The Current Plus: Taylor Swift deepfakes, art from selfies, Kindle freebies โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ In partnership with Rocket Money | Hi there. Friday looks good on you! Iโm jumping in today with a fun fact you can use. Way back in the โ60s, an Air Force electronics technician used a whistle โ one he got from a box of Capโn Crunch โ to take over phone systems and make free long-distance calls. Iโve got more about this at the bottom of this email, just in case youโre thinking, โWait, what?โ Iโve cried almost every day this week โ cried laughing. My new daily video podcast is a blast. Stream it live at 11:30 a.m. Arizona time on YouTube, Facebook or Rumble. Today, weโre talking to a tech mogul whoโs spending $2 million a year to stay 18 years old โฆ but heโs 46. See you there! โ Kim ๐ซ First-time reader? Sign up here. (Itโs free!) IN THIS ISSUE ๐ก๏ธ Try, try again ๐ Big change if you have a Ring cam ๐ Too little, too late, Facebook |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Stop using these passwords How bad are we at creating safer passwords? The latest data shows a whopping 75% of people worldwide don't follow password best practices. We should know better โฆ and yet, 84% of us reuse our passwords. Why do I harp on this so often? You can blame over 80% of data breaches on weak or repeated passwords. Maybe you've never experienced the horror of identity theft, but let me tell you, it's bad. Now, since you're totally going to change your passwords after reading this, let's make sure your new one is bulletproof. The blocklist Get this: Over 153 million passwords from leaked databases contained a curse word. Stay away from passwords with food items, too, especially โice,โ โtea,โ โpie,โ โcookieโ and โcake.โ Beyond that, the most commonly cracked passwords include: 111111, 12345, 123456, 12345678, 123456789, 1234567890, Qwerty123, 1q2w3e, Q2w3e4r5tPopular names, sports teams, seasons and vacation destinations are also major noโnos: Eva, Alex, Anna, Max, Ava, Ella, Leo, Suns, Heat, Liverpool, Rome, Lima, Friday, summer, winter, KimKomandoIsTheBest (I threw that in to see if youโre paying attention!)And don't make your password the word "password." Itโll be a nice day when I never have to say that again. Wondering how criminals hack passwords? Their methods aren't all that complicated. Take the โdictionary attack.โ This is when hackers use programs to automatically try every word in a "dictionary," a small file with the most commonly used passwords. You know, like the ones listed above. A โbrute-force attackโ is when hackers try every possible character combination in an attempt to guess your login. Spoiler: It works way too often. And don't even get me started on how easily AI password crackers can get the job done. Lock it down Review this list and share it with someone who's still relying on "password123." Use a password manager so you won't have to remember complex logins. There are a ton of options, including TotalPassword (just $19 using my link!), Bitwarden and 1Password. Use the free password managers built into your web browser. A standalone password manager is more secure, though. If you create a password the old-fashioned way, the longer, the better โ combining letters (upper- and lowercase), numbers and symbols. Never store your passwords in a visible or easily accessible place. Iโm talking to all of you still using Postโit notes. Barry uses this $5.99 book to write down his passwords, then he locks the book away. ๐ I used to store motivational quotes in the cloud for those moments when I needed some inspiration. Then, I forgot the password for my Google account. Now, I have no Drive. (Dang, that was good!) |
DEALS OF THE DAY Hair today, gone tomorrow Thereโs a lot that gets better as we age. Hairline and thickness? Eh, not so much. The good news is todayโs shampoos and treatments are better than ever. Minoxidil has been clinically proven to show hair regrowth in three to six months by boosting blood flow to hair follicles. Treatments require a prescription, and theyโre unavailable over the counter or in regular stores. Gals, check out Hers. Guys, try Hims. Happy Head offers a free consultation with a board-certified dermatologist. Then, they create a customized formula based on your needs. Everything ships to your house in discreet packaging. ๐งโ๐ฆฒ For the record, bald is beautiful! I donโt want any mean messages suggesting I canโt stand bald folks or thinning hair. |
WEB WATERCOOLER ๐ Privacy, schmivacy: Security researchers found iPhone apps like Facebook, TikTok and X are harvesting data through notifications, of all things. Even just dismissing a message triggers a data grab, like the last app you opened. It never stops โฆ History comes alive: Imagine college kids yawning through lectures from holographic Einstein or Coco Chanel โ not just their boring professors. Lifelike 3D guest speakers from history could pop up in classes by 2025. I feel a tuition bump coming. ๐ Ring-a-ling: Ring is ditching its โRequest for Assistanceโ tool. Now, cops will need a warrant for your doorbell vids. But in certain emergencies, like kidnappings or attempted murders, theyโll be able to peek without asking. Like โStar Trek'sโ Holodeck: Disney's HoloTile floor could be the next big thing in VR. Imagine an omnidirectional treadmill built right into the floor, keeping you centerstage in the virtual world. Walk, run and explore without smacking into your coffee table. ๐ Convenient timing: Just in time for their Senate show-and-tell, Meta is tightening up teen safety on Instagram and Messenger. New rule: No DMs from strangers for kids under 16. Parents are getting more account controls, too. Iโm channeling Marie Antoinette: Google's Art Selfie 2 turns your selfies into famous painting styles. Think โGeorgian Eraโ to โAncient Egyptian Pharaohs.โ Snap a pic, pick a style and voila. Try it out in the Play tab of the Google Arts & Culture app for iOS and Android. Itโs not Taylor Swift: Explicit AI-generated fakes of her are spreading rampantly across X, with one nasty post hitting 45 million views. Swift hasnโt commented, but loyal fans are spamming X with real pics and videos to hide the deepfakes. ๐ Kindle freebies: Prime members can grab two free Kindle books โ mysteries, romances, nonfiction, whatever you like. Not a Prime member? You can get โem for $1.99 each (still a sweet deal). Ends Jan. 31, so hurry. |
DEVICE ADVICE Get sound alerts from your phone Depending on your hearing and the layout of your home, some sounds might get past you. Your phone can help by alerting you to noisy things like barking dogs or broken glass. On iPhone: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Recognition, then enable sound recognition by sliding the toggle to the right. Tap Sounds and turn on the sounds you want your phone to recognize. On an Android phone: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Sound Notifications. Tap Open Sound Notifications, then Turn on. Youโll need to allow permission to record audio. Tap the cog icon. You can choose what sounds you want to be notified of and how. |
LISTEN UP | Housecleaning goldmines Here are some items you may have that are worth a pretty penny in the used goods market. Play Now โข 3:23 โถ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADES โBut why?โ Confused about an answer AI gave you? Channel your inner toddler and ask why. This gets the bot to send you sources and background info. Handy! ๐ฆ Hello, "Squid Game." Open the Netflix app, type "Netflix" into the search bar, and voila โ you'll see a list of all original Netflix movies and series. "Ozark," "Black Mirror" and all the rest at your fingertips. Pixel perfect: Samsungโs Quick Share and Googleโs Nearby Share can finally interact. After the latest One UI 6.1 update, you can transfer a file to anyone using an Android phone, not just other Samsungs. ๐ Every day, you send the exact text: โOn my way, love you!โ On your iPhone, make it faster. Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Set โomwโ to autofill to that longer note. Only you can prevent garbage fires: Batteries, especially lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium types, should be taken to a hazardous waste collection center โ not tossed in the trash. Use this handy site to find a spot. |
BY THE NUMBERS 7,000 Miles when the average EV needs new tires. Because EVs are so heavy, their tires wear four to five times faster than those on gas cars. Something to keep in mind ($$$) if youโre shopping around. $2,280,000 Selling price for the Washington property where Jeff Bezos founded Amazon. He worked out of the garage โ the one torn down and rebuilt in the 2000s. Snoop on the Zillow listing. 32% Small-business owners worried their companies wonโt survive 2024. A Slack survey found the top concerns were inflation and economic conditions (47%), the need to raise prices (32%), and more competition (24%). Weโre hiring. |
WHAT THE TECH? If Batman wasnโt rich, heโd be โrobbinโ.โ |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... What the Crunch? Yeah, a smart guy named John Draper knew certain tones could bypass telephone systems. Turns out Capโn Crunchโs Boโsun whistles played the perfect tone for this, at 2600 Hzs. Full story here! Speaking of โฆ What brand of cereal is the strongest? Mini Wheats, because theyโre shredded. ๐ค Thanks for being here. Want to see something specific in this newsletter? If itโs digital, Iโm your gal! Drop me a note or reply to this email. Iโll be back tomorrow with the best newsletter in the USA! Tell a friend about me, please. โ Kim |
Komando Referral Program Share this newsletter โ Earn prizes! Step 1: Copy your unique referral link: https://www.komando.com/friends/?referralCode=0rvmdp6 Step 2: Share your link! Post it on social media, send it in a text or paste it into an email to a pal. If they sign up using that link, you get the credit! | |
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