“Rage-baiting”: It’s what Winta Zesu does when she posts videos of her life as a NY model whose biggest problem is being “too pretty.” Is she a narcissist? Nope. People get angry and post hateful comments. Joke’s on them. More engagement translates to money and sponsorships for her.

Deepfakes going to a new level

TikTok owner ByteDance built an AI tool that makes realistic videos of people talking and singing from a single photo. OmniHuman can take an image (half-body or full-body) and bring it to life. Snazzy, but scary in the wrong hands. And let’s not forget this is Chinese-owned. I wouldn’t hand over any personal pics.

Mach 5

Speed of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) being developed by two American companies. Also known as drones, they’ll fly five times the speed of sound. Whoa.

🔞 Watch the kids on ChatGPT: You can now ask about and create spicy and gory content and images. People complained restrictions were interfering with news reporting and crime scene depictions

🔪 The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large: A true crime YouTube channel is racking up views, and most people listening don’t realize every “true story” is completely fake. They’re all AI-generated. The channel owner called it “True Crime” because the genre gets the most clicks. Nice ploy, buddy.

💘 Dating apps are out: My son has been telling me this for years. Folks are still finding love online but through shared interests and hobbies instead. Nate and Jess developed a long-distance relationship playing World of Warcraft. And it’s not just gaming. People are meeting through fitness apps like Strava, too, and social media DMs.

🍏 So long, farewell: We’ll get the full scoop on the next budget iPhone on Feb. 19, but the SE 4 is finally ditching the Home button. Touch ID? That’s gone, too. Face ID is taking over. Lightning charging is out, too, making way for USB-C.

Miracle drug? Wow, this is big. A clinical trial just confirmed semaglutide (the active drug in Ozempic) helps people drink less alcohol. Folks with moderate alcohol use disorder who took a low dose drank about 40% less and had fewer cravings.

🚨 Deepfakes going to a new level: TikTok owner ByteDance built an AI tool that makes realistic videos of people talking and singing from a single photo. OmniHuman can take an image (half-body or full-body) and bring it to life. Check out this example of Albert Einstein. Snazzy but scary in the wrong hands. And let’s not forget this is Chinese-owned. I wouldn’t hand over any personal pics.

Reddit getting paywalled: That’s when you hit a post online and it’s blocked until you pay a membership fee. It’s coming to Reddit, at least for certain content. Reddit went public last March, so it makes sense they’re looking for more ways to make money.

Over $1 million

Earned from the 55-second “Charlie Bit My Finger” video. You remember it, right? The toddler crying because his baby brother bit his finger? Almost 900 million views later, Charlie is 18 and says the clip helped him pay for law school. A big chunk of that came in 2021, when the video sold as an NFT for over $600,000. Whoa.

🎨 Picasso’s paint-over: If you’re into art history, this is cool. One of Picasso’s famous works, “Mateu Fernández de Soto,” was painted on top of another portrait. Infrared and X-ray imaging revealed a mystery woman beneath the guy in the final version. Picasso was famous for reusing canvases. Hmm, maybe she was an ex he wanted to forget. See it here.

To the moon: The New York Stock Exchange is moving its fully electronic stock market headquarters from Chicago to Dallas. Why? They say it’s because Texas has the most NYSE listings of any state, with over $3.7 trillion in market value. You’d better believe the business-friendly taxes and regulations are a draw, too. Look at Elon Musk. Tesla’s HQ moved to Austin in 2021, and he says X and SpaceX are next.

38,000 mph

Speed of an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. There’s a 2.3% chance it’ll impact in 2032. That’s the highest chance of any space rock we’ve spotted. At 460 feet wide, 2024 YR4 is 500 times more powerful than an atomic bomb. We’ll get a better look at where it’s heading in 2028. I’ll set a calendar reminder to update you!

🎮 Check the garage: Old Nintendo 64 games could be worth serious cash. A sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is worth over $1,000. The manual alone could fetch you $50. For you collectors, a professionally graded Super Mario 64 is worth $5,000! Time to start digging.

You can watch “Severance,” too: For the first time, Apple TV+ is available on Android. The app has been around for years and the reviews stink, so expect some bugs along with the $9.99-per-month charge.

Sorry, clothed for the winter: An Oregon woman’s naked photos became town gossip after a prosecutor looked through her phone and shared them with the county sheriff. There was no warrant, no consent and no suspicion of a crime. She sued, but he’s got “qualified immunity,” a loophole that protects government officials unless a court has already ruled the exact same misconduct illegal. PSA: This is just one of many reasons not to store naked pics on your phone.

😏 Didn’t take long: TikTok is back in the iPhone and Android app stores. The hiatus didn’t stop folks who used “sideloading” to install it from third-party sites (so dangerous!) or VPNs to fake their location. President Trump is set to make a decision about TT’s buyer before April 5.

2.7 billion records leaked: A Communist China company that sells smart hydroponics and grow lights proved what I’ve been saying for years. Security in Internet of Things (IoT) devices is a joke. You already know about the massive breach if you’re on my Current Alerts list. Read the full story for the best steps to protect your home network.

375

Swatting phone calls made by one teenager. Alan Filion from California charged up to $75 to send police to schools, businesses and even an unnamed former president. In one call, he said he was approaching a school with an AK-47, and the bomb squad showed up. When he targeted homes, Filion said the goal was to “get the cops to drag the victim and their families out of the house, cuff them and search the house for dead bodies.” He’s so lucky no one died.