🧀 Gouda grief, not again: Google had to edit one of its Super Bowl ads after its AI butchered a fact about Gouda. In the original video, Gemini said Gouda made up 50% to 60% of the world’s cheese consumption. Spoiler: It doesn’t. The fixed version calls it “one of the most popular cheeses in the world.” Another reminder AI loves to make crap up or, as the AI companies say, “hallucinate.”
Always impresses me that this is free: DaVinci Resolve is pro-grade video editing software you can download and use for free. There are tons of training videos here if you want to learn new tricks.
To share or not to share? Moms like Cait Scudder asked that question before posting a video of her water birth at home. She says it got 99% positive feedback, and other moms said it helped by being real and honest. Just keep in mind that not everyone may react kindly.
2 in 2,000
People could spot every deepfake image and video of faces. About 39% of people over 65 hadn’t even heard of deepfakes, and 60% of younger people (18-34) were way too confident they could spot fakes. Take the quiz yourself.
Zoom-zoom: On YouTube, double-click the right side of a video to skip ahead 10 seconds. If the intro’s still playing, double-click again to skip it. Another option: Hit the right arrow to jump ahead 5 seconds.
🧠 Mind over matter: It’s been a year since Noland Arbaugh became the first Neuralink patient. I chatted with him last year, and he’s so positive. The procedure was done in Phoenix. The team just shared a video of how the N1 Implant helps him control gadgets just by thinking. Check it out here.
🤖 Rosie from the Jetsons is here: How’d you like to have your own 5’5” robot to make your coffee, vacuum and put away the groceries? Meet NEO Gamma. No price yet. Check out the video. Would you want one in your house? Let me know when you rate today’s newsletter at the bottom.
I’d tell you a joke about unemployment, but it doesn’t work: To get attention on LinkedIn, post a funny video about working. Video content is up 36% this year on the platform and comedians are going viral on the site. Hiring? Use my link to post a job free.
🍑 Imagine accidentally leaking your own nudes: That’s what happened to one guy thanks to a little-known Google Pixel setting. Pressing the power button five times activates Emergency SOS. It calls emergency services and sends a video recording to your chosen contacts. He was naked in bed and half asleep. You can turn it off under Settings > Safety & Emergency > Emergency SOS.
Over $1 million
Earned from the 55-second “Charlie Bit My Finger” video. You remember it, right? The toddler crying because his baby brother bit his finger? Almost 900 million views later, Charlie is 18 and says the clip helped him pay for law school. A big chunk of that came in 2021, when the video sold as an NFT for over $600,000. Whoa.
📀 Free tool: HandBrake is open-source software that converts videos from one format into nearly any other. It’s an easy way to turn DVDs and Blu-Ray discs into digital video files, like an MP4. Then, you can create a free, private YouTube channel and upload your videos to share your home movies. Sweet.
🐋 Modern-day Jonah: I thought this was totally fake, but it’s not. A dad watched a giant whale swallow his son and caught the whole thing on video. Phew, the kid survived! The whale spat the son and his kayak out after a few seconds. The video is terrifying. One moment, he’s paddling, and the next, he’s completely gone.
Stop, thief! If you make YouTube videos, check out Meta’s Video Seal tool. It puts an invisible watermark on your videos. Even if someone edits your video, it’ll still show up so you can prove it’s yours. It’s in demo mode, and you can add a message containing up to six characters.
🦉 Gone but not forgotten: RIP to Duolingo’s green owl mascot. In a very strange marketing stunt, the language-learning app put up a video that shows the little guy getting run over by a Cybertruck, shooting through the sky, past space and straight into hell. Now there’s a reward for anyone who IDs the driver. Hey, it worked, because #RIPduo is trending.
🎭 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.
🧀 Gouda grief, not again: Google had to edit one of its Super Bowl ads after its AI butchered a fact about Gouda. In the original video, Gemini said Gouda made up 50% to 60% of the world’s cheese consumption. Spoiler: It doesn’t. The fixed version calls it “one of the most popular cheeses in the world.” Another reminder AI loves to make crap up or, as the AI companies say, “hallucinate.”
💬 Get a transcript for anything: Let’s say you’re watching a YouTube video that’s packed with helpful info. Cool! Grab the written transcript and save it to read or review later. Hit this site, paste in the YouTube link, and watch the entire script load right there on the page.
🚨 A new AI-based hoax: Don’t fall for a news video claiming you’re wanted for a crime. These videos look real, complete with legitimate branding like CNN logos, on-screen text describing the incident with your name and an AI newsreader reporting it. The scammers threaten to share it with your friends and family unless you pay up.