46% more nearsightedness in the last three decades

That’s from a U.K. report that blames increased screen time and decreased outside time. Next time you see a Gen Zer, remind them to touch grass (if they remember what it looks like).

Tags: report, screen, screen time, time


Don’t ask Siri or Google: Think twice before asking your voice assistant to call customer service. Scammers are manipulating search results to make sure their fake numbers are at the top. Imagine paying $125 to a fake United Airlines agent or an $80 “activation fee” for Hulu. Ouch. Always grab numbers from official sites.

Trivia

What percentage of Americans use an electric toothbrush? Is it … A.) 24%, B.) 41%, C.) 58% or D.) 72%?

Find the answer here

Watch this: Roku’s latest terms of service update slaps a big box right over content — unless you hit “Agree.” If and when you do, you’re saying you won’t sue Roku. The real kicker? Opting out requires mailing a letter. So tricky.

One expensive sticker: Think screen protectors are saving your smartphone? Think again. Today’s phones are tougher than a $2 steak, making screen protectors redundant. Worse, those protectors may hurt your display quality and battery life.

Classified love affair: A U.S. Air Force employee with top-secret clearance got seriously catfished on a dating app. In his quest for love, he leaked U.S. secrets about the Ukraine war, including Russian military targets. Now he’s facing up to 10 years in prison. Love hurts.

Update your iPhone: iOS 17.4 includes bug fixes and new features like podcast transcripts and stricter theft protection. Plus … drumroll, please … new emojis (lime, mushroom and a shaking head)! But the biggest change is only for Europeans (insert new shaking-head emoji).

Disposable EVs: Starting April 1, Nissan is pulling the plug on app support for its OG electric cars like the Leaf and e-NV200, leaving around pre-2016 vehicles a bit less smart. Nissan’s advice? Use the car’s built-in systems or buy an “upgrade” — ahem, a new car. Gee, thanks.

Quick, change your settings! X quietly turned on a “calling” feature that leaves you at risk. No, not of a surprise phone call — it leaks your IP address to anyone you talk with. Go to the direct messages tab, hit that settings icon, and turn off Enable audio and video calling ASAP. Jeez, good thing you have me around.

Amazon and Google’s new AI chatbot is here: It’s called Claude 3, and OpenAI has serious competition. Now, like other AI bots, it makes mistakes; it said I wrote “Komando Komputers,” which isn’t true. Check out Claude 3 here. And heads-up: You might get an “over capacity” warning, which means no more answers unless you cough up $20 a month — the same price as ChatGPT Plus.

Zuck hacked? Facebook, Instagram and Threads were all down for two hours yesterday. Consider that financial impact for a sec — huge. Meta says it was having “technical difficulties.” Well, that’s the biggest pile of BS I’ve heard in a while. They must believe we are a bunch of dopes.