4-hour videos

Getting millions of views on YouTube. You may wonder, “Who the heck watches them?” They’re especially popular among a more nerdy audience. A four-hour critique of the Star Wars hotel has over 6 million views.

Tags: audience, hotel, popular, Star Wars, videos, watches, WHO, YouTube


PayPal using your data to boost its ad business

Well, well, well … What do we have here? Another tech giant selling your data to make a buck? Shocking, I know.

This time, it’s PayPal. Through the new PayPal Ads network, the company plans to tap into customer transactions to supercharge targeted ads. This feels pretty darn gross if you’re using it to run a business, buy things you don’t necessarily want filling up your ad feed, or know that data being sold to who-knows-who for who-knows-why.

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New app limits kids bathroom breaks

Are your kids ready for this to become the norm?

👕 Toxic threads: Millions of clothing items from cheap Chinese retailer Shein are packed with toxic chemicals linked to cancer, autism and infertility. They’re sold on Amazon under different names, too, with some containing over 400 times the safe levels. Check your clothes: Drop a bead of water on the fabric. If it stays beaded up, rolls around and leaves no residue, you have a problem. Return or trash it.

Trivia

We talk a ton about self-driving cars, but if you’ve been in an airplane, you’ve already been in a self-driving vehicle! Modern airplanes are computer-controlled for what percentage of the flight? Is it … A.) 10%, B.) 40%, C.) 50% or D.) 95%?

Find the answer here!

Allowing specific calls while on Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb keeps calls and texts from bugging you, but what if there’s a person or two you want to get through any time? Here’s how to flag important contacts and silence the rest.

Livin’ the dream: Elon Musk is doubling down on his prediction about AI replacing humans, but this time, his outlook is less gloomy. He says there’s an 80% chance we’ll have universally high incomes, no one will have to work, and there’ll be no shortage of goods and services. What are the odds it’s because he’s the one selling it?

Blessing in disguise: Back in 2013, a guy lost access to his digital crypto wallet filled with 43.6 bitcoin. The file with his 20-character password got corrupted, and it seemed like the money was lost forever. Fast-forward to now: Some very smart hired help cracked the code, and the guy’s now sitting on nearly $3 million. Bet he’s really glad he didn’t sell early.

Everything but your autograph: Ticketmaster was hacked, with cyber thieves snagging 500 million customer details. That includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, financial details and full order histories, now up for sale on a sketchy dark web forum for a cool $500,000. Get ready for a spam influx, and be extra cautious of what links you click from an email or text.

🔍 App traps: Over 90 apps with a combined 5.5 million downloads were spotted hiding malware in the Google Play Store. At the top of the list are PDF Reader & File Manager and QR Reader & File Manager, both packing the Anatsa banking Trojan that steals financial info. If you downloaded a compromised app, do a factory reset on your phone ASAP.

Is nothing sacred? YouTube is cracking down on ad blockers. If you have one enabled in your browser, YouTube might skip straight to the end of the video you’re attempting to watch, play it without audio or just refuse to load the video altogether. The only fix? Disable your ad blocker for YouTube or pay $13.99 for YouTube Premium. Ugh.