Which musical artist used an American flag as the backdrop for their 1984 album, “Born in the U.S.A.”?
🛸 The truth is out there: A Pentagon official says in 2013, a U.S. Department of Defense contractor and two others saw a giant, glowing, blue UFO for seven minutes. They stated the barbell-shaped craft was half the length of a football field and 20 feet tall. When they tried to record it, the UFO disrupted their phones and cameras. If their reports are true, the craft’s energy field would’ve been big enough to power a small city! Do you buy it or not? Let me know.
Frank Abagnale: AI is making it easier for scammers
Frank Abagnale is best known for his exploits as a con man, famously depicted in the movie “Catch Me If You Can.”
89% accuracy
For a shark-detection app that uses AI and data forecasting to predict an attack. The risk of shark attack is about one in every 3.7 million swimmers, and 60% of all recorded shark attacks in the U.S. have occurred in Florida. I went scuba diving with sharks in Maui and Bora Bora. They’re meaner-looking up close!
Pass to the future: You might not need to schlep to the post office to renew your passport. The U.S. Department of State is beta-testing an online renewal system. For now, the beta is only open during unspecified “midday hours” (Eastern time) and closes when it reaches capacity each day. You can try your luck here on their site.
$167 per hour
For freelance data analysts. Freelancing platform Upwork says data analytics is far and away its most in-demand skill set in 2024. The numbers speak for themselves. The next frontier for data pros? You guessed it: Using AI to crunch numbers faster.
🤖 AI in office: A ChatGPT-powered bot named “VIC” is running for mayor in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Legally speaking, an AI can’t run for office, but its human creator, Victor Miller, can. If elected, VIC will make the decisions, and Miller will just be the meatpuppet executing its orders. I wish I was joking.
Roku strikes again: If you’ve got a TCL HDTV, you might’ve noticed something off after updating to Roku OS 13. Roku automatically turned on motion smoothing, and there’s no way to turn it off. It’s great for fast-moving sports games, but it makes movies look a little … too real. People are pissed. I’ll let you know when they have a fix.
🛰️ Get cheaper Starlink internet: Folks in one of the 28 U.S. states with “extra capacity” can get SpaceX’s Starlink dish for $200 off ($299, plus shipping and tax) and $90 a month for internet. That’s a huge discount — the dish is regularly $499 and the service is normally around $120 a month. If you’re considering Starlink, jump on it now.