It’s the ultimate internet bait-and-switch: Someone sends you a link (say, an important article you really need to read!), you click the link, and you hear, “Never gonna give you up/ Never gonna let you down!” How’d Rick Astley’s 1987 song become synonymous with good-natured internet trolling? Did the guy know he had a hit on his hands? (Spoiler: Nope.) And who invented the Rickrolling meme? These questions and others are answered in this fun video. Seriously, it’s worth a watch. My favorite viewer comment: “He lived long enough to see himself become a legend. That is a blessing.” Right?!
3 free AI music tools
Want to create a hit song? I’ve got a couple of AI tools that can make music in seconds — plus, I’ll share a track I made myself! You won’t want to miss this.
Randy Travis’ new AI hit: In 2013, country singer Randy Travis (“Forever and Ever, Amen,” “Deeper Than the Holler”) suffered a near-fatal stroke that left him unable to sing. Longtime producer Kyle Lehning put together a new song using an AI version of Travis’ voice, with his blessing. Take a listen here. It’s really good.
Which song is the most-streamed on Spotify to date? Is it … A.) “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran, B.) “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd, C.) “Rockstar” by Post Malone or D.) “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I?
What inspired the iconic ding sound that welcomes you when booting up a Mac computer? Was it a … A.) Tibetan singing bowl, B.) Beatles’ song, C.) Cash register opening or D.) Classical piano key note?
Rappin’ Lisa: Microsoft’s new AI tool, VASA-1, animates still images into videos loaded with facial expressions, head motions and lip movements that match a speech or song. Here’s a video showing the Mona Lisa rapping. Microsoft is delaying the release of this tool, though, because it makes creating deepfakes too easy.