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May 10, 2025

🚨 Windows alert: New password-stealing malware is spreading fast. It shows a fake “I Am Not A Robot” CAPTCHA and tells you to open the Windows Run box and type a command. Huge red flag. No legit site will ever ask you to do that. If it pops up, close the page immediately. And yes, real-time protection helps. I use TotalAV.

This leaves a mark: For the first time in over 20 years, Google searches through Apple’s Safari browser have dropped. Not a shocker. More people are using ChatGPT and Perplexity instead. Investors sold on the news, and Alphabet (Google’s parent company) lost around $250 billion in market value in a single day, or about the GDP of Finland or Portugal.

🤲 Amazon’s touchy new robot: Vulcan has a “sense of touch,” which is either a sci-fi dream or the start of our future metal overlords politely handing us our orders. Amazon swears it’s “not replacing workers,” just lifting the heavy stuff so humans can … watch? For now, it’s just in Spokane, but Germany’s next.

“I’d like to thank …”: Golden Globes is adding a Best Podcast category. The top 25 shows will be considered, and six will get nominated. No word yet on how they’ll pick the contenders. Pick me!

Attention, parents with small kids: Researchers found that parents distracted by their phones around kids under 5 can cause long-term issues. Think poorer cognition and behavior problems. Why? This is when little ones are developing critical language and social skills, and being ignored can seriously mess with that.

🔮 Pet psychics on TikTok: Suckers, I mean people, are paying up to $250/hour to have strangers “speak” with their pets (paywall link), alive or dead. According to one dubious Dolittle, a cat told its owner he’s “very handsome.” I saw a heavyset woman doing this with 220,000 followers. She’s definitely a four-chin teller.

50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale. When you get a professional monitoring plan, you get one month free! You don’t need to live in fear or worry about burglars when you’re not home. Get all the gear to lock down your home for half off.*

40-foot submarine-hunting drone

The “BlueWhale” uses special sensors to spot underwater and surface threats, and can help clear mines. The cool bit? It’s fully autonomous and runs on batteries for weeks. Basically, a Roomba’s scarier cousin with serious military vibes.

🚗 Polestar recall: The EV maker no one really knows about is recalling over 27,000 Polestar 2s due to a rearview camera issue. In some models, the camera might not show anything when reversing. FYI: It affects 2021 to 2025 models. A fix is coming via software update. Expect a letter with details by June 19. But since you get my free newsletter, you know now.

$10 million

Has already been bet on one unregulated site over who’ll become the next pope. Gambling on religious events is banned in Italy, so locals are placing $20 pizza bets instead. As for front-runners? Cardinals Parolin and Tagle. Because nothing says divine intervention like odds-making and mozzarella

Netflix is updating its home screen: Well, they should for what we pay them every month. Live events like NFL games will be easier to spot so you don’t miss them. You’ll start seeing labels like “Emmy Winner” right on show images. And they’re adding AI to search, so you can type stuff like “something scary but also funny,” and it’ll suggest movies and shows that actually fit. Neat.

🚫 No ban, no problem: TikTok’s execs are telling advertisers to relax, promising the app’s staying power despite that little thing called a federal ban potentially kicking in next month (paywall link). With 170 million U.S. users and Super Bowl ad ambitions, TikTok says it’s too big to flinch.

About 2,000 runners

Took on the Atlanta Marathon, with some hoping to punch their ticket to Boston. But the course came up 554 feet short. Yep, someone goofed the route. That teensy error threw off finish times by up to 87 seconds, making them invalid for qualifying. So yeah, months of training … down the drain. Race organizers, you had one job.

Excelling in email: Microsoft’s new Outlook rules will put you in a bad mood if you send over 5,000 emails a day and aren’t squeaky clean with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Now, instead of spam folders, your email marketing will be basically just shouting into a canyon. Instead, use a free option like Mailchimp.

Surprise, iPhone 13 users: You just got a freebie. Apple’s iOS 18.5 will unlock satellite connectivity for iPhone 13 models. No hardware changes, just a software update. It’s carrier-dependent, so your provider might still hold you hostage, but it’s free to enable. Finally, you can ignore texts from space, not just Earth.

$68,000

The salary offer a high school junior has already locked in for after graduation. Elijah Rios isn’t heading to college. He’s heading to the welding shop (paywall link). In a world where internships are unpaid and “entry-level” means three years of experience, Rios’ gig, $24 an hour with overtime, a 401(k) and benefits, feels like spotting a unicorn.

🚨 Chrome’s audio bugged & dangerous: If you’re running Google Chrome 136 without the latest patch, you’re leaving your digital front door wide open. A fresh vulnerability (named CVE-2025-4372) surfaced in Chrome’s WebAudio API that lets hackers run malicious code remotely. No user privileges required, just a quick visit to a rigged web page, and boom, they’re in. Update now.