On the Edge

On the Edge: Microsoft yanked away Edge version 122.0.2365.63 faster than a toupee in a hurricane. (Sorry.) Why? An “out-of-memory” error left users’ browsers crashing all over the place. The culprit? Enhanced Web Protection defaulting to Strict mode.

Tags: users


Go smish! Texting scams impersonate these brands the most

Here’s a fun fact you can use to win a bet: 19.2 billion spam texts were sent this January. That works out to every person in the U.S. receiving around 19 spammy texts in just one month. Crazy, right?

Crooks have taken full advantage of how much we text by relying on SMS phishing, or “smishing,” the term for scam texts. They often pose as big brands to get you to give up personal info like credit card numbers and passwords.

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Trivia

The first Google Doodle was created in 2000 when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin asked intern Dennis Hwang to make a drawing to commemorate a holiday. Was it … A.) The Fourth of July, B.) Bastille Day, C.) Chinese New Year or D.) Diwali?

Find the answer here

80% drop in readers has Meta saying, “So long” to Facebook News

It’ll disappear from Facebook in the U.S. and Australia in April. After regulators said Meta would have to start paying publishers for news stories, the Big Tech powerhouse is routing its money into content like short-form videos.

See if your firewall is working

Even if a hacker knows your computer’s location and IP address, a firewall keeps them from accessing your system and network.

Newer Windows and Mac systems have built-in software firewalls — but one wrong setting can leave your computer vulnerable. I know it sounds complicated, but there’s a simple way to check if yours is working.

Gibson Research Corporation’s (GRC) ShieldsUP!! scans your firewall to make sure your ports aren’t exposed. If ShieldsUP!! can see your ports over the internet, so can someone else with the right port-scanning tools.

  • Click Proceed on the home page and then the GRC’s Instant UPnP Exposure Test button on the following page.
  • If your computer doesn’t respond to the test, your firewall is working. Yay!
  • If there are issues, GRC links to how-tos and articles to check for common problems.

🌨️ If girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice and boys are made of slime, snails, and puppy-dog tails, what’s the cloud made from? Linux servers, mostly.

61% of Americans are on their phones within 5 minutes of waking up

And one-third of us open our phones within one minute! I usually talk about avoiding phone use at night as the reason to keep your phone out of your bedroom, but let’s add this to the list.

42,324 people laid off 

Big Tech’s “contribution” to the U.S. workforce so far in 2024. Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Discord, Salesforce, eBay and PayPal have all cut jobs, even as the overall economy is booming. So far, this number just about tracks with last year’s total tech layoffs — 263,000. Ouch.

Trivia

How long was the longest spaceflight ever taken by an American astronaut? In days, was it … A.) 365, B.) 665, C.) 204 or D.) 225?

Find the answer here

Trivia

Which of the following smartphone charging facts is actually a myth? Is it … A.) Charging your phone overnight damages its battery, B.) Using your phone while it’s charging can make it explode, C.) Charging only when it reaches 0% extends your battery life, or D.) You should only use the charger that came with your phone?

Find the answer here

5.8Gbps is the top speed of Wi-Fi 7 

The new standard was certified this month. Routers are available, but most devices don’t support it yet. Once we do connect, expect faster downloads, more stability and less latency.

700 customer service agents laid off and replaced with AI 

Klarna says its customer service AI bot “is doing the equivalent work of 700 full-time agents” — yep, the number of customer service personnel it let go in 2022.