A computer can now accurately fake mouth movements on video with replaced audio
This is both incredible and scary. Researchers at the University of Washington have nearly perfected a way to take audio from one source and overlay it onto another video with the movements of the lips in sync. It works well in various lighting conditions and head movements as well. I don't think I would have been able to tell the difference if I wasn't told beforehand. Bad news for real news...
Most articles about United's new overhead baggage fees are misleading
Ugh. This makes me lose faith in humanity and our collective ability to not jump to conclusions. With the rise in fake news it is now more important than ever before to take a moment and question whether something we read online is written in such a way to generate page views and whether what we're reading is true at all.
In the case of United Airlines recently unveiling a new ticket tier where they would charge you to use overhead bin space, many articles online have just simply jump ahead and started spreading the false news that all overhead baggage will be charged. This is just not true and these numerous articles have spread like wildfire and caused panic in a portion of the public who otherwise would have never even considered buying these lower-priced tickets anyway (and if they do, they know what they're getting themselves into).
So if you're still confused, here's what you need to know: You can still buy United Airlines tickets like you normally would and those tickets will still allow for FREE personal item plus one carry-on item. IF YOU CHOOSE TO BUY A "BASIC ECONOMY" TICKET, which is the new ticket announced by United Airlines, then you are choosing a lower-priced seat at the cost of using an overhead bin. United was hoping the general public would be smart enough to make this choice themselves, but clearly we are all too stupid to figure it out.
Browser extensions that help you identify fake news sources
I honestly cannot believe I am sitting here making a post about this but I guess the times are a'changin' and it has to be said: Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Don't rely solely on one news source. And definitely don't get your information from Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg came under fire after the Presidential election for not doing more to curb fake news being disseminated on the Facebook News Feed. On Saturday, Zuckerberg finally outlined a plan to tackle fake news and made a Facebook post about the subject on his profile.
But if that's not enough, there are at least two Google Chrome extensions you can install to help assist you in identifying possible fake news stories. One is Fake News Alert which shows a bar at the top of any suspicious news website identifying it as so, and the other is B.S. Detector which works primarily within Facebook's News Feed. Neither are fool-proof so it is important to always be skeptical of anything you read and question why.
One simple rule I like following is this one: If the title of the article makes you really angry, it's possible that it's fake.