You never know when social media algorithms will change: If you have a biz, you need a direct connection to your customers. Constant Contact and HubSpot are high-powered, and Intuit Mailchimp offers good free and low-cost options. Don’t forget the signup form on your site. Ta-da! Signed (up), sealed and delivered — your customers’ contact info is yours, not Meta’s.
Mark Zuckerberg and other billionaires are building massive hidden bunkers
Mark Zuckerberg is building a $100M hidden compound on his Hawaiian island ranch — and he doesn’t want you to know about it.
I’m so fascinated by this. It’s not just the Meta CEO, either — billionaires worldwide are adding fortresses to their properties. Why? Good question.
🏝️ Island getaway (from the rest of humanity)
Zuckerberg bought the 1,400-acre Koolau Ranch on Kauai Island in 2014, but only in the last few years did he start a major construction project on the property. Of course, workers had to sign documents promising to keep the details quiet.
Good thing for us who want to be nosey: All the work requires permits. Planning documents show Zuck is building a sprawling estate with a dozen buildings (no surprise) with a 5,000-square-foot subterranean bunker hidden underneath.
Is Zuck preparing for the apocalypse, or at least some sort of societal collapse? Maybe. The plans do include what appears to be a blast-resistant door. Dang, I forgot to include one of those at my new house. Makes you wonder what he knows that we don’t
Billionaires club
If he is getting ready for the end of days, he’s not the first multi-billionaire to hedge his bets on the fate of humanity. Heck, he wouldn’t even be the only one to do so on Kauai. Another billionaire, Frank VanderSloot (his real name), recently bought a 2,000-acre ranch just south of Zuck’s compound for a cool $51M.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that he and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel have an “arrangement” set up in case the world is ending. If things hit the fan, the pair would fly to one of Thiel’s properties in New Zealand to hide out.
Wonder where exactly they’re going to stay. In 2022, a local community council on New Zealand’s South Island blocked Thiel’s plans to build a bunker compound. They said it would disturb the local environment. Look at that, the little guy still wins sometimes.
BYOP (Buy your own passport)
More and more uber-wealthy people have been buying islands — or at least big chunks of them — in recent years. Richard Branson and Johnny Depp top listicles about privately owned islands, along with wealthy fams like the Du Ponts and the Disneys. (OK, I want to stay on the Disney private island. Know anyone?)
Is social media really starting to charge fees for privacy? Check the facts
Rumors have been swirling for years that Facebook will start charging. Before, it was fiction. Now? Well, it’s looking more like fact.
You can thank the latest European Union (EU) privacy regulations — and I mean that. These new regulations do a lot to protect the sensitive data of consumers like you and me.
China preps to hack the U.S.
The FBI says Chinese gov-backed hackers are waiting to ‘deal a devastating blow.’ Plus, Taylor Swift’s album leaks, Meta’s AI chatbot goes live, and lots of big retailers are shutting down (so long, 99 Cents Only store).
Ask Me(ta) anything: Meta just added its AI chatbot to the search bar on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. Ask it anything you’d ask a search engine. Google Search is so dead. Access Meta’s chatbot without logging in at meta.ai.
28 million people use Meta’s Threads each day
That’s 27% more than X’s 22 million daily users. More people still use X each month, but the daily active user count is a better indicator. Point: Zuckerberg. Musk, your move.
Is Meta's new AI art tool worth checking out?
My artistic skills don’t paint a pretty picture. That’s why I am utterly astounded by AI-generated images. Today’s AI art looks more and more like the real thing, and Meta just unleashed its CM3leon AI art tool.
Listen, we all know Mark Zuckerberg and his Meta corporation have questionable judgment and sell our data to anyone he can, but they might just be onto something here. Let’s break down the hype. By the end, I promise you’ll understand a lot more about AI art.
20 minutes of searching Facebook to buy an endangered monkey
In other words, it’s way too easy. Business Insider reported the listing (and others like it) to Meta, which took them down. A watchdog org says traffickers are “easily and openly operating on the platform.” It can’t be that hard to stop this stuff.
Calling all biz owners: Meta’s new AI-powered ad tools let you create tailored ads and spotlight products based on user activity. Reminder ads got better, too, with clickable links to the latest deals and AI that slaps promo codes right on the ad. Now, that’s what I call a shop lift.
Oy, original Oculus owners: If you have an Oculus VR headset you haven’t used in the past year, you may lose all your games, data and purchases unless you act ASAP. Create a Meta account by March 29 to keep your heirloom VR headset kicking.
🔊 AI freebie: Meta’s open-source AI software creates audio from a text prompt. Think typing in “applause” and getting a custom, pro-quality audio clip. It’s called AudioCraft.
Take that to the bank: Mark Zuckerberg is about to cash in big time — $700 million yearly in dividends. The payday follows Meta slashing 21,000 jobs and seeing its stock prices nearly triple. Yeesh.
Zuckerberg's most bizarre congressional appearance
Meta’s CEO apologizes to families hurt by social media. Here’s what it means for tech.
Gemini versus ChatGPT, 23andMe hack & PowerPoint holiday wishlists
Plus, Colin from The Markup found Meta’s Pixel tracking students on sites they have to use for school. Yep, kids’ private info sent to Facebook. Also, the top celebs used for fake news — I got the list. Tips to find spy cams and get snow alerts to your phone.
Dangers of AI s*x bots, BlueWalker 3 satellite & self-hanging TVs
Plus, what happens to all our online accounts when you die? I know: it’s a grim topic, but here are the three steps you need to take. Caller Robert from Texas needs a quick way to digitize handwritten notes. Also, Meta’s new AI for ads, and I’ll reveal the best day to book flights.
Meta's new Vision Quest 3 Ray-Ban VR headset
Are Meta’s new virtual reality glasses, disguised as Ray-Bans, worth the hype? Here’s the scoop, in 60 seconds.
How Meta and Google train their AI
Did you know your online chats might be teaching AI? Here’s the scoop, in one minute.
Meta's reputation
You can find some gross stuff on FB Marketplace. Is Meta doing anything about it? I give you the scoop, in 60 seconds.
The Twitter killer stumbles
Meta’s Threads isn’t doing too hot. Here are all the details, in one minute.