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DirecTV is looking to buy its rival. If the deal goes through, they’d pay just $1 and take on Dish’s debt — about $9.75 billion. Why buy Dish? Separately, DirecTV and Dish are screwed. Together, they might be big enough to stand up to the streaming platforms.
Tags: buy, deal, debt, pay, platforms, streaming, streaming platforms
True or false: If your phone’s got all four reception bars lit up and it’s displaying the 5G symbol, you’ve got A+ service.
The answer? False. When you see “5G,” all it means is there are 5G connections nearby. Whether you’re on that network is another story. I know, eye roll. Cell service bars don’t mean much, either.
Weird science: A scientist claims our universe might be an advanced computer simulation, and the proof is in the Bible. The Gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He says “the Word” refers to the underlying computer code controlling the simulation. I know what you’re thinking: “Whoa, this is too much for my brain. I’m going to see if Prince Harry is divorcing Meghan Markle yet.”
Scalpers ruin everything: The PlayStation 5 Pro ($699) and PlayStation 5 30th Anniversary Limited Edition bundle ($999) drop on Nov. 7. The updated models have 2TB of storage, a beefier GPU and AI upscaling tech. Only 12,300 Limited Edition models were made, and they sold out in seconds. Surprise, they’re on eBay for up to $12,300.
💩 Speaking of drones: The “Poopcopter” is an AI drone system that cleans up your doggo’s mess in the backyard. Using real-time computer vision and machine learning, it scans the area to pinpoint the poop, and then it swoops down to scoop it up. It’s in the prototype phase, so you’re still on poop duty. Sorry.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an insurance drone! Just ask Mike Arman, who was spied on twice by two different insurers. The first refused to renew his policy after satellite images showed his roof “looked deteriorated.” The second hit him with a 25% increase when it was time to renew. Your insurance company could start doing the same.
Apple’s home robots may be coming soon: Rumor has it two smart display devices will run a new operating system called homeOS. The high-end model is tricked out with a robotic arm, a large iPad-like display and a price starting at $1,000. The cheaper model, which is made for controlling home appliances, is expected to debut next year. Yep, AI’s included.
Printer hack (literally): A YouTuber figured out how to use more affordable third-party ink cartridges in HP printers that usually block anything but the HP brand. With a cheap circuit board, the printer gets tricked into believing the non-HP cartridge is genuine and works like usual. HP is threatening to brick any printers caught doing this.
🧬 Your DNA, for sale: 23andMe’s stock is close to being delisted, and the entire board of directors has quit. Now, the CEO says she’s open to selling the company, including the DNA of 15 million customers. Imagine insurers using your genetic predispositions to calculate your risk. Ugh. Log in and delete your account ASAP. Here’s how. I told ya not to use this service so many times for so many years …
🧬 First of its kind: A 25-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes found her body has started producing its own insulin again after a stem cell transplant. The original cells came from her body and were reprogrammed into insulin-producing cells called islets. Now, she no longer needs insulin injections, but researchers are waiting to see if the results last before considering her “cured.”
🎤 AI’s got talent: A software architect posted a delightful duet with OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode (AVM). With it, the man and the chatbot performed The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” Usually, AVM won’t sing due to built-in copyright guidelines, but the guy found a loophole — he turned it into a game, strumming four pop chords and asking if the bot recognized the song. After a few rounds, the bot unexpectedly started singing along. The video is amazing.
