Wow, it’s Wednesday! Let’s take a trivia break and do a math problem that’s stumping the internet. “A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” The answer is at the end.

🚀 Get ready to blast off to keep you tech-savvy and a step ahead of those sneaky scammers. Ready to embark on this adventure? Let's get the party started! — Kim

If they weren’t so despicable, you’d almost admire the creativity of scammers these days. Almost.

Here’s a new scam to watch for: A “travel agent” or travel site selling fake plane tickets. I’m here to arm you with the details on how it works and ways to protect yourself from this predatory ploy. 

A nasty trick

You search for tickets online or reply to a scam email. Overwhelmed by all the travel sites and apps (find the 10 best ones here!), you choose what seems like a trustworthy source with killer prices.

Maybe you end up emailing, chatting or talking to someone who promises they can get you a great rate on a ticket. So you hand over your name, phone number and payment details.

Using your information, they book what you think is a confirmed seat and say you're good to go. You, the savvy shopper, go to the airline's website and enter the flight information. Sweet, there’s your seat. You pat yourself on the back for saving money and consider your travel booked.

Two weeks later

You go to check in for your flight. What? Your ticket is nowhere to be found. That’s because the scammer simply reserved a seat instead of actually booking a ticket. At this point, the airline can’t do anything for you. You’re screwed.

Hopefully, you find this out long before you’re standing at an airport customer service counter, suitcase in hand! Either way, you’re out the money and the airline ticket.

Outsmart these jerks

How do you protect yourself from this scam and all the other nasty travel tricks out there? For starters, if you find a deal too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.

• Don’t pay until you see a confirmation number or e-ticket number. Anything else could just be a reservation, and that’s not a confirmed ticket.
• Book directly from the airline’s website to be extra safe. You may not get the lowest price, but hey, at least you can get frequent flyer points.
• If you’re worried about a ticket, talk directly to the airline’s customer service department. Don’t call the travel agency booking site. Make sure the ticket is confirmed, not just reserved. 

✅ Now you know what scammers are doing to steal your money. Use the links below to share this important information with family and friends.

🖼️ Urgent reminder: We told you about this seven weeks ago. Apple’s free My Photo Stream app is going away. Your pics are gone by July 26 unless you pay for iCloud. Back them up now!

Call of Duty cheaters, be warned: Activision has a new, tricky way to handle cheaters. They’re putting fake characters in-game that look like real ones … but only the cheaters can see them. They’re called “Hallucinations.” Imagine if we had this IRL!

🌊 OceanGate tragedy: New details are coming about the sub disaster that claimed five lives on an expedition to the Titanic wreck. University engineering students, aka “interns,” designed and put in the most critical electronics on the sub. I hope there were experienced engineers overseeing it all.

Rumor Central has spoken: Next-gen AirPods will take your temperature alongside a new USB-C port for charging. AirPods will also test your hearing using various tones and sounds. This taps into the audiogram feature, currently accessible only through Apple's separate Mimi app. They’ll be out this fall.

🏫 $79,450: That’s the average cost per year for tuition at Harvard University. They’re using an AI teacher to lead its most important coding classes (overseen by a professor, at least). They really should give a discount on these courses.

Ultimate gaming playlist: You can play a musical version of the retro Snake game on Spotify. Just open any of your playlists, click the three dots and tap “Eat this Playlist.” Instead of squares, the snake eats album covers. Try it out!

Have a question for me? Maybe it’s about your online business, buying the right thing or handling a digital dilemma. I have a special place just for you, dear readers. Write me here.

Headed to the moon? You’ll need some phone coverage … from Motorola’s new $150 Defy Satellite Link hotspot. With its satellite connection, you can send text messages, even if you’re not on Earth. I can’t say I’ll need this … ever.

📺 How one newspaper is growing: Journalists, editors, newsroom personnel and reporters everywhere are getting laid off. But in South Carolina, newspapers are doing the opposite: Hiring more writers and staff. How’re they doing it? Check them out!

Every morning, brush your teeth to my Daily Tech Update. You get fresh breath and fresh tech know-how in a minute.

Listen to my podcast, Daily Tech Update, here.

A walk a day keeps the doctor away. Really! A new study says if you want to live longer, get moving.

🚶 As little as 75 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week lowers the risk of death from certain types of cancer and heart disease. The CDC recommends 150 minutes a week, but good to know just half gets the job done.

Huffin’ and puffin’

How hard should you be working? The CDC says you're at the right intensity when you can speak but not sing.

⌚ If you have a smartwatch or app that monitors your heart rate, you’re looking for about 50% to 60% higher than when resting.

• I track walks through on my iPhone. You can use a smartphone, too, or a smartwatch like an Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch or Fitbit. Or go old school with a pedometer.

Do what feels right for you

How you get to 75 minutes a week is up to you. About 10 minutes daily works just as well as one long walk. I prefer to get out there most days of the week. My walk time is my “me time!”

🎧 Need something to keep you entertained? Catch up with my podcast! Three episodes a week and you’ll blast past that 75-minute exercise goal.

🤠 In the Old West, cowboys traveling home in the dark used to tie a lantern to their horse's saddle to help them find their way. It was an early form of saddle-light navigation.

Take a look at the top of your browser. Sure, there are the refresh, back and forward buttons. But what are the rest?

• 🔒 The small padlock to the left of your address bar is the lock icon. This represents the security of your connection to the site. If the padlock is locked, a safe connection. Unlocked? Get outta there. 
• ⭐ The star at the right end of the address bar is used to bookmark pages. Clicking it adds the page you’re on to your bookmarks or favorites. 
• 🌍 See a little globe or shield? If you’re using a VPN, that may be an icon indicating its status. 
• 🅰️ On a foreign website? In browsers like Chrome, an “A” in the address bar indicates a page is in a different language than your default. Neat!

👩‍🏫 Thus ends today’s lesson on Browser 101. What else do you want to know? Reply to this email or leave me a note when you rate today’s newsletter!

Stop fighting with spreadsheets and trying to figure out what the heck you did with last year’s inventory list. I have the solution: NetSuite by Oracle.

You get visibility and control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, budgeting and more, all from one easy dashboard. Don’t just take my word for it — over 33,000 businesses already use NetSuite.

Lower IT costs, less work and higher profits? Yes, please. Right now, you can get started with NetSuite with no payments and no interest for six months. (Big deal alert: They’ve never had an offer like this before!)

If Earth was flat, cats would’ve knocked everything off the edge already.

⚾️ The answer: I couldn't figure out the solution, then it hit me. If the ball costs 10 cents, the bat would cost $1.10, bringing the total to $1.20. The correct answer is the ball costs 5 cents and the bat $1.05. This question is part of a study about how people fight (or don't) their intuitive thinking.

🎧 I’d like to invite you to check out our podcasts. They’re packed with the same fun and informative tech vibes but on the go. Listen while commuting, cooking or walking. Hit play and let's keep exploring the tech universe together! 🌟 — Kim