🔥 Clout-chasing or a cautionary tale? YouTuber MrBeast’s latest viral stunt has people talking for all the wrong reasons. In a video that’s racked up millions of views, he ties a man to a chair inside a flaming building, part of a $500,000 “death trap” challenge. MrBeast insists everything was done safely with pros on set. But when did lighting someone on fire become family-friendly entertainment? What your kids watch isn’t just harmless fun. It’s content engineered for attention at any cost. If your teen says, “It’s just a MrBeast video,” you might want to take a closer look.
Get a free second phone number
Google
Here’s something smart to start your week. Get a free, private second phone number you can use from your smartphone. It’s perfect for keeping your personal number personal.
With Google Voice, you get a real U.S. phone number that rings to your cell, computer or tablet. You can call, text, screen calls and get your voicemails transcribed to text, all without revealing your main number.
💡 Why you’d want one
- Selling something online? Don’t give strangers your real number.
- Want a business line without paying for another phone? Done.
- Dating? A second number lets you keep control.
- Sick of spam? Change the Google Voice number anytime, not your real one.
- Traveling abroad? Call and text for free over Wi-Fi.
⚙️ How to set it up
- Go to voice.google.com on your phone or computer.
- Sign in with your Google account.
- Pick a phone number, you can search by area code or city.
- Link it to your mobile number (or any number you want it to ring).
- Download the Google Voice app for iPhone or Android.
Now, when someone calls your Google Voice number, it’ll ring your real phone.
📞 Features you’ll love
- Voicemail transcriptions: Read your messages like texts.
- Call forwarding: Route calls to multiple devices.
- Custom greetings: Set different ones for different callers.
- Do Not Disturb: Silence calls when you need space.
- Call screening: Hear who’s calling before you pick up.
For personal use, Google Voice is totally free. Calls and texts to the U.S. and Canada cost nothing. You only pay for international calls, and rates are low. The business version starts at $10/month. It adds auto-attendants, call routing for teams and admin tools.
Bottom line? If you don’t already have a second number, it’s free and easy to use. And get ready to groan. What are the first three digits of an opera singer’s phone number? The aria code. (You can’t say I didn’t warn you!)
🤝 Share this great insider tech tip with your family and friends using the handy-dandy icons below. They need a free number and just don’t know it, yet.
Boost your YouTube channel: If you want the algorithm to help people discover your videos, add channel tags. On desktop, click your profile picture and open YouTube Studio. In the left panel, go to Settings > Channel > Basic info. Under Keywords, fill in things like “lifestyle vlog” or “easy recipes,” and hit Save.
🚘 Buttons are back, baby: No more tap-tap-tapping. Mercedes is bringing back real buttons and knobs in 2026, saying they’re faster, safer and way less annoying than touch screens. Nothing says “luxury” like not missing your highway exit trying to turn on the AC. Your great-grandpa was right: Knobs are the future.
📚 Since phones were banned in schools: Kids are turning Google Docs into live chat rooms. They invite friends as collaborators and chat in real time, sometimes sneakily in white text on white background. It’s note-passing for the 2025 school year. Teachers don’t notice. Parents don’t know. But is it kind of genius? Yeah. You’ve got to respect the hustle.
🏈 Tablet wars, football edition: College coaches can finally use tablets on the sidelines, and guess what? Everyone’s picking iPads. The MAC just joined the SEC, ACC and Big Ten in ditching Microsoft for Apple. Why? Real-time replays, quick play tagging and the tablets don’t freeze mid-game. NFL? Still using Surfaces like they lost a bet with Bill Gates.
You don’t need to live in fear: Most security systems respond only after a break-in has started, and that’s too late. SimpliSafe is different. It’s proactive, not reactive. Get 50% off your new security system today!
🤖 Meta dropped Vibes: It’s not a separate app but part of your Meta AI now. It’s like Instagram Reels, but you can’t post real videos, only AI-generated ones. You just remix whatever the bots spit out and call it content. Who even asked for this algorithmic soup?
😡 Crackin’ under fake pressure: Remember the Cracker Barrel logo drama? Turns out half those boycott posts on social media were bots. New research says AI-generated accounts fueled a fake backlash, and the brand actually folded. Oh, Cracker Barrel, come for the biscuits, stay for the psyop. Next time you see rage-bait, remember the mob might not even be real.
⚡ Smaller, faster, richer: The Ferrari 296 and Lamborghini Temerario run on a motor that started as a college project. Oxford grad Tim Woolmer invented YASA’s “axial-flux” motor. Lighter, 45% smaller and up to four times more power-dense than the usual stuff. YASA made just 1,000 five years ago. Next year? 25,000. Super cars are about to be more super.
Kentucky kids rediscover paper: Jefferson County Public Schools just saw a 67% spike in book library checkouts after Kentucky banned phones in class. At Ballard High, students borrowed nearly 900 books in August, up from 533 last year. Librarians say whodunits are a hot commodity. Apparently, when TikTok disappears, Agatha Christie eats.
A switch that makes sense! Check this out. Consumer Cellular gives me the same great coverage as the big carriers for a fraction of the cost! You can keep your phone and number or get new ones. I’m getting two unlimited lines for just $60. Use code KIM25 at ConsumerCellular.com/KIM for $25 in savings, and make the smart switch today. You can save more if you’re an AARP member.
😨 Massive data breach: 18 million records tied to Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge customers were stolen. No credit cards, but names, emails and phone numbers are now powering super-targeted phishing scams. You might get a call that sounds real, until it isn’t. Keep your guard up.
Windows in your hands: Microsoft and Asus opened preorders for the new Xbox Ally handhelds, but don’t expect a budget price. These things run full Windows, not just Xbox games. Plug it into a monitor, pair a keyboard, or game straight from the couch. Starts at $599, but if you can swing it, the $1,299 Ally X is pure muscle and the one you want.
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🚨 Gmail scam spreading: This is frightening. Watch out for fake Gmail account recovery request notifications that look like the real deal. Hackers try to convince you to sign in through a phony login page, where they can then capture your password. Ignore or decline the request, and they’ll follow up with an AI-generated Google support call in which the caller claims someone has accessed your account and stolen your data. Ignore that, too. Pass this on, so everyone knows this is happening.
🪐 Out of this world: NASA confirmed its 6,000th planet beyond our solar system. Lava worlds, Jupiter-size gas giants and even double-sun planets are straight out of Star Wars. Another 8,000 are waiting in line, and scientists think that within a decade, we’ll spot Earth-like worlds that could support life. Who knows, maybe even one with a Chili’s.
☢️ Watts up? OpenAI locked in a deal with Nvidia to build AI infrastructure running on 10 gigawatts of GPUs. That’s about 10 nuclear reactors. Nvidia’s dropping up to $100B on the project going live in 2026.
🎰 Hacker hits the house: In 2023, a hacker group called Scattered Spider phished MGM’s IT desk on LinkedIn, then nuked slot machines, room keys and reservations from the inside. MGM lost over $100M refusing ransom. Caesars paid $15M. One of the hackers just turned himself in and, drumroll … he’s a teenager! He’s facing six felony charges.
Chrome’s hungry upgrade: With Gemini baked in, Chrome grabs more mobile info than any other browser: name, location, purchases, your search history, etc. If you don’t like Google snooping, go to Activity controls and turn off “Web & App Activity.” Then, in Chrome Settings (three-dot menu) > You and Google > Sync and Google services, and disable the “Help improve Chrome’s features and performance” switch. I did.