🔊 AI freebie: Meta’s open-source AI software creates audio from a text prompt. Think typing in “applause” and getting a custom, pro-quality audio clip. It’s called AudioCraft.
Mark Zuckerberg and other billionaires are building massive hidden bunkers
Mark Zuckerberg is building a $100M hidden compound on his Hawaiian island ranch — and he doesn’t want you to know about it.
I’m so fascinated by this. It’s not just the Meta CEO, either — billionaires worldwide are adding fortresses to their properties. Why? Good question.
🏝️ Island getaway (from the rest of humanity)
Zuckerberg bought the 1,400-acre Koolau Ranch on Kauai Island in 2014, but only in the last few years did he start a major construction project on the property. Of course, workers had to sign documents promising to keep the details quiet.
Good thing for us who want to be nosey: All the work requires permits. Planning documents show Zuck is building a sprawling estate with a dozen buildings (no surprise) with a 5,000-square-foot subterranean bunker hidden underneath.
Is Zuck preparing for the apocalypse, or at least some sort of societal collapse? Maybe. The plans do include what appears to be a blast-resistant door. Dang, I forgot to include one of those at my new house. Makes you wonder what he knows that we don’t
Billionaires club
If he is getting ready for the end of days, he’s not the first multi-billionaire to hedge his bets on the fate of humanity. Heck, he wouldn’t even be the only one to do so on Kauai. Another billionaire, Frank VanderSloot (his real name), recently bought a 2,000-acre ranch just south of Zuck’s compound for a cool $51M.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that he and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel have an “arrangement” set up in case the world is ending. If things hit the fan, the pair would fly to one of Thiel’s properties in New Zealand to hide out.
Wonder where exactly they’re going to stay. In 2022, a local community council on New Zealand’s South Island blocked Thiel’s plans to build a bunker compound. They said it would disturb the local environment. Look at that, the little guy still wins sometimes.
BYOP (Buy your own passport)
More and more uber-wealthy people have been buying islands — or at least big chunks of them — in recent years. Richard Branson and Johnny Depp top listicles about privately owned islands, along with wealthy fams like the Du Ponts and the Disneys. (OK, I want to stay on the Disney private island. Know anyone?)
Is social media really starting to charge fees for privacy? Check the facts
Rumors have been swirling for years that Facebook will start charging. Before, it was fiction. Now? Well, it’s looking more like fact.
You can thank the latest European Union (EU) privacy regulations — and I mean that. These new regulations do a lot to protect the sensitive data of consumers like you and me.
Zuckerberg's most bizarre congressional appearance
Meta’s CEO apologizes to families hurt by social media. Here’s what it means for tech.
Take that to the bank: Mark Zuckerberg is about to cash in big time — $700 million yearly in dividends. The payday follows Meta slashing 21,000 jobs and seeing its stock prices nearly triple. Yeesh.
Is Meta's new AI art tool worth checking out?
My artistic skills don’t paint a pretty picture. That’s why I am utterly astounded by AI-generated images. Today’s AI art looks more and more like the real thing, and Meta just unleashed its CM3leon AI art tool.
Listen, we all know Mark Zuckerberg and his Meta corporation have questionable judgment and sell our data to anyone he can, but they might just be onto something here. Let’s break down the hype. By the end, I promise you’ll understand a lot more about AI art.
Can Meta make a better Twitter?
Stumped as to why you can’t endlessly browse Twitter? Sorry, but you have to pay up. Twitter now limits how many tweets you can see. Pay for Twitter Blue ($84 a year) and you can read 6,000 daily. Otherwise, free accounts are limited to 600 tweets, and newbies can read just 300.
Gemini versus ChatGPT, 23andMe hack & PowerPoint holiday wishlists
Plus, Colin from The Markup found Meta’s Pixel tracking students on sites they have to use for school. Yep, kids’ private info sent to Facebook. Also, the top celebs used for fake news — I got the list. Tips to find spy cams and get snow alerts to your phone.
Dangers of AI s*x bots, BlueWalker 3 satellite & self-hanging TVs
Plus, what happens to all our online accounts when you die? I know: it’s a grim topic, but here are the three steps you need to take. Caller Robert from Texas needs a quick way to digitize handwritten notes. Also, Meta’s new AI for ads, and I’ll reveal the best day to book flights.
Meta's new Vision Quest 3 Ray-Ban VR headset
Are Meta’s new virtual reality glasses, disguised as Ray-Bans, worth the hype? Here’s the scoop, in 60 seconds.
How Meta and Google train their AI
Did you know your online chats might be teaching AI? Here’s the scoop, in one minute.
Meta's reputation
You can find some gross stuff on FB Marketplace. Is Meta doing anything about it? I give you the scoop, in 60 seconds.
The Twitter killer stumbles
Meta’s Threads isn’t doing too hot. Here are all the details, in one minute.
Use Apple, Google, Facebook or Twitter? Here's how to find out what they know about YOU
It’s no surprise anymore that social media companies like Meta gather a lot of information about you. Tap or click here for 10 Facebook privacy and security settings you need to change right now.
When you create an account with Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’re asked if you’d like to sync your contacts. It seems harmless, but it’s not. Here’s why you need to stop doing this.
In Facebook jail? Do not pass go
Have you ever been thrown into Facebook jail? Look at Twitter or Reddit and it seems like just about anything (or nothing at all) can get you banned.
Enter the Oversight Board. This is Meta’s oversight board that checks Facebook and Instagram’s content moderation decisions. Last year it received almost 1.3 million appeals. That’s an appeal every 24 seconds!
10 tech company customer service phone numbers plus a secret way to know wait times
If the long wait times and hard-to-find numbers don’t make it clear enough, I’ll say it: Tech companies don’t want to talk to you.
Here’s a secret I bet you didn’t know. You can have Amazon call you if you have a problem with an order or anything else. Tap or click here for the secret spot on Amazon’s website.
Mark Zuckerberg announces a new VR headset but nobody cares
The Metaverse is dead. Are Meta’s line of VR headsets dead too? I have the scoop in this 60-second podcast.
Can Apple's pricey headset make us accept VR in our everyday lives?
According to ’80s and ’90s movies, we should all be using virtual reality (VR) daily by now. But the tech has yet to catch on. People don’t want to be immersed in an all-digital world (We’re looking at you, Facebook metaverse).
Social media secret profiles: Does Facebook have your info?
Even if you haven’t created an account on a social media site, they might have a hidden profile with more details than you’d believe. Sneaky, right?
That’s why you should say no thanks when an app offers to take in your contacts to find all your friends. It’s not your info to give away.
Check this hidden list to see who has rejected your Facebook friend request
Platforms such as Facebook are great for connecting with long-lost friends. But be careful with friend requests from people you’re not sure of. Tap or click here for three signs an Instagram, Facebook or Twitter account is fake.