Here’s to a tech-magical Monday, friends! A new week and some fresh trivia to get you thinking. How much money does the artist make when you stream a song using Apple Music, Pandora or Spotify? For every 1,000 streams, is it … $3.80, $7.40, $14.10 or $22.30? The answer’s at the end.

🥗 Do your part and keep this free newsletter coming to you by checking today’s sponsor, Field of Greens. Getting in all your fruit and veggies is hard. Just mix this superfood powder into a glass of water — it tastes yummy-good! — Kim

I’m sad to say cheating is a pretty common occurrence. In a new survey that just landed in my inbox, more than one in three respondents out of 5,000 admitted to cheating on their partners. Over 40% say they’ve been cheated on. Whatever happened to commitment?

Let’s shine a light on cheating in the U.S. — specifically, what sleuthing methods can get you into trouble and how to tell if your sweetie’s tapping your phone … or worse. I’m getting so many questions about this from readers and listeners. It’s crazy!

The United States of snooping

The survey (commissioned by an online casino site, of all things) looked at the most common techniques Americans use to spy on a suspected cheater. The methods, uh, kinda work. Almost 13% of those surveyed said their snooping led to proof of infidelity.

It's not just ladies playing Sherlock Holmes. One in 10 men admitted to stalking a partner to confirm cheating.

• At the state level, Alaska has the biggest percentage of snoopers. Over half of Alaskans surveyed (54.5%) admitted they digitally spy on their partners. Many (45.5%) also track their partners’ locations online.
• Vermont followed closely behind, with 44.4% of respondents there admitting to snooping.
• Rhode Island came in third, with 43.8%. Many Rhode Islanders (37.5%) also said they decided to stay with their cheating partners.

Looking to move to a state where residents aren’t snooping so much on suspected cheaters? North Dakota’s your best bet. Zero respondents there said they played detective on a partner. Utah and West Virginia also had relatively low snooper counts.

The price of catching a cheater

Wondering how most people catch a cheater red-handed? Here are the top five spying methods:

1. Tracked location online (using the Find My app for iPhones or another online method) – 21.8%
2. Checked their social media accounts – 18.2%
3. Checked mobile records or bills – 16.6%
4. Checked their pockets/went through their things – 16.5%
5. Tracked their location physically – 9.8%

Installing spyware on a partner's phone came in at No. 9, with 2.3% of respondents claiming to have done it. Word to the wise: Just because others do it doesn't mean you should.

Placing spyware on someone else's phone could lead to massive legal trouble — even prison time, depending on where you live. The apps are major privacy violators.

If you get caught, you could be looking at a jail sentence of over a year and some pretty hefty fines. Not worth it!

I’m no cheetah, you lion

Even if you're the most faithful partner on the planet, you should know the signs of spyware lurking on your phone:

• Unknown apps: If you see something you didn't install, do some digging. Search the name online, for starters.
• Poor battery life: If it's draining suddenly, you may have something fishy running in the background.
• Data spikes: Your mobile data may show spikes in usage.
• Performance issues: Keep an eye out for slowness and overheating.
• Modified settings: Check your phone's settings, especially the permissions. If there's spyware on your phone, chances are good they've been altered.

👣 Now, what if you suspect a cheater? You should absolutely have an honest conversation. No luck there? Cheating often leaves breadcrumbs online. I wrote about that for the New York Post.

If you know someone who thinks they’re being spied on, hit the links below to share this article with them. They’ll thank you later.

I do my best to eat healthy, but I don’t get enough fruits and veggies every single day — and I’m willing to bet you don’t, either.

Field of Greens superfood powder packs in fruits and vegetables medically selected to support specific functions, like heart, liver and kidney health, the immune system, and your metabolism. It’s made with whole fruits and veg, not just extracts. It tastes good, too!

The biggest benefit is the Better Health Promise. Take Field of Greens, and at your next doctor’s visit, if your doctor doesn't say something like, "Whatever you're doing, it's working — keep it up,” you can return it for a refund.

I scored you 15% off your first order, plus another 10% off when you subscribe for recurring orders. Talk about an easy way to eat better.

📲 Not just for retailers: Targeted ads on your phone help create a rich picture of who you are for the government, too. Combine all those details (what you buy, where you go, what devices you use, what you do online) (WSJ, paywall link) with what the government has access to, and, yep — no wonder the “p” in government stands for “privacy.”

Don’t use AI for Israel war updates: Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s Bard are already spitting out fake info, including claims of a cease-fire that obviously never happened. For breaking news, stick with sources you trust, and watch what you share on social media — those platforms are drowning in fake news.

₿ Down in the mines: In Cheyenne, Wyoming, a new Bitcoin mine (think computer servers, not coal) with ties to China is freaking out people. It’s not just the Chinese ties; it’s also close to a Microsoft data center and an Air Force base that controls nuclear missiles. China banned Bitcoin mining there, so more companies are now moving their ops to the U.S.

Don’t worry, beer happy: Tesla has finally unveiled what we’ve been waiting for. Not the Cybertruck — Tesla CyberBeer. For $150, you can get two bottles and two black ceramic steins. The marketing department must be bored.

Small businesses, take note: NPR quit X in April after Elon Musk took over, and their staff says that after six months, their traffic has only dropped one single percentage point. Now, they say it wasn’t worth the effort. I’ve found the same thing — my X profile isn’t driving folks in droves to my site.

Just imagine: You charge your phone and the battery is set for a month. It could happen if a new microchip in testing works. A team at Cambridge University says the chip could run so efficiently, it would only need charging 12 times a year. Now, that’s something I’d pay for.

400,000 layoffs: That’s how many tech workers have lost their jobs in 2022 and 2023 combined. And finding work in the industry isn’t getting easier. Big tech companies that overhired have cut tens of thousands of jobs and frozen hiring, and smaller companies have followed suit.

Car puns are exhausting: The 2024 E‑Ray is the fastest Corvette in history, going from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. (Argh, my Ferrari F12 does that in 3.1 seconds.) The part that gets me is the car’s “Stealth Mode.” You can go three to four miles up to 45 mph using only electric power. Yikes. Lots more detail here for my fellow car nerds.

🛰️ There’s a 61% chance a satellite will fall on you: Space is full of junk, and the FAA says by 2035, it could start raining down on us. That includes low-Earth orbit objects like Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. The data shows one person may be injured or killed every two years this way.

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.

👉 Get my podcasts today!

Delays and traffic are big travel bummers, but what about when the person next to you on the plane is … that guy or gal? You can imagine it, right? All the little things they’re doing that set your teeth on edge? It’s not just you.

Skyscanner, that handy travel search engine, and OnePoll surveyed 2,000 travelers to see what grates their nerves the most. Here are the results:

7. Seat-swap saga: You settle into your window seat and someone asks you to swap. Annoying? You bet. About 31% of survey-takers agreed. Next time you're in a seat dispute or really need to move, skip the drama and take it up with the flight crew.

6. Armrest hogging: You're cramped enough, and your neighbor goes full octopus on the armrests. You’re not alone — 31% of survey respondents said that's a big no‑no.

5. Recline decline: Another 31% find it bothersome when you push that seat back. The internet is divided: While some argue for comfort on long-haul flights, others say it's just plane rude.

4. Footloose and fancy-free: A solid 35% of travelers surveyed find it gross when someone airs out their dogs midflight.

3. Overly chatty Cathy: Small talk at 35,000 feet isn't everyone's cup of tea. About 39% wish you'd keep the conversation to a minimum.

2. Speakerphone faux pas: 42% get peeved when fellow passengers blast calls or videos. Agreed! Headphones were invented for a reason.

1. Midflight manicures: And the crown of cringe goes to ... personal grooming. 42% said no, no, no to people clipping nails or, heaven forbid, trimming their facial hair in-flight.

Looking at this list makes my last flight to Europe not seem so bad. And that reminds me of a pun you’re gonna love.

😂 How does a flat Earther travel the world? On a plane!

It starts to feel like noise: Another data breach that includes your info. But remember, your most sensitive data is online. Hackers would love to find your banking details and medical records and sell them to anyone willing to pay.

According to The Wall Street Journal, almost two-thirds of us return to a website after a breach, doing the bare minimum, like changing passwords. So, what should you do if your data is out there?

• Call your bank and credit card companies ASAP. Put a freeze on everything and get new cards.
• Place a fraud alert on your file at one of the big three credit bureaus. Here’s their contact info.
• Update your passwords — all of them.
• Keep an eye on credit card statements. Sketchy stuff might not appear right away, so stay on it.
• If you notice anything strange, freeze your credit.

Is it a pain? Yes. Is it worth it to protect yourself, your money and your identity? Yes, yes and yes.

Thanks for pudding up with me.

🎶 The answer: When you stream a song, the artist, on average, makes 0.0038 cents. It takes 1,000 streams for that artist to earn $3.80. Yeah, I was surprised the amount was so low, too.

Here’s another question: What’s the most popular song you hear in museums? “U Can’t Touch This.” (Sometimes, I am just so darn funny, I can’t stand it!)

🤓 If you didn’t check out our sponsor in today’s newsletter, be sure to do that now. It’s a superfood powder made with real USDA organic fruits and veggies, not extracts, and is safe for the whole family. Plus, it tastes great! Strawberry lemonade is my favorite!

Thanks for letting me in your inbox. If there’s a topic you’d like to know more about, reply to this email. Be sure to rate this issue below. I aim to please with the best tech newsletter on the planet! — Kim