The Current + Wi-Fi moochers, iPad major changes, a free Gmail hack and how much to use your tech to keep your mind sharp - In partnership with NativePath | Welcome to your Saturday edition of tech smarts, friend. Ever invent something so revolutionary, you immediately destroy it? This camera company was nervous it could tank its empire. Can you guess who it was? A) Seattle FilmWorks, B) Canon, C) Kodak or D) Polaroid. This is a tough one. See if youâre right at the end of todayâs newsletter. đŞ Whoa, look at you (and me!): I take two scoops of collagen a day. Itâs good for bone density, makes your nails and hair stronger and can help smooth wrinkles without Botox or fillers. Use this link for 45% off to try it, too. Youâre gonna love it! â Kim đŤ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itâs free!) | TODAY'S DEEP DIVE 𫡠From dusty to duty Image: ChatGPT Weâve all got one (or five): that old smartphone buried in a drawer, sitting there like a digital paperweight. You donât use it, but you donât toss it either because maybe someday itâll come in handy. Today is the day to let your old phone defend your castle as a security camera. No new tech, no wallet damage, just pure genius. Or as I like to call it, Homegrown MacGyverâing. Hereâs how to do it in five minutes flat: đ Step 1: Plug it in and resuscitate it Dust it off, charge it up and make sure it stays plugged in. Whisper sweet nothings to it about how âIâve missed you.â You donât want it dying right when your neighborâs raccoon breaks into your trash again. If there are any operating system updates available, go ahead and install them. It wonât hurt anything. đą Step 2: Give it a brain, or a security cam app Head to the App Store or Google Play and grab one of these gems: AlfredCamera (iPhone + Android) â My top pick. Super simple, live view, motion alerts and even two-way talk. (Yes, you can yell at your dog and the Amazon driver.) Manything (iOS) or IP Webcam (Android) â More options if you want something a little geekier. Super important step: Install the app on both your old and current phones. Youâll use the camera on the old phone as the security cam. On your current phone, it will be the command center for power-mad surveillance enthusiasts (you). đ¸ Step 3: Set it up and aim After the app is installed, open it, log in and choose âcameraâ on your old phone. Then launch the same app on your current phone and choose âviewer.â Itâs that easy. Now mount the camera wherever it makes sense â pointed at your front door, your garage, your pets or that cookie jar your kids think you canât see. Pro tip: Use a cheap tripod (33% off) or suction cup mount to prop it up. đ Step 4: Lock it down On your old phone, set a screen lock. Add a PIN. Use facial recognition if it has it. Your phone is not clueless. Give it a name. âSecurity Steveâ never blinks, doesnât snack and doesnât gossip. Itâs still a piece of tech, and we donât need anyone hacking their way into your living room montages. đ Why this is genius â
Free as in âzero coins, babyâ â
Easy for you to do even after having one beer â
Your phoneâs not useless, itâs a hero now Who says your old tech has to go to waste? Reminds me of the time a caller to my show asked, âDo you think technology will totally ever replace paper?â I answered, âI donât think so. Itâd be pretty hard to wipe with a tablet.â If you smiled, youâre my people. |
| Letâs face it: Tech stress is real. We are all guilty of spending hours hunched over screens and endless doom scrolling, on top of that eye-straining blue light exposure. Theyâre not just draining your mind, theyâre aging your body, too. Thatâs why I take NativePath Collagen every day. It helps replenish what your body loses over time by repairing joint and skin damage, and restoring that youthful glow from the inside out. Outsmart the digital fatigue, and take the supplement your tech-filled life needs⌠NativePath Collagen. Your body will thank you. ⨠Feel the difference â naturally, with my 45% off deal! â These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary. |
Daily Tech Update AI + legal advice = bad idea AI makes things up, cites fake laws and can even tank your case. If you think you need a lawyer, you probably do. Listen on Komando.com â |
WEB WATERCOOLER đ¨ Gmail warning: Scammers are sending fake emails that look like legit Google security alerts. Click the link, and youâll land on a phony sign-in page built to steal your login details. This oneâs extra sneaky because it looks like itâs coming from âno-reply@accountsâ .googleâ .com.â The red flag? Check the âmailed-byâ field. If it says âprivateemailâ .com,â itâs a trap. 𤯠No cure for brain rot: If your brain feels fried from endless scrolling, folks are turning to a dumb phone (paywall link). Weâre talking only the basics, i.e., phone calls and texts. The trade-off? Anxiety and fear youâre missing out. Basically, youâre screwed either way. đ¤ OpenAI is building a social network: Itâll be its own version of X. The prototype apparently has a social feed focused on image generation using ChatGPT. No word yet if itâll be a new app or built into the current one. Why do this? Real-time user data = more fuel to train their models. đ Big changes coming to iPadOS: Appleâs making the new iPadOS 19 feel more like a Mac with smoother multitasking and app window management. It wonât be macOS on an iPad, but itâs getting closer. Expect details at WWDC 2025 in June, with a release later this year. Iâll keep you posted. iPads are slowly becoming Macs the same way your house cat slowly becomes your boss. đ Heard of The Knot? Itâs that wedding planning site where you find vendors like photographers and dressmakers for your big day. Vendors pay thousands to advertise on it, and now theyâre saying The Knot is sending them fake leads, aka âbridesâ who donât exist (paywall link). Thatâs how you end up on Santaâs knotty list. đż Minecraft mayhem: Minecraft meets real-life survival mode. Teens are going wild for the new Minecraft movie, shouting, tossing snacks, spraying lotion on seats and someone even let live chickens loose. Why? Many kids got hooked on the game during the pandemic. Now theyâre letting all that nostalgia loose in the form of chaos. Talk about a block party! đ Feeling left behind? Download NetSuiteâs free knowledge drop, âThe CFOâs Guide to AI and Machine Learning.â* No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. Itâs not going anywhere. |
Digital Life Hack Search trick to find recipes faster Skip the life story and pop-up ads. These quick tricks get you straight to the ingredients and steps. Listen on Komando.com â |
DEALS OF THE DAY Lights, candles, action ⥠Ready to brighten up your space? Iâll light the way. These night-lights (9% off) automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn. Stick some cabinet lights (15% off) anywhere you need a little glow-up. Twist the dial on these dimmable lights (5% off) to set the perfect mood. Zap any candle wick with an electric lighter (23% off) and itâs lit. Grab a candle warmer (20% off) for cozy vibes without the fire risk. đ Curtain call: Night owl or napper? These blackout curtains (25% off) block out the world for a pitch-black snooze. |
DEVICE ADVICE âĄď¸ 3-second tech genius: In Gmail, type âunsubscribeâ in the search bar. Boom, every promo list you forgot you signed up for, ready to nuke. This tip alone is worth the price of this newsletter. đ Youâre invited! This weekend, my award-winning national radio show is broadcasting on 420+ stations across the U.S. and Iâd love for you to join the fun. Iâm talking tech tips, digital life hacks, wild stories I canât fit in the newsletter and taking calls from listeners just like you. Find your local station or get the podcast. âŠď¸ Shake it off: Made a typo on a message, note or email? Just give your iPhone a good shake. Youâll see Undo Typing pop up. Tap Undo, and poof, your mistakeâs history. Shake your phone again and select Redo Typing to get them back. On Android, Gboard has an undo button for quick fixes. đś Auto-tune up: Driving an older car without Android Auto or Apple CarPlay? Load your favorite songs onto a USB flash drive, plug it into your rideâs USB port and rock on. Just stick to common formats like MP3 or AAC. Itâs like turning your car into a Spotify time capsule. đ¤ Oldie but goodie: Senior discounts arenât just for folks 65 and up. SeniorLiving has a huge list of deals at grocery stores, restaurants, retail and more. Some kick in as early as age 50. Whether youâre in that age bracket or getting close, it pays to check it out. đ I spy a virus: If your connectionâs dragging, a virus might be the culprit. I trust and recommend TotalAV. Itâs just $19 a year to protect up to five devices on Windows, Mac, Android and more. Thatâs total peace of mind for your phone, laptop and tablet. đŁď¸ Speak not: Donât let strangers use your phone with just their voice. On iPhone, open Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Under Allow Access When Locked, toggle off Siri. For Android, say, âHey, Google, open Assistant settings.â Tap Lock screen and turn off Assistant responses on lock screen. |
BY THE NUMBERS 1,000 pieces of content Available on each Delta flight. That includes 300 movies. A six-person team swaps 20% to 25% of the lineup every 30 days, so frequent fliers donât get bored. Honestly, I donât think airplane jokes are funny; theyâre just really Boeing. 4 mph The walking speed you should aim for during exercise. Scientists say it can help lower your risk of heart rhythm problems that lead to heart attacks and strokes down the line. And no, itâs not that fast. The average person walks around 3.5 mph. Weâre talking a brisk little stride, not a power walk to catch a flight. 42% Less risk of cognitive decline for older adults who regularly use smartphones and computers. Why? Research shows it keeps their brains active and engaged, which may help with memory loss. But hey, that doesnât mean they should go full TikTok zombie and scroll for hours. Everything in moderation, folks. |
WHAT THE TECH? | | Meet the Flying Sun 1000, a drone so bright it turns midnight into a matinee. Packinâ 288 LED lamps and a 3,333-watt light beam, it brings 300,000 lumens of OH MY GOD WHY directly to your retinas. Unlike helicopters, this quadcopter doesnât cost a fortune to run or trigger a low-flying panic attack. It flies tethered to a generator and cools its lights by flying aggressively â yes, actually. Who even needs this thing? Construction crews, rescue teams and film directors who scream, âMore light!â like itâs a threat. Itâs basically a flying ceiling fan with a superiority complex and priced accordingly. At $60,000, itâs pricier than traditional lights, but eliminates crews, poles and cable spaghetti. 𤢠Be sure not to eat the lights. You might get LED poisoning. |
LOGGING OUT ... đ¸ The answer: C) Kodak. In the 1970s, a bright-eyed engineer built the worldâs first digital camera. The prototype was 0.01 megapixels, saved to cassette tape, and took 23 seconds to capture a single image. Your iPhone just threw up reading that, but still, it made Kodak nervous that itâd tank their wildly profitable film empire, so they shelved it. Spoiler alert: Years later as the story developed, Kodak filed for bankruptcy. đŞ Look good, feel good: You deserve to feel your best. Collagen has been a staple in my routine for years. Grab NativePath Collagen here with my link to save 45%. Three cheers for stronger bones! From turning retired tech into home protection (what up, Security Steve? đ), to blindingly bright drones, to movie theater mayhem, today has been a ride. Share this newsletter with someone who needs a reason not to toss their old phone or ignore their inbox full of promo emails. A little knowledge (and a free camera app) goes a long way.Siri wishes she had your skills. Have a great day, my little tech maven! â Kim đŁ Donât keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here) | |
|
|