Mountains aren’t just funny; they’re hill-areas

Mountains aren’t just funny; they’re hill-areas: Heading to a national park? Grab free offline maps via Google Maps’ latest update on your smartphone (iOS and Android). Search for the park’s name and hit Download for offline use. Pro tip: Make sure you do this before you go. Cell service in some parks is really iffy.

Tags: Android, Google, Google Maps, iOS, smartphones, update


Pig-butchering scams cost Americans $4B a year – Don’t be a victim

Looking for love online? Keep your head on a swivel for pig-butchering scams.

Cybercrooks play the long game in this one. They “fatten you up” with lovey-dovey texts over months, and then, once they have your trust, they send you to slaughter with a crypto scam.

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Ask Kim: ‘Is it cheating if he’s talking to a sexy AI girl?’

Mary in Los Angeles recently wrote to me with a question I’m getting more and more:

“Is my husband cheating on me with an AI bot? … I went through his phone and saw some shady texts on an app called Replika. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I wouldn’t put it past him.”

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🚨 Don't download these apps 🚨

Don’t download these apps — or any that look or sound like one of these examples.

Stuck on hold: There’s a hidden redial button on your smartphone. Hit the call button without typing a number or choosing a contact to call the last person you talked to.

Trivia

On this day in 1903, Henry Ford started his company with 10 investors and how much in startup cash? Was it … A.) $1,800, B.) $13,500, C.) $28,000 or D.) $54,000?

Click here for the answer!

183% increase

In phony Ozempic scams over the past four months. Look out for social media posts offering weight loss drugs at a steep discount or without a prescription. These aren’t real doctors (paywall link); they’re a phishing scam.

60-minute TikToks?

Do you think hour-long videos will do well on short-form platforms? I mean, come on! Who has the time?

1 trillion people

How many Jeff Bezos wants to send to colonize space. It’s still more of a pipe dream than a plan. From building 20-mile-long space habitats to growing food and, ahem, doing the wild thing in space, experts say saving Earth is still a way easier option.

34.6% and 34.4% 

U.S. shoppers who purchase at least one thing a month on Shein and Temu, respectively. The Chinese retailers have more American repeat shoppers than eBay and Etsy. Stay away, folks. The stuff is cheap, and you never know how much data they’re collecting.

Lost TV remote? Try this

My husband Barry and I seem to lose the remote way too often. With this new feature, it won’t be a problem.