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April 13, 2025

📱Electronics got a break: From the tariffs. President Trump said smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. “Phew,” said every tech leader in the country.

🛠️ Update your PC: Microsoft pushed out a big patch that fixes 134 security bugs, including one that hackers use to take over systems. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and hit Check for updates. FYI: If you’re using Office 2016, it might crash after this update. Grab a separate fix from Microsoft’s website.

Talk without price shock: Need a smartphone without breaking the bank? Motorola’s new Moto G Stylus 2025 might be what you need. For $399, you get a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 50MP main camera and fast charging. There’s a headphone jack if you miss that. Budget phone, bougie features. Grab it starting April 17.

Who needs privacy? The Limitless AI pendant is a tiny device that clips onto your shirt, records everything you say and uploads it to an app. Why would anyone want that? It can then spit out summaries of your convos, create to-do lists and offer self-improvement tips (paywall link). Like, “Be more patient with your kids.” Yeah, I’m not paying for a backseat driver.

🛜 Cord-cutting: Not what you think. Since 2023, at least 11 undersea cables have gone dark from suspected Russian sabotage (paywall link). China’s linked to incidents near Taiwan, too. Both say “not me.” Over 95% of the world’s data travels via 500+ of these lines. Without them? We’d be back to the dial-up era. We’re one cable cut away from faxing memes to your friends.

🎥 Granny cam: Jean H. Peters found that staffers were mistreating her mom in assisted living after she put a camera in her room. These cams are legal in 20 states (paywall link). But facilities push back, saying it invades privacy. Makes you wonder what they are hiding. Alexa, install “Protect Nana.”

🌳 No green thumb required: Why wait years for your yard to bloom? Fast Growing Trees makes it simple to plant like a pro. They’ll recommend the best trees and shrubs for your exact location and ship them straight to your door. No hauling, no guesswork. Use promo code KIM to save an extra 15%. I got an avocado tree, and it’s thriving!*

⌚ Her watch saved her life: Dr. Amanda Faulkner, a 51-year-old psychiatrist from New Zealand, thought her new Apple Watch was faulty for always nagging about her heart rate. Then it spiked to over 90 BPM, and doctors found she had acute myeloid leukemia. This rare cancer was caught just hours before her organs could have failed. Thankfully, she’s now in remission.

$20,000

What a guy from Wyoming is selling two giant boulders for on eBay. These aren’t just any rocks, by the way. They’re made of nephrite jade (he has no idea what their true value is). As for who’s buying? Apparently, serious collectors or people who really love stones. Oh, and shipping’s not included. You’ll need to organize a crane and a truck. Speaking of … What dinosaur used boulders as toilet paper? Megasoreass. 🦕

🎶 This is the remix: Sick of the same old sounds on TikTok and Instagram Reels? Well, YouTube Shorts is rolling out a free AI “Music Assistant” to make custom instrumental tracks. Just type what you want, like “upbeat synth for travel vlog,” and it won’t trigger copyright issues. Right now, it’s only for creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

💸 Reality check: Publishers Clearing House … more like clearance house. The prize patrol biz just filed for bankruptcy with only $490K in the bank. They racked up $40 million in debt and owe $26 million in lifetime prizes. It’s not the end of those giant checks (for now).

📦 Apple’s dodging tariffs: They’ve already flown in 600 tons of iPhones from India to the U.S. Why? To get as much inventory in before any new tariffs kick in, though they’re currently on pause for 90 days. You betcha other tech companies are doing the same. Maybe this is what AirDrop was really about. Or this.

🐭 MrBeast wants to be the next Disney: Hard to believe his first YouTube video, a Minecraft trick, went up on Feb. 20, 2012, when he was only 13. Now? He’s raising hundreds of millions to build an empire of animation, gaming, toys, comics, merch, you name it. At this point, his thumbnails deserve their own Emmy.

1.7 billion

How many social impressions Duolingo racked up when it “killed” off its owl mascot. ICYMI, Duo was shown getting hit by a Cybertruck, and fans had to complete language lessons to bring him back. It turned into one of the most successful marketing stunts ever and even outperformed every 2025 Super Bowl ad. Honestly, better storytelling than most Netflix shows.

🚨 Malware in your feed: Watch out if a crypto livestream pops up on your feed; a hacker might have hijacked your favorite influencer’s account. Once they’re in, scammers usually impersonate big names like Elon Musk. More than 9,000 were spotted on YouTube over the last year. If you spot one, report it.

38%

That’s the battery level where most Americans start to panic and scramble for a charger. Funny thing? The iPhone battery doesn’t even turn red until 20%. So yes, you can calm down, your phone isn’t flatlining. Your screen dimmed itself out of self-care. Pro tip: To keep your battery healthy, charge when it hits around 20% and stop at 90%. This will help reduce wear and slow down premature aging.

🛡️ 1 smart move for 1 billion malware threats: Don’t wait for a virus to wreck your files or freeze your screen. A good antivirus zaps ransomware, spyware and other digital creeps before they can do harm. Lock down five devices for just $19. Yep, cheaper than your last late-night Uber Eats run.