Fake political calls, texts and videos are nothing new. They’ve been flooding Americans’ phones for months. Some have a simple goal: Steal your money. (I’ll pass along a few tips for spotting those below.) Others are looking for detailed personal info, like a text scam warning there’s a problem with your ballot.
Now, with the election just days away, scammers’ goals are different, and their latest “campaigns” are designed to keep Americans from casting their votes.
Their text messages range from “The election is canceled” to “Non-citizens can vote this year.” Some scammy texts say you can’t vote in your district anymore, or they give false voting times and locations. Ignore these!
In other cases, texts and calls might not be true scams, but they’re from political groups using outdated info. These messages fall along the lines of “Someone at your address hasn’t voted yet.”
Here’s an example hitting North Carolina voters: “A voter at [residential address] may not have voted. Vote here: [website address].”
If you get something like this, ignore it. To check your voting status, go to your city’s official website or phone line. For easy access, just search “ballot status + [city or county].” Or use this search at USA.gov.
Here’s what the page looks like in Maricopa County, where I live.
Political campaigns are doing last-minute pushes for funding. Before you open your wallet, read these do’s and don’ts for keeping your money safe:
Pro tip: TikTok banned political fundraising across its platform in 2022. Anything you see there asking you to donate is a scam — or it’s someone skirting the rules, and you don’t want to be involved with that, either.
🍏 I told ya this would happen: Apple’s snazzy new iMac comes in seven colors (I love the pink!), and it’s powered by the M4 chip. The base model’s RAM is doubled to 16GB, plus it’s got a 12MP webcam and USB-C charging ports. For $200 extra, add nano-texture glass to the screen to reduce reflections. Preorders start at $1,299 and ship by Nov. 8. Psst, last year’s models are on sale.
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Jedi mind tricks: Neurable is creating mind-reading headphones. The sensors pick up tiny electrical impulses from your skull, which you can view in an app to see how intensely you’re focusing. Telepathy might be next. In one of their gamified exercises, the more you focus, the faster you make a rocket accelerate.
Age groups banned from trick-or-treating in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The town says kids 14 or over can only participate if they’re acting as chaperones. Even then, they can’t ask for candy, and they must wait until they get home to share. Show me the mummy!
✈️ Get back in line: American Airlines is considering new boarding tech that sounds a really loud beep when you try to cut the line and board without your group. It’s being tested now in Albuquerque, Tucson and Washington, D.C. I’ll spare you a plane joke (it won’t take off), but if you need a laugh, watch George Carlin talk about the boarding process. So funny.
Let’s get to the core of it: Starting Oct. 27, Apple will kick off its “week of announcements” for the latest Mac lineup. Expect refreshed MacBook Pro models, a 24-inch iMac and a new Mac mini, all powered by M4-series chips. They’ll likely ship with macOS Sequoia, so we might get a peek at some new, snazzy AI tools. I wish they’d bring back the 27-inch iMac.
🛩️ When you’re the boss, you make the rules: You can post almost anything on social media — as long as it doesn’t tick off the billionaire owners. Take Facebook: Election misinformation, fake news and AI junk? Totally fine. But use public data to track Mark Zuckerberg’s $66.5 million Gulfstream G650ER jet with the tail number N68885, and your account will be suspended.
🇨🇳 Remember when Verizon went down a few weeks ago? Chinese hackers were targeting phones used by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, the New York Times reported. Verizon says they’re working with law enforcement. I’m sure the Harris campaign is being targeted, too. You couldn’t pay me enough to run for office.
🧘 Coping skills needed: An Arizona mom and daughter thought the self-driving Waymo vehicle they were in might crash while crossing multiple lanes. They made it through, with mom panicking and her daughter cracking up in the backseat. Waymo’s response? The vehicle kept a “safe distance.” Watch the video and see what you think.
💸 Is the mystery solved? A new HBO documentary, “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” claims Canadian developer Peter Todd is the mystery man behind bitcoin. Todd, of course, has denied he’s the real Satoshi Nakamoto, and he’s now in hiding. If it’s true, though, he holds the keys to over a trillion dollars in crypto. Watch the trailer — it’s so good!
🌐 Major Wi-Fi upgrade: Eero is releasing a powerful Wi-Fi system that covers up to 15,000 square feet with speeds up to 2.1 Gbps. With an IP66 rating, it’s tough, too, and capable of withstanding rain, wind and extreme temps. Preorder it today for $349, and you should get it by Nov. 13.
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🏈 Tackle this: During one of this week’s Monday Night Football games, maybe you were one of the folks watching who was thrown off by the NFL’s onside kick rules, thanks to Google Search. Tampa Bay’s coach mentioned trying another kick, but Google claimed the teams were limited to one or two onside kicks per game — both totally wrong.
Listen up: Soon, Apple will drop a free software update that adds a hearing test and hearing aid features to the AirPods Pro 2. Keep in mind only those with mild hearing loss can benefit from AirPods as hearing aids. You’ll also need iOS 18.1 on your iPhone or iPad for these new features to work.
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🚜 Agricultural revamp: Carbon Robotics just raised $70 million for AI-powered robots that help farmers blast weeds with lasers. The LaserWeeder attaches to a tractor and uses AI to detect and zap weeds without disturbing the soil microbiology. Bonus? It could reduce the need for harmful herbicides. No word on the cost yet, but the video sure looks cool.
🍏 Green apples good for you? That’s a granny’s myth: Apple Intelligence should hit our devices on Oct. 23, when the new iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip drops, or Oct. 28, when the new M4 Macs hit the shelves. Apple Intelligence will be in “beta” with iOS 18.1, so expect a few bugs along the way.
$15 million settlement: Cash App might owe you $2,500. You qualify if someone accessed your personal info or account without consent, there were unauthorized withdrawals or transfers, or there was an issue with how Cash App handled your account error. Submit your claim online by Nov. 18, 2024.
The site of the former 23-story, 917,400-square-foot hotel is becoming a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland A’s, who are relocating to Las Vegas. The controlled demolition used 22,000 lineal feet of detonating cord, dang.
🚀 Touchdown complete: SpaceX nailed the upright landing of one of its massive Starship rockets. As it fell from the sky, thrusters slowed it down before it was caught by two “chopstick” arms attached to a giant metal tower. Why’s this a big deal? It’s a step toward reusable rockets. The video is incredible.
