As pedestrians waited to cross Denny Way and Fairview Avenue in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood Wednesday morning, an unfamiliar voice emanated out of the crosswalk push buttons at each corner of the intersection. “Hi, I’m Jeff Bezos,” said what appeared to be an AI-generated voice. “This crosswalk is sponsored by Amazon Prime with an important message. You know, please don’t tax the rich, otherwise all the other billionaires will move to Florida too. Wouldn’t it be terrible if all the rich people left Seattle or got Luigi-ed and then...

Q: I recently read that taking psyllium within two hours of medications or herbs can interact and make them ineffective. It seems important for doctors who recommend psyllium to mention this. A: The soluble fiber in psyllium husks can be useful for several purposes. Most people think of this product as a laxative, perhaps because it is the main ingredient in Metamucil. The powder comes from the seeds of the Plantago ovata plant and absorbs water from the intestinal tract. That’s why psyllium can also counteract diarrhea, leading to a...

Photographer’s description: “I saw these two hooded mergansers chasing each other in a pond after one had captured a large tadpole. I was able to capture some pictures of the action with my Nikon Z9 and 600mm lens at ISO 2200, f/6.3, and shutter speed at 1/1600. It was fun, fast action to observe.” Critique: “It’s always a wild scene when wildlife catches their next meal. A fast shutter speed is crucial when it comes to not missing a moment with fast-moving subjects. The faster the shutter speed, the shorter...

Monday’s magnitude 5.2 temblor marked another success for California’s earthquake early warning system, with users in some areas saying they received alerts on their phones before they felt shaking. The alerts in some cases provided pivotal seconds of lead time — a heads-up that could be critical in the event of a major earthquake. “That was awesome! GREAT EARLY WARNING!!!” a resident told the USGS’ ShakeAlert social media account on X. “I got the alert on my phone near downtown San Diego several seconds before the primary [shaking] wave hit....