Happy Tuesday, {{first_name | friend}}. Think your reflexes are sharp? Maybe you’re quick to hit “Skip Ad” on YouTube or slam your laptop shut when your boss walks by. But when milliseconds count, who really reigns supreme in reaction time?

💨 Who’s faster on the draw: A) Commercial airline pilots, B) Pro esports players, C) NFL quarterbacks or D) Bomb squad techs? Stick around, answer’s at the bottom, and it’s not who you’d expect.

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🤸 Don’t let your email provider decide what you see. Reply to this email now and leave me a comment at the end, too. It tells the algorithms you want my content, keeping Big Tech from shoving me in your promotions or junk folders. Make your inbox your choice! Thank you so much. — Kim

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Tap-to-pay is slick, fast and super convenient until it isn’t. Scammers have figured out how to use that same technology to steal your money without you even knowing.

It’s called “ghost tapping,” and it’s spreading so fast, the BBB issued a major alert about it.

A scammer carries a hidden NFC reader, the same tech used in legit payment retail terminals, and bumps up close to your credit or debit card. If your card is contactless and not protected, boom, a payment goes through. 

No swipe. No PIN. No clue it happened.

These crooks hang out in crowded spots like malls, airports, festivals and train stations. If your tap-to-pay card is sitting loose in a bag or back pocket, they can charge you by brushing past. It’s that easy.

Even worse? They often start with tiny amounts, so it flies under your radar. A couple bucks here, a coffee there, and they keep draining your bank account.

You don’t have to give up tap-to-pay. You just need to outsmart the scammers, especially when you’re in a crowd.

💪 If you found this warning helpful, forward this newsletter to a friend or family member or simply use the share icons below now. This kind of scam hits hard.

AI’s new job? Creative accounting. Workers are having it whip up fake receipts for business lunches that never happened. Plus, Amazon’s big layoffs, chess makes an online comeback, and how to have AI help with lost stuff.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now on your favorite platform:

🚨 Code kale red: Hang onto your kombucha. Imagine standing in Whole Foods, home of the healthy organic alternative, when a robot whips through the aisles with a Tide Pod and a Pepsi. Amazon’s testing “ShopBots” (paywall link) in some stores, so you can grab your kale, then order junk food like it’s contraband. It’s part of Amazon’s full takeover as Whole Foods execs now report to Amazon’s top brass.

No more playing pretend: Looks like OpenAI is grounding ChatGPT’s inner lawyer, doctor and financial adviser. The new rule? It can explain a contract, but it won’t write one. It can tell you what a fever is but won’t say if you have one. Basically, it’s your overly cautious study buddy, helpful but not taking any responsibility. Why? Too many lawsuits for bad advice, I’m sure.

Logging off is luxe: You know what’s trendy? Not texting back. Seriously, people are paying to not be online (paywall link). They’re going to concerts and dinner parties where phones get locked up and strangers actually talk. Apps like 222 even charge a “curation fee” to set up phone-free hangouts. I’m sure there’s a market to pay $25 to make real eye contact with a stranger.

Smart cloud, simple choice: Tired of slow apps or surprise tech bills? Oracle Cloud Infrastructure runs faster and costs less while keeping your data safe without the drama. It’s power you can actually count on. Try it free today.*

Death by download: A YouTuber made a how-to on installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs. YouTube yanked it and claimed it could lead to “harm or death.” No, seriously. Apparently, teaching people how to upgrade their dusty laptop is a lethal activity. Rich, the creator, thinks Microsoft might be pulling strings. Thanks for keeping the internet safe, YouTube. Next up: cat videos taken down for terrorism. 

AI after dark: Meta’s facing a $359M porn piracy lawsuit, and claims it didn’t use adult films to train its AI. It argues the 2,396 videos(!) were likely downloaded for “private personal use” on its network. Yep, they’re leaning on an old BitTorrent excuse that IP addresses don’t prove identity and “someone at work might’ve torrented that.” I hope his name wasn’t Mark.

🫥 Royal eviction: The royal family gave Prince Andrew the 404 treatment. He’s now just Andrew Albert Christian Edward Mountbatten Windsor. Not only is he out of his 30-room mansion, but he’s been digitally wiped off every royal website. Search his name? It reroutes to King Charles. Rumor is Prince Harry is next, but remember, the king can only move one space at a time. (Get it, chess joke? Woah, tough crowd today!)

No, don’t throw the remote, hoping that will magically work. There are a few ways to get your television up to speed, literally.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now on your favorite platform:

Let’s power up your life one cool gadget at a time.

📺 The latest and greatest: Tap into Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (40% off) with faster Wi-Fi and AI-powered voice search. It’s like your old TV got a brain transplant.

Dongle to the rescue: Keep these headphone adapters (20% off, two-pack) handy when you forget to charge your earbuds or when Bluetooth refuses to work.

🎶 Old-school meets new-school: Dust off your old CDs and connect your phone to this retro music player (26% off). Music nerds will go crazy (in love) for it.

🔋 Pocket power punch: This mini portable charger (32% off) fits in your palm and fast-charges your MacBook Air to 42% in 25 minutes. Bonus: TSA-approved.

👩‍💻 Your gadget hunt continues: If you liked these, wait till you see my other picks on sale waiting for you. Something in there could become your next favorite thing.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Save money on printer ink. Arial looks clean but burns through cartridges. Try Times New Roman instead. Tests show it can use up to 27% less ink over time. 

Find your typing spot: On Windows 11, it’s easy to lose that little blinking line when writing long documents. To make it stand out, go to Settings > Accessibility > Text cursor and toggle on Text cursor indicator. You can pick the size (3 is good) and color. And yes, it works in most apps and browsers.

Tame your Gmail tabs: Gmail organizes your inbox into Primary, Promotions, Social and Updates tabs. The bad news is it doesn’t always get it right, so you might miss something important. To always see messages from someone (like this fabulous newsletter), drag one from Promotions to Primary. When Gmail asks to do that next time, click Yes.

📋 Paste without the mess: On your iPhone, if you copy text from a website, it can be annoying when it drops into an email with all the links and formatting. The trick? With the text copied, long-press in the email body, tap the arrow that appears and select Paste and Match Style, then Allow Paste. Ta-da, neat and clean.

See what your stuff’s really worth: Before you post, check what people actually pay. On eBay, click the Advanced button next to Search, type in your item, tick Sold items under Search including and press Search. You’ll see real prices, not the fake bargains on Marketplace. No more undercutting yourself.

🎨 Design like a pro: I’ve mentioned Canva before, but it’s worth another shout. Besides social posts, you can make birthday cards, mini videos, CVs and slideshows. Sign in with Google to start customizing templates. FYI, teachers can get Pro features for free at canva.com/education. Click Get verified and enter your school info.

There’s a new R&B diva in town, and she’s made of code.

Meet Xania Monet, the first AI artist ever to chart on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay list. Her track “How Was I Supposed to Know?” hit #30 after blowing up on TikTok and snagging airplay from radio stations nationwide. Give it a listen, it’s catchy, but something about “soul” without the soul hits different.

Xania is the AI creation of poet Telisha Jones, who now has a multimillion‑dollar record deal and a label pushing her virtual star onto real‑world playlists. Proof that in 2025, you don’t even need a pulse to go platinum. Maybe with my vocal talents, there is hope for me yet!

🎮 The answer: B) Professional esports players! Yep, these digital gladiators have reaction times as fast as 100 milliseconds, which is faster than the blink of an eye. The average gamer’s reflexes peak at age 24. So if that thumb’s feeling stiff, it might be time to pivot careers, maybe something less reflex-intensive like a bomb squad technician?

🏟️ Speaking of, what do the Colorado Rockies do after winning the World Series? Turn off their xBox. (Now, before you get all indignant because this is your favorite team since the beginning of time, the Colorado Rockies finished with a record of 43‑119, the lowest win total across the entire league.)

Ready to take control and crush your cravings? Click here for up to 30% off ImproveLife GLP-1 Support plus free shipping. It’s clean, effective and simple to make part of your daily routine. Stay merry, not munchy.

Tomorrow, I’m talking AI bots, fake chats and new laws forcing companies to fess up. This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States. 

🌻 Do something small that feels huge today. I know you can do it! — Kim

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

Photo credit(s): Bing Image Creator, Enokik, Telisha Jones

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**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary.

This newsletter and its content are intended for informational purposes only. They are provided without warranty of any kind. You shouldn’t construe anything provided here as legal, health, medical, technical, tax, investment, financial or any other kind of advice.

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