September 17, 2026
A dozen of you asked me this in one week. No, your mother does not need a self-driving car. Nobody sells one anyway.

A dozen of you asked me this in one week. No, your mother does not need a self-driving car. Nobody sells one anyway.

No car for sale drives itself, friend. Not even the one with Full Self-Driving on the window sticker. Don’t buy your mom the car. Set up the rides on her phone instead. Ten minutes, tops.

September 16, 2026
For the first time ever, Apple announced new iPhones and made the old ones cost MORE. Here’s what’s driving the bump, and how to buy TVs, laptops and phones before prices climb again.

For the first time ever, Apple announced new iPhones and made the old ones cost MORE. Here’s what’s driving the bump, and how to buy TVs, laptops and phones before prices climb again.

The iPhone 16 was $699 last Tuesday. The next day, it was $799. Same phone. Nothing changed. This is the first time Apple has raised prices on older iPhones at a launch event, and it’s not really about Apple. It’s about the chips inside everything you own, friend.

September 14, 2026
Google caught malware that uses AI to rewrite itself every hour. Here’s why your free antivirus may never see it coming, and the 10-minute fix.

Google caught malware that uses AI to rewrite itself every hour. Here’s why your free antivirus may never see it coming, and the 10-minute fix.

Google caught malware that asks AI to rewrite its own code every hour, friend. Your free antivirus is checking mugshots against a face that keeps changing. Ten minutes today puts a real watcher on duty.

They took your kid’s phone this month. Next thing, your boss wants yours. Here’s what he can and can’t legally do.

They took your kid’s phone this month. Next thing, your boss wants yours. Here’s what he can and can’t legally do.

New Jersey students handed over their phones on Sept. 1 under a new all-day ban. The same company making those locking pouches for schools sells a version for your workplace, and employers are buying. Know the line before the memo lands.

September 13, 2026
She hadn’t seen her childhood block in 70 years. Then she put on a headset in a California retirement home.

She hadn’t seen her childhood block in 70 years. Then she put on a headset in a California retirement home.

Sue Livingstone, 84, stood on her old street in Queens again. Ginny, 81, swam with dolphins. Bob, 83, hiked Glacier on his birthday with his wife of 61 years beside him. And the part nobody expected: Afterward, they all went to lunch. Together, friend.

September 12, 2026
Six things TV installers and calibrators know that nobody says at the register, including why your price match gets denied and why your TV is dimming itself.

Six things TV installers and calibrators know that nobody says at the register, including why your price match gets denied and why your TV is dimming itself.

The picture mode the store set is wrong on purpose. Your TV is dimming itself. And that model number was written to make sure Best Buy never has to match Costco’s price. Six insider fixes, friend, and they’re all free.

September 11, 2026
On September 11, the phones didn’t break. They filled up. Here’s what still worked.

On September 11, the phones didn’t break. They filled up. Here’s what still worked.

Twenty-five years ago, millions of Americans picked up the phone at the same moment, and most of them couldn’t get through. The network wasn’t destroyed. It was busy. That continues to happen in hurricanes and blackouts, and there are four things you can set up tonight that make you reachable when everyone else isn’t.

September 10, 2026
The ads were timed on seven streaming services. Here’s who steals the most from your evening and which ad-free upgrade is worth it.

The ads were timed on seven streaming services. Here’s who steals the most from your evening and which ad-free upgrade is worth it.

Prime Video doubled its ad load since launch. HBO Max went up and never announced it. But the service that feels the worst isn’t the one taking most of your time. Here are the stopwatch numbers and the one upgrade worth your $10 a month.

September 9, 2026
Same towers, half the bill: A couple paying $200 a month asked me what the catch is. Here are all three.

Same towers, half the bill: A couple paying $200 a month asked me what the catch is. Here are all three.

After 20 years of marriage, Dave and his wife agree on one thing: $200 a month for two phones feels wrong. The same signal sells for half. There’s a catch, friend. Three, actually. All smaller than the one they’re living with.

September 8, 2026
Your ring and watch are guessing. Calorie counts miss by up to 93%, and sleep stages are a bluff. Here’s how to wear one without letting it lie to you.

Your ring and watch are guessing. Calorie counts miss by up to 93%, and sleep stages are a bluff. Here’s how to wear one without letting it lie to you.

Stanford tested seven fitness trackers against lab gear. Heart rate passed. Calories missed by up to 93%, friend. Your ring is guessing at sleep stages and blood oxygen. Here’s how to stop it from fooling you.

September 5, 2026
The defense secretary’s driver’s license was for sale on the dark web. A listener asks: Why bother protecting yours?

The defense secretary’s driver’s license was for sale on the dark web. A listener asks: Why bother protecting yours?

Cameron in Houston figures identity protection is a lost cause when even Pete Hegseth’s driver’s license hit the dark web. Kim’s answer: Leaked data is only step one. Here’s where you still win.

September 4, 2026
The Labor Day watch list: Dolly’s ‘9 to 5’ kicks off seven shows and movies about work this weekend, plus the free site that shows where each one streams.

The Labor Day watch list: Dolly’s ‘9 to 5’ kicks off seven shows and movies about work this weekend, plus the free site that shows where each one streams.

We lost Dolly Parton last month, friend. So the Labor Day watch list starts with her: seven shows and movies about work, Succession to the GameStop story, with a trailer for each and directions to find streaming.

🍉 One in a melon

🍉 One in a melon

A new AI model called Atlas can take footage from just a few regular cameras and turn it into a full 3D scene you can spin around and view from any angle. One demo used nothing but phones on tripods filming a watermelon drop, and honestly, the results look like something out of a big budget movie. I get this 5-star-rated newsletter.

September 3, 2026
Apple’s biggest launch in years lands September 9. Buy nothing with an Apple logo until then.

Apple’s biggest launch in years lands September 9. Buy nothing with an Apple logo until then.

Apple’s biggest launch in years lands Sept. 9: the iPhone 18 Pro, the first foldable, new Watches and AirPods. Buy anything Apple before then, friend, and you’re paying the impatience tax. Full wait list below.

🦷 Say cheese for $499

🦷 Say cheese for $499

Nine out of 10 people don’t floss regularly, so Dyson responded in the most Dyson way possible: engineering around human laziness and charging a fortune for it.

September 1, 2026
‘Kim, what if my password manager gets hacked?’ It’s happened. Here’s who lost, who won and which one you’d be.

‘Kim, what if my password manager gets hacked?’ It’s happened. Here’s who lost, who won and which one you’d be.

Crooks stole a password manager’s vaults in 2022. Here’s what happened next, friend: The strong master passwords held. The weak ones funded a $150 million heist. These safeguards decide which side you land on.

August 31, 2026
Delete these apps right now: The 2026 list of malicious Android and iPhone apps

Delete these apps right now: The 2026 list of malicious Android and iPhone apps

Google and Apple pulled a list of more than 75 apps for stealing money, bank logins and more. Removal doesn’t reach your phone. Here’s the list and the 5-minute check.

Check this list of apps caught stealing, spying and billing you. They’re gone from the stores. They’re not gone from your phone.

Check this list of apps caught stealing, spying and billing you. They’re gone from the stores. They’re not gone from your phone.

Twenty-eight of them sold the same scam under one name. Five of them quietly installed a bank account thief. Fifty of them planted a rootkit that survives a factory reset. Google and Apple pulled every one of these apps this year, but removal doesn’t reach the copy on your phone. Here’s the list, the one rule that catches most of them and the five-minute check.

August 29, 2026
A reader’s brother sent $45,000 to “Katy Perry.” The two scams that empty accounts by preying on love and fear, and how to break the spell.

A reader’s brother sent $45,000 to “Katy Perry.” The two scams that empty accounts by preying on love and fear, and how to break the spell.

Americans reported $20.9 billion in scam losses last year. Seniors lost $584 million to romance scams, averaging $38,500 per victim. One reader’s brother is $45,000 deep with a fake pop star. The fix isn’t arguing. It’s a two-minute video call test and knowing the blackmail email is usually a bluff.

August 28, 2026
Comcast turned millions of routers into motion sensors this month. Here’s the off switch.

Comcast turned millions of routers into motion sensors this month. Here’s the off switch.

Comcast made Wi-Fi motion sensing a headline feature on millions of Xfinity gateways. It reads the ripples your body makes in the signal, through walls, no camera. Here’s the five-minute check, friend.