Things To Do In SW Florida

The Epcot International Festival of the Arts is back, with a wide swath of disciplines gathering. It remains a very visual event, but it’s also designed to entertain ears and taste buds.

Returning to the theme park are sets of Broadway singers, the walk-in works of art, behind-the-scenes exhibits and creative cuisine served up at two dozen outlets. (One or two have Skittles products, which, we must admit, are colorful choices.)

This fest, which debuted at Walt Disney World in 2017, is included with regular Epcot admission. It runs from Jan. 16 through Feb. 23.

CommuniCore encore

For the second year, “Once Upon a Stage: The Magic of Disney on Broadway” exhibit is set up inside CommuniCore Hall. Props and costumes from “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast” are featured.

“The focus really is for that walkthrough experience to be more of that behind-the-scenes aspects of our Broadway productions, and kind of getting that real peek behind the curtain, so to speak,” said Christopher Revetria, a producer with Disney Live Entertainment. read more

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as U.S. layoffs remain low despite growing concern about a weakening job market.

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U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 10 fell by 9,000 to 198,000, down from 207,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The figure was significantly less than the 215,000 that analysts polled by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

Applications for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. read more

Q: Can my neighbor point cameras into my courtyard that capture all my comings and goings? —Rachel

A: Privacy concerns can arise no matter where someone lives. Sometimes it is a nosy neighbor; other times it involves a business with security cameras or drones flying overhead.

While laws vary depending on where you live, the general principles of privacy and surveillance remain consistent.

Your privacy is always a priority, especially when it comes to where you live. While technology can enhance security, it can also create uncomfortable situations when it feels invasive.

If your neighbor’s cameras appear to be pointed toward your courtyard, it’s important to assess the situation carefully.

First, determine whether the cameras are capturing areas where you have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as your courtyard or windows.

Public areas, like sidewalks or streets, are generally fair game for surveillance, but private spaces are a different matter.

Generally, if a member of the public passing by your house cannot see what you are doing, it is considered a private area. read more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH

BANGKOK (AP) — Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok won’t be able to edit photos to portray real people in revealing clothing in places where that is illegal, according to a statement posted on X.

The announcement late Wednesday followed a global backlash over sexualized images of women and children, including bans and warnings by some governments.

The pushback included an investigation announced Wednesday by the state of California, the U.S.’s most populous, into the proliferation of nonconsensual sexually explicit material produced using Grok that it said was harassing women and girls.

Initially, media queries about the problem drew only the response, “legacy media lies.”

Musk’s company, xAI, now says it will geoblock content if it violates laws in a particular place.

“We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, underwear and other revealing attire,” it said. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

The Trump administration placed new security requirements on Nividia’s semiconductor sales to China, but essentially greenlighted the export of its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips to Chinese buyers.

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Nvidia must ensure that there is an adequate supply in the U.S., and the H200 chips must undergo a third-party review before being exported to China, according to new rules set by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. But the new rules lower the bar for exports.

China won’t be allowed to use the chips for military purposes and is not allowed to import more than 50% of the chips sold to U.S. customers. read more