Believing | Common News Update

Aug252019 by adminNo Comments

Instagram influencers: Have we stopped believing?

Technology

Last month, Nashville Instagrammer Tiffany Mitchell posted photographs of herself lying by the side of the road. She wrote that they were taken following a motorbike accident.But after an initial wave of sympathy from her (then) 211,000 followers, the doubtful comments began to trickle in. And then the floodgates truly opened when Buzzfeed ran a story about it this week.Given the traumatic nature of a road accident, the photographs were just so… beautiful. But there also appeared to be discrepancies. She appeared to have more than one helmet. Where was the blood? Why did she name-check her tattoo artist in her post (she said her flowers may need a "touch-up") and - even more crucially - why was there a prominently branded bottle of water in the forefront...

Seeing but not believing: Inside the business of 'deepfakes'

Technology

In a video seen by millions, a man that looks and sounds just like President Obama gives an address. But instead of a polished speech, he spouts out controversial opinions -- and even a curse word. A split screen reveals that it's not our 44th president making these comments after all -- but actor and frequent Obama impersonator, Jordan Peele. In a Buzzfeed production, Peele imitates Obama's voice with video manipulation to match. It's what's called a "deepfake" -- a video created with artificial intelligence used to convert video of real people into potentially damaging doppelgangers, appearing to say and do things the real people never actually did. In this case, it's Peele and Buzzfeed using the technology to create an sort of PSA, and reveal their trick to the viewer at the end. B...

Believing these Social Security myths could make you poorer in retirement

Finance

If you're like many retirees, your Social Security checks will account for a large portion of your retirement income. But how well you understand the ins and outs of these benefits could make a big difference in how much you receive over your lifetime. To that point, 69 percent of baby boomers — a generation of individuals who are either in or approaching retirement — expect Social Security to be a "major" source of retirement income, according to a recent report from the Insured Retirement Institute. ...