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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In a season that began with many questions and lowered expectations , it was apt watching Bills quarterback Josh Allen join coach Sean McDermott lay on the cold, wet sideline to make snow angels in celebrating Buffalo’s earliest clinching of a division title in team history. That Allen took part was no surprise. The newly engaged 28-year-old has maintained the happy-go-lucky approach he brought with him to Buffalo as a raw-talented athlete in 2018, while gradually blossoming into one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. For McDermott, it was a pleasant surprise to see the usually reserved eight-year coach finally let his hair down — figuratively, because the few jokes he does make are usually about being bald. With his latest do-it-all three-TD outing — one rushing, one receiving and, the coup de grace, being credited with receiving his own pass for a score off a lateral from Amari Cooper — in a 35-10 win over San Francisco on Sunday night , Allen continued making his strongest NFL MVP case. What’s also becoming apparent is how much McDermott deserves consideration for coach of the year honors. Without the two, the Bills (10-2) wouldn’t be in this position in becoming just the eighth NFL team — and first since Indianapolis in 2009 — to clinch a division title with at least five games remaining in their schedule. It’s reflective of how the two have grown together in what, on the outside, could be perceived as an odd couple relationship between an offensive-minded, swashbuckling quarterback and a defensive-minded coach, too often knocked for being too conservative. Perhaps, it’s Allen’s boyish nature that has brought out the risk-taker in McDermott, who has carried over the aggressive approach he takes to defense by placing trust in his quarterback. It’s become apparent in everything the Bills have accomplished so far in having at least 10 wins through 12 games for just the fifth time in team history, and first since 1991, when Buffalo was led by eventual Hall of Famers in coach Marv Levy and quarterback Jim Kelly. Buffalo has won seven straight since consecutive losses to Baltimore and Houston. And the Bills have scored 30 or more points in six straight outings, matching the team record set in 2004. Allen is doing more with less on an offense that was supposed to be hampered following the offseason departures of receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and center Mitch Morse. The Bills are more balanced in leaning on their running attack, while Allen has also curtailed his turnover-prone ways. He's lost two fumbles and thrown just five interceptions after being picked off a career-worst 18 times last season. Meantime, McDermott has taken a different approach to fourth down situations. The Bills have converted 13 of 15 fourth down attempts after going 9 of 16 last season and 7 of 13 in 2022. The most fourth down attempts during McDermott’s tenure came in 2021, when Buffalo converted just 11 of 22. This is but an example of the bond the quarterback and coach have built in a shared objective of overcoming past playoff failures. Clinching a division title is but one step, with the Bills now focused on catching the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), whom they’ve beaten already , for the AFC’s top seed. In calling it the team’s next goal, McDermott went off script from his usual game-at-a-time message by noting the importance of celebrating a division-clinching win, if only for one day. “Being 50 years old and 20-plus years in this league, I’ve learned to try and enjoy the moments,” McDermott said. “And this is a moment, right?” It certainly was. What’s working Turnover differential. Buffalo’s defense forced three fumbles, including one at its goal line, while the offense didn’t commit a giveaway. The Bills upped their league-leading turnover differential entering Monday to plus-17. What needs help Run defense. Though the conditions were snowy and slick, the Bills allowed 119 yards rushing in the first half before the 49ers were forced to start passing the ball once the score became lopsided. Buffalo particularly struggled in stopping Christian McCaffrey, who had 53 yards on seven carries before leaving the game with a potential season-ending knee injury . Stock up LB Matt Milano was in on five tackles while playing 37 of 48 defensive snaps in his first outing in nearly 14 months after being sidelined by a broken right leg and torn left biceps. Stock down CB Kaiir Elam, the 2022 first-round pick was a healthy inactive for a second straight outing, and still having difficulty finding a regular role. Injuries None reported. Key number 9-0 — The Bills' home record going back to last season, marking their second-longest run in team history. Next steps Hit the road for two outings, starting with a trip to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

When it comes to selecting tiles, its finish can make all the difference in selecting one. Be it high gloss with an eye-catching brilliance or matte finish with understated elegance, each has a different benefit and an aesthetic vibe. Glossy tiles reflect light super well, making the room bright, while matte conveys more sophistication as it will be suitable for creating a serene place. While settling on any of these two distinct looks, one should consider the beauty each offers and the usability that each may provide. Let’s look deeper into the characteristics that define high-gloss and matte finishes and explore how the innovative iM+ technology enhances the durability, hygiene, and overall performance of these surfaces, ensuring that they meet the demands of modern tiles for room . Understanding the Fundamentals: High-Gloss and Matte Finish Tiles High-gloss tiles possess brilliant, reflective surfaces that catch the light to add a lively sparkle to any room. They work wonderfully in living rooms or hallways when one wants to impress and create the illusion of opening up some extra space. Their shine adds a layer of depth and illusion of extra space, making them a popular choice for those seeking to enhance the aesthetic appeal of their interiors. Matte finish tiles have a subtle appearance because they absorb light instead of reflecting it. This gives a more uniform colour across your floors or walls. They are great for busy places or sunny rooms because they don't show smudges or water spots easily. Matte tiles have a smooth, modern look that adds a touch of elegance, making them ideal for areas like bathrooms and kitchens where you want both style and practicality. Visual Appeal - The Aesthetics of Glossy vs. Matte Choosing between glossy and matte often comes down to your room's lighting and how much foot traffic it receives. Glossy tiles can brighten a dark room and add a sense of grandeur, while matte tiles suit a more natural, textured look, ideal for creating a serene and inviting atmosphere. Practical Considerations and Where to Use Each Finish The practicality of high-gloss tiles shines in less trafficked areas where their dramatic effect can be appreciated without the worry of slip hazards, like wall applications or in master bathrooms. Matte tiles are more suited to high-traffic areas as floor tiles for living rooms or kitchens where you'd want to avoid the slipperiness associated with glossier finishes. Maintenance and Care High-gloss tiles tend to get dirtier faster, because every smudge and dust particle is all too visible, but they do clean easily. Matte offers a very low-maintenance alternative that does not show dirt as easily. This makes it an excellent pick for busy houses. Incorporating Technology With the Patented iM+ Technology Simpolo Tiles and Bathware has patented their iM+ technology that promises to revolutionise both high-gloss and matte tiles by redefining durability, easy cleaning, and an added anti-bacterial layer that is perfect for homes. This technology ensures your tiles look great and live up to the demands of your busy life. Durability and Lifespan Durability is key in choosing the right tiles, and here, both glossy and matte finishes excel when backed by iM+ technology. They resist wear and tear, maintaining their look over the years, which makes them a smart choice for any homeowner. Aesthetic Flexibility Your tiles should match your style and the decor of your space. Glossy tiles might pair well with a modern, sleek aesthetic, while floor tiles for living rooms could be the cornerstone of a rustic or industrial design theme. Feature High-Gloss Tiles Matte Finish Tiles Aesthetic Appeal Offer a shiny, reflective surface that can make spaces appear larger and more open. They add a luxurious and vibrant look. Provide a soft, non-reflective finish that offers a more natural and understated look, blending seamlessly with any decor. Light Reflection Excellent for reflecting light, making them ideal for darker or smaller spaces that could benefit from a brighter appearance. Absorb light, which helps in reducing glare, making them suitable for rooms with plenty of natural sunlight. Suitability for High Traffic Areas Less ideal for high-traffic areas as they show smudges, water spots, and footprints more readily, requiring frequent cleaning. Better suited for high-traffic areas as they hide smudges, scratches, and dirt effectively, which minimises the appearance of wear and tear. Maintenance Requires more maintenance to keep the surface looking clean and shiny. Water spots and fingerprints are more visible, which could necessitate more regular cleaning. Easier to maintain due to their ability to hide imperfections. This makes them a practical choice for busy households. Slip Resistance Typically less slip-resistant due to their glossy surface, which can be slippery when wet. Generally offer better slip resistance, making them a safer choice in wet areas like bathrooms and kitchens. Application Often used in bathrooms, kitchens, and areas where aesthetic impact is desired. They can complement minimalist and modern interiors effectively. Highly versatile and can be used in any area of the home, including high-moisture environments like bathrooms due to their better grip. Making the Right Choice for Your Home Between a high-gloss and a matte finish tile, you have to balance aesthetics with practicality for the very purpose of making sure they fit your lifestyle and decorative preferences. Here are a few tips to guide your decision: Conclusion Selecting between high-gloss and matte tiles for rooms is not just about the immediate impact. Considering where they're going to be placed, how much care you are willing to invest, and what kind of long-term effect you're looking for, you are not choosing a tile but rather an experience of your space. With Simpolo Tiles and Bathware's patented iM+ technology, both choices promise to deliver style, innovation and health benefits, making them suitable for any home environment. From the reflected elegance of high-gloss tile or the subtle elegance of matte, let the choice of tile you make reflect your lifestyle and personality. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What is iM+ technology? iM+ technology by Simpolo Tiles and Bathware enhances the functional attributes of both glossy and matte tiles, making them more durable and hygienic. Which tile finish is easier to maintain? Matte finish tiles are generally easier to maintain as they do not show water spots or fingerprints as readily as glossy tiles. Can glossy tiles be used in a kitchen? Yes, but matte tiles might be more practical due to their better slip resistance and ease of maintenance. Are matte tiles suitable for bathrooms? Absolutely, their anti-slip properties make them ideal for wet environments. Do high-gloss tiles make a room look bigger? Yes, their reflective surface can help to visually expand a space. Which tiles are better for a family with pets? Matte tiles are preferable as they are more resistant to scratches and less slippery. How does iM+ technology affect tile lifespan? It significantly extends the durability and appearance retention of both glossy and matte tiles, ensuring long-term satisfaction. (Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)Hail Flutie: BC celebrates 40th anniversary of Miracle in Miami

The near future could see AI assistants that forecast and influence our decision-making at an early stage, and sell these developing "intentions" in real-time to companies that can meet the need—before we even realize we have made up our minds. This is according to AI ethicists from the University of Cambridge, who say we are at the dawn of a "lucrative yet troubling new marketplace for digital signals of intent," from buying movie tickets to voting for candidates. They call this the "intention economy." Researchers from Cambridge's Leverhulme Center for the Future of Intelligence (LCFI) argue that the explosion in generative AI, and our increasing familiarity with chatbots, opens a new frontier of "persuasive technologies"—one hinted at in recent corporate announcements by tech giants. "Anthropomorphic" AI agents, from chatbot assistants to digital tutors and girlfriends, will have access to vast quantities of intimate psychological and behavioral data, often gleaned via informal, conversational spoken dialogue. This AI will combine knowledge of our online habits with an uncanny ability to attune to us in ways we find comforting—mimicking personalities and anticipating desired responses—to build levels of trust and understanding that allow for social manipulation on an industrial scale, say researchers. "Tremendous resources are being expended to position AI assistants in every area of life, which should raise the question of whose interests and purposes these so-called assistants are designed to serve," said LCFI Visiting Scholar Dr. Yaqub Chaudhary. "What people say when conversing, how they say it, and the type of inferences that can be made in real-time as a result, are far more intimate than just records of online interactions" "We caution that AI tools are already being developed to elicit, infer, collect, record, understand, forecast, and ultimately manipulate and commodify human plans and purposes." Dr. Jonnie Penn, an historian of technology from Cambridge's LCFI, said, "For decades, attention has been the currency of the internet. Sharing your attention with social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram drove the online economy." "Unless regulated, the intention economy will treat your motivations as the new currency. It will be a for those who target, steer, and sell human intentions." "We should start to consider the likely impact such a marketplace would have on human aspirations, including free and fair elections, a free press, and fair market competition, before we become victims of its unintended consequences." In a paper, Penn and Chaudhary write that the intention economy will be the attention economy "plotted in time": profiling how user attention and communicative style connects to patterns of behavior and the choices we end up making. "While some intentions are fleeting, classifying and targeting the intentions that persist will be extremely profitable for advertisers," said Chaudhary. In an intention economy, Large Language Models or LLMs could be used to target, at low cost, a user's cadence, politics, vocabulary, age, gender, online history, and even preferences for flattery and ingratiation, write the researchers. This information-gathering would be linked with brokered bidding networks to maximize the likelihood of achieving a given aim, such as selling a cinema trip ("You mentioned feeling overworked, shall I book you that movie ticket we'd talked about?"). This could include steering conversations in the service of particular platforms, advertisers, businesses, and even political organizations, argue Penn and Chaudhary. While researchers say the intention economy is currently an "aspiration" for the tech industry, they track early signs of this trend through published research and the hints dropped by several major tech players. These include an open call for "data that expresses human intention... across any language, topic, and format" in a 2023 OpenAI blogpost, while the director of product at Shopify—an OpenAI partner—spoke of chatbots coming in "to explicitly get the user's intent" at a conference the same year. Nvidia's CEO has spoken publicly of using LLMs to figure out intention and desire, while Meta released "Intentonomy" research, a dataset for human intent understanding, back in 2021. In 2024, Apple's new "App Intents" developer framework for connecting apps to Siri (Apple's voice-controlled ), includes protocols to "predict actions someone might take in future" and "to suggest the app intent to someone in the future using predictions you [the developer] provide." "AI agents such as Meta's CICERO are said to achieve human level play in the game Diplomacy, which is dependent on inferring and predicting intent, and using persuasive dialogue to advance one's position," said Chaudhary. "These companies already sell our attention. To get the commercial edge, the logical next step is to use the technology they are clearly developing to forecast our intentions, and sell our desires before we have even fully comprehended what they are." Penn points out that these developments are not necessarily bad, but have the potential to be destructive. "Public awareness of what is coming is the key to ensuring we don't go down the wrong path," he said.YouTuber Paul eyes Joshua showdown

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Luke Kromenhoek threw for 209 yards and tossed three touchdown passes as Florida State halted a six-game losing streak and routed Charleston Southern 41-7 on Saturday. Kromenhoek completed 13 of 20 passes in his first college start, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas, as the Seminoles (2-9) won for the first time since Sept. 21. The true freshman also connected with Amaree Williams for a 4-yard TD and Hykeem Williams for a 10-yard TD. “It was unbelievable, it was a dream come true,” Kromenhoek said. “The more snaps I get, the more reps that I get, it slows down little by little. I just try to take advantage of every one that I get.” The Seminoles (2-9) have started three quarterbacks and nine offensive line combinations this fall, and they came into Saturday with the nation’s worst scoring offense (13.3 points). Florida State hadn’t scored more than 21 points or surpassed the 300-yard mark in 2024. But Florida State overwhelmed FCS Charleston Southern (1-11), accumulating 415 offensive yards. Coach Mike Norvell made major changes following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 9. He fired offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans. On Saturday, Norvell again called plays (as he has done throughout his five years at Florida State). Randy Shannon, the linebackers coach, was elevated to interim defensive coordinator. “It’s been a tough last couple weeks, tough season in general,” Norvell said. “But I was really proud of them for how they approached this week and the work that they poured in. From senior to freshman, there was a lot of investment to go push to be better.” After a scoreless first quarter, Florida State poured it on — scoring on six straight drives. This is the first time the Seminoles have scored 10 or more points in a quarter, tallying 17 in the second and 14 in the third. Kaleb Jackson completed 22 of 32 passes for 218 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Landon Sauers, and an interception for the Buccaneers. Next up: Randy Shannon Shannon stepped in to coordinate, guiding a first- and second-team defense that didn’t allow a point. Florida State led 31-0 after three quarters, allowing Charleston Southern to pick up just 124 offensive yards and holding the Buccaneers to 23 rushing yards. Once Miami’s head coach, Shannon has now been a defensive coordinator at all four of the state’s Power 4 schools. Shannon was the defensive coordinator at Miami (2001-06), Florida (2017), UCF (2018-20) and will now also be Florida State's interim coordinator next week against Florida. The takeaway Charleston Southern: While the Buccaneers found some success through the air, they couldn’t sustain drives and managed just 57 rushing yards on 29 carries. Florida State: The Seminoles picked up a season-best 176 rushing yards, scoring 17 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the third quarter to take control. Up next Charleston Southern’s season is over. Florida State plays host to Florida on Nov. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25The Harbour Masters 64 Discord has announced the development of "Starship," a native PC Port of Star Fox 64 subsequently demoed on Twitch and YouTube by Star Fox speedrunner Rakanai. Harbour Masters 64 is the development community behind Ship of Harkinian , a 2022 native PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. "Harbour Masters 64 is pleased to announce the development of Starship—a PC port of Star Fox 64 (aka "Lylat Wars")! Led by Sonic Dreamcaster and Samplywx," reads the announcement on the Harbour Masters 64 Discord. "Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many others over the course of several months, we have gotten the game to a state where we feel comfortable showcasing it for you." You've been able to play Star Fox 64 on your PC for many years now via emulation, but native ports represent a new threshold of quality. Emulation is a broad tool that will allow most, if not all, of a console's games to run on PC (or a powerful enough device like a Steam Deck or smartphone) to an acceptable standard. A native port, meanwhile, is a specific effort to make a game run on PC without a demanding emulation layer. Native ports require painstaking decompilation of a game's source code and a great deal of development effort, but result in a far superior experience. Some advantages include: High resolution support without stretching the UI or otherwise compromising the experience. Ultrawide support. Elimination of persistent glitches present in emulation. High framerate support without introducing speedup glitches. Lower system demands. Modding potential. All pretty desirable, exciting stuff, and the beta gameplay shown off by Rakanai is incredibly crisp⁠—N64-era art still holds up remarkably well even at super-high resolutions and fast framerates. What's more, native ports are, like emulation, perfectly legal⁠—you still have to supply your own ROM to run native ports like Starship. In the past, I've found the OpenGOAL native ports of the Jak and Daxter games to be absolutely essential compared to straight up emulation. Rakanai said on-stream that the Starship port of Star Fox 64 is planned to release sometime in December⁠—just in time for everybody's time off for the holidays. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

DETROIT (WXYZ) — The 21st annual Detroit tree lighting event brought out thousands to kick off the holiday season in Downtown at Campus Martius Park. Alex Fields, 41, leads the operations team at Campus Martius Park. RELATED VIDEO: Thousands celebrate the holidays and Detroit at tree lighting "I've been here all my life. I've worked at this park for the last 18 years," said Fields. One aspect of his job is to take care of the rink. "How happy do you feel about maintaining the rink?" asked Faraz Javed, 7 News Detroit reporter. "I mean it brings me joy, especially given it's November, and the weather doesn't always cooperate, so just getting this off the ground, having our first day as the tree lighting when we have figure skaters out here. It's always a monumental task, and it is a point of pride, that we get this going. And pull this show every year," said Fields. On Friday alone, over 110,000 people attended the annual tree-lighting event. And since over a million people visit the area during the holiday season, Fields says during peak times, he has to whip out the Zamboni every hour and a half. "How hard is it to maintain a rink like this?" asked Javed. "If you have the right equipment, you can get lucky, everything can go pretty smoothly. The biggest thing is the weather. Rain, snow, sleet all those things, factor in, so you can have long days, long nights where you are constantly adjusting and have to keep an eye on everything that's going on," said Fields. And since it's one of the biggest rinks across southeast Michigan, Downtown Detroit Partnership's Laura Dean says it soon may be titled the best in the nation. "Now we are actually in a competition to win USA Today's top 10 rinks. We have 15 days of voting left. It's a free vote; anyone can vote," said Dean. The 60-foot x 120-foot rink takes about two weeks to build and comes with several unique elements. "It is picturesque; you come here and skate, see the tree at campus Martius Park. You get to experience being downtown in the colder weather, you can shop local, you can eat local. It's really one of those things people look forward to every year, and we also have ... proposals on the rink. Last year, we saw probably 20 proposals on the rink," said Dean. To make sure everyone has the best experience, the rink has also adopted newer technology over the last 21 years. Alex says this year's rink cools from the center to the end. "So this is a brand new set of boards, and a whole new manning system, and a whole new base. So the manning is all the small tubes that are running the coolant underneath that keep the ice frozen. So this year, that is all new, and redesigned ... and so we are expecting it to be a more stable rink in warmer conditions," said Fields. The rink at Campus Martius is open daily, including the holidays, until March 2. To learn more, click here.Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year.Bill Speltz: Don't blame the Montana defense for Saturday's Brawl debacle in BozemanQB Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott deserve credit in Bills latest AFC East-clinching season

The Bank of Scotland’s business barometer poll showed 73% of Scottish businesses expect to see turnover increase in 2025, up from 60% polled in 2023. Almost a quarter (23%) of businesses expect to see their revenue rise by between six and 10% over the next 12 months, with just over a fifth (21%) expecting it to grow by even more. The poll found that 70% of businesses were confident they would become more profitable in 2025, a two per cent increase when compared with the previous year. Revenue and profitability growth was firms’ top priority at 52%, though 40% said they will be targeting improved productivity, and the same proportion said they will be aiming to enhance their technology – such as automation or AI – or upskill their staff (both 29%). More than one in five (22%) want to improve their environmental sustainability. Other areas businesses are hoping to build upon AI-assisted technology (19%), and 24% will be investing in expanding into new UK markets and 23% plan to invest in staff training. The business barometer has surveyed 1,200 businesses every month since 2002, providing early signals about UK economic trends. Martyn Kendrick, Scotland director at Bank of Scotland commercial banking, said: “Scottish businesses are looking ahead to 2025 with stronger growth expectations, and setting out clear plans to drive this expansion through investments in new technology, new markets and their own teams. “As we enter the new year, we’ll continue to by their side to help them pursue their ambitions and seize all opportunities that lie ahead.”Vanuatu's political uncertainty continues as it prepares for a snap election in January Voters in Vanuatu will go to the polls for a snap election on 14 January next year. This comes after President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved parliament two weeks ago. The government and the president, at that time, were both about to face votes of no confidence. Vanuatu has been riven by political instability, with frequent elections and changes of leadership in recent years. The snap election comes despite the people of Vanuatu supporting referendums earlier this year, aimed at establishing greater political stability in the country. The changes aim to make it more difficult for MPs to shift their allegiance. The resulting law changes were not gazetted by the government when the dissolution of parliament was announced. The Vanuatu Electoral Office said registrations close today, 3 December, with qualitied candidates to be announced on 31 December. On the same day, campaigning will be officially allowed to begin. The current government, led by Charlot Salwai, came to power after ousting Sato Kilman in a vote of no-confidence in October 2023. Kilmam himself [https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/497262/sato-kilman-elected-as-vanuatu-s-new-prime-minister won power after a snap election in September 2023, following a leadership challenge against Ishmael Kalsakau. Then in November last year Salwai successfully defeated a vote of no confidence.Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump’s most contentious picksFor years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don't understand. Doctors are included in an insurer's network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied. This week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed a wave of public feeling – exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness – from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants. In particular, the words written on ammunition found at the shooting scene – "delay," "deny" and "depose," echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry. "All of a sudden, I am fired up again," said Tim Anderson, describing how his wife, Mary, had to deal with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2022. Mr. Anderson said they couldn't get coverage for machines to help his wife breathe or talk – toward the end, she communicated by blinking when he showed her pictures. The family had to rely on donations from a local ALS group, he said. "The business model for insurance is don't pay," said Mr. Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio. "When Mary could still talk, she said to me to keep fighting this," he added. "It needs to be exposed." For Mr. Anderson and others, Mr. Thompson's death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity to vent their frustrations. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic, as police efforts to find the gunman keep the case in the news. Hans Maristela said he understands why the chatter is bubbling up. The 54-year-old caregiver in California was moved to comment on Facebook about UnitedHealthcare's reputation of denying coverage. As a Catholic, he said, he grieves Mr. Thompson's death and feels for his family, especially with the holidays around the corner. But he sees frustration with insurers even among his clients, most of them wealthy older people who've not been shielded from high out-of-pocket costs. "And then you know the CEO of this company you pay a lot of money to gets $10 million dollars a year, you won't have a lot of sympathy for the guy," Mr. Maristela said, citing Mr. Thompson's compensation package that included base pay and stock options. "Health care is a business, I understand, but the obsession with share price, with profit, has to be reevaluated." University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Anne Kyle said she's not surprised by the growth of conversation around insurers. "People are often struggling with this by themselves, and when you see someone else talk about it, that may prompt you to join the conversation," she said. Ms. Kyle studies how patients access care and said she's seen frustration with the system build for years. Costs are rising, and insurers are using more controls such as prior authorizations and doctor networks to manage them. Patients are often stuck in the middle of disputes between doctors and insurers. "Patients are already spending a lot of money on health care, and then they're still facing problems with the service," she said. Insurers often note that most of the money they bring in goes back out the door to pay claims, and that they try to corral soaring costs and the overuse of some care. In Ohio, Mr. Anderson said his initial reaction to the CEO shooting was to question whether it was connected to a coverage denial, like the ones he'd experienced with his wife. "I definitely do not condone killing people," he said. "But I read it and said, 'I wonder if somebody had a spouse whose coverage was denied.'" It's something Will Flanary, a Portland-based ophthalmologist and comedian with a large social media following, saw online a lot in the shooting's immediate aftermath and found very telling. "It's zero sympathy," he said. "And the lesson to take away from that is not, 'Let's shame people for celebrating a murder.' No, it's: 'Look at the amount of anger that people have toward this system that's taken advantage of people and do something to try to fix that.'" Mr. Flanary's content, published under the name Dr. Glaucomflecken, started out as niche eye doctor jokes and a way to cope with his own experiences with two cancer diagnoses and a sudden cardiac arrest. But it has evolved, featuring character skits that call attention to and satirize the decisions of large health insurers, including UnitedHealthcare. He said he's never seen conversations around health insurance policy take off the way they did this week – and he hopes these new voices can help bring about change. "I'm always talking about how powerful social media can be with advocacy," he said, "because it really is the only way to put a significant amount of pressure on these corporations who are doing bad things for patients." This story was reported by The Associated Press.

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