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𤏠This will ruin your vacation
January 21, 2025 |
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Hey there, itâs a techy Tuesday, friend. Ever wondered if you could land a job at Google? Their interview process is infamously tricky. Hereâs an interview question an ex-employee says left many hopefuls scratching their heads. Put on your thinking cap, and Iâll break down the answer for you at the end. âThereâs a coffee shop in San Francisco. It has unlimited supply and demand. It has all the coffee beans, coffee cups and teas in the world, and the customer line always wraps around the block. The coffee shop is roughly 500 square feet. So, how many cups of coffee can this coffee shop produce in one day?” đ Do me a quick favor! Hit “Reply” and say âHiâ (or anything else on your mind). This small action tells those sneaky Big Tech algorithms you want my content, helping to keep it out of promotions or junk folders. Take control of your inbox and make it your choice! Now, on to the tech smarts to keep you tech-ahead and never tech-behind in the digital dust! â Kim đŁ Donât keep me a secret: Share the email with friends (or copy URL here) |
TODAY’S TOP STORYRed flags a rental is a scam![]() Itâs that time of year when so many of us are planning vacations and booking a rental. Sadly, scammers are very aware of that, and theyâre always changing their tricks to fool people out of their money, rentals â or worse. One of the most prolific thieves scammed people out of $7 million over just two years. He listed 100 properties across the U.S. and accepted 10,000 offers. His bait-and-switch schemes worked ⌠till he got caught. Being familiar with the red flags can save you from being a victim. And thatâs why Iâm here today â to give you the knowâhow. 1. Suspicious photosDoes the picture of that beachfront property look like it’s straight out of a pricey photoshoot? Images that are just a little too polished should raise your eyebrows. Try a reverse image search to see if a pic pops up elsewhere online. How? Open a pic, right-click on it, then choose Search Image or similar in your browser. 2. That doesnât add upSome hosts list a property at different price points on multiple platforms. The highest bidder wins, so your stay could get canceled if they find someone whoâll pay more. But wait â it could also be a “phantom rental.” In this scheme, crooks cook up a completely fake listing using a bogus address and photos and run away with your money. 3. Under pressureWhen you’re rushed into making a decision, you’re more likely to overlook serious flaws in the listing. A legitimate host wonât rush you into sealing the deal. 4. âCan you send me a gift card?âAlways pay through the rental site. Secure payment methods include debit, credit and sometimes a direct bank transfer. Never pay using gift cards, a cash app, crypto or a certified check. 5. Too good to be trueIf the price of a luxurious property seems unbelievably low, pause. Scammers often bait victims with dream deals way below market value. Compare similar listings in the area. If the price is an outlier, itâs a major red flag. 6. OK, something stinksDonât trust everything you read. Be wary of a large number of reviews posted around the same date, for instance. Yeah, 12 reviews in a row is a red flag. Been duped? Your next stepsIf you’ve fallen victim to a vacation rental scam, you’re not alone. Even the savviest travelers can get hoodwinked. Here’s what to do:
đď¸âđ¨ď¸ And donât forget to look for hidden cameras. Say you get to your vacation rental and it all looks great. Sorry, but itâs time to check for hidden cams. I found a dozen once! Steps here if you need a howâto. Iâll tell you one thing ⌠When you think about it, âThe Shiningâ is just a story about one familyâs Airbnb stay gone horribly wrong. đď¸ Help your family and friends. Use the share icons below to spread this know-how and put the scammers out of business! |
KIM KOMANDO TODAYSheâs teaching engineering lessons on PornhubA Ph.D. student quit her degree to focus on content creation, and sheâs making millions doing it. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. |
DEALS OF THEÂ DAYStuff I use a lot and likeHelp! My cart is overflowing!
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WEB WATERCOOLERđ¨ National security alert: Chinese hackers breached the U.S. Department of Treasury, gaining access to over 400 computers, including those belonging to the Secretary and other top officials. Over 3,000 files were compromised, exposing sensitive info about sanctions, law enforcement and international affairs. An investigation is underway, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. AI stalking: GeoSpy is an AI tool trained on millions of images, and it uses details like architecture style to pinpoint a photoâs location in seconds. Itâs been publicly available for months, and creeps are using it for stalking. Now, the service is locked to permission-only and marketed to the government ⌠because thatâs so much better. Jobs at stake: In the coming weeks, OpenAI is expected to announce Ph.D.-level bots capable of handling complex human tasks. This is what Mark Zuckerberg mentioned recently on Joe Roganâs podcast. AI upgrades this year could replace mid-level software engineers and write their own code. Weâre moving far beyond single command prompts, folks. Good thing youâre here so youâre in the know. đĄ Another AI porn scandal: This time, itâs targeting teenage girls at a private school in Pennsylvania. One mom says her 14-year-old daughter cried hysterically when she found fake nude photos of herself circulating amongst her peers. The alleged perpetrators, two boys, saved her photos off social media, altered them with AI, and then shared them on Discord. The agony of de-feet: Beijing is hosting the worldâs first human-robot marathon in April. Picture this: 12,000 human runners competing alongside humanoid robots, all vying for cash prizes awarded to the top three finishes. The catch? The robots must look human and use bipedal legs to walk or run; wheels are strictly forbidden. đž This is causing quite a racket: The Australian Open is live on YouTube ⌠sort of. Due to broadcast rights sold to media companies, live coverage is limited to animated avatars playing on a computer-generated court. Itâs less Grand Slam and more Nintendo Wii. Donât believe me? Check out this hilarious Week 1 recap. Unbelievable. Can you read cursive handwriting? Now, this is something. The National Archives needs volunteers to help transcribe over 200 years of handwritten historical documents. Most are from the Revolutionary War era, including pension records, geographersâ field notes, and immigration and census records. Interested? Sign up online to get started and preserve the past. What a fun thing to do! |
Your family is worth itImagine waking up in the middle of the night to an intruder in your home. A burglary happens every 30 seconds in the U.S., and homes without a security system are three times more likely to be targeted. Right now, get 50% off when you buy a SimpliSafe system. Hereâs why you need SimpliSafe:
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DIGITAL LIFE HACKHow to talk to a real customer service repSecret ways to get past the bot, fast. Tap or click below to play this podcast now. |
TECH LIFE UPGRADESđ¤ âCan I pick your brain?â I canât stand it when someone asks me that. A better way? âI have an idea. Can I run it by you?â After over 25 years of running a successful debt-free business, Iâve seen it all. Got a question about tech, business or life? Let me help. Just drop a note here on my site. I read every single one. Drowning in numbers? Your favorite AI chatbot has your back if youâre brainstorming or need to jazz up a presentation. Plug in a list of numbers or any other data and prompt, âAnalyze this information. Explain any trends or insights you find.â Uploading a pic also works. âHey, Kim, what was the name of that âŚâ: I get so many questions about our security sponsors. You need five security products. I put together a handy resource where you can find what they do, links and deals Iâve negotiated just for you. đľ No phone needed: Use the Snipping Tool to scan QR codes on Windows 11. Just press and hold the Windows key + Shift + S at the same time. This opens up the snipping screen. Then, click and drag your mouse over the QR code. Youâll see a link pop up that you can click. Mac hack: Low Data mode is a lifesaver if youâre stuck using a hotspot or have a slow connection. Click the Apple logo > System Settings > WiâFi to see the network youâre connected to. Tap on it, then choose Details and enable Low Data mode. FYI: Youâll have to do this for each network you connect to. On the cheap: Ever wonder what happens to all the surplus inventory from online retailers? Liquidation.com hawks packages and undelivered goods from Amazon, Target, Walmart and The Home Depot. You can filter by brand or retailer. Stop putting it off: With Fabric, you can get term life insurance set up in a few minutes* with no health exam required. Youâll be glad to check that off your to-do list. |
BY THE NUMBERS3 How many times a week you should snack on baby carrots. Researchers found frequency “significantly increased” skin carotenoids, which are associated with less inflammation and lower risk of heart disease. Crunch on! $5 to $50 Drop in Appleâs trade-in values for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watch models. You used to get up to $650 for an iPhone 15 Pro Max; now, itâs $630 at best. Hit this page to check your new trade-in value. $24,000 What reality star Spencer Pratt got in donations on TikTok after he and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the LA wildfires. They got another $125,000 on GoFundMe. Keep in mind the couple made anywhere from $70,000 to $90,000 per episode of âThe Hillsâ and, until the fire, bragged on social media about their luxury lifestyle, including a $1 million wardrobe. The Pratts had insurance. If you want to help victims of the fires, I have a better idea: Donate to RedCross.org. |
WHAT THE TECH?![]() You canât feel crabby looking at this little guy. Heâs all over social media as the worldâs cutest crab. Itâs just clawâsome! |
UNTIL NEXT TIME …So, about that coffee shop. You probably guessed by now thereâs no one right answer. Itâs a clever way for your interviewer to see your reasoning skills. Any answer is correct if you can make an argument for it. Hereâs mine:
Output for one machine:
But there are seven machines, which brings the daily total to 30,240 cups. Phew, thatâs enough thinking for one day. Iâll see you right back here tomorrow for another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA! Until then, stay your amazing self! â Kim |
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