🐤 Too little, too late?

Markets: A midweek sell-off in the tech sector pushed the Nasdaq Composite about 1.6% lower. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average followed the same trend but fell by a smaller percentage. Meta, Amazon, and AI chipmaker Nvidia each fell by more than 2.5% as investors anticipated the after-hours release of Tesla’s latest earnings report.

Not lovin’ it: McDonald’s saw its stock price take a beating on Wednesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a statement connecting the fast food giant with a string of cases related to an E. coli outbreak. At least one person has died and 10 others were hospitalized across 10 states. Reports were most common in Colorado and Nebraska. “Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated,” the agency said.

Unlucky #6: Just like that, hopes for a Subway World Series were dashed. The Mets came up short against the Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, meaning that the MLB’s top team will be decided in a best-of-seven series between the Yankees and Dodgers. But even though the Mets are out, the team’s performance this season has inspired praise from fans (and even a few critics). Things started off with a losing streak, but both players and owners seemed committed to turning things around … and they did.

Ticket to ride: It might have a reputation as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but it’s rapidly becoming one of the most expensive too. Both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California have implemented the latest in an endless line of price hikes. A single-day ticket now costs more than $200 and various annual passes have gone up in price by an average of about 7%. The Incredi-Pass comes with a host of in-park advantages but also commands the princely sum of $1,549. Things get even more costly if you opt for the Lightning Lane Premiere Pass.

Where credit is due: Two major companies are in hot water with federal regulators. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Apple and Goldman Sachs engaged in a series of deceptive practices involving Apple Card purchases, interest, and payments. In addition to failing to report or resolve disputes in a timely manner, the agency alleges that the companies’ promotion of the card led to the false assumption by some consumers that they would receive no-interest financing. The CFPB imposed a combined fine of about $89 million.

A new scientific study published in the Nature journal offers the latest insight into the impact of global warming — and if we’re being honest, it’s a bit of a downer.

What the research shows

Although there has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the race to create new technologies and tools designed to reverse the impact of climate change. But according to the study’s lead author, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, undoing much of that damage could prove impossible.

“Every degree of warming or every point of a degree of warming … comes with irreversible consequences,” he warned.

The recently published paper outlined issues such as extreme weather and sea level increases as problems that likely cannot be solved by even the most ambitious missions to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Melting glaciers, for example, are likely to remain a constant on Earth for several centuries based on the damage already caused by climate change.

Does that mean we’re doomed?

There’s no question that this report leads to some pretty alarming conclusions, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to save our planet. But instead of trying to clean up the environment, the authors insisted that it’s far more important to significantly reduce how much pollution gets there in the first place.

The landmark Paris Climate Agreement included a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to the latest data, the current rate is 1.2 degrees.

In order to not exceed that remaining 0.3 degrees, the researchers determined that emissions on a global scale must reach net zero by the midpoint of this century.

Coauthor Gaurav Ganti concluded: “We cannot squander carbon dioxide removal on offsetting emissions we have the ability to avoid.”

Although Apple didn’t want to be tied down to a specific date, the Big Tech giant did confirm that its long-awaited foray into the generative AI realm will be hitting devices next week.

What we know so far

This marks Apple’s first attempt at creating its own AI platform, and the expectations are high. Not only is the company known for taking existing tech and refining it, but its late arrival to the crowded AI party has given fans and critics alike plenty of time for the anticipation to build.

The new features are slated to be included in the upcoming iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates, which rumors suggest will be released on Monday.

Based on developer beta versions of Apple Intelligence and what the company has confirmed, we have a pretty good idea about some of the features, including:

• Writing tools
• Content summarization
• Image editing

A host of other integrations, including ChatGPT, are expected to be included in the update.

There are some limits

Even if you’re among the first to install your updated operating system, that doesn’t mean you’ll have instant access to the full Apple Intelligence suite of features. All of the generative AI functions, for example, will be limited to only some of the latest Apple devices.

The company says that’s because earlier devices did not meet the hardware requirements for the latest software update.

All iPhone 16s, the 15 Pro, and the 15 Pro Max are all compatible with Apple Intelligence, as are iPads with at least an A17 Pro or M1 chip and any Mac with at least an M1.

If everything checks out, expect to be placed on a waitlist when you opt in to Apple Intelligence. This gives the servers a chance to prepare and shouldn’t last more than a few hours.

In our culture of online shopping, reviews have become a pivotal reference point for products we can’t try on, test out, or touch before buying. But like many other internet-related topics, online retailers have become inundated by spam, AI, and various forms of fake reviews.

The FTC steps in

A new rule was announced earlier this year by the Federal Trade Commission that called for a fine of up to $51,744 for buying, selling, or writing fake online reviews. That rule is now being implemented, so consider this fair warning if you had any plans to engage in such shady business.

Here are a few types of fake reviews specifically prohibited by the federal agency:

• Ai-generated content
• Testimonials from employees, relatives, or friends without a disclaimer
• Misleading celebrity endorsements

It’s also now off limits for a business to suppress negative reviews or promote positive reviews it should have known was fake.

Big Tech gets involved

The issue has also fueled some action from within the private sector. Google recently rolled out a new policy that temporarily precludes businesses from receiving new reviews after a fake review is identified on a Google Maps profile.

Firefox offers a feature on its web browser that is designed to identify dishonest or fake reviews.

But the FTC clearly believes its regulatory might is needed to make a more significant impact on the problem.

“By strengthening the FTC’s toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final rule will protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive,” explained FTC Chair Lina M. Khan in a statement announcing the change.

My wife told me to stop impersonating a flamingo.

So I had to put my foot down.