Hello, Thursday! Here’s a brain teaser stumping people on social media. You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I? You’ll find the answer at the end.

💬 Always wanted to learn a new language? Lucky you! Babbel is our partner in today’s newsletter, and you can save a huge 60% with my special link. Supporting our sponsors supports this free newsletter, so thanks in advance! — Kim

Lithium-ion batteries are having a moment … and not a shining one. Just last week, a deadly fire broke out on a car carrier. The origin? One of the electric vehicles (EVs) on board. 

In June, a fire in an e-bike repair shop killed four. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 74 lithium-ion battery incidents occurred on flights last year. That number is on the rise.

So many of the gadgets we depend on have lithium-ion batteries inside. Read on to protect yourself from a major battery blow-up.

Hot battery horror stories

Lithium-ion batteries squeeze a ton of battery life into a tiny package. But they're made with flammable materials, which makes them even more dangerous when they’re misused or improperly stored.

Larger tech, like e-bikes and EVs, use much bigger batteries than a smartphone, so when a fire happens … You got it, way more dangerous. 

Flammable materials inside the batteries can experience "thermal runaway," a chain reaction that essentially puts a battery in an uncontrollable, self-heating state. That's when explosions happen.

Thermal runaway gets triggered by a number of things, like a battery being overheated or punctured. It can also be caused by an electrical fault, like a short circuit or manufacturing defects. That's why I always warn you to stay away from cheap tech!

Battery safety 101

The good news is you can protect yourself if you follow a few rules of thumb:

• Don't leave your laptop in a hot car, by a sunny window or near a portable heater.
• If it feels hot, shut it down and give it a break. Pop out the battery if you can.
• Consider using an app to monitor your laptop's temperature in real time. CoreTemp and Real Temp for Windows are good options. Anything higher than 176 degrees Fahrenheit is bad news.
• Before buying an e-bike, make sure it's certified by a qualified testing lab and follow the manufacturer's charging and storage instructions. Use the cord it came with and don’t buy an aftermarket charger — it’s too risky.
• Store your e-bike somewhere cool and keep the battery out of direct sunlight. Don’t charge your e-bike in your garage or house.
• Don't leave your e-bike plugged in when you're not home or overnight. And if the battery overheats, starts to smell or look funny, or begins making weird noises, stop using it ASAP.

Be safe, folks. If you have an EV, head to the site here for tips just for you.

🐴 With high fuel costs and the price of electric cars, legislators voted today to reintroduce the horse and buggy. The vote failed: 1 yea, 35 neighs.

For just $60,000: Russian hackers are selling lifetime access to malware that gives full entry to anyone’s Mac, and they’re targeting those in small to medium-sized businesses. These hackers are so confident, there’s a $100,000 guarantee. Silver lining: The malware works on Macs running macOS Ventura 13.2 or older. The current macOS is 13.4.1, so update if you haven’t! By the way, the Russian malware works on Windows PCs, too, so update ASAP.

⛳ The cool kids are doing it: Golf is having a moment. It’s everywhere online, thanks to influencers filming content on the course. One TikTokker posts comedy sketches about golf, has 230,000 followers after just a year and has done collabs with famous golfers like Tiger Woods. That’s why your kid is wearing a polo shirt, btw.

If you like it: Apple is putting a ring on it. The upcoming Vision Pro headset uses hand gestures to control certain elements, and, for that, yep, you’ll need a smart ring. The patent was granted Tuesday. Look for it in a year or more.

🌬️ Verified vape: Juul’s new vape device pairs with a phone app and requires a government ID and real-time selfie to verify buyers are over 21. They’re waiting on FDA approval. Context: Juul has paid more than $1 billion in legal settlements, many involving the company’s targeting younger consumers. They must be making some money.

Banned bulbs: As of yesterday, incandescent lightbulbs that emit less than 45 lumens per watt are verboten. You can still buy black lights, appliance lights, plant lights and other speciality bulbs meant to be low light, but regular household bulbs are now LED or bust.

Check your phone: An Android chat app called SafeChat (I know) claims to be a snazzy encrypted messaging tool. In reality, it swipes data from your phone and sends it back to the hackers behind it.

Printer warning: Canon is admitting to something I’ve been telling you for years. You can’t just chuck out, donate or give away an old printer that connects to your Wi-Fi. Even if you wipe one of these models, Wi-Fi connection info (aka your password, IP address and more) is still stored.

💊 Holy grail cancer drug is here: Scientists say a new pill was effective against 70 different cancer cells in lab tests. That includes breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin and lung cancers. The medication works by stopping cells with damaged DNA from dividing and replicating. Next up: A human trial.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

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Bad news, Ford drivers. More than 870,000 Ford F-150s have been recalled for faulty parking brakes.

Have a 2021 to 2023 model? Use the steps below to check your VIN. Don't wait — 19 drivers have reported their parking brakes came on while driving.

That’s not all

• More Fords: 112,000 Ford Transit Connect cargo vans have front door issues, and 38,600 2023 Escape SUVs have instrument panel problems.
• Mazda just recalled 200,000 Mazda3 BM and BN models, along with the CX-3 DX, made between 2013 and 2020, for a wiring defect.
• GM recalled some 2013 models of the Chevrolet Camaro, Sonic and Volt, plus the Buick Verano for airbag issues.

Are you at risk?

Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall lookup page. Enter your 17-character VIN into the search field to see any recalls.

Friendly reminder: You can find your VIN by standing outside your vehicle on the driver’s side and peering into the lower corner of the windshield, on the dashboard. Some cars also have it printed on the driver’s side doorjamb.

Insider tip: You can copy and paste your VIN directly into the NHTSA’s website with your iPhone or Android phone.

• On iPhone: Take a photo of the VIN. Open the image in Photos. Tap and hold the number and tap Copy. Paste it in. 
• On Android: Take a pic of the VIN. Open it in Google Photos, then tap on the Lens icon. Tap on the Text option, select the number, then tap Copy Text.

🐦 There was a recall on bird food. Most places are offering a refund if you return it. So weird that they’d ask you to give bad feed back.

Just like your computer, your printer is a goldmine for hackers. They often store copies of the docs you’ve printed — like financial info. Any of these are bad, bad signs:

• It starts printing blank pages or a bunch of characters.
• You notice print jobs you didn’t initiate. 
• Your printer’s settings have been changed … and it wasn’t by you.

So, what should you do if you spot funny business? Reset the printer to its factory defaults. It’s easy!

• Unplug the printer, then press and hold the Reset button (on the back or bottom). While holding, plug the printer back in and turn it on.
• In about 20 seconds, lights will flash to tell you it’s done.

🎸 My printer just told me it was joining a band! Makes sense. It loves to jam.

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I don’t know what to make of this.

The answer: A candle. And here’s one for you to share. How do angels light a candle? With a match made in heaven.

👓 It’s summer. You’re bored. Put your time to good use and pick up Dutch, Spanish, Japanese — whatever you’ve been threatening to learn all these years. Try Babbel and save 60% with my link. Thanks for getting tech-smart with me. It’s a ton of fun! — Kim