All posts tagged: Facts

The Facts About Writing Fiction (and Nonfiction, Too!)

The Facts About Writing Fiction (and Nonfiction, Too!)

Published by José Betancourt

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Writing a book is hard. That goes for any kind of book: children’s or adult, graphic or prose, fiction or nonfiction. But that doesn’t mean they’re hard in the same ways. I talked to Sophia Glock, creator of the graphic memoir Passport and the graphic novel Before We Wake, about the unique challenges she faced when working on each of these books. Before We Wake is the story of a young teen, Alicia, who is struggling to cope with her father’s death and her best friend’s drifting away into other interests. While the story is fictional, there are superficial similarities to Glock’s own teen years: both she and Alicia grew up in the early 2000s, for instance. “Much of [Before We Wake] was inspired by actual events, and dreams, in my life,” Glock told me via email. “It’s a different sort of truth telling.” She was also able to use her own experiences to inform Alicia’s sense of …

Relying on AI chatbots for historical facts can influence your political beliefs, new study shows

Relying on AI chatbots for historical facts can influence your political beliefs, new study shows

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in PNAS Nexus suggests that reading history summaries generated by artificial intelligence can subtly shift people’s social and political opinions. The research indicates that popular chatbots carry hidden biases that can influence users, even when the software provides factually accurate information in response to neutral questions. These findings provide evidence that relying on AI to learn about the world might quietly shape public attitudes. Generative AI refers to computer programs that can create new text, images, or audio based on patterns they learned from vast amounts of data. Chatbots like ChatGPT are a common type of this technology. They are designed to mimic human conversation and answer questions. People increasingly use these tools as everyday search engines to learn about historical events and gather facts. The scientists wanted to know if the way these chatbots write about history could sway how people think about modern issues. Previous studies focused on how artificial intelligence persuades people when it is specifically instructed to make an argument or spread misinformation. This new research focuses …

The Facts About Bipolar Disorder in Older People

The Facts About Bipolar Disorder in Older People

Published by Jenni Sidey

by Dr Elizabeth Tyler Older people have faced ageism in mental health services, including the belief that emotional difficulties are simply a part of ageing or that change is less possible later in life. This can delay appropriate assessment, diagnosis and support. Common misconceptions are that bipolar disorder is a condition that only starts in younger people. However, there is a subset of people who have late-onset bipolar disorder and have their first episode after age 50. The complexity of diagnosis in later life Bipolar disorder can be difficult to recognise in older adults. It is not uncommon for someone to receive multiple diagnoses before they are diagnosed with bipolar. Late-life bipolar will often present primarily with depressive symptoms, and therefore may be diagnosed as depression. Alongside this, people are often more likely to seek help when they feel low, rather than when their mood is elevated. In later life, symptoms such as impulsivity, irritability or agitation may be misattributed to other difficulties, including cognitive decline or dementia. Older people are also more likely to …

Hannah Montana Turns 20: 7 Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Hannah Montana Turns 20: 7 Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Published by Sam Flores

Miley Cyrus is celebrating 20 years since she first transformed into fictional popstar Hannah Montana for the beloved Disney Channel series that became appointment viewing for tweens everywhere in the mid-2000s. To mark the occasion, Miley put together a suitably epic anniversary special for Disney+, featuring Miley’s own recollections from her time as Hannah, as well as appearances from stars like Selena Gomez and Chappell Roan, who opened up about what the show meant to them. After launching in 2006, Hannah Montana quickly became one of Disney’s most successful shows, drawing in global audiences in the hundreds of millions and launching Miley’s career as a star in her own right. Young viewers across the world became enchanted by the blonde-wig-donning teen with a secret life as a global pop star, as the lines between Hannah and Miley became increasingly blurry. With Hannah Montana now back in the spotlight thanks to the anniversary special, we’ve gathered some little-known facts about how the whole thing came together that even the most devoted Smilers might not have known… …

Bridesmaids: Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Probably Never Knew

Bridesmaids: Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Probably Never Knew

Published by Sam Flores

This time 15 years ago, some sceptics were seriously still carrying on that tiresome debate about whether a female-led comedy would actually be funny when Bridesmaids arrived on the scene. Naysayers were more than proven wrong when the comedy came out, and not only made audiences around the world howl with laughter, but became producer Judd Apatow’s highest-grossing film, taking more than £220 million at the box office. Viewers immediately fell in love with Kristen Wiig’s Annie, a maid of honour who is helping her best friend Lillian, played Maya Rudolph, prepare for her wedding, while also trying to keep a group of unruly bridesmaids (the incomparable Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) in check. But it wasn’t just the audiences that were won over by the tale of enduring female friendship (and bodily functions). Bridesmaids was also nominated for the Best Musical Or Comedy prize at the Golden Globes, and even earned two Oscar nods, for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s writing and Melissa McCarthy’s performance. To mark the movie’s 15th …

Chuck Norris, Walker, Texas Ranger star who inspired outlandish ‘facts’, dies aged 86

Chuck Norris, Walker, Texas Ranger star who inspired outlandish ‘facts’, dies aged 86

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 Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion who starred in Walker, Texas Ranger and a string of action movies, has died. He was 86. The Oklahoma-born star first came to prominence when he fought Bruce Lee in 1972’s The Way of the Dragon. His film credits also include 1984’s Missing In Action and 1986’s The Delta Force. In the mid-2000s, “Chuck Norris facts” became a popular meme format. These outlandish claims circulated online typically made reference to Norris’s strength and machismo, such as: “Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door” or “Chuck Norris beat the sun in a staring contest.” In March, he was hospitalized in Hawaii after suffering a medical emergency. Norris was born Carlos Ray Norris in the small town of Ryan, Oklahoma on March 10, 1940. He joined the United States Air Force in 1958 and was subsequently sent …

7 Facts About “Eichmann in Jerusalem,” Hannah Arendt’s Most Notable Work

7 Facts About “Eichmann in Jerusalem,” Hannah Arendt’s Most Notable Work

Published by Sam Flores

  Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was a prominent German political philosopher of Jewish origin and a 20th-century theorist. Her work spanned a wide range of topics, including politics, power, totalitarianism, human rights, and the nature of evil. Arendt’s intellectual contributions were shaped by her personal experiences as a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany during World War II. She closely observed the rise of totalitarian regimes and the horrors of the Shoah/Holocaust, which profoundly influenced her thinking and writings. That’s how her most notable work, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, was created. In this book, she offers her controversial analysis of Adolf Eichmann’s trial, examining the bureaucratic nature of evil and the complicity of ordinary individuals in committing atrocities. What exactly does the “banality of evil” mean? Let’s find out.   1. Who Was Adolf Eichmann? Adolf Eichmann at Trial, 1961, via National Photo Collection of Israel   To fully grasp Arendt’s thesis about the banality of evil, one must first confront the man at its center: Adolf Eichmann. Adolf Eichmann …

Artificial intelligence struggles to consistently evaluate scientific facts

Artificial intelligence struggles to consistently evaluate scientific facts

Published by José Betancourt

Generative artificial intelligence programs can write fluently, but they still struggle to accurately and consistently evaluate basic scientific statements. A recent study shows that when an artificial intelligence is asked the exact same question multiple times, it often gives completely different answers. These results, published in the Rutgers Business Review, highlight the limits of current automated reasoning and the ongoing need for human oversight. Generative artificial intelligence is a type of technology trained on massive databases of text to produce human-like writing. Millions of people now use these applications daily for tasks ranging from marketing to software development. The software writes with an authoritative tone that often sounds correct even when it is entirely wrong. Some high-profile consulting firms have even faced public embarrassment after relying on automated reports that included fabricated data. Despite these known flaws, many businesses have partnered with technology vendors to incorporate these tools into their daily operations. Professionals frequently rely on automated software to analyze data, answer customer queries, and summarize research. The researchers wanted to know if the logical …

Emotions Are Facts: Why Therapy Requires Talking About Them

Emotions Are Facts: Why Therapy Requires Talking About Them

Published by Jenni Sidey

If there is one thing decades of practicing therapy have taught me, it is this: Talking about emotions in therapy is not optional. Yet people often try to convince themselves that it should be. I frequently meet individuals who say they want therapy to help them change their lives, but they also insist that they would rather not talk about their emotions. Sometimes this expectation comes from their own assumptions, and sometimes it comes from things they have read or heard about therapy. I have even seen therapists online suggest that if a therapist asks a client to discuss emotions, the therapist is failing to respect the client’s perspective. That claim sounds compassionate. It is also misleading. Psychotherapy involves talking about emotional responses as well as thoughts and experiences. That is not a matter of a therapist imposing their viewpoint. It is simply part of what the process is. Saying you want therapy but do not want to talk about emotions is a bit like going to a medical doctor and saying, “I want help, …

People with the least political knowledge tend to be the most overconfident in their grasp of facts

People with the least political knowledge tend to be the most overconfident in their grasp of facts

Published by José Betancourt

New research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied suggests that people often overestimate their understanding of political facts. This tendency to be overconfident appears most common among individuals who actually know the least about politics and those who lean conservative. The findings provide evidence that psychological traits, like a desire for quick and definitive answers, help explain why some voters struggle to accurately judge their own political knowledge. Erika K. Fulton, an associate professor of psychology at Idaho State University and head of the META Lab, led a team of scientists to investigate how well people gauge their own grasp of political information. The research team noticed a gap in the existing scientific literature regarding this specific type of self-evaluation. Most prior studies on political knowledge were conducted by political scientists, who often use different analytical methods than cognitive psychologists. The scientists wanted to apply the strict measurement standards of cognitive psychology to political knowledge. As the researchers explained, “Metacognition is broadly defined as thinking about one’s own cognition. The type we studied …