It’s Math Monday! Here’s a viral brain teaser. If you can solve this math problem in under 15 seconds, you have a high IQ. Ready, set, go! The formula is … 6/2(2+1)=X. Did you get the answer already? You can check your math at the end.

⚡ Power up, tech lovers! Can you hear the future calling? It’s saying, “Get ready to zoom ahead of the pack ‘cause Kim Komando has your back!” — Kim

"Kim, you keep sending me stuff to buy." Listen, these deals are worth it, folks. If you've had your eyes on an item from this list, now is the time! Pro tip: Grab a gift or two now while things are cheap to lessen the load come December!

• Deep clean your washing machine: Pop one of these cleaner tabs in your washer to keep it free from odors and hard water. A 12-month supply is 20% off.
• A breath of fresh air: Get clean air in your home without using a bulky machine. This portable air purifier is perfect for small spaces … and it's 16% off.
• That's one fine mister: At 63% off the regular price, grab an ultra-fine continuous water misting bottle (or two) to do your hair, perfect your skincare routine and water your plants.
• Make your own soda: Pick up the SodaStream Bundle. It's 20% off and has everything you need to get started.
• Don't forget your meds: Keep your pills and supplements neat with a daily pill organizer. This one is 35% off, travel-friendly and comes in a variety of colors.
• Smile for the camera: Looking for the perfect gift for the photographer in your life? The 2nd Gen Polaroid Camera Bundle is 14% off.
• Mood lighting: These color-changing LED light bulbs work with Alexa and Google Assistant for some voice-activated fun. Grab a pack of two at a 20% discount.
• Healthy heart must-have: Half off this blood pressure monitor is an amazing deal. It has an adjustable cuff, LCD screen and one-touch operation.
• Make your reminders colorful: Leave a message for your loved ones and co-workers on some colorful Post-It Notes. Get 40% off a pack of 15. 
• Vacuum smarter, not harder: This super-smart robot vacuum is self-emptying, maps out your home and has a self-cleaning brush roll. Did we mention it's 50% off?

✅ Nothing strike your fancy? Here’s a secret special page that lists all the Prime Day deals. Hope you find some goodies!

🤔 Amazon Prime Day is the 11th and 12th. The 11th is fine, but I think it could have been better on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 29th or 31st. … See what I did there?

🏦 Nasty scam warning: Apple kicked a bunch of loan apps out of the official App Store after borrowers said they threatened to send fake nudes to their contact list. Some apps claimed they were associated with real banks, which made this all the more frightening. Read this before you even think about using cash apps.

Talking to all early adopters: Google’s latest design is live on Android 12 phones but not on Chromebooks yet. There’s an insider workaround to get it sooner. On a device running ChromeOS 114, open Chrome flags by opening the launcher, then type in chrome://flags. Select Enable all Jelly flags > Enable Quick Settings Revamp flag. Restart and you’re done. 

🌠 Look to the skies: On July 13, you may be able to see the northern lights, aka Aurora Borealis, if you live in one of these states: Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Maryland, New York, New Hampshire, Washington, Vermont, Idaho, Massachusetts, Wyoming or Indiana. Your best chance to see it is 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. local time.

Vroom vroom no more: The new DB12 from Aston Martin is a 671-horsepower V8 with a 202-mph top speed and takes 3.5 seconds to reach 60 mph. But, like Rolls-Royce's tires, the DB12's tires include noise-canceling foam inserts and tech that hushes tire hum by 20% inside the car. Sweet!

👨‍⚖️ Breakin’ the law: "I didn't know" generally isn't a good defense if you break the law. Arm yourself with knowledge, my friend! Here are 10 things it’s illegal to toss in the trash. I thought of this the other day … If Hunter Biden ever goes to jail and doesn't write a book called "Biden Time," it's a big missed opportunity.

Here VR: Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro headset will be tough to get your hands on. And don't expect to just pop into the Apple Store to grab one. Like the launch of the Apple Watch, you'll need an appointment to buy one — available in select areas. They're only building about 150,000.

Hot judge: In the courtroom, Judge Gary Wilcox from New Jersey delivers justice. But on TikTok, he makes sexy lip-syncing videos. He sings songs in his chambers and sometimes lays half naked in bed — in his judge robe. You see where this is going. He’s under investigation for posting inappropriate content and bringing shame to the judiciary. I bet he’s appealing. 

📺 Epic car chase scenes: This video unveils the Hollywood secrets behind those jaw-dropping car chase sequences that leave us on the edge of our seats. Buckle up as we dive into the thrilling world of the fastest camera cars ever used in the movie industry. Watch it now!

Every morning, brush your teeth to my Daily Tech Update. You get fresh breath and fresh tech know-how in a minute.

Listen to my podcast, Daily Tech Update, here.

Everyone's pumped for this Amazon Prime Day … including scammers. Last year, shoppers worldwide bought over 300 million items, giving criminals many opportunities to swoop in and steal information.

Ready for Prime time

Cybersecurity provider Check Point put together some eye-opening research around Amazon Prime Day and the associated scams. Here’s what they found:

• Phishing campaigns grew 16 times higher in June compared to May. Amazon-related phishing activity increased by 8%. 
• Within that window, roughly 1,500 new web domains related to the word "Amazon" were discovered — 92% were found to be suspicious or flat-out malicious. 
• One out of every 68 new domains related to "Amazon" were explicitly associated with Prime, and 93% of those websites were deemed uber-sketchy.

Shop safely

How can you stay out of their sneaky clutches? We can help.

• Watch for misspellings of Amazon.com or sites using a slightly different domain (i.e., "Amazon.co"). 
• Create a new strong password for your Amazon account before July 11. 
• Look for the lock symbol next to the web address. This indicates the site has a secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption installed. 
• Stay away from any “too good to be true” bargains. Although many Prime Day deals are amazing, 80% off a new Apple computer is probably … not real. 
• Pay with credit cards. Debit cards are linked to your bank account, and getting your money back is more complicated. 

✅ Know what’s out there: We have real-life examples of these Prime scams in action. See for yourself.

I attended the annual stargazing conference last month and the turnout was astronomical. If you live in the city like me, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the cosmos. Bright lights, towering buildings and smog mask the night sky. There’s an easy way to escape.

• Use the site DarkSiteFinder.com.

It’s a treasure trove of places worldwide where you can view the stars away from city lights. It color-codes areas — the darker the color, the more stellar your stargazing. 

• Once you've found your dark sanctuary, download an astronomy app. SkySafari Legacy is popular. Get it for Android or iPhone.

⭐ Simply point your phone at the sky. It overlaps constellations, planets, stars and other objects in real-time.

✅ Get more! Want tips like this every day? Sign up for our Current Life Hacks newsletter, coming soon. Be the first to get it!

You need the right tools to do it. A virtual private network, or VPN, is a great place to start. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN’s servers run on RAM, or volatile memory, that’s cleared each time the server is reset — meaning they don’t save your data. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad, you name it.

🚨 Deal alert: Get an extra three months free since you subscribe to my newsletter.

Albert was a genius. But his brother Frank was a complete monster.

➗ The answer: 1. The formula 6/2(2+1)=X breaks down this way. The 6 is divided by 2(3) or 6, so 6 divided by 6 = 1. I got the answer in less than five seconds. Yesiree, those Catholic nuns taught me math well. I wonder if all the times Sr. Margaret slapped my knuckles with a ruler had anything to do with it! None of this and none of that.

🤗 Thank you for starting your week with the best tech newsletter in the world. Go ahead, forward this newsletter to a few folks and encourage them to sign up. Here’s a virtual hug for doing that to help me out! — Kim