The Current Plus: Update your PC, hay scam, Incognito mode on YouTube | In partnership with TotalAV | | Hurrah, it’s Friday, friend! Glad you’re here with me getting tech-smarter. Here’s some trivia to get us going. Some underground indie labels are releasing music exclusively on which of these old-school physical formats? Is it the … A.) Floppy disk, B.) 8‑track, C.) MiniDisc or D.) USB flash drive? Answer at the end. Be smart, folks. You read this newsletter, so you know cyberattacks are getting harder to spot. Let the right software do it for you. My pick is TotalAV. You get a whole year of protection on five devices for just $19. Now, let’s do this thing. — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 😴 Pay-per-snooze 💻 Windows and Mac updates 💸 Bet you paid more than Tesla |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Give it a rest I feel like crap if I don’t get a good night’s sleep. I bet you do, too. We’re not alone. The National Sleep Foundation says one in three of us isn't getting enough z’s. Shorting yourself on shuteye can cause big problems, from less creativity and heart issues to an increased risk of depression. And that means some folks are shelling out major cash on luxury sleep retreats, aka “sleep tourism.” Just when you think you’ve heard it all. Don’t worry — I’m all about practical solutions that aren’t going to break the bank. I found some great sleep gadgets and DIY tips you can use to get your 40 winks. But first, you’ve gotta see this. A different kind of ‘sleepaway camp’ From resorts in Miami to scenic ranches in Tucson, people are going to crazy lengths — and locations — to get some shuteye. Here are some of the wildest “sleep retreats” I found: For $3,428, this resort retreat in Miami will lull you to sleep with five days in a “smart bed,” a personalized sleep analysis, wellness exercises and complimentary food. For that price, the waffles had better be amazing. For $8,800, you could enjoy a “Master Sleep” at this sweet Tucson ranch. It includes five nights with doctors and dieticians and a complimentary 80-minute massage. And, for $2,565 a night, you could stay in this room in London that’s designed to feel like a “dark, mysterious cave.” Sounds … cozy. I’ll spare you the eye roll, but if you can’t look away, I have more fancy sleep retreats on my site here. Yes, that includes a $325 power nap! Budget-friendlier bedtime gadgets You don't have to spend big bucks to learn about your sleep habits. Consider: The Withings Sleep Analyzer mat: For $129.95, it sits under your mattress, detects your sleep cycles and feeds that data to an app that can tell you how to improve your snoozing. Bonus: You don't have to wear a clunky watch to bed. The Google Nest Hub: For $99.99, its smart display uses low-energy radar and a mic to track your movements and noises at night. It then gives you feedback about how you're sleeping. Oh, and I researched the privacy. The data stays on the device — it doesn't get sent back to Google. (So they say ...) The Oura Ring: It’s pricier, but for $299, it helps you give insomnia the finger (I had to). It gives you a daily sleep and recovery score based on how you slept and what you did the day before. The best sleep advice is free Leave your devices in another room before bed. Limiting blue light before bed, deep breathing and going to bed at the same time every night can all help signal to your brain it’s time to “power down.” 🛌 Do you think Jeff Bezos sleeps naked? Or with paj‑amazon? Oh, no … I’m never gonna work in this town again. |
Don’t make this mistake Malware can ruin your computer and put your identity at risk. That’s why antivirus programs are nonnegotiable today. They keep your digital life safe. But don’t just download the first free program you find. Using free antivirus could cost you. At worst, it’s malware in disguise — collecting and selling off your info. At best, it’s not good enough to truly protect you. The companies behind freebies simply can’t afford the infrastructure needed for real-time protection from the latest vulnerabilities. And if they can afford it, they could be selling your data. I trust TotalAV’s award-winning security suite. TotalAV offers real-time protection for up to five devices on a single plan. It’s just $19 for the first year. You can’t beat that! Stop waiting and protect yourself today. → |
WEB WATERCOOLER 🖥️ Patch your PC now: Microsoft's latest update fixes 61 vulnerabilities. It prevents bad actors from executing code remotely on your device via dodgy links or images. Yeah, that’s a biggie. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Download and Install. Sonomore USBs: The latest macOS update, Sonoma 14.4, is reportedly breaking USB hubs from Dell, Samsung and Gigabyte. No official fix yet, but workarounds include a full system reboot, changing your privacy and security settings, and trying a new USB cable. If you haven’t updated yet, wait for Sonoma 14.5. 💸 It’s accrual world: A study shows automaker Tesla didn't pay a single dime in federal income taxes from 2018 to 2022, despite raking in $4.4 billion. It even snagged a $1 million refund from the government. Meanwhile, the company shelled out $2.5 billion to its execs. Elon’s laughing all the way to the bank. Hay, watch out: Drought-hit states are seeing a rise in fake hay and horse ads, with scammers swiping photos from social media to lure in buyers. They ask for payment upfront via wire transfers or prepaid cards, then they vanish. Tip: Always see your online listings in person before shelling out. 🌄 La La Land: That “Hollywood Mountain” pic everyone’s been passing around on social? Fake news, folks. The devil's in the AI details. There is no beautiful green mountain overlooking downtown Los Angeles from this angle, and the hotels on top don’t exist. Want to visit a real Hollywood hill? Try the Griffith Observatory. Don't pay for ChatGPT: Microsoft is adding GPT‑4 Turbo to its free chatbot, Copilot. Yep, the formerly $20 OpenAI-exclusive is now on the house! GPT‑4 Turbo creates better replies and human-like speech from text. FYI, Copilot Pro users: You can still switch back to the original GPT‑4 if you’re feeling old‑school. ⚔️ The battlefield is changing: Drones are now the most cost-effective soldiers. A $20,000 Shahed drone took the lives of three U.S. servicemembers in Jordan, and Ukrainian maritime drones sank a $70 million Russian warship. Yep — minimal investment for massive damage. And AI could soon control entire drone swarms. Scary stuff. 🐱 Looking good, feline good: Think cats are naturally coldhearted? Science begs to differ. Turns out, when you give a cat similar opportunities and challenges to the kinds we usually give dogs, like learning tricks and chasing toys, they become way more social and, dare we say, loving. |
LISTEN UP | | Get what you want from AI ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini can be super-useful for a bunch of tasks. Let me show you how to give them effective prompts. Play Now • 7:51 ▶ |
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DEVICE ADVICE Forget it, I beg of you You once had a weird rash, and now it’s haunting your search history. Or maybe you looked up a tutorial to fix the dishwasher … and YouTube won’t stop recommending more fix‑it vids. Next time, search in Incognito mode from your phone. Here's how: Open the YouTube app. Tap your profile picture in the top right of the screen, then tap Turn on Incognito. FYI, this feature only works when you’re signed in to the YouTube app. It prevents your watch history, searches and other activities from being saved to your profile. 🤣 What’s a YouTuber’s favorite line? Leave it in the comments down below. |
TECH LIFE UPGRADES Free AI test drive: You want to introduce AI into your operations but have no idea where to start. Fear not! Go to Oracle.com/kim* to take a free test drive of its system. Do it today — your business depends on it. Crazy but true: A malicious website only exists for 10 minutes on average. Google just upgraded its anti-phishing protection to check against a list of known unsafe sites in real time, not every 30 minutes to an hour. Update Chrome on your desktop or iOS devices now; Android will be coming next. Remember, bad actors will slip through the cracks. 🤖 Be Gemini’s editor: Google just pushed out an update to its Gemini AI bot that lets you tweak the answers. Highlight any text in a Gemini response, click the pencil, and you can regenerate it, make it shorter, make it longer or even remove it. Magic! Bundles of joy: Bundles can save you money by combining services at a lower total cost. Try Apple One, which bundles cloud storage, music, games and movies — or streaming services Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Share it with family and it's even cheaper. 🔓 New phone level unlocked: Samsung fans swear by the free app Good Lock. It makes the Samsung operating system better with mini apps. Start by checking out QuickStar to customize your Quick Panel, apply new themes with Theme Park or rewind to that notification you only glanced at with Nice Catch. |
DEALS OF THE DAY Poolside gadgets It's only March, but I'm dreaming of summer, so I've found all the gear you should buy now before everything gets more expensive. Floating flamingo drink holders! Too cute. Sunscreen applicator lets you avoid messy hands when reapplying your SPF. Handheld fan to keep you cool in between dips. Waterproof portable speaker with a hook for hanging on umbrellas. Solar phone charger so even your tech can benefit from soaking up some sun. |
BY THE NUMBERS $1.3B lost to scammers Impersonating government officials or tech support. That’s up sevenfold since 2019. People like to think scams are an “older” person’s problem, but only 40% of those scammed are over the age of 60. We all have to be on guard. 60% of website traffic Could disappear thanks to Google’s Gen AI Search. Alarming stuff for anyone who relies on search traffic to make money. Expect a lot of sites to shut down. Consider subscribing to publications you want to stick around. A great place to start: Support our work by joining the Komando Community. Thank you! 25% reduction in waits At intersections by adding a fourth stoplight color. A white traffic light would signal autonomous vehicles to lead the way and tell human drivers to follow the car in front of them. What could go wrong? Yeah, it’s still in the research phase. |
WHAT THE TECH? A balance sheet comes from eating a balanced diet. |
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... The answer: A.) Floppy disk. That’s right. Cool kids are publishing music on 3.5-inch floppy disks, last produced in 2011. I’ve got a box of old disks somewhere. Maybe I’ll start my own underground floppy label. I bet I could make it big in … tech‑no. 🎵 Don’t forget to check out TotalAV to make your devices a whole lot safer. See you right back here tomorrow for another issue of the best tech newsletter ever, complete with apps for your phone that beat the defaults. Until then! — Kim |
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