Video games in space

What was the first video game ever played in space? Was it … A.) Pong, B.) Super Mario Bros., C.) Tetris or D.) Space Invaders?

The answer: C.) Tetris. In 1993, Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov played it on a Nintendo Game Boy during his mission on the space station Mir. The Game Boy spent 196 days in space, taking more than 3,000 trips around Earth.

You know, playing Tetris has taught me a valuable life lesson: If you try to fit in, you’ll disappear. (Oh, good one!)

Tags: Earth, games, space, video, video game, video games


Gen Z's Out of Office 😎☀️

I love that Gen Z always finds a way to make things fun.

📺 Trying to pick the right-sized TV? Multiply the diagonal length of the TV by 1.2 to determine your ideal viewing distance. For example, a 98-inch screen would only require 118 inches, or 9.8 feet, of space between your couch and the TV for optimal viewing.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 95% of teens have a smartphone: Smartphone Free Childhood is an organization that offers support for parents who don’t want to cave to the social pressure. They’ve set up local WhatsApp groups to “empower each other.” Here’s another option: Teach your kiddo to use their smartphone responsibly.

How to download iOS18 Beta

The latest iOS update, 18, is in beta and you can try it on your phone now. We’ll walk you through the process. A word of warning: Beta software is still in the buggy phase, so not everything will work smoothly.

Pump it up: Stream music, movies or whatever’s on your iPad to a larger screen. Just tap the AirPlay icon in the Control Center and select an AirPlay-compatible device. Score.

⛔ I hate when tech companies do this: Firefox’s new default feature, “privacy-preserving ad measurement,” actually gives your data to advertisers. Turn it off. Click the three-line icon in the top right corner, followed by Settings > Privacy & Security. Scroll to Website Advertising Preferences, and disable Allow websites to perform privacy-preserving ad measurement.

Forget the rice: If your phone gets wet, turn it off immediately to prevent a short circuit. Remove the cover, wipe down the phone, and then let it air dry in a cool place. Keep it upright with the ports facing downward to let any remaining water drain. The hardest part? Waiting at least 24 hours to turn it back on.

Small-biz smarts: When you have contracts with different companies and vendors, you’ll never remember those dates. Create a shared work calendar that gives everyone who needs it notice when a contract is renewing. Pro tip: Build in time in case you have a 30- or 90-day out.

Stop using your Google profile this way: Logging into other services through Google puts one of your most important accounts at risk. Log in at myaccount.google.com and tap Security. Scroll to Your connections to third-party apps & services > See all connections. You’ll see a list of apps. Open the details, then click Stop using Sign in with Google.

📚 Parenting win: Swap videos for audiobooks. Audiobooks encourage kids to visualize stories, in effect training their voluntary imagination, improving their problem-solving skills, boosting their attention spans and listening skills, and enhancing their vocabularies.