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There’s a new shopping holiday you have to know about. It could be your ticket great prices on flights, hotels and more. 


27 bids later: The first painting by a humanoid robot just sold for $1.08 million. Auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, it was expected to go for $180,000, tops. The piece, titled “AI God,” is a portrait of Alan Turing, a renowned mathematician and computer scientist. The buyer got ripped off.

Working the system: Cybercriminals are using hacked government and law enforcement email addresses to request customer data from Big Tech companies. Police usually need a search warrant for files and messages, but for basic details like phone numbers, login credentials and approximate locations, a request is all it takes.

“Brat”: That’s the Collins Dictionary’s word of the year, describing a “brat” as someone with a confident, independent and hedonistic vibe. Singer Charli XCX, whose album, “Brat,” inspired redefining the term, adds a “brat” is a girl who’s a little messy, volatile, loves to party and says dumb stuff sometimes. Use this one with your favorite teen.

😮 “ChatGPT saved my life”: That’s what a Redditor says after he asked the bot about chest tightness, dizziness and nausea. ChatGPT confirmed his shortness of breath and sweating, too, and suggested he might be having a cardiac event. The bot was spot on: He was in the early stages of a heart attack. Pro tip: Call 911 instead of using a chatbot.

Feature or bug? Criminals’ iPhones are rebooting on their own when seized by the cops, and it’s all tied to a recent iOS 18 security update. Law enforcement is calling it a nightmare when it comes to retrieving evidence. Here’s the issue: When the phone reboots, it defaults to a “Before First Unlock” state. Even if police use third-party tools to try to access the data, they can only get limited information. No word yet on a fix.

Job scam warning: Retailers and shipping companies are hiring in droves ahead of the holidays. UPS, Amazon, FedEx, Target and all the rest are looking for folks, but they won’t make initial contact with you via email or text. Go to a potential employer’s website and find the “Careers” section to apply directly.

😡 WTH? Black people in over 20 states are receiving racist text messages ordering them to report to plantations for slave labor. These hate-filled messages, which target kids and adults alike, are sent from unknown numbers, many of which are through the anonymous TextNow app. 

🖤 “You’ve got mail!” The voice behind the famous AOL message, Elwood Edwards, passed away this week at 74. He recorded it back in 1989 for just $200. He definitely should’ve asked for more. Here he is with Jimmy Fallon in 2015, reading those famous lines. Ahh, I miss the ‘90s.

So your grandma’s memorial tattoo has six fingers: Tattoo artists are fuming over the rise in AI-generated tattoo designs, calling them the “steroids of tattooing.” AI can churn out designs in seconds, but there’s more to tattooing than that. Some designs are so intricate, they’re impossible to recreate on human skin.

🤑 Detroit block(chain) city: Starting in 2025, Detroit residents can use currencies like bitcoin and ethereum to pay for public services and even their taxes. Crypto will be converted into dollars via PayPal. The goal: To attract more tech-savvy residents and tech companies to the city.