Things I learned lately 7 Jul

• You used to be able to read tweets without having an account. Not anymore…
• Apparently, ChatGPT inadvertently showed off its ability to get around content paywalls, so the folks at openAI disconnected it from the internet to sort that out. I have heard that there are browser extensions with the same ability. And all this time I’ve been paying for NYT articles….
• Just for fun, I tried to tentatively book a hotel room in Calgary (it’s Stampede week) for 10-12 July on Hyatt’s website. The hotel downtown is sold out. I could have got a room at the airport Hyatt Place for $405 per night.
• India uses internet blackouts to try and control unrest in its country. Some parts of the country have seen blackouts lasting 5 months.
• Motorola started in Chicago, Illinois, as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in 1928. Paul Galvin wanted a brand name for Galvin Manufacturing Corporation's new car radio, and created the name “Motorola” by linking "motor" with "ola" (from Victrola), which was also a popular ending for many companies at the time, e.g. Moviola, Crayola. The company sold its first Motorola branded radio on June 23, 1930. The Motorola brand name became so well known that Galvin Manufacturing Corporation later changed its name to Motorola, Inc. in 1947.
• Ewan McGregor’s brother, Colin, is a pilot in the Royal Air Force and his aviator nickname is “Obi-Two.”