Hey, hi, hello, it’s Friday, friend! Trivia time to start us off. In business, branding is everything. Lucky me, I have a memorable name, and so do Chris P. Bacon, Lee King and Tim Burr. Now then, which social media platform was originally named Picaboo? Was it … A.) Instagram, B.) Snapchat, C.) Twitter or D.) Pinterest? You’ll find the answer at the end of this newsletter.

It’s a busy tech day, but stick with me and you’ll always be tapping into the future, not left buffering in the past! — Kim

Google is one of the best examples of “If it’s free, you’re the product.” And its employees, business decisions, stock price, biases and preferences have a big impact on what its “products” (Smile! That’s you and me!) see when we use Google Search.

I hear from a reader, viewer or listener just about every day who’s looking for ways not to use Google Search.

Google isn't the only search game in town

Dennis in Reno, Nevada, sent me a note the other day, asking if Google had purchased the search engine DuckDuckGo. Nope, they haven't. That’s fake news spreading online.

He also asked me for “the best product to avoid Google tracking and search manipulation (i.e., logarithm).” It’s algorithm, friend. I don’t want you to embarrass yourself in polite tech circles. The “best” product really depends on what you like. I’ve got options for ya. But first …

Follow the money

Wondering how Google’s competitors make money if they’re not shilling your info to anyone with a buck to spend? Most alternative search engines make money in three ways:

1. They show ads based on your search keyword, not your browsing habits or behavior.
2. They get an extra sliver of the action when you click an ad and make a purchase.
3. They sell premium subscriptions for ad-free searches and their other products.

Try a privacy-first search engine

You won’t see AI tools like ChatGPT in this list since I’m sticking with traditional search engines. There are endless options, but here’s a good place to start:

• DuckDuckGo: Its entire gimmick is its lack of user tracking, as well as a company policy of no targeted ads or relevant results based on your search history. I don’t use DuckDuckGo, though; I seem to get better search results from the next option.
• StartPage: The Netherlands-based company calls itself “the world’s most private search engine.” StartPage pays Google for the use of its search algorithm but strips out the tracking and advertising that comes with it. As a result, you get a Google-like experience, along with the promise your data will never be stored, tracked or sold.
• Ecosia: It’s a traditional search engine, ads and all, but its profits go to planting trees worldwide — over 217 million to date and counting. Ecosia doesn’t sell your data, and its searches are encrypted. They collect “a small amount of data” by default; you can opt out.
• Dogpile: Google, Yahoo, Bing and all the rest have their own ways of sorting through search results. Dogpile combs through them all to help you find what you’re looking for.

Try each of these options and see which one you like best. After all, they’re all free.

🤣 Speaking of search engines … Where’s the safest place to hide a dead body? Page 2 of Google Search.

💡 These items are illuminating in so many ways.

• I don’t like dark hallways and stairwells. Dangerous! These night-lights look nice and cost less than $10 for eight. Click for the extra coupon.
• Smart bulbs don’t have to be expensive. WiZ smart lights are under $10.
• Upgrade your evening porch time with app-controlled outdoor LED lights. Click the box for $42 off.
• This smart table lamp will look good in any room (27% off).
• Prefer paper books to electronic versions? I do, too. All good! Grab a book light for under $7.

🚨 QR code scam spreading: Watch out for malicious QR codes in your email, posing as your bank or shipping services. Scan one and you’ll land on a fake login page hungry for your real username and password. Always check the sender’s full email address, watch the URL you’re redirected to, and turn on multifactor authentication for every app and service you can. I know it’s a pain.

Drop it like it’s hot(spot); 6G is coming: Researchers just transmitted data at an insane 938 gigabytes per second. That’s over 9,000 times faster than current 5G speeds and fast enough to download over 20 full-length movies in 1 second. When will we see it? It’ll take a few years to get these speeds on your phone.

Safety or privacy? Schools are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on programs like GoGuardian to monitor what kids are doing online. The tools flag risky activity, like searches for self-harm or threats. One student searched for “how to die,” and the algorithm flagged it, leading to a call to the school counselor. It’s invasive, sure, but if it’s on a school-issued laptop, I say it’s their duty to step in.

✈️ Travel hack: Google Flights is rolling out a “cheapest” tab for rock-bottom fares. On your phone, search flights.google.com, and you’ll see the “best” options. Now there’s a “cheapest” tab to the right, focusing strictly on price. The catch: Inconvenient times, layovers or returns to a different airport. Hey, but you’ll save money!

🖥️ OLED monitor sales will jump 181% this year: There’s one big difference between OLED and LCD; with OLED, each pixel emits its own light for deeper blacks and richer colors. Plus, OLED screens have faster response times, which reduces motion blur and ghosting for better streaming and gaming. I took the time to select picks for a budget 27-inch option (22% off!) and a high-end 39-inch model (43% off, dang).

Attn., business owners: Do this! Verify your business with Apple, and your logo will now pop up in the iPhone’s Phone, Mail, Maps and Wallet apps. Start by signing into Apple's Business Connect page with your Apple account. Add your company info, register for the service, and you’re good to go.

🥩 Check your fridge: Some 11.8 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products may be contaminated with listeria. BrucePac sells to companies that repackage, resell or use its products, so you’ll need to check a whopping 348-page list to be safe. Big names include Amazon Fresh, Kroger and Trader Joe’s. Pro tip: Hit Ctrl + F on Windows (Cmd + F on Mac) to search the list.

Finding her voice: A 42-year-old mom diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease was losing her ability to speak. The neurological disease affects nerve cells in the brain. She found ElevenLabs, which creates human-like text-to-speech AI programs. She sent in a few recordings, and they developed a voice that sounded almost like hers. Now, she types with her eyes, and the program does the rest. I love it when tech makes such a positive impact.

Yeah, I’m a health nut. I eat my veggies and egg whites, I love walking, and I even cut out my nightly glass of wine (most of the time). But some key nutrients are hard to get in the right amounts without high-quality supplements.

Magnesium Breakthrough from BIOptimizers combines all seven kinds of magnesium. One pill packs in all these benefits:

• Magnesium Malate: Can help with migraines, chronic pain and depression
• Magnesium Sucrosomial: Helps effectively produce energy
• Magnesium Taurate: Helps with heart function
• Magnesium Chelate: Important for muscle building, recovery and health
• Magnesium Citrate: Helps with the effects of obesity
• Magnesium Bisglycinate: Often used to treat upset stomach
• Magnesium Orotate: Helps with metabolic improvements

With Magnesium Breakthrough, maximize your sleep quality, manage stress more effectively, and provide your body with the building blocks for stronger bones and overall well-being. It has all-natural ingredients, and it’s vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and lactose‑free.

Windows key + V: This lets you see and paste from a list of items you've copied to your clipboard recently. It's super handy for pasting multiple things without having to go back and forth to copy them again one by one. To use it, make sure Clipboard history is turned on in your Windows settings.

Cmd + Shift + 5: On a Mac, this brings up the screenshot toolbar, where you can take screenshots or record your screen. Capture the entire screen, a selected window or a specific portion, and you can even choose to record a video.

Wheelie having a good time: On the web version of Google Maps, click Layers, then Biking. You’ll see all the smaller paths and dirt trails on the map alongside the main roads.

🗑️ Bring it back: Don't panic if you accidentally delete a pic. In the Google Photos app, go to Collections > Trash to see any photos or videos deleted in the last 60 days. In Apple Photos on your iPhone, swipe up, then, under Utilities, tap Recently Deleted. You’ll have 30 days before it’s gone for good, so move quickly!

Don’t get left behind: If you run a business, AI should be part of it. Not sure where to start? Grab NetSuite’s “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning” for FREE.* Hey, you don’t need to be a CFO to get the guide, btw.

Try this prompt with ChatGPT! Here’s what it told me.

The answer: B.) Snapchat. It launched in 2011 for iPhone only as Picaboo. It worked about the same — you could send photos that disappeared after being viewed — but they ditched the name for Snapchat in September of that year.

😀 Now, back to some other memorable names … Emma Roids, Sue Flay and Ty Prater.

I want to hear from you: Record a voice memo with a question about anything digital and send it to podcasts@komando.com. Look for the Voice Memos app built into your phone, or just say, “Hey, Siri/Hey, Google, take a voice memo.” See you right back here tomorrow with more tech smarts in the best newsletter in the USA! — Kim