Latest news with #Paluzzi
Hans India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Instagram Experiments with ‘Picks' to Connect Friends Through Shared Interests in Movies, Music, and More
Instagram is quietly working on a fresh way to get users talking — and it's all about shared tastes. The social media giant is developing a new feature called 'Picks', designed to match friends based on common favourites in categories like movies, TV shows, books, music, and games. The concept is simple: you select your personal favourites, and Instagram compares them with your friends' selections to highlight overlaps. Think of it as a mash-up between Spotify Wrapped and a friendship compatibility test, built directly into the app. The goal? To nudge people toward real conversations instead of sticking to double-taps and emoji replies. Meta, Instagram's parent company, confirmed to TechCrunch that Picks is still an internal prototype. The tool is in what one might call the 'lab experiment' stage — far from a public release. And, like many of Instagram's experimental features, there's no guarantee it will ever roll out. The first hint of its existence came from Alessandro Paluzzi, a well-known app researcher and reverse engineer famous for unearthing unreleased social media tools. Paluzzi shared screenshots showing how users could browse different categories and pick their top favorites. Those choices would then be cross-referenced with friends' lists to reveal shared interests — perhaps opening the door to debates over the best '90s indie band or swapping recommendations for niche TV dramas. The idea fits neatly with Instagram head Adam Mosseri's vision for the platform in 2025. Back in January, Mosseri wrote: 'To help people connect with friends over the things they discover on Instagram, we're going to double down on messaging, make consuming content more interactive and social, and explore new ways to connect with friends.' In essence, Instagram is aiming to shift from being just a content feed to becoming more like a bustling online hangout spot — a place where you share, chat, and even argue about sequels versus originals. However, new features on Instagram often meet mixed reactions. Over the years, the app has been criticized for piling on tools, leading some users to feel it's becoming cluttered. The recent launch of Instagram Map sparked backlash from users puzzled about why they suddenly had a new location feature they never requested. Given its current prototype status, there's no timeline for Picks, and there's every chance it could join Instagram's long list of 'features that never were.' Meta regularly experiments with concepts that never make it past the testing phase. Still, for users who enjoy personality quizzes or discovering unexpected common ground with friends, Picks has the potential to become an engaging new way to interact. Whether it turns into the next Stories-style success or fades quietly into the background will depend on how users respond — and whether Instagram can keep it fun without turning it into yet another ad-focused algorithm tool.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
J&J (JNJ) Faces $8M Verdict Over Talc Case; Stock Still Gains 4.66% YTD
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the 10 undervalued blue chip stocks analysts recommend for smart investing. On June 18, Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, a Dallas, Texas-based law firm, announced an $8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The verdict was awarded to Janice Paluzzi, an 84-year-old Massachusetts woman who developed mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Copyright: moovstock / 123RF Stock Photo According to the jury, the plaintiff's illness arose from her decades-long use of Johnson & Johnson's talcum powder products. The jury found that J&J's talcum powder products contained asbestos and that a design defect in these products substantially contributed to Ms. Paluzzi's mesothelioma. They also found Johnson & Johnson negligent in the design of the powder and that this negligence substantially contributed to her illness. As a remedy, the jury awarded Ms. Paluzzi $8 million: $5 million for past pain and suffering and $3 million for future pain and suffering. Despite the unfavorable ruling, Johnson & Johnson's stock is up 4.66% year to date as of June 19. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a global healthcare company. It develops and sells pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health products. It operates through two major divisions, pharmaceutical and MedTech. Some of its key pharmaceutical products include Darzalex, Stelara, and Tremfya. While we acknowledge the potential of JNJ as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Biotech Stocks Screaming a Buy and 13 Best Software Stocks to Buy Now. Disclosure: None.
Business Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Johnson & Johnson Hit With $8M Verdict in Massachusetts Mesothelioma Talc Lawsuit
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A Suffolk County jury has awarded $8 million in favor of Janice Paluzzi, a Massachusetts woman who developed mesothelioma after decades of using Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) talcum powder products. 'Johnson & Johnson knew its talc Baby Powder could kill, and they chose to keep selling it anyway, despite the availability of safer cornstarch-based powders,' said Ben Braly. 'We are grateful to the jury for holding them to account.' Share The jury found the pharmaceutical giant liable for negligence and breach of warranty, concluding that the company's asbestos-contaminated talcum powder products caused Paluzzi's terminal cancer. During the trial, the Dean Omar Branham Shirley legal team, which represented Ms. Paluzzi, presented extensive evidence showing that Johnson & Johnson had internal knowledge of asbestos in its talc supply dating back decades yet continued to market the products as safe for daily use. J&J ceased production and sale of all products containing talc in the United States in 2020. Ms. Paluzzi, a lifelong user of the company's Baby Powder on herself and her children, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021. 'Johnson & Johnson knew its talc Baby Powder could kill, and they chose to keep selling it anyway, despite the availability of safer cornstarch-based powders,' said Ben Braly, one of Ms. Paluzzi's attorneys. 'We are grateful to the jury for holding them to account.' Ms. Paluzzi, 84, raised seven children in single-bathroom homes for 20 years. Today, she has 10 grandchildren and is suffering through her illness. The legal team included Ben Braly, Anthony Bianco and Aaron Chapman of Dean Omar Branham Shirley, along with Brian Kenney of Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Mesienkothen, LLC and Amy Carter with the Carter Law Group. 'Johnson & Johnson sold their product as safe and took advantage of the trust of families like Ms. Paluzzi's,' said Dean Omar Branham Shirley partner Trey Branham. 'She used it every day on herself and her children. The jury saw that betrayal and delivered justice.' The case is Janice Paluzzi v. Johnson & Johnson, Civil Action No. 21-2109, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts. About Dean Omar Branham Shirley Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, is a nationally recognized trial firm that handles cases across the country for individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries or have died as a result of irresponsible conduct of others. For more information, please visit
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Instagram is experimenting with a Discord-like ‘community chat' feature
It seems that Instagram is working on a 'community chat' feature that allows people to organize groups of up to 250 people in the app. The so-far unreleased feature was spotted by developer Alessandro Paluzzi, who has a solid track record of uncovering new features within Meta's apps. According to screenshots shared by Paluzzi, it seems that community chats will function similarly to Discord. Individual users can form the chats around specific topics and control who can join, though there's apparently a limit of 250 people per community. Unlike Instagram's broadcast channels, which allow creators to blast out messages to their followers, anyone who is in the community chat can participate in the conversation. There are also built-in moderation features. 'Admins can remove messages and members to keep the channel safe,' the screenshot says. 'We also review Community Chat against our Community Standards.' It's not clear when, or if, the feature may launch. An Instagram spokesperson described it as an internal prototype that's not being tested outside the company. But Meta has previously released similar features in its other apps. WhatsApp began experimenting with a 'Communities' feature in 2022, and brought 'Community Chats' to Facebook and Messenger later that same year. Mark Zuckerberg said at the time it was meant to help people find 'a new way to connect with people who share your interests.'
