Category: News

For thousands of years, people around the world have been honing the art of agriculture. For the vast majority of human history, people planted and harvested and sorted produce largely by hand, gradually developing tools and machines over time that would make farming more efficient.

Many crops still have to be harvested and/or sorted by hand, but thanks to a rather mind-blowing machine, tomatoes aren’t one of them. A machine that harvests tomatoes saves a ton of time and labor, but as tomatoes don’t all ripen at the same time, pulling up an entire tomato plant results in a good number of green ones getting into the mix.

One solution to this problem would be to have the tomatoes transported down a conveyor belt in a factory while workers spot and remove the green ones by hand. However, an automated green tomato sorter does it right in the field as the tomatoes are being harvested, and a whole lot faster than any person ever could.

How many humans would it take to separate 32 green tomatoes from red ones in a single second? Um, a lot.

We’ll get to the technology of how it works in a minute, but first you have to see the sorter work in slow motion. The machine is so fast you can’t even really see what it’s doing until you slow it down, but when you do, the wow factor is awesome. There are occasional misses, of course, but for how fast it’s going, the accuracy is remarkable—and impressive to watch.

As James Vincent put it in The Verge, “It’s sorting tomatoes, but it looks like the fingers of God flicking damned souls straight into hell.” Check this out:

u201cAutomated tomato sorter. u201d

— Fascinating (@Fascinating)
1669510632

So many immediate questions:

What?!?

How?!?

How does it know which tomatoes are green?

How does it work so precisely and freakishly fast to flick them away?

Am I the only one with a sudden urge to play Fruit Ninja?

The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation dove into a few of those questions with Don Douglas, president of Weco, a company that builds the optical technology behind the sorter. Douglas explained that light is used to create a reflection off the tomatoes and a sensor connected to software determines which tomatoes are green using that reflection.

It’s actually tech that’s been used for decades, but it’s obviously been perfected and optimized over the years. Watch the machine at work and hear Douglas explain how it does what it does:

It’s not always better to have machines do work humans can do, and there’s certainly plenty of reason to be concerned about human labor being replaced by machines. But when that labor is back-breaking and tedious, technology can be a big help. Some inventions are also such prime examples of human innovation and ingenuity, you just have to marvel at them—even if they’re just sorting green tomatoes from red ones.

Barrymore admitted that at their age, not getting presents was a bit of a hard sell. But she continued to affirm the importance of her decision, telling them, “I think we’ll remember the place and the photos and the experience and that’s what I want to give you.”

She also clarified with ET that “they get plenty of things throughout the year, so I’m not like some weird, strict, cold mom who’s like, ‘You don’t get any gifts!’ I just feel like a better gift would be a life memory. I’d rather invest [in that than in] a doll house or something. It all evens out and it’s fine.”

See on Instagram

There’s no rigidity in the plan—over the pandemic when travel restrictions were at an all-time high, Barrymore did offer Christmas gifts. And unprecedented global events notwithstanding, she still prefers to keep things open to change.

“[I try] to remember that one holiday won’t be probably the same as one 10 years from now, that your life can dramatically change, and new people and new traditions can come into it,” she said. “I like looking at the holidays through a comedic, realistic lens of, ‘we’re gonna have a lot of different holiday stories. What one do you want to keep going and build as a tradition?’ Rather than, ‘this is my tradition and I’m stuck in it.'”

Obviously, for many people, buying trips is even less financially feasible than buying presents. But the real point that’s illuminated through this story is that focusing on experiences can be just as rewarding (and many times more rewarding) than getting stuff. The pressure to spend money during the holidays is real, but what’s more important is making memories with the people who matter most. Especially in our modern world where everything moves at a mile a minute and carving out quality time is a difficult task. Luckily, that doesn’t have to cost a penny.

See on Instagram

Even people who are extensively wealthy are choosing to invest in Christmas differently. Recently a successful CEO made headlines for sharing that she only gives her children one gift each year, and uses the rest of the money to provide gifts to other kids who might go without a gift. Odds are, those kids will remember learning how to embody kindness and generosity long after the shiny newness of whatever gift they got has faded.

It can be hard to not feel as though Christmas gifts will somehow make the day feel more Hallmark Channel-worthy. But it’s true that presence is a precious gift unto itself, and simply being there with loved ones might be all it takes to get that warm, fuzzy Christmas feeling.

Living on a planet with approximately 8 billion other people is interesting. We are unique individuals, but we are also part of a collective humanity, and the push and pull between the “me” and the “we” is something that has fascinated sociologists and philosophers for centuries.

The concept of courtesy bridges the gap between “me” and “we,” as it encourages seeing the needs and circumstances of other people and treating them with respect. In our highly individualistic society, however, that bridge must be built purposefully, with children being taught courtesy purposefully.

That’s one reason videos of young children role-playing as adults riding on a bus in early elementary classrooms are going viral.

Two videos have been circulating on social media this week showing kids in two rows of chairs set up as bus seats. A “driver” sits up front and as various passengers come aboard, the kids who are seated practice giving up their seat for those who appear to need it more than they do.

For instance, one kid role-plays boarding the bus as an old person with a cane, another as a person carrying a baby and another as someone pregnant. Not only do the kids who are already sitting practice offering up their seat, but they even practice providing physical assistance to help the person sit down.

(Note: The first video implies that it takes place in Japan, but it does not appear to be Japan. The original source of the video is unclear.)

u201cThis is a u2018courtesy lessonu2019 taught to elementary school children in Japan.u201d

— Awanish Sharan (@Awanish Sharan)
1670509655

The way they pretend to hold onto the invisible straps is adorable. You can see that they’re being trained in specific steps and walked through them to create the habit of seeing who is entering the bus and providing a seat for those who may need one.

u201cHow our creative teachers are teaching ‘Civic Values’ in rural schools.nnHere’s a beautiful clip where students enacted scene offering seats to fellow needy passengers in an invisible bus..nnGuaranteed to bring tears to your eyes.u201d

— Manuj Jindal (@Manuj Jindal)
1669947534

Research shows that human beings are hardwired for both selfishness and for cooperation, but cultural norms can push us toward more individualist or collectivist behaviors. Generally speaking, European, North American and Australian cultures tend to emphasize the rights of the individual (individualism) while Asian, African and South American cultures tend to focus on the needs of the people in general (collectivism).

Much like the Japanese concept of “atarimae” that prompts Japanese soccer fans to clean up the stadium after a match, the idea that one would give up a seat for an elderly, pregnant or infirm person is just ingrained in some cultures. But that doesn’t mean it happens naturally. Making courtesy lessons a part of early elementary school curriculum, as we see in these videos, creates those habits of seeing a need and being willing to sacrifice for a fellow person from an early age.

What if all schools taught these habits to all kids? What influence would such lessons have on society? It’s not just about manners on public transit—it’s about being aware of the needs of the people around you and looking for ways to be helpful. It’s about recognizing that equity means some people have a need for some things more than others, even something as simple as a seat on a bus.

It’s great to see lessons in courtesy being taught so directly and thoroughly to young kids. This kind of role-play makes showing others respect and consideration not just a vague concept but specific behaviors and habits that should simply be a matter of course. If all 8 million of us learned these kinds of habits growing up, imagine what a different world we might live in.

When comedian Chris Farley was found dead from an overdose on December 18, 1997, he left behind an impressive body of work for someone so young. Farley was a breakout hit on “Saturday Night Live” from 1990 to 1995 and would go on to star in the comedies “Tommy Boy,” “Black Sheep” and “Beverly Hills Ninja.”

Farley was beloved by his fellow cast members on SNL in the mid-’90s, many of whom went onto superstardom. including Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider and Mike Myers.

Even though Farley has been gone for 25 years, Sandler still hasn’t gotten over the loss, and on the latest episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, he admitted that he still gets choked up when talking about him on stage. Sandler has been playing the “Chris Farley Song,” a tribute to his late friend, during his one-man show since 2019.

He played an emotional version of the song in 2019 when he returned to SNL to host after being fired from the show 24 years earlier.

Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics to “Chris Farley Song” by Adam Sandler:

On a Saturday night my man would always deliver

Whether he was the bumblebee girl

Or living in a van down by the river

He loved the Bears and he could dance

That Chippendales with Swayze

When they replaced his coffee with Folgers

He went full-on crazy

The sexiest gap girl

Without him, there’d be no lunch lady

In lunch lady land

Oh, I’m thinking about

I’m thinking about my boy

Chris Farley

“The first few times we played that song, I would tear up and I couldn’t really sing it well because I’d get so emotional and then I felt it and was able to get it out there,” Sandler told “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz. “It’s weird, but when that song starts, I go, ‘Oh f–k, alright, don’t cry and don’t do that’ still. I’ve sang it maybe a hundred times already, but it rocks me.”

He misses him deeply because he knows him as much more than a performer.

“I think it’s because we show a video of Chris and I see his face,” he said, referring to a montage that plays behind Sandler as he sings. “And I remember his dad and I’m friends with his brothers and his mom and everybody and they still miss him a lot. So yeah, it gets me.”

It’s hard for Sandler to talk about Farley but it’s wonderful to hear how much he is still loved.

“I love hearing the crowd go nuts for Farley,” he said, adding, “Every show I do, by far the biggest applause of the night is talking about Farley and any time I mention his name, the audience goes nuts. It feels great.”

Sandler said that when he and his friend David Spade, who was also Farley’s comedic partner, went on tour together, he had a hard time hearing the song. “He’s like ‘Man, sometimes I can’t listen, I gotta walk away because I get so upset,’” Sandler said of Spade. “We loved him. We loved him so much … He was as cool as it gets.”

Farley’s life ended in tragedy, but his memory lives on through his work and friends like Sandler and Spade, who keep his memory alive. It’s a testament to the love that these friends had for Farley that his memory still brings up such strong emotions. It’s a testament to his talent that audiences are still overjoyed when they hear his name.

People are praising Ta Leia Thomas for being the perfect example of someone who would give you the shirt off their back. Thomas, known by her friends as “Ace,” was working at the Brooklyn Center Liquor Store just outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area when she saw something that’s all too familiar in America these days, a homeless person digging through a trash can.

“He put on two makeshift boxes on his feet,” Thomas told Kare11. “I was mid-transaction and I was like, ‘hold up, let me go outside and talk to him.'”

“I said, ‘What size you wear?’ and he said 10 or 10½,” Thomas recalled. “I just looked around, grabbed my shoes, unlaced them and gave them to him right at the door.” The shoes she gave the man were more than just run-of-the-mill sneakers, they were her purple retro Nike Air Jordans.

Thomas’ shoes were purple as a tribute to her favorite football team, the Minnesota Vikings.

“He said nobody would ever give me shoes like that. And I said, well, I’m not everybody. And he was like thank you so much and I see him walking away and he’s walking away with pride,” Thomas told KTUL.

Store manager Tom Agnes saw Thomas working her shift wearing only socks and wondered what was wrong. “I came back from lunch on Tuesday and Ace is helping customers and helping people out in her socks,” added Agnes. “You know the old saying give the shirt off your back? She literally gave the shoes off her feet,” Agnes said.

The store put up a post on its Facebook page praising Ace for her generosity.

u201cEveryday Hero Ta Leia ThomasnHeartwarming moment Minnesota liquor store worker gave destitute man her prized Nike Air Jordans after spotting him using CARDBOARD BOXES as makeshift shoesu201d

— Fear God not Man (@Fear God not Man)
1670702133

“This is a true example of empathy, compassion, and holiday cheer. We can all appreciate a story like this during the holiday season,” the store’s post said. “We applaud Ace for her selflessness and her willingness to help those in need!”

The post went viral, earning nearly 1,000 shares.

“Ace, that was a very kind gesture, especially during this holiday season. Some people forget the reason for this season, but, not you. May GOD Bless you and send many blessings your way,” Tasha Brown-Hughey commented on the post. “Thank you for being a remarkable human being in a world that is so often uncaring. Your kindness is a true gift,” Teri Mich Davids added.

Multiple commenters tagged the Minnesota Vikings in their posts and the team is aware of Thomas’ generosity. An official told Kare11 that it’s aware of the story and looking for ways to celebrate her generosity.

Agnes and some friends raised $450 to repay Thomas and get her some new Jordans, but before they gave it to her they learned she needed much more than a pair of shoes. Thomas takes care of her mother who sleeps in her bed at night so Ace has to make do on the floor.

“We don’t need to get Ace a pair of shoes we need to get Ace a bed. So, I gave her cash instead of the shoes to get mom a bed,” Agnes told CBS News.

Thomas’ story is incredible because even though she could use some help herself, she still gave what she could to someone less fortunate.

“Everybody in the world deserves to be loved,” she said.

There’s hardly any comedy duo on this planet more enduring than Steve Martin and Martin Short. The legendary BFFs have not only brought us quotable classics like “Three Amigos,” but have enlisted a whole new generation of fans from their hit show “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu.

All this to say—when these two appear together on an episode of “Saturday Night Live,” you know you’re in for a treat.

As the episode’s co-hosts, Martin and Short brought their A game to a slew of different sketches, but the one still on everyone’s minds is the parody sequel of “Father of the Bride.”

In the faux trailer, Martin reprises the title father himself, George Stanley Banks, whose now 52-year-old daughter Annie (played by Hedie Gardner) needs to plan yet another wedding, this time more over-the-top than ever. The event comes “three decades, seven divorces later,” apparently, which some viewers joked is now canon to the actual storyline.

“Can never rewatch ‘Father of the Bride’ without knowing it will end in divorce,” one person quipped in the YouTube comments.

The Bankses have been so financially drained by endless weddings that George’s wife Nina has had to start driving for Lyft. Cue impressionist extraordinaire Chloe Fineman doing an impeccable Diane Keaton.

Short then arrives (to uproarious applause, of course) as uber flamboyant wedding planner Franck, doing the character’s signature accent that we “think is still OK.” Among the long list of indiscernible suggestions Franck makes for Annie’s upcoming nuptials is plucking, tugging and a little … vaginal rejuvenation. Oh Franck.

Of course, Martin and Short weren’t the only cameos. Selena Gomez, their partner-in-crime-fighting from “Only Murders in the Building,” appeared as herself, offering her wedding singer services for a measly $1.8 million dollars, and actor Kieran Culkin, who played little brother Matty in the original movies, makes an appearance too. Not that anyone remembers this, as the sketch hilariously poked fun at.

Not being so little anymore, Matty tells dad, “No cake for me. I have a colonoscopy tomorrow.” However, seeing his sister in a wedding dress is still “gross to the max!”

The sketch ends with the group singing Franck’s famous “Every Party Needs a Pooper” song.

Seeing the duo grace the SNL stage in beloved roles was more than a dose of nostalgia for longtime fans. Martin and Short have a chemistry that is simply timeless, and so clearly have an old-school humility that allows them to fully go for it with each other. That’s always fun to watch, no matter what generation you hail from.

If you have done so already, do yourself a favor and watch the rest of their sketches from the episode, which can be found here.

Michael Jackson was an icon, it seems since he was born. The way he captivated audiences with his dance moves and larger-than-life stage presence stood in contrast to how shy the late star was when he wasn’t performing. In a resurfaced video of his Grammy acceptance speech, you get to see quite how shy he was and also how important family was to him.

In 1984, Jackson broke records with his seventh Grammy win and when he got up to the microphone his face flushed as he smiled nervously. It’s a smile that was contagious. Before he began his speech, he asked for his sisters to join him on the stage.

After La Toya joined him, he waited for his other two sisters, Janet and Rebbie, to join him on the stage. The whole moment is sweet as he points out his mother, who he says is too shy to come to the stage.

Jackson then tells the crowd, “I have three sisters. I’d also like to thank all my brothers who I love very dearly, including Jermaine.” His sisters giggle behind him and the camera pans to his brother sitting in the crowd. Judging by the siblings’ reactions, it must’ve been some inside joke at the time that I’m too young to be privy to.

Jackson thanked people he forgot during his last acceptance speech, including Quincy Jones’ wife Peggy for her help on the “E.T.” album. As the speech came to a close he asked his sisters if he should take his glasses off after he revealed that he told Katharine Hepburn he would. The crowd went wild as he pulled them down just for a second.

Check out the video below:

Not too long ago, it seemed like you could only be loyal to one team—team “physical books” or team “e-readers.” There was no neutral territory.

That debate might have dwindled, but it echoes on as people take a stand on physical books versus audiobooks, which have become increasingly popular—nearly half of all Americans currently pay for an audio content subscription, and the average adult in the U.S. listens to digital audio for a little over an hour and a half each day, 28% of that being spoken word. Audiobooks had a particularly big surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, as listeners found the activity more comforting and satisfying than a regular book while under quarantine.

You’d think that the general mindset would be “reading in any form has great benefits, so do whatever you want!” But alas, humans do find odd hills to die on.

Ashley Woodfolk might know a thing or two about books, being a writer herself, but it’s her perspective as a mom that really offers some fresh insight into why audiobooks and traditional books are not mortal enemies.

Woodfolk recently sent out a tweet rightfully boasting a total of 30 audiobooks listened to this year. It’s a number she never thought she would be able to hit after she became a mom.

I listened to 30 audiobooks this year. Post-baby, I NEVER thought I’d be able to get through as many books as I used to before I became a mom.

Accessibility is so important. Audiobooks have helped me regain a part of myself I worried was lost.
Let people read however they can.

— Ashley Woodfolk (@AshWrites) November 29, 2022

“Accessibility is so important,” her post concluded. “Audiobooks have helped me regain a part of myself I worried was lost. Let people read however they can.”

Woodfolk was clearly not the only one to feel this way, as her tweet was met with an overwhelming positive response from people who could relate.

“Audiobooks helped me survive as a mom. Hard nights, never ending bedtimes, depression and feeling completely overwhelmed. These helped me hold something for myself and regain some peace,” wrote one mom.

Another added, “Yes, this! After my first was born I read like 10 books a year for 6 years (after reading 2 a week for the previous, I dunno, 15?). And then with my second, I fell in love with audiobooks and everything changed.”

One person suggested that audiobooks should be more widely embraced for children too, saying, “My kids will listen to audiobooks on road trips or when doing puzzles, and it’s increased their vocabulary and fluency so much!”

Several others shared how audiobooks were a godsend when it came to long commutes. One person commented, “My only alone time is my work commute. If I couldn’t do audiobooks, I couldn’t read!”

Someone even illustrated how audiobooks actually bring us back to perhaps an even more natural way of enjoying stories, saying, “Stories started around campfires being TOLD,” and adding that “Socrates thought writing things down was a lazy person’s way to escape having to use their memory.”

Sure, there’s no feeling quite like a book in your hand. Books have that magical paper smell and turning pages can be heavenly. Even I call Barnes and Noble my happy place. But truly, an even greater feeling is actually being able to consume a great story start-to-finish or gain valuable insights that you might have otherwise been oblivious to. It’s good for the brain and it’s good for the soul. As Woodfolk put it, “Let people read however they can.” What really matters is that we are met where we are, and having access to that which fulfills and nourishes us.

“About Damn Time” singer Lizzo was a creative force to be reckoned with this year in every aspect. Professionally, Lizzo had a lengthy run on Billboard‘s Hot 100 Charts and was named this year’s top TikTik artist. In addition, as a humanitarian advocate, the singer provided platforms for several causes, including fellow feminists and LGBTQ+ activists. The Texas representer even found love. Yet, despite all these positive things for the public to focus on, criticisms of her “white-sounding” music still flooded social media.

During her interview with radio jockey Howard Stern, the Grammy-award winner addressed the online remarks also brought up in her documentary, Love, Lizzo.

When asked how the criticism made her feel, Lizzo replied, “[It is] very hurtful only because I am a Black woman. I feel like it challenges my identity and who I am. It diminishes that, which I think is really hurtful. And on the other end, I’m making funky, soulful, feel-good music that is so similar to a lot of Black music that was made for Black people in the ’70s and ’80s.”

Staring at the host, Lizzo continued, “Then, on top of that, my message is literally for everybody and anybody. And I don’t try to gatekeep my message from people. So, all three of those things from me, and I’m like, you don’t even get me at all. I feel like a lot of people truthfully don’t get me, which is why I wanted to do the documentary. I feel like y’all don’t get me. Y’all don’t know where I came from. And now, I don’t want to answer no more questions about this sh*t. I just want to show the world who I am.”

This isn’t the first time the Emmy-award winner addressed the remarks. In October, Lizzo told Vanity Fair, “I am not making music for white people. I am a Black woman. I am making music from my Black experience, for me to heal myself [from] the experience we call life.”

Marginalized entertainers often face these remarks after breaking into mainstream culture. So, although it shouldn’t be necessary, it is good to see Lizzo standing up for her art.

Lizzo’s Love, Lizzo documentary is available exclusively on HBO Max.

Watch the full clip of Lizzo’s appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show above.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s been a lost season for the Arizona Cardinals with a 4-8 record that includes four losses in the last five games. On Monday evening, Arizona hosted the New England Patriots in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football, and things became ugly in a hurry from a health standpoint. On just the third play of the game, Kyler Murray attempted to scramble down the right side and suffered what appeared to be a non-contact injury.

Peyton Manning said what everyone was thinking when ESPN came back from commercial and Murray was being carted off with a towel draped over his head still clearly in pain.

Murray was immediately replaced by veteran Colt McCoy, who made two starts earlier this season when Murray was injured. At this stage, it is too early to speculate on the severity or exact nature of Murray’s injury, but it’s always concerning when a player goes down with a non-contact injury.

In ten games this season, Murray has 2,359 passing yards, 415 rushing yards, and 17 total touchdowns. Though he has not enjoyed his best individual season, the Cardinals are fully committed to the former No. 1 overall pick after inking him to a massive contract extension over the summer. McCoy can keep the train on the tracks, but Arizona is clearly built around Murray for the long term, and all eyes will be on the diagnosis here.