🥳 It’s Friday, friend. Ever notice how the smallest things make the biggest waves? Take the barcode. Just a little stack of black lines, right? But in 1974, one tiny beep at a grocery store changed the way the world shops. This unsung hero now gets scanned millions of times a day without even a thank-you. 

Here’s a fun trivia twist: What was the very first product ever scanned? A) Candy bar, B) Canned soup, C) Pack of gum or D) Box of cereal. Answer’s waiting at the checkout.

🙏🏻 I need your help. I’m switching email systems, and this means Big Tech’s sneaky algorithms need training to know I’m not spam. How? Add me to your contacts or mark this email as a favorite, so you don’t miss a thing. It only takes a sec and makes a huge difference if everyone does this. Thanks a ton! — Kim

It’s Friday, and while I have my usual mix of news and tips to keep you tech ahead and not tech left behind, let’s have some fun, too. I’m sure you know that companies toss millions of dollars into the marketing volcano, hoping to birth the next “Just Do It.” 

More often than not, what erupts is something between corporate poetry and an AI freestyle rap battle gone wrong. I rounded up five tech taglines, some ripped from legit boardroom history, others completely fabricated during my passion fruit tea-fueled spiral. 

Can you tell which are which? No Googling! Scroll down for the answers after you lock in your picks.

👉 Fake or real?

1. “Do no evil.” Is this a real tech tagline, or did I riff it?

2. “It just works.” Did this come from a launch event or a copywriter’s imagination?

3. “Building the future, one click at a time.” Sounds slick, but is it legit?

4. “Move fast and break things.” Startup wisdom or bumper sticker material?

5. “Think smarter, not harder.” Corporate motto or something I came up with when my glutes were screaming in Pilates.

🎯 Ready for the results?

1. “Do no evil.” ✅ Real. This was Google’s infamous unofficial motto until they quietly buried it deep in the fine print.

2. “It just works.” ✅ Real. Straight from Steve Jobs. It became the Apple gospel, and we still expect it to be true every time we open the box.

3. “Building the future, one click at a time.” ❌ Made up. But if some startup wants to use it, I accept payment in stock options.

4. “Move fast and break things.” ✅ Real. This was Facebook’s early rallying cry before regulators (and grown-ups) got involved.

5. “Think smarter, not harder.” ❌ Made up. Though I could see it on a productivity app or a mug in a WeWork.

👏 How’d you score?

• 5/5: You’ve been to one too many keynotes.
• 3–4: Sharp as ever, someone’s paying attention.
• 0–2: Let’s just say you’re not getting the branding bonus this quarter.

If you’ve been to enough product launches to qualify for hazard pay, this tagline trivia might have been a walk in the park for you. This is your chance to send this to a smart friend and flex your wits. 

🛁 You’re one click away from bathing like royalty.

• Hold up to 20 pounds with a stainless steel shower caddy (7% off).
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• A pack of exfoliating soap bags (33% off) is like loofahs but better.
• Perfect for curls, this hair dryer (13% off) comes with a diffuser.

🛍️ It’s not too late to shop my Mother’s Day Ultimate Gift List. Order now, so it arrives on time.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

🚨 Chrome’s audio bugged & dangerous: If you’re running Google Chrome 136 without the latest patch, you’re leaving your digital front door wide open. A fresh vulnerability (named CVE-2025-4372) surfaced in Chrome’s WebAudio API that lets hackers run malicious code remotely. No user privileges required, just a quick visit to a rigged web page, and boom, they’re in. Update now. 

Surprise, iPhone 13 users: You just got a freebie. Apple’s iOS 18.5 will unlock satellite connectivity for iPhone 13 models. No hardware changes, just a software update. It’s carrier-dependent, so your provider might still hold you hostage, but it’s free to enable. Finally, you can ignore texts from space, not just Earth.

Excelling in email: Microsoft’s new Outlook rules will put you in a bad mood if you send over 5,000 emails a day and aren’t squeaky clean with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Now, instead of spam folders, your email marketing will be basically just shouting into a canyon. Instead, use a free option like Mailchimp.

🚫 No ban, no problem: TikTok’s execs are telling advertisers to relax, promising the app’s staying power despite that little thing called a federal ban potentially kicking in next month (paywall link). With 170 million U.S. users and Super Bowl ad ambitions, TikTok says it’s too big to flinch. 

Netflix is updating its home screen: Well, they should for what we pay them every month. Live events like NFL games will be easier to spot so you don’t miss them. You’ll start seeing labels like “Emmy Winner” right on show images. And they’re adding AI to search, so you can type stuff like “something scary but also funny,” and it’ll suggest movies and shows that actually fit. Neat. 

🚗 Polestar recall: The EV maker no one really knows about is recalling over 27,000 Polestar 2s due to a rearview camera issue. In some models, the camera might not show anything when reversing. FYI: It affects 2021 to 2025 models. A fix is coming via software update. Expect a letter with details by June 19. But since you get my free newsletter, you know now.

The only way to keep your 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 ExpressVPN. Plus, you can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad — you name it.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Going overseas? Use WhatsApp or Signal for free messaging over Wi-Fi, and skip roaming fees entirely.

Sluggish internet? Don’t ignore it. Someone could be freeloading off your Wi-Fi. Click here for my tips to check who’s connected to your network. If you spot a gadget you don’t recognize, it could be a Wi-Fi moocher. Your signal isn’t a community service.*

🧳 Get that job: Don’t send the same resume everywhere. Ask your favorite chatbot to tailor your skills for each role. Just say, “Update my resume for the [Title] role at [Company] by focusing on key skills from the job description.” Copy and paste your current resume and the job listing. This helps you beat those application tracking systems.

No “regerts”: Don’t tap all over your screen to fix a typo. Here’s a better way. On your iPhone, press and hold the spacebar until your keyboard goes away. Without letting go, slide your finger until your cursor lands where you want it. If you’re using Gboard on Android, do the same thing.

📸 DIY stickers: Instagram’s Cutouts lets you turn your photos into custom stickers. Start a new Story or Reel, tap Stickers (square smiley face icon) > Cutouts > choose a photo or video with a clear subject. Instagram will create it for you right away or save it for later. FYI, you can only pick one object at a time.

📝 Instead of Google Keep or Apple Notes: Try Notesnook. It’s end-to-end encrypted and lets you export to other apps. Unlike some companies, Notesnook won’t use your stuff to train an AI chatbot.

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🤑 The answer: C) Pack of gum. Specifically, a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit was the first item ever scanned with a barcode on June 26, 1974, in Troy, Ohio. One small *beep* for gum, one giant leap for checkout lines everywhere.  

One for the road: What is a flat earther’s least favorite flavor of gum? Spheremint. Oof.

✌️ If you laughed or learned one thing today, you can thank the #1 tech newsletter in the United States for that. I appreciate you being here. Tomorrow, how to fix your social media algorithms so you see what you really want to see and not what they want to push on you. You’re gonna love that!

Remember: You + curiosity + this inbox = pure magic. Catch you next time. 💅— Kim

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