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Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: How Trump fans have turned the McDonald’s E. Coli outbreak into a conspiracy theory, a woman going viral for her warning about leaving your Bluetooth on at the car shop, an explainer of the “Ding Dong Eat It Up” meme, and an exclusive interview with Neil Newbon about the future of AI in entertainment.
After that, the trending team shares their pick for Main Character of the Week.
Also: It’s Friday! So don’t forget to take our weekly news quiz! Just scroll down below to answer this week’s question. If you guess correctly, you might win a “Click or Treat” sweatshirt!
One last thing: Keep an eye on your inboxes tomorrow. The third annual Daily Dot Hall of Fame is starting! Get hyped! 🎉
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today in Internet Culture
🍔 CONSPIRACY
‘What an amazing coincidence’: MAGA thinks E. Coli outbreak at McDonald’s is a CDC plot to harm Trump
Supporters of former President Donald Trump are screaming “false flag” after the CDC announced an E. Coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
🔊 YIKES
Woman issues warning after accidentally leaving Bluetooth on at the car shop
There’s nothing quite as embarrassing as realizing a stranger is listening in on a private conversation. People may not realize when it’s happening, but it occurs more often than you think.
🍴 MEMES
‘Ding Dong Eat It Up’: A musical meme spices up TikTok
The 14-minute video shows the prankster traveling to a university campus and sitting in on a calculus class, where he begins making butter chicken on the table in the middle of the lecture.
🤖 POP CULTURE
Neil Newbon, the artist behind Astarion, is helping lead the charge against AI
At New York Comic Con, the Daily Dot spoke with Neil Newbon about his craft and his take on the future of AI in entertainment.
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IN A VIRAL POST, A BOYFRIEND SAID HIS GIRLFRIEND USES AI TO HELP HER DURING FIGHTS THEY HAVE. WHAT PROGRAM DOES SHE USE?
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By Ramon Ramirez
Managing Editor
Main Character of the Week: The Dollar Tree customer who found a markup on Jiffy cornbread mix
Main Character of the Week is a weekly column that tells you the most prominent “main character” online (good or bad). It runs on Fridays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
📦 Getting a package from Amazon should be a simple process. However, many customers have found that the act of actually getting their product into their hands isn’t as easy as it may initially seem.
🐶 Here’s a look at the beefy legacy of the Swole Doge meme.
🥘 Two unsuspecting Whole Foods customers each dropped $20 on their meals from the chain’s hot bar section. And they aren’t the first to make that mistake.
🎭 Chipotle, Cinnabon, and Auntie Anne’s have all released official Halloween costumes this year, but why?
📺 This customer shared how to trick Hulu workers into lowering your subscription price.
👮 From the Daily Dot archive: Police struggle to justify use of Fusus, a community surveillance tool they foisted on citizens.
🤳 Today’s Viral Video
DIY: Bloodied Band-Aid Wafers as a thrilling Halloween treat.
