The future of robotics: A Swedish startup just built “Luna,” a robot dog that adapts like a human — no preprogrammed data, no training simulations. Instead, it’s one of the first examples of physical agentic AI, meaning it can think, make decisions and act on its own. Since it learns through experience, they’re going to hire a dog trainer to teach it. Wild. Watch it here.
117 years old
The remarkable age Maria Branyas Morera reached before passing away last August. Scientists discovered her secret: genes that kept her cells acting 17 years younger and gut bacteria as healthy as an infant’s. Longevity goals, anyone?
State of inn-ertia: This is nuts. A woman found a deal on Expedia and got a message from the hotel asking her to cancel because the rate was “too low.” Expedia reassured her that as long as she didn’t cancel, the hotel had to honor it. But the hotel threatened to cancel the room unless she backed out.
🚂 Thieves’ loco motives: I never thought of this crime. Gangs hitting railroads jumped 40%, costing over $100 million. Around $4 million of that comes from the BNSF railroad in California. They’re using bolt cutters to break into shipping containers to steal electronics, sneakers and toys.
👔 Verify your LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn has verified over 55 million accounts. The platform says verified profiles are seeing 60% more views, 30% more connection requests and a 50% boost in post engagement. Bonus: If you’re hiring, use the hashtag #Hiring on your profile photo, and here’s my special link for a free job posting. Nice.
SpellRing can translate sign language: This is something. Researchers developed a ring for your thumb, and as you sign, it sends out sound waves. A microphone picks them up, AI analyzes them and gestures become letters on a screen. It’s already 82% to 92% accurate.
The FTC is coming for Click Profit: The company scammed customers out of at least $14 million, promising their AI supercomputer picks the best products to sell on Amazon. All you had to do was hand over tens of thousands of dollars. It was all bogus. Folks made little to no money and were stuck with unsold inventory.
Every Tesla owner doxed: Hackers created a website (now taken down) that shows a map of Tesla owners’ names, addresses, phone numbers and emails in the U.S. Why? They’re protesting Elon Musk. The site says it doesn’t endorse or condemn vandalism, but the cursor symbol is literally a Molotov cocktail. If you want your info removed, you have to prove you sold your car.
6,600 pounds
That’s how much the largest digital camera ever built weighs, and it’s ready to snap pictures of the cosmos. With a ridiculous 3,200-megapixel sensor, scientists hope the LSST camera will help answer questions about the universe’s origins.
4,000 mph
Speed the SR-72, a top secret hypersonic jet, is said to reach. The U.S. aircraft is anticipated to break the sound barrier this year at speeds exceeding Mach 6, making it the fastest plane ever. You could fly from New York to Los Angeles in under 37 minutes. Vroom-vroom! Watch this video about it now.
🖼️ Hue here among us can Saturate me: Google’s new Gemini AI Flash 2.0 Experimental mode lets you edit images by simply asking. Want to add or delete objects, change scenery or zoom in and out? Just type it in, and boom, done. Don’t worry, Photoshoppers, you get to keep your job for a while. I used it to create an image of me, on a dolphin, in Hawaii at the end.
Microsoft is paywalling Notepad and Paint: If you don’t have a Microsoft 365 subscription ($9.99/month), in Notepad, options like Rewrite, Make shorter, Make longer, Change tone and Change format will be grayed out. Over in Paint, the Image Creator will be blocked. Seriously, who uses Notepad or Paint anyway?
36,000
Cases of cancer each year are linked to CT scans. Some radiologists are using up to three times the radiation to get clearer pics, even if a lower dose would work. About 90 million scans are done in a year. This could cause 2% of all diagnoses.
🛠️ Bricked no more: Great news if your Chromecast recently stopped working. Google’s rolling out an update that should fix it. If your second-gen Chromecast or Chromecast Audio got bricked, check the Google Home app to update it there.
✅ From Ed in Florida: “Kim, I want to get away from Google. If I sign up for StartMail, will it import all my email and contacts?” Yup. You can transfer your entire mailbox, including messages and contacts, with zero downtime and 100% security. So easy! Save 60% with my special link.
TikTok on the clock: The latest plan to save TikTok by April 5 comes with a big catch (paywall link). Oracle is the front-runner, but it will only take a small stake to look after your data. The app’s algorithm? Surprise, surprise, China will still control it. The algorithm is what makes TikTok tick.
Malware alert: Skip the free file converters. You know those handy PDF-to-DOC or WebP-to-JPEG tools? Hackers are stuffing them with malware to steal your personal and financial info. They’re showing up in search results and ads. Play it safe: Stick to Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Office instead.
From 46% to 26%
The drop in remote work from Oct. 2020 to today. Over 60% of job seekers still want to work from home, but those postings are down 46% across all industries. The 3.4% hiring rate is the lowest in 10 years. We’re hiring!
55 inches
How big the display will be in Cadillac’s new 2025 Escalade SUV, stretching nearly door to door across the dashboard. Drivers get a 35-inch touch screen, while passengers have their own 20-inch entertainment system. Prices will be announced later this year. How do you get your Cadillac to the 2nd level of a mall? You use the Escalader.