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☆ Why You Really Should Clean Your Trash Can
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jancee Dunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I, like many others, clean around this time each year. But when I told Dr. Kathleen May, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, that one of my favorite pastimes is thoroughly washing all of my bedding, she said something that will haunt me forever. “If your blanket has been sitting on a bed all winter, it may be loaded with dust mites,” Dr. May said. “If you shake it, the dust mites are going to be airborne for one to two hours.”She added that airborne dust mites, while gross, are a problem only for people who are allergic to them. Dr. May’s tidbit made me think beyond the usual spring-cleaning tasks.

☆ Artificial intelligence will make Big Tech even bigger. Something needs to be done about the power imbalance, researchers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She asked if the company was selling unregistered securities (which is typically illegal, by the way — here's what it means). Big Tech + AI = even bigger tech. So Big Tech companies are best-positioned to gain even more power as artificial intelligence technology — like ChatGPT — gets further developed. Something needs to be done about this power imbalance, researchers warn. My teammate Emilia David breaks down the AI power imbalance and highlights some proposed solutions in her latest story.

☆ Video shows New Mexico police were at wrong house seconds before killing homeowner
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Robert Dotson, 52, was killed by police in Farmington, New Mexico, on April 5, after officers responding to a domestic violence report arrived at the wrong house. An attorney representing the Dotson family could not be reached for comment on Saturday. An officer yells, "Hands up!," and the video shows Dotson raising what appears to be a handgun before officers open fire, dropping him in the doorway. Three children were upstairs at the time of the shooting, according to the released video. The Dotson family and their attorney watched the video prior to its public release, Hebbe said.

☆ How Playboy cut ties with Hugh Hefner to create a post-MeToo brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Daisy Mcmanaman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Conversation —Hugh Hefner launched Playboy Magazine 70 years ago this year. Hefner went on to build the Playboy brand off the backs of the countless women featured in its pages, whose beauty and performance of heightened feminine sexuality have entertained its readers for generations. The show focused on the lives of Hefner’s three girlfriends, Madison, Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. In a post-#MeToo era, the women of Playboy are speaking up and taking over. Top Image: Hugh Hefner with Playboy “bunnies” in London in 1966.

Persons: Hugh Hefner, Marilyn Monroe, Hefner, Harvey Weinstein, Sondra Theodore, Holly Madison, Pamela Anderson, Playboy's, Theo Wargo, Caroline “ Tula ”, “, ”, Mrs Robinson, —, Bridget Marquardt, Madison, Marquardt, Kendra Wilkinson, Wilkinson, Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage Organizations: CNN, Playboy, New York Armory, milf, “ Entertainment, Daily Herald Locations: New York City, Caroline “ Tula ” Cossey, West Indies, Madison, London

☆ Most popular Easter candy by state: Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs reign supreme, while Peeps fall by the wayside
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

New data from Instacart reveals the most popular candies for the 2022 Easter season across the US. The 2022 Easter top 10 national treats, according to Instacart:The top 10 most popular Easter candies for 2022. InstacartInstacart also conducted a survey with The Harris Poll of 2,000 Americans, about two-thirds of which said they celebrate Easter. The company also broke the data down by state, and revealed the most popular Easter treat in all 50 states plus Washington, DC. Here's the most popular Easter candy for 2022 by state, along with a breakdown by the numbers, below:

☆ After gaining control of our reporter's phone, a hacker ripped her off for $10,000. She set out to find them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

You can see pictures of the massive meatball here — but I warn you, it looks exactly how you would expect. Now, before the scientists start serving up Dinosaur DNA, let's take a look at the top tech stories this week. Once the hacker had control of Hartmans' phone, they didn't waste any time. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk plans to build a town named "Snailbrook" — but he isn't the only billionaire creating their own utopia. Some of Lee's friends and colleagues, including Elon Musk, have lambasted the "violent crime in SF."

☆ Hacker Stole My Phone, Credit Card, Identity. I Set Out to Find Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

They left the Verizon store and went to a nearby Apple store, where they used my Chase credit card to spend $6,370. And two, because a physical credit card had been used to make the purchases, even though I was still in possession of my card. Typically, when your credit card is about to expire, as mine was, the bank sends you a new card a few weeks ahead of time. All told, the gang allegedly stole hundreds of identities and defrauded retailers and credit card companies of $1.3 million. Whoever hacked my identity, it makes sense that they started with my credit card.

☆ How drag was pushed back into the shadows in Tennessee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Now, a Tennessee law restricting drag in front of minors is due to come into force on April 1. Several planned drag events were canceled over the winter after protests, and many venues felt forced to make previously family-friendly drag shows into adults-only events. Drag performers and venue owners say they are worried about their livelihoods and their rights of free expression. The Starbucks say there is no such thing as family-friendly drag; drag performers cite Bugs Bunny, Shakespeare's cross-dressing comedies and the Robin Williams film "Mrs. Doubtfire" among counterexamples. Outside of public Pride events, most Tennessee drag performers largely work in clubs and bars that admit only those over 18.

☆ Snap launches enterprise division to help businesses build AR features
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 23 (Reuters) - Snap Inc (SNAP.N), owner of photo messaging app Snapchat, launched a new division on Thursday that will help other companies build augmented reality features for their websites or apps. The division called AR Enterprise Services (ARES) marks the first time Snap will sell to business customers its AR technology, which can enhance photos and videos of the real world with computerized images, said Jill Popelka, head of ARES, in an interview. Certain arrangements with clients could allow Snap to earn a cut of product sales driven by Snap's AR tools, she added. Artificial intelligence is also helping advance Snap's AR capabilities. The company is using AI to take a two-dimensional image and make it appear 3D without the need to first build a 3D model.

☆ Rapper Bad Bunny sued for $40 million over ex-girlfriend's voice recording
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is being sued by his ex-girlfriend for $40 million over claims he used a recording of her voice without permission or compensation. De la Cruz and Bad Bunny dated on and off starting in 2011, according to the lawsuit. She alleges in the court documents that Bad Bunny offered her $2,000 to buy the recording in 2022 but she declined. Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2018 after being featured on the Cardi B chart-topper "I Like It." Bad Bunny is set to headline the 2023 Coachella music festival next month.

☆ Streaming boosts recorded music revenue, China market growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Among the trends highlighted by the IFPI, a trade body for the recorded music industry, were China nudging into the top five markets globally for the first time, and income from the use of recorded music in adverts, film, television and games, rising by 22.3%. Subscription audio streaming revenues rose 10.3% to $12.7 billion, IFPI said, adding there were 589 million users of paid subscription accounts by end-2022. Overall, streaming accounted for 67% of total recorded music revenues. Global music revenues enjoyed their eighth consecutive year of growth. Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny's "Un Verano Sin Ti" topped the 2022 IFPI Global Albums Chart while Britain's Harry Styles won the IFPI Global Single of the Year Award 2022 for hit "As It Was", the body said last month.

☆ Ticketmaster's website crashed again, disrupting ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster crashed once again, this time during ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The company also came under fire in November after its system was overwhelmed during ticket sales for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour." Joe Berchtold, the president and CFO of Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster's parent company, was called to testify before a Senate committee in January over the Taylor Swift ticket sales debacle. During his testimony to the Senate on January 24, Berchtold apologized to Swift and her fans, saying that "bot traffic" disrupted the ticket sales. This year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is organized by the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union, will be held from May 9 to 13 at Liverpool's 11,000-seat Liverpool Arena, per Eurovision's website.

☆ Nike, loaded with new products, is already reaping the benefits of Adidas' struggles after the abrupt end of its Yeezy business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nike's easy dominance of prominent sneaker releases in February is a sign of things to come. Consumers who bought Yeezys last year will likely switch over to Nike styles, one analyst says. Without a Yeezy business and amid ongoing struggles at Adidas, there is market share up for grabs. February is the first major month of the year for sneaker releases because of the NBA All-Star Game. "Looking ahead, Nike should benefit greatly from the lack of Adidas Yeezys in March," Nikic wrote, alluding to 11 different Yeezy styles that were released in 2022 compared to zero releasing this month.

☆ Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' wins IFPI 2022 Global Album Award
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny took the 2022 IFPI Global Album Award for "Un Verano Sin Ti" on Friday, becoming the first Latin American artist to win a Global Chart Award from the recorded music industry representative body. The all-Spanish, 23-track "Un Verano Sin Ti" was released in May to critical acclaim and topped the Billboard 200 album chart for 13 weeks. "We are incredibly excited to award Bad Bunny, the first Latin American artist to win an IFPI Global Award, with the Album of the Year Award," IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement. "His unique sound, encapsulated in his award-winning album 'Un Verano Sin Ti', has captured the world’s attention on a remarkable scale over the last 12 months." On Thursday, Styles won the IFPI Global Single of the Year Award 2022 for his hit "As It Was".

☆ Harry Styles tops IFPI global singles chart with hit 'As It Was'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - British singer-songwriter Harry Styles added to his Grammy and BRIT Awards triumphs on Thursday when his chart-topping hit "As It Was" won the IFPI Global Single Award for 2022, the recorded music industry representative body said. The prize is given to the music artist scoring the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats. The synth-pop track, from Styles' third studio album "Harry's House", was released in April and topped charts around the world. "Harry's House" won album of the year both there and at the Grammys. “Harry first received an IFPI Award as part of One Direction when we first launched the IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 10 years ago," IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement.

☆ Taylor Swift is the highest paid female entertainer in the world, earning $92 million in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Taylor Swift is the highest paid female entertainer in the world, earning a cool $92 million in 2022 following the success of her 10th studio album "Midnights," according to a new report from Forbes. To determine the ranking, Forbes considers entertainers' total 2022 pretax earnings, minus fees for representation (managers, lawyers, etc.) While 2022 was a strong year for Swift, her annual earnings were still less than half of what the highest paid entertainers in the world, the progressive rock band Genesis, made last year. Altogether, Genesis earned $230 million in 2022, thanks to a $300 million music rights sale to Concord Music Group in September. There wasn't a single woman on Forbes's list of the top 10 highest paid entertainers in 2022 — the highest paid female entertainer, Reese Witherspoon, ranked 12th for making $115 million in 2021.

☆ Adidas is facing a problem even bigger than Yeezy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Danni Santana | Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Adidas expects sales to drop by $1.28 billion in 2023 if it doesn't sell leftover Yeezy inventory. The company's guidance began on a bleak note with revenue for the year expected to drop after ending its Yeezy partnership. Against this background, Adidas said it is forecasting a decline in the high-single digits in sales in 2023. "The sales decline is about more than just Yeezy," Bernstein analyst Aneesha Sherman wrote in a note to clients early Friday. Cowen estimates the brand earned $1.2 billion in sales last year before Adidas terminated the partnership in October.

☆ At Sunday's Grammys, will Beyonce finally win top honor of best album?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Singer Beyonce arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, U.S., August 28, 2016. Beyonce heads into the show in Los Angeles with nine nominations, including an album of the year nod for dance-heavy album "Renaissance." The acclaimed 2016 album "Lemonade" was defeated by Adele's "25," prompting the British vocalist to say on stage that Beyonce deserved the honor. Beyonce's other nominations include record and song of the year for "Break My Soul." Scheduled performers include Styles, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Luke Combs and Bad Bunny.

☆ Grammys 2023: A Beyoncé vs. Adele Rematch, and Everything Else You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Neil Shah | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Even among the many Grammy Awards shows with highly competitive races between artists, this year stands out. Consider all the questions fans have to pore over: Will it finally be Beyoncé’s year? If so, where does that leave Kendrick Lamar? Will Bad Bunny make history for Latin artists? Or will coveted prizes go to industry titans like Adele and Taylor Swift and insider picks such as ABBA and Coldplay?

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will recognize the year's best artists, songs, albums, and more. The 2023 Grammys recognizes music released during the eligibility period, between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022. How to watch the 2023 GrammysYou can watch the 2023 Grammy Awards live on February 5 at 8 p.m. You can stream the 2023 Grammy Awards for free if you sign up for a Paramount Plus Premium free trial. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARASBeyoncé is the most nominated artist at the 2023 Grammys with nine nominations.

☆ How 3 people are using the Year of the Rabbit to reflect on work and money: ‘We all need to find balance’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It's the Lunar New Year, and according to Asian folklore, the incoming Year of the Rabbit is a good time to slow down, reflect and strive for balance around work, money and life. "It was a consume, consume, consume kind of year. Laura Lau, the co-author of "The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes," says the rabbit sign is one that prizes patience and diplomacy over confrontation. "It's a time that will be hard for people to work together, deal with conflict and work in groups again," she says. "The rabbit is a sign of peace, so cultivating empathy in work relationships will lead to flourishing in one's profession," he says.

☆ Guggenheim downgrades Microsoft, says vulnerabilities may be exacerbated during an economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Now is the time to sell shares of tech giant Microsoft , according to analysts at Guggenheim. The firm on Tuesday downgraded the shares to sell from neutral and introduced a $212 price target, implying a more than 11% downside for Microsoft. Microsoft may disappoint on upcoming earnings numbers in the second quarter of 2023 and in their full-year guidance as well. "While most investors see MSFT as a large stable business that can weather any storm, it does have vulnerabilities, some of which could be exacerbated by this macro slowdown," analyst John DiFucci wrote. The biggest headwind the firm sees is MPC business, where consensus numbers are expecting slight growth after several quarters of declines.

☆ Adidas says Berlin Fashion Week launch and co-CEO announcements are fake
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Several press releases allegedly sent from Adidas about a Berlin Fashion Week launch, its treatment of workers abroad and other topics related to its business structure were fake, according to the company. The groups hope Adidas signs onto the Pay Your Workers labor agreement, which advocates for garment worker pay and the right to organize. Two of the faked press releases claimed Adidas was launching new clothing called REALITYWEAR from celebrities Pharrell Williams, Bad Bunny and Philllllthy. The hoax release announcing the Berlin Fashion Week debut on Jan. 16 claimed it was part of a push for a renewed focus on workers' rights and material sourcing. The Guardian first reported that The Yes Men were behind the campaign.

☆ VIDEO: Target carts that lock in place are yet another example of how anti-theft measures are leaving shoppers really frustrated
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nearly 2 million shopping carts are stolen each year, costing retailers an estimated $800 million. Videos of shoppers battling anti-theft devices on carts in a Target parking lot have gone viral on TikTok. Whether and when a particular store gets Gatekeeper for its carts is determined on an individual store basis, a Target spokesperson told Insider. The Food Marketing Institute meanwhile estimates that 2 million shopping carts are stolen each year, costing retailers an upwards of $800 million globally. Loss-prevention remains a delicate balance for retailers as Walmart's vice president of asset protection and retail operations, David Johnston, told Insider.

☆ Sneakerheads are replacing Yeezys with Crocs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Crocs, New Balance, and Puma are some brands benefiting from Adidas Yeezys no longer being released. Crocs, New Balance, and Puma accounted for four "high-heat" sneaker drops in December, Nikic estimates. The Crocs brand has become synonymous with comfort, like Yeezy, and has previously released successful collaborations with both Bad Bunny and designer Salehe Bembury. "Smaller brands such as Puma, New Balance, and Crocs all generated some sneakerhead 'buzz,' likely aided by the lack of Yeezy, which freed up wallet share among sneakerheads," he said. Pictures of the first possible sneaker released without Ye have surfaced online.

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