🛬 iPad turbulence: When a Spirit Airlines flight flew too close to Air Force One over Long Island the other day, air traffic control urgently warned the pilots to turn and finally snapped, “Get off the iPad!” The FAA says the planes maintained a safe distance. Read the entire exchange here. It’s interesting.
Saving passwords in your browser? Stop that.
ChatGPT
“Hi, Kim, I save all my passwords in my browser. So why do I need a password manager? Thanks for your newsletter. I can tell it’s a lot of work. The quality every single day is incredible.” — Robby in South Carolina
Thanks for your question and kind words, Robby. Now, l get this question a lot. Let me break it down.
Plenty of people still rely on their browser’s built-in memory for passwords. Chrome, Safari, Edge, they all pop up with that little offer: “Want me to remember this for you?” Which sounds sweet … until you realize it’s like giving your house key to a raccoon.
⚠️ The risks
Those saved passwords are stored in plain text behind your account login, not wrapped in the same heavy-duty encrypted professional password vault.
If someone cracks into your computer, steals your phone or sneaks into your Google account, congratulations! They inherited the keys to your entire digital kingdom.
Apple’s iCloud Keychain and Google Password Manager work fine if you stay in one ecosystem forever, but life isn’t that neat. Maybe you’re an iPhone person with a PC. Or use an Android tablet alongside your Mac. Suddenly those passwords don’t follow you everywhere you need them.
🧩 The difference
A true password manager generates long, unique passwords for every site you use and syncs them seamlessly across all your devices.
Open your phone, laptop, tablet, and your logins are securely filled in with a click. Many managers monitor the dark web for breaches and send you an alert the moment one of your accounts shows up in a leak. That’s something no browser is going to do for you.
🫡 The hidden bonuses
Good password managers also give you great tools for the long haul. Need to share Netflix with your family without typing your password into a group text? Done. Want to make sure your spouse or kids can access critical accounts if something happens to you? The best managers include emergency access. You can’t do that with passwords saved in a browser.
🌎 Map versus reality: Ever wondered how big a country really is? The True Size Of is a free tool that lets you drag and drop places side by side. Type the name of a country or state, move it where you want, and search another. Use the compass in the bottom left to rotate and your mouse wheel to zoom. Cool.
Hold off buying any Google Home products: Reminder that on Oct. 1, at least one new Nest Cam and doorbell with Gemini built in will drop. I’ll keep you posted.
🍿 Wicked early: Be the family hero. Amazon Prime members can now snag tickets to see Wicked: For Good on Nov. 17. That’s a full four days before the official release. Just click here, so you don’t miss out. You can shop for Oz-themed merch and stream the first movie on Prime Video to get ready in style.
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America loves spyware: Guess who’s the biggest investor in spyware? Home of screaming bald eagles and football fields. A lot of this money isn’t just coming from hedge funds, it’s pouring in from teachers’ and firefighters’ retirement plans buying things like NSO Group and SIO. Congrats, your 401(k) is riding on being Big Brother.
📙 Don’t fall behind: AI is changing business fast, and you need to keep up. Grab NetSuite’s free guide, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” It’s a quick way to get smarter about AI, because it’s here to stay.
🔥 Drone and out: A 57-year-old SoCal man took his drone to watch the fire, crashed it into a plane fighting the fire, grounded said plane, then claimed he didn’t know. He’s now doing 14 days in federal prison, 30 at home, and owes $156K. The fire burned 23,000 acres. Dummy.
💔 Swindler swiped: Shimon Hayut, infamous as the “Tinder Swindler,” is back in jail. The con man from Netflix’s 2022 doc, was arrested in Georgia after allegedly scamming a Berlin woman out of $52K. Netflix might want to go ahead and greenlight Season 2.
🔮 Law of clicks and cracks: YouTubers are racking up millions of views claiming mainstream physics is hiding the “real truth” about the universe. It’s entertaining, dramatic and wrapped in just enough jargon to sound credible. Be careful what you buy into online. Just because someone talks fast, adds big graphics and throws in Einstein’s name, it doesn’t mean they know what they’re talking about.
🔐 My pick for home security: Most security systems respond only after a break-in has started, and that’s too late. SimpliSafe is different. It’s proactive, not reactive. Get 50% off your new security system today!
Meta’s new smart glasses come in two flavors: Oakley Meta ($449) for sporty types with 3K video, 12MP photos, eight-hour battery and rugged, polarized lens options. Or go sleek with Ray‑Ban Display ($799) for AR in your lens, hands-free texting, calling and navigation. So if you see anyone wearing these, you’re probably being recorded.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🌲 Branches & Big Brother: Imagine getting an email saying your insurance policy is getting canceled because a drone you never saw took pics of your tree branches. That’s what happened to one Massachusetts woman. The company forced her to pay $1,200 to stay covered. Insurers are buying aerial shots, and lawmakers want limits before your roof becomes drone content.
🔮 Witches on the payroll: Before their hot streak, the Mariners were cooked. Then a fan hired SpellByLuna on Etsy to “unf*ck the team.” Now? Nine wins straight and a team-approved witch cameo on X. Players even shouted out the witch. Sports curses? Cliché. Sports spells? Apparently working overtime. I think the witch was from Austin, which makes her a hexin’ Texan.
⚠️ Keep your email private: Big email providers like Gmail and Yahoo track what you do. I use StartMail because it keeps my inbox secure, stops spam and keeps my personal info private. Try it free for 7 days, and when you sign up, you’ll get my 60% off deal for the first year! It’s a terrific service.
🌍 Free Wi-Fi takes flight: Good news, you might not have to pay $8 just to text “landed” anymore. Free in-flight Wi-Fi is expanding, boosted by new satellite providers like Starlink. That’s right, soon you can finally stream Netflix while squished in seat 32B. I’d like to believe this to be true. I was on a 10.5-hour flight from London to Los Angeles on Monday with no Wi-Fi. Torture.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On YouTube desktop, press 0 on your keyboard to restart a video instantly. Or hit numbers 1 through 9 to jump to that percentage of the playback. Nice.
Wi-Fi ate my homework: Mark Zuckerberg tried showing off Meta’s new AI glasses at the company’s big Connect conference yesterday. Instead, the AI froze, ignored instructions and left a panicked chef begging for help while Zuck blamed “bad Wi-Fi.” And cue Zuck gesturing wildly like a dad trying to connect the Roku. Been there.
⚡ Hands off my wallet: The BBB says crooks are pulling a new move called “ghost tapping” (paywall link). They carry a legit-looking wireless card reader, like the ones you see at coffee shops, and only need to get a few feet from your tap-to-pay card or phone. Bump into you at a concert? Stand too close in a line? Boom, tiny “test” charge hits your account. The scam works best on debit cards since the money comes out instantly. Easiest defenses: Toss your cards in an RFID-blocking sleeve (they’re cheap), turn on instant bank alerts and always check the terminal screen before tapping your phone, debit or credit card. If something feels sketchy, swipe or insert instead. It’s pickpocketing, just upgraded for 2025. These scams are getting nuts.
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