Reader question: 'What can I use instead of QuickBooks?'

If you’re a business owner, you don’t need us to tell you that running a business is tough. Don’t let QuickBooks and spreadsheets slow you down, making things more complicated than necessary. It’s time to upgrade to our sponsor NetSuite.

Stop paying for multiple systems that don’t give you the information you need when you need it. Ditch the spreadsheets and all the old software you’ve outgrown. Now is the time to upgrade to NetSuite by Oracle – the world’s No. 1 cloud business system. 

NetSuite gives you visibility and control over your financials, HR, inventory, e-commerce, and more — all in one place, instantaneously. Whether you’re doing a million or hundreds of millions in revenue, save time and money with NetSuite. 

Join the over 37,000 companies using NetSuite! Let NetSuite show you how they’ll benefit your business with a free product tour at NetSuite.com/kim. Schedule your free product tour while you’re thinking about it!

Your smartwatch isn’t as accurate as you think

Sensors in today’s smartwatches can detect your heartbeat, track how you sleep and even monitor blood oxygen levels. We’re not far from your watch tracking your blood sugar … and possibly sending reports about it to your doctor.

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My son's headphones are in Africa?!

My son had his headphones stolen in LA but when we track them, they’re in Cameroon, Africa…

Weird-but-cool buys for under $10

  • Yeehaw, hydration! Little cowboy hats to cap your Stanley tumbler (or any other travel mug), now four for $7.
  • Thin Mints superfans, sprinkle Girl Scout cookie-inspired seasoning (under $5) over vanilla ice cream, yogurt, popcorn … 
  • Fungi-tional! Cable ties that look like little mushrooms, on sale for $8.
  • When bumps and bruises need a sense of humor, emoji bandages will do the trick.
  • This magnetic cloud can help you keep track of your keys in small spaces for under $8.
  • Love the everything but not always the bagel? Sprinkle everything-bagel-inspired seasoning on wraps, cottage cheese, salads, toast — the sky’s the limit!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Skip the lines at U.S. Customs: The Mobile Passport app is your secret weapon. It’s free, secure, and lets you submit your passport and customs info right from your phone — no forms needed! Plus, you get access to fast-track lanes at participating airports and cruise ports.

3 free AI music tools

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Want to create a hit song? I’ve got a couple of AI tools that can make music in seconds — plus, I’ll share a track I made myself! You won’t want to miss this.

Winging it: Forget those small prop planes carrying advertising banners over beaches. Drones are replacing planes in places like Miami Beach. They’re quieter and — get this — they track ad views in real time and fly about 400 feet lower than planes. There’s no avoiding ‘em.

6 feet

How closely a stalker can track someone using dating apps Bumble and Hinge. It’s not an exact location but pretty darn close. These apps ask for your location to find potential partners near you, but this is seriously scary.

📊 Secret you need to know: If you use Google Docs or Microsoft OneDrive, you can go back in time to see earlier versions of your work (or someone else’s). In Google Docs, head to File > Version History > See Version History. In OneDrive, it’s under File > Info > Version History. Bonus tip: If you want to know who does what in real time in a Google Doc, turn on the Track Changes option.

They only care about the money: The FTC says social media platforms are engaging in massive online surveillance and failing to protect children. They track everything we do, combine it with data from third-party brokers, then sell it or use it to advertise to you.

Smartphone thieves listen to steal drums: Police are warning about a rise in expensive cellphone thefts from front porches. Don’t be next: Track your package closely and request a signature upon delivery. If you’re not home, send it somewhere else, get a video doorbell, post a “You’re being recorded” sign or install a porch lockbox.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

A side hustle that won’t work: Pay a startup $30 a month and they’ll auto-post AI-generated vids to social media for you. Pick a topic (like motivation), and they’ll generate a script, voiceover, background track and AI images. The idea is to help you build an audience and start making money. Remember Shrimp Jesus (paywall link)?

⌨️ Where in the world? Remember Mavis Beacon? She was the woman on the cover of a popular typing game. Turns out “Mavis” was a Haitian model named Renee L’Esperance who returned to the Caribbean and vanished. Now there’s a documentary about trying to track her down.

💥 Definitely a dipship: Chinese scientists say they’ve cracked the code for making the world’s fastest submarines. “Laser propellers” create tiny explosions, pushing subs to speeds fast enough to outrun torpedoes or jet aircraft. The downside? All that speed leaves a trail of bubbles and cavitation noise, making the subs easy to track.

A load of garbage: A woman in Texas used Apple AirTags to track her recycling bags after dropping them off for the city’s “all plastic accepted” program. Spoiler: Instead of being processed as expected, the bags were dumped in a nearby storage facility. Turns out, hundreds of thousands of pounds of unrecycled materials are sitting around.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

3 ways grocery stores track you

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You’re not just buying dinner — retailers are watching your every move, from your purchases to your location.

Find and track Starlink satellites in the sky

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Did you know you can spot Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites from your backyard? More than six thousand of them are orbiting the Earth. Here’s how to see them. 

App to track mosquitos

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Are you a bite magnet? Here’s an app to spot when pesky mosquitos are most active. 

Spy versus spy: mSpy is a surveillance app used to track children, relatives and romantic partners without their consent. Hackers just exposed the identities of millions of customers, and the list includes senior U.S. military personnel, a U.S. federal judge and a government watchdog. Juicy stuff.

🌊 Stream on: Make your music flow more smoothly with crossfade. This forces your songs to transition from one into the next instead of ending abruptly, pausing and starting the next track. On Spotify, go to Settings > Playback > Crossfade. In Apple Music, head to Settings > Apple Music > Crossfade.