E-waste recycling stats

What percent of e-waste — think old computers, phones and other tech — gets recycled? Is it … A.) 50%, B.) 90%, C.) 20% or D.) 10%?

The answer: C.) 20%. Yup, the rest ends up in landfills or incinerated. FYI, places like Walmart, Staples, Best Buy and some grocery chains recycle electronics for you. Another easy way to find a spot? Search online for “electronics recycling [your city].” Just be sure to wipe all your data before you recycle.

Tags: Best Buy, computers, data, online, tech, Walmart


💰 $2,000 a month for ChatGPT-5: That’s the rumored cost for the next iteration of OpenAI’s chatbot. A Samsung exec leaked it (accidentally?) at a conference. The real question: What could possibly be worth a 100 times price increase? It’d better wash the floors, cook and be able to do all my work for that much money.

Hide your credit card: Roblox is adding paid video games to its ecosystem. So far, they’ve relied on the free-to-play model with optional in-game purchases (using Robux, the game’s currency). Pro tip: Only connect preloaded debit cards or gift cards to games. If it’s credit, a kid can spend as much as they want.

🕺 Speaking of twisting: Lenovo’s new laptop, the Auto Twist PC, opens and closes with a voice command. Say “Open lid” and yep, it does. The screen rotates almost 180 degrees, too, and it can put itself into tablet mode. Neat? Yes. Gimmicky? Absolutely.

On the catwalk, baby: LG’s high-tech fabric, Stretchable, was on display at Seoul Fashion Week. The Stretchable displays use silicone similar to what’s in contact lenses for max pulling, bending and twisting. Get back to me when there’s a real-life invisibility cloak.

🛰️ Mine is bigger: Jeff Bezos is way behind in the satellite internet race against Elon Musk. Starlink has about 6,000 low-orbit satellites up and running. Amazon’s Project Kuiper? Just two prototypes … so far. The FCC recently gave Amazon the go-ahead to send 3,236 satellites into space.

Prison changes a man: About two weeks after his arrest in France, Telegram’s CEO says it’s not fair he was held responsible for others’ criminal activity on his app. Still, he calls it his “personal goal” to fix the problems. Step 1: Telegram’s updated FAQ page says users’ private chats are no longer protected from moderation. Cry me a river. Way too little, way too late.

Spot the fake: Change Healthcare is offering free credit monitoring after this year’s massive data breach (paywall link). A reported one in three Americans had their insurance info, Social Security number, health conditions and more leaked. The credit monitoring is through IDX. If you get anything else in the mail, it’s a scam. Just a reminder: If you haven’t frozen your credit yet, here are the steps.

“The Magic School Bus” IRL: Scientists are testing new tech that could stop a brain aneurysm before it happens. The method? Nanorobots smaller than most bacteria. They have a magnetic core that doctors can move to where they’re needed to deposit a clotting agent. That, in turn, prevents the stroke that comes after a brain aneurysm. Amazing.

🆕 Bluetooth 6.0 is incredible: One of the coolest new features is channel sounding, which calculates distance with crazy precision — think tracking devices with centimeter-level accuracy. Imagine finding your lost TV remote or some other gadget in an instant. Give it about a year till this tech is ready for you and me to use.

Gotta wing it: Imagine soaring a couple of hundred feet above the ground in your own personal aircraft. They’re called “short-hop adventure crafts” and they’re taking off. (Sorry, had to.) The electric BlackFly requires only seven days of training before you (not me) can take to the skies. Watch it in action.