🚩 Six silent signs your computer is infected

Here’s to a very happy Sunday, {{first_name | friend}}. The long weekend is winding down, but the winning isn’t. My Christmas Cash Giveaway, powered by Incogni, is in full swing. Every day, I pick one subscriber of this newsletter to win a $100, $200 or $500 Amazon gift card. Check at the bottom to see if today’s winner is you.

First, a little trivia to increase your tech prowess. Before screens took over, when the only scrolling you did was with papyrus, one of tech’s biggest crowd-pleasers was first and foremost designed to make Scripture easier to read. What was the invention: A) The audiobook, B) The e-ink display, C) The pocket radio or D) The first font library? The answer awaits at the end, but don’t scroll too fast.

📺 Want to see what you hear every weekend? Head to my YouTube channel! It’s packed with show highlights and fun shorts. Plus, you get exclusive tech tips that don’t make it into the newsletter. Click now and upgrade your screen time with video content that actually matters. It’s the best way to catch up on the fun! — Kim

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“Kim, I pride myself on being internet smart. Yesterday, in the heat of hunting for a specific sold-out gift, I got sloppy. I saw a link for a ‘Flash Sale’ that looked legit. I clicked it, and a pop-up flashed, my browser started acting erratic and my PC is slow now. And suddenly single Asian ladies want to date me! I’m a married man!” — Paul in Missouri

Oh Paul, you’re in trouble. Your computer is definitely waving major red flags. 

🚩 Slower than a snail on dial-up. If your computer suddenly crawls, something is eating system resources. Malware is high on the list.

🚩 Pop-ups from the underworld. Random pop-ups, fake virus alerts and sketchy ads are classic malware signs. Don’t click them. That’s like inviting the burglar inside.

🚩 Programs you never installed. Malware loves company. It often installs junk without asking. Scroll through installed programs on your computer. If something looks shady, it probably is. Remove any that you find.

🚩 Your home page has an identity crisis. If your search engine or home page suddenly switches, you’re dealing with a browser hijacker trying to redirect you to scammy sites. Remove suspicious extensions and reset default browser settings.

🚩 Your firewall shuts itself off. Malware sometimes disables them to sneak around unnoticed. Note, I checked these steps below but depending on your OS, make, model and if you’re kind to small animals, they may be a little different for you.

Windows: Settings > Update & Security > Firewall & network protection
Mac: System Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Windows Firewall

🚩 Your data is skyrocketing for no reason. Big spikes can mean your machine is quietly sending all kinds of info to who-knows-where. Check it here:

Windows: Task Manager > Resource Monitor > Network
Mac: Activity Monitor > View > Dock Icon > Show Network Usage

Malware rarely fixes itself. Sometimes removing one bad program stops the bleeding. But please, skip the “free antivirus” searches. That’s where even more malware hides.

If your gut says something is off, trust it. Clean up your machine before it takes your files, your passwords, your money and your sanity along with it. Plus, it’ll kick those “single ladies” to the curb faster than your wife would have.

If you’re in the market for AV software, TotalAV, a sponsor of my radio show, is a solid pick to stay ahead of hackers and malware. You can use it to remove what is on your computer and make sure you don’t get hit again. It blocks malware, flags dangerous sites and keeps your system running smoothly without making you jump through hoops. You don’t need to be a tech expert to stay protected.

✅ Right now, protect up to five devices for $19 for the first year.

“South Korea” autocorrects to “Puppet State.” Or at least it does in North Korea. A YouTuber takes a look at two smartphones smuggled out of the country. Then, a shocking call from Troy in Utah. His niece is being catfished. She’s sent the scammer $500,000. Plus: A rising Amazon scam, AI pricing bots and TikTok pranks gone wild.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now wherever you get your podcasts, search for “Komando.”

🚨 Roblox’s predator problem: This whole mess is shameful. A 22-year-old named Schlep spent two years tracking alleged predators after being groomed himself, and instead of listening, Roblox banned his accounts and sent him a cease-and-desist. You can’t cover your butt by banning Batman. There’s a whole #FreeSchlep movement and even protests inside Roblox. Oh, and multiple states are lining up to sue Roblox for failing to protect kids. It’s hard not to see the priorities here.

The consciousness myth: Have you ever tried asking ChatGPT whether or not it’s conscious? Spoiler alert, it typically says no. But New York Magazine profiled a woman in Ohio who’s convinced it is. She chats with it about movies, religion, history, everything. I get why it feels real, but it’s not. It’s an extremely charming illusion built out of math, not feelings. Let’s be real, if ChatGPT were conscious, it wouldn’t answer at 3 a.m. without complaining even a little bit.

💲 How much are you paying a month for your phone? Maybe you’re like me and you never really check your bill. It’s on autopay. Shocker. I bet you’re paying more than you think. I was. If you’re over 50, get two unlimited lines for only $30 each line, and save another $25 when you use my link. It’s def worth looking at now while you’re thinking about it. Mike told me he’s saving $75/month, or $900/year, and the customer service reps made switching a piece of cake. Love that.*

Update your Asus router: If you’ve got an Asus DSL-AC51, DSL-AC750 or DSL-N16, stop what you’re doing and update it. That little five-minute detour can save you from a hacker turning your Wi-Fi into their personal playground. Open the Asus Router app or log into the router’s web panel > go to Administration > Firmware Upgrade > install the 1.1.2.3_1010 update. Change your password for good measure. 

Target practice: While Amazon and Walmart are flexing their AI muscles, Target’s taking a totally different route. They’re pouring $5 billion into bigger stores, nicer layouts and better in-person experiences. Sales have been dragging for years, but Gen Z actually prefers real shopping for beauty and “discovery,” so Target’s leaning into that. Call me crazy, but I miss shopping in person, too.

🎵 This never hertz: I know it sounds totally woo-woo, but hear me out. Scientists found that 528 Hz, the so-called love frequency, actually lowered stress hormones after a few minutes of listening. Cortisol dropped, oxytocin rose, the whole body unclenched. With how overstimulated we all are, five minutes of a single tone feels like the adult version of a time-out. One guy in the comments said it reduced his tremors by 80%. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Sam Altman and design legend Jony Ive are teaming up to build the “next big thing.” Can it disrupt the market, or is it hype? Plus, CAPTCHAs are getting harder, bossware is booming, and one lucky guy mines $270,000 in Bitcoin all by himself.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or listen now wherever you get your podcasts, search for “Komando.”

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On any web page (iPhone/Android/PC/Mac), use the Print Menu and look for the option to Save as PDF. It instantly strips the page of ads and saves a clean, offline document. Incredible, right?

Windows desktop, no snooping: Hide all your file and app icons in seconds. Right-click on the desktop, go to View and uncheck Show desktop icons. Bonus: If you want things to look less obvious, go back to View and switch icons to Medium or Small for a more subtle layout.

Listening to podcasts on iPhone? In the Podcasts app, you can set the playback speed for each show individually. Open the show’s page, tap the ellipsis icon in the top right, and hit Settings. Under Speed & Audio Adjustments, select Custom for This Show, then pick your speed.

Stop paying Microsoft: If you only use Word or Excel once awhile to write a letter or check a budget, stop paying $99 a year for Microsoft 365. Get this free full office suite that looks and feels just like an older version of Office. It opens, edits, and saves Microsoft files perfectly.

🗑️ Accidentally delete a file on your Android? Most modern Android phones have a hidden Recycle Bin inside the Files app. It holds deleted photos, videos and documents for up to 30 days. It’s your free digital safety net. Here’s how to find it.

Shop: I put together two awesome tech gift lists. If you’re looking for gifts to impress, I’ve got you covered. Check out this one for guys and gals and another for everything under $50.

🎼 Make a melody: Type a song idea, genre and chords, and get a royalty-free melody. Yea, the name of the site really is logic balls.

Fold: Master the art of paper planes. Seriously, some of these are aerodynamic weapons.

☄️ Watch NASA’s free documentary: It’s about how they protect the Earth from deadly asteroids. 

🚶🏼‍♀️ Take me on a walk: Click to listen to my latest show on Apple, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. I also make chores go by faster!

A humanoid robot in China walked 66 miles in three days without stopping, earning a Guinness record and making every smartwatch owner feel lazy.

This motivated pedestrian, the AgiBot A2, has a battery that only lasts three hours. How did it pull it off? It’s all thanks to its hot-swap system that keeps it moving nonstop. I wish I could swap my battery out midday. 

So congratulations, robots are walking ultra marathons while you refuse to park more than three spots from Costco’s entrance.

The answer: B) The e-ink display. It was originally developed to mimic paper for lower eyestrain reading, perfect for long Scripture sessions. Early designers were focused less on Amazon bestsellers and more on the Good Book.

🧐 Did you know there are two great financial geniuses in the Bible? One was Noah, who floated his stock while everyone else had to go into liquidation. The other one was the pharaoh’s daughter who went to the bank of the Nile and drew out a prophet. (Ok, that one was pretty darn good!)

Tomorrow, I’m peeling back the AI bubble bust, market wobble and why Nvidia’s acting like it’s the main act holding Coachella together. This is the #1 tech newsletter in the United States, which makes you pretty smart for subscribing. I mean, it is free, but it is also great!

📶 Seek out the connections that give you a strong, clear signal. You deserve to be in a place where you feel fully received. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Gemini, Runbox, AgiBot

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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.