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How To Teach Kids About Cybersecurity (Maria)
The author writes, “Cybersecurity education for children is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. With over 3 billion kids projected to have internet access by 2025, equipping them with the ability to navigate digital environments safely is vital. Teaching digital literacy can begin as early as preschool, fostering responsible online citizenship and empowering children. … [Risks] include a multitude of threats, from cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content to the perils of online predators. The advent of global gaming and AI only makes these dangers more acute.”
More Than 230 Doctors and Health Care Providers Call on Trump to Release Medical Records (Mili)
The author writes, “More than 230 doctors, nurses and health care professionals, most of whom are backing Vice President Kamala Harris, are calling on former President Donald Trump to release his medical records, arguing that he should be transparent about his health ‘given his advancing age.’ ‘Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity,’ the 238 signatories wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13 and first obtained by CBS News. ‘In the limited opportunities we can examine his behavior, he’s providing a deeply concerning snapshot.’”
$30 Million Is All It Took to Shift the Odds in Trump’s Favor on Polymarket (DonkeyHotey)
From Gizmodo: “Four different accounts have pumped $30 million into the betting site Polymarket, swaying the site’s prediction in favor of a Trump victory. The two candidates have been neck and neck since Harris entered the race in August, but Trump pulled ahead with a commanding lead in October. News that someone or someones have dumped tens of millions of dollars into the market and swayed the odds is further proof that Polymarket, and other predictive betting sites, are easy to manipulate and not a reflection of reality.”
America’s Gullibility Crisis (Reader Jim)
From Axios: “In the heat of this historic election, educated elites who should know better — billionaires, elected officials, journalists — keep falling for fakes, conspiracy theories and outright lies. Why it matters: Human gullibility is not a new phenomenon. But social media and polarized politics are exposing it at industrial scale, fueled by a poisonous cocktail of bad actors, media illiteracy and plummeting trust in traditional news.”
A New Audience for Taylor Swift: Rural Republican Parents (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Earlier this fall, the world’s greatest pop star, Taylor Swift, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Here in Trump country, such a move by the pop star was widely reviled, and pundits — including Trump himself — spoke of pending financial doom for the billionaire songwriter. Others cast skepticism that such an endorsement might make any difference at all and if it did, it would apply only to the youth who listened to Swift. But there is another audience. Parents. Maybe even rural Republican parents.”
How the World’s Last Wild Red Wolves Are Avoiding Extinction (Laura)
From The Washington Post: “The endangered wolves face multiple threats, from cars to climate change. A renewed push to save them in eastern North Carolina has brought cautious optimism.”
With Real Scientific Data, Artist Martin Vargic Has Visualized Hundreds of Alien Planets (Dana)
The author writes, “As shocking as it sounds today, prior to the 1990s, scientists couldn’t be certain that stars beyond the sun also had planets orbiting them. Since the discovery of the first extra-solar planet, or ‘exoplanet,’ around 30 years ago, over 6,000 of these distant worlds have been revealed, with thousands more detected but not yet confirmed. … With planets so hot they rain iron, planets with savage, glass-filled winds and planets so misshapen by their stars they roll around in their orbits like eggs, it is little wonder that exoplanets have captivated people beyond the hallowed halls of scientific academia, inspiring incredible and breathtaking works of art. One artist captivated by exoplanets is Martin Vargic, a Slovak artist and the author of the Curious Cosmical Compendium.”
