The viral ‘$50k or coin-flip for $1M’ question is less about math and more economic hardship
Would you take $50,000 or flip a coin for a 50% shot at winning $1 million? Most Americans and Britons opted for the quick money, a behavior that an economist told Straight Arrow isn’t likely to fade away as the world ushers in an era of tough economic times. Pollster YouGov asked 15,887 Americans and […]
New Minnesota law will ban AI-generated nude deepfakes. Elon Musk’s company wants to block it
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, is suing the state of Minnesota over a law banning deepfake technology that can be used to generate artificial nude imagery. The law, which was passed earlier this year and is scheduled to take effect Saturday, allows people portrayed in AI-generated nude content to file civil suits and seek […]
Even our tech overlords don’t know how X works. Is there hope for the rest of us?
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is back on X after a three-year hiatus and, apparently, he’s already got it all wrong. In a post on the social media platform Wednesday, the Meta CEO and founder promoted his op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, in which he predicted a positive future with artificial intelligence and said he believes […]
$5.5 billion settlement proposed for Johnson & Johnson talc powder claims
After 15 years of what Johnson & Johnson called “meritless” litigation, the publicly traded company committed to a $5.5 billion settlement on Monday with plaintiffs who alleged talc-based products, including the company’s popular baby powder, caused ovarian cancer. If finalized, the landmark settlement would resolve tens of thousands of remaining cases against the pharmaceutical giant. […]
How LinkedIn became the AI-slop punching bag
Premium content: This is from our forthcoming subscriber-exclusive Media Miss newsletter, where we will take you inside the algorithms and agendas shaping what you see. This week I dig into the latest Silicon Valley buzzword, plus a look at the media’s left-right divide on the Iran war. Media Mechanics Self-publishing platform Substack is taking shots […]
Your phone bill is paying for a decades-old government program that some call outdated
When you pay your cellphone bill, there’s a good chance some of that money is helping someone else connect to the world. There’s also a chance it’s going somewhere intended to help someone but not fulfilling that goal. It’s all part of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund (USF). At its inception, the program’s […]
Companies are intentionally seeking out visa workers. The payoff is fed inquiries, low wages
A work visa is one of many ways for people to immigrate to the U.S. and secure permanent residency. A group is collecting postings from companies they say are illegally scouting for visa-eligible applicants over American citizens, a common target for some politicians. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and several […]
Airmen Participate in the World’s Largest Multiday March
Airmen walked in the 108th International Four Days Marches in Nijmegen, Netherlands, a long-standing, 100-mile event that brought together 47,000 participants, including 6,455 military members from 38 nations.
Can law enforcement catch up to AI scams?
Serena Sullivan vividly remembers a recent email she received from someone claiming to be the chair of her department at National University in San Diego: He was in a meeting and urgently needed Sullivan’s phone number. Sullivan was incredulous. Shouldn’t her boss already have that? “There was a sense of urgency and an appeal to […]