📱 Android app shortcuts: Long-press certain apps for quick access to core features. Chrome lets you open a new tab or jump into Incognito mode. Gmail gives you options like composing a message or switching accounts. Social media apps like Instagram let you post right away or check your activity feed.
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🤖 Don’t get caught in a Roomba doomba: iRobot founder Rodney Brooks (aka the Roomba guy) says stay 10 feet back from humanoid bots. Why? If one tips, it’s a 150-pound steel giraffe doing a trust fall. Also, video-only training won’t teach them real dexterity. Don’t let yourself become a YouTube tutorial with bones.
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🐾 Doggy surveillance default: Ring cameras are now default detectives, scanning outdoor feeds for missing dogs if a neighbor posts on the app. If your cam spots one, you’ll get a ping, but the opt-in switch flipped without asking. Amazon insists it’s only for pets, but facial recognition just launched, too. You can see where this is headed. Suddenly Fido’s not the only one being tracked. To turn it off: Open the Ring app > go to menu (☰) > Control Center > tap Search for Lost Pets > toggle off for every device. Good thing you have me on your side.
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🤖 These are my bot confessions: Police say Missouri State student Ryan Schaefer smashed 17 car windshields, then bragged about it to ChatGPT. His typo-filled chats (“qill I go to jail?”) were found on his phone. Spoiler: yes. Now he’s facing felony charges and thousands in damages. Reminder: AI isn’t your diary, it’s potential evidence.
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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Old Chrome extensions can slow things down. Click the three-dot icon (top right), go to Extensions > Manage Extensions, pick the ones you don’t need, and hit Remove.
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From meal-prepping to baking, these kitchen helpers work as hard as you do.

⚡ Electric lunchbox (17% off): Heat up leftovers in your car, truck or right at your desk. Your coworkers will be jealous.

Digital food scale (33% off): Baking is science. This even measures milk and water volume, so you get it right every time.

🔪 Japanese knife set (25% off, 14-piece): Dishwasher safe and comes with a built-in sharpener. Makes a cutting-edge gift.

Silicone baking mats (10% off, three-pack): Forget the parchment paper. Holiday cookies and treats slide right off.

🧤 BPA-free oven mitts (11% off, two-piece): Heat-resistant, grippy and 4.7 stars with 23,000+ sizzling reviews.

⏰ Countdown to savings: Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days kick off in just a couple days. Click here for early-bird bargains that are already live.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.The post Tools of the tasty trade appeared first on Komando.com.

❌ ICE app blocked: Both the Apple App Store and Google Play pulled ICEBlock, the app that flagged ICE agents nearby. DOJ said it endangered officers, especially after the Dallas shooter allegedly used the app before killing a detainee and injuring two. Whatever your views, when an app puts lives at risk, including those of law enforcement and civilians, it becomes a matter of public safety, not politics.
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Every crime has a setup. In five recent cases, scammers turned online breadcrumbs into jackpots. I want you to know how to make sure you’re not their next payday.

❤️‍🩹 Your relationships

Scammers stalk grief like predators. A Pennsylvania widow was conned out of her entire life savings, over $200,000 plus her home, by a romance scammer she met on Facebook. A 63-year-old widower sold his condo and wired $80,000 to a “friend” who convinced him to invest in a sure thing.

Pro tip: Don’t list “widowed” on dating or social apps. To criminals, it’s a dollar sign.

⛱️ Your vacations

One woman proudly shared a pic of her cruise tickets on Facebook. Scammers used her booking code to hijack the account and cancel the trip to get the refund. She lost $15,000, a vacation and her family’s respect in one click. 

Pro tip: Post vacation pics after the trip. Announcing you’re away makes you a target for hackers and burglars.

🗣️ Your videos

AI deepfakes are a booming business. One TikTok user found her face and voice cloned to sell knockoff diet pills. Thieves raked in tens of thousands using her identity.

Pro tip: Set your videos to private or limit followers. The better the footage, the easier you are to clone.

🫰🏼 Your sales

In South Carolina, a man listed a limited-edition PlayStation online. When he met the “buyer,” instead of cash he got a gun in his face. The robber made off with the console plus his phone, watch and wallet for a $3,000+ haul.

Pro tip: Meet in a police station parking lot. If a buyer balks, they aren’t legit.

🚶🏼‍♀️‍➡️ Your miles

GPS walking, hiking and biking routes can be a jackpot for burglars. Secret Service agents accidentally exposed patrol patterns for the president and others on Strava. Home break-ins have been tied to thieves tracking when residents aren’t home.

Pro tip: Lock down your fitness app privacy settings. Hide the start and end points near your house.

🧈 Speaking of… The man who invented spreadable margarine got scammed out of every penny he made out of it. I can’t believe he’s not bitter. (lol)

⚠️ Crooks are cashing in on your digital trail. Keep yourself out of their true-crime story. Now use the share icons below so your family and friends know this, too!
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🗑️ Don’t waste money on outdated tech: Before buying a cheap phone, tablet or e-reader, check if it’s still supported. Visit endoflife.date and search the model to see if updates have ended or it’s discontinued. If it’s past its prime, that usually means no more security updates, which is a big no-no.
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💾 You’ve got no mail: Goodbye forever, dial-up. AOL finally shut down this week when traffic is up 20%. The AOL brand will live on with Italy’s Bending Spoons, who are buying it from Yahoo for $1.4B because it still pulls in ad money and subscription cash. And to honor AOL’s modem sounds, a nod to my geeky readers. Watch this video about how one guy literally daisy-chained 12 dial-up modems into a 668kbps Frankenline. Incredible.
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