Look at that picture. What we’ve got here is not just another traffic camera, but a fully deputized decibel detective. Meet the sound police. These new noise cameras are the cousins of speed and red-light cameras, but instead of catching you with a heavy foot, they’re busting you for a heavy exhaust. No radar guns […]
Scott Merovitch did everything right, or so he thought. A longtime Wells Fargo customer, he got a call that seemed totally legit. The person on the line knew his recent transactions. They said his debit card had been compromised and the bank needed to send someone to his house to collect it. A woman actually […]
This is one of the coolest things I’ve learned recently: Foreign intelligence agencies still use good ol’ radio to share top secrets. Even with all the powerful tech at their fingertips, radio use in espionage has actually gone up in popularity since the 2010s. Pretty wild. Russia in particular loves this technique. Why? Intelligence agencies […]
Most people hop on real estate sites just to see their dream house or check local sales prices. That’s cute, but if you know where to click, these sites cough up more secrets than your drunk aunt at Thanksgiving. 🏠 Homes.com, The Mortgage Peep ShowThis one is crazy. Search an address, scroll down far enough […]
⚠️ Warning: This story contains details about sexual assault that may be disturbing. I know two women who were raped by an Uber driver. That’s not hearsay or a story I read online. They trusted the ride, believed the app was safe and paid the price in the most horrific way possible. Now, The New […]
You already know your smartphone tracks your every move like a jealous ex. And your car? Duh, it’s been watching you since Bluetooth became a thing. Here’s the shocker: Researchers at MIT just revealed that your EV battery alone can quietly map your life without GPS, Wi-Fi or cell signals. Before you even think, “Kim, […]
First about this image. I asked AI to “make a pic of me watching a movie,” and somehow it nailed my husband, our two goldens (even Bella the puppy!). But there’s something off. Can you spot it? At the end of the newsletter, rate it, then drop your guess, name and email. I’ll pick five […]
“Kim, I heard the call with the man who lost $60,000 in a crypto scam. You said anytime someone wants to move the conversation to WhatsApp, it’s a scam. Why is that?” — Dennis in Washington Thanks for the question, Dennis. I’m glad you heard that call. Heartbreaking. And unfortunately, it’s not rare. When someone […]
It starts like any typical night out. You’re sipping something overpriced and half-listening to your friend’s relationship drama. Then, you check your pocket. Empty. You think maybe it was a pickpocket. But the reality is far stranger. Dozens of iPhones stolen in cities like Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago have resurfaced thousands of miles […]
Today is National System Administrator Appreciation Day, but this special day will soon be off the calendars. Thank you to all the unsung heroes updating, plugging and unplugging things and reminding us, “No, you can’t use 123456 again.” When you have a problem with your tech, you can now stop begging your spouse, your kids […]
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps are everywhere. See something shiny? Tap tap, and BAM, you own it in four “easy” payments. Zero interest, no credit card shame spiral. What a dream, right? But here’s what they’re not telling you: While you’re breaking up your payments, they’re also breaking up your data and sharing it […]
There’s one voicemail I’ll never delete. It’s from my mom. She’s been gone for almost four years, but every so often, I play it back. It’s nothing dramatic, just her voice asking if I could buy her a gallon of milk on my way home. (In her Brooklyn accent, “Kim, make sure it’s 2%, not […]
How many online accounts have you made over the years? 50? 100? More? That’s enough to fill a digital graveyard. A new study shows that 25% of all online accounts are never used again, but they don’t just disappear. They sit there, wide open, with your email address and password attached. These forgotten logins are […]
You know the feeling. You want to watch a specific movie, maybe an old favorite (hello, 1999’s The Mummy) or that buzzworthy show everyone’s talking about, but you have no clue where to find it. Instead of spending those precious moments actually watching it, you’re playing streaming detective: Netflix? Hulu? Prime Video? Is it free? […]
I read a geeky article that I think you’ll also find amazing. Google quietly used its Android operating system to turn billions of phones into the largest earthquake detection network in human history. Your Android phone can warn you about an earthquake before the shaking even starts. It’s built right in. You can do the […]
(First, a weird image for this story, I know. I was playing around with Meta AI. Why? Coming on Monday, tips, tricks and don’ts of using AI to create art, logos and more. You don’t want to miss that newsletter!) If you’re a millennial, or you love one from a safe financial distance, brace yourself: […]
I would love a foldable phone. It’s fun to imagine strutting into a coffee shop, flipping open your phone like you’re Batman calling Alfred. But now Samsung’s dropped the seventh-gen Galaxy Z Fold and Flip, Google threw in the Pixel Fold, Motorola whipped out retro with the modern Razr+, and I’ve got questions. It all […]
You’d think Beyoncé’s secret files crew would be protected by a force field of security, privacy settings and Sasha Fierce energy. But nope, real-world crime doesn’t care how many Grammys you have. Right before her recent Atlanta show, thieves smashed the glass of a rental Jeep used by her crew and made off with two […]
I’ll skip the wizards and superheroes. Give me a movie that looked into the future and actually saw something real coming before we even had Wi-Fi. These are the ones that got it right, eerily right. Some were made 10, 20, even more than 50 years ago, and they still hold up. If you haven’t […]
Your phone keeps all your secrets. Where you’ve been. What you’ve typed. Even which sketchy Wi-Fi you used in 2017. It’s got the memory of an elephant and the self-restraint of a toddler with a drum set. Let’s just call your phone “Sir Veillance.” Here’s a quick breakdown of the creepy stuff your phone is […]
