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People are glued on YouTube, watching planes land at LAX

https://www.youtube.com/@AirlineVideos

Move over, cat videos and cooking hacks, there’s a new YouTube obsession, and it’s planes landing at LAX. No, really.

I thought you’d find it interesting that a channel called Airline Videos Live is racking up millions of views pointing a camera at the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: hours of live footage showing planes taking off, landing and taxiing.

This isn’t grainy security cam footage either. We’re talking HD video, a real-time radar display and a fabulous, engaging host who knows everything from aircraft models to what brand of shoes pilots wear (OK, maybe not that last part yet).

💡 Why are people so obsessed?

There’s something hypnotic about the precision, the power, and yes, the sheer size of these metal beasts touching down with ballet-like grace. But the real draw? The community.

The live chat is a global party. You’ll see aviation buffs from Tokyo, retirees from Kansas and night owls from Berlin all geeking out over a Qatar A350 floating in from the Pacific. People cheer when their favorite airline shows up. So fun!

The energy is part Twitch stream, part group therapy, part Sesame Street for adults obsessed with planes.

🌍 It’s more than just plane spotting

What started as a pandemic hobby has morphed into a worldwide phenomenon. The guy behind the camera, Kevin Ray, is a former TV news cameraman. He set up shop on a hotel rooftop near LAX and turned this into a full-blown business.

He’s now pulling in advertising revenue, getting free hotel stays and partnering with huge travel brands. Go take a peek, you might get hooked.

👉 Live at LAX on YouTube

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Meetings now come with surveillance

Chat GPT

It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it used to. Maybe it’s happened to you. You’re in a Zoom call, wearing pajama bottoms, and someone casually says, “Oh, my AI assistant is taking notes of everything everyone is saying.”

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Alexa has your secrets: Amazon says that Alexa is only listening for the wake word, but we know that’s a pile of horse crap. One dad asked Amazon for all of Alexa’s recordings over nine years. He got thousands of voice files, spreadsheets and revelations, from “Alexa, play a fart sound” requests to his daughter’s late-night questions about sleep, dating and what “knickers” means. It’s like a little spy, but with bedtime stories and jazz. Wonder what Amazon has on you? Click here to request your data.

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58%

Lower risk of cognitive decline for older folks who use tech like smartphones and computers. A study says learning new tools and staying connected online can actually help keep your brain sharp. So much for “digital dementia.” Just maybe don’t spend six hours a day on TikTok.

🔗 You’re doing LinkedIn wrong: Don’t put links in your LinkedIn posts. The algorithm buries anything that sends folks off the site. Instead, post your content without the link and drop it in the first comment. That tweak can double or even triple your reach. Hiring? Click here to post your job for free!

🤖 AI blackmails developers: When you read this, remember AI is not a person. Claude Opus 4 AI was put in a scenario where it believed it was being turned off soon, and it did not take it well. After accessing fake emails, it found out the engineer shutting it down was having an affair, and then, it threatened to expose him. And yes, it also tried sneaking copies of itself onto external servers.

Apple’s under pressure: Jony Ive, aka the guy who helped design the iPhone, is working with OpenAI to build new hardware (paywall link). No word yet on what the first device will be, but leaks say it could be something “screen-free.” Hey, maybe Apple will surprise us with something incredibly new at WWDC on June 9. I doubt it.

🔞Texas going hardcore parental: Texas wants to ban all minors under 18 from using social media. That means no Instagram, no TikTok, not even Facebook (RIP). Kids would need an ID to make accounts, and platforms would have to delete profiles if parents ask. Lawsuits incoming from tech giants and probably teenagers themselves.

🪙 Crypto torture: If you own crypto, don’t tell anyone you cannot fully and completely trust. Crimes like this one are exploding. A Manhattan crypto investor allegedly kidnapped and tortured an Italian man for three weeks, trying to steal his Bitcoin. The town house? $30K/month. Police say the guy escaped and had electric burns, bruises … and his coins still intact. Mamma mia!

🦴 Help for arthritis is here: A 58-year-old woman got a tiny bio-implant that stopped her symptoms cold. It sends signals through the vagus nerve to calm inflammation, so no more pain or swelling. The best part? She only needs one minute of treatment a day. If all goes well, the FDA could approve it this summer.

Instagram’s teen accounts don’t work: A group of testers created fake profiles to see what the algorithm would push. Instead of the so-called protection enabled by default, they were still shown sexual reels, eating disorders, drugs or worse (paywall link). Meta’s clapback? The report is flawed and most of the content is “PG-13” at worst. Sure.

Power banks on blast: Starting May 28, Southwest Airlines wants your power bank out and visible while charging. Lithium batteries are tiny arsonists with 19 in-flight incidents already this year. Portable chargers are the second most flammable vibe onboard after e-cigs. Reminder: “Unattended fire” is not a boarding group. Pro tip: Buy a reputable portable charger like this one (21% off)!

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🤖 Smarter than any human alive: Google cofounder Sergey Brin and DeepMind boss Demis Hassabis popped up like your weird cousins at Thanksgiving to say: AGI might land “right before or after 2030.” Brin thinks smarter algorithms matter more than horsepower, Hassabis says we need a few big breakthroughs. Nobody knows what “thinking” machines will do, though. Sleep well.

Days of hanging out drinking coffee are ending: Cafes across the country are cutting off Wi-Fi or banning laptops altogether. Why? They’re tired of remote workers hogging tables for hours on Zoom calls with a single cup of joe. Yeah, can’t say I blame them.

💸 Life savings wiped: Think these scams only happen to older adults? A 26-year-old lost over $30,000 after getting a fake text from “Wells Fargo” about a $1,300 charge. He replied no, got a call and scammers convinced him to transfer his money to a new account. Poof, all gone. FYI: Banks will never ask you to move your money to stop fraud.

88%

That’s how many Gen Zers are cool with sharing their data for free. Now, Verb.AI’s giving them a reason to actually profit from the surveillance. Gen Z: simultaneously terrified of phone calls and totally fine letting a startup track their every digital move. “It’s not stalking if it’s opt-in,” apparently.

🔞 Forget the days of finding Dad’s Playboy under the bed: If you have teens, talk to them about this. Teens are romancing bots and AI on apps. Some bots have filters, others barely try. The risk isn’t just sexting, it’s warping emotional development in a world where your “girlfriend” never says no and always texts back. Speaking of … Years ago, a monk was selling flowers on the Playboy Mansion grounds, and no one but Hef could get him to leave. Turns out, only Hugh would prevent florist friars. (I saw you shake your head!)

Don’t buy drugs online: Investigators found over 200 Spotify podcasts with AI voices or no sound at all. The goal? Get people to click the link in the bio, which led to sites selling sketchy prescription meds like Xanax. They weren’t hard to find, either. Some appeared in Spotify’s Top 50 when you searched drug names.

Android vs. phone thieves: Starting later this year, if your phone’s setup wizard gets skipped post-theft, the OS forces a second reset and locks down the phone until it gets proof of life, aka your old screen lock or Google login. Next up: Android yelling, “WHO SENT YOU?!” after every reboot.

Get your info removed from the internet: Data brokers sell your info all the time without your knowledge. Incogni helps to delete your private information online automatically. So many readers and listeners say it’s worth every penny. I definitely agree. Get 60% off with code KIM60 today!