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The first Google Doodle was created in 2000 when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin asked intern Dennis Hwang to make a drawing to commemorate a holiday. Was it … A.) The Fourth of July, B.) Bastille Day, C.) Chinese New Year or D.) Diwali?
The answer: B.) Bastille Day. Google’s leaders loved Hwang’s Doodle so much that they appointed him “Chief Doodler.”
Tags: Fourth of July, Google
Docs off my box: At least 100 people — and potentially thousands — are suing LG over faulty fridges that kicked the bucket well before their best-by date. But LG says the suits are moot because it printed an arbitration notice on — get this — the cardboard box the fridge came in. In 2017, a federal judge threw out a similar claim by Samsung and said a notice on the box (or in the user manual) does not a contract make.
See ya, CNET: Wikipedia just downgraded its trust badge for tech site CNET from “generally reliable” to “generally unreliable.” Since 2022, CNET’s use of AI has been, well, a mess — everything from outright errors to blatant plagiarism. PSA: Komando is the only name I know for tech news and advice you can trust. I pick the news here myself and write this very email every day.
A data buffet: Golden Corral was hit by a cyberattack last August (and we’re just finding out about it now!), exposing the personal data of over 183,000 folks — current and former employees, plus their beneficiaries. We’re talking Social Security numbers, financial deets and medical info. If you’ve been on their payroll, freeze your credit ASAP.
A swing and … a miss: From the someone-is-getting-fired files, Apple’s FineWoven cases have attracted so many complaints that they’ve been slapped with a “frequently returned item” badge on Amazon. If you’re after a new case for your iPhone, I like this one (50% off!) and this one.
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Thought DVDs were dead? Scientists created a disc that can hold a petabyte of data. That’s a million movies, folks. Before you get too excited, there are a few catches — the disc struggles with slow writing speeds and guzzles energy. If they can iron out the kinks, imagine all your fave flicks on one disc. Neat.
Netflix and bill: It’s that time again! Streaming giant Netflix is bumping up its prices. Analysts say the cheapest ad-free plan is soaring to $17.49. Entry-level with ads? $7.99. And for 4K subscribers? Get ready to pony up as much as $25.99 per month. Gulp.
Flock, the startup that’s all about catching criminals with its license plate cams, finds itself on thin ice, legally. They “forgot” to secure installation permits in Florida, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
Oh, the drama! TikTok is cutting off all songs from artists tied to Universal Music Group thanks to a stalemate over renewing their music licensing deal. At the heart? AI tunes and artist compensation. Meanwhile, YouTube’s swooping in with a new remix feature and Universal tracks.
Classroom crackdown: U.S. teachers are fed up with students watching Netflix instead of the chalkboard. States like Utah and Florida are banning classroom cellphone use. And guess what? When phones go silent, grades get better. Maybe it’s time all states got with the program — this one’s a no-brainer.
Scent-sational: Meet GameScent, a $180 gadget that’s literally a breath of fresh (or not-so-fresh) air for gamers. Plug it into your console or PC, and it puffs out scents like burning rubber while you race in Need for Speed or gunfire when you fight in Call of Duty. Wonder what Minecraft smells like.
