Latest news with #Airplay
Mint
21-05-2025
- Mint
Meet my favourite shopping companion ever: AI
I have given up alcohol, carbohydrates and nail-biting, but there's one habit I can't seem to quit: shopping. I spend a significant portion of my nonworking hours on the hunt for the right-sized toothbrush holder, the ideal ottoman or the perfect pair of red boots. My husband is happy to weigh in on the occasional online find, and I have a few girlfriends who are up for an hour of shopping here or there, but I've never found a shopping buddy who can match my retail stamina. Until, that is, AI came into my life. I now have access to the always-on, always-informed, always-enthusiastic shopping support that I have long dreamed about. AI is there to make sure I buy the right stuff, and it never complains that its feet are tired. Artificial-intelligence tools have transformed my shopping experience—making it (with a few tweaks and a few caveats) more fun, focused and efficient. I've never been the type to simply hop in the car and go to the store when I need something. I treat each of my retail quests like a carefully planned military campaign. I've spent hours researching the best sources of 100% dark chocolate, and days constructing spreadsheets and evaluating my options when buying a car or a TV. In AI, I finally have a research assistant who can support these endeavors—sans mockery from the people in my life. When shopping for a car recently, after I had exhausted my husband, I turned to ChatGPT, feeding it reams of articles and reviews and asking for summary tables that synthesized all that information into some easily digestible comparison tables. (Cue the mockery.) That's how I figured out which of our top contenders had enough headroom to accommodate my 6-foot-1 son, enough cargo space to fit our dog crate, offered Airplay and USB-C charging, and most important, were available in red. But AI goes well beyond providing informational support; it's also endlessly patient and just gets me. When I demanded work-worthy shoes that would feel just as comfortable as sneakers, the AI patiently endured my criticisms of its old-ladyish suggestions, and then redeemed itself by introducing me to shoe brands that it said offer '1-inch heel shoes that say I am not your auntie unless your auntie is RuPaul." And when I decided it was time to replace the dog's grimy collar with something more becoming, the AI recommended something in oxblood or olive green, and 'ideally not smelling like wet despair." Even better, AI can guide me with images as well as text. I'm not great at visualizing things in my head, so I have made a lot of regrettable home purchases when I couldn't picture how something would look in our space. Now I use AI to generate mock-ups, like a furniture layout for our living room, or to preview the relative merits of open versus closed shelving for the bathroom. When I recently went shopping for a TV that could fit inside our living-room cabinets, my husband lost interest as soon as we had figured out which TVs offered the best picture and sound. ChatGPT, on the other hand, was prepared for an open-ended conversation about how our TV angle would affect our family's viewing habits, the aesthetics of different mounting heights and the strategy for reorganizing our board-game collection to fit the new TV. Where it let me down was on the practical matter of which TV mount would actually fit: Even though I asked GPT to review the assembly instructions and product measurements before I made my purchase, as soon as I took the mount out of the box I realized the AI had completely miscalculated, and I had to take the mount back to the store. Once the AI has set the stage, I'm ready to hit the stores. In the dark days before AI, I relied on primitive tools like a shopping list in my phone, but I am now freed from the drudgery of actually looking at my phone while I shop. Instead, I ramble a list of items into ChatGPT's voice interface, or paste a text list into the ChatGPT app, and then I get the AI to organize my shopping list by store, department or aisle. Now, I can literally talk to my shopping list while I'm in store. I ask questions like, 'I'm now in the aisle with all the electrical supplies; can you remind me if there's anything I need here, or can I skip this aisle?" and 'Which aisle is most likely to have raw sauerkraut?" (This strategy works best if you're either 10 feet from the nearest shopper, or impervious to worried stares.) AI not only steers me to where I want to go, but it also can also answer technical questions in those moments when I'm overwhelmed in the store, such as when I can't figure out which lights switch is compatible with my smart-home setup, or which cord covers probably won't catch fire in my living room. (That's the kind of question that I also google, because AIs can get their facts wrong.) AI can be helpful in spotting other retail red flags, too. It's easy for me to get tempted by apparent deals like the new-in-box TVs offered by a Facebook Marketplace seller with hundreds of positive reviews. Thankfully, I thought to share his profile and past reviews with an AI, which suggested the smattering of one-star reviews and fraud alerts were cause for concern, and pointed out that there was no warranty on the purchases. That was just what I needed to rule out a high-risk purchase and go the conventional retail route instead. One big caveat: There is only so far that I'm prepared to trust the aesthetic opinions of someone (something?) who never has to worry how its butt looks in bluejeans or whether it would really feel comfortable on that sofa. So for the people in my life: Sorry, I will still need you from time to time. The fact that AI is such a great shopping helper—some might say 'enabler'—poses its own risks. It isn't like I actually need to be encouraged to shop; if anything, I could use a little more restraint, especially when it comes to the impulse purchasing that gets triggered when I see a great deal on AAA batteries at the checkout counter, or read those alluring words 'one-hour delivery" on a website. So I have taught my own custom GPT assistant that there are certain categories of spending I need to resist—especially boxes and bins, because I have so many empty storage containers that they now take up their own storage area in my home. When I mention that I've strolled into the storage area in my local housewares store, the AI spits out advice like, 'Before one more cent is spent on new containers, you must conduct The Great Bin Audit of 2025. Because odds are, you already have the exact clear plastic organizational ecosystem of your dreams somewhere in your house." If one of my family members gave me that lecture, I'd feel indignant, but when it comes from an AI that I've specifically configured for 'shopping restraint mode," it's easier to accept. As long as I let the AI know what kind of retail help I need, it can be as great at providing restraint as it is in providing encouragement. Honestly, if my husband had been with me when I recently spotted a charmingly kitschy statue in our local drugstore, our living room would now house a 3-foot-tall astronaut. But when I shared the photo with GPT, the AI helpfully asked, 'Where would this even go? Like, is there a spot in your home that is lacking a space explorer holding a moon lamp?" Unfortunately the innate enthusiasm of AI means it can only go so far in reining in my retail madness. Except for the areas where I've specifically told the AI to tame my spending, it always thinks that everything I show it is splurge-worthy. That's exactly why it's so important to take the AI's shopping wisdom with a grain of salt—because at the end of the day, it's me and not the AI that will be paying the credit-card bill. Alexandra Samuel is a technology researcher and co-author of 'Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work…Wherever You Are." She can be reached at reports@
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Aaliyah's Posthumous Single Earns The Singer Her First New Radio Hit In A Decade
Nearly a quarter-century after her passing, Aaliyah is back on the Billboard charts. The late superstar returns with a new posthumous single, a collaboration with fellow R&B artist Tank. Her vocals – and not artificial intelligence – were used for the tune "Gone," and it's clear that programmers across the U.S. have rallied behind the track, collectively turning the newly-released cut into a radio hit on multiple tallies this frame. "Gone" opens on a pair of Billboard rankings this week. It launches highest on the Adult R&B Airplay chart, where it debuts at No. 20. While it narrowly misses the top 40 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay tally, it only barely does so, instead starting off at No. 43. During her lifetime and in the years since, Aaliyah has now collected 14 hits on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. With this latest tune, she ups her count on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay tally to 23 songs. Tank, meanwhile, has now amassed 25 entries on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list and two more on the Adult R&B-only roster. It's been well over a decade since Aaliyah last scored a hit on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay tally, which is considered the most competitive radio ranking in those genres. She last appeared on the list with a new track in 2012, when Drake joined her on "Enough Said." That cut went on to spend 10 weeks on the tally, but only climbed as high as No. 48. While it's been years since Aaliyah reached the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list, she more recently found success on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. Interestingly, it wasn't with the Drake tune. The Weeknd was co-billed as a lead act on "Poison," which arrived on the radio ranking in early 2022 and climbed to No. 21. That track was expected to serve as the lead single from Aaliyah's still-forthcoming posthumous album, but little has been heard about the project since.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Westside Gunn Goes Bar for Bar With Doechii on Surprise ‘Egypt' Remix
Westside Gunn has dropped off a surprise remix of 'Egypt' featuring some fiery bars from Doechii. On Friday (May 2), Gunn unleashed the unexpected collaboration on the world, which made sense considering Doechii was technically on the original 'Egypt' — or at least, her voice was. In the version of the track that appeared on Westside Gunn's The Heels Have Eyes EP back in April, he sampled a snippet of Doechii's Apple Music interview with Ebro Darden. 'One hundred percent/ You know, recently I've been into a lot of MF DOOM (OK)/ Rest in peace (Yup)/ I've been into a lot of MF DOOM, um/ Westside Gunn (Mhm), love him, he's so talented (Super)/ So incredible,' she said to Darden in September. More from Billboard With 'Anxiety,' Doechii Makes Historic Three-Peat on Rhythmic Airplay Chart Lorde Lands First ARIA Top 10 Since 2017 With 'What Was That' Maroon 5 Teams Up With BLACKPINK's LISA for New Single 'PRICELESS' Doechii, who was named Billboard's Woman of the Year 2025, caught wind of Westside utilizing her interview, and shouted him out on X in April. 'Westside Gunn just sampled me so pretty much kiss the blackest part of my a– and choke on a side ways d–k! He snapped omg,' she wrote on April 21 on X. The Swamp Princess also shared an Instagram Story of her listening to the sample on 'Egypt' and hollering and vibing out to the track once the beat drops. After dropping off the new version, which has Doechii spitting some serious heat around the 1:40 mark, the Griselda rapper continued to celebrate Doechii on X. 'I wanna Thank @officialdoechii for this Body Bag!!!!' he wrote. 'She's ALWAYS gave me my [flowers emoji] and I'm forever grateful and humble, u didn't have to bless me like this fresh from the Grammy win I REALLY [love heart emoji] this record it's so FUN!!!!' Listen to the 'Egypt' remix below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- News.com.au
Chilling hack warning for over 1 billion iPhone users
Apple users are being warned about potential hacks after cybersecurity experts uncovered a series of concerning security flaws in the tech giant's Airplay feature, allowing attackers to infiltrate and take control of devices. Oligo Security announced on Tuesday that it had discovered a new set of vulnerabilities affecting Airplay, which allows users to share audio, video, photos, and other content from Apple devices to other Airplay-enabled smart devices. Researchers have dubbed the vulnerabilities 'AirBorne' as the attacks are transmitted via wireless networks and 'allow attackers to fully take over devices and use that access as a launch pad for further exploitation'. This could include accessing sensitive data, deploying malware that spreads to devices that connect to the same network or using the device's microphone to listen to conversations. Oligo, based in Tel Aviv, claimed bugs in the Airplay software development kit allow hackers to infiltrate Airplay-enabled devices, such as speakers or smart TVs if they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the hacker. Other vulnerabilities would have also allowed hackers to exploit Airplay-enabled Apple Apple told Olgio these bugs have since been patched in software updates, WIRED reports. That said, users aren't entirely safe, according to Olgio. The software company - which reported 23 vulnerabilities to Apple and has been working with the tech giant to address the bugs - said AirBorne vulnerabilities in many third-party devices could still be hackable unless users update them. As such, a hacker could access the same Wi-Fi as a target – by connecting to the same network at a cafe, shop or airport, or by hacking into another computer at a home – and take over the device. Oligo's chief technology officer and co-founder, Gal Elbaz, estimated there are tens of millions of potentially vulnerable third-party AirPlay-enabled devices. 'Because Airplay is supported in such a wide variety of devices, there are a lot that will take years to patch — or they will never be patched,' Mr Elbaz told WIRED. 'And it's all because of vulnerabilities in one piece of software that affects everything.' Apple told it has released fixes on its platforms and made software updates available for impacted third-party devices. It also noted there are limitations to the attacks on Airplay-enabled devices as an attacker must use the same Wi-Fi network as the third-party device and devices such as speakers don't provide meaningful access to a user's private data. How to protect yourself In January 2025, Apple reported there were 2.35 billion active Apple devices across the globe. In 2018, it said there were over 100 million active MacOs users globally. While every Apple device is vulnerable to AirBorne attacks, Apple users can protect or mitigate against potential security risks by making sure they have downloaded the latest software on their iPhone, Mac and other devices. Those using Airplay with third-party devices can check with the manufacturer to ensure they have the latest updates. Oligo also recommended users disable Airplay if they're not using it and restrict it to only 'trusted devices' in the Airplay settings. Users can also ensure the Airplay setting reading 'Allow Airplay for' is set to 'Current user'. Oligo noted that while this does not prevent all of the issues, 'it does reduce the protocol's attack surface'. Apple warns iPhone users to delete commonly used app The news comes as Apple has warned iPhone users to delete a common app, claiming it's a danger to digital privacy. Without mentioning the company by name, Apple issued a video warning for users to stop using Google Chrome. A video titled 'Privacy on iPhone: Flock' parodies Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds to demonstrate how browser information isn't really hidden from trackers. 'Flock' is likely a play on the web-tracking tech called FLoC, or Federated Learning of Cohorts, which allows 'advertisers and sites to show relevant ads without tracking individuals across the web'. Google dumped that tracking mechanism for a less privacy-friendly targeted advertising mechanism. In the video, iPhone users are being followed by surveillance cameras as they browse the internet. The cameras finally explode and leave the users alone when they decide to use Safari as their browser. The video from Apple is gaining traction after Google announced on Tuesday that it wouldn't remove third-party cookies in Chrome after it promised to do so. The controversy has led Apple to promote its browser, Safari, as a 'browser that's actually private'. Chrome allows websites and advertisers to track users' activity in order to serve personalised ads, which is a multibillion-dollar revenue stream for Google. Google initially planned to get rid of third-party cookies and develop a new way to issue targeted ads while still preserving user privacy, but the plan fell apart and the company has chosen to 'maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome'. Tracking cookies aren't inherently bad, but they can open the door to privacy risks, and sometimes increase the likelihood of your data and sensitive information being leaked or stolen — meaning if you have an iPhone and use Chrome, you likely will continue to be tracked unless you use Incognito Mode or you clear cookies manually. Apple's argument that Safari is safer has been backed up by experts, too. 'When it comes down to your security, Safari is probably your best bet,' Elly Hancock from Private Internet Access said in a blog post. 'Safari is more secure and privacy-friendly than Chrome, but Chrome is faster and offers enhanced performance.'
CBC
29-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Blood Ties Four Directions issues toxic drug warning for the Yukon amid spike in overdoses
The organization that runs the Yukon's supervised consumption site says it's seeing an increase in overdoses as an unusual drug sample has showed up in Whitehorse. Jill Aalhus, the executive director of Blood Ties Four Directions said a spike in overdoses included some that happened at the supervised consumption site in downtown Whitehorse. Nobody died, but Aalhus said onsite drug testing revealed unknown substance that has advocates concerned. She spoke with Airplay host Dave White about the situation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Are you able to say what you mean when you say an unusual sample? What we saw was a sample of what's referred to as down, which is an expected opioid sample in the Yukon and really all of Western Canada. All opioid samples are expected to be fentanyl, but what we see is a range of fentanyl concentrations from one per cent to 100 per cent. Often, the the opioid supply is also contaminated with other sedatives. Benzodiazepines are a common one. We also have seen more recently xylazine (a veterinary painkiller, sedative and muscle relaxant). In this case, it was an opioid sample that was contaminated with an unknown sedative. Sometimes there's limitations with our drug checking technology and we're not able to determine what that sedative is because we're comparing it to a library of samples. And with new drugs emerging and changes happening, it can be possible that there's substances, though we know sort of what class of drug it's in, but we don't have the library to compare it to, to know exactly what it is. So that was a huge concern for us. Do you test the drugs at the supervised consumption site before they're used? We have an FTIR spectrometer. It's essentially a machine that measures light waves, and it can give us a pretty good approximation of what's in someone's substance, up to four or five different components. It has limitations, but it's a really good tool for us to learn about the supply and give people information about what might be in the sample that they're using. If there's something in the sample that's concerning, do you advise them to not use it? Often people who are using the supervised consumption site are people who are heavily reliant on substances and have limited resources. If people do have an unusual sample without a regulated and very readily accessible safe supply, there's not always another option for them if they're in withdrawals. So we encourage people to, yes, surrender [drugs] to us if they'd like to, we can take them to the RCMP station. We have an exemption to do that. But often people are in a position where they do need to use. They've got no other option. And in those cases, we're really encouraging people to use at the supervised consumption site, carry naloxone, start with like a lower dose than they might be used to. I think a lot of the benefits of drug checking are to provide people with that information so that they can make the choices for themselves. If you're seeing something like this, then it's likely that it's fairly widespread in the Yukon. Is that fair to say? the folks who access our services know the patterns before us and often they'll come in and be the first people to alert us of a change in the supply. And sometimes we see that after there has been a police drug bust that's disrupted the supply and almost always really quickly and new supplier moves in. That might really change what's available. Sometimes it can take some time for those supplies to reach all corners of the Yukon. So we find that even though the people who are accessing our services often know about changes to the supply before we do, there are people who are not part of that same circle, people who maybe use less frequently, people in rural Yukon who might not be dialled into that same conversation. And so we really want to let those folks know. How do you feel about the fact that safe consumption sites became an issue in the federal election campaign? It's very concerning to us. There's definitely been a lot of misinformation that's been spread about supervised consumption sites, and proposals to shut these sites down are dangerous and deeply out of step with the evidence, community needs and public health best practices. Shutting down supervised consumption sites won't make drug use go away, it just makes it more deadly and often more public.
