Hello on this very fine Saturday! Have you ever noticed when your phone is always trying to connect to Wi‑Fi? It’s a way to save data, but weak Wi‑Fi slows you down and puts you at risk if you connect to an unsecured or untrustworthy network. Skip the menus and ask Siri or Google Assistant to do it. A simple “Hey, Siri, turn off my Wi‑Fi” will do the trick. Woo!

Support our sponsor: Today’s newsletter is packed with tech goodies that are all free to you, thanks to RYSE. Hit this link to get more info about their company. On to the news! — Kim

🆕 Today's podcast: Using ChatGPT to fight – and win

⏱️ Daily Tech Update: Maybe this time, Google gets it

💡 Digital Life Hack: If your Apple Watch detects sleep apnea

I remember my parents saying, "Kim, stop wasting the film." Oh, yes, this was back when we’d put film in a camera, take up to 36 pictures, then wait for the roll to get developed to see if any of the shots were good. Those days are long gone, fortunately.

Now, the average American takes around 20 photos every single day. And I’ll bet many of those are duplicate (or triplicate) shots of the same thing. So, how do we tackle the deluge of doubles? I’ll walk you through the steps. This is a perfect weekend project.

Cleaning up your photo libraries

For Windows: There’s no built-in duplicate finder, so you'll need to download a third-party app. I recommend Duplicate Cleaner.

• Scan your library: After installing Duplicate Cleaner, the app will review your files by size, content and similarity, catching those pesky near-duplicates.
• Review and delete: Once a scan is completed, the app will present you with a list of duplicates. Review these to make sure no photos are incorrectly marked, and delete any copies to free up storage.

For Apple: Lucky you! The Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, iMac or MacBook has a built-in "duplicate photos" tool. (Just make sure you’ve updated to the latest version.) This tool is so easy to use. Here's how:

• Open your Photos app and select Albums.
• Scroll down and choose Duplicates. (I just looked at mine and had 2,933 duplicate photos and 49 videos!)
• Hit Select > Select all, then tap the Trash icon to delete them. You can also select Merge to combine your dupes into one great shot.

For Android: Don’t delete your duplicates manually; open the Files by Google app, then select Clean. If you don't have the app, download it for free from the Google Play Store.

• Next, tap Confirm and free up > See junk files and select what you want to clear.
• When you’re ready, tap Clear > Clear. That's all it takes to remove screenshots, memes, duplicates and other junk mixed in with your important photos.

For Google Photos: There’s no built-in duplicate-cleaning tool here, so it’s up to you.

• Log into Google Photos, and click Photos in the left panel.
• Select any photos you no longer need (or want), and click Delete.

If you have thousands of duplicates, though, this process could take forever. A third-party app like Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro is a quicker solution.

💡 A bright idea: My husband, Barry, and I were out to dinner with our friends, Jim and Janie. Barry wanted to show Jim pictures of our boat, so he was scrolling through his photo library. I leaned over and said, “Type ‘boat’ in the search bar.” He did, and bam — there was the one he wanted. Jim said, "I didn't know you could do that!" Now, you do, too. Just type a word or two to find a certain pic fast.

🥖 I saw a long stick of bread posing for a photo. Apparently, it was a roll model. (That one even hurt me as I wrote it.)

I have over 900 devices connected to my home network. I’m fully on the smart home train, and there’s a lot to love about it. This tech makes everyday life so much easier.

That brings me to RYSE, the up-and-coming leader in smart shades.

• RYSE’s AI-powered, energy-saving shades help cut heating and cooling costs.
• They’ve launched in over 100 Best Buy stores nationwide.
• Pre-IPO shares are open for a limited time at $1.75 each.

With their unique approach and smart tech, RYSE could be the next big name in advancing your smart home. Don’t let this chance slip by!

📩 Email espionage: Hackers are using compromised government emails to steal business info. Here’s how it works: You get an email about an emergency data request from the “federal government,” and the email address looks legit. It’s not. If you open the attachment or click a link, you’ve just landed a one-way ticket to malware. This kind of request will never come in the form of an email, folks.

Console yourself; it’s game over: Malware called Winos4.0 is targeting Windows gamers. It sneaks in through infected third-party game mods. Once it's on your system, cybercriminals play their own games, looking for crypto and taking screenshots of what you do so they can blackmail you. PSA: Skip the mods.

Not now, Putin, I’m busy: North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia are taking full advantage of unrestricted internet access by ... binge-watching p*rn. The internet isn’t available to most citizens in North Korea, so this is the first time the soldiers can see all the web has to offer.

☕ The bar has never been lower: Intel has a bright idea to improve employee morale after major layoffs and cutbacks: Free coffee. Previously, they’d dropped coffee, tea and fruit as part of a $10 billion budget cut. Even though they’ve reinstated coffee, there’s no word yet on the free tea or fruit.

Speaking of Intel: A possible class-action lawsuit against Intel claims the company knowingly sold bad processors. One New York man is demanding millions, saying the crashes and lost data cost him time, money and some sanity. Apparently, Intel knew about the glitches in its 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs for years but kept them under wraps.

🤑 Detroit block(chain) city: Starting next year, Detroit residents can use currencies like bitcoin and ethereum to pay for public services and even their taxes. Crypto will be converted into dollars via PayPal. The goal: To attract more tech-savvy residents and tech companies to the city.

So your grandma’s memorial tattoo has six fingers: Tattoo artists are fuming over the rise in AI-generated tattoo designs, calling them the “steroids of tattooing.” AI can churn out designs in seconds, but there’s more to tattooing than that. Some designs are so intricate, they’re impossible to recreate on human skin.

🖤 “You've got mail!” The voice behind the famous AOL message, Elwood Edwards, passed away this week at 74. He recorded it back in 1989 for just $200. He definitely should’ve asked for more. Here he is with Jimmy Fallon in 2015, reading those famous lines. Ahh, I miss the ‘90s.

Get out of debt: PDS Debt is an A+ BBB company I checked out. They’ll do a free debt analysis to help you make a plan to pay down your credit cards, personal loans, collections or medical bills. Go to PDSDebt.com/kim. It only takes 30 seconds. Do it now and you’ll be on your way to less stress in your life.*

🤩 Upgrades and swaps you won’t regret.

• This 2-in-1 olive oil sprayer (20% off, under $10) saves you money and cleanup time and won’t gum up your pans like Pam.
• These reading glasses look stylish while you stare at the daily crossword for two hours. Way better than the generic ones from the drugstore.
• Ditch harsh ceiling lights and bask in the glow of a sunset lamp for under $20. Right now, it’s 33% off and you’ll get another 5% off if you click the coupon box.
• Stop hovering over the stove, waiting for the water to boil. Use this fast-heating electric kettle (14% off) instead.
• The Clean Ball (20% off) rolls around inside your purse or bag to catch all the nasty stuff, like the granola bar crumbs you keep ignoring.

Too long; didn’t read: Apple Intelligence can now summarize your emails. Just open the Mail app, choose a message and tap the Summarize button at the top of the email chain. In a few seconds, you’ll get a summary. Heads-up: It won’t save, so if you close your email, you’ll need to do this again.

🛒 Little-known shipping secret: Did you know if you turn an Amazon shipping bag inside out, there’s a strip you can pull to reseal it for returns? Now stop being lazy and send back that itchy sweater.

Search upgrades: This trick works in Google or your favorite search engine. Use an asterisk (*) to fill in for a word you don’t know, like “Midnight * to Georgia.” If there’s a word you want to keep out of your search, put a minus sign (-) in front of it. “Kim tech tips -Kardashian” means you won’t see the other Kim K. in your results.

“Kim, I missed that link!” So many of you asked me to link to my password manager pick. Happy to help. I negotiated a great deal on NordPass just for you — 58% off! It can import your passwords from any password manager you’re using, btw.

Paper maps never win at poker. They always fold.

📻 Catch up with my award-winning national radio show: I’m on over 420 stations across the USA! Find your local station and tune in, or get my show’s podcast. I share so much there I just can’t get to in this newsletter.

While you have some time this weekend, why not fix your slow Wi‑Fi? You don’t need to be a networking genius to figure it out. That’s why you have me. Hit my site here for 10 easy tricks to try.

⚡ Here’s a Wi‑Fi network name idea: Exodus 20:15. "You shall not steal." (Come on, that’s good!)

Before you go: Hit this link to learn more about today’s sponsor, RYSE. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with my new favorite use for AI: Vacation planning! ChatGPT helped me plan a trip to Europe. See you then! — Kim