Just say no: An Uber or Lyft driver might ask you to pay in cash so they can take home more money. They make as little as $9 an hour (paywall link) through the app, but a cash payment means no safety features like the emergency button, and you’ll get hit with cancellation fees.
43 monkeys
Escaped from a research facility in South Carolina, and only one has been captured so far. They broke free after a caretaker failed to lock the doors. Staff have been trying to lure them back with food, but they’re too busy enjoying their freedom. If they join Amazon while they’re out, they’ll be Prime mates!
🎣 Reeled in a big one: A 33-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to 10 years for a phishing scam that stole $20 million in nest eggs from over 400 U.S. homebuyers. He sent phishing emails to real estate professionals, tricking them into providing their login credentials. Using those, he redirected home purchase payments to compromised accounts and laundered the money into bitcoin via Coinbase, according to the DOJ.
Pass on this NAS: Over 60,000 D-Link network-attached storage (NAS) devices let hackers slip in data-stealing code. Affected models include the DNS-320 Version 1.00, DNS-320LW Version 1.01.0914.2012, DNS-325 versions 1.01 and 1.02, and the DNS-340L Version 1.08. D-Link’s advice? Replace it. Here’s an alternative.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Before you buy: If you’re in the market for a baby lounger, sleep positioner, wedge, inclined sleeper, weighted sleep sacks or crib bumpers, just know not everything sold online is safe. Third-party retailers on Amazon and other sites often don’t comply with recalls. Always search online for the exact name of a baby or kid product with the word “recall.”
Human trials could start soon: Methazolamide, a drug usually prescribed for eye diseases, could help fight Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe Alzheimer’s is caused by abnormal protein buildup around brain cells. In animal tests, Methazolamide actually got brain cells to “spit out” these harmful clumps, reducing the buildup. Praying for this one.
🚨 North Korean hackers are targeting Macs: It starts with an email containing a fake crypto news headline, like “Hidden Risk Behind New Surge of Bitcoin Price,” and includes a link to a PDF. The link actually leads to a malicious app that lets the sender take control of your system. If you’ve clicked on a random PDF link recently, scan for malware ASAP.
😤 Hackers are breaking into Ticketmaster accounts: They’re stealing tickets to resell. Just ask Mika, who changed her Ticketmaster password but was still scammed out of $400 worth of tickets. Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, controls around 80% of concert ticket sales and says they can’t fix this problem.
10 weeks
How long it would take 10 human animators to do what AI can get done in one week. That’s according to Ridley Scott, the visionary behind iconic films like “Gladiator,” “Blade Runner” and “Alien.” He sure has a knack for drawing attention.
27 bids later: The first painting by a humanoid robot just sold for $1.08 million. Auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, it was expected to go for $180,000, tops. The piece, titled “AI God,” is a portrait of Alan Turing, a renowned mathematician and computer scientist. The buyer got ripped off.
Working the system: Cybercriminals are using hacked government and law enforcement email addresses to request customer data from Big Tech companies. Police usually need a search warrant for files and messages, but for basic details like phone numbers, login credentials and approximate locations, a request is all it takes.
“Brat”: That’s the Collins Dictionary’s word of the year, describing a “brat” as someone with a confident, independent and hedonistic vibe. Singer Charli XCX, whose album, “Brat,” inspired redefining the term, adds a “brat” is a girl who’s a little messy, volatile, loves to party and says dumb stuff sometimes. Use this one with your favorite teen.
😮 “ChatGPT saved my life”: That’s what a Redditor says after he asked the bot about chest tightness, dizziness and nausea. ChatGPT confirmed his shortness of breath and sweating, too, and suggested he might be having a cardiac event. The bot was spot on: He was in the early stages of a heart attack. Pro tip: Call 911 instead of using a chatbot.
Feature or bug? Criminals’ iPhones are rebooting on their own when seized by the cops, and it’s all tied to a recent iOS 18 security update. Law enforcement is calling it a nightmare when it comes to retrieving evidence. Here’s the issue: When the phone reboots, it defaults to a “Before First Unlock” state. Even if police use third-party tools to try to access the data, they can only get limited information. No word yet on a fix.
Job scam warning: Retailers and shipping companies are hiring in droves ahead of the holidays. UPS, Amazon, FedEx, Target and all the rest are looking for folks, but they won’t make initial contact with you via email or text. Go to a potential employer’s website and find the “Careers” section to apply directly.
😡 WTH? Black people in over 20 states are receiving racist text messages ordering them to report to plantations for slave labor. These hate-filled messages, which target kids and adults alike, are sent from unknown numbers, many of which are through the anonymous TextNow app.
🖤 “You’ve got mail!” The voice behind the famous AOL message, Elwood Edwards, passed away this week at 74. He recorded it back in 1989 for just $200. He definitely should’ve asked for more. Here he is with Jimmy Fallon in 2015, reading those famous lines. Ahh, I miss the ‘90s.
So your grandma’s memorial tattoo has six fingers: Tattoo artists are fuming over the rise in AI-generated tattoo designs, calling them the “steroids of tattooing.” AI can churn out designs in seconds, but there’s more to tattooing than that. Some designs are so intricate, they’re impossible to recreate on human skin.
🤑 Detroit block(chain) city: Starting in 2025, Detroit residents can use currencies like bitcoin and ethereum to pay for public services and even their taxes. Crypto will be converted into dollars via PayPal. The goal: To attract more tech-savvy residents and tech companies to the city.
Speaking of Intel: A possible class-action lawsuit against Intel claims the company knowingly sold bad processors. One New York man is demanding millions, saying the crashes and lost data cost him time, money and some sanity. Apparently, Intel knew about the glitches in its 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs for years but kept them under wraps.