🚨 Heads-up, Windows users: Microsoft’s July 9 Patch Tuesday security update is causing reboots, freezes and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. If you see a BitLocker recovery screen at startup, you’ll have to enter your recovery key. You can get it by logging into the BitLocker recovery portal with your Microsoft account. Here’s a step-by-step.
Worst bunker MREs
I don’t think I can bring myself to eat this unless is it utterly necessary.
😬 CrowdStrike’s in the hot seat: Its CEO will testify before Congress after crippling emergency services, hospitals and airlines around the world. Speaking of airlines … Delta is also under federal investigation for leaving solo-traveling kids stranded across the U.S. when its systems went down. Really, Delta?
Jury Duty: Easy Money from Your Couch!
Love watching courtTV and other true crime shows? Why not get paid for your entertainment?
40.3% of all TV use
In June went towards streaming. I’m surprised it’s not higher. Streaming platforms beat cable for the largest share of our TV screen time. The biggest contributor? Nope, not Netflix. It was YouTube, with almost 10% of our TV time.
Amy Chan's Dating Bootcamp
If you think women want to receive 🍆 pics in the middle of the day, then Amy Chan’s dating bootcamp is perfect for you.
Chatbots aren’t reporters: Don’t get your news from them. When folks asked ChatGPT about the Trump shooting five hours after it happened, it was completely oblivious. Same thing happened up to an hour after Biden dropped out of the race. Stick to trusted outlets — like me and The Current!
What caused the Windows outage?
Here’s the full story as to what caused airlines, emergency services, and banks to shutdown.
Don’t buy a new Pixel phone now: Google just teased its latest fancy phone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. They’re going all in on AI, dubbing it “built for the Gemini era.” Here’s a vid that gives a quick glimpse at the redesigned camera and changes to the screen. Expect the Pro Fold to drop on Aug. 13.
Using iOS18 Reader Mode
iOS18 has a lot of cool features, including Reader Mode, Safari’s own personal ad blocker.
Sneak peek: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Looks like they’re going all-in on AI, dubbing it “built for the Gemini era.” It’s expected to drop Aug. 13.
165% surge
In exterminator searches in the U.S., compared to 2023. Across the country, people are waging war with pests. Three times as many Yelp searches for cockroach exterminators have been completed than at this time last year. According to Yelp, California has the biggest rat problem. Bet you thought it was New York.
Careful what you read: There’s a lot of fake news circulating about former President Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, including a message posted to gaming platform Steam that appears to be phony. What researchers have found are Crooks’ laptop searches in July for President Biden, Trump and the DNC convention. No definitive word yet on his political views or motive.
Police drone nabs a would-be burglar
Police in California nabbed a burglar near the Santa Monica Pier with a drone. The little guy spotted a car thief using a screwdriver to punch open locks in a parking lot. It called in officers and directed them to the exact location. Amazing, right?
🎾 My pickleball skills are kind of a big dill: Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the United States, is now a video game. PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 is available on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. No word yet on whether the video game helps your real game.
1,198 investigations
Into serious crimes involving postal service mail in 2023, nearly double the total in 2019. There’s been a huge jump in robberies targeting mail carriers. Not so surprising when you consider there were 425 active Postal Police Officers in 2020 … and 3,000 in the 1980s.
Reading for dummies: A new app, Magibook AI, says it simplifies classic books using AI. Really, it strips away the original text and creates something lame. Case in point: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” becomes “It was a time when things were very good and very bad.” FYI: The app’s website was flagged for security for me, so I’m not passing it along.
Elon’s smiling: The Tesla Cybertruck is now the bestselling electric truck in America, dethroning Ford’s F-150 Lightning. There were 3,907 Cybertrucks registered in May, compared to 2,353 F-150s. Chopping fingers aside, it looks like folks don’t mind paying that $100,000 price tag after all.