Support alligator goes missing

Plateaus are the highest form of flattery: The New York Times is suing geography game Worldle for causing confusion and piggybacking on its hit game, Wordle. Worldle’s creator says many games have similar names — e.g., Quordle, Nerdle and Heardle. (Btw, some people say “crane,” “slate” and “crate” are the best three words to start with for Wordle.)

Over the hit Netflix series “Baby Reindeer.” The drama-thriller is based on comedian Richard Gadd’s one-man show about being stalked. Martha Scott says Netflix never fact-checked his story, and the show has exposed her identity and ruined her life.

What could possibly go wrong? An anonymous message board app wreaked havoc at a Vermont high school. It only took hours for the convos to go from lighthearted fun to hardcore bullying, sending teens in tears to their guidance counselors. The company has pulled the school from its platform for now (paywall link).

You’d better love your Cybertruck: There’s a tricky clause in Tesla’s Cybertruck order agreement. Sell it within a year, and they’ll fine you $50,000. They haven’t sued anyone for it yet, but Ford did. It’s to prevent jacking up the price on used models, but what if you hate it?

Don’t leave the baby in the car: Each year, about 40 children die in car-heat-related deaths. Temps inside locked cars can easily reach 150 degrees, and advocates now want all automakers to put tech in cars to prevent these types of deaths. Some Hyundais have an advanced rear-occupant alert system that sends warnings if a baby is left in the car.

From the “whatever” department: Amazon, Google and Best Buy are working on a “hacker-safe” label for smart devices. Scan the QR code for info on your new doorbell or TV, and see if it meets certain cybersecurity standards. The ETA for the label is later this year, but hackers always find a way.

Tell your loved ones: Diamond Shruumz Microdosing Chocolate Bars are sending people to the ER. They’re linked to seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness. Eight people have fallen ill, with six hospitalized … but they’re still being sold online and in stores nationwide. 

🚨 Fake news: News outlet BNN Breaking had millions of readers and a publishing deal with Microsoft. Turns out, they used AI to churn out error-filled, paraphrased news, making big bucks from clickbait (paywall link). The site went dormant in April, but they’ve since set up shop under a new name: TrimFeed. Stay away.

Of Alzheimer’s disease for regular caffeine drinkers. The sweet spot for most is no more than four cups a day (around 400 mg of caffeine), but cut that to two cups if you have high blood pressure. Fascinating read here.

Attention, Kia owners: Park outside, not in the garage. Almost 50,000 Telluride SUVs (model years 2020-2024) have a flaw in the power seats that could start a fire. If your car is impacted, you’ll get a letter in the mail by July 30. In all, Kia has recalled 462,869 Telluride SUVs due to risks. My friend, Marty, had a DeLorean he drove from time to time.