It’s easier than ever to copy a real human voice. Just think about all the harm that could cause. Scary stuff, folks. Pro tip: Set all your online accounts to private.
Tags: accounts, AI (artificial intelligence), easier, information, internet, online, Real, scary, tips and tricks
If your late-night Zillow scrolling has gotten more desperate lately, you’re not alone. Home prices are going bonkers. In the past decade, home values shot up 47.1%, beating out the 2010s and 1990s. U.S. home prices are expected to rise another 1.6% over the next year alone. And I found a few markets that are growing nearly five times faster than that.
💊 CVS recall: Over the past decade, CVS has pulled 133 over-the-counter meds of its own in-store brand off the shelves. From bacteria infestations to moldy factory vents and even incorrect dosing, the recall reasons vary. The top offenders are eye drops, cough medicines and constipation treatments. Check your house for any.
Let’s jump in with some Android operating system trivia. It wasn’t designed for smartphones at the beginning. Did they develop it for … A.) Digital cameras, B.) Smartwatches, C.) Gaming consoles or D.) Home automation systems?
In cancellations when streaming services offer bundles. It’s easier to convince yourself to keep the subscription if you’re still watching one or two out of three services. The new kid on the block is Comcast’s StreamSaver trio (Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+) for $15 a month.
Use your inside voice: SoftBank Corp. had a big problem, with its customer service employees stressed out from getting yelled at. So, the company created AI that turns angry voices into calm ones. The software lowers the pitch of customers’ voices and slows down angry rambling. The actual words stay the same. Genius.
Don’t park your Kia in the garage: A North Carolina driver barely escaped her Kia after she heard a loud pop, then it burst into flames. The car was among 1.7 million recalled last September. The antilock brake system can leak fluid and cause electrical shorts. Some nine months later, repair parts are still MIA.
Nice one for YouTubers: The new Thumbnail Test & Compare lets YouTube creators publish a new video (or update an existing one) and show three thumbnails evenly across viewers. You’ll get back data about which one drew the most watch time and engagement. Fun fact: Mr. Beast spends up to $10,000 per thumbnail to get them just right.
🚨 Security breach: A hacker infiltrated tracking company Tile, stealing customers’ names, physical addresses, emails and phone numbers. The bad guys even got into tools that process location data for law enforcement agencies. Instead of paying the hacker off, Tile disabled the login credentials.
Are stolen every month in Los Angeles County. It was 900 per month a few years ago. Police there are curbing thefts by etching VINs onto catalytic converters, making them easier to track. Give your local police a ring to see if they offer something like this. If not, ask them, “Why not?” I had the converter stolen out of my truck. What a pain.
✈️ They’re spying on you: Travel apps including Airbnb and Booking.com are harvesting your data. Flight and hotel booking app Travelstart, for instance, can access your camera to take pics and videos. MakeMyTrip has 50 million downloads … and it can read your text messages. Check out the full list of snoopy apps. It just never stops.
