Your car is a target – Don’t get hacked or duped
Ever heard of wrapping your key fob in aluminum foil? It sounds a little crazy, but it’s a smart move. Your key fob’s signal is surprisingly easy for criminals to intercept using cheap scanners sold online. Thieves can open your car without setting off any alarms. If you have a true keyless car model, they might just drive away. Wrapping your fob in foil blocks the signals.
Burglars, life is short – don’t make it shorter: Keep an eye out for hidden cameras in your front yard, folks. South American gangs are placing them in bushes, disguising them in leaf-covered camouflage, to see your comings and goings. Trim your foliage and get a security system. My pick is SimpliSafe.
35% down payment
Is the new norm when buying a house. Zillow says 20% won’t cut it for most folks to afford the current average monthly mortgage payments (paywall link), given high housing prices and high interest rates. For the average U.S. home, that’s about $128,000 down. Ouch.
Underwater drone: An UUV (uncrewed underwater vehicle) called Manta Ray just underwent testing off the coast of California. Shaped just like its namesake, the massive Manta Ray can glide below the waves with almost zero wake. It can also be taken apart and reassembled in the field, Ikea-style, for easy transport. Check it out in action!
No, getting low-cost streaming content isn’t legit: Five guys behind Jetflicks, one of the largest illegal streaming services in the U.S., got busted. They charged $9.99 a month for more content than Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video combined. They could face years in prison for the millions they raked in from subscriptions. If you subscribed to it, you might be fined for copyright violations, too.
⛔ Senior scam alert: Two Florida seniors were duped out of $400,000 in gold by a phone scam. Someone called pretending to be a government agent, warning there were illegal activities on the seniors’ Amazon accounts. The con artists said the victims could avoid jail by buying gold bars and taking them to a dropoff location. Folks, the feds will never ask for gold, crypto or secret payments.
🤖 AI comes to Alexa Intelligence: But it’s going to cost you up to $10 a month. Amazon is updating its smart assistant with an AI-powered Remarkable Alexa. The paid version will do a few fun tricks like handling emails and ordering food from Uber Eats. When Alexa can do the laundry, I’ll be impressed.
A close call: An Arizona woman’s worst nightmare came true when her Tesla Model Y trapped her 20-month-old granddaughter on a hot morning. After she strapped the toddler in and shut the door, the car’s battery died. Firefighters broke the car window to get her out. Thankfully, the little one’s OK.
☕ Nationwide coffee recall: Over 250 types of canned coffee could contain a deadly botulinum toxin. They’re sold under various coffee roaster names, but you can spot them with a “Produced and distributed by Snapchill LLC” label below the nutritional facts. If you have any, return it to the store for a refund. Full list of affected products here. Java nice day!
82% of campsites
Offer Wi-Fi access. It used to be a nice-to-have feature, but now, it’s almost as common as running water, electricity and an actual toilet. Other hot perks to attract campers: Pickleball courts, dog parks, kayaks and canoes. Oh, all these extras are in-tents.