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If you get your phone wet, your first thought is probably to put it in rice. But please don't. You shouldn't use rice to dry out a wet smartphone , period. Experts have been saying for years that the rice method actually works slower than simply setting the phone on a counter. It can even make the situation worse by leaving goopy, wet grains stuck in your phone's crevices. Yet this myth is so pervasive that Apple explicitly told people to stop doing it as late as 2024. People keep doing it despite all the warnings against it. Case in point, smartphone myths don't take much to get started and become almost impossible to debunk once they do. And trust us, the rice myth is only one in a very, very long list. Some myths are more or less harmless. Others could put your entire digital life in peril. Here are 12 smartphone myths that we all need to stop believing yesterday. For many people, it's become a sort of end-of-the-day ritual to open the app switcher and close all the background apps they've used during the day. The logic comes from computers — open background programs consume resources, so closing them frees those resources. Except, smartphones work differently. This one has been known to be wrong for a long time. Back in 2016, an Apple executive confirmed there was no reason to do it. Apple's support page on closing an app corroborates this, recommending it only if an app is unresponsive. The same goes for Android. In fact, experts say closing background apps probably makes things worse. Smartphones are extremely efficient with their limited horsepower, automatically freeing up system resources by suspending apps as necessary. To actually limit which apps are running in the background and eating up resources, go to General > Background App Refresh on your iPhone and toggle off any offending apps. On Android, go to Battery > Battery Saver and enable Adaptive Battery. If you want to go even further, go to the app's setting page and disable Allow background usage. Just be aware that this could cause notification problems . Sometimes, a myth starts as good advice, then time goes by, and it becomes problematic. You've probably been told by tech-savvy people over the years that leaving your phone plugged in overnight will ruin the battery. It used to be that your phone was effectively topping itself off nonstop throughout the night — dropping from 100% to 99%, charging back up to 100%, and ad nauseam — which is bad news for a lithium-ion battery's health. Nowadays, though, optimized battery charging modes are commonplace. Optimized charging should be enabled by default, but just in case, head to Settings > Battery > Charging and enable Optimized Battery Charging on iPhone. On Android, it's in Settings > Battery > Charging optimization. Your phone learns from your daily sleep schedule, charging up to 80%, then waiting to charge the rest of the way a few minutes before you wake up. Really, the bigger issue here is that people shouldn't be charging their phones to 100% and letting them drop to 0%. Lithium-ion batteries last the longest when you keep them in the Goldilocks zone of 20% to 80% — or, if you're especially dedicated, 40% to 80%. Hopefully, new revolutionary battery technologies will make all this fussing with charging optimization a thing of the past. Yet another piece of wisdom that, if someone told you this 15 years ago, was probably true to an extent. Phone manufacturers used to ship proprietary charging bricks and cables with their devices and often recommended only charging with same-brand hardware for safety reasons. Perhaps you heard a secondhand story or two of someone's phone dying after plugging into a mystery charger. Times have changed. Nowadays, you can charge an iPhone or Android device without the proprietary brick or cable. Smartphones have improved drastically, with built-in protections to prevent battery damage if a brick supports a higher charge level than the phone. It's only when you need fast-charge speeds that using the right brick matters. The real issue is using cheap bricks and cables from questionable companies. In other words, maybe skip that $5 charger you found at the gas station or on Alibaba. Buy from a highly-rated third-party brand like Anker. Invest in that iPhone 3-in-1 charger , and your phone will thank you for it. This goes double for a wireless charger, which can be bad for your phone's battery even if it's a brand-name product. One thing that most certainly is not a myth is how dangerous it is to click on unknown download links. All it takes is opening one malicious executable on your desktop computer to blow the doors wide open for a hacker. Fortunately, smartphones get most of their apps from the tightly regulated, closely controlled Google Play Store and Apple App Store, so they're safe ... right? Not exactly. For years, both app stores have been negligent enough to allow outright malware and scams to be distributed through their platforms. In 2024, Zscaler found 90 malicious applications that had gotten 5.5 million downloads on the Google Play Store — and this is only one report in 2024. The situation isn't necessarily better on Apple's famously strict App Store. In 2019, 18 malware-laden apps slipped through Apple's defenses. In 2021, The Washington Post reported that 2% of the top 1,000 App Store apps were effectively scams. We could keep giving examples, but the evidence makes the point: just because an app is on the official store doesn't mean it's safe. The takeaway here is to "drive defensively" online. Avoid the worst cybersecurity mistakes , whether it's using simple passwords or thoughtlessly clicking on links. Check an app's user reviews and use common sense. If you're getting a weird gut feeling, heed it and keep your distance. Smartphones have given DSLRs a run for their money in the past decade, and you only need a handful of photography tips to take great photos. Thing is, progress has stagnated. Cheap Android phones can take excellent shots, while flagship devices from this year produce only marginally better pictures than their predecessors from five years ago. Despite this, cameras remain the marquee selling point of just about every smartphone these days, and the big statistic they always focus on is the megapixel count. For the layman, it seems fairly straightforward: more megapixels, better pictures. But this isn't necessarily true. More megapixels do produce bigger, more detailed images. Zooming in, you will find more detail in a 24 MP picture compared to a 12 MP one. However, what really makes a good smartphone picture is the onboard processing. The Google Pixel doesn't necessarily have the biggest or best camera sensor, but it did win the top three spots in Marques Brownlee's blind smartphone camera test. It's not about how much money you spend, either. The $1,200 Sony Xperia 1 V produced some of the worst portrait shots in Brownlee's testing. At the end of the day, what matters is choosing a smartphone with processing that produces pictures you like, not a smartphone with top-of-the-line camera specs. Aside from having a phone that supports fast charging, there's not much else you can do to speed up charging. That is (some might say) unless you disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, turn on low power mode, set screen brightness as low as it will go — and most importantly, turn on airplane mode. Airplane mode is touted as a one-tap way to do most of that without creating a shortcut or changing a whole bunch of settings that you'll have to revert later. Or is it? CNET tested this theory way back in 2014. According to them, enabling airplane mode only reduced charging time by about four minutes, and in some cases, 11 minutes. That might seem like an open-and-shut case, but there are a couple of things to consider. One, airplane mode isn't technically charging your phone faster. It disables settings (like Wi-Fi and cellular) that consume energy, allowing more power to go toward charging. But those settings are going to consume varying amounts of energy depending on how strong your Wi-Fi and cellular signal is in a given place. Two, this test was conducted 10 years ago. Smartphones have become much more efficient since then, and the test would need to be replicated on dozens of modern smartphone models to reach a definitive conclusion. Finally, most smartphones take about an hour to charge anyway — making an 11-minute improvement almost negligible — and you'd be robbed of the smartphone's functionality in the meantime. Over the past decade or so, it's come to light (pun intended) that blue light from your phone's screen disrupts your circadian rhythm, making it difficult to fall asleep after exposure to it. To combat this, smartphone manufacturers introduced dark mode and features like Night Shift on iPhone that give your screen an orange hue to help you sleep better. It seemed like we had the problem solved — until recent research. A 2019 study by the University of Manchester suggested that blue light has less impact on sleeping patterns than yellow light, and a 2023 study published in Nature Human Behavior concurred. We may have gone on this blue-light-eradicating craze based entirely on earlier, misunderstood research. So what's keeping us awake, then? Short answer: screens, regardless of color. It makes sense when you think about it. Light (like the sun) tells your body to wake up and be alert, so shining a bright light in your face — your screen — clearly isn't going to help you feel sleepy. Get away from those screens a couple of hours before bedtime. Read a book, listen to some relaxing music, and give your poor eyes a break for once. When 5G started rolling out in 2019, it was supposed to revolutionize mobile data. Instead, many people disable it because it drains battery. What 5G did revolutionize, however, was a new era of disinformation — particularly the scary idea that 5G emits dangerous radiation that causes cancer and headaches. To all the people who believe this, let's be abundantly clear: 5G has no proven, conclusive negative health effects. None. Nada. Zilch. Some studies have claimed to find a link between 5G and potential health issues, but they haven't been replicated enough and are often contradicted by other studies. This isn't to say more research won't change the paradigm later, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. A raft of independent, replicable studies would be needed before anyone can credibly claim that 5G is harmful. Anyone who champions the claim of harm despite this is either acting in bad faith or is dangerously misinformed. Humans have been exposed to electromagnetic radiation from cell towers (and many, many other sources) for decades, and there's still no evidence that it's hurting us. If you're worried about harmful radiation, then you are much better off focusing on wearing sunscreen. The evidence is indisputable: UV rays from the sun damage your DNA and increase your skin cancer risk. Never open banking apps or sensitive accounts on public Wi-Fi, people often say, unless you're using a VPN. Otherwise, hackers will intercept your information, steal your money, and leave you high and dry. Except ... no, not really. This used to be true when HTTP (unencrypted web traffic) was the norm and Wi-Fi protocols were weak. These days, the vast majority of websites use HTTPS (encrypted web traffic), and most web browsers warn you before connecting to an unencrypted website. Further, modern devices notify you if the network security is weak. Using HTTPS on properly configured Wi-Fi networks is generally enough to stay safe on public Wi-Fi. The real threat isn't hackers lurking on trustworthy public Wi-Fi networks — it's hackers pretending to be trustworthy public Wi-Fi networks. This is known as an "evil twin" attack. According to NordVPN , hackers go to places with free public Wi-Fi and create a false network with the exact same name — or better yet, provide a free network where none exists. Once you connect to an evil twin, the hacker redirects you to fake websites that mimic the ones you use, like your email or bank account. They skim your credentials when you try to log in, using them to access your accounts. Evil twins pop up anywhere you'd expect to find free Wi-Fi — airports, universities, even your nearby Starbucks — and it's virtually impossible to differentiate a legitimate network from an evil twin. Basically, you should avoid public Wi-Fi as much as reasonably possible. If you can't avoid it, at least don't log in to sensitive accounts or services while using it. Aside from putting bags under seats, buckling up, and watching tired flight attendants teach you how to strap on an oxygen mask, you know you'll inevitably be required to put your phone in airplane mode. We've been told for years that cellphone signals interfere with sensitive equipment, conjuring a scary image of the plane dropping out of the sky just because you were too lazy to toggle it on. But is there any truth to this? No, not really. According to CNN , smartphones not set to airplane mode don't pose a threat to the airplane's signal-sensitive gear. There was some concern in the early days of mobile phones about this theoretical interference, but studies have yet to demonstrate any issues — even after the rollout of 5G, which has so far proven harmless despite its proximity to airline frequencies. One reason for airplane mode may be to avoid disrupting the flight crew. According to Britannica , smartphones occasionally provoke audio artifacts that, while not risky to the plane, can annoy the pilots. Another reason may be to prevent inconsiderate people from being more disruptive than they already are. Imagine how annoying it would be to have a whole bunch of loud, chatty passengers taking calls during a flight that's already uncomfortable. It's a recipe for so-called "air rage." The EU has already allowed in-flight phone usage, so it may only be a matter of time before the myth gets debunked and the U.S. allows the same. Until then, the biggest reason to enable airplane mode (aside from complying with the flight crew) is to save your battery. Your phone wastes a ton of energy searching for signals, which could leave you with a dead battery on arrival. We've discussed how efficient phones are and why it's pointless to close background apps unless they are misbehaving. But this has led to another myth that requires debunking: your phone never needs to be restarted except for updates. This isn't true. Phones, like computers, have apps that suffer memory leaks, experience bugs, and don't always succeed in clearing RAM or resolving issues. These problems can accumulate and worsen performance. Restarting is a quick and easy way to freshen up a sluggish phone. So how often should you restart? About once a week is ideal. It only takes a minute, so set a reminder to do so each weekend. Another reason for this weekly restart comes from the NSA. Ostensibly, certain types of cyberattacks can be thwarted just by powering off regularly. Restarting keeps your phone fast and protected in one simple step. We saved the best for last: The biggest myth that needs debunking is this – updating your phone slows it down. Over the years, we've seen various seeming confirmations that smartphone manufacturers quietly slow older devices in an effort to get people to buy new ones. Apple famously got busted big time with "Batterygate," where it confirmed it was slowing down older iPhones. Many people took this as a cue to stop updating their phones to prevent being throttled by software updates. However, this myth is a misunderstanding of a well-intentioned decision, and heeding it puts you in grave digital danger. It's hard to defend Apple's anti-consumer practices, but as far as Batterygate goes, they were in the right. Worn-out batteries in old devices don't just lose capacity; they also put out less current, which could cause random shutdowns. To prevent this, Apple underclocked older devices. Replacing the battery on an old device is all it takes to bring it back to maximum performance. Updates don't just include new features and bug fixes — they also patch known vulnerabilities. Failing to update puts you at the mercy of hackers, who scan for vulnerable devices within 15 minutes of a vulnerability becoming public. Finally, the apps you use will eventually drop support for outdated operating systems. Trust us, updating your phone is in your best interest.WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a defense policy bill on Wednesday, governing a record $895 billion in annual military spending, despite inclusion of a controversial policy targeting gender-affirming care for transgender children. The tally was 281-140 in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, sending it for consideration by the Democratic-led U.S. Senate. In addition to the typical NDAA provisions on purchases of military equipment and boosting competitiveness with archrivals like China and Russia, this year's 1,800-page bill focuses on improving the quality of life for the U.S. military. It authorizes a 14.5% pay increase for the lowest-ranking troops, and 4.5% for the rest of the force, which is higher than usual. It also authorizes the construction of military housing, schools and childcare centers. The bill bans the military health program, TRICARE, from covering gender-affirming care for the transgender children of service members if it could risk sterilization. Including the provision in the bill, which sets policy for the Department of Defense, underscored how much attention transgender issues have gotten in U.S. politics and indicated Republicans plan to continue to highlight the politically polarizing topic. President-elect Donald Trump and many other Republicans blasted Democrats for supporting transgender rights during the 2024 election campaign, which ended with Republicans keeping control of the House and taking control of the Senate and White House starting next month. After it passed, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the measure as refocusing the military on its core mission. "Our men and women in uniform should know their first obligation is protecting our nation, not woke ideology," he said in a statement. The measure did not include some other Republican proposals on social issues, including an effort to prohibit TRICARE from covering gender-affirming care for transgender adults and a measure that would have reversed the Pentagon's policy of funding travel for abortion for troops stationed in states where the procedure is banned. The massive bill is one of the few major pieces of legislation that Congress passes every year and lawmakers take great pride in having passed it every year for more than six decades. The bill is a compromise between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, reached during weeks of negotiations behind closed doors. House passage sends the measure to the Democratic-led Senate. Passage there would send it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law or veto. The NDAA authorizes Pentagon programs, but does not fund them. Congress must separately pass funding in a spending bill for the fiscal year ending in September 2025. That bill is unlikely to be enacted before March. Sign up here. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and David Gregorio Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Thomson Reuters Patricia Zengerle has reported from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China. An award-winning Washington-based national security and foreign policy reporter who also has worked as an editor, Patricia has appeared on NPR, C-Span and other programs, spoken at the National Press Club and attended the Hoover Institution Media Roundtable. She is a recipient of the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence.fishing reel 。

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man charged with Brian Thompson, suffered from a spinal condition. included several references to back pain. On X, Mangione's banner included an X-ray image of a spine after a spinal fusion. On his Reddit account, he posted in a subreddit for spondylolisthesis, a lower back condition most often caused by joint deterioration. Mangione also mentioned in handwritten notes from 2019 reviewed by Business Insider. According to Cleveland Clinic, spondylolisthesis is usually caused by aging (as the discs holding the vertebrae weaken) or injuries. It is a condition when one of the bones in the spine falls out of alignment and "presses down" on the vertebra below it. That pressure on nearby nerves can cause Other symptoms include sciatica (nerve pain that runs down from the lower back to the legs), back stiffness, numbness, and difficulty walking. Not everyone needs spinal fusion surgery to realign their vertebrae; depending on the severity of the symptoms, rest, physical therapy, and wearing a brace can help reduce pain, as can taking over-the-counter medications when symptoms flare up. In 2022, Mangione moved to a co-living space in Honolulu called Surfbreak. According to a Reddit post, he experienced sciatica, nerve pain that runs down from the lower back to the legs, for the first time after a surf session. "A few weeks later I slipped on a piece of paper and my right glute locked and right leg shut down for a week," he wrote in 2022. "Couldn't support any weight on it." Prior to his back surgery in 2023, Mangione also described having "near-constant burning/twitching in both ankles/calves" and "back and genital pain" on Reddit — symptoms of sciatica. R.J. Martin, who owns Surfbreak, told the that shortly after moving in, Mangione experienced such debilitating pain from a group surfing lesson that he needed Martin to switch out his mattress. Mangione also told Martin that his condition prevented him from being in a romantic relationship. "He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn't possible," Martin said. "I remember him telling me that, and my heart just breaks." At first, the back surgery seemed to improve Mangione's symptoms — he posted in 2023 that it was a "success." But by June 2024, he started and eventually lost touch with friends and family. According to Mayo Clinic, spinal fusion surgeries for spondylolisthesis "can have very good outcomes when performed well and for the right reasons." Read the original article onCollege football: Marshall to face Army in Independence Bowl

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Former Portugal and Manchester United winger Nani announced his retirement on Sunday at the age of 38. Nani joined United in 2007 and went on to make 230 appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals. He won the Champions League in his first season and went on to win four Premier League titles and two League Cups in eight seasons. "The time has come to say goodbye, I have decided to finish my career as a professional player," Nani wrote on social media. "It's been an amazing ride and I wanted to thank every single person who has helped me and supported me through the highs and lows during a career which lasted over 20 years and gave me so many unforgettable memories. Time to turn a new leaf and focus on new goals and dreams. See you soon!" Nani, who has been playing in the Portuguese top flight this season for his hometown club Estrela Amadora, played his last game against his former club Sporting last month. He also played for Valencia, Lazio, Orlando City, Venezia, Melbourne Victory and Adana Demirspor. Nani scored 24 goals in 112 caps for Portugal, winning the European Championship in 2016.

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