Welcome to your Friday the 13th tech smarts, friend. Back in 2010, on a Friday the 13th, NASA famously had a close encounter with an asteroid the size of an NFL stadium. That brings us to today’s trivia. What’s the name of the asteroid that’s going to fly pretty close to Earth in 2029? Is it … A.) Apophis, B.) Halley, C.) Kimster or D.) Eros? Make your best guess, and bonus points if you also know how many miles above Earth it’ll be. The answers to both are at the end.

🤓 If you’re not tech-ahead, you’ll be left tech-behind. I’ve got a lot to share. If you see something in today’s top story that makes you think, do me a solid and use the buttons below the article to share it with a pal. Let’s make this world tech-smarter together! — Kim

Inventor, author and futurist Ray Kurzweil has some wild predictions for what life will be like by 2050. From defying the aging process to merging completely with AI (say what?), here's a peek inside his crystal ball.

The Singularity life

Kurzweil, known as one of the “godfathers” of AI, spent 61 years developing AI tech, and he’s snagged a spot in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He's also known for predicting the future of technology with pretty eerie accuracy.

In his 2005 book, “The Singularity is Near,” he wrote about how humans would become reliant on tech and AI. His new book, “The Singularity is Nearer,” dives into what’s next.

Term to know: Artificial General Intelligence

This is when AI can match or beat a human's ability to perform cognitive tasks. Kurzweil thinks it’s coming in 2029. Right now, AI models like ChatGPT and Midjourney focus on one specific area, like text or images. Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI, will do it all.

In 1999, Kurzweil guessed it’d take another 100 years for us to see AGI. You can thank ultra-powerful computers and the super-fast progress AI researchers have made for the new timeline.

Think about it: 10 years ago, we would’ve laughed at the thought of a computer completing billions of transactions in one second. Today, everyone carries the tech to do just that in their pockets.

So, what is ‘the Singularity’?

It's essentially a future point where humans no longer control technological growth — aka the point of no return. Kurzweil thinks we’ll get there by 2045. What does that look like?

He believes humans will merge with AI and create a brand-new form of intelligence. Think nanotech that hooks up the human brain to computers. If that seems crazy, consider the Neuralink brain chip that’s already being implanted into folks.

Forget retinol cream

Kurzweil predicts we'll solve the aging problem within the next five to 10 years. He calls it "longevity escape velocity." (Use that to sound smart!) In layman's terms, it means humans will no longer die of old age and experience the problems that come with aging.

Already, we’ve seen incredible advancements in medicine thanks to AI. Scientists can now create artificial organs and are coming closer to stopping diseases in their tracks.

But will things really advance enough in the next decade to make us all immortal? Kurzweil's not the only one who thinks so.

Patient zero

Tech millionaire Bryan Johnson’s mission is simple: "Don't die." From rejuvenating his joints through stem cell therapies and sticking to a hardcore daily regimen, he’s pulling out all the stops.

When Johnson was on my podcast, he shared tips everyone — not just millionaires — can use to stay healthy and live longer. Here are Bryan’s five “power laws”:

1. Don’t smoke.
2. Get six hours of exercise per week. Even one hour a week is better than none.
3. Eat a Mediterranean-style diet.
4. Maintain a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 22.5.
5. Consume alcohol moderately or abstain from drinking. This means no lemon drop martini for me. I’ll have to really think about that.

For all the insider secrets, watch my interview with Bryan Johnson. Leave a comment on the video and tell me how old you think he looks.

😀 Speaking of … The past, the present and the future walk into a bar. It was tense.

Sorry, pal, but you’re going to want all these.

• I love Amazon, but the box pile-up is real. Break them down faster with an injury-proof box cutter.
• Make all your shoes slip-ons with no-tie elastic laces.
• Cleaning goop (22% off) to get the crud out of your car’s nooks and crannies.
• A slim, portable phone power bank is perfect for when you forget to charge at home.
• A cord tamer sticks right to your appliances. Click the box for 20% off!

🦻🏻 Social media is buzzing with a wild theory: Conspiracy theorists suggest Vice President Kamala Harris wore wireless earphones disguised as pearl earrings during her 90-minute presidential debate against Donald Trump — specifically, $650 Nova H1 earrings, which feature tiny mics for crystal-clear calls. I’m not buying it; Harris’ pair looks more like these $2,000 Tiffany’s earrings to me.

AI chatbots are politically biased: Researchers ran 11 standard political questionnaires through 24 different AI bots, including ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Most leaned left-of-center because they were fed more left-leaning training data, not right-leaning. Developers have a huge influence on what their models “think.”

🍔 I’m not lovin’ it: McDonald’s new self-serve kiosks accept cash and won’t complain if your order is annoying. They say no jobs will be cut and cashiers will move to roles like delivering food. For now, the kiosks are optional and in less than 2% of locations, but expect more soon.

Gemini Live is free to Android users: Google’s AI assistant chats in real time and you can interrupt it with new info or directions. To try it, open the Gemini app and tap the circular waveform with a sparkle icon in the bottom right. You’ll enter full-screen chat mode.

🍿 Grab the popcorn: If you watch YouTube on your smart TV, you’ll soon see ads when you pause a video. The video shrinks to the left and a sponsored ad column takes over the right side. To remove the ad, either resume playback or hit the “Dismiss” button. YouTube is also testing longer, unskippable ads. You can escape them with YouTube Premium, but that’ll cost you $13.99 a month.

Love this idea: Two Colorado sisters launched a dating app designed for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Users can tap “X” or “❤️” to sort through matches, and there's a "Dateability Deets" section where you check off terms that describe your condition. Check it out on iOS and Android.

🚀 A giant step: On Thursday morning, the Polaris Dawn mission made history. Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and an engineer floated 435 miles above Earth, making them the first private astronauts to complete a spacewalk. Isaacman spent 12 minutes outside the spacecraft, relying on SpaceX’s new spacesuit for oxygen. Here’s the video. It’s incredible.

All right, there’s no club, but there is a better option. Join over 38,000 companies that have upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle. Manage your financials, inventory, HR, e‑commerce and more, all in one spot. No more getting lost in an endless sea of spreadsheets and docs.

Whether your business does a few hundred thousand dollars a year or a few hundred million, who wouldn’t love less paperwork, more insights and higher revenues? It’s time for you to make a move.

Small-biz tip: Getting the right domain is an important part of settling on your business name. Check for a site name across different top-level domains (think .com, .net. and .biz), and see how much they cost at iwantmyname.com.

🌞 Hello, sunshine: It’s finally cooling down in Phoenix, which means more time spent exercising outside! The built-in step counter on your phone is just OK. The Map My Walk app is way more accurate. Try it for iPhone or Android.

Kindle upgrade: KTool lets you use your Kindle for more than books by easily sending articles, X threads and newsletters (like mine!) right to it.

🪟 Three shortcuts for PCs:

1. Windows key + . (period) or ; (semicolon): Opens the emoji picker.
2. Windows key + Shift + S: Opens the Snip & Sketch tool for capturing (and editing) screenshots.
3. Alt + F6: Allows you to switch between multiple windows of the same application (e.g., different browser windows).

🍎 Three shortcuts for Macs:

1. Ctrl + Cmd + spacebar: Opens the emoji picker.
2. Cmd + Shift + 5: Opens the screenshot tool for capturing the entire screen, a window or a selected portion. You can also record your screen from this menu.
3. Cmd + Opt + Esc: Opens the force-quit menu.

Sometimes, he’s just so brilliant that I’m glad I married him. Fun fact: We got married on a Friday the 13th!

☄️ The answer: A.) Apophis. On April 13, 2029, the asteroid will pass just 19,000 miles above Earth's surface, marking one of the closest fly-bys of an asteroid this large in recorded history. While there’s no risk of impact then, its closeness will allow astronomers to study it in more detail.

Spend less: The free Upside app gives you cash back on gas, groceries and dining out. I got $10 back on groceries and $0.55 back on every gallon of gas. Download Upside* and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.

🐰 That’s all, folks. Thanks for letting me in your inbox. It’s an honor. Use your unique referral link below to tell your pals about this newsletter. Bonus: You can win great prizes. I’d love to send you $1,000! Have an awesome Friday and stay your amazing self. I’ll be back tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim