🧭 Cache me outside

Happy Friday, {{first_name | friend}}. Since Halloween is in the air, let’s dial up the creepiness on today’s tech trivia. Back in the 2010s, researchers discovered that smart home devices could be hacked to do something straight out of a horror movie on their own. Lights flickering, creepy music playing, doors locking … all without you touching a thing.

🎃 So, what device did hackers prove they could use to freak people out? Was it a … A) smart thermostat, B) robotic vacuum, C) smart doorbell or D) connected baby monitor? Go ahead, take your best guess. Just maybe check if your doors are locked first before checking the answer at the end.

✅ Your personal info shouldn’t be a product for sale. With Incogni, it won’t be. It scrubs your data off the internet automatically, wiping you from hundreds of creepy sites that buy, sell and leak your info. Less junk mail. Fewer spam calls. More peace of mind. Use code KIM60 for 60% off today, and finally enjoy your phone, inbox and life again. — Kim

📬 Was this forwarded to you? Be the first to know, not the last to hear. Sign up now. It’s free!

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. 

Whether you’re looking for a new way to get your steps in, entertain the kids or spice up your solo weekend routine, this modern-day treasure hunt is the move.

All you need is your phone and one of these top geocaching apps:

Geocaching is simple: Open the app, turn on your location, and you’ll see caches (aka hidden containers) near you. Tap one, follow the GPS coordinates and start looking.

Most are the size of a film canister, others are full-on treasure troves. Inside, you’ll find a logbook to sign and maybe a little trinket to trade like a key chain, coin or tiny toy.

Some caches are cleverly disguised (fake bolts, birdhouses, magnetic signs), which turns a walk into a puzzle-solving mission.

You can also hide your own cache. I used to leave Kim Komando Show webcam covers. Now that I am writing about this, I think I’ll do it again! 

🤪 Use the share icons below to ask a friend or family member to join you in a hunt. You never know what’s hidden right in your own neighborhood.

Caller Gee from Virginia Beach got hacked ($2,500 gone), and somehow he’s the one in trouble. Amazon’s calling him the culprit. Plus, ChatGPT goes to court, Waymo’s cars get pulled over, and Hollywood’s newest starlet is pure code. It’s a wild lineup.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now on your favorite platform:

🤑 Whoopsie on the blockchain: Get this. Paxos, PayPal’s crypto partner, accidentally minted $300 trillion worth of PYUSD stablecoins, more than double the world’s GDP. It was only an internal test gone sideways and got deleted 20 minutes later. No hacks. No lost funds. Just … a minor blip involving more imaginary dollars than Earth can handle. Sounds like a ghost story for economists. OoOoOh… 

FDA chokes out Dechoker: A Colorado couple made $8.2 million selling “Dechoker,” a plunger-for-humans they claimed was FDA-approved. Spoiler: It wasn’t. The FDA told them to stop in 2023, but they kept selling on Amazon anyway. Now the feds have seized their cash. The Dechoker didn’t even clear airways, just mangled tongues, and it was more of a Tom and Jerry prop than lifesaving device. If you have one, throw it away.

🧞 Your wish, its command(o): Microsoft turned your PC into an eager intern. Say “Hey, Copilot,” and it’ll start doing stuff. Like actual tasks: updating settings, installing apps, flipping modes. No clicks. No confirmation. The “Hey, Copilot” wake‑word feature is opt‑in (not on by default). To use it: Update to the latest Windows 11 > Open the Copilot app > Tap your avatar (bottom left) > Settings > Scroll down to voice mode > Toggle “Listen for ‘Hey, Copilot’” on. Voila, start bossing it around. 

New chip, same price: In the market for a new laptop or set of VR goggles? Apple dropped new MacBook Pros, iPad Pros and Vision Pros, all running on the turbocharged M5 chip. Basically, they’re four times faster and way smarter, especially with AI stuff, and as expensive as last year, starting at $1,599, $999 and $3,499. You can preorder now, and they start shipping Oct. 22.

🌌 Space commune, anyone? Jeff Bezos says by 2045, millions will live in space by choice. Robots will “commute” to the moon for us, handling all the dusty jobs while humans float in orbit. He swears it’s the next plow moment, not postapocalyptic sci-fi. Sam Altman agrees. Musk’s already packing. Me? I’ll be waving goodbye from Earth. 

🌷 Full circle moment: How about good news? A shy kindergartner promised her teacher she’d say hello again after high school. Twenty years, two degrees and two kids later, Calyssa found that teacher, thanks to a single TikTok photo. Turns out, both were student moms from UC Davis and had the same grit. Sometimes the internet actually delivers a happy ending.

In today’s AI-powered podcast, find out which everyday electronics are draining your power bill. Spooky! Also, how easy (and fast) it is for scammers to clone your voice. Don’t miss these simple ways to protect your privacy, save money and stay tech ahead!

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now on your favorite platform:

You’ve got two weeks to go from “meh” to “monstrous.”

📺 Mini smart projector (44% off): Stream spooky movies right in your front yard. You’ll be an instant trick-or-treating hot spot.

Balloon lights (41% off, 100 pieces): Turn any balloon into a glowing orb. Reusable for any party that needs extra sparkle.

🍫 Assorted candy bars (25% off): Butterfinger, Crunch, Baby Ruth … these classics vanish faster than a ghost at midnight.

Wreath hanger (20% off): No nails, no tape. Change it up for every holiday without leaving a mark on your door.

🔦 LED flashlights (13% off, six-pack): Easy to carry and bright enough to spot lurking ghouls or just the driveway steps.

Promo code of the day: DENIM15 gets you 15% off new Amazon Essentials denim, but only through tomorrow.

🍬 Treat yourself: From creepy to sweet, click here for more scary-good deals.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Microsoft Word, you don’t need to dig through menus to find tools. Click the search bar at the top and type what you need, like “table.” Works in Excel, too. Nice.

Feeling left behind? Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.*

🍏 If your iPad won’t download apps: Go to Settings > General > iPad Storage and make sure you have a few GBs free. Delete unused apps if needed. Then check Settings > General > Software Update to install the latest iPadOS. Still no luck? Force restart by tapping volume up, then volume down and holding the power button until you see the Apple icon. You got this!

Chrome shortcuts: Pin your favorite sites to Chrome’s home page. Open a new tab and click Customize Chrome in the bottom right. Toggle on Show shortcuts, then select My shortcuts. Click Add shortcut, enter the site name and URL, and hit Done. To delete one, tap the three-dot icon and choose Remove.

📄 Convert YouTube videos to text: If you’d rather read a tutorial than watch it, YouTube makes it easy. Open the video, expand the description and tap Show transcript. In the new sidebar, hit the three-dot menu and select Toggle timestamps to clean it up. Then highlight, copy and paste the text wherever you need it. Amazing.

📱 Connect AirPods to Android: AirPods can work without an iPhone. On your Android phone, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth and turn it on. Put your AirPods in pairing mode by holding the button on the back or double tapping the front light until it turns white. Then select them under Available devices and tap Pair.

Timex is back with a reissue that’s all retro, no nonsense. 

The Q Timex 1975 SSQ Digital brings back the brand’s first digital LCD watch, now with a recycled stainless-steel case, brushed bracelet and a navy acrylic lens that feels ripped from a ’70s sci-fi flick. I think my dad had this watch. 

It tells time, shows the date and counts seconds. That’s it. No notifications, no distractions, no reminding you to take a breath. 

Currently sold out, but hit “Notify me” and get yours for $159 plus tax. 

🐾 My uncle has two Dobermans named Rolex and Timex. They’re his watch dogs. (Ouch, that one even hurt me.)

🍼 The answer: D) A connected baby monitor. Hackers tapped into Wi-Fi baby monitors and didn’t just watch but talked. Imagine waking up to a stranger’s voice whispering from your kid’s room. Yep, it happened. 

In one case, a hacker screamed at a baby and then taunted the parents when they came in. Moral of the story? Change your default passwords and lock down your network. Ghosts aren’t the only things that go bump in the night.

👻 What did the ghost say when it woke up with a bad hangover? “Man, I really need to lay off the boos.”

🎯 Before you go, want to wipe your personal info off data broker sites? Incogni does the dirty work for you by removing your name, address, phone number and more from places you didn’t even know had them. It’s automatic, fast and super effective. Use code KIM60 to get 60% off, and take back control of your privacy.

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the United States. Thanks for letting me in your inbox. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly.

🚦 Your smarts are the ultimate green light. Go be great. You always have me by your side. I hope you know that! — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Send your friends to GetKim.com

Photo credit(s): ChatGPT, Timex

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