It’s a happy Monday! Here’s a math problem trending on social media and stumping the internet. What’s the next number in this sequence? 2, 3, 5, 9, 17, _? The answer is at the end, friends!

📰 Prepare yourself for a journey through the latest happenings in tech! I’m here to keep you one step ahead in this ever-evolving digital landscape. Let's dive in! — Kim

Picture this. Phoenix, smack in the middle of a blistering heat wave. Temperatures soar past 110, and AC is the only way to stay safe. Suddenly, there's a two-day blackout.

A new study says around 789,600 people could end up needing medical help. The problem? The entire area only has about 3,000 hospital beds. Let me put this another way. As many as 12,800 people could die, more than nine times the death toll of Hurricane Katrina. 

Regardless of where you live, it’s crucial to be ready to deal with power outages amidst sweltering temperatures. 

Power outages during a heatwave aren't uncommon

There's a strain on the power grid. As the temperature rises, people crank up their AC, which can overload the grid. One estimate says two-thirds of North America is at risk for energy shortfalls this summer. Storms can knock out power, too.

Then there's the digital risk. A malicious cyberattack could take down the grid. Just think about the impact on people in their homes, businesses, hospitals, assisted living homes, emergency services and more. Yeah, it would be bad. Very bad.

Just like the Boy Scouts: Be prepared

No one ever kicked themselves for being too prepared. Just like most of the country prepares in case of a devastating winter storm, we need to do the same for heat.

First, sign up for our government’s free emergency alerts. I know it’s a hassle, but take time to create an emergency kit. The basics are listed here. Here are a few of my picks you can quickly add to your Amazon shopping cart:

• Flashlights and batteries are a must.
• A battery-powered or hand-crank radio in case there’s no cell signal.
• A first-aid kit, which you should already own really.
• Grab a manual can opener if yours is electric.
• A cooler and lots of ice packs. I keep some in the freezer all the time.
• I like to keep around a solar charger, too.

🙌 If you want the best, a rechargeable power station is a splurge that can power your fridge and more for almost a full day.

There are steps to take in case of an emergency. Check them out on my site.

▶️ I'm not trying to scare you. This is important stuff to pass along. Speaking of, use the buttons below to share this life-saving info with a loved one.

🎥 If I could turn back time: The Screen Actors Guild says artificial intelligence (AI) is an “existential threat to creative professions.” The tech lets producers turn a 20-year-old female into a male or female of any age. AI can also replicate a person and voice. Actors are afraid they’ll be replaced. Want proof? Watch 81-year-old Harrison Ford play his 30-year-old self in the latest “Indiana Jones” movie. Incredible.

Boss scams are on the rise. Here’s how it works: You get a message from “your boss” asking you to purchase gift cards on the company card or with your own money. Companies have lost millions to this stuff. Now, anytime anyone mentions gift cards, that’s a huge red flag. Gotta be smart, folks.

BoJo lost his mojo: Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages are under government investigation. But Boris says, "Sorry, I don't remember the passcode to my old phone, so you can't see them." Botched login attempts could erase all the messages. You'd think there would be someone at M6 to handle this case.

📍 Party like it’s 2015: That’s when Google gave us offline navigation — so you can follow directions even when you have no or bad cell coverage. Apple Maps finally got it together in the new iOS 17. Upgrade to the public beta test, or you’ll get the final polished version this fall.

Watching you, watching me: TV startup Telly began shipping free 4K smart TVs. By free, you let them track you and show you ads. If you disable any of that, Telly will charge you “up to $1,000.” (I told you about this free 4K TV back on May 16th.)

📺 Hot new sport: Drone racing! If you like high-speed action, you won’t want to miss this video. People pilot drones around obstacles racing to the finish line. Sure, you could teach me how to do this sport, but I think it might go over my head. You won’t believe how popular these races are.

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.

Your car is just sitting in the driveway or garage, costing you money. Maybe it’s paid off (hooray!), but gas, insurance and maintenance add up. You might as well use those four wheels to make some cash. 

The obvious choice: Uber and Lyft are at the top of the rideshare game. You’ll have to pass a screening, and then you can work on your own time to generate cash from your ride. You can make $15 to $22 per hour.

Wrap it up: You’ve seen them on the street: Cars wrapped in giant advertisements. Believe it or not, it pays pretty well to wrap your car. You can make $100 to $450 per month. Carvertise is the winner if you do rideshare, too. Otherwise, try Wrapify.

Do the grocery shopping: Some people love grocery shopping, so why not get paid for it? Instacart, DoorDash and Shipt are popular. You’ll get a list, shop and then drop off the goods. Expect to make $10 to $25 per hour.

Move it, move it: Put your truck or SUV to work moving oversized items for people with cars too small for that couch or lawnmower they just bought. TaskRabbit or GoShare are good options. GoShare says drivers make a whopping $45 to $168 an hour. Wowsie!

✅ I have more clever ways to make money with your car or truck. Hit my site for those!

🚘 I invented a car that only moves when the driver is silent. I mean, it goes without saying.

Never let a computer know that you are in a hurry. They slow down whenever they know you’re pressed for time. Here’s your five-step plan for dealing with a pesky slowpoke.

1. Can you make coffee in the time it takes a webpage to load? If the answer is yes, reboot. This simple trick does wonders for speed. 
2. Get rid of unnecessary startup programs. The fewer that launch when you turn on your PC, the better.
3. Uninstall software you don't use. The more stuff on your computer, the slower it runs.
4. Clean out the junk. Use a program like Disk Cleanup to eliminate unnecessary files, temporary files and other junk that clogs up your computer's performance. 
5. Clear out the cache and cookies. Your computer stores information in the cache that it thinks you'll need again, like images on a webpage. This frees up space AND speeds things up.

“Kim, this all sounds good, but how?” I gotcha. Here’s a great place to start.

✅ Are you on the VIP list? The Current Life Hacks, our tip-focused newsletter, is coming very soon. Don’t miss out. Sign up now!

Think "hiring" and what site comes to mind? Yup, LinkedIn. Every week, nearly 52 million job seekers visit LinkedIn — and with good reason.

With LinkedIn, you can find the right person for any job, fast and free. Pro tip: Add your posted job and the purple "hiring" frame to your LinkedIn profile photo to spread the word.

Love this: LinkedIn screens questions and has other great tools that automatically weed out resumes that don't fit. Such a time-saver.

Dang, would you look at that pose and smile?

🧮 The answer: 33. The pattern of the sequence is each number being one less than double the previous number. Let's check: 

• 2 x 2 = 4 - 1 = 3
• 3 x 2 = 6 - 1 = 5
• 5 x 2 = 10 - 1 = 9
• 9 x 2 = 18 - 1 = 17

Following this pattern, the next number should be:

• 17 x 2 = 34 - 1 = 33

So, the following number in this sequence is 33. No slap on the wrist with a ruler this time from my math teacher Sr. Margaret. I double-checked my work!

👍 Forward this newsletter to some folks you know. See you back here tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the universe! — Kim