Sean Captain

I think we can retire the phrase “artificial intelligence (AI)” If not, would following also be in order?
-Springsteen’s song “Born in the United States of America (USA)”
-What’s the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) password?
-Laugh out loud (LOL) cats
-The Very Important Person (VIP) line
Et cetera...

At least twice the #fcc has referred to reforming a fictional law: the National Environmental Protection Act. It's the National Environmental *Policy* Act. #FactCheck #copyedit #google, #doge staff cuts?

Is it safe to install iOS 26 on older iPhones like the 11 and SE? Testing with developer and public beta versions went smoothly for even the oldest supported models. But there are safety measures if upgrading to the beta or release version goes awry.

Weeks of @fastcompany.com testing several #ios26 betas on #iphone models like the SE2 (plus results from other, expert, testers) show it should run well on even the oldest supported models.

Apple #ios26beta #iphone11 #iphoneSE #ios

Are you all clear on what passkeys are? Do you use them? I'm writing an explainer article and trying to find the best questions to answer. Suggestions? Thanks! #passkey #security

Is anyone else seeing blurred out #joblistings on @linkedin.com with a note that you must subscribe to #premium to access them? I've not encountered that before.

How Hackers Crippled Iran’s Financial System - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts Iran’s already-precarious financial system was brought to its knees by Israel-aligned hackers. The WSJ’s Angus Berwick walks us through the cyberattack. Plus: Research suggests companies should pause ...

Thanks Katie Deighton and @wsj.com Tech News Briefing team for a great chat about why ads for AI in products might hurt sales, rather than help. (First story, starting at 0:48.) Based on research from Washington State University and Parks Associates.
www.wsj.com/podcasts/tec...

Here’s a Tip to Companies: Beware of Promoting AI in Products Consumers have less trust in offerings labeled as being powered by artificial intelligence, which reduces their interest in buying them, researchers say.

Saying #AI in a tech product or service #advertising may actually hurt sales, say two very different studies (one just published last week), as we detail in @wsj.com
Thanks for explaining - Dogan Gursoy at Washington State U and Jennifer Kent at Parks Associates. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-a...

How to Make Sure Information on Your Old Computer Is Really, Truly Deleted It isn’t as simple as pressing “delete” and emptying the trash. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

I hadn't anticipated all the wisecrack reader comments on this @wsj.com piece about wiping your hard drive. Suggestions involving sledgehammers, guns, and acid, plus all the Hillary Clinton references.

Welp, I'd just started using @mozilla.org Pocket again

How to find and cancel forgotten online subscriptions that are costing you a fortune You can save a lot by ditching online subscription services such as apps and video, music and news sites. Here's how to do it—fast.

42% of Americans have been paying for online subscriptions they’d forgotten they even had. @fastcompany.com shows how to easily zap those zombie accounts.
www.fastcompany.com/91326030/how...

The ultimate guide to cheap (or free) streaming, news, and media subscriptions With prices rising and the economy looking shaky, it’s time to seek out free and discounted media. Luckily, there’s no shortage of options.

In economic shaky times, pricey online media like Netflix might be a good place to cut costs. But you can save without giving up on great video, and music, and books, and news sources. @fastcompany.com found oodles of cheap and free options. LMK what you think

www.fastcompany.com/91322736/dig...

Do you use chatbots to make sense of legal documents such as credit card offers, leases, privacy policies or user agreements? I'm writing about how to use ChatGPT and other bots for these and other tasks. Would love to hear your ideas and stories. Thanks!

Well, at least they are honest about the working conditions in this LinkedIn job post.

Are there anything like ally groups?

I'm not an activist, but I'd like to find some way to support LGBT folks directly (especially the T). Any suggestions?

How Big Tech labor organizers aim to unite for Trump 2.0 Supercharged during the first Trump administration, tech worker activism faces new challenges and motivations as the 47th President heads to Washington.

Workers at Amazon facility in Garner, NC, are voting to form a union. Fast Company spoke with a key organizer in a sweeping survey of the Big Tech labor movement back in December.
www.fastcompany.com/91241440/how...

Ahead of Trump's inauguration, philanthropy is fueling political activism on the right and left Donor-advised funds, the fastest-growing form of charitable giving, provide generous tax deductions and the ability to hide what causes wealthy activists support.

While they are not campaign contributions, tax-deductible charitable donations are heavily funding US political movements. @fastcompany.com reports on the top funding tools, called DAFs, used by the right and left www.fastcompany.com/91260303/ahe...

I asked ChatGPT to recommend pretty churches with stained glass windows near me...and got a recommendation for Michael's crafts store. When I walked WTF, it apologized and gave me the same response. Is this the beginning of ads?

"Even Ray Charles could see what's going on." Said NYC mayor Eric Adams claiming that enemies were unfairly investigating him.
As a vision-impaired person, I have a thick skin and good sense of humor. I'm not necessarily offended, but still the comment is a bit tacky.
Not a good look, so to say.

How did Getty Villa survive Pacific Palisades fire while neighbors burned? Flames were seen creeping onto the property, but special measures appeared to save the art collection.

One bit of good news in the LA wildfires. The Getty Villa museum of Greek and Roman art has survived, despite devastation right up to the property line. Losing this mindblowing collection would have been...mindblowing. www.newsweek.com/pacific-pali...

Thanks. I appreciate the perspective.

Google Gemini summary of new events with insert-name details

I've been playing with chatbots to provide news summaries. ChatGPT is doing quite well, Google Gemini not so much. It predicted fed rate *hikes* and provided these worthless summaries of entertainment news.

Ah yes. Won't work for everything

This is an interesting strategy by Elon Musk to make America great, and perhaps not what the Americans who voted for Trump had in mind

Those Online Accounts You No Longer Use? For Your Own Safety, Get Rid of Them You may have forgotten about these ‘zombie’ accounts but their servers haven’t—leaving your information vulnerable to hackers

although, that doesn't *delete* your account data. For sites that have a lot of info on you, best to do that first. (I just did that with Netflix, as my 2025 goal is to read more.) Tips on deleting accounts here. www.wsj.com/tech/cyberse...

Perhaps I'm the last person to figure this out. But using Apple to subscribe to online services seems the most convenient way to both subscribe and especially *unsubscribe*

In Homs, Smiles and Tears Amid a Ravaged Landscape After al-Assad’s Fall (Gift Article) The ancient city, an early stronghold of opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s oppressive regime, was ravaged by a government crackdown. New York Times correspondents in Homs spoke to people who were reacti...

This @nytimes.com profile of the Syrian city Homs succinctly shows how brutal and grim the past decade+ has been. Startling drone footage of the largely leveled ancient city. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/w...

Is it fair to label @bsky.app "Twitter for liberals"?

How Big Tech labor organizers aim to unite for Trump 2.0 Supercharged during the first Trump administration, tech worker activism faces new challenges and motivations as the 47th President heads to Washington.

Amazon union actions take off:
12/19 Strike at 7 facilities
12/11 San Bernardino CA workers join union
12/10 Atlanta drivers join
11/27 Queens NY file EEOC charge
11/15 City of Industry CA workers join
@fastcompany.com wrote about @teamsters.bsky.social as well as office worker organizing

Wow, these #Amazon strikes organized by the @teamsters.bsky.social are really taking off. Is this a new era of big-tech activism? And what can we expect from tech office workers next year?