😱 Your photos, gone? This is happening right now

Tuesday is here, {{first_name | friend}}. I hope you had a lovely Labor Day weekend. Did you know that your brain is a serious calorie-burner? 

🧠 Your brain is a total power hog. It burns 400 to 500 calories a day moving muscles, processing what you see, reacting to sounds. But when you’re learning something new, your brain kicks into high gear and burns more. So hey, if you’re dropping a few pounds while reading my free newsletter The Current, now you know why. 

🥳 Speaking of weight, a quick personal update: Today’s a big day for me. My son Ian and I just launched our newest supplement for our company, ImproveLife. It’s called GLP-1 Support, and it has six clinically studied ingredients that naturally boost your body’s own “un-hunger” hormone. That means support for curbing cravings, fat metabolism and average blood sugar levels.* I’ve been taking it for two years, and it works! As a thank-you, you’ll get 15% off, plus a free travel pill organizer when you preorder now.* More info below! — Kim

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When was the last time you logged into that old Gmail account or your photo storage app? If it’s been a while, don’t be shocked if all your stuff is gone for good.

Most tech companies have policies that let them totally wipe out your account and everything in it if you haven’t signed in for a while. This could mean losing years of family photos, important emails and priceless memories. Yeah, that’s bad.

It happened to Andrew, my podcast cohost. He stored thousands and thousands of family photos on Shutterfly. One day, he went to log in and all those photos were nowhere to be found. No warning, no “are you sure?” Just deleted.

For starters, these deadly time-outs mostly apply to free accounts. Paid plans usually buy you more time, but not always. Sometimes you’ll get an email telling you to log in or else, but don’t count on it. 

I put together this list for you so you know the dates your account could go into the intergalactic bit bucket.

Take one minute, log into that dusty old account and hit send on an email to yourself. Yes, even that backup inbox from 2009 where your only messages are spam and a Chili’s coupon. 

👋 Know someone who hasn’t logged into that old Yahoo or Gmail account in a while? Forward this to them. It might save years of photos, emails and digital memories from disappearing into the void. Because if you don’t, poof, your digital memories could vanish faster than a Zoom invite on a Friday afternoon.

Dan from Denver, Colorado, called the legit United Airlines to rebook a flight. Somewhere along the way, his call was handed off … to a scammer. He lost $17,000. Plus, smart glasses that are always watching and a plane that can land itself.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

📞 Nice try, scam daddy: Heads up, if your phone rings and it says “Google Support” (+1-650-253-0000), don’t pick up. Hackers are spoofing Google’s real number, pretending to be tech support, and tricking people into resetting their Gmail password. Do that, and you’re locked out of your own inbox. Google swears they’ll never call you, so just hang up and check your account yourself.

Murder by prompt: In what may be the first AI-fueled murder-suicide, a former Yahoo exec in Connecticut killed his mother, then himself after spiraling into delusions he shared with his “best friend Bobby” who wasn’t human. “Bobby” was his pet name for ChatGPT. The bot encouraged his paranoia, called him sane, validated conspiracy theories and even analyzed Chinese takeout for “demonic messages.” OpenAI is in full damage control mode, raising urgent questions about how far AI can, or should, go in mimicking friendship.

‼️ WhatsApp just got hit with a stealthy spyware attack: No clicks, no links, just boom, you’re infected. If you’re on iPhone or Mac and haven’t updated WhatsApp in the last day, do it now. This one’s next-level sneaky and initially targeted journalists, so don’t wait to find out if you’re next.

🎸 Thunderstruck the cattle patrol: To keep wolves from eating livestock, scientists are flying $20K drones that scream preloaded clips like AC/DC, gunshots and Marriage Story arguments at them. So far? It’s actually working. Wolves run. Cows live. Somewhere, a Five Finger Death Punch fan is trying to follow the drones on tour and asking where to buy merch.

🚨 Runway crash alarms: Ever wonder how pilots know if another plane’s about to cut them off on the runway? Spoiler: They don’t. Honeywell’s testing a new system that yells, “Traffic on runway” 30 and 15 seconds before disaster. Considering we had 1,664 runway oopsies last year, I’d say it’s about time planes got their own version of Waze.

Check your Facebook settings: The sinister mobile app has quietly turned on two settings that let Meta scan your phone’s entire camera roll. Nice. That means Facebook can look at your photos, even the ones you haven’t uploaded. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Camera roll sharing suggestions > and Toggle off Custom sharing suggestions from your camera roll and Get camera roll suggestions when you’re browsing Facebook. PSA: Your steps may vary, but these work for most.

🕵️ AirTagged and bagged: Guy loses his AirTag-equipped suitcase at LAX, chases the signal, finds his clothes being modeled by squatters in a condemned building not far from the airport. The bag was trashed, but he still got most of his wardrobe back, just … pre-worn. Imagine sprinting after your underwear on Find My iPhone.

Websites can still ID you using your browser’s unique fingerprint. Want to actually stay private? You’ll need this.

Listen on Komando.com →

Print anywhere, without ink drama. Just connect it to your phone or laptop, and boom, crisp 8.5” x 11” docs on the go.

🌬️ Oscillating table fan (25% off): No more sweaty Zoom calls. It’s so quiet you’ll forget it’s even there.

✨ Desktop vacuum cleaner (19% off): Clears up dust, eraser bits and all those crumbs from your snack breaks.

🪑 Lumbar support pillow (15% off): Slouch less, focus more. Easily straps right onto your office chair.

🖊️ Gel ink pens (10% off, six-pack): Use these to jot down the next big business idea on a napkin.

📦 Your digital supply run: Tap here to stock up your cart with 4-star-and-up gadgets. Explore more on my Amazon storefront.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Alexa has a Whisper Mode that replies quietly when you whisper to it. Just say, “Alexa, turn on Whisper Mode.” Great for late-night requests without waking the house.

WhatsApp’s new Writing Help: Rewrite your messages in different styles to make them sound more professional, funny (think Kim jokes) or supportive. To try it: Tap the icon on the right of the text, then the pencil icon under your message and select the tone you want.

🛠️ Troubleshooting on Windows 11: Running into issues like no sound, no internet or a printer that won’t connect? Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. You’ll see options like Audio, Network & Internet, Printer and more. Click Run next to the one giving you problems, then follow the prompts to diagnose and fix it.

🚗 Play music in older cars: If your ride doesn’t have Android Auto or CarPlay, load your favorite songs onto a USB flash drive. Plug it into your car’s radio, and as long as they’re MP3 or AAC formats, it’ll play right away. No USB port? Grab an adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter instead.

⚠️ Don’t trust every Play Store app: Harmful ones sometimes sneak past Google’s checks, and one wrong download can infect your phone. Protect yourself: Open the Play Store app, tap your Profile, go to Play Protect > Settings > General, and toggle on Scan apps with Play Protect. It’ll inspect your apps and warn you about risks.

💭 What if the fastest, most powerful cloud also cost way less? Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) packs the speed, muscle and big-league savings the smartest companies swear by, minus the usual cloud drama. See what the buzz is about, and try it free today.*

230
That’s the suspected IQ of Terence Tao, the reigning brainiac of Earth with the highest recorded IQ. The UCLA math prodigy was doing calculus while the rest of us were apparently eating glue in third grade. Now he’s published 300+ papers, 18 books and advises the U.S. president. My math teacher told me my IQ was pretty average. I thought, “That’s just mean.” 

10%
That’s the fraction of dogs who responded to a breakthrough cancer immunotherapy. Lola, a now cancer-free golden retriever, was one of them. She was given two months to live. Two years later, she’s doing victory laps. The treatment? Inhaled IL-15 immunotherapy with no side effects, just being a very good girl.

$46.7 billion
Nvidia’s Q2 revenue hit a record high, and nearly half of it came from six companies. The AI gold rush is paying off big-time, but that kind of customer concentration is the corporate equivalent of putting all your GPUs in one basket. Two customers are nearly 40%! Let’s just hope “Customer A” doesn’t speak Chinese.

🚐 Beep beep, your bananas are here!

Your grocery store just got wheels and zero chill.

Robomart’s new RM5 is basically a driverless Instacart van with climate-controlled lockers and no human in sight. Order from the app, and this electric grocery goblin loads up at the store, rolls to your house and waits patiently like a golden retriever. Tap your phone, and boom, your personal locker pops open like it’s revealing a prize on The Price Is Right.

🛒 It carries up to 500 pounds of food, hits 25 mph, makes multiple stops and doesn’t expect a tip or a thank-you. Just a flat $3 fee, which is less than the service fee Instacart charges to breathe near an avocado.

It’s part fridge, part Uber, part vending machine and 100% what-the-heck.

The future has arrived. And it’s double-parked in front of your house.

Speaking of groceries… I went to Costco the other day. When I was checking out, the cashier asked me, “Do you wanna box?” I said, “No, but I’ll wrestle you!” She didn’t even crack a smile. I walked out with 148 rolls of toilet paper and a bruised ego.

🎉 P.S. My son Ian and I just launched our newest supplement, and we’re really proud of it. It’s called GLP-1 Support, and it features six clinically studied ingredients that naturally boost your body’s own “un-hunger” hormone. It helps curb cravings, supports fat metabolism and promotes average blood sugar levels.*

✅ Preorder now and you’ll get 15% off, plus a free travel pill organizer. We’ve put a lot of heart into this, and we’re excited to finally share it with you.

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the United States. Tomorrow, I’m covering how passport stamps are going extinct because of tech.

💡 Until then, remember you’re the algorithm to your own success. Go make it happen! You can do this!  — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Send your friends to GetKim.com

Photo credit(s): Midjourney, Polono, Robomart

Companies noted with an asterisk (*) sponsor my national radio show. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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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