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Online advertising is huge, and Google is losing its chokehold to AI. Next year, Google could control less than 50% of the search ad market in the U.S. That hasn’t happened in over a decade (paywall link). Times are a-changin’.
Tags: advertisements (ads), advertising, AI (artificial intelligence), Google, online advertising
Don’t buy one: After about two years of use, Apple’s M1 iMacs reportedly get dark horizontal lines across the screens. The issue appears to be hardware-related, and unless you have AppleCare+ coverage, repairs run up to $700. FYI, the M3 iMac (2023) is rumored to have this problem, too.
🏐 Youth clubs and school sports teams are using AI: Tools like Balltime take game footage to track players’ movements and record stats like serve speed, jump height and error rates. With scholarships and sponsorships on the line, parents are shelling out big for these services. If you have kids playing sports, look into this.
I couldn’t imagine: An 18-year-old driving a 2022 Honda Pilot got stuck on autopilot going 113 mph with his mom following him in another car. He tried everything to slow or stop the car, including putting it in neutral, braking and even pulling the emergency brake. Nothing worked. The solution? A responding police officer had the teen hit the back of his patrol car so the vehicle would stop. Fortunately, nobody was hurt.
Dental scams are spreading on social media: Dentists usually charge $1,000 to $2,000 per tooth for veneers, but unlicensed practitioners calling themselves “veneer techs” offer a full set of fancy chompers for around $5,000. Surprise, their work can lead to nerve damage and tooth loss. Always check a dentist’s license before you open wide and say, “Ahhhh.”
🇨🇳 Communist China-based hackers are the suspects: Yup, they’re the ones suspected of breaking into three major telecom companies and causing major outages — AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies. Details are scarce, but the hackers probably gained access to the systems used for court-approved wiretapping and eavesdropping. Truly frightening.
Total game changer: Google’s NotebookLM AI is going viral. Audio Overviews turns written content into a conversational podcast style between two bots. Really, it sounds like humans. There’s a natural cadence with filler words like “uh” and “oh.” Try it: Sign in to your Google Account, go to the NotebookLM website, upload a doc or link, and hit Generate. Prepare to be shocked — I was.
🍗 Costco’s rotisserie chicken is making people sick: The new plastic bag might be breeding bacteria. It’s more likely the chicken is being left at room temperature for too long. Pro tip: As soon as you get home, pop the chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate it.
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Update your PC now: The Windows 11 2024 update (24H2) brings improvements to the Start Menu, File Explorer and Power Settings. Several features and apps are going away, including WordPad, Paint 3D, Tips and Cortana. To update, head to Settings > Windows Update.
🚨 Comcast and Truist Bank data breach: Both used Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS) to collect unpaid debts on their behalf. Around 7.4 million FBCS customers had their full name, SSN, DOB, driver’s license number or ID card, and other personal data breached. You know the drill — freeze your credit and watch out for phishing scams, texts and phone calls.
👻 Life’s a stitch, then you dye: An Ohio woman is going viral on TikTok after finding a rug buried in her lawn. Soon after her discovery, strange things started happening to her, like her laptop screen shattering and her belongings getting moved randomly. She thinks the spooky events might be caused by her next-door neighbor, who died the day she bought the house. The internet, of course, is convinced there’s a body inside the rug. Nope — the cops came out with two cadaver dogs, and it was just a rug.
