The Current + fake toll text scams, MrBeast in the pyramids, and an OG tech comeback - In partnership with NativePath | Happy Tuesday, friend. New Yorkâs last typewriter repair shop is still clickety-clacking away. The shop sells 40 to 50 typewriters a month, mostly to people nostalgic for a time before we had 47 tabs open at once, which makes me wonder: Does your local Best Buy even move that many laptops? I doubt it. Hereâs something to noodle on: Which sell more units per month in the U.S.? A) Typewriters, B) Smart doorbells, C) Used iPhones or D) USB-powered mug warmers. Make a guess, and youâll find the answer at the end. âď¸ Want healthier skin, stronger nails and joints that donât creak? NativePath Collagen is my go-to. Itâs clean, effective and easy to add to your routine. đ Try it here to get 45% off plus free shipping and a nice gift, too. â Kim đŤ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itâs free!) | TODAY'S DEEP DIVE Theyâre all ears Mention taking a trip to Antarctica near your phone, and suddenly every screen you own starts pushing parkas. You didnât search it. Didnât type it. Definitely didnât ask your smart speaker to recommend thermal underwear. But the âVisit Antarcticaâ ads found you anyway. So how did they know? Chances are, you were hit by ultrasonic cross-device tracking. This high-frequency sound is too high for your ears to notice, but it connects your devices without your knowledge. No clicks. No cookies. Just vibes. đŻ What is ultrasonic tracking? Itâs audio surveillance in stealth mode. Ultrasonic tones (usually between 18â22 kHz) are baked into ads, websites, even retail kiosks. You wonât hear them, but your devices do. Thatâs how advertisers link your laptop, smart TV, phone and even your smart speaker together as one user profile. That profile can then be used to deliver hyper-targeted ads and track your behavior across devices and platforms. Nice. đ§ Why marketers love it Because itâs invisible. And almost no oneâs blocking it. Unlike cookies or GPS tracking, this doesnât ask for permission. Itâs passive, sneaky and hard to detect. đł Yes, itâs real The FTC isnât thrilled about this tech. They issued warnings to companies using it without proper disclosure, especially ones embedding code into apps and ads. Marketers are still pushing the limits, quietly experimenting without you clicking a thing. đ How to protect yourself Iâve listed the basic steps below. They might vary by device, so if itâs not exactly where I say, just poke around. Youâll find it. â
Limit mic access on your devices iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone. Turn off access for apps that donât need it. Android: Settings > Privacy > Permission Manager > Microphone, then deny access for anything that doesnât absolutely need it. â
Turn off tracking on your smart TV Samsung TVs: Settings > Support > Terms & Privacy > Viewing Information Services, and toggle it off. LG TVs: Settings > All Settings > General > User Agreements, and uncheck Personalized Advertising. Roku TVs: Settings > Privacy > Advertising, and limit ad tracking. â
Stop your smart speaker from storing recordings Amazon Alexa: Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data > Choose Donât Save Recordings. Google Nest/Home: Google Home app > Settings > Privacy > Turn off audio recording. Silent tracking is real, but now, youâre putting your hands over techâs ears, saying la la la, I canât hear you. |
Ditch the milk mustache Growing up, we all heard it: âDrink your milk for strong bones.â Doctors, parents, even those old-school âGot Milk?â ads. But calcium alone isnât magic for bone health. A Harvard study (yep, the big brains) found that men who took more than 1,000 mg of calcium a day were 20% more likely to have heart issues. And calcium plus vitamin D didnât even lower the risk of fractures in older adults. Add NativePath Collagen to your diet to help! â
It supports bone strength â
Is more effective than calcium alone â
Is easy to consume Try NativePath Collagen today with my link to get 45% off! 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. |
The Kim Komando Show Viral missing cop post is a total scam A viral Facebook post says a 27-year-old cop vanished. Hereâs the deal: Sgt. Katie Cunningham is alive and well. She joins us to set the record straight. Plus, the truth behind the latest TikTok ban rumors and how tariffs could boost your YouTube views. Listen on Komando.com â |
WEB WATERCOOLER đ¨ Fake toll payment texts are back: And up by over 600%. Scammers are once again impersonating E-ZPass and others to steal your info and money. Theyâll hit you with a text telling you to pay now or risk fines and a license suspension. Block the number, and donât click the link. Next up: fake texts from âI-95â asking for child support. Verizonâs new price lock policy: With all the economic chaos going on, Verizonâs offering a three-year price guarantee on certain plans. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. This âdealâ only covers the base charge. Fees arenât included, so your bill can still go up. Oh, and they can also cut your monthly autopay discount in half. Cute, Verizon. Real cute. đ§ AI is changing radiology: Over 75% of AI software approved by the FDA for medical use is built for radiology. These tools scan hundreds of images and spot things like cancer, strokes and pneumonia (paywall link). Yep, that means doctors can catch urgent cases faster and treat patients sooner. They just have to watch out for the false reports, of course. Feeling the sting of sky-high cloud costs: Hereâs a smart move â switch to Oracle. Companies are saving up to 50% on their cloud bills without sacrificing performance. Want to see how much you could save? Check it out for yourself.* đ Downleveling: Itâs the new tech hiring trend. You crush the interview ⌠and then they offer a lower-level role than the one you applied for. Congrats! You nailed the interview for a job you didnât want. Why? Companies have so many candidates, theyâre not taking chances on anyone who doesnât check every single box. Say no? Cool, there are a hundred others behind you ready to take it. Rude. âśď¸ TikTok, who? YouTube wants you to watch more Shorts later this spring. Theyâre updating its video editor to automatically sync cuts to the beat of the music and AI stickers. Plus, no more minimum watch time. Views will be counted the second you press play. Cool, but we all know TikTokâs secret sauce is its algorithm. đ°ď¸ Mark your calendars: Amazonâs finally launching its first internet satellites tomorrow, April 9 at 12 p.m. ET. Itâs their shot at taking on SpaceXâs Starlink and bringing high-speed internet to the whole planet. Sure, Starlink already has thousands of satellites up there, but Amazonâs betting it can win you over by cranking out cheaper terminals. Fingers crossed the satellite doesnât come with âsome assembly required.â |
DAILY TECH UPDATE Watch out for fake IRS sites on Google Itâs tax season, and scammers are paying to show up first when you search for IRS help. Listen on Komando.com â |
DEALS OF THE DAY Guard what matters đĄď¸ Protect your things and your peace of mind. A personal safety alarm (37% off) is essential. Put this great travel door lock (30% off) on any door. A fake rock (13% off) is better than the âkey under the matâ trick. Hide your sensitive info with an identity theft roller (33% off). This paper shredder (23% off) runs 60 minutes straight. đ Safe nâ sleek: These menâs wallets (9% off) and womenâs wristlets (28% off) block digital theft in style. |
DEVICE ADVICE âĄď¸ 3-second tech genius: Say âAlexa, remember this,â and she can store your information like Wi-Fi passwords, recipes, birthdays or gate codes. đ¤ Mixed signals: Watch what you type into ChatGPT or any AI. Asking for a âdetailedâ answer and a âsummaryâ can confuse your bot. Stick to positive language like âdoâ instead of âdonât.â AI is built for specific tasks, so saying not to do something is only helpful if you explain why. Keep it simple. From Lisa in Texas: âKim, Iâm done with Big Tech snooping. Is StartMail really private?â You bet! StartMail is built for privacy â no tracking, no ads, just secure email. You can even import all your old messages and contacts, hassle-free. Save 60% now with my exclusive link!* đ Keep out hackers: Hide your SSID (network name) so randos donât see your Wi-Fi. Find your routerâs IP address (usually on a sticker at the bottom) and type it into your browser. Then, Login > Wireless Settings > Disable SSID broadcast. đŚď¸ Avoid the storm: Planning a road trip? If you have Android Auto, just say, âHey, Google, show me the weather radar.â Youâll get live storm updates right on your screen. Itâs a handy way to stay ahead of any surprises. And remember, eyes on the road. đ No scanner? No worries. On your iPhone, go to the Notes app > create a new note > Attachment button (paper clip icon) > Scan Documents to open your camera. Tap Insert to grab the text. For Androids, open Google Drive > (+) icon > Scan document > Save > Upload, and youâre good to go. Congrats, your phone is now a scanner/copier/fax from 2002. |
BY THE NUMBERS 7:1 Yeah, so that myth is totally wrong. A new dog-age calculator says your pupâs âhuman yearsâ age isnât as easy as multiplying by 7. A 2-year-old dog is basically a full-grown adult, depending on the breed, according to scientists. So yes, your âpuppyâ might be old enough to refinance their student loans. $600,000 Thatâs about how much a Michigan man made by selling counterfeit airbags on eBay. Authorities seized 1,600 of them, many missing inflators entirely. So basically, crash dummies were safer than some real drivers. 100 Thatâs how many hours MrBeast and his crew were allowed to explore the Great Pyramids of Giza. The YouTube megastar teamed up with Egyptâs Ministry of Tourism and famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass to film a 21-minute whirlwind through ancient tombs, submerged chambers and more in tunnels tighter than a Mario Kart shortcut. And just because ⌠How many Egyptians can you fit in a pyramid? A pharaoh mount. đ |
WHAT THE TECH? | Image: curlyhairrocky_/Twitch |
| Youâre 13. Youâre live on Twitch. Youâre deep into your stream. And then, bam, your mom walks in. Oh, and she just happens to be Mariah Carey. That was the reality for Moroccan Cannon, Mariahâs son, whose chill stream got a surprise cameo from the Queen of Christmas. Mariah strolled in holding a dog (because of course), followed by his twin sister, Monroe. Moroccan tried to stay cool, even invited Mom to hop on, until the chat went full meltdown. âOK, yâall need to get out now. Mom, they can see you,â he said, realizing the internet was watching every second. Mariah, cool as ever, waved to the chat like she was headlining Madison Square Garden and said, âHi, you guys! I love you, too.â And in a moment that perfectly summed up being 13 with a very famous mom: Moroccan sighed and said, âI love you, Mom.â |
LOGGING OUT ... The answer: C) Used iPhones. The market for used iPhones is substantial and growing. Despite nostalgia analog dreams, refurbished iPhones still outsell typewriters, smart doorbells and, yes, even those USB-powered mug warmers your coworker definitely got for Secret Santa. Turns out, the past is charming, but the resale market is ruthless. đŹ Quick ask before you go: Hit reply and let me know: Whatâs the oldest tech you still use on purpose? (Bonus points if it has a crank.) Thanks for letting me into your inbox. Same time, same vibe tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA, because staying smart should feel like a conversation, not homework. â Kim đŁ Donât keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here) | |
|
|