⌚ Your watch is watching you

Welcome to your Thursday, {{first_name | friend}}! We’ve all been ghosted by a URL. One second you’re full of hope, the next, boom, 404: Not Found. It’s the web’s version of “It’s not you, it’s me.”

❓ But “404” isn’t just a random number. There’s actually web lore behind it. Take a guess where it came from: A) Room 404 at CERN, where the first web servers lived, B) The 404th suggestion for an error name, C) Police code for “missing resource” or D) The number of times Tim Berners-Lee misplaced his keys. Answer’s at the end. No refresh button needed.

🫟 Pardon the inbox turbulence. Tech gnomes are hard at work moving my email to a shiny new provider. That means your inbox might get confused and toss me into the spam dungeon. Want to keep this good thing going? Click a few links today to remind the algorithm gods we’re in a committed relationship. — Kim

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Your smartwatch is great for counting steps and buzzing you when you’ve been sitting on your butt too long. But have you ever stopped to think where all that personal data is going?

From sleep patterns to how stressed you are on a Tuesday afternoon, it’s all being logged in a digital diary. And guess what? That diary is worth big money to advertisers, insurance companies and, of course, hackers.

One data point is no big deal, but together? You hand over a complete snapshot of your life.

1. Pick better apps: Stick to apps with solid privacy policies or ones that store your data on your device instead of the cloud.

✅ Good: CommonHealth, Gadgetbridge, HeartWatch ($9)
🚫 Nope: Talkspace, BetterHelp, MyFitnessPal

2. Turn off unnecessary tracking

3. Check your apps: There’s no good reason for your fitness app to ask for your mic or contacts. Many apps also want to sync with everything from your calendar to your social media. Don’t let them.

Now, if your employer or health insurance provider wants you to wear a tracker, ask what they’re doing with the data. Your watch should make you healthier, not turn you into a data product.

Apple just announced a bunch of health-tracking features alongside its new smartwatch lineup, and good news, you might not need to spring for a new one.

With the launch of watchOS 26 next week, the Watch Series 9 (and the last-gen Watch Ultra 2) will get hypertension notifications, live translation and the wrist-flick gesture.

👇 Share this article the easy way by using the handy icons below. More people need to be aware of this tracking.

It’s the third interstellar object ever discovered. Most astronomers dismiss it as a comet. Harvard’s Avi Loeb says too many things don’t line up. If it’s a comet, it’s moving unusually fast. Its tail looks abnormal. Its path seems too precise to be random. Is it more than rock and ice?

Listen on Komando.com →

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🙏 Where ARE the guardrails they promised? As you know, yesterday Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. The horrifying video of the attack was viewed tens of millions of times across X, Telegram, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, spreading with often no warnings, no filters and no regard for human decency. These billionaire-owned social media companies can and should do a better job with content moderation. In the past, they whined because of the sheer volume of posts, the number of people needed for moderation made it impossible. Now, AI can flag these videos for a human to review, so why aren’t they using it? My prayers are with Charlie, his wife, their two young children and his entire family, and our nation.

🚀 Golden Dome race: Varda Space nailed a capsule reentry (paywall link) in Australia, on target at hypersonic speed. Sounds nerdy, but here’s the point: The U.S. is funding a “missile shield” against future threats, and tech startups are competing to build it. Translation: Silicon Valley is shifting from dating apps to defense contracts.

Tech takes the hit: The Bureau of Labor Statistics just admitted it was off by nearly 1 million jobs last year. That’s not a typo. Tech and information roles saw some of the steepest cuts. AI’s fingerprints are all over the mess, especially in entry-level roles. The robots didn’t just come for your job, they already started clocking in.

🛸 Missile vs. UFO: Congress just dropped a wild video of a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile at a glowing orb off Yemen. The missile bounced off. I’m no military expert, but that’s not business as usual. Veterans testified they’ve seen triangles, cubes and Tic Tacs in the sky, claiming the government buried reports and retaliated against whistleblowers.

🚨 Microsoft Patch Tuesday: The latest update fixes 86 security flaws across Windows, Office, SharePoint and more. The scariest? A remote code execution bug in Microsoft’s High Performance Compute pack. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.

My pick for antivirus protection: TotalAV delivers strong, real-time protection that blocks malware, cleans junk and keeps your devices running fast. Start your first year of protection for $19 today!* 

🎙️ Talk is cheap: Startup Inception Point AI is pumping out 3,000+ AI-hosted podcast episodes a week, using AI personalities like Claire Delish and Oly Bennett. The cost? Less than $1 per show. They’ve already racked up 10 million downloads, and now they’re turning these bots into full-blown egoless influencers that don’t need a mic, only an LLM.

Hidden apps can log what you do and even switch on your mic or camera. Here’s how to spot the signs before it’s too late.

Listen on Komando.com →

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want to select everything on a page or document instantly? On Windows, press Ctrl + A, or on Mac, use Cmd + A. No more dragging your mouse to the bottom.

Check app permissions on Mac: New apps often ask for access to your files, microphone or location. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, then check sections like Location Services, Contacts, Photos and Camera. You can disable access on an app-by-app basis.

🔔 Turn on Instagram post notifications: Following too many accounts? Don’t miss updates from your favorites. Take me as an example. Go to my profile, tap the bell icon and toggle All for Posts, Stories, Reels and Live videos. 

Screenshot and record on Windows 11: For quick screenshots, press Windows key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool, then drag to capture the area you want. For recording, press Windows key + Shift + R, select the area you want again, and hit Start.

📧 Let Gmail give you nudges: Go to Settings > See all settings > General > Nudges. Toggle on Suggest emails to reply to, so unanswered questions resurface at the top of your inbox. Then toggle on Suggest emails to follow up on to remind you when someone hasn’t replied to your message.

11:37 p.m.
The average bedtime for American adults. We’re clocking six hours and 40 minutes of sleep a night, well below the recommended seven to nine. People who stick to the same bedtime get 40 extra minutes of rest and spend 36% less time tossing and turning. TikTok will still be there tomorrow. Promise.

$49 million
The price tag on Sam Altman’s Hawaiian hideaway. The OpenAI CEO just listed his 21.8-acre Kailua estate for nearly $6 million more than he paid in 2021. Ten bedrooms, a private marina, helicopter pad, theater, staff quarters and sweeping Pacific views. Wondering how Sam got his start? I’ve got the full scoop for you Sunday so you’ll be the smart one in the room.

More than 80%
That was Tesla’s share of the U.S. EV market back in the day. They’re down to just 38% of sales, the lowest since 2017. Why? While other automakers pump out shiny new EVs, Tesla’s busy dreaming about robotaxis and humanoid robots. Their last “new” model was the Cybertruck in 2023.

🕶️ Ford goes full influencer: All vibes, no vision

Ford wiped its Instagram clean, thousands of posts gone overnight, for a global reboot called “Ready Set Ford.” The campaign isn’t about trucks or Mustangs but selling a vibe. 

Ford says it’ll design cars, ads, even dealerships around “distinct lifestyles.”

But Instagram’s feed isn’t the only thing going black: Nearly 1.5 million vehicles are under recall for rearview cameras that can cut out, leaving drivers blind in reverse. Regulators have already linked the flaw to 18 crashes. Yikes.

Btw, if you leave your Adderall in a Ford Fiesta, when you come back, you have a Ford Focus. (lol)

The answer: A) Room 404 at CERN, where the first web servers were kept. Yep, back in the early days of the web, all the files lived in an actual room labeled “404.” When a file wasn’t there? Boom: “404 Not Found.” I bet you didn’t know that until now!

🙃 Speaking of… I was going to leave you with a 404 joke, but I can’t seem to find the humor in any. (Groan observed. I am complete.)

This has been your daily byte from the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. Tomorrow, I’m talking about when repairing your own stuff becomes an act of rebellion.

Until then, throw a thumbs-up rating below, and share a thought with me. You’re already one step ahead. Keep it going. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Bing Image Creator, Bobtot, Ford’s Instagram Page

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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.

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