Plus: Holiday palooza, goodbye Freevee, China’s military ‘robo wolves’  | | Happy Friday, friend! This is what happens when you have way too much money — people lie and say you can sing. Case in point: Mark Zuckerberg teamed up with T‑Pain to drop a cover of Lil Jon’s “Get Low” as an anniversary tribute to Zuck’s wife, Priscilla. I’ve included a link at the end so you can experience the “genius” for yourself. Warning: This love song is definitely NSFW! I need your help! I'm so close to hitting 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, and I really want that shiny plaque. Click this link to subscribe, and let’s make this happen. Thanks! — Kim 🆕 Today's podcast: Apple is axing its $3,500 AR headset ⏱️ Daily Tech Update: How not to be mistaken for a moron 💡 Digital Life Hack: Don't fall for this holiday scam 📬 Was this email forwarded? Sign up here for free |
TODAY'S TOP STORY  Don’t wait for the holiday chaos to hit. The best shopping trick this season isn’t about gifts — it’s about stocking up on essentials now. Beat the rush, avoid packed stores and snag better prices while you still can. This will save you time, stress and money. Get it done today and make your winter easier. Power banks There’s been some crazy weather this year, so get a high-capacity power bank before you really need it. I have a couple at home. This Marbero portable power station ($76, 30% off) charges multiple phones and laptops at once and has built-in flashlights. Space heaters Is yours putting off that weird burning smell? Grab a new one before you start shivering. A solid option is this Dreo space heater ($79, 11% off) with a bunch of heating modes to choose from, plus overheating and tip-over protection. Heated blankets They sure beat burying yourself under four layers and rubbing your feet together for warmth. The Bedsure heated blanket ($39, 33% off) comes in lots of pretty colors and has six heat settings and an auto-shutoff mode for sleeping. Christmas toys It’s hard to explain to an 8-year-old Santa’s workshop is low on inventory, so get to shopping before these sell out. This 3D-printing pen ($39) is super popular this season — think “Harold and the Purple Crayon” brought to life. 💝 “Kim, what about my 12-year-old nephew?” Don’t worry, I’ll share lists for everyone you’re shopping for soon! Remember the meds ‘Tis the season for sniffles and coughs. Making sure you’ve got lots of supplies — like Vicks NyQuil Severe ($19 for a twin pack) — means you can stay cozy in your sick dungeon without having to venture out into the world. 🥊 Ah, doesn’t it feel good to be all stocked up? Speaking of, a Costco worker asked me, “Wanna box for your groceries?” I said, “No, I’ll pay for them.” Everyone’s so violent these days. |
WEB WATERCOOLER 💸 Amazon’s new budget battleground: Say hello to Amazon Haul, their latest venture geared toward selling ultra-cheap items (think under $20). Why? Because Shein and Temu are mopping the floor with Amazon. With Haul, expect to find items like $2 earrings, $10 blenders and, yes, even a $20 wedding dress. (Pro tip: Don’t walk down the aisle in that!) Don’t expect Prime’s speedy shipping, either; your order will take one or two weeks since it’s coming from China. Heads-up: You can only shop Amazon Haul through the Amazon app for now. 🏥 Profits over patients? Hospitals are fighting a wave of insurance denials, thanks to AI algorithms slashing costs for insurers. Take Cigna, which was hit with a class-action lawsuit after rejecting over 300,000 claims in just two months. Their AI? It spent a whopping 1.2 seconds reviewing each case. Whoa. If you were denied coverage, ask them to take a look again — this time, by a human. Making money in podcasting: It’s not easy. Spotify wants to lure creators away from YouTube. Their plan? Pay hosts of popular shows and let premium subscribers watch ad-free (paywall link). YouTube pays creators 55% of ad revenue; Spotify estimates a show pulling in between 1 million and 2 million views a month would earn about $50,000 with them. That’s not a bad return, btw. 🪦 Freevee, we hardly knew ye: Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service is merging into Prime Video. You might know some of their shows, like “Jury Duty” and “Bosch: Legacy” (or not). Now you’ll find them in the Watch for Free section. I guess Amazon decided Freevee was past its prime. Sweating through your pitch: Forget meeting clients for lunch or a drink. Social saunas are the new networking hotspots. They have stadium-style seating that fits up to 90 people for a good ol' “team sweat,” surrounded by color-changing ambient lights. It’s a full nightclub vibe (paywall link). Oh, the humidity! Oops, they did it again: First, Communist China copied the U.S. military’s F‑35 jets using stolen drawings and secrets. Now, their military is ripping off our robot dogs, too. China’s “robo wolves” follow commands, like “sit,” “stand” and “move,” and they can do other tricks, like running, carrying supplies and firing rifles. Who needs spy movies when our military secrets are practically doing press tours? 👁️ Eye love this news: Researchers have restored the vision of people with damaged corneas. They took blood cells from healthy donors, reprogrammed them into corneal cells and formed a thin sheet to place on the damaged eyes. Three out of four patients have better vision a year later. Clinical trials are set for March. “Poke” your way to love: Facebook Dating has grown 20% every year since launching in 2019. One big reason? It has free features other dating apps charge for. Friends can do the swiping for you and you can let someone know you like them anonymously. It makes sense; Facebook knows everything about you, so it should be able to find you a date. Get out of debt: PDS Debt is an A+ BBB company I checked out before it became a sponsor. They’ll do a free debt analysis to help you make a plan to pay down your credit cards, personal loans, collections or medical bills. Go to PDSDebt.com/kim. It only takes 30 seconds. Do it now and you’ll be on your way to less stress in no time.* |
TECH LIFE UPGRADES Got this question from Sharon in Chicago: “How much can I make selling books on Amazon?” Be careful how you price your books. For e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99, you’ll get 70% in royalties. Anything above or below that range drops your royalties to 35%. For paperbacks, you’ll get 60% of the list price (minus printing costs, which depend on page count, size and color). What a novel way to make a living! That was easy: Use social media for your business? Stop posting one at a time. Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite and Later can help you schedule your social media posts ahead of time with just a few clicks. Use the free trials for each to figure out which option you like best. New to the Apple App Store: Google Gemini for iPhone. The AI chatbot has a leg up on ChatGPT in one big way: It links to Google apps like Mail, Maps, Calendar and YouTube. Open the Gemini for iPhone app, tap your profile icon at the top right corner and select Extensions. Toggle on any apps you want to link all in one place. It’s all in the fit: If your earbuds came with multiple tip sizes, experiment to see which fits best. It’s not just about comfort; a snug fit means better sound. Raycons* come with six differently sized gel tips so there’s a match for every ear. They’re also having an early Black Friday sale — everything sitewide is 20% to 40% off! Hide-and-seek: You’re shopping online for your kiddo or spouse and they walk in. Quick! Hide your open browser windows. On a PC: Windows key + M. (Use Windows key + Shift + M to reopen.) On a Mac: Cmd + Option + H + M. Phew, no spoilers. |
BY THE NUMBERS $300,000 How much an Alabama woman stole from the church where she worked. Most of the money went toward buying virtual gifts for TikTok creators. She faces up to 20 years in prison. What a mess. 6 recalls in 12 months For Tesla’s Cybertruck, which now has a defective drive inverter. Wow, a recall every two months! The faulty inverter may cause a loss of power to the wheels and affects over 2,400 vehicles. Own one? Look for a notification. 1 million Frequent-flier points awarded to those who complete Scandinavian Airlines’ new promotion. The goal is to fly at least 15 SkyTeam airlines by Dec. 31. People are taking off work and pulling their kids out of school to do it. A common strat: Booking cheap short-haul flights (paywall link). Speaking of … A man lost his luggage while flying, so he took the airline to court. Apparently, he lost his case. |
WHAT THE TECH?  Have you seen these pics? Variations of “First Lady” Elon Musk are all over social media … |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... I hope you're ready for Zuck’s “Get Low” cover. Turn down your volume, and remember: Its lyrics are very NSFW. Here’s the video. If, for some reason, you absolutely love this cover, Zuck and T‑Pain also dropped it on Spotify under the artist name Z‑Pain. Does anyone have Tylenol? I need a Z‑Painkiller after listening to that. 💸 When I started my company, I lived on my credit cards and had a car repoed. So horrible. I have a new sponsor I’d like you to check out if your debt is causing you stress: PDSDebt.com/kim. It only takes 30 seconds to get a free debt analysis. Do it now and you’ll be on your way to regaining control of your financial life. I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. Be sure to leave a rating below so we know how we’re doing. Here’s to you having a fantastic Friday and doing at least one thing today that makes you smile! — Kim |
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https://referrer.komando.com/8818309c/3 | In "50 Smart Ways to Use AI," Kim shares helpful prompts for today's most common AI chatbots. Whether you're tackling spreadsheets, planning rainy-day activities or developing a wellness plan, let AI handle the heavy lifting for you! |  |
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