Podcast Episodes

February 1, 2019

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Even things you own that aren’t already smart, don’t have to stay that way. An inexpensive smart plug can make your dumb appliance, lamp or hair dryer smart. Kim gives some tips on inexpensive ways to start upgrading your home to a smart home.

January 31, 2019

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What’s in your gut? We have been hearing so much about gut bacteria. Recent innovations in DNA research have helped doctors uncover the link between gut health and many diseases, including cancer. Kim talks with Dr. Cullen Taniguchi, a radiation oncologist with MD Anderson Cancer Center about the connection between gut health and cancer. Learn about your microbiome and how you can arm it to fight disease. BONUS: Listen for the secret password in this podcast for your chance to win an Amazon Echo Dot!

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Facebook got caught – again – with its hands in the data cookie jar. This time, an app tracked just every single thing you did on your phone and sent it all back to Facebook. Kim looks at the latest privacy violation from Facebook and what their real motive was behind it.

January 30, 2019

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For may people, watching the Superbowl is about more than just game, it’s also about the amazing commercials. Well, this year one automobile maker is taking things to a new level. You can win a car if you don’t watch the game. Kim looks at a new marketing campaign that’s all about not watching this year’s Superbowl.

January 29, 2019

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Streaming services have completely changed the way we watch TV. Long gone are the days when new programs launch in the fall, run for 22 weeks, wrap in the spring and go into reruns over the summer. With networks, premium cable channels and streaming services producing original content, there’s no longer a set schedule. It’s hard to keep track of when your favorite shows air. Kim and her co-host Mike James have five apps to help manage your binge watching so you don’t miss a thing.

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Many people have their favorite YouTube channels as well as their favorite YouTubers that they like to follow. Well, be careful! A clever scam is spreading on YouTube that you need to know about. Here’s a hint: Someone wants to give you something valuable for free. Kim explains this latest phishing scam involving YouTube. 

January 28, 2019

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America’s politicians have been so busy quibbling about walls and the shutdown, that they’ve completely ignored everyone who flies. Kim looks at how the partial government shutdown, as it engulfed the country, showed us for the first time how dangerous hobby drones can be.

January 25, 2019

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Let’s say a husband is not happy that his wife no longer wants to take part in physical relations. Instead of talking about it with her, he can now use the same strategy as big advertising companies. He can target her with online ads. In this podcast, Kim looks at a new company that offers an interesting twist to targeted advertising.

January 24, 2019

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Join Kim as she talks with Brewster Kahle, founder of the Wayback Machine and Archive.org, a free online digital library that has been archiving web pages since the mid-1990s. After earning a fortune by selling technologies to AOL and Amazon, Kahle set out on a mission to create an archive of web content. Hear about his goal to create the world’s largest free online public library, and find out how you can contribute your family’s history to the archive of the internet.

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Sony’s new puppy-sized robotic dog Aibo can walk around the house and check on the family. It has cameras, facial recognition, and is connected to the internet. But are we ready for that? In this podcast, Kim looks at what a robot like this really means to our privacy and security.

January 23, 2019

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Imagine that you’re sitting down with the family to watch television. As you start looking for something to watch, what sounds like an emergency broadcast alert blares from the other room. Then, there is an announcement of something frightening. In this podcast, Kim tells the story of a family who had their Nest camera hacked and why we all need to make sure we are secure.

January 22, 2019

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Google has become the go to search site but have you ever googled a word only to be bombarded by targeted ads and links that had nothing to do with your question? In this podcast, we will share with you alternatives to Google that will give you the desired results. Whether you’re looking for movies to stream or fabulous photos from space, and anything in between. These browsers will give you less ads, and in many cases, won’t track you like Google does!

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Maybe you’re the one person who has never had a Twitter or Facebook account. The massive social media network computers don’t know anything about you, right? Wrong. In this podcast, Kim looks at recent research that shows that even though you have never been on social media, these companies still know what you like, dislike, and how you respond to situations.

January 21, 2019

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With fame comes the need for having personal security and big tech companies are spending big bucks on keeping their executives safe. In this episode of Consumer Tech Update, Kim looks at a recent report on the huge costs some tech companies like Amazon and Facebook are spending to keep their executives safe.

January 18, 2019

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Have any of your online account credentials ever been stolen in a data breach? Since breaches are so common nowadays, there’s a great chance they have, whether you know about it or not. That’s why it’s critical to know when a massive data breach happens, so you can take action. In this podcast, Kim talks about a data breach impacting hundreds of millions of email addresses, and yours could be one of them.

January 17, 2019

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We are all familiar with online display ads. They are those ads that jump at you when you are browsing a website. What you may not know, is how these ads end up on a particular page or why you are seeing them. Kim talks to specialist Heath Shaffer, owner of boutique AdOps firm NicheREV, for an insider scoop on everything that goes into the ads that you see, from advertisers who bid for the spot to the details that go into serving the ad on the website, and most of all, how to make money as a publisher.

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Social engineering is the phrase that describes how people with an agenda use real names and sites to spoof you. And it seems that no one is immune to these elaborate manipulations. In this podcast, Kim looks at the latest scheme that spoofed the world’s largest asset management company as well as some news organizations.

January 16, 2019

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A judge in northern California ruled that police can’t force anyone to unlock their smartphones using biometrics like a fingerprint or facial ID. But, this case is far from over. In this podcast, Kim looks at what this decision really means and how the battle for privacy is far from over.

January 15, 2019

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Have you ever had an app ask you to access your phone’s location? How about the app that wants access to your smartphone camera and contact list. It has become second nature to share this info with the app, but did you ever stop to think: where does all this data go? Our lives are being tracked and sold to companies. In this podcast you will learn who is tracking you, how they can get to your personal information and most importantly where your data is being sent.

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Have you ever wondered how much Google knows about you? There is a way to find out. Learn all the data Google has on you with a few simple clicks. In this podcast, Kim looks at Google’s new way for users to take a look at all the data they’ve collected from them whether it’s Gmail, Chrome or any other Google product. The depth of the results may shock you.

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