📱 Scan at your own risk

Welcome to your Monday, {{first_name | friend}}. Ever wish your shoestring marketing budget worked like magic? Welcome to the internet in 1994. It was the Wild West, full of dial-up tones and digital dreams. One clever founder figured out how to go viral before “viral” was a thing.

Guess what Hotmail cofounder Sabeer Bhatia did to promote a free email service on the cheap: A) Stickers on payphones, B) A line of text at the bottom of every email, C) Free branded pens or D) Radio ads disguised as music. Answer’s chilling at the end.

👂 Struggling to hear? Custom-fit hearing aids with expert guidance and a 45-day risk-free trial help you hear clearly, follow every conversation and reconnect with friends and family, so you never miss a moment again. More info on that below! — Kim

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

The other day, I needed to round up every single email about the never-ending trouble we’ve had with our pool builder. We’re talking years of back-and-forth, buried in thousands of emails. Doing it manually would have taken me days and put me in a really nasty bad mood as I was reliving the horror.

Cue the angels.

Instead, I connected my Gmail with GPT-5, asked it to pull every relevant email and then summarize, categorize and put them in order. Eleven minutes later, I had a decent color-coded timeline. About 40 minutes and several prompts after that, I had something to run with. 

That’s when it hit me … GPT-5 isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a power tool for your brain. Now, it’s far from perfect, but here’s what you can try:

Got a giant stack of paperwork? Get the AI version of “I skimmed it so you don’t have to.” GPT-5 can read thousands of pages in one go.

Example: Say you’re knee-deep in seven years of HOA meeting notes. Just upload the lot, then ask, “Find every mention of landscaping fees, and summarize the decisions.” 

Also great for insurance policies or NDAs. Try, “GPT, are there potential ‘gotchas’ I should be aware of in this doc?” You’ll get your answer before your coffee cools.

Mix and match PDFs, Word docs, Excel sheets, even images. GPT-5 reads them all and connects the dots.

Example: If you run a small business, you can upload supplier contracts, sales spreadsheets and scanned invoices, then ask, “Match each invoice to its supplier, and flag anything over budget.”

It can search, sort and summarize mountains of info instantly.

Example: Fighting with a school district about bus routes? Upload all your emails or connect your Gmail and ask GPT-5 to put them in order, group by topic, and summarize. Boom, an instant, easy-to-read timeline for your next meeting.

Start a project in the morning, come back later, and GPT-5 remembers where you left off.

Example: Working on a family history book? Upload letters and photos in the morning, then return hours later and say, “Write the section about Aunt Linda’s wedding.” GPT-5 knows exactly what you mean.

It can pull from the internet and your files at the same time.

Example: Upload your brokerage statement, then say, “Find the latest news on these companies, and summarize risks.” You’ll get a personalized market report in seconds.

If you’ve ever wished you had a full-blown mental exoskeleton, personal researcher, analyst and organizer rolled into one, GPT-5 is pretty close. Learn more about connecting your Gmail, Outlook, Drive and more with GPT-5 right here on OpenAI’s site.

🔨 Meanwhile at Home Depot the other day, I asked an orange-aproned assistant to show me where the nails were located. Once there, he asked, “How long do you need them?” I said, “I’m planning on keeping them for a long time.” Such a bummer when one of your best lines is wasted on someone who doesn’t get it.

Now use the share icons below with someone you know will get why they need to use GPT-5 for a project. They’ll thank you!

Those short clips for TikTok? They’re super lucrative. Mall food tests drone delivery, Amazon sells used cars, and an AI boyfriend gives a real engagement ring. Don’t miss it!

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

📱 Scan at your own risk: Do not be among the 73% of Americans who scan QR codes without checking them, or one of the 26 million who landed on malicious sites. Scammers slap stickers on parking meters, utility bills, even mystery packages, anywhere you might casually scan without thinking. One quick scan can send you to a fake payment portal, install malware or steal your logins in seconds. Welcome to “quishing,” where every innocent-looking QR code could be a booby trap. Never trust a QR code you didn’t expect.

Wyoming’s AI power grab: A new, unnamed AI facility in Wyoming is about to use five times more electricity than the state’s human population. It’s starting at 1.8 GW and could hit 10, which is over 5x the power consumption of state households. OpenAI won’t confirm if it’s theirs. Everyone’s nervous. Wyoming’s like: Yeehaw, thanks for the revs.

👀 Interviews go analog: AI cheating has gotten so bad, big names like Google, Cisco and McKinsey are dragging job interviews back into the real world (paywall link). Forget whispering to ChatGPT off-screen, now you have to sweat under fluorescent lights like it’s 2015 again. In case you forgot, the real world is like Zoom, but with pants.

Not a waste of space: If you’ve been eyeing Starlink for internet access, prices just dropped in some U.S. markets. Residential plans are $99 a month (down from $120), and the Lite plan starts at $65 (was $80), depending on where you live. The dish is now $175, about half what I paid. I hate being an early adopter.

🤯 Fake YouTubia: A Wired report found at least 120 YouTube channels cranking out AI-generated celeb drama, like phony talk show fights using still images and robotic voice-overs. One video shows Mark Wahlberg getting roasted on The View. Didn’t happen. This isn't fake news, it’s full-on delusion theater. 

⚠️ Crypto vultures circling: The FBI says scammers are dressing up as lawyers to target people already burned by crypto fraud. They dangle “fund recovery” promises, then demand up-front crypto or gift cards. Victims get dumped into staged WhatsApp groups with fake bankers before losing even more money. These guys make MLMs look like charity work. 

Don’t live in fear: Get the best home protection with no wires or contracts, and setup takes just 30 minutes. You’ll get sensors, HD cameras and 24/7 monitoring. Right now, get 50% off a new system when you sign up for a professional monitoring plan.*

It’s not just for maps. You can build a visual scrapbook of your trips, complete with photos, notes and slideshows. So neat!

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

👩‍🍳 Forget Gordon Ramsay. These gadgets bring the fun and the flavor.

🎁 Not sure what to grab? An Amazon gift card never disappoints. Then see what else is cooking on my storefront.

Protect your privacy without lifting a finger: Tired of your personal data floating around online? Incogni scrubs it from data brokers and people-search sites. Get 60% off with my exclusive offer. They’ll take down info about you on specific sites, too!*

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Printer acting weird? Unplug it, hold the power button for 15 seconds, then plug it back in. This clears its memory and often fixes common errors. Ink-credible.

Open multiple app windows on iPad: You can run two instances of the same app for better multitasking. For example, in Mail, tap the three dots at the top of the screen, select New Window, and another Mail window will open. Now swipe along the bottom to check one email while working on another.

📂 Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: Keep three copies of your important files — two in different types of storage and one stored off-site. For example, save the originals on your computer, another copy on an external hard drive or USB stick, and the last one in cloud storage online. Overkill? Maybe. Covered? Always.

🕒 Stay focused on Windows 11: Need to work without distractions? Go to Settings > System > Focus. Set your Session duration, and choose options like Do Not Disturb or Hiding taskbar flashes. When you’re ready, click Start focus session, and a timer will begin in the Clock app to keep you on track.

💻 Share your Chromebook safely: If someone needs to borrow your Chromebook, turn on Guest Mode, so they can’t access your personal data. Sign out, then on the login screen, select Browse as Guest at the bottom, and hit Accept and continue. FYI: Remind them that downloads and bookmarks won’t be saved.

$20,000+
What some parents are dropping to make a dorm room look like a boutique hotel. Yep, for the price of a good used car, your college freshman can nap under velvet and study beneath a pink chandelier. “Dormcore” just got its luxury rebrand, and it starts with monogrammed towels. Also includes emotional support, really! 

54%
That’s how many U.S. adults still drink, the fewest since your grandparents were sneaking moonshine. From 1997 to 2023, the rate chilled in the low 60s, then dropped to 58% last year, and now this. Turns out, hangovers and health risks are a bad combo, especially for younger adults, who are increasingly swapping beers for mocktails.

After age 40
Your brain loses about 5% of its volume every decade, making it harder to remember details. One way to fight back? Learn a musical instrument (paywall link). It stimulates memory, coordination and problem-solving all at once, building new neurons and pathways. After all, you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish.

Wheelie ahead of its time

Cadillac just unveiled its most unhinged concept car yet, and I love it.

The Elevated Velocity, yes, that’s its real name, is a futuristic electric crossover designed to show what happens when luxury, tech and zero-emissions performance go full sci-fi. 

Picture gull wing doors (they open upward, not outward, like the wings of a seagull mid-flap), red light therapy in the cabin, a deployable steering wheel for “Velocity Mode,” and tech that lets you see through sandstorms.

It’s part spaceship, part spa day, part Escalade on Mars. 

🤣 How do you get your Cadillac to the second level of a mall? You use the Escalader.

The answer: B) A line of text at the bottom of every email. In 1994, Hotmail cofounder Sabeer Bhatia added, “Get your free email at Hotmail” to the bottom of every message, turning users into accidental marketers and signing up 12 million people in 18 months. 

Reminds me of the time my mom called me all serious, and asked, “Kim, how do I get rid of this ‘Sent from my iPhone’ thing at the bottom of my emails? Apple’s not paying me to do their marketing.” She was brilliant. Is someone cutting onions over here? 

Before you go: Don’t miss another word. Custom-fit hearing aids with expert support and a 45-day risk-free trial let you follow every conversation, enjoy every moment and reconnect with the people you love.

🎧 Miss my show this past weekend? Catch up with my podcast. Each episode is about 30 minutes, perfect for a walk or your commute. Same tech smarts, same fun, ready whenever you are. Or do this: “Alexa, play the most recent Kim Komando Show podcast.” 

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S., and it’s here to keep your inbox smart and spicy. Tomorrow, I’m exposing the great smart car letdown.

Until then, remember you’re the boss of your tech, not the other way around. You got whatever comes your way today. 🥹 — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Share this email with friends (or copy URL here)

Photo credit(s): Bing Image Creator, Cadillac

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.

Missed something? View past issues

Join the lists for my weekly small biz and cryptocurrency newsletters!