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March 3, 2025

Net-tricks scam spreading: Look out for a phony Netflix email with the subject line “Let’s tackle your payment details.” Click the red update button to update your card, and you’ll land on a sign-in page primed and ready to steal your info. Never stops.

🚨 Check your Chrome extensions: Click to the Puzzle icon at the top right and Manage extensions. Adblock for Chrome, Super Dark Mode, Blipshot, Page Refresh and 12 others (full list here) were found injecting data-stealing malware. If you have any installed, delete them ASAP and run an antivirus check. I use TotalAV.*

Surprise Apple drop: Tim Cook posted on X, “There’s something in the AIR.” I’m expecting a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip and 12MP fancy-pants camera, or maybe a powerful new iPad Air. If you want a MacBook Air, this one is already $200 off.

🌐 Starlink who? Alphabet’s photonic chip beams 10-gig internet through the air using light beams. Yes, really. It could bring high-speed connections to remote areas (without messy fiber cables) starting this year. It has more bandwidth than a Starlink antenna and costs less. Your move, Elon.

Watch your pulse: If you have no pulse and don’t move for 20 seconds, Google’s Pixel Watch 3 calls emergency services. The FDA just gave Google the go-ahead to roll it out. Have one? Go to Safety & emergency > Loss of Pulse Detection to turn it on.

Compassion for the win: Video Stop, the last video rental store in Pocatello, Idaho, is closing. But owner David Kraning created a small replica called “Christina’s Corner” in his convenience store. It’s named after Christina Cavanaugh, a woman with Down syndrome who has been a loyal customer renting videos every day for 15 years. Love this.

👀 You have to check out this video: Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or get your questions answered in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses — from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that makes your doctor say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!)

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'Emergency donuts'

Quick reminder: Most old cellphones can still call 911 even without a plan. Federal law requires all cellphones to connect to emergency services, even if they don’t have active service. A 2-year-old in Oklahoma put this to the test by calling for an emergency donut delivery. The dispatcher played along, and the police showed up with Dunkin’ treats.

Cancer breakthrough: I wish this was available for my mom who died from pancreatic cancer. It’s one of the worst cancers, with half of patients living less than a year after diagnosis. But there is hope. Pranathi Perati ran out of treatments until she found a new drug called daraxonrasib. It’s kept her alive for 17 months and counting. It causes fatigue and ulcers, but she feels better than she did on chemo. Share this with anyone who can benefit right now.

$600

Is the amount your home’s value will decrease if you have a white kitchen. Instead, today’s buyers want to see dark gray tones such as charcoal and graphite. But a blue bathroom will increase the purchase price by $5,440, per Zillow.

40%

Of parents judge other families based on their screen-time rules. About a third stop their kids from hanging out with friends who have different rules. Why? No one wants to be labeled as the parent of an “iPad kid” or blamed for causing “brain rot.”

🏈 Kicking off the ad dollars: All 32 NFL teams got busted for not warning fans that their websites and apps were collecting sensitive data and probably selling it all to advertisers. No notices, no easy opt-out, just silent tracking of your online behavior and location. You’ll start seeing privacy prompts now. As if the NFL doesn’t make enough money.

Scammers pretending to be the IRS: They’re sending out phishing texts claiming you’re eligible for a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment. The message includes a link that looks like the IRS website, but it’s a trick to steal your personal info or install malware. Remember, the IRS never contacts taxpayers by text — official notices always come by postal mail.

Mind your drone business: DJI just launched a “drone-in-a-box” that can take off from a moving vehicle. The DJI Dock 3 fits in the back of a pickup and is made for police and fire missions. Sounds cool, until you see the price … over $20,000. And no, that doesn’t include installation. Yikes.

💸 Thinking about meme coins? The SEC says they don’t count as securities under U.S. law. Why? Securities (like stocks) usually offer profits or rights to a company’s assets. Meme coins? They don’t pay out earnings or give ownership. They’re more like collectibles with little real-world use. So don’t fall for them.

🚨 850K vehicles recalled! Tesla, Ford, Toyota, Maserati, Volkswagen and Rivian are dealing with crash risks, seat belt issues, rearview camera errors and more. If your car is affected, you should receive a notice by mail, but it’s worth calling your dealership to confirm. Own a Tesla? Use your VIN with the search tool to check.

Around 70%

Of people are polite to chatbots. I am. Most of us do it out of habit; some people are playing it safe in case of a robot uprising. “Yes, spare that one, she said thank you.” The pros know being polite gets you better answers.