I love Google Maps. It’s one of those everyday tech tools that actually makes life easier. From finding late-night tacos to dodging traffic like a pro, it’s still the gold standard in navigation. (Sorry, Apple Maps, you’re catching up but not quite there yet.)
🗺️ Google Maps has charted nearly every inch of the planet, capturing jaw-dropping landscapes to hidden alleyways you didn’t know existed. And yes, every once in a while, it’ll still take you on the “scenic” route to work just to keep things interesting.
Along the way, its cameras have picked up some seriously strange and unexplained sights. Here are a few that’ll make you stop and think, “What on Earth is going on there?”
In a remote area of Kazakhstan, there’s a 1,200-foot five-pointed star carved into the land. Hello, conspiracy theories! We’re talking about secret societies and all manner of the occult.
But the real explanation? It’s an abandoned Soviet-era campground. The star is the outline of old walking paths.
A weird rectangular formation spotted in Antarctica sparked wild theories about a hidden “doorway” in the ice. Is it a secret compound or a door to an ancient civilization? Oh, the stories it could tell. I bet it’s a natural phenomenon, say an iceberg melting in place.
In a remote mountainous region of New Mexico, there’s a big, white, disc-shaped object the collective internet really wants to believe is a crashed alien ship. It’s been there since at least 2003, with signs of wear and vegetation over time. A rainwater catchment basin is my best guess.
There was once a mystery island in the Pacific Ocean that appeared on Google Maps but didn’t exist in real life. Sandy Island was marked on paper maps for over a century, yet when explorers tried to find it, there was nothing.
Reading this on a 6-year-old iPhone 11? It’s well past the average smartphone lifespan of 2.5 years … and I’m impressed you’ve hung onto it this long. Btw, Apple typically provides iOS updates for five to six years after a model’s release.
📺 Lost the remote again? If you own a new 2025 Samsung TV and a Galaxy Watch 7 or Watch Ultra, control your TV with a flick of your wrist. Literally. Move the cursor by waving your arm, pinch your fingers to select apps, make a fist to exit or swipe the watch bezel to scroll. Neato!
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Added sugar most Americans eat or drink each day. Wow! It’s way more than the 9-teaspoon limit for men and 6 for women. But watch out for diet sodas or sugar-free snacks with artificial sweeteners like sucralose. They can make you hungrier. Did you hear the sugar cube took etiquette classes? Now, he’s refined! 🍬
🧠 How every zombie movie starts: Scientists recently revived activity in a dead pig’s brain by pumping it full of a special chemical cocktail designed to mimic blood flow. The result? Brain cells started producing proteins and showing signs of life, but it wasn’t conscious. Now they want to try this on a human brain. Personally, I can think of a few better ways to spend science funding that don’t sound like a prequel to The Walking Dead.
Ditch the algorithm junk: Facebook is adding a new Friends tab that only shows posts, stories, Reels and birthdays from people you actually know. No sponsored content, suggested posts or group clutter. Look for it in the navigation bar.
⚠️ Sam’s Club data breach: We don’t know a lot, yet. The Clop ransomware gang listed Sam’s Club on its leak site. All Sam’s Club says is that they’re investigating the matter. Better to be proactive. Watch your credit card statements for fraud.
💅 Feel like a spy: Put a smart NFC chip (paywall link) under your manicure. It’s a neat party trick to share social media links, send texts or open apps with just your finger. Here’s one on Amazon, but they don’t always work smoothly. Fun but could use a bit more … polish (I know you laughed).
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Microsoft Excel World Championship: Yup, it’s a real thing. Contestants get a data-loaded spreadsheet and create formulas to solve challenges and rack up points. Want in? Sign up here. For the rest of us, Microsoft’s pushing Copilot in Excel, so you can just tell it what to do and ask for pre-written formulas.
Of people 12 and older have listened to audio online in the past month. That’s about 228 million Americans, a record high. The number jumps to 90% for folks 12 to 34. About 73% listen at least once a week. Yay, you’ll love my weekly podcasts and daily tech update on Apple and Spotify.
👶 Birth rates are declining: If you’re wondering why no one’s settling down anymore, here’s a stat for you: Over half of 18- to 34-year-olds in the U.S. aren’t in a steady relationship. Blame tech. Folks are spending more time on social media, video games and TV than hanging out with each other. Can’t date if you’re glued to a screen!
00Heaven: Meet the big guns producing the next Bond film. Amazon picked Amy Pascal from Spider-Man and David Heyman, who’s behind Harry Potter. This’ll be the first time the Broccoli family won’t take charge since Amazon MGM got the rights from them. Who do you want as the next Bond girl? Sorry, I’m way too busy.
🛒 Aisle see you: I want to try this! Instacart will pay you to video store shelves while you shop. It’s called Store View. This is just the start. Their Caper Carts will one day update stock levels every hour with built-in cameras.
When Bill Gates says AI will replace most human jobs. Let that sink in. He thinks only jobs like coding, energy and biology will stick around. I don’t see being a Digital Goddess on that list. What about your career? Are you nervous? Let me know at the end when you rate the newsletter. Leave your email, so I can get in touch.
🖥️ Windows 11 update: Microsoft dropped an optional update packed with 38 changes. What’s new? Live captions and real-time translation for over 44 languages on Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel CPUs, plus a fix for random blue screen crashes. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates > Download and install.
Age of the world’s oldest cat, Millie. To celebrate three decades, her owner Leslie got a cake made with Millie’s face on it, complete with 30 candles. The secret to her long life? Lots of treats, cuddles on the sofa and Buxton water. Let’s purr-ty!
🐣 Not a practical yolk: Ever seen a chicken hatch from an open egg? A Japanese student actually pulled it off, and the video’s racking up thousands of upvotes on Reddit. The clip shows him cutting the egg open and injecting things into the embryo. After 21 days, a chick pops out. Strange but amazing.
Microsoft Copilot’s getting smarter: Better late than never, I suppose. Look for two new deep reasoning agents in April. Researcher can dig through multiple sources and pull insights from third-party tools like Salesforce, while Analyst can turn messy data into clean spreadsheets.
Sale price for the infamous Napster. Yep, the same one that let people pirate music before getting shut down. Its new owner wants to turn it into a virtual 3D space where fans can attend concerts and listen to music together. I’m glad I don’t have my money wrapped up in this!
🚀 The Fram2 mission: I’m sure you’ll see news about this on March 31. Astronauts are going to orbit both the North and South Poles for the first time ever. The crew will fly in a SpaceX Dragon capsule and spend up to five days in space. Oh, and they’ll be taking the first-ever X-ray of a human body off-planet.
