The holidays are all about traditions, and here’s one you won’t want to miss: “An American Christmas.”
My husband, Barry, produces the show every single year. It’s packed with heartwarming stories, classic holiday music, songs from new artists that everyone will like and just the right amount of nostalgia to make your season bright.
Whether you’re baking cookies, wrapping gifts or just soaking up the magic of the season, it’s the perfect soundtrack for your holiday celebrations. It’s airing on radio stations across the country. Find your city below to tune in and make it part of your tradition!
Tech pro tip: Hit Ctrl + F on Windows or Command + F on Mac and type in the name of your city for a quick search.
Let me ask you a question: Do you think the cloud is a safe place to back up your data, the world’s treasures and government secrets? In a world of increasing breaches, hackers and threats, even cloud storage might not be enough.
You can’t trust the ratings: Apple’s App Store is packed with inappropriate apps rated safe for kids (paywall link). Anonymous chat platforms, sexual games and body-tuning filters are slipping through, even with parental controls enabled. The loophole? Apple lets developers set their own age ratings. Parents, it’s your job.
For a man who says he believes he knows what happens after death. Chris Langan’s IQ is 30 to 50 points higher than Albert Einstein’s. The 72-year-old horse rancher thinks death isn’t the end but a move to another dimension, like existing inside a supercomputer. OK, that’s over my head.
Unlocking the future: By this time next year, Apple could be selling a video doorbell that uses Face ID to unlock your door for you. Sounds sweet … and a little scary unless it’s super locked down. Think Amazon (owner of Ring) and Google (Nest) are nervous? Me, too.
🏥 1 million Americans exposed: Hackers got private communications between doctors and patients using ConnectOnCall. The breach includes names, health conditions, treatments, medications, Social Security numbers and more. If your name’s on the list, look for a letter in the mail.
Drug dealers going digital: Instead of lurking on street corners, they’re sliding into DMs and posting ads on Facebook. They’d get flagged for using the real words, so one workaround is communicating with emojis (e.g., snowflakes for cocaine and love hearts for psychedelics). About one in 10 young people has bought drugs over social media. Talk to your kids.
From the sun’s surface. That’s how close NASA’s tiny Parker Solar Probe will get. It sounds far, but temps are still 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit at that distance. It’ll zoom in at 430,000 miles per hour, breaking its own record as the fastest human-made object in history.
🎥 James Bond’s favorite pasta is mini penne: The next movie in the James Bond franchise is in limbo, with no script or timeline. Why? A stalemate between the Broccoli family, which holds creative control, and Amazon, which owns the rights to release the films. The Broccolis don’t trust Amazon’s algorithm-driven, streaming-first approach or the idea of endless spinoffs (paywall link). Can’t blame ‘em — just look at what Amazon did to “The Lord of the Rings.”
I’m not sure I get this and I love a good prank: Here’s how it goes down: Parents give young kids fake styrofoam or rubber knives from Halloween costumes to play with. Then, they video the reactions from a spouse or grandparent. Most scream in horror in the viral videos. What happens when the kid wants to do the same thing with a real knife? Dumb.
🚔 AI eyes on the road: Police are using AI cameras to spot and flag drivers texting or not wearing a seatbelt. If they catch you, the images are sent to nearby officers, who will pull you over almost in real time. North Carolina has seen phone violations jump ninefold since adopting the tech.
“Never felt better”: That’s how Towana Looney feels after getting a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig. She struggled to find a human donor, and now, she’s only the third person in the U.S. to have this surgery. Doctors at New York University plan a clinical trial next year. This could really help others waiting for kidney donors.
Sales of portable CD players and MP3s are climbing: A great idea if you don’t want your kids on social media or a screen. Sure, you might have to give a crash course on how CDs work, but it beats them joining the nearly 50% of teens who are constantly online (paywall link).
✈️ This is going to take off: A Chinese company is developing a supersonic civilian jet that can travel four times the speed of sound. In tests, its engine clocked 3,045 mph at altitudes over 65,600 feet. That means it could take you from London to New York in under two hours, complete with a view of the earth’s curvature. Look for commercial flights by 2030.
🚨 Takeover fraud: A Colorado couple lost $3,700 after a scammer broke into their AT&T account and bought an iPad, iPhone, smartwatch and headphones. How? The crooks gained access to the couple’s login details. Keep an eye out for fake login links and impersonation calls. PSA: AT&T will never call you to lock down your account.
MrBeast and his crew will spend a little over four days in Egypt’s Great Pyramids. They rented them out. The Egyptian government will guide them through the tombs, share their history, allow them to sleep inside them … and get in some ghost hunting. What’s the difference between an ancient Egyptian prince and a Jenner? The Egyptian prince knew from the start his daddy would become a mummy.
👼 Welcome to the world, little one: The first baby conceived via Fertilo was just born in Lima, Peru. This is different from IVF. Doctors use stem cell tech to help eggs mature before they’re implanted in the mom’s womb. There are 80% fewer shots, and it takes two to three days instead of two to three weeks.
Travel gram: Meet 94-year-old Joy Ryan. She’s on a journey to visit every continent with her grandson, and she didn’t even get her passport until she was 91. She’s the oldest person to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, too. I hope she got the senior discount! Follow her journey on Instagram. It’s amazing!
