20 Google Beam units are heading to USO locations around the world so deployed troops can see their loved ones in life-sized form before the holidays. Plus, drones are the new fireworks. 17x Guinness World Record holder Sky Elements tells us how it’s done.
Signature mismatches were the top reason mail ballots were rejected in 2024. Most states let you track yours online. Plus, we talk to Pamela about her fight against a data center planned on land that was promised as a park.
Electric vehicle sales are slumping, but battery makers are busier than ever. I’ll explain why. Plus, we talk to Stanley about how he ended up with a $418 EV charging bill instead of a $22 one.
Your phone sorts your pictures by face. You just have to tell it who’s who. I’ll show you how. Plus, we help Renee digitize her family’s photos after wildfires force her to evacuate.
The company said it would never build a touchscreen laptop. Now it has. Plus, we talk about three Apple Watch tricks and the viral trend of wearing your watch on your ankle.
A wrong-way driver hit their Model Y head-on on the freeway. Jeff Fantin and his son survived, and it was all caught on camera. Jeff and his son were driving home from a Tesla fan event in Austin when the crash happened. First responders credited their safety to Tesla’s engineering. We talk to Jeff about the scary situation and Tesla’s safety features. Then, worried AI will take your job? Idealab founder Bill Gross used AI to generate more than 1.2 million business ideas from 31 idea-generating methods and 17 million documents. Now he’s giving them away for free at idealab.ai. We talk to him about the job market and how the program works. Plus: A joke text sent a United flight back to Las Vegas, outside AI agents showing up in customers’ bank accounts, Apple’s first touchscreen Mac, fake voter texts, an AI toy sold on Amazon that reportedly exposed 13 million kids’ conversations and The Verge’s Nathan Edwards and his neighbor are sending each other potatoes by drone. It’s spud-tacular. If you start a business after hearing this, let us know. Head to idealab.ai to explore the ideas, and your story could be featured in a follow-up with Bill Gross. I’m Kim Komando, and I’ve got the tech stories you need to know, without the geek speak. Enjoy the show? Hit Follow so you never miss an episode, and leave a 5-star review. It’s how new listeners find us. Show notes and every episode: komando.com/podcasts Ask me a tech question: komando.com/contact-us/askkim Free newsletter: GetKim.com Find me @kimkomando everywhere. CHAPTERS: 0:00 11-foot space object found in farmer’s backyard. 6:46 AI agents are getting into bank accounts. 7:50 A text prank diverted a United flight. 9:14 Elon Musk hints at Tesla-SpaceX merger. 11:15 An inventor built a flying skateboard. 13:49 Michelle’s cousins posted naked videos of her. 19:31 Fake voter texts are going around. 20:17 Hospital leaks patient records using AI. 21:11 Nathan’s potato drone deliveries. 25:32 AI finds money leaking from your account. 27:43 Bruce: Legit ways to make money using AI. 32:23 ChatGPT flagged Lauren’s cancer. 37:03 Police warn of viral door-kicking pranks. 39:04 Adults post online ads to find friends. 41:27 First robotic surgery from 35 miles away. 43:09 Amazon’s Eiliko toy exposed 13 million kids’ chats. 44:51 Apple’s touchscreen MacBook, iPad mini and Duo fix. 47:00 Tesla saved Jeff and his son in a head-on crash. 58:04 Protect files from rogue AI wipes. 59:04 Game: Brand New or Not True. 1:02:53 Michele: AI lessons and Veterans Day radio tips. 1:11:41 Beth: When to turn off phone Wi-Fi. 1:15:18 Your robot vacuum and speaker watch you. 1:17:12 “Maxxing” is the dictionary’s Word of the Year. 1:20:56 Google’s 3D booths connect military families. 1:21:51 Zoom adds eye-scan human verification. 1:23:18 Free home repairs train AI robots. 1:26:43 Unitree’s $21,600 kung fu robot. 1:29:07 John used AI to write a TV script. 1:32:38 Turn your smartphone into reading glasses. 1:34:15 Idealab’s 1.2 million new AI business ideas. 1:47:44 Don’t let AI plan your hike. 1:48:45 Charlie: Track kids’ iPhones from an Android. 1:51:26 Google Translate speaks teenager.
Friends and family don’t have to miss out on Halloween. Newer iPhones have a dual camera trick and Android lets you flip the camera during video calls. Plus, we’ll talk about how to turn your pet into a pumpkin stencil with AI, make your house look haunted, and meet a 3,156 pound pumpkin.
Midterm voters in 13 states will decide on AI data center measures. Blocking them is like refusing telephone poles in the 1920s. Plus, we talk about my visit to a data center and how the FCC may allow AI political robocalls to your cellphone.
Your forgotten old logins still have your password. I’ll tell you how to find and delete them. Plus, we talk about how an AI startup built a zombie shooting video game set in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in one weekend, and Character.AI filed for bankruptcy.
Apple’s first foldable phone is going viral for its cracked screens. Thankfully it’s not every phone. Plus, we talk about Apple’s new smart home display and the Homepod mini 2, and how a thief stole dozens of empty Mac mini boxes. A heist for nothing.
You pay $139 a year for Prime, and most people only use the free shipping and video. Several perks may be going unused, like free Grubhub Plus, cheaper gas, a free Kindle book every month, and more. Plus, we help Michael figure out his mystery refund texts. Sounds phishy.
More than three out of four New York crosswalk buttons do nothing. From elevator-door close switches to swiping apps closed, plenty of buttons are fake placebos. Plus, we help James figure out when it’s worth paying for AI.
Can’t find your car? There are three key fob hacks that sound fake but work. Plus, we talk about Google’s top emojis and Gen Alpha slang.
Before buying an AI-powered smart toy this Christmas, think twice. Kid chats from a toy sold on Amazon were reportedly leaked online, including profiles of American children. Plus, we help Nancy surprise her sons with Bitcoin as a holiday gift.
Jan’s kids think a Tesla would be safer than her driving. The catch is in the name: Full Self-Driving, Supervised, and supervised means you, the driver. Hear what you should shop for instead.
Alison’s family was duped by an Airbnb listing. Rusty nails and a “room” that turned out to be a shed. We talk to her about the situation and how to spot a fake rental before you pay.
Scammers are spoofing the FBI’s real number and real agents’ names. There’s one giveaway that tells you it’s fake. Plus, Ralph at WTOP and I talk about why AI agents go rogue.
Stuck in a phone setting? Gemini can see your screen and walk you through it for free. Plus, a strange, pulsing sound in her ear led Mary to ask ChatGPT about the cause. Her doctor found it was a 90% blocked artery and it could’ve caused a stroke. Mary shares her story with us.
A class action claims Samsung TVs capture your screen twice a second and sell the data to advertisers. Turning it off takes 15 clicks. Plus, we talk about Dallas putting AI cameras on garbage trucks to spy on your lawn and noise cameras mailing tickets to loud cars.
Volunteers have mapped millions of graves, and you can search them from home. Michelle found her baby sister’s resting place nearly 30 years after she first went looking. We talked to her about it.
