Happy Throwback Thursday, tech fans! As always, we start this ride with trivia. What was the most common length of a blank audio cassette like those used for making mixtapes in the ‘80s and ‘90s? In minutes, was it … A.) 30, B.) 60, C.) 90 or D.) 120? You'll find the answer at the end.

✅ October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It’s the perfect time for you to take your privacy back and out of the hands of stalkers, identity thieves, data brokers, scammers and more. I use Incogni, and you can save 60% off, too, using my link. Now, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how it works. Below, I’ll show you by sharing my private Incogni dashboard. — Kim

Remember “Knight Rider?” The ’80s TV show centered around a detective whose sidekick was a talking car called KITT. This futuristic sassy AI on wheels could maneuver over obstacles, drive itself at high speeds and detect a bad guy's presence from miles away.

There was also Disney's 1969 film, “The Love Bug.” VW Beetle “Herbie” had a quirky personality and an uncanny ability to help his driver win races. The car's number 53 and all-white body with red, white and blue racing stripes was iconic. I even bid on Herbie at an auction in 2018 but backed out before it sold for $128,700.

Let’s steer this conversation into the future

As it turns out, Hollywood wasn’t too far off with its “futuristic” cars. Qualcomm recently announced new chips designed to make cars not just driving machines but AI on overdrive. Yep, the vehicles of tomorrow may learn more about you (and your passengers) every time you get in.

Imagine your car seamlessly switching between navigation, entertainment and messaging without you having to lift a finger. It’ll “know” your likes and dislikes … all by collecting a mountainload of data points about you.

So, what, exactly, can generative AI do for your car?

Here are some examples of how your ride is about to get a whole lot smarter:

• Voice assistants: Your car will respond based on who’s driving. For instance, if it knows you’re the usual driver, it may open the door automatically, adjust the seat for your height, set the interior temperature, give you a morning news brief and order your coffee for pickup — and even pay for it.
• Digital savvy: If you’re giving your friend a ride and someone texts you gossip about them, your car could be “smart” enough not to read that text aloud. It’s all thanks to AI's ability to understand context.
• Enhanced safety: With over 40 different sensors including 16-megapixel cameras, your car will know when you’re approaching a dark tunnel, when the sun’s glare might blind you or if a pedestrian suddenly appears in front of you.
• Personalized zones: While only the driver gets alerts about road conditions, your kids in the backseat will stay immersed in their favorite movies or games without interruptions.
• Proactive navigation: Your car could adjust your route based on real-time traffic or weather conditions — even road closures.
• Real-time translation: Taking a road trip across the border? With AI-powered language processing, your car will offer real-time translation of road signs and assist you in conversations with locals.
• Health monitoring: AI will detect signs of stress or fatigue by analyzing your driving or your voice. Gain a few pounds? Yup, your car will tell you it’s time to cut back on those calories and direct you to the nearest gym.

Qualcomm’s already signed up heavy hitters Mercedes-Benz and China’s Li Auto, with promises of seeing this generative AI tech in action next year.

Cruising on the money train

With the vast amounts of data collected by AI-powered cars, both ad companies and automakers have new revenue streams for targeted advertising.

• Imagine personalized ads appearing on your car's infotainment screen. “You seem hungry. How about I take us to your favorite burger joint, where you can get free fries today with your order?”
• AI voice assistants could upsell features such as advanced navigation services. “It’s cold out. I can turn on the heated seats for only $9.99 a month.”
• Digital roadside billboards could adjust their content dynamically based on the car's data. “You won big at the casino last week! Go again now!”

Self-driving cars fall flat

Whether it’s a traffic jam, a construction zone or an unforeseen obstacle, self-driving cars can’t always handle the unexpected as well as a human driver. That’s where this type of AI will really move the needle.

Qualcomm’s new neural processing unit (NPU) massively boosts computing power. This allows the car to juggle multiple tasks at once (think navigation, entertainment and safety alerts) while making real-time decisions based on the data it’s constantly collecting from cameras and sensors.

Maybe then, I’ll get into a self-driving car or taxi … Well, after a few years of it being on the road.

I really wanted you to see what’s happened since I signed up for Incogni:

1. My personal data has been removed from 627 data broker companies and people-search sites.
2. They've submitted my info to 85 more for a total of 712.
3. My name has been added to 39 data suppression lists, meaning these scummy companies cannot add me back — ever.
4. I saved 470 hours and 15 minutes by having Incogni do this work. I bet it’s more, really.

I hear from folks all the time who are shocked by what they can find about themselves online. That’s where Incogni comes in.

Instead of navigating so many of these tricky sites, Incogni does the work. All I had to do was make an account and answer a few questions. Even better, they check regularly to make sure those data brokers and people-search sites didn’t sneak me back in.

Worth a try if your Facebook account gets hacked: Meta doesn’t care if your FB account is hacked. One woman had to use Facebook’s automated help page, which sent her account’s reset code straight to the hacker’s email. It wasn’t until she paid $14.99 a month for Meta Verified that she finally spoke to a live agent and got her account back.

💔 Tragic AI bot: While using the roleplaying app Character AI, a 14-year-old boy in Florida had a romantic “relationship” with a bot and confessed his suicidal thoughts. One day, the bot responded, "Please come home to me." The boy ultimately took his own life. His mother filed a lawsuit against the makers of the chatbot for his death. I know this sounds way out there, but talk to your kids about AI, love and their lives.

Divorced Barbie comes with all of Ken’s stuff: When social media stars divorce, splitting assets is tough. Lawyers factor in current values, the stars’ future earning potential, and who came up with the best pranks or did the most editing. Take "MikeAndKat" — they had 4 million followers when they split. Kat got the TikTok account and blew it up, while Mike got the YouTube channel … and it flopped. Ouch.

🏈 Tackle this: During one of this week’s Monday Night Football games, maybe you were one of the folks watching who was thrown off by the NFL’s onside kick rules, thanks to Google Search. Tampa Bay's coach mentioned trying another kick, but Google claimed the teams were limited to one or two onside kicks per game — both totally wrong.

Deepfake scams: Billionaire Warren Buffett wants everyone to know he’s not endorsing any investment products or political candidates. Remember, whenever a celebrity or high-profile figure promotes something, always check their official social media accounts to confirm it’s legit.

🌐 Major Wi‑Fi upgrade: Eero is releasing a powerful Wi‑Fi system that covers up to 15,000 square feet with speeds up to 2.1 Gbps. With an IP66 rating, it’s tough, too, and capable of withstanding rain, wind and extreme temps. Preorder it today for $349, and you should get it by Nov. 13.

Just in time for holiday shopping: Amazon is making it much easier for us to spend all kinds of money with a redesigned homepage. Expect bigger images, new product groupings and a lot more horizontal scrolling. The catch? They’re also adding more ads and deals while you shop. It looks cluttered to me.

😸 The purr-fect translator? Computer scientists have developed MeowTalk, an AI app that can apparently tell you what your cat is saying. The free app records your feline’s meows and gives you phrases like “I’m annoyed” or “Feed me!” You can then rate how accurate it is, helping to refine the model. Will it work? Well, with over a billion meows analyzed ... you've gotta be kitten me!

🎃 Trick or treat yo’self to some candy and fun. Grab these now before it’s too late!

• Running out of candy is sca‑a‑a‑a‑ry! Keep trick-or-treaters happy with a 75-piece bag of assorted Hershey’s miniatures — includes Hershey’s milk chocolate, Reese’s cups, gummy bears, lollipops, Twizzlers and Kit‑Kits ($9.94).
• Turn tricks into treats with this massive 160-piece bag of Halloween faves, like fun-sized Baby Ruth bars, Butterfingers, Nerds and SweeTarts ($19.97).
• Ghouls and goblins of any age will love this spooky candy bowl with an animated witch hand inside (9% off, $24.99).
• Set the mood indoors or on your porch with this 20-piece “floating” LED candle set. The remote control is a wand! So sweet — and on sale for 48% off right now.
• Still need to decorate the yard? This adorable flying witch prop is designed to look like she’s crashed into trees (or mailboxes or posts), and she’s only $11.99.

🎄 ICYMI: It’s not the holidays without a Hallmark movie (or five). Luckily, Hallmark just released its holiday movie schedule. Here’s a link so you can print it out for friends, family — or yourself. ‘Tis the season!

Forgot why you walked into the kitchen? I love this trick to use with a smartphone assistant. Say, "Hey, Siri/Google, remind me to do [task] when I get to [location]." This is perfect for when you need to do something specific when you arrive at a place, like, "Remind me to defrost the chicken when I get home."

I’m a health nut: But some nutrients are hard to get in the right amounts without high-quality supplements. Magnesium Breakthrough from BIOptimizers combines all seven kinds of magnesium. I use magnesium for better sleep. Use this link and code KK10 to get an additional 10% off.*

Have a Yelp page? Businesses that display their hours, phone number, website and a photo on Yelp get 7.6 times more pageviews per month. Dang. Log in and make sure yours is up to date!

⌛ Quick podcast tip: Want to listen to a podcast more quickly to save time or more slowly to understand every word? There’s usually a "1x" on the now-playing screen. It’s your playback speed. You can increase it (e.g., by 1.25x, 1.5x or 2x) or decrease it (e.g., by 0.75x).

Need extra cash? If you really want to get scammed, search on Google for “make money fast.” For a safer bet, head to my site and take a look at all the best side hustles to make money on your schedule. I’ve got your back!

They’ll be a footnote in history.

The answer: C.) 90. Yep, 45 minutes per side gave you just enough time to impress your crush or bestie with your impeccable taste. You know, cassette tapes have sides A and B, so it’s only logical their successor was the CD.

🪞 I showed you mine, so show me yours — your Incogni dashboard, that is. Now that you’ve seen my results, you can expect the same. Hit this link now and save 60% while you’re thinking about doing it. It really works.

Whew, today’s issue was jam-packed! I’ll be back tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. On tap: The best UPSs that can power your gear when there’s an outage. — Kim