Latest news with #frog
Buzz Feed
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
31 Quirky Fathers' Day Gifts
A Star Wars-inspired Stormtrooper electric shaver so they can get their face as smooth as a Baby Yoda's bottom. A screaming goat figurine, because sometimes they need a buddy to scream it out with. It even comes with a book full of fun facts and trivia about the ever-majestic goat. A pack of 16 slingshot chickens they can pull, stretch, and fling at the wall or ceiling when they're feeling a bit bored, angry, or fidgety. A convenient lil' condiment fork if their love of pickles and olives is only matched by how much they hate getting soggy fingers by grabbing them straight out of the jar. All they have to do is place the silicone band around the top of the jar, and voila! A carton of popcorn seasoning salt so their at-home movie night snack rivals that of their local movie theater. A pack of four Crocs-shaped car air fresheners because the actual Crocs on their actual feet make their Subaru smell quite funky. These colorful and charming fresheners come with 12 scent pads (four lavender, four fern, and four unscented) and can be clipped to their car's air vent. A pair of (surprisingly) cozy fish slippers whose anti-skid soles not only ensure that these sandals are more wear-resistant but will also make sure they don't go slippin' and slidin' like, well, a wet fish. A rebellious mini frog statue perfect for decorating their garden and flipping off the neighbors. A mini wacky waving inflatable tube guy if they need a fun (but silent) coworker at their WFH station. Or if they need a good laugh while on their porcelain throne. A funny yet useful "Grievance Journal" because as much as you love your dad's incredibly dark sense of humor when it comes to all the things in life that annoy them, maaaybe they'd be better served writing those thoughts down instead of sharing them with the class. Inside, they'll find 52 distinct writing prompts and 52 misanthropic jokes that they are sure to find a little too funny. A Mjolnir bottle opener — others will ~Marvel~ at how strong they are as they pop open a Corona with ease! And a 44-piece Mjölnir toolbox sure to make them feel like a superhero every time they use what's in it to fix a household problem. A "Grillfather" apron so they can show off their burger-making abilities to the ~mob~ of family and friends waiting to eat at their next summer shindig. A wearable shark blanket if their favorite character in Jaws is, well, Jaws. Now they can cozy up on the couch to watch it! Dun dunnn! A "Gracula" garlic crusher — just because the Count has a garlic aversion doesn't mean he can't help them mince a little for their homemade pasta sauce. And it'll only take a few seconds! A set of guitar-themed grilling utensils to help them ~rock~ at the next barbecue! These stainless-steel utensils are rust-resistant so they'll last longer than Aerosmith toured. (Yep, they're still touring.) A Puffin sweatshirt can cooler so their cold IPA (or LaCroix, we don't judge) doesn't give their fingers frostbite. Plus, it'll keep their bev as cool as they are! A lightsaber wiper blade cover — now The Force can help keep their rear window clean! A lil' golf pen set that'll help keep their hands busy during their next Zoom call. This set comes with three golf club gel pens, two tiny golf balls, and a tiny golf course. Fore! And a toilet golf set because anytime is a good time to practice their putting! This set comes with a small putter, a wraparound green, two golf balls, a hole with a flag, and a "Do Not Disturb Card" they can hang on the bathroom door. Time to get their hole in one... A Live Laugh Lose party game — if they're already a pro at corny jokes, they'll love the challenge of coming up with (and then delivering) one on the spot. A squishy Blobfish they can tote around like the cute little pet stress ball that it is. A cute baby Grogu toothpaste dispenser so brushing their teeth becomes a weird and fun treat. Even if that treat looks like alien vomit. Two pairs of hotdog socks if their favorite meal comes doused in a million condiments. These cozy socks are sure to make them feel like a ~snack~! A cute peeled banana wine stopper made of 100% food-grade silicone to keep their red from turning into an undrinkable vinegar. A Lego Fender guitar set that'll allow them to show off both their love of rock 'n' roll and their craftsmanship. It comes with a posable whammy bar, pickup switch, tuning pegs, six strings, Fender logo stickers, and a textile strap. Oh, and they can build the guitar in either red or black. A toilet-themed book of puzzles so they can test their mental agility while under stress! A darling swinging duck car mirror accessory for when they're feeling a little lonely on their drive to work. Now they can get their quack on with this cutie! A pair of funny Porta Potty shot glasses since vodka is essentially spicy toilet water anyway. If that's their go-to, it may be time for them to re-evaluate some of their choices... A dad joke button jam-packed with over 50 jokes sure to make them laugh and make you cringe. Or a book of dad jokes because they've been telling the same one about being on a "seafood" diet for far too long now. It's getting a little embarrassing...
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu's endangered species fund hits a snag; AIWC to now manage ₹50 crore corpus
After the Tamil Nadu Forest Department's plan to safeguard endangered wildlife hit a roadblock, it has been decided to reroute the funds through a different institution. Announced in 2024 with an initial corpus of ₹50 crore, the Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund was initially set to be managed by the State Forest Development Agency (SFDA). However, concerns have emerged after it was found that the SFDA, a body responsible for promoting forestry development, has been largely defunct and inactive for some time. In a government order issued in November 2024, the SFDA was designated as the managing agency for the fund, which was to be initially overseen by the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Foundation. The corpus of ₹50 crore was to be held by the Tamil Nadu Power Finance Corporation or the Tamil Nadu Transport Development Finance Corporation until further arrangements were made, according to the G.O. However, after scrutiny, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to the Departments of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, acknowledged that the agency's inability to operate effectively would hinder the fund's intended goals. Ms. Sahu said that upon realising the SFDA's dysfunctional status, there were initial plans to create a new society or trust to manage the fund. However, this process was expected to take at least six months, which would delay the fund's deployment. To address this, the Forest Department has now decided to transfer the responsibility of managing the fund to the Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) in Vandalur, an institution known for its research and initiatives in wildlife conservation, which has been recently registered as a society. The AIWC has been deemed an ideal candidate to handle the funds efficiently and effectively, according to Ms. Sahu. Key objectives of the fund include surveying, assessing, and mapping threatened species across the State, enhancing conservation efforts both inside and outside protected areas, and building partnerships for the long-term protection of vulnerable species. Soon, the AIWC is expected to invite grant proposals for research on endangered species in the State, including Salim Ali's fruit bat, Malabar Civet, White-rumped vulture, Nilgiris wart frog, White-spotted bush frog, and Anamalai flying frog.
BBC News
17-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
New frog mascot for revamped Victoria Embankment padding pool
Council bosses say a new frog-shaped litter bin will honour a previously-loved statue at Nottingham's new-look Victoria Embankment paddling popular summer attraction closed in 2021 because of ongoing maintenance problems but will re-open later this decades, a concrete frog had been the centrepiece of the pool until it was vandalised beyond repair in City Council said the new bin, which it has named Victor, will "take pride of place" at the revamped site. A spokesperson for the authority said it had conducted an oral history project with local care homes and local families who had childhood memories at the said: "The stories of the frog were very much prominent in people's minds."Children now don't remember him, but certainly the older generation, and the generation of the paddling pool users through the fifties and sixties, they very much remember him."The council said it could not bring back the concrete frog so the re-opened pool would refer to the creature in its "artwork and signage", as well as the new bin. The spokesperson continued: "We've actually been taking Victor [the bin] out and about for different photo shoots, gradually making his way to the pool."Victor's name was selected to pay homage to the name of the park in which he would reside, the Victoria a spokesperson for the Nottingham Civic Society said they had no objections about the replacement frog."I would take the view that if the kids like them, who am I to say otherwise," they told the BBC."As it wasn't Grade II listed then it ought to be alright."
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Trends Shaping Culture And Tech For The Next 25 Years
Agentic AI The first 25 years of this century have delivered enormous changes in how we live and work. Here's what to expect in the next 25. Gen AI is poised to shape business and consumer trends over the long term, helping companies meet changes in customer preferences as they outgrow the trends of the past quarter-century. Since 2000, consumers have experienced multiple waves of technological innovation–from the dawn of smartphones and social media through the rise of ecommerce and remote work to the abrupt acceleration of all these trends during the Covid-19 pandemic. Parallel to these changes, AI researchers and scientists were experimenting with models that would lead to the Gen AI tools we see today. Now, Gen AI is ready to work at a time when many consumers feel overloaded by the need to engage with screens to work, shop, and relax. At the same time, there's a rising interest in sustainable consumption, community, and emotional connections. Futurescape, a new report by frog, part of Capgemini Invent, draws on global insights to forecast how Gen AI will help businesses design more human-centered and sustainable products and experiences over the next quarter century. 'We wanted product and service designers' perspectives on pressing issues like which consumer behaviors will change next, how technology and business will affect the planet, and what areas will AI affect that we may not expect now,' said Jess Leitch, head of frog North America, part of Capgemini Invent. 'Our goal was to get a sense of which currently siloed areas may mesh in the coming years, and what challenges businesses need to be ready to face.' Even the best designed customer loyalty experiences will run into the pervasive problem of digital fatigue, where consumers are facing growing exhaustion in navigating daily experiences through screens. As agentic AI capabilities grow, expect to see innovative brands rolling out conversational commerce agents that learn customers' preferences, anticipate their needs, and build emotional connection through natural-language conversations that take screens out of the ecommerce experience. Brands with AI voice agents that help customers evaluate product choices, place orders, and schedule deliveries through normal conversations will be able to build a form of loyalty that current points-and-rewards systems can't replicate. That will be a boon to brands, whose traditional loyalty strategies don't seem to resonate with younger consumers. According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, only 45% of Gen-Z consumers aged 18 and older participate in any customer loyalty programs, compared to 61% of Baby Boomers. Prosper - Customer Loyalty Programs With 80% of consumers now willing to pay a premium for more sustainable products, businesses are increasingly interested in circularity to meet customer expectations and to preserve resources. Gen AI has the potential to reduce supply chain waste and strategically improve product lifecycles, and it's not the only technology poised to have an impact. 'Biodesign principles can improve supply chain sustainability by bringing natural processes into the production process,' Leitch said. 'Researchers, designers and manufacturers are experimenting with biological processes to create more sustainable products and packaging.' For example, Imperial College London researchers recently used genetically engineered bacteria to grow vegan leather that's free of plastic. The bacteria also dyes the material, avoiding synthetic pigments. The team says their findings have wide potential applications for textile industry sustainability. Agentic AI for shopping and customer loyalty is one example of active collaboration, and it's far from the only potential use case. The designers surveyed by frog expect Gen AI to improve its capacity for augmenting creative and strategic decision making. Although there's a longstanding tendency to favor human judgment over algorithmic results when making important decisions, a growing number of businesses embrace Gen AI to optimize specific types of decisions, and more are likely to follow. For example, healthcare organizations can use Gen AI now to quickly extract trends from large sets of patient data, which can enable better clinical decisions for patients with chronic conditions. In the nonprofit sector, an international financial institution's AI assistant helps policymakers see 'the impact of different interventions and identify those best suited to reach their objectives.' AI has made inroads in the wearable fitness device industry, merging what were once separate domains. Now, some wearables offer Gen AI-backed individualized coaching. Users can ask their device to recommend a workout for the day, for example, and get recommendations tailored to their overall fitness level, goals, and current health data. Expect to see the boundaries between physical and digital experiences blur as more industries develop hybrid experiences. For instance, healthcare organizations might add Gen AI capabilities to their patient monitoring tools that can generate suggestions for practitioners and patients. Retailers could take a similar approach, providing immersive shopping experiences that leave customers happier with their purchases and feeling more loyal to the brand. Gen AI may provide an antidote to digital fatigue by enabling organizations to replace some screen interactions with touchless engagements powered by AI and user biometrics. Tap-and-go payments via wearable devices are a step in this direction, but potential use cases also include building access, business and government services, and healthcare. In an example that combines interactive screen engagement with transparent medical evaluation, University of Tokyo researchers have developed a camera-based sensor that can use AI to accurately screen patients for high blood pressure and diabetes during telehealth appointments, without the need for the patient to use blood pressure or diabetes testing equipment. This approach can eliminate the need for an office visit and reduce the stress patients may feel about using a blood pressure cuff or giving blood samples. Over the next two and a half decades, we can expect easier, less screen-focused experiences while we shop, work, get healthcare, and engage with our surroundings. We can also expect manufacturers and brands to offer more sustainable products, developed with the help of AI, biodesign, and other innovative technologies. At the same time, humans and AI systems will become more closely connected as these models evolve to understand what we need and deliver it more seamlessly.
