Share:
🚀 Touchdown complete: SpaceX nailed the upright landing of one of its massive Starship rockets. As it fell from the sky, thrusters slowed it down before it was caught by two “chopstick” arms attached to a giant metal tower. Why’s this a big deal? It’s a step toward reusable rockets. The video is incredible.
Tags: outer space, rockets, SpaceX
“Facebook is so lit,” said no Gen Zer ever: Zuckerburg knows this, so they’re going all in to capture those younger eyes for more billions in ad revenues. They’re showing nearby events, groups and activity recs. Short video clips now look like TikTok, and friends can find profiles of people you can date. Just wait till Grandma sends you a DM like, “You have such a pretty face. Pull your hair back so it shows.”
Another day, another scam: Fraudsters are pretending to be mortgage providers, saying your home warranty needs to be renewed. Look for the telltale sign at the bottom of mailed notices in tiny little letters: “We are not affiliated with your current mortgage.”
🚨 Data disaster: Archive.org, the internet’s digital library, just suffered a massive breach, leaking 31 million records — emails, addresses, screen names and hashed passwords. The site claims a DDoS attack, but reports confirm it was actually hacked. The cherry on top? Hackers temporarily posted on the homepage, “See 31 million of you on HIBP!” That’s Have I Been Pwned.
“Text pesting”: That’s the name for a disturbing type of harassment an estimated one-third of young women deal with regularly. Creeps use the contact info from a professional interaction, like an Instacart delivery or rideshare, to send unwanted sexual messages. Take Millie, who got, “I can’t wait to pick you up and see your beautiful face again, I long for you” from a driver.
😡 Frustration overload: This summer’s National Public Data hack leaked the personal details of 2.9 billion people. Now, the company’s drowning in class-action lawsuits and might be stuck paying for credit monitoring. No surprise, they just filed for bankruptcy, claiming only a few thousand dollars in assets. How convenient.
🔍 Breaking up Google’s search monopoly: The DOJ has some remedies lined up: Forcing Google to share its data with competitors, restricting those default search browser deals, and even splitting off Chrome or Android. Google says these “solutions” would hurt consumers (their cash cow) and stifle innovation. Google might become like Ask Jeeves by the time this government legal battle is settled.
Aliens out there thinking about invading Earth. Elon Musk says UFO sightings are government weapons programs — for instance, the 1950s flying saucers were really advanced U.S. spy planes. SpaceX has thousands of satellites in orbit and has never encountered an alien spacecraft.
🤖 Tough decisions: Should AI weapons be fully autonomous and allowed to make deadly decisions? The big fear is that enemy states like China may go all in on AI weapons first, while the U.S. still needs someone to press a button each time to fire. FYI: While the U.S. military doesn’t buy fully autonomous weapons yet, companies here aren’t banned from making or selling them.
Substitute student: A new robot, AV1, helps sick kids stay on track. The little guy acts as their eyes, ears and voice, complete with a rotating camera, mic and speaker, all controlled via an app. It even has a “raise hand” feature and emoji eyes. It’s just under $5,000 (plus $1,000 a year in fees). Give it a year, and it’ll be half that price.
