Smart car perks are disappearing. George, your AI host, explains why features like GPS, remote start, and app controls are being dropped from Acura, Mazda, Subaru, and more. Plus: AI pregnancy robots, smart mirror privacy risks, TikTok’s dad letter trend, and simple hacks for your phone and Kindle.
Scroll-stopping swag
Kim Komando
Yup, that’s me during my ’90s big hair infomercial days as the Komputer Tutor, teaching America how to conquer their computers one VHS tape at a time.
Before TikTok and Instagram, there were late-night infomercials, and wow, we bought it all. Remember the ThighMaster? The Flowbee? The Clapper? “Set it and forget it!”
Fast-forward to today, and social media’s the new infomercial.
But for every gem, there are a hundred gadgets that don’t work or break after a week. I sorted through the chaos to find the internet-famous products that actually live up to the hype. Even better? They make fantastic gifts, for others or yourself. You’ve earned it.
📽️ 1. Portable mini projector ($45, 59% off)
Connects with your phone to turn any room into a cinema (even your backyard).
💡 2. Clip-on selfie ring light ($12, 29% off)
Basically, it’s studio lighting that clips to your phone and fits in your pocket.
👕 3. Shirt folding board ($17, 26% off)
Breeze through laundry day. Folds your shirts faster than retailers on Black Friday.
🍝 4. Clip-on pots & pans strainer ($8.50, 29% off)
Silicone grip = no slipping, no mess. Plus, it saves you from washing extra dishes.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
TikTok’s new craze: A 9-year-old camera. Yep, the social media gods have crowned the Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 HS as the best point-and-shoot camera for that “perfectly imperfect” vibe. It was $360 new in 2016. Now it’s out of stock on Canon’s site, and used ones are selling for up to $600. Nostalgia always cashes in.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
31%
That’s how many pet owners said they’d date their dog, if it were human. Yes, this is real. Thanks to TikTok and a little too much ChatGPT, people are anthropomorphizing their pets … and catching feelings. Yeah … it’s less weird if you don’t think about it.
🛍️ Stop doomscrolling: Start deal scrolling. Amazon’s Shop By Interest tab is like TikTok for bargain hunters. Just tap Explore and pick an interest (like DIY Home Improvement). Boom, less brain rot and more “look what I got.”
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Turn 10 seconds into $30K
Those short clips for TikTok? They’re super lucrative. Plus, Auntie Anne’s takes to the skies with new drone delivery, why Amazon is now selling used cars, and how one woman got a real engagement ring from her AI boyfriend.
🗣️ AI’s new favorite party trick? Stealing your TikTok rants, word-for-um-filled-word, and deepfaking them with a totally different face and voice. A wild “incinerator at Alligator Alcatraz” video hit 20M views, copied from a real person, made by a robot. And TikTok barely flinched. Next up: a deepfake of you reacting to this deepfake.
🎶 Songwriters go social: TikTok just launched a “Songwriter” tag and profile tab, so hitmakers behind the hits can finally get some spotlight, as opposed to solely relying on dancing teens for career stability.
🧀 Cottage cheese is hot: Cottage cheese is having a weird moment. Albertsons says sales are booming thanks to TikTok recipes and a renewed obsession with protein. Sales surged by 18% in a year, hitting $1.75 billion last year. Why? Cottage cheese ice cream, toast, even pancakes. Next up: cottage cheese cold brew. You know it’s coming.
Fake views, real gas money: A couple drove three hours to visit a scenic cable car spot … that doesn’t exist. It was conjured by Google’s Veo 3 AI video maker and posted by a fake AI news channel on TikTok. Deepfake scams are up 2,137% since 2022, and now your vacation plans might be, too.
The 9-to-5 is dead
Microsoft says late-night meetings are up 16%. Burnout much? I also talk to an Uber driver almost tricked into trafficking stolen goods. Plus: Trump Org’s new phone biz, Bible stories on TikTok, and a smart way to check your internet speed.
⏩ 2x speed frying memory: A new study says bingeing podcasts and videos at warp speed might make you dumber or at least worsen memory retention. Turns out 2x pushes the brain past its “working memory” limit, especially for older adults. Teens? Basically brain athletes for TikTok TED Talks. The rest of us? Toast.
🔞 TikTok trouble, again: This is really bad. A viral TikTok trend is using motivational clips to camouflage grooming tactics. Teens, mostly girls, lip-synch “Yes you can” while text implies dating younger kids or sneaking out. Experts say it plays on empowerment language to nudge kids into risky behavior. Predators are watching and commenting. TikTok, of course, does nothing.
👀 TikTok’s mystery buyers: President Trump claims “very wealthy people” are ready to buy TikTok, but he won’t say who. Only catch? The deal still needs China’s OK. The deadline’s now Sept. 17. This is the third delay while lawmakers try to kill the app. It feels like a group project we all forgot about that keeps getting deadline extensions.
🚨 Fake animal rescues on TikTok and Facebook: Scammers are editing real videos of older creators to make it look like they’re asking for help. One clip shows a man saying he has a story to tell, then it cuts to text: “you stayed 8 seconds so I don’t have to shut down my cat shelter.” Don’t click that donation link.
🍑 Corporate glutes in crisis: TikTok has declared war on “office chair butt,” the slow flattening of your glutes from too much sitting. The formal diagnosis? Gluteal muscle group atrophy. Symptoms include sagging cheeks, back pain and a general vibe of “my body quit.” Now people are squatting between Zooms and lifting water jugs like resistance bands.
🧠 Viral trend, real brain damage: Talk to your kids about TikTok’s risky new “Dusting Challenge.” This brain stunt features teens inhaling computer duster spray for what they think is a quick high. What they’re actually getting: seizures, suffocation and possible brain damage.
Viral missing cop post is a scam – June 28th, Hour 1
A viral Facebook post says a 27-year-old cop vanished. Here’s the deal: Sgt. Katie Cunningham is alive and well. She joins us to set the record straight. Plus, the truth behind the latest TikTok ban rumors and how tariffs could boost your YouTube views.
🔥 Banned phone alert: In 2025, the Samsung Galaxy Note7 is still banned from all U.S. flights. Yes, the one from 2016 that tried to reinvent “fire emoji” as a hardware feature. Apparently, a lot of people are getting a deal on the Note7 and using it. The TSA just went viral on TikTok for reminding people it’s still too explode-y to board a plane.