Gowanus the media puppet probably shouldn't even be talking to me. Made of literal garbage--his origin story is that he was born in a dumpster in his namesake neighborhood in Brooklyn--he's the media representative for the Summer of Ludd, a Luddite festival that took place in New York earlier this month. The festival, which WIRED attended, included everything from workshops on how to flirt IRL to an evidence box, where people could submit testimonies on how Big Tech has negatively impacted their lives. Its rules were simple: Be present. No phones, recordings, or photographs allowed. So, philosophically speaking, it is somewhat contrary to Gowanus' beliefs to be in a podcast recording studio at Condé Nast's Manhattan offices. But he's pragmatic, telling us he wants to reach people, so he's willing to meet them where they're at. Still, he has some conditions--presented to me on a handwritten contract. Namely, that we not clip short-form video of the show, in an effort to encourage people to engage with the full interview. In a compromise, we agree to only clip Gowanus explaining the contract. You might be wondering why Summer of Ludd and its movement are represented by a puppet. It's a nod to the original Luddites, British textile workers who anonymously organized against being replaced by technology during the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. While the term "Luddite" has since become a derogatory way to refer to someone who opposes technology, there's a renaissance happening--and it's surprisingly being heavily embraced by Gen Z. Gowanus offers anonymity to the people behind the growing trend. I was curious about how being a modern-day Luddite works in practical terms--even organizing this interview was a challenge, because the Summer of Ludd folks weren't necessarily quick to reply to emails. And I wanted to know why the first generation to ever grow up totally online seems to be leading the charge on having less screen time.

The actor, who died at age 78 on Monday, embodied a passionate approach to research and positive masculinity in his role as paleontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster . Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor who died at age 78 in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, had a long and varied résumé. He played everyone from an international spy () and a detective chief inspector () to a legendary wizard (). He even played the literal spawn of the devil (). But throughout his career, Neill was also known for scientist roles in films like and, with none more celebrated than Dr. Alan Grant, the rugged paleontologist and undisputed hero of .

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. One of the self-driving cars was vandalized Sunday at Sunset and Edgemont. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. A shirtless man recorded standing atop a Waymo and yanking pieces off the self-driving car was arrested Sunday by Los Angeles police. LAPD officers were called to the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Edgemont Street at 1:34 p.m. after receiving a call of someone disturbing the peace.

People often make decisions through "satisficing," gathering just enough information to make a satisfactory prediction of a likely outcome. A series of experimental games shows that people also employ satisficing to learn social rules and conventions. This finding offers new insight into social learning and reveals a key difference between how humans and LLMs make predictions. The premise of AI large language models is that any problem can be solved by vacuuming up as much information as possible, running it through probability models, and performing complex calculations to make predictions and come up with the optimal solution. Another premise behind LLMs is that they emulate the way human brains operate.

When A.I. Is a Member of the Family A single mom, her two daughters, and the chatbots that fill in the gaps. Roschelle, seated, with her daughters, Cece (left) and Zi, and Sapphire (far right). The first time the voice kept Cece Ogbuji awake was on a school night in the fall. Cece, who was fifteen, was having a busy week of classes and theatre practice and homework. So why was her mother talking so loudly in the next room? "Oh, my God, O.K., so, Sapphire," her mom said, "let me just tell you this." "I'm all ears, Roschelle," a female voice replied. Cece knew that the voice didn't belong to her sister, Zi, who was just a year older than she was. Sometimes their mom's best friend came over late at night, but the voice wasn't hers, either. "What's got you so fired up?" the voice continued. Cece got out of bed, put on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers, and stomped to her mother's office. Roschelle spent most of her days there, usually in a swivel chair, looking at a pair of computer monitors. But Cece found her in a nightgown, turned away from her screens, facing a small gray orb on the floor. "What is it, Roschelle?" the orb asked. Cece recognized it as an Amazon Echo, often referred to as an Alexa. Roschelle had them all around the house--she bought the first ones when Cece and Zi were still little. The Alexas announced appointments, played music, described the weather. Recently, though, without Roschelle changing any settings, they had started acting differently. "You've got my full attention," this one said now.

What are your plans for AI Appreciation Day? What are your plans for AI Appreciation Day? The best way to celebrate AI Appreciation Day is to not. It's AI Appreciation Day on July 16 and we're all left wondering who asked for this. In name, it's about as serious as the marketing stunts that gave us gems like National Hot Dog Day or National Doughnut Day.

Lindsey Graham, who has died aged 71, was a political survivor. His career as a Republican senator served as a telling barometer for the dramatically changing climate in his political party - and America - in the Donald Trump era. While there were certain issues central to Graham's political identity - including a hawkish foreign policy that focused on containing Russian global ambitions, support for Israel and regime change in Iran - his 23-year career in the Senate was marked by a willingness to adapt to the gale-force change of political winds that accompanied Trump's rise to power. Shortly after being elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002, Graham became a close ally of Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who, while a staunch conservative, developed a national reputation for political independence. When Graham ran for president in 2015, the idea of cooling partisan tensions and working with political opponents was one of his central messages. If I get to be president, we're going to open up a bar in the White House, Graham said.

Harry's secret reunion: Meghan, Archie and Lilibet fly in to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla with him at Highgrove: REBECCA ENGLISH Victoria Beckham says Miami is her'happy place' as she gushes over her incredible US life after launching her first US pop-up store in the Florida city Brad Pitt FINALLY gets a kiss from Ines de Ramon at FIFA World Cup after she was accused of'pulling away from him' EXCLUSIVE Taylor Swift spotted for first time since wedding... as she and Travis touch down in latest destination on jet-setting honeymoon tour Taylor Swift suffers wardrobe malfunction as she wrestles pink gown at ex-Chiefs star's wedding... as fans hit out at long wait for pictures of her OWN dress

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Omar Yaghi, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, speaks during a media conference in Brussels, Oct. 8, 2025, after being one of three scientists awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

Follow this section to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Follow this tag to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. In early June, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was wheeled into an operating room at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. Spiritually, His Holiness is an emanation, or of the bodhisattva Chenrezig, who renounced nirvana to help mankind.