All posts tagged: Decades

Mastercard spent decades training its fraud system to see bots as thieves. Now bots are the ones doing the buying.

Mastercard spent decades training its fraud system to see bots as thieves. Now bots are the ones doing the buying.

Published by skeptic

Every time a Mastercard gets tapped, the network has less than a tenth of a second to judge how likely the purchase is to be fraudulent. It made that call across 175 billion transactions last year. Now the buyer on the other side of that judgment is starting to change, and Greg Ulrich, the company’s chief AI and data officer, spelled out the consequence for the VB Transform 2026 audience in Menlo Park on July 14. “We’ve built a bunch of risk rules over time that were intended to stop a bot from transacting,” Ulrich said. “Now we need to enable the bot to transact, so that requires a change to our risk framework and our risk rules.” Ulrich joined Mastercard eleven years ago when an analytics company he worked at was acquired, and said trust struck him from day one on the job. “It’s what enables a merchant that’s never met you to accept payment and ensure that they’re going to get paid. It’s what enables you as a consumer to transact and ensure …

The 20 biggest cosmic discoveries of the last 20 decades

The 20 biggest cosmic discoveries of the last 20 decades

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s hard to fathom just how far we’ve come in our understanding of the Universe over the past 200 years. Back in the early 1800s, we didn’t even know how far away the stars were, what they were made of, or how they worked. We didn’t know what the Universe was, how big it was, or even what the laws were that governed it. We were up to seven planets in the Solar System, with Uranus being discovered in 1781, and had uncovered several asteroids: objects in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. We didn’t know the nature of the Milky Way, or whether there was anything at all beyond it. And we didn’t know if the Universe was infinite and eternal, or finite across either space or time. All of those things have changed and more. Today, we not only know how stars and galaxies work, but can retrace our cosmic history back billions of years: to the Big Bang and even the inflationary period that came before it. We know not only …

Eighties comedy icon Rick Moranis met with standing ovation after decades away from Hollywood

Eighties comedy icon Rick Moranis met with standing ovation after decades away from Hollywood

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Rick Moranis received a warm welcome at his Comic-Con debut following decades out of the spotlight. The 73-year-old joined a panel event on Friday 24 July to promote Spaceballs: The New One, a forthcoming sequel to the 1987 Mel Brooks Star Wars parody. He was met with a standing ovation from fans – and an on-stage bow from his co-stars, including Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman, and Daphne Zuniga. “You made our childhoods better,” said moderator Kevin Smith as fans chanted: “Rick! Rick! Rick!” Moranis rose to fame on the Canadian sketch show SCTV in 1980 after which he went on to become one of the most recognisable faces of Eighties cinema, starring in films such as Streets of Fire (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Spaceballs (1987), and Ghostbusters II (1989), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), …

French customs donates Chagall forgotten for decades after seizure

French customs donates Chagall forgotten for decades after seizure

Published by Jenni Sidey

Earlier this week, French customs near the Swiss border gifted an artwork by Marc Chagall to a nearby museum in France, after it had been languishing in bureaucratic purgatory, forgotten on a warehouse shelf for over 20 years, reported ICI Besançon. In 2006, French authorities stopped a truck carrying artworks from France into Switzerland, and seized an etching by Chagall, along with a 1959 drawing by modern sculptor and painter Ossip Zadkine, because they lacked required certificates for removing them from the country. The two people transporting the works were arrested and fined for hiding the artworks, according to the Times of London. Afterwards, both artworks were effectively forgotten for nearly 20 years due to the “weight of bureaucracy,” per one source speaking to the Times. Related Articles That oversight has now been rectified. On Monday, the eastern Franche-Comté region’s customs office donated the 1924 Chagall etching, titled “L’Acrobate au violon” [Acrobat with Violin], to the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie de Besançon. Besançon Museum of Fine Arts Showcasing its 1st work by Marc Chagall …

Iconic ’60s rockers look incredible as they hit the stage decades after their biggest hits

Iconic ’60s rockers look incredible as they hit the stage decades after their biggest hits

Published by Daniella Wilson

Deep Purple proved they can still rock with the best of them as they delivered an energetic performance nearly six decades after the legendary band first formed. The British rockers performed at the 60th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on Monday July 13, 2026, taking over the iconic Auditorium Stravinski as part of the milestone celebration. © AFP via Getty ImagesBass guitarist Roger Glover and guitarist Simon McBride from Deep Purple Frontman Ian Gillan, now 80, was joined by bassist Roger Glover, also 80, drummer Ian Paice, 78, keyboardist Don Airey, 78, and the youngest member of the group, 47-year-old guitarist Simon McBride. Roger embraced the band’s classic rock aesthetic in a black sleeveless top, dark trousers, a bandana and sunglasses, while Simon wore a patterned shirt and jeans as the pair played guitar side by side. © AFP via Getty ImagesThe band performed during the 60th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland Ian Gillan kept his look relaxed in a grey shirt and dark trousers, while Ian Paice could be seen behind his drum kit …

Column: The Iran war could shape American policy for decades

Column: The Iran war could shape American policy for decades

Published by Sam Flores

The war with Iran that never really ended is back on. Like everybody else, including the Trump administration and the Iranian regime, I have no idea how it will end. But it eventually will, and how it will be remembered will matter enormously. Politics is about many things, but whether you call it “spin,” “framing” or “narrative competition,” storytelling is never far from the heart of it. As the philosopher Richard Rorty observed, “Competition for political leadership is in part a competition between differing stories about a nation’s self-identity, and between differing symbols of its greatness.” Sometimes the story itself is the point, like the recent clashes over the American founding — 1619 vs. 1776 — and sometimes the story is a means to some other political end, like winning an election or passing controversial legislation. If people believe the spin that elections are routinely stolen thanks to votes by illegal immigrants, then passing the SAVE Act makes sense. If they don’t believe that story — perhaps because it’s not true — but do believe …

UK children will be one of unhealthiest generations in decades, doctors say | Children’s health

UK children will be one of unhealthiest generations in decades, doctors say | Children’s health

Published by Sam Flores

Children in the UK will grow up to be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades, with child health outcomes having declined or stalled completely across all areas, a group of leading paediatricians has said. Reduced vaccination rates alongside rising hospital admissions for asthma and mental health disorders are all contributing factors to the UK’s record on children’s health, which should be seen as a “national embarrassment”, their analysis has found. The report, published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), analysed 12 globally recognised indicators of child health and wellbeing including infant mortality rates, oral health, obesity, vaccination rates, the prevalence of mental health disorders and asthma rates. Child health outcomes across the UK had significantly stagnated across all metrics, portraying the UK’s children as among the unhealthiest in western Europe. For example, only 84% of children in the UK receive two doses of the MMR vaccine by age five, which is below the World Health Organization’s 95% target and makes the UK the worst performing of G7 nations. The UK …

Nazi-Looted Painting Found Decades Ago to Be Returned to Jewish Dealer’s Heirs

Nazi-Looted Painting Found Decades Ago to Be Returned to Jewish Dealer’s Heirs

Published by Jenni Sidey

A painting that once belonged to the prominent Dutch Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker has been successfully identified and will be returned to his heirs. The discovery of the painting, depicting the interior of Amsterdam’s Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and likely by Dutch Golden Age painter Hendrick van der Burgh, has an unusual history, according to De Telegraaf, which first reported the news. The paper’s crime reporter John van den Heuvel worked with art detective Arthur Brand to identify the painting and its history. Related Articles Amsterdam resident Robert van der Hoek saw the painting decades ago on the side of the street while driving by, and he pulled over to rescue it from its likely fate. “It was lying among a pile of rubbish, clearly intended to be removed by the city cleaning service,” he told De Telegraaf. “I took it with me because I thought it was a shame, and I put it in the cellar. It stood there for years.” Van der Hoek reached out to De Telegraaf after reading the paper’s …

Charlie’s Angels star, Cheryl Ladd, looks decades younger at 75

Charlie’s Angels star, Cheryl Ladd, looks decades younger at 75

Published by Daniella Wilson

Cheryl Ladd celebrates her 75th birthday on Sunday, July 12 2026, looking just as glamorous as she did during her Charlie’s Angels heyday. The actress became a household name in 1977 when she joined the hit crime drama as Kris Munroe, the younger sister of Farrah Fawcett’s Jill. Far from being a one-role wonder, Cheryl built a career spanning music, film, television, Broadway and books while raising a family and maintaining one of Hollywood’s longest marriages. Nearly five decades after becoming an Angel, she remains in the spotlight and recently reunited with former co-stars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith to celebrate the show’s enduring legacy. © Getty Images From South Dakota to Hollywood Born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor in Huron, South Dakota, on July 12, 1951, Cheryl initially dreamed of becoming a singer. After graduating from high school, she toured with a band before settling in Los Angeles. One of her first major jobs was providing the singing voice of Melody in the animated series Josie and the Pussycats under the name Cherie Moor. Commercials and …

Contributor: Howard Zinn spoke to this moment, even decades ago

Contributor: Howard Zinn spoke to this moment, even decades ago

Published by Sam Flores

Not many historians have seen their work referenced on “The Simpsons” and “The Sopranos.” Not many historians have been condemned by name by a president on the White House lawn for the “crime” of researching and writing about this nation’s history. And not many historians have taught countless people that this country’s past looks quite different depending upon the perspective of those doing the telling. This is Howard Zinn, who shaped Americans’ understanding of themselves through seven decades of activism and whose insights should continue to color how we understand the news of the day. Zinn is both perhaps the most banned historian in U.S. history and the author of arguably the most enduring U.S. history text, the 46-year-old and still best-selling “A People’s History of the United States.” He had died a decade earlier when President Trump — amid the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic — held Zinn responsible for “left-wing rioting and mayhem” and “propaganda tracts … that try to make students ashamed of their own history.” At the barest-bones level, detractors attack …