The Current + Home Depot scam, Madonna flick, iPad trick, spying AirPod bosses and cinematic selfies - In partnership with Oracle NetSuite | Happy Friday, friend. Steve Jobs once banned a certain office tool from Apple HQ because he said it killed creativity. Not naming names, but your manager probably made you use it last week. Legend has it, if you said the word aloud in Cupertino, a trapdoor opened under your desk. Can you guess what business tool Jobs famously hated and banned from internal use: A) Microsoft Word, B) Google Docs, C) PowerPoint or D) Slack? Find the answer at the end! 🤝 If this brightened your inbox, sharing it would mean a lot to me. Your friends deserve a good read, too. — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) | TODAY'S DEEP DIVE Startups, scandals and shattered dreams Image: ChatGPT I’m way more into movies based on true stories. Real people, real drama, that’s my kind of thing. You can keep the wizards and aliens. Give me a story where something unbelievable actually happened. I put together this list for you as proof that tech isn’t just lines of code or shiny gadgets. It’s ambition, hype, brilliance and yeah, sometimes a total train wreck. You’re gonna want to see each one. 1. The Dropout (Hulu) This is the true story of Theranos, the startup that promised to revolutionize medicine by testing your blood with just a tiny finger prick. Spoiler: It didn’t work. But founder Elizabeth Holmes still raised a billion dollars before it all collapsed. 2. BlackBerry (AMC+ & Amazon Prime) Before iPhones took over, BlackBerry was the phone. This funny film details how a couple of Canadian tech nerds built it and how ego, greed and missed deadlines brought it down. 3. The Billion Dollar Code (Netflix) Two German developers created early Google Earth tech in the ’90s, only to have Google steal it. It’s about big ideas, crushed dreams and the fight to prove who did it first. 4. WeCrashed (Apple TV+) Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway play the power couple behind the coworking cult that convinced investors it was worth $47 billion until it wasn’t. 5. The Great Hack (Netflix) This documentary shows how Cambridge Analytica mined your data and used it to influence elections around the world. Chilling, eye-opening and very real. 6. Jobs (Amazon Prime) Ashton Kutcher takes on Steve Jobs. It’s not just about iPhones. It’s about risk, obsession and building something no one believes in. 7. Super Pumped (Netflix) Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Uber founder Travis Kalanick. You’ll get the boardroom fights, power struggles and other potholes that nearly sent a rideshare app spinning out of control. 8. The Playlist (Netflix) Spotify didn’t just stream music, it rewrote the entire music industry. This dramatized series shows what it takes to take on the record labels. 9. Print the Legend (Netflix) A documentary about the early days of 3D printing. Founders battle it out for market share, bragging rights and the future of manufacturing. Nerdy? Yes. Fascinating? Also yes. 10. Tetris (Apple TV+) Yes, the block game. But the story behind it is a Cold War thriller. A developer risks everything to secure the rights to Tetris from Soviet Russia. It’s fast, fun and surprisingly emotional. If you’ve seen any of these or have one I need to add to the list, let me know. I love hearing what you’re watching. Use the share icons below to give your friends something fun to add to their streaming wish list. |
DAILY TECH UPDATE Free TV is having a moment After years of paying for every streamer under the sun, young folks are waking up to broadcast TV. Listen on Komando.com → |
WEB WATERCOOLER 💬 Got a weird text from Home Depot? Like “your order is ready,” but you didn’t buy anything? Someone might’ve typed in your number by mistake, but it could also be a scam. Hackers can spoof five-digit numbers to send “view your order” phishing links. Don’t click anything. Log in to your account to check. Madonna’s biopic got scrapped: But don’t panic, we’re getting a Netflix miniseries instead. Honestly, that’s way better. You really think you can squeeze her entire, drama-packed life into two hours? Please. Word is Julia Garner might play her, but who knows who’ll take on Sean Penn or Warren Beatty. Either way, I’m watching. 🌀 Selfies, but cinematic: Google’s Gemini AI can now turn a single image into a full five-second video. It’s launching with the Honor 400, which sounds like a hovercar but is actually a smartphone. Finally, your brunch avocado toast can have its own origin story. 🩸 ChatGPT spotted it first: A woman had night sweats and itchy skin, but her doctor said everything looked normal. She ChatGPT’d her symptoms, and it said blood cancer. The warning was ignored, and a few months later, she was back at the doctor with chest pain and fatigue. Turns out? It was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Your boss knows: Turns out your free “work perk” might be a mic'd-up Trojan horse. Experts say company-issued AirPods can be linked to your boss’s Apple ID and track your location. HR “saw” you at the happy hour, Karen. Enjoy your “performance review.” You’ll need to restore the AirPods’ factory settings manually to avoid this. 🌴 It’s not just beds anymore: Airbnb just leveled up with its new services live in 260+ cities. The app now offers spa treatments, private chefs, personal trainers and more. Basically, it evolved from “couch in Berlin” to celebrity-led adventures like Megan Thee Stallion’s anime-themed “Otaku Hottie Quest,” whatever that means. 💆♀️ I’m not saying collagen is a miracle powder, but … I take two scoops a day, and let’s just say my hair and nails aren’t complaining. Collagen gives your bones extra support, helps smooth out those fine lines and adds a little strength where you want it most. Want to try what I use? Use this link for 45% off.* Your future self (and skin) will thank you. |
DIGITAL LIFE HACK New car buying scam Buying a car online? Even with video tours and snazzy websites, scammers are stealing thousands. Listen on Komando.com → |
DEVICE ADVICE ⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On LinkedIn? You can turn off “seen” receipts under Settings > Communications > Read receipts. 🚨 A sneaky virus could be to blame. I always say it’s better to be safe than sorry, which is why I trust TotalAV. For just $19 for the first year, you get rock-solid antivirus protection on up to five devices. It’s smart, simple and keeps your tech safe without breaking the bank. Tag, you’re it: Typing a long question for ChatGPT (or any bot)? Use XLM tags to help the AI follow your thoughts. They look like this: <example>your words</example>. For phrases with multiple words, use an underscore <like_this>. This helps avoid those pesky hallucinations, if you have lots of info. ⭐ Rate and reward: Want more online reviews? Ask your customers to leave one on Google or Yelp for a giveaway. Use Google Forms to collect the entries and announce the winners in a social post or email. Pro tip: Thank them in a shout-out. This keeps the good vibes (and stars) rolling. Write swipes: Swipe up from the bottom right of your iPad to open a Quick Note and jot down an idea. Head to Settings > Multitasking & Gestures and toggle on Swipe Finger from Corner to turn this on. You can also choose what each corner does, like taking a Screenshot with a swipe from the bottom left. ⌚ Watch these moves: Control your smartwatch with just a flick of your wrist. On an Apple Watch, head to Settings > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch. For a Samsung Galaxy Watch, go to Settings > Accessibility > toggle on Universal Gestures. When you’re done setting up, both offer a tutorial on the hands-free moves you can do. Neat. 🔋 Make your laptop battery last longer: Windows 11’s Dynamic Refresh Rate adjusts how often your screen updates for simple tasks. Go to Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display > Choose a refresh rate > Dynamic. |
BY THE NUMBERS $500 million How much funding Perplexity AI is about to land, pushing its valuation to $14 billion. For context, it was $3 billion last June. So what’s the buzz? They’re pulling in around $100 million in annual recurring revenue and plan to launch an AI agent web browser called Comet. You could say investors are seeing stars. $800 million The estimated value of unsold Cybertrucks collecting dust on Tesla lots. With over 10,000 cars sitting in dealer inventory, the stainless-steel behemoth is shaping up to be less “futuristic tank” and more “Elon’s very expensive parking lot decor.” Turns out the PS1-looking fever dream isn’t exactly America’s sweetheart. $29.99 The monthly price of ESPN’s new all-access streaming app. It comes with access to all ESPN live games, documentaries, fantasy sports and enough studio programming to make you forget you haven’t gone outside since football season started. |
WHAT THE TECH? | Image: https://neal.fun/internet-roadtrip |
| Somewhere in the great digital beyond, 1,000 people are crammed into a virtual clown car, attempting to road-trip across the U.S. using only Google Street View, chaos and vibes. It’s called Internet Roadtrip, and it’s basically Twitch Plays Oregon Trail, if you replaced the wagon with a digital car full of Redditors. Participants slug through the world’s road trip capital on Google Maps, and every nine seconds, they vote on turns, radio stations and honking. The only rule? Forward only. Every intersection becomes a chat-fueled debate, like herding cats, but the cats are all screaming about route optimization. |
LOGGING OUT ... The answer: C) PowerPoint. Jobs was all about storytelling and visuals, and he insisted on no slides, just people showing up who actually knew what they were talking about. 🛣️ Oh, this is so bad. Why did the PowerPoint presentation cross the road? To get to the other slide. (I warned you.) How do people actually know what they’re talking about these days? Reading the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. is a strong start, you’re already ahead of the game! 🌟 Join me on Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook for more fun and reels. Tomorrow, the best travel tech goodies you will use time and time again. Until then, you’re the algorithm for awesome today! 🧠— Kim 📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here) | |
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