Elon Musk’s X plots two new subscription tiers — as traffic reportedly plunges.

Short summary :-

Two new tiers of X Premium subscriptions launching soon. One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads.

X owner Elon Musk revealed plans for two new paid subscription plans for users – even as his embattled social media site reportedly contends with a significant decline in web traffic.

Musk, who has led a controversial overhaul at the company formerly known as Twitter since buying it for $44 billion last fall, said Friday that there are “two new tiers of X Premium subscriptions launching soon.”

“One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads,” Musk wrote on X.

Musk didn’t provide any additional specifics about the plans or their expected prices. The new money grab comes a day after X said it has begun charging new users $1 per year in New Zealand and The Philippines to unlock basic features such as posting and interacting with other users.

Musk described the annual fee as the “only way to fight bots without blocking real users.” It’s unclear if the $1-per-year plan is one of the two that Musk mentioned.

Two new tiers of X Premium subscriptions launching soon.

One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads.

Under the billionaire’s leadership, X has loosened content moderation standards, implemented a head-scratching rebrand that included ditching Twitter’s iconic “blue bird” logo and removed headlines and text from news article posts.

It has also shifted toward a subscription model as corporate advertisers fled the platform in droves in response to Musk’s changes.

At present, X has one subscription tier. Users can pay $8 per month in exchange for premium features such as “blue checkmark” account verification, the ability to edit their posts and the ability to post longer tweets and videos.

Elon Musk did not say how much the new plans will cost.

Users also appear to be skeptical of Musk’s approach. Global web traffic to Twitter.com plunged 14% in September compared to the same month one year ago, according to a report released this week by data analytics firm SimilarWeb. Additionally, traffic to X’s advertising platform, ads.twitter.com, was down 16.5%.

By comparison, traffic to the top 100 social media networks and communities fell 3.7% year-over-over in September. TikTok, one of X’s main competitors, saw a 22.8% surge in global web traffic.

Meanwhile, traffic to Musk’s personal account page has skyrocketed by 96% year-over-year. The billionaire uses the page to interact with users, share important updates for his various companies and weigh in on topics ranging from geopolitics to his favorite memes.

Despite signs of falling traffic, Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino have claimed in recent months that usage is at record levels.

Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion.

“Our usage is at an all-time high and we’ll continue to delight our entire community with new experiences in audio, video, messaging, payments, banking — creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities,” Yaccarino said in a memo to staffers in July.

 

Missing submarine found 83 years after it was torpedoed in WWII battle.

Summary :-

Wreckage likely belonging to a British submarine that sank during World War II was found off the coast of Norway, researchers said this week. The wreckage was found in the spring of 2023, according to a news release, but it wasn't until earlier this week that it could be identified as the HMS Thistle.

Wreckage likely belonging to a British submarine that sank during World War II was found off the coast of Norway, researchers said this week. 

The wreckage was found in the spring of 2023, according to a news release, but it wasn't until earlier this week that it could be identified as the HMS Thistle. The discovery was made by Norway's Institute of Marine Research and MAREANO, a program that maps seabeds in the country's waters, while on a routine cruise. 

While planning the cruise, the researchers noticed "strange structures" and set up a research location that could allow them to take a closer look. Researchers then explored the seabed with an underwater camera and spotted the wreck. 

"It is not very often that I am in the video room when new locations are being investigated, but on this particular occasion my curiosity was piqued well before the video rig was submerged in the water," senior engineer Kjell Bakkeplass said in the news release.

The Institute of Marine Research shared video showing the wreck underwater. 

After examining the wreck with the camera, Bakkeplass continued investigating which submarine it could be. After conversations with British and Norwegian navies, it "became clear it was a British submarine," the Institute of Marine Research said, and researchers narrowed it down to two options. Researchers then contacted submarine experts, maritime museums and other professionals in the field, and determined it was "probably" the HMS Thistle. 

When the MAREANO program took a research cruise in October, they passed the submarine wreck and were able to identify the wreck. 

"In advance, we knew what characteristics we should look for; thus we were able to identify the wreck as 'Thistle,' but with a small caveat that it is the Royal Navy who is responsible for the final identification," cruise leader Kyrre Heldal Kartveit said. 

The HMS Thistle sank on April 10, 1940, when it was sunk by a torpedo launched from a German submarine. All 53 crew members died. 

The vessel is now considered a "war grave," according to the news release, because it sank during war. The British Royal Navy maintains ownership rights over the submarine, which rests 160 meters below the surface of the ocean.

Taylor Swift feels 'protected and cherished' by 'true gentleman' Travis Kelce: expert.

Kelce and Swift have been romantically linked since last month

By Tracy Wright Fox News

Published October 17, 2023 8:18am EDT

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been painting the town red.

Shortly after their his-and-hers cameos on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend, the new power couple stepped out for a bite to eat in Manhattan – only for revelers to witness a new, softer side to the Kansas City Chiefs football player.

As the two arrived at CATCH Steak, Kelce jumped out of their chauffeured vehicle and assured the hired security detail that he could handle things from there before opening Swift's door and leading her inside the trendy New York City restaurant.

Travis Kelce is set on protecting Taylor Swift, according to a behavior analyst. (Gotham/GC Images)

This couple's body language shows a strong love connection," behavioral analyst Susan Constantine explained to Fox News Digital. "Kelce's parents have taught Travis right!"

Constantine said that Kelce is "a gentleman and a protector" as she described how the professional football player moved with intention to help the "Cruel Summer" singer easily exit their vehicle.

Travis appears relaxed with hands in his pockets, and he makes his way around the SUV to open the door for Taylor," she said. "Travis is seen with his lips pressed together (concentration), and then respectfully guides security away with the palm of his hand on the shoulder."

Constantine said Kelce's simple action was a nonverbal cue meant to signal to the security guard, "Thanks, I got this from here!"

Travis Kelce proved to be Taylor Swift's "protector" after ushering security away from their car. (Gotham/GC Images)

Kelce, decked out in an embroidered Jil Sander Bird Fil Coupe jacket with brown leather slacks and a white shirt to match his shoes, showed "gentleness" when he offered his hand to Swift for "for strength and support" while she exited the SUV.

The "This Love" crooner met her style match as she stepped out wearing a black Versace corset with matching slacks and a houndstooth coat over her shoulders.

Taylor angles toward Travis, relying on his support and connectedness," Constantine said. "It appears Taylor feels safe, protected, and cherished. Travis is gentle, attentive, caring, thoughtful and a true gentleman and protector."

She added, "Travis waits patiently until Taylor's steps are firmly planted on the ground as seen with his hand placed on the tummy area (intimate zone) as she pivots forward. The hand on the mid-section is the emotional plane on a woman's body. This shows warmth, and emotional connectedness. This couple's body language shows a strong love connection!"

The following night, Swift and Kelce proved their budding relationship was anything but folklore as they stepped out for dinner at the Waverly Inn, a popular eatery in the West Villagers

As they depart together, Travis never loses contact of Taylor," she noted. "Travis switches hands behind to make sure he never loses grip of Taylor. Travis holds his hand on top and Taylors underneath, meaning he is the alpha in the relationship."

Swift rocked a sheer Jean Paul Gaultier blouse with a black leather skirt and combat boots for their second date night in a row, while Kelce opted for a color-coordinated khaki ensemble.

Travis also protects Taylor by positioning himself on the outside lane when walking. Taylor's head down sober expression is her way of self-protection from others," Constantine said. "No eye contact is her way of avoiding having to engage in conversation with others."

It is unclear if Taylor will be by Kelce's side – or in her preferred luxury suite – when Kelce plays the Los Angeles Chargers at home in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, but she is become a fan-favorite after attending three of his games this season.

Swift, 33, made her first appearance as one of Kelce's guests at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sept. 24, and was later spotted leaving with the football player after the game.

She watched the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears with more Kansas City royalty by her side — Kelce's mom, Donna Kelce. Taylor and Donna reunited once again on Thursday to watch the Chiefs take down the Denver Broncos.

The "Bad Blood" singer began her Eras Tour in March, and is on a break before a stop in Brazil next month. She will resume the tour in the new year with concerts scheduled around the globe, including Australia, Japan, England, Austria and back in the U.S. 

Her "Taylor Swift: The Era's Tour" film debuted No. 1 at the box office last weekend with an estimated $97 million earned.

Swifties can anticipate new music soon, too. On Oct. 27, Taylor will release her next rerecorded album, "1989 (Taylor's Version)." 

ChatGPT officially gets web search as DALL-E 3 integration arrives in beta.

Bing+chatgpt 

OpenAI has formally launched its internet-browsing feature to ChatGPT, some three weeks after re-introducing the feature in beta after several months in hiatus.

ChatGPT, the generative AI chatbot that has taken the world by storm these past 12 months, has historically been limited to data up to September, 2021 — rendering it useless as a real-time search engine. However, OpenAI started bringing internet services to ChatGPT back in March, a move that always came with inherent risks, given that the live web isn’t curated in the same way a static training data set is — this potentially opened the doors to abuse by bad actors and good old-fashioned algorithmic chaos.

Then in May, OpenAI started rolling out web search via Bing, the search engine belonging to OpenAI’s corporate backer Microsoft, before extending access to the ChatGPT mobile app in late June. However, the new feature was swiftly pulled after it was discovered that ChatGPT was capable of displaying paywalled content.

Fast-forward to late September, and OpenAI started rolling the Browse with Bing feature out again, having fine-tuned how ChatGPT follows instructions laid out by content owners — essentially, it now promised to adhere to whatever a site-owner said in its Robots.txt file, similar to traditional web crawlers.

Snapchat+ chatgpt 

Now, Browse with Bing is officially available to all Plus and Enterprise subscribers, with no need to toggle their beta switch in settings.

In related news, OpenAI also transitioned DALL-E 3 into beta, a month after debuting the latest incarnation of the text-to-image generator.

DALL-E 3 sports integration with ChatGPT, meaning that users don’t have to think so carefully about their text-prompts when asking DALL-E to create an image — ChatGPT can do a lot of the heavylifting to ensure that the image the user gets, is closer to what they want.

But more than that, with DALL-E 3 embedded directly into ChatGPT, users will now be able to receive images as part of their text-based queries without having to switch between apps.

DALL-E 3 is available in beta now on the web and mobile, with users able to activate the feature by selecting “DALL-E 3 (Beta)” from the GPT-4 tab inside ChatGPT.

Vocal range

This all constitutes part of a broader expansion that is leading ChatGPT farther from a pure text-based generator, and down a path where audio and visuals are very much part of its remit.

Last month, OpenAI gave ChatGPT a mouth and ears with users able to have a verbal conversation with the chatbot, bringing together the worlds of Alexa-style voice assistants with powerful large language models (LLMs). For example, a user will be able to ask ChatGPT to create and narrate a bedtime story for their kid on the spot, though it’s maybe worth being on hand to see what it comes up with.

Additionally, ChatGPT will also allow users to search for answers using images, meaning that someone can upload a picture of an object and discover what it is or find similar items.

So today’s news very much fits into OpenAI’s push to make ChatGPT a fully integrated, real-time, multimedia generative search engine.

Elon Musk's Twitter / X Testing Charging New Accounts $1 Annual Fee to Combat Spammers and Bots.

"It is not a profit driver."

Short summary :-

Musk confirms that X is testing a new entry-level fee to write on the platform. Last night, X (formerly known as Twitter) owner Elon Musk shared the following announcement: NEW: X will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features, including the ability to like, bookmark, create list, post, and repost.

X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched a programme in limited territories that charges $1 for new signups.

The Not A Bot programme, first reported by Fortune, is live now in New Zealand and the Philippines and forces new, unverified accounts to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post and interact with other posts on the web version of X. Existing users are not affected, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform said.

X insisted this new program was designed to combat spam, bot activity, and “manipulation”, “while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount.” “It is not a profit driver,” X said. “And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.”

Elon Musk and His $44 Billion Takeover of Twitter: The Story So Far.

Elon Musk and His $44 Billion Takeover of Twitter: The Story So Far.

Twitter is now officially owned by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after his $44 billion was completed. Musk first offered to buy Twitter back in April 2022 and, since then, it’s been a bumpy road filled with withdrawn offers, lawsuits, accusations, verification concerns, and so much more.

It can be tough to keep track of everything that’s happened so far, so we’ve created this timeline of events to help keep you up-to-date on the goings on at Twitter and Elon Musk’s actions. We will also be updating this article and slideshow as further events occur.

Here’s how it works, as outlined on X’s Help Centre:

Step One: Phone Verification

New accounts created on X, in these two countries, will first be required to verify their phone number.

Step Two: Select Your Subscription Plan.

$1 USD Annual Fee (prices vary by country and currency). New users will be able to perform certain actions on the web version of the platform: post content, Like posts, Reply, Repost and Quote other accounts’ posts, Bookmark posts.

X Premium

Verified Organizations

New users who opt out of subscribing will only be able to take “read only” actions, such as: Read posts, Watch videos, and Follow accounts.

X said it will share the results of this test soon, but there is already scepticism online about the program’s ability to stop bots on the platform, with many users bemoaning an apparent increase in spam in recent months. Musk had signalled his intention to charge all X users last month, but this current test is limited in scope for now. X’s premium blue tick, which costs $11 a month in the U.S. for iPhones, has seemingly done little to prevent scammers and bots targeting users.

Musk has made no secret of his desire to turn X into an “everything” app that includes payment services. Last month, Musk admitted an advertiser boycott since his takeover over concern about its management of inappropriate or hateful content has caused U.S. ad revenue to decline by 60%.

Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion and has made a number of controversial decisions, including renaming it X, changing the verification system, and temporarily limiting the amount of tweets users can view in a day. Musk has also made sweeping layoffs, blaming them on ongoing revenue trouble. X faces lawsuits that allege the company is refusing to pay promised severance.

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Image credit: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Epic View'': NASA Shares Pic Of Earth As Seen From Space During 'Ring Of Fire' Annual Eclipse

Epic View'': NASA Shares Pic Of Earth As Seen From Space During 'Ring Of Fire' Annual Eclipse.

Ring Of Fire' Annual Eclipse: NASA shared a mesmerising picture of how the Earth looked like from space, during the celestial phenomenon.

The eclipse was visible in parts of US, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America.

On October 14, 2023, millions of people in the Americas witnessed a spectacular astronomical treat in the form of a 'ring of fire' social eclipse. The eclipse was called the "Ring of Fire" because the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun when the Earth-Sun distance was greater than average, making the Sun appear smaller. The Moon partially obscured the Sun, creating a striking celestial ring effect.

On Tuesday, NASA shared a mesmerising picture of how the Earth looked like from space, during the celestial phenomenon. In the picture, the shadow, or umbra, from the Moon can be seen falling across the southeastern coast of Texas, near Corpus Christi, NASA said.

NASA Earth shared the picture on X and wrote, ''An EPIC view of the annular eclipse. About 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, the shadow, or umbra, from the Moon, was seen falling across the southeastern coast of Texas. @nasa's EPIC instrument on the DSCOVR satellite captured this image on Oct. 14.''

The image was acquired during the eclipse by NASA's EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) imager aboard DSCVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory), a joint NASA, NOAA, and U.S. Air Force satellite. 

Notably, the eclipse began at 8:34 PM on October 14, 2023, and ended at 2:25 AM on October 15, 2023. It lasted for almost six hours. The eclipse was visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America. However, it was not visible in India. 

An annular eclipse only happens when the moon is at its furthest away point from Earth. In perspective to us on Earth, it doesn't completely block out the light from the sun so instead you get this incredible ring of fire around the moon.

"Even though we get more excited about a total solar eclipse because you can see the Corona... it's really far more rare to see an annular solar eclipse and so it's a really cool thing to see" said Dr Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

The next annular solar eclipse visible from the United States will be on June 21, 2039. 

California to introduce traffic speed cameras which fine motorists for the first time ever.

Short summary :

California drivers will not be smiling for the camera. Six cities in the Golden State will install speed cameras at busy intersections as soon as next year after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law authorizing a speed-camera program — the first time they have ever been allowed in the state.

California drivers will not be smiling for the camera. 

Six cities in the Golden State will install speed cameras at busy intersections as soon as next year after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law authorizing a speed-camera program — the first time they have ever been allowed in the state.

The cameras are slated to be installed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Long Beach, Glendale and San Jose with the stated goal of addressing the uptick of pedestrian deaths in the state.

“Speed is by far the largest reason why people are being hit and killed on our streets in Los Angeles,” Damian Kevitt, the executive director of Streets are for Everyone, told local TV station KTLA.

We have an increasing problem of traffic violence. We have an increasing number of people who are dying or being seriously injured. You see it on the news every night

Security cameras are attached on a pole below a traffic signal as pedestrians walk along Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills. The city of Beverly Hills has in recent years added hundreds of cameras to its already widespread surveillance network.

Speed was blamed as “by far the largest reason why people are being hit and killed on our streets in Los Angeles.”

“It requires signage ahead of the cameras that show that this is an area where if you don’t slow down, you’re going to get a ticket. This is not a gotcha sort of thing. This is a deterrent. It’s a way to say, ‘Hey, people, slow down.’” 

Community members must sign off before the cameras are installed in areas near school zones and areas known for racing and a high-volume of traffic collisions. Around a dozen previous bills to introduce speed cameras have all failed.

The cameras will automatically ticket drivers who exceed the posted speed limit by 11 mph. Motorists will get a warning for the first ticket, but will be fined $50 for a second offense.

Low-income drivers would only be fined $25, according to the bill.

Los Angeles had tried a similar program before in 2004, installing cameras to fine people running red lights in high-traffic areas throughout the city. The city council unanimously decided to abandon the program in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Times.

City traffic engineers said the cameras sometimes did more harm than good as drivers would slam on their brakes when they saw a yellow light as they approached the intersection, causing rear-end accidents.

The city of Los Angeles has decided to shut down all of their 32 red light photo cameras on July 31, 2011. The red-light photo enforced intersections relied on the good will of the ticketed to pay the fines. The infractions were not enforced by the courts since traffic officers oftentimes were not able to testify in court.

The city also couldn’t keep up with the task of tracking down drivers who didn’t pay or appear in court for their violations. Some motorists also complained the tickets were mailed to the registered owners of the vehicle instead of the driver who actually drove the car.

Legislators have tried to pass the bill, but failed three prior times over the past six years, with people objecting that cameras invade drivers’ privacy.

Other critics also were concerned drivers in low-income communities would be burdened by citations that residents can’t afford.

This time around, lawmakers amended the bill, which now allows those who have lower incomes to opt to perform community service instead of paying fines, according to the New York Times.

Speed-camera programs are already in use in other cites like Chicago and New York, where officials said their camera program has reduced speeding by 73%.

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Detroit casino workers launch strike for better pay and benefits.

Summary :

Thousands of casino workers in Detroit walked off the job Tuesday, calling their first strike since the MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino Hotel and Hollywood Casino at Greektown opened their doors in the city about a quarter of a century ago.

Thousands of casino workers in Detroit walked off the job Tuesday, calling their first strike since the MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino Hotel and Hollywood Casino at Greektown opened their doors in the city about a quarter of a century ago.

The push for better wages by dealers, valets, housekeepers, and food and beverage workers came after negotiators for the three casinos and unions representing 3,700 workers failed to reach agreement by a noon deadline. The contract had been set to lapse 12 hours earlier, but was extended by half a day as talks continued.

Casino workers had been working under a three-year extension to a five-year contract from 2015, and in 2020 accepted small pay increases due to the pandemic's impact on business, according to the Detroit Casino Council, which represents workers from five unions. But Since 2020, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, while local inflation has risen 20%, the group said. 

"After we helped Detroit's gaming industry get back on its feet, business is booming, but the people who make the casinos run are still struggling," Nia Winston, president of Unite Here Local 24, one of the unions representing the striking workers, in a statement emailed by the coalition. 

MGM Grand Detroit and Hollywood Casino at Greektown said they would remain open during the strike; MotorCity did not respond to a request for comment.

"We will continue to offer employees work, and to the extent employees represented by the union choose to participate in the strike, we will take whatever lawful action is necessary to fill shifts and continue to provide our customers with entertainment and service," Matt Buckley, president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts' Midwest Group, told employees in a letter on Tuesday.

In a statement, Hollywood Casino at Greektown expressed disappointment that what it called its "generous, progressive settlement offers" had been rejected, but said it would continue talks to resolve the labor dispute "as soon as possible," according to CBS News Detroit.

Hollywood Casino's self-parking garages and self-serve beverage stations are open, along with slot machines and table games, although "certain services may be limited," the gambling venue stated on its website. Valet services and the casino's restaurants may not be available, but dining vouchers can be redeemed at nearby eateries, including Dunkin Donuts and Detroit Taco, it added. 

The casino workers' strike comes amid a rash of other major strikes and labor unrest, including a walkout by 34,000 members of teh United Auto Workers at Ford, Motor, General Motors and Stellantis (which owns domestic auto brands Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram). Film and television actors also remain off the job after talks with the entertainment studios broke down last week. 

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