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The Daily Dot

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One cool perk about having tattoos is that it’s...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/21

When conversations about artificial intelligence come up, the risks are often front and center.People worry about scammers using AI to copy their voice to trick family members, or about likenesses being stolen and repurposed in inappropriate ways. The fear is real: what happens when technology can convincingly imitate you? One TikToker thinks she’s found a built-in safeguard, and it comes down to her tattoos. Woman says AI can’t recreate her likeness, for one simple reason TikTok creator

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Behind closed doors: 18 women share things they do in...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

When Redditors ask about private habits, the answers often reveal more than expected. A recent r/AskReddit thread posed a simple question, querying, "What is something women do in private that will surprise men?" The responses ranged from lighthearted quirks to candid admissions about everyday realities. The thread turned into a colorful quilt of what women experience when the spotlight is off. [deleted] via Reddit Finding the humor in everyday life While some comments highlighted the

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“Travel in the U.S. is dead”: Marriott guest shares...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

A woman on her honeymoon in Hawaii said her hotel charged $200 for a poolside chair among other "resort fees" that left her with a huge bill. She stayed at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel in Honolulu, and the evidence of "corporate greed" at every turn led her to warn other travelers to take their post-wedding trips elsewhere. Some fear that this nickle-and-diming by U.S. companies is going to hurt tourism. $200 to sit by the pool Travel TikToker @funkshe has recently been on her multi-national

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“No need to be doing all this”: Olive Garden’s $13.99...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

Olive Garden's Never Ending Pasta Bowl promotion has officially returned, and TikTokers wasted no time showing off how far they could stretch the deal. The offer lets customers eat unlimited soup or salad, breadsticks, and pasta for $13.99, the same price as last year, until Nov. 16, 2025. According to the chain, it was "keeping the price of its most beloved offer exactly the same, in a time when prices seem to rise with every season." TikTokers turn unlimited pasta into a game TikToker

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“Peak boomer entitlement”: What are grandma showers?...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

Grandma showers, sometimes called grandma baby showers, have popped up as a new trend on TikTok, to mixed reactions. The idea mirrors a traditional baby shower, but instead of centering the expectant parents, the guest of honor is the soon-to-be grandmother. Clips of these gatherings received thousands of views, and the comments revealed plenty of mixed reactions. @sandib2021/TikTok Although many people questioned the need for such events, supporters argued that they could serve a purpose

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“Blowing my mind”: Customer shares an early look at...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

Old Navy is adding screens to dressing rooms that scan items as you hang them. Customers are reacting to the new technology at the popular clothing retailer. What do the Old Navy dressing room screens do? In a video with over 536,000 views, an Old Navy worker hangs several clothing items on the rack below a tablet screen. "Right on the screen, it's going to pick up every single item you have," the worker says. "It'll tell you the price right there." The screen uses RFID to pick up which

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“What soft surveillance looks like”: Lawyer explains...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

A TikTok claiming to offer six signs you've been put on a government watchlist is drawing debate online. Back in July, @rebuild.with.ryan shared a controversial two-minute clip in which he warned viewers, "You don't need to be a criminal to end up on a government watchlist." "These lists aren't just for terrorists or fugitives. They're used to monitor people preemptively, hence the term predictive policing. You can land on one for being associated with people under investigation, attending the

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Starbucks employees sue company over dress code:...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

Starbucks is facing legal heat again, this time not over unions or strikes but over what its employees are allowed to wear on the job. Workers across multiple states say the coffee giant’s new dress code forced them to shell out their own money for clothes, and they want that money back. Previously, the Daily Dot reported that many Starbucks baristas were walking out of their jobs due to the changes when the policy first rolled out in May. Lawsuits filed in three states On Wednesday,

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“Worldcoin founder says”: Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, is...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hinted that he's coming around to the dead internet theory in an early September post on X. His company gave the world ChatGPT—the large language model (LLM) fueling the epidemic of social media bots and AI slop content—which has many commenters fingering him as the guy who did this. While it may be considered a conspiracy theory, an increasing number of humans are starting to suspect that the internet is dead, or will be soon. Sam Altman pronounces the internet dead In

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“We’ve lost the plot”: Influencer sent a list of...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/20

Weddings cost a lot. And not just for the couple. Between showers, travel, glam, and dress codes, guests can feel the strain too, especially if the “suggestions” turn into shopping lists. Influencer sparks backlash with a “dress list” for her engagement party TikTok creator and fashion entrepreneur Danielle Bernstein (@weworewhat) posted a video about sending guests a curated list of dresses to wear to her engagement party. The clip pulled in more than 126,300 views as viewers debated

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Fun fact: The Nintendo Wii censor bar can be...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

When the Nintendo Wii came out in 2006, the little black bar that sat on top of your TV didn’t look like much.But without it, the Wii Remote’s motion controls didn’t work properly, which meant no bowling strikes or Mario Kart shortcuts. Turns out, though, the bar is a lot simpler than people think—and one TikTok shows you don’t even need it. TikTok creator James Elliot (@jamescastiglione) posted a clip of his son discovering that a pair of candles works just as well as the real sensor bar

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Can playing “The Legend of Zelda” really improve...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

Zelda isn't just one of the best-loved franchises in the world — it's also now scientifically proven to help your mental health. Experts from Imperial College in London, Kyushu Sangyo University, and Georgia State University teamed up to investigate how IPs like Zelda and Studio Ghibli can affect a person's happiness levels. The study consisted of selecting 500 students and asking them to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and watch Studio Ghibli films like My Neighbour Totoro ond

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“You will document your life so much less”: College...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

Most of us can’t go more than a few hours without checking TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat. Social media has become a constant backdrop to everyday life, whether it’s to keep up with friends, scroll for entertainment, or stay in the loop about what’s trending. But one college student decided to step away for nearly three years—and now she’s sharing what she realized she lost by doing so. Positives of returning to social media after a long break TikTok creator Billy (@1ilyp00h) posted a

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“Society is taught to disrespect labor”: Server...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

Your server is not responsible for the price of the $13 non alcoholic beverage you ordered. Server and fiber artist Brian (@wooltogold) explained why mocktails cost as much as alcoholic drinks in a TikTok video with 202.6 million views. In a post shared September 7, 2025, he said mocktails cost as much as alcoholic drinks because fake spirits cost as much, if not more, than alcoholic spirits. And consumers pick up the tab for the cost of ingredients, just as they’ve done “since the dawn of

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The best jokes and memes embraced by celebrities,...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

Being in the public eye means celebrities frequently become the butt of a joke or subject of a viral meme. While some may be offended, others lean into the inside jokes as a way to connect with fans. In a post on r/popculturechat, a user asks, "What's your favorite joke or meme based on a celebrity that they ended up embracing?" Several references popular celebrity look-alike memes, in which the two twinning celebrities nod to each other in interviews and on album covers. Others praise

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“You’re still fired and good luck”: HR gives new hire...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

A Redditor was recently left stumped after being fired for not showing up to her first day of work. The catch? HR had given her the wrong start date. Locking down a job is a really big deal. It often comes after numerous rounds of interviews and could involve hundreds of applications being sent out, or even leaving your existing job for the opportunity. So it's no surprise that u/Alice14_VS turned to the internet for advice after she discovered the job she had managed to land fired her without

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“I would refuse to pay the bill”: Customer says they...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/14

A Redditor claimed they were charged a new kind of fee while dining at a nearly empty restaurant. The charge, which was added before the tip, appeared as a "Quiet Time Surcharge" on their bill. The story quickly picked up the debate, where users argued about whether the fee was even legal. u/michalwalks via Reddit Redditor claims they were charged for eating during slow hours In a post on r/EndTipping, u/michalwalks wrote they were "charged a 'Quiet Time Surcharge' because the restaurant

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A viral video of “McJeans” has the internet jealous...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/13

Normally, people don’t think twice about McDonald’s uniforms unless they’re wearing one themselves. But now, the internet can’t stop talking about them after a TikTok showing off “McJeans” in Europe blew up. Creator @louiek81 posted the clip, which racked up over 8.1 million views, filming two workers on the job. Instead of stiff black trousers or khakis, they’re dressed in timeless blue jeans stamped with a subtle McDonald’s “M” logo on the pocket. “I’m gonna need a pair of these

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“How am I even alive?”: EMT explains why throwing...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/13

Most people have tossed a scorched piece of food in the trash without giving it a second thought. But according to a former EMT, that move could easily spark a fire in your own kitchen. Former EMT: never toss hot, burned food into the trash TikTok creator Ali (@themommyconfessionsss) posted a video that’s already been viewed more than 2.4 million times, using a recent viral story to explain why this mistake is dangerous. She tells the story of @kyndallzachary heating up a brownie: “Instead

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“We listen and we don’t judge”: Amber Riley has a...

The Daily Dot ·

2025/09/13

Glee star Amber Riley reacts to a Glee fan's wild "tramp stamp" in a Cameo for her birthday. Other fans react to the extreme lower back tattoo. What did Amber Riley say about the Glee fan's tattoo? In a video with over 552,000 views, celebrity video message platform Cameo posts Riley's reaction to the lower back tattoo. The video shows a screenshot of the tattoo, which says "andthatswhatyoumissedon GLEE" in bold letters on the fan's mid-lower back. "Is that tattoo real?" Riley, who played

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