No more freebies: Brands are cracking down on folks using student discounts long after graduation. Old IDs and email addresses won’t cut it anymore (paywall link). Credential verification companies like SheerID tap into over 200,000 data sources to confirm if you’re really still in school.
60 miles
Swimming in the wrong direction. A long-distance swimmer attempting 80 miles across Lake Michigan had to call it quits after his GPS watch died and he got way off course. Stinks it ended this way for 60-year-old Jim Dryer, aka “The Shark.”
🚨 I told you about this already: It’s finally hit mainstream news that hackers leaked 2.7 billion records from National Public Data. Translation: Every American (and residents in the U.K. and Canada) may have their full name, address, date of birth, phone number and Social Security number up for grabs. Protect yourself and freeze your credit today!
700 miles per charge
For the new breed of EVs known as extended-range electric vehicles. The catch: You’ll have to gas up every now and then (paywall link). EREVs have a small combustion engine that’s there to charge the electric battery as you drive.
40,000 steps
Reported by Target workers on a single day. That was during an especially busy time: Target Circle Week. The typical store is about 125,000 square feet, and workers took to Reddit to share how far they walked each day.
💩 Shame for fame: A Brazilian model is going viral for an antiaging “hack” — spreading her own poop on her face. I’m not linking the video, because trust me — you don’t want to see it. This crap (sorry) is so popular on social, experts are stepping up to warn against the dangers of exposing yourself to bacteria and parasites. Just … don’t.
A round of a-paws: The U.S. military is developing a gun-wielding robot dog to protect our forces from aerial drones. The doggo is equipped with an AR-15-type rifle, an electro-optical targeting system, infrared/thermal vision and a laser aiming device. Wow, I hope these don’t get hacked.
💊 Everything in moderation: A new study found toddlers who got tablet time to deal with a tantrum had more anger outbursts a year later. Even more disturbing, as time went on, the parents had to keep up the screen time to keep them calm. Tech really is addictive.
Recall alert for BMW, Chrysler and Toyota: Affected 2019-2020 BMW models have a starter motor issue, the 2023 Dodge Challenger’s rear seat isn’t locking properly, and several 2023-2025 Toyotas have incorrect weight capacity labels. Contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417, Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403 and Toyota at 1-800-444-1074.