Hot bot alert

South African 'model' Shudu @shudu.gram Picture courtesy/Instagram

Shudu, a South African supermodel, is part of a growing tribe of attractive bots on the Internet. She and others like her have been created for revenue generation. Englishman Cameron-James Wilson created Shudu and runs a virtual influencer company called Diigital. "Over the past few years, this has really taken off," Wilson told the New York Post. Some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, including Tommy Hilfiger, have collaborated with these bots, by hiring them as models.

Lil Miquela @lilmiquella

Creators Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou, the pair behind hot bot Lil Miquela received $125 million from investors. She is one of the first bots and is widely recognised for being an influencer. She has close to two million followers on Instagram. What's more? She landed a job as Contributing Arts Editor at Dazed magazine. Social media marketing expert Charlie Buffin manages both human and bot influencers. According to him, the top digital influencers make anywhere between $10,000 to $15,000 per post. This is on par with humans with similar followers. Virtual influencers like to showcase their ‘lives' through posts, including travel, heartbreak, activism, etc. But, sometimes they can take it too far. For instance, Lil Miquela posted about a sexual assault and was met by outrage from people who shamed her for resorting to faking violence to make money.

1.8M
Number of Lil Miquela's Instagram followers

Out of the left field

What'll you play for your pooch?

Spotify's new feature, Pet Playlists, allows users to generate playlists for their pets. The user can choose between a dog, cat, iguana, hamster and bird. The app will customise mixtapes to suit the pet's personality traits and species. Spotify said research shows that 71 per cent of users who own pets, play music for them. For instance, The Cure's All Cats Are Grey and Never Run Away by Kurt Vile are two of the top 30 tracks from a playlist for a relaxed, curious and shy cat.

It's a viral

Sneak attack your hotpot

A new trend on Chinese social media has users sneaking in raw ingredients to add to their stewing broth in hotpot restaurants. Videos of these pranks show people pulling out ingredients from their bags and dropping them into the hotpot. Some try to be inconspicuous while others drop in giant fish or birds.

Social media howler

Mum terrified of Elsa doll

Aurelia Madonia received a doll from her grandmother, of Elsa, the main character from Frozen. Her mother Emily was shocked to find out that the doll could speak and sing in Spanish, even when turned off. She tried to get rid of it twice but it ended up back in their home. She took to Facebook to vent about the experience.

Can I slay my BAE, your honour?

David Ostrom, a resident of Kansas, asked a judge for permission to have a sword fight with his ex-wife

THE Ostroms have been waging a bitter, legal battle with each other through several disputes about custody, visitation issues and property tax. David Ostrom, a 40-year-old from Paola, Kansas, asked an Iowa judge to let him engage in a sword fight with his ex-wife and her lawyer so he could "rend their souls" from their bodies. He said in a court filing that his former wife, Bridgette Ostrom and her lawyer, Matthew Hudson, had "destroyed (him) legally." Ostrom told The Des Moines Register that he was frustrated with his ex-wife's lawyer and filed a motion to teach him a lesson. "I think I've met Mr Hudson's absurdity with my own," he claimed. He also asked for 12 weeks' time so he could purchase Japanese samurai swords for the battle. The judge said he wouldn't be issuing a directive anytime soon citing irregularities on the part of both sides.

Briefs

Feral cats munch on human flesh

Colorado: Scientists at the Mesa University's Forensic Investigation Research Station were shocked to find that two different cats had eaten two separate, decomposing bodies, which were left in the facility. CCTV footage showed that each cat returned to the corpse it had picked over and over for several days in a row.

Milk man brings all ladies to the yard

Pic/ Instagram

New York: Frank Acosta, a 40-year-old milkman from Manhattan, is delivering milk right at the doorstep of ladies, who can't seem to get enough of his good looks. Acosta, a personal trainer-turned-professional milkman, doesn't shy away from flaunting his asset. "I capitalise on my looks to get clients," said the milkman to the New York Post.

Pic of the day

Denim on denim

English Artist Ian Berry, also known as Denimu, creates beautiful artwork by using fabric from old denim pants. The idea came to him when his mother asked him to clean his room. "I found loads of old jeans and denims and noticed the different colors and shades," Berry told Oddity Central.

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