Plot twist

Plot twist: Spotify wants to win over Audible subscribers, but its offer must be fiction. The Audiobooks Access Tier is $9.99 per month for 15 hours of audiobook-listening and ad-supported music. Compare that to Spotify Premium, at $10.99 a month, 15 hours of audiobook listening and ad-free music. Do they think we can’t read?

Tags: ad-free, Audible, Music, Spotify, subscribers


Make your smart home smarter with a smart lock 

Today the average home has 10 times more technology than NASA used to land humans on the moon. That’s a lot of tech to secure! That’s why we’re sharing the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Smart Lock to upgrade your Apollo 11-era keys. 

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Trivia

The first Google Doodle was created in 2000 when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin asked intern Dennis Hwang to make a drawing to commemorate a holiday. Was it … A.) The Fourth of July, B.) Bastille Day, C.) Chinese New Year or D.) Diwali?

Find the answer here

1,000% increase in online searches for Airbnbs

From people looking for places to stay in the path of the solar eclipse. Dallas, Waco, Fredericksburg and Austin are a few trending cities in the path of totality for the April 8 eclipse.

$10K for baby photos

That’s what some parents pay for over-the-top newborn photoshoots. From Disney-themed to “Game of Thrones,” no vision is too wild. Photographers report (paywall link) making custom-made props, importing tiny furniture and creating elaborate costumes.

$22M payment sent to hackers

For the Change Healthcare ransomware attack. For 10 days and counting, pharmacies and hospitals haven’t been able to get people their prescriptions. Turns out all it took was an enormous bitcoin payment to stop them.

80% drop in readers has Meta saying, “So long” to Facebook News

It’ll disappear from Facebook in the U.S. and Australia in April. After regulators said Meta would have to start paying publishers for news stories, the Big Tech powerhouse is routing its money into content like short-form videos.

61% of Americans are on their phones within 5 minutes of waking up

And one-third of us open our phones within one minute! I usually talk about avoiding phone use at night as the reason to keep your phone out of your bedroom, but let’s add this to the list.

42,324 people laid off 

Big Tech’s “contribution” to the U.S. workforce so far in 2024. Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Discord, Salesforce, eBay and PayPal have all cut jobs, even as the overall economy is booming. So far, this number just about tracks with last year’s total tech layoffs — 263,000. Ouch.

Trivia

How long was the longest spaceflight ever taken by an American astronaut? In days, was it … A.) 365, B.) 665, C.) 204 or D.) 225?

Find the answer here

Trivia

Which of the following smartphone charging facts is actually a myth? Is it … A.) Charging your phone overnight damages its battery, B.) Using your phone while it’s charging can make it explode, C.) Charging only when it reaches 0% extends your battery life, or D.) You should only use the charger that came with your phone?

Find the answer here