Sunday is upon us, friends! Grab your latte, tea or beverage of choice and let's get down to tech business. But first, trivia. Which breakthrough product's inaugural ad campaign asked, "Are you ready to change the world?" Was it the … A.) Samsung Galaxy, B.) Macintosh, C.) Sony Walkman or D.) Amazon Kindle? You'll find the answer at the end. Bonus points if you also know the year, smarty-pants.

✅ Keep this newsletter free by clicking the link to check out today's sponsor, TotalAV. Get my antivirus pick for five of your devices (or your loved one's devices) for $19. Yes, please! You won't find a better deal anywhere — I saw to that! — Kim

I'm sure you've seen the headline — 110 years. That's how much time fallen crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried could spend in prison. After a month-long trial, the FTX founder was just found guilty of seven counts, all revolving around $8 billion the crypto exchange stole from users.

Flashback to 2021, and FTX was trading $20 billion in crypto daily, getting naming rights for a major sports arena and taking out Super Bowl commercials, all while SBF himself was buying mansions in the Bahamas. So, what went wrong? Short answer: Everything.

Now, SBF’s in the same conversation as Bernie Madoff. This is so fascinating that I wanted to take you down the winding road of the biggest crypto mess we've seen to date.

‘Kim, I don’t know anything about crypto’

That's OK. The big question the jury had to decide on was simple — no knowledge of blockchain, wallets or keys required. Did SBF, now 31, intentionally trick customers and use the money they invested as his own? The answer (which you know will be challenged in an appeal) is yes.

$26.5 billion

That's how much SBF was worth when his crypto trading platform peaked. I bet even before the trial, you saw him — a guy with a big mop of curly hair who wore sneakers and a sloppy suit to testify before Congress.

The MIT graduate co-founded FTX (short for Futures Exchange) in 2019. By July 2021, it had an $18 billion valuation and investments from SoftBank, Sequoia Capital and other big hitters. It only grew from there.

Remember the Super Bowl commercials with Larry David? That was FTX. The company was shelling out money in the Bahamas, too, where it set up its official headquarters.

SBF bought a $35 million penthouse he shared with nine people. All told, FTX spent $256.3 million to buy and maintain 35 different properties.

Spoiler: It didn’t end well

While FTX was raking in money, it was cozying up to trading firm Alameda Research. SBF had an on-again, off-again thing with the CEO, Caroline Ellison. Seriously, this thing is like a soap opera.

A little suspicion from leaders in the crypto world was all it took to start a cascade that left FTX trying to explain where $8 billion in customer money went.

SFB's defense essentially boiled down to, "Oops, I didn't mean to." That didn't fly. Here's what led to that guilty verdict:

• SBF allegedly redirected billions from FTX to his hedge fund, Alameda Research. Super illegal, folks.
• Those billions propped up loans, helped SBF enjoy a luxury lifestyle and even funded U.S. political campaigns. Makes sense, right? They were desperate for crypto-friendly legislation.
• The protections — for investors, customers and billions of dollars — just weren't there.
• Several former colleagues-turned-witnesses testified SBF knew exactly what was happening behind the scenes.

Sentencing is set for late March 2024, but no, it's not over. There's a second round of charges coming, including foreign bribery and bank fraud conspiracies.

Talk about a cautionary tale

I feel awful for the people who lost it all. Crypto was huge in 2020 and 2021, and FTX was so hyped up that you couldn't turn around without seeing its name somewhere.

This really drives home an important point for all of us: The rules of fair play apply in the virtual world just like they do in the physical one. As for those who attempt to bend them? Justice might just be a click away.

⚖️ I bet you know someone who’s seen the headlines but has no idea what this case is all about. Use the buttons below to share this story.

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🔥 Baby, don’t light my fire: Just as a JetBlue flight prepared for takeoff at JFK Airport, “American Idol” contestant Jimmy Levy’s backpack set ablaze. He quickly stomped out the flames. At first, he thought someone was trying to attack him. But really? His portable charger overheated, and the whole flight had to evacuate. No word on the brand, but I’ll bet it was a cheap one.

No-fly zone: A new bill in the House aims to stop the U.S. government from buying China-based DJI drones. The fear? They leak sensitive info to Communist China. DJI is the world’s largest drone manufacturer. These drones are already banned by the military, btw. What took so long for other government officials to figure this out?

See no evil: Arturo Bejar was a security consultant for Facebook. When his 14-year-old daughter got explicit photos from creeps on Instagram, he emailed Mark Zuckerberg to ask him to protect teens and got no response. This is only some of what he shared with the WSJ (paywall link). Great read if you have kids on social media.

Under pressure: Best Buy recalled 930,000 Insignia pressure cookers, aka knockoff Instant Pots. The markings inside are wrong, so there’s a risk you could overfill it and burn yourself when you release the pressure. Have one? Details here for a replacement part.

Say hello to my Daily Tech Update podcast. In the first minute, get the latest tech news distilled down to its essence. In the next, learn a practical digital trick that can make your life easier or more fun.

Choose your platform below to listen:

🤳🏼 I see your IP: If you use apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp for calls, your IP address could be shared with the person you're talking to. Want to keep your IP private? Open the app, hit Settings, find Privacy or Connection, and switch off Peer-to-peer. Your calls might not be as clear, but your IP will stay hidden.

⚙️ Settings check: Next time you're in an account's settings (streaming, shopping, delivery, whatever), watch for a section where you can see your recent login activity or login history. It's usually called something like "Recent Activity," "Security" or "Login History." Look for any devices that aren't yours. If you spot one, log out of everything and change your password.

iPad keyboard trick: ​​When you need to type with one hand, switch to the floating keyboard. All you have to do is pinch in with two fingers on the on-screen keyboard to shrink it. Move it wherever you want and type away. To go back to normal, pinch out.

Lucky me, I get to talk to amazing folks every week on my national radio show. Here are some convos you have to catch. (Find your station here!)

• Amber Pearson in Albany, Oregon, has a brain implant that’s cured her OCD and epilepsy. Eight hours a day, she used to check if her doors and windows were locked and the stove was off. Now, she has only occasional symptoms. It cured her epilepsy, too. Amazing.
• Jacob Knowles in Maine is a lobster fisherman turned TikTok star. He wakes up at the crack of dawn to find the best catch and captures it all for millions of followers online.
• Professor Scott Galloway in New York is stirring the pot with his bold take on Gen Z. He suggests schools teach young men about mating dynamics, especially with sexbots on the rise. Quite the chat.

Plus, Arlene is looking for passkey alternatives, David is questioning iCloud Private Relay security, Dawn wants to know if deleted emails are stored, Stan needs a Windows tool to strip vocals from audio and much more!

Listen: No joke, I was actually a little nervous talking to Guy Kawasaki, a well-known figure in the tech industry for his role at Apple and in venture capital circles. Guy interviewed me for his “Remarkable People” podcast. Be sure to check it out. I’d love for Guy to get a ton of clicks and listens.

Cook: A fall weekend screams chili, right? I love turkey chili. Content Queen Allie says this America’s Test Kitchen recipe is the best she’s ever made (but it takes forever). Don’t forget the cornbread.

Watch: Everyone is watching “Reptiel,” a Netflix movie that’s well past 15 million views. But I want to watch “American Made,” a Tom Cruise flick where he plays American pilot Barry Seal, who became a drug smuggler for the CIA. I love a true story!

Play: This browser puzzle game is equal parts challenging and soothing when you need a little brain break.

Upgrade: I don’t buy stinky dryer sheets anymore. Wool dryer balls keep static out, help your clothes dry faster and stop wrinkles.

This is so incredible I wanted to share it with you. In the Crete region of Greece stands the mighty olive tree of Vouves. This living legend, with its impressive 15-foot trunk, has been around for at least 2,000 years. It's a true survivor, said to have witnessed the writing of “The Iliad,” the splendor of Athens' golden age, Rome’s ascent and the birth of Christ. And it's still going strong, even producing olives.

The answer: B.) Macintosh. Apple's 1984 Super Bowl commercial introducing the Mac played on the theme of George Orwell's "1984." Get this: The original Macintosh had a 9-inch black-and-white CRT monitor, 128KB of RAM and a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive. It sold for $2,495, or around $6,000 in today’s currency.

😂 Why do all astronauts use a Mac? Because it’s dangerous to open Windows in space.

🤓 If you didn’t check out our sponsor in today’s newsletter, be sure to do that now. It’s my pick for the antivirus and security software to protect your phones, laptops and more!

Thanks for letting me in your inbox. I love to get your questions about what to buy, how to make money online, how to get things done or whatever. Drop me a line here. I read every note. I aim to please with the best tech newsletter on the planet! — Kim