Happy hump day. Let’s dive straight in.
1. Why this video?
TikTok will be rolling out a new feature that will tell you why it’s serving you something. Sometimes, the platform’s algorithm is so spot on, bafflingly spot on, so now, you’re going to be told why. The new tool will be embedded within your For You feed, requiring you to tap on the share panel, then to tap the question mark icon called “Why this video”. From there, you can see reasons why a particular video was recommended to you.
2. Farewell, InSight. You did good
The InSight lander, which has spent over four years carrying out science on the Martian surface, may have finally died due to a lack of solar power. InSight’s battery has slowly been draining since it arrived on Mars. Dust blown about the Red Planet by gusty winds clung to the lander’s solar panels, reducing the amount of solar energy they could take in. InSight preemptively predicted its death, which is not at all sad. I’m somehow crying over a robot.
My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me. pic.twitter.com/wkYKww15kQ
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 19, 2022
3. Netflix with ads not so popular
As much as Netflix anticipated the launch of its ad-based tier as a means for generating new subscribers on the most popular streaming service, it turns out customers really haven’t been too interested in a cheaper ad-filled service with fewer shows on offer. Just 9 per cent of all new Netflix subscribers opted for the $6.99 a month service last month and reports say over half of those ad-based sign-ups were people re-upping their subscription after it lapsed or were joining for the first time and another 43 per cent of were folks deciding to downgrade their subscription from one of the pricier plans.
4. Elon backflips
After posting a Twitter poll on Monday asking if users want him to step down as CEO, Elon Musk is now interested in only allowing Twitter Blue subscribers to be involved with major policy decisions, such as the much hated (and now pulled back) banning of links to other social media websites. Everything is going great.
Good point. Twitter will make that change.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2022
5. WhatsApp will now let you undo ‘Delete for Me’
WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that lets you undo a majorly awkward move in the group chat. The popular messaging app now allows you to undo the “Delete for Me” option incase you’ve accidentally deleted a message for yourself when you really meant to delete it for everyone else. The new feature is called “accidental delete,” and allows you just 5 seconds to reverse a sloppy “Delete for Me” button press. Instead, you can delete the message for the whole chat whether it’s one-on-one or in a group chat.
BONUS ITEM: Today’s bonus item comes via The Washington Post. An auction house has sold the still-working original mechatronic filming model used to bring E.T. to life in Steven Spielberg’s classic 1982 film “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
See you tomorrow.