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August 22, 2023 |
In partnership with Pendulum |
Hello, Tuesday! Nice to see you, friends! Letβs start with our tech trivia. When you type "do a barrel roll" into Google Search, what happens to your browser page? Does it β¦ turn upside down, spin like a barrel roll, become rainbow-colored or shake from left to right? Youβll find the answer at the end! πͺ Be sure to help support this free newsletter by checking out todayβs sponsor, Pendulum. Just to let you know, I donβt get any kickbacks if you buy. Now, brace yourselves for a tech-loaded experience with extreme know-how to live a safer digital life. Thatβs the Komando way! β Kim π« First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itβs free!) IN THIS ISSUEπ¦Ί Before you sell something β¦π¬ Airlines will ban you for thisποΈ $4 movie tickets |
TODAY'S TOP STORYSelling gone wrong: Online marketplace horror storiesI don't mean to frighten you, but there seems to be a disturbing trend when people sell on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist. Sure, these platforms are a decent place to make cash, but scary stuff does happen. Earlier this year, a Florida man was robbed at gunpoint when he met with a buyer for his old iPhone. The suspect was armed and demanded the guy hand over the device. He didn't β and the suspect fired a shot into the ground and clocked him in the face with the gun. Yes, he got away with the phone. Meeting at night is a no-noJust last week in Oklahoma, a woman was badly injured in a Facebook Marketplace meet-up gone bad. She agreed to swap a Nintendo Switch for a laptop. Then, things took a turn. The man met her in a dark parking lot, and the woman immediately noticed the laptop wasn't what heβd shown her online. When she called him out on it, he grabbed both items and hopped back into his truck. She reached in to take back her Switch, and he shifted into reverse, dragging her quite a while before she hit the pavement. The man was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Donβt give out your addressA Seattle man found a buyer for his used MacBook Pro through OfferUp. He gave the buyer his home address, and when he pulled up, the seller noticed the license plates were just dealership ad cards (a big red flag). The buyer insisted on using CashApp and showing the laptop to his girlfriend, who was sitting in the car. When the seller refused, the buyer pulled an eight-inch knife on the man. Yeah, he got away with the laptop. Practice safe sellingIt might be your best bet to go entirely online and let a site like Amazon, Decluttr or Gazelle take your old tech gear. If you do want to sell to someone locally, do it safely: Meet in a public place for your exchange. Bring a friend. Libraries, police departments and municipal buildings are all safe bets. Check out police department safe-trading zones in your area.Stick to daylight hours. If it has to be at night, make sure your meeting place is well-lit and bring someone along.Ask for cash. Some people are fine with payment platforms like PayPal, Venmo or CashApp, but not me.Be aware of your surroundings. When the other party arrives, look at the vehicle and license plate number. Snap a pic if you can without arousing suspicion.Avoid giving your real phone number. If you're using Facebook Marketplace, communicate through the app. You can also set up a free burner phone number.You know, I just bought a used time machine on Craigslist. They sure don't make them like they're going to anymore. (Get it?) β Know someone who sells or buys things online? Use the icons below to share this important information with them. |
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WEB WATERCOOLERπ Off to a flying art: Laws are trying to keep up with artificial intelligence (AI). Case in point: AI art doesnβt get copyright protection because itβs not created by humans. Thatβs what a federal judge said when he ruled against Stephen Thaler, who used his Creativity Machine algorithm to create images. Expect to see this case in appeals court. Just wing it: American Airlines is suing a website for βdeceptionβ for selling tickets with βskip-lagging,β a trick when you leave at a layover for a cheaper fare. Do this and you might get booted β like the 17-year-old who got a three-year ban last month. Airlines say it leaves open seats others couldβve used. π No keys here: Lots of people report being locked inside a Tesla after their car batteries went kaput. If it happens to you or someone you know, there should be a manual door-release lever right next to the doorβs base. Find that release now in case you need it in the future. Swiping for a paycheck: A recent survey from dating app Grindr found 25% of its users arenβt looking for love only. Theyβre networking for career moves and jobs. Better trade those shirtless selfies for pro headshots. Big AI oops: An AI-penned Microsoft article listed a food bank in Ottawa, Canada, as a must-see tourist attraction β and even advised visitors to come hungry. Yikes. Microsoft took down the article, but thereβs more proof we need human editors. $4 movie tickets: Want to catch βBarbenheimer" on the big screen without breaking the bank? This Sunday is National Cinema Day, and over 3,000 theaters across the U.S. have $4 tickets. Find out which theaters are participating near you here. Guard your EV cables: Thieves are swiping electric car chargers from public stations and private driveways. They have valuable copper inside. Be sure to park in the light, lock up your cable or charge in your garage. Warn your family and friends. π§ Nacho cheese: Next time you grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over your pasta, you might discover a microchip. To cut down on counterfeits, cheesemakers are implanting grain-of-sand-sized silicon chips into their expensive wheels. Donβt fret β they're food-safe. |
ποΈ Simplifying tech in bite-sized minutesSay hello to my Daily Tech Update podcast. In the first minute, get the latest tech news distilled down to its essence. In the next, learn a practical digital trick that can make your life easier or more fun. |
TRENDINGHit play and put it on repeatBefore you read any more, make your guess: What's the most-viewed video on YouTube? Hint: Once you hum the song, it'll be stuck in your head all week. I apologize in advance. The 20 vids with the most all-time views fall into two categories: Kids' content and music. Let's see if your guess made the top 20. βBaby Shark Danceβ by Pinkfong β 13BβDespacitoβ by Luis Fonsi β 8.2BβJohny Johny Yes Papaβ by LooLoo Kids β 6.7BβBath Songβ by Cocomelon β 6.3BβShape of Youβ by Ed Sheeran β 6BβSee You Againβ by Wiz Khalifa β 5.9BβWheels on the Busβ by Cocomelon β 5.4BβPhonics Song with TWO Wordsβ by ChuChu TV β 5.4BβUptown Funkβ by Mark Ronson β 4.9BβLearning Colors - Colorful Eggs on a Farmβ by Miroshka TV β 4.9BβGangnam Styleβ by Psy β 4.8BβMasha and The Bear,β Episode 17: Get Movies β 4.5BβDame Tu Cositaβ featuring Cutty Ranks β 4.4BβAxel Fβ by Crazy Frog β 3.9BβSugarβ by Maroon 5 β 3.9BβRoarβ by Katy Perry β 3.8BβCounting Starsβ by OneRepublic β 3.8BβBaa Baa Black Sheepβ by Cocomelon β 3.7BβSorryβ by Justin Bieber β 3.6BβWaka Waka (This Time for Africa)β by Shakira β 3.6BFun facts: "Baby Shark Dance" was the first music video to hit 10 billion views. In 2021, Cocomelon (who made βBath Songβ at No. 4) was acquired for $3 billion. π When my son, Ian, was little, heβd watch the same things over and over. My heart goes out to these parents on round No. 418 of βWheels on the Bus.β |
DEVICE ADVICEPro-tip to figure out valueWhether itβs a collectible or a used car, thereβs an excellent way to determine its worth: Use eBay. Donβt waste your time scrolling through all the active listings, though. Most of those sellers are just hoping for the best. Search for a term.After getting eBay search results, go to Filter and scroll to Sold Items. Check off the box if youβre on a computer, or tap the slider if youβre using the eBay app.Now, youβll only see listings that actually sold to customers. This gives you a better idea of accurate prices. And a little trivia fact to share with your friends: The very first thing sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer in 1995. π More tech smarts: My Tech Hacks email is packed with great tidbits like this. Get it each afternoon to up your game. Itβs free! |
DEAL OF THE DAY
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BY THE NUMBERS40% The percentage of workers that will need to reskill due to AI. An IBM study also says that jobs wonβt be going away to robots. Weβre gonna learn to work with them. $1 The cost of a Zillow listing for the βWorldβs Cheapest Homeβ in Pontiac, Michigan. Sure, itβs definitely a fixer-upper, but the realtor says heβs gotten more than 200 offers so far. 50% The percentage of parents who said they had no clue how people raised kids without smartphones. A U.K.-based survey also found these parents look up childcare advice 77 times a week. Back in my day, we just made it up. |
WHAT THE TECH?Rim shot! |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ...The answer: Typing "do a barrel roll" into Google Search causes the results page to spin around like a barrel roll in an airplane maneuver. Itβs like this: You take a barrel, put it on a hill and let it fill with air. You could say that this is a barrel of laughs. You know why? Because itβs hilarious. If you didnβt check out todayβs sponsor already, Pendulum, do it now. Your support keeps these free newsletters going. When you buy, I donβt receive any money or residuals. π€ Hey, do you need a hand with your online business, a digital dilemma or getting something done? Drop me your questions here. Thanks for being such a loyal reader of the best dang tech newsletter in the universe! β Kim |
Komando Referral ProgramShare this newsletter β Earn prizes!Step 1: Copy your unique referral link:https://www.komando.com/friends/?referralCode=0rvmdp6&refSource=copy Step 2: Share your link!Post it on social media, send it in a text or paste it into an email to a pal. If they sign up using that link, you get the credit! |
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Photo credit(s): Β© Dennizn | Dreamstime.com, Β© Kelvinchuah | Dreamstime.com |
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