280 million

Chrome users who have installed shady extensions in the past three years. These extensions included malware and often asked for advanced permissions during installation. On average, dangerous extensions stayed in the Chrome store for over a year before getting the boot. Good job there, Google.

Tags: Chrome, dangerous, extensions, Google, installation, job, malware, permissions, users, WHO


How to stop spam texts for good

Remember back in the day when you didn’t think twice about putting your cell number and email address into any form that asked for it? If you’re thinking, “Uh, Kim, I still do that,” I’m about to make your life so much easier.

Continue reading

Prices at the grocery store changing before your eyes

When I saw this in action, I knew you’d want to learn about it. Grocery stores across the country are swapping out printed price stickers on aisles for electronic ones. Retailers say it saves time. But the cost of an item could change in the time it takes you to walk from the deli to the frozen aisle.

Continue reading

🗿 I love this story, but I don’t know Y: A team who discovered a lost civilization’s alphabet on a fifth-century B.C. slate slab posted a pic on X. The rock caught the eye of a part-time researcher, who recognized a symbol as the Paleohispanic letter “i.” He’s been invited to join the official research team. Maybe X isn’t all that bad? Wait, yeah, it is.

☄️ That was close: A Florida family is suing NASA after a chunk of metallic space debris crashed through their roof. No one was hurt, but the family’s 19-year-old son was just rooms away from the impact zone. They want a payout for the stress and impact (no pun intended).

Repeat after me: Elon isn’t hawking crypto on YouTube: The AI deepfake Elon livestream ran for five hours, attracting over 30,000 concurrent viewers. It told folks to deposit ethereum, dogecoin or bitcoin on a site promising to double their money. Poof! It all went into someone else’s wallet.

Researchers prove it: Our brains can distinguish deepfaked voices from real ones. The brain’s reward system, called the nucleus accumbens, is less active when you hear a fake voice. Your auditory cortex hears the difference, too. Next time you get a call and the voice feels “off,” trust your instincts.

🔋 Dead battery: In June 2023, EVs were $8,201 more expensive on average than a gas car — a 25.1% difference (paywall link). Now, one year later, they’re 8.5% cheaper, or around $2,657 less than a gas car. And 46% of all EV owners want a gas-powered car.

You got an unexpected package from Temu or Amazon: It might be a brushing scam, where third-party sellers send something you never asked for to fake a verified purchase and post reviews using your name. If it happens to you, check your order history to see if you were charged. Then, change your password, because someone may be in your account. Either way, you can keep the stuff.

🏦 They’ve hacked Fort Knox: Ransomware group LockBit says they have 33TB of U.S. Federal Reserve data, claiming it holds “Americans’ banking secrets.” There’s no proof yet, but they’re threatening to spill it. Get proactive: Set up banking alerts, use two-factor authentication on your bank login and watch your accounts.

🤝 I want to be your secret helper and mentor: If you have an issue, problem or question about your tech, digital life or business, I would love to help you. Ask me your questions here on my site. I read every single note.