Hack-a-thon. I have bad news and good news. Bad news: Millions of Instagram records, including follower counts, email addresses, and telephone numbers have been found in an exposed file online. Good news for most of us? It’s primarily data from influencer, celebrity and brand accounts, which means most norms are affected. Still, it’s another huge security and privacy black eye for Instagram parent company Facebook. While passwords were not in the data trove, the information that is there can be used for identity theft. 🤦‍♂️

The Price is Too High. Remember the long-running case between Apple and Qualcomm? Apple had accused Qualcomm of unfair practices in the way it licensed the modem technology Apple was using in most of its phones. Qualcomm was saying, “Pay up!”. The two companies kissed and made up, but others are still taking a hard look at how Qualcomm runs its chip and modem business, part of which could drive the next wave of 5G technology. Now a judge has ruled that Qualcomm is illegally overcharging partners. Qualcomm will appeal, but if it loses, it loses big.

Hello, Mars. It’s unlikely any of us adults will get to Mars in our lifetime, but at least NASA is always willing to send our names there. The space agency just opened a program where you can send in your name in and they’ll etch it on a chip inside the NASA Mars 2020 rover. Yes, it’s free.

The Watcher. Comcast is thinking about getting into the smart home gadget space. According to CNBC, the company has been working on a home health monitor that will watch for falls, frequent trips to the bathroom, and other indications of health changes. It may talk to you but will not be an Alexa competitor. Seems like it might be a good idea for your elderly parents.

Hello VR. Yesterday Oculus started shipping its Oculus Quest and Rift S VR headsets. The latter gear still requires a powerful PC, but the Quest, which I tried out, is self-contained and has excellent inside/out technology that lets you move around and “see” your virtual hands. You can read my full review and also check out my experience using it to play the very cool Star Wars game, Vader Immortal.

P.S. It only hurts when I feel.

Watch it. I have a YouTube Channel. Subscribe!

Share this newsletter! You know you want to.

Support it. Want to sponsor this newsletter? Visit my site and contact me!

Tip me. Have a product or news tip? Hit me up on Twitter (You can DM me if you like).

Podcast Update: 33 Million Miles to Mars is on an extended break. Let me know if you want to help me revive it! You can listen to past episodes here