The Internet was abuzz recently following a report that a Portland, Oregon family's Amazon Echo allegedly recorded a "private conversation" and sent it to a "random stranger." That sounds a lot more sinister than what actually happened and, thankfully, there's a trick you can do to ensure this doesn't happen to you.

While you technically can flush your old pills or throw them out, the The Pharmacy Guild of Australia strongly advises against it. That and there's enough nasty stuff going into sewage that it's best to keep medicine out of there if you can.

One terabyte. Yes, you can get solid-state drives packing 1000GB now. The only problem is keeping both your kidneys while still affording one. Fortunately, Amazon US is here to save the day (and your organs): you can grab a 1TB Silicon Power drive with 3D NAND for a sweet $252 delivered.

I love automation; I do. I just think it's the most fun thing ever to walk into my house and have my smart lights immediately pull up some colourful scene — not to mention all the absurd configurations I can create that changes their colours and brightness when certain things happen, ranging from "I got a tweet" to "It's midnight why are you still awake go to bed."

For many — myself included — CCleaner has been the go-to tool for freeing up drive space for years. And while it does the job well, it never hurts to be on the lookout for better programs. Take Wise Disk Cleaner — it not only does much of what CCleaner can do, but goes the extra mile in a lot of ways.

Parents, you've heard the advice: When taking a long flight or road trip with little kids, make sure to bring activities. And so you do. As soon as the young travellers buckle their seat belts, you hand over a backpack or box full of fun stuff to keep them entertained for the duration of the ride, and then recline your seat in bliss. Your job, you believe, is complete. Holiday, here we come!

Maybe you've heard someone mention GDPR in passing, but were too embarrassed to ask what those letters actually stood for. Or maybe your friend posted something online about what GDPR means for online data protection. At the very least, you've probably received a few dozen emails from various companies about how their updated their privacy policies comply with the new law.

Whether it's a hot new movie, a huge sports event, or a TV show that it feels like everyone is watching, it's no fun to be caught out of the loop during water cooler chats or party conversations. If you want to be a part of it all, let go of your pride and ask some dumb questions about it.

We could all use a little more time in the day, and your smartphone apps are here to help you. Plenty of the apps you use every day include handy timesavers that you might not have noticed yet, but fear not — we're here to point them out for you. Use these tricks to claw back some minutes or even some hours out of every day, time you can use for something more productive or enjoyable.

Even though Apple is never going to offer more than 5GB of free storage, it seems, the company is throwing the slightest bone to users frustrated by its 2012-era storage limits: a free month.

Six years ago, one of my best friends and I were pregnant at the same time and throughout the day, we would text each other one word: "Kegels!" It was a reminder for us to get in those pelvic squeezes — 100 a day was a recommendation we both had heard — as a way to prepare our bodies for childbirth. Kegel exercises, the contraction and release of pelvic floor muscles, have reigned for decades as the go-to exercise to help make labour faster and easier.

iOS: Earlier this year, Google teamed up with Nintendo to turn Google Maps into Mario Kart, replacing the app's usual location icon with a fist-bumping plumber riding a red go-kart. The crossover didn't last very long, but Google is now bringing back some of that magic with a new update to the Maps app on iOS.

You can get any level of workout from our fitness trail challenge, no matter what equipment you find. We've already discussed a few ways you can modify the exercises to be easier, if that's what you need, but now let's talk about how to get even more of a challenge.

The world's most watched annual sporting event takes place this Sunday morning in Kiev, when Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid take on English stalwarts Liverpool for the UEFA Champions League Cup. Sports fans the world over want to get in on the action, including the stadium-overflowing amounts of Liverpool fans that call Australia home. If you're looking to catch the game - here's how to do that live, online and free.

Smart home tech is becoming more and more common. So much so that it's worth considering when it comes time to sell your home, especially because it can be so expensive. Does it add value to your home? Or is it merely a perk? Before you go installing the latest gear, here's what you should know.

Happy weekend and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we're making a palmetto cocktail, because I finally had to turn my A/C on, and hot weather calls for rum.

The tough end of the broccoli doesn't get much love. I'm not talking about the little bit of "stem" attached to each floret; I'm talking about the big ol' woody honker that usually gets tossed into the compost. These guys are actually super easy to incorporate into a meal; you just need to treat them right.

In the music video for Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson and four backup dancers used cables and harnesses to lean a full 45 degrees, a move that's physically impossible for an unsupported human body. But somehow, Jackson also performed this dance move live on stage without any visible support. It turns out that in addition to developing impressive core strength, Michael Jackson nailed his shoes to the floor.

A few years ago, most if not all of my friends were single. On any given weeknight, I'd meet with one or five of them for a drink and we'd swap stories about bad dates, bad sex, and bad crushes who refused to give us the time of day.