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It’s a marvelous Monday, {{first_name | friend}}. Ever notice how country singers have a certain “twang” to them? Turns out it’s not all style points, scientists are obsessed with it.
🎤 So what’s a secret superpower of that drawl? Does it: A) help people hear you better in noisy places, B) lower your voice pitch to sound calmer, or C) give your voice a built-in reverb, like a concert hall? Don’t y’all rush the answer, it’s at the end!
You know what makes me crazy? People who spend thousands on computers but won’t spend a dime protecting all their data stored on them. Your device is replaceable. Your photos and videos? Not so much. Let me show you the one thing that I never skip.
ICYMI: If you didn’t get a chance to tune in this past weekend, don’t sweat it. The podcast version of my show is ready when you are. Just press play, and pretend it’s live. I won’t tell. Catch the show on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts. — Kim
📬 Was this forwarded to you? Be the first to know, not the last to hear. Sign up now. It’s free!
TODAY’S DEEP DIVE
No airplane mode
Image: Bing Image Creator
Flying soon? Listen up. At 40 of the country’s busiest airports, flights coming and going will be reduced by 10% this week.
That means thousands of flights canceled, or in other words, 200,000 fewer seats and butts in the air per day. Blame it on a record‑long government shutdown.
Major hubs will be the hardest hit: Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York‑JFK, Chicago O’Hare and many more. Together, those 40 airports cover roughly 70% of U.S. flights, so yes, even if you’re in Hicksville, you feel it.
🌎 Bookmark these trackers
FlightAware’s Misery Map. It’s a look at flight delays and cancellations across the U.S. Green means “so far so good,” red means you’re in for a wait. Bookmark it, check the hub you’ll fly through, and consider building in extra time.
Live Cancellation Tracker. It shows flights being cancelled so if you see your carrier flagged, it’s time to re‑check your itinerary or call ahead.
📱 Your flightmare survival plan
Book the first flight of the day. Yea, it’s a bummer, but flights departing before 9 a.m. are about twice as likely to fly as those later in the day.
Download your airline’s app now. This is your fastest route to real‑time rebooks and alerts. In there, check the seat map. Oddly empty flight = higher risk of cancellation. Full flight = safer bet.
Use the MyTSA app. Get live security wait times, so you’re not stuck in a five‑hour shuffle line that’s already happening.
Know your rights. If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed due to the cuts, you’re legally entitled to a cash refund, not just some future credit. You may also be entitled to hotel vouchers, meal credits, or even a full refund, but only when you ask. Pro tip: Ask the airline to “protect” you on the next flight out. That means reserving a spot even if the system hasn’t auto-rebooked you yet.
Have a Plan B. Rental car one‑way pickups are up 20% right now. Trains or even a longer drive might save your holiday.
✈️ Pass this on: Know someone flying soon? Don’t leave them grounded. Forward this post before they end up sleeping in an airport chair with their neck at a 90-degree angle. Sharing this could save a trip, a holiday or at least someone’s sanity. And hey, we’ve all got that one friend who needs the reminder to download the airline app before they get to the gate.
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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Backup before it’s gone
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THE KIM KOMANDO SHOW
The rise of the ‘infinite workday’
What time did you really log off last night? 8? 10? If you feel like you’re never off, you’re not imagining it. Plus, caller Steven wants to vet who his kid’s dating. Can he run a stealth background check? Also: your boss’s phone gripe, Whole Foods goes processed and a laundry-folding bot.
🎧 Or listen now on your favorite platform:
WEB WATERCOOLER
🔐 Seriously? Hey, quick check: Is your go‑to password “123456,” “password” or something equally predictable? If so, you’re not alone (in a bad way). It turns out that even in 2025, a study of over 2 billion leaked passwords found “123456” still appears about 7.6 million times. It’s the digital equivalent of putting a sticky note on your forehead that says “rob me.” You need a password manager. I use NordPass, just $1.24/month.*
Meet your new keyboard: Don’t shoot the messenger, but we might be talking, not typing, to our computers soon. Yammering into laptops while they jot it down. Some fancy study says by 2028, voice AI’s taking over at work (paywall link). Emails? Spoken. Reports? Dictated. Hope you like the sound of your own voice.
🧠 Drive to text: Elon Musk says Tesla may soon let you text while driving, because the self-driving is getting that good. “That’s what people already do,” he told shareholders. Well, he’s not wrong, but don’t text behind the wheel. Though the law still says keep your eyes on the road, Elon’s betting the tech will do fine without you. Yeah, much like the Tesla’s full self-driving mode that has killed people.
Don’t click that pic: Heads up! There’s a new WhatsApp scam where random numbers send you a photo with “Is this you?” Spoiler alert: It’s not you. Don’t open it. That image is loaded with hidden malware. One tap, and hackers can break into your phone, grab your data, even blackmail you. Turn off auto-downloads now, and don’t trust random “friends.”
🧴 Clear eyes, small words: You know that age-related blurry-near-vision thing you’ve either heard about or experienced? It’s called presbyopia, and 128 million Americans deal with it. Well, turns out there’s a potential fix. Vizz eye drops shrink your pupils for sharper close-up vision, like built-in squint mode, and they just got FDA approval. It gives me WD-40 but for your eyeballs vibes.
DIGITAL LIFE HACK
Faking receipts with AI
This goes way beyond stealing pens or notepads at work. There’s a new way to cheat the system.
DEALS OF THE DAY
👩🍳 Fall flavors, zero fuss
Whether it’s Thanksgiving dinner or a quick lunch break, I’ve got you.
🍏 Slice & dice: Fullstar Original Pro Chopper (40% off)
Chop onions without tears. Razor-sharp blades make prepping stuffing, soups, casseroles, salads and roasted veggies almost effortless. Viral on TikTok for a reason.
Image: Fullstar
🥣 Powerful space-saver: From frothing milk to whipping cake batter, this immersion blender (45% off) replaces five tools in one sleek design.
Macros made simple: Get a smart food scale (23% off) that tracks what’s in over a million foods. Open the app, scan the barcode and weigh.
🍳 Your nonstick ninjas: Hotec’s spatula set (30% off) can handle temps of up to 600°F. Perfect for flipping eggs, burgers, fish, you name it.
Bye-bye, fast-food lines: An electric lunch box (21% off) heats up your leftovers in 30 minutes or less. Comes with a stainless steel container.
😋 Click, cook, repeat: Find 30+ more gadgets on my Amazon shop. You’ll feel like a five-star chef at home.
DEVICE ADVICE
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Chromebook slowing down? Try a Powerwash. Go to Settings > System Preferences > Reset and follow the prompts. It’ll erase everything on your laptop, so back up your files to Carbonite or an external HDD first.
What’s new in iOS 26.1: You can disable the lock screen camera shortcut. Go to Settings > Camera > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera and turn off the gesture. If you’ve ever opened your camera while pulling your iPhone from your pocket, this one’s for you. Bonus: Live Translation now supports Japanese, Korean, Italian and Chinese.
📝 Check changes in Google Docs: Need to see who changed what? Go to File > Version history > See version history to view every edit and who made it. You can also roll back to an older version if something went sideways.
Block the bad guys: Facebook Marketplace is crawling with scammers. When you spot multiple sketchy listings from the same account, go to Seller details > Report > Block to keep them off your feed. If someone in a Group is doing the same thing, open their profile and block them, too.
🌗 Windows has built-in dark mode: If you’ve just installed it, you’ll see light mode across your system and apps. To change it, go to Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your mode. From there, select Dark or try Custom to set Windows and your apps separately. You can always adjust certain apps in their own settings.
📶 Stay private wherever you connect: Internet providers can see (and sell) what you do online. I use ExpressVPN to stop that. It encrypts everything, hides your location and keeps you anonymous on any device with one tap. Get 4 extra months free at ExpressVPN.com/Kim.*
WHAT THE TECH?
Image: Bart van Overbeeke
🍼 Mother of innovation
This is wild. Get ready for the most useful bubble wrap ever.
Dutch startup AquaWomb is developing an AI liquid-filled incubator that mimics the uterus, using artificial amniotic fluid, oxygen sensors and 3D models to keep preemies growing outside the body. They call it a “birth bag.”
They’re currently testing with a manikin baby before moving to animal trials. I can’t wait for an adult human-size one, I could use a vacation.
LOGGING OUT …
🤠 The answer: A) The twang helps the voice carry through background noise. There’s actually science behind that sweet “twang.” It changes the shape of your vocal tract, boosting certain frequencies that cut through sound clutter. That’s why singers can slice through a noisy honky-tonk without shouting. Think of it like Mother Nature’s version of a megaphone.
One for the road: Why can’t you improve the efficiency of wind farms by playing country music around them? Because they’re really big heavy metal fans. (lol)
⚠️ You need this: I wouldn’t put my name behind something that doesn’t work. I use Carbonite myself because when everything goes wrong, and eventually it will, I need to know my files are safely stored in the cloud. At 50% off, there’s no excuse.
Tomorrow, the top 5 places to land an AI side hustle to make money. This is the #1 free tech newsletter in the United States.
✨ Today’s a blank slate. Make one tiny decision your future self will thank you for. You got this! — Kim
📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Send your friends to GetKim.com
Photo credit(s): Bing Image Creator, Fullstar, Bart van Overbeeke
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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