More ties to China

December 21, 2024

🇨🇳 More ties to China: Yesterday, I told you about the possible TP-Link ban because of its ties to Communist China. Now, drone maker DJI has dodged a U.S. ban … if only temporarily. This Chinese giant has one year to prove its consumer drones aren’t a national security threat or it’ll be grounded. The main worry? Surveillance and data hacks. The U.S. military and several other organizations have already banned DJI drones.

Tags: data, security

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The future is expensive

LG just dropped its brand-new transparent OLED TV. The price tag? A whopping $60,000. The small but see-through 55-inch screen looks pretty cool, and there’s an opaque mode when the novelty wears off. Check out this video to see it in action. Santa, I’d like this for Christmas.

2.5 billion Gmail users

Are at risk of hijacking. In the last half of the year, credential theft soared 700%, and phishing attempts to break into email accounts spiked 200%. Promise me you’re not using your email password for any other accounts!

$5,495

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for Kodak’s new Super 8 video camera. It’s a film and digital hybrid (cool!) and charges via micro-USB (lame). You can add your name to the waitlist if you love vintage-looking footage and have money to burn.

$137 million market

For bomb and fallout shelters in the U.S. That figure’s expected to grow another $40 million by 2030 as fears of nuclear war continue to mount. One guy who builds and installs bunkers says his prices start at $20,000, with most averaging around $500,000. All the billionaires building bunkers are definitely inflating this, too.

$6,233

What AT&T charged a man in Texas for using 3GB of data. They chalked up his massive bill to a glitch or human error. Good reminder to always double-check your bill before autopay kicks in!

12 hours per week

Time children should spend reading, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed 10,000 kids and found the earlier they started reading for fun, the better their learning, memory, speech and mental well-being. Looking for some book recs? Here are the bestselling kids’ books on Amazon right now. They make great gifts, too!

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11.4 million viewers

For the “Yellowstone” series finale on Sunday, Dec. 15. (I was one of ‘em!) Season 5’s second-half premiere pulled in 16.4 million viewers across all platforms, but Sunday’s finale is a record high for the Paramount Network and CMT. Talk about going to the train station …

No. 1 in fatal accidents

For automaker Tesla, with 5.6 deadly crashes for every 1 billion miles logged in its 2018 to 2022 models. They recalled over 125,000 vehicles in May due to issues with the seatbelt warning system, which isn’t helping their track record, either. As for the other car brands, Kia was a close second in fatalities, followed by Buick, Dodge and Hyundai.

20,000% spike

In drone reports over sports stadiums. It’s illegal to fly even a registered drone over a stadium during a game. In 2017, the NFL reported about a dozen drone sightings. In 2023, there were 2,845.

No. 1 free app

Drumroll, please … It’s Temu. That’s two years in a row for the most downloaded free app. In second place is Meta’s Threads, followed by TikTok at No. 3. I know Temu is super cheap, but that comes with its own cost. Here’s why I’d never buy the toys there for the kiddos in my life.