All posts tagged: improved

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Published by Jenni Sidey

Changing your mindset can be a powerful thing and not just for you. I was recently staring at a pile of broken glass in the street, thinking somebody should clear that up before it hurts a person or animal, when I realized that I am that somebody. Instead of deciding it wasn’t my problem, or getting upset and feeling helpless, I got a broom and swept it up. It was a small action, but I still felt empowered for the rest of the day and beyond—I took a bag out with me while walking my dog the next day to pick up some litter. Article continues below You may like Again, my sense of satisfaction soared. Plus, my community was left a little cleaner and the local pigeons had fewer pieces of loose plastic to mistake for food. I was curious about the warm fuzzy feeling I experienced and decided to find out more. In a 2023 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology, participants reported improvements in symptoms of depression and anxiety after participating …

My favorite PC upgrade improved everything, and it wasn’t the GPU

My favorite PC upgrade improved everything, and it wasn’t the GPU

Published by skeptic

I’m obsessed with PC hardware and adjacent display tech. I didn’t need a super ultrawide monitor until I worked from home with one. On that note, I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until I picked up the coolest PC case I’ve ever laid eyes upon. The Hyte Y70 Infinite Touch is a high-end, mid-tower case that lets you show off your rig’s components in compelling style. I’ve built some nice-looking systems over the last couple of decades, but I’ve never been happier with how any of my custom desktops have looked than my current Hyte Y70 mega PC. If you’re looking to spruce up your own system, I highly suggest you invest in a case that lets you bask in the components you’ve no doubt sunk a serious chunk of change into. The Hyte Y70 is one of the best upgrades I’ve ever treated my system to. Related I always do these 4 things after a new PC build before I consider it actually ready Relax, this isn’t as complicated as it …

Google Brings Vertical Tabs and Improved Reading Mode to Chrome

Google Brings Vertical Tabs and Improved Reading Mode to Chrome

Published by skeptic

Google today updated its Chrome browser with support for vertical tabs, which are displayed in a sidebar instead of at the top of the browser. The tab layout can be changed by right clicking on any Chrome window and choosing the “Show Tabs Vertically” option. Sidebar tabs feature full page titles and make it simple to organize tab groups. Google has also added a new full-page interface for reading mode. Right clicking on a webpage and choosing the “Open in reading mode” option will remove distractions and initiate a full-page viewing experience rather than the current side panel default. Google says the two new features are rolling out on the desktop version of Chrome starting today, so they should be available for all users soon. Popular Stories iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for more than five more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone …

Open source Mamba 3 arrives to surpass Transformer architecture with nearly 4% improved language modeling, reduced latency

Open source Mamba 3 arrives to surpass Transformer architecture with nearly 4% improved language modeling, reduced latency

Published by skeptic

The generative AI era began for most people with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, but the underlying technology — the “Transformer” neural network architecture that allows AI models to weigh the importance of different words in a sentence (or pixels in an image) differently and train on information in parallel — dates back to Google’s seminal 2017 paper “Attention Is All You Need.” Yet while Transformers deliver unparalleled model quality and have underpinned most of the major generative AI models used today, they are computationally gluttonous. They are burdened by quadratic compute and linear memory demands that make large-scale inference an expensive, often prohibitive, endeavor. Hence, the desire by some researchers to improve on them by developing a new architecture, Mamba, in 2023, which has gone on to be included in hybrid Mamba-Transformer models like Nvidia’s Nemotron 3 Super. Now, the same researchers behind the original Mamba architecture including leaders Albert Gu of Carnegie Mellon and Tri Dao of Princeton have released the latest version of their new architecture, Mamba-3, as a …

I swapped dumbbell chest presses for resistance band chest presses for two weeks and my shoulder pain instantly improved

I swapped dumbbell chest presses for resistance band chest presses for two weeks and my shoulder pain instantly improved

Published by Jenni Sidey

Returning to exercise after childbirth has been a challenge. I knew that improving my endurance would be tough, but I thought I might keep my strength levels up by continuing to train throughout pregnancy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. A weaker upper body, plus some nagging shoulder pain, means my usual supine dumbbell chest presses have felt particularly hard. Article continues below You may like I decided to try using a resistance band to perform a standing press instead. It’s a method that I’ve previously had success with, swapping dumbbell rows for resistance band rows. Here’s what happened when I made the same switch with my chest presses for two weeks. How to do a resistance band chest press Sets: 1-3 Reps: 15 You’ll need: a moderately-heavy resistance band and a secure anchor point, like a stair railing, or a door if your resistance band comes with a door anchor attachment. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox. How to do it: Loop the band around the …

I stopped chasing a ‘daily driver’ OS and my workflow improved instantly

I stopped chasing a ‘daily driver’ OS and my workflow improved instantly

Published by skeptic

There is an ongoing debate about the ‘best’ operating system. But I’ve chosen to ignore the contrasting views and stop hunting for a single OS to be my daily driver. My approach is to get the best out of the tools that I use by adopting several operating systems, each as a specialist for different tasks. Since I ditched the idea of a daily driver, I’ve become more productive and efficient in my workflows. The debates The OS arguments exist because every system gets something right One of the most tiring things in tech is how the “best” OS debate never ends. Unfortunately, for the most part, it’s the same arguments that have been repeated over the years. People choose a platform and defend it with so much confidence. Even if it looks like a delusion, you should understand that all the major operating systems are actually very capable. This means they will excel at some things, and people form convictions based on how an operating system fulfills their most pressing needs. So, everyone who …

Thirty years after Dunblane school shooting, the UK’s gun laws can still be improved

Thirty years after Dunblane school shooting, the UK’s gun laws can still be improved

Published by Sam Flores

On March 13 1996, a man walked into a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, armed with four handguns and several hundred rounds of ammunition. In the school gymnasium, he killed 16 young children and their teacher, and injured many others. This horrific tragedy prompted significant gun control reforms, including a ban on civilian possession of most handguns. But 30 years later, the UK’s gun safety issues have not been fully solved. Two mass shootings in subsequent years, in Cumbria and Plymouth, add to the evidence that gun law reform in Britain has largely been event-driven. Changes only happened following tragedies – preventing future tragedies has been overlooked. Read more: After the Plymouth attack, British gun laws under scrutiny Shotgun regulation has been a particular problem. Shotguns are far more frequently criminally misused than other types of licensed firearm. In the year ending March 2025, 346 shotguns were criminally misused, compared to just 76 rifles. Shotguns are also far more frequently lost or stolen, thereby contributing to illegal firearm supply. Over the last two decades, there …

Ireland made to work for 27-17 win by improved Wales

Ireland made to work for 27-17 win by improved Wales

Published by Sam Flores

DUBLIN, March 6 : Ireland kept their slim Six Nations title hopes alive on Friday with a tight 27-17 bonus-point victory over Wales that the bottom-placed side made them work incredibly hard for with another much improved performance. Ireland looked like they were picking up where they left off in the outstanding display against England last time out when Jacob Stockdale scored a try on six minutes but Wales defended superbly, were dangerous on the counter attack and deservedly cut Ireland’s lead to 12-10 by halftime. Flanker Jack Conan extended the gap early in the second half but Wales would not lie down and James Botham made it a two-point game just after the hour. A Jamie Osborne try eased the Aviva Stadium nerves within minutes before Jack Crowley provided some insurance with a late penalty. The inconsistent Irish move one point behind France, but with an extra game played, their unlikely hopes rest on a final day win over Scotland and a major slip up by the unbeaten holders. “It was scrappy, lacked a …

Improved EV batteries outmatch degradation from climate change

Improved EV batteries outmatch degradation from climate change

Published by skeptic

Electrifying transportation can go a long way toward reducing carbon emissions, driving up global temperatures. However, warmer temperatures also accelerate the degradation of EV batteries, which can be a make-or-break factor for people considering an EV purchase. In a new study led by the University of Michigan, however, researchers have shown that EV batteries have improved significantly over the past several years. Now, their gains will more than offset their expected heat-related degradation on a warming planet. “Thanks to technological improvements, consumers should have more confidence in their EV batteries, even in a warmer future,” stated Haochi Wu, lead author of the study. Improvements noted in newer EV batteries The team’s study combined EV simulations with models of battery degradation and climate change to compare the endurance of batteries manufactured between 2010 and 2018 with that of batteries manufactured between 2019 and 2023. In a scenario where the planet warms by 2°C, old batteries would see their lifetimes drop by an average of 8% up to a maximum of 30%. For new batteries, the average …

I improved my speaking skills in a week using these ChatGPT voice mode prompts

I improved my speaking skills in a week using these ChatGPT voice mode prompts

Published by skeptic

Working from home is quietly doing something to my speaking ability. I’m an experienced writer and a fluent English speaker. It’s been my working language my entire life. But after years of a lonely solo writing lifestyle, I noticed something uncomfortable. I’d join a video interview or a team call, open my mouth, and feel a half-second delay between thought and word that wasn’t there before. My fluency had just gone a little rusty from disuse. So I ran an interesting experiment with ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode as a speaking coach. Each ChatGPT prompt was chosen to help me work through the exact gaps I’d noticed, like hesitation, word choice/retrieval, and a few pronunciation slips. My goal was to not let my overthinking derail my speaking fluency. Pronunciation prompts fix bad language habits Target a few difficult words at a time Saikat Basu/MakeUseOf Saikat Basu/MakeUseOf Saikat Basu/MakeUseOf ChatGPT can model any supported language and its vocabulary at any speed, on demand. The real power is in specificity if we want to improve our speaking skills …