🔥 You really have to see this: An indoor cam caught a dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery power bank, which then set the house on fire (video here). The flames spread through the living room in minutes. The family and all their pets got out safely. Phew.
13% decrease
In LDL cholesterol (the “bad” one) by eating corn flour daily. Researchers tested a few different combos and found refined cornmeal mixed with corn bran was the winner at lowering cholesterol. Time to bake some cornbread.
When an X-ray is a tooth pic: A robot performed the world’s first fully automated dental procedure. It scanned a patient’s gumline, analyzed it with AI and then its little arms got to work. In the video, you can see the bot shaving down a tooth. They claim it’s so safe that it even works when a patient moves. I’ll stick with my human dentist for now.
Lost in space: Two astronauts who left Earth on an eight-day mission could be stuck in space until next year. They departed in June aboard the Boeing Starliner and are now docked at the ISS due to thruster problems. If their spacecraft can’t be repaired, NASA could let them catch a ride on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in February 2025.
🆕 No more Chromecast: It’s being replaced by the $99 Google TV Streamer, which ships in September. The new streaming device is equipped with Gemini AI and better specs, like on-screen smart home controls, detailed video summaries and finetuned recommendations.
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An Airbnb host’s favorite dance is the Cha-cha Check-in: Airbnb’s stock price plummeted 14% after some not-so-great second-quarter earnings. Demand is slowing as folks head back to hotels to avoid creepy hosts and for safety. Looks like the pervy secret camera stories are finally turning people away.
The wild, wild AI west: AI age scanners verify who’s an adult online. But dig into the history of how they were made, and it’s pretty dark (paywall link). Tech companies used publically accessible photos of real children to train the AI bots. It’s not clear how long they store these pics. Yup, no regulations about this practice at all.
A big crowd is a big target: Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts were canceled after two men were arrested for plotting terrorist attacks. One suspect, a 19-year-old would-be ISIS member, was radicalized online and. planned to use “chemicals” at the Eras Tour shows. No word yet if it was a bomb. Frightening.
$14,200 a month
To answer questions from his couch. A mechanic quit his full-time job at Ford after he started making more money helping folks on JustAnswer. He works hard for that money — eight to 10 hours a day, seven days a week. I’m signing Barry up!