Tomfoolery

June 5, 2024

Tomfoolery: Don’t waste your time falling for “Olympics Has Fallen,” a fake documentary narrated by a phony Tom Cruise. It’s actually Russian disinformation about the Paris Olympics, loaded with AI tricks and a Netflix soundalike intro. Creative, but there are tells throughout, with “Tom” using non-American lingo like “hockey match” instead of “hockey game.”

Tags: AI (artificial intelligence), car, Cruise, documentary, internet, Netflix, online, tricks

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Don’t click the ads – Might be malware

When I have a question now, whether it’s finding a recipe or doing math, I’m using AI a lot more than doing a good ol’ Google Search. My go-to is ChatGPT, but Perplexity is useful, too. I often ask both AI bots the same question as a way to double-check things. Google Gemini is a big “meh” to me so far.

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Guy in Target caught looking up woman's dress

This peeping Tom was caught not just looking up her dress, but filming it, too. Three cheers for the other lady who spotted this creep.

361 million

Stolen email addresses found in the Have I Been Pwned database. Type in yours to find out if you were part of any recent data breaches. If so, it’s time for a password change — and stay on high alert for scams.

Reset your Roku password before it's too late

Roku was hacked over the weekend. To keep yourself protected, I suggest changing your password ASAP!

290 million years

After the Big Bang. That’s when a galaxy just spotted by NASA’s Webb telescope was formed. It’s way, way older than the Milky Way, where we call home. Pics and more details here, space nerds.

$11.99 per month

Spotify’s new price after another $1 increase. The Premium Family plan went from $16.99 to $19.99. If you have a student in the fam, you can score a $5.99 monthly rate that includes Hulu with ads. You’re welcome.

$257 to $213

The average projected concert ticket price this summer compared to the summer of 2023. More major acts are canceling their tours as the post-pandemic live music boom cools down. Still, ticket-seller Live Nation hit $3.8 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2024. Bet they say a prayer for Taylor Swift every day.

39% of car buyers

In the U.S. want a traditional gas vehicle. Hybrids came in second, with 34%, and only 21% of shoppers want an EV, according to a new poll. On the West Coast, demand for hybrids jumps to 43%. Talk to me when there are more charging spots.

7% of adults

Say “please” when asking for something. And half the time we use it, science says we want to guilt the other person into doing something. Kids say please about 10% of the time. Reminds me of the time Ian’s middle school art teacher told me, “Ian says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ too much.” Yeah, I schooled her on that. I worked hard to be sure he was a gentleman, and he is to this day.

Security tip: Send unknown calls to voicemail

Do me a favor and send unknown callers to voicemail. If it’s someone who really needs you, they’ll leave a message or call back.