September 18, 2025

About 99% of the internet flows through undersea cables

I bet you imagine the internet as a magical cloud floating wirelessly between satellites and Wi-Fi routers. Nope. It’s mostly underwater.  Nearly all of your “in the cloud” traffic actually travels through fiber-optic cables laid along the ocean floor. These thin strands of glass are buried in some places and simply resting on the seafloor […]

September 17, 2025

Your new router might be a waste of money

You’ve probably seen the sales pitches. “Get blazing-fast Wi-Fi 7 with internet speeds like you’ve never seen before. Just $600 for a new state-of-the-art router!” Let me save you money. 🤑 The reality check Yes, Wi-Fi 7 is fast. Theoretical speeds reach up to 46 Gbps. That’s 46,000 Mbps, compared to Wi-Fi 6, which tops […]

August 17, 2025

AI meets true crime

In late November 1987, Nashville police got a call about a revolting stench on Charlotte Avenue. What they found under a dirt-floor crawl space shocked even the most hardened crime scene veterans: two decomposing bodies, buried and forgotten beneath a broken-down home. The address traced back to James Shaffer, a convicted rapist already serving time […]

August 10, 2025

Old-school static wins the spy wars

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 […]

July 30, 2025

The great iPhone rapture

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 […]

July 26, 2025

Hackers love your zombie accounts

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 […]

June 12, 2025

Duct tape fixes for the digital age

Tech doesn’t always play nice. Your laptop heats up, your Wi-Fi fizzles, and sometimes you’re just standing there, squinting at your screen, wondering where the mouse pointer disappeared to. Don’t panic. Just try these fast fixes. Each takes under a minute and requires zero tech degree … although if you pull these off in front […]

June 4, 2025

Wi-Fi in the sky without paying a dime (or close to it)

Is it just me, or does it feel downright offensive to pay $25 for in-flight Wi-Fi that barely loads your email? Here’s the nasty truth: Some folks on your flight are scrolling TikTok or answering emails for free.  The secret? A mix of loyalty perks, smart credit card picks and a little insider know-how. Let […]

May 30, 2025

Where to watch TV without paying a dime

The average household coughs up nearly $70 a month on streaming subscriptions, and that’s before your internet tab. But let me tell you, I spend a lot more than that. It’s closer to $125. Add it all together, and congratulations, you’re back in 2011 with your overpriced cable bundle, except this time, there’s no DVR […]

May 24, 2025

Memorial Day deals for under $50

Memorial Day is not designed to be a day for special sales and barbecues, although there will be plenty of both. And while we value and appreciate all the veterans and active-duty military, it’s not their day either.  This is a solemn day of remembrance. A day to honor all those who have given their […]

May 14, 2025

This is worse than spam calls

Most people have never heard of companies like Mobilewalla or Gravy Analytics, but they know you.  The FTC just clamped down on these two for secretly vacuuming up people’s real-time location data without consent. Not just estimated neighborhoods or passing GPS flickers.  We’re talking exact coordinates, tied to your phone’s unique ID, showing where you […]

May 8, 2025

You’re not too cool for these ’90s tech tricks

Every Thursday, the internet gets doused in nostalgia: cargo pants, weird bangs and MySpace screenshots. Here’s a vintage revival you didn’t know you needed. Throwback tech hacks that still solve real problems. No hard drive whirring required. 🔄 Alt + Tab = Instant multitasking  Feeling overwhelmed with too many open windows? Instead of dragging your […]

April 26, 2025

Wi-Fi slow? It’s probably this

You pay for high-speed internet, but your current connection is slower than your mom who took nine months to come up with a good joke. Something’s off, and no, it’s not Mercury in retrograde (this time).  Enter: DNS. 🧠 Wait, what’s DNS? DNS stands for Domain Name System. It’s like your computer’s address book. When […]

April 23, 2025

The $55K FaceTime car scam

Even smart shoppers can get taken; here’s how to make sure you don’t.

April 20, 2025

Check your kid’s phone for this app now

Briana from Houston is like so many moms I know. She’s busy, loving and doing everything she can to raise smart, safe kids in a digital world that changes faster than you can hit “update.” She told me that when her 12-year-old daughter asked to download an app called Zepeto, it seemed harmless enough. Create […]

April 14, 2025

Remove yourself from the internet

Michelle in Phoenix asks: “Hello, Kim, do you have recommendations for services that remove your phone number, home address off Google? My son is getting extremely harassing texts and vandalism at his home. We want to remove all our phone numbers and addresses from public viewing.” Michelle, you’re not alone.  Googling yourself used to be […]

March 30, 2025

Tax scams 2025: Tricks, tactics and how to stay safe

The phone rings, and it’s an agent from your local IRS office with bad news. Someone filed in your name. But don’t worry, they can help you sort it out in just a few minutes. Now, what’s your Social Security number? You read my newsletters, so hopefully you read that and thought, “Nope, it’s a […]

The strange and weird things captured on Google Maps

I love Google Maps. It’s one of those everyday tech tools that actually makes life easier. From finding late-night tacos to dodging traffic like a pro, it’s still the gold standard in navigation. (Sorry, Apple Maps, you’re catching up but not quite there yet.) 🗺️ Google Maps has charted nearly every inch of the planet, […]

March 25, 2025

How to fix your high streaming bills

The other day on my national radio show, I mentioned that the average American drops $110 a month on streaming services. Add another $80+ for a solid internet connection, and suddenly old-school cable doesn’t look so bad.  My inbox lit up with folks asking, “Kim, how can I lower my streaming bills?” I’m willing to […]

March 24, 2025

Creepy data grab and how to make it stop

This is the kind of thing that makes you wish flip phones were still a thing. The world has moved from marketing to digital profiling. We are being tracked like never before. Advertising giant Publicis Groupe just released a video bragging that its CoreAI platform tracks a staggering 91% of all adult internet users. Yes, […]