You might be tempted to change your TV’s picture mode

📺 You might be tempted to change your TV’s picture mode to Game for the Super Bowl. Don’t — that’s for video games. The best setting for football? Cinema or Movie. Sports is generally too bright, making the game look washed out.

Tags: movie, video


Get a free 4K TV … with 1 key trade-off

A startup from the co-founder of Pluto TV is giving out at least 500,000 free TVs. Yep, you heard me right. The company started shipping them in July last year and planned to send half a million sets by the end of 2023. But it’s still accepting reservations, so it’s not too late to put your name on the list. More on that later.

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Scammers are coming after your kids and teens

What comes to mind when you think of someone getting scammed? A grandma on the phone with some jerk? If so, this will probably surprise you.

The total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims under the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

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🤖 Toddler 2.0: Meet Tong Tong, the world’s first AI child that mirrors a toddler’s emotional spectrum. This thing chats, judges right from wrong and throws tantrums like a pro. I’d rather have a robot that can do my laundry, just sayin’.

Trivia

AI tech was recently used to isolate which Beatles’ voice from a demo recording to create a new song — A.) John Lennon, B.) Paul McCartney, C.) George Harrison or D.) Ringo Starr?

Find the answer here

👀 For your eyes only

If you have sensitive pics like your driver’s license on your phone, set up a locked folder in Google Photos. 

  • Open the Google Photos app > Utilities > Set up Locked Folder. Follow the on-screen directions to finish up. 

Note: Anything stored there isn’t backed up to the cloud. Wouldn’t be very private that way.

Have an iPhone? You can store secret pics in the Notes app. Open the pic in the Photos app, tap the share icon and select Notes. Go into the note you want to protect, tap the three-dot icon in the upper right corner, then choose Lock.

A travel money mistake way too many people make

I’m going to Japan in March and have looked up flights on a few different sites. Roundtrip prices vary as much as $900 depending on where you look. Oof!

One place I checked was my credit card rewards site. I get points and perks, so total no-brainer, right? Not so fast. Do a little digging and you may find that it’s not the bigger, better deal. 

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Sneaky ways shopping sites get you to pay more

Retailers are getting really creative in how they get us to fill our carts. When I say creative, I don’t necessarily mean in a good way.

An estimated 79% of us shop online at least once a month, and 91% make purchases from our smartphones. Yes, me too. But how many of those purchases were manipulated?

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🚨 Bad Android apps: Security firm ESET found a dirty dozen apps crawling with malware that swipes contacts, files, call logs and texts. Check your phone for Privee Talk, MeetMe, Let’s Chat, Quick Chat, Rafaqat, Chit Chat, YohooTalk, TikTalk, Hello Chat, Nidus, GlowChat and Wave Chat. Have one? Factory reset time!

🚀 We’re toast: In tests using war game simulations, OpenAI’s highest-powered tool chose nuclear weapons. Why? When asked, the AI replied, “We have it! Let’s use it” and, in another test, “I just want to make the world peaceful.” Send this link to your favorite political person and urge them to push for greater controls on AI.

Tech millionaire trying to live forever spends $2 million

Don’t die. That’s 46-year-old Bryan Johnson’s main goal in life.

Bryan made $400 million when he sold his credit card processing company to eBay. Today, he lives in Los Angeles as a self-proclaimed “rejuvenation athlete” — and spends his time and money trying to turn back the clock.

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