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Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
JD 'Just Drop It' Vance fumbled a college football trophy, and the internet has memes
JD 'Just Drop It' Vance fumbled a college football trophy, and the internet has memes Running back TreVeyon Henderson holding and US Vice President JD Vance dropping the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy white house washington DC Everything JD Vance touches falls apart - YouTube The vice president is being widely mocked online (again) after fumbling the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy At a ceremony honoring the winners, the Ohio State Buckeyes, JD Vance could be seen picking up the award only for it to collapse in his hands. Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson attempted to help lift the trophy, but was unable stop Vance from dropping the base, sparking gasps from the crowd. Advertisement Henderson and another player held onto the metal section of the trophy, narrowly preventing it from also falling, as Vance bent over to pick up the base and reattach it. Finally, he was able to get his photo op. The trophy, designed by Pentagram and made by UAP Polich Tallix, features an actual-size football design made from 24k gold, bronze, and stainless steel, according to the College Football Playoff website. The metal trophy is 26.5 inches tall, and the bronze base with a black patina finish is 12 inches high, towering over three feet and weighing over 50 pounds. The two sections can be detached, as the website explains, "the trophy and base are two integral but separate pieces, so the trophy may be lifted up independently when it is awarded each year following the national championship game." As if dropping the trophy wasn't already enough, Vance, a graduate of Ohio State, joked afterwards in a post on X: "I didn't want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it." Advertisement Social media users quickly piled on Vance's tweet, as well as other clips of his blunder that have been making their rounds online. Here are some of our favorite reactions — and of course, memes.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flora is building an AI-powered ‘infinite canvas' for creative professionals
With just a few words, AI models can be prompted to create a story, an image, or even a short film. But according to Weber Wong, these models are all 'made by non-creatives for other non-creatives to feel creative.' In other words, they're not built for actual creative professionals. That's something Wong is hoping to change with Flora, a new startup where he's founder and CEO. Flora launched this week, complete with a manifesto declaring that 'AI creative tools should be more than toys for generating AI slop' and describing Wong and his team as 'obsessed with building a power tool that will profoundly shape the future of creative work.' The manifesto positions Flora as something different from existing AI tools, which 'make it easy to create, but lack creative control,' and from existing creative software, which gives users "control, but are unintuitive & time-consuming.' Flora isn't trying to build better generative AI models. Wong argued that one of the startup's key insights is that 'models are not creative tools.' So instead, Flora offers an 'infinite canvas' that integrates with existing models — it's a visual interface where users can generate blocks of text, images, and video. 'The model does not matter, the technology does not matter,' Wong told me 'It's about the interface.' For example, a user could start by prompting Flora to create an image of a flower, then ask for details about the image, with those details leading to more prompts and varied images, with each step and variation mapped out on the aforementioned canvas, which can also be shared for collaborative work with clients. Wong told me he wants Flora to be useful to any and all artists and creatives, but the company is initially focused on working with visual design agencies. In fact, it's iterating on the product with feedback from designers at famed agency Pentagram. The goal, Wong said, is to allow a designer at Pentagram to 'just do 100X more creative work,' say by creating a logo design and then quickly generating 100 variations. He compared it to the evolution of musical composition — where Mozart 'needed an entire orchestra to play his music,' a musician can get it all done 'from his garage in New Jersey with Ableton, making it himself and posting it on SoundCloud.' Wong has a background in both art and technology himself, having worked as an investor at Menlo Ventures but leaving when he realized, 'I was not the person I'd back.' Determined to become the kind of founder worth investing in, he eventually joined New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program, a graduate program focused on using technology to create art. When Flora launched an alpha version in August, Wong decided to 'launch with an art project that showcased our real-time AI technology,' with the Flora homepage showing a live feed from a GoPro camera on Wong's head, and website visitors getting the opportunity to use AI to stylize the footage after signing up for the Flora waitlist. Given his background, Wong knows there are artists and professionals who are skeptical or even vehemently opposed to the use of AI in art — in fact, Pentagram generated some controversy last year when it used Midjourney to create the illustration style for a project with the US government. Wong said that where existing models have been embraced by 'AI natives,' he's hoping Flora can win over the 'AI curious,' and eventually even become useful enough that even 'AI haters' feel they have to give it a try. When I raised concerns that AI models can be trained without regard for copyright and intellectual property, Wong noted that Flora isn't training any AI models itself (because it's using other companies' models), adding, 'We will follow societal standards.' And while he's passionate about not wanting Flora to be used to unleash a flood of AI slop ('We're going to get hats that say 'anti-AI slop''), he suggested that instead, the startup will allow artists to unlock 'new aesthetic and creative possibilities,' in the same way Kodak's Brownie camera transformed photography by making it more casual and accessible. Flora isn't disclosing funding details, but its backers include A16Z Games. The product is available for free with a limited number of projects and generated content, and then professional pricing starts at $16 per month. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Hartford Unveils Refreshed Brand With Modernized Stag Logo
As part of the brand launch, company expands philanthropy programs, renames holding company and business segments HARTFORD, Conn., February 06, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Hartford launched its new brand, featuring a bold, contemporary look for its iconic stag logo that honors the company's rich history while demonstrating its modern, visionary spirit. "As we embrace an ambitious growth-and-innovation strategy centered on our customers and their changing needs, our brand must evolve with the business," said The Hartford's Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift. "The new brand celebrates The Hartford's strength, built on centuries of trust from the businesses, workers, and people we support every day. The modern design points to our bold future, inspired by innovation and a relentless focus on our customers." The company's stag logo remains the centerpiece of the brand, symbolizing strength, confidence and resilience. The new design reflects the grandeur of "The Monarch of the Glen," a painting completed in 1851 by Sir Edwin Landseer, which has been an inspiration for The Hartford's logo since 1875. This modern representation showcases the stag looking over his herd and gazing confidently into the future. "Our modernized brand is a representation of who we are as an insurance leader and how we demonstrate to customers, through our actions, that we prioritize their needs and uphold our commitments," said The Hartford's Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Claire Burns. "This is a valuable opportunity to create lasting impressions and deepen relationships with customers, employees and the world at large." The company updated its color palette and typography to create a vibrant new identity that leaves a memorable impact. The new core colors are – black for stability, claret for the company's heritage, and fuchsia for modernity. Additionally, white and warm-gray will enhance the design of company materials, providing clarity and balance. Starting today, the company's brand will be visible to the public on TV, digital platforms and The Hartford's refreshed website. Following the initial launch, the company will roll out advertising for specific business lines and continue to update its branding across platforms and materials over the next few years. The Hartford worked with agency partners Pentagram and Solve to develop the refreshed brand identity and new campaign. Philanthropy Focus On Small Businesses, Mental Health As part of the refreshed brand, the company is increasing its annual philanthropy spending by more than 30%, to help support small businesses, revitalize main streets in historic downtown neighborhoods, and address mental health stigma in the workplace. This includes an expansion of the company's Small Business Accelerator pilot with Main Street America (MSA), which creates commercial space and repurposes blighted storefronts helping small businesses with access to affordable commercial real estate and restoring vibrancy to communities. Over the next three years, in partnership with MSA, The Hartford will develop multi-use commercial space in 15 communities across the country benefiting 1,500 small businesses. In addition, the company is expanding its partnership with Active Minds, providing mental health resources and support for the next generation of workers. This includes sponsorship of the Send Silence Packing® exhibit featuring 100 backpacks with 100 personal stories covering themes of loss, survival and resilience. With The Hartford's support, Active Minds will bring the educational event to 60-80 colleges and communities this year, reaching more than half a million youth and young adults in the U.S. Name Changes For Holding Company And Business Segments In conjunction with the brand launch, The Hartford updated its holding company name to The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., effective today. The company's ticker symbol (NYSE: HIG) will not change and its common stock will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange as The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., on Feb. 18, 2025. Additionally, some of the business segments will be renamed. Commercial Lines will become Business Insurance; Personal Lines will be Personal Insurance; and Group Benefits will be Employee Benefits. There is no change to Hartford Funds' name. About The Hartford The Hartford is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. With more than 200 years of expertise, The Hartford is widely recognized for its service excellence, sustainability practices, trust and integrity. More information on the company and its financial performance is available at The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., (NYSE: HIG) operates through its subsidiaries under the brand name, The Hartford, and is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. For additional details, please read The Hartford's legal notice. HIG-C Some of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially. Investors should consider the important risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. These important risks and uncertainties include those discussed in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q, and the other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation to update this release, which speaks as of the date issued. From time to time, The Hartford may use its website and/or social media channels to disseminate material company information. Financial and other important information regarding The Hartford is routinely accessible through and posted on our website at In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about The Hartford when you enroll your email address by visiting the "Email Alerts" section at View source version on Contacts Media: Matthew Investor: Susan Spivak Sign in to access your portfolio
