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đ¨đł Can China win?
February 1, 2025 |
![]() In partnership with NordPass |
Welcome to a tech-spectacular Saturday, friend! Have a spare $8 million lying around? Me, neither. Thatâs what it costs for a 30-second Super Bowl ad this year. Remember a couple of years ago, when it seemed like every ad was for something crypto-related? No surprise, but this year, itâs all about AI. Whoâs not spending? Streaming companies and movie studios. Yeah, theyâre broke(ish). Fix your password mess: My tested and recommended password management app works on PC, Mac, Android, iPhone and web browsers. Save a username, password, billing address or credit card once, and this great program will autofill it for you. More below. Letâs get techâahead! â Kim đŁ Donât keep me a secret: Share the email with friends (or copy URL here) |
TODAY’S TECH HACKHey there, MacGyver![]() I always want you to get the most out of the goodies you buy. Your TV isn’t just for watching Netflix or live sports; with a little know-how, it can become a productivity powerhouse, a charging station, a photo album and a streaming hub (even if itâs old). Let me show you how. 1. A big honkinâ workstationWorking on a tiny laptop screen is no fun, especially if youâre staring at spreadsheets, giving a presentation or trying to join a Zoom meeting. Use the big screen instead. How to: Connect an HDMI cable to your TV and to your laptop. Pair a keyboard and mouse, too. If your TV has Bluetooth capabilities, you can connect directly; if not, use your laptop to pair these devices while your TV acts as a monitor. Get the gear: An HDMI cable with 4K support will give you the best display quality. For seamless compatibility, grab a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo like Logitechâs. 2. An extra spot to chargeEver feel like you never have enough outlets? Hereâs where your TVâs USB ports come to the rescue. Plug your charging cable directly into the TV. USB ports typically deliver less power than a wall outlet. How to: Plug in your charging cable, and youâre all set. Get the gear: Keep a few spare USB cables handy for emergencies. A dual-purpose cable with multiple connector types (like USBâC and Lightning) can save the day. 3. Turn your TV into a digital photo albumMany TVs let you cast photos directly from your phone, but not all of them make it easy. If yours is older, you probably thought you were out of luck. How to: Upload your photos or videos onto a USB drive. Make sure theyâre in a file format your TV supports, like JPEG or MP4. Plug the USB into your TVâs port, and follow the on-screen prompts. Get the gear: Youâll need a USB drive with plenty of storage space. If you have a few extra bucks to spend, go with an encrypted model for added security. 4. Give your old TV a smart upgradeStill holding onto that trusty old TV without apps built in? Good news: Adding a streaming device is the easiest way to bring your TV into the 21st century. How to: Plug the streaming stick into your TVâs HDMI port. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to WiâFi, and youâre ready to stream. Get the gear: The Amazon Fire TV Stick HD, Roku Premiere or Google Chromecast will all fit the bill. đˇ That reminds me ⌠When Ian was little, I made the mistake of letting him watch the symphony on television â way too much sax and violins. |
If your password is â123456â âŚWe need to talk. That and âpasswordâ are two of the most common passwords in the world. Cybercriminals can crack them in less than a second. Iâm sorry to say your birthday, petsâ names and other personal information are just as bad. Youâve heard the rules â use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Never use the same password twice, so if one account gets hacked, the others stay safe. But how the heck do you remember all those complex logins? Donât rely on your memory, and donât write them down. Thatâs where NordPass comes in. Itâs a secure, easy-to-use password manager that stores your logins and helps you create rock-solid passwords for every new account you make. Ready to upgrade? Save 52% and get one month free with my exclusive offer! â Please support our sponsors! |
KIM KOMANDO TODAYJulie vanished. Heâs turning to AI to find her.Kurt in Savannah, Georgia, called me. His friend Julie disappeared last year, and he thinks traffickers took her. Now he needs tech help to track her down. |
WEB WATERCOOLERđ¨đł Numbers speak: Since DeepSeek was unveiled, OpenAI, which has attracted roughly $15 billion in funding, and Anthropic, with nearly $3 billion behind it, both have seen their valuations dip by up to 20%. DeepSeek led to a massive sell-off in AI tech stocks, with Nvidia losing nearly $600 billion in market value in a single day. DeepSeekâs rise is a wake-up call: China isnât just catching up; theyâre proving they can compete, despite fewer resources and U.S. sanctions in place. If the U.S. wants to stay ahead, we canât just play defense by restricting Chinaâs access to chips and technology; we need to double down on innovation, AI investment and infrastructure, because, in the race for AI dominance, second place isnât an option. We need to win! OpenAI makes a move ahead of schedule: Instead of waiting until spring, OpenAI just dropped its newest AI models, o3âmini and o3âminiâhigh, which have o1âlevel reasoning with 4oâlevel speed. Translation? Theyâre fast, smart, cheap and built to crush DeepSeek (paywall link). Try them now in ChatGPT under the dropdown Model Menu. Iâm using it, and itâs another major jump forward in AI. đ Why Greenland? It all comes back to the AI race. The country is rich in precious metals. KoBold Metals is one startup digging up raw materials there to fuel AI production. Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg are all investors. Gotta secure those resources to keep scaling up AI data centers. Follow the money, folks. I really want to go to Greenland. Update your Apple gear â except your iPhone: Apple dropped updates for new and old devices. Wait a few weeks to update your iPhone, though, because Iâm hearing the new update destroys your battery life. On the bright side, the security flaws patched in iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, watchOS 11.3, tvOS 18.3 and visionOS 2.3 keep malicious apps from taking full control of your device. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and get it done. Hereâs the full list of fixes. đĽ Your health, at risk: Two patient monitors that track your vitals have gaping security holes. Hackers can snoop on data, mess with settings or even assume total control. The Chinese-built models completely ignore network settings, meaning someone with the right know-how can break in. The only fix hospitals have? Unplug it and keep it off the network. Ready for takeoff: Before your droneâs next flight, check out B4UFLY. Itâs the FAAâs new tool for knowing where you can and canât fly â airspace restrictions, temporary zones for special events and no-fly zones. The FAA has given the thumbs-up to four companies to use it. Try it on the web or your phone for Android or iOS. Read all about it: Does your town still have a newspaper? An average of 2.5 newspapers close each week, and 200 U.S. counties are now considered ânews deserts.â Facebook groups are stepping in, covering everything from events to weather. Some have almost as many members as their townâs population. Search for your townâs name to see if thereâs a group for you. đś Lost and found: Such a great story! Paul Guilbeaultâs dog, Damian, ran away while he was moving from Massachusetts to Arizona in 2017. Fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago, when Paul got a text: âDamianâs been found.â The American Kennel Club tracked his chip all those years later! Paul drove 14 hours to Oklahoma City for the reunion. The pupâs cataracts made him a bit slow to recognize him, but, once he did, it was pure joy. |
DEALS OF THE DAYDrive down Deals Laneđ Beep, beep! Thatâs your car saying, âHey, check these out.â
đ If you get pulled over: Pull out this registration and insurance holder (23% off, around $5). It comes in 27 different styles! |
DAILY TECH UPDATEThe dangers AI brings to teensDeepSeek AI is shaping what kids see and believe. Can we trust it? |
TECH LIFE UPGRADESOops: To delete an entire word at a time, hit Ctrl + backspace on a Windows computer. On a Mac, itâs Option + Delete. There are over 1 billion malware programs: Antivirus software scans your system for viruses, ransomware and other threats and removes them before they cause damage. Protect five devices for only $19.* Hot and cold: Ever played that game? The Find My Fitbit app is just like that. Open the app and pick your lost Fitbit from the Seen Devices screen. Hold your phone in front of you and walk slowly. The app will show Cold, Warmer and Hot (three to five feet away) on the screen. Hit the I Found My Fitbit button when you spot it. Use an Apple Watch? Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, then tap My Watch > All Watches > Find My Apple Watch. Need a new LinkedIn picture? To minimize neck fat and extra skin, jut your head forward slightly so itâs closer to the camera. At the same time, elongate your neck and tip your chin down a little bit. Looks strange in person but right on camera. A no-brainer if you have a dog: Fido Alert is like an Amber Alert for pets. Register your furry friend and youâll get a free ID tag that includes a QR code. In case your pet goes missing, alert the Fido network. Then, if someone scans the QR code, theyâll get your contact info and youâll get a notification. I keep an AirTag on my golden retriever, Abby, and she wears a smart collar. Wordle for music: Guess the song of the day on Bandle. You only get to hear one instrument at a time, which makes it extra tricky (and fun). I take two scoops of collagen a day: Itâs good for bone density, makes your nails and hair stronger, and can help smooth wrinkles. Use this link for 45% off* if you want to try it, too. |
WHAT THE TECH?![]() Fashion meets paranoia with a $5,290 signal-blocking tracksuit. It claims to block EMFs, divert infrared rays and kill bacteria, and it has a shielding pocket to stop your phoneâs signal. Does it work? No science backs it. Be careful ⌠you might sheet metal. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME …đť Iâm on over 420 radio stations coast-to-coast! Catch up with my award-winning national radio show. Find your local station and tune in, or get my showâs podcast. I share so much there I just canât get to in this newsletter. Can radio be an addiction? Depends on the frequency. (I had to.) Do yourself a favor. Passwords donât stink nearly as much when you have the right tools. Hit this page for 52% off my password manager pick so you can stop hitting that âForgot login?â button. You deserve it. See you tomorrow with more of the best tech newsletter in the USA! Until then, keep being your brilliant self. â Kim |
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