190.6 million people

Play video games at least one hour per week in the U.S. The majorities of Gen Alpha (79%), Gen Z (76%) and millennials (65%) game. Roughly 53% of Gen X games, while 47% of baby boomers play, too. Do you? I don’t.

Tags: game, games, play, U.S, video, video games, X (Twitter)


AI update: OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o, Google Gemini 1.5 Pro and Claude iPhone app

It was a big week in the world of AI. Both Google and OpenAI released major updates. You know I’ve got your back. I cut through their marketing-speak to decipher what these updates actually mean for you and me. 

Google’s AI, Gemini 1.5 Pro, will handle tons of data. Need to summarize 1,500 pages of text? No problem. It’s pretty nuts.

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How to find and stop hidden fees

When I’m booking air travel, it seems like the price goes up with every click. By the time I pay to check a bag or two, that “great deal” isn’t looking so, well, great

So of course airlines are fighting the Biden administration’s “junk fees’” rule, which would make them show their fees upfront for checking bags, carrying on a bag, and changing or canceling a reservation. 

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😱 The truth is out: Earlier this year, Raffaela Spone was accused of creating a deepfake video of her daughter’s cheerleading competitor vaping. The community turned on Spone, complete with death threats. Fast-forward — the video turned out to be real and the investigation was botched. Yeah, Spone’s suing for $20 million.

People in Iran are scared of spiders. But in Iraq, no phobia. (Get it? Arachnophobia? Oh, tough crowd today!)

Big moves for accessibility: Apple’s new assistive features include built-in eye tracking (navigate apps and select items just by looking at them), vocal shortcuts, music haptics and CarPlay changes, such as larger text and sound recognition for honks.

📧 AI coming to Gmail inboxes: Soon, a “smart assistant” will summarize email threads and suggest responses. A Q&A tool (powered by Gemini) will dig through your emails to answer questions like, “I got three bids for a new roof. Which one is the best?” Once it’s live for everyone, I’ll show you how to use it.

You have to be smarter than this: Over 10% of people still use 1234 as their four-digit PIN. Other most-used options include 1111, 0000, 1212 and 7777. If this is you, time for something more complex — and no, your birth year or address won’t cut it. On iPhone, upgrade to six digits. On Android, stick with your fingerprint if your phone has biometrics.

Between a rock and a creeper: A family in Southern California found a camera disguised as a rock pointed at their home. Footage showed the scooter-riding culprit planting it — while wearing garden gloves and a motorbike helmet. Theories range from someone casing their house for a burglary (or worse) to someone trying to watch the family’s kids walking home from school. Scary.

Put down the phone: People with psychopathic traits are more likely to use their phones while driving. Why? They just feel less guilty about it. A study also found these folks have likely racked up at least one traffic offense within the past year. Zoom‑zoom!

🤳 You do you, boo: Women on Reddit are asking guys to rate their nudes. Whether it’s just for the thrill or an honest opinion, r/RateMyNudeBody enforces strict rules — no insults, nothing “overly sexy.” FYI: Men can upload theirs, too, but they typically don’t get as many comments. Ya think?