📞 Party like it’s 1999: In Seattle, parents are reviving the landline, thanks to “Tin Can,” a Wi-Fi-enabled corded phone (paywall link) that lets kids call friends without screens or TikTok. It’s spreading fast: tens of thousands sold, and they’re now back-ordered. Kids are actually thrilled to call friends. Next thing you know, they’ll be making mix tapes.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Got a Kindle without ads? You can show your book covers on the lock screen. Go to Settings > Screen and brightness > Show covers on lock screen. If you’ve got ads, Amazon lets you pay a one-time fee to remove them.
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How not to explode
Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering your phone, laptop, iPad, toothbrush, e-bike, EV and power bank. We love them because they’re compact, rechargeable and efficient. But when things go wrong? They go really wrong.
💍 Ohio says “nope”: An Ohio bill wants to legally block AI from ever being considered a person. That means no marriage, no property, no corporate board seats. Rep. Thaddeus Claggett says it’s about keeping “humans in charge.” Probably also to avoid getting more “Save the Dates” as Zoom call invites.
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🔌 Shocking road trip: A woman’s Volkswagen ID.4 got welded to an Electrify America charger in Athens, Alabama. Literally fused together by an electrical arc. She waited nine hours, called everyone from tech support to the dealership, and the only fix? A guy from Knoxville with a crowbar. Really. EVs may be the future, but this one needed an exorcism.
🤓 OMG DIY VR: Get this, a YouTuber just made his own virtual reality headset for $150. Normally, a good one runs anywhere from $300 for Meta’s base model to nearly $1,000 for the fancy PC rigs. Check out the video. This guy 3D-printed the shell, grabbed some screens off AliExpress, tossed in an Arduino sensor, and boom, homemade VR that actually works.
🐭 Mouse wiretap: A UC research team discovered hackers can eavesdrop using gaming mice. Those ultrasensitive sensors that help with fast aiming? They also detect minute desk vibrations from your voice. Feed that into an AI model, and voilà, a rough transcript of your conversations. Finally, I feel heard, but not in a good way.
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