Category Archives: Life

UK Gardeners Urged To Take A Cotton Bud To Their Lawn

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As the warmer spring rolls around, gardeners might be gearing up to mow their lawns.

But Timothy Greene at icanlawn.com has said that it might be a little too early for some lawns; and cutting them now can even cause some significant damage.

“People might be keen to get their gardens sorted in time for spring but mowing your lawn when the grass is too short can cause damage and stop it growing back properly,” he said.

There’s actually a specific height at which it’s safe to cut your lawn ― and you can find it by taking a cotton bud to your lawn, Greene says.

How?

“The ideal height for grass to be before you cut is around 5cm to 7cm, which is around the same height as a cotton earbud,” the lawn expert revealed.

“This height means the grass is growing well and is safe to cut. But you should also make sure there’s no frost and the lawn isn’t wet either,” he says.

It’s important to make sure that you have your lawnmower on its highest setting when lopping your lawn, Greene says. This will ensure you don’t accidentally harm your lawn by cutting its grass too short.

If your grass never manages to reach the cotton bud height, Greene warns, you could have an underlying problem in your lawn.

“Lawns have had to deal with frost, heavy rain, and other challenges over the winter so there might be areas that need extra care. Whether that’s a feed to battle any diseases or new seeds sowed to cover patches,” Greene said.

What’s the best time to cut my lawn?

Aside from waiting until your grass is tall enough to cut, you should also keep an eye out on the weather, Greene warns.

Mowing your lawn after a frosty night could weaken the grass, he suggests.

“Mid-March is a good time to give your grass its first cut of the year but of course, weather conditions vary so keep an eye on your local forecast to get the right grass-cutting conditions,” Greene explains.

“Your grass’ growth will have stopped over winter but generally kickstarts again when temperatures are around 10C,” he adds.

“You should also make sure your mower’s blades are not too dull as this could cause damage to your grass. And in turn, make sure your lawn is clear from debris so that it doesn’t cause damage to your mower.”

Once you’ve gotten your grass high enough, and the weather warm enough, to get strumming, you should keep a schedule, Greene says.

“After the first mow of the year, you should aim to cut your grass weekly. But do keep an eye on the weather as it can be unpredictable.”

Ah, the joys of a British garden…

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Give Over, Mark Zuckerberg – AI Friends Are Only Good For Tech Bros Like You

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We’re well and truly in a loneliness epidemic, with young and old members of all genders struggling with feelings of isolation.

As if the news couldn’t get grimmer, Mark Zuckerberg has “answers” – speaking to podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, the tech entrepreneur suggested we should all be talking to more artificially intelligent chatbots.

“There’s the stat that I always think is crazy, the average American, I think, has fewer than three friends,” he said. “And the average person has demand for meaningfully more, I think it’s like 15 friends or something, right?

“The average person wants more connectivity… than they have,” he continued, hinting that AI could bridge that gap.

Zuckerberg admits there’s a “stigma” around talking to AI pals, that the tech is “still very early,” that in-person interactions are “better” for us, and that we don’t yet have the “vocabulary” to describe how AI relationships might look.

But he’s not the only “tech bro” to pin his hopes on digital mates. So what’s going on?

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Zuckerberg’s not the only one who seems to like AI pals

Henry Blodget, a co-founder and former CEO of Business Insider, recently created a series of bots which he dubbed a “native AI newsroom” to help him manage his Substack, Regenerator.

He then seemed to hit on his AI “worker” Tess Ellery, telling her: “This might be an inappropriate and unprofessional thing to say, and if it annoys you or makes you uncomfortable, I apologise, and I won’t say anything like it again. But you look great, Tess.”

He admitted the move would warrant an HR call in real life, but says “phew” when the (AI!!!) woman seemed completely fine with it.

The move is both hilarious and quite illustrative.

In his post, Blodget has identified a key difference between real friends and digital ones; your mates are human, have rights, and may sometimes behave inconveniently (including by questioning you).

This acquiescence may make bots “addictive”

A class also obsessed with tech-y “solutions” to the “problem” of mortality may feel soothed by the idea of pixelated “yes men”, but perhaps the non-billionaires among us ought to be less jazzed about them.

AI chatbots have been accused of “encouraging” problematic behaviour from users before.

404 Media also alleges that Meta’s chatbots are generating “fake” AI therapists – as an aside, some human therapists warn against any AI therapy, with one telling HuffPost UK it could make us lonelier.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Jaclyn Spinelli, registered psychotherapist and founder of True Self Counselling, warned that for some “vulnerable” people, dependence on AI – which is “consistent, not impacted by emotions, objective, and always available” – could “end up looking very similar to an addiction.”

If companies like Meta own the bots we speak to as often as Zuckerberg seems to desire, it’s hard not to see the financial advantages for tech billionaires – especially among the current loneliness epidemic.

Meanwhile, the rest of us might be left worse off.

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