The development of America’s geothermal resources has picked up steam, one could say, after the US Interior Department approved a project in Utah that could generate up to 2 gigawatts of electricity. Houston-based Fervo Energy received department approval in October for their Beaver County project that is set to start generating energy for clients in […] The post Giant 2-GW Geothermal Project in Utah Gains Federal Approval appeared first on Good News Network.

President-elect Donald Trump is considering removing mainstream media journalists from the White House press briefing room, according to his son. Donald Trump Jr. told Daily Wire podcast host Michael Knowles on Monday that the elder Trump may reorganize the White House press briefing room’s seating arrangement to sideline mainstream media outlets and give credentials to independent news outlets and podcasters. On Trump Jr.’s own podcast, “Triggered,” the president-elect’s son confirmed that he had discussed the idea with his father and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has become a close ally of Trump’s. “We had the conversation about opening up the press room to a lot of these independent journalists,” said Trump Jr. “If The New York Times has lied, they’ve been adverse to everything, they’re functioning as the marketing arm of the Democrat Party. Why not open it up to people who have larger viewerships, stronger followings?” Referring to popular podcast host Joe Rogan, who interviewed his father just days before the election, Trump Jr. added, “I’d love to see Rogan in the White House press briefing, or even rotate guys out.” Shortly after Trump Jr. broke the news, Trump himself issued a demand for The New York Times to apologize for its dishonest coverage of his presidency and campaign. “Will the failing New York Times apologize to its readers for getting years of ‘Trump’ coverage so wrong? They write such phony ‘junk’ knowing full well how incorrect it is, only meaning to demean,” he said in a post on Truth Social. He noted that one journalist in particular, to whom he referred as “a third-rate writer and fourth-rate intellect,” has written “story after story, always terrible, and yet I almost never speak to her. They do no fact-checking, because facts don’t matter to them.” Mainstream media outlets have rapidly fallen in popularity, with a majority placing little to no trust in the outlets. According to a Gallup poll published late last month, one-third of Americans place “not very much” trust in mainstream media and even more (36%) do not trust mainstream media “at all.” The share of Americans with either a “great deal” or even just a “fair amount” of trust in mainstream media has fallen from 45% in 2018 to just 31% in 2024. Much of the sharp decline in trust in mainstream media has been attributed to political bias and a lack of credibility on the part of mainstream journalists. Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos explained that news outlets “must be accurate, and we must be believed to be accurate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but we are failing on the second requirement. Most people believe the media is biased.” He continued, “Lack of credibility isn’t unique to The Post. Our brethren newspapers have the same issue. And it’s a problem not only for media, but also for the nation.” Bezos also noted the growing influence being wielded by independent and alternative news outlets and podcasters. “Many people are turning to off-the-cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts, and other unverified news sources,” he observed. In comments to The Washington Stand, Family Research Council Action Director Matt Carpenter said, “The ultimate irony of the 2024 election season was that the effect of the entire cable news apparatus playing attack dog against President Trump and Republicans was that it incentivized them to utilize the emerging, and much larger, alternative news space.” He added, “Shows like ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ gave voters a three-hour unedited window into how President Trump interacts with someone who many have come to trust as a source of information: Joe Rogan.” Carpenter continued: “It’s fitting that the president-elect would consider shuffling the White House press room to reflect the updated media environment as market share and audience plummets for cable news networks and podcasters and independent journalists rise.” Trump made use of independent and alternative media, especially podcasts, in his historic 2024 campaign. Over 22 million X users listened in to Trump’s two-hour audio interview with tech billionaire Musk in August, after the latter purchased the social media platform that banned Trump, then the sitting U.S. president, nearly four years ago. Trump’s appearance on the “Impaulsive” podcast with YouTuber Logan Paul garnered over 6 million views, his appearance on “This Past Weekend” with comedian Theo Von earned over 14 million views, and his appearance on comedian Andrew Schulz’s “Flagrant” scored nearly 7 million views. Trump’s interview with Rogan, released less than 12 days before the election, has currently been watched by nearly 52 million people. Vice President-elect JD Vance also ran the podcast gamut. His interview with Von garnered over 6 million views, his appearances on the “Full Send Go” podcast and the “Tim Dillon Show” scored about 2 million views each, and his interview with Rogan totaled over 18 million views. A number of YouTube viewers cited Vance’s interviews as a key factor in deciding who to vote for, with many expressing shock that Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had decided to label Vance “weird.” One user commented, “This guy is supposed to be weird? He’s like the most normal, down-to-earth guy.” Another, referring to the length and depth of the interviews, said, “Is it me or [do] these podcasters do a 10 times better job bringing out the real interviewee than a ‘journalist’ ever could?” The night of the election, Musk told X users, “You are the media now.” If Trump does, in fact, reorganize the White House press briefing room, podcasters, independent news outlets, and even influential X users may end up being the new media. Originally published by The Washington Stand. The post Trump May Boot Corporate Media From White House Press Room appeared first on The Daily Signal.

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—A handful of pediatricians who perform “sex-change” procedures on children led a successful pressure campaign to push a major transgender medical organization to remove age minimums for life-altering sex-change surgeries from its clinical guidance, according to emails exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Emails reveal the American Academy of Pediatrics asked just four doctors—all of whom are considered leaders in the field of pediatric sex changes and have performed various transgender procedures—to review and provide feedback on an embargoed copy of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health’s clinical guidance, called the Standards of Care version 8, or SOC-8, weeks before its expected publication. Based on the four doctors’ review, the AAP strong-armed WPATH into removing sex-change surgery age minimums from the SOC-8. When the AAP asked the four pediatricians—Jason Rafferty, Ilana Sherer, Juanita Hodax, and later Brittany Allen—to review the SOC-8 on the organization’s behalf in 2022, Rafferty, Sherer, and Allen were on the leadership team of the AAP’s Section on LGBT Health and Wellness, a group within the AAP that provides the organization with expertise and education on LGBT issues, according to an archive of its website. The Biden-Harris administration also pressured WPATH to remove sex-change surgery age limits from their clinical guidance, according to records made public by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall while defending Alabama’s law restricting pediatric sex-change procedures. In an amicus brief submitted in the upcoming Supreme Court case United States v. Skrmetti, Marshall explains that Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine—who is openly transgender—had unsuccessfully pressured WPATH to remove the surgical age minimums, but the pressure from the AAP “tipped the scales,” causing WPATH to remove the child sex-change surgery age minimums. “Thanks to the Biden Administration and AAP, SOC-8 does not contain age minimums for any transitioning hormonal or surgical intervention except for one: phalloplasty, the surgical creation of a neopenis,” reads Marshall’s brief. “WPATH considers all other surgeries and interventions ‘medically necessary gender-affirming medical treatment[s] in adolescents.’” Tipping The Scales In August 2022, after securing an embargoed copy of WPATH’s clinical guidance, AAP state government affairs analyst Jeff Hudson asked the pediatricians to review how the guidance aligned with current AAP policy. Rafferty was the lead author of the AAP’s controversial child sex-change policy, first published in 2018, that supported the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries for minors. Reaffirmed in 2023, the AAP’s transgender policy notably excluded age minimums for drug or surgical interventions. Hudson stressed the importance of reviewing the SOC-8 before it’s publication, noting it would have “implications” for their “existing legal arguments” as they fought state bans on child sex-change interventions in court. “I explained our position and reasoning behind securing access to SOC-8 before its publication and WPATH agreed that the AAP and AAP chapters are leading the fight to protect access to this care at the state level and needs to be as prepared as possible,” wrote Hudson. “There are implications for our existing legal arguments that I’ll work through with our counsel once you’ve reviewed and provided feedback.”  Hudson requested the feedback quickly so that the AAP would have time to “formulate an advocacy strategy and media strategy” before the SOC-8’s anticipated release in September. Emails show a small group from the AAP, which included Hudson, the gender pediatricians, and CEO Mark Del Monte, was given access to the embargoed guidance.    The DCNF obtained a series of heavily redacted emails that appear to be discussions in which the gender pediatricians reviewed and commented on the embargoed draft of the SOC-8. In one heavily redacted email, Rafferty alluded to differences between the AAP’s policy and the WPATH clinical guidance, writing: “I personally continue to support the AAP’s current position over WPATH in my practice as articulated in the statement.”  Hudson met with WPATH leadership on Sept. 5, 2022, and the following day reached out to Sherer, Rafferty, Hodax, and Allen, sending an attachment with their final “collated” comments on the SOC-8, promising to touch base with them all about “the plan moving forward.” On Sept. 8, 2022, then-AAP President Moira Szilagyi sent a letter to WPATH letting them know the final version of the SOC-8 “raised concerns” from their clinical experts, who emails revealed to be Rafferty, Sherer, Hodax, and Allen. The AAP specifically took issue with WPATH’s inclusion of age minimums for pediatric sex-change surgery and their validation of “anti-transgender arguments.” “AAP experts agree SOC8 lacks the evidence to justify the recommended surgery ages,” Szilagyi wrote, ending with a request that AAP subject-matter experts meet with WPATH for further discussion. Neither Sherer, Hodax, nor Allen responded to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment. ‘Very Junior People’ Documents released by AG Marshall detail how the AAP’s refusal to endorse the SOC-8 sent WPATH into chaos. In response to the AAP’s letter, Scott Leibowitz, a colead of the SOC-8 chapter on adolescents, urgently created a task force to review the AAP’s feedback and “figure out next steps,” according to an email sent Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)- a MAJOR organization in the United States that is typically very pro-transhealth/gender-affirming care- voiced its opposition to the SOC8, specifically due to aspects of the Adolescent chapter. Not only did they say they would not endorse the SOC, they indicated that they would actively publicly oppose it,” wrote Leibowitz. “Clearly, if AAP were to publicly oppose the SOC-8, it would be a major challenge for WPATH, SOC-8, and trans youth access to care in the U.S.,” Leibowitz wrote. That same day, Jon Arcelus, one of three co-chair’s responsible for leading WPATH’s SOC-8 development team, wrote to colleagues that he did not agree with bending the knee to the AAP’s request to remove sex-change surgery age minimums. In an email, he referred to the AAP’s policy as a “one sided narrative” and said making the changes they demanded “will make a joke of our methodology” and look “weak.” “We can’t not [sic] write a document that looks like theirs, as it has a one sided narrative, extremely biased. I will be surprised [if] their guidelines are used at all,” wrote Arcelus. “I think it will not be in the benefit of our community to remove ages as [a] suggestion and to make any of the changes that they are recommending. This will make a joke of our methodology and will see us as weak,” he wrote. Then-president of WPATH Walter Bouman responded to Arcelus, writing: “I have also read all the comments from the AAP and struggle to find any sound evidence-based argument(s) underpinning these. I am seriously surprised that a ‘reputable’ association as the AAP is so thin on scientific evidence.” Arcelus wrote he was “shocked” that the comments about the SOC-8 had come from “very junior people at the AAP.” “I was shocked to see the feedback from very junior people from AAP, my suggestion was not to make any changes,” wrote Arcelus. Leibowitz declined to comment through a Nationwide Children’s Hospital spokesperson. Neither WPATH, Arcelus, nor Bouman responded to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment. ‘Reached A Deal’ In the early hours of Sept. 10, 2022, Arcelus sent WPATH colleagues his comments on the AAP’s requests to change the SOC-8. “I am including the pdf with the comments from AAP. I have gone one by one through them and add my comments […] as to why we are not going to make changes or if we are say that we are removing it,” wrote Arcelus. “Time is a problem as we want the SOC-8 to be out for Montreal, so we need to agree tomorrow whether 1) we ignore all their comments 2) we remove the sections that I suggest or more if you feel,” Arcelus wrote. WPATH was under pressure to resolve the dispute with the AAP quickly, as it wanted to release the SOC-8 before an upcoming scientific symposium that began Sept. 15, 2022, in Montreal, Canada. Through a public records request, the DCNF obtained 30 hours of recordings from the private WPATH symposium, where several speakers noted the SOC-8 was published the night before the symposium began. Around midday on Sept. 10, 2022, Arcelus sent Hudson an email titled “Last version with changes.” The email included an attachment titled “SOC8 Final edit as agreed with adolescent chapter,” informing Hudson that WPATH had removed the age minimums from the SOC-8 as “agreed” upon and asking for the AAP’s endorsement. “Thank you very much for today’s meeting and the support through this process. We have just finished our meeting and we have agreed to remove the ages and to add the sentence we agreed,” wrote Arcelus. “I hope that by doing this AAP will be able to endorse the SOC8 or at least to support it.” Hudson forwarded the email to Rafferty, Sherer, Allen, Hodax, and Mark Del Monte, asking: “Do you approve of these changes?” “I think these changes are sufficient so that we would not need to oppose SOC8,” Rafferty responded, adding he didn’t see anything that “explicitly or directly contradicts or opposes our policies.” “For us all, I think it is important to recognize that the [policy statement] is still our official policy even after SOC8 is released. These changes allow SOC8, especially the recommendations themselves, to at least be aligned with the [policy statement] without anything that explicitly or directly contradicts or opposes our policies,” wrote Rafferty. Later that afternoon, Eli Coleman reported to his colleagues that the AAP was “satisfied with the proposed changes” and that the group was ready to provide a statement in support of WPATH.  One person on the WPATH email chain, whose name was redacted, wrote: “May I thank each and all of you for the tremendous effort you made to reach a deal with the AAP and to allow the SOC 8 to be published.” ‘So Much More’ Rafferty played a critical role in the development of the AAP’s child sex-change policy, which has no age minimums for sex-change surgery and refers to puberty blockers as “reversible treatments.” The DCNF obtained an email written by Rafferty in June 2022 responding to a series of questions from the powerful D.C.-based Covington and Burling law firm, which represents the AAP in litigation seeking to overturn Alabama’s ban on pediatric sex-change, about the appropriateness of pediatric sex-change. “We recently reviewed a lengthy article in the New York Times Magazine entitled ‘The Battle Over Gender Therapy’ […]. Given the prominence of the NY Times and the tenor of the article, which raises many questions about the appropriateness of gender-affirming care, we expect the article may be cited in support of bans on gender-affirming care,” the law firm wrote. “Below we’ve listed some points from the article which may be used to support such bans or to challenge our amicus briefs, and some questions from our team.” Despite the AAP’s push to remove age minimums from the WPATH SOC-8, Rafferty, when referring to gender exploration, told the law firm that some youth “try it out” without needing intervention. “Do some youth ‘try it out’—Yes, as children grow up gender exploration is a NORMAL part of development and understanding the society roles [sic] around them. Exploring one’s gender does not mean that any intervention is necessary aside from support and assuring their safety,” wrote Rafferty. Unmentioned Risks In his response to the law firm’s questions, Rafferty described how puberty blockers can cause sterility in children and admitted there were no studies evaluating whether puberty suppression leads to sexual dysfunction. “Long story short, if you start blockers early in puberty before the eggs or cells that give rise to sperm mature (essentially before someone starts to menstruate or ejaculate), then later go directly on directly to cross sex hormone, then you never allow the maturation to occur and will essentially be sterile,” wrote Rafferty. Rafferty further explained that while patients who’ve received sex-change interventions may have physical limitations in the mechanics of sexual intercourse, the experience of being sexually intimate in their “chosen” sex was “worth so much more to them.” “Sexual dysfunction: As far as I know there is no study that looks at this, and frankly it would be a difficult study to do,” wrote Rafferty. “The mechanics of an ‘internal orgasm’ and pleasure are quite different than penile erection, climax, and release of semen,” Rafferty wrote. “A fundamental point, however, is that for many people who are trans female, penile stimulation and external orgasm may actually be quite dysphoric and lead to an aversion or avoidance of sexual activity. I see this commonly in my practice. In adults post-op, I commonly hear that while there may be limitations, the ability to experience intimacy with a partner in a way that is affirming, or simply to be naked and comfortable in one’s body around another person, is worth so much more to them. I know this is not “a study” but it is the experience so many patients have shared with me.” Puberty blockers stop the maturation process of the reproductive organs, leaving boys with a small penis and lacking the penile tissue needed for vaginoplasty—a sex change surgery that uses genital tissue to create an imitation vagina for men. Rafferty discussed this in his email to the law firm. “I will also say that a risk you do not mention for trans females who start on blockers early in puberty is that there may not be enough penile tissue to do an inversion and achieve a full depth vaginal cavity. They may take tissue from the GI track or elsewhere to try to extend the cavity but that has led to complications (e.g. GI tissue tends to secrete a lot of mucous and foul odor),” wrote Rafferty. Rafferty also noted there had been an increase in “top surgery” among teenagers, which he attributed to Medicaid coverage making the surgeries more accessible. “Today, we have [three] surgeons in [Rhode Island] doing these surgeries and probably half a dozen in [Massachusetts] plus a pediatric plastic surgeon at Boston Children’s specializing in gender surgeries. Most if not all now take Medicaid—very few patients are paying the ]full] cost of surgery out of pocket. So, the point is that my experience is not that surgery is ‘more popular’ but just more (or simply just) accessible.” Rafferty did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Pursuit Of Excellence  On Sept. 15, 2022, WPATH released the SOC-8 without age minimums for child sex-change surgery. Upon its release, Hudson sent an internal memo with the AAP’s statement on the SOC-8, which included a FAQ about the AAP’s policy positions. The FAQ included the question, “What is the AAP’s position on the leaked recommendations on surgeries for minors?” The document gave the following answer: “AAP does not recommend surgical interventions for individuals younger than 18, except in rare cases.” In December 2022, Jeff Hudson was awarded a Pursuit of Excellence award from the AAP for his work on behalf of “trans” youth, according to a LinkedIn post. “I am extremely honored to have been awarded the AAP Pursuit of Excellence award for my work on behalf of trans and gender diverse youth,” Hudson wrote in the post. The AAP previously provided the DCNF with a statement that confirmed their partnership with WPATH but explained that the AAP and peer organizations “develop policy guidance independently.” “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) routinely partners with relevant U.S. medical and mental health associations and global health organizations on a wide range of health issues, including the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH),” an AAP spokesperson told the DCNF. “While this collaboration is important, the AAP develops policy guidance independently, as do its peer organizations.” The American Academy of Pediatrics and Jeff Hudson did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Here’s How a Small Band of Pediatricians Pushed for Ending Age Minimums for Child ‘Sex Changes’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FHE Health announces the nominees for their annual First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award and the list is nothing short of paw-mazing furry friends! FHE Health, a national behavioral health provider, has created the nationwide contest to “showcase therapy dogs everywhere in the many roles they fill, while also shining the spotlight on therapy dogs that assist first responders—and the critical need for more such dogs, both in South Florida and in communities across the U.S.” Furthermore, the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award is also FHE Health’s way to advocate the need for more therapy dogs for first responders across the country. And for this year’s First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award, the list of nominees is full of good boys and girls! Some of the most notable nominees include: Deputy Dally of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. He is a 7-year-old GoldenDoodle who has been working as a Therapy K9 for 4.5 years. His most notable case involved the kidnapping of two young kids, after the vehicle the kids were in was apprehended, Deputy Dally provided much needed comfort to the kids until their mother arrived. Willowbrook if the LA County Sheriff’s Department. This little fella is proof that even the little dogs can make big impacts in their community. Willowbrook has been rescued from a backyard breeder and survived parvo. At 5.5 pounds, he has visited 6,000 sworn personnel and 8,000 civilian personnel in L.A. County. Raven of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. On his first day of work, he helped de-escalate a situation involving a man who wanted to take his own life. Thanks to Raven’s encouragement, the man was able to peacefully surrender. Way to make a great first impression on your first day at work! Lacy of the 911 Call Center in Austin, Texas. Lacy walks the aisles of the call center to support Fire, Police, and Sheriff’s Department. But Lacy’s most notable work was when she provided comfort at Uvalde Memorial Hospital after the horrific school shooting. Murphy of the Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center. Murphy is as busy as a bee, but the work she does make a difference in the lives she touches. She supports victims of child abuse and first responders who investigate and prosecute these cases. She also supports first responders and the youth as a volunteer at Canine Caregivers Therapy Dogs. The First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award has a total of 29 nominees and the Top 10 finalists will be chosen through public voting, which is now open until December 04. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FHE Health (@fhehealth) According to FHE Health, “The finalists and first-place winner will be chosen by a small committee with representatives from FHE Health and FHE Health’s partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation.” And the winner of the national award will receive the following prize: Gift Basket From Chewy.com $2,000 check in support of their work Free national publicity, including a feature blog that reaches more than 100,000 people on social media and a press release announcing the news A “Top Paws Therapy Dog Award” badge for placement on their website or blog in recognition of their status as one of 10 finalists A $2,500 donation made in their honor by FHE Health to our partner organization First Responders Pack Foundation, which exists to train more therapy dogs for first responders Last year, the winner of the First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award was a two-and-a-half-year-old mutt named “Sergeant Bo”. He went from being a stray roaming the streets of Florida’s Indialantic Beach to providing much-needed comfort and security to the Covenant School Shooting victims in his first three months as a therapy dog.

Wild turkeys in the US are learning the ways of the human hunter.

Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down in episode 42...

You don't have to be Genghis Khan to be in the club.

AI has been taught to clone a personality in just two hours – and this is a dream come true for sociologists and deepfake scammers. Scientists from Stanford University and Google DeepMind have collaborated to develop an AI application capable of creating a digital replica of a person’s personality. Their findings, detailed on the preprint server arXiv and reported by MIT Technology Review, demonstrate how generative AI can mimic human traits with remarkable accuracy. The system, built on the large language model ChatGPT, operates by asking a series of questions, collecting responses over a two-hour session, and processing them to generate a digital copy of the person’s personality. To test its accuracy, researchers posed identical questions to study participants and their digital “twins.” The AI-generated personalities provided answers that matched those of their human counterparts 85% of the time. “If you can get a bunch of little ‘yous’ running around and actually making decisions that you would make, I think that’s ultimately the future,” said Joon Sung Park, a Stanford computer science graduate student involved in the study. The developers emphasized that their aim is not to replace humans but to streamline tasks for sociologists and researchers. Conducting surveys with living respondents, they noted, can be both time-consuming and costly. This groundbreaking work underscores the multifaceted nature of human personality, which may seem immeasurable and complex. However, the researchers demonstrated that an individual’s worldview and value system can be effectively deduced using a well-crafted questionnaire. Once this data is fed into generative AI, it can convincingly imitate personality traits—at least within controlled settings. While this innovation has exciting applications in fields like sociology, it also raises concerns. If AI can convincingly replicate personalities, it could make deepfakes and other forms of digital impersonation more sophisticated and potentially more dangerous. The post AI Can Now Replicate Your Personality appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The dream of many – to try the taste through a monitor – is getting closer. A team of biomedical engineers and virtual reality experts has developed a groundbreaking lollipop-shaped interface that simulates taste in virtual reality. Their research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, represents a significant step toward integrating the senses of taste and smell into virtual environments—an area that has long lagged behind visual and auditory advancements. The device, resembling a lollipop, uses an innovative system involving agar-agar gel infused with various chemical flavors. When a small voltage of 2V is applied, the transparent, seaweed-derived gel is pushed to the surface. There, it mixes with saliva to create a convincing taste sensation. Credit: Yiming Liu The lollipop is equipped with nine distinct flavors: salt, sugar, cherry, citric acid, green tea, passion fruit, grapefruit, durian, and milk. The intensity of each flavor is adjustable by varying the voltage, and combinations of these ingredients can generate entirely new taste experiences. Initial tests confirm the device’s effectiveness, though current limitations include the gel’s quantity, which allows for about an hour of use per device. This prototype, while promising, is just the beginning. The engineers aim to expand its capabilities, potentially integrating up to 100 flavors and extending the device’s lifespan in future iterations. Beyond its entertainment potential, the lollipop interface has practical applications. For instance, it could revolutionize online marketing by enabling consumers to “taste” products virtually before purchasing. In medicine, doctors could use it to test the palatability of medications for patients. Additionally, it could serve as an educational tool in interactive games designed for children with eating disorders. As virtual reality technologies continue to evolve, devices like this bring us closer to fully immersive experiences, blending sight, sound, and now taste into the digital realm. The post Engineers Create a Lollipop That Brings Taste to Virtual Reality appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit handed the Lone Star State a big win Wednesday, barring the Biden administration from "damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas's c-wire fence in the vicinity of Eagle Pass." The Biden administration has worked feverishly in recent years to hinder the state's efforts to secure its southern border with Mexico. These efforts have focused in large part on Shelby Park, a 47-acre municipal park in Eagle Pass where hordes of illegal aliens have stolen into the homeland. The question of whether state troopers and members of the Texas National Guard could lay nearly 30 miles of concertina wire in the area has been batted around the courts for over a year. The Fifth Circuit Court issued a temporary order in December 2023 prohibiting the Biden administration from cutting wire except when faced with medical emergencies. The following month, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the order and kicked the matter back down to lesser courts. Although the legal dispute was far from settled, Texas lay wire anyway, citing its need and responsibility to "maintain operational control." The installation of nearly 70,000 rolls of razor wire in Eagle Pass along with fencing and shoreline barriers apparently helped make an immediate difference. According to the Media Research Center, after closing off Shelby Park in January, the number of illegal alien encounters dropped 325% from the previous month and 41% from January 2023. Federal agents responded to the reinforcement of the border by cutting through the wire on multiple occasions —something the Border Patrol union stated would "undoubtedly encourage more illegal immigration" and hinder Border Patrol agents' efforts to target criminal elements crossing the border illegally. 'This is a good win for Texas, a good win for the country.' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, rumored to be under consideration by President-elect Donald Trump for the next FBI director, sued the Biden administration in October, accusing Border Patrol of illegally destroying state property when helping foreign nationals flout American law. Paxton's lawsuit indicated further that federal agents "not only cut Texas' concertina wire, but also attach[ed] ropes or cables from the back of pickup trucks to ease" illegal aliens to steal into the country, reported the Texas Tribune. District Judge Alia Moses granted the state temporary relief, allowing federal officials to cut wire only in cases of life-threatening medical emergencies. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 opinion Wednesday granting Texas a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration. Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan, who was nominated to the court by President-elect Donald Trump, noted in the majority opinion: The injunction is not barred by intergovernmental immunity because Texas is seeking, not to "regulate" Border Patrol, but only to safeguard its own property. Nor, for similar reasons, is the injunction barred by the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA"). Finally, Texas has satisfied the injunction factors from Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7 (2008). Most importantly, the United States does not even contest that Texas has shown it will likely succeed on its state law trespass claims. The court noted that while the Biden administration contends that the concertina wire poses a risk to human safety, the administration's own behavior does as well as it has "facilitated and encouraged aliens to 'undertake the dangerous task of crossing the river.'" The court also rejected the Biden administration's argument that the Lone Star State's fencing undermines international relations, adding that "concerns about international relations do not erase property owners' rights over thousands of square miles along the border." The lone dissenter on the court was a Biden-nominated judge, Irma Carrillo Ramirez. The ever-defiant Republican Gov. Greg Abbott noted in response to the ruling that Texas will "continue adding more razor wire border barrier." Paxton called the result a "huge win for Texas," tweeting, "We sued immediately when the federal government was observed destroying fences to let illegal aliens enter, and we've fought every step of the way for Texas sovereignty and security." "It was shocking to me that the federal government would go out of their way to cut razor wire to allow illegals to cross when we're just trying to protect our own land," Paxton reportedly told Newsmax Wednesday evening. "This wasn't their land. This was our land, our private property. It had nothing due to the federal government. So this is a good win for Texas, a good win for the country, that this court recognized our ability to protect our land." The Tribune noted that a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to its request for comment. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!