On Prince Edward Island, Canada Laura Kelly’s doorbell cam caught the exact moment a meteorite fell. In a big first, the cam also caught the sound it made on impact. It happened last July, but scientists just dropped their findings. Huh, sounds different than I expected.
Tiny fixes for big annoyances
Sometimes, you just need to take a few deep breaths. Other times, you need a piece of plastic called the Bug Bite Thing.
- Magnetic shower curtain weights ($14) keep the plastic off your legs. The ones sewn into the bottom are never heavy enough!
- Suction the bug saliva out of your bites to stop the itch. Sounds fake, but it works and it’s only $10.
- A sturdy plastic scraper (11% off) for decal removal. Scrape off a sticker, use them to clean the counters, whatever.
- Peanut butter stirrer for when you buy the “naturally separated” stuff. Free option: Store the unopened jar upside down for a while.
- Tube squeezer for eeking out that last bit of toothpaste.
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Wake me up before you go go: iPhone alarm being finicky? Check these settings. In Settings > Sounds & Haptic, turn the alarm slider all the way up. Under Settings > Focus, make sure Sleep is off.
Are noise-canceling headphones bad for your brain? Scientists warn blocking out background noise 24/7 might train your brain to “forget” how to filter sounds naturally. This could lead to auditory processing disorder (APD). Share this with the kids in your life.
81.7TB
Of pirated books used to train Meta’s AI, Llama. The dirty details came out in court docs. Writers are suing Meta for feeding their (stolen) work into the AI. I’m no lawyer, but it sure sounds shady to me.
🚨 Don't download these apps 🚨
Don’t download these apps — or any that look or sound like one of these examples.
Bright idea
A ton of you asked me to share more lights since you loved my flashlight pick the other day. I did the work to find you the best ones.
- Still need a flashlight? This one is bright, lightweight and will last forever.
- Love a tiny flashlight for my bag and the car, too. Grab a two-pack for 20% off now.
- Sounds nutty, but a toilet night light is sweet. Get two for under $12. Nice, no more stumbling around in the dark!
- Love a salt lamp. Health claims aside, they look pretty and they’re calming.
- Content Queen Allie swapped all her boring bulbs for these smart LED lights (23% off!) that can be any color and work on a schedule.
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Hearing loss progresses in stages: When it’s mild, you won’t hear whispers, and conversations in busy spots are tough. With moderate hearing loss, subtle sounds like ticking clocks or birds are hard to hear. With moderately severe loss, voices sound muffled. If you or someone you love is dealing with anything beyond mild hearing loss, check out the Horizon IX hearing aids.
Rude awakening: Ever fall asleep watching TV? If you have a Roku, press the asterisk button on your remote to open the menu. Scroll to Volume mode and use the arrows to change it. Leveling makes sounds even so things like ads won’t jolt you awake. Night mode makes quiet sounds like whispering louder and lowers more intense sounds, like shouting.
🌠 The sky is falling: On Prince Edward Island in Canada, Laura Kelly’s doorbell cam caught the exact moment a meteorite fell. In a big first, the cam also caught the sound it made on impact. This happened last July, but scientists just released their findings. Huh … sounds different than I expected.
Get sound alerts from your phone: Your phone can alert you to noisy things like barking dogs, crying kids or broken glass. Don’t rely on it to tell you if the baby is crying or to keep your dog safe, but it’s a nice fallback.
- On iPhone: Go to Settings > Accessibility > toggle on Sound Recognition. Tap Sounds to customize.
- On Android: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Notifications. Turn it on, then tap the cog icon to customize.
Good vibrations: It’s so much easier in Android 15 to adjust your keyboard vibrations. Before, you had to dig into the settings for each app. Now, go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Vibration and haptics. Use the sliders to adjust the buzzing to your liking, all in one place.
1x a week
How often the National Security Agency says you should reboot your phone. Sounds like a no-brainer, but it works to combat zero-click exploits. Zero-click flaws mean a hacker can get in simply by sending you the right code. Avoiding that is def worth a weekly restart.
57% of Gen Z
Want to be an influencer. Sounds like a dream, but the reality isn’t so pretty. Most influencers barely make enough to scrape by, and even the ones making bank work like crazy.
Sounds familiar: Scammers are after Google Voice accounts. If they trick you into giving up your multifactor authentication code, they can make calls that look like they’re coming from you. Never share this info. If you already have, go to Protect your verification code and disconnect your number.
🥹 I teared up: After losing her voice to a rare neurological disorder, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton used AI to get it back. ElevenLabs created a text-to-speech model from her past voice recordings that sounds just like her! She used it to advocate for others with disabilities in the first AI voiced-cloned speech on the House floor. Watch this truly amazing vid.
Smart idea: Android 15 is going to include Desktop mode. In this demo video, you can see multiple apps running side by side with some clunky window snapping (hey, it’s in beta). Sounds snazzy, and Apple will probably copy it within five years.
Goodnight, moon: Have an Echo? Alexa can help you drift off to sleep. Say something like, “Alexa, play rain sounds” (or whatever your favorite soothing sounds are, whether it’s waves or ambient noise), then say, “Alexa, set a sleep timer for one hour.” That way, the audio will shut off once you’re asleep.
🚨 Do it right now: The National Security Agency (NSA) has a hot security tip: Power off and restart your phone weekly. Sounds like a “duh,” but it works to combat zero-click exploits and spear phishing. More tips (that I’ve been giving you for years): Keep your OS updated, and disable Bluetooth and location services when you don’t need ‘em.
$6,000 per ticket
To fly BarkAir. The dog-first airline sounds like a joke, but it’s totally real. It’s a private charter where you and your best friend are treated like royalty. Routes are super limited, but you can request one if you and the pup need a getaway. Hmm … How do I get them to sponsor Abby and me?