In a world where everyone seems to be 'on it', LISA SMITH reveals the last remaining cocaine taboo... and how her double life almost killed her
She had just graduated from law school, had started working at a prestigious New York City law firm and, for the first time in her life, had a place of her own.
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Geeky Gadgets
9 minutes ago
- Geeky Gadgets
Create Stunning Presentations in Minutes with NotebookLM's New Features
What if you could transform hours of research and preparation into a polished, professional-grade presentation in just minutes? With NotebookLM's latest upgrade, that bold vision is now a reality. The platform has introduced a new feature: video overviews that allow users to create dynamic, tailored presentations directly from their research materials. Combined with a sleek new interface and enhanced content management tools, this update is poised to transform how professionals, educators, and creators tackle their most complex projects. Whether you're a marketer looking to captivate your audience or a researcher juggling dozens of sources, NotebookLM's innovations promise to make your workflow faster, smarter, and more impactful. Skill Leap AI explain how these updates—especially the innovative video overview tool—can elevate your productivity and creativity. From integrating diverse content types like PDFs and YouTube videos to using AI for personalized audio insights, NotebookLM is redefining what it means to manage and present information. But that's just the beginning. How does this new functionality reshape the way we think about research and communication? And what does it mean for the future of digital collaboration? Let's unpack the possibilities and see how this upgrade could change the way you work, think, and create. NotebookLM Just Got a Major Upgrade Streamlined User Interface for Effortless Navigation One of the most noticeable changes is the revamped user interface, which prioritizes simplicity and efficiency. The addition of a new 'studio tab' introduces a cleaner, more intuitive layout that enhances navigation. Whether you're creating notebooks, exploring features, or managing intricate projects, the updated design ensures that every tool is easily accessible. This focus on usability minimizes distractions and allows you to work with greater precision and speed. By reducing the time spent searching for tools, the interface enables you to focus entirely on your tasks. Centralized Content Management with Enhanced Notebooks NotebookLM's core notebook feature has been significantly upgraded to support a wider range of content types and sources. Users with free accounts can now integrate up to 50 sources, while paid subscribers can manage up to 300. Supported formats include PDFs, YouTube videos, and other digital materials, allowing you to centralize all your research in one location. This centralized approach is particularly beneficial for managing complex projects, as it allows seamless organization and retrieval of information. By consolidating diverse content types, NotebookLM ensures that your research process is both efficient and comprehensive. How to Use NotebookLM's Video Overview Tool Watch this video on YouTube. Discover other guides from our vast content that could be of interest on AI presentations. Video Overviews: Transforming Presentations The introduction of video overviews is one of the platform's most fantastic updates. This feature allows you to create professional-grade video presentations that incorporate slides, graphics, and structured content derived from your selected sources. Customization options enable you to tailor these videos to specific audiences, making sure they align with your objectives. For example, a marketing professional can emphasize key insights and adjust visuals to resonate with their team. This tool not only saves time but also improves the quality and impact of your presentations, making them more engaging and effective. Enhanced Audio Tools: AI-Powered Podcasts NotebookLM has also enhanced its audio generation capabilities, offering improved quality for AI-generated podcasts. A new interactive mode allows users to engage directly with the AI podcaster by asking questions, creating a dynamic and personalized listening experience. This feature is particularly valuable for professionals who need quick, accurate insights while multitasking or on the go. By combining convenience with high-quality audio, NotebookLM provides a more engaging way to consume information, catering to the needs of busy users. Discover Tab: Simplifying the Research Process Research often consumes a significant portion of time in any project. The new 'Discover Tab' addresses this challenge by allowing users to find and add sources directly within the platform. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple tools, streamlining the research process and allowing you to focus more on analysis and content creation. By integrating this feature, NotebookLM reduces the time spent gathering information, helping you work more efficiently and effectively. AI in Marketing: Automation Meets Personalization NotebookLM uses AI technology to transform marketing strategies by automating tasks and enhancing personalization. The platform's AI tools provide deeper insights into audience behavior, allowing you to optimize campaigns and deliver more targeted messaging. These advancements underscore the growing role of AI in modern marketing, helping professionals stay competitive in an increasingly digital landscape. By combining automation with personalization, NotebookLM equips marketers with the tools to create impactful, data-driven strategies. A Comprehensive Tool for Modern Professionals With its latest updates, NotebookLM cements its status as a versatile platform for organizing, analyzing, and presenting information. The intuitive user interface, advanced video and audio features, and centralized content management cater to a wide range of professional needs. Whether you're streamlining research, crafting compelling presentations, or using AI for marketing insights, NotebookLM provides the tools necessary to excel in today's fast-paced, digital-first environment. These enhancements demonstrate the platform's commitment to empowering users with innovative solutions that drive productivity and success. Media Credit: Skill Leap AI Filed Under: AI, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
How the Ali Act overhaul is clearing the path for a Saudi-backed takeover of boxing
When Ari Emanuel – the notorious Hollywood powerbroker and CEO of TKO Holdings Group, which owns both the UFC and WWE – made a rare media appearance on the Pat McAfee Show in February 2025, he offered cryptic remarks about the state of boxing. Though typically cagey, Emanuel hinted, 'Who knows what's going to happen with the Ali Act' – a reference to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law designed to protect the rights and welfare of boxers. Since then, rumors have swirled that TKO is quietly working to amend the law to make way for its newly minted boxing venture with Saudi Arabia. Last week, those rumors were confirmed when US representatives Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia, and Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas, introduced the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in Congress. The proposed bill is being touted by the congressional representatives as a much-needed modernization of federal regulations in professional boxing, adding new provisions to the 1996 Professional Boxing Safety Act and introducing 'alternatives' to the sanctioning bodies overseeing the sport. 'I am incredibly proud to introduce the bipartisan Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which provides boxers with more opportunities, better pay, and greater safety standards,' Jack said in the press release. 'Professional boxing is the only sport regulated by Congress, and ambiguity in current law – adopted over a quarter-century ago – has stifled investment. Congressional action is needed to revive this once-great American sport, and this bipartisan legislation establishes a framework for innovation to flourish.' The 'stifled investment' that Jack is referencing in his statement is TKO's new boxing venture with Sela, an entertainment subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Turki al-Sheikh, the figure behind Saudi's General Entertainment Authority and a close confidant of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new venture, dubbed Zuffa Boxing, will debut on 13 September 2025, with an anticipated super middleweight showdown between Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez and Terence Crawford. An expanded boxing promotion will likely follow in 2026. Backed by the Saudi government's enormous resources, Emanuel's company advocated for the bill in Congress, including provisions to created alternatives to long-established sanctioning bodies like the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC). The proposed alternatives in the legislation are known as Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), which is what Zuffa Boxing will likely operate as. While framed as a 'framework for innovation', Zuffa Boxing empowers Saudi Arabia to establish a parallel boxing ecosystem where it has sole determination over fighter ranking and championship belts. This paves the way for Saudi to bypass established sanctioning bodies, undermine existing promoters, and ultimately, gut professional boxing. 'This is a concerning bill for professional boxers,' said Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer and founder of 'It guts the key protections from the Ali Act for promoters that choose to use the 'unified boxing organization' model. It allows a promoter to control rank and title … and achieve a stranglehold on the sport.' The bill also sets out a series of compliance requirements for UBOs, including minimum per‑round payments and safety provisions such as mandatory medical examinations and expanded health insurance. While these measures could, in theory, benefit up‑and‑coming boxers, they also create significant barriers to entry for smaller boxing organizations attempting to establish UBOs. Zuffa Boxing, backed by Saudi funding, would be well‑positioned to dominate this space, attract new fighters, and establish a new hierarchy in the sport – one in which TKO effectively determines who holds the world titles. This new model for boxing is based almost entirely on the structure of the UFC, an organization that has long been criticized for its exploitation of fighters in its pursuit of profit. Fitting since UFC CEO Dana White, a longtime friend of US president Donald Trump, is expected to lead the new Zuffa Boxing venture. 'Everybody knows the format – the best fight the best,' White said in interview with The Ring, the boxing magazine owned by Al-Sheikh and, by extension, the Saudi government. 'You work your way up the rankings, and once somebody breaks into the top five [and] there is no question [about] who the best five guys are in each weight class, they fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you don't need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has that belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It's a very simple model.' Despite generating billions in revenue, the UFC pays its athletes a significantly smaller share compared to other major sports leagues. While NFL and NBA players receive close to 50% of league revenues, UFC fighters earn roughly 15% to 18%, with many on the roster making as little as $10,000 to $20,000 per fight – amounts that barely cover training costs, coaching and medical expenses. Efforts to unionize or challenge these inequities have been quashed by the UFC, which has used long-term, exclusive contracts and its market dominance to keep fighters in line. Last year, the UFC agreed to a $375m settlement with several hundred fighters to resolve an antitrust lawsuit. The plaintiffs accused the promotion of stifling economic competition and using its monopoly power to suppress fighter pay. While the UFC denied any wrongdoing, the underlying claims remain central to a separate, ongoing case. When Congress passed the Ali Act in 2000, it was in response to the unfair and anti-competitive practices rampant in pro boxing at the time. The sport was dominated by influential promoters, corrupt sanctioning bodies and coercive contracts. The Ali Act provided federally-backed oversight and enforcement meant to reduce the exploitation of fighters through transparency mandates and financial disclosure requirements. The legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support and stands as the only example of Congress attempting to directly regulate a professional sport in the United States. While the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act does not repeal the Ali Act, it does pave the way for new organizations to emerge outside of the purview of current sanctioning bodies, effectively bringing the UFC model to boxing. It is unclear when the bill will reach the House floor, as Congress will be in recess through the entirety of August. Nevertheless, the bill has received support from Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, who was quoted in the press release as saying that 'Muhammad would be proud to have his name associated with this bill.' Davids, who co-sponsored the bill, was also a former MMA fighter who once tried out as a contestant for The Ultimate Fighter – a reality show that places fighters in a mansion for several weeks as they work their way through a tournament for a 'six-figure UFC contract'. Their involvement in the bill is a masterstroke of lobbying tactics by TKO and Emanuel. 'The Ali Act was created to stop coercive and exploitative practices by promoters. It was designed to make a monopolization of the sport not possible. Independent rank and title are the key reasons why pro boxers can command such great purses compared to MMA athletes,' Magraken said. 'Boxers compete for titles. Promoters compete for boxers. If promoters own and control titles then boxers can be exploited by promoters.' This will be remarkably beneficial to Saudi Arabia and Al-Sheikh, who have invested billions to wrest control of boxing from its traditional masters. Al-Sheikh has bankrolled some of the most high-profile heavyweight fights and broken through negotiation stalemates by offering record-breaking sums of money. His success as a promoter has made him one of the sport's most powerful figures, while fans and media affectionately refer to him as 'His Excellency' – a title that underscores his growing cult of personality. Al-Sheikh's expanding influence has stifled criticism within boxing. Fans are willing to overlook troubling behavior as long as he continues to deliver exciting matchups, while journalists, eager to maintain their critical access, often frame the narrative in his favor. The kingdom also owns its own boxing magazine and deploys a vast network of PR firms and executives to advance its political agenda through sports. It is yet another reminder of Saudi Arabia's broader strategy in sports – a blueprint built on acquiring influence, shaping narratives and establishing self-sustaining ecosystems under its control. Boxing may be the ideal asset to complete that vision. Karim Zidan writes a regular newsletter on the intersection of sports and authoritarian politics.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Columbia Sportswear sues Columbia University claiming merchandise is too similar and causes confusion
Columbia Sportswear is suing Columbia University, accusing the university of copyright infringement and breach of contract. The retailer claims the university's clothing and merchandise are too similar to its own offerings and that those similarities may confuse shoppers. The lawsuit was filed on July 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Columbia Sportswear has been using the name "Columbia" since 1938. The university and the retailer reportedly signed a deal in 2023 dictating the ways in which the university can use the word "Columbia" on its own apparel and merchandise. The pact stipulated that the university could use the name "Columbia" on merchandise so long as a school logo or mascot, the word "university", or an academic department of the founding year of the school — which dates back to 1754 — were present alongside the word. Columbia Sportswear claims in its lawsuit that the university breached those terms in 2024 when it allegedly began offering merchandise that used the name "Columbia" without any of the school signifiers established in the pact. The retailer also noted in the filing that the university was offering garments with bright blue colors that were "confusingly similar" to the blue used by Columbia Sportswear. 'The likelihood of deception, confusion, and mistake engendered by the university's misappropriation and misuse of the Columbia name is causing irreparable harm to the brand and goodwill symbolized by Columbia Sportswear's registered mark Columbia and the reputation for quality it embodies,' the lawsuit argues. Columbia Sportswear wants to stop all sales of the university's clothing that allegedly violate the 2023 agreement. It further wants a recall of all previously sold items and all the remaining stock to be donated to charity. The retailer is also seeking three times the amount of actual damages determined by a jury if its litigation is successful. $220 million to the Trump administration in order to restore its federal research money that the president cancelled earlier this year. Under the settlement, the college will pay $200 million to the federal government over the next three years.
