Wear a health tracker? Expect high insurance costs

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You aren’t just counting your steps. Health tracker companies are selling your data, leading to higher insurance premiums, invasive ads, and more. Plus, TSA’s facial recognition is expanding, and a ‘lottery’ may decide seats for the Menendez brothers’ resentencing.

Tags: Health, insurance


This crime shot up 400% – watch out

To keep you and your money safe, I make it a point to always let you know about the spreading scams, from crypto catfishing to AI deepfakes. I bet you’re going to be surprised by this news: The crime that shot up 400% last year is old-school check fraud.

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🚨 Windows alert: Microsoft is rolling out its nosy Recall feature for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs. The tool records almost everything on your screen to help you find files or websites you’ve accessed. After backlash over privacy concerns, the data will be encrypted and snapshots of sensitive info won’t be taken — but I still wouldn’t trust it. Recall is opt-in only, so you can skip it … for now.

40 years ago

A Texas father sold his dream car to pay for his newborn son’s diapers. This year, for his dad’s 65th birthday, his son surprised him with a restored version of his dad’s 1967 Chevrolet Camaro — blue with white stripes and all. The video will melt your heart.

The agony of de feet: Scientists have created robotic shorts that help people walk farther using less energy. WalkON wraps around your waist with a harness and has artificial Kevlar tendons that attach to your legs. As you walk, the shorts analyze your movement patterns and help take the strain off your hips. So many people will benefit from this cool tech.

$125,000

How much 17-year-old Peter Cancro paid for a sandwich shop in 1975. He renamed it to Jersey Mike’s Subs … and just sold it for $8 billion. Guess who gave him the idea to buy it in the first place? Mom!

Good enough for government work: Elon Musk is talking about bloated government departments and wasted taxpayer dollars in posts to his 205 million X followers. He’s targeting specific federal employees, too, like Ashley Thomas, who makes $172,075 a year as the director of climate diversification for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. This sparked a ton of memes and ridicule, such as, “Sorry Ashley Thomas Gravy Train is Over.” Ouch.

700,000 people

Signed up for Bluesky in a week. The X rival is feeling pretty blue-tiful with over 20 million members and counting. Perks include feeds with custom algorithms and the option to pick your moderation filters.

$96 million, missing: Thousands of Americans lost their savings after fintech firm Synapse collapsed. Customers thought their money was government-backed, but now, banks are returning very little — or nothing at all. One family was offered $500 for their lost $280,000. This is your reminder to triple-check your money to make sure it’s in an FDIC-backed account.

⚡ Electric hopes, gasoline habits: An extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, is an EV with a gas engine that acts as a generator. It could eliminate the range anxiety dilemma for new EV drivers. Here’s the catch: Owners of hybrid vehicles often skip plugging in and just rely on gas; EREV drivers will probably end up doing the same.

Urgent fire risk recall: For Belkin BoostCharge Pro fast wireless chargers. The iPhone and Apple Watch power pack launched in May 2023. Look for model number BPD005 on the back of your charging pad, and if you have one, stop using it immediately and fill out the refund form.