Apple’s first foldable iPhone is finally on the way, but with a $2k price tag, this futuristic flex might just break the bank and the internet.
Duct tape fixes for the digital age
ChatGPT
Tech doesn’t always play nice. Your laptop heats up, your Wi-Fi fizzles, and sometimes you’re just standing there, squinting at your screen, wondering where the mouse pointer disappeared to.
Don’t panic. Just try these fast fixes. Each takes under a minute and requires zero tech degree … although if you pull these off in front of someone else, you may get a slow clap, and maybe even a mozzarella stick.
1. “My internet stinks.”
💡 Try Orb.net. It’s a free, easy-to-use, excellent tool that checks if your device is the issue or if the internet itself is slowing things down. You’ll see exactly how your connection is performing in real time, including local vs. remote speed tests.
💰 Pro tip: You can also use the reports to see if you’re actually getting the connection speed you’re paying for.
2. “Is this battery dead?”
🔋 Try the bounce test. Find a flat, solid surface like a countertop or hardcover book. Hold the AA or AAA battery vertically and drop it from about 8 inches (20 cm).
If it clunks and tumbles? Still got juice. If it bounces like it’s auditioning for Cirque du Soleil? It’s dead.
Weird? Yes. Accurate? Also yes. This quirky trick works because discharged batteries have a different internal structure that makes them springier.
3. “What’s up with the mic?”
🎙️ Use your phone’s voice recorder app. Open your built-in iPhone Voice Memos or Android Voice Recorder app, press record and speak normally. Then play it back.
Sound fine? Mic’s good. Sound like you swallowed gravel? Try cleaning mic holes with a soft toothbrush or compressed air.
Wi-Fi in the sky without paying a dime (or close to it)
ChatGPT
Is it just me, or does it feel downright offensive to pay $25 for in-flight Wi-Fi that barely loads your email?
Here’s the nasty truth: Some folks on your flight are scrolling TikTok or answering emails for free.
Deepfake dames on the loose: Award-winning actress Helen Mirren is warning fans after scammers used her name to send “charity” emails from drogogo91(at)gmail.com (Yes, really). She says, again, in all caps IT’S NOT HER. If you believe that 79-year-old Dame Helen’s emailing you about crypto, it’s time for you to get off the internet, forever.
27
The number of new Kuiper satellites Amazon just flung into orbit. These are batch two of a planned 3,236, and they’re not just for show. Bezos wants your internet to come from space, like Musk.
🔒 Your internet isn’t as private as you think. ExpressVPN shields your location, scrambles your data and blocks trackers from spying on you. Get four extra months free with this limited time offer.
Where to watch TV without paying a dime
ChatGPT
The average household coughs up nearly $70 a month on streaming subscriptions, and that’s before your internet tab. But let me tell you, I spend a lot more than that. It’s closer to $125.
Add it all together, and congratulations, you’re back in 2011 with your overpriced cable bundle, except this time, there’s no DVR to save you.
⚠️ Data fire hose leak: Cybernews found 30 data hoards oozing 16 BILLION records, basically half the internet. Blame info stealers. Some leaks were old, most were new, all were unsettling. The good news: They’re offline now. The bad news: They were online, and no one knows who posted them. Yup, all your account credentials are probably in the leak. Take a deep breath. Here are the links you need to protect yourself.
The 9-to-5 is dead — June 21st, Hour 1
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
How to check your internet speeds
Slow Wi-Fi? Try this free fix first. Get proof of what’s dragging your speeds before you spend a dime.
Scan your eyes for crypto
Forget passwords. The creator of ChatGPT wants to build a global crypto economy by scanning your eyes. Also, Noah from Virginia bought an old laptop and found a kid’s ’90s homework saved on it. He read it on TikTok and made the internet cry. Plus, an Apple AirPlay hack and the chance to buy your own Waymo.
Got an old Cloud Cam? Unplug it ASAP. Amazon shut down app support in 2022. If it’s still connected to the internet, hackers could break in and spy on you at home. The worst part? There’s no word yet how long this has been a risk. Appreciate the notice, Amazon … really.
🕳️ Internet’s new boogeyman: Online predators have gotten a terrifying rebrand. “764” is a nihilistic extremist group targeting kids via Discord, Roblox and social media. The FBI is on it, but that’s cold comfort if your 12-year-old is getting radicalized during Minecraft. Talk early and often with your kids about online dangers. Audit their apps, and maybe uninstall a few.
Smile, you’re streaming: Change your cam’s default password. You can watch 40,000 live security cams like Netflix, no hacking required. From U.S. data centers, hospitals, random gyms and even residential homes, the internet of things just became the internet of oops. Most of the cams were accessible through a basic browser.
1 million GB/sec
The internet speed in Japan. While our Wi-Fi is still buffering Zoom, researchers in Japan pulled off a world record by transferring 1.02 petabits of data per second (yes, that’s over a million gigabytes) across 1,100 miles, using a fiber no thicker than your average spaghetti strand.
Bye-bye to free Wi-Fi
Remember internet cafes? These days, many coffee shops are tired of folks camping out all day on free internet.
Rural internet sucks: That’s why states like Louisiana and Nevada are spending millions on satellites instead (paywall link). Fiber is pricey and takes forever to build, so you can bet Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are smiling ear to ear. The catch? Slower speeds and more outages. But hey, it’s better than nothing.
📺 Streams constantly buffering? Even if your Wi-Fi is stable, your internet speed might be the issue. Run a test and check your download rate. 4K videos on YouTube or Netflix need about 25 Mbps to play smoothly. Got a family with multiple devices on the same network? Time to upgrade to at least 100 Mbps.
Is Starlink the only answer?
If you live in the middle of nowhere and can’t get decent internet, you don’t have many choices. I’ll break down what works and what doesn’t.
How to disappear from the internet
People always ask me: can you stop being tracked on the web? One guy tried, here’s how far he went.