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May 4, 2025

🚨 iPhone alert: Apple sent out a major warning that mercenary spyware is on the loose. This kind of attack targets specific people based on what they do, like journalists or government officials. For the rest of us, it’s a good reminder to update to iOS 18.4.1 for the latest security fixes. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

⛪ Pope picks: Sacrilegious TikTokers made a “Fantasy Pope League” because of course they did. The league got over 2,000 sign-ups on its first day. Here, you can draft cardinals fantasy football style and get points based on the progress of your cardinal on their pursuit of the big hat.

Lost Social Security card? Starting this summer, the Social Security Administration will let people with “my Social Security” accounts see their full Social Security number online. It keeps your physical card safe from theft, but might open a can of worms courtesy of hackers. Don’t forget to secure it with two-factor authentication!

🐭 Ex-Disney worker headed to prison: After getting fired, Michael hacked company servers and messed with restaurant menus. He changed prices, added curse words, locked employees out of their accounts and, the kiss of death, even marked peanut items as “peanut-free.” The penalty? Three years in prison, definitely not the happiest place on Earth.

Cash dive: It’s happening across the country. The NY Times spotlighted how UNC is turning its diving team into influencers with sponsorships, style guides and TikTok training. It’s all part of the school’s push to make every athlete a content creator. Imagine getting cut from the team for poor engagement and bot followers.

🚁 End of an era: DJI is grounding its iconic Phantom drone series. Starting June 1, 2025, support for the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced will fly off into the sunset. These drones helped kick off the quadcopter craze in 2013. DJI is shifting its focus to newer birds like the Inspire, Mavic, Air, Mini and the beginner-friendly Flip line.

🔐 Tired of forgetting passwords? You’re not alone. That’s why I recommend NordPass, the password manager that does the heavy lifting for you. It stores your logins securely, autofills them instantly and even alerts you if your credentials are weak or reused. It’s like having a digital bodyguard for your online life. Use my link for 52% off today!*

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Digital self-destruction for fun and paranoia

ChatGPT

How to make any USB drive self-destruct

“Kim, I’m paranoid about losing my USB drive. Is there any way to make it so if someone steals it, they can’t see or open anything?” — Dave in Denver

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Cluckin’ wild

The Minecraft movie is meh, but Jack Black’s unhinged chicken ballad, “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” shot up to # 78 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s now the shortest song ever to hit the famed list, clocking in at 34 seconds, making it both a record and maybe a cry for help for our attention spans. Listen here, you have been warned.

Robot strawberries: In Virginia, a vertical farm is growing 4 million pounds of strawberries a year indoors, on two-story towers, with no soil, no bees and a whole lot of AI. The system analyzes 10 million+ data points a day. It’s less “Old MacDonald,” more “Black Mirror: Produce Edition.” Can’t wait for my future salad to come with bug patch notes.

1 hour

The weekly amount of weight training needed to gain muscle. One study found just two 30-minute sessions a week helped participants get noticeably stronger and more jacked (paywall link), no five-day grind or bro science required. One set per exercise. Nine moves. That’s it. I hear you: “Instead of calling my bathroom the John, I call it the Jim. That way I can tell people I go to the Jim every morning.”

23%

That’s how many HTML attachments are malicious. They usually show up in your inbox with names like “invoice.html,” and when you click, they redirect you to phishing websites. That’s where scammers steal your info or drop malware on your device. Moral of the story? Stay sharp and use real-time protection. My pick is TotalAV, just $19 a year.

📵 Phones down, eyes up: That’s the YMCA’s new water safety campaign for parents this summer. Why? Drowning is the number one cause of death for kids ages 1 to 4, and it often happens within 25 yards of a distracted parent. It’s usually silent, with no splashes, and can happen in 30 seconds or less. I know there’s someone you need to share this with.

Third Neuralink implant is in: This time, it’s a dad with ALS who’s fully paralyzed, and he’s also the first nonverbal patient to get the chip. Brad posted on X, using only his brain to type a message thanking Elon Musk. And get this: He even edited a video with his mind and used AI to bring back his old voice. Amazing.

82%

The percentage of Americans who want businesses to disclose when they use AI. People just want to know if they’re talking to a human after years of chatbot creep, fake reviews and AI content. At this rate, Clippy from Microsoft Word would be a trusted news anchor.

🎭 Deepfakes just got sneakier: It’s getting harder to figure out if that person is real or not. A good way to spot them used to be skin color changes that matched a heartbeat. Bad news: New AI can mimic those. How can you tell? The person’s facial features are too perfect, or they worked at CGI Fridays.

💀 DIY neck crack: Chiropractic neck “adjustments” are all over TikTok. So are reports of strokes, nerve damage and ruptured arteries. The internet’s favorite crack (not that one) could basically snap your brain off. So before you adjust yourself straight into the void based on something you saw online, heed my words: Please don’t.