Ascension Healthcare hack: We now know how big the May cyberattack really was. Hackers grabbed medical records, payment info, insurance details, IDs and addresses of 5.6 million people. If this breach affects you, watch for a letter via USPS mail. Either way, freeze your credit and get yourself off the Dark Web.
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!
Steve Harvey is not dead: Communist China-owned NewsBreak (aka the most downloaded news app in America) ran an AI-generated article this week claiming Steve Harvey died. It went viral on social media, so you might’ve seen it. Spoiler: He’s alive. Now, imagine if that bogus article was about a nuke secretly planted in the USA. Talk about a family feud.
‼️ 3 email scams spreading now: Look for these three big ones. First up, fake invoices for bills, gifts or whatever. Scammers hope you’re too busy to check and will just pay it. Second, bogus celebrity endorsements — go to their official social media profile or website instead of trusting a random email or ad. And finally, keep an eye out for extortion schemes in your inbox. More crooks are using your personal info and maybe a photo of your home to scare you into paying them. Stay sharp!
$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.
👓 Are smart glasses finally useful? Ray-Ban dropped a major update for its Meta smart glasses. The specs now include Shazam for identifying songs; real-time AI video that captures and describes what’s in front of you; and live translation for Spanish, French and Italian. If the translation alone works well, it’ll be a total travel game-changer. OK, this news was enough for me to buy the $317 glasses. I’ll let you know what I think about them in a month or so. If you have an “early adopter” on your gift list, this would be a great gift!
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Potty mouth: Viral sensation “Skibidi Toilet” is coming to Fortnite. You might know that as the phrase kids and tweens won’t stop saying. Other rumored Fortnite crossovers: Anime’s Demon Slayer and Hatsune Miku, plus the return of Spider-Man. Now you have something to talk to your 12-year-old about at Christmas!
$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.
🌆 I’m surprised they’re not charging for it: Roku’s iconic animated screensaver is getting a glow-up. Since its last update six years ago, Roku City has been stuck at 720p resolution. Now it’s in full 1080p HD with Easter eggs like a train station and interactive billboards for Roku’s own stuff.
You need to try this: Another day, another AI amazement. Google’s new AI tool Whisk cuts out the hard part of image generation. Instead of coming up with the perfect prompt, drag and drop photos to remix a fresh pic. There’s a dice icon that mixes and matches with other AI images, too. Give it a whirl.
What a tragedy: Philip Tong, a 45-year-old dad with diabetes, felt short of breath, was coughing up blood and had blue feet. He used Amazon’s One Medical to book a telehealth appointment. The doctor’s advice? Buy an inhaler. Tong died later that day in the ER; he was in sepsis. Now his family is suing. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms, please call 911. Telehealth has its place, but nothing replaces emergency care.
🇨🇳 Chinese-owned TP-Link routers may be getting banned: This is big — about 65% of American homes and businesses use a TP-Link router, along with the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. TP-Link has been tied to Chinese cyberattacks and lets security flaws slide, making them a big target. And they may be selling their routers for less than it costs to make them — a monopoly no-no. I told you this was coming.
$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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💩 Stinking of success: Fartcoin, a joke crypto with zero real value, is soaring, hitting an $800 million market cap and beating out Dogecoin. No one really knows who’s pumping money into it, but crypto is majorly spiking after Trump’s election, and investors are taking gambles. But, as I always say … you should never trust a fart.
A good fee is tariff-ic: The FTC just banned hidden “junk fees” for hotels, tickets and vacation rentals. Starting in 2025, businesses will need to show the total price upfront — no more “resort” or “convenience” fees snuck in at checkout. Yeah, those fees will still be there, but being able to see them before you pay will save everyone a whole lot of time.
🎰 Parents, check your kids’ Roblox accounts: Illegal online casinos are targeting kids on Roblox, letting little ones gamble on games like slots and blackjack. Some sites even convert their winnings to real cash through crypto. Roblox is cracking down, but parents, keep an eye out for in-game casinos. Bloxmoon and RBLXWild are two big names to watch for.
ChatGPT just got a big upgrade: Think of it as a mix between a chatbot and Google. It still answers your questions but now includes direct links to its sources. Plus, there’s a new voice mode you can use with it. To try it out, just click the globe icon in the ChatGPT text box. It works great!