Las Vegas bombing

January 9, 2025

Las Vegas bombing: Matthew Livelsberger, the soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, used ChatGPT to build the bomb and coordinate the explosion. OpenAI says they’re “saddened” and that their tool only shared public info and warned him about harmful and illegal activities. This is the first known case of ChatGPT being used for terrorism. It’s not going to be the last.

Tags: OpenAI, Tesla

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Best (and weirdest) tech of CES 2025 so far

The annual CES show is underway, so let’s dive into some of the coolest (and, yes, weirdest) gadgets I’ve come across so far.

Foldable phones are so 2024: I told you this would be announced. I’m talking about rollable laptops. Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable has a screen that extends from 14 inches to 16.7 inches when you need more space. Neat! Too bad it starts at $3,499, oof.

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Keep hackers out of your online life

Cybercriminals never stop coming up with ways to steal your info, so I’m always on the hunt for tools that make your digital life safer. One of their sneakiest tricks? Keyloggers.

Keyloggers secretly record every single thing you type — passwords, credit card numbers, private messages, you name it. They send your info straight to the person controlling the malware, giving them a backstage pass to your life.

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$1,300 cellphone bill

After a Royal Caribbean cruise. A passenger forgot to put their phone in Airplane mode and got slapped with roaming charges. If you ever take a cruise or travel overseas, remember to switch on that setting!

60% to 90%

The amount of starch in rice water. An old beauty hack is trending on social media for promoting hair growth and improving shine. Rice water is loaded with vitamins and minerals that help your hair, especially zinc. Don’t expect instant results; hair grows in three- to four-month cycles, so be patient.

$80,000 a year

For being a pal. After Shoji Morimoto in Japan got fired in 2018 for being lazy, he started renting himself out to strangers who needed a friend. He charges $65 to $195 to join folks at parties and concerts — nothing sexual, though.

$799 baby bouncer

Your little one can use only for six months. The Elvie Rise is a fancy bouncer and bassinet combo that debuted at CES. You can control it from your phone, but it’s only suitable for babies under six months, or until they can sit up on their own. At that price, this thing should get ‘em through kindergarten.

$19 trillion

In bitcoin transactions last year. To put it into perspective, bitcoin transactions totaled $8.7 trillion in 2023. This marks the first time since 2021 that the price of bitcoin has gone up, not down. How can you tell who owns bitcoin at a party? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.

40 and older

Is totally hot right now. New movies like Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl” and Anne Hathaway’s “The Idea of You” celebrate middle-aged women. Hollywood finally agrees that, yeah, older women are hot!

$10,000

Worth of a 1999 Georgia state quarter. Check the couch cushions! They were printed with all kinds of errors, and that makes them valuable. One of the rarest variations is thicker than normal, with a gold-greenish tint and no copper edge. Hit this list for the details.

$26 million

In rare medical book sales predicted for the 2020s — everything from guides to bloodletting to how-tos for treating a gunshot wound with boiling oil (paywall link). Last year, a 1555 edition of the anatomy book “Fabrica” sold for $2.2 million. Time to start browsing yard sales for old medical texts.