...

October 29, 2025

🔎 8K? More like OK: Thinking of splurging on an 8K TV? You might want to save your money. New research says your eyes can’t tell the difference between 2K, 4K or 8K TVs at normal distances. Basically, if you’ve got a big screen and sit on a couch, you’re maxed out. Everything else is just for bragging rights.

🚨 Roblox backlash grows: The mom of 13-year-old Audree Heine says Roblox’s weak moderation and investor-driven greed let violent communities radicalize her daughter before her suicide. Her lawsuit claims Roblox knew kids were being exploited but “prioritized Wall Street numbers” instead. It’s the 12th case accusing the platform of failing basic child safety. Heartbreaking.

Apple’s leak problem: Apple can’t catch a break. Its “awe-dropping” event leaks were bad enough, but now the FCC is leaking, too (paywall link). Filings revealed new model numbers for MacBook Pros, iPad Pros and even an updated Vision Pro, likely all rocking fresh M5 chips. The kicker? These leaks didn’t come from insiders. They came from the government.

Autopilot brain: An Illinois Tesla driver blamed Autopilot after rear-ending a parked police cruiser, because of course they did. The guy admitted he was asleep while the car “drove itself.” Nobody was seriously hurt, but the police (and reality) reminded everyone that Autopilot isn’t “nap mode.” If your wake-up alarm is a cop siren, you might be doing the whole car thing wrong.

🕵️‍♀️ Take your privacy off the market: Data brokers quietly collect and sell your personal info: your email, phone number, even where you live. Incogni automatically removes your data from these sites before it’s sold or leaked. Real protection, running quietly in the background, so you can live life, not defend it.*

💳 AI joins accounting’s dark side: Looks like AI’s taking up “creative accounting” as a side hustle. Expense software firms are catching a wave of AI-generated fake receipts, saying fakes make up 14% of all fraud attempts, complete with logos, bogus signatures and even wrinkles in the paper. CFOs are sweating, and expense apps are, get this, using AI to fight AI.

💥 Bright idea: This is amazing. Scientists in Texas found a way to zap cancer cells using plain ol’ LED bulbs and tin oxide nanoflakes. It’s basically a sunburn with superpowers. After 30 minutes, up to 92% of skin cancer cells were toast, while healthy cells chilled. It’s still early days, but imagine treating cancer with a bedside lamp instead of chemo and radiation.

🏗️ Flying 3D printers: Is it me, or does looking up get more crowded every decade? Carnegie Mellon’s developing drones that double up as construction workers. Really. Picture a swarm of little bots 3D-printing shelters and bridges after a disaster. These things use AI to turn “build a bridge” into an actual blueprint, then adjust midair if something goes wrong. 90% success rate so far! Who would have thought that would ever be possible?

🐭 Mouse magic: Middle-click (click on the mouse wheel) on a link to open it in a new tab, or middle-click on an open tab to close it. Sweet!

X marks the lock: If you use a physical security key (like a YubiKey) for 2FA on X, you’ve got until Nov. 10 to reenroll, or your account gets locked. Why? X is cutting ties with the old Twitter.com domain, which means you’re basically reregistering your key under X.com. Authenticator and SMS 2FA folks? No action needed.

🧃 The “secret” drink I reach for instead of coffee: Tired of the jitters and sugar crashes? Same. I just found a clean electrolyte drink that tastes great and actually works. No caffeine, no junk. I’m talking all-day energy, mental clarity and zero crash. I’ve been sipping NativePath Hydrate daily, and I’m hooked. Try it for 44% off with free shipping before it sells out.

Grandma’s little genius: A 13-year-old from California out-invented the Life Alert people. Kevin Tang built “FallGuard,” a $30 camera system that spots falls, using an algorithm he coded himself. No necklaces, no subscriptions, no forgetting to charge your smartwatch. He built it after his grandma’s fall caused brain damage. He’s got $25K and a waiting list. Go Kevin!

👻 Now you see it: Boo! Threads dropped “ghost posts” that vanish after 24 hours, and only you can see the likes or replies, which show up as DMs. Meta says it’s for “unfiltered thoughts.” Translation: It’s basically trying to bring back Twitter circa 2012’s fleeting, no-consequences energy. Finally, a feature for people who can’t stop deleting their posts anyway.

⚡ Deal done at last: So it’s official. The U.S. and China finally worked out a $14 billion deal to hand TikTok’s American side to new owners. Trump and Xi are expected to “seal the deal” Thursday. Americans will hold most of it and that precious algorithm, and ByteDance keeps a tiny slice. Phew, it’s time for you to follow me on TikTok. Click to do that now.

🛞 Mad Max meets Model 3: Tesla dropped two new “self-driving” modes: Sloth (grandpa speed) and Mad Max (the one your insurance hates). No confirmed speeds yet, but “Mad Max” mode is made to accelerate and swerve through traffic “like a sports car.” The feds opened a preliminary investigation, I wonder why? Coming soon: Mario Kart Mode, bananas sold separately.

Wi-Fi grounded: Got big dreams of fast Wi-Fi everywhere you go? SpaceX just told Starlink Mini users to slow down. Starting Nov. 7, dishes on $165-a-month roaming plans can’t work past 450 mph (down from 550). Too many people were strapping them to private jets. Want faster internet at 30,000 feet? You’ll need the $10,000-a-month “Aviation” plan. Yep, that’s per month.

🔄 The hacker becomes the hackee: If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll just grab the cracked version” of a software or video game, surprise, you’re the product. Check Point found thousands of YouTube “free software” videos that sneak malware into your PC. Some hit hundreds of thousands of views. That’s crazy. Turns out that you can actually fool all the people all the time. Remember, if it’s free and asks you to disable antivirus, it’s a setup.