BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. – When Paris Hoisington and her family found a message in a small bottle on the beach last month, it seemed the story had ended with the bottle’s 4,600-mile, eight-year journey.

Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty.

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With more than a decade of experience, Nelson covers Apple and Google and writes about iPhone and Android features, privacy and security settings, and more. AI is not an infallible search engine, but ...