Mike’s Blog Round-up

WhatsApp, the popular global messaging platform owned by Meta, has rolled out new features including a different way to log in and an artificial intelligence assistant in the app. iPhone users can now use passkeys to login—which means they can access the app using Face ID, Touch ID, or their iPhone passcode—instead of receiving an SMS to log in. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Whatsapp said on X, formerly Twitter, on April 24 that this feature was “a more secure way to login.” It also avoids any potential challenges in receiving an SMS to log in, with the company adding: “traveling?

HANOI, Vietnam — The head of Vietnam’s parliament has resigned, according to state media, making him the latest senior member of government to leave office amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign that’s shaken the country’s political and business elites. The resignation of National Assembly Chair Vuong Dinh Hue adds to growing instability in the country.

Tuesday, April 23, was the last day of my class for the semester at Barnard College, Columbia University’s sister college, and I woke up to several emails from my students that morning. “I don’t want to come to campus,” they said. “I don’t feel safe.” I didn’t blame them. Police in riot gear lined up along Broadway.

Adolf Hitler never won a majority in a free and open national election. He never received more than 37% of the vote in a free and open national election, but he argued that 37% represented 75% of 51%, and demanded political power. It was the political calculus by which the Nazi leader disabled, then dismantled, the Weimar Republic.

I spent three years among dogs with bloodlines like British royalty. In our world, they would be earls and duchesses. Their names are in stud books that go back countless generations. They are the product of centuries of careful breeding to make them the most perfect versions of themselves. Eh. I like mutts better. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It’s not that I didn’t like the dogs I met at dog shows around the U.

For months, Fujikawaguchiko, a Japanese resort town, has been swarmed with tourists eager to soak in the views of Mount Fuji, the country’s tallest mountain. The visitors have also taken a particular interest in one specific parking lot, which offers a picturesque view of the famed volcano in the background of a convenience store. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] As the spot surged in popularity after earning a reputation on social media for being “very Japanese,” a local official told AFP, throngs of tourists have wreaked havoc, sometimes parking their cars without permission, leaving litter behind, and even climbing onto the roof of a nearby dental clinic in hopes of a better vantage point for the perfect shot.