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That’s how much people have spent on AI companion apps since mid-2023. Turns out loneliness has a subscription now. From virtual dates to charcuterie-board role-play, folks are shelling out for AI that listens better than your ex ever did.
Tags: dates, loneliness, Now, play, virtual
This is one of the coolest things I’ve learned recently: Foreign intelligence agencies still use good ol’ radio to share top secrets. Even with all the powerful tech at their fingertips, radio use in espionage has actually gone up in popularity since the 2010s. Pretty wild.
✝️ This gave me chills: Scientists just analyzed the Shroud of Turin under high-powered UV light and found serum halos around the bloodstains. This is proof the body wasn’t washed before burial, exactly how Jesus would’ve been prepared according to Jewish tradition. This could be the most compelling evidence yet that Christians were right all along. See the photos and full story here.
🎧 A fan favorite is back: Raycon has brought back the Everyday Earbuds Classic! Now with Active Noise Cancellation, eight hours of play time and a ton of battery life. An icon is back, and better than ever! My readers get 20% off when you use code: CLASSIC.
😱 Instagram’s embarrassing new feature: You can now see which Reels (videos) your friends are liking. Just tap the Reels icon, then the Friends tab, and bam, their profile pics show up on whatever they hearted. Scared? Me, too. To turn it off, go to Settings > Who can see your content > Activity in Friends tab > No one.
🎭 Clone calls incoming: Scammers just need three seconds of your voice, and boom, you’re “calling” someone to demand urgent wire transfers. AI-generated voice phishing (“vishing”) is scaling fast, with attackers using Vall-E and ElevenLabs to sound uncannily real. Those unknown numbers calling? Don’t yap the usual, “Stop calling me, you dumb SOB.”
📱 I finally switched, and I’m not looking back. Same reliable coverage as the big guys but at a fraction of the cost. With Consumer Cellular, I’m getting two unlimited lines for just $60. Want in? Use code KIM25 at ConsumerCellular.com/KIM for $25 in savings, and make the smart switch today.
🚁 Self-flying Black Hawks? Yep, Texas A&M University is working with DARPA to make it happen. The goal is to use AI to help helicopters fly solo and handle things like wildfire drops and dangerous area surveys, all without risking human pilots. We should see them in action after two more years of testing.
Science needs your frog pics: A massive new study confirms iNaturalist, a site where anyone can upload wildlife pics tagged with time and location, is driving thousands of research papers worldwide. With millions of uploads, the platform’s helped map species ranges, spot invasives and even rediscover lost animals. It’s kind of like Pokémon Go for real animals.
🗣️ AI’s new favorite party trick? Stealing your TikTok rants, word-for-um-filled-word, and deepfaking them with a totally different face and voice. A wild “incinerator at Alligator Alcatraz” video hit 20M views, copied from a real person, made by a robot. And TikTok barely flinched. Next up: a deepfake of you reacting to this deepfake.