YouTube is deactivating links in Shorts videos to combat spam

YouTube knows that it has a spam problem, particularly when it comes to its two-year-old Shorts feature. In an attempt to do something about it, the streamer has announced it’s deactivating links in Shorts descriptions, comments and the vertical live feed. YouTube is also taking away the ability to click on social media icons on any desktop channel banners. The new changes will start to roll out on August 31st. 

Though YouTube claims it won’t continue its “unclickable” crusade, but it adds, “Because abuse tactics evolve quickly, we have to take preventative measures to make it harder for scammers and spammers to mislead or scam users via links.” At the same time, YouTube is adding new links on creators’ channels, with a big clickable link appearing by the Subscribe button starting August 23rd. The link can bring users to anything from merchandise sites to social media accounts. The platform also recently introduced more creator tools for Shorts, like voiceovers. However, it won’t be until at least the end of September that the streamer introduces “safer” ways to guide people from their Shorts back to the rest of their content. 

YouTube

Aside from links, YouTube is working on reducing the number of impersonation accounts by reportedly improving the strategies it uses to find these accounts and subsequently remove them. According to the platform, over 35 percent more accounts were removed because of impersonation in Q1 of 2023 compared to Q1 of 2022 (though if this is because of better policies or simply more fake accounts is unclear). The streamer is also holding more comments for review through its recent Increase Strictness feature. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-is-deactivating-links-in-shorts-videos-to-combat-spam-160001356.html?src=rss 

Instant Pot pressure cookers and accessories on sale for up to 30 percent off

Instant Pot pressure cookers and related accessories are on sale via Amazon, with discounts up to 30 percent. If you’ve been mulling over 2018’s hottest kitchen item all these years, this is the perfect time to see what all the fuss has been about. The entry-level Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 model, with a three-quart capacity, is on sale for $60, a price reduction of 25 percent and the cheapest it’s been all year. The feature-rich Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 model, also boasting a three-quart interior, is available for $70 instead of the usual price of $100.

The sale extends to items like the Instant Vortex Plus XL 8-quart air fryer oven, which holds a spot in our list of best air fryers, as it now costs $140 instead of $170. The same goes for accessories. You can pick up replacement inner cooking pots, tempered glass lids, steamer inserts and a whole bunch of other items to make the most out of your recent Instant Pot purchase.

Cue infomercial voice: but that’s not all. The sale covers just about everything the Instant brand manufactures, so pick up a stand mixer at a deep discount, or a coffee maker. You can basically stock your entire kitchen with gadgets and doodads.

What’s the big deal surrounding Instant Pots in the first place? These are multi-function pressure cookers with plenty of high-tech bells and whistles. They allow you to whip up relatively complex recipes in record time, like putting together a curry in 12 minutes or a pot of bolognese in 15 minutes. Newer models, like the ones on sale today, can also saute, steam, make rice and even prepare yogurt, among other tasks.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instant-pot-pressure-cookers-and-accessories-on-sale-for-up-to-30-percent-off-162040914.html?src=rss 

X CEO confirms video calls are coming to the platform

X (formerly Twitter) CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed today that video chat is coming to the platform. In an interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen (viaTechCrunch), Yaccarino said, “Soon you’ll be able to make video chat calls without having to give your phone number to anyone on the platform.” The move reflects Yaccarino and Musk’s mission to build X into an “everything app” that includes long-form videos, payments and creator subscriptions.

The announcement follows a slightly cryptic post this week from X designer Andrea Conway. “Just called someone on X,” she posted, followed by four exploding-head emojis. Although that post didn’t clarify whether it was voice or video calls, it now appears she was referring to the latter.

It isn’t clear how X video calls would fill a burning need for consumers: The crowded video-chat landscape already includes Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Apple FaceTime and more. But as Musk and Yaccarino try to reshape the company, they increasingly view the platform formerly known as Twitter as expanding far beyond tweets into a real-time town square for various media, communications and payments.

just called someone on X 🤯🤯🤯🤯

— Andrea Conway (@ehikian) August 9, 2023

“At the heart of the rebrand, X, we need to keep our minds open that it’s developing into this global town square that is fueled by free expression where the public gathers in real time,” Yaccarino said. “And I want to stop on that for a second because ‘in real time’ is what’s most important about the vibrancy of X and how people interact with it. And now it’s all in one seamless interface.”

One of the platform’s first moves into new areas was in long-form video. The company added a Twitter Blue perk in May that lets subscribers upload videos up to two hours long. Apple was an early adopter as it used the allotment to plug its series Silo by posting the entire first episode on the social platform. X also recently began paying content creators with enough of a following to generate income — with one user claiming to receive $24,000.

Yaccarino echoed the company’s previous comments about X as a payment platform. “Payments: There’s been a lot of talk about that,” she said. “Payments between you and a friend, between you and one of your creators. So there’s been a lot going on in the rebrand represented — really a liberation from Twitter. A liberation that allowed us to evolve past a legacy mindset and thinking and to reimagine how everyone, everyone on spaces who’s listening, everybody who’s watching around the world, it’s going to change how we congregate, how we entertain, how we transact all in one platform.”

“The rebrand represented really a liberation from Twitter,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino tells @SaraEisen. “A liberation that allowed us to evolve past a legacy mindset.” https://t.co/rGXVhef6PLpic.twitter.com/v4xr9IH5X0

— CNBC (@CNBC) August 10, 2023

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-ceo-confirms-video-calls-are-coming-to-the-platform-163621725.html?src=rss 

Cindy Crawford Relaxes Topless In Hot Tub By The Lake On Summer Vacation: Photos

The beloved supermodel revealed that she was enjoying some ‘lake life’ with a series of photos from her stunning summer getaway.

The beloved supermodel revealed that she was enjoying some ‘lake life’ with a series of photos from her stunning summer getaway. 

Robert De Niro’s Daughter Drena Slams ‘Vicious, Inaccurate’ Lies About Son Leandro’s Death From ‘Trolls’

Drena De Niro claimed that her son Leo ‘was not forewarned’ that he was given the fentanyl-laced pills that killed him earlier this summer.

Drena De Niro claimed that her son Leo ‘was not forewarned’ that he was given the fentanyl-laced pills that killed him earlier this summer. 

The Television Academy has delayed the Emmys until January

Fans of shows like Andor and The Last of Us who are looking forward to finding out whether their faves will triumph at the Emmy Awards will have to remain patient for an extra few months. The Television Academy and Fox have announced that the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will now take place on January 15th — Martin Luther King Jr. Day — rather than September 18th.

That marks a delay of four months and it means the ceremony will air one week after the Golden Globes. The Television Academy and its broadcast partner have pushed back the Creative Arts Emmy Awards to the same weekend as the Golden Globes as well (an edited version of that two-night ceremony will air on January 13th).

The delay isn’t unexpected. Rumors have been swirling for weeks that the Academy and Fox would have to postpone the Emmy Awards amid writers and actors strikes that have ground Hollywood productions to a halt. With no Writers Guild of America members available to write jokes for the Emmys host and actors in SAG-AFTRA unable to attend awards ceremonies due to union rules about promoting struck work, a rescheduling seemed inevitable at this point.

Actors and writers are on strike in an attempt to secure fair contracts with Hollywood studios that protect the future of their professions. One of the major points of contention is that both unions want to safeguard their members against advancements in artificial intelligence that could harm their employment prospects. For instance, SAG-AFTRA claims the studios wanted to scan actors and have the right to use their digital likenesses in perpetuity in exchange for a single day of pay.

As has been the case for several years now, shows and television movies from streaming services are competing with those from broadcast networks for Emmy glory. HBO and Max racked up a combined 127 nominations thanks to the likes of The Last of Us and Succession. Netflix has 103 and Apple (with a big helping hand from reigning Emmys champ Ted Lasso) has 52. Thanks in large part to its various Star Wars shows, Disney+ has 40 Emmy nominations this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-television-academy-has-delayed-the-emmys-until-january-144508081.html?src=rss 

Tom Sandoval & Ariana Madix Pose In 1st Photo Together Since Cheating Scandal: See ‘Pump Rules’ Exes Together

The reunion everyone’s been waiting for. Sandoval and Ariana appeared in a photo together for the first time since ‘Vanderpump Rules’ season 11 started filming.

The reunion everyone’s been waiting for. Sandoval and Ariana appeared in a photo together for the first time since ‘Vanderpump Rules’ season 11 started filming. 

Watch Virgin Galactic’s first ever space tourist flight at 11am ET

Virgin Galactic might hit another milestone today in its quest to provide trips to suborbital space. If the weather cooperates and everything goes as planned for the company, its first private passenger flight will be taking off from its Spaceport America facility at 11AM EDT. Virgin Galactic’s inaugural commercial flight took place in late June, but that one carried Italian government workers, including two Air Force personnel, to space. This time, its three passengers are civilians, and one of them is even the company’s first paying customer. 

That distinction goes to Jon Goodwin, a British Olympian who competed in the 1972 games in Munich as a canoeist. According to the BBC, Goodwin paid $250,000 for his ticket way back in 2005 and had been worried that he couldn’t go through with the flight after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014. The other two passengers are a mother-daughter tandem from the Caribbean, Keisha Schahaff and Anastatia Mayers. Schahaff won two seats in a fundraising draw for nonprofit organization Space for Humanity and had chosen her daughter, a physics student at Aberdeen University in the UK, to accompany her. 

The company’s VSS Unity spacecraft leaves the ground attached to a carrier aircraft dubbed VMS Eve. At an altitude of 50,000 feet, the mothership drops Unity, which then fires up its rocket motor to continue its journey to the edge of space. The spacecraft turns off its motor and glides across space before its descent, giving passengers three minutes to enjoy weightlessness in the cabin while looking at views of our planet through Unity’s 17 windows. That is, at least, what the passengers are supposed to experience. As for the rest of us, we can watch them take off via Virgin Galactic’s coverage of the launch livestreamed through its website.

Be a part of history TOMORROW as we launch the inspiring crew of #Galactic02 to space! Watch the livestream at 9:00 am MDT | 11:00 am EDT and sign up so you don’t miss it: https://t.co/5UalYTpiHLpic.twitter.com/LmM7o9sTxM

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) August 9, 2023

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-virgin-galactics-first-ever-space-tourist-flight-at-11am-et-143100162.html?src=rss 

Savannah Chrisley Sends Niece Chloe Off To 1st Day Of School As Todd & Julie Remain In Prison: Photo

The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ star penned an emotional message, celebrating her niece’s strength while her grandparents serve a lengthy prison sentence.

The ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ star penned an emotional message, celebrating her niece’s strength while her grandparents serve a lengthy prison sentence. 

‘The Challenge: USA’: T.J. Lavin Reveals Which Players To Keep An Eye On & Teases ‘Throwback Format’ (Exclusive)

Ahead of the season 2 premiere of ‘The Challenge: USA,’ we got some tea from host T.J. Lavin about what to expect, who to look out for and more!

Ahead of the season 2 premiere of ‘The Challenge: USA,’ we got some tea from host T.J. Lavin about what to expect, who to look out for and more! 

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