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 […]
“Kim, I am so sick and tired of all the ads on websites. It feels like they’ve gotten worse since ChatGPT is taking away site traffic from Google. How do I block the annoying ads?” — Terry in Ohio Terry, you’re right. Websites are loading up with more ads than ever. Pop-ups, auto-playing videos, banners […]
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 […]
Look at the image. That’s not the real Omaha Steaks. It’s from a fake site designed to steal your money. It’s happening all over the internet right now. You see a great deal on name-brand stuff, a new smartwatch, fancy cookware, maybe some designer jeans, and you click. Everything looks real. The logos, the layout, […]
I don’t mean to be a downer, but I need to warn you that tens of thousands of Americans, folks just like you, are getting duped into buying worthless Chinese stocks. The Wall Street Journal (paywall link) found even seasoned investors are falling for this scam, losing big bucks in the blink of an eye. […]
Today’s a short but super important security tip. If you’re still getting login codes via text on your phone, stop. That’s so 2010 and one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to online security. Sure, it’s convenient. You type in your password, get a six-digit code via SMS, enter it, and you’re […]
Robotaxis are silently (and sometimes awkwardly) roaming around Phoenix, San Francisco, Austin and wherever else humans dare let cars do improv in traffic. Waymo, Tesla and soon Amazon want you to ghost your Uber driver and jump headfirst into a future with no one behind the wheel. Tempting? Sure. But should you? Well… 🧠 Waymo: […]
“Kim, Lifelock has gotten so expensive. Do I even need it?” — Matt in Texas I’ve been hearing this a lot, Matt. I agree, LifeLock is pricey. My bill was $239.88 a year. Now, I’m paying $62.64 a year, that’s a 74% savings! More about that later. Yes, you really need a service to protect […]
You’ve got 13 seconds to undo, unplug, swipe or save your digital dignity. That’s your window to salvage your glitchy app, that accidental “Reply All” email or your phone freezing mid-sentence. Don’t scream, at least not yet. ☕ 1. Spilled something on your laptop? Flip it upside down. Immediately. Don’t sit there staring at the […]
“Kim, I love my iPhone 16 but hate it’s made in China and apps track everything you do including your bowel movements. Is there a phone made in the USA that doesn’t track you?” — Paul in Tampa, Florida Well, Paul, there’s exactly one, the $1,999 Liberty Phone from Purism. If the name makes you […]
You’ve heard me say it a hundred times: Clear your cookies, block third-party trackers, use private browsing. But here’s something new, something creepier. Now, even after nuking cookies from orbit and going full incognito ninja, websites still know who you are. How? Something called browser fingerprinting. And unlike actual crime-fighting fingerprints, this one just helps […]
Your computer is behaving just fine, right? Opening apps, playing videos, checking email. Life’s good. But one day, without a single pop-up or beep, it’ll just … stop getting security updates. No ceremony. No goodbye. Just silence. From that moment on, it’s basically a digital sitting duck for hackers. Whether you’re using a Windows PC […]
