1-minute test to check if your phone is spying

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Ever get an ad that feels too perfect? I’ll show you a quick, fun way to see if your phone’s mic is snooping in. 

Tags: phone, spying


Need a break from football? Netflix’s new docuseries “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” revisits the infamous 1996 murder mystery. It includes interviews with JonBenét’s father and unpacks the embarrassingly bad investigation, media circus and, of course, the ransom note. Watch the trailer here.

122 days 

To build the Colossus data center in Memphis. That’s fast! It’s the powerhouse behind Elon Musk’s startup xAI, packed with 100,000 Nvidia GPUs for processing. Musk plans to launch his own AI app next month to compete with OpenAI, Google and Meta.

Un-bell-ievable: The FCC is slapping Chinese video doorbell maker Eken with a $735,000 fine. Sold by big names like Amazon and Walmart, Eken’s doorbells exposed users’ IP addresses and Wi-Fi network names and gave others unauthorized access to videos.

😢 In his feelings: Drake is taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, saying they illegally boosted Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” with bots to make it more popular. Why does he care? The song roasts Drake pretty hard. He should just take the “L.” (That’s what the kids say, right?)

⚾ Talk about a home run: A collector bought a trunk of old baseball magazines for $75 on Facebook Marketplace and hit the jackpot. Inside were rare Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson collectibles, including Goudey sheets worth over $35,000 and Bond Bread cards. Collecting baseball cards can be ruthless.

“Man cave on wheels”: That’s how Steven Shao described his Cybertruck in a viral Facebook post. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Cybertrucks turn heads, and that’s the point. The dentist says “loneliness” drove him to drop $100,000 on the over-the-top vehicle no one can ignore. Over 40 other owners commented they felt the same, which explains so much …

📚 A novel idea: Spines plans to pump out 8,000 AI-published books next year. The startup promises authors can keep 100% of their royalties and pay between $1,200 to $5,000 for editing, design and distribution. As you can imagine, many writers worry AI is taking the heart, soul and creativity out of the whole process. This is bound to get interesting.

100 miles

How far a Chinese ship dragged its anchor, cutting two Baltic Sea internet cables. Investigators suspect they cut the critical data cables on purpose, in part because it’d be nearly impossible not to notice dragging an anchor that far. The carrier left a Russian port a couple of weeks ago, packed with fertilizer. Both countries say, “Nope, not us.”

485 years old

Age of a bronze cannon discovered in Arizona. It might be the oldest firearm ever found in the U.S. Researchers think it belonged to Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado but was never fired. The cannon is just 40 pounds and 42 inches long. Wonder if Francisco had a complex about that …

With this news, let’s give a nod to the world’s oldest man: John Tinniswood died this week at the age of 112. John said there wasn’t any secret to his record-breaking longevity, describing it as “pure luck.” He added, “If you drink too much or you eat too much or you walk too much — if you do too much of anything — you’re going to suffer eventually.” I agree. RIP, John.