show Apple Support's official number as the incoming caller.)

If you were to answer this call, attackers would try their best to convince you they were Apple Support, perhaps presenting certain information of yours that they have as "proof." Once they trick you, they'll trigger an SMS-based OTP (one-time password) code, which Apple uses to prove your identity when logging in somewhere unfamiliar. Don't share this code with anyone. Apple even includes that warning in the text it sends to you. While ideally, you wouldn't be talking to the attackers in the first place, if you're already in this situation, know that Apple Support would never ask for this code themselves.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there's any way to protect yourself from these spam pop-ups if attackers already have your Apple ID and phone number. The only thing to do is to change your phone number, which is probably more of a hassle than it's worth in this case. (But if you have other reasons to do it, it might be worth it.) We'll just need to wait for Apple to fix whatever vulnerability these bad actors are exploiting to protect us. In the meantime, trust no one, and never tap Allow or OK on unsolicited pop-ups.

Your PS5 Will Soon Be Able to Capture Game Clips to Help Other Players

If you're playing a game on your PS5 and can't defeat a particularly challenging boss or figure out how to solve a certain puzzle, you'll soon be able to get help from an anonymous stranger. Sony has announced that later this year, your PS5 will be able to automatically capture game clips from your play sessions and upload them as hints for other players—and clips taken by other players will be available for your reference, too. This addition is called Community Game Help, and it's something you'll have to opt into, offering an interesting way to get help with a game without looking up an online walkthrough.

How you can contribute to PS5's Community Game Help

A screenshot of the upcoming Community Game Help settings page.
Credit: Sony

In the coming months, you will be able to opt in to Community Game Help, which means that videos from your gameplay will help others. Once this feature is rolled out to your PS5, you can go to PS5 settings > Captures & Broadcasts > Captures > Auto Captures > Community Game Help > Participate. This will allow you to opt in to the program.

This settings page, according to Sony, will also let you select how many videos you want to let the console capture every month. When you do certain things in supported games, your PS5 will automatically capture these videos and upload them to Sony's servers. When videos are uploaded, a moderator will review your content and decide if it can be published under Community Game Help. If your video is published, you'll get a notification on your PS5 and it'll appear under the Your Published Videos option on the Community Game Help settings page.

Sony says that your PS5 will automatically delete these clips once they're uploaded, which means that you don't have to worry about running out of storage. The company has also addressed other privacy concerns by confirming that only raw gameplay footage will be uploaded. Sony won't access your webcam feeds, party chat audio, or audio from your mic. According to Sony, this feature will be available "in select games later this year, and [its] goal is to expand it to as many titles as possible in the future."

How to use Community Game Help on your PS5

A screenshot of the upcoming Community Game Help feature from Sony's PS app.
Credit: Sony

At the moment, Community Game Help is being rolled out slowly, so it could be a while before it shows up on your PS5. To check if you've got it, you can hit the PS button when you're playing a game, select a card labelled Hints Inside, and select any of the videos under Community Game Help. This will also be available on the PS app.

JetZero autorisé à faire voler son démonstrateur d’avion à ailes mixtes

JetZero est prêt à faire décoller son démonstrateur d'avion à ailes mixtes. L'avionneur mise sur 2030 pour que cet avion soit opérationnel. Il pourrait servir à transporter du fret à l'US Air Force ou bien être utilisé comme avion de ligne.

The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro Is Better (and Pricier) Than Other Brands

Video doorbells have become quite common since their arrival on the market 10 years ago: 20% of American households currently use one. The cost of owning and operating a video doorbell has plummeted, so how does Ring, which offers relatively expensive video doorbells and an almost required subscription plan, remain on top of the market? After testing the new Ring Battery Doorbell Pro ($229.99 plus subscription), I think the answer is that Ring continues to solve some of the most common problems with video security.

Ring's software is the least buggy of any doorbell or security camera I’ve tried. It connects quickly when notified; allows you to interact with whoever is at the doorbell; and grabs clips that respect the zones you’ve set up. Ring has added new functionality to the Doorbell Pro, and features exceptional video quality—but I believe it’s Ring’s ability to deliver on the most basic needs of a video doorbell that keep it so popular. 

Traditional details and lots of accessories

Over the last year, I’ve tested doorbells from Google, Aqara, and Blink; while each had pros and cons, they helped prime me to appreciate the new Ring. In the 10 years of Ring’s market presence the design of the doorbells has barely shifted, and the Ring design is the most stately and substantial of the video doorbells out there. Ring wraps their doorbells in brushed metal with black plastic and metal accents—they tend to look and feel more substantial. The Doorbell Pro continues that tradition: The top half of the doorbell is shiny black plastic and metal, and the bottom half is wrapped in brushed silver metal (that you can swap for another metallic finish). The large circular button with blue light that Ring is known for is present, and the Ring ships with a wedge mount for your door, but there are tons of mounts available online if you need a different kind. There's also a solar charger available now as well as indoor chimes.

A more labor-intensive installation results in a more secure doorbell

While Rings aren’t hard to install, they are harder to install than many of the brands I’ve mentioned above. In all of those cases, the doorbells mount very simply, but also insecurely. The Ring has always had a mounting system that is supposed to provide security for the doorbell itself, and ships with its own specialty screwdriver. The doorbell itself has to catch onto the mounting plate and is then secured with a number of small screws to the mounting plate. Physical installation took about 10 minutes, and setup took another 15. Once the Ring app is installed and the doorbell was plugged in via USB, the app easily found and added the doorbell. You can spend a lot of time configuring the Ring, but I advise you to live with the doorbell for a few days to see what settings you need. 

Ring continues to conquer response lag time

Once up and running, Ring will begin sending you a raft of notifications. There are two types—notifications of activity in front of the doorbell and of the doorbell actually being rung. In both cases, you’re likely to decide to click on the notification and see what the activity is. This is where Ring differentiates itself from other doorbells: With all the other brands, I experienced connection errors, delays, and time outs. Ring, on the other hand, connects quickly and painlessly to show you the clip of what happened—or the live view, so you can monitor or interact in real time. While there's always a slight delay based on your wifi signal, Ring’s response time is far and away the best of all I’ve tried. 

This means that the other feature people buy video doorbells for—interacting with someone at your door—works better on a Ring than other models. That response time is important—your UPS driver isn’t waiting around for a 30-second response delay.

Subscriptions are pricey and essential to using the doorbell

Seeing those clips (not the live view) is dependent on having a Ring subscription. While the subscription is optional, not being able to watch those clips renders the Ring almost worthless, in my opinion. The doorbell ships with a free 30-day trial, but once that expires, it’s on you to re-up. Plans start at $4.99 a month for one device and quickly go up from there. Generally, I prefer products that do not require these subscriptions and allow you to store clips locally, like Eufy.

Great video clarity with an assist from new features

The clarity on the new Ring is top notch, and it’s not just the resolution, which clocks in at a reasonable HD 1536p. Ring has designed the lens to get a complete head-to-toe view of whoever is at your door, which means you can also see packages waiting at your door. I was surprised how useful this was. That clarity extends to far-view video—you get remarkably clear details about the delivery person even as they get out of the car. I was impressed at how much better the Ring had gotten at respecting the zones I set up in the app to ignore or pay attention to. I was easily able to set it so I wasn’t bombarded with notifications of people walking by the house—a previous issue I’d had with doorbells. This is likely due to Ring's 3D mapping—a new feature—and Bird’s Eye View, which uses motion detection to determine if the action in front of it is relevant to you or not. I was also impressed by the night vision, which provided clear, color images even once I turned off the porch light—without the graininess you usually see. Some of the other doorbells I’ve tested provide higher resolution, but I hardly noticed the difference. 

Ring has worked hard to layer on new features. The most useful is that Ring can now use AI to help tell if there’s a package at your door. If you tend to leave things at your door, this feature works less efficiently, but it did correctly identify packages most of the time if they were left directly in front of the door, and only twice misidentified a neighborhood cat as a package. Additionally, the doorbell will work with your other Ring devices to track someone’s movement over your property. 

Batteries are now more accessible and more powerful

A real upgrade, in my opinion, was the battery. While you can, of course, buy a wired version of the doorbell, an awful lot of people buy the stick-up battery version, and previous incarnations have required unmounting the whole doorbell to recharge the battery. The process was arduous enough that I was apt to leave the doorbell uncharged often. Now you simply remove the metal faceplate and remove the battery, leaving the doorbell behind. This has two benefits, it’s a lot less work, and you can purchase a backup battery and swap them, so you’re never out a doorbell. The battery life has gotten much better, too. Over a month, the battery only lost one bar, remaining at 75% charge. For comparison, I used to charge my Ring once every eight weeks. 

Bottom line: an expensive but superior video doorbell

There is simply no denying that the cost difference between Ring and competitors is substantial. This Ring model is $229 before the subscription, compared to a Blink doorbell, at $41.99 or Aqara at $119.99. There are lesser Ring models, like the Video Doorbell at $59.99 and Doorbell Plus for $119.99; you can get most of the benefits of the Pro at a lesser cost. Despite my hesitation on cost, there is just no denying that Ring delivers on the original premise of a video doorbell better than other brands—good-quality video of what is happening at the door, in real time. 

Pie bavarde : voilà pourquoi il vaut mieux ne pas l'embêter

Sais-tu quel animal au joli costume irisé noir et blanc, a une excellente mémoire et peut même reconnaitre les humains à leurs visages ? Aujourd’hui, on va parler de la pie bavarde dans Bêtes de Science.

How to Stop Instagram From Automatically Hiding Political Content

Instagram and Threads will now hide political content by default, making it harder to follow current affairs, important updates about government policies, voting rights, protests, and much more. If you're the kind of person who prefers not to view political content on social media, you can stop reading right here. However, if you want to view posts on issues such as healthcare, your government's stance on global conflicts, or the bills your local politicians are backing, then you should review Instagram's settings. (Note: Instagram says that it's only going to limit recommending political content from accounts that you don't follow.)

How to stop Instagram from removing political content

The bigger issue is that algorithms created by corporations are controlling what you see on social media. You can, however, take the power back (mostly). On Instagram, that could mean preventing the service from limiting political content. To do this, open the Instagram app on your phone and tap the Profile icon in the bottom-right corner. Now, tap the three-lines button in the top-right corner and go to Content preferences. On this page, you should select Political content and pick Don't limit on the next page. This setting impacts both Instagram and Threads (it's not available in the Threads app).

The wording on this settings page is unclear about what Instagram defines as "political content." The company says that political content is "potentially related to things like laws, elections, or social topics," which is a vague definition at best. It adds that you won't see political posts from public accounts in its Explore page, Instagram Reels, and suggested posts that show up in your feed.

How this change affects you

Instagram has been talking about distancing itself from news and political content for some time now, and this change cements its stance on the subject. The company says that if you follow political accounts on the service, you'll be able to view their content on your feed, but that it won't recommend these posts if you don't follow the accounts.

This will affect certain accounts much more than others. If someone has been providing valuable information from a conflict zone, that could be hidden from a large number of people who'd benefit from seeing it. Over time, algorithms could easily hamper disaster-relief efforts in situations where there are funding requests for humanitarian aid, or for rescue operations. 

At the moment, it's also unclear if this move will reduce the spread of politically motivated disinformation such as propaganda, anti-vaccine messages, or other types of unscientific rage-bait. 

Ceta : faut-il vraiment diminuer le commerce international des produits agricoles ?

Les sénateurs ont cru faire un geste pour les agriculteurs, et en particulier les éleveurs, en dénonçant l’accord commercial avec le Canada, le Ceta. En fait, ils leur tirent une balle dans le pied car depuis 2017 cet accord bénéficie aux éleveurs ! En effet, la dernière idée à la mode chez la...

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Cette caméra capture 156 300 milliards d’images par seconde !

Des chercheurs au Canada ont mis au point un appareil photo capable de prendre 156 300 milliards d’images par seconde ! Cette technologie devrait faciliter l’observation de phénomènes ultrarapides, comme la mécanique des ondes de choc dans les cellules vivantes ou dans la matière.

Le vortex polaire tourne à l’envers depuis début mars !

Depuis le 4 mars dernier, le vortex polaire circule de manière inversée. Cette grande bulle d'air froid qui circule au-dessus du pôle Nord présente en effet un comportement inhabituel de manière durable. Mais alors que l'on pourrait s'attendre à l'arrivée d'une vague de froid dans de telles...

TikTok's 'Golden Retriever' and 'Black Cat' Relationship Theory Is Toxic

There are a whole bunch of TikTok trends that are more hurtful than helpful. Another one to add to the list: the "golden retriever boyfriend/black cat girlfriend" theory. The trend, which was coined a few years ago and has since continued to rack up a ton of videos on the subject, describes a relationship between “golden retriever” boyfriend who is easygoing, extroverted, and loves his girlfriend, a "black cat," who appears to have an attitude of indifference, low responsiveness, and is introverted. According to TikTok, this dynamic is one that couples ought to look for if they want a successful relationship and marriage.

One TikTok video lists examples of celebrity marriages and relationships that exemplify the "golden retriever" boyfriend and "black cat" girlfriend dynamic, and why they worked. In another video, a user talks about how, whenever she was the "golden retriever" girlfriend, her relationships never worked out—and only did when she was the "black cat."

This typology, according to Sarah Melancon, a sociologist and sexologist, tends to reflect negative stereotypes about men and women in relationships, only reversed from cultural norms. "Stereotypically, we expect the woman to be more relationship-focused and eager to please, while we expect men to be more detached and less ready to commit or connect.  Either way, when there is an imbalance of interest and effort in a relationship, it won’t be very satisfying," she says.

As for why this dynamic doesn't tend to be the healthiest, Melancon points out that a "golden retriever" boyfriend might be someone who's actually clingy, people-pleasing, or has an anxious attachment style, while the behavior and actions of a "black cat" girlfriend could indicate lack of interest, standoffishness, or an avoidant attachment style.

"Ideally, we want our relationships to be a two-way street," Melancon says. "While things will not be perfectly equal on a day-to-day basis, we want a reasonable balance of love and support flowing between both partners."

And, sure, opposites can attract, and sometimes we tend to be attracted to qualities in others that we lack in ourselves, but the risk involved in a golden retriever/black cat typology, says Melancon, is that "one partner puts in more effort, while the other may not even appear to appreciate it. Any relationship can have those moments, but as a general pattern, both partners will become increasingly dissatisfied with the relationship over time."

Red flags about the "golden retriever" boyfriend

A “golden retriever” boyfriend isn't just about being friendly and generous. Sometimes what looks like an attractive quality is actually hiding a deeper issue that could spell trouble for your relationship down the line.

  • He identifies as a “good boyfriend." He always initiates every text message and date, always apologizes and never takes any blame, surprises you with gifts for no reason at all, and seemingly does everything "right" by you. The problem? "Wanting to be a good partner is great, but wanting to be seen as a good partner turns the relationship into an achievement or source of approval rather than an opportunity to be present," Melancon explains.

  • He's codependent. He texts you all day every day and he wants to see you every day. The issue? "A healthy relationship allows each partner to express themselves and pursue their interests with adequate personal space," Melancon says. "Enmeshment collapses the space between “you and I,” resulting in feelings of pressure, being stifled, or smothered."

  • He's highly extroverted. While this is not a red flag in itself, Melancon says that if there is a major difference in social interest compared to a partner— he likes to be the life of the party and loves having people around him, and you don't—the relationship may not be sustainable.

Red flags about the "black cat" girlfriend

A "black cat" girlfriend might at first appear to be demure and a prize worth chasing, but her qualities might not actually be well-suited for a healthy relationship.

  • She appears disinterested. She takes days to respond to your text message, doesn't insert herself into your life, and generally appears she's not that into you. The problem? "While we don’t need to be our partner’s literal cheerleader, we all need to know that we’re loved and cared for," Melancon says. "A 'black cat' may unintentionally communicate a lack of interest or love," which won't feel good if you're not receiving the attention and affection you deserve.

  • She struggles with communication. She will leave you on read without having a discussion about something that bothered her; she won't ever tell you how she's feeling, good or bad, and doesn't initiate heartfelt conversations. The issue? "No one is a mind reader, so when one partner often shuts down, it can put a major strain on the relationship," Melancon explains.

  • She's highly introverted/anti-social. Again, while this isn't necessarily a red flag, says Melancon, if she is someone who prefers to be alone and doesn't like to engage socially but you do, that will be an issue for your relationship.

The potential challenges that this relationship could face

The “golden retriever” boyfriend may wind up feeling unappreciated, unloved, or even used, says Melancon. Meanwhile, the “black cat” girlfriend may feel overwhelmed or smothered. "Both partners may struggle to attune to one another’s needs and learn to share love in a way that resonates most with their partner," she explains. "Over time, issues like this can degrade the sense of closeness and intimacy between partners."

Melancon says a relationship between a “golden retriever” boyfriend and a “black cat” girlfriend could work out if both are willing to make adjustments and grow together.

"What matters most in a relationship is how both partners feel—whether their needs are met, if they feel safe communicating and setting boundaries, and how much they respect one another," she says. "All of us have shortcomings when it comes to relationships, but as long as partners are willing to grow, unhealthy relationships can transform over time. We all feel anxious at the uncertainty of life and especially love, so utilizing tests and typologies is a common way of trying to control the future. But please don’t end or start a relationship just because of something you see on TikTok."

Pour la Science n°558

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