The Basic Life, Some Stalking, Some Logic 🤪

For a few year now, people have been rallying against the use of facial recognition tech by airports and government agencies. The idea of a Big Brother being able to recognise you anywhere in the world is obviously never-wracking. But now, brace yourself for an even scarier reality where your identity becomes easier to find than weed at a hippie concert. 

There’s a frightening innovation in the field of digital identification, courtesy of PimEyes, a brainchild of programmers from Poland. It’s a facial recognition search engine that allows common users - like you and me - to upload a photo of literally anybody and identify individuals by scouring the internet for matching images - making the world a smaller, yet potentially more invasive place.

Initially, PimEyes pitched itself as “a guardian angel for online self-awareness” with the CEO saying that "It's the user who's the stalker, not the technology.". But surprise, surprise – it has become a TikTok sensation, blurring the line between innocent curiosity and, well, a touch of online stalking. And in the absence of federal regulations on facial recognition technology, privacy-invading tools like PimEyes are having a field day.

While PimEyes does have an opt-out feature, it has proven to be ineffective at times, thus leaving individuals exposed to unsolicited searches.

The only good thing is that PimEyes has banned photo searching of faces of children in photos for ordinary users, but will allow human rights organisations to search.

Are we genuinely prepared to grapple with the complexities of facial recognition technology in the hands of common people? Let the contemplation begin.

So, while dreaming of a fatter paycheck is only human, there's solace in the wisdom of your parents and psychologists. Money's happiness-inducing magic hits a plateau.

In the grand scheme, as the Ipsos Global Happiness Survey underscores, enduring joy revolves around life's basics: physical health, living conditions, and the cherished bonds of friends and family. As you navigate the holiday season, remember, amidst Monopoly battles, what truly matters endures.

OpenAI, the AI juggernaut behind ChatGPT, recently weathered a whirlwind of change. 

• In the last 10 days, co-founder and CEO Sam Altman faced a surprise ousting, triggering a cascade of high-profile resignations.
• Amidst the chaos, CTO Mira Murati assumed the interim CEO role, only for momentum to reinstate Altman to build. 
• However, negotiations with Altman hit a snag, and Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, emerged as the new interim CEO. 
• Soon after, a surprising twist ensued as ~500 of ~700 OpenAI employees rallied, threatening to quit unless the board resigned and Altman was reinstated.
• Finally, in a dramatic yet quite anticipated turn, Altman did return, reclaiming his CEO position. 

Why did all of this happen? 

The chaos gripping this generationally-important company finds its roots in its distinctive corporate model. The truth is, Altman’s decision to grant the board the authority to remove the CEO for deviating from the mission laid a trap that ensnared him. The intricate structure, with the board wielding ultimate control over both nonprofit and for-profit entities, unveils the unique dynamics behind OpenAI's tumultuous saga.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) index measures monthly price fluctuations across more than 300 individual categories of spending, from the price of rice to college tuition fees. Here's a quick graphical breakdown of things that are continuing to get expensive vs. those who prices have started to stagnate. 

🫧 Rich Carbon - The richest 1% of people emitted as much carbon pollution as the poorest two-thirds of humanity in 2019, according to a new Oxfam report.

💣 Gang Busters - Over 200 gang members have been sentenced to a collective 2,200 years in prison following one of Italy’s biggest mafia trials in history.

🧁 Sugar High - Sugar prices are rising worldwide thanks to bad weather and the holiday season demand surge. 

🍔 More Eating Problem - A new report has outlined a worrying 65% rise in health insurance claims for eating disorder treatments in the US.

💃 Fun Nights - Canadian capital Ottawa — sometimes dubbed 'the city that fun forgot' — is hiring a "night mayor" to energize the city between 6pm and 6amwith a $160k budget.

🥔 Perfect Potato - How to make the perfect mashed potatoes, according to science.