ATMs make getting cold hard cash from your bank account a breeze. Just pop in your card, click a few buttons and the cash is in your hand. But ATMs can make mistakes. Just ask the man who discovered a glitch that allowed him to withdraw a seemingly endless amount of money. So, how did he do it?
3 ways to instantly look smarter on video calls
ChatGPT
Have you ever joined a Zoom call and thought, “Why do I look like a vampire who doesn’t know where the camera is?” Since it’s the start of a new week, here are easy tricks to make you look brighter, smarter and significantly less like you’re broadcasting from a cave.
🎥 Fix your camera placement
The fastest way to look smarter is simple: Stop looking down at your screen.
- Position your webcam at eye level, even if that means stacking some books under your laptop.
- Sit 18 to 24 inches from your camera. Too close = awkward giant face. Too far = tiny distant speck.
⭐️ Bonus move: Drag whoever’s talking to the top-center of your screen, right under your webcam. This way, you’re naturally looking at the speaker and into the camera. No more looking down, off to the side or like you’re secretly reading something else.
Turns out the fastest fix is good old eye contact. Not like “date night,” but like “I’m kinda interested.”
💡 Master your lighting
Good lighting is an instant upgrade.
- Face a natural light source like a window if possible.
- No window? Place a soft lamp behind your monitor shining toward you, not overhead. Overhead lighting makes you look like you’re telling ghost stories. 👻 Save the oOoOoOoO for the Halloween campfire.
- Avoid bright lights directly behind you, they turn you into a mysterious silhouette.
⭐️ Bonus move: In Zoom, turn on Touch up my appearance under Settings > Video for a little automatic soft-focus magic. Google Meet has “Apply visual effects” > “Slight” or “Studio Lighting” options.
If you do need the right light to look fabulous, here’s a great one ($25).
🏡 Clean up that background
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Auto recall: Ford recalls Rangers, F-150s and Super Duty trucks
If you’re a Ford fan, watch out. The automaker found a critical safety issue in models sent to the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Now, it’s recalling 80,000 vehicles to ensure you’re not in danger when you drive.
Car recalls are more common than you might think. Manufacturers sometimes discover massive threats that could put you at risk only after they’ve sold hundreds of models. Tap or click here to be the first to know when there is a product recall.
Signs you have spyware or a keylogger
Is your phone suddenly running hot? That might not just be a glitch. It could be some creep spying in on your phone.
📍 T-Mobile messed up big-time: The company sells a GPS tracker so parents can see their young kids’ locations if they don’t have a phone yet. But last week, a software glitch showed users the live locations, names and photos of random children instead (paywall link)! Somewhere, a lawyer just whispered: “delicious.” It’s apparently been fixed, but seriously, that kind of info should never be leaked.
$6,233
What AT&T charged a man in Texas for using 3GB of data. They chalked up his massive bill to a glitch or human error. Good reminder to always double-check your bill before autopay kicks in!
Deepfake red flags: Here’s how to spot if someone on a Google Meet, Zoom call or Teams meeting is really an AI bot. Ask them to wave their hand across their face. This can trigger a glitch. Watch for their lips not matching what they’re saying, changes in lighting, robotic movements or if they say, “AI is my master.”
Want the job? Prove AI can’t do it
Shopify now blocks hires unless managers show the role needs a human. Also: one tweet wiped out $6 trillion, T-Mobile software glitch, and new research questions how unique your fingerprints really are.
Baby, oh no: The internet was in a panic. Did Justin and Hailey Bieber break up? How could Hailey unfollow Justin on Instagram? Take a deep breath. It was just a glitch when Justin deactivated his IG account. They were recently seen on a sushi date. Oh, thank goodness.
🎭 Hate getting ready for video calls? What a world. Pickle AI lets you create an AI body double to sit in on your Zoom and Teams meetings. Record a five-minute video of yourself, upload it and let AI train your digital clone. Plans start at $24 per month. I wonder how often they glitch mid-presentation.
⏰ Wake up, Apple: The iPhone alarm clock function has been iffy since last April, when a bug fix didn’t work for a lot of folks. The glitch has made thousands of alarms not ring or go off hours late. If you’ve overslept, just show this to your boss. Pro tip: Double-check your alarm volume under Settings > Sound and Haptic. Move the slider all the way to the right.
🚘 No Waymo: A guy in LA almost missed his flight after his Waymo was stuck driving in circles in a parking lot. Waymo didn’t even follow up on his calls for help. The autonomous vehicle ride-hail service says the glitch was fixed, and they returned his money. It happened in Phoenix at Sky Harbor, too! I’m still not getting in one.
🤦 Baby, don’t Hertz me: Get a load of this — rental car giant Hertz got caught charging Tesla renters hundreds for gas. They blame a system glitch that added a “Skip the Pump” fee to EV invoices. Refunds are rolling out. Are they sorry? Yup — you get one free EV rental day. I’ll pass.