Page 3 – Komando.com

To do: Change your smart speaker settings before the holidays

True story: Last year, a friend’s toddler ordered 20 pounds of dog food and a karaoke machine using only their smart speaker. Mom had no idea till the Amazon boxes arrived. Voice commands and toddlers? Not a great combo.

Funny, yes, but a massive pain — and it’s more likely to happen around the holidays when you’re busy and ordering lots of gifts and last-minute supplies. I’ll show you how to stop that and get your smart speakers in tip-top shape for guests.

Turn off voice purchasing

Open the Alexa app, select More > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing. Turn it off entirely.

From here, you can also set up a code for voice purchasing if you prefer to keep it on but protected.

Know your mute buttons

When you have guests and it looks like overindulgence in voice commands (and/or cocktails) could be a problem, tap the mute button on your smart speaker to stop any commands. It looks like a crossed-out speaker icon. For Amazon Echo displays, an accompanying switch turns off the camera, too … just in case.

Set up parental controls

There are things you don’t want voice assistants to look up when guests are around. Parental blocks prevent certain searches, no matter how naughty or rambunctious people get. It is eggnog season, after all.

If you use Alexa, open the app and select More > Settings > Music & Podcasts. You can then toggle the Explicit Language Filter on or off.

In the Google Home app, open Digital Wellbeing and add filters to specific devices to block unwelcome content.

Change your wake word

Continue reading →

Holiday home runs

🦸 Psst, you’ll feel like a superhero if you get some gift shopping done this weekend, just sayin’.

An Anker portable charger (under $20) so their phone never dies.
Carote’s nonstick cookware set is so darn pretty (54% off, $54.99).
Replace their decade-old e-reader with the new Kindle Paperwhite.
Heated eye massagers for the person who never takes a break.
I want this! A smart bird feeder (39% off) that records winged visitors and can identify 6,000 species.
I use this smart coffee mug (27% off) for my evening cup of tea.
Laneige lip balm for any gal, young or less young, on your list.
For guys, a Carhartt beanie. I don’t know one who wouldn’t wear it … OK, maybe Barry.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

What is that? Right-click on a tab in your browser and select Mute Tab or Mute Site. In some browsers, you can also click the microphone on a tab playing noise to stop it. Ah, silence.

🏠 We have Fort Knox at home: Facial recognition and 3D surveillance are just the first steps for Silicon Valley tech elites turning their homes into military-grade fortresses. The startup Sauron (named after the villain in “The Lord of the Rings”) uses drones to create a “deterrence pod” that projects a searchlight to scare off trespassers. Boy, I could’ve used that when Chilean gangs targeted my home and the Phoenix SWAT team saved the day.

🌺 Keep this news to a-lo-ha: Botanists found a new plant species on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. They flew a drone to the Waiahulu Valley, where the cliffs are too steep to climb. The drone’s robotic arm returned a sample that scientists have named Schiedea waiahuluensis. Only about 345 are hanging on for dear life in tiny pockets of soil.

Online shopping hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner

Open/download audio

Master the art of online shopping with these clever hacks to score discounts, outsmart retailers, and save big this holiday season.

8 extra months

For pancreatic cancer patients given high doses of vitamin C. Researchers added 75 grams to late-stage patients’ IVs alongside chemo treatments, and it doubled the time the patients lived. A larger trial needs to be done, but isn’t this amazing? I wish we knew this when my mom was going through chemo for pancreatic cancer. 😢

Your inner child just fist-pumped: A new Kickstarter lets you scan any object with its forthcoming Brick My World app, and its AI-powered tech will show you what to buy on the Lego marketplace. Don’t waste your money; Brickplicator does the same thing if you upload a 3D model. While Brickplicator isn’t as snazzy as the Brick My World app’s Kickstarter promises, you can use it now.

🔐 Streaming security check: See what devices are logged into your account. If you see one you know isn’t yours, reset your password pronto. It’s easiest to do this from a computer. For Hulu, go to Your Account > Watch Hulu on Your Devices > Manage Devices for a list. Steps here for Netflix and Disney+.

Word on the tip of your tongue? Type a description into OneLook’s Reverse Dictionary — say, for instance, “Something that makes you feel entertained and informed” — then hit Search. My name didn’t pop up, so I guess it isn’t perfect.

⛅ Cloudy with a chance of AI: Right now, predicting the weather beyond five days is hit or miss. GenCast, a new AI weather-forecasting system from Google DeepMind, can make 15-day forecasts with up to 97% accuracy. We’re entering the age where severe weather will no longer surprise anyone.

Rich parents tickle their kids by saying, “Gucci, Gucci, Gucci!” Aris Yeager got his big break on social media with a viral video mocking his wealthy college roommate’s entitled behavior. He started an account called “The European Kid,” a parody persona of a spoiled heir. Now, 1.7 million TikTok followers later, he makes up to $30,000 per post.

404: Page not found: Health insurance companies are busy scrubbing their website leadership pages following Thompson’s death in case copycat killers get any ideas. UnitedHealthcare’s “About Us” section, for instance, now redirects to the company’s homepage. But anyone can still see these pages on Google, Crunchbase, Yahoo Finance, the Wayback Machine … You get my point.

🕵️ The internet is on the case: The shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson, has every corner of the true-crime web playing detective. Amateur sleuths are investigating CCTV footage of the gunman to determine his possible motives. Warning: There are so many conspiracy theories out there, ranging from the shooter being denied gender-affirming medical care to Thompson’s wife wanting him dead before their upcoming divorce. Only believe and share credible reports.

Iconic: It’s easy to adjust the icon size on your computer. On Windows, right-click on the desktop, choose View, and select from Large icons, Medium icons or Small icons. On Mac, click on your desktop to ensure you’re in the Finder. Then, from the menu bar, hit View > Show View Options, and adjust your icon sizes using the slider. Easy!

Weather forecasts are about to get a lot more accurate

Open/download audio

Google’s new AI could predict the weather 15 days out, taking the guesswork out of preparing for big storms. Here’s the scoop.

Work time-saver: Stop filing emails into endless folders and master your inbox searches. Advanced options let you filter by an email’s sender, subject, keywords or date range. In Gmail and Outlook, hit the three-line icon at the right side of the search bar. Combine keywords with operators like “from:boss” or “has:attachment” for even better results.

🪟 A little fun: Window Swap lets you view the world from another person’s window. I saw a tree swaying in the wind in Warsaw, Poland, and a dreamy ocean view in Honolulu. It’s a lot of fun!

Stuck at the airport? Use this tech to take control

Open/download audio

Fort Lauderdale and Miami led in holiday delays last year. Don’t let travel chaos ruin your plans — airline apps and knowing your rights can keep you in control.

Futuristic finds

🤖 Gifts that’ll make ‘em feel like the future is now.

Channel “Blade Runner” with an LED shower head ($20). Disclaimer: No promises they’ll look as cool as Harrison Ford.
Give them the tech to sit back with a glass of wine while an automatic pot stirrer handles the chili.
An automatic dustpan sucks up everything, so they never have to look at that little dustpan line again. Click the box for $20 off.
It’s cold and there’s about to be a new season of “Squid Game.” Grab mirror glasses ($13) for your most Netflix-obsessed pal who wants to watch in bed.
This blush oil goes on clear and transforms into the perfect shade based on the wearer’s skin pH. Cheeky!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.