Help from afar

August 19, 2024

Help from afar: Samsung’s new Family Care service helps caregivers keep tabs on loved ones remotely. Set reminders, manage appointments, and get alerts when they arrive or leave a location. Plus, it lets you control smart devices like the stove or check the fridge for groceries. Fine print: Galaxy phones only. Yep, it’s free. Find it in the Life tab on the SmartThings app.

Tags: alerts, apps, devices, family

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Make sure websites are following your rules: How to check permissions

Hey, where do you live? Can I listen to what you say through your microphone? What about watching through your webcam? Send me all your contacts. Oh, and I’d like to send notifications anytime I feel like it and also watch what websites you visit and what you do there.

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National Public Data breach: How to protect yourself and your SSN

National Public Data, a company that collects information from nonpublic sources without consent, according to a class-action lawsuit (paywall link), has been hit by a massive data breach. The company makes money by selling personal data to employers, private investigators and anyone conducting background checks.

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Jeff Bezos shows off at Blue Origin factory

Jeff Bezos took a break from, you know, counting his money to show off New Glenn, one of the largest rockets ever built at 320 feet tall.

It took radio 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million and just 13 years for television to hit that mark. How long did it take Facebook to reach 50 million users? Was it … A.) 6 months, B.) 1.5 years, C.) 3 years or D.) 5 years?

Find the answer here! →

50% higher

Expected car insurance costs in California, Missouri and Minnesota this year. Insurers are blaming damage from severe storms and wildfires. Across the U.S., premiums are expected to go up 22%. Check your state here.

220-mile-high club

On everyone’s mind with two astronauts stuck in space. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were expecting an eight-day trip but are stuck on the ISS for six months. Technically, it’s possible … but there’s zero privacy.

10,000 years

How long Microsoft’s ultra-durable glass plates can store data. A small sheet can hold terabytes — we’re talking enough music to play for 13 years. Maybe this is what we should use for time capsules. It’s like a Superman material!

44 and 60 years old

When our bodies go through dramatic aging. Researchers tracked the molecules and microbes of 108 people over seven years. Most didn’t age gradually but did so in big bursts in their mid-40s and early 60s. Yup, age is an issue of mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

1,329 more steps a day

For people who use health apps and smart devices. A new study shows that people do 55 minutes more exercise per week, eat 20% more fruits and veggies, and sleep better.

$230,000 made at auction

For a factory-sealed Super Mario Bros. game. The owner of Just Press Play, a game and collectibles company, is putting the money into a 22,000-square-foot space in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Wahoo! (Did you read that in Mario’s voice?)