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Breaking news and tips
How to freeze your credit and protect your identity
First, look at the handy AI photo. If only, I’d be so good at multitasking. (lol)
“Hey, Kim, I just was notified that my personal data was part of the recent SimonMed data breach. My data’s already out there from another breach. Does it even matter anymore?” — Sara in Newport Beach, CA
Hearing about breach after breach at banks, hospitals, insurance companies, even schools, it’s easy to feel like throwing your hands up.
Your Social Security number? Gone. Your passwords? Already for sale. So does protecting your identity still matter?
Absolutely. More than ever.
Here’s the deal: You can’t stop your info from leaking. That ship has sailed. But you can stop criminals from ruining your life with it.
✅ Here’s how to protect yourself
- Set up an IRS online account: You’ll be able to spot suspicious activity early. Go here.
- Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN): It’s a six-digit code that locks down your tax return, so no one can file in your name without it. Get your PIN here.
- Pull your credit reports: Head to AnnualCreditReport.com. It’s free, and you’ll see if anything weird pops up.
- Freeze your credit for free: Note there are four credit bureaus now.
You might not be able to stop the next breach, but you can stop it from wrecking your finances, your credit and sanity.
🛟 An extra layer of protection
I had LifeLock until I got tired of paying nearly $300 a year and being constantly upsold. Now I use NordProtect, and only pay $51.24 a year. That’s 71% off when signing up for two years using my promo code. Big difference.
Just the other day, I got an alert that my personal info was exposed in a site’s data breach. Thanks to NordProtect, I knew right away. I deleted the account and stopped any trouble before it started.
Five easy ways to tune up your ride
Let’s get your car road-trip ready for the holidays.
⚠️ Roadside lifesaver: Portable air pump (28% off)
Image: Airmoto
Small enough to fit in your glove box. You’ll be glad to have it if that tire pressure light turns on.
No more cracked seats: A dab of leather conditioner (39% off) softens, shines and smells amazing while it works its magic.
💥 Chip happens: Fix windshield cracks before they spread with a repair kit ($10, 50% off). One drop, wait five minutes and save hundreds.
You deserve better than a plastic bag: Toss your clutter into this leakproof trash bin (41% off) before it takes over your back seat.
📦 Junk in your trunk? From tailgating to shopping bags, this collapsible organizer (15% off) keeps your cargo chaos-free.
ICYMI: Here’s how Prime members can save 25¢ per gallon on Fridays until Dec. 26.
🏁 Your personal pit crew: My Amazon gear page has 25 more handpicked tools to help your wheels stay rolling.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Geocaching turns 25, and it’s never been cooler 🎉
The weekend is here, and it’s hard to believe that geocaching recently turned 25 years old. It’s still going strong with over 3.4 million caches hidden around the world.
I used to do geocaching with my son Ian. It’s a lot of fun.
If the broom fits, fly it: Most smart doorbells let you change the tone to something more festive around the holidays. For Halloween, yes, I’m talking about a witch cackle or howl. Open your doorbell app, go into the settings and look for something like “chime tones” or “doorbell theme.” In the Ring app, it’s under Devices > Audio Settings > Chime Tones.
🩸 50 cancers, one test: So there’s this new test, Galleri, that might spot more than 50 cancers from a single vial of blood. In a 23,000-person trial, it caught way more cases than normal screenings and even guessed the tumor’s location right 92% of the time. I can’t even guess my dog’s location that well.
Did Amazon test an internet kill switch?
Millions lost access during the AWS outage. Some think Amazon pulled the plug. The truth is simpler.
How ChatGPT helped me win in court
Staci from New Mexico got sued for an alleged $5,200 debt. Instead of hiring a lawyer, she hired AI. She got $2,000 back. Wow. Plus, satellites that leak too much info, ChatGPT goes NSFW, and a webcam scam that’ll make you cover your camera.
💸 Need tech on a budget? Amazon Renewed sells open-box, pre-owned and refurbished gear from big brands. Think phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, TVs and cameras. Everything’s inspected to look almost new, and you get a 90-day guarantee if it doesn’t work out. Much safer than Facebook Marketplace.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
The battery rule that could save your house
A firefighter’s dog chewed a lithium battery and set the rug on fire. Here’s the one thing you should never do with battery-powered devices.
OpenAI’s banker army: Apparently OpenAI’s been paying ex-Goldman and JPMorgan folks $150 an hour to teach ChatGPT how to do finance. The AIs are learning IPOs, restructurings and how to make a mean Excel model. They call it Project Mercury. I call it “boring.” Maybe one day soon, the interns will finally get to go home before midnight.
Bye, mess. Hello, sanity
Let’s get your home looking spotless with less effort.
🦈 Attack on dirt: Crumbs, pet hair and sticky spills? Gone. Shark’s Matrix Plus (36% off) maps your floors and even empties itself.
Closet space, unlocked: These vacuum storage bags (30% off, eight-pack) are the easiest way to get that “minimalist” look.
🧥 Shave years off your clothes: Grab an electric lint remover (37% off). It’s oddly satisfying watching fuzz vanish.
DIY repair hero: Fix small holes with a drywall patch kit (38% off) before they become “why didn’t I call someone?” problems.
🧽 I got your back: Stop bending over. This baseboard cleaner (28% off) has a 49-inch handle to reach those tricky spots.
✅ Hole-y moley, that was easy: Click this secret link for today’s top steals on Amazon, all four stars and up.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
You asked how a smart ring sent a guy to the ER. Here’s the full story.
Recently here in The Current, I mentioned a YouTuber who ended up in the ER because of a smart ring. A bunch of you left me comments asking the same thing: “How does that even happen?”
Let me explain, because this wasn’t the guy’s fault. It was a complete tech failure.
⭐ Organize websites with bookmark folders: Had enough of scrolling through a messy list of bookmarks? In Chrome, open the page you want to save and click the star icon (top right). Next to Folder, open the dropdown and select Choose another folder. Click New folder, name it something like “Research” and hit Save. Now add more pages to it for quicker access.
🪞 You’re watching a robot: I was watching this British TV excerpt, thinking it was just your typical classic British TV, but it turns out the “host” was AI. You’ve gotta watch the video (it’s short) with a jaw-dropping reveal. I saw it and literally said, “Wait, what?” out loud. Go see it before the bots start getting bookings on morning shows.
Share videos with Google Drive: It’s an easy way to send large files to a client or friend. Open your browser, sign in to Google Drive and click + New > File Upload. Choose your video and wait for it to finish uploading. Then open it, hit Share, select Anyone with the link, copy the link and send it off.
Apple’s new M5 chip: What you need to know
The AI computer era is here. Apple’s M5 chip is rolling out in the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. Then, a wild call from Eileen, who’s helping her friend after an IT shop scam cost thousands. Plus, billionaire bunkers, Jeff Bezos’ space dreams, and more big tech updates.
Batteries that go boom
They power your life. When they fail, they really fail. Your AI host George breaks down why lithium batteries can explode and how to keep your phone or e-bike safe. Plus: sextortion spyware snapping webcam pics, fake refund text scams, and AirPods Pro 3’s wild new translation feature.
🖥️ Take screenshots on Windows: The Snipping Tool makes grabbing part of your screen easy. Press Windows key + Shift + S to open it. Make sure the camera icon is selected, then pick a snip style like rectangle, freeform or full screen. Click and drag to capture, and your screenshot will pop up in the bottom right or in your Screenshots folder.
Louvre’s $20M “open window” moment: In case you missed it, thieves broke into Paris’ Louvre on Sunday and swiped eight high-value jewels. You might be disappointed if you were thinking of an Ocean’s 11 heist. Police say the crooks climbed temporary scaffolding as a free ladder to the loot and slipped in through a side façade window that, unbelievably, wasn’t covered by CCTV.