🌕 Sign me up, Scotty: You could help track Artemis II, the first crewed moon mission in 50 years. The 10-day flight (set for April 2026) will loop astronauts around the moon. If you’ve got the gear to spot Orion, NASA wants your help. Basically, if you’re into backyard stargazing and unpaid work, this is right up your alley.
The great digital purge is upon us
Midjourney
When was the last time you logged into that old Gmail account or your photo storage app? If it’s been a while, don’t be shocked if all your stuff is gone for good.
Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in for a while. This could mean losing years of family photos, important emails and priceless memories. Yeah, that’s bad.
It happened to Andrew, my podcast cohost. He stored thousands and thousands of family photos on Shutterfly. One day, he went to log in and all those photos were nowhere to be found. No warning, no “are you sure?” Just deleted.
⏳ How long before your stuff disappears?
For starters, these deadly time-outs mostly apply to free accounts. Paid plans usually buy you more time, but not always. Sometimes you’ll get an email telling you to log in or else, but don’t count on it.
I put together this list for you so you know the dates your account could go into the intergalactic bit bucket.
- Google (Gmail, Drive, Photos): Two years of no activity = delete. Poof!
- Google Voice: Three months of silence and your number could be reassigned.
- Shutterfly: If you don’t make a purchase in 18 months, they can delete your photos.
- Dropbox (free accounts): Around 12 months of no activity and your files could disappear.
- Yahoo Mail: Account may be deleted after 12 months of no login.
- Outlook / Hotmail (Microsoft): You’ve got 24 months before your account is shut down.
- AOL Mail: Log in at least once every six months to keep your account alive.
- iCloud / Apple ID: Apple’s vague about it, but if your account is inactive for a “prolonged period” (think: years), they can disable or delete it.
- LinkedIn: No set timeline, but if you vanish for two or more years, your profile might disappear.
- X: Says it releases usernames after 30 days but is sketchy on full deletions.
- Snapchat: If you deactivate and don’t come back in 30 days, your account is gone for good.
- Instagram: They may delete accounts that go 90+ days without login or engagement, but timelines are vague (think months to years).
- Facebook and TikTok: Good news, if you ghost your account, they don’t delete it automatically. Your profile stays alive unless you remove it or break the rules, and then you won’t see the likes of anyone again.
Take one minute, log into that dusty old account and hit send on an email to yourself. Yes, even that backup inbox from 2009 where your only messages are spam and a Chili’s coupon.
👋 Know someone who hasn’t logged into that old Yahoo or Gmail account in a while? Forward this to them. It might save years of photos, emails and digital memories from disappearing into the void. Because if you don’t, poof, your digital memories could vanish faster than a Zoom invite on a Friday afternoon.
Scams are an underground industry
Midjourney
You already know the usual scams. Romance, crypto, tech support, job offers, fake investments, and the list goes on. But what you might not realize is that a growing number of people behind these scams aren’t evil masterminds.
📺 Cast your Chromebook to a TV: Want a bigger screen for movies or presentations? Make sure your Chromebook and smart TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. Open the Chrome browser, click the three-dot menu (top right), select Cast and choose your TV from the list of available devices.
⛳️ Talk birdie to me: Forget 18-hole snoozefests. YouTube quietly turned golf into a content gold mine. During the pandemic, channels like Good Good exploded; now 75% of their revenue comes from merch, not swings. Paige Spiranac parlayed 4M Instagram followers into golf stardom, and even Bryson DeChambeau used YouTube to fix his image with 2.3M subs.
Data grab alert: Anthropic just changed its privacy policy … again. You have until Sept. 28 to opt out if you don’t want your convos used to train AI. Otherwise? Your chats get stored for five years and turned into robot brain food. The toggle to opt out is tiny, buried under an “Accept” button. Sneaky.
AI hits your TV: Samsung’s 2025 TVs now come with Microsoft’s Copilot built in. I can see the excitement on your face. This animated beige blob can recommend shows, recap episodes and answer random questions. Basically a roommate that watches too much, but rounder, and permanently stuck in your living room. But hey, at least it won’t eat your leftovers.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Jump between apps without the mouse. Press Alt + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac). Hold the keys and tap Tab again to cycle through everything that’s open.
🚨 Terrible “bargains” alert: Scammers are filling Facebook and Instagram with fake “closing down sale” ads. Think heartfelt pleas about retiring small businesses and jaw‑dropping discounts. A researcher found over 50,000 ads repeating the same copy. Before you buy, check the comments and reverse‑image search the photos.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Don’t keep your laptop plugged in all the time. Heat and stress wear down lithium-ion batteries. Let it cycle between 30% and 80% for longer life.
🎙️ Narrative podcasts are dead: In the mid-2010s, shows like “Serial” blew up with multi-episode investigations and gripping interviews. Now they’re vanishing (paywall link). Why? They’re too expensive and take too long to make. So if your favorite true crime podcast is no longer updating, you know why.
Microsoft squeeze: If your email ends in @onmicrosoft(dot)com, heads up, Microsoft is putting strict new limits on you. Why? Because spammers abused the system. Starting Dec. 1, you’re capped at 100 external emails per day. If that’s you, it’s time to buy a real domain, or risk your messages bouncing.
🚁 Trash takes flight: Everest is outsourcing its garbage problem to drones. $20K DJI FlyCart drones hauled 660 pounds of waste (beer cans, oxygen tanks and, yes, frozen poop) down the mountain. Drones can move in 10 minutes what would take humans six hours. Everest might look majestic from a distance; just don’t zoom in on base camp.
🩸 Metabolism in HD: Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) track blood sugar in real time, and now Signos is FDA-cleared to use Dexcom’s Stelo sensor with an AI app. Every snack, nap and jog gets graphed. Levels offers the same at $99/month plus subscription. Data-driven metabolism is here, helping you spot risks, optimize your engine and dodge future diabetes.
Teens trading hacks for clout: The FBI says criminals are recruiting kids on Discord and video games into “The Com,” an online world where a hack gets you street cred. Thousands are caught up, some just for bragging rights, thinking it’s all fun until someone knocks on the door with a badge and felony charges. Parents, talk to your teens.
📚 Schedule warm light on Kindle: You can ease eyestrain at night by setting your Kindle’s warm light to turn on automatically. Go to All Settings > Screen and brightness > Brightness and warmth > Warmth schedule. Choose Automatic (sunset to sunrise) or Manual (pick your own times). Use the (+/–) slider to adjust the intensity.
🍌 This is a-peel-ing: Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (nicknamed Nano Banana) just split the future of photo editing. You can unblur your kid’s soccer photo, swap your messy kitchen for a Pinterest one, or crown your cat. All hail Whiskers. It’s live in Gemini for free and paid folks. Try it here.
Heads up: Google just confirmed that hackers got into some Google Workspace accounts. How? They used stolen OAuth tokens from Drift integrations – yep, those handy tools that connect your inbox to other apps. If you use Drift with Google Workspace, now’s the time to revoke those tokens and change your passwords. If none of this made any sense at all to you, move on.
💸 Crypto. Con. Gone. A brother and sister in Ohio lost over $1 million to a crypto scam after getting sucked in on Telegram by a fake “investment coach” named Shaw Goddess (you can’t make this up). They wired money into what looked like a legit trading platform until they tried to cash out and, poof, nothing. The FBI managed to recover about $325K by tracing the crypto and freezing it, but the rest? Dust in the blockchain wind.
Cellphone bill too high? Mine was. I switched to Consumer Cellular. Same coverage as Big Wireless, but for half the price. Over 50? Get two lines for just $60, plus save $25 with code KIM25. AARP discounts, too. Check it out now. You’ll be glad you did.