Benjamin Hall, Author at Cactus three

Sean Payton’s flare-up at Russell Wilson puts coach-QB relationship back in spotlight

20

Dec

New miscellaneous

Sean Payton’s flare-up at Russell Wilson puts coach-QB relationship back in spotlight

(Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Dec. 18, 2023.)Sean Payton blasting quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline, then suggesting he was merely upset about officiating, invited all sorts of speculation.It’s hard to fault Payton for losing his cool when officials wiped out a Broncos touchdown with an offensive offside call that seemed indefensible. As one former head coach put it, officials have “lost their minds” searching for penalties associated with Philadelphia’s tush-push plays.It’s just difficult to understand why Payton would funnel any of that rage toward his quarterback.GO DEEPERSean Payton downplays sideline flare up with Russell WilsonThe…

NASA Streams Cat Video From Deep, Deep Space

20

Dec

By Benjamin Hall

Science and Technology

NASA Streams Cat Video From Deep, Deep Space

On Dec. 11, NASA engineers anxiously gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., to view a cat video, wondering if it would be in the pristine high definition for which they had hoped.To their relief, it was. For the first time, high-definition video — this one of a lab employee’s cat named Taters — was streamed from 18.6 million miles away, or roughly 80 times the distance from the Earth to the moon, the farthest ever.The demonstration was part of NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment, aimed at improving the infrastructure for communication beyond the Earth’s orbit. As…

Figma’s CEO, Dylan Field, Laments Demise of His Billion Adobe Deal

20

Dec

By Benjamin Hall

Investments and Business

Figma’s CEO, Dylan Field, Laments Demise of His $20 Billion Adobe Deal

Among the several deals that have fallen apart recently, Adobe’s $20 billion takeover of Figma, an upstart design software maker, is among the most instructive.The companies had promised it was a way to “usher in a new era of collaborative creativity,” but regulators in three jurisdictions saw it as an unacceptable effort by a software giant to buy a promising future rival. To Dylan Field, Figma’s chief executive, that contrast underscored a fundamental divide between how businesses and regulators think of competition.“It’s frustrating and sad that we’re not able to complete this,” Mr. Field said in his first interview since…

Israel Shares More Details of Hostage Deaths as Pressure to Curb War Grows: Live Updates

18

Dec

By Benjamin Hall

New miscellaneous

Israel Shares More Details of Hostage Deaths as Pressure to Curb War Grows: Live Updates

Roman Catholic church officials said an Israeli military sniper shot and killed a mother and daughter on Saturday inside a church compound in northern Gaza where many Palestinian Christian families have taken refuge.The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that “one was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety” in the compound of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. Seven more people were shot and wounded while trying to protect others there, the patriarchate said in a statement on Saturday.“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the patriarchate said. “They were shot in cold blood inside…

Tongue-Tie Releases: What Parents Should Know

18

Dec

By Benjamin Hall

Health

Tongue-Tie Releases: What Parents Should Know

It’s an increasingly common scenario faced by new mothers across the country: A lactation consultant examines their newborn and suggests that cutting a “tongue-tie” may ease their difficulty breastfeeding.The quick procedure, known as a tongue-tie release, involves a dentist or doctor snipping a tight band of tissue connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. In recent years, lactation consultants and dentists have aggressively promoted the procedures, even for babies with no signs of real tongue-ties and despite a modest risk of complications, a New York Times investigation recently found.Many parents, anxious and exhausted, agonize over whether to go…

Jesse Lingard is a non-footballing footballer – he won’t be the last

18

Dec

By Benjamin Hall

New miscellaneous

Jesse Lingard is a non-footballing footballer – he won’t be the last

Follow live coverage of Liverpool vs Manchester United in the Premier League todayIt’s Jesse Lingard’s birthday. He turns 31 today and, at this stage of his life, he must realise it is not going to be easy shifting some of the perceptions that come from being a non-footballing footballer. For now, at least.Speak to Lingard’s former team-mates and they will talk about a guy who has been popular at all his clubs and played at a level, including a World Cup semi-final, that automatically commands respect among his fellow pros.But it is also a harsh reality that many others will…