Many of us did the classic egg drop science experiment in school. This is where you build a contraption to protect an egg from a steep drop. But what if you took that to the next level and created something to protect the egg if it fell from space? That’s precisely what one engineer tried. Did he succeed?
Free app to quickly remove your pics and posts on Facebook, Twitter and more
© Robert Kneschke | Dreamstime.com
Kim couldn’t tell you how many messages and emails she has gotten over the years asking the same question: “How can I delete myself from the internet?” Sadly, you can’t. Not really. There’s just too much out there.
Data brokerage is a $200 billion industry — and since it’s so big and powerful, you can bet your bottom dollar companies have their hands on a fair bit of information about you. Even if you deleted all your social media profiles, changed your address and started living off the grid, you wouldn’t be invisible.
Good news: You can make a dent in that mountain of private data companies have on you. Tap or click here to get started. An integral part of the process is deleting or hiding your social media accounts.
This security tip is brought to you by our sponsor, TotalAV. Kim’s pick for securing all your devices.
Most of us overshare on social media — and it hurts us
You may think you’re doing a good job of protecting your privacy on social media. But day by day and post by post, you willingly share enough information for strangers to put together a tapestry of your life.
For example, the photos you share could reveal your location. If you upload a photo of yourself in your home, someone could pinpoint your address through the hidden data in your images. Tap or click here for forensic tools that expose any photo’s metadata.
Bottom line: It’s wild how much someone can learn about you from what you willingly post online. If you truly want to protect your privacy, you must start deleting or hiding your social media accounts.
Here’s a handy tool that makes it easier
Going through each and every social media account sounds like a total slog. Imagine manually logging into each account, navigating through each privacy tab and deleting everything, piece by piece. It sounds like it would gobble up way too much time.
There’s a much quicker way to clean up your old posts from Twitter, Facebook, Imgur and more. Enter Redact. If you want to wipe out a handful of profiles, this free tool makes it so much easier. You can mass-delete posts, files, images and DMs.
With Redact, you can automatically remove posts from more than 20 sites and apps all in one go. Here are all the services Redact supports:
Home security tip: How to monitor gun safes, medicine cabinets, workshops and more
Photo 211180331 © Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com
Smart home products aren’t new to the market, but they are becoming more affordable to make your daily life safer and easier.
If you’re new to the smart home game, start with a must for keeping your home protected 24/7. Our sponsor, SimpliSafe. Those old-school security companies that send a pushy salesperson to your door with a three-year contract and installers are so 20 years ago.
40% off sale! The home security system you can set up yourself in 30 minutes
Think of the words “home security” and what comes to mind? An installation crew, pushy salespeople, an expensive monthly bill and, of course, shelling out a ton of money to get the whole thing set up.
Good news: It doesn’t have to be that way. With our sponsor, SimpliSafe, you can protect your entire home, around the clock, without busting your budget or even pulling out a drill. Install it all yourself in minutes, then it just works. And the best part is, right now, Kim’s listeners can get a SimpliSafe system for a whopping 40%. This deal won’t last long. Tap or click here to shop!
Get 40% off home security tech, like video doorbells, outdoor cameras and window sensors
Credit: SimpliSafe.com
Now is the best time to protect your home with tech. Thanks to a home security sale from our sponsor SimpliSafe, you can get steep discounts on everything you need to stay secure. Grab motion sensors, security cameras, burglary alarms and more.
How Amazon’s complicated shipping system really works
Amazon receives about 13 million orders every single day. Just a few days later, those packages arrive on the customer’s doorstep. So how is this shipping process so efficient? It turns out Amazon has an incredibly complex system that may be even more convoluted than you think.
Scientists explain exactly what a T-Rex would taste like
Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. Recent scientific advancements suggest we’re getting close to bringing some of them back. So that begs the question, what would they taste like? Well, the answer might not be what you think.
Why fire smoke constantly follows you
If you’ve ever gathered around a campfire, you might have noticed the smoke seems to follow you no matter where you are. No, it’s not your bad luck — there’s actually a scientific reason behind it.
How do oysters make pearls?
Pearls are iridescent spheres made of the same materials as an oyster’s shell. So, why are they so much more beautiful than the shell itself? It all comes down to the life cycle of an oyster.
How humans solved the greatest riddle of navigation
When you look at a globe, you see horizontal and vertical lines crisscrossing the entire sphere. Those are latitude and longitude lines and they have helped us explore the Earth over the last 500 years. In this video, you’ll learn how to find your own latitude and longitude at home without using Google. Cool!
Why is the Vatican's giant telescope located in Arizona?
Here’s a fun fact for your next holiday get together: The Catholic church is a leading force in space exploration. How? The church funds a massive space telescope in the middle of the Arizona desert. Researchers have used it to make countless discoveries and better understand the universe. But why is it in Arizona?
Historic weapons that were complete failures
War has been a constant throughout human history. In some cases, war led to ingenious innovation — and other times, it led to abject failure. In this video, go back in time to see weapons once lauded as the next game-changers. In reality, they were never used in combat or failed once deployed.
Why the US Army's camouflage was a big mistake
Camouflage has been part of military strategy for millennia. It allows soldiers to hide in plain sight and attack without being seen. But a little over 20 years ago, the U.S. changed its military camouflage and everyone realized pretty quickly that it was a big mistake.
Spider eyes are more powerful than you think
Spiders are some of the smallest invertebrates on Earth, but these tiny creatures have a remarkable skill. They can see better than most animals 10 times their size. The trick is that their eyes are tiny little telescopes that allow them to focus on things in extraordinary detail. Some scientists even claim spiders can see the details of the moon. The real question is, why do they need to be able to do this?
What causes sleepwalking?
Most of us know someone or are someone who occasionally gets up in the middle of the night while they are sleeping and walks around the house or does something strange. This is called sleepwalking, and around 4% of US adults have reported this happening to them. But why does this happen, and what can we do to prevent it?
Can you build a skyscraper out of wood?
The modern skyscraper is one of the most extraordinary feats of human engineering. These cloud piercers have been built with steel since the beginning of the 20th century, but now some creative builders are starting to think outside the box. What if you made one completely out of wood? Is it possible? The answer is yes, and they are already being built.
Why cruise ships virtually never sink
During the heyday of sea travel, it was fairly common for ships to be lost at sea. Ships were vulnerable to the elements, and there are certainly a lot of dangers on the open water: A freak wave, a massive storm or even an iceberg. Now we have enormous cruise ships and it’s extremely rare to hear of one sinking. What makes these floating cities so unsinkable?
What does the world's largest machine do?
When you think of large machines, you probably picture a massive tractor or maybe an enormous science experiment. Think bigger — much, much bigger. How about the size of the entire United States? The world’s largest machine is actually the U.S. power grid and how it became one giant machine is an amazing story.
What is the smallest thing in the universe?
The universe is massive, filled with hundreds of millions of galaxies and stars 100 times larger than the sun. But what if we looked down instead of looking up? There are entire worlds all around us that we can’t see. The smaller we get, the crazier these worlds are. How small can we get, and what does the world look like from that perspective?
What exactly is terminal velocity?
We have all heard the old tale that if you throw a penny off the Empire State Building, it will drop so fast that it could kill someone on the street below. Is that true? Some people put it to the test. Check out what happens when pennies are dropped onto someone from a helicopter way up high.