0.6 point increase in grades

April 19, 2024

For students with last names that start with A, B, C, D or E versus V, W, X, Y or Z. That finding comes from 30 million papers submitted through Canvas, the most popular tech platform for teachers. Canvas gives papers to teachers to grade in alphabetical order. By the end of each assignment, they’re tired — and, apparently, less forgiving.

Tags: names, platform, popular, students, teachers, tech, X (Twitter)

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How to train your autocorrect to actually work

I bet you’re frustrated with how often autocorrect is auto-wrong. That’s why I wanted to walk you through a few steps to make yours work more accurately.

Even with some new AI features in the latest updates, autocorrect is still “ducking” annoying. Let’s fix that together.

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Best routers for 2024 [List]

A good router isn’t just about performance. It’s your first line of defense against network break-ins. If your router isn’t updating anymore, you’re experiencing random Wi-Fi freezes, frequent reboots, or runs hot, it’s time for a new one. Komando IT genius John replaces his every two years.

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🍷 Unplug and uncork: In Verona, Italy, Condominio restaurant is swapping screen time for wine time. Ditch your phone at the door, lock it up and get a free bottle of vino. Owner Angelo Lella calls smartphones a “drug” and 90% of Condominio’s diners agree, opting for wine over Wi-Fi.

Emoji trivia is big on social media and YouTube. Let’s see how you do. Can you name the TV series depicted by the combination of these three emojis? 👇🔛⛪ (Hint: It takes place between 1912 and 1926 in the U.K.)

Find the answer here →

Step aside, humans: Boston Dynamics just retired the clunky hydraulic Atlas for a sleek, all-electric model they’re calling “the world’s most dynamic humanoid robot.” Watch the video — it’s freaky! The new Atlas lies facedown, pops up and twists its head a full 180 degrees. But those little rotating legs show an impressive display of balance and flexibility.

It’s getting worse: In January, a water tank in Muleshow, Texas, overflowed, and now we know who was behind the cyberattack: A hacking group with ties to Russia. This will not be the last attack, and many of the 150,000 U.S. water systems are scrambling for funds and staff to beef up their defenses. Glad we store clean water at home.

Skin deep: Beauty products are all the rage on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram for little girls who def don’t need this stuff. One nine-year-old (paywall link) experienced a nasty facial rash from a glycolic acid cleanser — safe for adults but harsh on tender, young skin. Talk to the kiddos in your family.

Elons just wanna have funds: Musk says the only way to fight bots on X is to charge for posts. New users might have to pay a “small fee” to post the first three months their X account is active. This comes one month before Tesla’s stockholders vote to bring back Musk’s $56 billion compensation package. I’ll take the job for $5.6 billion.

Nice try, Google: YouTube’s ad blocker crackdown now includes third-party apps. That would explain why folks are seeing “The following content is not available on this app” errors. Google says it’s to ensure creators get their dues. Smells like a push to get you to pay for YouTube Premium.

😤 Dangerous oversight: A heartbreaking 15 folks have died after ingesting sodium nitrate, listed on Amazon as a food preservative. It’s safe at low concentrations, but it was sold at 99% purity. Now, the victims’ families are suing, saying Amazon ignored warnings, deleted bad reviews and nudged customers to buy. Amazon’s defense? It says it’s not liable for how customers use its products.