Welcome to your sensational Sunday, friend! My husband, Barry, was feeling the holiday spirit and sent this text to family and friends: “Merry Christmas! 🥗🎄🎅.” I asked, in my sweetest voice, “Why are you texting a salad for Christmas?” He thought it was a wreath. I bet he’s not the only one.

🤑 Last chance to enter to win a $500 Amazon gift card: Be a pal and share this link with your friends, family, coworkers or neighbors. There’s no purchase necessary; all they have to do is try this free newsletter. Yes, you can enter, too. Let’s get down to the business of keeping you tech‑ahead. — Kim

Let me ask you a question: Do you think the cloud is a safe place to back up your data, the world’s treasures and government secrets? In a world of increasing breaches, hackers and threats, even cloud storage might not be enough.

Welcome to the next frontier: Lunar backups. NASA is teaming up with Lonestar, a Florida-based startup, and the Isle of Man, that self-governing British Crown Dependency you might've never heard of, to store data on the moon. Think of it like the ultra-secure Fort Knox but for digital information.

🚀 Blockchain goes intergalactic

How do you keep data safe on the moon? By using a blockchain — the same tech behind crypto. It ensures data is secure, genuine and tamper-proof. This isn’t your mom’s filing cabinet; it’s out of this world.

The first data cube, “Freedom,” landed on the moon in February 2024, proving the concept works. Lonestar’s first commercial mission takes off in 2026. Oh, and the Isle of Man’s post office got in on the fun, too, sending digital stamps to the moon. Now that’s first-class mail.

🌝 Why the moon?

The moon isn't becoming a storage locker for your embarrassing selfies. The mission is first to preserve humanity's crown jewels — our most vital data. Think of it as Earth's external hard drive or a modern Library of Alexandria (hopefully, with a less tragic end).

What's on the moon-bound list? Obvious candidates include:

🌎 Earth vs. the moon

Not everyone’s on board with storing data on the moon. It’s not like you can send a tech to fix things. And retrieving something? Think “break glass in case of emergency,” not your daily backup.

Accessing lunar data would take spacecraft, encryption and dealing with space itself. Long-term storage? Sure. Easy? Not at all.

My biggest worry? If you can connect to it, you can hack it. Just because it's far away doesn't mean it's 100% secure. And if Earth is gone, will we need our data? Hopefully, we’ll be on Mars by then.

🌜 This out-of-this-world news is something you’re definitely going to want to tell your friends and family. Use the icons below, space traveler!

Plus, Howard asks about AirPods as hearing aids, Katie’s building an online ordering app, John worries about random Facebook friend requests, Jesper wants to monitor his kids’ tech and so much more!

💅 Treat them (or yourself) to something nice.

PSA: Check the shipping date! When I did, these all arrived before Christmas.

🚨 Takeover fraud: A Colorado couple lost $3,700 after a scammer broke into their AT&T account and bought an iPad, iPhone, smartwatch and headphones. How? The crooks gained access to the couple’s login details. Keep an eye out for fake login links and impersonation calls. PSA: AT&T will never call you to lock down your account.

✈️ This is going to take off: A Chinese company is developing a supersonic civilian jet that can travel four times the speed of sound. In tests, its engine clocked 3,045 mph at altitudes over 65,600 feet. That means it could take you from London to New York in under two hours, complete with a view of the earth's curvature. Look for commercial flights by 2030.

Sales of portable CD players and MP3s are climbing: A great idea if you don’t want your kids on social media or a screen. Sure, you might have to give a crash course on how CDs work, but it beats them joining the nearly 50% of teens who are constantly online (paywall link).

“Never felt better”: That’s how Towana Looney feels after getting a kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig. She struggled to find a human donor, and now, she’s only the third person in the U.S. to have this surgery. Doctors at New York University plan a clinical trial next year. This could really help others waiting for kidney donors.

🚔 AI eyes on the road: Police are using AI cameras to spot and flag drivers texting or not wearing a seatbelt. If they catch you, the images are sent to nearby officers, who will pull you over almost in real time. North Carolina has seen phone violations jump ninefold since adopting the tech.

I’m not sure I get this and I love a good prank: Here’s how it goes down: Parents give young kids fake styrofoam or rubber knives from Halloween costumes to play with. Then, they video the reactions from a spouse or grandparent. Most scream in horror in the viral videos. What happens when the kid wants to do the same thing with a real knife? Dumb.

🎥 James Bond's favorite pasta is mini penne: The next movie in the James Bond franchise is in limbo, with no script or timeline. Why? A stalemate between the Broccoli family, which holds creative control, and Amazon, which owns the rights to release the films. The Broccolis don’t trust Amazon’s algorithm-driven, streaming-first approach or the idea of endless spinoffs (paywall link). Can’t blame ‘em — just look at what Amazon did to “The Lord of the Rings.”

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to an intruder in your home. A burglary happens every 30 seconds in the U.S., and homes without a security system are three times more likely to be targeted.

Right now, get 50% off when you buy a SimpliSafe system.

Here’s why you need SimpliSafe:

I hear you loud and clear! Coming soon: My guide to AI for total newbies. In the meantime, here are three practical ways to try ChatGPT: 1.) Event planning — Ask for itineraries, packing lists, or ideas for parties or vacations; 2.) Writing help — Ask it to spot typos or areas you can clean up; and 3.) Brainstorming — Anything goes, from blog topics and gift suggestions to medical issues and small-business names.

Stop using your Google profile this way: Logging into other services using your Google creds puts one of your most important accounts at risk. Log in at myaccount.google.com and tap Security. Scroll to Your connections to third-party apps & services > See all connections. You’ll see a list of apps currently using your Google login. Open the details, then click Stop using Sign in with Google.

“How come no one told me?” That’s what you’ll think if you don’t know this tip. On your Mac, click on a file and hit Return. Now, you can type in a new name. On a PC, click, wait a beat, then click again. Done!

It's the spending season: You have to save where you can. No kidding, the first time I logged into Rocket Money,* it saved me $360. It finds all your recurring subscriptions and lets you easily cancel those you no longer want.

Calling all trivia buffs: Did you know Barbados gained its independence in 2021? How about this? South Korea is smaller than Pennsylvania. Wild. Check out the CIA’s online World Factbook if you love geography or history … or to find trivia to stump your friends and fam.

No more hitting “Forgot password”: With my thoroughly tested recommendation and pick, NordPass,* you can store all your logins in one safe spot and access them from your phone, computer, tablet — whatever. So, so handy.

Stuck on hold: There’s a hidden redial button on your smartphone. Hit the call button without typing a number or choosing a contact to call the last person you talked to.

Check out: The newest Christmas card from the Prince and Princess of Wales, aka William and Kate. No new photo this year; this one is from her cancer journey.

Hurry up: And finish your holiday shopping! I have so many good picks in my gifting guides here that ship in time.

Stop: Scummy data brokers and people-search sites from selling your info with this easy-to-use tool.*

Laugh: At the lamest scam I’ve seen in a long time …

Grow: Your business in the new year. That’s your goal, right? Get on the list for my new small-biz newsletter, packed with tips, tricks and advice you’ll use.

Whip up: The perfect appetizer: Homemade caramelized onion dip.

Since I started today’s newsletter with an emoji, here are a few you might want to reconsider using, along with their other meanings:

🍆 (eggplant) — The male part.
🍑 (peach) — It’s a butt.
🌮 (taco) — The female part.
💦 (droplets) — Use your imagination.
🌽 (corn) — Replace the “c” with a “p.”

This site is like Wikipedia for emojis. Look up what anything means so you’re not sending a 🍌 to your boss.

Need any last-minute gifts? Here’s Amazon’s secret link to the best gifts you can still get delivered by Christmas Day.

That’s another day of the best tech newsletter in the USA, done and dusted. Try not to get too stressed with all the last-minute holiday to-dos. Take a deep breath; it will get all done. It always does! — Kim