A one-man news site beat the national media: This is interesting. John Paul Vranesevich, owner of the Beaver Countian, was the first to learn officers had been stationed inside the building Thomas Crooks fired from and that police were alerted to someone suspicious. Then, the big networks got the news and interviews. Here’s Vranesevich’s story.
Companies are going all in on digital twins
Imagine if you could have a virtual double to attend meetings for you, see a drug’s side effects before you take it or, my personal favorite, do the laundry. Analysts say the digital twin market will be worth $379 billion in 2034 — 10 times what it is today. That’s why I’m telling you about it; I always want to keep you ahead of the tech curve, not left in the dust.
So, what is a digital twin?
Exactly what it sounds like: A virtual imitation of a person or thing. Digital twins can monitor their target’s behavior and send feedback in real time, whether that twin is representing a hurricane, city traffic — or you.
Who’s twinning?
💻 Tech founders: LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman created a digital twin of himself called “Reid AI” to help him become a better person.
Reid AI is built on two decades’ worth of Hoffman’s writing, speeches and videos. It also uses AI voice cloning and a digital avatar. Reid AI looks pretty darn real to me.
Hoffman says chatting with his digital twin helps him finetune the way he thinks, interacts with people and expresses himself. It’s like talking to yourself in the mirror … if your reflection could talk back. Kinda cool, kinda freaky.
🚄 Smart trains: Italy is using digital twin tech to build a smart railway system, complete with stations, bridges, tunnels and 10,000 miles of track. A digital copy helps them know when stations need maintenance and sends safety alerts to the remote Italian countryside.
🧑⚕️ Health care providers: To create a digital twin with Twin Health, you wear a special watch that monitors your heart rate, along with a Bluetooth sensor. The twin gives you and your health care providers all kinds of trackable data, helping you get truly personalized medicine.
Get this: One 66-year-old was able to reverse his Type 2 diabetes and get off his medication. So cool. I hope this tech makes it to more people who need it.
Here’s some rapid-fire trivia for you: Who coined the term “digital twin?”
Answer: NASA scientist John Vickers, back in 2010. These days, NASA uses digital twins to simulate space capsules in orbit.
The real reason CrowdStrike brought companies to their knees
Yesterday, you couldn’t miss seeing photos of the Windows Blue Screen of Death all over airport screens and news of massive problems hitting computers everywhere. Some consider it one of the largest IT outages in history. And it all started with a company you may not have heard about until now: CrowdStrike. (A few major news outlets inaccurately reported it as “CloudStrike.” Now you know better!)
Using iOS18 Reader Mode
iOS18 has a lot of cool features, including Reader Mode, Safari’s own personal ad blocker.
165% surge
In exterminator searches in the U.S., compared to 2023. Across the country, people are waging war with pests. Three times as many Yelp searches for cockroach exterminators have been completed than at this time last year. According to Yelp, California has the biggest rat problem. Bet you thought it was New York.
Single gunshot wound to the head: That’s the official cause of death for former President Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks. The FBI says Crooks’ final search on his encrypted Samsung phone was for p*rn. A few hours before that, he flew his drone over the rally site. Now, investigators are moving on to his laptop and external hard drives found at his parents’ home.
🐰 Bunny speed-dating: Rabbits are social animals and face health risks when left alone (paywall link). The hot, new way to find a match: Let your bunny loose and see how it interacts with other furballs. Signs of good chemistry? Eating, sniffing and lying down together.
🚢 “Cruise” into a virtual train ride: VR is coming to a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship. The restaurant is in a digital train car. Passengers sit in fancy booths with simulated sceneries on giant displays that look like windows. Subwoofers in the seats simulate the vibrations of the tracks. The first theme? Western. Giddyup!
Don’t buy a new Pixel phone now: Google just teased its latest fancy phone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. They’re going all in on AI, dubbing it “built for the Gemini era.” Here’s a vid that gives a quick glimpse at the redesigned camera and changes to the screen. Expect the Pro Fold to drop on Aug. 13.
The latest and greatest: OpenAI’s GPT‑4o mini is a faster, free version of its latest GPT‑4o model. Soon, it’ll interpret images, text and audio, plus generate pics. Try it: Hit this link, log in and switch the model (top left corner) to GPT‑4o mini.
⚠️ Job seekers, beware: North Korean hackers are setting up fake job interviews. Their goal is to break into Macs. How it works: They ask you to join a meeting by downloading a file called “MiroTalk.dmg.” It’s hiding info-stealing malware. Next time you get an offer, vet the company and stick to using trusted software already on your computer.
The FBI opened it in 40 minutes: Former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, used a Samsung smartphone. The FBI cracked it with Cellebrite software and found photos of Trump, President Biden and other officials. Crooks also searched for info about major depressive disorders and Princess Kate.
Sneak peek: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Looks like they’re going all-in on AI, dubbing it “built for the Gemini era.” It’s expected to drop Aug. 13.
Some 51% of people think sharing their smartphone PIN with a partner is normal and healthy. Checking internet search histories and tracking a partner’s location are a different story; 74% of those surveyed think location tracking is toxic, and that percentage jumps to 95% if the location tracking is done without the other party’s knowledge.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a cop! Police in California used a drone to nab a burglar near the Santa Monica Pier. The little guy spotted a car thief using a screwdriver to punch open locks in a parking lot, and it called in officers and directed them to the exact location. Here’s the video.
✈️ You can opt out of airport facial recognition scans: Stand away from the camera, present your ID and say something like, “I opt out of biometrics. I want the standard verification process.” It could save you from a data breach or misidentification as a criminal suspect. Both have happened.
Careful what you read: There’s a lot of fake news circulating about former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, including a message posted to gaming platform Steam that appears to be phony. What researchers have found are Crooks’ laptop searches in July for President Biden, Trump and the DNC convention. No definitive word yet on his political views or motive.
Police drone nabs a would-be burglar
Police in California nabbed a burglar near the Santa Monica Pier with a drone. The little guy spotted a car thief using a screwdriver to punch open locks in a parking lot. It called in officers and directed them to the exact location. Amazing, right?
🎾 My pickleball skills are kind of a big dill: Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the United States, is now a video game. PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 is available on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. No word yet on whether the video game helps your real game.