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March 12, 2025

📱TikTok’s parental controls: In a total PR move and after seven years in the U.S., the app is rolling out Family Pairing tools. You can block access at certain times and check who’s following your teens. There’s a new “Time Away” feature to set a schedule and a “wind down” option for bedtime. Why now? It’s looking at a sale or ban next month, silly.

Don’t use that tone with me: HP owners are pissed. A recent firmware update bricked HP’s LaserJet M232-M237 even with official HP toner installed. One small-business owner wasted $60 on new cartridges that didn’t work. HP is working on another better update to fix the last disaster of an update. What could possibly go wrong? 🙄

Still have a DVD collection? Check for disc rot. Many Warner Bros. DVDs from 2006 to 2008 are failing prematurely, even though properly cared-for discs should last up to 100 years. Signs of trouble include loading errors or freezing. Warner Bros. will replace them or exchange them for a title of similar value. Contact support at whv@wbd.com.

😱 This is horrifying: A mom says she’ll never let her daughter go to another sleepover again. Why? Her 11-year-old found cameras in her friend’s bedroom. The parents said they were “for security” but turned off. Except … the light was on. So she covered them with a shirt. The parents came in, removed it and that’s when she called her mom to pick her up.

First foldable iPhone will be over $2,000! Apple is going with a book-style design that’s “AI-driven” for multitasking. It’ll have a 7.8-inch crease-free inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display. Leaks also say Face ID is out this time, replaced by a Touch ID side button. As for the release? Most likely late 2026 or early 2027.

Stopping gunshot wounds in seconds? It’s now possible. The FDA approved Traumagel, an algae- and fungi-based hemostatic gel administered via medical syringe. It’s safer and less painful than gauze, and it finds where it needs to go on its own. Just imagine how useful this will be for soldiers in the field.

👽 Just for the record, sleeve them alone: This is wild. NASA launched the Voyager 1 and 2, each carrying a Golden Record filled with photos and audio representing life on Earth almost 50 years ago. Think a nursing mother, nature pics and human speech. The kicker? Both spacecraft are experiencing major power problems. Aliens are more into comet books anyway.

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What really happens when you delete a text?

We’ve all had those texts we want to delete — from bad jokes and typos, to (gulp) sending something sensitive to the wrong contact. Can you really ever remove a text from your life? Is a deleted text really deleted for good? It’s complicated.

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😱 This AI voice assistant sounds human: Startup Sesame is working on AI that’s nothing like Alexa or Siri. There are two models right now where you can have a full-on conversation naturally, complete with pauses and laughs like a human. Take a sec and try it now. It’s wild.

50,000

How many orders Edgar’s Bakery gets each year for its famous three-layer strawberry cake. Social media swears it’s the best cake in the world. The catch? You can actually make it yourself. Here’s the recipe. It doesn’t look that tough. (Jan, I hope you’re paying attention ’cause that lemon cake was awesome!) Speaking of … What do you call a sad strawberry? A blueberry. So good!

779% increase

Mentions of AI in corporate earnings calls last year. The hot topic: “digital labor.” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff believes today’s leaders will be the last to manage a human-only workforce. It’s no wonder 72% of Americans view AI negatively and almost a third fear fewer jobs. No turning back now.

🚘 It’s a car, not a phone: Volkswagen gets it. After plenty of complaints, VW is ditching haptic sliders and touch controls and bringing back physical buttons. Climate control, hazard lights and volume will return to good old-fashioned knobs. The change starts rolling out next year.

❄️ This blows me away: LG’s upcoming Artcool AI Air can detect a room’s layout and direct cool air to the people it senses. It knows when a window is open and will automatically switch to energy-saving mode. Plus, it’s got a sleek black mirror finish. Price and ETA? Both TBA.

Don’t fall for this: Have a TD Bank account? If you get a text about a big pending charge, don’t click it. It links to a fake TD Bank site that looks real but steals your login info. Some folks have lost their life savings. So sad.

“A lot of people want it”: That’s what President Trump says about TikTok. ByteDance has until April 5 to sell the app. Rumored U.S. buyers in the running include Oracle, Perplexity AI, a group led by real estate mogul Frank McCourt and Reddit’s cofounder Alexis Ohanian, and maybe MrBeast. The price? Over $400 billion and definitely out of my budget.

Lowest level in 5 years

That’s where job openings for software engineers on Indeed have dropped. Why? AI. Companies are automating more tasks, and the same tech that makes coders more productive is also undercutting hiring demand. If this is you, time to get new skills.

🚨 A billion devices at risk, thanks to one chip: A popular Chinese Wi-Fi + Bluetooth chip known as “ESP32” lets cybercriminals hijack smart gadgets and target computers on the same network. Most attacks need physical access, but with no fix yet, it’s a major risk. PSA: Put your IoT devices on a guest network.