Technology

How to make digital photos from your smartphone look old
Technology

How to make digital photos from your smartphone look old

Like the allure of vinyl records, classic video games, and even the early Internet, the fascination with old photographic standards like point-and-shoot cameras or 35-millimeter film persists, even in people too young to remember when that equipment was state of the art. the art. The appeal of “vintage” photography goes beyond nostalgia and Instagram filters, judging by the sheer number of apps designed to emulate the film, lenses, and visual quirks of pre-digital photos and films. Despite the irony of using a high-end smartphone camera to produce imperfect images that appear oversaturated, jittery, low-contrast, unfiltered, or otherwise analog, opting for a retro look can help you practice your compositional skills. If you're not ready to buy the original equipment, you can still evok...
How to manage your streaming subscriptions as service prices increase
Technology

How to manage your streaming subscriptions as service prices increase

Because we forget to unsubscribe In May, Caroline Sinders, a designer and artist, published the results of an independent study on how companies like Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo and The New York Times make it difficult to unsubscribe from their services. The study, conducted in 2022, found that some media companies like The Times created friction in the process, requiring, in some cases, a phone call to cancel a subscription. The Times now allows subscribers to unsubscribe online without calling. Even though the study found that streaming services like Netflix and Hulu were easier to cancel, you may stay subscribed longer than you want because of what they don't do, Mx. Sinders said. They don't send emails to remind you that you have an invoice coming up. When you receive the invoice, they g...
The young people have spoken: wallets are not cool.  Go digital.
Technology

The young people have spoken: wallets are not cool. Go digital.

In a survey that asked just over 2,500 Americans about digital payments, about 80% of Gen Z respondents said they use mobile wallets, and among them, half were eager to use their phone much more than pay, according to recent data. from Pymnts Intelligence, a research firm that studies trade. Younger people are increasingly using their phones for purposes that older adults would use a traditional wallet for, such as carrying around documents like driver's licenses, boarding passes and event tickets. Some of these digital items can be added to Apple and Google's Wallet apps, while others, like insurance cards, can be downloaded through third-party apps. The change in behavior reflects the journey mobile wallets have taken. About a decade ago, when I talked about emerging mobile payment a...
Elon Musk got 72% in Tesla shareholder vote on pay
Technology

Elon Musk got 72% in Tesla shareholder vote on pay

With the pay package, Musk would own 20.5% of Tesla, up from about 13%. He has said he would like a 25% stake, stressing in January that it would be "quite influential, but not so much that it can't be overthrown." If he didn't get such a large stake, he said, "he would rather build products outside of Tesla." Even after this week's rally, Tesla shares are down more than 20% this year, compared with a 14% gain in the broader stock market. The company remains by far the most valuable auto company, with a stock market value of $600 billion, but fears of tougher competition and declining demand for its models have weighed on the stock. At Thursday's shareholder meeting, Musk was characteristically optimistic about Tesla's self-driving technology, including the promise of a fleet of robota...
The rise and fall of BNN Breaking, an AI-generated news channel
Technology

The rise and fall of BNN Breaking, an AI-generated news channel

A closer look, however, would have revealed that individual BNN journalists were publishing long stories as many as multiple times a minute, writing in generic prose familiar to anyone who has tinkered with the AI ​​chatbot ChatGPT. BNN's "About Us" page featured an image of four children looking at a computer, some bearing the gnarled fingers that are a telltale sign of an AI-generated image. The ease with which the site and its errors entered the ecosystem for legitimate news highlights a growing concern: AI-generated content is disrupting, and often poisoning, the supply of information online. Many traditional news organizations are already struggling for traffic and advertising dollars. For years they have competed for clicks with journalism about the pink slime, so named for its re...