The mall was where you found out what people were wearing, what music everyone was listening to, and which movie you suddenly needed to see.

You'd flip through albums and cassettes at the record store without buying anything.

Wander through Spencer's and look at stuff you probably weren't supposed to.

Check out the posters.

Hit the arcade.

Grab an Orange Julius or something from the food court.

And eventually make another lap around the mall because...well, what else were you going to do?

If you were a teenager, there was also the possibility that somebody you liked might be there.

Which meant casually walking past the same store three times while pretending you hadn't noticed them.

Plans weren't always very complicated, either.

“Meet us by the fountain at 2.”

No group text, no location sharing, no twenty messages asking “Where are you?”

If somebody wasn't there, you waited. Or you wandered around looking for them.

The mall was our social network, our entertainment center, our search engine and occasionally our dating app.

We discovered things there.

We ran into people there.

We spent entire afternoons there without spending much money at all.

Eventually, most of those things moved onto screens.

Shopping. Music. Movies. Friends. Dating. Killing time.

We gained convenience.

But we lost something, too.

Because scrolling through a feed isn't quite the same as walking into the mall on a Saturday afternoon and wondering...

who you might run into.

The IRS has launched a new official mobile app, replacing the old IRS2Go app and adding quite a few things you previously had to visit the IRS website to do.

After signing in, you can now use the app to:

If you already had IRS2Go and automatic updates turned on, you may find that it simply updates to the new IRS app. Otherwise, it's available free through Google Play and the Apple App Store.

One thing worth remembering:

Don't search for an IRS app and download the first thing that pops up.

The IRS specifically warns about look-alike apps, ads and unsolicited messages. Your safest bet is to follow the verified app links directly from IRS.gov.

It won't replace IRS.gov completely, but for checking a refund, grabbing a transcript or finding an IP PIN without digging through the website, it could come in handy.

The IRS in your pocket.

I'm not entirely sure that's progress...but here we are.

Get the official IRS app

QR codes are everywhere now.

Restaurant menus. Parking meters. Concert tickets. Store displays. Signs taped to tables.

And a lot of us have developed the same habit:

Point the phone. Scan the code. Tap the link.

The problem is that you can't really see where a QR code is sending you before you scan it.

That has created a remarkably simple scam.

Someone places a fake QR-code sticker over the real one. You scan it, land on a convincing-looking website, and enter a credit card number or other information.

You think you're paying for parking.

You're actually handing your information to somebody else.

The easiest defense is also pretty simple: after scanning a QR code, look at the web address before entering anything sensitive. If you're paying a bill, parking fee or making a purchase, going directly to the company's official website or app is safer when there's any doubt.

And if a QR-code sticker looks like it was slapped over another one?

Maybe don't scan that one.

We've gone from being told “Don't click suspicious links” to voluntarily pointing our cameras at mysterious black squares attached to telephone poles.

Sometime this week, when you’re heading home from work, the store, dinner, or wherever, don’t take your usual route.

Take the road you always wonder about.

Turn down a street you’ve never driven.

Cut through an older neighborhood.

Drive through the little downtown you normally bypass.

You don’t need a destination. And you definitely don’t need to research what’s there first.

Just take the long way home.

October is a particularly good month for it. The days are getting shorter, houses are starting to decorate for Halloween, and neighborhoods look completely different when the porch lights come on.

Put on some music. Roll down the windows if the weather cooperates. And give yourself an extra twenty or thirty minutes to get home.

You might discover a park, a restaurant, some interesting looking houses, a strange roadside attraction or absolutely nothing.

That’s kind of the point.

We’ve gotten remarkably good at finding the fastest route everywhere.

Every once in a while, choose the interesting one instead.

You already know where the usual road goes.

Every town seemed to have one.

The mall where you spent Saturday afternoons. Where you bought your first cassette. Saw a movie. Hung around the arcade. Ate something questionable at the food court.

Maybe you actually shopped.

Mostly, you probably just wandered around.

And years later, it's funny how clearly we remember those places.

Some of those malls are still around.

Others have been remodeled beyond recognition or disappeared completely.

So here's this week's question:

What was your mall growing up, and what's the one store or place inside it that you remember most?

Hit reply and let me know.

I'm curious how many of those old malls and stores we can collectively bring back to life for a few minutes.

Mine was Parkway Plaza in San Diego.

And that, my fellow Gen Xers, is Issue #004.

Gen No Net will be back next Saturday with more useful finds, smart tips, worthy escapes, and just enough nostalgia.

Until then, get out and go enjoy Mother Nature’s gifts.

Gen No Net

Know another Gen Xer who'd enjoy this? Feel free to forward it to them. 🤙