Officials with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission are reportedly discussing aspects of Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, proposed by asset managers.
According to a Dec. 7 Reuters report, industry insiders said the SEC and certain asset managers were discussing “key technical details” related to U.S. exchanges listing shares of a spot Bitcoin ETF. To date, the commission has never given the green light to any spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded product, instead postponing decisions on applications for the maximum allowable time.
Memos released by the SEC in November showed the commission separately met with representatives of BlackRock and Grayscale. Both asset managers and Hashdex, ARK 21Shares, Invesco Galaxy, VanEck and Fidelity have filed for spot BTC or Ether (ETH) ETF listings.
“The expected approval of the ETF will be positive news for the crypto market, likely leading to significant growth,” said Mercuryo senior legal counsel Adam Berker. “With ETFs getting the go-ahead, a wider range of TradFi investors will have simplified access to crypto assets. With major entities such as Fidelity and BlackRock endorsing this product, substantial institutional capital is expected to flow into the market.”
It’s unclear whether the SEC will ultimately reach a decision to approve a spot Bitcoin ETF. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart speculated that should the commission decide to support one, it could move forward with simultaneous approvals of funds from multiple firms in January.
Many in and out of the crypto space have criticized SEC Chair Gary Gensler for his approach to treating certain tokens as securities. The commission has ongoing lawsuits against Terraform Labs, Ripple, Coinbase and Binance.
Health officials in the U.K. are warning the public about a concerning rise in whooping cough after cases soared 250% this year.
Between July and November, there were 716 reported cases of pertussis, a bacterial infection of the lungs, which is three times higher than the same period in 2022, the U.K.’s Independent reported, citing the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Public Health Programmes at the agency, said the number of infections had decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to social distancing and lockdown policies, but is now on the rise again, according to the report.
Another expert, Professor Beate Kampmann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun, “The rise in cases might be because of missed vaccination appointments, possibly during the pandemic.”
The U.K. government has reported an alarming 250% increase in whooping cough cases.(iStock | National Institutes of Health)
“Severe disease is almost entirely preventable if the mother is vaccinated in pregnancy and her protective antibody reach the baby through the placenta and protect until the baby gets its own vaccines,” said Kampmann.
“It is therefore important that everyone looks at their vaccination records to check if they might have missed this vaccine, which is given with the routine childhood immunizations and in pregnancy.”
Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause serious illness, especially in babies and children. It is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing that can make it difficult to breathe, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In severe cases, intense coughing can lead to vomiting and sore or even fractured ribs. After fits of many coughs, an infected person may need to take deep breaths, which results in the “whooping” sound the disease is named for. Another name for the disease is the 100-day cough, because it may last for several weeks or months, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) says.
Whooping cough is easily preventable, and a vaccine is available that protects babies and children.(Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The NHS notes whooping cough is easily preventable, and a vaccine is available that protects babies and children.
However, U.K. government data shows that vaccine rates for pertussis have fallen to their lowest level in seven years.
In 2022, there was an average vaccine uptake of 61.5% in England, a decrease of 3.9% since 2021 and 7.6% from 2020, The Sun reported.
The NHS urges parents to schedule a doctor’s appointment if they or their child develop symptoms of whooping cough, or have a cold for more than three weeks that is getting worse.
Another name for the disease is the 100-day cough, because it may last for several weeks or months, according to the U.K. National Health Service.(Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Treatment for the disease depends on the patient’s age and how long they’ve had the infection. Severe cases may require hospital treatment for babies under 6 months old.
If pertussis is diagnosed within three weeks of infection, the patient will be given antibiotics to fight the illness and prevent its spread to others, the NHS says.
Health officials in the United Kingdom are warning the public about a concerning rise in whooping cough after cases soared 250% this year.
Between July and November, there were 716 reported cases of pertussis, a bacterial infection of the lungs, which is three times higher than the same period in 2022, the U.K. Independent reported, citing the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Public Health Programmes at the agency, said the number of infections had decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to social distancing and lockdown policies, but is now on the rise again, according to the report.
Another expert, Professor Beate Kampmann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun, “The rise in cases might be because of missed vaccination appointments, possibly during the pandemic.”
The U.K. government has reported an alarming 250% increase in whooping cough cases. (iStock | National Institutes of Health)
“Severe disease is almost entirely preventable if the mother is vaccinated in pregnancy and her protective antibody reach the baby through the placenta and protect until the baby gets its own vaccines,” said Kampmann.
“It is therefore important that everyone looks at their vaccination records to check if they might have missed this vaccine, which is given with the routine childhood immunizations and in pregnancy.”
Pertussis, also called whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause serious illness, especially in babies and children. It is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing that can make it difficult to breathe, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In severe cases, intense coughing can lead to vomiting and sore or even fractured ribs. After fits of many coughs, an infected person may need to take deep breaths, which results in the “whooping” sound the disease is named for. Another name for the disease is the 100-day cough, because it may last for several weeks or months, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) says.
Photo illustration shows a disposable syringe with hypodermic needle, PERTUSSIS written on a white board behind.(Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The NHS notes whooping cough is easily preventable, and a vaccine is available that protects babies and children.
However, U.K. government data shows that vaccine rates for pertussis have fallen to their lowest level in seven years.
In 2022, there was an average vaccine uptake of 61.5% in England, a decrease of 3.9% since 2021 and 7.6% from 2020, The Sun reported.
NHS urges that parents schedule a doctor’s appointment if they or their child develop symptoms of whooping cough, or have a cold for more than three weeks that is getting worse.
Sign for the NHS National Health Service outside a pharmacy on 24th August 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Treatment for the disease depends on the patient’s age and how long they’ve had the infection. Severe cases may require hospital treatment for babies under six months old.
If pertussis is diagnosed within three weeks of infection, the patient will be given antibiotics to fight the illness and prevent its spread to others, NHS says.
Financial payment processor Block, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, has launched its self-custody Bitcoin (BTC) wallet.
Dubbed “Bitkey,” developers said during the Dec. 7 announcement that the wallet, available as a mobile app or hardware storage, will be accessible in over 95 countries. Bitkey will feature a two-of-three multi-signature wallet consisting of a mobile key, a hardware key, and a server key, with a secure hardware device alongside recovery tools in the event of loss. It will require both the user’s fingerprint and phone to approve transactions. The first global partners for Bitkey include Coinbase and Cash App.
“Bitkey uses three keys to secure Bitcoin, and any two keys working together are needed to move Bitcoin or approve other security-related actions like initiating recovery or modifying security settings,” Block stated. “Because Bitkey only has access to one, not two or three keys in this 2-of-3 multi-signature wallet, Bitkey cannot access or move a customer’s bitcoin without them.”
The Bitkey package, which includes both the app and hardware storage, has a price tag of $150, excluding shipping and taxes. It’s set for pre-order only, with rollout expected in early 2024.
In the third quarter of 2023, Block recorded $5.62 billion in revenue on the back of solid sales growth for payment processors Cash App and Square. The firm also realized a $44 million profit on its Bitcoin investments due to BTC’s recent price recovery. Meanwhile, Bitcoin transaction gross profit stood at $45 million, up by 22% year-over-year, with the firm selling $2.42 billion worth of BTC to customers via Cash App.
Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, a sports radio legend and ESPN personality, took some heat over a comment he made when talking about Shohei Ohtani’s free agency.
Ohtani has not chosen a team yet and reportedly has preferred to keep his meetings with baseball executives private as he goes through the process. The procedure has ruffled feathers in the media, and Russo was the latest to speak out on it Wednesday.
Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani, #17, in the dugout during the game against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, Sept. 30, 2023.(Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
“The fact we’re even discussing this is a complete joke,” Russo said on “First Take.” “You know when he won the MVP, he wouldn’t even tell you what his dog’s name was? Anybody who pays Ohtani $600 million needs their heads examined anyway. He’s not gonna pitch next year. He’s a DH. And tell me this: with Ohtani, how many times were the Angels in the pennant race in the middle of September? They won 73 games last year; he missed the last 25 games.”
“And what is the big secret? Jeez, he’s a free agent! He’s talked to six teams. … What is this, the atomic bomb? We’re not allowed to find out? This is baseball! He’s a celebrity! This is what it’s about! This is stupid that somehow, some way if you reveal that you had a breakfast with Ohtani, you should be basically thrown out with the bath water.”
Chris Russo, pictured here, and Mike Francesa of “Mike and the Mad Dog” get together for a SiriusXM Town Hall hosted by Chazz Palminteri at SiriusXM Studios on July 6, 2017 in New York City.(Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Russo’s “atomic bomb” remark appeared to refer to the shroud of secrecy around the Manhattan Project and the J. Robert Oppenheimer-led undertaking to design the bombs that were later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Ohtani is from Japan.
MLB fans seeing the clip on X called the remark “awful.”
“Leave it to Chris Russo to use the analogy of the atomic bomb to a Japanese baseball player. My gawd, @ESPN, WTF?” AnglesWin.com wrote.
Fans of Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hope to see their idol before he faces the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California, Sept. 2, 2023.(D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports)
Ohtani has reportedly drawn interest from the Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs. He may make his final decision by the end of the week.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
EXCLUSIVE: A former business associate of Hunter Biden is pushing back against President Biden after he angrily claimed it was a “bunch of lies” that he interacted with his son’s foreign business associates.
Biden was pressed during a press conference on Wednesday about why he interacted with “so many” of his son and brother’s foreign business associates, but he denied having any such interactions, despite evidence to the contrary.
“I’m not going to comment. I did not, and it’s just a bunch of lies,” Biden responded. “They’re lies. I did not. They’re lies.”
One of Hunter’s former business associates reacted to Biden’s comments by telling Fox News Digital that his claim was “complete malarkey” and said there is “plenty of evidence” to refute his denial.
President Biden has repeatedly defended his son Hunter amid a wave of legal troubles, saying multiple times that his son has done “nothing wrong” and that he is “confident” of that prior to the Justice Department’s appointment of a special counsel to further investigate the matter.( George Frey, Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reported extensively on the mounting evidence contrasting Biden’s claim, including that Hunter’s former friend and longtime business partner Eric Schwerin visited the Obama White House and then-Vice President Biden’s residence dozens of times between 2009 and 2016.
Schwerin was the founding partner and managing director of Hunter Biden’s now-dissolved firm Rosemont Seneca Partners when he was appointed by then-President Obama to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, an independent U.S. government agency, in early 2015. Obama reappointed him to the commission in January 2017.
In addition to being a key player in facilitating Hunter Biden’s Chinese business deals, Schwerin was also intimately involved with handling the elder Biden’s finances. A person familiar with Schwerin’s role in handling the finances previously told Fox News Digital that Schwerin worked on Biden’s personal budget and helped coordinate with his tax preparers.
The individual also pointed to the frequency of Schwerin’s communications with Biden and his top aides and said it was “inevitable” Rosemont Seneca business came up in conversations.
Biden also met with at least 14 of Hunter’s business associates from the U.S., Mexico, Ukraine, China and Kazakhstan over the course of his vice presidency, and was even photographed alongside Hunter giving some of them a tour of the White House’s Brady Briefing Room.
In a 2016 email to Miguel Magnani, a business tycoon and former Hunter associate from Mexico, Hunter admitted that he had “brought every single person [Miguel has] ever asked [him] to bring to the F’ing White House and the Vice President’s house and the inauguration” and blasted him for going “completely silent.” Hunter also said he wanted Magnani to be at the plane with his parents when Biden landed in Mexico City.
In February 2016, Hunter emailed his Mexican business partner while en route to Mexico aboard Air Force Two and expressed frustration over apparent radio silence, saying, “I’d like to know why I’ve delivered on every single thing you’ve ever asked – and you make me feel like I’ve done something to offend you.” (Fox News)
Hunter had previously introduced Magnani to his father during a White House tour on Feb. 26, 2014. White House visitor logs show that Magnani and Magnani’s father, Miguel Aleman Velasco, visited the West Wing on Feb. 26, 2014, and Biden was later photographed with Hunter giving Velasco and Magnani a tour of the White House Brady Press Briefing room.
Additionally, in December 2013, Hunter traveled with Biden on a trip to Asia, which included a stop in China, and introduced him to his Chinese business partner Jonathan Li in the lobby of the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying.
A closed-door interview over the summer with Hunter’s former business partner, Devon Archer, revealed that the elder Biden would also have coffee with Li during the visit. Less than two weeks later, Hunter would enter into a joint-venture called BHR Partners, a Beijing-backed private equity firm controlled by Bank of China Limited.
US President Joe Biden departs Dublin Airport on Air Force One with his sister Valerie and son Hunter on April 14, 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. US President Joe Biden has traveled to Northern Ireland and Ireland with his sister Valerie Biden Owens and son Hunter Biden to explore his family’s Irish heritage and mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. (Julien Behal/Irish Government via Getty Images)
The closed-door interview before House Oversight investigators also revealed that Hunter would use his dad as “defensive leverage” to send “the right signals” to his foreign business partners, while selling him as “the brand” that offered “capabilities and reach,” as well as a “unique understanding of D.C.” The transcript said Hunter put his father on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times to sell “the brand.”
The elder Biden was also in attendance at a spring 2015 dinner at Washington, D.C.’s, upscale restaurant Cafe Milano, which included Burisma board adviser Vadym Pozharskyi. The Biden campaign tried to discredit the New York Post’s initial reporting on the controversial dinner in 2020 and said, “No meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place,” but Archer torpedoed that narrative.
Pozharskyi emailed Hunter the following day and said, “Thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure.”
A top Burisma executive emailed Hunter Biden the day after the April 2015 Cafe Milano dinner to thank him for the “opportunity to meet” then-Vice President Biden.(Fox News)
A year earlier, Biden attended another dinner at Cafe Milano, according to a House Oversight memo, which included Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, former Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov and Kazakh oligarch Kenes Rakishev. Earlier this year, Massimov was sentenced to 18 years behind bars for his reported role in an attempted coup.
The committee provided screenshots of bank records they say demonstrate that Baturina, the widow of former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, wired $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton on Feb. 14, 2014, a couple months before the dinner.
Fox News Digital also previously reported on how associates and top staffers at Hunter’s now-defunct company visited the Obama White House more than 90 times when he was vice president in the Obama administration.
Biden has repeatedly insisted that he had no knowledge of his son’s foreign business dealings and had no role in influencing them. He also repeatedly said he never spoke with his son about foreign business dealings, despite mounting evidence contradicting this claim.
Eric Schwerin (L), Hunter Biden (C) and President Joe Biden (R).(Fox News)
“First of all, I have never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else anything having to do with their business, period,” Biden said in August 2019 during his campaign. “There wasn’t any hint of scandal at all when we were there. It was the same kind of strict, strict rules. That’s why I never talk with my son or my brother or anyone else, even distant family about their business interest, period.”
Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed Biden earlier this year on whether he lied “about never speaking with Hunter about his business deals,” prompting the president to reply, “No.”
Hunter’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, declared a few months ago that the first son “did not share” his business or his profits with his father, marking another notable shift in the narrative responding to allegations that link Biden to his son’s business dealings.
“I can tell you that Hunter did not share his business with his dad,” Lowell said at the time. “I can tell you that he did not share money from his businesses with his dad. And as the evidence out there, his dad, like all good parents, tried to help Hunter when Hunter needed that help.”
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.
The Terraform Labs co-founder had been awaiting extradition to either the United States or South Korea after being arrested and charged in Montenegro.
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Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon will reportedly be extradited to the United States rather than South Korea to face criminal charges.
According to a Dec. 7 Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter, Justice Minister Andrej Milovic in Montenegro plans to grant U.S. officials’ request for extradition. Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March and sentenced to four months in prison for using falsified travel documents but has also been charged in the U.S. and South Korea for his alleged role in the collapse of Terraform Labs.
Milovic reportedly said the announcement would be made public “in a timely manner”.
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
Is a game even a game without bots? Pixels CEO doesn’t think so
Some think that bots in games is a sign of the apocalypse, or perhaps just the makers trying to fill up an empty venue to make it look popular.
But Pixels founder and CEO Luke Barwikowski says that conversely, if people aren’t trying to fill your game with bots, then it’s probably because the game isn’t exactly the talk of the town.
“If people aren’t trying to bot your game — it’s not because they can’t — it’s because they don’t care enough to do it.”
According to Barwikowski, if you’re making a game that doesn’t have any bots and flaunting it, that’s not something to boast about.
“It’s not always the flex you think to say you don’t have any bots in an ecosystem,” he declares.
To be fair, bots do bring with them some perks – such as shorter wait times for gamers and a guaranteed opponent whenever you are up for a game.But the bots are starting to take over.
In November last year, anti-botting company Jigger analyzed more than 60 games and services and found 200,000 bots.
About 40% of all GameFi users are bots, and for certain titles like MetaGear, AnRkey X, and ARIVA, it’s a massive 80%. And brace yourself — for Karma Verse Zombie, it’s a mind-blowing 96%.
If people aren’t trying to bot your game – it’s not because they can’t – it’s because they don’t care enough to do it.
It’s not always the flex you think to say you don’t have any bots in an ecosystem.
Web3 Games: The easy pick for crypto firms to throw shade at
Web3 Games have been catching a lot of flak lately, with frequent criticisms including their sky-high failure rates and that many games aren’t much fun.
A recent CoinGecko highlights that three out of four blockchain games have flopped since 2018. This year, a whopping 70% of games launched have bitten the dust. Still, their figures are unusual, suggesting the failure rate in 2022 was a mind-bogglingly unlikely 107%.
Illuvium offers multiple games, including an auto battler. (Illuvium)
Kieran Warwick, co-founder and big boss of Illivium, isn’t second-guessing the numbers, though. He tells Magazine that creating a Web3 game ain’t a walk in the park like releasing a memecoin.
“It makes sense; it’s tough for a game to be successful,” he says. “You need a combination of fantastic gameplay, huge funding and effective marketing,” he declares.
Although he’s on the same page with the masses about NFT games being a letdown.
“Almost every game released has been sub-par when you add the need to create sustainable economic models using bleeding-edge blockchain technology, the likelihood of succeeding declines again.”
Fortunately, Warwick believes there is a ticking clock on when these crazy failure rates in Web3 game reports are gonna turn around.
“Good games also take a long time to build. In the next few years, once the games that have been in development for 3-5 years start releasing, sentiment will quickly shift,” he declares.
Warwick believes there’s no magic moment when everyone’s gonna ditch regular gaming for Web3. He suggests it’s not rocket science; it’s just straight-up logic for when the switch will happen.
GameFi failure rates 2018-2023. (CoinGecko)
“Once gamers experience a blockchain game just as good as its mainstream competitor and have ownership of their assets, they aren’t returning to the game they used to play,” he says.
Meanwhile, crypto analyst Miles Deutscher recently told his 383,000 followers that crypto gaming is still a small fry in the vast gaming world. But that just means it has a lot more potential.
“The total gaming space is projected to hit $610b by 2032. Crypto gaming is currently valued at just $14.5b. That’s a 42x discrepancy. We’re still so early.”
The total gaming space is projected to hit $610b by 2032.
Crypto gaming is currently valued at just $14.5b.
Thats a 42x discrepancy.
We’re still so early.
Dropping a video in a few hours which reveals my top picks. 👀
Galaxy Fight Club is a PvP battle game built on the Polygon blockchain. It has a fairly impressive turnaround time from downloading the game to being able to jump right into the chaos of online shooting with random players in no time.
Getting matched into a game had a similar ease to joining a game in Call of Duty or Battlefield.
Galaxy Fight Club multiplayer action. (Galaxy Fight Club)
You can dip your toes in as a guest, get a feel for the game, or go all in by creating an account linked to your crypto wallet.
If you’re sitting on some NFT characters – you can bring them to the brawl.
However, it is a shame you cannot communicate with other players on your team. Sometimes, you feel like you are left deciphering the thoughts of a character on the screen when you’re right in the middle of virtual warfare.
Not trying to be overly picky, but those attack buttons are a bit off-center. It might feel a tad awkward for the thumbs, especially if you’re used to playing shooter games on those smaller iPhones.
The developers compare it to Super Mario Bros, but instead of facing off against Pikachu with Mario, you’re in for a brawl with an Ape from Bored Ape Yacht Club or a Cool Cat throwing down with a Cryptopunk in the game.
But don’t stress if you’re NFT-less; you can start with a default character and level up from there.
I’m actually on the grind playing the game trying to grab some NFTs for myself. My original NFTs are stuck on a MetaMask account from a phone I lost, and I can’t seem to track down the seed phrase.
Total rookie move.
Galaxy Fight Club Tutorial Mode. (Galaxy Fight Club)
Luckily, getting your hands on NFTs is pretty straightforward when you win matches.
Score a win, and you can grab some Silver Key Fragments. Combine those, and you might even score some lootbox keys to unlock virtual weapons and armor NFTs.
Even better, when you eventually get bored of the game, you can cash in. Everything—your loot, keys, and even those fragments — can be sold on OpenSea or any other NFT marketplace.
Animoca Brands backs The Open Network (TON)
Animoca Brands is going all-in on TON’s blockchain, the fully decentralized layer-1 blockchain originally cooked up by Telegram. They’ve grabbed the top spot as the biggest validator on the blockchain.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, believes it will help more traditional gamer types make the move over to Web3.
“This strategic investment in TON is a key part of our broader commitment to help onboard the next million Web3 users by facilitating a seamless transition from Web2 to Web3.”
The gaming giant insists it’s not betting on a flop.
“Animoca Brands undertook extensive research before deciding to invest in TON’s ecosystem,” the company declares.
“Animoca Brands became the biggest validator of the TON blockchain last week, banking on the network effect of Telegram’s 800 million users to drive GameFi adoption.”
— Amazon Prime Gaming just joined forces with Immutable’s TCG Gods Unchained. Now, if you link up your in-game account with Amazon Prime Gaming, you score monthly access to some exclusive in-game perks.
— The founder and CEO of G2 Esports, Carlos Rodriguez, joined the board of blockchain gaming metaverse Farcana.
— Fintech company Ramp Network announced that it is integrating its on-and-off ramp products with the blockchain gaming development studio Games For A Living.
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Ciaran Lyons
Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He’s also a standup comedian and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Project.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and future Canton, Ohio, inductee Tom Brady talked about the vast differences in the game from the way it was played from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Taylor, Brady and legendary sportscaster Jim Gray spoke about the differences in the rules during the latest episode of the “Let’s Go!” podcast earlier this week. The former New York Giants linebacker told Brady he wished he could have played in his era.
Lawrence Taylor, #56 of the New York Giants, in action against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game Sept. 30, 1990 at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey.(Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“Tom, I will tell you, I wish I could have played back in your era,” the fearsome defender said. “I could see how you did all that you’ve done. Because you’ve done more than any other player could even think about doing from an offensive point of view. If I’m going into the game and I’m thinking, ‘How am I gonna have to play you?’ Wow. I mean, that’s a whole lot of work, man.
“You have some great skills, man. You should be very proud of what you’ve done. And I know you are very proud because when we look at the best and think about the best and reminisce about the best, your name’s gotta be on the top level, on the number one level right now. You’re the number one guy in football that I haven’t hit, OK?”
Taylor admitted he did not think he would be as good in today’s game as he was in his prime “because of the rules.”
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady waves after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston Feb. 5, 2017.(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback said he did not like the way the rules have shaped the current game.
“I say the rules now are a lot different even than when I started,” Brady said. “And I’ve been on record for saying this, I’ve told Jim a thousand times, I really don’t like the way that it’s gone because there’s people like, every time you would’ve hit the quarterback there would’ve been a flag. And the reality is defenses should be aggressive.
“There was a hit on Patrick Mahomes last night where he was running outta bounds, where he wasn’t even outta bounds. And, you know, the quarterbacks need to learn how to throw the ball away. They need to learn how to read defenses so that they can get the ball outta their hands. I always felt like my best protection was getting rid of the ball. Even in my day, it would’ve been hard for you to sack me just because I knew how great you were and how fast I needed to throw the ball that day.”
Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor attends a game between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 3, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Taylor said he could not understand how a running back like the Philadelphia Eagles’ D’Andre Swift could be fined for running over a defensive back. He said he “probably wouldn’t last a game.”
Gray asked if he would get thrown out or conform to the rules.
“Have you ever known me to conform to anything?” Taylor responded with a laugh. “I would get thrown out. It’d been hard for me to play. I may have ended the season owing them money.”
Taylor was a two-time Super Bowl champion and won the Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year in his 1981 rookie season. He won the MVP in 1986, when the Giants won their first Super Bowl title.
Despite rising concerns over artificial intelligence, pet owners may have actually found a new best friend in AI for their best friend.
Cats are known to be proud predators who often show their affection and prowess through hunting, killing and bringing their prey back home.
While a lovely gesture, this primal feline habit often leaves bewildered pet owners with bloody messes or partial or fully live birds, rodents and bugs in their homes.
A cat bringing a critter into the house.(Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson )
Why is RDIF not enough?
Many pet owners love their furry companions, but they also want to keep their homes clean and safe from unwanted visitors. That’s why some people install cat flaps or doors that allow their cats to go in and out as they please without having to open the main door every time.
However, not all cat flaps or doors are created equal. Some of them use radio frequency identification (RDIF) technology to detect a microchip implanted in the cat’s collar or body and only open for the authorized pet. This way, other animals, such as stray cats, raccoons or squirrels, cannot enter the house through the cat flap or door.
As long as the cat trying to enter through the corresponding RDIF flap or door has the RDIF chip under its skin or attached to a collar, the flap or door simply receives the signal from that chip that it is a recognized pet and will allow the cat to come in with or without prey.
An AI solution to prevent cats from bringing prey inside
What if your cat decides to bring home a dead mouse, a bird or even a live snake? How can you prevent your cat from turning your living room into a hunting ground? That’s where the new generation of smart cat flaps or doors comes in.
ZeroMouse to the rescue
A smart device called ZeroMouse, which exceeded its fundraising goal on Kickstarter, uses AI technology to detect whether your cat is trying to enter the house carrying prey. It consists of an RFID pet door or flap that is connected to a camera and a speaker.
The camera uses infrared light and night-vision technology to take a photo of your cat as it approaches the door or flap, day or night. The photo is then analyzed by an AI-based algorithm that determines whether your cat has prey in its mouth.
If the cat has prey in its mouth, ZeroMouse emits an RDIF signal of an unrecognized cat, so the flap or door will remain closed until the prey is left behind. Owners can choose whether to be notified of these occurrences through the ZeroMouse app.
The smart device works with your existing pet door
Unlike other similar technology, ZeroMouse is a small device that attaches and works with most preexisting RDIF-enabled pet flaps or doors, which saves pet owners the expense and pain of a new installation.
ZeroMouse does require an external power source as it isn’t battery operated and requires Wi-Fi access as it constantly updates the AI-based algorithm with anonymous user data worldwide to improve its functionality.
The company tells us that it will begin selling ZeroMouse through online retailers in the first half of 2024.
ZeroMouse clearly demonstrates how AI can improve a pet owner’s life by solving a common challenge. Not only is ZeroMouse constantly teaching its devices new ways to detect unwanted critters in the mouths of their pets, but it may actually teach an ‘old’ cat new tricks.
Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
