🧬 This is a crazy story: Jenna Gerwatowski, 23, took a DNA test and discovered her grandmother, whom she’s never met, is 100% a murder suspect. A newborn was left to die at a Michigan campground in the 1997 “Baby Garnet” cold case. Investigators matched Jenna and Jenna’s mother’s DNA to the baby and charged Jenna’s grandma, Nancy Gerwatowski, with the child’s murder. I can’t imagine how the family feels.
Mysterious drones over New Jersey: Are they aliens?
© Yuliya Pauliukevich | Dreamstime.com, © Serhii Kuznietsov | Dreamstime.com
The drones hovering over New Jersey fly lower than commercial planes, a few thousand feet up, and produce a slight electric hum. Most are two to three feet long, but some are the size of an SUV.
The internet is bursting with conspiracy theories. Are they military tech? Foreign surveillance? Something not of this world?
I called up my radio pal, George Noory
He’s the host of Coast to Coast AM, heard on over 600 U.S. radio stations, and he’s a leading voice of the unexplained. I asked a question millions of people are wondering: Could this be alien technology?
“It’s bizarre,” Noory agrees. “It just doesn’t sound like the work of a hobbyist — some guy in his backyard with about 50 drones. There’s something else very, very nefarious about this.”
But alien tech? He says it doesn’t add up. “I’m going to rule out [the] extraterrestrial,” he says. “It sounds more like a military effort than anything else.”
What the heck is going on?
The drones gather in clusters at night and fly with their lights off. We’re not talking about little hobby drones or the bigger ones you’d find at tech expos. Reports describe these as massive, multirotor, helicopter-like drones.
The CEO of a remote aircraft company dropped a viral TikTok video claiming the only reason to fly an unmanned drone at night is if you’re “looking for something.” His theory? They’re sniffing out a gas leak or radioactive material. This freaked out podcaster Joe Rogan.
How do we figure out what they are?
There’s some pretty incredible tech that can help:
- Radio-frequency (RF) detection: It sniffs out the communication signals between a drone and its controller to pinpoint its make and model.
- Radar systems: Think of these as high-tech sky-scanning systems that track drones by analyzing their size, speed and flight patterns.
- Robin Radar: This one’s impressive. It uses 360-degree radar combined with AI to detect and track drones within a five-kilometer radius. In other words, it sees everything.
- Remote ID technology: Some drones are required to broadcast identifying details, including the location of their operators. It’s like a digital license plate for drones.
- Declassified radio wave tech: This reads electronic registrations and can track a drone right back to where it lands.
No. 1 in fatal accidents
For automaker Tesla, with 5.6 deadly crashes for every 1 billion miles logged in its 2018 to 2022 models. They recalled over 125,000 vehicles in May due to issues with the seatbelt warning system, which isn’t helping their track record, either. As for the other car brands, Kia was a close second in fatalities, followed by Buick, Dodge and Hyundai.
A scam for the holidays: “Card declined” messages are all over scammy retail sites. It’s a trick to get you to pay twice so they can steal twice the card details. Before you check out, make sure the site’s URL starts with “https” (don’t skip the -s!). My trick: Save more money shopping online with the Upside app. Use promo code KIM so they know I sent ya.
“AI Therapist”: That’s a new job title in the AI world. Kyle Fish’s gig at an AI company (paywall link) is to make sure the AI systems are treated ethically as they evolve so they can be more likely to achieve consciousness. I’ve always said being polite to your bot generates better answers.
Every move you make, every breath you take, I’ll be watching you: The next Walmart greeter you see may be wearing a body cam. The retail giant’s new program will stop thieves and keep workers safe when things get tense. TJX Companies, which owns TJ Maxx and Marshalls, already uses them, but some worry the cams are really spying on employees. Probably all of the above.
💬 Encryption is your BFF: ICYMI, I told you the FBI warned you to use apps with end-to-end encryption for your sensitive convos because of Chinese hackers. But what about 2FA security? Yep, they can be intercepted, too. Your best bet is to use an app like Google Authenticator. While you’re at it, turn on automatic software updates to plug any security holes.
20,000% spike
In drone reports over sports stadiums. It’s illegal to fly even a registered drone over a stadium during a game. In 2017, the NFL reported about a dozen drone sightings. In 2023, there were 2,845.
😂 Murphy’s Law states anything that can happen will happen: But are you familiar with Cole’s Law? It’s finely shredded raw cabbage with a salad dressing, commonly either vinaigrette or mayonnaise.
🪦 Where there’s a will, there’s a relative: Jesse Beck, 45, recorded a video “will” four days before he died in a motorcycle crash. It didn’t hold up in court. Why? Estate law (paywall link) is old school, and video or audio recordings don’t cut it. The legal validity of wills from text messages and emails also depends on where you live, but a signed, witnessed and notarized paper doc is still the gold standard.
Face, meet palm: A so-called “misinformation expert” was caught spreading misinformation. Jeff Hancock submitted a doc with fake AI-generated citations. Minnesota’s Attorney General paid him $600 an hour for expert testimony defending a new state law that bans AI-driven voter deception. You can’t make this up … but a bot did.
🎥 “Endorsement for AI”: That’s what Lisa Kudrow is calling Tom Hanks’ new film, “Here.” The Robert Zemeckis-directed flick uses AI to de-age Hanks and Robin Wright into younger versions of themselves. The “Friends” star thinks bots will replace real actors. It’s like she heard my show last week.
No. 1 free app
Drumroll, please … It’s Temu. That’s two years in a row for the most downloaded free app. In second place is Meta’s Threads, followed by TikTok at No. 3. I know Temu is super cheap, but that comes with its own cost. Here’s why I’d never buy the toys there for the kiddos in my life.
That escalated quickly: TikTok Shop is pulling in more customers than retail giants Shein and Sephora. It launched in September of 2023, and 45% of Americans have already bought something through it. Fashion and beauty items pitched by influencers are the most popular.
🚨 North Korean hackers are targeting Macs: It starts with an email containing a fake crypto news headline (e.g., “Hidden Risk Behind New Surge of Bitcoin Price”) and includes a link, supposedly to a PDF. The link actually leads to a malicious app that lets the sender take control of your system. If you’ve clicked on a random PDF link recently, scan for malware ASAP. I use TotalAV.
Brave new world: U.K. police are testing a facial recognition phone app that lets officers identify people walking down the street. Some communities put up signs as a warning. This tech is worldwide; American police searched Clearview AI’s facial database 2 million times in New York City and Dallas this year.
Stalkerware is up 239%: Apps like mSpy and Life360 market themselves as ways to track your kids. Abusers use them to see everywhere their partner goes. This is no small problem; 85% of domestic violence survivors have experienced digital abuse. Need help? Here’s my guide to protecting yourself.
🛑 Help during a bus driver shortage: School districts around the country are cutting bus routes big time. About 36% of students took a bus in 2017, but now, it’s only 28%. If you’re having trouble getting the kids to school, check out ride-hailing apps like the PiggyBack Network and HopSkipDrive.
An offer you should refuse: “Gamified” job scams start with a random text or WhatsApp message asking you to do online tasks for money. You might even see some profits before they ask you for money, promising big returns. This trick made up almost 40% of job scam reports this year, with $41 million lost in just the first half of 2024. Oof.
$20 trillion tunnel
Connecting New York City and London. There’s no telling how long the Transatlantic Tunnel would take to build. A 23.5-mile tunnel linking England and France took six years. NYC and London are 3,000 miles apart. For the record, I’d totally ride it.