🚨 Precious metal scams: A Florida couple lost over $2 million after fraudsters told them there was a warrant out for their arrest. The fix? Buy gold bars and coins in exchange for their freedom. They handed it to a courier and only found out months later it was all a lie. Folks, police will never ask you for money or gold.
Smarter seat belts soon
Remember when you’d sit in your dad’s car sans seat belt? Me, too. Well, Volvo’s working on adaptive seat belts that tighten or loosen based on your size and how serious the crash is. So if you’re smaller, it eases up to protect your ribs.
#1
Where America ranks in online vulgarity among English-speaking countries. Yes, “land of the free” also means land of the free to say anything we want. Turns out, 1 in every 2,800 words typed by Americans online is a swear, making us the reigning champs of digital potty mouths.
🎧 Tired of earbuds that fall out or fizzle fast? I use Raycon’s Everyday Earbuds. I’m talking clear sound, comfy fit and up to 32 hours of battery life. They’re half the price of big brands. Get 15% off today at Raycon!
Google Home update: Some nine new features are here. You can now watch Nest Cam footage picture-in-picture on Google TV, and Gemini has more smart home controls. Automations take fewer steps, and you can skip through video by double-tapping. FYI: Most features are in public preview. Join here.
🕳️ Internet’s new boogeyman: Online predators have gotten a terrifying rebrand. “764” is a nihilistic extremist group targeting kids via Discord, Roblox and social media. The FBI is on it, but that’s cold comfort if your 12-year-old is getting radicalized during Minecraft. Talk early and often with your kids about online dangers. Audit their apps, and maybe uninstall a few.
2 wolves
That’s the entire “pack” of lab-grown dire wolves Colossal Laboratories has unleashed. Made with a gray wolf base, 14 tweaked genes and a heavy pour of Game of Thrones fanfic (named Ghost and Khaleesi). Some of the dire-specific genes were too dangerous to include. Frankly, if we can make French bulldogs, we can make anything.
Your receipt is poison: Some receipts are still printed with BPS, a BPA cousin that’s banned in the U.K. but alive and well in the U.S. Scientists say it’s probably fine, but maybe don’t rub your face with it like it’s a love letter. Cancer links are unproven, yet, but just leave it or throw it out.
🔥 Baseus charger recall: Over 55,000 portable chargers are being recalled after reports of them catching fire. Look for model BS-30KP365 with a serial number ending in 0 to 9 or D (check the bottom). If that’s you, get a free replacement on their website.
135
Dead Sea Scroll fragments redated by AI with a better eye than your average historian. The system, named Enoch after the biblical prophet, was trained on radiocarbon-dated samples and subtle handwriting quirks invisible to humans. Then it read the Dead Sea Scrolls and confidently told researchers they were late by 100 years.
🧳 Global Entry is getting faster: New camera tech will soon let travelers breeze through passport control without stopping. Your face gets scanned on the move, so no kiosks or lines. It’s being tested at seven airports, including Miami, LAX, Chicago O’Hare and Toronto. Suddenly, that $120 five-year membership doesn’t sound so bad.
59 minutes
How long DJI’s new Matrice 400 can stay airborne, with gear. It hauls 13 pounds, lands on moving ships, dodges obstacles and spots power lines in thermal mode. With 10 antennas and a backup relay system, it beams footage over 25 miles, through cities, forests or whatever else is in the way, even the guy screaming, “No drones!” into the sky.
🛡️ 1 billion malware threats: 1 simple fix. Antivirus software protects your devices from viruses, ransomware and more before they can do any harm. Cover five devices for just $19 for the first year. That’s less than a trip to the movies.
1/15 teaspoon
That’s how much water your average ChatGPT question supposedly guzzles to answer you. According to Sam Altman, One query = a light sip. But multiply that by billions, and suddenly the servers need a Hydro Flask the size of Lake Michigan.
Time Capsule time has come: Starting with macOS 27, Apple’s yanking support for Time Capsule and AirPort backups. If you’re still living that 2012 Wi-Fi drive life, it’s almost time to move on. No new hardware is confirmed yet, but the rumor mill’s eyeing Apple’s new Wi-Fi chip for a possible router comeback. PSA: It’s about a year away.
Smile, you’re streaming: Change your cam’s default password. You can watch 40,000 live security cams like Netflix, no hacking required. From U.S. data centers, hospitals, random gyms and even residential homes, the internet of things just became the internet of oops. Most of the cams were accessible through a basic browser.
400,000 products
On Amazon could put your life in danger. The U.S. government now says Amazon is responsible for dangerous products sold on its platform, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors and flammable PJs, and it has to inform you if you’ve bought one. Check your orders here.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Storm streamers are taking over
Folks like Ryan Hall are going live on YouTube to warn people about extreme weather, sometimes faster than the National Weather Service. They’re using radar tools, storm chaser feeds and AI bots that chat with viewers and give 24/7 updates. His setup is wild!
💸 Thrift of the year: An Arkansas man spotted a $120 coffee table on Facebook Marketplace and decided to do a reverse image search. Turns out, it was made by an Italian company in the 1990s and listed on auction sites for up to $8,250. It’s now in his living room, glued to the floor.