Rates going up? New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill joins to talk about how your car may be snitching on you. Also, Kim and Andrew take a look at the new viral video of Kate Middleton and Amazon’s (dumb) solution to workplace burnout — telling workers to think happy thoughts.
Check out these headlines reacting to Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter
After weeks of speculation and corporate wrangling, Twitter’s board approved Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase. It’s big news for the tech industry and social media platforms, but not everybody is thrilled.
Many media outlets are concerned about what it could mean for Twitter in the future.
On several occasions, Musk explained that “free speech is essential to a functioning democracy” and that Twitter must enable it. Read on to see why some perceive this to be a threat.
Here’s the backstory
Twitter came under fire from politicians and some right-wing activists for suspending the accounts of well-known personalities. Twitter suspended accounts of those it determined went against the service’s policies. Most notably was the account of former President Trump.
But if recent news headlines are anything, the same opponents are now against Musk’s freedom of speech plans. Take the headline from Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post, for example.
“How to lock down your Twitter data, or leave, before Musk takes over,” it says. A small line reads: “Here’s everything you can do now to secure your personal information.”
Transcontinental conundrum
Or how about this headline from U.K.’s Daily Mail. While it is not exactly the bastion of factual news, it still ran with an article titled “Rebellious employees called deal ‘dangerous for democracy,’ hinting that free speech is under threat.”
Even former CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey defended Musk. In a series of tweets, he said that Musk “is the singular solution I trust” and responded to Musk’s plan of delisting Twitter into a private company by saying that “taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.”
Wordle is still free, but now it's packed with ad-tracking tech
You have undoubtedly heard of the word guessing game Wordle by now. It became an online sensation in only a few months, with millions of people trying to decipher the colored clues daily.
Initially, the game’s design was simplistic, with a clean user interface and the promise of remaining free. But as popularity grew, the creator sold the game to the New York Times (NYT) for an undisclosed amount. As many feared, the media powerhouse soon started to make changes.
Plateaus are the highest form of flattery: The New York Times is suing geography game Worldle for causing confusion and piggybacking on its hit game, Wordle. Worldle’s creator says many games have similar names — e.g., Quordle, Nerdle and Heardle. (Btw, some people say “crane,” “slate” and “crate” are the best three words to start with for Wordle.)
1,000 Wordle puzzles
Now available to New York Times Games subscribers. I like the comradery of everyone doing the same puzzle each day, but it’s also fun to catch up on older Wordles if you missed them! Pro tip: My favorite opening word is “stare.”
The internet is buzzing about 'murder hornets' - what you need to know
Our civilization went into the year 2020 thinking we’d be able to see our way through the new decade clearly. Now, most people can’t wait for 2020 to be hindsight.
Within the span of a few short months, war nearly broke out with Iran, the Pentagon officially declassified UFO footage and a global pandemic shut down nearly all aspects of our normal lives. It’s no wonder so many of us are sick to our stomachs with anxiety. Tap or click here to see 5 apps that can help you cope with stress.
Bet you won't beat this privacy quiz
Privacy is no longer a right, but a privilege on the modern web. Most websites require you to fork over a slew of personal data when you sign up, and some don’t even give you the choice to opt out. But, as free services, this is how they’re able to operate — by selling user data and analytics.
Move over, New York Times: LinkedIn added puzzle games to its app and desktop site. You can pick from three options: Pinpoint (word association), Crossclimb (trivia and wordplay) and Queens (sudoku without the numbers). Give ‘em a whirl — they’re free.