All posts tagged: mere

Gogglebox return date confirmed by Channel 4 – and it’s mere weeks away

Gogglebox return date confirmed by Channel 4 – and it’s mere weeks away

Published by Daniella Wilson

Gogglebox is returning to Channel 4 for its 28th season, with the nation’s favourite armchair critics back on TV screens in a matter of weeks. The BAFTA-winning series is making a return on Friday 4 September at 9pm, so mark your calendars and clear your schedules. As ever, Gogglebox invites viewers into living rooms across the UK to watch households react to the week’s television, from primetime dramas and reality hits to breaking news and talent shows. The new run arrives after a significant shake-up to the line-up last season when five new households joined the show – Jake and Calum from Glasgow, the Gordon family from Surrey, married couple Andrew and Alfie from the Cotswolds, mother and daughter-in-law duo Sara and Lara from Yorkshire, and Rosie and Susie from Edinburgh. It hasn’t yet been confirmed if new families will join the cast this season. Long-running favourites are also expected to return alongside the newcomers, including Jenny and Lee, Pete and Sophie, Ellie and Izzi and the Malone family, who remain among the show’s most …

Lestat’s debut album is no mere TV soundtrack

Lestat’s debut album is no mere TV soundtrack

Published by Sam Flores

Not since “Once More with Feeling” — the 2001 musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” wisely released on vinyl by Mondo in 2019 — have I taken the genre of music best described as “TV songs” as seriously as I am, right this very second, listening to Lestat de Lioncourt‘s debut album, “The Failures,” released on Spotify and elsewhere just days after the finale of AMC’s “The Vampire Lestat.” Confronted with pondering just how good or “valid” rock songs written for a show about vampires could be, you may be tempted to take on a “what in the Dingoes Ate My Baby is this now,” attitude about the whole deal, but factor in that each original song was written by Daniel Hart — who not only wrote the music for both previous seasons of “Interview with the Vampire,” but has also written music for “A Ghost Story,” “Mother Mary” plus countless other projects — and that these songs are sung by Lestat himself (Sam Reid), and it shakes out to the album as a …

VMAX launches new full-suspension VX2 Lite e-scooter for a mere 9

VMAX launches new full-suspension VX2 Lite e-scooter for a mere $799

Published by skeptic

Swiss electric scooter maker VMAX has launched the new VX2 Lite, a commuter-focused electric scooter that packs premium features like full suspension, a 56-mile (90 km) maximum range, and up to 1,400W of peak motor power into a relatively lightweight package. First unveiled at CES earlier this year, the new model slots into the company’s growing lineup as an urban-friendly option designed for riders who want a comfortable daily commuter without stepping into the heavier, high-performance scooter category. Despite its Swiss roots, VMAX has increasingly made a name for itself in the US electric scooter market, where the new model is likely to prove popular among riders who want a quality, fast electric scooter with full suspension but without breaking the bank. The VX2 Lite is powered by a rear hub motor rated for 500W continuous output and capable of producing up to 1,400W of peak power. That gives the scooter a claimed top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) and enough torque to tackle hills with grades of up to 28%, making it suitable …

One Step Beyond: Two Cats Defy Mere Instincts

One Step Beyond: Two Cats Defy Mere Instincts

Published by Jenni Sidey

I’m so busted. The academic article, “Emotion regulation, procrastination, and watching cat videos online” (2015), found out my vice. Yes, I watch cat videos! But one video caught my eye because it triggers our frequent topic: The mind. In this case, the mind of a cat. Basic online research uncovers our current knowledge about many cat behaviors considered “instincts”:  Hunting, feeding, play, scratching, scent marking, territoriality, grooming, elimination, body language, fear/defense, social bonding, reproduction, maternal protection, climbing, hiding, perching, and stress responses. Considering these facts, suppose a female cat (a “queen”), who has previously had kittens, comes across a stray kitten both terrified and raging defensive. How would the queen react instinctually? Fear? Defensive behavior? Territory protection? Various stress responses? Watch this short video and see what happened in one case. Several hours of research found no expert even hinting any behavior like this queen displayed toward the hostile kitten. If cats operate solely by instinct, this queen has a lot of explaining to do. I found no indication that any adult cat would: 🐱See …

Imagine Losing Your Job to the Mere Possibility of AI

Imagine Losing Your Job to the Mere Possibility of AI

Published by José Betancourt

Late last month, at an event in Washington, D.C., Andrew Yang delivered a bleak message. “I have bad news, America,” he told the crowd. “The Fuckening is here.” The Fuckening is the name that Yang, a former presidential candidate, has given to AI’s disembowelment of the workforce. As he sees it, millions of knowledge workers will soon lose their job, personal-bankruptcy rates will spike, and entire downtowns will turn vacant as offices hollow out. Yang has talked with computer-science majors, he said onstage, who can’t find a job and are instead “driving Ubers to make ends meet.” His doomsaying is extreme but familiar: Fears of job losses are mounting as AI continues to rapidly advance. A new generation of AI agents are more capable than traditional chatbots of assisting with sophisticated computer work. Bots are no longer limited to searching the web and answering questions—they can create financial models, generate slide decks, and much more. Perhaps the most concerning sign yet of an impending jobs crisis came one day after Yang’s announcement. The payments firm …

Can the Mere Sight of Something Tempting Affect Your Memory?

Can the Mere Sight of Something Tempting Affect Your Memory?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Quickly read this subject line of an email I once received at work. What pops into your head? “Weekly webinar this Tuesday” Here’s what my brain interpreted: “Weekly winebar this Tuesday” Winebar? Sounds good, right? I do like wine. Now, this did occur during COVID times, when wine was on my mind, well, not infrequently. So, my mistake made me pause. Was my brain fine-tuned to notice all things related to alcohol? Was this primed state also affecting what I remembered? What the Research Says I was reminded of this experience when I came across a study recently. The question researchers tackled was whether the mere sight of alcohol affects memory in heavier and lighter drinkers. College students made up the sample, and they were sober during the experiment. How was drinking level defined? The high drinkers averaged about two drinks per day. The low drinkers averaged less than two per month. In the lab, participants saw a sequence of 15 object images—things like an umbrella and a football. However, halfway through the presentation, some …

Met Office issues new weather warning as snow to hammer UK in mere day | Weather | News

Met Office issues new weather warning as snow to hammer UK in mere day | Weather | News

Published by Sam Flores

The Met Office has issued a new weather warning for parts of England as snow is expected to fall in the coming days. Four regions of the country are now under a yellow snow and ice alert from 12am until 11.59pm on January 3. They are: East Midlands, East, North East, and Yorkshire and the Humber. Snow showers are forecast to be frequent and heavy as they move in from England’s east coast, potentially bringing travel disruptions. The Met Office said: “Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces. Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.” Between 1-3cm of snow is expected across the affected areas, with 5-8cm possible in some places, such as the North York Moors.  Moving into Saturday evening, the snow showers will become “lighter and less frequent”, the weather agency said, before moving offshire.  Ice also presents a hazard as it forms mainly during Saturday evening on …

Does Neuroscience Show That We Are Mere Biological Machines?

Does Neuroscience Show That We Are Mere Biological Machines?

Published by Jenni Sidey

The discussion between neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and historian of science Michael Shermer at COSM 2025 last Wednesday evening was the latest in their series of friendly debates about whether we are biological machines (Shermer) or creatures with immortal souls (Egnor). Shortly after the publication of The Immortal Mind: (2025), Shermer, author of many mainstream books and founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine invited Egnor to appear on the Michael Shermer Show alongside leading neuroscientist Christof Koch Then, he and Egnor appeared together on Piers Morgan’s widely watched show. So by the time they met up after dinner last week at COSM 2025, they had a clear idea what each other might say about the question: “Understanding Consciousness: Are Human Beings Machines?” That probably made the encounter more interesting for the audience. Jay Richards, author of The Human Advantage (2018) moderated, with philosopher of technology George Gilder as a responder. Today, I’m going to look at what Egnor, who spoke first, had to say. Tomorrow, we’ll look at Shermer’s response and then, in a third post, the …