🚨 TransUnion hacked

👋 It’s Friday, {{first_name | friend}}. Way back when Bluetooth was a scrappy young lad still proving itself, engineers needed a way to test how wireless signals travel through the human-ish head. Yes, really. And since actual human guinea pigs are a no-go (legalities, ethics, blah blah), they found a truly bizarre stand-in from the “science or satire?” aisle.

Guess what they used to test wireless signal absorption: Was it a … A) watermelon, B) roast pork, C) mannequin head filled with Jell-O, or D) bucket of fried chicken? Find the signal at the end! 

🌟 Feeling drained? Try NativePath Collagen to help restore that natural glow. Fuel your body, so you can power through your day feeling, and looking, great. Now, get 45% off with free shipping, a free sample pack of Collagen PM and a free bonus frother today! I take it every day. — Kim

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

Ashley in Washington asks:

“Kim, do I really need identity theft protection? I used to have LifeLock years ago and dumped it because they constantly were selling me other things. I heard you say on your radio show that you use NordProtect now. Why? How is any of this different than freezing your credit? Love your show and newsletter!”

You’re asking a smart question, Ashley, and you’re not alone in wondering. Let’s break it down.

Freezing your credit is smart, and I recommend everyone do it. A credit freeze keeps criminals from opening new accounts in your name. And heck, it’s free! 

Here’s how to do it at the four credit reporting agencies.

Once you’ve placed the freeze, you set a PIN or password to temporarily lift or remove it. Make sure you keep this info in a safe place.

But that’s just one layer of protection. It does nothing when thieves get into your existing bank accounts, credit cards, email, or if your Social Security number or medical records end up on the dark web.

I used LifeLock years ago, too. They were the first big name in ID theft protection. But like you, I got tired of the upselling and prices increasing. 

You sign up, then every alert or feature seems to require “upgrading” to yet another tier. It's like joining a gym where they charge you monthly and then $10 per dumbbell. No thank you. And LifeLock isn’t cheap. Their top plans can run $30 or more per month per adult.

NordProtect is different, better and, yes, cheaper at $5.22 per month. It’s straightforward, no games. 

Monitoring

Sure, they monitor your credit activity, but they go beyond that. NordProtect constantly scans the dark web for your personal data (think email addresses, SSNs, bank details, etc.) and sends you real alerts if something shows up.

Insurance

They offer $1 million in identity theft insurance, plus $50,000 for cyber extortion and up to $10,000 in fraud or scam losses. If the worst happens, you’re paired with a real U.S.-based restoration expert to help clean up the mess. That’s huge peace of mind.

Home title protection

Criminals file fake deeds and transfer homeownership without you even knowing it. NordProtect monitors your property records, alerts you if anything changes and helps fix it before it snowballs. That’s not something LifeLock includes in its standard plan.

✅ Check out NordProtect, and if you decide to use it like I am, you can save 65% with my show’s exclusive offer.

He said “I do” to an AI ... while still married. Your AI host George tells the strange story, plus a tragic ChatGPT lawsuit, hackers using Claude, and AI-powered insurance appeals. Yes, looks like AI isn’t going anywhere.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

🚨 TransUnion hacked: We all have a record here, whether we want it or not. More than 4.4 million customers had their personal data swiped from the credit bureau. The company says “no credit info was accessed” but hasn’t shared what was stolen, who’s behind it or if demands were made. You have to know they took important details like your name, DOB, SSN and other goodies. So take this news as a need for you to change your TransUnion PIN and password. Never stops.

Samsung wants to blow up: Samsung’s begging you to watch at the crack of dawn on Sept. 4, 5:30 a.m. ET all the new gear that they’re rolling out, like the Tab S11 (MediaTek-powered snoozefest, but monster battery) and the S25 FE, which is basically last year’s phone with a slightly better selfie cam. Yawn. 

📱 Check your Android apps: Google doesn’t care or else they would do something about this continuing problem. They just pulled 77 malicious apps with 19 million installs (!!!) from the Play Store. They were serving up an unholy trinity of spyware, malware and trojans that can steal your texts, passwords and drain your bank account. Most were disguised as “tools” or “photo apps” with names like “Document Reader – File Manager.” Check your phone, like, now.

Accepting faxed résumés: Job hunting’s turned into a cat-and-mouse game with AI. Résumés look polished, cover letters sound the same, and employers can’t tell who’s real. So they’re ditching the bots, asking for paper résumés, surprise in-person tests and even flying people out. If you’re job hunting, showing real human effort will beat the AI polish. 

🏈 Free NFL on YouTube: This year, YouTube is streaming the first Friday game between the Chiefs and Chargers on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch on the YouTube home page or the official NFL channel. Bonus: month-to-month NFL Sunday Ticket plans. New fans: $85/month. Returning fans: $115/month with YouTube TV, or $145/month on YouTube. New is better, obviously.

Poor Mark Zuckerberg can’t catch a break: The man-child has spent $110M buying 11 homes in Palo Alto to build a personal fortress complete with a pickleball court, “bat cave” basement and private school. After eight years of nonstop construction, frustrated neighbors got a peace offering. He actually gave them noise-canceling headphones. Because nothing says “sorry for ruining your street” like a $300 pair of earbuds. Oh, also donuts.

Old letters and notes don’t have to fade. Snap a photo with your phone and instantly turn handwriting into editable, shareable text. Try it now.

Listen on Komando.com →

Your passport to charging. Juices up to five gadgets at once in 150+ countries. One less thing to stress about at the gate.

😴 Memory foam neck pillow (20% off): Long flight? Sleep like you’re in first class. Comes with an eye mask, earplugs and a handy bag.

🧳 Hanging toiletry bag (33% off): Bye-bye, messy counters. Zips up and can hang on towel racks, doorknobs or hooks like a mini shelf.

🧼 Antibacterial soap sheets (17% off): Pocket-size and TSA-friendly. These are perfect for camping or those icky highway rest stops.

🌬️ Vacuum storage bags (44% off, 16-pack): Overpackers, I got you. There’s even a hand pump included for your trip home. Neat.

✈️ Before you take off: Travel smart, not heavier. See the full list of Labor Day travel steals on my Amazon storefront.

Share your phone’s internet: Turn your mobile data into Wi-Fi for other devices. On iPhone, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle Allow Others to Join. On Android, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Then, on your laptop or tablet, open Wi-Fi settings and connect to your phone’s hotspot name.

🎮 Protect your kids on Discord: You can filter out NSFW images sent from strangers, friends and server channels. Go to User Settings > Content & Social > Content and Block everything under Mature Sexual Media and Graphic Media. While you’re there, scroll to Direct Message spam, and toggle Filter all.

Check your doctor’s ties: Wondering if your doctor’s advice is really unbiased? They might be getting paid by Big Pharma. Search your health care provider in the U.S. government’s Open Payments database. You’ll see exactly which drug or medical device companies have paid them, and how much.

⌨️ Add a touch keyboard in Windows 11: Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > System tray icons and set Touch keyboard to Always. A keyboard icon will appear on your Taskbar. Click it to type with your mouse, or hit the settings icon inside the pop-up to switch to Handwriting with your finger or stylus.

Over 1 million reposts
That’s what Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement announcement pulled in, breaking Instagram’s record. The post hit the milestone in just six hours and has already racked up more than 33 million likes. The couple had been dating for about two years before Kelce popped the question. Swifties, you can finally breathe.

21
The number of UFO cases the Pentagon flat-out couldn’t explain last year. One crowdsourced platform, Enigma, logged 8,000+ UFO sightings in the U.S since December 2022 alone. The Pentagon’s UFO office dismissed most sightings as explainable (birds, drones, balloons), but 21 cases remain unresolved. Cue X-Files theme song.

293.54 mph
Speeds hit by China’s BYD U9, claiming EV hypercar supremacy. So it turns out Yangwang’s engineering marvel U9 casually obliterated the speed charts. It didn’t just nudge the status quo; it demolished it. Anyone up for some electric NASCAR?

For under $6K, you can own a humanoid robot with 26 joints, some sass and a smaller waist than Kim Kardashian.

It’s called the Unitree R1, and what can it actually do? 

Well ... it walks, waves, does cartwheels and throws in a few TikTok-ready gestures, all on about an hour of battery life before it face-plants like your uncle after his third Thanksgiving IPA.

Sure, right now, it’s stuck doing scripted routines and novelty tricks. But this is a big moment. Humanoid robots are getting cheaper, more agile and just useful enough to maybe carry your groceries, or at least dramatically trip over them.

✅ The answer: B) A crown roast of pork. Yep, Bluetooth’s creators used a literal hunk of meat to mimic the water-and-fat content of the human head while testing signal absorption. 

Ah, science, it’s not always sterile tubes and sterile rooms. Sometimes it’s almost a barbecue when the steaks are high. 🥩 

💡 Quick tip: NativePath Collagen is my go-to for healthy hair, skin and joints. Right now, your order includes a FREE sample pack of Collagen PM for deeper, more restful sleep! Grab it now while you can!

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the USA. Tomorrow, I’m breaking down the best way to set up your devices, keeping you and personal safety in mind. Share the love! Forward this email to just one person. It’s the easiest way to upgrade their inbox, debug their digital life and install a few daily laughs, no tech support required. 

🤩 That’s all for today. Go live a story worth telling. — Kim

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

Photo credit(s): ChatGPT, TESSAN, Unitree

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!