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“Last Christmas,” for the second year in a row. Wham!’s iconic classic is racking up about 7.7 million streams a day on Spotify. That’s almost 90 plays per second. No kidding, it barely missed the No. 1 spot 40 years ago. It’s holding down the No. 3 spot now in the U.S.
Saving little lives: Mercedes’ new CLA coupe is equipped with Child Presence Detection, or CPD. The tech is sensitive enough to pick up even a newborn’s breathing when the car is turned off. If the car senses a little one, its cameras will check for an adult. If no one’s there, it sends an alert, kicks on the AC and honks the horn. About 37 kids a year die in hot cars.
Snapchat lawsuit: Some 64 families are suing Snap, claiming its Snapchat app connected their kids with drug dealers who poisoned them with fentanyl. With geolocation tools for easy handoffs and messages that vanish in 24 hours by default, it’s a dealer’s paradise. Snap’s defense? They’re not responsible for what others do or say on their platform.
🤖 It’s alive: OpenAI’s new o3 model can “think,” aka reason and check facts on its own. That’s a giant step toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), where bots can do tasks they were never specifically trained for. Rest easy, o3 is a total ace at math and science, but it’s not quite ready to take over the world.
👰🏻🤵🏻 Billionaire wedding: So many news outlets are reporting Jeff Bezos, 60, is tying the knot with fiancée Lauren Sanchez, 55, next weekend in an Aspen, Colorado, wedding rumored to cost $600 million. Jeff says, “The whole thing is completely false.” Phew, now I don’t feel so bad I didn’t get my invite yet.
AirPods rake in over $18 billion a year: They’re on pace to outsell iPads, becoming Apple’s third-biggest product behind iPhones and Macs. Teenagers and young adults love ‘em most. Around 62% of Gen Zers own a pair. Psst, the AirPods Pro 2 are on sale (24% off). Perfect holiday gift for yourself.
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Putting the “AI” in “encyclopedia”: Britannica isn’t a dusty bookmaker killed by Wikipedia. The billion-dollar company now creates AI-powered customer service tools and websites that get 7 billion views a year. They’re also developing AI-driven educational software. Other companies, take note: This is how you adapt.
You can’t trust the ratings: Apple’s App Store is packed with inappropriate apps rated safe for kids (paywall link). Anonymous chat platforms, sexual games and body-tuning filters are slipping through, even with parental controls enabled. The loophole? Apple lets developers set their own age ratings. Parents, it’s your job.
Unlocking the future: By this time next year, Apple could be selling a video doorbell that uses Face ID to unlock your door for you. Sounds sweet … and a little scary unless it’s super locked down. Think Amazon (owner of Ring) and Google (Nest) are nervous? Me, too.
Drug dealers going digital: Instead of lurking on street corners, they’re sliding into DMs and posting ads on Facebook. They’d get flagged for using the real words, so one workaround is communicating with emojis (e.g., snowflakes for cocaine and love hearts for psychedelics). About one in 10 young people has bought drugs over social media. Talk to your kids.
