🦺 Junior mode: That’s the kid-friendly version of Disney+. To enable it for your little one, create a new profile, then tap Add profile. To do this with an existing profile, tap Edit profile. Toggle on Junior mode to limit streaming options to kid-appropriate content, all with a simpler, easier-to-navigate interface.
November 2nd, 2024
Could this be the beginning of the end for Google? OpenAI just launched its own ChatGPT search engine, and it’s impressive. Plus, YouTube cracks down on Joe Rogan, Disney’s rolls out AI surveillance in its parks, and countries are making millions off domain names.
Woz-not-Woz: Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak went on CBS to warn about fake videos of him promoting Bitcoin. The scam clips promise to double whatever BTC you send. The funny part? While telling the story, CBS showed a fake 1970s “Woz in his garage” photo, which turned out to be of a Disney animatronic. Awkward.
#1
That’s the position Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, just snagged on Tripadvisor’s list, beating Disney and Universal to become the Jolene of U.S. theme parks. With coasters, live shows, a 35-acre water park and two-days-for-the-price-of-one deals, you’ll be singing “I Will Always Love You.” Oh, I hope you Parton my excitement. 🎢
Customize Windows 11 Start menu: Under Pinned apps, right-click anything you don’t need (like Disney+) and select Unpin from Start. To add an app, right-click its shortcut and choose Pin to Start. You can also drag apps to arrange them in any order you want or group them together.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Did you know an Xbox or PlayStation can stream Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and more? Install the apps from the console store and turn game time into movie night. Achievement unlocked: Your kid finally lets you use the console.
95%
That’s how much of the U.S. Walmart plans to cover with three-hour delivery by year’s end. The race isn’t who sells it cheaper, it’s who gets it to your couch faster. With Gopuff, Disney and Starbucks joining in, your impulse buys might arrive before your buyer’s remorse does.
💖 Fastpass to love: You can now find your Disney partner obsession in a new dating app called Single Riders. You can plan park dates, geek out over hidden Mickeys or sing “It’s a small world” together. If Goofy offers you style goals, this one’s for you.
Walt Disney lives again? Kinda. He’s being turned into a lifelike robot for Disney parks, so guests can see what it might’ve been like to meet him. It’ll look like him at age 62 and use real lines from his speeches. The twist? His granddaughter says he would never want this.
Canon event POV: You can now “walk” around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on Disney+, and there are zero stroller traffic jams. The new immersive POV special lets you explore Black Spire Outpost, spot Rey and Mando and vibe in theme park peace. It’s like a Disney vacation, minus $18 hot dogs and sunstroke.
🧟 Walt Disney returns … kinda: For Disneyland’s 70th, Disney is unveiling an animatronic Walt Disney to “remind fans he was an actual person” and not a mouse. Some family members aren’t thrilled, calling it a robotic grandpa impostor. But Disney swears it’s what Walt would have wanted, right down to the animatronic charm. Spoiler: No cigarettes. It was reported Walt smoked three packs a day.
🐭 Ex-Disney worker headed to prison: After getting fired, Michael hacked company servers and messed with restaurant menus. He changed prices, added curse words, locked employees out of their accounts and, the kiss of death, even marked peanut items as “peanut-free.” The penalty? Three years in prison, definitely not the happiest place on Earth.
🪂 Star Wars drops in Fortnite: A new animated series, Tales of the Underworld, is premiering in Fortnite. Yes, like inside the actual video game. It airs tomorrow, May 2 at 10 a.m. ET, two days before Disney+ gets it. Of course, there’s in-game merch for kids to buy. The trailer doesn’t look too bad.
$550 billion
That’s how much analysts say Google can get for YouTube if forced to sell it. Now the top streaming platform by viewership, YouTube is worth more than Disney, and all it took was 20 years of cat videos and Minecraft speedruns. Fun fact: The YouTube founder sold it to Google for $1.65 billion in 2006.
🐭 MrBeast wants to be the next Disney: Hard to believe his first YouTube video, a Minecraft trick, went up on Feb. 20, 2012, when he was only 13. Now? He’s raising hundreds of millions to build an empire of animation, gaming, toys, comics, merch, you name it. At this point, his thumbnails deserve their own Emmy.
Unlock the Disney+ vault: Just type these secret codes into the search bar. If you’re in the mood for a Marvel trailer, enter 78654. Looking for a good laugh? Try 79008 for some hilarious Star Wars bloopers.
🐭 Coming to Disney next year: This is freakin’ awesome. Real Star Wars droids roaming around. They’re working with Google DeepMind and Nvidia’s new Newton model to bring them to life. This will help them walk around the parks, be more expressive and do tricky tasks on their own. What do you call a pirate droid? Arr-2 D2. (Good one, right?)
Peter Pan always flies because he never lands: A former Disney engineer thought he was downloading an AI image generator. It was malware. Hackers stole his personal info and Disney data, then dumped it all online. That’s not even what got him fired. He was watching porn on his work computer. Dummy.
AI surveillance at Disney Parks
Enjoying yourself at the most magical place on Earth? If not, Mickey might know.
Chinese hackers reportedly collect U.S. phone call audio
A Chinese group called ‘Salt Typhoon’ is accused of targeting calls involving political campaigns. Plus, a list of words you shouldn’t Google, a big no-no with your phone in the voting booth, and Disney’s latest AI moves.