Weekly Download #99: Meta's Teen Safety Panic & Other Labor Day Drama

Hey , happy Labor Day!

Sorry for not being in touch lately. I've been dealing with some personal issues. If you have a day off tomorrow, use it. Your mental health matters, and working when you don't need to is lame. Believe me, I'm learning this the hard way.

Alright, back to our regular program.

The tech world is seeing some major shifts this week. AI is affecting jobs and raising ethical questions, especially in finance and healthcare, where people worry about bias and losing jobs.

Apple is planning to release new products. The entertainment industry is also changing, with updates in streaming and gaming to match what people want.

Alright, and we’re off!

🤑 GIVEAWAY

And we have a winner from our recent BLUETTI giveaway. Congratulations to our winner, Cosmin from Italy! Cosmin is in line to receive a BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 (2025 New) Solar Generator ($799 Value). If you didn’t win, no sweat, we’re cooking up some new giveaways in the coming weeks that are just as good as this past giveaway. Stay tuned!

📝 How-To 🔧

🔧 How to Restart Your iPhone Without Using the Power Button

Your iPhone's power button just gave up on life? Don't panic. Apple buried some restart tricks in iOS that most people never discover

Head to Settings > General > Shut Down and slide that power off toggle. Your phone dies gracefully. Plug it into any charger or wireless pad to bring it back.

Siri works too. Say "Hey Siri, restart my iPhone" and confirm when prompted. Takes seconds. If you're desperate, let the battery drain completely and charge it back up. Nuclear option, but it works.

What's your go-to iPhone troubleshooting trick when things get glitchy?

📩 Newsletters Worth Reading

CoolDeep AI
Easy, actionable tips to enhance your productivity with Al. Over 15,000 subscribers are already becoming smarter. [LINK]

The Rundown AI
Get the latest AI news, understand why it matters, and learn how to apply it in your work. Join 1,000,000+ readers from companies like Apple, OpenAI, NASA. [LINK]

Big Desk Energy
Startup insights, stories, and vibes sent to your inbox every Tuesday. [LINK]

 📚 Tech Terms Worth Knowing

Agentic AI
(noun)

Definition: Artificial intelligence systems that can act autonomously to achieve specific goals with minimal human supervision. Unlike traditional AI that responds to prompts, Agentic AI can reason, plan, make decisions, and take action independently to complete complex, multi-step tasks.

Usage: "The company deployed Agentic AI agents to handle customer service inquiries, allowing them to resolve 85% of issues without human intervention while escalating complex cases to human agents."📰 The Big One

 📚 The Big One

AI's Impact on the Workforce: Job Security and Ethical Concerns

A Microsoft study reveals AI's applicability to various jobs, highlighting its potential to change work rather than replace it entirely.

However, executives are increasingly prioritizing AI for cost savings, leading to hiring slowdowns, particularly in white-collar fields.

Full rundown:

• AI applicability scores measure how AI can assist with job tasks.

• Executives are prioritizing AI to cut costs.

• Ford CEO predicts AI` will replace half of white-collar workers.

• Jobs requiring specialized physical skills are safer from AI.

• AI-generated writing faces criticism for copyright issues.

• Experts advocate for AI augmentation over full automation.

In short: Roles needing hands-on skills remain less threatened, while debates continue over copyright and whether AI should assist rather than replace workers [LINK]

⚡ Fast Five

1.) Meta overhauls AI chatbot rules after teen safety scandal
The company will train Al systems to avoid discussing self-harm and inappropriate romantic topics with minors [LINK]

2.) AI Chatbots Can Be Persuaded Like Humans, Study Reveals
A study shows that AI chatbots can be manipulated with psychological tactics to bypass safety protocols [LINK].

3.) Apple's September Event: iPhone 17, Apple Watch, and Accessory Updates Amidst Competitive Disputes
Amazon is developing humanoid robots for delivery, potentially impacting jobs (Turk err jerb's!) [LINK]

4.) The Decline of RSS: The Loss of Web Control and the Rise of Algorithmic Feeds
RSS, a technology enabling user-controlled content delivery, has seen a significant decline, leading to a web dominated by algorithmically curated feeds. [LINK].

5.) Bumble CEO builds AI dating app based on psychology
Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is developing an AI-powered dating app that matches users based on psychological attachment styles rather than superficial swiping [LINK]

PARTNER MESSAGE

Better inputs. Sharper outputs. Download the guide to premium AI.

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Download the guide

💾 Extra Bytes

Taco Bell rethinks Al drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters [LINK]

OpenAI will report suspicious ChatGPT conversations to police [LINK]

Resident Evil 7 was "possibly too scary" and "some people couldn't handle it [LINK]

Google’s Pixel Care+ is here to save your clumsy ass (and your wallet) [LINK]

iPhone 17 Event Set for September 9 Amid Accessory Leaks and Competitive Disputes [LINK]

The success of Al music creators sparks debate on future of music industry [LINK]

Samsung’s Unpacked event timed to steal spotlight from Apple [LINK]

Microsoft cuts Xbox Cloud Gaming costs—learn how to join now [LINK]

iPhone 17 Pro leak hints at reverse wireless charging feature [LINK]

Apple eyes Google’s Gemini AI to supercharge Siri in iOS 26 [LINK]

Apple’s foldable iPhone finally coming in Fall 2026 [LINK]

Anthropic launches a browser-based Claude AI agent [LINK]

📱 Gear of the Week

Marshall Bromley 750

The Marshall Bromley 750 is Marshall’s first dedicated party speaker, designed for powerful, portable, and immersive sound experiences with high-end features tailored for and large gatherings.

What’s cool:

• 🎵 360° Powerhouse Sound: Eight drivers deliver 500 watts with True Stereophonic 360° audio that fills any space completely.

• 🔋 Marathon Battery Life: Over 40 hours of playtime with swappable, rechargeable battery that doubles as a power bank for your devices.

• 🌧️ Built for Adventure: IP54-rated weather resistance with wheels and handles makes it perfect for outdoor parties and events.

• 💡 Dynamic Stage Lighting: Integrated LED grid with music-reactive presets transforms any gathering into a concert experience.

The bottom line: 

If you've got money to burn and a serious need to be the person with the best sound system in a three-block radius, the Bromley 750 is your new best friend. Everyone else can stick to their sad little Bluetooth pucks [LINK]

⚙️ Hero of the Week

Let's switch things up and focus on something positive this week. Instead of our usual "Moron of the Week" segment, let's celebrate our "Hero of the Week." Imagine the Foo Fighters' song "My Hero" playing in the background!

This week’s Hero of the Week goes to Steve Wozniak. For starters, the man just turned 75, but more importantly, his overall outlook on life.

On his 75th birthday, Apple legend Steve Wozniak pops up in a comment thread about his 'bad decision' to sell his stock in the '80s with a devastatingly zen reply: 'I gave all my Apple wealth away because wealth and power are not what I live for' [LINK]

⚙️ Tools

Wanderboat: Scans millions of Instagram/TikTok videos in real-time, picks the gems, and serves up the best dining, bars & events on a map [LINK].

Google Vids: AI-Powered Video Creator and Editor [LINK]

🗣️ gpt-realtime - OpenAI’s new advanced speech-to-speech model [LINK]

Riveter: AI agents navigate the web and collect data for you [LINK]

Thanks for reading!

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

-Kevin

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