December - Tech Marvels & Myths: AI Insights, Digital Dilemmas, and Historical Hiccups
Keep up to date on curated AI, security, tips, tricks and more with The Digital Life!
Welcome to the last edition of 'The Digital Life' in 2023! Thanks for continuing to explore the ever-evolving landscape of technology with us. We’re looking forward to great things in 2024!
Remember, you can still enter to win $100 through December 15th!
Jump into our 'Leftovers are Awesome' contest – win redeemable gift cards for various retailers and charities! No purchase is necessary, just have some holiday fun for a chance to win.
Also, we’ll be announcing our 2024 pricing and VIP packages shortly. Remember, if you purchase ANY Lökwest gift card in 2023 you’re AUTOMATICALLY a VIP!
In this issue:
Exploring how expressing emotions like stress to GPT-4 can enhance its performance.
The transformation of music creation through DeepMind's innovative AI model, Lyria.
Insights from Bill Gates on how AI agents are poised to redefine our interaction with computers.
Discovering how the EFF's Cover Your Tracks tool sheds light on browser tracking.
A roundup of Apple's top apps for 2023, showcasing innovative solutions across various platforms.
The perennial issue of common and easily guessable passwords, highlighting the need for better digital security.
A historical perspective on skepticism towards groundbreaking technology in air and space travel.
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In the news
We’re kicking off with the big gadget announcement this month. Discover the Humane AI Pin: a $700 cross between Google Glass and a pager, minus the screen but with a cool hand-projected UI! Strong feelings have abounded about this - will it change the world or end up as a meme? 🤔
Apple's 2023 App Store Awards highlight the best in tech creativity: AllTrails for iPhone, Prêt-à-Makeup for iPad, and Photomator for Mac. MUBI wins Apple TV's top spot, with SmartGym leading on Apple Watch. In games, Honkai: Star Rail, Lost in Play, Lies of P, and Hello Kitty Island Adventure take the lead in their respective categories.
NordPass' list of 2023's most common passwords is out, and guess what? "123456" and "password" still reign supreme! 🤦♂️🔑 It's a hilarious yet worrying reminder to level up your password game for better online security in 2024. We have hopes that Passkeys and Web3 will eventually help. 🛡️💻
This month in AI
Again, we’re recommending Bill Gates’ latest blog installment. In it, he shares his excitement about AI agents. AI Agents are set to revolutionize computing within five years! Imagine chatting with your computer like a friend, making digital tasks easier and more intuitive. It's like stepping into a sci-fi future!
Check this out - a new study suggests telling GPT-4 you're stressed or scared can boost performance! It seems adding a touch of human emotion to our AI interactions could make them even smarter. Makes sense in a way, considering its training data is based on human interaction. 🤖💡
As a musician, this one continues to amaze me. DeepMind's latest breakthrough, Lyria, is truly revolutionizing music creation. It's an AI model that not only generates high-quality music but also offers personalized styles and performance controls. Tone-deaf people - unite for a new era of AI-assisted music magic! 🙂
A great 10-minute learning experience! Watch Yejin Choi's TED Talk, delving into the paradox of AI: it's both incredibly smart and shockingly naive. If AI can write an essay but can’t perform basic logic, we may all be in trouble….
Are you private?
Cover Your Tracks by EFF is a cool tool to check how well your browser protects against tracking and fingerprinting. It's like a digital mirror, showing how trackers see your browser and what makes it unique. A handy way to stay one step ahead in the privacy game! Don’t be surprised if you find out you’re revealing a lot - most people are by default!
That’s Interesting
Who knew? The New York Times once estimated a 10 million-year wait for airplanes, only to be outdone by the Wright Brothers in mere weeks! Space travel, too, got its share of eye-rolls, labeled as "utter bilge" and a "moondoggle." Talk about a lesson in never underestimating human ingenuity! Makes me wonder what we’re underestimating today?! 🚀😂✈️
In Closing
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!