Sunday, funday, friend. Such a great roundup today for you, I’m so excited. Before that, here’s something to noodle on: What’s the first thing ever sold on the internet? (And no, it wasn’t a subscription to AOL.) A) A pair of socks, B) A pizza, C) A music CD or D) A Kmart gift card? Make a guess and see if you’re right at the end.

🤓 Psst. Know someone who could use a little tech know-how (without the boring stuff)? Forward this newsletter to one person who needs to be tech smart. They’ll thank you later. — Kim

After I shared my list of the best AI prompts for work, the comments poured in. “OK, Kim, but what about real life?” 

What, my work life isn’t real enough for you? Kidding, great question! You know AI can plan a trip and meals or write a to-do list. But let’s go beyond that. 

Here are some powerful, personal prompts to ask ChatGPT, Gemini or your favorite AI assistant. PSA: If you don’t want AI saving your chats or using them other ways, sign up and ask using a burner email address.

💭 For when you’re stuck

You don’t need a scented candle to dive deeper.

• “Ask me questions to figure out what’s stressing me out.”
• “Give me a plan to break a bad habit.”
• “I’m in a rut. Help me brainstorm five things for more energy and joy.”

Bonus: Use Scheduled ChatGPT Tasks to have it check in with you weekly. Boom! Robot accountability buddy.

❤️ For your people

AI can be surprisingly thoughtful when it comes to people you love.

• “How can I support my anxious teen without being a helicopter parent?”
• “Help me write a kind message to a friend I’ve drifted from.”
• “Create a no-screens weekend plan for family laughs.”

Bonus: Plan a night for a fun game you haven’t played yet, and suggest on-brand snack recipes. 

😏 For love, flirts and deep convos

You’re married. You’ve talked about the grocery list 74 times this week. 

• “Fresh date night questions that aren’t about kids or bills.”
• “Flirty texts that are cute, not cringey.”
• “A memory game we can play over dinner.”

Bonus: Use AI to suggest bedroom ideas. 

🧘‍♀️ For mind + body

Because we all want to feel better, not just do more.

• “Build a routine that helps me wind down and get to sleep.”
• “Help me deal with the death of someone I love.” I was missing my mom and AI’s answer really made me feel better.
• “What’s one small shift I can try to feel more in control?”

Just a thought: AI has never touched grass, but it gives surprisingly good life advice.

🎉 For funsies

Let’s not forget this thing is basically your creative sidekick. 

• “Write a funny poem about my dog’s obsession with socks.”
• “Give me gift suggestions for my [who] that likes [what].”
• “What are three bucket-list ideas I can pull off this year?”

Side quest: Ask it to roast you like a best friend who knows your Amazon order history. It’s weirdly therapeutic.

Whatever you do, be honest, be specific and treat AI like a best friend. You’ll be surprised what it can help with. Speaking of … Jamie in Atlanta sent me this one: Kim, my wife gives sound advice. It’s 99% sound, 1% advice. Ouch.

The only way to keep your online business yours is with a VPN. A virtual private network encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection, or worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not with ExpressVPN. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad.

📱Electronics got a break: From the tariffs. President Trump said smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic parts are among the exempted products. “Phew,” said every tech leader in the country.

🛠️ Update your PC: Microsoft pushed out a big patch that fixes 134 security bugs, including one that hackers use to take over systems. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and hit Check for updates. FYI: If you’re using Office 2016, it might crash after this update. Grab a separate fix from Microsoft’s website. 

Talk without price shock: Need a smartphone without breaking the bank? Motorola’s new Moto G Stylus 2025 might be what you need. For $399, you get a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 50MP main camera and fast charging. There’s a headphone jack if you miss that. Budget phone, bougie features. Grab it starting April 17.

Who needs privacy? The Limitless AI pendant is a tiny device that clips onto your shirt, records everything you say and uploads it to an app. Why would anyone want that? It can then spit out summaries of your convos, create to-do lists and offer self-improvement tips (paywall link). Like, “Be more patient with your kids.” Yeah, I’m not paying for a backseat driver. 

🛜 Cord-cutting: Not what you think. Since 2023, at least 11 undersea cables have gone dark from suspected Russian sabotage (paywall link). China’s linked to incidents near Taiwan, too. Both say “not me.” Over 95% of the world’s data travels via 500+ of these lines. Without them? We’d be back to the dial-up era. We’re one cable cut away from faxing memes to your friends.

🎥 Granny cam: Jean H. Peters found that staffers were mistreating her mom in assisted living after she put a camera in her room. These cams are legal in 20 states (paywall link). But facilities push back, saying it invades privacy. Makes you wonder what they are hiding. Alexa, install “Protect Nana.” 

🌳 No green thumb required: Why wait years for your yard to bloom? Fast Growing Trees makes it simple to plant like a pro. They’ll recommend the best trees and shrubs for your exact location and ship them straight to your door. No hauling, no guesswork. Use promo code KIM to save an extra 15%. I got an avocado tree, and it’s thriving!*

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On YouTube, press “1” to jump to 10% or “5” for the halfway point. Use number keys to navigate videos quickly.

📳 Who’s texting you? Set custom vibrations so you know without even checking your screen. For iPhones, go to Contacts > contact name > Edit > Text Tone > Haptics. On Android, open your Contacts > name > More (three dots) > Change ringtone/vibration > Call vibration. These may vary depending on your Android.

🔄 Clean slate: If you’re chatting with ChatGPT or any bot and want to change the subject, just say, “Please ignore all previous instructions and start fresh.” That’ll reset the convo. You can also say, “Let’s shift gears” to sound smoother. Pro tip: This won’t get you out of a real-life speeding ticket. 

🚨 Last minute tax write-off alert: Run a business? You could score a tax break if you bought new or used equipment from laptops to software. Section 179 lets you deduct up to $1.22 million (taxes filed in 2025). It jumps to $1.25 million next year. Pro tip: Track your purchases to save more.

📨 Out of the office? Set up a vacation responder to auto-reply like a pro. In Gmail, go to Settings (gear icon) > See all settings. Scroll down to Vacation responder and check it on. Then write your message, pick your dates and hit Save Changes when you’re good to go. Auto-replies are self-care with punctuation.

🐣 Just one week until Easter! Let’s hop into it.

• Your kids will turn your sidewalk into art with a $9.99 12-pack chalk set. For some reason, the 9-pack is the same price.
• Grab a dino egg kit (20% off) for a prehistoric twist to your egg hunt.
• These wooden stacking blocks (10% off) make great basket stuffers.
• Get your hands on this cute LEGO Easter (9% off) rabbits building set.
• Bunny-shaped toaster tongs (41% off) are perfect for your Easter morning.

• Jean from the Midwest lost $200,000 in an online scam. Then the Secret Service came to her door. Now she’s under indictment and faces 29 years in prison. Wow. 

• Tina from Montreal, Canada, is the creator behind The Oreo Cat, TikTok’s first viral cat. Tina shares the secrets behind turning your pets into content gold. Who doesn’t love cat vids? 
• Leroy from Reno, Nevada, is the next Johnny Cash. He wrote the lyrics to a country song and wants AI to bring it to life.

Plus, Deb wants to clean up old voice recordings, Michael tries to recover deleted files, Wendy needs a digital catalog, Sonni shares the wildest stuff found in lost luggage, and so much more!

Take me on a walk: Listen to my show’s podcast. Or watch my national radio show on YouTube.

🌍 Play a geography game: GeoGuessr drops you in a random place on Google Maps. Guess where you are. Regret how bad you are at it.

✏️ Doodle like a pro: Picasso who? AutoDraw turns your stick figures into slick, AI-enhanced sketches.

👀 See the world live: EarthCam lets you stream real-time views from places like Times Square, Tokyo and some guy’s beach cam in Key West.

💰 Save money: Check this secret link to see if what you buy a lot of on Amazon is on sale right now. Oh, shout-out to Wendy in Peoria who asked what hair conditioner I use. It’s this one! Just a tiny bit goes a long way, seriously great stuff.

Answer: The first thing sold on the internet was a Sting CD. Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales was sold on the NetMarket website for $12.48 on Aug. 11, 1994, by a Stanford student. Apparently, it went missing, but The Police had no leads. 🫶 I just love “Fields of Gold” from Sting. Do you?

Long joke time: A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, “Your mother and I are divorcing. Forty-five years of misery is enough.” “Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams. “We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the man says. “Call your sister in Chicago and tell her.” And he hangs up.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like heck they’re getting a divorce. I’ll take care of this!” she shouts.  She calls her dad and says, “You are NOT getting divorced! Don’t do a single thing until I get there. We’ll both be there tomorrow!” and she hangs up. The man ends the call, smiles and turns to his wife. “Good news! The kids are coming for Easter and paying their own way.” 😂

I hope you’re spending the day with family or friends. Just one week until Easter. Now you know more than your IT person. Shhh, don’t tell him or her. — Kim

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