A thrilling tech Thursday is here, friends! We start with our trivia. Which company developed the world’s first digital camera but killed it because it would hurt film sales? Was it … A.) Fuji, B.) Polaroid, C.) Kodak or D.) Canon? You’ll find the answer at the end.

☀️ Do your part to keep these newsletters free to you by checking out today’s sponsor, Holiday Rental. They have affordable, gorgeous rentals in Phoenix and Scottsdale — including the “Camelback Mountain Estate” I owned and loved for 17 years. Plan your dream getaway now. Heck yeah, it comes with $1,000 in amenities, too. Don’t miss out on this! — Kim

When I saw this news, I had to share it with you. Like “Black Mirror” coming to life, new AI-powered health care tech just dropped. Be assured, though, I did a ton of research so you’ll know what it is when it pops up in your town. This is def a talker for around the dinner table.

Inside the so-called CarePod, you can get your blood drawn, your blood pressure read and even take a strep throat test, all without a real live doctor or nurse present. That's right — just you and AI in a room. Say it with me out loud: "Holy mother of robots!"

Paging Dr. Robot

CarePod is the baby of AI-centric health care company Forward Health. It has facilities across the U.S. that blend AI-powered tech with traditional health care. People say it feels like your doctor's office collided with an Apple Store.

The first 25 CarePods will launch in cities like Scottsdale, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. It's hoping to have 3,200 robo-docs up and running within a year. You'll find CarePods in malls and office buildings if all goes well.

Open the health pod door, Dave

So, how does it work? First, you'll walk up to the health pod's door and unlock it with your phone. Inside, you'll find a large touchscreen, a chair and a glowing ring on the floor that's the full-body scanner.

On the touchscreen, you'll see several options like a full body scan, thyroid testing, diabetes screening and much more — a program for every ailment. On the side, a drawer pops open with everything you need for whichever tests you choose.

After your test is complete, you'll get a diagnosis on the screen. If there's any follow-up needed, a (human) Forward Health doctor will provide a prescription or additional instructions.

Need a blood test? CarePod has a single-use, needleless collection device. Blood pressure is measured through a wireless arm cuff. CarePod can also check for STDs, but we're in the dark about how that one happens.

Would you use it?

The cost? On-demand access and virtual visits are available for $99 a month. They don’t accept insurance. Snagging a medical appointment right now can be a real headache. Enter telehealth — your digital doc for those moments when you don't need the tests, just the talk. But sometimes you need more than that.

These medical pods will offer health care testing that’s quick and convenient, minus the waiting rooms. I think this could be a real winner when you need physical tests. I mean, when you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

My mind goes to privacy

Of course it does! We dug into the privacy policy to see what this AI doc collects and shares — and how it protects that data. Read the quick post on my site for details.

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🖥️ Update your Windows PC: The latest Patch Tuesday addresses 58 vulnerabilities, including five zero-day flaws. Notable exploits include an Azure info leak, a Windows ICS RCE thriller and a Hyper‑V escape act granting programs backstage SYSTEM privileges. Translation: Now is an excellent time to check for updates.

Creep or catch: Single women are turning to Facebook chatting groups with names like “Are We Dating the Same Guy” to see if the men they meet on dating apps are single, sane and safe. PSA: If you have to ask strangers these questions, he’s not the guy for you.

Bing Chat, begone: Microsoft rebranded its AI chatbot, Copilot, to seem better than it is. To access it, head to copilot.microsoft.com. (You can make an account for free.) Good move leaving Bing behind. Let’s face it, the search engine is lame, even when loaded with AI.

🏡 Too many bad latitudes: Amazon’s latest Alexa trick is a map view that lets you create a digital floor plan for easy device control. The upside: Better smart home organization and customization. The downside: It only works if you have a newer iPhone, and, uh, you’re handing Amazon a complete map of your house. Not a smart idea.

Check your medicine cabinet: Amazon just ditched seven eyedrop products flagged for safety concerns (after the FDA got pretty pushy). If you have Optique 1 Eye Drops, OcluMed Eye Drops, TRP Natural Eyes Floaters Relief, Similasan Pink Eye Relief, The Goodbye Company Pink Eye, Can‑C Eye Drops or and Manzanilla Sophia Chamomile Herbal Eye Drops, eye’d drop ‘em.

Sorry, meteorologists: DeepMind's GraphCast AI takes less than a minute to pump out 10-day weather predictions with 90% accuracy, leaving traditional models in the rain. No fancy algorithms here. It's all about deep learning on historical data, making weather predictions cheaper and more spot-on. Talk about a climate revolution.

🐄 Moove over: Florida rancher Jim Strickland is using technology to put cowboys out of work. He fitted his cattle with GPS-tracking devices that also work like shock collars for dogs, letting him create an invisible fence anywhere on his property from his iPad. If the cows are shocked, they’ll move to an area within the invisible barrier.

Once-trendy Spotify tattoos are over: Remember people getting QR codes inked on their skin to play songs? What could go wrong? Well, everything. Fading ink and sagging skin make them impossible to scan. Reminds me … Why did the bald guy get tattoos of rabbits on his head? Because from a distance, they look like hares. (Oh, good one!)

Hackers (or even some creepy chat room admins) can take over webcams remotely. It’s terrifying to think about. Know the signs in case it happens to you.

• The webcam light is on when you're not using it. Your light should only come on when the camera is in use.
• You see weird icons or unfamiliar programs on your desktop. Creeps could've installed software to access your webcam.
• There are unexpected pop-ups and documents in your files.
• Friends start receiving weird messages or emails from you. Your webcam could be compromised, and the hacker sends and receives data from it.
• There are browser extensions you didn't install. Hackers use them to access your webcam.

✅ Don’t stop there: I’ve got steps on my site to lock down your webcam. I always have your back.

In my no-nonsense, straight-talking podcast, I serve up everything tech in digestible, fun-sized pieces. New to the tech scene? Or maybe you're a pro? Doesn't matter. I’ve got you covered.

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📷 Go ahead, take a few: If you're like me and have thousands of photos on your phone, you're gonna love this. Google Photos's new Photo Stacks feature automatically groups similar pics. Now you can find that vacation photo you love to show off without scrolling for two minutes mid-conversation.

Finders keepers: Looking for a file? Hit the Windows key and start typing the name. That’s it. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar and start typin’. So simple and saves so much time.

🆘 Safety first, subscription second: Apple is doing iPhone 14 users a solid and extending the free trial of its Emergency SOS app for another year. (Smart PR move.) It already has a two-year free trial — and the extension lets Apple avoid naming a price for if or when it becomes paid. Emergency SOS has saved lives. So glad to hear it.

My AI rule of thumb: I use ChatGPT to shortcut all kinds of things in my personal and work life — but I never enter confidential or sensitive information. You shouldn’t, either.

Genius hack: Printer out of black ink? Change the color to #010101. It’ll look black, but it’s really 99% gray. You’ll feel brilliant, too.

Shared for the sheer halibut

The answer: C.) Kodak. Yup, shutter up, for reels. In 1975, engineer Steven Sasson built the world's first digital camera, a clunky gadget that took 23 seconds to capture one 0.01-megapixel photo. The company shelved the idea, worried it might crash its film empire.

🌴 Do your future self a favor and check out today’s sponsor, Holiday Rental. Arizona is perfect this time of year, with highs around 70 degrees. Plus, you can hang out at my house. I’ll be back tomorrow with the best newsletter in the USA. Until then, stay your amazing self! 😎 — Kim