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Your pocket scientist is smarter than you think
I read a geeky article that I think you’ll also find amazing.
Google quietly used its Android operating system to turn billions of phones into the largest earthquake detection network in human history.
Your Android phone can warn you about an earthquake before the shaking even starts. It’s built right in. You can do the same with your iPhone, too.
🌎 How it works
Earthquakes begin with fast, subtle P-waves. Those are the early rumbles most people don’t feel at all. But your phone’s accelerometer (yep, the same sensor that knows when you turn your phone sideways) can detect those waves.
When enough Android phones in the same area sense the same motion, Google’s system kicks in and sends early alerts to people who are about to get hit by the stronger, slower S-waves. Those are the ones that actually cause damage.
This gives you 15 to 60 seconds of warning. Not much time, but enough to move away from windows, duck under a desk or stop that ladder climb. Seconds matter when the ground starts rolling.
🫨 This isn’t just theoretical
According to a study in Science, the Android-based earthquake detection network caught over 11,000 real earthquakes between 2021 and 2024.
It covers 98 countries and pushes out around 18 million alerts a month.
In some cases, people had over a minute’s notice before the shaking started. And false alarms? Just three total across more than 1,300 confirmed events. Try getting those odds from your weather app. That’s incredible for a free feature hiding in your phone.
📲 Even if you don’t live on the San Andreas fault, make sure the setting is on in case you travel to an area where you need it:
Tote-ally handled
🛍️ When your hands are full, the right helpers make all the difference.
- 🚗 Junk in the trunk? Stop backseat disasters with a collapsible trunk caddy (7% off). 4.5 stars and 18,000+ reviews.
- 🧊 Activate chill mode: This portable fridge (16% off) keeps drinks cold on road trips. No ice required, ever.
- 🗑️ I’ve bin there: Toss your snack wrappers into a car trash can (13% off). Your passengers will thank you.
- 🎒 Security-approved: Finally, a clear backpack (10% off) that doesn’t sacrifice space for style.
- 😋 Lunch = covered: Insulated and washable, this neoprene tote (32% off) is built for everyday spills.
🎁 Want more like this? Head to my Amazon storefront. And psst … click this secret link for more best-selling organization faves.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Have AI be your own graphic artist
Confession time: I can’t draw. My brain doesn’t lean at all in the artsy direction. I’ve tried to teach myself Photoshop, but every attempt ends with me whisper-screaming “flatten layer” like it’s going to summon help from the Adobe gods.
Pin apps on Chromebook: Here’s a quick way to get access to your favorite apps. Open the Launcher (bottom left), find the app you want, right-click it (or two-finger tap) and select Pin to shelf. Want to remove it? Right-click again and choose Unpin.
🪄 You need this magic powder in your lives: By age 60, you’ve lost half your natural collagen. Hello, joint pain, achy knees, wrinkles and low energy. NativePath Collagen is my go-to fix. Just two scoops a day, and you’ll totally feel the difference. Get 45% off, plus free shipping and a free gift for a limited time!
The 10,000 step lie
That magic number? It started as a marketing ploy. A massive study found when the real benefits kick in.
700+
How many emails Mark Cuban reads and replies to every single day. No assistant. No Slack. Just three phones and an email trail stretching back to the ’90s. Meetings? Pass. He’d rather crush his inbox than lose an hour to a “quick sync.” Bonus: Gmail’s auto-replies do 20% of the heavy lifting.
🤖 Polish your writing: Working on an essay or report? Ask your favorite chatbot to make it easier to follow. Try this prompt: “Reorder the sentences and paragraphs to improve clarity and flow. Add transition words where needed, but keep the original tone.” Voila. More readable, still totally you.
This setting could save your life
Your phone could give you a life-saving heads-up before an earthquake hits. Here’s how Android and iPhone users can stay safe.
🔍 Tour de Fraud? Cycling officials are now X-raying sweaty bikes for secret motors. Tadej Pogacar’s winning ride once got flagged, alongside seven others. Mechanical doping (like riding a stealth-mode eBike) is the new fear (paywall link). One guy’s whole job is catching battery-powered frauds at the finish line. What happened to good old-fashioned steroids?
Don’t hire a handyman…
👷 Become one. These DIY gadgets practically pay for themselves.
- 💦 Wash like a boss: A portable pressure sprayer (43% off) goes where your garden hose fears to tread.
- 🪛 Drill, baby, drill: Guess how many bits come with this cordless drill ($44). Spoiler alert: 22 of them.
- 🪒 Blades of glory: Razor scrapers (19% off) slice through stickers and that mystery gum underneath your desk.
- 💡 Glow get ’em: Stick these motion-activated lights (8% off, two-pack) in any dark corner for some extra light.
- 🔌 Plug in the future: Linkind’s smart plugs (14% off, four-pack) work with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant.
🏠 Upgrade your life: If you liked these, you’ll love the smart home staples waiting for you on my Amazon storefront. Just a click away.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Stolen data for sale
A startup is cashing in by selling your stolen data to debt collectors, lawyers, and rivals. It’s legal … sort of. Android phones detect earthquakes, Mark Zuckerberg expands his secret Hawaii compound, and cottage cheese has a viral moment.
Charlie Chaplin’s in theaters after 100 years
Charlie Chaplin famously rereleased his 1925 silent classic The Gold Rush in 1942 with new narration and edits, believing it would connect better with modern audiences. Now, thanks to film archivists and AI, the silent masterpiece has been painstakingly restored. The 4K version just premiered at Cannes and hit 250 theaters worldwide.
Venmo the government: Yep, a viral post on X says you can actually Venmo the U.S. Treasury to help pay off the $36.7 trillion national debt. But before you get generous, know it’s growing by $55,000 a second. To cover it all, every person in the U.S. would need to chip in around $100,000. Yikes.
TV turning off on its own fix: If it’s like clockwork, it might be a setting you didn’t mean to enable. On most smart TVs, go to Settings > General and look for something like Sleep Timer, then turn it off. Still happening? It could be a bug. Try Settings > Support > Software Update.
Will Google sell Chrome? — July 26th, Hour 1
Google’s ad-tech was ruled a monopoly. Now the big question is how to break it up. Plus, a listener in Texas survived a home invasion. Did he pick the right security setup? Also: drones nearly hitting planes, and an Apple Watch rescue at sea.
Nacho average kitchen
🔎 I found clever kitchen pros with secret skills up their sleeves.
- 🔥 Ten tricks, one box: A smart oven (5% off) bakes, broils and fries, all without hogging your counter.
- 👀 Seeing double? This reversible cast-iron griddle (13% off) flips from flat to grill in one hot second.
- 👩🍳 Chef’s sidekick: Peek inside this bamboo cutting board ($42). Boom, six color-coded mats pop out like magic.
- 🔄 Spin me right round: One turntable (6% off) works great for cake decorating or even as a monitor stand.
- 🧂 Together at last: Salt and pepper live in harmony with this two-in-one grinder (10% off). Neat.
✅ Just the tip of the spatula: Tap into my Amazon storefront for more multitaskers. Don’t miss today’s best steals while you’re there.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🍏 Share specific text in Safari: On iPhone, you can send someone a highlighted section from an article you’re reading. Just tap and hold the text, drag to select the part you want, then tap the Share button at the bottom. Choose Messages. Your link will include the quote you picked, right in the message. Neat.
🤖 AI gone wrong: A Florida man was arrested after facial recognition tech said he matched a suspect trying to lure a 12-year-old at a restaurant. The system gave a 93% confidence score, two witnesses ID’d him from a photo lineup, and that was enough to put him in cuffs. But nope, it was a false positive. Case dropped.