Well isn’t that smart

⭐ Your new BFF in the kitchen: A metal scraper you can use to move veggies from the cutting board to the pan, scrape gunk off the counter, cut dough, whatever.

📺 Did Netflix cross a line? If you’ve seen “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” you heard Gabby reading her journals and texts. The filmmakers actually used AI to clone the murder victim’s voice. They say her family approved, but some are calling it “monstrous” to tell her story this way. What do you think?

Bow wow

A former police officer is using a heat-seeking drone to track down missing dogs. So far, he’s reunited 42 dogs with their families. Here’s an adorable clip of a pup lost in the snow. His little tail wags like crazy when he sees his owner. I’m so excited that I’m getting a new puppy. Meet Bella.

$40,000

To become an NPC in Elder Scrolls 6 so far in the bidding. The game’s maker, Bethesda, is teaming up with Make-A-Wish in a silent auction to immortalize the winning bidder’s likeness as an NPC (non-playable character). Hurry, auction ends on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST.

Listen up, Workspace Teams: No more, “I didn’t know.” Your Google Meet AI notetaker is getting an upgrade. Now, meeting transcripts will include a checklist of suggested next steps, complete with tasks, due dates and assigned members. 

💸 An older adult lost a whopping $2.09 million in a gold bar scam: But she’s getting 40% back. Morgan Stanley has to pay her $843K for failing to follow industry standards. Banks are supposed to flag big withdrawals and check with a trusted contact first. They didn’t.

2 days

Time it took AI to crack a 10-year-old mystery. Scientists spent a decade trying to figure out why “superbugs” resist antibiotics. Google’s new co-scientist bot took just a couple of days to spit out the correct answer. I hope they put it to work on cancer.

Bow wow: A former police officer is using a heat-seeking drone to track down missing dogs. So far, he’s reunited 42 dogs with their families. Here’s an adorable clip of a pup lost in the snow. His little tail wags like crazy when he sees his owner. I’m so excited that I’m getting a new puppy. Meet Bella.

31,000 miles

The longest undersea cable Meta wants to build. If you wrapped it around the equator, you’d have 6,000 miles left over. It’ll speed up the internet, but Meta’s main goal is boosting their AI capabilities.

💰 Armed rideshares are popping up everywhere: The new Protector app (iPhone only) lets you book armed guards and Escalades to chauffeur you around for $200 an hour. Think Uber, but with active or retired law enforcement and military officers behind the wheel. BlackWolf hires military and law enforcement too.

Craigslist scam: The guy listed a luxury Palm Beach apartment for $950/month (red flag because it actually costs $5,200/month), and a couple took the bait. The scammer gave them a tour and handed over the keys so it seemed legit. Turns out the real owner had left them in the door for a handyman. Argh.

😱 Robin Hood: Hackers dropped a toolkit that permanently unlocks almost all versions of Windows (7 and up), plus Office 2013 to 2024. They’re giving it away for free because “profiting from piracy is not good.” How ethical. Go with the free LibreOffice instead.

63% 

Lawyers that have used AI in cases. Only around 12% use it regularly. Bots like ChatGPT can make up fake cases in court docs. One lawyer was fined $2,000 and had to take a class on how to use AI for law. 

Whoa, it’s not an iPhone SE 4! Apple’s newest budget model ($599) is the iPhone 16e. It’ll have a 6.1-inch OLED screen, 48MP Fusion Camera, 5G modem, Apple Intelligence and a beefier A18 chip. What’s missing? MagSafe, the old Home Button and zippy Wi-Fi 7. Preorders start on Friday. Both the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE were discontinued, too.

5,000 year old

Mummies smell woody, spicy and sweet. That’s what a team of human sniffers (yes, it’s a real job) say. Ancient Egyptians used special waxes and balms to keep their pharaohs and nobles smelling nice. BO in the afterlife was a sign of corruption. I heard they also liked wrap music.

🚢 Captains make ship happen: Barry walks around our boat with a special remote to dock it. So smart. Yamaha’s Helm Master EX’s new handheld remote control looks like a Wii controller. It works with a slew of fishing boats and cruisers and powers off the engines if someone falls overboard. Watch it in action now.

iSpy: A private detective took to social media to spill one of the tricks of the trade. He says if someone comes to your door looking for help with a lost pet, it’s just a ploy to see your face and verify you’re home. 

✅ 50% off alert: My home security pick, SimpliSafe, is having a massive sale. I love their new Active Guard technology that alerts you before a break-in happens. You don’t need to live in fear or worry about burglars when you’re not home. Get all the gear to lock down your home for half off.

30 seconds

Time after a distraction ends before drivers refocus. Researchers found glancing at your phone for five seconds really takes your attention off the road for 35. Next time you’re in a car with a younger driver, count to 35 and tell them this fact.

Forever ends now: Starting today, your Facebook live videos will only be stored for 30 days and then, they’ll be deleted. This also means if you have any videos older than 30 days, they’re off to the intergalactic bit bucket gone forever. Until now, your live videos were stored forever.