Hi on a lovely Sunday, my fellow tech aficionado! Let's kickstart this issue with a tech tip that might give you déjà vu: Reboot your phone! This simple step clears the RAM, speeds up things, prevents overheating, triggers updates and even stops certain types of malware in its tracks. Now, so you don’t forget to do this, set a reminder in your calendar app to reboot your phone once a week. Good job!

🔥 Get “50 Smart Ways to Use AI” for FREE: All you need to do is 1) Copy your unique referral link, which you'll find at the bottom of this newsletter. 2) Share your link on social media, through email, in a text — your call! 3) Kick back and relax! When someone uses your link to sign up for my newsletter, I'll send my new eBook to your email address. Hurry, this is a limited-time offer! — Kim

Corsicana, Texas is a small town an hour away from Dallas. They kicked off the oil boom in the South 130 years ago, turning their land into a money-making machine. Today, it’s the kind of dreary town you don’t stop in because there’s nothing memorable.

The oil dried up long ago, and so did all the money. Corsicana is trying to recapture the magic they once had, this time with the world’s largest bitcoin mine. When I read about what was happening, I knew you’d find it interesting, too.

A new money revolution

In Corsicana, the Riot bitcoin facility is under construction on a massive 265-acre site. The operation is still in the planning phase, and Riot is in the middle of negotiating the details with the local government. One thing that’s certain at this point? Many residents aren’t welcoming the new facility.

To explain why, let’s look at how this operation translates into real-life money. Mining a single bitcoin (currently worth more than $66,000) requires a ton of computer power. That’s the beauty of these large facilities, where powerful computer chips can work together. They run complex math equations, and whoever owns the computer chip that solves the math equation becomes the owner of that bitcoin.

Since the servers do all the work, the process is pretty passive for those in charge. In essence, bitcoin mines turn raw computing power into real money.

In a town that desperately needs cash, it sounds almost too good to be true. So, what’s the catch?

‘Quality of life’

… At least, that’s what the Texas Coalition Against Crypto Mining says. The grassroots movement was formed after crypto mining facilities disrupted life in several other Texas towns.

Take Granbury, population 13,000. They learned a little too late bitcoin mines can be very, very loud. Computer components get hot when they’re working at max capacity around the clock, and most bitcoin mines use air cooling to keep them running.

The sound of hundreds or even thousands of components running all day can be heard for miles. Imagine how frustrating it must feel to wake up to that day after day.

The energy tax

The process of mining one bitcoin costs 340 kilowatts per hour. That’s more power than you and I might use in six months. Many bitcoin mines use energy like coal and natural gas to power their components, too. That’s a lot of pollution produced when they’re running all day, all night, every single day.

Things get more complicated when you think about the stability of the Texas power grid. The state runs its grid free from federal oversight. In 2021, the grid failed, leaving over 4.5 million homes and businesses without power and heat for weeks.

Now add power-sucking bitcoin mines to that grid. Not only will the mines’ 24/7 power consumption drastically impact locals’ power bills, but it will also put the whole city’s grid at risk.

They’re gearing up

The coalition fighting all this has organized protests, spoken to officials at city hall and researched every way they could use the law to prevent the Riot facility from opening. It’s not all said and done, but the plant is under construction, so it’s not looking good for them.

Corsicana isn’t the first city in Texas to go toe-to-toe with crypto miners, and they won’t be the last. Land is cheap and regulations are scarce. Big operations like these are also why small-time operators are getting out of bitcoin mining. You just can’t compete and win.

Look closely! The European-engineered Horizon IX by hear.com is so powerful, yet so sleek, it's practically invisible.

But stealthy hearing isn't the only reason 400,000 Americans chose this hearing device — it's also one of the world's first dual-processing hearing aids, separating noise and speech to deliver unheard-of clarity. Don't believe it? Horizon IX was even featured in The New York Times, Morning Brew and Forbes for its:

Way to go, Elon: If you’ve been hit by Hurricane Helene, Starlink, the satellite internet service subsidiary of SpaceX, is stepping in to help. They’re offering free service for the first month so you can stay connected, even if your regular internet service is down. Details here.

🐶 Don’t fall for it: Fake animal rescue videos are the new way scammers are making money on social media. They show kittens, puppies or monkeys in horrible situations. In reality, it’s these sickos putting the animals in danger. The accounts look like genuine organizations asking for legit donations. Report these posts to stop the engagement.

You have no expectation of privacy in public: Students, parents and activists are pushing the U.S. Department of Education to ban facial recognition in public schools. The system lets anyone with access watch the kids, analyze their facial expressions and even monitor bathroom trips. I just hope the data is locked down.

No more Mr. Dice guy: Sports betting apps are now using AI to limit how much you can wager, especially if you show signs of being methodical or good at betting. The workarounds: Bet using someone else’s account or pretend to be a gambling addict. One guy with a knack for winning set up a bot to log into his account daily between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. to make it seem like he’s obsessed.

Born to be root, not reboot: That’s total geek humor. Stealthy malware has been infecting Linux systems since 2021. It secretly mines crypto and turns computers into spambots, hiding as common system processes. Extra sneaky: It stops when someone logs in. Telltale sign: Constantly high CPU usage. Make sure CVE‑2023‑33246 is patched.

Plane crazy: Microsoft’s new Copilot Vision will “see what you see” if you’re using the Edge browser. The AI answers questions, summarizes content or tells you what to do. It’ll be entirely optional (you’ll need to opt in to use it), with a visual indicator when it’s on. It’s probably best if you turn it off, though, for those, you know, potentially embarrassing moments.

👻 Life’s a stitch, then you dye: An Ohio woman is going viral on TikTok after finding a rug buried in her lawn. Soon after her discovery, strange things started happening to her, like her laptop screen shattering and her belongings getting moved randomly. She thinks the spooky events might be caused by her next-door neighbor, who died the day she bought the house. The internet, of course, is convinced there’s a body inside the rug. Nope — the cops came out with two cadaver dogs, and it was just a rug.

Reminder: You need an Amazon Prime membership to score these. Use this link for a free 30-day trial.

🇷🇺 So long, farewell: Without warning, Russian cybersecurity provider Kaspersky Lab deleted its software from its subscribers’ computers and replaced it with something called UltraAV. Why? The U.S. government banned Kaspersky because of its ties to the Kremlin. If you were using Kaspersky for antivirus protection, try my antivirus pick instead.*

Not today, Amazon: Your Echo will hold onto your voice recordings for analysis unless you tell it not to. In your Alexa app, choose More > Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History. Here, you can delete recordings to your heart’s content.

No service? No problem: Spotify’s new Offline Backup kicks in when you don’t have a stable connection. It’s a playlist made up of songs you’ve listened to recently since they’re downloaded to your account. This feature is just for paying users right now.

🍎 For the Apple household: You can switch your music (or podcast or whatever) from your iPhone to your HomePod. Just hold your phone near the top of the speaker. If it doesn't work, open your iPhone’s Settings, then pick General > AirPlay & Handoff and enable Transfer to HomePod.

Calling all gamers: If you're on an Android device and spend a lot of money on apps and games, you should know about Google Play Pass. For $5 a month, you’ll get access to more than 1,000 paid apps and games — no ads or in-app purchase pop-ups, either.

Plus, Ginni hears voices from her computer, Kris wants his childhood phone number, Lena has a cyberstalker, Jeff keeps getting explicit ads, Steph’s been scammed, and many more!

Drive: More visitors to your website. This one’s for all my small-biz owners out there.

⚡ Quickly search: For anything using Google Lens. Here’s a quick vid with steps.

Upgrade: Brunch or holiday meals with a nice set of glass carafes. (Psst, they’re 50% off!)

Change: Your AirTag battery instead of tossing the tracker when it dies.

Just for you: Hear your family and friends, and enjoy your movies and shows again. See if you qualify for a 45-day risk-free trial of these German-engineered hearing aids.* Your future self will thank you.

These NOAA images show where the power went out after Hurricane Helene, and it’s still out in many areas. If you wish to donate, here’s a great list of charities from Charity Navigator.

One last thing before I go … Is your credit frozen? Mine is. There have been so many massive data breaches. Take a few minutes and freeze yours this weekend. Here are links to the three major credit-reporting agencies, just to make it easy for ya: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

➗ If you have bad credit, make friends with a mathematician. They’ll cosine for you. (That’s for my math nerds!)

Look at that — your tech life, all buttoned up! I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. Until then, stay awesome. — Kim