An AI Was Force-Fed Buzzfeed’s Meme-Worthy Headlines. Here’s What Happened.

Plus, Meta establishes a 4-foot “personal boundary” to deter VR groping. [Welcome To The Futurist] The Futurist uncovers unique and inspiring topics that feed your curiosity. Curated articles on technology, science, and culture delivered to your inbox. Not for you? Unsubscribe anytime below. /wild [Nobody Knows What Megalodon Really Looked Like, Scientists Say | Vice]( [NOBODY KNOWS WHAT MEGALODON REALLY LOOKED LIKE, SCIENTISTS SAY]( It’s not hard to see why Megalodon, an epic species of shark that died out some 3.6 million years ago, has captivated the public imagination and become the star of movies like The Meg. Because Megalodon has become such an iconic sea monster, most people picture the species as its pop-culture incarnation: A beefed-up great white shark with a thirst for human blood. But here’s the thing: Nobody actually knows what the giant sea creature, which is officially named Otodus megalodon, looked like. [Vice]( /gadget [The Swiss Army Knife Of Charging Cables Is On Sale For $7 Off For A Limited Time | Popular Science]( [THE SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF CHARGING CABLES IS ON SALE FOR $7 OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME]( The most puzzling thing about smartphone technology is that no matter how advanced the devices get, you’re still left with flimsy wires that break in a matter of months. Sure, wireless charging exists, but the fastest way to charge and transfer data from one device to another is through cables. Rolling Square, a Switzerland-based company with a passion for creating products that solve everyday problems, managed to rake in over $1 million in funding to come up with a solution to this perpetual dilemma. [Popular Science]( /trippy [Mad Scientist Forces Ai To Make Horrific Pictures Out Of Buzzfeed Headlines | Futurism]( [MAD SCIENTIST FORCES AI TO MAKE HORRIFIC PICTURES OUT OF BUZZFEED HEADLINES]( AI-generated images have always been creepy, but one artist’s neural network–guided interpretation of BuzzFeed headlines takes it to a whole new dimension. It appears that these otherworldly images created by generative artist Somnai, whose real name is Max Ingham, were prompted by an interaction with Max Woolf, a BuzzFeed data scientist. While quote-tweeting some of the artist’s “needlepoint” work, Woolf quipped that he had a “legit need” to look into how well the fairly new neural network Contrastive Language-Image Pre-Training (better known as CLIP) would handle BuzzFeed’s infamously-memeable headlines. “Good idea,” Ingham responded. “Gonna load some up now.” [Futurism]( /hustle [Morning Brew - Here’s The Quick And Dirty Way To Stay Business-Savvy (And It’s Free) | [Partner]]( [HERE’S THE QUICK AND DIRTY WAY TO STAY BUSINESS-SAVVY (AND IT’S FREE)]( We get it: making it through the business section every morning is easier said than done. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be the smartest person in the room when it comes to the latest industry trends and happenings. If you’ve got five minutes per day, [Morning Brew]( will make sure you’ve got the headlines down pat. It’s free to subscribe so run don’t walk. [Partner] /interior [@yoshihiromakino on Instagram]( [@yoshihiromakino]( /tech [Meta Establishes 4-Foot “Personal Boundary” To Deter VR Groping | Ars Technica]( [META ESTABLISHES 4-FOOT “PERSONAL BOUNDARY” TO DETER VR GROPING]( In the real world, the idea of personal space is ingrained from a young age and enforced mainly by unspoken interpersonal contract and subtle social pressure. In the world of virtual reality, on the other hand, Facebook parent Meta is now using software to enforce a 4-foot zone of “personal space” for each avatar in its metaverse-style social spaces. [Ars Technica]( /gear [Say Yes To 10% Off Scientifically Engineered Sex Toys | The Fascination]( [SAY YES TO 10% OFF SCIENTIFICALLY ENGINEERED SEX TOYS]( Want to be the best partner in the bedroom? Meet Dame, the brand on a mission to close the pleasure gap, the disparity in satisfaction that women experience in the bedroom versus their male counterparts. 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She’s about 7 feet tall, impervious to insults, and can serve 120 cocktails an hour without breaking a sweat. She can also check your ID, so don’t even try her. 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