Justin Bieber suggested fans boost ‘Yummy’ by cheating music charts with VPNs

Justin Bieber suggested fans boost 'Yummy' by cheating music charts with VPNs

In an effort to promote his new single “Yummy,” Justin Bieber shared a guide to hijacking music charts, encouraging international fans to stream it under a U.S. VPN. 

Bieber shared a slideshow guide to boosting “Yummy” to the top of pop charts on Thursday night in a now-deleted Instagram post. The guide, which was originally created by a fan edit page, instructed fans outside the U.S. to “download a VPN app, set the VPN to the U.S., and then create a Spotify account.” 

By using a VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, international fans could hide their IP addresses and appear to stream the song from within the U.SBillboard’s Hot 100 only takes sales, radio plays, and streams within the country into account when ranking the top 100 songs of the week.  Read more…

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The coolest (and silliest) wearables that don’t go on your wrist

The coolest (and silliest) wearables that don’t go on your wrist

There’s no shortage of objects to make you bionic at CES. Medical devices, like hearing aids, have been taken to the next level, and there are even silly hats outfitted with lasers that purportedly stimulate hair growth.

But does any device you wear on your body qualify as a “wearable”? The term, which is dumb, most frequently describes activity-focused smartwatches or other wrist bands (and there were a ton of great ones this year). But at CES 2020, there were also plenty of smart objects to wear on other parts of your body that produce information about health, activity, and other functions.  Read more…

More about Ces, Wearables, Smart Devices, Smart Tech, and Tech

Instagram just launched new TikTok — ahem, Boomerang — effects

Instagram just launched new TikTok — ahem, Boomerang — effects

Boomerang lovers rejoice! Instagram released new features on Friday that should look familiar to anyone who uses TikTok. 

Users can now trim the duration of their video loops and access new effects in the “Boomerang” tab in Stories. The features are:

  • SlowMo: Slows down the boomerang (duh!).

  • Echo: A blurry, semi-transparent trail added to movements  — aka drunk vision.

  • Duo: A digital glitch effect straight out of The Matrix.

🐢 SlowMo
🗣 Echo
👯‍♀️ Duo

Boomerang has new creative twists that’ll make you say yaaassssss. Try them all out todaypic.twitter.com/wp0A71RefL

— Instagram (@instagram) January 10, 2020 Read more…

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Russian hackers are still going to be a huge problem for 2020 elections

Russian hackers are still going to be a huge problem for 2020 elections

Don’t call it a comeback. Russian hackers have been preparing for the 2020 elections for years —and the U.S. still isn’t ready.

Intelligence officials are warning that foreign interference in the form of disinformation and hacking campaigns are still going to be a major factor in the coming elections. While U.S. companies and government agencies may be smarter after 2016, so are the Russian hackers and trolls.

According to The New York Times, which interviewed experts and officials preparing for foreign interference in 2020, these trolls and hackers have been developing more advanced methods to interfere with U.S. elections. Namely, they’re making it harder to track what they’re up to. Read more…

More about Russia, Hacking, Misinformation, Fake News, and 2020 Presidential Election

Is this digital belly fat scanner a device we really need? — Future Blink

Is this digital belly fat scanner a device we really need? — Future Blink

Bello measures belly fat, but it’s not supposed to be a dieting device. The device gives you a “health score,” while also giving workout, diet, and fitness recommendations.  Stomach fat may be an indicator of diabetes or metabolic health disorders, but there’s little evidence that smart measurements lead to behavioral change. Read more…

More about Tech, Health, Mashable Video, Future Blink, and Bello

Hundreds of pooping vultures occupy CBP radio tower in Texas

Hundreds of pooping vultures occupy CBP radio tower in Texas

It is one of fate’s grand ironies that those who literally feed off the weak and dying should stand together against those oppressing society’s most vulnerable. And yet, hundreds of literal vultures are presently occupying a Customs and Border Protection tower in southern Texas at this very moment.

So reports Quartz, which got its hands on a particularly beautiful CBP request for information. It seems that 300 vultures — yes, three hundred — have decided to call a Kingsville, Texas, radio tower their home. CBP, which operates the tower, is looking for “netting solutions” that could prevent even more vultures from nesting there.  Read more…

More about Customs And Border Protection, Tech, and Animals