Rental spikes, exposed

December 9, 2024

Rental spikes, exposed: Landlords are using AI tools to drive up rent prices. Take RealPage: Its software lets them input lease info, pool it with data from other landlords and use an algorithm to recommend (usually higher) rent prices, even when the market trends downward. San Francisco has already banned AI rent-setting software, and more cities are drafting similar laws.

Tags: AI (artificial intelligence), data, RealPage, renting, software

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Biggest hack in US history: How to encrypt your communications

I’ve been talking about it for weeks, and now it’s all over the news: Communist Chinese hackers infiltrated telecommunications giants like AT&T and Verizon and wormed their way into government surveillance systems. The massive breach was detected over a month ago, but it’s been going on for over a year.

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Reel-y impressive tech

Amazon is dropping six new AI models. Reel turns simple text prompts into short videos. Here’s a little snippet. I’m impressed! For now, three text-generation models are live for certain developers. The rest drop for me and you to try early next year.

$100-plus

Potential per-hour rates for a professional back-scratcher. It’s not just scratching someone’s back; you play with their hair, too. One pro scratcher quit her six-figure job to open a spa. Now, she’s making even more money.

The tipping point

A Canadian news channel went undercover at 100 businesses to see if they asked for tips. They were prompted to tip at fast food joints, jewelry stores, auto shops and even online shops. Two-thirds of employees didn’t know where the tips went. Tip theft is illegal in the U.S., but we all know not every business follows every law.

8 extra months

For pancreatic cancer patients given high doses of vitamin C. Researchers added 75 grams to late-stage patients’ IVs alongside chemo treatments, and it doubled the time the patients lived. A larger trial needs to be done, but isn’t this amazing? I wish we knew this when my mom was going through chemo for pancreatic cancer. 😢

$295,000,000

List price for a mansion on the market in Naples, Florida. The most expensive property for sale in the U.S. has six bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, two guest houses, a yacht berth … and a 95% chance of flooding within the next 30 years. The nine-acre compound has Gulf waters on three sides, and the city’s been hit by five hurricanes over the last two years.

9,000,000 tulips

Planted for the “Wicked” movie. The movie’s director wanted real flowers in the scene for “Over the Rainbow,” not CGI. The flowers were grown on 500 acres at Belmont Farms in Norfolk, England. Only an American could’ve written “The Wizard of Oz;” anywhere else, he’d be “The Wizard of 28g.”

23 years ago

Enron went bankrupt. After more than two decades, they’re making a comeback. This week, “Enron” launched a rebranded website and press release about their return, now featuring crypto. Unbelievable, right? Yup. It’s a parody site for “entertainment purposes only.” Talk about an En-runaround!

80% fee increase

For Verizon bills over the last two years. The data line fee ticked up to $1.60 from $1.40, and the admin fee is now $3.50 a month, compared to only $1.95 in mid-2022. They’ve had lawsuits over these fees and have tried to hike their prices quietly. Good luck with that.

$2,834

Average credit card balance for 22- to 24-year-olds. That’s 26% higher than a decade ago. Why? Gen Z has embraced the buy now, pay later options at checkout. Talk to your Gen Zers, and remind them, “If you can’t pay for it now, you won’t be able to pay for it later.”