Tesla traps toddler inside after battery dies

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A girl was saved from a Tesla Model Y in 100-degree weather in Arizona. Plus, two Florida seniors were scammed out of $400,000 in gold, and there’s a nationwide coffee recall. Plus, we talk to Brian Morrison, creator of Free Blockbuster — it’s like those little free libraries, but for movies.

Tags: Arizona, battery, Blockbuster, coffee, creator, download, Florida, free, libraries, model, movies, nationwide, open, Plus, recall, seniors, Tesla, weather


Trivia

This week 19 years ago, a site that’s still going strong launched. Was it … A.) Reddit, B.) Wikipedia, C.) Tumblr or D.) LinkedIn?

Find the answer here!

🤝 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.

100 out of 100

Quality of life score in Spain. It’s a hot destination for retirees since it’s easy to get around without a car, and the health care system, climate and flight accessibility are all top-notch. Hey, bet the kids would visit a lot.

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.

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!

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.

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.