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On a petition delivered to the Kellogg’s HQ about its Froot Loops cereal. An ex-FDA food expert says those colorful rings are linked to organ damage, cancer, behavioral problems and worse. Need more proof? The Red 40 and Yellow 5 dyes in it are banned in other countries. Def not grape news.
Tags: FDA, food and drinks, Kellogg's, Petition
I’m watching this: Mats Steen suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and passed away at 25. His parents thought he lived an isolated life, but they were so wrong. After his death, they received hundreds of emails from people who’d known him through the game World of Warcraft, revealing he’d found both friends and romance online. A new documentary about Steen’s story is coming to Netflix on Oct. 25.
👁️ Eye see the point: A new device from OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, called the Orb will scan people’s eyes to provide biometric identification, helping to fight the growing deepfakes (paywall link). The goal: To have an Orb in every home to scan our eyes for verification when banking online and other similar transactions. Interestingly, Altman’s AI is pushing the very tech used in developing deepfakes …
🔥 Anker recall: I mentioned this last month, but two people have already suffered burns from faulty power banks that can explode. Affected models are the Anker 334 MagGo Battery (PowerCore 10K), Anker Power Bank and Anker MagGo Power Bank, with the model numbers A1642, A1647 and A1652, respectively. These were sold between Jan. 3 and Sept. 17, 2024. If you own one, fill out the recall form.
🛒 You’re paying more: Grocery chain Kroger is working on electronic shelf labels that can adjust prices in real time based on factors like demand or the weather. It gets worse — they’re also planning to use facial-recognition cameras to serve shoppers more tailored ads. The real worry? Over time, Kroger could build customer profiles and figure out the maximum price you’d be willing to pay. Yikes.
🛑 Nothing but blue skies: X recently changed its policies to where if you block someone, they can still see your profile and posts. Competitor BlueSky, meanwhile, added 500,000 new members in just one day. I’m going to start posting on BlueSky and see what happens. Too many people on X are mean.
🏠 Phony landlords: Scammers are flooding Facebook Marketplace with fake rental listings. They use real addresses and legit-looking pics at prices that seem like a steal, and they’ll even let you check it out in person. Major red flag: They’ll demand an application fee upfront via PayPal, Venmo or Zelle.
Cute … for now: Meet Proteus, a little bot zipping around Amazon’s Nashville facility. It can load packages up to 880 pounds into trucks. When its battery runs low, Proteus recharges in 8 minutes and then gets back to work. Amazon says they aren’t replacing humans (yet), but these little helpers already have fulfillment costs down 25%.
Country roads, take me home: Electrosensitivity is a condition where folks think they feel sick from the electromagnetic waves emitted by modern tech. Enter Green Bank, West Virginia, a small town legally protected from radio signals, meaning no cell towers or Wi-Fi. People are flocking there to ease their symptoms, forming a judgment-free community (paywall link). And no, they’re definitely not fans of Chuck from “Better Call Saul.”
Not the sharpest hacker for sure: Back in January, the SEC’s X account was hacked to post fake news about bitcoin, causing its value to spike. Now, a man’s been arrested, and court docs show some pretty incriminating searches. One gem? “What are some signs the FBI is after you?” You’d think a hacker would know how to hide their search history.
🚨 AI voice scams spreading: An elderly father was duped out of $25,000 after scammers called him using an AI-generated voice of his son. The caller, his “son,” claimed he’d hit a pregnant woman while driving and needed bail money ASAP. The father withdrew the cash, an Uber picked it up, and the con artists disappeared. Reminder: Scammers thrive on fear and urgency, so always verify phone numbers and set up a family safe word for emergencies.
