Crypto bragging rights aren’t worth 17 days as a hostage. Plus, LexisNexis data breach, how to spot digital cheaters, and Paul from Missouri wants to turn his 3D-printed puzzle hobby into a hit YouTube channel.
👾 Farming pays: Roblox’s new super-hit Grow a Garden has sparked a black market for digital fruit. People are flipping dragonflies and polar bears for $200+ despite it violating Roblox rules. Gamers are basically becoming produce smugglers. It’s Farmville meets Wall Street. Congrats to the guy who sold a few tomatoes to pay his paid rent.
88%
That’s how many Gen Zers are cool with sharing their data for free. Now, Verb.AI’s giving them a reason to actually profit from the surveillance. Gen Z: simultaneously terrified of phone calls and totally fine letting a startup track their every digital move. “It’s not stalking if it’s opt-in,” apparently.
From crayon to canvas: Bring your child’s sketch to life with a little AI magic. Just upload a pic to ChatGPT (or your favorite bot), and say, “This is a photo of my child’s drawing of a [describe it]. Turn it into a digital illustration in a [watercolor, cartoon, etc.] style.” Boom, instant keepsake.
💬 Catfished by herself: One woman’s “online girlfriend” turned out to be … also herself? The digital muse/impersonator had built a fake Instagram to impersonate her, complete with matching tattoos, selfies and even unsolicited lewds, which the impostor was sending to other people. Love languages: words of affirmation, physical touch, identity fraud.
$50 an hour
What Meta’s offering people to record their smiles, small talk and movements. It’s part of Project Warhol, a push to build super-realistic digital avatars. One day, your 3D clone could pop into VR meetings or games. The catch? You’ve got to be 18+ and head to their Pittsburgh lab starting in September.
Set digital boundaries: Create a Samsung account for your child, so you can watch and manage what they see on their phone. Go to Settings > [your name] > Family > Add family member > Create child account and follow the prompts. Once you’re set up, your child will be added to your Family Group.
Paying to unplug: What happened to self-control? Folks are dropping thousands to stay at places like Grand Velas Resorts in Mexico for a digital detox. No phones. No TV. Instead? Board games, snorkeling and outdoor activities. Most guests go crazy in the first 24 hours … but adjust by day three.
💼 Get your résumé noticed: LinkedIn is the best place to show off your skills, connect with people in the same industry and find new job opportunities. Whether you’re job hunting or branding your company, LinkedIn helps you stand out! It’s not just social media, it’s your digital handshake. Click here to post your job for free!
eBay’s new shopping friend: eBay’s new AI shopping “companion” wants to spiritually replace the friend who knew your vibe and your 3 a.m. niche obsessions. Its new generative AI guide is designed to guide you through the digital thrift store with next-generation ease. It’s slowly being rolled out to U.S. customers near the search bar.
🎉 You’re invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S., and I’d love for you to join the fun. I’m talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I can’t fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast.
14,900MB/s
How fast Western Digital’s new SSD claims it can read data. It’s basically a caffeine-fueled cheetah on a PCIe 5.0 racetrack. A listing on Amazon leaked the SN8100 ahead of launch. At nearly 15 GB/sec, it could be the fastest consumer SSD on the market.
47%
The drop in total apps on Google Play since early 2024. The Play Store went from 3.4 million apps to 1.8 million in just over a year. Less of a spring cleaning, more of a digital purge. If your flashlight app disappeared, now you know why. It’s not looking so hot for app developers.
🔐 Tired of forgetting passwords? You’re not alone. That’s why I recommend NordPass, the password manager that does the heavy lifting for you. It stores your logins securely, autofills them instantly and even alerts you if your credentials are weak or reused. It’s like having a digital bodyguard for your online life. Use my link for 52% off today!
🎶 Groovin’ digitally: Want to preserve your vintage vinyl collection? Turn your records into digital files with a USB turntable. They’re not cheap, but neither were all those albums … For the record, a person born in ’33 was 45 in ’78.
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🎉 You’re invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S., and I’d love for you to join the fun. I’m talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I can’t fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast.
🎉 You’re invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S., and I’d love for you to join the fun. I’m talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I can’t fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast.
🛑 Stop creepy DMs: Take charge of who can message you on Instagram. Open the app, tap your profile > More (three lines) > Messages and story replies > Message requests. Choose if you want DMs from followers or others to go to your Message Requests folder or not. Finally, an option between let everyone in and total digital hermit.