I talk to Adam from Boston, a new dad who wants to buy a video baby monitor but also wants to make sure he’s the only one watching it. Then, how Cracker Barrel went from the fastest-growing chain to dead last because of fake outrage. Plus, the future of driving isn’t touch screens, the government’s $42 billion internet money pit, and an influencer who almost lost his finger to his smart ring.
Sora 2: The AI video tool that’s already out of control
Hawking - @DrClownPhD on X, JFK - @dailysopranosofficial on TikTok, Mr. Rogers and Tupac - @itsthegthang and @euphanasiamusic on Instagram
I have to tell you about Sora 2. It’s OpenAI’s new video-generating app that’s both mind-blowing and terrifying.
It’s the first tool from any AI company that lets you give it a prompt, and in literally seconds, you get a full-blown, AI-generated video up to a minute long. The results aren’t perfect, but they’re close. Like Hollywood close.
The lighting, camera motion, facial expressions, it’s all shockingly realistic.
Want to see a golden retriever surfing through Times Square in slow motion? Done. A drone shot of a city being built out of clouds? Easy.
🎭 Dead celebrities
People are using Sora 2 to generate fake videos of dead celebrities doing things they never did.
- JFK is deepfaked into a WWE superstar.
👉 Watch it on TikTok - Tupac appears with Mr. Rogers talking about respect.
👉 Watch it on Instagram - Stephen Hawking is attacked in the UFC. Warning: I knew this was all AI, but it was still upsetting to watch. Weird, right?
👉 Watch it on X - Even Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is shoplifting GPUs from Target.
👉 Watch it on Instagram
I’m sure you know that under U.S. law, “defaming” someone only applies to living people, not the dead. That means families and estates have no legal recourse when someone uses AI to humiliate or misrepresent their loved one. It’s a free-for-all right now, and no one’s accountable.
Even creepier?
Sora is also being used for stalking and impersonation. All it takes is a photo, and you can make a video of anyone doing anything. Fake crimes, revenge content, political lies, it’s all possible. I have a warning about that and a fix for you in tomorrow’s newsletter.
😱 Zero guardrails
OpenAI says you need permission to use a person’s face or voice. Yea, like that’s going to stop someone.
Your streaming bill is robbing you blind
ChatGPT
On my national radio show, I mentioned that the average American spends $110 a month on streaming subscriptions. Add in $80+ for decent internet, and suddenly cable doesn’t look so evil.
My inbox exploded: “Kim, how do I lower my streaming bill?”
🤖 Don’t get caught in a Roomba doomba: iRobot founder Rodney Brooks (aka the Roomba guy) says stay 10 feet back from humanoid bots. Why? If one tips, it’s a 150-pound steel giraffe doing a trust fall. Also, video-only training won’t teach them real dexterity. Don’t let yourself become a YouTube tutorial with bones.
📱 Save data on Facebook: Watching videos eats up your mobile plan fast. You can cut usage by up to 40% by lowering video quality. Just tap the three-dot menu (top right) > Settings & privacy > Settings > Media > toggle on Data Saver. While you’re there, set Autoplay in Feed and Stories to Wi-Fi only.
💾 You’ve got no mail: Goodbye forever, dial-up. AOL finally shut down this week when traffic is up 20%. The AOL brand will live on with Italy’s Bending Spoons, who are buying it from Yahoo for $1.4B because it still pulls in ad money and subscription cash. And to honor AOL’s modem sounds, a nod to my geeky readers. Watch this video about how one guy literally daisy-chained 12 dial-up modems into a 668kbps Frankenline. Incredible.
Did MrBeast finally go too far?
Viral thrills or reckless danger? MrBeast’s latest video is both literally and figuratively sparking outrage. Then, Google admits it caved to daily White House pressure to censor opinions. Plus, kids aren’t passing notes in the hallway anymore, instead, they’re using Google Docs.
Share YouTube videos from a time stamp: On desktop, pause the video where you want it to start. Right-click and select Copy video URL at current time. Or copy the top link from your browser and add &t=2m30s to the end (swap in your own time) to go straight to that moment.
☎️ Don’t touch the button: Listen, if a YouTube video tells you hackers are about to raid your Apple Pay unless you “Protect Now,” don’t fall for it by clicking. That just dumps you into some scammy “cleaner” app you’ll never need. And those pop-ups screaming, “Congrats, you won a Mac”? Yeah, no, you just won malware. Save your clicks, save your bank account.
🔥 Clout-chasing or a cautionary tale? YouTuber MrBeast’s latest viral stunt has people talking for all the wrong reasons. In a video that’s racked up millions of views, he ties a man to a chair inside a flaming building, part of a $500,000 “death trap” challenge. MrBeast insists everything was done safely with pros on set. But when did lighting someone on fire become family-friendly entertainment? What your kids watch isn’t just harmless fun. It’s content engineered for attention at any cost. If your teen says, “It’s just a MrBeast video,” you might want to take a closer look.
CapCut’s hidden side: Think CapCut’s just a video-editing app? Nope, it’s TikTok’s little cousin without seat belts. No parental controls, weak age checks, and kids can run into strangers or even see posts with phone numbers. Docs say it fuels oversharing and self-esteem hits. If your kid’s using it, check their settings, peek at their uploads and talk about what not to share.
⚡ Apple Pay’s “free money”: You have to see this TikTok of a woman crying because she thought Apple Pay was Apple’s way of giving her money. She thought every tap, every time she accepted cookies and every app she downloaded earned her cash. I bet she thinks American Express is a train. Watch the short video here. Real or not? Let me know when you rate the newsletter at the end.
Five stars, zero shame: Walmart’s online marketplace is booming, but so are the scams. A CNBC probe found 43 shady sellers using stolen business IDs and fake reviews to sell bogus products. Unlike Amazon, Walmart skips video interviews and makes EIN docs optional. Pro tip: Filter reviews by “verified purchase.”
🍿 Wicked early: Be the family hero. Amazon Prime members can now snag tickets to see Wicked: For Good on Nov. 17. That’s a full four days before the official release. Just click here, so you don’t miss out. You can shop for Oz-themed merch and stream the first movie on Prime Video to get ready in style.
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Meta’s new smart glasses come in two flavors: Oakley Meta ($449) for sporty types with 3K video, 12MP photos, eight-hour battery and rugged, polarized lens options. Or go sleek with Ray‑Ban Display ($799) for AR in your lens, hands-free texting, calling and navigation. So if you see anyone wearing these, you’re probably being recorded.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
📱 iOS 26: The Camera app’s been fully redesigned. At the bottom, everything revolves around two main buttons: Video and Photo. Swipe left from Video for capture modes like Slo-Mo, or right from Photo for modes like Portrait. Once you’ve picked a mode, swipe up for options like Flash and other controls.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On YouTube desktop, press 0 on your keyboard to restart a video instantly. Or hit numbers 1 through 9 to jump to that percentage of the playback. Nice.
Robo-blitz incoming: Amazon is layering AI over NFL broadcasts like queso on fries. You’ll gradually start noticing video game-like overlays on Thursday Night Football. You’ll see if your QB’s about to get pancaked, whether your team has even a prayer of a comeback and which defender’s sneaking up to ruin the drive. I love tight ends.
📄 Type faster in Google Docs: Instead of retyping long phrases, create shortcuts that expand into full text. Go to Tools > Preferences > Substitutions and tick Automatic substitution. To add your own, type “YTV” under Replace and “YouTube video” under With, then hit OK. Next time you type YTV, it auto-changes to YouTube video. Nice.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want a YouTube video to play on repeat? On desktop, right-click the video and select Loop. Great for study beats, background music or white noise.