Fresh and flawless

When life gets a little messy, I’ve got the fixes for you.

  • We’re approaching the window-open season. Grab an air purifier (16% off) while they’re on sale.
  • These duster sponges (15% off) wipe away all the muck from your floorboards, blinds or wherever.
  • Spill your drink on your favorite shirt? Whip out a Tide pen ($7.88) and that stain’s history.
  • Downy wrinkle releaser spray ($11.96) is like an iron in a bottle.
  • If you’re hunting for an actual clothes steamer, I found one (20% off).

🏠 Home upgrade? Check out my handpicked favorites to get your place all ready in time for spring.

Uncanny valley: Hit play on the 1980s sitcom “A Different World” on Netflix, you’ll notice something is … off. The streamer used AI to make the old footage HD quality. The result is nightmare-inducing. Faces look warped, and words or objects in the background are all pixelated. Check out this video to see for yourself. Dumb.

Coming to Google Gemini: Show to tell

Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or answer questions in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that your doctor will say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!)

$5,700

Asking price for 509-SWIFTIE. That’s the phone number 509-794-3843. Taylor Swift-related phone numbers have become a hot commodity. Also for sale: 75-ERAS-TOUR for $4,500 and 41-SWIFT-ERA for $3,300. I have a Roomba that I named “Taylor Swiffer.” I named my iPhone “My little phoney.” Before you ask, none of my tech is named “Hugh Jass.”

Beam me up, Kimmie: By the end of this year, Google and HP are set to make video calls freakishly realistic. Their new tech uses AI and multiple cameras to create real-time 3D images, making it look like the other person is right in front of you. Yup, think “Star Trek”! No price yet (paywall link). 

🖨️ Oh Brother: The printer manufacturer quietly pushed a firmware update that blocks third-party ink cartridges. It gets worse. They scrubbed older firmware versions from their support site, so there’s no way to roll back. If you haven’t updated, keep your device offline and reject firmware updates. 

🚨 YouTube creators, don’t fall for this: Scammers are using an AI video of CEO Neal Mohan to trick you into giving up sensitive info. They’ll send it privately, claiming YouTube is changing its monetization policy. It’s your credentials they’re after. Reminder: YouTube will never contact you or share updates through a private video. 

💪 Man with the golden arm: That’s what Australians called James Harrison. He donated his blood and plasma 1,173 times. He passed away peacefully in his sleep last month at 88. His plasma had a rare antibody to prevent rhesus disease — when a pregnant mother’s blood is incompatible with her baby. He’s credited with saving 2.4 million babies’ lives. What a hero!

6 Google Pixels

Inspected the New York City subway system. They were placed on subway cars from September to January to check for things like broken rails and signals. Using AI, they collected 335 million vibration and sound readings and found 92% of issues human inspectors spotted later. Neat.

New iPad gets a boost: Apple says its new iPad Air is twice as fast as the one from a few years back, thanks to the M3 chip that Apple makes themselves. It can be paired with an upgraded Magic Keyboard. Plus, it comes with Apple Intelligence and 11-inch ($599) and 13-inch ($799) options. Preorder to get it by March 12.

🏁 $28,000 down the drain: A guy from Ohio found a used Dodge Ram on Facebook Marketplace. He’s smart, so he asked for the VIN, ran three checks and called the original dealership. It all checked out. A couple weeks later, six cops showed up. The scam is called cloning. A thief swaps the VIN on a stolen vehicle with a clean one, sells it and moves on. Poor guy is on the hook for the loan.

“I will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World.” That’s what President Trump said while announcing a new U.S. strategic crypto reserve. He name-dropped XRP, Solana and Cardano (prices skyrocketed), then later added Bitcoin and Ethereum to the mix. Warning: If a stranger DMs you claiming to be a crypto expert or offering “guaranteed” profits, don’t respond. It’s a scam.

🚨 Word of the day: Info-stealer. Malware that sneaks in and grabs your personal data, especially credit and debit card details. Over 26 million devices were hit, with 2 million bank cards stolen and for sale on the Dark Web. Watch for small charges on your statements because that’s how hackers test if your card is still good. 

$100 billion

U.S. investment from Taiwanese chip company TSMC. They make over 90% of the world’s advanced computer chips. That money will go toward three fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major research and development center. That’s a heck of a lot of jobs here in the USA!

1,500 parts

In business class seats on new airplanes. They come with heated and cooling options, big HD screens and comfy beds. The R7 from seat manufacturer Germany’s Recaro weighs 176 pounds. Older seats weighed as much as 350 pounds each. Does this mean we get more carry-ons? Nope.

Compassion for the win: Video Stop, the last video rental store in Pocatello, Idaho, is closing. But owner David Kraning created a small replica called “Christina’s Corner” in his convenience store. It’s named after Christina Cavanaugh, a woman with Down syndrome who has been a loyal customer renting videos every day for 15 years. Love this.

6 years ago

23andMe was sold by Anne Wojcicki for $6 billion. Today, she’s trying to buy it back for $42 million. That’s one way to make money. PSA: If you have a 23andMe account, remove it. You just don’t know who’s going to buy your DNA and use it. Here’s how.

Watch your pulse: If you have no pulse and don’t move for 20 seconds, Google’s Pixel Watch 3 calls emergency services. The FDA just gave Google the go-ahead to roll it out. Have one? Go to Safety & emergency > Loss of Pulse Detection to turn it on. 

👀  You have to check out this video: Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or get your questions answered in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses  — from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that makes your doctor say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!) 

🌐  Starlink who? Alphabet’s photonic chip beams 10-gig internet through the air using light beams. Yes, really. It could bring high-speed connections to remote areas (without messy fiber cables) starting this year. It has more bandwidth than a Starlink antenna and costs less. Your move, Elon.