Weekly Download #102: 🚫 Banish YouTube Shorts + Copilot Glow Up

Hey , it’s Sunday, October 26.

Here’s what we’re covering this week:

• 🚫 How to banish YouTube Shorts from your feed forever

• 💉 Reddit's official AI bot suggests heroin for pain relief

• 🧊 ICE spends $5.7 million to spy on social media

• 🔍 Microsoft Copilot drops 12 major new features

Quick Offer: Sign up and download Perplexity’s new Comet web browser. Sign up using this link, and you get a free month of Pro access. Hey, it’s free real estate.

Hey, before I forget, um, we have a podcast now. It’s also called the Weekly Download Podcast. Hey, I don’t make the rules, but there’s something about that that rings to me.

We just published our first pod (that’s what you call them, right?). Give it a listen.

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 GIVEAWAY

Want a $100 Amazon gift card? Our giveaway plans fell through this week so we’re making it up by running one of our own. You guessed it, the grand prize is a $100 Amazon gift card. Take it or leave it. Details here: [LINK]

 How-To

How to Banish YouTube Shorts From Your Feed Forever

Tired of YouTube force-feeding you bite-sized videos? Here's how to fight back.

The Quick Fix:
Google killed the official toggle, but you can train the algorithm to behave.

On Mobile:

1. Find the Shorts section on your homepage

2. Tap the three-dot menu at the top

3. Select "Show fewer Shorts"

4. For individual videos, tap the dots and choose "Not Interested"

On Desktop:

1. Navigate to YouTube's homepage

2. Mark individual Shorts as "Not Interested"

3. After repeated attempts, the "Show fewer Shorts" option appears

Reality Check: This isn't permanent. You'll need to repeat this process regularly.

Power User Options:

• Browser Extensions: Try "Shorts Block" or "Remove YouTube Shorts" (Chrome), "Shorts Blocker" (Safari)

• Pro Tip: Clear your watch history and subscribe to long-form creators to dilute Shorts recommendations

Warning: Google actively breaks these workarounds, so keep multiple methods ready.

Newsletters Worth Reading

tl;dr sec.
Join >90,000 security professionals getting the best tools, talks, and resources right in their inbox for free. [LINK]

Newsletter Operator
Learn how to grow and monetize your newsletter. Trusted by 50,000+ founders, CEOs, and creators. [LINK]

Status
Scoops and insights on the media and tech industries, hitting inboxes six days a week [LINK]

Fast Five

1.) Reddit’s new AI bot recommends heroin for pain relief
I give up. The company’s official AI chatbot suggested, “Have you tried heroin?” for pain relief. [LINK]

2.) ICE drops $5.7 million on AI to snoop social media—privacy folks freak out
ICE gets $5.7M in taxpayer money to snoop on your social media habits. Everyone disliked that. [LINK]

3.) Wikipedia is losing human readers, and TikTok might be to blame
Wikipedia faces an 8% drop in pageviews due to AI-powered search results and TikTok. [LINK].

4.) Tesla faces scrutiny over 'Mad Max' mode speeds
Tesla reintroduced its controversial 'Mad Max' mode, allowing cars to drive at high speeds, sparking public revolt. [LINK].

5.) Tesla says it’s launching its Cybercab service in 2026
Tesla is committed to its self-driving vision, planning 2026 production of the Cybercab robotaxi. [LINK]

 Tech Terms Worth Knowing

Retrieval-Augmented-Generation (RAG)
(noun)

Definition: Lets an AI model fetch live info outside its training, then uses that to build a more accurate answer

Usage: “The current model I’m working with is alright, but when I added this RAG system, it outperformed most of the leading models out there.”

The Big One

Microsoft unloads 12 new Copilot features nobody asked for

Microsoft’s Copilot AI just got a major update, making it actually helpful, social, and easier to use. It’s designed to work with your favorite apps and help groups collaborate—think less robot, more teammate or whatever. Here’s what they’re dropping:

12 New Features

Bottom Line
Copilot is becoming a better assistant to help you with work, study, and everyday tasks. Just remember to use it! [LINK].

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Extra Bytes

Amazon’s “Help Me Decide” tool wants to help you shop [LINK]

Study finds Gemini fumbles news, can’t tell facts from opinions [LINK]

Tinder forces everyone to show their face in new verification crackdown [LINK]

Nike throws the kitchen sink at the future with three wild new products [LINK]

Apple’s iPhone Air is so unpopular, production’s getting axed [LINK]

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas AI browser has arrived [LINK]

Spotify just made finding local concerts way less annoying [LINK] Gear of the Week

Samsung Galaxy XR

Introducing Samsung’s Galaxy XR—a headset that delivers VR and MR to your living room. These advanced goggles immerse you in games and movies, making digital objects feel real.

Whether for play, work, or exploration, this is Samsung’s major move into VR and mixed reality. Let's hope it succeeds, unlike Apple's Vision Pro.

What’s cool

• Serious muscle: Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip, 16GB memory, and cameras for motion and eye tracking..

• Comfier sessions: lighter build with the battery in a separate pack to keep weight off your face.

• Familiar + futuristic: runs Android XR with apps like YouTube and Google Maps in 3D; built-in AI can help you find things and turn photos into 3D..

Price: $1,799.

The bottom line: 

Samsung made a bold move with the Galaxy XR, pricing it at $1,799 to challenge the notion that futuristic headsets must exceed $4K (looking at you, Apple). While not exactly cheap, it's still less than a used Civic. [LINK]

What would you try first? Hit reply and tell me.

Morons of the Week

This week's "moron(s) of the week" award goes to those involved in the AWS incident that caused widespread internet outages, affecting banks, hospitals, and even KnowTechie. Congrats on earning the title! [LINK].

 Tools

Warp: Desktop terminal that speeds up command-line work with AI suggestions [LINK].

Google Skills: A Learning platform that teaches AI skills through development [LINK]

Chat Quick: Turn anything into a podcast or audiobook instantly [LINK]

Amigo AI: Makes managing your boring finances fun?. [LINK]

Thanks for reading!

Bonus: Samsung is hosting its annual "Samsung Week" sale, offering discounted rates on gear, making it the best time to buy.

Alright! Thanks for getting all the way to the end. Until next week…….

-Kevin

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