The 3-2-1 backup rule

November 5, 2025

💾 The 3-2-1 backup rule: Got important files you’d cry over losing? Follow this. Keep 3 copies of your data (one main, two backups), stored on 2 different types of media like an external drive and the cloud, with 1 copy off-site, somewhere physically separate. That’s why I use Carbonite for cloud backup. When disaster strikes, you’ll be the smart one smiling. Save 50% off at carbonite.com/kim.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

Tags: cloud backup, data, disaster, files, media

Printer friendly

You might be yelling at a toaster

Bing Image Creator

A chatbot slashed their $195K hospital bill to $33K

Bing Image Creator

Here’s a story that stopped me in my tracks. A grieving family was hit with a $195,000 hospital bill for just four hours of their loved one’s care in the ICU. No surgery. No five-day extended stay.

Now imagine going through the worst moment of your life and getting a bill like that. Instead of writing a check or getting steamrolled by the system, they did something smart. They asked AI for help.

Continue reading →

Crypto with ketchup: Hungry? Steak ’n Shake is handing out $5 in Bitcoin (at 400 participating locations) with every Bitcoin Meal. You get steps on how to redeem your Bitcoin with your meal. They also brand your (burger) bun with a ₿. This is real. Finally, my portfolio and cholesterol can rise together.

No more playing pretend: Looks like OpenAI is grounding ChatGPT’s inner lawyer, doctor and financial adviser. The new rule? It can explain a contract, but it won’t write one. It can tell you what a fever is but won’t say if you have one. Basically, it’s your overly cautious study buddy, helpful but not taking any responsibility. Why? Too many lawsuits for bad advice, I’m sure.

🚨 Code kale red: Hang onto your kombucha. Imagine standing in Whole Foods, home of the healthy organic alternative, when a robot whips through the aisles with a Tide Pod and a Pepsi. Amazon’s testing “ShopBots” (paywall link) in some stores, so you can grab your kale, then order junk food like it’s contraband. It’s part of Amazon’s full takeover as Whole Foods execs now report to Amazon’s top brass.

🏙️ Open fraud plan: What do you do when you can’t afford the $2K monthly rent? If you’re like some renters, you might get “creative” with your pay stubs. The wild part? Influencers are selling “rental packages” (paywall link) with fake pay stubs, fake jobs, fake everything. Landlords say it’s so bad, half the apps in some buildings are made up.

🔍 Patent painkiller: If you’ve ever tried searching for patents, you know it’s like reading legal soup. Perplexity dropped a new AI tool that fixes that. You can type, “Who’s got patents on AI language learning?” and it’ll pull up real answers with summaries. No more keyword puzzles. Just normal sentences, like a human.

Tesla’s talkative AI: A California mom says her Tesla’s new AI car assistant, Grok, went wildly off-script, telling her 12-year-old son to “send nudes” mid-chat about soccer. It happened with her three kids in the car, after her son switched Grok’s voice to a “lazy male” mode called “Gork.” Tesla rolled out the feature this summer but hasn’t addressed how this slipped through.

Walking the walk: You’ve gotta see this. People with paralysis are walking again thanks to a self-balancing robotic suit. No walker, no cables, just pure movement. One guy stood up and hugged his daughter for the first time in three years. Watch the video; it’s the kind of hope you feel. I love when tech actually helps in such an amazing way.

Ever feel like your body’s buffering? Check out Native Hydrate from NativePath. With clean energy and zero sugar, it might help you feel more awake and focused. Use my link to give it a try, and get 44% off!