Technology

See what the home you grew up in looks like now and other Maps tricks

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2024

See what the home you grew up in looks like now and other Maps tricks

I grew up in New Jersey, right next to a state park. I still remember riding my bike all day like it was yesterday. Oh, and the time I threw a snowball at a police car and hit the cop inside. That was bad.

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I hadn’t looked at the house in years, so seeing it on a map took me back. While you’re at it, take yourself on a walk down memory lane, too.

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Blast from the past

There’s something special about seeing what the house you spent your childhood in looks like now — or you can flash back for as long as Google has been collecting pictures in that area.

Open the Google Maps app and search for a place.
At the bottom, tap the place name or address.
Scroll and select the photo labeled Street View or select the thumbnail with a Street View icon.
While viewing a location in Street View, tap anywhere on the image, then tap See more dates.

💡 I have an idea. While you’re looking at your old house, write down three memories in the Notes app on your phone. Next time you’re with the kids, show them the house and tell them a few stories. So fun!

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Plan ahead and save on gas

The longer you spend in traffic, the more gas you’ll burn. Google Maps helps you plan a future trip, taking in predicted traffic, routes, and road conditions along the way.

Here’s how to set a planned time and date for a trip:

Open the Google Maps app and tap on the Search here field.
Enter a destination and select it from the results.
Tap Directions and then the three dots button to the right of the Your location field.
Tap Set depart or arrive time.
Select Depart at and enter a date and time, then tap Done.
You’ll get various route options and details such as time and distance.
Select a route and tap Start.

Step inside buildings

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With Google Maps, you can virtually visit the inside of places such as stores, airports, or hotels. It’s fun to check out photos of places uploaded by other people, too.

Open the Google Maps app, tap the Search box.
Enter a place’s name or an address. Then, at the bottom, tap the place name or address.
Scroll until you see photos and tap on a 360 photo. To see more photos of this location, tap Photos.

You might see a Directory option showing floor plans and restaurant and store lists. The numbers at the bottom of the screen allow you to move from floor to floor. The blue dot icon shows you where you are located in the building.

Bonus: Ahoy, matey

Let’s go from close to home to far away. Google Earth has captured images of thousands of shipwrecks over the decades. To snoop around, open Google Earth and search for the specific coordinates below:

50°23’42.35″N 125°57’25.64″W

64°10’34.46″N 51°43’20.85″W

40°33’24.59″N 74°13’6.22″W

Some people find this so fascinating, they’ve created giant interactive maps. Check out one of the largest here. Super cool, right?

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Technology

Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light

Published

7 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Meta’s glasses will turn off the camera if you tamper with the privacy light

Amid public backlash over its smart glasses, Meta announced that it will be updating its glasses with a new feature that will disable the camera when it detects that someone has tampered with or destroyed the glasses’ privacy LED light. The update is meant to address modders who have taken actions such as physically drilling into the LED light.

Meta has previously tried to discourage tampering with the LED light. For example, starting with its second generation glasses, blocking the light with tape or other objects will trigger a prompt asking users to uncover the recording light. However, many modders have found various workarounds for that particular measure.

Meta’s VP of wearables Alex Himel told The Verge that the privacy-focused update was on the way a few weeks ago after launching cheaper Meta Glasses without Ray-Ban branding. At the time, Himel acknowledged that the company was aware of increasing misuse alongside wider adoption of the devices.

Technology

Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images

Published

18 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and other ‘benign’ images

Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord co-founder and chief technology officer, writes that the bug impacted around 200 users who posted “grid-like” pictures, in addition to about 8,000 people who posted “other benign images” since May 2026. “Everyone affected has now been unbanned,” Vishnevskiy says.

In a thread on X, Discord writes that its safety system is designed to flag content by “matching it against known harmful material.” This system can produce “false positives,” Discord explains, which is when an employee would step in to review the flagged content. But instead of just temporarily preventing the account from uploading content during the review, a glitch led its system to ban users entirely.

“When our staff reviewed and cleared those accounts, the same bug prevented the ban from being lifted automatically, so it just stayed in place,” Discord says.

Technology

Hoto’s PixelDrive screwdriver is down to $60, matching its best price

Published

1 day ago

July 7, 2026

Press Room

Hoto’s PixelDrive screwdriver is down to , matching its best price

If your Prime Day purchases included a new desk, TV stand, bookshelf, or other furniture you still haven’t assembled, Hoto’s PixelDrive cordless screwdriver can help speed up the process. It’s currently on sale for $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, matching its best price to date.

From tightening loose screws on furniture to repairing electronics, the PixelDrive is designed to handle a wide range of household projects. Hoto includes 30 screwdriver bits that cover many of the most common screw types, all neatly organized in a small cylindrical case. It also offers six adjustable torque settings, allowing you to use less power when working with fragile electronics or increase it when putting together a desk, bookshelf, TV stand, or other furniture. You can also switch between a slower 80RPM mode for more precise work and a faster 200RPM mode with the press of a button.

Hoto also added several features that make assembling projects a little easier. A built-in display lets you quickly check your current torque setting and remaining battery life, while an integrated LED light helps illuminate dim spaces, whether you’re working under a desk or inside a cabinet. The rechargeable 2,000mAh battery also charges over USB-C, so you won’t need to keep buying disposable batteries.