🧀 Gouda grief, not again: Google had to edit one of its Super Bowl ads after its AI butchered a fact about Gouda. In the original video, Gemini said Gouda made up 50% to 60% of the world’s cheese consumption. Spoiler: It doesn’t. The fixed version calls it “one of the most popular cheeses in the world.” Another reminder AI loves to make crap up or, as the AI companies say, “hallucinate.”
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A note from Kim: So much to be thankful for
Thanksgiving has always been about family, tradition and gratitude. I think about my Dad carving the turkey with his large Russian hands, showing me exactly how to do it. My Mom always made the turkey until she couldn’t and I took over. We recorded her making it two weeks before she was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2017, her face and voice with instructions I’ll treasure forever.
Technology has found its way into Thanksgiving, but instead of replacing memories, it adds to them. Here are a few tech things I’m thankful for and how they help me carry a bit of the past into the present.
My iPhone 16 Pro Max
Remember when a quarter for a payphone was your lifeline? Dad would hand me one before I left the house. Today, my iPhone is that, and it’s my camera for capturing memories and having video calls, my connection to family far away, and my assistant to get things done.
Smart speakers
Aunt Patty was the unofficial family entertainer, part comedian and part Patsy Cline wannabe. Dang, she could sing “Crazy.” Today, Alexa has taken on some of those roles, including playing music, telling jokes and answering trivia questions.
Cloud storage
Videos of my mom are safely stored in the cloud, where I can watch them whenever I want. It’s not just a Thanksgiving Day recipe; it’s her voice, her smile and my heart, forever.
Big-screen TVs
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without football. I remember when we all crowded around a tiny TV, adjusting the antenna on the roof to get a picture. Now, it’s all about the big screen, where we can see every blade of grass and questionable call in high def.
This one’s not tech
Every Thanksgiving, I pull out my grandmother’s old aluminum roasting pan to make her stuffing. There’s something magical about using the same pan she did, surrounded by the smells and laughter that have filled my family’s kitchens for generations.
🐾 Spreading paws-itivity: Robotic pets are bringing smiles to lonely older adults who can no longer care for real pets. New York alone handed out over 30,000 lifelike cats and dogs. The bots purr, bark and respond to touch, just like the real thing, and work especially well for folks with dementia. Another benefit: No poop-scoopin’.
When you set up your iPhone, invisible dots create a detailed map of your face so you can open your phone just by looking at it. How many dots are used to map a face? Is it … A.) 7,500, B.) 18,000, C.) 30,000 or D.) 50,000?
$106 million
Import worth of neckties in the U.S. market. It was a record-low $61.4 million in 2020, when most people worked at home. Now, ties are totally back. Gen Z guys and gals are ushering in a tie renaissance (paywall link). I had a joke about ties, but it’s knot funny.
Angela Yang and Sean Kay, 2025 Midwestern Sectional U.S. Ice Dance Final
This video is all over social media: It shows two of the young figure skaters who died in the crash, Angela Yang and Sean Kay, taking home gold in a November competition. Their excitement and smiles are just heartbreaking, knowing what happened. Be sure to have tissues near if you watch the video.
Tina Turner - Hot for You Baby
🎶 You’re simply the best: Tina Turner passed away in 2023, but a new song has been released with the 40th-anniversary edition of “Private Dancer.” The “lost” tune, “Hot for You Baby,” was cut from the original tracklist. Critics say it’s meh, but I think it’s classic Tina Turner and those amazing legs of hers! Take a listen and see what you think.
Meet 99-year-old pianist Ruth Slenczynska, Rachmaninov’s last living pupil | Classic FM
Rachmaninov’s last living pupil, 99-year-old pianist Ruth Slenczynska, has had an astonishing career spanning nearly a century. Described as “the greatest piano genius since Mozart,” Slenczynska is a former child prodigy who recorded for Decca in the 1950s and 1960s, when she became known as one of the most celebrated Chopin interpreters.
A five-year-old prodigy (1930)
NASA rocket engine fireplace - 8 hours in 4K
A stock fireplace illustration frames looping archival video of the blasting RS-25 engines that launched the Artemis I rocket to the moon on Nov. 16, 2022. The illustration includes stone tiling, a pillow and a basket of firewood, and it contains elements generated with AI. NASA added two framed pictures; one shows an archival image of the Orion capsule flying through space, and the other shows the Artemis logo. The audio features the roar of the rockets at a low level, with the addition of the sounds of a crackling wood fire.
How King Tut's 3,400-year-old grandmother looked
You’ve probably never wondered what King Tut’s 3,400-year-old grandmother looked like. But now that I’ve said it, I’m sure you want to know! Such a cool video and perfect to share with the photo-editing nerd in your life.
Son gifts dad the car he sold to buy diapers 40 years ago
A new traffic light lets a bus jump the light. What did one traffic light say to another? “Don’t look now — I’m changing!”
419 million people
Take their number twos outdoors. About 3.5 billion people still live without access to toilets, primarily in Africa and India. Today, Nov. 19, is World Toilet Day, so I’m passing along these facts. Raise your hand if you’re reading this from your own Oval Office, porcelain throne, splash zone, commode commando or whatever you call it. 🙋♀️
This art is for sale on Amazon. Can you find the hidden tiger?
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Paper maps never win at poker. They always fold.
NASA’s old tech versus new. Anyone else see a T-Rex with a really long neck?