Wireless Weighing Module Market Outlook and Future Projections for 2030Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk's X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner's support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta's Threads and its algorithms. The platform grew out of the company then known as Twitter, championed by its former CEO Jack Dorsey. Its decentralized approach to social networking was eventually intended to replace Twitter's core mechanic . That's unlikely now that the two companies have parted ways. But Bluesky's growth trajectory — with a user base that has more than doubled since October — could make it a serious competitor to other social platforms. But with growth comes growing pains. It's not just human users who've been flocking to Bluesky but also bots, including those designed to create partisan division or direct users to junk websites. The skyrocketing user base — now surpassing 25 million — is the biggest test yet for a relatively young platform that has branded itself as a social media alternative free of the problems plaguing its competitors. According to research firm Similarweb, Bluesky added 7.6 million monthly active app users on iOS and Android in November, an increase of 295.4% since October. It also saw 56.2 million desktop and mobile web visits, in the same period, up 189% from October. Besides the U.S. elections, Bluesky also got a boost when X was briefly banned in Brazil . “They got this spike in attention, they’ve crossed the threshold where it is now worth it for people to flood the platform with spam,” said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and a member of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. “But they don’t have the cash flow, they don’t have the established team that a larger platform would, so they have to do it all very, very quickly.” To manage growth for its tiny staff, Bluesky started as an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other distinctive features to attract new users , such as “starter packs” that provide lists of topically curated feeds. Meta recently announced that it is testing a similar feature. Compared to the bigger players like Meta's platforms or X, Bluesky has a “quite different” value system, said Claire Wardle, a professor at Cornell University and an expert in misinformation. This includes giving users more control over their experience. “The first generation of social media platforms connected the world, but ended up consolidating power in the hands of a few corporations and their leaders,” Bluesky said on its blog in March. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see. On an open social network like Bluesky, you can shape your experience for yourself.” Because of this mindset, Bluesky has achieved a scrappy underdog status that has attracted users who've grown tired of the big players. “People had this idea that it was going to be a different type of social network,” Wardle said. “But the truth is, when you get lots of people in a place and there are eyeballs, it means that it’s in other people’s interests to use bots to create, you know, information that aligns with their perspective.” Little data has emerged to help quantify the rise in impersonator accounts, artificial intelligence-fueled networks and other potentially harmful content on Bluesky. But in recent weeks, users have begun reporting large numbers of apparent AI bots following them, posting plagiarized articles or making seemingly automated divisive comments in replies. Lion Cassens, a Bluesky user and doctoral candidate in the Netherlands, found one such network by accident — a group of German-language accounts with similar bios and AI-generated profile pictures posting in replies to three German newspapers. “I noticed some weird replies under a news post by the German newspaper ‘Die Ziet,’” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “I have a lot of trust in the moderation mechanism on Bluesky, especially compared to Twitter since the layoffs and due to Musk’s more radical stance on freedom of speech. But AI bots are a big challenge, as they will only improve. I hope social media can keep up with that.” Cassens said the bots' messages have been relatively innocuous so far, but he was concerned about how they could be repurposed in the future to mislead. There are also signs that foreign disinformation narratives have made their way to Bluesky. The disinformation research group Alethea pointed to one low-traction post sharing a false claim about ABC News that had circulated on Russian Telegram channels. Copycat accounts are another challenge. In late November, Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, found that of the top 100 most followed named individuals on Bluesky, 44% had at least one duplicate account posing as them. Two weeks later, Mantzarlis said Bluesky had removed around two-thirds of the duplicate accounts he’d initially detected — a sign the site was aware of the issue and attempting to address it. Bluesky posted earlier this month that it had quadrupled its moderation team to keep up with its growing user base. The company also announced it had introduced a new system to detect impersonation and was working to improve its Community Guidelines to provide more detail on what’s allowed. Because of the way the site is built, users also have the option to subscribe to third-party “Labelers” that outsource content moderation by tagging accounts with warnings and context. The company didn't respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Even as its challenges aren’t yet at the scale other platforms face, Bluesky is at a “crossroads,” said Edward Perez, a board member at the nonpartisan nonprofit OSET Institute, who previously led Twitter’s civic integrity team. “Whether BlueSky likes it or not, it is being pulled into the real world,” Perez said, noting that it needs to quickly prioritize threats and work to mitigate them if it hopes to continue to grow. That said, disinformation and bots won't be Bluesky's only challenges in the months and years to come. As a text-based social network, its entire premise is falling out of favor with younger generations. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that only 17% of American teenagers used X, for instance, down from 23% in 2022. For teens and young adults, TikTok, Instagram and other visual-focused platforms are the places to be. Political polarization is also going against Bluesky ever reaching the size of TikTok, Instagram or even X. “Bluesky is not trying to be all things to all people,” Wardle said, adding that, likely, the days of a Facebook or Instagram emerging where they're “trying to keep everybody happy” are over. Social platforms are increasingly splintered along political lines and when they aren't — see Meta's platforms — the companies behind them are actively working to de-emphasize political content and news. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Irv Wilson, a former programming executive at NBC and producer of several high profile TV movies that starred Jerry Lewis, Martin Sheen, Telly Savalas, Bruce Dern and Morgan Freeman, died December 26 after a short illness. He was 93. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend, Tom Nunan, who paid tribute to Wilson on Facebook by writing, “Wilson loved life, and anyone who became close to him knew that a good glass of red wine, a little weed, [his wife’s] cooking, and a Giants game came pretty close to heaven for the well-loved, culturally complex maven.” Born in New York City, Wilson served in the Korean war before returning to the Big Apple to attend NYU via the G.I. Bill. He would go on to spend his career in the entertainment industry, first as a talent agent and producer, then as a TV programming executive for NBC where he oversaw the TV movie department and later, daytime and late night programming. He worked alongside Fred Silverman and Brandon Tartikoff and helped to discover future filmmakers such as Ron Howard while supporting gifted playwrights like Stanley Greenberg. After his network executive life, Wilson returned to producing work under deals at Fries Entertainment and Viacom, where he made several high profile TV movies. He may be best known for executive producing The Missiles of October , an ABC made-for-TV play from 1974 about the Cuban Missile Crisis that starred William Devane as President John F. Kennedy and Martin Sheen as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Nunan says his friend was also proud of his 1980 TV movie FDR: The Last Year for NBC that starred Jason Robards. Wilson was a lifelong Giants fan, even after their move to San Francisco. He was also a news and information junkie and liked to spend much of his retirement debating politics. “He will be missed by many, but remembered by all who met him as simply a wonderful guy, a true character who always managed to get you to pick up lunch,” Nunan said on Facebook. “As he’d put it himself, he was King of the ‘Schnorrers.’ Look it up. It’s Yiddish, the language of giants.” Wilson is survived by Anne Carlucci, his wife of 46 years who was also a prolific TV movie producer; and his daughters Amy, Julie, and Kate.nuebe gaming apk download 。

Watkins was 6 for 15 from the field, including 3 of 9 on 3-pointers, in 28 minutes before fouling out. Kiki Iriafen added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten). Deja Kelly scored 16 points and Peyton Scott added 13 to lead the Ducks (7-3, 0-1). Oregon led 13-12 after the first quarter, but USC scored the first 18 points of the second quarter and never trailed again. The Trojans built the lead to 40-19 at halftime with 15 points from Watkins. Scott opened the third quarter with four straight points, but USC scored five straight points right after and kept the lead in double digits the rest of the way. USC: The Trojans won their fourth straight since a loss to No. 10 Notre Dame. USC returns to nonconference play over the next three weeks, including a trip to No. 2 UConn. Oregon: The Ducks started the season 6-0 and moved up to No. 23 in the AP poll but have now lost three of four games. Kelly scored to put Oregon up 13-12 early, but USC held the Ducks scoreless for more than five minutes to start the second quarter while scoring 18 straight points. Watkins had a seven-point run of her own within that span. USC outrebounded Oregon 45-31, including 34 defensive rebounds. The Trojans are averaging nearly 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents on the season. USC hosts Fresno State on Tuesday night, and Oregon hosts Air Force on Dec. 17. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Alex Chaikin's 20 points off of the bench helped Lafayette to a 77-73 victory against Mercyhurst on Saturday. Chaikin went 7 of 8 from the field (6 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Leopards (5-5). Justin Vander Baan added 13 points while shooting 3 of 5 from the field and 7 for 9 from the line while he also had six rebounds and five blocks. Andrew Phillips had 10 points and shot 4 of 6 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line. Shemar Rathan-Mayes finished with 21 points and four assists for the Lakers (5-6). Aidan Reichert added 18 points, six rebounds and three steals for Mercyhurst. Jeff Planutis also recorded 13 points. Chaikin scored nine points in the first half and Lafayette went into the break trailing 38-31. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Ramon Rivera, 53, has been charged with murdering three innocent bystanders in a stabbing spree across New York City on Monday. But the Washington Examiner can report that Rivera's attacks only ended when State Department Diplomatic Security Service agents detained him near United Nations headquarters. While the New York Police Department has claimed sole responsibility for catching Rivera, it was DSS agents assigned to a protective detail for United Kingdom foreign secretary David Lammy who stopped Rivera and held him until NYPD officers arrived. The agents also provided emergency aid to a 36-year-old victim of the attacker, who later died in hospital. Unfortunately, however, sources say that the courage of the generally early career stage agents responsible has gone unnoticed by DSS leadership. No supervisors attended the scene and no public recognition of the agents involved was provided by DSS or the State Department. Asked about this apparent failure of leadership, a State Department spokesperson simply stated to the Washington Examiner that "DSS special agents provided aid to the stabbed woman until EMS arrived; they also detained the alleged attacker until NYPD uniformed officers made their arrest." The problem here is twofold. First, agents who acted with courage and care outside the normal conduct of their duties have not been recognized for doing so. As the Washington Examiner has previously reported , DSS today is characterized by extremely high protective detail workloads and associated burnout. In turn, the least these agents deserved was recognition from their leadership. Instead, one source with direct knowledge of the events told the Washington Examiner that when it came to DSS engagement with agents at the scene, "It was total chaos." Second, this example of DSS leadership disinterest for the welfare of lower ranking agents is only the tip of the iceberg. As the Washington Examiner has previously reported , senior leaders such as Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gentry Smith and DSS Director Carlos Matus have preferred to take junket trips to Las Vegas and divert resources to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives before the welfare and efficacy of their organization. DSS is renowned in the federal law enforcement community as an organization where "grunt agents" bear the burden of unpopular assignments while supervisors take office jobs or authorized leave. This extends to DSS leadership in New York City. The DSS field office in the Big Apple failed to make a single law enforcement investigation arrest in 2022 (as compared to 100+ arrests in preceding years). CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Other leadership failures include a major, evolving counterintelligence concern involving a senior DSS agent and Iran, and the DSS's inability to match the diplomatic outreach of local law enforcement partners such as the NYPD and LAPD in garnering permission for DSS agents to carry firearms at the recent Paris Olympic Games. This undermined the ability of DSS agents to effectively protect Team USA athletes at the games. As President-elect Donald Trump and Secretary of State-designee Marco Rubio move to take office in January, reforming this once proud organization should be foremost on their agenda.

Errors committed when speaking sometimes, sadly, result in word entanglements that are simply beyond repair. None of us is immune. And, getting out of verbal messes can be as difficult as sticking quills back into the goose. Some folks of national renown are known for their misspoken words, particularly when they open their mouths only to change feet ... — Two great examples were prominent in professional baseball. I reference the late Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra, remembered for countless entangled remarks. They are endless, real morsels to research if you enjoy hearing hilarious verbal foul-ups. One of Berra’s best lines was about a popular restaurant. “Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.” — Many similar “goofs” are found throughout the world of sports, certainly not limited to baseball. They continue today; a couple are worthy of revisiting, even though one may have been intentional, but probably ill-advised. Only days separated laughs by NFL TV analysts in Dallas and Philadelphia. Perhaps weary of watching the Dallas Cowboys’ meek surrender to the Philadelphia Eagles, veteran sportscaster Jim Nantz said that “the Keystone Cops had taken over.” (Sometimes too much truth is spoken. Remarks like this not only irk fans of the Cowboys, but could ignite team owner Jerry Jones. He might order Nantz to find the nearest exit and take it, or the next train, and be under it.) — A few nights later in Philadelphia, another veteran announcer, Al Michaels, mentioned the crack in the “Liberty Bowl.” Millions of viewers wondered if they heard him correctly, then said it again. There was no mistaking the gaffe. To his credit, a few minutes later he asked, “Did I say ‘Liberty Bowl’? I meant ‘Liberty Bell’.” Apology accepted ... — Some professional athletes are remembered more for what they say than how they perform in games. One baseballer said he could bat from either side of the plate. “I can bat left-handed and I can bat right-handed,” he bragged. “Thank God I’m amphibious.” Another claimed that he has “overcome a lot of diversity.” — Many “goofs,” of course, never make national headlines, but still are enjoyed greatly by locals. Years ago, a young lady from the news department of an Abilene TV station “filled in” for the sports guy. When she tried to report the baseball scores, fans of the game quickly realized that she wasn’t. She said something like, “New York beat Cleveland, four points to three points, Chicago topped Houston, six points to three points, and Philadelphia won over Atlanta, one point to no points.” — I dare not leave out my late friend, Gene Hendryx, longtime owner of Radio Station KVLF in Alpine, TX. One day during a stock market report, he cited prices for ewes. Trouble was, he called ‘em “e-wees.” — During my growing-up years in Brownwood, twins Jimmy and Eddy Farren, best known for “pickin’ and singin’” around the area, owned Radio Station KEAN. Remote broadcasting — then called “telephonic reporting” — had just begun when Jimmy “covered” the dedication of a colorful spraying water fountain at the old traffic circle. His voice sparkled with excitement as he described the first gushes from the fountain. “Folks, if you can possibly do so, come on down here,” he invited. “I’ve just never seen such colorful spewers spewing, and some of the spewers are spewing higher than the other spewers are spewing.” (Okay, so maybe he was a better fiddle player than he was a radio guy.) — I don’t intend to exempt myself from classic blunders. I had a daily sports show on the other radio station KBWD, during college. At the close of each broadcast, I said, “Don Newbury, reminding everyone that if you can’t play a sport, you can be one, and a good one.” One New Year’s eve, I added to the usual closure: “And a happy NEWBURY to one and all.”

NoneThe Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this season, as Mike Tomlin's squad is 8-3 and atop the AFC North through 12 weeks. After a 24-19 defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, Pittsburgh will look to get back in the win column in Week 13 versus the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. One of the primary reasons for the Steelers' success in 2024 has been the play of the offense. Though Arthur Smith's unit has struggled over the last two games, the group has found an identity centered around running back Najee Harris and the rushing attack. Harris is having another solid campaign in 2024, totaling 944 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. The former Alabama standout is the engine of Pittsburgh's offense and is setting himself up for a lucrative payday in free agency this offseason. The Steelers declined Harris' fifth-year option worth $6.79 million in May , setting the stage for the 26-year-old to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Though the Steelers could look to re-sign Harris, the 2021 No.24 overall pick will have a competitive market. A plethora of teams will be interested in Harris' services, but during an appearance on the Joe Starkey Show on 93.7 The Fan , The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Brian Batko stated that he believes the Las Vegas Raiders will be a team to look out for in the Najee Harris sweepstakes in the spring. "I think he (Harris), too, wouldn’t mind a fresh start,” Batko said. “The team that I mentioned in my chat the other day when someone asked about him was the Las Vegas Raiders. We all know Marshawn Lynch was his mentor, another Oakland guy. They still have the same agent and stuff like that. They’ll be in the position, I think, to draft a rookie and probably pay a running back. So I think that would be pretty cool if Najee ends up in Vegas next year, I just don’t see him back here." The Raiders would be an intriguing landing spot for Harris, as Las Vegas has one of the worst running back rooms in the NFL and desperately needs a dynamic playmaker at the position. The Raiders will likely select a quarterback in the draft, and providing their presumed young signal-caller with a potent rushing attack would be a logical move from the franchise. Harris isn't an elite player but is a physical, downhill runner who has never missed a game. The Steelers would love to have Harris back, but the team has an adequate replacement for the 2021 Pro Bowler in Jaylen Warren. Pittsburgh could also look to use a Day 2 or Day 3 pick on a running back, so they have a ton of options at their disposal to replace Harris if the two-time National Champion departs the Steel City in the offseason. MORE PITTSBURGH STEELERS NEWS Steelers share thoughts on Hard Knocks: 'I'd rather stay in the shadows' Steelers vs. Bengals injury report has 2 ruled out, 2 questionable, 2 doubtful Will T.J. Watt apologize to Myles Garrett for DPOY tweet? Here's what Steelers star saidUS President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by January 19 while the government emphasised its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Mr Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for January 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute, leading TikTok to appeal to the Supreme Court. The brief from Mr Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office”.