🎶 You’re simply the best: Tina Turner passed away in 2023, but a new song has been released with the 40th-anniversary edition of “Private Dancer.” The “lost” tune, “Hot for You Baby,” was cut from the original tracklist. Critics say it’s meh, but I think it’s classic Tina Turner and those amazing legs of hers! Take a listen and see what you think.
A father’s love
An IT director from Toronto called corporate life quits after doctors told him his son had an ultra-rare neurodegenerative disease with no cure. They said his boy would be paralyzed from the waist down by 10 and quadriplegic by 20. Dad liquidated his savings and teamed up with researchers working on a promising gene therapy. Years later, his son received the treatment and can now stand up.
$620,000
The new max pay for Walmart’s regional store managers. Quite the raise from last year’s $570,000 cap. That’s thanks to bigger bonuses and stock grants. Even on the lower end of the pay spectrum, you’re looking at $420,000, a boost from $320,000. Now, that’s if you snag your full bonus, but it, too, is also rising from 90% of base pay to 100%.
Isn’t this just cable? We’ve come full circle. Comcast’s new $70 monthly Sports & News TV streaming bundle includes live NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB games; over 50 channels, like ESPN, CNN and ABC; a Peacock subscription; and access to over 100 free streaming channels. If you want it, hit the Xfinity Stream app on your phone (iOS and Android) or smart TV.
✈️ Faster flights? Yes, please: If all goes well, an XB-1 commercial plane nicknamed the “Son of Concorde” will hit Mach 1, or about 767 miles per hour, and break the sound barrier next week. How will it feel as a passenger? No extreme g-forces — just a slight pull as it reaches supersonic speeds. You’ll be finishing your peanuts in the baggage claim!
Keep calm and robot on: This is something. OpenAI’s new Operator AI agent is like having a real personal assistant. Prompt it with something like, “Find me a family-friendly campsite at Joshua Tree this weekend,” and it’ll look up options, select dates, check pricing and even book it for you if you give the OK. Right now, it’s only available with ChatGPT Pro accounts ($200 per month). I’m going to try it next week when I have a spare moment.
I take mine every day: Collagen is scientifically proven to help increase bone density, support cartilage regrowth, smooth wrinkles, strengthen nails and make your hair thicker. Hit my special link to get 45% off.
🚗 Here’s the kind of math I like: For car dealerships, a 60-day supply of vehicles is healthy. All across the country, some are hitting 75 days’ worth of supply, and that means they’re much more likely to negotiate with you. Nissan, Dodge, Ram and Jeep are the most oversupplied brands right now (paywall link). Pass this along to someone looking for a new car!
Apple Intelligence was supposed to make Siri better: So far, it’s worse. Someone asked the iPhone assistant to name the winners of all 58 Super Bowls, and it only got 34% of ‘em right. This is basic stuff. When asked, “Who won Super Bowl 16?” Siri replied, “Do you want me to use ChatGPT to answer that?” Until updates roll out, Siri isn’t worth your time.
😱 If you’re looking for info on Reddit, heads-up: There are at least 1,000 malware-infected sites that look just like Reddit. It starts with Google search results that lead to phony threads. Once you’re there, a bogus comment links to WeTransfer to download the program. If you do that, all bets are off; hackers get your login credentials, passwords and more.
❤️ A father’s love: An IT director in Toronto called corporate life quits after doctors told him his son had an ultra-rare neurodegenerative disease with no cure. They said his boy would be paralyzed from the waist down by age 10 and quadriplegic by 20. Dad liquidated his savings and teamed up with researchers working on a promising gene therapy. Years later, his son received the treatment and can now stand up. So wonderful.
✈️ Aisle be waiting at the airport: You can now pay for a JetBlue flight using Venmo. They’re the first airline to offer it, and I bet others will follow. Why the change? JetBlue’s in the red, reporting hundreds of millions in losses. Reminder, if you’re booking secret travel, all your purchases on Venmo are public unless you take these steps.
11 years
Added to your life just by doing chores. Every time you do yard work, take the stairs or vacuum up dust bunnies, you’re boosting your metabolism and increasing your life expectancy. Tell your kids this next time they “forget” to clean their rooms.
Fountain of youth: Retro Biosciences is developing a set of proteins that could turn back the clock on human skin cells. Their goal? To add 10 years to your life. Their work is powered by ChatGPT GPT-4b micro, an AI model created by OpenAI. They didn’t sign a big deal, but OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has already invested $180 million of his own money into Retro Biosciences.
🥵 It’s all over social media: Heating pads, space heaters and electric fireplaces are leaving people with toasted skin syndrome caused by too much heat exposure. It looks like a lacey spotted rash and could take months or years to go away, if ever. Have it? See your doctor ASAP.
Big promises, no results: There are some big opinions on Meta ditching its fact-checking program, but here’s the joke: It didn’t work in the first place. An analysis found only 14% of posts pushing foreign enemy state narratives were flagged as false on Meta. The new plan of action? Community notes … because that’s totally working out for X.
🚗 270,000 Ford models recalled: Certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport SUVs and 2022-2023 Maverick trucks could stop suddenly, making them a scary crash risk. It’s an issue with their 12-volt batteries degrading. Own one? Look for a letter in the mail around Feb. 3 with info on dealer inspections and replacements.
⚠️ Don’t click Google ads: Mac owners searching for Homebrew, an open-source download installer, are getting ads for a fake. The ads display the correct URL, brew.sh, but clicking redirects you to a copycat site. When you install the phony software, you’ve just welcomed info-stealing malware. Argh. Make sure you’re using antivirus software.
60 million
Students and teachers impacted by a massive software breach. PowerSchool, used by 16,000 schools for grades and administration, was hacked. Cybercriminals got Social Security numbers, medical records and home addresses. In some cases, the data went back to the ‘80s. You should get a call if your info is impacted.
64
iPhones filmed OK Go’s new music video. The indie rock band arranged them into a mosaic of split screens for their track “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill” and edited them into a single take. It took their 31-person team over 1,000 takes and 577 hours of prep to nail the four-minute video. Even Tim Cook was impressed. You’ve gotta see it for yourself.