50 to 80 bpm

Will boost productivity. Studies show music with 50 to 80 bpm can enhance creativity and learning. Check out this playlist. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is 72 bpm! After watching “Bohemian Rhapsody” three times in a row, I feel a little sick. It must be the high Mercury content.

Tags: creativity, Learning, Music, Productivity


How easy is it to unlock an iPhone?

If you’re out in public avoid typing in your passcode. You never know who might be looking over your shoulder.

No iPhone for you, bad guy: While it’s not explicitly stated in Apple’s Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights, the doc mentions their products must be shown in the “best light” only and never in a “disparaging manner.” Rumors about Apple products being for “good guys only” date back to the early 2000s. In the series “24,” for instance, the good guys use Macs, but the villains are on PCs.

Trivia

Which of the following smartphone charging “facts” is actually a myth? Is it … A.) Charging overnight damages your battery, B.) Using your phone while it’s charging can make it explode, C.) Charging only when it reaches 0% extends your battery life, or D.) You should only use the charger that came with your phone?

Find the answer here!

1X Technologies and OpenAI preview the 'Neo beta' humanoid robot

1X Technologies and OpenAI just released a preview of the “Neo beta,” a scarily realistic humanoid robot. It moves like a human, and its advanced vision system lets it interact with the environment in real time. In this video, it picks up a backpack, places its hand around a woman’s waist and waves at the camera.

Someone call Will Smith: 1X Technologies and OpenAI just released a preview of the “Neo beta,” a scarily realistic humanoid robot. It moves like a human, and its advanced vision system lets it interact with the environment in real time. The video is straight out of a sci-fi movie; it picks up a backpack, places its hand around a woman’s waist and waves at the camera.

The new influencers: Unemployed folks are using TikTok to share “day in the life” videos with followers to show how they cope. The algorithm rewards shocking and emotional content, so it’s a good way to rack up views — and money. Better idea: Refresh your LinkedIn profile and set yourself as #OpenToWork there to find an actual job (paywall link).

💸 Let’s have a pity party: Peloton’s former billionaire CEO says he’s broke and has lost almost all his money. Since stepping down in 2022, he had to sell his Hamptons mansion ($51 million) and a Manhattan townhouse ($35.5 million). Now, he’s back to work on a décor company that sells rugs online. I bet you have to rent stupidly expensive rugs by the month.

Suite dreams: Next time you check into a hotel, don’t be surprised if there are no keycards. Digital options using Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are soaring. Just tap your phone near the door handle to get in. Earlier this year, hackers cracked over 3 million hotel rooms with Saflok locks, so I’m all for this.

🚨 All that and dim sum: Researchers dug into Communist China-owned TikTok’s algorithms and found they suppress content critical of the Chinese Communist Party. Search for “Xinjiang,” a region linked with genocide and crimes against humanity, and you’ll find only 2.3% of results are anti-China. Compare that to 21.7% on YouTube. And the cherry on top? They’re not above manipulating teens with pro-China propaganda.

Zip it: If your phone rings and someone says, “Can you hear me?” or “Is this [your name]?” hang up. Scammers record your “Yes” to create voice authorizations for bank account access. Bonus points if you report shady numbers to the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker.