The Hollywood celebrity scam

Forever young: Tech CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Peter Thiel are sinking cash into life extension. The $25 billion industry is all about trying to reverse aging by reprogramming cells and manipulating genes. They’ve got a long way to go; life-extending pills aren’t expected to be here until at least 2060. Until then, diet and exercise!

After a Royal Caribbean cruise. A passenger forgot to put their phone in Airplane mode and got slapped with roaming charges. If you ever take a cruise or travel overseas, remember to switch on that setting!

⏰ What do “a.m.” and “p.m.” mean? This is unbelievable. A post on X went viral asking that question. In case you don’t know, “a.m.” stands for “ante meridiem” (Latin for “before midday”), and “p.m.” is “post meridiem” (“after midday”). I’m shocked by how many folks are surprised 12 p.m. is noon and 12 a.m. is midnight. How does this happen?

Step change: Mark Zuckerberg is replacing fact-checking with “community notes” on Meta, just like on X (they didn’t even change the name) to “restore free expression.” He’s been cozying up to the incoming Trump admin, but he’s not alone; Amazon, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and others gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Zuck’s trying hard to clean up Meta’s reputation of censorship, especially after the 2016 election.

The amount of starch in rice water. An old beauty hack is trending on social media for promoting hair growth and improving shine. Rice water is loaded with vitamins and minerals that help your hair, especially zinc. Don’t expect instant results; hair grows in three- to four-month cycles, so be patient.

🤳 AI do not consent: You might see a new you on Instagram. They’re showing people AI images of themselves in their own feeds. Meta’s taking your selfies and sticking them into random scenarios like mirror mazes and astronaut suits, all to advertise their Meta AI.

Quick thinking saves the day: Tech CEO Jesse Lyu had a scary moment when his Tesla’s Full Self-driving system steered him onto light rail tracks, straight into the path of a train. He turned off the autopilot, ran a red light and escaped safely. He shared the dashcam footage on X. Frightening.

🦈 Sink or swim: “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt are trying to buy Communist China-owned TikTok before the possible ban on Jan. 19. O’Leary says the big goal is protecting 170 million American users from Chinese surveillance. They’ll need at least $100 billion to get this done.