⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Don’t waste your money on “extended warranties” for electronics. If your new tablet, speakers, TV or whatever are going to die, it’ll likely happen in the first 90 days. After that, it’ll probably keep going for years.
Tags: electronics, money, tablet, tech, TV
Bamboozling Gemini: At Black Hat (cybersecurity event), researchers showed how Google’s AI Gemini can be hijacked with a single calendar invite. One hidden prompt, and boom, Gemini starts spewing lies, deleting meetings or opening your windows via Google Home. It’s like a robbery, but your AI assistant is opening the front door.
That’s how far we thought standing apart would save us from germs. Turns out, not so much. New research says our beloved 6-foot safety bubble might just be hot air, literally. It seems the typical indoor temps of 72°F to 86°F create a perfect petri dish for those pesky particles to lurk around your face.
🤐 AI learns to shut up: OpenAI’s newest model finally admits what the last ones wouldn’t: Sometimes, it just doesn’t know. No more flattery, fewer fake facts and a 45% drop in hallucinations. It’s also 80% better at admitting it’s clueless, which is more than I can say for half my group chats.
GPT-5 eats its siblings: OpenAI says GPT-5 is so good they’re deprecating every older model. That means GPT‑4o, GPT‑4.1 and GPT‑4.5 will be gobbled up. ChatGPT defaults to GPT‑5 via a unified “auto‑switching system” sometimes. Comes with “personalities,” can solve real-world problems, and yes, it’s free.
Fake pics, real charges: A student was hit with a $9K damage bill after her NYC Airbnb host claimed she cracked furniture and peed the bed. But the “proof”? AI-edited photos. Airbnb initially sided with the host, then backpedaled fast after a newspaper got involved. Full refund issued, host slapped with a warning. PSA: Take inside and outside videos of any rental property.
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Crypto in your 401(k) now: Trump just signed an executive order letting your 401(k) party with crypto, private equity and other high-risk “alternative” investments (paywall link), finally dragging retirement savings into the 21st century. The SEC, Labor Department and Treasury now have marching orders to un-gatekeep alt-assets. That’s $9 trillion of nest eggs now potentially YOLOing into Bitcoin.
Private chats, public fight: Remember that NYT suing OpenAI story? Now, The New York Times wants to dig through 120 million ChatGPT logs to try to prove OpenAI’s chatbot is a copyright-violating machine. OpenAI’s like, “How about 20 mil?” NYT said nope. Now the court may decide if your “deleted” chats become exhibit A.
🧨 Inside job: Security researchers tricked Google’s Gemini into turning on smart home devices using a Google Calendar invite. When Gemini was asked to “summarize the week,” it unknowingly ran booby-trapped prompts that lit up devices in Tel Aviv. It’s the first known AI attack with physical consequences.
What OpenAI is charging the U.S. government to use its special ChatGPT Enterprise plan. Why? To cozy up to lawmakers and help the government work faster with AI. Oh, and Uncle Sam’s been generous, too. Back in June, OpenAI landed a defense contract worth up to $200 million. Pretty sweet trade.
