AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 22, 2023--

The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers in the past 18 months as part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs, the U.S. Department of Education said this week

A person’s choice of background on video call platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams can significantly impact other people’s first impressions of them, according to a new study. Researchers at Durham University found that objects like house plants or book shelves can alter whether people perceive someone as trustworthy or competent. Study participants were asked to judge still images of different subjects taking part in a videoconference, with statistical analysis revealing that people who used blurred, novelty or living space backgrounds were viewed as less trustworthy than those who had bookcases or plants in the background. The research also revealed that people who smile on video calls are also generally seen as more trustworthy. “This research shows how our Zoom backgrounds can affect the first impressions we make,” the researchers wrote. “If you want to come across as trustworthy and competent there are some backgrounds you should use and some you should definitely avoid.” Previous studies have demonstrated that first impressions can have significant impacts on people’s lives, capable of influencing everything from criminal sentencing decisions to romantic outcomes. The popularity of videoconferencing platforms that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic mean first impressions are often made via video chat rather than face-to-face contact. “In the professional environment, 75 per cent of business meetings are predicted to occur by videoconferencing by 2024. The findings of this study therefore have extensive implications for professional organisations and the general public,” the researchers wrote. “The findings are highly relevant to recruitment processes because competence is a strong predictor of hire ability... Beyond the boardroom, the implications of the study are pervasive for the criminal justice system as defendants are increasingly appearing by videoconferencing.” The research was detailed in a paper, titled ‘Virtual first impressions: Zoom backgrounds affect judgements of trust and competence’, published on Wednesday in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. Read More ChatGPT boss says he’s created human-level AI, then says he’s ‘just memeing’

There are tons of Memorial Day sales going on, and Best Buy's selection is flush

The protest being waged by popular subreddits over Reddit's API changes continues, and this week

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 25, 2023--

Germany’s Greens attacked their highest-ranking cabinet ministers at a party convention near Frankfurt this weekend. Nominally, the subject

We’re used to hearing tales of OnlyFans creators who have been disowned by friends and loved-ones over their line of work. But one star of the platform has been left with “family trauma” over her content for a very different reason. Australian model Taila Maddison posted a TikTok on Tuesday detailing how she’d “ruined” her mum’s marriage after uncovering the true identity of her X-rated account's top subscriber. “When I first started my website, I had this customer who was my number one customer, bought every single thing that I sent him, he was pretty much a follower since the beginning,” she began her confession. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “We would talk every day, he made custom requests – very specific things – and he also had a very specific username on the website.” Within two months, he had spent $2,000 AUD (around £1,000) on raunchy pictures and videos of Taila. It was at this point that someone with the exact same username as the mystery man viewed her TikTok page, and she spotted a note saying that the person was “from [her] contacts.” “I went absolutely mental trying to figure out who this person was from my contacts,” she continued. “I narrowed it down to six people, and one of them was my stepdad. I went with my gut feeling and I messaged the website account and I said, ‘I know who this is.’ “Within two minutes, I got a text from my stepdad saying, ‘Hey Tai, can we talk?’” @ta1laaa Do we need a part 2??? #fup #viral #scandal #drama #tea In a follow-up video, Taila explained that her stepfather had been part of her life since she was 11 years old. “When I caught him, he denied it to all of his friends, and obviously my mum got rid of him straight away,” she confirmed. “But yeah, if you want to talk about family trauma, my stepdad watched me have sex with my partner for two months.” @ta1laaa TRAUMAAAAA #fyp #viral #drama #tea Her two videos racked up nearly two million views in just one day as commentators voiced their horror at the revelation. “That means he's been looking at you in that way since day one..a warning to all mothers here for sure,” one pointed out. “He’s probably still subscribed, but under a different username,” suggested another, to which Taila replied: “His phone is blocked, but [possibly] from another device!” “Are you OK?” asked a third. “That must have been really hard for you emotionally.” “I’m okay now,” Taila responded. “At the time I couldn’t leave the house for a couple of days. I was still working in retail and was too anxious to be at the shopping centre worried that he would be there.” Inevitably, scores of users wanted more details on the kind of content the disgraced stepdad was requesting. So Taila duly obliged in another follow-up. “Like I said, in a previous video, we messaged every single day on the website, and he would make requests almost every single day,” she said. “One of them was to see the underwear that I was wearing every day. At the time I was working still, so I was out of the house five days a week, and he would ask for pictures in the bathroom or the changing rooms of wherever I was. “He also requested that when I was filming solo content at home, that I would not do it in the bathroom or in the shower. He always wanted it to be on my bed or on the floor of my bedroom.” Further underlining the creepiness of his actions, she added: “He had access to this room every single day. He also was helping out do the washing at home with said underwear.” @ta1laaa I cant believe i did this #fyp #viral #drama #scandal Taila later confirmed that she had cut all contact with her now ex-stepdad and had blocked him “from my pages on all platforms”. “I have not heard from him since the day I called him out,” she said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. “He wouldn’t even come into the house to collect his belongings while I was there.” She then urged other OnlyFans creators to get to grips with the fact that it is “highly likely someone from your school, gym, workplace or family is watching your every move”. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The best free agents to sign on Football Manager 2024, including David de Gea & Jerome Boateng.

NÜRTINGEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 15, 2023--

The U.S. surgeon general is calling for tech companies and lawmakers to take “immediate action” to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health on social media

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS The European Commission stuck to its guns on Friday, saying it was not