⚠️ Delete these 224 apps now, they’re malware

It’s a great Thursday, {{first_name | friend}}. Long before TikTok dances and cats on Roombas took over the internet, people stared at their glowing monitors and dial-up connection for a livestream. The year? 1993.

📺 So what was the first-ever livestream? It wasn’t exactly binge-worthy by today’s standards, but it was history in the buffering. Was it a … A) NASA launch, B) fish tank, C) garage band concert or D) high school debate? Scroll to the bottom for the answer, and I bet you’re wrong.

🦦 Know someone who still thinks livestreaming has to do with rivers? Share this email with them and tell them to sign up for this awesome free newsletter. Thank you! — Kim

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

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 in others.

So when those cables snap, you know it.

Earlier this month, multiple cables in the Red Sea were cut, probably by some cargo ship’s anchor. Microsoft issued a warning to Azure cloud customers about slower performance.

Folks noticed laggy video calls, stalled apps and slow-loading websites. It’s a sharp reminder that the entire internet depends on a few glass noodles running through the ocean.

Most undersea internet cables are about as thick as a garden hose, roughly 1 to 2 inches wide. Inside? A bundle of glass fibers thinner than a human hair, wrapped in layers of protection: gel for insulation, steel wire for strength, Kevlar for durability, copper for power and a tough waterproof coating to survive years underwater.

Each meter (about 3 feet) of cable weighs 10 to 20 pounds, depending on where it’s going. In deep, calm ocean waters, it’s lighter. But near shorelines or rocky terrain, where the risk of damage is higher, the cable gets extra armor, and that adds weight fast. 

About 99% of internet traffic flows through undersea fiber cables.

We’ve laid over 1.7 million kilometers (about 1.05 million miles) of these cables across oceans, and up to 200 of them are damaged every year, usually by ships or fishing gear.

When a cable breaks, internet traffic reroutes. That means slower speeds, higher latency and cloud hiccups, even if you’re nowhere near the ocean.

Even if your message is staying in the U.S., it might still pass through cloud data centers overseas. Big tech companies like Microsoft, Google and Amazon balance internet traffic around the world for speed and cost.

So when a major undersea cable goes down, your everyday apps can feel the ripple effect, no matter where you are.

The next time your Wi-Fi freezes, don’t assume your ISP or router is to blame. Somewhere out there, a rusty anchor might’ve just crushed a fiber-optic hose carrying half the internet.

👨🏼‍🔧 I thought this sign outside a plumbing business was so clever. “We’re #1 with your #2’s.”

Sam Altman claims ChatGPT is smarter than people. Is he right, or is true intelligence still only human?

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

🔥 Delete these apps now: Hackers snuck 224 fake apps into Google Play, downloaded over 38 million times. Yes, you read that right. Disguised with names like CreateCreatives, Foocus, ChatGLM and ClapTrack (ahem, clap to find your phone?), they looked harmless but installed shady ads. Then came the real damage: The apps hijacked devices, silently launching invisible web browsers that ran 24/7, draining battery life, eating up data, slowing down performance and overheating phones, all to generate 2.3 billion fake ad views per day. Ad networks paid out as if real users were watching, while your phone was working overtime behind your back. Check your device for any apps listed here.

YouTube runs the show: Be real, when’s the last time you watched cable? Exactly. YouTube’s replaced it, plus Netflix and most of your weekend. 2.5 billion people are on it, and 500 hours get uploaded every minute. And now, AI is helping creators crank out edits, titles, even Shorts. If you have a YT channel, check this out. I can’t wait to try the new tools.

💊 Beware the Benadryl: A South Carolina teen landed in the ER after trying TikTok’s “Benadryl Challenge,” sending her heart racing to nearly 200 bpm while hallucinating. She’s OK, but high doses can cause seizures, coma, even death. Her parents are warning other families.

Parent app overload: Parenting used to mean packing lunch. Now it’s like managing a startup. Schools have separate apps for buses, grades and announcements, and parents get 80+ emails a month. Kindergarten has more software than my first job.

💸 Say goodbye to paper checks: Starting Sept. 30, Social Security, veterans benefits and IRS payments will only be sent electronically. Most folks already use direct deposit, but if you’re still getting checks, you’ll need to either open a bank account or request a Treasury-issued debit card by calling 800-967-6857. Don’t wait on this.

Robo-blitz incoming: Amazon is layering AI over NFL broadcasts like queso on fries. You’ll gradually start noticing video game-like overlays on Thursday Night Football. You’ll see if your QB’s about to get pancaked, whether your team has even a prayer of a comeback and which defender’s sneaking up to ruin the drive. I love tight ends.

Turn your AirTag or tracker into a personal safety tool. Share your location, set up check-ins and alert loved ones instantly. Here’s how it works.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

Heat up your smart home game. Control the temp and track your usage from your phone. Basically pays for itself with lower energy bills.

🔌 Cord hider kit (55% off): Easy install, snaps into place, and suddenly your space looks tidy. 4.5 stars and 18K+ reviews.

LED light blocking stickers (40% off): Kill the lights without killing your gadgets. Just peel, stick and enjoy the darkness.

💻 Lap desk with cushion (50% off): Portable, ergonomic and way better than hunching over your coffee table.

Surge protector power strip (23% off): Eight outlets + four USB ports + a flat plug = no more outlet wars.

🤖 Today’s best tech bargains: These are just my top picks. My Amazon shop is packed with more gadgets on sale.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Presenting in Google Slides? Press W to turn the screen white or B for black during a slideshow. Great for pulling attention back to you instead of the slides.

📧 Share Gmail without your password: Need to give someone access to your inbox? Go to Settings > See all settings > Accounts and Import > Grant access to your account > Add another account. Enter their email, and they’ll get an invite. Easy. 

📶 Save data on Windows 11: On a capped plan? Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > select your network’s properties. Scroll down and toggle on Metered connection. This cuts background data usage and stops automatic updates.

📚 Kickstart your next chapter: Hunting for a good read? The #1 book on Amazon right now is The Let Them Theory by Mel and Sawyer Robbins. Think of it as a manual on how to let go of what you can’t control, whether at work, in love or while chasing your goals. 

📱 iOS 26: The new Photos app can turn a regular 2D picture into one with a 3D effect. Open a photo, tap the Spatial button under the ellipses icon, then hit Share > Use as Wallpaper. Tap the Spatial button again. Now when you lock and wake your phone, your wallpaper will pop with a 3D effect. Super cool. 

⌚ watchOS 26: Developers can finally make Widgets for Control Center, a feature that used to be Apple-only. To try them, press the Side button, scroll to the bottom and tap Edit. Select the plus (+) icon in the top left for suggested widgets, then scroll to From Your iPhone to find third-party options.

🍏 iPadOS 26: The new liquid glass look shows up in places like Control Center, which is now a transparent overlay. It’s in apps like News, where a glass menu bar at the top lets you slide between sections. Don’t like it? Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency.

💻 macOS 26: Launchpad is gone, replaced by a simple Apps icon in the Dock (right of Finder). Click it and you’ll see a layout that feels like Spotlight. At the top is a Search bar for opening apps, or use the Categories tabs to filter. You can also just scroll through everything installed.

Watches. Keyboards. Pianos. Casio’s made it all. But their latest hit?

It’s a fluffy AI hamster that stares into your soul. Meet Moflin, a $429 robo-pet that sold out in Japan and is up for preorder in the U.S. It can’t walk, but it chirps, wiggles, tilts its head and develops a personality based on how you treat it.

Pet it like a loving robot parent? It gets all bubbly and excited. Ignore it for a few days? It sulks like a high schooler without access to your credit card.

There’s no reset button. You get one shot to raise your fluffy AI blob right or you’re stuck with a moody, judgmental furball.

Call it Furby 2.0 with feelings. Or the world’s first emotional support hamster with an algorithm.

🎸 The answer: C) A garage band concert. In a moment destined for the tech history books, the very first livestream in 1993 featured a band called Severe Tire Damage shredding their set on the internet before YouTube, Twitch or even decent bandwidth existed.

🎹 I started a band with friends called 999 Megabytes. We still haven’t gotten a Gig though. (Get it? Phew, tough crowd today!)

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. Tomorrow, how the airlines gave up billions of customer data records and profiles to government agencies without a warrant.

✌️ Until then, you’ve got the know-how. Now put it to good use. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): ChatGPT, meross, Casio

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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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