Tech rewind

April 9, 2024

Remember pagers? Be-e-e-e-p. They’ve mostly faded into the tech graveyard, but thousands are still alive-ish and kickin’ in the U.S. Can you guess how many pagers are active today? Is it … A.) 8,000, B.) 80,000, C.) 800,000 or D.) 8 million?

The answer: C.) 800,000 pagers are still operational in the U.S. Most are used by doctors and emergency personnel, but anyone can buy one. A basic one-way pager, which receives messages but can’t send them, will set you back about $100, plus $20 per month. Tempted? Me, neither.

Tags: emergency, tech

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Ad invasion: Roku’s eying tech that slaps ads on anything hooked up to your TV via HDMI — think gaming consoles and other streaming devices. Its plan? To pop targeted ads onto your screen the second you hit pause. It’s a pending patent for now — expect it soon.

3.3 million recalled Kia and Hyundai models

And they must stay parked until fixed. The companies each recalled over a million cars last year due to faulty parts that led to fires. They’ve finally started contacting owners to schedule repairs.

🧾 The shake-down: Squatters took over a $930,000 NYC home and are suing the owners post-eviction, claiming they have a right to stay. Their proof? A sketchy lease and a $25 Shake Shack delivery receipt to assert squatter’s rights after 30 days.

Walmart’s holding the bag: It just agreed to a $45 million settlement for overpricing weighted goods and bagged citrus from Oct. 19, 2018, to Jan. 19, 2024. Got receipts? You could get back 2% of what you spent (up to $500). No receipt? You might still snag $10 to $25. Claims close June 5 — submit online or by mail.

🏥 Know anyone in health care? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says cybercriminals are targeting medical office IT help desks. With stolen IDs, they spin tales of broken phones to trick staff into setting up multifactor authentication. Their goal? Sneak into systems, access confidential info and reroute payments straight into their pockets.

500,000 Starlink users added since December

SpaceX’s satellite internet system now has 2.7 million users. Elon Musk says Starlink’s profits will largely pay for his efforts to colonize Mars — and, of course, provide stellar internet service to people there.

Minding my drone business: U.S. home insurance companies are using drones to expose damaged roof shingles, yards full of combustible junk, and swimming pools and trampolines homeowners failed to tell them about. An invasion of privacy? Nope. If it’s out in the open, you can legally photograph it.

💊 Not a hard sell: Viagra has another uplifting benefit: Brain health. Cleveland Clinic researchers found its active ingredient, sildenafil, cuts Alzheimer’s risk by 30% to 54% by boosting neuron connections and battling bad proteins. It’s science, folks.

This is so Goofy: Starting in June, no more sharing Disney+ passwords. Why? The Mouse needs the money. Netflix immediately added 9 million subscribers and 8% more revenue when it cracked down on password sharing.

A criminal’s best asset is his lie-ability: For years, thieves have been selling streaming sticks that promise all the paid content and services for free. The crackdown has started with William Freemon, who’s been selling jailbroken Amazon Fire TV Sticks since 2016. Have one? You’re violating copyrights and can be tracked by your IP address.