Welcome to your tech-marvelous Monday, friends! Let’s get your brain going with trivia. The very first computer mouse wasn’t made of plastic. Was it made of … A.) Wood, B.) Aluminum, C.) Felt or D.) Glass? You’ll find the answer at the end.

🔐 Do your part to keep this newsletter free to you. You need a VPN — it’s that simple. I use ExpressVPN, and when you sign up using my link, you’ll get three months free on an annual plan. Btw, I don’t get any kickbacks or residuals if you buy. Now, on to expanding your tech know-how! — Kim

New word for you: Grandfluencer. It combines “grandparent” and “influencer” and describes all the folks trading in retirement for social media fame. We're talking millions of followers, thousands of comments … and a lot of money. One paid post can land a particularly big “grandfluencer” over $150,000.

Take 79-year-old Lynn Yamada Davis, who rakes in a cozy six-figure salary from her Cooking with Lynja channels. Over 17 million people have watched her build a 10-foot hotdog and make popcorn with a hair straightener. Unusual? Yes. Entertaining? Definitely.

If you want to know how to unstick a zipper with petroleum jelly, find yourself an internet mom/grandma. BrunchWithBabs is one of the queens of this genre, providing tips and tricks to her 4 million followers — most of whom are young adults.

The internet’s grandpa

On TikTok, 85-year-old “Old Man Steve” — real name Stephen Austin — has over 1.7 million followers. He posts short clips of himself drinking coffee, eating cookies and talking to his fans from his assisted-living kitchen in Dallas.

Steve has been on my show a few times, and he told me he gets a lot of messages from young fans asking him to be their grandpa. “Making fun videos gets me up in the morning,” he said.

Seeing and sharing the sights

At 76, Lindy Moore defies the typical image of retirement. She converted her 2013 Chevrolet van into a home. She and her dog, Marley, explore the U.S. while sharing tips and tales with her 38,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, Lindy’s Awesome Van Adventure.

Lindy makes around $600 a month through her posts, but if a video gets crazy views, that number is much, much higher. "Let's say you have a video that gets 400,000 views,” she says. “You could possibly get $10,000."

‘Hey, I want to try!’

What have you got to lose? Even if you make a couple hundred bucks a month, that could be enough to live more comfortably. Here are a few pro tips to get started:

• Identify your niche: What are you passionate about? It could be anything from cooking, gardening or fashion to sharing wisdom.
• Be consistent: Post content regularly. Mix it up with videos, images and text posts, and remember that growth takes time.
• Build a connection: Respond to comments, ask questions and participate in conversations.
• Stay authentic and positive: People watch reality TV for the fake stuff.

✅ I wish I could fit all the great creators I found here. Head to my site for the rest, including a group of hilarious retired actors. It’s basically “Jersey Shore'' — if the cast had back pain and grandkids.

Stocking stuffers and small gifts that feel fancy at a great price:

• Satin pillowcases for smoother hair. Bonus: They’re pretty.
• A luxurious lavender candle to relax.
• For men, ascot slippers like kings wear. And for women, these soft, easy-on and easy-off slippers (54% off right now, too!).

China’s stirring the pot: Over 4,800 fake Facebook accounts from China were shut down as they pretended to be Americans rousing political chaos. The interesting part? No fake news — just amping up the divide with real posts. Keep this in mind before you start commenting and sharing. There are a lot more fake Chinese accounts where those came from …

Beware, Booking⁠.⁠com customers: Cybercriminals are fooling hotel staff into giving up credentials, then swindling the hotel’s customers to pay them instead of hotels. If you get any suspicious notifications from a hotel you’re about to stay at or one you’ve just visited, call the hotel directly to confirm any payments.

🔋 Power play: Microsoft is testing an energy-saver mode on Windows 11 to stretch your laptop's battery life. It's not just for laptops, though; desktop users can also shave off a bit from those energy bills. Check it out in your system’s Quick Settings if you’re part of the Windows Insider Program.

Loan, sweet loan: Don't miss the payments if you buy something on a buy now, pay later (BNPL) plan. Slip up, and you could get hit with a $25 fine or be banned from the app. It's easy to stack up these loans, and they don't ding your credit score — but that's the trap. If you can’t afford it now, you won’t be able to afford it later.

A novel idea: Ever wonder how much of your written masterpiece is really you versus your AI buddy? iA Writer 7 puts your words in black and AI's in gray — like a high-tech spot-the-difference puzzle! Sorry, Windows and Android users; right now, it's a Mac and iOS exclusive.

📸 Cross my heart and elope to die: People are hiring "social media wedding concierges" to dish out Insta-ready shots. One woman paid a cool $4,000 plus travel expenses (WSJ, paywall link). Photographers are sweating, but hey, you can't beat those same-night TikToks and Reels!

By 2033, every job's gonna be a tech job: A recent study reveals a crazy 98% of CEOs and office folks bet tech skills will be must-haves everywhere in the next 10 years. IT, AI and cybersecurity are hot degrees. If you work in the education field, my newsletter should be mandatory reading. Let me know if we can help subscribe your entire class or school.

It’s that time of year when we sign up for streaming services to watch our favorite holiday movies. But face it: We aren’t going to remember to cancel subscriptions or free trials just by hoping the end date comes to our minds in 30 days.

• Method 1: When you sign up, set a reminder on your phone or calendar or stick a note on your fridge. I comb through my streaming charges every couple of months. Don’t be that person who ends up paying for a service you don’t use.
• Method 2: Cancel right after subscribing. With many services, you can do this and still enjoy the entire trial period. Just check their policy first.
• Method 3: Try the Rocket Money* app. It identifies your subscriptions to help you stop paying for things you don’t need. No kidding, I saved $456.76 within 5 minutes of using it.

🔠 I haven't kept up my subscription to the Scrabble Club. Now they're sending me threatening letters. (Good one!)

Whether you have a few minutes to spare during your drive or you're just chilling at home, it's the perfect time to tune in to The Kim Komando Show podcast! I keep it real, breaking down the latest tech trends, cybersecurity tips and gadget reviews into snack-sized, easy-to-understand episodes.

👉 Get my podcasts today!

Print a webpage without the ads: Go to PrintFriendly⁠.⁠com and paste in the URL to turn that page into a fully print-ready version. Click the yellow Preview button and that’s it. Nice!

Your eyes only: WhatsApp (owned by Meta, in case you didn’t know) has a sweet new feature: Secret codes. If someone sends you a chat, you can set a custom password to hide it from your chat list. Snoops, your job just got harder.

Use QuickBooks? It's time to upgrade your business and get the intel you need to grow and make decisions. NetSuite* is giving away a free e‑book with customizable templates, checklists, spreadsheets, sample SLAs and much more. Hurry, this is a limited-time offer.

🔢 Undo it: You’re doing math on your calculator app and one wrong tap ruins everything. Not anymore. On a touchscreen device, swipe right or left to delete the last character. How do you make “7” even? Subtract the ‑s.

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a great place to start. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN’s servers run on RAM, or volatile memory, that’s cleared each time the server is reset — meaning they don’t save your data. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad, you name it.

🚨 Deal alert: Get an extra THREE months free since you subscribe to my newsletter.

Things are so much better when you make them from scratch.

The answer: A.) Wood. In 1964, Doug Engelbart’s mouse was a rectangular block of wood with a button at the top right. As for calling it a “mouse,” Doug thought the cord coming out of the block’s back made it look like the little rodent.

As many of you know, I am a practicing Catholic. I have the Hallow app and really enjoy Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homilies, Bible in a Year, daily reflections and special series, such as the one about life after death. They are not a sponsor of my free newsletter. Here’s a link to try the Hallow app for free. Just passing it along.

🌟 Excited to embark on a brand-new week together! Your being here means a lot to me. Be sure to share your referral link below with one person today. Thank you! And I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow with the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim