Welcome to your tech Tuesday, friend! Here’s a trivia factoid to get us started. Get this: A pristine copy of Super Mario 64, released in 1996, is the most expensive video game ever sold. Did the cartridge sell for … A.) $1.6 million, B.) $1.1 million, C.) $500,659 or D.) $221,812? The answer’s at the end.

☎️ Call me. I’m taking calls for my national radio show today at 12 p.m. Pacific (3 p.m. Eastern). I’d love to chat with YOU! Call me during that time at 1‑888‑825‑5254, and we'll talk tech. Now, let’s save you some money and get you to a dream destination! — Kim

There’s no getting around it: Seeing the world is expensive. I just went to Japan (you should totally go if you ever have the chance), and the costs add up. Sushi was one thing, but the flights? Oof.

My biggest mistake was waiting too long to iron out my plans. Hey, consider this my good deed of the week. I made the mistake so you can save a bunch of money. Let’s look at when to book and what flight to go for to make sure you make it to your destination.

Time is money

OK, I know this is a big range, but for international travel, the best window is two to seven months out. That means if you’re eying a beach trip in July, start looking now yesterday. But really, you don’t want to wait much longer.

An easy way to monitor is through alerts. Use Google Flights or your favorite travel site. Pick your destination and when you want a notification (like if the price falls under $450 round-trip). It’s a heck of a lot easier than trying to remember to check every three days.

Traveling in the good ol’ USA?

The sweet spot for affordable domestic flights is between 28 and 35 days before departure. Avoid buying a ticket three to six months before your departure date. This is one case where being too prepared can cost you.

• Domestic flights are cheaper if you travel on a Wednesday.
• You can save up to 15% when you book on a Sunday.

What’s the best way to avoid cancellations?

Go for the earliest flight you can. Flights that leave after 3 p.m. have the highest chances of being canceled — almost 50% higher! — according to the fine folks at Expedia. I’m not taking that chance.

✈️ My Japan trip started with one of the craziest flight situations I’ve ever had. I’ll tell the story on my live podcast this Friday! And I am going to show some vids, too. Catch us at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) on YouTube, Rumble, X or Facebook.

I have no reservations recommending these sweet gadgets to make hotel stays a little easier.

• Portable power strip for when the one plug is across the room.
• Mini portable water flosser so you don’t leave your good dental hygiene habits at home.
• Be sure to BYODL (Bring Your Own Door Lock).
• White noise machine so you’ll sleep like a baby … even if your neighbor is a non-sleeping baby.
• Electronics organizer to keep all your gear sorted.

📈 Pump and dump: Scammers are impersonating billionaires on Facebook, duping folks out of their savings with promises of unrealistic stock returns. Victims get an ad touting “exclusive” tips via WhatsApp, complete with deepfake videos and “guaranteed” profits. Come on, you have to be smarter than that to fall for these shysters.

And then there are the Elon Musk scams: Cybercriminals are using the SpaceX Starship test launches to push bogus crypto giveaways. They're looping videos, faking Musk's voice and tricking folks into sending crypto. One phony account even roped in 2.3 million subscribers.

Smart selfie: Megan Troutwine snapped a selfie on a trip to NYC and noticed something strange: Her eye was drooping. That led her to the neurologist, where she was diagnosed with meningioma, a brain tumor. Surgeons found another, too, during her operation. Glad to say Megan’s doing well.

This is how eye roll: Research from the University of Ottawa shows Gen Xers and baby boomers can't quite nail the usage of some emojis. The "wide eyes" 😳 emoji? Might as well be hieroglyphics. And “happiness” 😃😀 emojis? I have to say, it’s hard to know which smiley to use and when. Pro tip: Most people see this one as totally fake: 🙂

🥫 The musical fruit: Imagine ordering a cute dress online and finding a vial of human blood and a can of beans in the package. That’s exactly what happened to Anna Marie, who took to TikTok to share her Shein horror story. About 7.5 million views later, Shein says it didn’t happen in the factory, and FedEx is stuttering apologies.

Say what?! UCLA engineers created something remarkable for folks with voice disorders — a wearable device that turns throat movements into speech. It’s a tiny, stretchy patch that uses machine learning to speak for you with over 95% accuracy! No surgery — just stick it on and start chatting. Amazing stuff.

Office 2024: It’s coming this year, no subscription needed. Microsoft promises five years of support, so one purchase and you’re done. The catch? It’s missing a few bells and whistles, like Publisher and Teams. FYI: The new version will be available for macOS and Windows 10 and 11.

🐑 Baa-a-d to the bone: A Montana rancher turned a $4,200 clone of a dead sheep into a woolly empire. Arthur “Jack” Schubarth created super sheep hybrids, selling them for up to $550,000 a pop. What could go wrong? Well, everything. After crossing state lines with forged vet certs for these endangered-species mixes, he’s facing up to five years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines.

If your phone locks after 10 seconds (too fast) or 2 minutes (too long), change that. I recommend 30 seconds — it’s ju‑u‑u‑st right.

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and choose a length of time.
• On Android: Go to Settings > Display and look for a Timeout, Screen Timeout or Sleep option.

🔐 FYI, if you ever get locked outside, talk to your lock very calmly. Communication is the key. (Oh, I laughed while writing that one!)

Home intercoms 2.0: If you have Google Nest speakers all around the house, you can send a message to everyone at once. Mobilize your family by saying, "Hey, Google, broadcast ..." and then your message. The car will be leaving in 5 minutes, kids.

🛌🏼 Airbnb or hotel? Sonder is something in between. It offers apartment-style hotels with stocked kitchens in over 40 U.S. and international cities, from Amsterdam to Washington, D.C. Communication, booking and support are done through the app. Bonus: There are fewer fees than Airbnb. A friend of a friend just used it and paid $500 for four nights in Philly. Not bad!

Appointment-watching prep: If an event or show will be streamed live on YouTube, there’s a good chance you can sign up for a notification when it starts. Go to the host’s YouTube channel, find the upcoming livestream, then click Notify Me. And hey, while you’re there, subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Be my guest: Check if your router offers a guest mode. If it does, turn it on. This means visitors can get online but can't start messing with your smart lights or using your printer — that's getting too comfortable. And if you’re the one on a guest network or public Wi‑Fi, always use a VPN. I recommend ExpressVPN.* Use this link to get three free months.

💻 Don’t throw your computer out the Window: Resetting your PC to its factory-fresh state for better performance (without losing your files) is possible! Open Settings, then choose System > Recovery > Reset PC. Just make sure you choose the Keep my files option (you've got everything backed up anyway, right?).

I’m live on YouTube every weekday, and you don’t want to miss what's new, noteworthy and next in tech. It's not just an extension of this newsletter; it's a totally fun way to stay connected and informed.

• Live every weekday: Tune in at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) for fresh, engaging content. Heck, I even do my hair and makeup for you.
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• Catch up on demand: Missed the livestream? No worries. Watch at your leisure on YouTube.

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The last four letters in “queue” aren’t silent. They’re just waiting their turn.

The answer: A.) $1.6 million. An original sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sold at Heritage Auctions in 2021 for a gobsmacking $1.6 million. This sale broke a record set just two days before when a 1987 Legend of Zelda NES cartridge sold for $870,000. Let’s clean out our game closets, stat!

🫡 See you right back here tomorrow with tips to shop online and retain some shred of your privacy. Need help with something specific? Reply to this email and let me know! You can also drop me a note here to schedule a time for us to talk. And be sure to rate this newsletter below. Until tomorrow! — Kim