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☆ To get refunded for online returns ASAP, avoid these 3 mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In addition to causing headaches for retailers and returns processors, these mistakes can also tie up consumers' refunds. 'Blind returns'One of the most common mistakes consumers make is sending an item to the retailer without actually initiating the return online or sending the order paperwork. These cases are called "blind returns," Borders said. Inmar's team will need to play detective, looking at the return address and any other information on the package to try to figure out whose order it is. And as the total volume of returns continues to increase, retailers are going to be forced to crack down.

☆ A Tesla in 'full-self-driving' mode caused an 8-car crash in California and injured 9 people, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's unexpected "phantom braking" problem caused an eight-car pileup, according to CNN. Tesla's latest "Full Self-Driving" software can be engaged on surface roads. The driver of the vehicle that caused the crash told authorities his Tesla was in "full-self-driving" mode at the time of the accident, CNN reports. In the report, the California Highway Patrol said it could not confirm if the "full-self-driving" software was active at the time of the crash, per CNN. In previous complaints to NHTSA, Tesla owners have recounted incidents in which their vehicles unexpectedly and violently brake at highway speeds.

☆ Unedited footage of a Tesla Full Self-Driving beta test shows just how stressful the software can be to use
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marques Brownlee posted an unedited video of his commute to work using Tesla Full Self-Driving. The YouTuber said he's comfortable using FSD on the highway, but not everywhere. Marques Keith Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, posted an unedited video on YouTube of his trip to work using FSD last week. Brownlee is far from the first to post videos of Tesla FSD in action. During the video, the Tesla software repeatedly reminded Brownlee to touch the steering wheel.

☆ A topless bar unlawfully fired strippers after they complained about unsafe working conditions, labor board finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Star Garden bar strippers were unlawfully fired, the National Labor Relations Board said . They dancers said they worked in unsafe conditions including rat infestations and rusty nails. The group of strippers were blocked from working at the Star Garden in February and have since been staging regular demonstrations outside the venue. They claimed that Star Garden committed 30 breaches of OSHA regulations that "protect workers' rights to safe and healthy workplaces." The women submitted a petition in March calling for the Star Garden to treat them with "basic dignity and humanity."

☆ Gut Bacteria Are Linked to Depression
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Dominique Mosbergen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bacteroides are among the most common bacteria found in the human intestinal tract. New research has bolstered a once-gutsy idea: Bugs in the digestive system may play a role in depression. Two studies published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found a link between several types of bacteria in the gut and depressive symptoms. Trillions of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and yeast live in the digestive tract. Research exploring whether they might affect an array of diseases has increased in recent years.

And Wagner’s beloved fireflies – like so many insects worldwide – have largely vanished in what scientists are calling the global Insect Apocalypse. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. Humans, too, see some 2,000 species of insects as food. “We’d see yields dropping of all of these crops.”And in nature, about 80% of wild plants rely on insects for pollination. WINNERS AND LOSERSWhile the situation is bleak for insects at large, a few types of insects are thriving.

☆ A new AI chatbot is getting buzz for being able to have intelligent-sounding conversations, write music, and even code
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

ChatGPT is a new chatbot that answers questions in a conversational, human-like way. People shared conversations with ChatGPT, showing it writing social media posts and explaining code. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. "We trained an initial model using supervised fine-tuning: human AI trainers provided conversations in which they played both sides—the user and an AI assistant," the website says. The human trainers would rank and rate the chatbot responses, then feed those ratings back to the chatbot so it could learn what kind of responses were wanted.

☆ CDC says 2 more places will test sewage for polio
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Philadelphia and Oakland County, Michigan, are joining the small list of U.S. localities that are looking for signs of polio infections in sewage, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the communities will test for polio in sewage for at least four months. CDC officials say they have been talking with other communities about also starting polio wastewater testing. They are focused on cities and counties with low polio vaccination coverage and those in which travelers had visited the New York communities where polio was found. This year, commercial laboratories began testing wastewater for mpox, previously known as monkeypox.

Here's what happens to your body after death, in 13 steps. The body temperature dropsBody temperature starts dropping. How fast this happens depends on many factors like external temperature, clothing on the body, and fat content of the body. Within minutes, cells in the body start breaking downCells break down. Marianne Ayala/InsiderThe body starts breaking down shortly after death, but the physical signs of decomposition only appear later on.

Playing Animal Crossing translates money lessons into a language I understand well. In Animal Crossing, money plays a big role. In Animal Crossing, if you want to move a house or a building, it costs a lot of extra money. From catching bugs and fish to sell to digging up fossils, earning money in Animal Crossing takes time, just like in real life. One of my favorite ways to earn money in Animal Crossing is by digging up fossils.

[1/3] Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes holds a radio as he departs with volunteers from a rally held by U.S. President Donald Trump in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. October 10, 2019. Rhodes in 2009 founded the Oath Keepers, a militia group whose members include current and retired U.S. military personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders. Prosecutors during the trial said Rhodes and his co-defendants planned to use force to prevent Congress from formally certifying Biden's election victory. Caldwell, who like Rhodes did not enter the Capitol building and never formally joined the Oath Keepers, tried to downplay some of the inflammatory texts he sent in connection with the attack. Four other Oath Keepers members charged with seditious conspiracy are due to go to trial in December.

☆ Buying new iPhone for better camera, battery, faster chip? Cybersecurity got an upgrade, too
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Customers shop at the Apple Fifth Avenue store for the release of the Apple iPhone 14 in New York City, September 16, 2022. Improved low-light photo abilities and the extended battery life may have appeal than security upgrades on the new Apple iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max. While in Lockdown Mode, phone calls, plain text messages and emergency features will continue to work. The switch to eSIM-only phonesSteve Jobs never wanted the original iPhone to have a SIM card tray, and the iPhone 14 models are finally achieving this goal. All iPhone 14 models purchased in the U.S. are eSIM-only, which enables users to easily connect and transfer their plans digitally.

☆ 'Easy to bully': A corporate landlord in Cincinnati is aggressive in trying to evict tenants, critics say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Gretchen Morgenson | Gretchen Morgenson Is The Senior Financial Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. A Former Stockbroker | She Won The Pulitzer Prize In For Her | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +13 min

“We had the exact same story and the exact same company — VineBrook Homes,” Allen told NBC News. VineBrook Homes Trust Inc., which owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, is one of the most aggressive landlords in bringing eviction proceedings against its residents, they say. A big institutional owner of over 24,000 single-family homes in mostly lower-income areas, VineBrook Homes is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with properties in 18 states, including Alabama, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi. “I left in Dec. 2021,” Jenkins told NBC News. Vinebrook Homes owns over 3,000 single-family homes in the Cincinnati area, including many in suburbs like North College Hill.

☆ UK to investigate Apple and Google's 'stranglehold' over browsing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation Tuesday into Apple and Google 's control of the mobile browser market. The authority will explore the companies' "stranglehold" over browsing, as well as Apple's control over cloud gaming through the App Store, it said in a release. The agency said Google and Apple powered 97% of all web browsing that took place in the U.K. in 2021. "Many U.K. businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google," she said. It also enables developers to choose the browser engine they want, and has been the launchpad for millions of apps.

Hive Social is a mobile-only social media app that's become a popular Twitter alternative. Like Twitter, Hive Social lets you post messages, videos, polls, and more to a chronological feed of followers. Hive Social is a mobile-only platform that's trying to recreate Twitter without any of the algorithms. The biggest difference between the two is that Hive Social claims to have no algorithms deciding which posts you see. Hive Social; William Antonelli/InsiderYou've now got free reign to use Hive Social however you like.

☆ FBI chief says shadowy Chinese police stations in the US are 'outrageous' and he's 'very concerned'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he's "very concerned" about secret Chinese police stations in the US. "We are aware of the existence of these stations," Wray said during a Senate hearing. The FBI chief on Thursday said it would be "outrageous" for Chinese police to "set up shop" in New York "without proper coordination." The FBI chief said it's important for Chinese-Americans and Chinese dissidents to call the FBI and report if they believe they've been targeted by the Chinese government. "President Xi's precedent-breaking third term bodes ill for human rights in China and around the world," Yaqiu Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said last month.

In a private chat on Signal with about 50 Twitter staffers, nearly 40 said they had decided to leave, according to the former employee. A separate poll on Blind asked staffers to estimate what percentage of people would leave Twitter based on their perception. Blue hearts and salute emojis flooded Twitter and its internal chatrooms on Thursday, the second time in two weeks as Twitter employees said their goodbyes. By 6 p.m. Eastern, over two dozen Twitter employees across the United States and Europe had announced their departures in public Twitter posts reviewed by Reuters, though each resignation could not be independently verified. Early on Wednesday, Musk had emailed Twitter employees, saying: "Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore".

Few causes have united the country like this summer’s multistate effort to kill spotted lanternflies, the colorful invasive insects that have wreaked havoc in at least 14 states. Now, as adult lanternflies begin to perish during the winter, experts say those efforts might have curbed the species’ spread to some degree. Anne Johnson, a doctoral student studying the spotted lanternfly in Hoover’s lab at Penn State, believes the viral trends can make a difference. Spotted lanternflies are native to China, where they don’t often become a pest. “We’ll always have to deal with spotted lanternfly,” Johnson said.

☆ Qatar World Cup: 'Our dreams never came true.' These men helped build Qatar's tournament, now they are struggling to survive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Aimee Lewis Pramod Acharya Sugam Pokharel | Aimee Lewis | Pramod Acharya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

It will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but one also mired in controversy. He had dreamed of watching World Cup matches from the rooftop of the hotel he had helped build. In Qatar, migrant workers can now change jobs freely without permission from their employer. However, a number of European federations have issued a joint statement saying they would campaign at the tournament on human rights and for a migrant workers center and a compensation fund for migrant workers. The motto for Qatar’s bid team in 2010 was ‘Expect Amazing.’ In many ways, this year’s World Cup has replicated that maxim.

In the United States and some other countries, 'Black Friday' is a bargain shopping day that marks the start of the holiday shopping season. The government contends the Oath Keepers plotted to use force to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory, with defendants Meggs, Watkins and Harrelson entering the building clad in tactical gear. Prosecutors also allege the Oath Keepers staged a "quick reaction force" in a nearby Virginia hotel, a plan which entailed stockpiling firearms that could be ferried across the river into the capital if needed. Then this week, defendant Thomas Caldwell, the only other defendant in this case apart from Rhodes who did not physically enter the building, also testified in his own defense. Caldwell later broke down crying as he recalled his wife's reaction on the day the FBI searched his home.

☆ Some OnlyFans creators have found a loophole to put their their nudes on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Some OnlyFans creators are using a TikTok artificial intelligence art filter to get around the platform’s community guidelines and promote their explicit content without getting their videos removed. People began posting AI-generated paintings of their explicit photos around late October, according to meme database Know Your Meme. tiktok and onlyfans creator amethyst roseAmethyst Rose, a creator known as walmartladygaga on TikTok, said she joined in on the trend because she'd previously heard that "TikTok is a good way to promote" an OnlyFans account. Instead of referring to explicit photos as "nudes," for example, TikTok users will write out the word as "n00ds" or "spicy pics." “Images also pass through the phone, so [they] may be backed up on the cloud.”Despite the restrictions on TikTok, Rose said that in her experience, TikTok remains the "best platform" on which to promote her OnlyFans content.

You can fix an overheating iPhone by restarting it, closing apps, or removing the charging cable. If it's hot outside and you leave your iPhone in direct sunlight or in the car, chances are it will get hot. Get your iPhone repairedSending your iPhone in for repairs should be the last resort after trying all of the steps above, and your iPhone is still overheating. How to cool down iPhoneThere are a few more ways to cool down your iPhone when it has already started overheating. Keep your iPhone in cool placesIt goes without saying that leaving your iPhone in direct sunlight is a big no-no.

☆ UK former health minister Matt Hancock suspended over jungle reality show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Matt Hancock, the former health minister who led Britain's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was suspended by the ruling Conservative Party after he signed up for jungle-based reality television show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here". Hancock backed Rishi Sunak to become prime minister, but he was not rewarded with a ministerial position, and reports said he does not expect to serve in government again. Sunak's spokesman said the prime minister believed lawmakers should be working hard for their constituents while Britain was facing a cost of living crisis. Hancock is not the first politician from former Prime minister Boris Johnson's government to appear on the show, which attracts more than 10 million viewers. Nadine Dorries also had the whip suspended when she took part in 2012.

☆ Brazil's presidential election may determine the fate of the Amazon rainforest — and the entire planet's climate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

An aerial photo shows virgin Amazon jungle in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, on May 18, 2005. An aerial view of logs cut from Amazon rainforest near of the road BR-319 highway in city of Realidade, Amazonas state, Brazil, on August 22, 2019. Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersBolsonaro promises to increase deforestation in the Amazon, while Lula promises to slow it. But it's also the most consequential election on the planet," Christian Poirier, program director at the advocacy group Amazon Watch, told Insider. A miner works in an illegal gold mine at an environmental preservation area in the Amazon rainforest, in Itaituba, Para state, Brazil on September 3, 2021.

☆ Opinion | Science Has a Nasty Photoshopping Problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Elisabeth Bik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

One evening in January 2014, I sat at my computer at home, sifting through scientific papers. Manipulated imagery in scientific papers can look ordinary at first glance. However, this ability, combined with my — what some might call obsessive — personality, helped me when hunting duplications in scientific images by eye. So when a scientist’s research shows a negative result, cheating can be tempting. Legitimate criticism of scientific research should receive legal protection.

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