Tag: home

Your name, address and secrets are being sold for pennies

Data brokers turn your private life into a product. Here’s what they know, who’s buying and how to yank yourself off the shelf.

9 movies that predicted the future

It’s a long holiday weekend, and I’m doing something a little different. I’m queuing up the movies that called it: the ones that predicted the digital world we’re all living in. AI assistants, video calls, screens on everything. Hollywood saw it coming decades ago.  Grab the popcorn, and watch along with me. These flicks were […]

The hidden tab that tells you if your neighbor will ever sell

Everyone uses Zillow to gawk at dream homes. The savvy ones go straight for the boring tabs, where a stranger’s mortgage rate quietly reveals whether they’re a motivated seller or going nowhere. Here’s how to read it, and how to hide yours.

5 Google Flights tricks to score a summer deal (Even if you booked late)

More than a third of summer travelers still haven’t bought their tickets. Good news: Google Flights’ hidden features can land you a deal. Here’s how to use them.

AI can spot if your pet is in pain from one photo. Here’s how to try it tonight.

Cats and dogs are experts at hiding pain, and even loving owners miss it. Now the AI on your phone can read the tiny signs right off their face. Here’s the free way to try it, plus when to skip the app and call the vet.

🏠 Home sweet upgrade: 10 Prime Day home picks worth every penny

Inside: Smarter lighting, cleaner floors, better sleep and storage hacks I’d add to my cart before the deals fly away.

Don’t sleep on these Prime Day tech deals

Inside: Car gadgets, streaming upgrades, speakers and more smart buys that solve real problems. Up to 44% off.

The government wants AI doctors. One study shows why you should slow down.

Washington is fast-tracking AI chatbots that can diagnose and prescribe. But when 1,300 people asked for a diagnosis, the chatbots got it right just 34.5% of the time, and one missing detail turned a brain bleed emergency into “lie down in a dark room.” Here’s how to use AI for your health the smart way.

Gifts for Dad that arrive before Father’s Day

Inside: Grilling gadgets, golf gear, fitness trackers and more that ship on time. Up to 40% off.

Scammers are mailing fake VA benefit postcards to veterans across the country

The VA issued an official warning June 10 about a wave of fraudulent postcards claiming veterans qualify for extra benefits through something called the “Veterans Savings Program.” No such program exists. The goal is to get you on the phone so scammers can steal your Social Security number and bank account information. Here’s what to do if one shows up in your mailbox.

The 60-second AI move that finds the errors tanking your credit score

One in five credit reports has a mistake, and the bureaus won’t fix it for you. Here’s the AI prompt that reads your report, flags the errors and writes the dispute letters tonight.

Your dentist’s billing company just exposed 2.6 million people’s personal data

A hacker group called ShinyHunters broke into DentaQuest, one of the biggest dental benefits administrators in the country, and leaked 234 gigabytes of data after the company refused to pay. If you’ve ever been on Medicaid or Medicare Advantage, your name, address, birthdate, government ID and health insurance details may now be public. Here’s what to do right now.

Sailed Carnival, Princess or Holland America? Hackers got your passport number

One employee got tricked. One click. And nearly 6 million cruisers had their passport numbers, birth dates and licenses stolen. Here’s the 3-minute fix.

Smart travelers don’t leave home without these essentials. A few are less than $10.

The smartest travel gear I’ve packed lately, from anti-theft tools to tech that solves your biggest vacation headaches.

The scammers who faked her daughter’s voice already had a file on the family

A Bay Area mom lost thousands after AI cloned her daughter’s voice to fake a kidnapping. Everyone’s talking about the voice clone. Nobody’s asking how scammers knew exactly who to call.

The secret formula Netflix uses to make you watch terrible movies

Red Notice was savaged by critics. Netflix called it their most-watched film. Both things are true. Here’s the manipulation hiding in plain sight.

Memorial Day tech deals are live!

Inside: A solar power bank, smart speaker, security cam and weekend project gear on sale right now.

Every color laser printer in America secretly encodes your identity on every page you print. Here’s what those dots say.

The Secret Service asked printer companies to embed invisible tracking dots on every page, starting in the 1980s. The dots reveal your printer’s serial number, the date and exact time of printing. The program never stopped.

Google’s AI gives strangers your phone number

A man’s phone rang for a month straight after Google’s AI handed his number to anyone who asked. Here’s the data broker pipeline that made it happen, and the only move that protects you.

The Amazon return trap: How a secret algorithm could ban you for life

Amazon tracks every return you make. When your ratio tips the wrong way, they can permanently ban your account with no warning, no appeal and no refund on your Prime membership. Here’s what the threshold looks like and how to protect yourself.