$28,000 down the drain

March 5, 2025

🏁 $28,000 down the drain: A guy from Ohio found a used Dodge Ram on Facebook Marketplace. He’s smart, so he asked for the VIN, ran three checks and called the original dealership. It all checked out. A couple weeks later, six cops showed up. The scam is called cloning. A thief swaps the VIN on a stolen vehicle with a clean one, sells it and moves on. Poor guy is on the hook for the loan.

Tags: Dodge, Facebook, Facebook Marketplace, RAM, vehicle

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What your brain has to do with hearing loss

Last year, my husband Barry lost hearing in one ear because of a virus. Suddenly, we were having issues communicating. I could tell it was impacting Barry so much more than that, though.

The science behind hearing loss

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Coming to Google Gemini: Show to tell

Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or answer questions in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that your doctor will say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!)

Fresh and flawless

When life gets a little messy, I’ve got the fixes for you.

We’re approaching the window-open season. Grab an air purifier (16% off) while they’re on sale.
These duster sponges (15% off) wipe away all the muck from your floorboards, blinds or wherever.
Spill your drink on your favorite shirt? Whip out a Tide pen ($7.88) and that stain’s history.
Downy wrinkle releaser spray ($11.96) is like an iron in a bottle.
If you’re hunting for an actual clothes steamer, I found one (20% off).

🏠 Home upgrade? Check out my handpicked favorites to get your place all ready in time for spring.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

$100 billion

U.S. investment from Taiwanese chip company TSMC. They make over 90% of the world’s advanced computer chips. That money will go toward three fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major research and development center. That’s a heck of a lot of jobs here in the USA!

'Emergency donuts'

Quick reminder: Most old cellphones can still call 911 even without a plan. Federal law requires all cellphones to connect to emergency services, even if they don’t have active service. A 2-year-old in Oklahoma put this to the test by calling for an emergency donut delivery. The dispatcher played along, and the police showed up with Dunkin’ treats.

1,500 parts

In business class seats on new airplanes. They come with heated and cooling options, big HD screens and comfy beds. The R7 from seat manufacturer Germany’s Recaro weighs 176 pounds. Older seats weighed as much as 350 pounds each. Does this mean we get more carry-ons? Nope.

6 years ago

23andMe was sold by Anne Wojcicki for $6 billion. Today, she’s trying to buy it back for $42 million. That’s one way to make money. PSA: If you have a 23andMe account, remove it. You just don’t know who’s going to buy your DNA and use it. Here’s how.

60 hours

How much Google’s cofounder wants employees to work. Sergey Brin says the sweet spot is 12-hour days Monday through Friday, in the office. His goal? For Google to win the AI race.

$600

Is the amount your home’s value will decrease if you have a white kitchen. Instead, today’s buyers want to see dark gray tones such as charcoal and graphite. But a blue bathroom will increase the purchase price by $5,440, per Zillow.

40%

Of parents judge other families based on their screen-time rules. About a third stop their kids from hanging out with friends who have different rules. Why? No one wants to be labeled as the parent of an “iPad kid” or blamed for causing “brain rot.”