All posts tagged: pretending

10 Specific Ways To Spot A Fake Intellectual Within Three Minutes Of Meeting Them

10 Specific Ways To Spot A Fake Intellectual Within Three Minutes Of Meeting Them

Published by Jenni Sidey

Most people are experiencing an “illusion of intelligence” when they’re overconfident. They overpromise and underdeliver because they have an inflated idea of their own skills and knowledge, usually in search of praise or attention, but don’t think others will catch on to their pretending. Even though the outcomes of projects they work on are typically evidence enough of incompetence, there are also specific ways to spot a fake intellectual within just three minutes of meeting them. And once you end up talking to them, you’ll wonder why you ever waited to find out. Here are 10 specific ways to spot a fake intellectual within three minutes of meeting them 1. They pick up their phone constantly Lightfield Studios | Shutterstock If someone doesn’t actually know the answer to something but is still trying to pretend they do, their phone is always going to be in their hand. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, access to the internet and search engines tends to always affect a person’s overconfidence, as if the wealth of …

AI Agents Linked to OpenAI Are Pretending to Be Human Journalists

AI Agents Linked to OpenAI Are Pretending to Be Human Journalists

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech A news website with apparent links to OpenAI is using AI agents that pose as flesh-and-blood reporters to get quotes from human experts — and many of its articles discuss the AI industry, pushing pro-AI arguments and attacking the tech’s critics. At least, that’s according to a provocative new investigative piece from The Midas Project’s Model Republic. The links to OpenAI are circumstantial yet eyebrow-raising; we reached out to the Sam Altman-helmed firm to ask about them, but didn’t hear back by press time. The site, which has the peculiar name of The Wire by Acutus, was launched on December 29, 2025 and doesn’t appear to have any human contributors. In addition to an analysis using the AI detector Pangram finding that 97 percent of its articles are either fully or partially AI-generated, Model Republic found that looking into the site’s publicly accessible code revealed clear fingerprints of AI involvement. These included fields for providing “background information for …

Stop Pretending to Be Happy

Stop Pretending to Be Happy

Published by Jenni Sidey

So many of us are faking it. We’re gritting our teeth and pretending to be OK, faking smiles and feigning interest. But why? Happiness is often viewed as an achievement, the cumulative effect of an individual doing the work. The myth goes something like this: If I make my bed, force a smile, take deep breaths, exercise, meditate, go to therapy, and buy the latest self-help guide, I can will myself into a state of happiness. But it’s a myth. We can’t fake the funk. Emotions come and go. We can’t walk them off or hurry them along when we don’t first acknowledge and accept that they’re real. The Risks of Emotional Suppression Many studies have demonstrated the downsides of emotional suppression. People experience more negative affect and biological distress when holding their emotions in. In one study, participants were either taught to suppress or accept their emotions. Both groups then watched an emotional film. Participants who were primed to accept emotions experienced less negative affect and a lowered heart rate after watching the film. …

Doreen Lawrence accuses Mail of ‘pretending to be her friend’

Doreen Lawrence accuses Mail of ‘pretending to be her friend’

Published by Sam Flores

Baroness Doreen Lawrence arriving at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in November 2025. Picture: James Manning/PA Wire Baroness Doreen Lawrence has accused the Daily Mail of “pretending to be my friend” and playing her “for a fool” by using private investigators to gain her private information. Baroness Lawrence, the mother of Stephen who was murdered in a racist attack in 1993, had a good relationship with the Daily Mail for many years. Four years after Stephen’s murder the Daily Mail famously published a “Murderers” front page accusing five men of killing him. “If we are wrong, let them sue us,” the paper wrote. Two of the men, Gary Dobson and David Norris, have since been convicted of the crime. Baroness Lawrence later launched the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust which partnered with the Daily Mail for several years to run the Stephen Lawrence Scholarship for young journalists, with the aim of improving diversity in the industry. However Baroness Lawrence is now among a group of seven claimants, including Prince Harry and Sir Elton John, suing Mail …

Major AI Companies Aren’t Even Pretending to Make Money

Major AI Companies Aren’t Even Pretending to Make Money

Published by José Betancourt

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images In a way, Silicon Valley has always asked investors to suspend disbelief to fund pie-in-the-sky projects, but the AI boom calls for something closer to a full break from financial reality. It’s 2026. Last year, investors lavished $80 billion on foundation AI companies — the ones building huge, general-purpose AI systems. They all have yet to even break even, let alone turn a profit. That being the case, you may ask yourself: is anyone even trying to make money from all this AI stuff? The answer, as TechCrunch AI editor Russell Brandom explains, is a resounding “not really, no.” In order to keep track of who‘s doing what in the AI space, Brandom came up with a five-level scale to grade AI companies. Of course, with so few projects actually bringing in revenue, financial success isn’t very helpful for tracking performance. Instead, Brandom went with a vibes-based system, rating companies based on how hard they’re trying to make money. “The idea here is to measure ambition, …

5 Ways Couples Who Actually Like Each Other Behave Differently From People Who Are Only Pretending

5 Ways Couples Who Actually Like Each Other Behave Differently From People Who Are Only Pretending

Published by Jenni Sidey

In his book The Intentional Family, Bill Dougherty discusses “rituals of connection” as an important tool for successful relationships of couples who genuinely like each other. A ritual of connection is a way of regularly turning towards your partner that can be counted on. Erica and Rob, both in their late forties, have been happily married for ten years and are raising three children. When I asked Rob about the rituals in their marriage, he reflected: “We hug every day when I get home because physical touch is one of my Love Languages. Erica is not as affectionate as I am, but she’s up for it because she knows how important it is to me.” Couples with relationships rich in rituals and traditions can create shared meaning, the top level of the Sound Relationship House. Daily rituals shape our lives in positive ways. In The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg explains that habits are crucial to success in all realms of our lives. Overall, they make us more productive and healthier. In a relationship, Dr. Gottman calls …

After Renee Good, are you really going to keep pretending Trump and Vance are pro-life?

After Renee Good, are you really going to keep pretending Trump and Vance are pro-life?

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross on Wednesday (Jan. 7), at the site of an ICE enforcement in Minneapolis. She was shot three times while driving away from Agent Ross. “We vow to celebrate and support every heroic mother who chooses life.” — Vice President JD Vance, 2025, March for Life Ms. Good was a U.S. citizen and an observer, one of countless people in American communities who have sacrificed their convenience and put their own safety at risk to ensure their neighbors might feel a little more secure during the Trump administration’s deportation campaign. “We will always stand for the sanctity of life and protect the most innocent and vulnerable in our society.” — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, 2021 The enforcement action that cost Ms. Good her life was a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s “Operation Metro Surge,” which began on Jan. 5. It is too soon to know who the 150 or so detainees are who have …