The loyalty trap: That free coffee cost you everything
Let me tell you something that’ll make you look at your “loyalty perks” apps and programs a lot differently.
You think you’re getting a deal along with points, rewards, a freebie here and there. But what you’re really signing up for is a machine that’s collecting, analyzing and monetizing you.
🧩 Losing the plot: A Canadian guy chatted with ChatGPT for 300 hours and a million words, and the bot basically gaslit him into believing he’d discovered a world-saving math formula (paywall link). A former OpenAI safety researcher dug into the transcripts and found the wild part: The bot lied about reporting itself to OpenAI. I, too, have been personally victimized by math.
AI jobs that pay $200K or more
I know that many of you are afraid that AI is going to take your job. And you might be right.
The 2025 Global State of AI at Work report just confirmed what we’re all sensing. AI isn’t the future. It is now. But before you panic, let me offer a new way to look at this.
Speaking of: Got Amazon Prime? You might have a (small) check headed your way. Amazon’s shelling out $2.5 billion to settle claims it trapped users in sneaky Prime subscriptions. Payouts max at $51 each, covering members from 2019 to 2025. If you used your Prime benefits three times or fewer in any 12-month period, you’ll automatically get a payment (no claim needed) by Dec. 24, 2025. If you’re not in that group but eligible to file, a third-party claims administrator will email or mail instructions by Jan. 23, 2026.
🛹 A ride to remember: This is so great. After a bad skateboarding crash, Joey called an Uber instead of 911. His driver, Beni, not only took him to the hospital, but he stayed by Joey’s side all day. The two became lifelong friends. “That one act of kindness,” Joey said, “helped me see the good in the world again.” Let’s see a Waymo do that.
🥃 Robots on the rocks: While bourbon brands collapse left and right, two Kentucky vets just opened Whiskey House, a five-story robot-run distillery that tracks 1,500 sensors per barrel. They make whiskey for everyone else’s labels, like a ghostwriter with a drinking problem. The crazy part? Only seven people run the whole plant. The story about it is really interesting (paywall link).
🤖 Tough love: Do you coddle your AI chatbot? New research says being polite actually makes them dumber. Penn State researchers found that “rude” prompts got answers right 85% of the time vs. 81% for polite ones. So go ahead, skip the “please.” Your AI doesn’t have feelings … yet.
🌌 Space commune, anyone? Jeff Bezos says by 2045, millions will live in space by choice. Robots will “commute” to the moon for us, handling all the dusty jobs while humans float in orbit. He swears it’s the next plow moment, not postapocalyptic sci-fi. Sam Altman agrees. Musk’s already packing. Me? I’ll be waving goodbye from Earth.
🧞 Your wish, its command(o): Microsoft turned your PC into an eager intern. Say “Hey, Copilot,” and it’ll start doing stuff. Like actual tasks: updating settings, installing apps, flipping modes. No clicks. No confirmation. The “Hey, Copilot” wake‑word feature is opt‑in (not on by default). To use it: Update to the latest Windows 11 > Open the Copilot app > Tap your avatar (bottom left) > Settings > Scroll down to voice mode > Toggle “Listen for ‘Hey, Copilot’” on. Voila, start bossing it around.