I read a geeky article that I think you’ll also find amazing. 

Google quietly used its Android operating system to turn billions of phones into the largest earthquake detection network in human history.

Your Android phone can warn you about an earthquake before the shaking even starts. It’s built right in. You can do the same with your iPhone, too.

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Earthquakes begin with fast, subtle P-waves. Those are the early rumbles most people don’t feel at all. But your phone’s accelerometer (yep, the same sensor that knows when you turn your phone sideways) can detect those waves. 

When enough Android phones in the same area sense the same motion, Google’s system kicks in and sends early alerts to people who are about to get hit by the stronger, slower S-waves. Those are the ones that cause damage.

This gives you 15 to 60 seconds of warning. Not much time, but enough to move away from windows, duck under a desk or stop that ladder climb. Seconds matter when the ground starts rolling.

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According to a study in Science, the Android-based earthquake detection network caught over 11,000 real earthquakes between 2021 and 2024. 

It covers 98 countries and pushes out around 18 million alerts a month. 

In some cases, people had over a minute’s notice before the shaking started. And false alarms? Just three total across more than 1,300 confirmed events. Try getting those odds from your weather app. That’s incredible for a free feature hiding in your phone.

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Even if you don’t live on the San Andreas Fault, make sure the setting is on in case you travel to an area where you need it:

Got a Wear OS smartwatch? It’ll buzz your wrist, too, even if your phone’s in another room.

Apple hasn’t enrolled in Quake University (yet). Though iPhones have accelerometers, too, Apple doesn’t use them for earthquake detection. If you’re on Team iPhone, use the free MyShake to get alerts from official seismic networks.

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

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An illegal alien convicted of a conspiracy to murder a teenager using a baseball bat in the Philadelphia area is among some of the "worst of the worst" criminal illegals arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the country in recent weeks, according to the agency.

A statement by ICE says that Bou Khathavong, an illegal alien and dual citizen of Laos and Thailand, was arrested on July 25 by officials from ICE Philadelphia. According to ICE, Khathavong has previously been convicted of conspiracy to murder a teenager with a baseball bat in in Pennnsylvania.

Another statement by the Department of Homeland Security released on Tuesday highlighted other "worst of the worst" illegal aliens arrested in recent weeks, including several pedophiles, drug traffickers and individuals convicted of cruelty and neglect of a child and involvement in a hit-and-run that resulted in death.

DHS said illegal alien Santiago Geovany Garcia-Rosales, a 35-year-old from Guatemala, was convicted of failure to stop and render aid involving a death in Harris County, Texas. He was arrested by ICE Houston on July 28, according to ICE.

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ICE also arrested Hector Bonaparte-Contreras, a 42-year-old criminal illegal alien from from Mexico, on July 24. Bonaparte-Contreras was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault on a child less than 13 years old in Chicago. 

Another alien, Julio Armando Gomez-Fernandez, was arrested by ICE on July 27 in Dallas. Also an illegal from Mexico, Gomez-Fernandez was previously convicted in Colorado of meth possession with intent to distribute as well as unlawful re-entry.

Manuel Loja, a criminal alien and sex offender from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE Newark on July 24. Loja has been convicted of cruelty and neglect of children in New Jersey.

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DHS pointed out in its release that 70% of ICE arrests include illegal aliens with either criminal convictions or pending charges.

The statement said that "under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, DHS is delivering on its promise to prioritize the American people over illegal aliens and criminal protection policies, removing these public safety threats from American communities."

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also commented on the arrests, blaming the Biden administration for having "allowed dangerous criminals to pour into our country."

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"President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to arrest these criminal illegal aliens," said McLaughlin, adding, "From pedophiles to drug traffickers, ICE is prioritizing arresting the worst of the worst. We will not allow criminal illegals to terrorize American communities."