Nerd Culture and Science Headlines

1+ min ago (720+ words) Welcome to Part 2 of our Modern Scrapy series. In Part 1, we built a working spider that crawls and scrapes an entire category. But if you look at our code, it's already getting messy. Our parse_listpage and parse_book functions are mixing two different jobs: What happens when a selector changes? Or when you want to test your parsing logic? You have to run the whole spider. This is slow, hard to maintain, and difficult to test. In this guide, we'll fix this by refactoring our spider to a professional, modern standard using Scrapy Items and Page Objects (via scrapy-poet). We will completely separate our crawling logic from our parsing logic. This will make our code cleaner, infinitely easier to test, and scalable. We will refactor our spider from Part 1. The spider itself will only handle crawling (following links). All the parsing logic will…...

1+ min ago (283+ words) DoorDash is launching a new AI-powered social app that's designed to help users quickly find local restaurants. The app, called Zesty, is initially available in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York. With the app, DoorDash is branching out beyond food delivery and stepping into the social and discovery space. The idea behind the app is to get rid of the need to read a bunch of different reviews, look up different menus, or browse TikTok when looking for a new place to eat. DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang wrote in an X post that the app aggregates info across DoorDash, Google Maps, TikTok, and more to "curate the best suggestions from the web." The app also learns your tastes to figure out what you do and don't like. Once you come across a recommendation you're interested in, you can…...

2+ min ago (99+ words) [ Tucker Carlson speaking with attendees at the 2018 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. (photo credit: GAGE SKIDMORE / CC-SA 2.0)]The Nuremberg trials showed how hard it is to get to the truth and how easily denial takes hold. Today, that message is as important as ever. From Nuremberg to podcasts: How denial became mainstream - opinion The Nuremberg trials showed how hard it is to get to the truth and how easily denial takes hold. Today, that message is as important as ever....

3+ min ago (776+ words) Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope report that a powerful gamma-ray burst detected in March may have been produced by the explosion of a massive star just 730 million years after the Big Bang. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may have discovered the most distant supernova in the universe. This stellar explosion, hosted by a very faint galaxy, occurred when the universe was only 730 million years old. Besides adding a new potential record to JWST's already-impressive list, this detection provides insight into the origin of a superbright gamma-ray burst observed in March. These sudden, short-lived outbursts of gamma-rays are among the most powerful explosions in the universe. Dubbed GRB 250314A, the burst of energy was discovered by the Space Variable Objects Monitor, a small X-ray telescope developed by China and France. Within a couple of days of the…...

3+ min ago (176+ words) Glen writes: "For me, it's a bittersweet moment. I spent roughly a decade at each company, right in their primes. Watching them fade from their roles as dominant publishers and powerhouse training grounds hits harder than I expected." Jim Ward, the voice of Ratchet & Clank's Captain Qwark, has died aged 66. Such a great, recognisable voice, from Captain Qwark to Doug Dimmadome Owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome, rest in peace Mr.Ward Been replaying the R&Cs lately & the Qwark moments are guaranteed smiling ones. A dark day. Rest in peace captain. R.I.P. to an iconic voice. He was great, and will be missed. Resident Evil Requiem director Akifumi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa talk about the inclusion, design and gameplay style of Leon. Best hair in the business " Seeing Leon in this new trailer unfortunately ruined my hype completely for Requiem....

3+ min ago (61+ words) Outnumbered" discusses Nick Reiner's battle with substance abuse after the murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife Michele Reiner, exploring how addiction and mental health battles can tear families apart. Outnumbered" discusses Nick Reiner's battle with substance abuse after the murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner and wife Michele Reiner, exploring how addiction and mental health battles can tear families apart....

4+ min ago (73+ words) Semiconductors have accounted for three of the nine industry groups that met the bubble criteria going back to 1991, according to Ned Davis Research Chief Thematic Strategist Pat Tschosik. Oops, something went wrong Chip Stocks Are In a Bubble. Here's More Good News. Semiconductors have accounted for three of the nine industry groups that met the bubble criteria going back to 1991, according to Ned Davis Research Chief Thematic Strategist Pat Tschosik....

5+ min ago (643+ words) Billy Crystal saw Rob Reiner and wife Michele's lifeless bodies after dashing to their home in the aftermath of their murders. Dec. 16 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET Billy Crystal saw the bodies of Rob Reiner and wife Michele in the aftermath of their brutal murder. RadarOnline.com can reveal the Hollywood veteran, 77, and wife Janice, 76, rushed to the home of the When Harry Met Sally director to say their goodbyes moments after the couple was knifed to death. The veteran actor was seen crying after leaving Reiner's $13.5million L.A. property. The pair reportedly arrived in time to see first responders tend to the bodies after they allegedly received a call from the Reiners' daughter, Romy, 28. When police then cordoned off the property, Crystal was seen appearing emotional as he walked arm-in-arm with his wife, holding his hands to his face and seemingly wiping tears from…...

6+ min ago (124+ words) In a new blog post, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan explains why Bitcoin's historic boom-and-bust cycle is ending, arguing that new institutional flows and reduced volatility make it a more mature asset than ever before. In today's "Chart of the Day," presented by Crypto.com, CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie unpacks his bullish forecast for the asset. Oops, something went wrong Bitwise's Matt Hougan: Bitcoin's Four-Year Cycle Dead In a new blog post, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan explains why Bitcoin's historic boom-and-bust cycle is ending, arguing that new institutional flows and reduced volatility make it a more mature asset than ever before. In today's "Chart of the Day," presented by Crypto.com, CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie unpacks his bullish forecast for the asset....

7+ min ago (373+ words) Indie game developer and publisher Pine Studio has given Escape Simulator 2 a brand-new free update, as players have something to do for the holidays. The first free update since it launched back in October, the update has given players a new escape room to get out of completely with festive decor and references to [] Indie game developer and publisher Pine Studio has given Escape Simulator 2 a brand-new free update, as players have something to do for the holidays. The first free update since it launched back in October, the update has given players a new escape room to get out of completely with festive decor and references to holiday films for those with an eagle eye. Can you escape Christmas? Do you really want to? You can see more in the latest trailer above, as the content is available now…...