A dangerous Google Chrome scam

A dangerous Google Chrome scam: It’s planting malware that starts with a pop-up when you try to open a webpage or document. It’ll then tell you to copy and paste text into Windows PowerShell. No, don’t do this. Time to add a trusted ad blocker to your browser to avoid this scam and the thousands of others that get you the same way.

Tags: browser, dangerous, Google, Google Chrome, malware, Microsoft Windows, scam, webpage


How to stop spam texts for good

Remember back in the day when you didn’t think twice about putting your cell number and email address into any form that asked for it? If you’re thinking, “Uh, Kim, I still do that,” I’m about to make your life so much easier.

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Prices at the grocery store changing before your eyes

When I saw this in action, I knew you’d want to learn about it. Grocery stores across the country are swapping out printed price stickers on aisles for electronic ones. Retailers say it saves time. But the cost of an item could change in the time it takes you to walk from the deli to the frozen aisle.

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Trivia

This week 19 years ago, a site that’s still going strong launched. Was it … A.) Reddit, B.) Wikipedia, C.) Tumblr or D.) LinkedIn?

Find the answer here!

280 million

Chrome users who have installed shady extensions in the past three years. These extensions included malware and often asked for advanced permissions during installation. On average, dangerous extensions stayed in the Chrome store for over a year before getting the boot. Good job there, Google.

$12,500 award on eBay

It’s a 1990 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame statue given to the Kinks’ guitarist Dave Davies. The seller got his hands on it after Davies had a stroke and missed a storage unit payment. Looks like they figured out a deal, because the statue is marked as sold.

4-hour driving detour

Suggested by Google Maps to “avoid turns.” A driver shared the wacky alternative road trip route on X. The comments are a goldmine if you need a laugh. Be smarter than your GPS, people.

7% to 9% of results

On Google Search have an AI Overviews response. That’s when Google’s AI drums up an answer right at the top for you to skim. No surprise, Reddit posts fell out of the cited info big time after Redditors’ sarcastic and/or ridiculous replies made their way into Google’s real answers.

100 out of 100

Quality of life score in Spain. It’s a hot destination for retirees since it’s easy to get around without a car, and the health care system, climate and flight accessibility are all top-notch. Hey, bet the kids would visit a lot.

35% down payment

Is the new norm when buying a house. Zillow says 20% won’t cut it for most folks to afford the current average monthly mortgage payments (paywall link), given high housing prices and high interest rates. For the average U.S. home, that’s about $128,000 down. Ouch.

82% of campsites

Offer Wi-Fi access. It used to be a nice-to-have feature, but now, it’s almost as common as running water, electricity and an actual toilet. Other hot perks to attract campers: Pickleball courts, dog parks, kayaks and canoes. Oh, all these extras are in-tents.