Responding to posts on social media claiming that ChatGPT will no longer offer legal or health advice, OpenAI is clarifying that “model behavior remains unchanged” and there is “not a new change to our terms.”

The clarification follows a since-deleted viral post from betting platform Kalshi, which claimed “JUST IN: ChatGPT will no longer provide health or legal advice.” Since then, concerned users have repeated the claim, while others have attempted to push back against it.

The confusion likely stems from an Oct. 29 update to OpenAI’s Usage policies, which appeared to add a stipulation that users cannot use OpenAI for “provision of tailored advice that requires a license, such as legal or medical advice, without appropriate involvement by a licensed professional.” While it would be easy to read that as meaning the AI will no longer give advice on those topics, the reality is a bit more complicated.

In fact, the previous usage policy already banned “activities that may significantly impair the safety, wellbeing, or rights of others,” with its first example of one such activity being “providing tailored legal, medical/health, or financial advice without review by a qualified professional.” However, this was hidden under a subsection targeted at those building with the OpenAI API, and so might have been missed by average consumers.

While the new usage policy keeps the same rules, the change was that it now merges them into one, unbroken list, meaning that while the rule is still targeted primarily towards developers and businesses, it is now more visible to everyone. Technically, this also makes it clearer that the rule applies to everyone and not just those using the OpenAI API to build an app, but average users are unlikely to see a change.

The important words here are “provision” and “providing.” The terms, as written, don’t necessarily ban the average person from getting legal and health advice from ChatGPT, but instead discourages developers and hospitals or law offices from using the chatbot to give specific advice to a client without first checking in with a licensed professional. As an average person doing background research, you’re unlikely to bump up against it, and there’s no language indicating a change to the chatbot’s functionality. In short, the update is intended as a rewording, not a change to rules, enforcement, or functionality.

This is backed up by OpenAI’s statement, which comes from the company’s head of health AI Karan Singhal, and says “ChatGPT has never been a substitute for professional advice, but it will continue to be a great resource to help people understand legal and health information.”

Despite this, responses to OpenAI’s statement denying a change to model behavior still claim to have seen more difficulty looking certain topics up, although it’s important to note that OpenAI’s release notes don’t indicate any new model developments having been made since the update to the company’s usage policies.

On an anecdotal note, I was able to get ChatGPT to offer me advice on how to fight a traffic ticket in court, as well as suggest brands for a supplement a user said the model refused to provide specific advice about following the new policy update.

Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt

While I cannot test every possible use case, the situation seems clear to me. Are you using ChatGPT or the OpenAI API to give others specifically tailored legal or health advice, without review by a licensed professional? If so, the same rules apply as before. If not, you’re unlikely to see a change in your results.

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Amazon is having a big Google sale right now while retailers are churning out early Black Friday deals. The standout deal is the Google Pixel 10, with the 128GB going for $599 (originally $799) and the 256GB for $699 (originally $899), both at record low prices, according to price-tracking tools.

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The Google Pixel 10 is the latest in the series to be released this year, back in September. It’s the model under the Pixel 10 Pro, which is also at its lowest price right now and has a much faster chip. As Lifehacker’s Associate Tech Editor Michelle Ehrhardt says in her review, the Pixel 10 features a telephoto lens, brings the Pixelsnap (Google’s version of MagSafe), and has new AI features. However, the ultrawide lens gets weaker, and there are some problems with the chip for third-party apps (but it can be fixed).

This Pixel 10 has a lot of the same features you’ll find in the Pixel Pro for $150 less, making it a great budget option for those who don’t want or need all the fancy specs and features. It comes with a Google Tensor G5 chip, and the camera resolutions are 48MP, 13MP, and 10.8MP for the rear and 10.5MP for the front-facing one. You can expect about 24 hours of battery life, depending on your use.

One of my favorite things about Pixel phones is the ongoing support for many years. My Pixel 6A still gets all of the updates and tons of AI features that make the phone feel fresh many years later, with the latest ones dropping in September. With the Pixel 10, you’ll be getting a quality phone with software updates for a while (as long as seven years).

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Every few decades, the pop culture machine spits out a person who purports to have supernatural powers. In the 1980s, it was spoon-bending swami Uri Geller. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was “mediums” like John Edward, who supposedly talked to people’s dead relatives. In 2025, we have Oz Pearlman. To be fair, unlike the rest of these examples, Pearlman doesn’t claim supernatural powers himself, but a lot of people seem to be taking his stage patter explanation for his mentalist tricks as the unvarnished truth. They’re wrong.

Oz (pronounced “Oh’s”) has a hell of a schtick. The 43-year-old dude seems like an unassuming nerd, until he starts reading people’s minds. In the years since he took third place on America’s Got Talent, Pearlman has done things like name NFL player A.J. Brown’s first childhood crush during a performance for the Philadelphia Eagles; guess who John Cena was thinking of on the Today Show; and maybe most famously, correctly divine Joe Rogan’s ATM PIN on an episode of the Joe Rogan Podcast. 

It’s only reasonable to assume that Oz Pearlman can’t actually read people’s minds, and “Magician Not Actually Doing Magic” isn’t much of a headline anyway. But the real story isn’t Pearlman, it’s the reaction he’s getting: As more media sources feature him and more people become fans, it’s becoming clear that a lot people who should know better are falling for his act.

How much can you tell from body language?

In his TED talk and in numerous interviews, Pearlman claims that he has “reverse engineered the human mind” and is able to tell what people are thinking through their body language, micro-expressions, and other imperceptible-to-mortals physical cues. “I don’t read minds, I just read people,” Pearlman says. That may sound scientific, but it isn’t.

While psychologists can sometimes interpret general emotions from micro-expressions and body language, there’s no evidence that these could help divine specific thoughts, including the word you’re thinking of, your PINs, or your childhood crushes. At best, body language gives you a vague sense of mood, but it fails at even broad tests like revealing whether you’re being lied to.

In other words, all his “reverse engineering the mind talk” is just patter from a magician, but it’s often reported as fact or left unexamined by media, as you can see in this recent 60 Minutes puff piece on Pearlman. This has led many to believe it’s actually possible to read minds if you know how (and of course Pearlman will sell you a book that can teach you). But Oz Pearlman is not reading minds, people, body language, or micro-emotions. He’s performing magic tricks—and old ones, at that.

Oz Pearlman’s carnival tricks

As with any kind of debunking, no one can prove a negative, so I can’t say for sure that Pearlman isn’t reading people’s postures, but if Pearlman could read people’s thoughts by how they hold their hands or whatever, why would he only prove it by doing variations on carnival mentalism gags that have been around for centuries? His gestures, nods, and pauses aren’t signs of mind-reading—they’re stage work. Pearlman’s tricks will work whether the subject is expressive or stiff, because the outcome is already controlled through pre-show work, audience manipulation, and clever gimmicks.

Pearlman often puts a high tech spin on old tricks, and he’s really good at what he does. For instance, check out this involved trick where random numbers entered on an iPhone calculator add up to exactly the serial number on a randomly chosen dollar bill.

Here’s how it’s done: First, Pearlman engages in the time-honored mentalist tradition of “sneaking a look.” Here he is quickly memorizing the serial number on the random bill:

Credit: Bussin with the Boys-YouTube

Then he asks for a phone to use as a calculator. If you turn your iPhone calculator to the side, as Pearlman does here,

Credit: Bussin with the Boys-YouTube

it turns on scientific mode, and that lets you store a number. (Try it with your own phone if you wanna) Pearlman then quickly enters the serial number he’s just seen, hits “store” and hands the phone back, so that it can be pulled up later. That’s the whole trick. All the patter and dates and math whatnot are window dressing.

The rest of his tricks have similar explanations: forced picks, sneaky looks, and magician’s gimmicks explain almost all of his mentalism—except his most mind-blowing tricks, like guessing Joe Rogan’s PIN number. But those have an even easier explanation.

How Pearlman (probably) guessed Joe Rogan’s ATM PIN

Tricks aimed at individuals, like the PIN number or the name of a childhood crush, are done by learning this information before the show begins. Pearlman is likely employing a mentalism technique that’s been around since at least the 1800s: using an advance team to gather “secret” information about prominent audience members long before the curtain goes up.

I’m not saying Pearlman hired someone to follow Rogan around or used a thermal camera pointed at a keypad to get his PIN, but it’s possible, and that’s what I would have done. All Pearlman needs to blow everyone’s mind is a single piece of “unknowable” information about a prominent person—the name of a childhood crush or a high school teacher, say—and that these can be learned in advance through old-fashioned means like interviews with childhood friends, checking out a high school yearbook, or by employing technical hacks. Think of it this way: hackers use social engineering and technical exploits to get secret passwords all the time; why wouldn’t a magician do the same kinds of things?

With these kinds of tricks, you’re often only seeing the second part of the illusion. The first, pre-show part might involve asking the mark visit an innocent-seeming website (actually the magician’s own site) to search for the name of a childhood crush. The magician can then read the “most recent searches” from his phone and pull the answer out “thin air.”

It doesn’t always go smoothly; like in the below clip from “Bussin with the Boys.” Skip ahead to 3:42, and you’ll see the mark reveals he’s done an earlier web search for the person he’s thinking of, and that he spelled the person’s name wrong. Pearlman makes exactly the same spelling error, ruining the result:

Maybe the most amazing part is how smoothly Oz transitions away from the blown trick and still leaves the audience amazed; dude is really good at this shit.

The Uri Geller effect

In the 1970s and ’80s, spoon-bending psychic Uri Geller occupied a similar place in popular culture as Pearlman does now. Geller was a frequent guest on daytime and late night talks shows, and his appearances were guaranteed to raise ratings. Hosts rarely challenged his claims of supernatural power, even though any magician could tell you how he did his signature spoon-bending tricks. Like Geller, Pearlman isn’t lying about bending spoons, he’s lying about how the spoons are getting bent.

In 2025 Pearlman couldn’t credibly claim otherworldly forces were helping him bend spoons like Uri Geller could in the 1970s, but he can get people to believe that micro-expressions and knowledge of human psychology will help you divine someone’s ATM PIN code. And unlike the 1970s, there seems to be no Johnny Carson around willing to call bullshit on his work.

I’m not knocking Oz Pearlman’s hustle—he’s a very skilled performer—but anyone should know that you can’t trust a magician. They entertain by making the impossible look real, but when supposedly serious journalistic outlets like 60 Minutes don’t even bother with a token pushback about a magician’s specious claims, there’s a problem.  

If you’ve been an iPhone user for a long time, you might remember “slide to unlock.” When you wanted to use your iPhone, you had to physically move your finger along the screen to actually unlock the device. It was a clever way of ensuring than your iPhone didn’t unlock in your pocket, or due to an accidental touch.

With iOS 10, Apple killed slide to unlock in favor of pressing the Home button, then later swiping up on the bottom of the screen. Since then, for the better part of a decade, swiping right on the Lock Screen simply takes you to the “Today View,” which contains your widgets. Change is good, and I don’t necessarily think Apple should bring back slide to unlock for the Lock Screen, but sometimes, I miss how things worked on my old iPhone 3GS. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

To my absolute surprise, however, the company is bringing back the slide function—just not to unlock. Instead, you’re now able to slide to stop your alarms, which might come as a surprise to anyone used to the usual alarm routine. Imagine it: One morning, you’re tapping to turn off your alarm as usual; the next, your taps are fruitless, and your alarm keeps blaring. Bleary-eyed, you look at your screen, to find a new “Slide to stop” function. If you’re like me, you’ll follow instructions, sliding to stop the alarm, only to forget the whole ordeal within moments, doomed to repeat the affair the next morning.

This change arrives as part of iOS 26.1, which dropped on Monday, and Apple doesn’t give you any say in the matter—at least, not at first. After updating to the latest update, your next alarm or timer will include the next slider (though “snooze” or “repeat” remain buttons), but the switch up is fine by me. I like it, and it brings back a fun feature from iOS’ heyday. But if you dislike the change, and you wish you could simply tap a button to silence your alarms and timers, the good news is, you still can.

How to disable “slide to stop alarm”

Apple buried the option to revert your alarm and timers back to the way they used to be, so I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing they even exist. You won’t find them in the Clock app’s settings page, which is confusing. Instead, it’s part of a hidden system-wide setting, called “Prefer Single-Touch Actions.”

This setting will disable sliders across iOS, and replace them with buttons. For our purposes, that turns “Slide to stop” back into a simple off button. To find it, head to Settings > Accessibility > Touch, then enable the toggle next to “Prefer Single-Touch Action.”

Slide to stop (left) vs. stop button (right).
Credit: Lifehacker

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In theory, wireless headphones are great for working out. But in reality, they often fall out, leak sound, or get damaged during heavy sweat sessions. The Anker Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds are true wireless workout earbuds with ANC that are designed to stay put and deliver during exercise. Right now, they’re just $55.99 (originally $79.99), bringing them down to their lowest price ever, according to price-trackers. 

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These tough sports earbuds are often considered a budget version of the Powerbeats Pro. They combine comfort and durability, with customizable sound and noise cancellation. They have an IP68 rating, meaning they’re dust-proof and can be immersed in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, making them ideal for sweaty workouts. The earbuds come with ear hooks that rotate and extend by up to 4 mm. While this keeps them in place during vigorous movement, they aren’t exactly discreet or minimalist, and those with ear sensitivity might prefer in-ear buds, though they are more likely to fall out.

The feature-filled companion app allows users to adjust their EQ. While their default setting, Soundcore Signature, delivers solid sound most of the time, this is a helpful feature if you want to tweak bass or adjust ANC modes. The app also has HearID, which allows users to take a hearing test and customize listening based on their results. The adaptive ANC does a great job at tuning out background noise at the gym or on runs and performs well for under $100.  

Battery life lasts around 12 hours (this drops down to around seven with ANC on) and the carrying case carries 48 hours of battery on average. Charging them for five minutes provides two hours of listening time. For those who take calls, the X20s have six microphones, AI-enhancing tech, and Bluetooth 5.4 Multipoint, letting you seamlessly switch between audio sources. 

If you’re looking for athletic, durable ANC earbuds with a comfortable and durable design to power your workouts or accompany commutes, the Anker Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds are an affordable, top-performing option for listening and taking calls, especially given their current $55.99 price tag.

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If you’re in the market for a new pair of on-ear ANC headphones from a premium brand, here’s a deal to check out: The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are currently $199 (originally $359) in every color. This represents a 45% discount and the lowest price ever for these well-reviewed headphones, according to price tracking tools.

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These wireless Bluetooth headphones from Bose have plush ear cushions that make them great for long-term wear. They offer automatic noise cancellation with both “Quiet” and “Aware” modes that let you switch between isolated sound and hearing your surroundings, while adjustable EQ lets you fine-tune the sound to your liking. They will last up to 24 hours on a single charge, with quick charge giving you around 2.5 to 4 hours after 15 minutes. While they’re wireless, they also come with an audio cable for wired listening if the battery dies. 

Per this “excellent” PCMag review, the on-ear control buttons are well-placed and easy to operate, and that the QuietComfort headphones have  “rich, crisp audio” and fantastic ANC. Compared to their predecessors, they have a more refined sound signature but don’t have the immersive audio or updated Bluetooth specs of the pricier Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones(they’re compatible with Bluetooth 5.1 but don’t support Bluetooth 5.3 or use the Snapdragon Sound Platform). They also lack the over-ear design and faster charging of the Ultra, but the tradeoff is a $130 price difference and a lighter, more travel-friendly build.

If you’re looking for a pair of comfy, lightweight on-ear headphones with strong ANC performance, and the lack of future-proofing features like high-end codec and Bluetooth support isn’t a dealbreaker, these Bose QuietComfort Headphones are a reliable choice, and a good value at their current $199 price point.