Hey, hi, hello, and welcome to the first Monday in October! Today, in 1927, the first “talkie” (a film with sound) was released: “The Jazz Singer.” We’ve come a long way since then, with AI now changing how we work. What tech profession is going to make big money because of AI? Is it … A.) Tech support, B.) Software developers, C.) Data scientists or D.) Graphic designers? Make your best guess, and you’ll find the answer at the end.

I did the research: Mitopure from Timeline has been shown to improve mitochondrial health and increase muscle strength by up to 12% and endurance by up to 15% when compared to a placebo. Learn how Mitopure works and get a 30% discount. I get my steps, do Pilates and eat my veggies, but I’m all for supplements. More below! On to the tech know-how to keep you tech-ahead and never left behind. — Kim

I talk a lot about how most apps default to automatically sharing your data with advertisers and marketing companies. But some apps share your personal info with other people by default.

Yeah, no, thank you. Let’s end this today. Here are the most common app oversharers on your phone and how to get them to stop. (Aren’t you glad you read this newsletter that’s worth its price in gold? Oh, wait — it’s free!)

Google Maps and reviews

By default, any reviews you’ve left on Google — even just to give a restaurant five stars — are public and attached to your profile. When someone clicks on any of your reviews, they’ll be able to see all the other ones you’ve left. That’s basically a public record of where you’ve been (and when you hated the curry). No bueno.

Here’s how to turn off this sharing:

You have an Amazon public profile

Did you know if you have an Amazon account, you have a public profile, too? Most people don’t have a clue this exists. Adding reviews to Amazon helps other shoppers, sure, but every review you’ve written is attached to your public profile.

The easiest fix? Hide your public profile (which, by the way, also shows your wish lists to the world).

Forums and comments

Most people who post in forums like Reddit or the comment section of websites use their usernames for privacy, not their real names — but usernames aren’t as private as you might think.

This is especially true if you use the same username (or similar ones) across multiple sites, making it easy for others to track you down.

How to fix it:

On the internet, you can be whoever you want. It's strange so many people choose to be stupid.

Honorable mentions: Photos, Venmo and crypto

I can’t fit these here, but I’ve discussed all these offenders before. As a reminder, your transactions on Venmo and the blockchain are public unless you take steps to protect yourself — and so is your photo metadata.

Need a hand? I’ve got step-by-step tips on my site.

🥘 I got rid of all my old pots and pans that didn’t match and had PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, cadmium and other toxic materials that can leach into your food, making them unsafe for you and your family.

Here’s what I bought instead. Let me tell you, these are expensive, but they have no chemicals, and I don’t even need to use spray oil anymore. With the holidays coming up, you’ll definitely use these:

🚨 Comcast and Truist Bank data breach: Both used Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS) to collect unpaid debts on their behalf. Around 7.4 million FBCS customers had their full name, SSN, DOB, driver’s license number or ID card, and other personal data breached. You know the drill — freeze your credit and watch out for phishing scams, texts and phone calls.

Update your PC now: The Windows 11 2024 update (24H2) brings improvements to the Start Menu, File Explorer and Power Settings. Several features and apps are going away, including WordPad, Paint 3D, Tips and Cortana. To update, head to Settings > Windows Update.

Attn., writers and coders: OpenAI just launched Canvas, a new tool that lets you highlight specific text or code and make direct edits instead of starting from scratch each time. It’s available for ChatGPT Plus and Teams users. Try it out under the Model dropdown menu. Spoiler: I didn’t see much difference between it and GPT‑4o.

🍗 Costco's rotisserie chicken is making people sick: The new plastic bag might be breeding bacteria. It’s more likely the chicken is being left at room temperature for too long. Pro tip: As soon as you get home, pop the chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate it.

Total game changer: Google’s NotebookLM AI is going viral. Audio Overviews turns written content into a conversational podcast style between two bots. Really, it sounds like humans. There’s a natural cadence with filler words like “uh” and “oh.” Try it: Sign in to your Google Account, go to the NotebookLM website, upload a doc or link, and hit Generate. Prepare to be shocked — I was.

Something that was always supposed to be free finally is: The IRS’ free tax filing program, Direct File, will be available in 24 states next year. It was limited to simple tax situations, like W‑2 wage earners or Social Security retirement incomes, but in 2025, it’ll cover complex filings, too. Here’s more info on who can use it.

🐾 Amazon hack: Amazon’s new AI chatbot, Rufus, can help you find things to buy and answer product questions. People are using it to find cheaper versions of popular name-brand items. Pro tip: The bot won’t help if you ask for “dupes” (paywall link). Rephrase your request, like asking for “leggings similar to Lululemon pants.” You’ve gotta be smarter than the bot!

Are you too young to think about how you’re aging? Probably not. Starting in our 30s, some key cellular processes begin to slow down, making us feel tired and weak over time. But, a group of scientists spent 15 years developing a way to combat this decline.

Meet Mitopure®, by Timeline, a clinically proven way to increase cellular energy, giving our bodies the energy they need to function optimally. The results? Double-digit increases in muscle strength and endurance *without any change in exercise.*

🫧 Green chat bubbles aren’t going away: When you text from an iPhone to someone on an Android device, there's a setting you can enable for better image and video quality — plus, no more “Kim liked a photo” responses to emoji reactions. On iPhone (iOS 18 only), go to Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging. On Android, open Google Messages, then tap your profile pic > Messaging settings > RCS chats.

Go deeper: On Windows, you can get detailed information about your hardware, software and components. Hold down Windows key + R, type msinfo32 and hit Enter to open your System Information panel.

Free AI test drive: Nothing has changed our lives quite like AI has — and will. That’s why you need to start using AI in your business before it’s too late. Take a free test drive of AI and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure now.*

👨‍💻 Learn these if you have a Mac: Hit Cmd + W to close a window and Cmd + Q to quit an app. Now, use all that time I just saved you to tell someone how much Kim Komando helps you. (Shameless, I know.)

Calling all YouTubers: Starting Oct. 15, you’ll be able to upload YouTube Shorts up to 3 minutes long. The Shorts player is getting streamlined, too. They say these updates are to put creators front and center, but all this really translates into is “Use us instead of TikTok.”

This is nacho average cheese platter. Pro tip: Add a couple of pieces of dark chocolate to make your cheese plate extra fancy.

✅ Be sure to check out today’s sponsor. Mitopure from Timeline has over 4,000 positive reviews. Learn how Mitopure works and get a 30% discount.

The answer: C.) Data scientists, with an average starting annual salary of $197,000. (The other jobs I mentioned are particularly vulnerable.) Data scientists harness AI to analyze massive amounts of information, build predictive models and create AI-driven solutions. They’re the modern-day alchemists, turning data into gold!

Speaking of alchemists, Lynn in Newark, Delaware, writes:

“Hi Kim, a recent newsletter said, ‘What do you call someone who collects tech tips? A Kim‑ist.’ Permit me to provide a subsequent riddle: What do you call someone who provides tech tips that are worth their weight in gold? An al‑Kim‑ist (alchemist)." I heard you groan. 😉 Thanks for all you do!”

☀️ Good one, Lynn, and you’re welcome!

Talk to me: I’m trying something new! Record a voice memo with a question about anything digital and send it to me. I’ll play it and answer my favorites on my podcast. Send it to podcasts@komando.com.

Not sure how to do this? Voice Memos (a built-in app on Apple and Android) has your back. Bonus: You can say, “Hey, Siri, take a voice memo” or “OK, Google, take a voice memo.” Thank you for letting me in your inbox. It’s an honor! — Kim