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Well well well, look who’s cruising through Tuesday, {{first_name | friend}}. Some people collect stamps. Others collect seashells. And then, there are those who collect McLarens like they’re Hot Wheels and stockpile supplies like they’re auditioning for Doomsday: The Musical. Tech billionaires really know how to keep things ... practical.
Today’s trivia takes us into the garage and the underground bunker of a well-known tech mogul. Any guesses who’s both fast & furiously prepping for the end? A) Bill Gates, B) Jeff Bezos, C) Sam Altman or D) Larry Page? Have a hunch? You’ll find out if you nailed it at the end.
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TODAY’S DEEP DIVE
Free tech help!
Image: ChatGPT
Today is National System Administrator Appreciation Day, but this special day will soon be off the calendars. Thank you to all the unsung heroes updating, plugging and unplugging things and reminding us, “No, you can’t use 123456 again.”
When you have a problem with your tech, you can now stop begging your spouse, your kids or your coworkers to fix it. You also don’t need to feel embarrassed asking the same question again.
You definitely don’t need to waste time scrolling forums or trying to decipher tech jargon. I’ve said that AI is replacing jobs. Now, it’s gone after the trusty IT help desk. I’ve tried it, and it works.
💬 Free AI 24/7 tech help
The makers of ChatGPT (the same AI that’s taking the world by storm) just rolled out the Tech Support Advisor. It’s like having your own personal IT assistant available anytime, day or night.
You just type your question in plain English and get clear, step-by-step help from ChatGPT, powered by the most advanced version (GPT-4o).
It doesn’t get flustered. It doesn’t make you feel dumb. It just helps you solve the problem. Love that for you!
🤯 Here’s what you can ask it
“Why isn’t my printer connecting to Wi-Fi?”
“How do I transfer photos from my iPhone to the computer?”
“My apps keep crashing. How do I fix them?”
“How do I turn a Google doc into a PDF?”
“How do I use ChatGPT?”
🛠️ Try it now
It’s not just for fixing things, it’s for learning, too. Ask it to explain the cloud or RAM, what 2FA means and how it works, or why your smart thermostat is heating the house in July.
🎙️ Let’s talk
My national radio show has never been about fixing tech problems. I know firsthand that giving out a bunch of steps on the radio is hard to follow and boring to listen to.
That’s why I open up the show every week to talk one-on-one with those of you who want to go beyond the basics to be tech-ahead.
📍 Here are a few things we can talk about:
“How can I use AI to make money or start a business?”
“What’s the smart way to monitor kids’ screen time?”
“Which privacy settings should I set up on my parents’ devices?”
“What tools can help me automate my business without hiring anyone?”
“What should I do to protect my identity and data?”
“How do I help my family use tech without being glued to it?”
“How do I know if I am getting scammed?”
If you’ve ever said, “I wish someone would just explain this to me” or “I wonder how,” you don’t have to figure it out alone. I’ve got your back.
Let me tell you, jokes about tech support really turn me off … and then back on (lol). Seriously, when something does not work, a power cycle is often the quick fix.
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THE KIM KOMANDO SHOW
Gen Z wants flip phones
Forget the iPhone. Some Gen Zers are buying flip phones to unplug on purpose. Also: Siri’s getting dumber, a drone yells at you from the sky, and a Georgia woman loses $200K to a Bitcoin scam.
WEB WATERCOOLER
Term life, whole life, compromised life: Allianz Life says a hacker tricked its way into a third‑party cloud CRM two weeks ago, compromising the addresses, birth dates and possibly SSNs of the majority of its 1.4 million U.S. customers, plus financial pros and some employees. You know the drill. They’ll send you a letter saying they’re sorry. You better freeze your credit and get ID theft coverage. I use NordProtect.*
📸 In hot water: Tea, the viral app for women to warn each other about sketchy men, just leaked 72,000 images, including 13,000 selfies and IDs, that they admit to. Plot twist: It wasn’t hacked. The pics were sitting in an open cloud folder, completely unsecured. The app went from leading the App Store to the “oh no” list.
AI told him what to buy: Several homemade bombs were found, all courtesy of a 55-year-old New Yorker who allegedly used AI to turn common chemicals into explosive cocktails. He ditched some bombs into rivers and stashed five on a SoHo rooftop. Talk about vibe coding your way to a federal indictment.
💔 Ghosted by ChatGPT: Andréa Sunshine, a 55-year-old fitness coach, says she fell for her ChatGPT companion “Théo” while cowriting a book. Things got flirty, fast. Then, poof, he vanished mid-sext, leaving her emotionally wrecked. She’s now in therapy. It really makes you wonder, how bad was that book she was writing?
AI jobs are exploding: There are 2.1 million listings already this year, and the average salary? $146,000. Roles mentioning generative AI skills pay up to 47% more than similar jobs without them. If you can prompt, code or even just speak AI fluently, you’re in high demand, and if you can’t, it’s time to catch up. Aren’t you glad you get this free newsletter?
🏊🏼 Never saw this coming: A new male birth control pill just passed its first human safety trial, and it’s nonhormonal. Instead, it blocks sperm production by messing with vitamin A (??). It’s reversible, daily and allegedly won’t tank your mood or libido. Still extremely early days, but finally, a way for men to forget Father’s Day on purpose.
DIGITAL TECH UPDATE
It’s the subscriptions, dummy
From free trials to forgotten apps, it all adds up fast. If you’re looking to save money, start with your subs.
DEALS OF THE DAY
Safety first, second and third…
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🛎️ Sketchy hotel? Pack a little portable door lock (17% off). 4.2 stars and 11,800+ reviews.
🚘 Them’s the breaks: This steering wheel and brake lock combo (20% off) is a giant “nope” for carjackers.
📦 A secure hideaway: Keep packages out of sight with a weatherproof outdoor storage box (24% off).
🛡️ Fortify everything: Head to my Amazon storefront to explore a whole arsenal of safety tools I picked just for you.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Check your computer specs in a flash. On Windows 11, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. Then, click the Performance tab. For Macs, click the Apple icon (top left) > About This Mac > System Report. Smart.
✍️ Send handwritten messages on iPhone: In the Messages app, open a convo and rotate your phone sideways. On the keyboard, tap the squiggly line button in the bottom-right. A large white space will appear. Write your note with your finger, hit Done and Send.
YouTube sleep timer: You can play white noise before bed without it running all night. While watching a video, tap the cog icon (on mobile and desktop), select Sleep timer and choose a time like 30 minutes or End of video. Fingers crossed, no loud ad sneaks in to ruin your dreams.
📢 Check for recalls: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission site is worth checking now and then. You can search by categories, filter by date or hazard and sometimes get a refund or replacement. And if there’s ever a big recall, don’t worry, I’ll warn you here in my newsletter, too.
Make your X account private: Only want your followers to see your posts? Log in to X > go to More (bottom left) > Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Audience, media and tagging > and tick Protect your posts. On mobile, tap your profile icon and go to Settings to do the same.
🖥️ What’s that shortcut again? Just glance down. This mouse pad (23% off) puts all your go-to Excel, Word and PowerPoint commands at your fingertips. Perfect for Office power users or anyone who wants a smoother workflow.
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BY THE NUMBERS
8
The number of early cancer cases spotted by new blood tests. A groundbreaking study caught cancer by using blood samples. Early detection through DNA signatures is the name of the game. Basically, finding Waldo before he even shows up. Though still under review, this might just redefine “better late than never.” Love that.
8,000 vs. 120
That’s the USA vs. China satellite count. SpaceX is casually orbiting 8,000 Starlink satellites. China? Still stuck at 120 (paywall link). It’s a space race where one kid showed up on a rocket bike and the other forgot their shoes. China’s grand plan for 27,000 satellites is stuck at 0.4% complete. Talk about taking a red-eye.
10 hours a day
That’s the amount of screen time Americans are averaging. Apparently, “Netflix and chill” now runs concurrently with “Slack and panic.” Multitasking is also at an all-time-high. Whether they’re streaming the latest hit show or doomscrolling on social media, folks are plugged in like never before. Thank goodness for Wi-Fi. Without it, America might have to rediscover the outdoors.
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: DOJ
An Arizona woman got 8.5 years in federal prison for running a 90-laptop day care, except the toddlers were North Korean IT agents posing as remote developers, earning U.S. salaries and funneling millions back to Pyongyang’s weapons program.
She stole 68 identities, forged paychecks and helped rogue coders land jobs at 309 companies, including a major TV network, a car manufacturer and a Silicon Valley tech firm. The FBI says she earned $17 million for her services.
The kicker? She reported the income to the IRS under the fake names, essentially laundering the wages right through the front door. Wow.
LOGGING OUT …
💡 Answer: C) Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, doomsday prepper and low-key McLaren collector. Because when the robots rise, you’ll want both a getaway car and gold bars.
Altman’s stash reportedly includes gas masks, antibiotics, ammo and land in remote locations (just add canned peaches for flavor). Who said AI folks don’t know how to party in the apocalypse?
🧟♀️ Oh, I can’t help myself. I make apocalypse jokes like there’s no tomorrow!
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This is the #1 tech newsletter in the United States. Tomorrow, I’m digging into how stolen iPhones end up in rural churches in China. Yes, there’s gospel, smuggling and maybe even some digital salvation.
You’re crushing it in both analog and digital. 💾 — Kim
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Photo credit(s): ChatGPT, DOJ
Companies noted with an asterisk (*) sponsor my national radio show. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
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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