Latest news with #CambridgeDictionary
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Cambridge dictionary adds new AI-related definition of ‘Slop'
The Cambridge Dictionary has officially added a new AI-related meaning to the word slop, reflecting the growing influence of artificial intelligence on both language and content quality. Traditionally defined as 'liquid or wet food waste, especially for animals,' slop now also refers to 'content on the internet that is of very low quality, especially when created by artificial intelligence.' Online interest in the term has surged since April 2024, as concerns mount over the flood of AI-generated content with little value or originality. Colin McIntosh, Programme Manager at Cambridge Dictionary, said, 'The updated definition reflects a real cultural concern: the growing volume of poor-quality AI-generated material. It underscores the importance of maintaining quality, creativity, and integrity—traits that remain deeply human.' Wendalyn Nichols, Publishing Manager, added, 'Just as we once saw the rise of terms like email and hashtag, today we're watching AI terminology become part of our daily vocabulary. Our role is to track these evolving usages and identify which are likely to stick.'
The National
5 days ago
- The National
Are you a doomscroller? It's time for us to focus on hope instead
By which I mean 'the activity of spending a lot of time looking at your phone or computer and reading bad or negative news stories', as the Cambridge Dictionary defines it. It's funny to observe myself wrestling with this term, which renders me as just another techno-addict. Of course not! I'm the realist in the room, facing the world with honesty and without delusion! But I also have to check myself on my doomscrolling preferences – how much gratification I'm getting out of them. Why, for example, do I constantly seek out stories and interviews about AIs becoming conscious agents, running out of human control? The tech-bros talk about their 'p-doom' factor (probability of doom) when predicting whether superintelligent AIs will act in our favour or not – often expressed as a percentage (1% to 99%). READ MORE: Mhairi Black: Labour MPs swayed by Keir Starmer's U-turn are kidding themselves That feels crude to me. I prefer to think that I am acknowledging the evolutionary shift that self-improving AIs might represent. So what might seem to others as doomscrolling, obsessively informing myself about what will supersede humanity, I see as readying myself for a coming new era. My other apparent 'scroll of doom' is climate worsening. Again, I'm checking my gratifications here. What does it mean to fill your attention span with worse-than-ever indicators of summer heat, ocean acidification and plankton die-off, irreversible tipping points, on and on? Again, I don't feel lost in doom. It's more that I'm preparing myself for an oncoming future of greater difficulties – ones that will compel profound transformations in what counts as a 'normal lifestyle', our consumptions, productions and values. I'm getting myself ready for things dropping out of, and into, my life. Fewer shiny objects, more community relationships; less international flying, more local flying. For me, the doomscroll (so-called) of hard climate news sets the ground for all the upheavals, at micro and macro levels, that are to come. Could the AI doomscroll be an answer to the climate doomscroll? One paper that popped up recently in my feed was examining renewable energy futures in Finland. The writers concluded starkly that the country simply couldn't provide enough clean electricity to meet current demand. So demand has to drastically reduce. Can AI help us with that? To move away from duplicatory and wasteful market economies, matching goods and services to needs and desires in radically more efficient, parsimonious ways? And can this be the better story of AI in our lives – not just as a supplanter of humans in their current jobs, but as a system supporting a wholly new texture of society? Well, that's my 'hopescroll' mentality, on a good day. It's not too far from Antonio Gramsci's axiom, 'optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect', though I could happily re-write it as 'generosity of the will, clarity of the intellect' (the original always seems way too exhausting and antithetical). Do I have my bad days, when the scroll of high p-doom stories does what we all fear to my head and heart – which is to enervate and induce despair? Undoubtedly. The current conflagrations in Israel and Gaza, and the possibility of seeing the worst things imaginable on one's feeds from that atrocity, have been too much for me. I confess that I unfollow and skip posts to avoid any possibility of encountering it. This is hardly because I seek to minimise the importance of this genocide, as a collective act of violence and cruelty. The very opposite, in fact. It viscerally confronts me, video clip by video clip, with the appalling levels of violence that are deeply sedimented into modern societies – currently and historically. My adult life has been haunted, ever since I learned about them, by the nuclear bomb and the concentration camp. Both are industrialised, technoscientific forms of mass killing, one towards a people – and one towards all people. The history of near-misses at nuclear catastrophe, either by strategic mistake or malfunction in the weaponry, is long and unnerving. Daily life, as it putters along under this terminally lethal umbrella, teeters at the edge of absurdity. The traumatised and vengeful disproportionality of the Israeli state and its military forces' response to the Gaza border massacre is appalling and criminal enough. However, this conflict, and others, are triggering a new wave of nations commissioning tactical nuclear weapons – labouring under the delusion that they are somehow deployable in a theatre of war. This just deepens the absurdity of our times. We live on a planetary powderkeg stuffed to overflowing, liberally drenched in petrol, waiting for enough matches to be sparked. This is a scroll with so much doom, generating so much nihilism about the human condition, that one can barely even think about it, let alone flip fingers up the screen. A deathscroll is not bearable, even for we numbed ones. How do we escape from being caught up in these loops of despair? There's plenty of practical advice out there. Summarised: you should create deliberate friction and boundaries around your digital consumption. That means turning off notifications, deleting problematic apps, physically isolating your phone in another room or a bedroom drawer, using time limits within the phone. We should also realise that our brains have a defensive bias towards negativity, and consciously seek out positive or solutions-focused content which counteracts all that. But I can't help thinking that the ultimate solution is for us to raise our collective ambitions for how our societies function. I've always had hopes that Scottish independence would be part of that solution. Tom Nairn's theory of nationalism is that it's Janus-faced. One face looks back to the past, selecting resources from history to cope with the future to be faced; a future shaped by global developments, arriving at your doorstep. The main question is: who are we, in the face of these challenges? SO, independence is how we handle the future. And whereas imperial capitalism was the challenge of 19th and 20th centuries, now it's a combination of unlimited (and wonderful/dangerous) potential in computation and biotech, and the hard horizons of planetary ecological boundaries. There are defensive, or hedonist, responses to this turbulent vista. Faragists appeal to the status quo ante. Netflix (and lifestyle consumerism) sends you on escapist journeys. Independence has to be an answer and alternative to both responses – something beyond fearful and angry reaction, or seeking compensation from our entertainment bubbles. The Brazilian philosopher Roberto Unger often talks about the importance of 'institutional innovation' in a 'high-energy democracy'. By which he means a healthy nation has an appetite for building structures, organisations and enterprises. It knows the best way to predict the future is to invent it. Independence should be that very 'spirit to build'. But this means small-i indy has as much, if not more importance than large-I Indy. Community-owned renewable energy schemes are enthusing many at the moment because they are precisely that grip on the future that communities need. (Image: Submitted) A dynamic of confidence/competence is required to sustain a group through all the stages of such projects. And psychologically, when you're absorbed in this kind of community development – real, tangible, socio-economic – it banishes the attraction of siren calls towards gloom or boom. A national independence that can be a partner and enabler to these kinds of autonomy, exactly where and when they bubble up, would be a powerful and attractive vision. And, suffice it to say, this prospectus demands at minimum a 'hopescroll'– a digital feed of locally and globally sourced exemplars of community power, full of stories and tools that provide scripts for action. Beyond our wits to devise such a technology and service? I think not. The doomscroll is an inevitable expression of our digital modernity, both creative and destructive. But in Scotland, it could be otherwise.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Wordle June 10: Clues, hints, and answers to the puzzle
Wordle June 10: Wordle, the popular word game from The New York Times (NYT), continues to enthrall readers/players worldwide with its challenging puzzles. It requires a strong vocabulary and a high degree of concentration, making it a unique affair. With that here is a look at the hints and solution for Worldle June 10 Wordle Hints For June 10, 2025 The word in question begins with 'T'. It contains double letters, which makes the process of guessing it tougher. The word refers to a sweet item/candy. This means it is a proper noun. Additionally, it ends with 'y'. Wordle June 10, 2025: Answer Today's word is Taffy/ According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it means, 'a very sticky sweet made from molasses or sugar that is pulled tight until it is light in colour.' How to play Worldle Those to play the game/solve this puzzle are required to guess a five-letter word in six attempts. After each attempt, the system provides some feedback with colours. Green Means that the letter is in the right position and is correct. Yellow means the letter is right but in the wrong position. However grey means that you have gone totally wrong.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Toilet Paper Could Be Irrelevant Soon—Here's Its Replacement
It's difficult to imagine an existence without toilet paper, but it's possible that in the future, going toilet paperless could be a real option. So, why would humans move away from toilet paper? According to Think Stewartville, "Environmental concerns, health implications, and cultural preferences are driving this change toward more sustainable alternatives." According to Cottonelle, the average person uses the toilet five times a day, but anything from four to 10 times is considered "normal." Also, the average person uses about seven sheets of toilet paper per wipe, "6.41 sheets per toileting occasion for women, and 8.1 sheets per occasion for men," Cottonelle states. Also, the average American adult uses around one roll of toilet paper every week and 50 rolls in a year. So, what could replace toilet paper? There are a few options, and some of them have been around for a long time. According to Think Stewartville, bidets are the most established and common toilet paper alternative, and they date back centuries. "These standalone fixtures use precisely directed water streams for cleaning, eliminating the need for paper products entirely," Think Stewartville states. The Cambridge Dictionary describes a bidet as a "small, low bath in which a person washes the lower part of their body." If bidets don't sound too appealing, there are other toilet paper alternatives that are gaining popularity, too. One is reusable cloth toilet paper, which offers an environmentally-friendly alternative. "Typically crafted from organic cotton or bamboo fibers, these washable squares provide a soft, effective cleaning option," Think Stewartville states. On top of being better for the environment, reusable cloth toilet paper could also cut down on household costs. One criticism of reusable cloth toilet paper is the concern that it's not hygienic. Heathline says that to properly clean clothing toilet paper, wash it "in a hot-water laundry cycle that's at least 160°F (71°C) for at least 25 minutes, or a sanitize setting if you have one." Healthline also adds that a downside of clothing toilet paper is that, "it can retain stains that make the cloths appear undesirable to use."Toilet Paper Could Be Irrelevant Soon—Here's Its Replacement first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 1, 2025
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Éclair what? Explaining the word Faizan Zaki spelled to win
The Scripps National Spelling Bee concluded with an exciting comeback this year, securing last year's second-place winner, Faizan Zaki, as this year's champion and making him one of only five runners-up ever to come back and win the first-place spot. Zaki bested Sarvadnya Kadam in the 20th round to win the 2025 spelling bee on May 29 with the word éclaircissement, which he spelled without hesitation before collapsing to the floor as confetti fell, as USA TODAY reported. Last year, Zaki was bested in a "spell-off," which entailed breaking a tie by having two contestants spell as many words accurately as possible in 90 seconds. That time, his 20 came just short of his opponent's 29. This time around, however, he secured the trophy and cash reward with a traditional moment of spelling excellence. Zaki recognized the world and quickly and spelled it confidently. Some of us in the USA TODAY newsrooms, admittedly, could not do the same. Do you think you could have gotten the winning word? Do you know what it means or how to pronounce it? Here's what to know. Who won the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old Texas native, took home the winning title and $52,500 grand prize at the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, beating out runner-up Sarvadnya Kadam. He came in second place himself in 2024, making this win a special redemption for the teen. What does éclaircissement mean? The winning word, éclaircissement, was one Zaki told news outlets he "instantly" recognized. While its prefix may conjure images of the chocolate-drizzled pastries known as éclairs, the term has nothing to do with sweet treats. The French word, first used in 1667 according to Merriam-Webster, means to clear up or clarify something, or to explain or enlighten. Using the word in a sentence, you may say something like, "The book provided an éclaircissement on the author's intentions" or "The detective's éclaircissement of the crime was crucial in solving the case." How do you pronounce éclaircissement? When it comes to pronunciation, hearing someone do it right tends to be the way to go, so we suggest listening to the video below if you intend to incorporate the winning spelling bee word into your daily vocabulary. If you're more of a sounding-it-out type of person, the phonetic spelling, according to Cambridge Dictionary, is eklɛʀsismɑ̃. What are previous winning spelling bee words? In 2024, a tie-breaker between Zaki and the eventual winner, Bruhat Soma, entailed a lightning round in which Soma won by spelling 29 words correctly in 90 seconds, meaning there wasn't one singular winning word. In 2023, 14-year-old Dev Shah correctly spelled psammophile, a plant or animal that lives in sandy areas, to become the 2023 champion. In 2022, 14-year-old Harini Logan won the first-ever spell-off, again securing the title via the correct spelling of multiple words in rapid succession. In 2021, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde spelled murraya, a genus of tropical trees, to win the title.
